#florence 'flo' godfrey

[wexhappyxfew]

light up my lover's way

BLIND DATES FEST 2024

featuring: Florence 'Flo' Godfrey and Captain Bernard 'Benny' DeMarco + Meatball being the ultimate wingman Absolutely beyond excited to put this out. Florence has been living in my brain for some time, but Masters of the Air and @blind-dates-fest (thank you Merc for the fun!) offered the perfect opportunity to do some writing and recently, with the episodes we've gotten, I've become a big DeMarco fan and wanted to see what I could do. I tried to really nail down how I could write him since we don't have a whole lot of content from him, and I didn't feel the most comfortable writing in the MoTA universe yet just because I wanted to see all the episodes first, but I wanted to give it the old college try and really enjoyed how this piece and how Florence came out! She was a treat to write and considering her story, this was a night for her well deserved! I missed out last year because of school stress and this year, wanted to be kinder to myself and allow some time to test out the waters with writing in MoTA. Please enjoy Flo and her time with DeMarco! :)

The mirror stared back at her with a more than poignant look on her face, as she gazed at her rugged-looking hair that had surely seen better days.

Extensive time out in the sun on the tarmac, with plenty of harsh oils and chemicals meant for planes and not exactly hair would do the trick though. Self-assured, she reached back and ripped a brush through the caramel ends of her hair that were in need of cutting and sighed quietly to herself before glancing back at her reflection.

Lemmons had encouraged her to take the night off - you've been working hard, Godfrey, take the night to get a drink or better yet, a full night of sleep where you're not thinking entirely about all things plane-related. She'd been pretty hesitant, she'd even told him that he was the one who needed the night off, but he'd quickly brushed some dirt off her shoulder, helped her scrub out the paint stain from her OD jacket and then promptly shoved her off in the direction of the celebration in the nearby hall that a good portion of the men and pilots had gathered into. She'd taken the time to gather herself, clean herself up and look presentable, but she was left appearing hesitant to even leave her room.

Florence Godfrey felt more mechanic some days than woman, but on days like that, she usually found some of the Red Cross girls and spent nights trading cigarettes, telling stories and sharing coffee from the potbelly stove in the corner that worked to keep them all warm. Sometimes, she tried to work so stringently that when she got in, she'd lay down and reflect and cry.

But, tonight wouldn't be one of those nights, no, her hands weren't covered in grease, her hair wasn't matted with sweat and her boots weren't soaked with mud and ice-cold water.

No, she actually had washed up, powdered her face, pulled a bit of lipstick onto her slightly chapped lips, and smiled to herself, the dress that fell below her knees a beautiful baby-bird blue.

Lemmons had been right - finally do something for yourself, give yourself the wheel of life. She wanted to do that for herself, more than anything.

The celebration in the hall was dying down - she took a glance at her watch - it was past midnight and people were slowly pouring out, a few couples still slowly swaying in the middle of the floor, some others milling about or talking quietly with gentle smiles in corners outside of the main doors.

Florence smiled quietly to herself - even just to get a drink that wasn't her inhaling water to keep herself from feeling parched. She'd never really allowed herself a freedom like this away from the planes, away from the other mechanics and ground crewmen. She'd always told herself to do her job, do what was needed of her and then bed out and wake the next time she was needed. She had always been like that though ever since working with Dad at the Navy Yard as a 9-year-old, learning all the bits and bobs that made things run and function.

Florence waded into the softly lit bar where only a few people were still at, finishing last minute drinks or basking in the quietly gleaming Billie Holiday singing 'If You Were Mine' over the speakers in the corners of the room. Florence walked up to the edge of the bar and offered a smile at the bartender who came towards her and offered a smile back and nodded.

"What can I interest you in tonight, Miss….?"

"Godfrey. Florence Godfrey," Florence said with a soft smile, "I'll take a French 75 if it's possible." The bartender smiled with a nod and turned away, whisking himself away to start prepping. Florence grinned to herself and then looked up towards the wooden ceiling, covered in pretty lights and patterned carvings.

Suddenly, she felt a presence at her….feet? Florence took a moment to think before looking down and seeing a beautiful, gray dog sniffing at her shoes, a brown harness around his soft fur and his puppy-dog eyes quickly looking up at her in excitement and glee.

"Awe, hello there!" Florence said, kneeling down in front of the mixed-husky dog, petting his face, her heart immediately softening at the sight as she laughed quietly to herself, "Aren't you the prettiest thing I've seen in months." The dog licked at her cheeks and she let out a laugh as she rubbed behind his ears, the dog's tongue hanging out as his whole body seemed to shake with excitement, tail in all directions.

"Hey, Meatball, don't go sneaking up on the ladies," a voice called from behind the dog.

Florence looked up from, if she caught the name correctly - Meatball, the dog - and found instead one of the pilots of the B-17s walking towards her, gentle eyes lingering on her, long enough for a crimson color to rush her cheeks, his hair dark and nicely cut and styled, and the small smile on his face suddenly making her think that this pilot was actually the prettiest thing she'd seen in months. Florence felt a warmth enter her body, a quiet calm overcoming her as she felt an uncontrollable smile cross her lips, as she slowly rose back to her feet and watched the pilot come closer, the thrum of a quiet Louis Armstrong song entering her ears.

"Italian or Swedish?" Florence couldn't help but say as the pilot neared, his eyes deep and dark, but soothing and welcoming all the same. The pilot let out a soft laugh, his eyes trailing down to Meatball, the dog - she'd never get over how adorable that was - before looking to her.

"Italian." he said, with a nod, "Why? Don't think he fits the part?" Florence let out a quiet laugh and kneeled down again to Meatball and scratched beside his little head and laughed.

"I think he's adorable," she said, "how'd you get a hold on him?" The pilot smiled at her and leaned against the bar.

"Boarded a B-17 with me back in Greenland, was a real good sport the whole flight," the pilot said and then shrugged a bit, "I think I convinced him that he'd make a good co-pilot." Florence laughed as she stood to her feet again and looked at him with soft eyes.

"I don't think it'd be proper of me to only think of you as Meatball's Dad," she said, watching the small smile on his face quickly grow, "gotta name?"

"DeMarco. Captain Bernard DeMarco, but you can just call me DeMarco, whatever suites your fancy." he said, before chuckling slightly, before imitating, "Some of the guys like to yell, DeMarcooooo!" Then he looked to her and smiled.

