#do not cross speirs!!

[pastlivesandpurplepuppets]

Not long after...

~ Jared Frederick & Erik Dorr

[ww2yaoi]

Unfortunately, I don’t have anything official to post for @webgottweek because I’ve been sick (and unprepared), but here’s a scene from my still yet untitled webgott wip for the day 6 prompt: haircut. Enjoy!

Joe makes good on his offer to cut David’s hair a few days later. They take their leave after dinner while most of the guys are downstairs playing cards. Joe drags David’s desk chair from their room into the bathroom and sets it up in front of the sink. He lays out his comb and scissors as David watches from the doorway with his arms crossed, not entirely thrilled to be parting with his mop. He only agreed because Joe seemed so adamant about doing something nice for him, and the last thing David wants is to deny him the chance to feel useful, especially now that the war is over and most of the company is stuck in limbo.

“Not too short, okay?” David says as Joe pushes him down into the chair.

“Jesus Christ, Web,” Joe says, a cigarette dangling from his lips. “All the officers trust me with their hair, why can’t you?”

“Yeah, right, like you’d give Captain Speirs a bad haircut,” David says as Joe wraps a towel around his neck. “You know I won’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Would you shut up? I’m not going to give you a bad haircut. I wouldn’t risk my reputation like that.” Joe takes a drag of his cigarette then ashes it in a tray on the back of the toilet. “Now lean back.”

David huffs, but does as he’s told, tipping his head back into the sink. Joe runs the lukewarm water, drenches David’s head, then lathers his hair with soap. Admittedly, it feels good. The last time David washed his hair was over a week ago, seeing as their billet has limited showers and insufficient hot water to facilitate so many men bathing daily. Usually, David just jumps in the lake and lets it wash away the sweat and grime from drills and training exercises. He’ll probably never be as dirty as he was in Normandy or Holland ever again, and he thanks God for that.

Joe massages his fingers into David’s scalp and David nearly groans. Joe must see the contentment on David’s face because he smirks.

“Feels good, right?”

“Yes,” David says flatly.

Joe runs his fingers through David’s hair from root to tip, then rinses out the soap. The act is oddly intimate, Joe hovering over him, touching his head and maneuvering it from side to side, using his hands so deftly. David is completely at his mercy. He wonders if Joe washes the hair of every man that asks him for a trim, if the officers get to see Joe like this, get to feel his fingers on their scalps. David suddenly feels jealous, possessive, but he knows the feeling makes no sense, that Joe is just doing a job for extra pocket money.

Joe uses a spare towel to ring most of the water out of David’s hair, then beckons him to stand up. He moves the chair away from the sink so he has enough room to walk around it, then gets David to sit back down again. He proceeds to comb David’s hair, gently working out the knots and parting it where the strands naturally fall.

“Not too short,” David reminds Joe as he grabs his scissors.

“Don’t be a baby,” Joe says. “I’m only taking an inch off.”

David listens to the snip, snip, snip of the scissors as Joe begins cutting his hair, starting at the back, and the sound is unexpectedly relaxing, almost enough to raise goosebumps on his arms. He watches as the trimmings fall to the floor like dark feathers, interrupting the white tiles below. Joe alternates between combing his hair, measuring the sections with his fingers, and trimming them down. He works quickly and quietly, gently ushering David’s head back and forth and to the side wherever he needs it to go.

“Where did you learn how to do this?” David asks.

“My dad was a barber,” Joe explains as he moves around the chair to face David and work on the front ends of his hair. “I used to help him at the shop on weekends, sweeping up clippings, answering the phone, cleaning windows, that sort of thing. I would watch him and learned that way until eventually he let me practice on him, with mixed results.”

Joe smiles, seemingly at the memory. David likes listening to Joe talk about his family. His voice has a softer quality to it when he does it. David probably sounds the opposite when discussing his parents or his siblings. Usually when he speaks of them, he’s pissed off about something they said or did.

“Then when I dropped out of school as a teenager I would do odd jobs, including cutting hair,” Joe continues. “I got pretty good at it.”

“Wait, you dropped out of school?” David asks.

He tries not to sound too dismayed, but his face must betray him. Joe gives him a skeptical look.

“Does that offend your very being, Harvard?”

“No,” David insists. “I’m just shocked, is all. You’re so—”

The word ‘smart’ dries up in David’s mouth. Joe is looking right at him as he measures the front pieces of his hair to ensure the length is even. His eyebrows are raised.

“I just didn’t expect it,” David says.

