A/N: My first Spring Awakening fic! I was reading the original play and in the essay at the front it says that the remaining characters would have probably become caught up in WW1. I haven't seen it done before so this is set about a year after the musical ends and revolves around Ernst and Hanschen's experiences. Enjoy!

"Roll up! Roll up! Ladies and Gentlemen! Which of you fine young lads are going to come and join the Kaiser's army? Come on! Don't be shy, fight for your country! Germany's in trouble and she needs your help!"

Ernst Robel stood alone at the side of the road watching the procession pass, the bright flags, booming voices and rolling drums raged through his head making him uneasy. He hadn't come into town for this.

"Come on lad!" A moustached man in military uniform complete with a shining row of medals thrust his face close to Ernst's. "Don't be a coward, none of the girls like a coward, do they? Fight for your country, fight for your God!"

Ernst stared up at the man with sad eyes, and then remembered that the man could not know that the prospect of having all the girls he wanted was unlikely to convince him to join up. The crowd that had gathered to hear the officer speak was pressing closer to him and the cold night air rang with their screams and hollers.

"Come on boy!" One woman shouted, "What are you scared or something?"

"Frightened? Oh no need to be dear, it's like an adventure!"

"You'll be doing your duty"

"One heroic campaign and you'll be back home by Christmas 1919. I guarantee it!"

"All the ladies love a man in uniform!" The women in the crowd broke into cackles of laughter after the last comment. Ernst tried even harder to keep his eyes fixed to the floor, hating it, hoping the ground would some how open and swallow him up.

Georg and Otto had left for France last week, complete with crisply starched new uniforms, shiny metal guns, tin hats, back packs and waves of admiration from the crowd, kisses and promises from Anna and Thea. Their parents were so proud. Melchior had left Germany after running away from the reformatory, following his old friend's plan of fleeing to America, it was ok for him, and yet here was Ernst stuck in the middle of a war he did not want or understand. What were they fighting for? Hanschen would say for the greed of the Kaiser and the willingness of the generals to sacrifice a thousand lives for one square foot of a muddy field in Bapaume. From reading Melchior's letters Ernst knew the reasons were unjust. He pulled his thin jacket closer around his sinewy body, if he went who knew if he'd even come back?

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Ernst looked around quickly to make sure that no one was watching, thankfully the crowds attention was now on the General and another innocent victim, he pressed a soft kiss to Hanschen's cheek. Hanschen looked down at an obviously distressed Ernst.

Seeing the cause of Ernst's misery, Hanschen shook his head sadly. "Dear Ernst, you shouldn't worry so much. They were here last week, they were here the week before, and neither one of us has been sent to fight." Hanschen's fingers played up and down Ernst's arms, but the dark haired boy continued to stare at the line of soldiers marching through the centre of the town.

"Really Ernst" Hanschen said impatiently, "Just because Otto and Georg went doesn't mean we have to go too"

"B-but I don't want to go," Ernst stuttered, "the bible says thou shalt not kill" he paused,

"I thought we'd long given up on what the bible says" Hanschen shot back, a wicked smirk on his lips.

Ernst returned a half smile, "Love isn't a sin," he replied, "I just don't want to leave you-"

"And do you really think that's going to happen?" Hanschen reached a hand to stroke Ernst's cheek

Ernst said nothing, but the twisting, squeezing feeling of guilt in his stomach had lessened. He leant in to Hanschen's touch. What with his parents pressuring him to join the fighting he hadn't seen the object of his affections in a few days.

Hanschen grabbed the younger boy by the hand "Let's go to the vineyard."

Ernst smiled, knowing all to well what that meant.

SPRINGAWKENINGSPRINGAWAKENINGSPRINGAWAKENINGSPRINGAWA

They lay on their backs in the grass, Ernst lazily poking grapes into Hanschen's mouth, more and more, until Hanschen, who had not been chewing, burst out laughing, spraying Ernst with grape juice.

"Hey!" Ernst giggled

"Sorry" Hanschen spluttered, wiping his mouth and giving Ernst a smile that made it hard for him not to melt right there on the spot.

Ernst chucked the last grape at Hanschen's head in revenge.

"Ow!"

Ernst was unable to control his laughter, suddenly he felt himself pinned to the ground, Hanschen's weight on top of him.

"That hurt," Hanschen growled, smashing their lips together. Ernst just managed to catch his breath and ran his fingers through Hanschen's blonde hair, pulling their bodies closer, the heat between them warming the cool night air.

"Wait-" Ernst stuttered

Hanschen let out a low moan, trailing kisses across the younger boy's face, when it came to Ernst 'wait' was not a word in his dictionary

"Hanschen, I think I-" Ernst gasped, Hanschen's mouth on his neck was sending jolts through his stomach, "I think I hear someone-"

Hanschen stopped abruptly, pulling away from Ernst, disappointment in his eyes, like a child who has been denied his favourite treat; Ernst couldn't help but lean in again.

Ernst closed his eyes, Hanschen's lips were just millimetres away, the thought of his touch still scared him a little, his breathing grew heavier and Hanschen let their lips touch just for a second before pulling away, knowing what would happen to them if they were caught.

"Good evening children" A cold voice cut through the breathy silence

Ernst sighed, at seventeen and sixteen they were hardly children any longer

"Good evening Herr Sonnenstitch" they both answered in a monotone

"What are you doing down here this late in the evening? Surely you have studying to do?"

Ernst began to stutter, Hanschen elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "We were studying Herr Sonnenstitch" he answered coolly

"Oh yes?" Herr Sonnenstitch enquired almost spitting with rage at Hanschen's seemingly unafraid manner. He turned to Ernst. "Any particular subject, Herr Robel?"

"Uhh, Ahh…" Ernst turned to Hanschen in a desperate bid for some kind of inspiration. "Just ummm biology"

Hanschen let out a splutter badly disguised as a cough.

"What kind of Biology?"

"Human, Herr Sonnenstitch"

By now Hanschen's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, he bowed his head in an attempt to keep their secret. Ernst bit back a smile and gazed innocently up at his teacher, a year had been a long time to hide their relationship from the world, at first Ernst been frightened, that there actions were sinful, that they would be found out and sent away or killed, but by now they new the tricks so well, Ernst figured it was just the way it had to be. They had their secret places, the idea of 'study dates' and 'sleepovers' convinced their parents that their reasons for spending so much time together were not suspicious and Hanschen kept all his letters from Ernst stuffed down the back of his bookcase where he knew his mother would never look.

Herr Sonnenstitch was eyeing Hanschen suspiciously, he held to small sheets of paper in his hand.

"Well you won't have use for that for much longer," he barked. "The Kaiser's army is looking for volunteers and the school has identified you both as those who would most benefit from a spell in the trenches. You leave tomorrow."

A/N: Duh duh duh! Will they escape before they're sent away? Will they survive together in a military training camp? Will they even make it back home? I'll try and update soon :p Please review!