"You don't have to do all that though," he said, leaning closer slightly, "Benny'll do just fine. Special cases." Florence stared at him quietly for a moment and then grinned.

"Benny it is…..Captain," she said, before holding out a hand, "Godfrey. Florence Godfrey, but you can just call me Godfrey, whatever suites your fancy." She smirked slightly at his face as he reached out and shook her hand.

"Some of the guys I work with like to yell," and she woefully imitated Lemmons, "Godfreyyyyy!" She then leaned closer to him and smiled up into his beautiful, tender eyes.

"You don't have to do all that though," she whispered, "Flo'll do just fine…..special cases." Benny stared at her for a moment, before breaking out into a wide smile and gently holding her hand in between them like a sacred piece of life.

"Goddess of flowers," he whispered quietly, his voice a soft rumble, "Flo." She smiled up at him.

"Ma thought it was pretty." she offered to him. He smiled at her in the dimmed light of the bar, that Ella Fitzgerald song she was always forgetting the name of somewhere above their heads, eyes warm and simply, only on her.

"Your Ma was right." he said back to her, staring at her with genuineness and fullness in his eyes. She felt her face warm and let out a laugh at his words, covering her mouth as she did so. Looking back up at him, she watched him stare right back at her and smiled as her hand fell from her mouth.

"I've never seen you around in here before," he said softly, "couldn't help but introduce myself, or well, Meatball, for introducing us." Florence looked down to Meatball, sat patiently staring up between them with his ever-caring eyes that dogs always seemed to have.

"He likes you," Benny said, his hand, which evidently was larger than hers, still clasped around her own, with no sign of disconnecting soon, "he's a friendly fella, but he don't just go up to anyone." Florence's eyes softened as she rubbed her free hand on top of Meatball's soft little head and glanced to Benny again.

"Dogs are probably some of the best creatures to ever walk to Earth," she said with a smile, "Sometimes they know us better than ourselves. I like to think sometimes they're protecting us, or….just there to guide us, be with us, give us someone who unconditionally loves you, ya know?" Benny's smile on his face was something that engrained itself quickly in her mind and he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah," he said softly, "I like to think of it that way, too." For a moment, as Ella Fitzgerald sang her part, the gentle thrum of a bass and brass to follow, they watched each other as if taking in the very quiet moment they had there between one another that night. An unexpected chance for Florence to get out of her normal gear and into a dress, to have her hands free of grease for the first time in a while, and to be looked at by a man with the softest eyes she'd ever seen - with a dog named after an Italian meatball no less.

"I'd ask for your hand in a dance, but I'm afraid that French 75 is calling your name and Meatball would take offense," Benny said, his eyes seemingly nervously flitting to the drink that had appeared at her side before meeting hers again, "and I know you're one of the women who works with the ground crews….I'd hate to steal an evening away from a good drink." Florence watched him.

"You know I work with the ground crews?" Benny nodded with a smile.

"You hang around Lemmons a lot," Benny offered, "and you work hard. We all see that. Buck does, too. Mentioned you were the best of the best. Didn't want to be too forward when I heard you tell the bartender your name." Florence watched him, as he gave Meatball a smile and a pet on the head before he looked to her again.

"Ma didn't raise me to be impolite either," he said with a nod, "and you've earned an off night like this and a drink like that."

"And a night getting to talk to a man like you." Florence said quietly to him, her heart starting to pound as he watched her - no one ever really had mentioned her in the way he had, having noticed her before and even made the effort to talk to her like he had. Her palms felt sweaty, and her mouth felt dry. Benny watched her for a moment as she took a sip of her drink and then looked to him.

"I'd be more than happy to spend a night dancing with you," she whispered.

There was something unspoken behind her words - like the realization was still there, they just hadn't mentioned in. In war, moments like this were precious and sheltered and held close in the palms of their hands. A night with someone with tender eyes was worth more than enough money in the world to her, especially in wartime. The thought saddened her heart and her mind as she stared at Benny DeMarco, with that million-dollar smile and those eyes. Benny let out a shaky breath that he looked like he'd been holding in and reached forward to take her hands in his and leaned forward the slightest bit so the only things she could see and hear were him and his voice.

"With you? I'd consider it a privilege." he whispered and then pressed a soft kiss to her hands clasped in his and then gently pulled her towards the open dance floor where only a few couples were left and had made it this late in the night. Wrapped in each other's warm embraces there in the middle of the floor, Billie Holiday's voice singing in the eves, and the gentle sway of their bodies so intimately close there, Florence let herself dance softly that night with Benny DeMarco.

Florence let herself live a bit for once.

#yeah i love them #THEM #*holds gently in hands* #*sobs* #florence 'flo' godfrey #bernard demarco #+meatball fav of favs #love meatball being the wingman #masters of the air #hbo war #mota #blind dates fest 2024 #this was an utter JOY to write i hope anyone who reads also enjoys!!! #love these two with my whole heart! #flo deserves to live a little :) #mota writings

[blind-dates-fest]

2024 Blind Dates Fest Submissions

Anne Julia Randall | Outlander | @aloveforjaneausten

Anthony "Tonk-Tonk" Roberts | Foyle's War | @darkhorse-javert

Cressida Dorrance-Jones | Masters of the Air | @basilone

Eliana "Ana" Holloway | Masters of the Air | @jump-wings

Freda "Fred" Torvaldsen | Masters of the Air | @mercurygray

Florence "Flo" Godfrey | Masters of the Air | @wexhappyxfew

Genevieve Laurent | Masters of the Air | @latibvles

Lavinia Fennimore | Masters of the Air | @loveduringthewar

Lisbeth Hahn | Masters of the Air | @fidelias

Lucy Jones | Masters of the Air | @basilone

Magdalena "Maggie" Zielinski | Masters of the Air | @trenchenjoyer

Marion Brennan | Masters of the Air | @mercurygray

Patsy Harangody | The Pacific | @noneedtoamputate

Paulette Schafer | Band of Brothers | @shoshiwrites

Samantha "Mandy" Majors | The Pacific | @softguarnere

Simon "Sim" Stewart | Foyle's War | @darkhorse-javert

Winifred "Winnie" Harris | SAS: Rogue Heroes | @ladyyennefer

We did this for fun, to try something new, to try a new fandom, to get back into writing, to challenge ourselves, to keep it short and simple, to get an idea that wouldn't leave us alone out of our heads, and I love this for all of us.