“Yeah, well, there were a lot of mouths to feed in my house growing up,” Joe says. “I would’ve rathered my sisters stay in school than me.” Joe makes a few more cuts around David’s head. “What does your dad do?”

“Uh, he’s a businessman,” David says.

“Yeah? That’s vague. What kind of businessman?”

“I don’t know.” David tries to stifle the resentment in his voice. “He’s the vice president of a trade company. It’s one of those jobs where half of his time is spent going out to lunch.”

“Sounds like a sweet deal,” Joe says, setting down his scissors.

“It’s a nothing kind of job,” David admits. “At least cutting hair you’re doing something. Dealing with a bunch of sales projections and ass-kissers all day doesn’t do anyone any good, unless you’re some self-satisfied prick in a suit.”

Joe snickers. “Jesus, Web. What are you, a Stalinist?”

“No, I just think there are better things to do with your life.”

Joe grabs a towel and runs it over David’s hair to finish drying it. “So what do you want to do with your life? If we ever get out of here?”

“I don’t know,” David says. “Write.”

“Yeah? Sounds nice.”

Joe tosses the towel aside and grabs a bottle of something off the back of the toilet.

“What is that?” David asks.

“Hair oil,” Joe says.

“You’ve been carting hair oil around war-torn Europe?”

Joe smirks. “Only the best for my customers.”

He unscrews the cap, dabs some into the center of his palm, sets the bottle aside, then warms the oil up in his hands. It smells strong and musky, and David is reminded of the other night, of the oil that coated his cock and Joe’s fingers and his thighs. They have yet to fuck like that again. Their days have been so filled with training and drills that they’re both too exhausted by night’s end to do anything but fall asleep in the same bed.

At the same time, David thinks there must be some other reason. It must be because when they fucked on David’s birthday, it was his first time with a man. Admitting that must have put Joe off, made him believe he’ll turn out to be some lovelorn kid who will just grow attached. Or maybe, Joe is waiting for him to make the next move. Maybe Joe thinks he’s too chickenshit to do it.

Joe stoops down to eye level and passes his hands through David’s new haircut, adjusting a strand here and a strand there. David just stares at Joe as he focuses intently on his styling, combing David’s curls back with his fingers, following the waves as they naturally form. He brushes a stray hair behind David’s ear then smiles.

“Can I see it?” David asks.

“Not yet.” Joe reaches out and runs his thumb along David’s jaw. “Do you want me to shave you? You’re looking pretty stubbly.”

“I shaved this morning,” David says.

“Come on, Web. You’re the kind of guy that gets five o’clock shadow at noon,” Joe says. “Your haircut won’t look as good if I don’t shave you.”

“I can handle you with scissors around my head but I don’t know how I feel about you wielding a razor near my throat,” David deadpans.

“Oh, please. I’m a professional.” Joe straightens. “Let me get my shaving kit.”

He opens the bathroom door and slips out into the hallway. David is tempted to look at himself in the mirror while Joe is gone but unfortunately agrees that the end product will look better if he shaves. Joe returns a minute later anyway. He unrolls his kit on the toilet lid, takes the shaving brush, soaps it up and lathers the lower half of David’s face. Joe is even closer now than he was when he was cutting David’s hair, and he’s looking at him, really looking at him.

“You’re getting tan,” Joe says as he reaches for his razor.

“I like the sun,” David replies.

“Why the hell do you live on the upper East Coast then?”

David shrugs. “Victim of circumstance.”

Joe chuckles. He wipes down the blade of the straight razor with a towel.

“I’ve always wanted to move somewhere warm,” David confesses. “Like Florida or California.”

Joe’s eyes flicker at that. The change in his expression is nearly imperceptible, but something like curiosity, or maybe even recognition, passes over his face. It fades in an instant, then Joe is hovering the razor above David’s cheekbone.

“Okay, don’t move, unless you want me to cut you.”

David sits as still as possible as Joe glides the razor over his cheeks and down the immediate curve of his neck, pulling his skin taut with his thumb, then wiping the soap and stubble off the blade with the towel. If David was at Joe’s mercy before, he’s completely vulnerable now. Their conversation gets put on hold as Joe works the razor over David’s skin. His hands are very steady, which is at least reassuring. As far as David can tell, Joe has always had steady hands, along with an obedient trigger finger. At least, obedient to himself. He’s a much better shot than David ever was, and David can understand why. He’s precise.

