#roe x smokey

[onelungmcclung]

You still looking for scissors?

#band of brothers #bobedit #hbowaredit #hbo war edit #doc roe #smokey gordon #roe x smokey #edit #** #all things vis a vis smokey are underrated including but not limited to this relationship #he knows company gossip. he looks after people. he pays attention.

[mccall-muffin]

The things you don't know - Part 3 // Carwood Lipton x OC

Summary: How can one dance change everything? Well, Tori has to ask this herself, and as she becomes more aware of her feelings, something happens that wasn't supposed to happen...

Warnings: Language, Insecurities

Taglist: @liebgotts-lovergirl, @softguarnere, @lieutenant-speirs, @thecherry7

Lip looked at Tori in surprise. She stood in front of him, looked at him as well, and held her hand to him. Uncertainly, he stood up and took her hand to lead her to the dance floor. Her hand was warm in his, and Lip had to restrain himself from stroking her soft skin.

Lip took Tori's right hand and then put his other hand on her back to pull hercloser to him. There were already many couples dancing n the floor, which didn't bother Tori because they were less conspicuous that way. Which didn't matter anyway, because her friends from Easy Company were in the front row watching them anyway.

Lip begins to lead her and move them both to the beat of the music. Tori was surprised because it seemed Lip wasn't a bad dancer. No, in fact, he was perfect. "What?" Lip asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him. "Huh?" "What are you thinking about?" he asked, looking down at Tori. "I uh... I just thought that you're a good dancer." "And that surprises you because?" Tori noticed herself blushing. "Well... I - I've never actually seen you dance before. I don't know why it surprises me."

Lip eyed Tori for a moment. He noticed a few freckles on her nose and cheeks, but something looked familiar. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it seemed like he'd seen those eyes before. "It always depends on the partner." Tori looked up and into Lip's eyes. She was trying to understand what exactly he meant by that.

He just looked back, and something happened between them in that moment. Tori couldn't tell what it was, but it flashed through her like a lightning bolt, causing her to pause in her movement. Where Lip touched her, her skin suddenly became hot. "The - the right partner?" she asked in a shaky voice. Lip seemed to consider for a moment. "Well, when you find the right partner, every dance just dances itself," he explained, and Tori was still looking at him. "That's what my mother used to tell me, and I believed her. I still do. When you find the right partner for life, everything works itself out."

Tori was surprised that she was sharing that exact feeling with him right now. That it was just easy and went by itself. Her feet seemed to move through the room on their own. Tori had never had this feeling until now.

"That's a very nice theory."

Again, the two looked at each other. In Tori's stomach, it was like a swarm of butterflies had been released. Lip smiled wryly, then nodded in agreement.

"Have you found your partner yet?" asked Tori, still nervous, mostly because she was kind of afraid of the answer. What if she now fell in love with this charming, handsome, courteous sergeant, and he ended up having a wife at home?

Tori noticed that Lip's movements slowed down, but he still looked at her intensely and seemed to lose himself in her eyes. Lip's face came closer and he pulled her a little closer to him. Would he kiss her now? "Maybe - maybe I h, and he pulled her closer began to beat faster.

"Okay, lovebirds, the dance is accepted," Malarkey then interfered, however, and put a hand on Tori's shoulder, as well as Lip's, and pushed them apart. Only now did Tori realize that the song had ended. She looked at Lip, slightly embarrassed, who pressed his lips together and looked at Malarkey before nodding. Then he looked at Tori again. "Thank you for the dance, Victoria. Here's to a next time," he said, then walked over to the others in the corner and sat down on the backmost chair.

Tori looked after him, slightly confused, but then her attention was drawn to Malarkey, who had put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, how about it, Vic? Do we dare to dance too?" He winked at her, and Tori had to laugh before she nodded.

Tori ended up dancing with some of her new friends, but with none of them, it was as easy and enjoyable as with Lip. The blonde also kept catching herself looking for the handsome sergeant with her gaze. Once or twice she even caught him looking at her as well.

"You like her," his good friend Walter Gordon snapped Lip out of his thoughts. He tore his gaze away from Tori and looked at Smokey, frowning. "What?" he asked, confused, but Smokey still grinned at him. "McNeil. You like her," the latter repeated himself and took a sip of his beer. "What makes you think that Smokey?" was all Lip asked, hoping he wasn't being too obvious.

Smokey raised his eyebrows and looked at Lip. "Seriously? Oh, Lip... You've never danced with a girl until now, and then she shows up. And I mean your dance, phew..." "That was her win in poker, I already told you that," Lip tried to justify himself. Smokey nodded with a grin. "Yeah, right... You looked like you loathed dancing with her. Just like your languorous looks in her direction since you've been sitting here."

Lip closed his eyes for a moment. "Hey, who cares if you like her? You see her every day. You couldn't have it better," Smokey lit a smoke. "I don't see it that way, Smoke. I see her every day, yes, but nothing should ever happen. You know the rule about fraternizing." "Ha!" exclaimed Smokey, pounding the table. "So you admit you like her." Lip rolled his eyes. Now he had given himself away. Smokey leaned across the table. "Lip... Look at her. She won't be alone for long. You know that as well as I do. I overheard Liebgott and Malarkey talking about it already. So, court her without courting her. You're smart. I'm sure you can work it out. And as for fraternizing... What the officers don't know, they don't have to learn."

Now Lip looked at his friend reprovingly. "I'm a sergeant, Smoke. My job is to make sure my people follow rules like this, not to break them myself." Smokey looked again briefly at Tori and then back at Lip. "I'm just saying that you need to be aware that if you don't act quickly, she'll be gone before you know it." He pointed his head in Tori's direction, and Lip looked at her as well. She was currently dancing with Liebgott, and the look the dark-haired man was giving her did not please Lip at all.

Over the next few weeks, Smokey's words became more apparent to Lip. Many men were flirting with Tori, though most were not entirely serious about it. But Lip was disturbed by every single one of these pictures. It pleased him, of course, that she wasn't so alone now and was making some friends among the men. Up front were Skinny, Liebgott and Alley. In addition, there was the soldier from Fox Company, of whom Lip knew by now that the two had known each other already from before.

What raised the most questions for him, however, was the fact that he kept finding her with Lieutenant Speirs from Baker Company. It was clear that the two did not want to be seen together, Lip realized immediately, and likewise he was immediately aware that there was a certain familiarity between them.

After a short research, Lip discovered that Speirs is also from Boston. The same place as Tori, which immediately led him to the conclusion that the two probably had a romantic relationship. What else would the familiar looks and little touches mean?

"Where are you with your thoughts, Lip?" asked Smokey as they stood in front of the barracks. "Huh?" asked Lip, looking up at his friend. "You're kind of far away. What are you thinking about?" Lip lowered his head. "Not that important," he waved it off. "Are you thinking about her again? Damn it, Lip; I told you to be quick if you wanted her." "It's not that simple, Smoke. And besides, by now, I think she already has someone."

Together, the two looked at the group around Tori, sitting on the steps outside her barracks, talking.

"I don't know, you think?" asked Smokey, lighting a smoke. Lip nodded slowly. "Something tells me McNeil already has a man in her life."

On the stairs, Tori just laughed at something Malarkey had said. "Well, guys, how about it? Are you guys ready for jump training?" she asked the group, and they all nodded. "It's definitely going to be interesting with our CO," Joe said, looking at all of us. "At least he's gotten a little off your back since you transferred to Medics, Vic," Alley added, and Vic smiled before looking at Skinny. "Yeah, but that's only because he doesn't have the opportunity anymore."

"Son of a fucking bitch!" cursed Tori as she tried to cut a bandage, but her scissors somehow weren't sharp enough, so there was more of a massacre than anything else.

"Nice vocabulary, sailor. Are you sure you wouldn't have been better off joining the Navy? With that mouth of yours, you'd have fit in just fine." Gene laughed beside her, looking over her shoulder. "You definitely need a new pair of scissors; it won't work that way."

"Um, guys?" the two heard a voice from the doorway. When Gene and Tori looked up, Skinny was standing at the door. At first glance, they couldn't see anything, but then Tori saw that Skinny's entire sleeve was bleeding.

"Jesus, Skinny. What happened to you?" she asked, pointing to the cot they had set up in the medical center. Gene, too, saw Skinny's arm now and motioned for him to take off his jacket.

"Well then, here you have your first living test subject, " Gene said, pointing to their instruments. "What?" asked Tori uncertainly. "Fix him up. You can do this, Victoria. You need to get used to patching up people you know." Tori took a deep breath, then looked at Skinny, whose lips pressed together. A long cut was emblazoned on his forearm, bleeding slightly.

Tori took a deep breath before bringing disinfectant and bandages over to Skinny. Of course, Gene looked closely over her shoulder to help if needed.

"So, what happened?" she asked her friend. Skinny raised her eyebrows and looked at Tori, slightly embarrassed. "Well... We had to crawl through a field of mud and guts today. This was covered with barbed wire, and I got stuck," he explained, and Tori smirked slightly.

Then she set about cleaning the wound and disinfecting it. Skinny watched Tori closely as she did so. He studied her face, which was not too far from his, her light freckles spreading on her nose, the long eyelashes and the full lips. Then he breathed in her scent. The scent of a fresh flower meadow and her smell was breathtaking.

When Skinny looked up, he noticed that Doc Roe was watching him. The latter raised an eyebrow and smirked as he gave Skinny a knowing look. Skinny's face immediately turned red as a tomato, and he hoped Tori didn't notice. Of course, Gene could interpret the soldier's look right away, for he possessed an excellent knowledge of human nature and that Sisk felt a bit more than friendship for the female Medic was as clear as day to him.

Unfortunately, he could not say the same about his female colleague. Gene was quieter and good at observing and reading other people. Thus, he did not miss the looks Tori gave her sergeant when she thought no one noticed.

Now Gene felt sorry for Sisk. The poor sap. Hopefully, he got over the fact that she only thought of him as a friend and nothing more.

"There, done," Tori said with satisfaction as she looked at her handiwork. Gene looked over it briefly, too, and gave her a satisfied look. "That's good. Seems you're a natural," Gene said, and Tori grinned. "And you just realize that now?" she asked, amused.

Then she turned to Skinny. "Well then, you're good to go, Skinny." Skinny smiled at her slightly shyly. "Thanks, Vic," he thanked her, then looked uncertainly at Doc for a moment. "Um, Vic? I was wondering - would you like to see the movie tonight?" he asked, and Tori looked at him briefly. "Movie?" "They're showing this movie tonight with Katharine Hepburn."

Tori thought for a moment. "Um, yeah, sure, why not?" she said with a smile and Skinny's face brightened. "Are you coming too?" she asked, turning to Gene. Gene bit his lips awkwardly, knowing full well that Sisk had actually wanted to invite Tori alone.