A huge round of applause to everyone who participated this year as a writer, reader, or general-hanger-on.

#fest submission 2024 #annual masterlist

[tatesandromans-blog]

Rules: answer 20 questions then tag 20 bloggers that you want to get to know better

Name: Florence

Nicknames: Flo

Height: 1.75

Orientation: Bisexual

Nationality: Dutch-Indonesian

Favourite fruit: Pineapple

Favourite season: Autumn

Favourite flower: Roses

Favourite scent: Roses too

Favourite colour: Emerald

Favourite animal: Kitties or foxes

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: Coffee

Average hours of sleep: 6

Dog or cat person: Cat person tbh

Favourite fictional character: Tate Langdon, Roman Godfrey, Cheryl Blossom

Number of blankets you sleep with: One

Dream trip: Indonesia (the motherland <3)

Blog created: This one like three weeks ago haha, it’s my sideblog

Number of followers: this one about 50, 1500 on my main

Random fact: I’m in love with Post Malone

@enjoyurlattebitch thanks for tagging me <3

#about me

[daddvrios-blog]

— unusual & underused names masterlist by daddvrios.

under the cut you will find 403 uncommon (and also underused in the rpc) names ! they’ve all been sorted out by male, female & genderless, though you can use any of them for any gender. if you find this useful, please like/reblog. ( if you like my work, please consider buying me a coffee ! )

male.

abel

abraxas

adonis

ajax

alistair

alec

amadeo

amos

angus

ariel

arlo

armani

asa

atlas

axel

balthazar

barnabas

bartholomew

bentley

bernard

blade

blaise

bodhi

boris

boris

boston

bronson

brutus

buck

byron

cabot

cael

caelan

cain

calder

caspar

caspian

castor

cato

cedric

chaton

chester

cian

clay

clinton

clyde

colt

coltrane

conan

constantine

cormac

cosmo

crane

dante

darcy

darius

daxton

don

duncan

easton

echo

enoch

enzo

eros

ewan

ezekiel

felix

fergus

flynn

flynt

fox

garren

gaston

gayle

godfrey

grey

gunner

gunther

gus

hank

hannibal

hans

hansel

harlem

harvey

hawk

hayden

heathcliff

hector

hercules

hermes

holden

icarus

ilya

inigo

isaiah

jaxon

jericho

johann

kace

kai

kanye

kato

kelso

kenzo

kingsley

kit

knox

kyan

lance

lars

lazarus

lennox

levi

lincoln

lucius

luther

magnus

major

mars

mateo

maximus

merle

mica

milan

milo

milos

monte

mordecai

morgan

neptune

nero

nikolai

nixon

norman

onyx

orion

orson

oscar

osiris

otis

pan

parc

perseus

pike

reagan

reese

reggie

remi

rex

rio

roan

rocket

roger

roman

romulus

ronan

roux

rowan

roy

rufus

ryker

salazar

salem

samson

scorpio

shiloh

silver

sirius

slate

tad

thor

trip

trystan

turner

vasili

vernon

ward

wes

wiley

wolf

wolfgang

wyatt

wystan

zander

zane

zephyr

zeus

zion

female.

abilene

agatha

althea

amethyst

andromeda

aphordite

april

aqua

aspen

astoria

astrid

athena

atria

bambi

blossom

brooklyn

calliope

callisto

cerise

chanel

cher

cherry

china

clementine

cleo

clover

cosima

coralee

cressida

daisy

daphne

delphine

dominique

donatella

dorcas

dot

dove

electra

emerald

europa

eve

fae

fiona

fiorella

fleur

flo

flora

florence

freya

gaia

gail

ginger

harriet

hazel

ida

ira

ireland

iris

isis

jene

june

juniper

juno

kamali

kinsey

kira

kiza

laurel

lavinia

lena

lenore

lune

malia

margot

mercedes

mercy

merida

mila

minerva

moana

nebula

nixie

nova

nuru

nyx

olympia

paz

pepper

petra

pia

poppy

ramona

rhona

ricki

roma

rowena

roxanne

sage

sien

sienna

sinead

summer

suri

sybil

tallulah

temple

tesla

topaz

venus

vienna

willow

winifred

xanthe

yulia

zella

zora

genderless.

alaska

alexis

angel

arden

arizona

avery

azure

bandit

barton

basie

basil

berlin

bo

bowie

camden

cashmere

chandler

colbalt

cooper

corona

dakota

donnie

eden

foster

francis

gene

giles

hadley

harlow

idris

indie

indigo

jan

jet

jude

jupiter

justice

kieran

kyler

lark

lennon

london

lonnie

lonny

lou

lupe

marley

micah

mickey

milan

misha

monroe

moon

navy

nemesis

neo

neruda

nike

noah

north

oak

olive

paris

paxton

peach

phoenix

presley

rayner

rey

river

robbie

robin

roscoe

royce

rue

rush

sal

sailor

saint

sawyer

seven

shea

sinclair

skyler

spencer

sydney

tate

teagan

teddy

tempest

van

vega

versace

vita

winslow

winter

yves

zola

#rph #names masterlist #name masterlist #name help #masterlist #** #masterlist:mine

[wexhappyxfew]

"walking in the park" for your new girl Flo? 💚 I have yet to read her blind date, but I bet this prompt will be fun for her!! 😊

hi killy! so sorry it's taken me some time to get to this - as you know, busy schedule and courses i'm in the midst of, but!! i have been working on this for a bit and finally feel that it is ready to get out to the world. it's definitely angsty though - i feel i've just taken some of these prompts and pushed sadness into them lol. BUT, i can absolutely say it was a joy to write and to dig into this side of her character. so THANK YOU!

prompt: 'walking in the park'

featuring: Florence 'Flo' Godfrey and Harry Croby (and Meatball haha!)

Quiet was probably the scariest five letter word she could think of at the minute.

Thorpe Abbotts was always loud, an almost more comforting four letter word that was always in her mind.

The small park on the edge of the center square in Langmere was a far cry from that. Because it was simply that, quiet. Something that was never a guarantee.

She'd frequented this small park throughout the summer months - now with the bitter chill of the wind and the fading of green leaves from trees, it filled the pit in her stomach with more remorse and sadness than she would've liked.