Joe finishes shaving David with one last swipe over the ball of his jaw, and David feels like he can breathe full and deep again. Joe goes to the sink to wet the towel, then returns to wipe the remaining soap from David’s cheeks.

“Wait,” Joe says. He removes the other towel from David’s shoulders and fixes his hair one more time. “Okay, you can look now.”

David gets up from the chair and turns to face the mirror. His reflection greets him like a stranger he once saw on the street but swears he’s met before in a dream. He recognizes himself, obviously, but he looks more youthful, yet without being young somehow. He’s molted his old skin, the skin that became mottled and toughened by the war, and settled into a new one. He has colour in his cheeks for once, which look impossibly smooth, and his hair is maybe the most well-groomed he’s ever seen it, at least since the war started. Shorter, yes, but shiny and expertly coiffed into a wave off his forehead. David stares at himself. He feels clean, fresh, but most of all, he feels meticulously cared for.

“Well, do you like it?” Joe asks.

“Yeah, Joe, I do,” David says, turning to him and smiling. “I really like it. Thank you.”

Joe returns his grin and winks. “I knew you would, you nonbeliever,” he says. “You look like Carey fucking Grant.”

David laughs. “Do I?”

“Well, not really, but your hair does.” Joe looks down at all the clippings on the floor. “I need to find a broom.”

“I think there’s a broom closet in the hallway,” David says. “I’ll go check.”

He slips out of the bathroom and walks down to the end of the hall, opening a thin door beside the stairs. Thankfully, there’s a broom and dustpan inside, propped up against the wall. David grabs them both just as footsteps echo up the stairwell. Luz appears at the top, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

“Ayy, Web. Looking spiffy,” he says. “What is this, the fucking Ritz?”

“Joe cut my hair,” David explains, fighting back a smile.

“Yeah, I can see that. Lookin’ good, kid.” Luz claps him on the shoulder. “I’ll have to get him to do me next.”

Luz disappears into his room a few doors over and David returns to the bathroom. Joe is sitting on the toilet lid and smoking the cigarette he ashed earlier. They clean up, collecting the clippings from the floor and throwing them in the dustbin. Joe gathers his tools and his shaving kit and they head back to their room, David carrying the chair.

David returns it to his desk then flops down on the bed, suddenly feeling very tired. He’s afraid to ruin his hair, but his head is too heavy to keep off the pillow. He closes his eyes and a few minutes later, he feels the mattress sink as Joe lies down beside him.

David cracks open an eye and sees that Joe is facing his direction, his head resting on the adjacent pillow, just looking at him in the lamplight.

“Inspecting your handiwork?” David asks.

Joe nods. “A little bit.”

“I feel like we should be going out somewhere,” David muses. “To a jazz club or something.”

“You like jazz clubs?”

“Not particularly. I just feel like it’s a waste. If I fall asleep I’m going to mess up my hair, and I’ll have to shave again in the morning.”

“Don’t be vain, Web,” Joe says.

“It’s not vanity. I want people to see your work.”

Joe laughs through his nose. “Well, I see it.”

“You and Luz.”

“Luz?”

“He saw me in the hallway. He said I looked spiffy.”

“And that ain’t enough for you?”

“Shut up.”

A beat passes, then Joe reaches out and strokes David’s cheek, his thumb tracing the smooth, clean-shaven line of his jaw back and forth, back and forth.

“My sisters would be obsessed with you.”

David smirks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, they would want to have your babies,” Joe says. “Except that you’re a goy.”

“Ugh.” David makes a face. “I don’t want to think about your sisters that way.”

Joe laughs and the sound cuts through the quiet. David ignores him, too disturbed by the concept. He nuzzles further into Joe’s warm palm, feeling himself being pulled towards sleep. He wants to kiss Joe, but he doubts he has the energy to start anything right now. Instead, he shuts his eyes, his body growing heavier and heavier. Joe’s hand migrates to his hair, fixing it even as he verges on unconsciousness. He brushes a loose strand from David’s forehead, smoothes his sideburns down with his fingertips. David is nearly asleep when he hears it.

“Gut aussehend,” Joe mutters. “If only they knew, Web. If only they knew.”

