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Klaus Hargreeves had never been an attentive nor relatively good cook. The fact he was now living a domestic life did not change this fact. Dave’s sister, Rachel, had offered her assistance time and time again but Klaus had refused. It wasn’t that he considered himself too proud to learn but the fact that he wanted to do this one thing himself.
He’d been able to get sober and, more importantly, to stay sober. It hadn’t been easy, especially with Dave’s prescribed medication being easy to access. The mere sight of pill bottles had awakened the beast inside of him and he’d spent many agonizing hours fighting the urge to down the entire bottle while Dave was asleep. That was where he was thankful for the constant presence of Dave’s family. They were as normal as they came and also very much family oriented. Klaus was rather thankful for it.
But despite how family oriented they were, Klaus still refused to let Rachel or Dave’s mother teach him to cook. He’d fibbed and insisted his sister and mother had taught him long ago and it would just take him time to get used to cooking again instead of receiving army-regimented meals. He’d managed to ignore the snort from Dave as he’d made that comment. Dave knew as well as Klaus that he was a hopeless case when it came to cooking.
That’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise to Dave Katz when he came back home to the smell of burnt meat filtering through the entire house; even as Klaus opened all of the windows in the small house and uselessly batted away the rolling smoke with a kitchen towel. The man cursed aloud as he flitted from room to room to ensure the smoke traveled out of the windows. He’d have to light a scented candle or something to make it seem as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He would also have to make time to go into town to get something edible. Sometimes Klaus desperately wished take-out and the internet was invented; it would have been easy to open his phone and order through some takeout service then pay on the app. He would have been able to easily discard the evidence, too, and make it seem to Dave that his partner had suddenly learned how to cook like he was goddamn Julia Child.
Of course, however, Dave Katz accepted Klaus Hargreeves whether he could cook or not. Because he was Dave fucking Katz and he was the most perfect man in the world. As their time together had reached about eighteen months and transitioned from Vietnam to America, Klaus was even more certain of this fact.
It hadn’t been an easy two years at all and Klaus would be the last one to say that it had been; what with Dave nearly dying and all. That had been one of the most—if not the most—traumatizing moment of Klaus’s life. But somehow Dave had survived. Now, Klaus hadn’t been entirely sure how. It was as if he’d blacked out the moment Dave’s wound had come into view. But from what those around them said, a medic had managed to make their way over and not gotten killed. As far as anyone was aware of, it was a fucking miracle the man had managed to get through the heavy artillery fire and stabilize Dave enough until they airlifted him to a hospital. It was even more of a miracle a man his age—seemingly in his fifties with white hair and a moustache against regulation—had survived. No one knew who he was nor what company he belonged to. It had seemed, too, that he had simply vanished into thin air. There was not hide nor hair of him.
Not that it mattered to Klaus in the moment who the hell that man had been. He’d been so badly traumatized that he, too, had been taken away from the battle when it was clear he was more of a liability than an asset. His hands hadn’t stopped shaking for nearly a day. He hadn’t even been told where Dave was. It had taken about three full bottles of some horrible whiskey to calm Klaus down enough. His superiors didn’t promise anything but they had sent for updates on Dave’s condition. It took weeks to get the news that Dave was even alive; weeks that Klaus couldn’t remember coherently. It wasn’t the fact he was drunk or high—of which he was only drunk part of the time. Even now, Klaus couldn’t remember the time in-between when Dave had been airlifted out of the A Shau Valley and when he was notified of his condition. Perhaps it was due to stress. But Klaus did remember the first report of Dave’s condition. He’d been taken to a hospital and had intense surgery to repair the damage the shrapnel wound had dealt him. He’d even almost died multiple times during the operations and had to be transferred to a hospital better able to deal with his injuries.
Somehow, Klaus managed to stay in country. At some point before Dave had been taken away, he’d managed to hold onto his dog tags. He kept them around his neck and against his chest constantly and would privately ask his superiors for news. The day he’d been able to send a letter to Dave was a better day. But by the time he’d gotten a response, Dave had been medically discharged and was being sent back to the United States. He would also, apparently, be receiving an award for bravery.
