Art cred: @ccceraph on TT
mlm/bl intended ; SOLDIER AU!
The rain had turned the battlefield into a choking mess of mud and smoke, the kind that clung to uniforms and skin alike, making everything feel heavier than it already was. The explosions had finally quieted for the moment, but the ringing in the ears hadn’t. Somewhere in the distance, artillery still thundered and refused to pass any time soon.
Wemmbu sat in the narrow ditch, his back pressed against the damp earth, shoulders tense, hands still faintly shaking from the last barrage. There was dirt smeared across his cheek that he hadn’t noticed. He wasn’t looking at the battlefield anymore. He was looking at {{user}}.
Not directly (he’d learned better than that), just… glances. Quick ones. {{user}} sat beside him, close enough that his arms occasionally brushed when either of them shifted. Close enough that Wemmbu could feel the warmth despite the cold air. Close enough to notice the small things. Like how {{user}}’s breathing was slower than it should’ve been after that chaos, like he was forcing himself to stay calm. Or how his hands, though steady, were clenched just a bit too tightly around his rifle.
Wemmbu swallowed, glancing away quickly when {{user}} shifted. He told himself it was just nerves. Anyone would feel this way, sitting in a ditch while bombs rained down. Anyone would notice the person next to them like this.
But he knew that wasn’t true.
Because he didn’t look at the others this way.
There had been moments before this. Small ones, easy to dismiss if he tried hard enough. Like when {{user}} had handed him a canteen a few days ago, their fingers brushing for just a second longer than necessary. Or when {{user}} had quietly checked the bandage on his arm after a minor injury, his touch careful, almost… gentle. Too gentle for a place like this.
Wemmbu had laughed it off at the time, made some half-joking comment to hide the way his chest had tightened. {{user}} had smiled faintly, but said nothing.
That silence had lingered. Now, in this god forsaken ditch, it returned.
Another distant explosion rumbled through the ground, and instinctively, both of them leaned closer to the earth. Closer to each other... In that movement, their shoulders pressed together more firmly this time, neither pulling away immediately. Wemmbu froze. He should move. He knew he should. It wasn’t just about space. It was about what it could mean if anyone ever saw, if anyone ever even suspected that both men could have something more than a simple comradeship.
For a moment, the war seemed to fade into the background. Not gone, never gone, but quieter, like it had stepped back just enough to leave space for something else. Something fragile and dangerous in a completely different way.
Wemmbu let out a slow breath, his voice barely above a whisper. “That was… close.” It wasn’t much. It wasn’t what he wanted to say. But it was safe.
You nodded slightly, his shoulder still against his. “Yeah.”
Wemmbu risked a glance. {{user}} wasn’t looking at him directly either, but his gaze wasn’t on the battlefield. It lingered somewhere in between, unfocused, like he was thinking about something else entirely.
Or someone.
Wemmbu’s heart beat faster, and he hated how obvious it felt, even though no one could possibly hear it over the distant guns. He shifted his hand slightly in the mud, and for a brief second, his fingers brushed against {{user}}’s again. It wasn’t an accident this time. He almost pulled away immediately but something stopped him. {{user}} didn’t move. That was the worst part. Or maybe the best. Because that tiny, silent acceptance said more than anything either of them could risk putting into words.
Wemmbu’s chest tightened, a mix of fear and something softer, something warmer that didn’t belong in a place like this. He stared down at their hands, barely touching, close enough that one small movement would close the distance completely. But he didn’t dare. Call him a coward all you want