The bench was cold, but she wasn't lonely - the sun was out, shining brightly, warming her cold hands. Meatball was wrestling a patch of leaves, rustling about, tearing at the dried bit of life. There were some families here with their kids, a few older couples walking dogs or feeding the birds. There was still joy even in the midst of wartime. She shut her eyes and took in a breath.

"This seat taken?" Flo looked up from her spot on the bench she'd found, and saw the shadowed and sunny figure of Harry Crosby, lead navigator of the 100th, stood there. Flo looked up at him and swallowed briefly before nodding.

There'd been some run-ins on base here and there - even a few conversations as of late. And if anything, he was starting to be one of the last familiar faces on base for her to see about. She offered a weak smile.

Crosby sat beside her, stiffly at first, before relaxing and looking down to his interlinked hands. They sat in a quiet bit of silence for a moment of time, the two of them listening to the world around them, far away from war for the time being, yet still on the border where it was enough to overshadow how peaceful the place truly was.

"Everything alright?" he asked her and she spared him a glance and nodded.

"Yeah, just, thinking a lot if I'm being honest," she told him with a nod, before noticing the soft look on his face and smiling a bit, "yeah, too much thinking." Harry let out a laugh and looked towards her and offered a somewhat sad smile, the light in his eyes dimmed but not gone, persistent, but flickering.

"You're the last familiar face for me on base," Flo whispered quietly, "besides maybe Rosie. Or Lemmons or Wink. But otherwise, everyone else….."

"Yeah." offered Crosby, his voice a delicate calm and quiet that settled the uncontrollable tremors of her nervous legs or twitch in her eye, "It's nice to see you though." He looked over at her with such a sincere look on his face that she were sure she could've broken down at the drop of a hat just at his words.

At the realization, at the break of his voice, the oddity of it, the heartache, the unusual feel of having to experience that.

That.

Losing all they had in the past few months.

It hurt to think about, to even relive.

Flo gently reached forward and looped her arm through his and gave it a comforting squeeze - she knew Bubbles death had hit him in harder ways than he had cared to admit. She remembered how she'd see them in the flying club, out on the tarmac, in the summer warmth, bathed in the sun's rays as they lounged in the green grass under the blue sky. Now, he seemed a shell of who he once was, broken by that horrid thing called war and what it meant to lose someone. Her eyes welled.

"You holding up okay?" he asked her quietly, glancing her way, earnestness in his voice and tone that made her shoulders go ridged and her mind go numb.

Everyone on that base was suffering about something in their own way.

Whether it was grief wrangled into a tightly wound ball, waiting to burst, or a certain sadness that even a morning sunrise couldn't hinder, it was something they were all dealing with - and in their own ways.

Lemmons had mentioned it the other night, when she'd finished some last minute details repainting something on one of the planes - he'd told her to hit the hay, take the night. He always seemed to know when she was lost in that daze she couldn't pull herself out of. She knew he could always sense it, see it. Between the look on her face, or that look in her eye. He always knew when her head was somewhere else and that she was trying to distract herself somehow.

Sometimes it was because she was thinking too much, or too hard about something, usually a certain someone that had occupied the greater part of her mind for months, who was suddenly gone.

Or sometimes it was because she wanted to take Meatball on a walk and try to help clear her mind.

Sometimes, it was her curled in her cot, Meatball's head cuddled in her lap, his gentle eyes looking up at her as she stared numbly out of the window by her cot.

He seemed to know, Meatball that is, that there was something going on. It was almost like she didn't know what else to do and had resorted to just always having Meatball close by - at breakfast, out on the tarmac, late nights spent staring at the stars, just her and Meatball side by side.

Flo felt silly sometimes, sitting out there telling Meatball all the deepest parts of her, but then her eyes would well with tears and he would sit and stay like the good dog he was, and listen, even if it meant the occasional treat or extra leftover of something off the table after dinner.

Sometimes she wondered if Meatball realized he was gone. That he wasn't just gone on a trip or gone for a few months, that he wasn't returning and coming back.

Sometimes she wondered if he knew somehow in his mind that Benny was gone.

Flo looked to Crosby and nodded.

"Yeah," she managed out with a nod, like she was half-convincing herself that she was okay, "yeah, I'm okay." Crosby offered her a crooked smile and she tipped her head towards him.

"How about yourself?" she asked him, trying to put on her best smile his way, "I know you've been working hard; we come in at the end of the night and you're still up." Crosby let a grin grow on his face and chuckled before looking at her and nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Crosby said, "writing to Jean, or well…..trying, is the better word for it." Flo watched his face; the way his mouth seemed to frown and his eyes looked sadder and more sullen, the far-off look distant in his orbs that flickered in and out when he glanced someone's way.

"It's hard," Flo whispered, her voice dropped to a resolute tone, the emotion simmering at the brims, "to try and tell someone what it's like, to be here. Experiencing it. Living it." Crosby looked to her and she tilted her head.

"My Ma and Dad always write, asking how I am, how the boys are…." Flo felt her throat tighten, thick with grief for a split second and shook her head, "ask about Benny, too, any news. It's just…." Flo stared out to the park, her eyes watering as she felt her shoulders drop. She was never great at feeling her emotions - sure they were there, but she could never really explain them in a way that made sense. So when she got to writing, it was usually a blank page for minutes before she could even write "Dear….".

"No one really understands unless they're here." Crosby said quietly, before gently placing his free hand over the one curled around his arm, "We'll find a way to be okay again." Flo watched him and then nodded, something in his voice and his eye convincing her that he was right.

Crosby was always right.

#flo and harry confiding in each other bc they've both lost important people to them? YES #florence 'flo' godfrey #harry crosby #meatball (the dog) #when in doubt if you have flo you'll find meatball too haha #yes this made me feel = emotions #was thinking on this one for a while #how to phrase things make it flow #really liked the end result #so! enjoy me and my emotions on a page w harry and flo! #masters of the air #mota #mota writings

[wexhappyxfew]

Yay asks! Can I do 'riding the bike to the bakery in the morning' from the Spring list for Flo and Lemmons?

hey merc!!! thank you so much for stopping by the askbox and with such a fun prompt idea!! AND for flo and lemmons - these two i just love getting a chance to write with, and your enthusiam towards their friendship meant a whole lot, so finally getting to give them a feature - just thank you!! :) i hope you enjoy! <3

prompt: riding the bike to the bakery in the morning

featuring: Florence 'Flo' Godfrey and Ken Lemmons

"I'll get there faster than you can say hardstand!" Flo yelled over her shoulder as she sped down the road, the grass-laden fields dipping down into trees, filled with sprawling hills and livestock.