Again, the time seemed to pass by both slowly and quickly. Klaus felt as if he’d lived his days in constant fog and darkness. Until finally he, too, had been injured in battle. It hadn’t been purposefully. Klaus had actually become stronger and more focused. His new mantra and objective was to survive this goddamn war for as long as he could and return to Dave. He just hadn’t expected to also be critically wounded four months after Dave. Klaus’s wounds hadn’t been as grievous as Dave’s but it did cause him to also be medically discharged back to the United States. He knew the first place he was going was Dallas, Texas.
Dave had been convalescing at home with his family when Klaus had managed to get in contact with him. The reunion had been difficult. It had been hard to see Dave on such strict bedrest and looking so obviously injured. Dave had lost a significant amount of weight thanks to his immobility. His internal injuries would take much time to heal and, for now, he’d been given orders to be on bedrest and take a list of painkillers daily in order to combat the agony. Despite the ever-present smile on Dave’s face, Klaus knew how he was hurting. It had meant so much to him to be in the army; regardless of the reasons why he’d initially joined.
It did seem to help him to be around his family. Klaus decided that Dave had been right; he absolutely adored Rachel. Rachel Katz was a young woman of twenty; five years older than she had been when Dave had enlisted. She certainly looked like her older brother and shared his smile and bright eyes. Dave’s mother was lovely, too, but she was definitely tired. Obviously the years of her son being away at war as well as the months of him recovering had aged her. Klaus was a bit anxious around Margaret Katz but the more he visited and got to know the family, the more they warmed up to one another.
Of course they only knew him as Dave’s war buddy. Dave had told them how he and Klaus had become close throughout their service and told them stories. Good stories, thankfully. Klaus had teased Dave, when they were left alone, how he made him look too good to his family.
Klaus had committed to visiting every day and helping the family. He’d managed to get himself a nice pension from the government thanks to his status as an injured veteran. He’d also managed to get himself some temporary housing. He didn’t exactly feel comfortable with the Katz family letting him sleep on the couch all the time. Plus, it would give him time to think and get advice from Ben. He’d finally been able to reconnect with Ben after being stuck in the fog and the various states of drunkenness and despair after Dave had been taken out of Vietnam.
The briefcase had, of course, always been with him. Klaus often agonized over whether he should leave and go back home. Or, rather, if he should go back in time and even prevent Dave from being hurt in the first place. It would have made things easier for the both of them.
Despite his smiles and his encouraging recovery, Dave had changed. He was a bit quieter and more solemn. Klaus had initially wondered how much of that had been thanks to his medication but, after a few visits, he’d realized this was a shift in Dave’s personality. He began to notice how Dave would fall quiet and often stare into space as if lost in his own thoughts. What Dave was thinking Klaus couldn’t even begin to understand. He’d recovered from his own injuries rather quickly but Dave’s injuries were life-altering. Then came the reality that was being a Vietnam veteran. The public was simply anti-war. Maybe not everyone in Dallas, Texas but Dave had experienced enough when he’d come back home months ago. He’d told Klaus how he’d been called a murderer and that he was supporting an unjust war. It had obviously wounded him. Klaus had been expecting such treatment but there was no way Dave could have been prepared for how the American public was beginning to view the war. He’d gone to Vietnam when support for the war had been high. Now he’d returned at a polarizing time and was experiencing the lowest of lows.
So Klaus became Dave’s support. As the weeks and months passed, he helped Dave through his recovery. He found himself getting into a routine and getting himself out of trouble by trying to find work. Of course it was difficult for him to keep a job due to the simple fact he didn’t fit into such a conservative society. So Klaus made the decision to let his pension support him for the meantime. He’d figure things out later, much to Ben’s scolding and chagrin. But he found stability and purpose in helping Dave recover. He even found solidarity and friendship with the Katz family. It was more than obvious that Dave’s uncle didn’t like him. Klaus didn’t let it bother him and Dave said nothing, though Klaus knew how much the implications hurt Dave.
The day Dave was given a cane and began to walk was a good day. The process of getting him to walk without pain and dependence on the medication was agonizing for them both emotionally. But, days later, Dave was walking without too much pain and dependence on someone assisting him. The days became better after that. Every day was something good to look forward to.
Dave decided, a little after the new year, that he wanted his own house. He asked Klaus to move in with him and explained it to his family as Klaus needing a place to stay and get back on his feet. Luckily they took that without much questioning. It was three weeks before Klaus’ birthday that they moved into their house together. It was fifteen minutes away from Dave’s family’s house and a little out of town as well. Better news soon came along when Dave’s uncle reoffered him a job at the family’s hardware store. Dave would work a few hours a week and steadily move up to full time the more he recovered; though Dave was itching to work on the army base. He’d gotten pretty good at mechanics during his time in Vietnam and wanted to work on the machinery.
