Close Your Eyes and I'll Kiss You; Tomorrow I'll Miss You.
Chapter One.
Not even two weeks later, Brendon finds a letter in the mail from Ryan. Spencer is with him and he doesn’t even have to guess who the letter is from when Brendon practically screams, dropping all of the other mail and running towards the front door of his house. Spencer picks up the mail that Brendon dropped and follows, smiling at both his friend’s reaction and a little bit because he knows that Ryan is still alive.
As soon as he’s in his room, Brendon rips open the envelope, pretty much ignoring Spencer completely as he plops down on his bed and begins to read.
Brendon,
I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you. I’ve only been here at basic training for a week and I know that I promised to write every day, but I’ve been busy and tired and this is all so horrible. I just want to come home. It’s not really as bad as I thought it would be, though. And I’ve made a friend, which makes things a little bit better. His name is Jon and he’s been really nice to me so far. We’re both being shipped out to Vietnam next month after we finish our training. I’m scared, but not as much as I would be if I hadn’t made friends with Jon. I’ve decided that it’s not that I’m scared of dying, I’m just scared that I’ll never get to see you again. I love you so, so, so, so much. Sorry this is so short.
-Ryan.
P.S. Tell Spencer I said hi!
He was smiling and crying at the same time as he refolded the letter and Spencer looked at him anxiously.
“He’s made a friend and they’re going to Vietnam next month and he says hi to you,” Brendon sums up, leaving out the parts that he wants to keep as his own.
~*
He gets a letter from Ryan almost every day after that, and even though they’re all basically the same, Brendon loves every single one and writes back immediately.
“Hey, Brendon,” Spencer says from the foot of Brendon’s bed while Brendon is busy responding to that day’s letter.
“Hm?” he mumbles, not even looking up from his writing.
“I heard about this anti-war thing going on this weekend. I don’t really know all of the details, but--”
“Let’s go,” Brendon answers right away, glancing up at Spencer for a split second before looking back at his letter, continuing to write.
~*
The day of the anti-war rally is also the same day that Ryan’s letters stop coming while he’s being shipped to Vietnam. The fact that the love of his young life is now in immediate danger just makes Brendon want to spread the word about how horrible the war really is even more. So he gladly holds up a sign and blends right in with everyone else rallying and it’s almost like he’s having a good time until the police show up.
The cops yell about the ‘goddamn hippies’ and maybe it’s because he’s really not quite as radical as most of the other people rallying (yet), but as soon as he sees the police, Brendon grabs Spencer out of the crowd so that they can go home.
On the news later, they hear about four members of a radical group that were arrested for publicly displaying their beliefs. At least, that’s what it seems like to Brendon.
“You know, that’s completely un-fucking-fair! They weren’t causing any harm! It was the damn police that came in and started making things violent! And they make us look like the bad guys because we’d rather protest than ‘support our troops’. Well, newsflash! Supporting them isn’t going to bring them home alive!”
At that moment, Brendon swears to himself that he will go to every rally, protest, and riot against the war until Ryan comes home safe. It’s the only way he can think of to make him feel like he’s doing something. Or at least trying.
~*
Ryan’s first night in Vietnam doesn’t really seem so bad. They set up camp and the environment seems so much more peaceful than Ryan had anticipated. Then again, he had been expecting explosions the minute they got there.
He shares a tent with Jon, the closest friend he’s made since coming into the military. Jon kind of reminds him a little bit of home, the way they can talk for long periods of time like he could do with Brendon or Spencer, and William when he was still alive.
“Mom cried when I was drafted. My dad died in World War II and she’s just so scared that I’ll suffer the same fate,” Jon explained, laying down in the tent while Ryan sat up, writing a letter by candlelight.
“My dad was ecstatic. Veteran,” Ryan said simple, pausing from his writing for a moment.
“And your mom?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her since elementary school, so I doubt she’d care.”
“Wow, look at us. Both raised by single parents!” Jon grinned. “So what happened? She walk out on you?”
“Almost completely unheard of when it happened, but yeah. Now women all over the country are doing it.”
“I don’t think I’d ever be able to walk out on my wife. Well, fiancée, now, but I’m making her my wife as soon as I get home.”
“Cassie, right?”
“Yes, sir! Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” Jon smiled. “Gave her my ring the day after I found out I was drafted. Told her I’d marry her right after I got back.”
“I think I would like to marry Brendon some day. Dad wouldn’t be too happy about that, though,” Ryan sighed.
“I think that if your dad really loved you, he wouldn’t give a damn what gender made you happy, just that you were happy,” Jon said, and Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “And I’d better get an invite to that wedding. I think I need to meet this Brendon of yours.”
“Well,” Ryan grinned, “I think it would only be fair if I were invited to your wedding and I got to meet Miss Cassie.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Jon nodded with a laugh.
“I’m really glad I met you,” Ryan told him.
