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The sound of artillery was long gone,but the smoke coming from the battlefield and the smell of gunpowder lingered in the atmosphere.The sun was burning bright, indicating that it was the middle and the hottest part of the day.
His hands still trembled.Hours after the sound of bullets and screams ended.Even if it was a light shake it was noticeable enough when someone paid attention to it.But there was no one to pay attention to it.No one in his line of sight and he guessed there would be no one for a while.Not until he found and regrouped with his Regiment again.His friends who had fought alongside him,or at least those who remained.
The field he was crossing was rich with greenery,the sun shined onto the tall grass making it glister.The lengths of it parting away from his feet with each step that he took.The tightness that he was holding his musket with made his hands ache,even after he tried his best to relax himself,the overwhelming pinch of pain in his palms remained.The heat wasn’t helping either,making all of his clothes stick to him and making him feel even dirtier as if he wasn’t already covered in dirt from the battlefield.He cursed internally at whoever decided to lead the assault during one of the hottest days he had ever lived through.
The grassy meadow slowly transitioned into a woodland,tall trees surrounding him the further he stepped in allowing him to hide away from the sun slightly although it barely helped with his overheating.
He examined the area around him carefully, even tho they had retreated towards the opposite side and he wouldn’t stand a chance of encountering them he still took percussions as an enemy could be close by.
He could feel his legs slowly give out on him after walking for so long,his head feeling heavy as a slight sense of dizziness set upon him.He leaned his back against a tree,sliding down the trunk until he sat down completely.His hands reached for his hat,almost throwing it next to him from the sheer force of how he took it off.He didn’t give the same treatment to his Musket though,allowing the gun to gently rest against his shoulder and its base to settle on the soft dirt next to him. He took deep breaths,trying to fill his lungs with fresh and cool air to aid him with the heat.
For a moment,he felt at peace.
Peace that he hadn’t felt since he enlisted,since he started to sleep on solid ground,since he marched 30km daily, since his first battle.His first kill.His first loss.His first victory.
The fresh air running through his lungs made him feel human,more alive than any moment lived on adrenaline could’ve made him feel.He closed his eyes,eyelids heavy from exhaustion,body sore from battle.He relaxed into the tree,extending his free hand and allowing himself to feel the cool dirt underneath him,grounding him even more.Being certain that he was safe,he allowed himself to doze off even if it was a for a brief moment.
——
The sound of a horse neighing jolted him awake.It sounded distant,yet way too close for him to assume that he was safe.His breath quickened and his heart started to beat faster,quickly pushing away the peaceful stance he was in.He stayed still,unwilling to make any extra sounds that could potentially put him in danger.His eyes scanned the area surrounding him,as far as he could see.The sun was still up,enough to light up the wooded region.Even though the rays shinning through the leaves and branches created a tranquil aura,inside he felt worry.He listened carefully,attempting to slow his breathing down to not give his position away.For a brief moment it was quiet again,but that didn’t let him put his guard down.
The sudden sound of water splashing nearby was enough for him to act upon his instincts.He grabbed his musket with his right hand,quickly turning right and moving into a kneeling position,leaning into the base of the tree to stabilize himself more and aimed carefully towards where the splashing came from.
Was there a lake there before?
Maybe i hadn’t noticed it.
When did this horse appear here?
He turned the barrel towards the animal,examining it’s face.The silver hooks on the bridle shined under the sunlight almost blinding him with the glow.He moved a bit to examine the rest of it’s body and noticed that there was a saddle.A very neatly placed one.His anxiousness increased.It would’ve been fine if it was a wild horse,but the gear indicated that it belonged to someone.And that someone could be a danger to him.
The pace of his breathing increased a bit,but he didn’t allow himself to panic.Not yet.Even if he wanted to,the training that was so deeply imbedded into his head didn’t allow him to express that sort of behavior.
He could hear his heart beating in his ears loudly,completely taking over his mind and blocking out all the sounds of nature that surrounded him.He moved again at a slow and steady pace.Panning his gun around the perimeter of the lake.His eyes landed on a uniform,droplets of water dripping down from its lengths as it hanged on a few low branches under the warm sunlight.He couldn’t recognize it for a brief moment and he tried his best to recall all of the variations that he had ever encountered.A dark blue material caught his eye,and only then did he allow himself to feel a bit less threatened.But the tight grip on his musket remained.