Growing up with an older brother who seemed to make it his life goal to make everything and anything when they were younger 'friendly competition', she'd gotten pretty good at beating Kenny Lemmons fair and square to the bakery on their bikes at 0630 in the morning.

It was usually better on mornings when the B-17s weren't taking off to the sky, but even that seemed lucky, whenever those days did happen to come.

"Keep making statements like that and one day it will happen," Ken called from somewhere behind her, before the sound of his bike disappeared a bit, "just not today!" Flo let out a chuckle as she came to a skidding stop in the middle of the road, the world silencing around her as she watched Lemmons come rolling up to her side, stopping rather abruptly beside her, exhaustedly leaning forward over the handle bars and glancing up to her with a soft sigh.

"I'm gonna have to have a word with Charlie Godfrey," he said, pushing up from the handle bars and taking in a breath, "you're too damn fast."

"Consider it a gift." she said with a grin, maneuvering her bike facing forward again, "Charlie wouldn't consider it one, but…..hey, he started it." All those years ago, she finished in her head. Lemmons chuckled at her words and looked out towards the sunrise - bathed in blues, purples, pinks and yellows. Yeah, she could say something like that was beautiful. Especially in a time like this. Sunrises were a sign you made it to the next day.

"Pretty ain't it?" he said; she glanced his way and nodded.

"Sometimes it's nicer when the planes aren't taking off," she said quietly, "knowing the boys won't be going up to the skies."

"Yeah," Lemmons said quietly like he didn't want to think about it, before glancing her way, "hey, you realize you could give Major Egan a run for his money on these things." Flo let out a chuckle and shook her head.

"He's a mad-man on wheels at the best of times," Flo said, "next time he happens to get his hands on a bike, I'll make sure to give him the offer. First one to cycle around base buys the other a drink."

"I'd bet on you, Flo," Lemmons said, adjusting his front tire from his handlebars, "though, he'd probably heckle me for not picking him."

"That's just his thing," Flo muttered over her shoulder with a laugh, "c'mon, that blueberry muffin is calling my name and squawking over a sunrise isn't going to get us there any faster!" Lemmons chuckled, as he pushed off from the ground, riding gently beside her as they continued down the quiet path that early morning towards the nearby town where the local bakery had muffins that were quite literally to die for - a cinnamon-sugar crunch on top, fluffy, thick and delicious. And usually, the owner would give them a drink for free, so she'd go for house coffee and Lemmons, ever as oh-so-sophisticatedly, drank tea. Flo usually got a kick out of it, seeing him sip tea like a middle-aged Englishman.

"Someone was looking for you earlier this morning," Lemmons said with a smirk, as he sent a glance her way, "he seemed really interested in your wearabouts. Wink was worried at first it was some weirdo, but then he started talking about this girl he had met the other day and he had sworn he'd seen her with us before-"

"Who?" Flo asked, glancing his way as she readjusted on the bike, suddenly feeling like she lost all capabilities of riding a bike. One person came to mind in her brain, enough to hijack her bike riding capabilities, quick enough for Lemmons to realize.

"Real swell guy," Lemmons said with a smile her way, "real kind, too. Usually makes sure we're taken care of as ground crew men." Flo sent him a look.

"Well that could be just about any pilot on base," she said, and then scoffed," even Helen! Or Tatty! Sweet as peaches those two are! Watching out for me when I need time away from the crew."

"Are you saying we're bad influences?" Lemmons scoffed with mock offense, "I'm wounded, Flo, really, that hurt." But she watched the smile on his face grew and she shook her head.

"You ass." she said with a chuckle, "Seriously who was it, just tell me."

"I think it's more fun to make you guess," Lemmons said with a laugh, "c'mon, we still have at least 15 minutes to the bakery, just take a guess, let me have it."

"Is this charades?" Flo murmured under her breath as she sent him a look. He let out a laugh.

"C'mon, Flo, just take a stab, I'll make sure to tell him later that you didn't remember him-"

"Kenny!" Flo admonished, reaching over the bikes to give him a light, slightly unstable slap on the shoulder, "Don't you tell him that!"

"Oh so you do know who it is." Lemmons said with a snicker, catching the look on her face in an instant, "Oh, c'mon, you know who it is. You got all defensive and protective. Let's see -"

"Is he a Captain?" Flo questioned softly, her voice gentle as they continued down the street in front of them. Lemmons smirked and let out a laugh.

"Oh he's a Captain," Lemmons said, "and a dog named Meatball is his first mate." Flo broke out into a laugh and glanced at him, and then looked forward again, still keeping a smile dancing at the corners of her lips.

"Captain DeMarco." Flo said and Lemmons chuckled at her words.

"Yeah," Lemmons said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I suspect when they get back from the run today, he'll be looking for you, too." Flo smiled wide, maybe too wide for her own good and then glanced over at him.

"He's a real sweetheart," Flo said as they continued forward, "a gentleman really." Lemmons watched her and then stopped his bike, Flo glancing back once she realized he wasn't keeping up with her.

"Am I going too fast again?" she called to him as he slowly walked his bike forward a bit and stopped beside her, the look in his eye far more serious than it had been earlier.

"Fonda wrote me earlier, just got her letter," Lemmons said, "asked how the crew was, how you were doing, how the boys were….I wrote back, saying how everything was, giving her updates, telling her how I was feeling, all of that sorta stuff." She watched him.

"I don't know, Flo, but," Lemmons shrugged his shoulders, "you just always got this big smile on your face now. It suits you, really. And it started once you came in from the flying club a few nights back. Look, I'm not telling you what to do, but…..he cares about you. And when he goes up in those forts day after day, knowing he has the opportunity to see you any chance he can manage, I know he'll come looking for you." Flo stared at Lemmons, watching as he messed with a piece of fabric he tore off the pilots seat of Cleven's fort earlier - it'd been hanging about with no way of getting sewn back on anytime soon.

