A Love Like War

3 YEARS LATER
“It’s okay, Tony, I’ve got it covered.” Mike said with a smile, nodding at his boss. He jangled the keys between his fingertips without looking up, his right hand finishing at scrubbing the counters of the late night bar. It was around 3 am and Mike had been working since 4pm, his body drained but still willing to please his seemingly more tired boss.
“All right, man. Night.” Tony rolled his eyes with a smile and a wave, pushing out the door and into the cold wintered night.
Mike finished the counters and restacked the glasses, rubbing at his eyes with a yawn. The time, nearing 4 am, shook Mike awake as he realised where he was and what he was doing. Shutting cupboards and (triple) checking the bar, Mike finally felt satisfied and grabbed his coat, turning the key in the lock and leaving the bar on the corner street for his walk home. It was silent and cold, but Mike kept warm thinking about the girl he had been seeing lately. He thought of her eyes, her smile, and her warm body heating his at night. He thought of how well she cooked and how pretty she was without makeup. He smiled to himself, thinking when he could call her for their next date. It took Mike over 2 years to socialize again, but to his luck the first girl he’s met since has given him all he’s wanted in his life and more.
Mike wanted to ask her to marry him.
He finally arrived at the door and switched over to the next key on the pile he held in his hand, turning it in the lock with a familiar click. He stepped inside, locking it behind him, and walked into the usually empty home. Throwing his coat to the ground, Mike slipped his boots off with the heel of his foot and fell straight onto his bed, pulling a blanket on top of him and falling asleep instantly.
The next morning, or for Mike known as a few hours later, Mike woke to tapping on the door. The cat was no longer snuggled around his chest but gone bolting for the door, which was unusual behaviour of the lazy bastard. Mike wished to throw his pillow over his head and will the visitor away, but with hopes it was his girl at the door he threw on his robe on top of yesterday’s clothing and headed up with a stretch, eyes closed as he opened the door with arms out. He was instantly embraced back, but this wasn’t Mike’s girl.
Alarmed, he froze. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Tucked under his chin was the most painstakingly familiar mop of brown hair and musk smell he tried to remember every day. Mike was confused and upset, knowing that he had gotten rid of these visions of his brother. But why did it feel so real?
“I missed you, Oh God, I can’t even begin-“He heard his brother sob, and instantly broke down with him. The two brothers fell to the floor in a fit of sobs, refusing to let each other go. Mike held his brother at arm’s length to study his face, remembering every eye crease and every new scar that now marked his skin. Mike refused to question his brother’s sudden appearance, but remained to stay in the present and feel the now. He felt the wet tears on his cheeks; he felt the warmth of skin under his brother’s jacket he clutched so dearly.
“Do you need a hospital, brother?” Mike asked quietly, holding his big brother in his arms.
“No. Just a bed for a couple days.” Vic laughed, his voice cracking as he wiped at the tears in the sides of his eyes. Vic recalled the years of travel to find back home. He couldn’t remember when he slept in a bed last; maybe it was sometime two years ago when a camp found him. Vic could never lose sight of all the smiling faces that saved his life.
“We can have a meal together, first. Tell me every little detail and why the fuck you’re here. Then you can sleep all you want.” Mike smiled, getting up and into the kitchen. Even as he prepared food, he wouldn’t take his eyes off Vic in fear he was just another apparition. But more and more time passed, and Mike knew his mind settled that Vic was really there. He stopped every few minutes to shake his head and smile in shock.
“So, here I was with this man from Chile, speaking no English, and seconds away from death. All of a sudden, he reached forward and pulled the knife out of his stomach and sat up, his eyes clear. He says one word to me, and that was God. Minutes away he’s running off in another direction, giving me his only map and a package of beans.” Vic sat back and shook his head, eyes glassy.
“But what happened with the one soldier who-“
“No, no no. Sleep. Please, we have a lifetime to talk. I’m going to die again if I don’t flop in my bed.” Vic sighed, standing and beginning to strip his clothes off as he made his way to his room. He stopped in the doorway though, and looked around.
“Er, that’s kind of my bed. I uh, I wanted to be, uh-”
“You won’t need to hold onto this, anymore.” Vic smiled gently, sliding on his sweater that was still in the pillows on his old bed. “I’m going nowhere, Mike. I’ll be here now.” Vic said quietly, pulling his brother into a hug before collapsing onto the bed in exhaustion, his brother falling asleep next to him.
*
When vic woke up, it was still light outside but Mike was no longer beside him. Instead the lights were off and the door was shut partially, stacks of coffee mugs on the night table beside him. Groggily, Vic reached for his watch to see if he even slept an hour, but what he read made him jump straight out of bed.
“I’ve been sleeping for 3 days?” Vic shouted, frantic as he got up. On the couch was Mike with a cigarette, looking curious at Vic.
“You were tired!” He retorted back.
“Tired is a 12 hour sleep, not 72! I have to-”
“Have to what?” Mike asked, extinguishing his cigarette.
“I have to, I have to find someone. I’ll be back, I just… I need to, Mike. I need to find him.”
“Him who, who’s him? We can find his number, I’m sure-”
“I need to find Kellin Quinn, he needs to know I’m alive... I need to know he’s alive.”