"Um, I... Not today. You guys just enjoy the movie," he stammered, somehow trying to help Sisk, who looked at him gratefully.

"Well then," Tori said, smiling at Skinny. "I guess it's just the two of us, then." Skinny nodded with a smile before leaving the medical station.

As Tori walked toward her barracks after her shift, someone hissed at her from behind a corner. She looked around and immediately spotted Ron, who motioned with his head for her to follow.

She looked around briefly and then followed her brother.

He led her to a corner of the camp where no one saw her and then turned to her before giving her a quick hug. "How are you, Tori?" he asked, and she smiled at him. "Oh, all good. I'm mostly away from Sobel, so..." Ron nodded, then looked down at his feet.

"What's wrong?" asked Tori of her brother, concerned. "Two things," he began, "One, I got transferred. To Dog Company." "What, that means - that means we're now in the same..." "Battalion, yes. Which means we have to be more careful, okay? If Sink catches on, you or I will be gone very quickly. And unfortunately, I strongly suspect it's you."

"It's a wonder you don't tell him directly then," Tori muttered under her breath, which made Ron roll his eyes. "Come on, that's not fair. I've come to terms with the fact that you're here now, and I'm sticking to that. Besides, I've seen your progress, and I must admit you've really got it, kid." Tori laughed, slightly annoyed, slightly grateful.

"And the second?"

Now Ron bit his lips. "Dad knows." "What?" she exclaimed. "He knows you're here." "What, why? How?" asked Tori, getting nervous. Ron might have come to terms with the fact that she was here, but her father? "Mother was blabbing. Don't worry; I've calmed him down for now, but you'll be in for something when you get home." "Fuck!"

Ron took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Don't worry, I'll try to take some of his anger away," Ron said, and just as he was about to continue speaking, a person came around the corner and faltered at sight.

It was Lip. And what he saw was Tori, along with the lieutenant new from Dog Company, standing together in a dark hallway and him holding her hand. Panic spread through Tori.

Lip said nothing but stared at the two of them for a moment before turning and walking away. "Sorry, I have to..." said Tori quickly, and Ron nodded. "Go!"

As quickly as she could, she followed her sergeant. "Lip!" she called after him. He paused in his movement and then slowly turned to face her. "Yeah?" he asked, eyeing Tori briefly. "That thing you just saw-" she began, but he shook his head and immediately interrupted her. "Don't worry; I'm not going to report it. I-it's none of my business what you do on your own time."

"No, wait, it's not like that. Ron and I, we're not together. He's-" she was about to say when Sobel approached her. "Sergeant Lipton, Corporal McNeil," he roared, and the two immediately stood at attention. "Sir," Lipton said quickly.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, looking sceptically back and forth between Lip and Tori. "I was just on my daily walk-through to see if everything was up to code, sir," Lipton said, and Sobel's gaze fell on Tori. "And what's your excuse, Corporal?" Tori swallowed and became nervous. "I uh-" she stammered. "You what?" immediately echoed Sobel, but then Lip cleared his throat. "The corporal accompanied me, sir; you see more with four eyes."

Surprised, Tori looked at Lip. Sobel eyed Lip and ground his jaw, clearly not satisfied that he couldn't hand out punishment.

"Now then. Sergeant Lipton, report to First Sergeant Evans immediately with the report." Lipton saluted Sobel before hurrying away. Sobel's gaze fell on Tori again. He looked at her for a moment, but Tori could not interpret his gaze, which now travelled all over her body. Tori grew more and more uncomfortable the longer she stood there.

"Dismissed, Corporal," Sobel said, and Tori was rarely in her barracks as quickly as she was now.

#Band of Brothers #Carwood Lipton x OC #Carwood Lipton #Band of Brothers fanfic #bobedit #hbo war #hbo series #Ronald Speirs #Ron Speirs #Joe Liebgott #Smokey Gordon #Herbert Sobel #Eugene Roe #Skinny Sisk

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

Easy Company as Pokemon Trainers Part 1

I got this idea and it's been in my head rent-free for the past couple of days, so enjoy these collages inspired by Easy Company as Pokemon Trainers! I will be posting more, but these are my top three favorite collages so far:

Bill Guarnere - Fire Type Trainer

Companion Pokemon - Arcanine

Popeye Wynn - Grass Type Trainer

Companion Pokemon - Torterra

George Luz - Electric Type Trainer

Companion Pokemon - Pawmot

Other Collages in the Works - Buck Compton (Rock), Chuck Grant (Steel), Smokey Gordon (Steel), Babe Heffron (Ice), Joe Liebgott (Fighting), Carwood Lipton (Normal), Don Malarkey (Grass), Johnny Martin (Ground), Skip Muck (Water), Lewis Nixon (Psychic), Alex Penkala (Bug), Frank Perconte (Rock), Shifty Powers (Fairy), Bull Randalman (Ground), Eugene Roe (Poison), Ron Speirs (Ghost), Floyd Talbert (Dragon), Joe Toye (Dark), David Kenyon Webster (Psychic), Harry Welsh (Ice), Dick Winters (Flying)

Other Ideas I wanna work on - Pokemon League Easy Company, Easy Company with non-battling jobs (ex: Nurse Joy Roe (credit to @panzershrike-pretz for the idea!!))

If y'all have any other ideas for Easy Company x Pokemon please share!! Thank you for coming to my TedTalk 💖

#All images taken from Google Images and my Easy Company folder in my photo app! #All credit to the rightful owners!! #PokeBoB #band of brothers #hbo #hbo war #easy company #bobedit #my babies #pokemon #bill guarnere #ol' gonorrhea #george luz #popeye wynn #robert e wynn #crossover

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

x.

corruption (1968)

lyrics under cut.

that’s the way i’ve always heard it should be - carly simon

-  but you say it's time we moved in together / and raised a family of our own, you and me - / well, that's the way i've always heard it should be: / you want to marry me, we'll marry.

marry me - st vincent

- many people wanna make money, make love / make friends, make peace with death / but most mainly wanna win the game / they came to win, they want to come out ahead / but you, you're a rock with a heart / like a socket i can plug into at will / and will you guess when i come around next? / i hope your open sign is blinking still / so marry me, john, marry me, john / i'll be so good to you / you won't realize I'm gone

venus - shocking blue

-  her weapons were her crystal eyes / making every man mad / black as the dark night she was / got what no one else had

needles and pins -  the searchers

-  i saw her today / i saw her face / it was a face i loved / and i knew / i had to run away / and get down on my knees and pray / that they'd go away

these eyes - the guess who

-  these eyes watched you bring my world to an end / this heart could not accept and pretend / the hurtin's on me, yeah / but i will never be free, no, no, no / you took the vow with me, yeah / and you spoke it, you spoke it, babe

bend me, shape me - the american breed

- bend me, shape me / anyway you want me / long as you love me, it's all right / bend me, shape me /  anyway you want me / you got the power to turn on the light

make you happy - tommy mcgee

-  i'm just the kind of man, work hard every day / to make you happy, real happy now baby / to earn a dollar more, 'cause i know for sure / it's gonna make you happy

butcher pete pt. 1 - roy brown

-  ever since pete flew into town / he's been havin' a ball / just cuttin' and choppin' for miles around / single women, married women, old maids and all

dizzy - tommy roe

-  girl, you've got control on me / ‘cause i'm so dizzy i can't see / i need to call a doctor for some help

you’ve really got a hold on me - smokey robinson & the miracles

-  i don't like you, but i love you / seems that I'm always thinkin' of you / you treat me badly, I love you madly / you've really got a hold on me

beast of burden - the rolling stones

-  i'll never be your beast of burden / my back is broad, but it's a-hurting / all i want, for you to make love to me / i'll never be your beast of burden / i’ve walked for miles, my feet are hurting / all i want is for you to make love to me

dirty work - steely dan

-  i'm a fool to do your dirty work / oh yeah / i don't wanna do your dirty work / no more

use me - bill withers

-  i want to spread the news / that if it feels this good getting used / you just keep on using me / until you use me up / until you use me up

the chain - fleetwood mac

-  and if you don't love me now / you will never love me again / i can still hear you saying / you would never break the chain

daydream - the lovin’ spoonful

-  i've been having a sweet dream / i been dreaming since i woke up today / it's starring me and my sweet thing / 'cause she's the one makes me feel this way

#gay people with maritial problems </3 #corruption 1968 #myevilposts #corruption is a tragedy etc. it makes me cry and it sucks so bad and it's peak cinema and it means the whole world to me. #sir john rowan and lynn nolan remind me so much of me n my ex gal pal. i say it a lot but they do. #same with philip grayson in thtdb. projected on that one so hard too lmao. #just like. toxicity. the sheer toxicity of their dynamic. their engagement #their arrangements their situation their everything sooo toxic... i want what they have </3 /lh #anyway i Lovvvveeee this playlist. 'use me' n 'dirty work' n 'the chain' are three of my favorite songs ever fr #i tried to use mostly 60s n before songs so it matches the setting of the movie but i physically Had To add a couple 70s songs.

[thankyouforurconsideration]

A video tribute to “Doc” Eugene Roe, the real life medic from the paratroopers, as portrayed by actor Shane Taylor in the show Band of Brothers.

Being in the medical field myself and originally trained as an EMT, I identified somewhat with this character. I appreciated in this show it emphasized the crippling mental, as well as physical side effects of war. The medics were a crucial part of the war effort and I’m glad this episode shed light on that.

Eugene Roe (1921-1998) “he was there when he was needed and how he got “there” you often wondered. He never received recognition for his bravery, his heroic servicing of the wounded. “ Lt. Foley talking about Doc Roe, p. 181, Band of Brothers, by Stephen Ambrose.

Music: “Bird Set Free” by Sia

#band of brothers #doc roe #eugene roe #medic #war medic #stephen ambrose #dick winters #captain sobel #donnie wahlberg #speirs x lipton #carwood lipton #james mcavoy #tom hardy #shane taylor #smokey #don malarkey #steven speilberg #tom hanks #saving private ryan #bastogne #renee lemaire #the breaking point #buck compton #Youtube

[rogue-durin-16]

SEE YOU AROUND

Summary: for most of Easy Company, war took away more than it gave. Pieces of them stayed buried six feet under in foreign land while they were forced to carry on with their lives. George Luz and Y/n Y/l/n, who took time for granted, were no strangers to this tragic fate.

Pairing: George Luz x Reader

Genre: angst

Tags:

Band Of Brothers: @sparkyluz @chubbypotatoepie

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @comfort-reads

Warnings: major character death, language, blood, warfare, lmk if i missed something.