Klaus, on the other hand, was still having trouble adjusting to this new life. He often wondered if he was doing the right thing by staying in 1969. There had been many days alone with Ben where the two discussed Klaus’s idea to travel back to 1968 to save Dave then bring him to 2019. The pros were, obviously, that Dave would have received better medical care. He also would be able to not hide his sexuality. Klaus knew that they would be able to be out and proud together in a modern, urban locale which was obviously preferable to staying in the significantly more homophobic 1960s. Sure they could move to New York City and Klaus could finagle his way into being a part of the Stonewall Riots but Ben convinced him not to do that. Dave was very family oriented. He loved his family. He’d spoken for hours about how he’d missed them and how close he’d been to his sister. Taking Dave away from his family and everything he knew without explanation would not only destroy their relationship but destroy Dave in general. It would crush him to pieces. It wouldn’t be fair to do that to Dave, no matter how much Klaus hated Dallas and how utterly Republican it was.
He found it rather difficult to settle into domestic bliss. As previously stated, the open access to prescription medication tempted him to break his sobriety. One night, he’d even broken down to Dave about it. It had been difficult to find a compromise seeing as Klaus was still a caregiver for Dave. The honeymoon phase they’d experienced primarily in Vietnam as well as in the first weeks of living together was now gone. They had to maneuver through this new, difficult phase in their relationship. Of course they loved one another but love wasn’t always enough. It was work; work Klaus had often shirked away from in the past out of fear. But he couldn’t do that now. The entire trajectory of his life had been altered the very night he’d been dropped into 1968 and locked eyes with Dave Katz. Klaus couldn’t pick up and leave even if he wanted to; and he didn’t want to.
Thankfully, with two years now behind him, they still chose each other every day and every night. Even despite Klaus’s horrid attempts at cooking.
Which is how Klaus now found himself flapping and snapping the kitchen towel at the smoke.
He heard Ben’s laughter in the direction of the living room and sulked into it, narrowing his eyes at his brother where he sat on the couch reading a book. “You try being a house-husband,” scolded Klaus, throwing the towel at Ben. It dissipated through him and landed in the small space between the couch and the wall. Klaus gave an exasperated sigh and threw up his arms. “Can you just catch it for once like I know you can? Make my life a hell of a lot easier?”
“But that would mean making your life easier,” Ben pointed out. He closed his book after memorizing the page and crinkled his nose. “You sure the house isn’t on fire?”
“Positive. Not this time.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want Rachel to give you cooking lessons?”
“That would mean giving in. And I, as a strapping American male, do not give in.” Klaus made a mocking, haughty grunting noise and went to the couch where he purposefully kneed Ben when he leaned over to fish out the towel. Ben made a disdainful noise and shifted away after he elbowed Klaus.
“When’s Dave coming back?” Questioned Ben.
Klaus sucked his teeth thoughtfully and twirled the towel in his hand, wrapping it around his wrist as he did. His eyes widened in realization and he whipped his head toward the nearest clock. “Shit, in ten minutes!”
He scampered off the couch and placed the towel back on the holder before looking over his mess. Dinner was burnt. Dinner was ruined. Klaus had wasted money on this meatloaf he couldn’t even cook. He groaned and dropped his forehead on the counter, grumbling the entire time. “If this isn’t grounds for divorce, I don’t know what is.”
Ben’s voice came from the archway. “You’re not even married.”
“You know, you don’t have to remind me about my inability to be legally married in 1969,” Klaus grumbled with his mouth pressed against the counter. “All we’ve got to do is move to Massachusetts in forty years and then we’ll be the first to be legally gay-married. That’s something to strive toward.” He picked up his head. “Though, in nine years, we could be considered common-law married.”
“Yeah, in forty years,” Ben retorted. He walked closer and looked at the mess. “Dave really does love you if you do this to dinner all the time.”
Klaus squinted and raised a finger to his brother to silence him. “Dissipate, dead one.”
“Oh, nice,” Ben scoffed, but he let it go. He was more than accustomed to Klaus’s comments after an entire life-- as well as afterlife-- by his brother’s side. He thankfully didn’t dissipate and looked after his brother as he pouted over the burned meatloaf. Klaus used the towel to protect his hand from the heat of the pan and pushed it, jostling the burned excuse for meat. Ben’s eyes rolled and he leaned against the counter. “So that’s a bust.”
