Chapter Text
(Third person POV)
Sunlight spilled in through the window and coated the room in a warm golden glow. Barry slowly awoke from slumber, and considered going back to sleep for the bed was too soft.
Barry noticed that Karl was still asleep, which was surprising, considering that Karl was always the first to wake. Barry smiled at Karl’s sleepy state and brushed a lock of hair from Karl’s face, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
The kiss made Karl stir and flutter his eyes open, now awake. “Mmm…did you have to wake me up darling…?”
Barry laughed and pressed another kiss to Karl’s face. “Sorry dear, it was not my intention. But, you are always to first to wake.”
Karl smiled and wrapped his arms around Barry, pulling him closer. “Do you want me to make breakfast today?”
Barry buried his head into Karl’s neck and nodded. “Yes please…could you just make me a coffee? I don’t feel like eating right now…”
Karl giggled and planted a kiss in Barry’s hair. “Of course. I won’t be long.”
Karl gently pushed Barry off and slid out of bed. A small German Shepherd puppy followed Karl out of the room and into the kitchen. “Ah, you’re awake too Noah?” Karl leaned down and gave the dog a pat before beginning to make breakfast.
Breakfast was easy to make, because everyone had the same thing each day. For Karl, it was toast with raspberry jam and topped with strawberries and blueberries. For Barry, it was usually eggs and bacon on toast, but today it was just a normal coffee with sugar and milk. And for Friedrich…
Speaking of Friedrich, Karl felt a small tug at his pants. He looked down to see a child with Karl’s brown hair and Barry’e green eyes. “Good morning, Friedrich. How come you’re up so early?”
Friedrich rubbed his eyes and let out a small yawn. “Are you making me pancakes, Papa…?”
Karl smiled and patted Friedrich on the head. “Of course I am. They’re your favourite.”
Friedrich yawned again and smiled. “Thank you Papa! Can I come eat breakfast with you and Dada in your room please?”
“Sure, but try not to make a mess again, okay? Remember what happened last time…?”
“I didn’t mean to spill Dada’s coffee on Noah! I said sorry!”
Karl giggled and began heating up the kettle. “I know you did. And he forgives you, alright? I’m not so sure about Noah though…”
“NOOOOOOO! NOAH HATES MEEEEEEEEE!” Friedrich wailed as he ran into his parents’ bedroom and jumped onto a sleeping Barry.
Barry shot up from his sleep and scooped Friedrich into his arms. “What? Noah hates you? Why do you think that?”
Friedrich buried his face into Barry’s chest and yelled with a muffled voice “BECAUSE I SPLIT YOUR COFFEE ON HIM! DON’T YOU REMEMBER DADA?!”
“That doesn’t mean Noah hates you! Who told you that!?”
“PAPA TOLD MEEEEEE!”
Karl then rushed in and tackled Barry and Friedrich on the bed. “Hey, I never said that! You’re twisting my words you little liar!”
“PAPA YOU’RE SQUISHING MEEEEE! GET OFFFFFFF” Friedrich kicked his leg in an attempt to push Karl off.
Barry laughed and rolled both Karl and Friedrich off of him, leaving the boy huddled in Karl’s arms.
Karl then laid Friedrich on the bed next to Barry. “Breakfast should be done now, I’ll go grab it for you. Do you want to help me, Friedrich?”
“NOOO! WHAT IF I SPILL COFFEE AGAIN!?”
Karl laughed and cuddled Friedrich into his arms. “Alright then. Barry, do you want to help me dear?”
Barry smiled warmly. “Of course, my darling. I’m sure Friedrich here is very hungry by now.” Barry ruffled Friedrich’s hair, who giggled and jumped into his father’s lap.
“I am hungry! Can I have my pancakes now please?”
“Yes yes, just give us a second, okay?”
Barry rolled Friedrich off of his lap and followed Karl out of the bedroom. Barry added the toppings onto Karl’s toast and Friedrich’s pancakes, while Karl poured two coffees for him and Barry, and a hot chocolate for Friedrich.