A/N: Listen, I'm GENUINELY sorry for this one, but in my defense, I was left unsupervised. I'd say enjoy but LMAOOOO, not even I have the audacity. Some Guarnere love coming after this btw, and requests are open <3

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

Spring of '47, Foy

I cleared my throat, kneeling in front of the generic cross planted in the green Belgian lane. "Hey, there."

My eyes landed on the date of birth and death for a split second; I averted my gaze, looking over my shoulder to see my sister who had decided to wait for me at the entrance of the graveyard in order to give me some privacy.

"Missed me?" I threw my question in the air, directed to someone who was no longer among the living. " 'cause I sure miss you."

Winter of '44, Bastogne

"MEDIC!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, crawling into Y/n's foxhole, the one I had just left. "don't worry, Y/n, you're fine—" I frantically accommodated her the best I could, kneeling besides her. "DOC!"

"ROE!" Frank yelled, crawling in with a horrified look on his face at the state Y/n had been left in by the shelling.

"She's fine— you're fine." I affirmed, first at Frank, then at Y/n, caressing her cheek with one hand while the other pressed the wound on her abdomen.

"DOC, HERE!" Lipton slid into the trench too, leaving his M1 besides him in order to apply pressure on Y/n's leg, peppered by shrapnel.

"I'm here! I'm here." Roe landed by Y/n's side, right across from me. "Hey, Y/n." He spoke calmly, holding her chin still to check her pupils. The space in the ground was becoming smaller. "Lift her head, Luz. Y/n, you're gonna be alright. Perconte, put this around her leg." He threw a long thin rag at my friend. "What happened?"

"Mortar." I said, placing Y/n's head on top of my thigh. "Right in front of her." At that point, at least seven of the boys had crowded around us, doing their best to help, but inevitably making a racket which didn't seem to help the situation.

Though they did the trick when it came to hold Y/n in place, whose body contorted and spasmed in the half dug foxhole due to the pain.

"This is impossible—" Gene muttered. "Y/n, I need you to stay still."

"It's not like she doesn't want to." I couldn't help but retort with some annoyance, trying my best to mask my worry with it.

"Somebody got morphine?!" Roe had opted for ignoring the comment, and instead turned to the boys for response.

"Here!" Smokey threw a syrette at us, which I easily caught.

"Straight into her shoulder, George." I complied at Doc's orders, injecting her the liquid. Y/n's jerks eased, and so did her pained expression. "Keep her awake and apply pressure there." He briefly pointed at a wound i had failed to notice on the side of Y/n's neck. "Someone get me a goddamn jeep!"

"Yes, Doc!" Perconte left Y/n's leg in Lipton's care and took off to get the radio. We could hear him frantically yelling into it from the foxhole besides ours.

"Y/n, talk to me, yeah?" I nearly begged, shifting my position to hover over her, shielding her view of the sky. Her drowsy eyes met mine, and a sudden flash of clarity seemed to cross them.

"I love you."

The words, clear as day, almost made me lose the hold I had on her neck's bandage.

"...What?"

"I said—" Her words came to a halt due to a choked cough, accompanied with drops of blood. "I said I love you." I took a quick peek around me and noticed how everyone pretended to be either too busy or too distracted. "Ain't it stupid?" She coughed again; I took the initiative and propped her up even before Roe could tell me to do so, letting her shoulder blade lean against my chest. "I volunteered to jump... Outta planes..." My breath hitched when her head bobbed to the side, resting her temple on the crook of my neck. "But open my heart to you... T-terrifies me."

"Y/N you're talkin' nonsense." I whispered, more afraid of her words that of her wounds for a second.

"This is the most... coherent thing I've said in a while." She tried to shift her position in order to meet my gaze, but given her weakened state and my fear of being face to face with my badly wounded friend in that moment made me hold her in place.

"It's the morphine speakin'." I stated, stroking her hair with my free hand.

"It ain't the morphine—" another cough stained the back of my hands with her blood; with my lips pressed in a thin line, I looked up to pray for any God above to save Y/n, but the only thing I saw was milky fog.

"PERCONTE WHERE'S THAT JEEP?!" Roe shouted, his eyes dancing between me, Y/n, and her wounds before he peeked over his shoulder to check on the radioman.

"ON ITS WAY!" A rapid fire of 'c'mon's fell off my lips. My soul was about to leave my body.

"It's me 'boutta die in a fucking..." She took in a ragged breath and I squeezed her tighter against me, to Roe's dismay. "foxhole without tellin' ya... That I love you..."

"You're not gonna die—"

"Luz, put her down!" Doc shouted. Scared, with shaky hands, I complied, never letting go of her neck. "Perconte?!"

"I hear the jeep!" I yelled, my heart skipping a bit at the distant characteristic engine roar, triggering a wave of hope to wash through me. "You're fine." I gave her an adrenaline fueled smile before leaning on to place a kiss on her forehead. When I pulled away, my smile fell.

I didn't like one bit the sight of her.

"Hey, Y/n stay with me, 'kay?" Her shaky, cold fingertips tried to intertwin with mines, splattered in crimson, but her strength gave out before she could do so. "No c'mon," I leaned on, muttering pleas for her to stay, as terrified as I would ever be. "Y/n c'mon— please." I pressed harder on the wound of her neck, hoping that if I did so, her eyes would focus on me once more. "Please! Y/N!"

She didn't move anymore. Her eyes weren't looking at me anymore. Her chest wasn't going up and down anymore.

Our friends, gathered up around us, had been long forgotten, as I was solely focused on fighting for Y/n's life with all my will.

Now that she was gone, the weight of reality sinked in, and when I looked up, I was met with a more than a dozen of teary orbs staring at me.

Lipton locked eyes with me for a second, a concerned glance on his face. He was quick to break eye contact, though, choosing to look up at what I supposed was the jeep.

None of us moved.

I guess Perconte picked up on that oddity and decided to come and check what he had already figured by the lack of motion.

My hand left her neck in order to help her lay down on the freezing ground until Roe told us to carry her out of it, but when I spared a glance at the medic, I saw him already observing me, as if he waited for my cue to move Y/n.

I sat back against the poorly dug walls and stared in shock at the casualty. There was no way she was dead, I thought, while Roe gently closed her eyelids. She wasn't gone —she couldn't be.

Had I lost Y/n without confessing how much I loved her?

I casted down my gaze, only to be met with Y/n's blood all over my trousers and hands. The red liquid, previously warm and sticky, was starting to freeze.

She was dead.

Staring at my hands and being met with the terrible fate she had suffered made my stomach turn; before I knew it, I was crawling out of the foxhole and throwing up at the roots of the nearest tree.

"Luz c'mon." A pair of hands pulled me up from my knees. "C'mon, buddy. We gotta stay low." Skip, assisted by Malark, pulled me into Frank's trench.

After that, everything was a blur for a few days; I wandered around as Winter's runner, half dead, half alive, entirely at the mercy of the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

My family knew why I had been adamant to come back to Foy as soon as possible; I had yet to shut up about Y/n.

Her name was all over the letters I sent home back in Toccoa. At first it was just a couple of mentions, but as we grew closer, she became more present in my writing. It reached a point in which my family had begged me to meet Y/n.

I had never confirmed she wasn't my girlfriend to my family; having someone refer to Y/n as my partner always gave me butterflies.

I should have done something about it.

Why didn't I do anything?

Summer of '43, Rhode Island

I snuck into the kitchen, where my mother chatted with Y/n while she helped her wash the dishes. We had tried to persuade her not to, but she had insisted.

"Hey, Ma," I closed the door behind me. "Why dontcha head out? I'll finish the dishes."

My mother gave me a wary look but indulged me, muttering in her way out, "George, e suas mãos quietas."

"Sim, mãe." Y/n gave me a confused, yet amused look and I shrugged with a knowing grin. "How're you holding up?" I asked taking the soap in my hands. She shook her head with a smile and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Busy household you got here." I handed her one plate after another for her to dry them.

"Sorry 'bout that." I responded, becoming sort of self-conscious about my family for the first time. "Too little space, too many people, y'know?" I let out a nervous chuckle, attempting to wipe my hands on my pants. They were caught by Y/n before I could do so.

"Never said I didn't like it." She reassured me, drying my palms with the cloth she held, giving me a smile. "They're all very kind." She stepped away, placing the rag on the counter and leaning on it. "This is surreal, though."

Y/n had been marked as a pariah at her house, so when the time came in which we got a break to visit home before shipping out, I had half jokingly suggested her to spend said break at my place. As ridiculous as it had sounded, she accepted the invitation.

"Sorry—"

"Luz, stop apologizing." She cut me off, eyebrows raised and a playful grin on her face. "They're lovely— you're lovely."

"Jeez, Y/l/n." I hopped on the counter, gaining confidence back. "Don't you fall in love with me."

"Ha ha." She stuck out her tongue at me, pushing herself off the counter in order to get her glass, which was left besides me. "You wish." I, of course, couldn't waste an opportunity to mess with her, and got a hold of the glass before she could do so, pushing it behind me whilst flashing her a mischievous smile. "What are you, ten?"

"Yup," I climbed off, taking her glass with me. "Ten outta ten, sweetheart." That triggered a snort from Y/n, who didn't even make any real effort to get the glass back, and instead stayed close with her arms crossed.

I winked at her and handed her the water. "Thank you very much." After taking a sip, she seemed to ponder how to word her next thought for a second. "Quick question,"

"Shoot."

"Why does your family think we're uhh... Dating?"

I shrugged, feigning cluelessness. "I just mention you a lot in my letters and—"

"Oh?" Oh no. "You mention me a lot in your letters, George?" Her coy grin promised endless teasing about that. "Are you in love with me, Luz?"

"Ha ha. You wish." I imitated her earning a light push on my shoulder. We stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, hearing the usual hubbub reigning in my home while we gazed at each other, a bit sleepy, a bit enamoured.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scratching the back of my neck, I crouched down in front of the tomb.

"I brought you flowers." I whispered, carefully placing the modest bouquet against the cross. "I know you're not a fan of these, but don't bitch about it, they're pretty 'kay?" A groan escaped my parted lips as I sat down with my legs crossed. "War's over. It's been for a minute— and we won, so you owe me money, but I'll let it slip for now."

Talking to her grave was an odd feeling; my sister Victoria had suggested it on our way there, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"Came back to the States in one piece— can you believe that?" A part of me was hoping to hear her voice replying. "Muck was right, I'm one lucky bastard." The loss started to dawn on me then. "We lost him here too. And Penkala. We lost— shit." I took a deep breath, running my hands over my face. "We lost too many people." I muttered, looking at my surroundings, taking in the amount of death that laid on that green field.

C'mon, Luz, I thought to myself.

