#obviously minus the whole active warzone/ending in tragedy thing

[gilmores-glorious-blog]

i wish that i knew what makes you think i'm so special

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more klaus/dave but this time it’s hurt/comfort bc i like to suffer :) title from love like you from steven universe

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The ghosts were worse at night. It was quiet, no sound but insects and birds and explosions in the distance. Klaus kept his eyes open and he saw the mangled corpses of soldiers and civilians crowding him from every angle; he closed his eyes and he saw his father, saw Ben’s death over and over, saw Dave dying every kind of horrible death imaginable. 

He decided the corpses were preferable to his own imagination.

But sometimes his exhaustion got the better of him. It had been three days since he’d last slept. Even when Dave fell asleep in his arms, when they snuck out to the jungle, Klaus didn’t dare to rest his eyes. God knows what would go wrong if they were both sleeping alone out there. So Dave had insisted they stay at the camp tonight, and that Klaus at least try to sleep. 

Klaus tried so hard not to give in. He had gotten quite used to the ghosts around here, and as long as he ignored the ones that were men he’d known, his soldier buddies that had died too early, he could manage them well enough. But fighting in a war was tiring, and Klaus had to admit that this cot was more comfortable than the jungle floor, and although he missed Dave’s arms, he could hear the man snoring quietly in the cot across from his, and he could feel his eyes closing…

dave’s hands cradled his face. it was nice. klaus leaned in to kiss him, but before he could, dave crumpled to the ground in front of him, blood streaming from his mouth. 

‘dave!’

through the blood, he tried to speak. tried to say goodbye to klaus.

‘you’re…’ 

klaus nodded at him frantically, encouraging him to talk. 

‘you’re my greatest disappointment, number 4.’ the blonde curls turned to gray hairs, and the body that had been lifeless a moment ago was now all too alive. his father’s hands were around his throat, choking him. 

he couldn’t breathe. couldn’t think. he needed dave.

klaus saw his siblings in the fading edges of his vision. they said nothing as reginald squeezed the life out of their brother. 

in his final moments of consciousness, klaus heard a voice that belonged either to ben or to dave.

‘better him than us.’

Klaus woke up screaming. He clutched at the blanket around him, trying to remember where he was. 

Dave was next to him in an instant. “Klaus!”

Klaus looked at Dave. Dave was here. Klaus was here. They were both alive. How?

“Hey, hey, take some deep breaths, ok? I’m here, you’re gonna be okay.” Dave moved his hand to Klaus’ back and rubbed it gently. 

Klaus heeded his instructions, and after a few shaky breaths, the heat of the Vietnam night air made its way into his lungs and he felt his brain start to work again.

“Dave.” He reached a trembling hand up to touch his boyfriend’s cheek. 

“Klaus, what happened?”

“Ah, nothing new. Just nightmares. Ghosts. The usual.” Klaus waved a dismissive hand. “Come ‘ere.” He pulled Dave up off from his spot kneeling on the ground and tugged him down onto the bed next to him. 

“Woah, hold on.” Dave stood up again. “You know we can’t do that here. Your screaming probably woke some others up, and they can’t see us.”

“Fuck that, I wanna kiss you.” Klaus grabbed at Dave. He knew somewhere in the back of his brain that Dave was right, but he was tired and scared and shaken from his dream and he needed to touch Dave. 

“Klaus.” Dave wrapped a hand around Klaus’ arm, knowing that Klaus was too weak to fight back anymore. “We can’t. Do you want to leave, though? I promise I’ll stay awake this time, and you can sleep in the jungle.”

As much as Klaus wanted to stay in the relative comfort of his bed, he wanted to hold Dave even more, so he stood tentatively. 

Dave threw on a shirt and wrapped his jacket around Klaus before heading out of the tent.

Neither of them spoke as they walked towards their spot- a small clearing surrounded by trees, far enough from camp and secluded enough that no one would find them- but as soon as they were away from other people, Dave took Klaus’ hand.

The moment they made it to their clearing, Klaus threw his hands around Dave’s neck and kissed him, hard. 

Dave reciprocated the kiss long enough for Klaus to send them both tumbling to the ground, but he pushed Klaus up a second later. 

“Wait.” He sat up, bringing Klaus with him. “Are you alright?”

Klaus blinked, confused. “Yeah!” He moved towards Dave again, but found Dave’s hand on his chest stopping him. 

“Klaus, your dream. Do you need to talk about it?” Dave moved to sit against a tree, and Klaus crawled after him, not wanting to stand.

“Oh right. That.” He laughed dryly. 

“I know you get nightmares a lot, and I’ve tried not to ask about them, but if that’s what keeping you awake, we need to do something about it.” 

Klaus said nothing, fiddling with Dave’s hand. 

“I used to get nightmares when I was little,” Dave continued. “And my ma always had me talk about them with her. I hated it, but it did help. To tell someone else what’s happening in the dream that scares you so much. Do you think you can talk to me?”