“So, do we have any plans for today Barry?”
Barry stopped spreading the jam on Karl’s toast for a second and looked to him. “I don’t think so, why?”
Karl smiled and moved closer to Barry. “No reason. I just wanted to spend today with you, is all.” Karl then wrapped his arms around Barry’s waist.
“Oh. That’s…very sweet of you dear…”
Karl pressed his face into Barry’s and closed the gap between their lips. Barry raised his hands to Karl’s face and cupped his cheeks. Karl took one hand from Barry’s waist and ran it under his shirt.
“K-Karl…”
Barry leaned back into the kitchen counter as Karl continued running his hand over Barry’s skin. Karl raised hid hand up to Barry’s chest, who let out a soft moan into the kiss.
Barry grabbed Karl’s wrist and guided it down to the waistband of his pants. Barry felt his own face heat up as Karl slid a finger down.
Before they could go further, Karl pulled away from the kiss. Barry opened his eyes and gave a confused look.
“Barry. You need to let me go. It’s been months.”
“W-what..?”
“I know that you miss me. But you need to let go, it’s better to move on.”
Barry looked around the room, and saw that everything was starting to become blurry. Was this all just his fantasy?
“N-no…I can’t let you go…”
Barry gripped at Karl’s shirt and leaned into his chest, and started to sob. “Karl please…please don’t tell me all of this is fake…”
“I’ve been dead for months now, darling. Let go.”
But Barry only gripped tighter. “No…no…I refuse to let go…I refuse to leave you…”
“Barry…”
“NO! WHAT ABOUT FRIEDRICH AND NOAH? ARE THEY FAKE? IS ALL OF THIS JUST MY MIND TORTURING ME AFTER YOUR DEATH?”
Barry sobbed harder into Karl’s chest as he yelled out. Karl sighed and held onto Barry’s wrists.
“I’m sorry, darling…”
Barry felt his hands being pushed away from Karl. Soon, everything had become blurry, and then nothingness.
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(Barry’s POV)
I woke up in a cold sweat, surrounded by 50 other snoring men. It was night, and the army had set up a camp after bloodshed with more cannibals.
“So it was…just a dream…” I quietly sobbed under my breath.
After Karl’s death, I had to keep on going with the rest of the army. The cellar was opened, and many men, including Father Hans, fell victim to the cannibals. The flag was raised, and the army managed to cross the Rhine. However, with no one to command the soldiers, the army was lost and had no plans of what would come next.
I stood up from the mat being used as a bed and slipped out of the tent, staying quiet to not wake up the others.
I decided to take a small stroll around the border of the campsite to try and clear my mind of the dream. It wasn’t the first time I’ve had a dream like it. While each of them were somewhat different in terms of the storyline, all of them ended the same way. Believing that I could be happy with Karl, only for him to be instantly ripped away into blurred colours.
I sat under a large nearby tree and curled up into a ball, my face buried into my knees and sobbed.
The dreams only served as a constant reminder of the man I am no longer able to love, or was allowed to love. A reminder of the life we could have had together if I had not failed to save him.
It only made me think of how cruel the world is. Not just because of the cannibals plaguing the earth, but because love is seen as a plague. I did not understand why we were seen as sinful or disgusting, nor did I understand why death was seen as a reasonable punishment. After all, what about two men or two women is so different from a man and a woman?
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I did not notice that through my thoughts, the head officer had found me crying under a tree. I did not notice the sapper that had been sharpening his axe just a few hours earlier. I did not notice that ever since we had left Kaub, the other soldiers stayed distant from me and whispered things behind my back.
I did not notice that the officers had decided that when Blücher died, there was no need to obey his order any longer.
The only thing I noticed, was that I would be able to see my beloved Karl again.
+++
Maybe in another universe, there’s two that are no different from us.
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