"Tell you what," I cleared my throat again, feeling the lump in it and being grateful for my family not to be close at that moment. "I didn't come all the way back here to beat around the bush." Breath in, breath out. "I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm so, so sorry."

That was it, that was the moment of realization. All from sudden, the simple task of breathing was way too difficult.

"I should've told you I loved you too, but I'm stupid." My lower lip quivered, my eyes fixed on Y/n's name, engraved on the stone in the most delicate way. "I thought you'd heal and it'd be awkward, I thought I'd have time to... I thought—"

Something deep inside my heart cracked, and a sorrowful sob escaped the prison where my grief had been carefully stacked in.

"Shit— I'm sorry. I love you." I rubbed my tears away, only for more to run down. "I just hope you knew that back then— you're so smart so it's not— you knew right? Please, please tell me you knew." I sniffed, running my hands through my hair. "Please, tell me I was dumb enough to let it show..." My pleas were nothing but an unintelligible mumbling mess, comfort to none.

Shaky breath in, shaky breath out.

"Days are dull without you." I confessed, my eyes shut. "I try to keep up the good spirits, but it's hard when you're not here to laugh at my stupid jokes." I tried to picture her sitting in front of me, listening attentively to my words, just like Victoria had adviced. It almost felt like she was there. "I'd give anything to see you again." I confessed.

I opened my eyes slowly, head casted down, and lifted my chin up. A part of me had genuinely hoped to find Y/n there, staring at me.

That was not how things worked.

I kept gushing out apologies, confessions, things I didn't get to tell her, while the tears washed away the guilt.

And when there was nothing else to wash, I sat in silence, pulled out a cigarette and left one with the flowers for her. The sun was setting by the time my sister came to get me.

"George we have to go now." She whispered, as not to disturb the oddly peaceful silence I was immersed in.

I nodded and she stepped away for me to bid my goodbye.

"We'll meet again, Y/n." I stated with confidence, taking one last drag out of the cigarette before putting it off. "Don't you think you're getting away with that twenty bucks you owe me." Shoving my hands in my pockets, I took one last look at the cemetery before fixing my eyes on the grave once more. "See ya around."

Yeah, see you around.

I froze for a second. Maybe it was my imagination playing tricks, or maybe she was there. I didn't care much about which one might be, just nodded with a half smile, turned around and joined my sister.

We'd see each other around, some day.

#george luz fanfiction #george luz x reader #george luz x you #george luz #george luz angst #luz x reader #george luz imagine #rick gomez #band of brothers fandom #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers #bob request #fem reader #hbo war fic #hbo war #bastogne #george luz headcanons #hbo miniseries

[bobasheebaby]

Cordonia 101- Cordonian Ruby chapter 8

Pairing: Olivia x Bastien; Ruby Rys x Beau Larkin; Jo Ellen Larkin (OC)

Word count: 1,849

Warnings: a touch of angst

Summary: The family readies themselves for the battle to come.

A/N: When I was writing the chapter that was omitted I created a lot of the history for Cordonia and Auvernal in this series. I had written that chapter long before it was revealed that Isabella was the one with the royal blood, in this series Bradshaw is the one with the royal blood and you will learn in this chapter why he covets Cordonia so badly.

A/N2: I tried to remain mostly vague when describing the map in this chapter and that’s mostly because when I looked at the map from TC&TF I realized that many places were off from where I cannoned them. Lythikos as I see it is not surrounded on three sides by water the way Abanthus was. This is the way I canon the history since we never learn much concrete from TC&TF, RoE, TRR, TRM and TRH about the exact forming of Cordonia or where duchies are located.

A/N3: Lovett took over, I have zero control over him and well I’m lucky I was able to take back over. This kid is a serious pain in the ass but I still love him.

A/N4: A major thanks @sirbeepsalot for all your graping, prereading, editing, and telling me when to let go. I love you boo! Thank you to my snippet reader @loveellamae who screamed appropriately.

Series warnings: character death, blood, surgical procedures done by non medical personnel, may go NSFW in the future. May contain gun violence, knife violence, threats, not sure how dark this will go. By requesting to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I own Ruby, Galen, Lovett, and Beau, I’m borrowing Bastien and Olivia from PB.

“Are you sure Mama Jo doesn’t mind?” Ruby asked, worrying her lip, “I can find time to do both …”

“Ruby, she’s excited, she wants to surprise us. She said we had more important things to worry about than something as trivial as planning a wedding.”

“I wouldn’t say our wedding isn’t important … I don’t want her to think I don’t care …” she idly twisted her ring. Her heart pounded in her chest, she didn’t want his mother to think their wedding wasn’t just as important to her.

“RuRu, relax.” Beau covered her hand with his, stilling her movements, a soft smile spreading over his lips as she met his eye. “She only meant compared to saving a country from a dictatorship. Trust me, Mom knows and loves you. She’s over the moon about you joining the family and the fact that she gets to plan a ‘surprise wedding’ as she calls it. The only thing she’d tell me was that it’s going to be held at Nan and Pop’s.”

“That’s perfect.”

“That’s exactly what I told her. Now, tell me everything I need to know about Cordonia, this asshat, and the country that grew the asshat.”

Ruby fought to keep a straight face. “Did you really just call King Bradshaw asshat?”

“I’d say Asshat suits him better,” Beau replied with a shrug.

Ruby shook her head as her hands smoothed out the large worn map. “Okay, so Mama said that originally Cordonia was five separate kingdoms; well actually more than five but the first five, Abanthus, Fydoria, Stormholt, Bellmere, and Ebrimel were united under one queen, Queen Kenna Rys.” She pointed to five large duchies on the map. “They are now known as Lythikos, Krona, the Capitol, Castelsarreillan, and Portavira.”

Beau nodded for her to continue as she raised her head.

“Aurelia, the Blackspine Mountains, and an area called the Foundry were later united under Kenna’s leadership forming the entirety of Cordonia.” She circled three large areas on the map with her finger. “They formed Ramsford, Domvallier, and several other duchies.

This,” she pointed to a large country across from Cordonia, a large span of ocean the only ‘border’ between, “is Auvernal. That’s the country that King Bradshaw is from.

Auvernal was called The Iron Empire or Ductoria when Kenna united The Five Kingdoms.

Ductoria was led by Empress Azura. She was called ‘She Who Shines Brightest’ or ‘Her Radiance’ by her people.

Mama said there are a lot of stories about The Five Kingdoms, Blackspine Mountains, and Ductoria that include wielding powers of fire, powers of electricity, and even humans who could transform into dragons.

It was said that Empress Azura had powers and ruled Ductoria for over one thousand years. She was able to maintain both her youth and abilities by siphoning the life force from her subjects who saw it as an honor to give their life for hers.”

“She sounds twisted.”

“She does. Fifty years before Kenna united the Five Kingdoms Azura approached each of the leaders and ‘peacefully offered’ a share of Ductoria’s wealth if they pledged allegiance to her. The leaders declined and Azura declared war against the Five Kingdoms which Mama says was the beginning catalyst for Kenna to unite the kingdoms.”

“Okay, twisted and power-hungry, bad mix.”

Ruby fought back a giggle. “Very bad mix. So Ductoria and the Five Kingdoms fought for fifty years before Kenna united them. The king of Abanthus had tried to ‘unite’ the kingdom’s in his own way, though he used force. After uniting the kingdoms, Kenna was able to defeat Azura with the help of Azura’s daughter and heir, Lia.”

“Wait, Azura’s daughter helped Kenna?”

“Yes, she wasn’t power hungry like her mother and saw the importance in each life. She was said to also possess abilities though she rarely used them, and never the way her mother did. After Kenna killed Azura, Lia pledged both her allegiance and her wealth with no stipulations.

Just as Cordonia grew and prospered under Kenna, Ductoria grew and prospered under Lia.”

“But Ductoria is known as Auvernal now.”

“Yes, one of Lia’s descendants changed the name to distance the country from Azura.

Mama and Papa said that every year there was a Five Kingdoms celebration to honor Kenna and her allies who helped end the violence with Ductoria and unite the kingdoms. The stories of magic and dragons were told through every generation.

Queen Eleanor, King Liam’s mother, and my grandmother was from Auvernal and just as Cordonian children learned the history through stories of magic wielders and dragons, so did Auvernalese children.

Eleanor said some of the stories told about Kenna and Azura were told in a much darker context. To some, Kenna was the villain who took their majestic empress and left them with one they deemed weaker.”

“So that’s what Asshat was told, that Kenna was the villain and Azura was what, an innocent victim?”

“Most likely, apparently to some the magical abilities that Azura was said to have were revered and just as she had compared herself to a goddess, so did some of her subjects who of course passed it on through the generations.”

“So all of this, your parents dying, all the devastation Cordonia faced since then was because of a ‘wrong’ committed centuries ago?”

“That’s what Mama and Papa believe. We can’t know for sure why Bradshaw was so determined to have a betrothal alliance that he then murdered my parents, but they suspect that Bradshaw was merely using the alliance to gain Cordonia and when my birth parents refused … he killed them.”

“Shit, okay. How do we do this?”

Ruby blew out a breath, she’d been asking herself the same question since deciding to reclaim her country and birthright. “I’m not sure. … Mama said knowing the past would help us unearth any weaknesses. She also said she had some loyal contacts who should be able to help us understand the current state of Cordonia which will help us in planning.”

“So,” he pulled her into his lap, “after you Kenna his ass, then what?”

“Then you and I get to decide what we want.”

“No matter what you choose I’m in, all in, always.”

- - -

“Awesome! Swords!” Lovett exclaimed as he tore across the basement they used for training.

“Lovett, remember, they are weapons.”

“And they should be treated with respect.” Lovett heaved a sigh as he dropped his outstretched arms to his sides. “But it’s not like these are real.”

“They can still really hurt someone, remember my cracked ribs?” Ruby said, ruffling his dark auburn hair.

“Oh yeah, I think Beau was more upset than you were.”

Ruby shrugged, “wasn’t my first broken bone, probably won’t be my last. Besides you know what Mama always says.”

“If you can breathe, you can stand. If you can stand, you can fight.” Lovett replied, standing prouder and straighter with every word.

“So do you really think a few cracked ribs could keep me down?”

“I guess not,” Lovett replied with a shake of his head. “So … swords … are we dueling? Can I duel Ruby?” His dark smokey eyes sparkling with excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

“We are dueling. Papa and I thought it best you go against Beau while Ruby faces off against Papa,” Olivia said, lifting a practice sword from the table. “Papa and I are still trying to form a strategy, but I remember from a ‘friendly’ visit to Auvernal that Bradshaw is more bark than bite, so being able to duel might come into play.”

