Thomas hated the beach on 4th of July. Too many people, too much sun and the threat of fireworks going off at any given moment. If it hadn't been for his boyfriend, Chris, he would have stayed in the comfort of his home with music blaring just to be on the safe side. Though sitting on the beach, staring at the water, had been a compromise. At first, he had been asked to go kite surfing, which had sounded like the worse idea ever. Then Chris had made fun of him for wimping out. He had also promised that he would be done surfing by nightfall, when the firework show would go off, but as the sun set and he had yet to finish left Thomas on the beach waiting.

"I think he's up." Michael said, pointing towards the lake.

"Good." He glanced at the water, unable to make out the potential surfer from their distance. Despite his fear that something could go wrong, he almost enjoyed the thought of Chris out on the water. He could picture him just like the guy in the brochure, leaning down towards the water. His blue and white board shorts that he insisted on wearing over the wet suit stood out in his mind. He could picture him giving a hang ten gesture, though Chris would never would do such.

His focus on the lake meant he didn't notice the fireworks until the first loud bang echoed from behind. Without warning, Thomas found himself not on the beach, but back in the desert. Explosions went off every couple of minutes and Thomas crouched behind the building's remains. Moments ago, the scene had been sane but it only took a matter of seconds for chaos to ensue. Two feet from his location lay the remains of another soldier. He couldn't look at the body for long, his mind racing to come up with a plan of action as another explosion rocked the ground. If he didn't do something fast, the next one could mark the end. Without an option, Thomas made his move, running to the next potential safe spot moments before the crackled sounds of gun fire hit his ears. Pain shot through him but he didn't stop moving.

"We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow... and now we lie in Flanders fields"

Blinking, Thomas saw the beach again. Except, instead of sitting on the beach towel, he felt the comforting pressure of arms wrapped around his chest. He should have pushed up to ease the weight from Michael but instead he relished in the moment, and let him finish the song.