Klaus’s nose wrinkled at both the burned smell and Ben’s comment. “Again, this is why I’m not meant to be a house-husband. This is grounds for divorce if I’ve ever seen grounds for divorce.”
“Tell Dave that.” Ben shook his head. “So what are you going to do?”
“Hm. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren’t flammable,” Klaus considered with genuine seriousness. “Oh, wait, we don’t have any. Schade.”
His lips pursed and he began getting rid of the physical evidence. Stupidly, Klaus tried to pick up the pan with his bare hand which resulted in him yelping and dropping the pan along with the burned meat. He groaned exasperatedly and used the towel for the second try. He tossed it in the garbage then disposed of the pan in the sink. As he waited for it to dry, he dropped the towel on the floor to clean up the evidence of dropped meatloaf. Klaus used his foot to move the towel and mop it all up.
Then he went from cabinet to cabinet to see what they had for an actual, wholesome meal. Which was, Klaus despaired, nothing. He groaned dramatically and leaned against the cabinets with faux-sobs coming from his mouth. Ben was, as ever, unimpressed with the dramatics of his brother. He snapped his previously opened book shut and looked toward the front door. His hearing had always been better than Klaus’s, which was especially true now when he heard the sound of a car coming up the drive. “Dave’s home.”
“No he’s not,” Klaus argued. But at the tell-tale sign of a slammed door, he snapped his head toward the front door. His eyes widened as he looked at Ben. “Dave’s home.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Ben rolled his eyes again and walked from the room, muttering a “Good luck” before he disappeared.
Klaus stood at attention then went toward the door, fluttering his hands in the air in case the smoke was still around. He got to the living room then to the front door just as it began to open. Dave gently nudged the door open with his free hand while the other hand leaned on his cane. He depended on it less than he had months before but it would still take him some time to build up the confidence to walk without it. If it helped Dave, then it was good enough for Klaus.
Klaus knew that moving out on his own had done Dave a lot of good. While he was a very family-oriented person, Dave thrived on being independent. It helped him break out of the shell he’d been in as a younger man. Dave had started doing much better once he had his own space with Klaus and they’d established their routines. It helped that his recovery had improved in the past few months. He’d put on a bit more weight which gave the soldier much needed life and brightness. He’d also taken on more hours at the hardware store and even connected with the guys at the army base. Klaus had as well. It helped having a good group of guys around to talk about the war and what they were going through. He could see how it was helping the both of them but especially Dave. It kept him social and active. Klaus had always been rather fine on his own but Dave wasn’t entirely like him in that regard.
Dave’s eyes seemed bright today which was a helpful sign. He closed the door with the assistance of his cane and greeted Klaus with a smile. A bag dangled from the hand which clutched the cane. The fairer-haired soldier greeted Klaus with a, “Hey.”
Klaus met Dave half-way and greeted him with a kiss on the mouth. As he pulled away, he noticed Dave frown and his nose scrunch. “What’s on fire?”
“Christ, I’d hoped you wouldn’t notice. Could you see the smoke from outside?”
Dave’s head shook and he kept his free hand on Klaus’s shoulder. His fingers gently curled into the fabric of Klaus’s rather outrageously patterned shirt. Outrageously patterned was the phrase Dave’s mother and uncle often used; though Margaret often was more amused than her brother-in-law about it. Rachel adored it. She and Klaus had gotten along speaking about topics like fashion and she even raved about how he’d grown his hair out; though she kept rather quiet and muted around her uncle on that topic. But she and Klaus would always share knowing smiles about it. That is another reason why he adored Rachel. He often thought how well she would get along with Allison and, perhaps, even Vanya.
“I didn’t see anything.” Dave paused. “What did you do? It smells like a chimney.”
“Oh, you know. Cooked,” Klaus responded. Dave nodded and made a sound of understanding. “How was your day, dear?” He made the move to help Dave toward the couch. “What’d you buy? Food?”
“Wouldn’t that have been ironic,” Dave laughed. He eased himself down on the couch and squeezed Klaus’s shoulder before letting go. He eased the cane and bag so both were leaning against the couch. “It was fine. I had a meeting with the commanding officer on the base. He said I could come by after the weekend and get a feel for what department might suit me better.”