[luminouslywriting]

Angsty stressful BOB headcanon - you accidentally get pregnant during the war and try to hide it but they catch on that’s something wrong w you

Sweetheart, I LIVE for and LOVE angsty requests, so I’m here for this! For the sake of historical accuracy and simplicity, reader is a medic/nurse that travels with Easy Company! More below the cut, cut for length, angst mentioned, pregnancy things and miscarriages mentioned:

Dick Winters:

-The thought that you might be pregnant is NOT one that crosses his mind initially. You’re distancing yourself and he doesn’t understand why. -He does his best to try and reach out and try to show you that he’s still committed—he’s honestly wondering what he did wrong. -The minute he sees the small little baby bump though?? He knows and he feels IMMENSE guilt over the entire thing. He should’ve been more careful and you definitely deserve better than being an unwed pregnant woman. -He’s now double stressed about the war and how he’s going to fix things with you and reconcile the problem. So his solution is to have a quiet elopement with you. -At least now you have some money to be taken care of. And he begs you to go and stay with his family back in the states so that you have someone taking care of you since he can’t be there. -He’s happy to have you and to be a father but it’s a very angsty and emotional time that won’t be reconciled until the war is over.

Lewis Nixon:

-Well this is a messy situation….if only because he’s well aware he’s getting a divorce but he was also having an affair with you and now you’re pregnant. -Panicked stressed upset—all of the emotions and goes through the five stages of grief tbh…and drinks to cope. -He’s got a lot of mixed emotions about the complexity of the situation. This is a second chance for happiness and also the nail in the coffin to his previous family. He also feels the weight of responsibility pretty heavily. -Also wants to marry you ASAP and cleans up his act so that he can have a chance with you and the kid. -Views it as a messy second chance so he’s very grateful despite the poor timing of everything. Dick helps him see the good in the situation. -He plans on making a very happy life with you as soon as he can.

Ronald Speirs:

-Clocks onto you being more sick than normal and more often….and just puts two and two together. He’s not an idiot, he knows he should’ve been more careful, and he feels bad. -This is a war and it’s not exactly great timing. He doesn’t want to make you commit to anything if you’re not absolutely certain of being with him. -Conversations are had about whether or not you’ll keep the kid and what you’ll do if you decide to keep it. Co-parenting seems to be the safest bet for now. -Don’t get me wrong, he wants a life with you. He just doesn’t want you to feel like he’s trapped you in said life with him. -He’s probably the most logical about things in the sense that he’s making sure you get a transfer back to London and away from the front lines for safety and health purposes. -Also dutifully writes you until the war is over and he can meet the kid and marry you.

Buck Compton:

-Despite the seriousness of the situation, it just depends on if it was before or after Bastogne. Either way, I think he’s a very big nervous wreck about things. -He wants to be a dad, wants to be a husband and have a life with you….but not like this. -Whatever his plan is that he’s figuring out, it gets thrown off by Bastogne and everything that happens there. -I truthfully think that the best thing might be for you to follow him home since you’re pregnant and try to help in his recovery. You can be a big help emotionally to him. -Buck feels a lot of guilt for feeling broken and not able to support or help you as a parent or lover, but the minute that kid is born, he’s getting everything back on track. -After a while, he’ll ask you to marry him and share a life with him.

Carwood Lipton:

-This responsible mother hen?? Feels like the W O R S T person ever. Not his intention to put you in this situation and wants to send you home with a ring on your finger post-haste. -So that’s exactly what he does, he finds the nearest chaplain and gets hitched and then writes his mother

-He has so much guilt over not being there for the birth of the baby and not being there for you

-But it’s the hope of seeing you and the baby that keeps him going and keeps him hopeful, even during times like Bastogne. -Probably quietly talks about the situation with a few pals of his, including Speirs. And he definitely misses you a lot. -And consistently apologizes the rest of your marriage over the entire thing.

Joseph Liebgott:

-Doesn’t know whether or not to hope for the best or the worst because the timing of it all is just super poor and inconvenient?? -Feels guilty over that and while he’s happy that this means he gets to have you in his life, he’s also acutely aware of how complicated he’s made things for you. -It’s an anchor point for him to remember what he’s fighting for and that humanity is a thing though, so there’s that sobering point he gets to. -Probably wants to get married but there’s not a chaplain around so his next bet is to go to Winters and try to get you transferred somewhere else. -Promises he’s going to make it back to you and get married after the war. He thinks of little else during Bastogne and the hard times. -When he goes to Austria, you show up with the baby and he finally gets to meet baby Liebgott and get hitched haha.