“What do you mean ‘he’s more bark than bite’?” Ruby questioned, the more she knew about her opposition the better.

“Your mother and I went on a little ‘girls trip’ that Bradshaw’s wife Isabella planned. It was merely a show of their strength, nothing more than a thinly veiled threat while trying to humiliate your mother. Isabella failed, your mother was more capable than many of the court had thought.

Over the course of the evening we learned that while Bradshaw would brag about his medals he won, that he had never seen battle. I’m sure as the crowned prince he had learned to duel, but he is arrogant and I’m sure he would be an easy enemy to defeat one on one.

While Ruby is the rightful ruler and would make the challenge, Bradshaw is a sexist piece of shit who will likely refuse to duel against a girl. As her spouse, the role would fall to you Beau, so we need to make sure neither of you are rusty.”

- - -

Ruby shifted in closer into Beau’s warm embrace, in a few short weeks they’d be leaving Texas behind and heading toward an uncertain future. In that moment everything felt safe and perfect, snuggled into his side encapsulated in his woodsy scent, her brothers sitting on the floor laughing and joking.

Would she and her brothers still have moments where they could be happy and free or would everything change the second they all boarded the plane? So many questions hung in the air nearly casting her decision to reclaim her birthright in doubt.

“Ruby,” her youngest brother's voice pulled her from the depths of her thoughts. “Are you and Beau going to have babies now?”

Ruby stifled a groan, she knew she’d be getting asked that soon enough, but from her younger brothers? “That’s not polite to ask Lovett, not everyone who gets married wants kids and sometimes those who do can’t and the question just reminds them of what they wanted and couldn’t have.”

“Oh …” The silence hung just long enough that she thought the subject was dropped. “Well you guys do, right? Why aren’t you planning the wedding Ruby?”

The urge to scream and tell her brother all the ways he was being rude bubbled up. “My mom thought Ruby and I had enough on our plate.” Ruby looked up at Beau with a grateful smile.

“Okay, but —”

The doorbell chimed breaking through the awkwardness. “I’ll get that,” Ruby said as she quickly stood, thankful to be pulled away from her brother’s incessant questions, though she could sense him following close behind her.

Ruby opened the door, her eyes quickly sweeping over the unfamiliar man on the other side, “Can I help you?”

The stranger’s mouth fell open in surprise as he took in Ruby’s blonde hair and  sparkling sapphire eyes. Olivia wasn’t kidding.

Ruby’s brow furrowed as the man stared unspeaking and slack-jawed. “Wolf, go get Mama.” She casually moved her hand around her hip as she heard her younger brother rush off.

“You’re a spitting image.”

“Should I know you?” She asked, her hand ready to pull her hidden dagger. He didn’t seem to be a threat, but the way he left each of her questions unanswered left her on edge and ready to act.

“Sorry, I’m just …” he brushed his shaggy chestnut locks from his face. “I wasn’t expecting …”

“Do you have a name?”

“I’m Drake … I knew your dad.”

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment reblog or send an ask. Feel free to scream, I promise I can take it.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

@speedyoperarascalparty @liamxs-world @annekebbphotography @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @ao719 @blackwidow2721 @stopforamoment @akrenich @gardeningourmet @daniv2278 @bella-ca @gibbles82 @choiceslife @blackcoffee85 @sirbeepsalot @cheeto-choices @dcbbw @alicars @desireepow-1986 @mfackenthal @bhavf @indiacater @drakesensworld @kingliam2019 @walkerswhiskeygirl @ladyangel70 @jovialyouthmusic @edgiestwinter @rainbowsinthestorm @janezillow @sleepwalkingelite @texaskitten30 @traeumerinwitzhelden @bbrandy2002​ @jared2612 @blackcatkita @darley1101 @innerpostmentality​ @lolablackwrites​ @endlessflame​ @fullbeaumonty​ @hhiggs​ @itsalliepg​ @smalltalk88​ @littlegreenmoo​ @mynameiskaylabella​ @bobbersb @imma-winchester-addict​ @cordonianroyalty​ @loveellamae​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @katedrakeohd​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @super-secret-fandom-blog​ @burnsoslow​ @queenjilian​ @bebepac @malvolari-take-my-soul​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @queen-arabella-of-cordonia​

#ruby rys #olivia nevrakis #beau larkin #ruby x beau #trh au #the royal heir au #the royal heir #dark trr au #dark!fic #cordonia 101 #cordonia 101: cordonian ruby #cordonian ruby #chapter eight #CoRu #angst #look at me with the zero triggers #fluff #cliffhanger #id apologize but i wouldnt mean it #maleficent writes #long post #read more

[madame-brioche]

Hiya, idk if you’re comfortable with this but can you do a “weirdest place they’ve done it” x reader? You can pick whoever, but make sure Toye, Lieb, and Speirs are in there! Thanks xox

No prob, seriously it doesn’t make me uncomfy. Time to sin.

Toye: Cowgirl style in the back of the projection room during a movie in which the whole company was present. You two sat alone in the last bench near a corner, only making noise during loud parts of the film.

Liebgott: Oof ok so he was your first and he had you pinned against a wall in a coat closet. You had to be quick because he needed to return to the line, but it was certainly memorable. The sound of Joe’s heavy panting against your neck was something you couldn’t get out of your head for days.

Speirs: Oh lord, where to start. Y’all have done it literally everywhere you’re not supposed to. One was in the pub toilets at a USO show in London, while standing. Definitely got walked in on several times, but Speirs didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

Winters: So you two haven’t had sex yet per se, but you have given him head in the last row of a church pew while the company was resting inside. You were pretty sure no one saw, but then again Winters was doing a terrible job of keeping quiet the whole time.

Nixon: You both had been drinking and somehow ended up in Winters’ bed while he was away. Needless to say, explaining to Dick why his sheets were all wrinkled the next day was a embrasssing for both of you.

Guarnere: Outdoors in a field a little bit away from the line, though it was risky to say the least. Every so often, a shot would fire right past the two of you, so silence was important. This proved difficult given how he’d pull your hair every once and while.

Heffron: Babe likes to break the rules as often as he can, so he snuck you into the barracks while everyone was sleeping and y’all did it on his bunk bed. The poor guy asleep in the bed above him was probably dreaming he was on board a rocking boat.

Shifty: This sweetie was panicking the whole time, but the weirdest place for the two of you was in his foxhole, missionary style. You were the one who had to keep your hand over his mouth because he kept making so much noise, he couldn’t help it.

Webster: You’re by far the more adventurous one, so you suggested doing it in a hospital bed at one of the aid stations. Sure there was a curtain shielding you from the public view, but y’all’s sillouettes made it kind of obvious.

Talbert: Ok, so y’all have definitely done it in some crazy places, but the weirdest has to be on a swing in an empty playground while on leave in France, reverse cowgirl. Idk how, but y’all somehow managed it.

Peacock: This pretty boy fingered you in an airplane before you were supposed to jump, whispering obsene things in your ear while Winters was giving orders. You almost missed call for equipment check thanks to his antics.

Skinny: He ate you out more than once in the dark bed of an army truck that was supposed to be transporting supplies. Y’all began parked at the line and ended to find yourselves all the way back at regiment. That was an awkward thing to explain to the driver.

Smokey: In one of the shower stalls, with someone in the stall next to you. If he set you down, they’d see two sets of feet and know something was up. His arms were shaking and your stomach muscles were sore by the time the other person finally left.

Roe: Y’all were being irresponsible and giggling from the effects of a little recreational morphine in the back of a Red Cross ambulance on the base. This quickly followed with a now emboldened Eugene to do a little doctor-patient role play with you, leaving you walking a little wobbly afterwards, and not just from the narcotic.

Alley: An abandoned building with an actual bed in it, slow-paced and relaxing. He’s very sweet and attentive, making everything about you and your pleasure.

Malarkey: 2am while you two were supposed to be taking a night watch out on the line. Lucky there wasn’t much to report on, aside from your bold activity near enemy trenches.

Luz: He snuck up behind you while you were doing laundry for the company in the washroom. Pretty soon, both your clothes were added to the pile. The vibrations of the washing machine certainly added to the experience.

#band of brothers #hboshow #easy company #doc roe #david webster #joe liebgott #babe heffron #george luz #joe toye #bill guarnere #dick winters #lewis nixon #shifty #skinny #imagine #request

[indigosandviolets]

War Changes Kids

Pairing: Joseph Liebgott x OC x George Luz

Word Count: 2,418

Summary: Easy Company is placed in Bastogne, and Andrew has to deal with some very unfortunate business. A supply kid is injured and Andrew makes some conversation with Luz.

Notes: This chapter does have a bit of gore in it, but it’s accurate. This chapter did take longer than anticipated, but that’s simply because Luz and Liebgott are only in Bastogne for 3 minutes combined, tops.

Part Twelve of We Happy Few

Bastogne, France

The cold had started its permeation in Easy Company when Andrew woke up freezing and wet, never a good combination to start with. He groaned as he sat up in his foxhole, not really remembering who he had shared it with - Smokey, maybe?

The wet had started in his hair from the snow that had melted it in, and moved down the back of his neck and to his -

Oh, fuck, Andrew thought as he sat up, already feeling like complete shit. He yawned, checked to make sure none of the blood had soaked through his pants completely, grabbed his bag and set off to a quiet and solitary place in the Ardenne Forest.

“Mornin’ Marin,” Guarnere said as Andrew walked by, and he answered with a wave. Andrew really did not feel like talking to anyone anytime soon. Guarnere seemed to take this as offense. “Marin. Hey. What the fuck?”

Andrew groaned, turning as his bag hit his back. “Yeah, Bill?”

“What’s with the attitude?” Guarnere asks.

“I gotta take a shit,” Andrew supplies. He’s had to tell the lie several times before, and in worse conditions. Sure, it was cold as hell now, but it’s easier to cover it when it’s freezing cold over it being hotter than the devil’s anus. I gotta work on my swearing, Uncle Andy would shoot me.

“How was spending the night with Ramirez?”

Suspicions proven false, alright then. “Barely noticed, to be honest with you.”

“What the fuck is with you then?” Guarnere asks. He looks around for a few moments, and then pulls Andrew to the side. “Hey. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Andrew says. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just seem pissed off and you just woke up.”

Andrew shrugs. “My birthday’s coming up and I’m spending it freezing my ass off with the guy who took out more fences than Germans instead of having a drink.”

Andrew’s anger over that wasn’t faked. He was genuinely upset about it — albeit his emotions were more present because of the current situation — and would’ve loved anything other than sleeping in a cold foxhole with Ramirez on his birthday. Nothing against Ramirez, but Andrew did have other company in his platoon he would have loved much more.

“It’s your birthday?” Guarnere asks. “When?”