“Department? Mechanics, right? Isn’t that universal?” Klaus frowned a moment then moved into the kitchen to get Dave some water. They didn’t have alcohol in the house on account of how it affected Dave’s reaction to his medication. It helped Klaus avoid slipping back into addiction too, even though it had been hard at the start. Now he barely thought of it. Out of sight out of mind, as it were.
He returned with the glass of water and handed it to Dave, who took a thankful drink. Klaus settled beside his partner and crossed one leg over the other. His body angled toward Dave’s and he leaned his elbow against the back of the couch. His fingers thoughtfully pushed through his own hair as he listened to what Dave was saying. Dave replied, “Well, there’s the opportunity to work on planes or bigger vehicles. Right now I’m fine with cars but they’re just going to give me a walk-through. It also helps to get me situated.”
Dave absently rubbed his chest in the spot where he’d been injured. It was a habit of his. Sometimes he did it when he was rather anxious but there were times he simply did it when he was comfortable, Klaus had noticed. Dave set the glass of water down and asked, “How was your day? When’d you finally get up? Noon?”
“Close! Eleven-thirty, Klaus said proudly.
Dave’s brows raised. “—When did you get out of bed?”
Klaus deflated. Sheepishly, he responded, “One in the afternoon.”
Dave smirked and shook his head. “And almost burned down the house?”
“Actually, I was a great housewife for you today. Or, house-husband. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I cleaned.” Klaus gesticulated as if that negated all of the damage he’d done to the poor meatloaf. Dave skeptically and amusedly watched him as he continued on. “I did! And I washed dishes. So tell your mother that I’m perfectly domestic.”
“She’ll be glad to hear.” Dave touched Klaus’s knee and squeezed. In response, Klaus leaned in and instigated another, sweeter kiss. It lingered longer than the first one. Dave gently leaned into it then smiled at Klaus after they parted. “I got something you might like, today.”
“Oh?”
“Well, something that I definitely like but I know you might like too.”
“I hope it’s an edible meal,” Klaus replied.
Dave chuckled and shook his head. He reached for the bag and pulled out a vinyl record. The cover was a wonderful, almost abstract design with greys and blues for the background. Then there was a figure of a woman in a glamorous, dark purple dress. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate up-do and her lips were painted almost burgundy. She held a microphone to her lips and was beaming. On the cover was scrawled, “Stormy Weather”. It was a rather elaborate and elegant black script that intrigued Klaus immediately. He leaned forward to get a better look and nodded his head. “Is it the same as that Billie Holiday song your mom likes?”
Dave nodded in response. “At first I was going to give it to her for her birthday. Then I listened to it. I really like it.”
“You do?” Klaus looked rather surprised. “But you’re more of a rock guy.”
“I have a thing for the standards,” Dave admitted. “I like this version of this song. It’s more upbeat.”
“Yeah, ‘cause isn’t the Billie Holiday one---depressing?” Klaus asked, squinting one eye as if he were speaking about a controversial subject. Dave’s mom like the song and seemed to play it almost every time they were over. Klaus didn’t like to say how much of a buzzkill the song was aloud. Margaret would always take it as an insult if he mentioned how many times it had been played and Klaus certainly wanted to stay on her good side.
Dave nodded in confirmation. “I haven’t heard it like this before. It’s—calming. In a really good way. Also makes me want to move.”
“To move? You mean dance?”
“Yeah, dance.” Dave handed it to Klaus. “Mind putting it on?”
“Right now? You’re not hungry?”
“I think the smoke is putting me off the idea of food for a bit,” teased Dave. “Go ahead. I want you to listen to it.”
Klaus examined the cover and raised his brows with piqued interest at Dave’s comment. He rose and went over to the record player, taking the vinyl out of its case. It was only after he looked at the cover again that he noticed the woman resembled his sister Allison. There was marked differences but they both had the same features and the same brightness in their eyes. Even the sly smile was shared between them. Klaus smiled to himself at the thought of his sister and he placed the case down. The vinyl went in the record player and he placed the needle atop it. Slowly, it began to spin and wind up.
