If anyone would have told Klaus a year ago that he would eventually meet, and fall in love with a wonderful, good, beautiful and kind man; he would have laughed in their face, and told them to cut back on whatever it was they were smoking.
Had they told him that not only would he indeed meet this fabled unicorn of man, but he would meet him in the fiery bowels of the Vietnam war; he would have asked them what they were smoking, and where he could get his hands on some.
And yet there he was, forcefully ripped from his timeline in 2019 and casually dispensed in a tent amongst a hailstorm of bullets in the year 1968, in the presence of a living, breathing, statuesque beauty of a man.
Chest bare, and stunning blue eyes baring directly into his soul.
Klaus eventually learned that the literal God-like man's name was Dave, and the two of them immediately grew rather close to one another.
While the circumstances behind their chance encounter were fortuitous at best, they quickly learned that they were meant to be together.
Klaus was never a man to believe in fairy tales, or even in fate. Yet he truly did believe there was a reason he was somehow miraculously able to come into contact with this Dave Katz.
Not only was Dave an amazing, brave and strong soldier who fought valiantly for his country, he was also a tender hearted loving soul.
He always was sure to make Klaus feel like he was the most special, amazing, and perfect man to ever walk the earth.
Dave truly cared about Klaus; unlike every single other man he ever had the complete displeasure of having any kind of a 'relationship' with.
Klaus was used to, and now unfortunately expected, the rude remarks, the unwanted forceful physical contact (both sexually, and not) and the abuse that accompanied his relationships. Klaus figured he must have deserved these kinds of interactions with people.
He was unfamiliar with what love was, and true love didn't exist, as far as he had ever been concerned.
He simply accepted that this would forever be how his love life would be—Loveless, ruthless, and unkind.
But with Dave, he never had to worry about any of that...
Dave never raised a hand to him, unless it was in a salute, or a high five. His voice would never raise, unless it was in a positive manner; laughing at one of Klaus's many inappropriate jokes. He would never make unwanted physical advances on Klaus, force him into anything he didn't want. He never has, nor would he ever, leave a bruise on his fair skin, unless it was a hickie that Klaus would wear with pride.
Dave was an honest to goodness kind man, and Klaus was completely enamored by the fact that this man somehow loved him.
Dave always wanted what was best for Klaus.
He would go out of his way to protect him during battle, shielding his body with his own when bullets would fly.
Klaus didn't know how he got so lucky...
Dave loved Klaus, and supported him in any way possible. He even understood and sympathized with Klaus over his abundant drug use. Klaus was always honest with Dave, he couldn't lie to him. He wanted their relationship to be based out of honestly, and not in lies.
So when Dave kept finding Klaus high as a rocket at any given moment and asked him why he did this to himself, Klaus told him the truth.
Ghosts.
Klaus can see and commune with the dead. They terrified him, and drugs were the only thing that seemed to help numb his pain.
Dave accepted the truth, and he accepted Klaus.
Dave was truly a perfect man.
After months of being together, however, Dave couldn't help but want Klaus to be happy without needing to depend on his crutch of drug use. And so, Dave confronted Klaus.
He was honest with him; telling him he truly does love him, and therefore, he wished he would stop pumping his body fully of poison. He told him he understood why he chose to do it, and why he stuck with it for so long.
His entire life, Klaus never had any other way to escape his fears—but he did, now.
Dave pulled his hands into his own, his blue eyes gazing passionately into Klaus's emerald green ones, and he told Klaus he wasn't alone anymore.
He didn't need to be afraid to face his fears, because he wouldn't need to do it by himself ever again. Dave would face them alongside him, head on. He would protect Klaus, keep him safe, and rescue him from his demons.
Klaus's eyes pooled with tears as he smiled, pulling Dave into the tightest embrace. This perfect, beautiful man did love Klaus. He'd never had anyone truly give a damn about him like this before.
He loved Dave—trusted him more than anyone, or anything in this world. He knew Dave would keep his word, help Klaus overcome his fears, and never leave his side...
So Klaus agreed to give up his one failsafe safety net from his fears—his drugs.
And for once, he wasn't afraid to.
Because he knew that Dave would be beside him, holding his hand.
—-
"Move out, maggots! We're needed at the front lines! Let's go, let's go, let's go! Move it move it!" Sergeant Rankin bellowed through the canvas tent to his battalion of soldiers.
They learned the news that morning that they were to head north to the front lines; their presence was needed.
The war was getting hot, hostilities were high. The band of brothers knew this would be happening sometime, they just hadn't realized it would be so soon.
The timing could not have been any more worse...
Klaus was only nine days into detoxing off of drugs, and he was not doing well at all.
His body was riddled by chills, and blanketed in a thick sheen of sweat. He was constantly plagued by nausea and fatigue. He couldn't see straight, he was so dizzy. He didn't know how they could honestly expect him to be of any use on the front lines.
While his comrades hurriedly paced around their tent, readying themselves for battle, Klaus laid curled in the fetal position on his cot, clutching his blanket to his chest.
