They weren’t supposed to be there. Neither of them was. War wasn’t the place for the small and meek like Ryeowook and Henry both were. Ryeowook especially so. But the draft had come and they were unable to stop it. The year was 1944 and they were about to storm the beaches at Normandy.

 

*                        *                            *

Henry and Ryeowook had met in college, Ryeowook a rare transfer student and Henry an even rarer gay man. The pair met naturally in classes and soon their relationship began. How Ryeowook got caught up in the draft was a mystery to the two, but he still went—he didn’t want to be separated from Henry.
 

In the barracks their relationship was kept quiet, but they were still able to meet somehow. When there is a will there is a way. But neither ever expected this.
 

“I’m not supposed to be here Henli…” Ryeowook said while they were on the ship, hands shaking as he held his gun.
 

“I know… I know. But you are… so be brave.” Henry gently patted Ryeowook’s cheek; he wasn’t about to let on just how absolutely terrified he was himself.
 

“Okay.. For you.” Ryeowook forced a smile just as the ship rocked into landing. Both men took careful breaths, along with everyone else on the ship and waited.
 

It didn’t take long for the door of the ship to open up. Hundreds of soldiers poured out of tons of ships and onto the beaches. The sound of gunfire was deafening and had it not been Henry’s reassuring gaze, Ryeowook wouldn’t have been able to make it off of the ship.
 

With a shout they ran into the sand together, gunfire barely missing them as they ducked behind one of the giant pieces of wood for shelter. Henry was the first to lean out and begin shooting, aiming for where the gunfire was coming from for them. A tug was given to Ryeowook’s sleeve and they ran closer.
 

The dead bodies were already starting to pile up and Ryeowook was having a hard time seeing through the tears in his eyes.
 

“Henli… Henli, they.. they’re dead…” He whimpered, clinging tightly to his gun.
 

“Yes, Wookie I know.” Henry replied in a quick breath, glancing back around and firing again almost blindly. “I know…”

“They’re our friends…”

“Yes.”

“And they’re dead…”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t care!?” Ryeowook couldn’t take the cold answers Henry was giving him and yelled at him.
 

“Ryeowook! This is war! You … You can’t think about them if you yourself want to live. Now come on!” Henry tugged again just before the sand beside them blew up from a heavy artillery shot. They ran somewhere new to safety with a few other soldiers.
 

“What’s the plan?” Henry asked then; he was running on pure adrenaline. It was the only way he was going to be able to make it through this.
 

“We don’t really have one.” They replied. “You?”
 

“Same. Wanna go?”
 

“Yeah.” And they ran out shooting again. Ryeowook would have trailed behind but Henry wouldn’t let him.
 

But then it happened. First a bomb blew up in the sand just in front of them, causing Henry to stall as he ran. That was followed by a round of bullets. Two hit Henry in the chest. Ryeowook watched as he fell in slow motion, screaming at the top of his lungs.
 

“NO!!! Henli!!!” He ran over to his side, looking around before trying to pull him somewhere safer. “Medic!!” he cried out, but none were nearby. “Oh god… Henli.” The tears from before were now streaming down his cheeks.
 

“Wookie…” Henry said with a gentle cough. “I-.. I’m fine.” Another stream of bullets just missed them, thanks to the rock they were behind.
 

“No, you’re not! Oh Henli…” His hands were pressed to the wounds in Henry’s chest, trying to stop the bleeding but they were just as bad as his tears were.
 

“Don’t cry Wookie…” Henry choked on some blood, raising a hand up to brush away the tears. “Please don’t cry…” Ryeowook leaned into that hand and held it with his own blood covered one.
 

“I don’t want to lose you…” Ryeowook whispered softly, “I love you Henli…”
 

“I love you too Wookie…” Henry replied his own voice just as soft, eyes growing distant. “I’ll wait for you…” He said before his head lulled to the side, the spark in his eyes gone.
 

Ryeowook’s chin quivered once more before letting out a loud cry of pain, falling down against Henry’s body. He cried ‘No’ and clung to his fallen lover, pressing dead kisses to his already cold lips; praying that it wasn’t true but it was… Nothing he was doing was going to bring him back.
 

Those last few words were clung to as Ryeowook forced himself back up to his feet. ‘I’ll wait for you.’ His gun was retrieved from the sand and Ryeowook let out another yell before running out into the sand again, shooting recklessly.
 

With each bullet that left his gun, Ryeowook thought, ‘Wait for me Henli… Wait for me… It won’t be long now.’