Donald Malarkey:

-Excited and sad at the same time?? Doesn’t really know how to feel and is now worried about leaving you on your own with a baby. -Is also really worried he’ll never get to meet the baby and so he tries to make the most of the short times that you do have together. -Insists on getting married so that if he dies, you have some fallback money and something that will take care of you and the baby. -Probably cries about it when he’s alone because it was NOT the plan and he doesn’t think that you should have to put up with any of this stuff anyway. -Tries to find baby stuff in different towns that he can give to you when he gets back to you. -Wrote home to his mother immediately that she was going to be a grandmother lol.

Eugene Roe: (Big sad, I’m sorry):

-Was not intending on getting you pregnant but now that you are, he’s super excited and happy about it….and also terrified because pregnancy has so many complications anyway. -Prays avidly for your safety and for the baby’s safety as you two are figuring things out. Truth be told, it’s probably right around Bastogne that you both figure out that you ARE pregnant. -The guilt is real and he’s coming into the city as much as possible to try and see you and check on you. It’s cold, rations are low, and you’re working a lot anyway. -Now here’s where you’re all going to demand I pay for therapy (get in line kids). You survive the church collapsing but you lose the baby a few weeks later after some severe cramping and being sick. -And the thing is?? He’s horribly awfully and guiltily relieved because it’s probably safer for you this way and there was no way that either of you could have been parents right now. -But he does promise to marry you and that you’ll have more children one day.

Bill Guarnere:

-Finds out about it by accident when you’re telling another nurse and freaking out bc you don’t know what to do. And this man?? Baffled and shocked and trying to figure out what to say. -So he comes to you and quietly lets you know that he knows and is willing to do whatever you need/want for things. -You two get married right before D-Day and then he ships out. You two write letters back and forth faithfully for months. -Everyone knows you’re having a baby and that is the baby of Easy Company lol. -His accident in Bastogne happens and he gets shipped back to London and then back to the states and you go with him. -He’s in recovery when the baby is born and he’s happy about it because it’s really a new life for everyone tbh.

Joe Toye:

-You try to break up with him and the argument gets pretty nasty bc there’s no real reason for the breakup until you drop the bomb that you’re pregnant and he just??? Short circuits?? -He gets really soft and sweet about the entire thing and promises that he’s going to stay by your side through it. -So he writes his family ASAP and marries you in a church in his uniform. Then you’re getting sent back to your family and his and it’s a bit messy. -But he’s writing you and really excited to meet the kid….who is faithfully and dutifully born a few weeks before his accident in Bastogne. -He doesn’t even know the kid had been born until he gets back and there’s a lot of guilt and grief and feelings of inadequacy about the situation. -But he’s a great dad and a great husband so it all works out.

George Luz:

-is honestly trying to come up with every possibly outcome and solution so that he’s prepared for whatever decision you make. -You told him about it shortly after they returned from D-Day and he’s a little shocked (more than a little) and having a hard time keeping a lid on things. -He wanted a whole wedding that everyone could celebrate and be happy with, but going down to a courthouse with you and a few of the guys will do. -Gives the men of Easy Company updates on the pregnancy via letters from you all of the time. And you get the weirdest most random questions from them, I’m sure. -Narrowly survived Bastogne and was really struggling until your letters started coming through again. -Is really excited to meet the baby and see you again once things are over with the war.

[zombiecicada]

Sir Gamma Quinn was hatched in the Central Region alongside his twin brother. From a young age Gamma’s life was laid before him, he was born a star warrior, and his parents expected him to become someone great. Luckily for them, Gamma from the moment he could comprehend words practically started living in the local library and upon starting his education rapidly accelerated academically. He was known by his peers and teachers to be nothing short of a pure genius.

By the time he turned 18 and was old enough to be enlisted into the GSA, he had several degrees and was able to score a fairly high entry level position in the army after he finished boot camp.

Fast forwards, as Gamma climbed the ranks, taking it upon himself to advance many aspects of the GSA’s knowledge on monsters, planetary systems, ecosystems, civilizations and practically any other aspect of science one could think of. His discoveries, research and writing were revolutionary for the army, during this time he made unlikely friends with the ninja Yamikage who he’d start on and off dating, as well as a soldier named Speir.

However, Gamma’s time in the army was about to come to an end, as he found an old archived book at the very back of the GSA’s archives, and translated it to find it spoke of a creature he had never heard about before: dark matter. He asked around, only to find nobody else seemed to know about it either, and he was advised to stop digging where he shouldn’t be. He largely put it on the back burner, until he himself was eventually attacked one night by a dark matter, and he was able to fight it off.