“Three days, I’m pretty sure,” Andrew answers. “It’s on the twenty-third.”

“Today’s the twenty-first.”

“Is it?”

“You worry about your shit, Andrew, I’ll worry about your birthday.”

“Thanks, Bill,” Andrew says and Guarnere walks away, finding a new person to annoy or at least talk to.

Andrew walked further into the forest, and after finishing what he set out to do — now with a lot more blood under his fingernails — he had to find a place to either get rid of his clothes or boil the blood out of them without them freezing back over.

Then, of course, the universe decided he wouldn’t stop running into people. As Andrew prayed for no one to find him, the person who no one seemed to be able to find made himself very apparent.

“Private!” A voice called out, and he didn’t pay much attention until footsteps started to follow him. “Private!”

Andrew turned around to see Lieutenant Dike. “Sir?”

“Corporal! Corporal…?”

“Marin, sir.”

“Corporal Marin,” Dike finally started. “Your reputation precedes you.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? “I’m sorry, sir?”

“How are you, Marin?”

Andrew yawned. “Tired, sir.”

“I can see that. Where are you from, Marin?”

“Fulton,” Andrew answered. How could he ever forget. Part of him wonders if Dike could have any idea what it was like for Andrew to grow up, if anyone could ever understand, and maybe it’s the blood underneath his fingernails that makes him think of this but he just wishes he-

“Where is that?”

“Illinois.”

“Do you miss it?”

Do I miss it? Fuck you, do I miss it? “Not at all.”

Dike nods, and without another word, turns back around and heads further into the forest. What the hell was that?

Andrew shakes his head and dumps his clothes in his foxhole beside a newly awakened Ramirez.

“Mornin’ Andy,” Ramirez said, the gravity of his voice coming through. “How are you doing on this fine Wednesday morning?”

“Better than ever,” Andrew replied sarcastically. “What about you?”

“Could be better, could be worse. Speakin’ of, do you have any on you?”

Andrew sighs, reaching down in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Despite him packing what he thought would be plenty, that number seemed to dwindle, and fast. He hands one over to Ramirez. “You need a light?”

“I got it,” Ramirez says. “By the way, Luz is lookin’ for ya.”

“That so?” Andrew asks, and Ramirez nods. “Which way did he go?” Ramirez tilts his head to the right. “Thanks.”

-

Luz’s asking for Andrew was going to have to wait. Roe and Spina were in need for medical supplies, and Andrew was sent on a wild goose chase to find more morphine and bandages, and scissors if possible. This search ended up being put on hold, thanks to a certain supply officer Vandenbosche.

Vandenbosche wasn’t a supply officer, but the way he walked made it seem like he had a high importance about him.

It almost reminded Andrew of Captain Sobel, but Captain Sobel would have been yelling at Andrew about the way his coat was worn instead of addressing the problem at hand. Vandenbosche was very good at addressing this problem, especially considering his problem was in his knee.

Second and first platoon had been pushed into sudden battle, meaning that while the very few supplies that were being dropped off had to be put to use almost immediately. Andrew barely began firing when the supply kid fell beside him, calling out for a medic before he hit the ground.

Andrew dropped his gun, pulling Vandenbosche away from the gunfire as he kept calling for a medic.

“Hey, Vandenbosche, it’s alright,” Andrew reassured him as he began tearing the fabric around the kid’s knee. “Medic! Doc! Medic!” Andrew poured the sulfur clotting powder over the kid’s knee.

“Hey, Vandenbosche, look at me,” Andrew says, turning his face to look at the kid. Tears are streaming down his red face. “What’s your name? First name?”

“William,” Vandenbosche answers, wincing as his leg moves.

“William? That’s a nice name, William,” Andrew tells him. “Medic!”

“Jesus, fuck!” William cries out.

“William, I know it hurts like a bitch, but we got Catholics here and I don’t think they want you taking the Lord’s name in vain.”

“Fuck you, I am Catholic!”

Andrew would’ve been laughing if he wasn’t grasping at his jacket for syrettes. It then dawns in him that he had given the last of his morphine to Roe, who was God knows where now.

“Medic!” Andrew yells out again. It’s almost like he’s back in Carentan, except he’s not the one who’s been shot. “Do you have any morphine?”

William quickly shakes his head. Andrew cries out for Roe again, looking around to see if anyone else could help, but everyone else is in the line of fire.

“William, William, look at me,” Andrew says to the kid. “I gotta move you to a foxhole, alright? If you stay out here any longer you’re fucked.”

“I’m fucked regardless!” William yells back. Andrew rolls his eyes before grabbing William by his shoulders and elbows and dragging him a few feet to the nearest foxhole. William wailed in pain the entire time, but that happens when you don’t have any morphine on you.

“Keep calling for Doc, alright?” Andrew says, stepping up out of the foxhole. “I gotta kill some krauts.”

“You’re gonna leave me here?” William yells at him.

“The fuck do you expect? Medic!” Andrew breaks. “I’m supposed to be shooting at Nazis, not trying to fix some kid’s leg while I get shot in the fucking back.”

Andrew gets his gun and moves to another foxhole, one that has Sergeant Lipton in it.

“Morning Sarge,” Andrew quickly greets before firing. “How has your day been so far?”

“Just fine, Marin,” Lip replies.

Andrew can still hear William Vandenbosche yelling for a medic, and Andrew hates to hear it. Everything hurts and he’s sure the blood from his knee is all over Andrew’s hands and gun.

Blood from a kid. The German kid-

Andrew shakes his head, running the thought out of his mind. He can’t afford to think about it now.

You left him alone, you idiot! He’s going to die and it’s going to be your fault! Just like that kraut that you killed!

Andrew isn’t sure how many krauts he shot, or when they stopped firing back, or when he stopped firing. He just knows that it’s over when Lipton places his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, jolting him from the trance of his thoughts. He can still hear Vandenbosche calling for a medic.

“Shit, Sarge, do you have any morphine?” Andrew asks. “That kid is in a hell of a lot of pain.”

Lipton reaches into his pocket and hands a syrette to Andrew. “Since when are you a medic, Marin?”

“Since they started needing a third.”

Andrew goes back to William, climbing into the foxhole and sticking the morphine into the kid’s leg.

“How old are you, William?”

“Eighteen.”

Andrew looks over at him. “Are you serious?”

William nods.

“Jesus H.,” Andrew mutters. “I was nineteen when I signed up. I turn twenty-three this week. How the fuck did they let you in?”

William shrugs. “I don’t know.”

Andrew looks up at the sound of footsteps, seeing Roe. “The real medic’s here.”

Andrew gets out of the foxhole, looks at the blood covering his hands, wipes it off, and looks back down at William. “I did what I could, Will.”

-

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” Andrew says, his shoulders slumping as he almost falls into Luz’s foxhole. “You know how far away you are from second platoon? It’s a fucking trip.”

Luz looks up at Andrew with a confused look on his face. “I didn’t know you wanted to see me that bad.”

Andrew repeats the confused look right back to Luz as he sits down beside the older man. “Ramirez said you came looking for me.”

Luz shakes his head. “I wasn’t. I figured you were busy, running around and being Doc’s third.”

Luz wraps his arm around Andrew’s shoulder as Andrew gets out two cigarettes. “Son of a bitch.”

Andrew hands Luz’s Lucky Strike over as he lights it. “What?”

“There’s this kid,” Andrew says, his voice straining as he takes a drag. “William Vandenbosche.”

“Replacement?”

“Nah, supply line. He got shot in the knee today.”

“So?”

“I had to treat him. Doc and Spina were nowhere to be found. I dragged him to a foxhole, got the sulfur on him, shot some Germans, and got back to the kid with some morphine. Doc finished up.”

“Jesus,” Luz says. “How old is he?”

“Eighteen. I was older than him when I enlisted.”

“Well, so was I,” Luz tells Andrew, making Andrew look over to the older man. “And look what happened to us.”

“I don’t know, George,” Andrew says. “We’ve been here almost three years. Three years ago, that kid wouldn’t have been able to drive. I know these are dire times and the line’s stretched thin, but you would think at some point Roosevelt would find it in his heart to not send an actual kid to war.”

Luz pulls Andrew in closer and presses a kiss to his forehead. “War...changes people, right? You’re the only guy who’s been shot twice and has still kept his humanity about him.”

“What other choice do I have?” Andrew replies. “Act heartless like Sobel? I’d like to see him out here.”

“Why? So he can be jealous of you? Who the hell would be jealous of this place?”

“No, no. Just to see him squirm I guess,” Andrew explains. “He told me that sick men do not make paratroopers. Well, Sobel, guess who the fuck got the Unit Citation.”

It’s quiet for a moment. “Stay here for the night?” Luz asks Andrew. “I really miss you.”

“I miss you too, but Muck and Penkala will be back soon. I’m not even supposed to be over here.”

“So?”

“I don’t think you’d like to share me with those two.”

“I wouldn’t like to share you at all,” Luz laughs. Oh, you dumb bastard. Andrew, why the fuck are you doing this? “Can I get a kiss before you return to your beloved second platoon?”

“Of course you can,” Andrew says before pressing one to Luz’s lips. They linger there for a moment while Luz presses his forehead against Andrew’s.

“We’re gonna get out of here soon, don’t worry,” Luz tells Andrew before he pulls away..

“Not in enough time for my birthday.”

“Hey, Guarnere’s figuring out something for that. Like I said, don’t worry.”

“You’re in on it too?”

“Only a little. I think second platoon is more involved than we are.”

Andrew cocks an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a thought, that’s all.”

Andrew shakes his head as he stands up. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

Luz sighs. “Soon is not soon enough.”

“You forget we’re fighting a war.”

“We’ve been fighting a war. Doesn’t mean I don’t miss you.”

Andrew looks back into the foxhole. “I miss you too. I’ll see you later.”

As Andrew walks away, he can’t stop thinking about William Vandenbosche, about how that kid will be forever shaped by the impacts of this war. The kid had only seen a part of it before he was injured, but he would still carry that for as long as he would remember. He almost felt guilty, not pulling the bullet out, but he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t meant to or supposed to. He had probably done something he wasn’t supposed to when he pulled the bullet out of Liebgott, but that was Joe. He knew Joe. He didn’t know Vandenbosche.

Andrew’s body throbbed as he found his way back to his foxhole, sitting across from Ramirez, who was now in a deep and long sleep. He couldn’t blame the guy, who had wrapped himself up in a blanket as tight as he could. Andrew thought about doing the same, but he couldn’t seem to do just that as he fell into the quiet bliss of unconsciousness.

-

tag list: @alienoresimagines @fromcrossroadstoking @easyroses @leximus98 If you want to be added, let me know!