Klaus swallowed nervously. He really didn’t want to share his dreams, but Dave wanted him to, and he wanted whatever Dave wanted.

“You were there.” He starts. “You were there, and I tried to kiss you, but you died before I could.” Klaus felt Dave stiffen next to him, but he said nothing. “There was blood everywhere, and you were trying to tell me something, but before you could you turned into my father. He started choking me, and my siblings were all there watching, and the last thing I heard before I died was you or my brother saying it was better that it was me he killed and not the rest of you. Which is true, of course, so that’s the worst part.” Klaus blinked back tears as he stopped abruptly, finding it too hard to keep speaking.

“It’s not true.” Dave said immediately, taking both of Klaus’ hands. “It isn’t true. I would die a thousand times before I let you get hurt, and I would kill a hundred men if it saved you from a scratch.” 

Klaus looked at him, eyes glistening. “You’re such a sap.”

Dave smiled, kissing Klaus’ hand. “I am. But Klaus, you gotta understand, your dream was just that. A dream. I’m so sorry you have these nightmares, but they’re not real, Klaus. I’m alive. I’m right here. And your family isn’t. Your father can’t hurt you here. I’m gonna protect you. No matter what, I’m gonna protect you.” 

Klaus leaned forward and kissed Dave gently. “Thank you.” He whispered, touching their foreheads together. It was a nice moment, and Klaus knew he shouldn’t ask what he wanted to, but he had to know. 

“Why?”

“Hmm?” Dave was distracted, running his fingers through Klaus’ hair. 

“Why do you want to protect me? Why do you want to help me through this? It would be so much easier for you to just leave, like everyone else does.” It had been three months since Klaus and Dave got together, but Klaus still couldn’t believe that Dave actually wanted to be with him. Guess that’s what thirty years of abuse and abandonment issues does to a guy. 

“Klaus…” Dave had a sad look in his eyes. “I protect you because I care about you. I want to help you because you deserve help. And I’m never going to leave you, because you are an incredible person. Don’t- don’t say you aren’t because it’s not true. You are funny, and brilliant, and unique, and kind, and loving, and that makes you incredible. I know your past has taught you not to believe these things, but I need you to listen to me when I say them. I’m not lying, Klaus. I’d never lie to you.” Dave stopped talking for a moment and brushed his lips against Klaus’. 

“I love you, Klaus Hargreeves.”

Dave kissed Klaus again. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life.”

Klaus thought Dave was crying, but he wasn’t sure. Klaus was definitely crying, though. Because somehow, despite every past relationship and every reason Klaus had to not trust Dave, he found himself believing his every word. 

Klaus moved so he was straddling Dave and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you, David Katz.” He held Dave’s head up so they made eye contact. “I didn’t think love was real before I met you. You’re the first person I’ve ever truly loved.”

Yeah, Dave was crying. Klaus lay his head down on Dave’s shoulder and cried along with him.

They sat like that for a while, neither one talking. What a strange sight that must have been. Two soldiers, beaten and bruised by the war raging on around them, clutching on to one another and weeping. 

Finally Klaus lifted his head from Dave’s shoulder and began to wipe away his tears. “This would be embarrassing if it were with anyone but you.” He laughed weakly.

Dave chuckled, rubbing at his own eyes. “Pretty good summary of what love is.”  

Klaus kissed Dave, and the salt of their tears mingled in his mouth, and it was the sweetest kiss Klaus had ever had. 

“Hey,” Dave broke the kiss after a minute. “You should try to get some sleep.”

Klaus didn’t argue this time. He shifted so he was laying his head on Dave’s lap, staring up at the night sky. Here in the clearing, a few stars were visible amidst the lingering smoke of explosions.

Klaus’ eyes closed and he felt Dave’s hand on his face, his fingers gently tracing Klaus’ eyes and nose and lips, before lingering in his hair.

Klaus didn’t fall asleep right away, he was too distracted listening to the sounds of the jungle and the sound of Dave’s heart and his breathing, distracted by the feel of Dave’s hands, one in Klaus’ hair and the other clasped in Klaus’ hands, distracted by the feel of Dave’s legs underneath him and his chest to the side of him. 

Right when Klaus had nearly drifted off, he heard Dave speak. It was quiet, so quiet that Klaus wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it. Dave must have thought Klaus was already asleep, meaning that he was speaking to himself and to no one at all.

“I love you Klaus. So much.” 

Love. Klaus let the word roll around in his tired brain. He’d always hated that word. He thought it was just a word people used to validate their abuse. A word people used as a lie to trick him into trusting them. A word people used to a sickening amount towards others, but never towards Klaus. 

But somehow, against all odds, lying there in the middle of an active warzone, in Vietnam, in 1968, someone was using that word towards Klaus. Not as a lie. Not to abuse. Simply because he meant it. Because he loved Klaus. 

And goddamnit, Klaus loved him too.