However, upon talking to his commanding officer, he was met with a harsh turn of events. A psych evaluation was conducted on him, where to his shock he was deemed insane and the injuries sustained during the fight were ruled as self harm. He was shortly afterwards, to his extreme confusion, dishonourably discharged from the army, not being able to even say goodbye to Yamikage.

He attempted to return home to Central, but was met with being disowned by his parents and turned away. Barred from many rights on his home world, he eventually was forced to leave, to his surprise running once more into Speir, who claimed to believe him and could help him find proof to prove he was right about dark matter and that he wasn’t insane.

Gamma without second thought accepted their help, a choice that almost proved fatal as Speir turns out to have been possessed by dark matter this entire time. Gamma tries to reason and plea with his friend, but upon realizing that Speir has only ever pretty much been a controlled husk, he takes his cross bow and kills them.

Now entirely alone, Gamma decides all he can do is to find answers, no matter how crazy those answers might be. He sets off and continues write and research, leaving the journals of his discoveries in his wake for the GSA to find, as even after being unrightfully thrown out he remains loyal to his former comrades and wants to help however he can, even if it’s only through the pages and words on paper.

All the while, the dark matter aren’t done with him yet.

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

hey emily!! it’s me again lol. sorry for adding to your list of things to write!!

i was trying to think of some kind of one shot i’d like, and i remember that my friend and i were talking a bit ago and she said i kind of looked like Speirs, which at first i didn’t agree.. but now i can sorta see it?? we have mostly the same coloring except for the eyes. plus our noses are similar and our eyebrows. ANYWAY, it just gave me the idea of a one shot where i’m Speirs’ little sister and maybe i’m a nurse in easy company, but he’s a very ‘protective older brother’ type so none of the guys even want to cross that line. UNTIL winters (my bae 😔) and i develop feelings for each other and start to date and be all bf/gf in secret until Speirs finds out. And so then there might be some conflict there or maybe he’s fine cause it’s Dick, who knows?

But yes that’s just an idea that i’ve been thinking about for a bit, i don’t have a brother and have always wanted one, i think Speirs would be the perfect scary older brother lolol. anyways im super excited to see what you do with this!! thanks! <3

(p.s i emotionally cant handle bad endings so if there’s any way you could have it end well i would SUPER appreciate it!)

LARA NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR REQUESTING YOU'RE AN AMAZING HUMAN AND I LOVE YOU

also I didn't proofread this so apologies for any typos 🫠

Thank you so much for the request Lara! Hope you enjoy 🥰

Ron and the Unknown Soldier

Dick Winters x Speirs!Medic!Reader

1,190 words

The officers were having the time of their lives in the Eagle’s Nest, resting out in the sun with the best champagne available. Ron had other things on his mind, though. Someone was dating Easy Company’s medic, (y/n). Something like this would, typically, never cross his mind twice. However, this certain medic was Ron’s baby sister. He heard from Lieutenant Lipton that the medic was absolutely smitten with a boy in 2nd Battalion, and Ron could not help but be infuriated. He knows the boys, especially in Easy Company. They’re good soldiers, stellar soldiers, but Ron has seen how quickly they love and leave women - thinking about (y/n) falling for some lousy corporal who will leave as soon as the next girl comes his way lit an angry fire in Ron’s soul.

Ron remembered when Lipton first told him about the rumor - it was about a month ago, in Hagenau. That night, Ron showed up unannounced to (y/n)’s billet and knocked on the door. He noticed the sounds of hurried shuffling and hushed voices behind the door, his concern only growing. (y/n) finally opened the door, but just enough to stick her head out.

“Ron? What’re you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

“Um…okay, let me put something on.”

She quickly shut the door and more shuffling and hushed voices ensued. Ron could barely make out “-leave now”, “I’ll see you tomorrow”, and “love you more.” Before Ron could run to the other side of the house to catch the boy in question, (y/n) opened the door back up, bathrobe wrapped around her.

“Come on in Ron, what's wrong?” She asked her older brother, closing the door and sitting beside him on the bed.

Ron folded his arms and looked at the floor - the situation had been buzzing in his head all day, but now that he was here to confront (y/n), he was quite unsure how to broach the topic. He took a breath before replying.

“I know you’re an adult and can make your own decisions, but I promised Mom and Dad I’d look out for you while we’re in Europe.” (y/n) nodded along, furrowing her brow in concern. “I heard a rumor that you’re… going with another soldier in the battalion, is that true?” (y/n)’s eyes grew wide before responding.

“I…umm… who told you that?”

“Lieutenant Lipton.”

(y/n) mumbled a swear under her breath - who the fuck told Lipton??