He panned the gun around again,still moving steadily,and then suddenly stopping all of his movements.
He felt as if his heart had stopped completely,his breath shallowed,lips parted slightly as a faint sigh left his mouth.
The man in the lake made small movements,splashing water on his torso as if he was trying to get used to the temperature.His dark short hair looked glossy under the rays of the sun.The light reflected perfectly on his back,outlining all the ridges and details of him.Droplets of dark colored water rolled down his arms and sides,allowing all of the dirt stuck to him to flow away into the lake.
He felt as if he had burned holes into the others back from how intensely he stared at him,how he observed him.Mesmerized simply by the sight of the man in the lake.He unclenched the grip on his gun lightly,his fingers tingling from the rough way that he was holding it.His brain eradicating any signs of danger the more he looked at the other.His breath steadied again,picking up a rather normal pace than the over exaggerated one that he had before.His entire body softened,as if all of the worry had been lifted off of him.
“The water is rather nice.”
His steady breathing came to a halt again as he heard the voice of the other.
When did he notice me?
The man’s body had turned to face him,the water sitting a bit over his waist line.He was fit,his body expressing how it clearly had been through battle.There was a faint smile on his lips,a playful yet calm tone in his voice.
“You can lower your weapon now.I’m not an enemy.”
The voice of the other rang in his ears as he slowly snapped back into reality.He rose from his kneeling position lowering the musket slowly to comply with his movements.He stepped over the long roots of the tree he was leaning against a few moments ago carefully and made his way towards the black haired man.
“If you were I would have shot you already.”
He replied this time,finally finding the power to speak up.There was a serious tone in his voice,but he didn’t mean to offend the other.
The man simply chuckled,his eyes squinting slightly and soft dimples appearing around his cheeks. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”His voice was heard again,that playful tone still lingering.
He walked closer to the other and stood right where the water gently brushed against the sand,far enough so he wouldn’t wet his boots.He looked at the others eyes,dark brown orbs glistening in the sunlight that was now slowly setting,indicating the end of the day.It’s as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of him.Observing every detail,trying to memorize them,for whatever reason.
The other man put his hand close to his face covering his eyes from the orange rays of the sun so he could get a better look at the man by the shore.He noticed the others eyes,gently observing him and he slightly chuckled again,now panning away and turning his back towards him to get deeper into the lake.
The water refraction made it difficult to see the black haired man’s body,only a blurry mass of beige remained as he floated gently.The man from the shore kept observing him,watching his every move.
After some time the man decided to get out.He didn’t look towards the other on his way out,instead grabbing his white blouse that was almost dry and dapping it gently all over his soaked body.He was thankful that his pants and boots had dried so he wouldn’t have to wear damp clothes.After getting dressed and putting his blouse to dry once more to wear it again later he sat down on the sand,and only then did he look at the other again.
His eyes still pierced through him,but now with a much softer look.He knew that he had been observing him the entire time since his exit from the lake,but he didn’t mind.Instead he let him look,take in every detail of his body that he was able to offer.
The musket of the other man gently slipped from his grip as he swung it around his shoulder.Another soft sigh escaped his lips.There was a strange feeling in his gut,something that he couldn’t quite understand.
“I’m looking for my regiment.I got separated from them after the battle.”He was calm.Describing his unfortunate fate as if it was the simplest thing ever,even if deep inside he felt lost.He had wondered with his regiment all across Europe and loosing them in the span of minuets felt as if he was a child being ripped apart from their family.
The man sitting down simply looked up at him.He placed his hands behind him and leaned on them,stretching his abdomen slightly,fingers gently sat on top of the rough and grainy sand.His black locks seemed to be all over the place from drying his hair with his blouse,exposing his face more and allowing more attention to be brought to his eyes.
At that moment the man standing couldn’t comprehend a single thought.Once more he was trapped in that wondering state,frozen,admiring the others face.Again.The others dark brown eyes capturing him in a trance that he wasn’t able to pull himself out of.His eyes wondered though,gently sliding down to see more of-
“Pierre-Antoine,Cavalry.”The hand of the man sitting was stretched out towards him,exhibiting a very welcoming chance for a handshake.He could only stare again,for a moment.Looking down at the naked hand so close to his hips.He reached out,shaking Pierre’s hand gently.The soft flesh gliding against his delicately,yet with a hint of roughness.