#band of brothers #george luz #joseph liebgott #joseph liebgott x oc #george luz x oc #andrew marin #bill guarnere #norman dike #band of brothers imagine #band of brothers fandom #band of brothers fanfic #bastogne

[onelungmcclung]

for the askmeme. .. top 5 tp and bob ships?

... so, I don’t know if you wanted these as two separate lists of five or a combined five. wrestled with the dilemma (quite nobly, I felt) but ultimately I’m taking it as permission to go all out.

tp

leckie/runner (the lightness belying the tenderness and the horrifying backdrop to it all)

snafu/burgin (they’re outwardly pretty different but there’s such a deep familiarity between them and I like them trolling the new recruits; there’s good angst potential, yeah, but it could also be really fun)

I’d really like someone else to write chuckler/hoosier, I think that might help me find a foothold to go about writing it if that makes sense

sid/eugene (neither of them is exactly a favourite character but I accept sledge as a hopeless gay; I feel more sympathetic when he’s staring wistfully at phillips. crushing on your friend is a gay rite of passage)

john/manny. d company is underrated

I really like leckie/vera and john/lena but noncanon ships are somehow more fun to discuss for these things. I want a post-episode 3 stella/gwen fic and a post-war au where vera falls in love with lena. I have not started either of these.

h company is my favourite company

bob

liebgott/speirs (accursed otp, dragged me back into fandom. liebgott has a genuine respect for speirs that he doesn’t have for many people, they read each other well, and they work with each other very well. I have a weakness for morally ambiguous power couples and the absolutely trust and loyalty entailed. I’m not sure these two would have limits when they’re together and I want to watch the whole thing. someone’s going to get hurt and it won’t be them)

roe/babe (my “well fuck it I guess I’m a cliché sap” moment. sometimes you just want to watch two people trying to look after each other when it’s all but impossible)

mcclung/toye (wrote it for the hell of it and then accidentally ended up with a situation. I like them individually and I like their onscreen dynamic, and on reflection I think they balance each other quite nicely. toye seems more intimidating than he usually is and mcclung is more formidable than he seems. we stan mutual quiet competence)

lipton/smokey (they’re both very sweet and there’s excellent angst potential. I like juxtaposition and the juxtaposition of their two scenes together is quite heartbreaking; a+)

I have a small soft spot for buck/luz (probably because of the darts scene. and the later swan dive into darkness and grief. they both care so much. you can write their relationship very light-hearted or very tragic, or from one extreme to the other! ideal)

platonic ot4: grant, liebgott, mcclung & babe circa tlp

I’m also a fan of the “draw two names from a hat and ponder the results” style of relationship writing. 

#thank you - who doesn't want an excuse to talk about their ships #and if you were after a combined shorter list: well. sorry. #do message me if you want to chat about any of these though #leckie x runner #snafu x burgin #chuckler x hoosier #sid x eugene #speirs x liebgott #babe x roe #toye x mcclung #smokey x lipton #buck x luz #john x manny #replies

[sergeant-spoons]

A prompt request for you! “I’m fine. See, I can hold my gun.” with whatever BoB guy and OC you choose! (or /reader if that's more your style!) - @softspeirs aka katie

It’s Nothin’

Hi Katie! Thank you so much for requesting! I went down a Doc Roe route with this one, I hope you like! 💕

Pairing: Eugene Roe x Female OC

Prompt: "I'm fine. See, I can hold my gun."

Word count: 3876

Tone: I want to say lighthearted but it’s not really, angst, pining, happy ending!

Summary: She’s been in love with him since Toccoa but kept it a secret, and now, they’re in Bastogne: how’s she supposed to tell him here?

Taglist: @tvserie-s-world, @easy-company-tradition, @victoryrollsandredlips, @liebgotttme, @50svibes, @mgdln97, @josephtoye, @tina1938, @softspeirs​

"Hey, Doc."

Familiar footsteps, bearing a limp, approach from behind Gene and he turns around, rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt to warm them. His fingers are pale as pale can be from the cold. Just this morning, he pricked his finger on a thorn bush to make sure his blood was still flowing. The color was a stark contrast against the whiteness of the snow blanketing everything around and the grey-brown of the leafless trees and shrubs. It's not the first time he's done so, and it won't be the last. A sort of dismal routine he should never have fallen into in the first place.

He shouldn't be out here. None of them should. This goddamn war...

"Malarkey."

They share a nod of greeting.

"You seen Finch lately?" At Gene's shake of the head, he goes on, "I think you might wanna take a look at 'er."

He straightens his posture. "What's wrong?"

 "Well, she says she's fine, but something's up with her hands." A small, knowing smile flashes on his lips. "Ask to see 'em, I'm sure she'd be glad to show you."

Gene mutters a thanks for the information and goes on his way, confused as to why Malarkey would pointedly hint at Etta Finch being interested in him. Sure, he's been fighting back developing feelings for her for the last few weeks to no avail. He doubts she sees him like that. Friends look after each other, he tells himself as he heads in the direction Malarkey points to, that's the only reason he's so eager to see her. Not because she makes his heart sing, no.

Despite the chill, a small smile slips onto Malarkey's face as he watches Gene walk away. Bastogne is equivalent to hell, and he's noticed how the medic has recently been gravitating toward the only female soldier in Easy. If she can bring him some small semblance of comfort in this barren land, Malarkey's more than glad to usher them together more frequently. And, he muses, maybe Doc'll finally realize how Etta has mooned after him since the day they met at Toccoa, around three years ago.

"Hey, Luz, you seen Finch?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's up by the line." Luz shivers as a cool breeze blows through, sticking his hands deeper in his pockets. "Talk to Smokey, he just swapped shifts with her."

"Thanks."

It doesn't take Gene too long after that to locate Etta. He can hear Skip Muck chattering away before he even spots the man in the shallow dugout. He's talking about how it'll be Christmas soon. She's not responding, and as Gene comes closer, he sees she's wiggling her fingers rapidly, watching the line. The machine gun they're positioned at has a dusting of snow on it, like it hasn't been moved in a while. Skip looks up at the footsteps, raising his rifle, but when he sees who it is, he relaxes and shoots him a grin.

"Thought you were a Kraut, Doc!"

"You'd be dead if I was."

"Jeez, no need to lighten the mood," Skip mutters sarcastically as Gene moves to crouch beside Etta. 

She tries to hide her hands in her pockets, but Gene reaches out his own and beckons.

"Hands."

"Did Malarkey send you? It's nothin'-"

"Etta." He gives her a stern look and if he didn't know better, he'd think she just about melts.

"I'm fine." She draws her pistol. "See, I can hold my gun."

"Not without shakin'." 

It's true, her hands are trembling and so is the weapon. Skip carefully nudges the barrel to point at the ground rather than him, leaning his head back just in case, though her finger isn't on the trigger.

"Let me see."

She sighs, then assents and holds her hands out to him. He takes her palms in his own, frowning at how cold they are, noticeably so even against his own freezing skin. The pads of her fingertips are red and swollen and even as he holds them in his steady grasp, they still shake a little.

"Damnit, Etta." He looks back to her face, tries to ignore the blush newly-apparent on her cheeks, and starts to stand, pulling her up with him. "You've nearly got frostbite."

"Gene-"

"You're comin' off the line."

She wilts as if defeated, and he feels a twinge of regret, but he knows this is what's best for her.

"I'll send someone else out," he calls back to Skip, and the somehow-still-cheerful man gives a mock salute in response.

After a few moments of walking, Etta stuffs her hands back in her pockets, not bothering to hide how her wrists and forearms are quivering as well. Gene mutters a curse and stops her, searching through his medpack. He draws out a strip of fabric- a makeshift bandage -and reaches for her, but she takes a step back, shaking her head.

"Save it for someone who needs it," she protests, and he hesitates.

"Alright, then let me hold your hand as we walk."

Her cheeks go from a nearly-unnoticeable shade of pink to an outright rosy hue. "You- you sure that, ah-"

"Yes, it'll help."

He alternates sides every dozen feet or so, rubbing her hands between his own to stimulate warmth. Her gaze follows him as he walks around her in a circle, clockwise, careful not to step on his boots when he crosses in front of her. In this manner, although it probably looks a little silly to any onlookers, they make their way back from the line. Just as he's managed to hail a truck to take her back to the town, a whistling sound from above fills the air and she pulls him away from the truck.

"Get to cover!"

They dive into a foxhole just as the first shell hits not ten feet from the truck. Etta curses as she hits her fingers, still tender, on the hard earth and he instinctively wraps his arms around her as the explosions begin to hit more frequently. She curves herself into his body and he squeezes his eyes shut, whispering a prayer to himself, as she clings to him. It's over in a matter of two minutes, maybe less, but it feels like so much longer. Both of them shaking, they take a moment to try to still their breathing.

"Gene..." Though she whispers his name, it sounds loud amid the deafening silence following the blasts.

"Medic!"

He almost hesitates, thinking she was about to tell him something, something significant, but she shakes her head. Scrambling out of the foxhole, he clings to his medpack, careful to not let the strap fall from his shoulder. When he turns to help her up, she shoos him away. 

"Go!"

"Get to town," he commands, and at her quick nod, he takes off as the cry for help echoes once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun has dipped in the sky. Etta can see it out the window. She can guess it's been a couple of hours since she left the Bois Jacques, and she's already itching to get back. She feels useless, sitting here in the basement of a makeshift aid station that's only slightly warmer than the outdoors, shivering in the corner. There are many more important things for the nurses to be doing here than tending to her. And frostbite? Out of all the things to get her sent off the line... She scuffs the heel of her boot against the floor. The smell here is nauseating, though she's almost used to it after two hours of breathing it in.

The door to the basement swings open and there's a bit of commotion as three men carry a fourth down the stairs. A nurse rushes to their side and they take the groaning man, writhing in pain, into the side room. Etta's stomach twists at the sight. She's seen friends die on the battlefield, bullets shrieking through the air, felt the sting of metal upon her flesh, followed by blood seeping down her shoulder. The scar on her neck, gained in Carentan, reminds her just how lucky she is to still be here, alive.

Another figure, alone, appears at the top of the steps, and as he scans the room, he takes his helmet off and runs his hands through his hair. Etta forces herself to look away before he can catch her staring, but she can't help the way her heart leaps. He isn't here for her, she tells herself, shifting the position of her hands in the tin of 'hot' (mostly lukewarm by now) water she's been instructed to soak them in, he probably came with the wounded man. Or he needs supplies.

"Etta?"

Or maybe he is here for her.

She looks up and meets his eye as he steps around a nurse patting a wad of cotton against the open stomach wound of an unfortunate soldier and glances at her hands.

"How you doin'?"