“Looks like good things really can come out of shitty situations,” Jon agreed.
“Now, excuse me, but I need to get back to writing this letter to Brendon.”
“Excused.”
As soon as he’s in his room, Brendon rips open the envelope, pretty much ignoring Spencer completely as he plops down on his bed and begins to read.
Brendon,
I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you. I’ve only been here at basic training for a week and I know that I promised to write every day, but I’ve been busy and tired and this is all so horrible. I just want to come home. It’s not really as bad as I thought it would be, though. And I’ve made a friend, which makes things a little bit better. His name is Jon and he’s been really nice to me so far. We’re both being shipped out to Vietnam next month after we finish our training. I’m scared, but not as much as I would be if I hadn’t made friends with Jon. I’ve decided that it’s not that I’m scared of dying, I’m just scared that I’ll never get to see you again. I love you so, so, so, so much. Sorry this is so short.
-Ryan.
P.S. Tell Spencer I said hi!
He was smiling and crying at the same time as he refolded the letter and Spencer looked at him anxiously.
“He’s made a friend and they’re going to Vietnam next month and he says hi to you,” Brendon sums up, leaving out the parts that he wants to keep as his own.
~*
He gets a letter from Ryan almost every day after that, and even though they’re all basically the same, Brendon loves every single one and writes back immediately.
“Hey, Brendon,” Spencer says from the foot of Brendon’s bed while Brendon is busy responding to that day’s letter.
“Hm?” he mumbles, not even looking up from his writing.
“I heard about this anti-war thing going on this weekend. I don’t really know all of the details, but--”
“Let’s go,” Brendon answers right away, glancing up at Spencer for a split second before looking back at his letter, continuing to write.
~*
The day of the anti-war rally is also the same day that Ryan’s letters stop coming while he’s being shipped to Vietnam. The fact that the love of his young life is now in immediate danger just makes Brendon want to spread the word about how horrible the war really is even more. So he gladly holds up a sign and blends right in with everyone else rallying and it’s almost like he’s having a good time until the police show up.
The cops yell about the ‘goddamn hippies’ and maybe it’s because he’s really not quite as radical as most of the other people rallying (yet), but as soon as he sees the police, Brendon grabs Spencer out of the crowd so that they can go home.
On the news later, they hear about four members of a radical group that were arrested for publicly displaying their beliefs. At least, that’s what it seems like to Brendon.
“You know, that’s completely un-fucking-fair! They weren’t causing any harm! It was the damn police that came in and started making things violent! And they make us look like the bad guys because we’d rather protest than ‘support our troops’. Well, newsflash! Supporting them isn’t going to bring them home alive!”
At that moment, Brendon swears to himself that he will go to every rally, protest, and riot against the war until Ryan comes home safe. It’s the only way he can think of to make him feel like he’s doing something. Or at least trying.
~*
Ryan’s first night in Vietnam doesn’t really seem so bad. They set up camp and the environment seems so much more peaceful than Ryan had anticipated. Then again, he had been expecting explosions the minute they got there.
He shares a tent with Jon, the closest friend he’s made since coming into the military. Jon kind of reminds him a little bit of home, the way they can talk for long periods of time like he could do with Brendon or Spencer, and William when he was still alive.
“Mom cried when I was drafted. My dad died in World War II and she’s just so scared that I’ll suffer the same fate,” Jon explained, laying down in the tent while Ryan sat up, writing a letter by candlelight.
“My dad was ecstatic. Veteran,” Ryan said simple, pausing from his writing for a moment.
“And your mom?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her since elementary school, so I doubt she’d care.”
“Wow, look at us. Both raised by single parents!” Jon grinned. “So what happened? She walk out on you?”
“Almost completely unheard of when it happened, but yeah. Now women all over the country are doing it.”
“I don’t think I’d ever be able to walk out on my wife. Well, fiancée, now, but I’m making her my wife as soon as I get home.”
“Cassie, right?”
“Yes, sir! Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” Jon smiled. “Gave her my ring the day after I found out I was drafted. Told her I’d marry her right after I got back.”
“I think I would like to marry Brendon some day. Dad wouldn’t be too happy about that, though,” Ryan sighed.
“I think that if your dad really loved you, he wouldn’t give a damn what gender made you happy, just that you were happy,” Jon said, and Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “And I’d better get an invite to that wedding. I think I need to meet this Brendon of yours.”
“Well,” Ryan grinned, “I think it would only be fair if I were invited to your wedding and I got to meet Miss Cassie.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Jon nodded with a laugh.
“I’m really glad I met you,” Ryan told him.
“Looks like good things really can come out of shitty situations,” Jon agreed.
“Now, excuse me, but I need to get back to writing this letter to Brendon.”
“Excused.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Thank you so much for the comments on the last chapter! They were greatly appreciated. Definitely gave me a good reason to hurry up and get this chapter written and up. &, obviously, comments for this one would be loveddddd!