Dave was kneeling beside him, soothingly rubbing circles in his back with his left hand, as he smoothed his sweat soaked curls out of his eyes with the other. He didn't care about the looks this earned him from his fellow soldiers, Klaus was his only concern.
Dave was horrified right now.
The front lines were no joke—You went there to kill, or be killed.
Dave knew in Klaus's current condition, he wouldn't be able to pull his weight out on the field, and this scared him.
He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of anything ever happening to Klaus. Dave knew in his heart, if Klaus went to the front lines, it would be a death sentence—the literal march to his own demise.
Dave couldn't allow that to happen...
"Sarge, Hargreeves won't make it if he goes, sir! Look at him, he can't even stand!" He shouted over the sea of voices filling their frenzied living quarters. Sergeant Rankin stomped towards him, peering down at Dave, before studying Klaus's sickly appearance.
Truth be told, he was aware that Klaus had not been doing well over the last weeks span. He always cared about those two; but unfortunately, his feelings didn't matter in the face of war.
"Katz, I am sorry, but my hands are tied. We have no choice in the matter, son. You know this." Dave's face fell as his eyes met his superiors defeated brown gaze. He nodded, before turning his full attention back to his boyfriends shuddering frame.
"I truly am sorry, Katz. Hargreeves, stay low and keep close to Katz. I'll do my due diligence to try to keep you two boys safe." Klaus peered to Rankin with scared, watery eyes. He groaned as a surge of nausea overwhelmed him. He swallowed thickly, nodding his head in acknowledgment and thanks before slumping back against his cot.
"I'll give you two a few more minutes. We head out in five." Sergeant Rankin patted Dave on his shoulder, shooting both soldiers a sympathetic glance before turning to address the rest of his troops. He paused, glancing at the two once more.
"I truly am sorry, boys. May God be with us all."
Sergeant Rankin disappeared into the slew of soldiers, leaving Dave and Klaus alone to collect their thoughts, and prepare as best as they could, for Klaus's impending fate.
Klaus was terrified. He knew if he fought today, he would die. He simply didn't have the strength. He curled himself tighter into a ball on his cot, hot tears streaming down his face. His shoulders were quaking with sobs.
Dave heaved himself from his position on the floor, situating himself on the cot beside Klaus, gently easing his trembling form into his steady and strong embrace. Klaus nuzzled his face against Dave's chest, his sobs getting louder and less controllable. Dave buried his nose into Klaus's curls, clutching his trembling form closer to his own.
"Shh shh, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. You're going to be okay, babe. I'll make sure of it." Dave's own tears tumbled down his cheeks.
Honestly, he didn't know if he would be able to keep his promise...
Their entire relationship was based on truth, and in this moment, he felt as though he'd told Klaus the biggest lie to ever leave his lips.
Klaus's body stiffened as a wave of nausea overtook him. He groaned, and swallowed the bile back. He was desperate, he didn't want to die, but more than that, he didn't want to lose Dave.
Klaus knew this perfect man would throw himself in the path of a bullet for him, and he couldn't allow that to happen.
He clutched at Dave's hand, bringing it to his chest and peered into his pools of blue with such intensity, it almost scared even himself.
"What it.. what if there was another way?" Klaus asked breathily. He shuddered, screwing his eyes shut as another wave of nausea struck. Dave kissed his mop of curls before pulling Klaus's face into his hands. He ran his thumbs over his lovers cheeks to wipe at his tears.
"What do you mean, babe?"
Klaus sucked in a deep breath before opening his eyes once more, continuing his intense stare.
"I mean..what if I knew of a way you and I could escape this. We could leave, not fight. We could live." Dave looked at Klaus with a confused expression.
How could there be any other way? This is war, you can't just walk away from this.
"How, babe? There is no other way." Klaus shook his head no before grabbing ahold of Dave by his wrists.
"There is, there's always another way. Under my cot, there's a briefcase. Grab it for me, please?" Dave was confused, but did as he was instructed.
He leaned his upper body over the edge of the mattress, reaching under the cot and tapped the floorboards beneath the bed until the handle pressed against his fingertips. He latched onto it, pulling it onto the bed and into his lap. The black leather of the case was coated in a thick layer of dust.
What could this untouched briefcase possibly have anything to do with them getting out of here?
Klaus achingly sat up, reaching for the case. Dave wrapped his arm around him to steady him before placing the briefcase into his lovers lap. Klaus's hands were shaking, but he quickly fidgeted with the dials on the case, changing the numbers to what he hoped would bring them back to his correct time.
Dave laid his hand over Klaus's, begging him to stop.
"Babe, there's nothing in that case that could help." He didn't understand what was so important about that stupid briefcase. Klaus slammed the case down on his lap and turned to Dave hurriedly.
"This is our ticket out of here, you just need to trust me! Don't you trust me, Dave?" Klaus's face shone brilliantly with fear. Dave couldn't help but feel sorry for this beautiful man in front of him.
"Of course I do, Klaus. More than anyone else I've ever known." He wiped another tear from his love's face as Klaus heaved in a deep breath.