“Is it true (y/n)?”

The medic put her head in her hands - she didn’t want to lie to her brother, but she also wanted her boyfriend’s life to be spared.

“As you said, Ron, I’m a grown-up and I can make my own decisions.”

That was all the confirmation Ron needed. He took a sharp inhale and began pacing the small room.

“Who is he!?”

“I’m not telling you, Ron!”

“WHO. IS. HE.” Ron glared at (y/n) more intensely than ever, his hands on his hips and chest heaving in rage.

“Ron he’s a good man! He’s kind, caring, attentive, supportive-”

“He acts like that now, but just like any other enlisted boy he’s going to leave you high and dry, and when that happens I’m going to ki-”

“Ron, it’s not like that, I promise,” (y/n) looked up at her brother sincerely. She wasn’t lying, he wasn’t like the other enlistees - he was an officer. “Look, I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I really like him and will keep seeing him. If he does anything, though, you know you’re the first person I’m coming to.” The girl got up and stood before her brother with a warm smile and arms outstretched. The captain took a deep breath before nodding in understanding and accepting his sister’s hug. Ron held her tight in his arms and kissed the top of her head, silently plotting how to take care of this mysterious soldier.

Ron was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Dick’s voice calling to him. The officer sat up in his seat on Nixon’s chair, noticing Lipton and (y/n) trailing behind Major Winters.

“Hey Adolf! Love your Eagle’s Nest!” Harry Welsh greeted Winters and his companions. Dick smiled at Harry and turned to a paper in his hand, reading out that the German army had surrendered - the war in Europe was over. While the officers were processing the information, Dick pointed a finger at Speirs.

“Ron, I need to talk to you,” he informed the captain, beginning to walk back inside. Ron tried to shake the inebriation from his brain before following the commanding officer, praying it wasn’t something too important. The officers made their way to a living room-style area, containing two couches across from each other, a coffee table in between. Speirs took a seat on one couch, and Dick sat across from him. Speirs, in his state, had not noticed that (y/n) had followed the pair to the room - the girl sat next to the redhead and smiled at her brother.

“(y/n)? What’re you doing here?”

“Ron, do you remember back in Hagenau when you heard that (y/n) was going with a soldier?”

“Yeah, did you find out who?” Ron leaned forward intensely, praying for a chance to beat up the soldier who dared to try and date his sister.

Dick let out a quiet chuckle and looked at the ground.

“Oh, I know who it is…”

“Then spit it out!” Ron started to get frustrated at the pair - he needed them to just tell him who-

Suddenly, (y/n) looked softly at Ron and took Dick’s hand in hers. It took a moment for Ron to study the gesture, a lightbulb flashing in his head after a moment.

“Are you telling me… back when I talked to you at your billet…”

(y/n) giggled before answering, “Yes, Dick was scrambling to climb out the back window before you saw him.” The major shook his head in amusement, his cheeks starting to match his ginger hair.

Ron just sighed and put his head in his hands. He had been a little stricter than he needed to be with Easy Company since discovering the relationship, but now he realized that he was intimidating the poor boys without a purpose.

“...why didn’t you tell me?” Speirs asked genuinely, looking up at the pair.

“We wanted to wait until the war was over, since life was so unpredictable,” (y/n) explained.

“Besides, even I was nervous to tell you that I was dating your sister,” Winters added with a laugh. The siblings returned the laughter, (y/n) placing a quick kiss on Dick’s cheek.

“Well, since the man you’re seeing happens to be one of the finest soldiers I’ve ever met, I think I can let him live,” Ron said with a smirk. The trio laughed together once more before standing to leave, both Dick and (y/n) exchanging hugs with Ron. As the three walked back to the company, Winters holding (y/n)’s hand, they knew that they had a lot of explaining to do.

[lovelyd0gg]

BoB hc!!

Here are some of my headcanons of how the BoB boys would treat you on your period<33

Warnings: normal body function of a woman, fluff<3

Some extra: I'm only gonna use Bull Randleman, Eugene Roe, George Luz, Bill Guarnere, Lewis Nixon and Ronald Speirs for this post. If you want more HCs please lemme know, and let's get into this.♡♡

Bull Randleman.

•This man literally does not care.

•He'll literally get you anything you want because he will want to put you on the couch, cover you in like 3 blankets and then run to the store to get you pads, tampons, etc.

•He WILL buy you snacks whether you like it or not.