"War's war, but so is love," Lemmons said, "I write to my Fonda any chance I can get, even if it's at 2 in the morning after cleaning up a plane. He shows up even after he's watched men parachute out from burning forts and dying high above the ground. Even when I know he's hurting. When they all are." Flo watched him as the sun began to tickle their cheeks, her eyes fighting a bit of the emotions that lingered there.

"And I know you haven't had an easy go in the past," Lemmons said, "but someone like him is showing up for you - it's scary? Hell yeah it's scary! But ya know what else is scary? War. But hope and love are greater than that combined. And I don't want you missing that just because you think you don't deserve it…." Flo continued to watch him, his words and her thoughts living in her mind and consuming her.

"I see him and…." Flo started and could feel her thoughts beginning to calm, just the idea of him there settling them. She saw his eyes, heard his laugh, remembered the touch of his hand somewhere along her cheek, that look in his eyes when it was just the two of them somewhere under a sunset, looking at each other like it would never end. Knowing it could be the last time. Last time for anything and everything. Last time for him.

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Lemmons said, the quickness with his words enough confirmation, "Meatball doesn't just run over to us for shits and giggles now, does he?" Flo watched him and smiled softly and nodded.

"Thank you, Kenny," she said quietly - Lemmons patted her arm and then nodded forward.

"C'mon, those muffins got our name right on top and I'm gonna have to tell Fonda exactly how it tasted or she'll lose it on me if I don't tell her how it was," he said, before pushing off from the ground, a wild grin on his face, smile growing wide on his lips, and a wink in his eye, "you should see the way he looks at you, Godfrey! Like you lassoed the moon!"

a/n: fonda mention! she was kenny's wife, and they married before the war and it felt apt to give her a mention here! :) ALSO, charlie godfrey is in fact friends with marty armstrong, the brother of war correspondent esther armstrong featured in my bob fic And Then The Dawn Came! i LIVE for these connections for fun WOOO!

#THESE TWOOOO #my fav besties fr #florence 'flo' godfrey #ken lemmons #also: #bernard demarco mention hehe #not going to fully tag his name here bc well he's not really here lol #masters of the air #mota #i hope you enjoyed!!! #the angst for these is REALLY becoming a thing #because after these recent episodes everything for mota is coming out angsty somehow haha #THANK YOU MERC FOR THE PROMPT!!! :D #mota writings

[wexhappyxfew]

— Florence ‘Flo’ Godfrey —

"Nah, nah, nah, I swear to you back in '36 a buddy of mine was trying to convince the hell outta me that he could fly planes," Benny said, with a chuckle, before leaning forward and watching her eyes with that tender gaze, "and you know what I told him? I told him right to his face that's what I'd be doing! Hell, I told him if there was a war on, I'd be right there signing up for that very thing. And well....here I am."

"Here you are." Flo said with a soft smile his way. Benny grinned at her and then shifted closer to her side before glancing up at the darkening sky and smiling.

"You always go up there and it's the things you don't expect." he said, his smile dropping, "You see the sky from here, think it's just like it is down here. Nah, it's...." Benny trailed off and glanced towards her.

"It's different." Flo felt the silence close in around them and then turned to watch his eyes.

He was quiet.

Benny DeMarco was never really quiet, just at peace.

But tonight, he was quiet.

They'd spent some time together - away from flying planes, patching up planes....planes in general. If anything, it was finding a comfort in one another that they couldn't find with anyone else. And they always found a way to confide in things they couldn't quite understand.

Usually she was adorning her clothes, still mildly disgusting from her time working on the planes - a grease spot there, the dried paint around the edges of her sleeves, her hair looking more like a rat's nest.

And he was there, pulled out of his pilot's gear and instead with his slacks, top and a nice jacket, usually with the lopsided peak cap.

Sometimes it was the two of them, after he'd finished a mission, looking far more exhausted than she could account for, dried blood on his face, hair all over in directions she couldn't count and shaky hands, Meatball curled up at their feet nestled close to each other.

That usually included Flo looking as always - gangly, but smiley and quite herself.

(more to come for this excerpt!)

#FLOOOO #my beloved !!!! #florence ‘flo’ godfrey #bernard demarcooo #benny demarco #flo x benny #was working on this piece a week ago and was tackling it again today #might post the whole thing in the coming weeks #masters of the air #mota #mota writings #these twooooo #very fun to dig in and write their connection :) #please enjoy the moodboard - it is so so flo !!!!! #mota fic

[wexhappyxfew]

I hope I'm not too late, but you know I'm going to request something for Flo and Benny🖤 Maybe 12 from the "It's Spring!" writing prompt list? - @lostloveletters

ah hello battie ( @lostloveletters )!! not late at all! i was BEYOND excited to do some more with Flo and Benny - those two have captured my heart and i'm so so glad they seemed to do the same for you!! please enjoy my take on the prompt you've sent in - and let's just say, despite the happiness of the prompt, my recent emotions of episode 5 seemed to take over and here we are :)

prompt: rolling down the window of the car

featuring: Flo Godfrey and Benny DeMarco

The feeling would always remain cathartic in a way she couldn't entirely describe to anyone close to her.

Watching the B-17s take off in energetic fashion towards the sky, aligning in perfect formation to the morning haze of what the day was to bring, smelling sweet air, feeling the cool breeze, sitting there watching that 'bucket of bolts' as Wink liked to call them, take off into the sky, the small voice in her head saying they'd all come back. That they'd all be okay. Sometimes it was just a white lie to convince her to calm down.

But it was nearly sundown, 17 out of the 18 planes that had taken off had returned, the pilots and their boys were eating well and washing up and enjoying the feeling of standing on solid ground again. And Flo's stress levels had lessened slightly - well, slightly was a loose-leaf term for it. They'd dropped about a percent before Lemmons started yelling about one of the controls for the plane propeller on Brady's fort that had taken more blows than she had bargained for earlier.

"God, just... give it another go!"

Lemmons was yelling from somewhere down in the plane propeller to her left - closer to the first and second engines on the fort. Clearly, flak had done it's horrendous job more than either her or Lemmons cared to admit. Flo, sat in the pilots seat, flicked the metal probe on the switchboard and heard the gutteral and pathetic whir of the propeller trying to start up, but to no avail, stutter to a stop.

"Nothing!" Flo yelled, pulling open the window in the cockpit, "Look, Kenny, I think we gotta jerry-rig it!" Lemmons' faced appeared and her offered her a surprised brow raise.