He just prayed Dave wouldn't shy away from him after he heard what he was about to say.
"You remember how I said I can see ghosts, Dave. You remember how you believed me?" Dave nodded.
"Good. Remember how you always thought it was weird that I didn't seem to understand anything going on here. You wondered how the hell I ended up in a war I seemed to know absolutely nothing about?" Dave nodded again. Klaus quickly coughed into the crook of his left elbow before taking another breath and continuing.
"Well, Dave, that's because I didn't know anything. I-I'm not meant to be here, Dave." Dave pulled Klaus into his arms, and pressed him against his chest in a tight reassuring embrace.
"I know, babe. I'm so sorry, I wish I could save you from this, I promise, I'll do everything I can to—" Klaus pulled away shaking his head.
"No, you don't understand, babe. I'm literally not supposed to be here. I was born on October 1st, 1989. I'm from the future. This briefcase," He lifted the briefcase to emphasize.
"Is a time traveling device. I stole it thinking it had money inside I could use for drugs. But when I opened it, it transported me here." He coughed again, nearly dropping the briefcase to the ground. Dave grabbed ahold of it before it could, guiding it back into Klaus's lap before gently rubbing his shoulders. Klaus cleared his throat before continuing.
"Remember my first night here? Didn't you find it strange that a man dressed in only a towel suddenly appeared seemingly out of thin air?"
Dave had to admit, Klaus's words rang true. He did always find that rather peculiar. But, there was so much going on at the time, he couldn't really focus on that.
Now that he mentioned it again, though, this all started to almost make sense...
"This briefcase dumped me here. It teleported me from the year 2019 to now, Dave. I can..I can use it again, change the date and bring us back. But I-" Klaus paused to wipe at his tears.
"I won't go without you. Please, Dave. Please, come with me. We can be together, away from the war, away from the bloodshed. I'll die if I stay, but I..I won't leave without you." He clenched his eyes shut, too emotionally drained to look into Dave's eyes. He didn't mean to put such an ultimatum on him, but he meant what he said.
He would rather die, right here, in 1968, than return home, alone, to his miserable life without Dave.
Dave could see how scared Klaus was. He didn't understand fully exactly what Klaus was saying; it was a lot to take in.
Time travel?
Future?
Klaus dying if they stayed?
He was confused, and scared himself, but he knew Klaus wouldn't lie to him. If he truly believed this could be a way for them both to get to safety, and spare Klaus from his impending fate, well, than Dave was more than willing to give this theory a chance.
Dave pulled Klaus's face into his calloused hands, and delicately ran his thumbs over his cheeks.
"Well, then. What are we waiting for, babe? Let's go. Let's get you out of this hell hole. Let's get you home." Klaus smiled as a sob broke through his lips. He was so unbelievably happy to hear Dave say this. He was so ready to leave, to get both of them as far away from this place as possible.
"Everybody up, let's go!" Sergeant Rankin shouted from the open flap of their tent. Both soldiers glanced at him before Klaus intertwined his fingers into Dave's.
"Katz, Hargreeves, it's time to go! C'mon boys, move it!" He stomped towards them, ready to usher them towards their fate. Dave looked at Klaus, tucking his fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Their gaze met, eyes filled with tears. Dave gave Klaus an encouraging nod. He was ready for whatever happened, but they needed to do it now.
They were out of time.
"Ready?" Klaus asked Dave, laying his fingertips readily on the latch of the briefcase.
Dave smiled fondly at Klaus, pressing his forehead against his own.
"More than you'll ever know." They smiled at each other, taking no account of their sergeant being an arms length away. He was shouting at them to move.
Klaus flicked the latch on the briefcase, opening it. A brilliant flash of blue enveloped the two soldiers, causing their sergeant to flinch away from the sight of it.
When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was an empty cot.
—
Authors Note- HELLO AGAIN BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, DID YOU MISS ME?! ;)
I know, it's only been a few days since I posted the Final chapter to I'm Not Okay, but what can I say, I enjoy posting too much to slow down anytime soon!
If you're new to my writing, hello there! Welcome! I hope you enjoy!
If you haven't already read my story I'm Not Okay, pause what you're doing, and go read that first! This is practically part 2 of that story, so I recommend you read that first! Just so you understand fully what's going on in this one!
Ahh! I'm so excited to share this one with you guys! I needed to explore Dave and Klaus's relationship more, them only being reunited after he dies is just not cool in my book haha
I will warn you guys though, this is still a cancer story—same illness, different outcome.
But it is going to be a sad story still! Just as a little pre-warning. It's going to be super up in the air if Klaus will survive or not towards the end, but, that's the thrill of reading each new chapter, right?! Gotta keep y'all on your toes! ;)
I hope you enjoyed!
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU LIKED THIS, I WOULD LOVE TO READ ALL OF YOUR LOVELY OPINIONS!
Not to be demanding LOL I just really would love to hear whatever feedback you all can give! I'm always up for constructive criticism as well! There's always room for improvement, trust me, I'm far from perfect!
As always, thank you all again!