'IWAIZUMI!!' Oikawa yelled.

Rapid gunshots rung in the air, his ears filled with the bangs and clinks of guns being fired, the bullets hitting helmets and more often, the people wearing them. Every few seconds a louder detonation sounded, screams or grunts following, and he didn't even want to think about what fell after. The sky was a dim grey, smoke and ash filling it. When looking around, if you had the time, you'd only see full greens and browns. Of course, you'd see weapons and soldiers too.

Oikawa wondered how he got here.

Not even three days ago he was back home. He was in his house, warm colours filling the room. He had everything back home. He was a man in his prime, a young man with a job. He was successful! He was up for a massive promotion too. He had a wife, two kids, expecting a third in eight months.

Well....they were nice. He gusses.

Not really.

He liked his wife and his kids were great! He loved his kids more than anything in the world, he does. His parents set him up with his childhood neighbour. She was sweet, blonde, pretty. She was perfect...for other people. Not Oikawa.

He shouldn't need anything else. He had a nice white painted house, a porch, a nice living room, a cosy dining room, and a big bedroom. He had a big fluffy dog his kids love. He braided his daughters hair before school. He played catch with his son in the garden. He convinced his wife to follow her dream of becoming a teacher. He did everything he could to be the perfect dad and husband but he always felt guilty.

The guy across the road. He insisted on chopping his own firewood. He insisted on taking his shirt off. He insisted on looking perfect. He insisted on being incredibly buff too. Oikawa found it hard not to stare so he stopped pretending not to. His wife would go to her job much earlier than the other teachers so Oikawa had plenty of time to sit on the porch with some tea and watch the man swing an axe. Oikawa felt no guilt about his morning pastimes since his wife's included sleeping with the principle to "fulfil her needs" or something. The thing Oikawa thought was so pathetic about he is that he doesn't care. He's so infatuated with the man he couldn't care less if the baby was the principles and he didn't know.

When he realised that, he knew he had to meet the reason he was like this.

'Hello.' Oikawa grinned, waving at the man.

'Oh, uh...hi?' He responded, placing down the axe.

'I'm Oikawa Tooru.' He stuck out a hand which Iwaizumi shook delicately.

'Sorry, trying to avoid getting sweat on your suit.' He said as Oikawa obviously noticed.

'Oh, don't even worry about it!' Oikawa smiled.

'I'm Iwaizumi Hajime.' The other smiled.

Oikawa didn't know that small encounter would lead to breathless nights, Iwaizumi's name through his lips, forgetting he had a family, forgetting it was a sin, forgetting the feeling of the cold, forgetting everything but him. Iwaizumi.

He also didn't know right now he'd be hiding in trenches of dirt, praying Iwaizumi was just still and not....

'Hajime please, I swear to god.' Oikawa whispered. He dropped his gun, shuffling over.

'Tooru-' He coughed, blood spat out between his teeth.

'No no no no no no, Hajime, please no.' Oikawa touched the top of Iwaizumi's head lightly, his fingers immediately becoming covered in a thick sticky red substance.

'I think they got me Tooru.' Iwaizumi winced, a pained smile on his face.

'You can't- no! Hajime...' Oikawa knee years were spilling out his eyes. 'Medic! We can get you a medic, you'll be fine!'

'And what? We go back to sneaking around? Being told we're going to hell?' Iwaizumi was crying too.

'I don't want you to leave me.' Oikawa whispered, not sure if his love could hear him over the gunshots and bombs but those were background noise to Tooru. He was focusing on Hajime's heartbeat.

'Well, maybe this is for the best-'

'Hajime!' Oikawa whimpered.

'No no, listen.' Iwaizumi winced again, 'we can come back and meet again. A world we don't have to hide. We can get married. Live a life!' Iwaizumi smiled.

'That sounds perfect.'

'Well then,' Iwaizumi places a kiss onto Oikawa's hand. 'I'll see you in our new world. We'll have everything.'

Their clasped hands were all Oikawa needed as comfort as Hajime's grip slowly faded along with the beat of his heart.

He couldn't stay in a world without Hajime. He shuffled back over to his gun, a hand still wrapped firmly around Hajime's. He held his gun, his finger pulling on the trigger, shooting the soldiers against him.

When a bullet came straight for him he didn't need time to think about what would happen next. He knew he'd be in his new world with Iwaizumi soon enough.

Dying in a trench was no way to go, but a hand around a lovers couldn't be awful.

~~~

'Iwa-chan! Read this bit!' Oikawa shoved a textbook in front of his best friend.

'What?' Iwaizumi grumbled.

'Two soldiers letters have been found exposing a love between the two! One had a wife and kids but his wife was like totally cheating on him! The men were neighbours and were having an affair when they had to go to the war. Apparently, the two died in the trench together holding hands! They got buried together by request of the unmarried soldier to one of their friends. The friend lived to tell the story of his friends and what they were up against back in their day!' Oikawa finished with a wave of his hands.

'Oh....that's kinda tragic?' Iwaizumi shrugged.

'I think it's cute!' Oikawa smiled. 'It's sad they died that way though.'

'Well, I don't think it's cute that they had to hide their relationship or whatever. Gay rights weren't around back then.' Iwaizumi said, writing down more notes on the book he was trying to read.

'I'm glad they found love in each other, it's so disappointing they had to hide that.' Oikawa pouted.

'Yeah it is, now do actual work Shittykawa.' Oikawa's pout deepened.

'Fine.' Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi's spare pen.

'Hey! I didn't say you could use that!' Iwaizumi yelled.
try
'Awww but I like your pens moreee! They're inky and shiny!' Oikawa whined.

'Fine, but you better give me that back!' Iwaizumi pointed at Oikawa but both knew Oikawa would be shoving all Iwaizumi's pens into his pencil case when they left.

A few hours later, the two boys were walking home, Oikawa skipping along with the thought of his new free pens in the back of his mind.

'What do you think happened to the soldiers after they died?' Oikawa asked, looking at the cherry blossom trees down the long brown brick path.

'Oh my god, are we still on that?' Iwaizumi groaned, shoving his hands in his pocket.

'Yes! Oh my god, I bet they're totally in heaven together! Aw, that's so cute!' Oikawa clasped his hands.

'Or they're in hell, they did kind of shoot a ton of people?' Iwaizumi grumbled.

'No! Love prevails!' Oikawa grinned, throwing his hands up, spinning around. Iwaizumi sighed loudly, stepping forwards to Oikawa, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back to look him in the eyes.

'Fine! The two of them died in each other's arms, and were reincarnated into a beautiful world where they can stay with each other 'till the end of their days, unconditionally loving each other.' Iwaizumi finished with a small whisper as he noticed how close he was to his best friend.

'Wow...that sounds- uh.....' Oikawa fumbled with his words in a quiet tone. He gave a small laugh, 'perfect.'

'Yeah....' Iwaizumi mumbled.

Light pink petals danced, swirling in the wind as the two boys embraced, their lips finally meeting after years of wishing and hoping the other would return their feelings.

And after all the years, their hands finally met again.

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