"Jerry-rig? Who the hell-"

"My father showed me how to do it on a boat one time-"

"A boat?! Listen, Godfrey, that's a boat, this is a plane-"

"Yes! But it should work just the same-"

"Florence Godfrey is that you?" Flo froze about mid-speech, the same turning into samey, which was hardly even a word.

Slowly averting her eyes from the propeller and the sad excuse for engines, she looked down on the ground, past the wings of the fort and found Captain Benny DeMarco standing there, uniform on, tired eyes, a smile on his face, and a slightly bloodied bandage hanging around his neck.

Hanging out the window, looking like an eager, excited dog in front of a Captain was surely not the picture she wished to paint but the sheer surprise that took over her face was equally uncalled for and warranted. Flo could briefly see Lemmons looking up at her with a smirk on his face.

"I-"

"She'll be right down!" Lemmons yelled, the grin on his face widening as her eyes followed, "Go on, get going, I'll jerry-rig this-"

"You were about to argue with me that that was the last thing you wanted to do-"

"I'm jerry-rigging it." he said, then smirked, "Go." Flo smiled at Lemmons before turning her attention back on the Captain stood on the tarmac, that soft smile on his face.

"If this was a car, I'd tell you to get in; I'd roll down the window as kindly as I could, too." she called to him a grin on her face, "You'll have to meet me on the other side though, where I'll make a less-than-stellar exit." She watched Benny laugh at her words and shake his head.

"You could probably give me a run for my money!" he called up to her, before sending her a wink as he disappeared under the plane.

Flo quickly looked down at her clothes, the minute she took to reevaluate herself enough to notice the grease stains, the minor paint job cropping up on the ends of her OD top, and the tear in her shoulder from where her top had gotten caught on a piece of metal bent awkwardly from the plane. Spinning herself around, she moved through the center of the plane before making her, as expected, less-than-stellar exit onto the tarmac, and finding Benny there right in front of her - holding a hand against her head, gray beanie covering flying braids that needed redoing, the slight, night wind brushing her crimson cheeks.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you tonight," Flo said as she approached him, her eyes darting to the bandage hap-hazardously wrapped around his neck, the red spot lingering lower on the wrap, her smile fading slightly, "are you okay?" He seemed to sense her worry and reached up to gingerly touch the bandage and shook it off, smiling at her as she came closer.

"Just took a bit of shrapnel from a blast up there, nothing to worry about," he said, but she could see the bit of pain that ran over his face as he stood there. She became slightly distracted by the scent of his cologne hitting her nose - the sudden realization that she probably smelled like a greasy, wet rag making her want to crawl into a hole. She looked up at Benny, deep brown eyes soft in the light of the sunset, focused solely on her. He could've gotten himself straight to a warm meal, but instead was stood outside with her - he'd just flown a plane over Germany and back, she'd spoon feed him dinner if it meant it brought him comfort.

"If I'm holding you from your meal, I'm sorry I just-"

"No, no," Benny said quickly, stepping forward, placing his hands on her shoulders, the presence comforting in a way she hadn't felt in months, "no, not at all……I, uh, just….wanted to thank you, for a few nights ago. The dance." A smile broke out on her face and she let out a small laugh and looked up into his eyes again.

"Sometimes with all that's going on around," he looked around at the airfield and then looked back at her again, "just, dancing with you, brought me away from the war for a bit. Never knew how much something like that could mean in the moment until you're standing there….especially with someone like yourself."

"Benny…." she whispered, but his smile softened, as he reached out and gently tucked some of her lose flyaway hairs behind her left ear, his hand warm, thumb lightly brushing against her cold cheek. Her heart stuttered - Benny DeMarco, that look in your eye…..

"I know, I know, it's war. Flying B-17s, you can't exactly go around saying stuff like that, knowing that well…." Benny trailed off his trembling words and looked back at her, a riddled air of confidence and calm filling his eyes in front of her, "life's too short not to say something like that, even with the Germans breathing down our necks. And I'd regret it everyday if I never said it to you. Knowing how much it meant…." to both of us, her mind whispered. She watched him.

Her emotions were suddenly in five different directions, all good directions, she reminded herself - for a moment, her heart pounded and her mind raced, and the reality of war ebbed in and out of her vision. But here was someone, looking at her like he'd lasso the moon for her, in the midst of war, showing up to the plane she was losing her mind over a propeller about, when he very well should be sitting down and eating up, thanking her. And really, she should be thanking him.

Flo stepped closer to him, his light breathing fanning across her face, his cologne still overwhelming her nose, but still oh-so-enjoyable, and his presence warm and inviting and there.

He was right there.

Inches.

And she hugged him, wrapping her arms, careful of the wrap, around his neck, and hugged him wholly. Where she was enveloped by him in every way possible, where for a moment it wasn't the two of them on a tarmac, one having just finished off a mission against the enemy while the other was fixing up the planes for the next, but where it was the two of them, in a different circumstance, a different way. Where war wasn't the backdrop to their emotions that lingered at the borderline. Softly, she shifted her lips to his ear and pressed a soft kiss there.

"Thank you for for everything," she whispered, "because for once, war has shown me that hiding anything I feel will only be regretful in the long-run." Flo slowly pulled back, staring up into Benny's tired eyes, and smiled softly.

"In another world, we're dancing at the Ritz, just you and I and Louis Armstrong above us," she whispered to him, his eyes hazy and soft, like he were imagining a world like that, too, "we're dancing and there's no war. And it's just us." Flo helped him to stand on two feet that day on the tarmac, on the ground. They lost men everyday they went and flew missions - men they trained with, grew with and flew with. Flo was sure of one thing - no matter what transpired above the clouds, she wouldn't lose Benny.

Benny wouldn't ever lose her.

#brb going to go cry now over these two! #thank you for this prompt #definitely took a turn i didn't expect but enjoyed it the entire way through #tackling emotions neither know how to feel but letting themselves feel it anyway #and letting those emotions happen too #yeah my heart #masters of the air #mota #bernard demarco #florence godfrey #flo x benny #these twooooo #+ken lemmons appearance bc he and flo are basically a package deal #those last few lines? yes very purposeful bc 😭 #mota writings

[wexhappyxfew]

me: must do school work

also me: wants to write more for flo and demarco

#THE STRUGGLE #that and i want to read all the other blind dates submissions! 😭🙌 #bc i had SO MUCH FUN #when school work clears up i’ll be very excited to go through 🤭 #and now i just want to write for them 😓 #we shall seeee #masters of the air #florence ‘flo’ godfrey #bernard demarco #flo x benny #love love love

[wexhappyxfew]

(it's me hi!) i'm taking writing prompts!

hello!!! after my recent adventures with the Blind Dates Fest 2024 writing i did, i have decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit and do prompts! i know there's a lot of fantastic people in the fandom that do this and so i decided to try it out - i finally feel like i'm in a place where i can do that and enjoy it, too!