"Alright." She wiggles her fingers, watching the ripples spread out in the water. "Better," she admits, turning back to him, "thanks to you."

He moves a box aside and sits down next to her. "I can't stay for long."

She nods. "I'm surprised you came."

A frown appears on his brow and she feels her mouth open just slightly- a subconscious gesture -and she licks her lips, glancing away again. It's so hard to meet his gaze these days. Three years and she's still just pining in silence. He hasn't a clue, so far as she can tell. It hurts, sometimes, but she knows it's not his problem, it's entirely her own. They are her own feelings, why should he feel bad for not returning them?

"'Course I did." He lays a hand on her thigh and she swallows back a soft squeak before it slips out her once-more-parted lips. "I had to make sure you actually went."

She gives a soft laugh. "Well, you told me to go, so I did." It's true, she can never say no to him.

"Good." He squeezes her leg and she has to focus on her breath as she exhales to make sure it isn't shaky. God, the effect he has on her. "I don't want to see you back there until you've stopped shakin'."

"Might be hard with you around," she mutters, distracted by a loud groan from the other side of the room, where the new arrival was taken just a few minutes ago. She isn't too optimistic about his recovery. Still next to her, Gene falls silent, his hand remaining on her leg. She licks her lips again, pretending her focus is on the water again as she stirs her fingers around in it.

"What do you mean?"

So he did hear. "Oh, nothin'."

"Etta."

She tries not to feel it, but the way he says her name just now trails a shiver down her arms. He leans closer as she dares to meet his gaze, and he brushes his hand against her cheek. Whatever words she might have been able to summon fall away from her lips the moment he touches her skin. All she can do is blink at him and breathe. She's acutely aware of her tangled hair, the grime under her fingernails, the dirt on her uniform, and the weariness of her face. Where once a young lady smiled and sassed, a seasoned soldier now sighs and looks away.

"Etta." His hand drops from her face.

"It's nothing, Gene," she mutters, completing the 'g' of the word, an unusual inflection for her, which is likely what tips him off (if nothing else has before) that the 'nothing' is actually bothering her quite a bit.

"Three years and you still won't tell me when somethin's wrong." He sighs, rubs his thumb against her leg. "Etta, Etta, Etta-"

"Stop that." Her voice has become strained, they can both tell. "Just... you know you're needed elsewhere."

"I know." Gene stands up. "I didn't think you'd want me gone so quickly."

She almost replies "I don't", almost says "stay" and "please" and "I love you", but she doesn't. Instead, she watches him head into a back room, retrieve what supplies he can, and head back up the stairs. Three steps from the door, he stops. She wonders if he can feel her staring. His gaze comes to meet hers. Her jaw is set and though her expression is mild, the moment he turns away again, her chin drops and she shuts her eyes firmly, pushing back tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She's back out there after three days. Winters wanted her to stay longer, but the word around the troops is she bandaged her own hands and snuck out, walked all the way back to Easy's position, and when she reported to the captain, he couldn't say no to another soldier to hold the line. Gene's seen her only once since she told him to leave, and then, only in passing. That's what she wanted, wasn't it? For him to go? It seemed clear enough at the time, but ever since, he's had a nagging feeling that she was almost going to tell him it.

What 'it' is, he can't figure out on his own, and he doesn't dare go to any of the guys for help or advice. They'd just tease him or insist she's hiding nothing. At least, that's all they've done before. He asked once, a few weeks ago, two days before they came to the Bois Jacques. He'd woken up in the cramped quarters they were staying in for the night and seen her standing at the window, staring out. It was November and she was shivering, so he got up and wrapped his blanket around her shoulders. 

In the early light, she looked almost like one of those sailor's widows from old stories, watching the sea for her lover to come home. Distant and close all at the same time. She let him wrap his arm around her waist and they stood there for a moment. She'd whispered his name. He'd looked at her expectantly. Even as she'd hesitated, wavering, he'd waited patiently. That was the first time he'd gathered the existence of a secret, that 'it' she came so close to telling him five times so far- well, six, now counting the moment in the aid station -but they'd been interrupted by the others starting to wake up and she'd stepped away.

Now, it's almost as if she's avoiding him. He's surprised by it: wouldn't it make more sense for him to be avoiding her? After all, she told him to go, not the other way around. He should be hurt, but truthfully, he's not. He just wants answers. There is little doubt in his mind that he's falling in love with her, and though it's a daunting thought, he's started to embrace it. Yet what can be done if she won't speak to him anymore? He misses her company, though it hasn't been too common since they first came to these woods, and he wants her friendship back, if nothing more.

So Gene seeks her out.

It's almost like a replay of four days ago, when Malarkey sent him to find her and check out her hands. She's three rows down on the line, tinkering with the machine gun she and Skip Muck are manning. Her fingers, though, are now bound by small strips of cloth. As Gene approaches, Skip looks up, sees him, but only gives a nod. Apparently, he's guessed there's something going on between them, and he stands up halfway, stretching.

"I think my replacement's here," he says, feigning a yawn, and heads back toward the main encampment, half-crouched.

Etta, having turned to see who he's talking about, swiftly looks back to the gun and continues toying with it as Gene comes near. Skip nods at the medic with a grim smile and his heart sinks: jeez, this must be worse than he thought. Maybe if he can just get her to open up, finally tell him, she'll brighten up. If he has the chance to bring her out of this slump and he doesn't... Well, he'd never forgive himself to see her sent off the line on a stretcher.

"Hey."

"Hi."

With a firm clack, she fixes up the last piece, then leans back after a brief hesitation. Gene sits down in the ditch, shoulder-to-shoulder with Etta, and scans the line. He suspects she won't be able to focus on it once he starts the inevitable conversation. He gives it a minute, then glances at her fingers and takes one between his hands. She's still staring out across No Man's Land, but her breath hitches at his touch.

"You know I care 'bout you."

She's quiet for a moment, then: "Yeah. I know."

"And you're not tellin' me somethin'."

"No, I'm not." She tilts her head. "That is, I'm agreeing with you," she amends after a beat.

He studies the side of her expression. She really does have a lovely face. Someday, he'd very much like to see the curve of her chin tucked against his chest as they lay in bed, sleeping in, the war a thing of the past. A home with her is a future he'd adore, although it's only come into his thoughts recently.

"It's not important, though." She offers a tight-lipped smile, clearly forced, before returning her gaze to the line. "Not now, at least."

"I think you're lyin'." He's patient. However long she wants to take with this, he can wait. "It is important."

Etta draws her hands from his grasp and rubs them together, careful not to disturb the bandages on her fingers. "Not really."

"Etta." That gets her attention. It's not a great idea to be looking off the line, but he trusts the other guys at the machine guns a couple dozen paces to the left and right of them to keep the watch. "Tell me."

She stares at him, studies his face. He hopes she can tell he's earnest in this discussion. He's been told before that he looks stoic, unreadable, even, so he tries to keep his expression soft. It seems to do the trick. She pats his arm with a shaky sigh and lets her gaze travel back to the deserted stretch of land between Easy's stretch of the woods and the Germans'.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Her posture is stiff, so he wraps an arm around her back, and he tries not to lose focus over how easily she leans into him. "But you have to promise me something."

"Anything."

She shoots him a glance, and he's both concerned and surprised to see the anxiety in her gaze.

"If you don't feel the same, pretend I never told you at all."

He frowns. "Etta, I can't-"

"Promise." Her voice sounds like it’s about to break. 

He rubs her side with his hand, ignoring how cold it is, and tucks the other closer to his chest inside his insufficient jacket. "I promise."

Etta takes in a deep breath. "I've loved you. For three years."

She releases the air in a soft huff, a wry, weak laugh, and her chin drops toward her chest. A meek smile has grown on her lips and she shakes her head at herself. Gene has to remind himself to start breathing again as she tilts her head, trying to hide her face- and her blush -from him with her hair. He brushes back the locks, not caring how tangled they are, but she keeps her gaze on her lap. She's scared to see his reaction, and he pulls her nearer with his arm around her waist.

"Love as in..?"

"You know what I mean." She raises her chin but continues to stare ahead of her.

"Three years."

"Yeah." A pause. "Yep. Yes, indeed."

Wary humor: a defense mechanism. She's put herself in a fragile position. He's got to be careful, or he could break her trust. She's only been this vulnerable and honest to him once before, when she got the news her brothers, all three, died in Normandy. He'd let her break down in his arms and as she'd sobbed, he'd started to cry with her. Now, however, he must choose a different tactic than sympathy: honesty.

"I'm sorry I never saw."

Another quick, unsteady laugh. "Well, I don't blame you. There's a war goin' on, after all." She tilts her head toward him; though she doesn't fully lean on him, he still thinks it's a good sign. "Besides, it's not your problem, it's mine."

"Problem?" He shifts, holding her closer, and she hesitantly lets her head drift onto his shoulder. "It's not a problem."

"It's not?"

"No." He brushes his cheek against the top of her helmet. "I don't s'pose you'd know why."

"No..." She shifts her arm so it covers his hand (the one around her waist), a mild attempt at offering protection from the chill of the air, and one he appreciates greatly, despite how, in practice, it does little to warm him. "Why?" The hope in her voice conjures a slow smile to Gene's face.

"Because I love you, too."

"Really?" She sits up so fast she barely misses clipping his chin with the cusp of her helmet. Her eyes are wide as she looks at him, and he finds his throat has gone dry, so he clears it before replying.

"Yes." He tightens his grip around her for a moment, then loosens it again; a reassuring gesture. "Really."

She can hardly help the smile spreading on her face. He's terribly relieved. He hasn't seen her look at him like that in over a month- at anyone, for that matter. His lips are dry and cracked, but she doesn't seem to mind as he dusts a few kisses across her cheek. She settles her head back on his shoulder and they both shift a little for comfort's sake (the best they can manage in a stiff, bumpy, shallow ditch, at least). He can't kiss the top of her head due to her helmet, but he makes a mental vow to do so as much as he can once they're finally out of this godforsaken forest and somewhere safer.

"Gene?"

"Mhmm?"

"You think we'll get outta here... alive?"

He clenches his teeth, staring out across the desolate snow. If there's one thing he can do to make his time at war worth it, it'd be to get her out of this place safe and sound and home. Even at the cost of his own life, if necessary. His glare at nothing-in-particular softens as she moves her hand up to her helmet and adjusts it, making sure the rim isn't digging into his shoulder. For her, he'd run across No Man's Land this minute, a live grenade in hand, ready to dive into the German ranks and sacrifice himself.

But she said 'we'. She wants him to stay with her, to leave this place intact, to see the end of the war. Together.

So for her, he'll stay alive. He'll make it through.

"Yeah." 

He holds her just a little bit closer.

"We will."

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