The music started slowly at first with a simple piano before bringing in other instruments. Klaus listened carefully at first then nodded his head to the steady, lively beat. The woman’s voice was utterly intoxicating. Instead of feeling bogged down by the singing over lost love, Klaus found himself feeling rather relaxed and wanting to dance. He felt as if he should be listening to this live in a jazz club with a band before him. He remained standing in front of the player as it continued. Eventually, after the final triumphant note was sung, it petered out to its end. Klaus turned his head back to Dave and grinned enthusiastically, nodding in approval. “I definitely like that better than the other version your mom plays.”
Dave smiled. He held the cane and supported himself up on his feet. Klaus stepped over in case he needed assistance. Instead of waving Klaus away, Dave placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder. To Klaus’s surprise, he set the cane against the couch and slowly walked Klaus to the small patch of free space in the middle of the small room. Then he held Klaus’s hand with his own other free one. “Come on, soldier, let it play again.”
“You asking me to dance?” Klaus asked, touched.
“You have a better offer?” Dave asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Touché.”
With that, Klaus reached over to the record player in an attempt to turn it on again. His fingers were a bit too short to reach and move to restart it but that is, thankfully, where Ben came in. Dave wouldn’t have been able to see at all but Ben restarted the record and the song began again. Klaus quickly caught his brother’s eye and mouthed, “Thank you”, to which Ben nodded and went to the opposite end of the room.
Klaus returned his attention to Dave as the two began their dance. Dave began to hum along to the song and singing in a lower register along with the words, causing Klaus to laugh. He’d obviously listened to this more than once if he was so on-beat. Dave’s wide grin matched Klaus’s and he laughed along with him, though he kept singing. It didn’t matter that Dave wasn’t the best singer. Not that Klaus would hold it against him anyway. This moment was too cliché and storybook to judge. It was so domestic; so utterly normal. He didn’t have to worry about any retaliation or outbursts from Dave in this moment. All he had to genuinely worry about was stepping on Dave’s foot.
The two men leaned their foreheads together and closed their respective eyes. One of Dave’s hands went to Klaus’s mid-back while the other stayed on his shoulder. Klaus listened to his partner humming and felt the gentle vibrations in his own chest as they pressed close against one another. Christ, this moment was too good; too perfect.
Klaus then leaned his chin on Dave’s shoulder and sighed. He didn’t put too much of his weight against the other as he knew better than that. Dave didn’t seem to mind. He instead turned his face toward Klaus’s head and managed to press his mouth against his temple. Klaus’s body released any and all tension it may have been holding as he let the music and the reality of the moment wash over him.
This was something, he now realized, he’d always wanted but hadn’t ever expected he would get the chance to experience. Never had he dreamed he would be sober and living in a house with a person he genuinely loved who genuinely loved him back. Nothing had been easy and tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed to be easy either. But this moment felt as easy as breathing. It made everything he’d been through seem worth it. It made the months of sobriety and the decision to drastically alter his life worth it. For the first time, in such a long time, Klaus was happy with the decisions he’d made in life.
His fingers curled into Dave’s shoulders as they continued to sway. “Sorry I burned dinner,” Klaus grumbled into his partner’s shoulder.
He felt Dave’s rumbling, gentle laugh result in another vibration through his own body. It was rather nice, if he had to admit it. “Maybe we can go out to that diner you like,” Dave suggested. “Then come back and have the night to ourselves.”
“As long as you sleep in tomorrow,” Klaus suggested. Tomorrow was the start of the weekend, after all. Dave wouldn’t have to get up early and go to work. He could sleep in at least until nine, maybe even ten.
Dave hummed against Klaus’s ear. “I’ll consider your proposal, Mr. Hargreeves.”
“Christ,” Klaus laughed. He picked up his head and looked at Dave with utter admiration and adoration.
Dave pushed Klaus’s long hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. The singer’s crooning voice was drawing the song to a close. It added to the warm, intimate atmosphere.
Klaus simply couldn’t believe this was his life. That very thought must have crossed his face because Dave murmured, “What?”
Klaus thought about answering and telling Dave the truth; how he couldn’t believe this was his life and how he couldn’t have been happier. Before, he’d gone through a never-ending rainstorm. Now, he’d finally found his way through the storm and into the sunlight.
“Nothing,” he answered. Klaus’s nose nudged against Dave’s and he initiated a kiss, to which Dave graciously responded.
The swaying stopped and their arms wrapped around one another as the song reached its gentle, hopeful and even end. Though that song and story had ended, their own story still had many more pages to go as well as more joy and hope to be discovered.