SO.... i've reblogged two sets of prompts, linked here:

trust-building

it's spring!

it's more familial/getting-to-know each other vibes, mainly because that's the realm of writing i'm going for, especially with ATTDC not having established romantic connections, etc....

SO! if you are interested, i am definitely happy to take prompts for ANY of the ATTDC girls linked here in their Masterlist with anyone from Band of Brothers that you'd like or think would be a good pair for them! at that, i am ALSO taking prompts for Florence 'Flo' Godfrey who i featured in my Blind Dates writing opposite Benny Demarco (and i will happily write for these two again haha). so! if you're interested, please feel free to send stuff in! i hope to have things posted by the end of the week/weekend if things are requested! :)

#writing prompts #WOOOO #i am actually very excited #shorter things are what my brain can handle with school right now so #i really like this!!! #feel free!

[wexhappyxfew]

wexhappyxfew’s writing master list

Hello everyone! Welcome to my writing masterlist that has been developing for the last ~6 years as a member of the Band of Brothers fandom and now the Masters of the Air fandom. I remember saying I’d stop after The Soldier of Stars, and then maybe I’d stop after Landslide, but now we are here with ATTDC, so truly, it appears I’ll be hanging around for a while haha! This masterlist features OCs such as Charlotte Tarvers, Hazel Parker, Natia Filipska, Esther Armstrong, Florence Godfrey, Annie Bradshaw and all those secondary characters you got hold of, too! Please enjoy and thank you for reading! <3

— Masters of the Air —

SILVER BULLETS - a one-shot collection of MOTA OCs

Silver Bullets had nearly gone down in a cloud of fire and smoke when a stray piece of flak flew into the left side of the cockpit and killed pilot Captain Birdie Faulkner, leaving co-pilot, Lieutenant Francis Montez, to scramble and land the fort to safety after dropping their bombs. Then and there, Silver Bullets, a fully-teamed group of women aviators, was without a command pilot. Lieutenant Annie Bradshaw got the call four days later, down to the hour, and was jumping onto a B-17 to make her way to Thorpe Abbotts to resume role of command pilot for the crew, utilizing her calm demeanor, determination, resilience and hardworking nature to get through to the crew of Silver Bullets and emerge as a leader to the group; a trustworthy one at that who wouldn't let them down. If you're looking a fic collection where a character haunts the narrative, feel free to check out the collection of writings just below!

Silver Bullets OC Masterlist

-> OCs Featured

Writing Masterlist

-> All current writings for the SB-MOTAverse. Updated when new writings come out! AO3 link coming soon!

For MOTA related writing(s) and Silver Bullets writings, please visit #silver bullets and #mota writings for more!

Related OCs (in their own standalones): please visit their tags if interested!

Florence ‘Flo’ Godfrey (1) (2) (3) (4)

— Band of Brothers —

CURRENT —

And Then The Dawn Came - Band of Brothers

[IN PROGRESS]

>> OC MASTERLIST FOR ATTDC

>> AO3

OC Featured: Esther Armstrong, Mercy Codona + multiple others (later on in fic)

Pairing Featured: Esther Armstrong / Eventual Canon Character, Mercy Codona / Eventual Canon Character, other OCs / Eventual Canon Characters

War correspondent Esther Armstrong and combat photographer Mercy Codona are offered the position to document one of the newest military positions in war; the paratroopers. Specifically, Easy Company of the 506th, the Screaming Eagles. Esther and Mercy drop in on D-Day and meet eight women with stories of their own that they refuse to let go untold.

Landslide - Band of Brothers

[COMPLETED]

>> A03 and Wattpad

OC Featured: Natia Filipska

Pairing Featured: Natia Filipska / Eventual Canon Character

Polish SOE agent Natia Filipska, otherwise known as Agent Fidel, has been fighting every day since September 1st, 1939 throughout this war. September 1944 brings about her assimilation with Easy Company of the Screaming Eagles and her fight to get back home to her people.....

The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

[COMPLETED]

>> A03 and Wattpad

OCs Featured: Hazel Parker, Catherine McCown, and Elizabeth Elliot

Pairings Featured: OFCs / Eventual Canon Characters

Hazel Parker, Catherine McCown, and Elizabeth Elliot are just three of 250 women who get to participate in Operation Virago and become the Viragos of the war, fighting in different branches of the military alongside side the men. Hazel, Catherine and Lizzie get placed into Easy Company of the 506th, 101st Airborne Division. [From training to the Battle of the Bulge]

Ad Astra Per Aspera [2] - Band of Brothers

[COMPLETED]

>> A03 and Wattpad

OCs Featured: Hazel Parker, Catherine McCown, and Elizabeth Elliot

Pairings Featured: OFCs / Eventual Canon Characters

The second of the duology, following Hazel Parker, Catherine McCown and Elizabeth Elliot from the Battle of the Bulge to the end of the war, continued into what their lives are like after the war and into the future. [From the Battle of the Bulge to postwar]

Sunshine Soldier - Band of Brothers

[COMPLETED]

>> A03 and Wattpad

OC Featured: Charlotte Tarvers

Pairing Featured: Charlotte Tarvers / Eventual Canon Character

Charlotte Tarvers is an eager graduate out of high school wanting to make a difference in the war just like her brother and joins the Nurses' Corps with an opportunity to join the experimental airborne division in the 506th, Easy Company as a combat medic.

#shannon's masterlist!! #wexhappyxfew :) #masterlist #writing masterlist #bob fanfic #bob fics #band of brothers writing masterlist #landslide #the soldier of stars #ad astra per aspera #sunshine soldier #bob ocs #charlotte tarvers #natia filipska #hazel parker #catherine mccown #elizabeth elliot #canon character/ofcs #masters of the air #mota #mota writings #florence 'flo' godfrey #annie bradshaw