#tuntsa

Men Don't Cry

Pairing: Koskela/Hietanen Rating: G Warnings: Major Character Death

Finnish men don't cry.

Finnish men don't talk about their feelings without the numbing help of alcohol and the safety of four rough-hewn walls either, but Ville and Urho moved beyond the usual bounds of male friendship long ago.

Urho cried when Ville was reassigned to Kariluoto's command. He cried when the order came to retreat. He cried when—no, he didn't cry when the shrapnel ripped through his eyes. He couldn't.

Ville has never been emotionally expressive. Not like Urho, who struggled to present himself as gruffly and stoically as a man should, Urho to whom crying was a natural expression of feeling. For Ville, simply being open and honest with Urho was all the release necessary to keep from going craz in the midst of everything. No saunas, no alcohol, just Urho and Ville in quiet moments together, understanding each other like no one else.

"He was a good man."

Rokka; a bracing hand on Ville's shoulder. His wedding ring is a heavy, solid reminder of what Ville has lost.

Urho was a good man—but not to Ville, nor Ville to him. They were more than that to each other.