“Julien,Infantry.”He gripped the other's hand a bit more,feeling the heat of the other radiate and merge together with his own.Julien wouldn’t even think about letting go now.The urge to be close to the man in front of him was raging inside since the moment he caught a glimpse of him in the lake,and now,he had him close.At that moment he remembered his manners,quickly pulling away,rejecting the warmth from the man’s hand.Somehow he maintained his posture and kept his emotions at bay,simply looking back at Pierre-Antoine’s face.
A soft smile appeared on the black haired man’s face,those dimples from earlier making their appearance once again. “That’s a beautiful name for someone in Infantry.”The compliment took Julien aback a bit,before realizing the rest of the sentence.
“Of course Cavalry thinks low of us.”He almost scoffed.There was a hint of annoyance in his tone,yet he mostly meant it in a sarcastic way.Although his past interactions with men from the Cavalry weren’t as enjoyable,since they were known to be stuck up,in a way.He let this comment slide,seeing something different in his newfound friend.
Pierre moved,stretching slightly on his way up from the soft yet uncomfortable sand.He moved to grab his still slightly moist shirt and slid it over his head,before reaching for the rest of his deep blue uniform.“Low?Never in my life have I met someone who didn’t appreciate what the men in Infantry do.”By the end of his sentence he had finished dressing himself and was now carefully attaching his belt with his sword back onto his hip.
The brown haired man understood the memo,almost running back into the slightly wooded area he fell asleep in a few moment ago to retrieve his hat,which he was sure he had forgotten and thanked Pierre internally for reminding him in a way.The others response did make him feel better,even if he was just trying to save himself from that statement from earlier.
———
Julien held onto Pierre-Antoine as if his life depended on it.He had ridden horses before,plenty of times and he could say he was quite skillful.But the saddle full of things and the fact that he wasn’t riding alone made it far more difficult for him.The horse sped through the laid out dirt road and Julien couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of the cool wind in his hair.He made sure to stay as close to the other as possible,in hopes that he wouldn’t fall off.The heat from the man radiated onto him once again,but this time it was protected by Pierre’s clothes,not allowing him feel his soft skin.
The sun had already set and the clouds were painted a lavender purple,slowly merging into a deep blue as time went by.A small light flickered in the distance and Pierre seemed to have noticed it immediately.He leaned forward and dragged Julien down with him,allowing them to gain more speed.The brown haired man gripped onto the other tighter,fingers almost feeling that soft skin he longed for.
The light seemed closer with each second that passed.Soon enough white cloths shaped into triangles appeared,the voices of other solders were heard and before they both knew it they found themselves in the middle of the campsite.
Julien quickly let go of his friend and jumped off of the horse,he didn’t want more eyes on them even tho there were already plenty of people watching.Their entrance wasn’t the most discreet either.
Pierre-Antoine followed the steps of the other,he grabbed the horse’s lead and turned to face the man.He locked eyes with him,noticing how the lights reflected in them gently,making them shine even more.A smile appeared on Pierre’s face as he admired Julien’s eyes.The other reflected on the action and also smiled,extending his arm to place it on the black haired man’s shoulder.
Pierre wanted to feel the other’s fingers on his bare skin again,to exchange all the warmth that they both had to offer to each other,to feel him close.Instead he tapped the hand on his shoulder with his unoccupied one as a sign of reassurance.
“Thank you,Pierre.I would be lost without you.”Julien’s voice rang through the other’s ears,and although he knew that he was referring to his regiment,Pierre’s heart still picked up a faster pace as soon as those words left Julien’s mouth.
“As Cavalry,i’m always at your service.”Pierre smiled more as he made the light joke,now letting go of the hand on his shoulder. “We’ll meet again,Julien.”A small hint of sorrow lingered in his voice.
“We will,Pierre-Antoine.”Julien retrieved his hand from his friend’s shoulder,slowly,not wanting to stop touching him.He heard a voice in the distance yell his name,indicating that he had elsewhere to be.He smiled at Pierre one last time and turned to walk towards the voice.
He didn’t dare to glace back one last time,knowing the pain of it.He heard the gallop of the horse gently fade away and exhaled all the air that remained in his lungs,trying to compose his feelings.
He hoped that they would meet again.