•"Babe I'm fi--" "LET ME SPOIL YOU, DAMMIT"

•Oh-ho-ho boy, if he catches you're little ass away from the couch, he will scoop you up and lay you back down with a little head pat *pat pat* then tuck you back in.

•He counts as a teddy bear and a heater.

•10/10 snuggles when you want it.

•If you bleed on the sheets, he doesn't care 1 bit. He'll just clean it up no matter how much you tell him it's gross of you doing that.

•"Do ya really think ya can control the damn bleedin'? I ain't mad, hun."

•overall, he's the sweetest when you get you're period. Let him spoil you baby girl.

Eugene Roe.

•Girlie, you are so damn lucky, he's a medic.

•So ofc he's gonna know what to get you when your on your period.

•"Baby, my cramps are hurting." "Take this painkiller and drink water."

•whenever you have cramps and they hurt like hell, he's gonna place his hand on your stomach and just leave it there, since he knows it helps you with the pain.

•He knows you'll bleed out of nowhere, so what does he do?

•Well OF COURSE he's not gonna freak out in front of you.

•He will change the sheets and immediately put it in the washer.

•He will comfort you in telling you that it's alright to bleed and he won't judge you for bleeding out when you can't control it.

•He also knows that whenever you stand up from sitting down for a long time, it feels like a waterfall down there.

•So when you stand up and feel it rushing down, you just stay there straight and cross your legs together so it doesn't feel like it bleeds through your pad although it definitely won't.

•"Bae?" "Yeah?" "Can you get me a pad?" "On it."

•Overall, he's there for you girl. He's supportive and will cuddle you when you demand it<3

George Luz.

•As soon as he sees the bed sheet has heavy and dark red spots on it, he immediately knows this isn't a joke and is on a mission to be the quote unquote "BEST PERIOD CARER KNOWN TO MAN!!"

•Surprisingly he is so calm whenever you are on your period.

•He'll shower you with kisses whenever you get cramps or just demand it to him.

•You'd text him if he could buy you more pads or tampons and he would respond with.

•"I don't care if people stare at me weirdly. I'm buying you those damn pads/tampons."

•He has no shame in buying you pads/tampons at all. Nuh-uh, 0%.

•if he gets weird stares from people, he either flips them off or asks why they are staring at him.

•He doubles as a mood booster as soon as you get mood swings.

•kissing your pretty lips as he tells you that your enough and you aren't gross.

•He'll crack up a joke or two here and there but you on your period isn't really a joking time.

•He's really sweet so if you suddenly get showered in kisses by him, you deserve it♡♡

Bill Guarnere.

•Honest to god, he doesn't trust himself when you get your period.

•Poor dude doesn't understand that you bleed once a month (lord save him😭)

•He won't freak out when you bleed but when your in the bathroom changing your tampon/pad, he'll walk to the door knocking on it and asking if your okay like 5 times.

•He stays silent for a minute when he sees you clutching your lower belly in pain since he feels so bad that he doesn't know how to help you.

•He'll go to the store and buy you tons of snacks and come home to see you under a blanket.

•But despite his concern, he knows how to be brutally honest💀

•He'll put the snacks on your bed and the tampons/pads with a note saying.

•"I forgot your pussy size, sorry."

•He will cuddle you though. And surprisingly won't get scared or worried if you bleed on the sheets.

•Though he will sometimes hide behind the couch when you get a mood swing and act like a demon.

Lewis Nixon.

•This guy is so sweet and adorable.

•He won't get mad at you 1 bit if you bleed on the sheets.

•Yeah I know, very surprising for an alcoholic like him.

•He'll kiss all over your face whenever your cramping hard.

•"You can't get away from the kisses my love, c'mere~"

•You don't even need to text him if he could get you more pads/tampons since he'll spawn out of nowhere with them in a bag already 💀

•He puts a timer as soon as you put a pad on. (For my pad girlies like me<3)

•you got a 12 hour lasting pad on? He's putting a 12 hour timer on his phone just because he's scared you might get an Infection if you leave it on longer.

•As soon as you ask for cuddles, he's there holding you already!

•This man is prepared for anything.

•The sad mood swings, he gets you the starter pack of: tissues, kisses, cuddles and absolutely anything you want.

•The angry mood swings, he gives you THE MOST ADORABLE SMILE and kisses you for a second. Making you melt and apologize for acting like a monster, which he always accepts the apology<3

•Absolute sweetheart frfr.

Ronald Speirs.

•This man (just like Bull) doesn't care at all.

•However, whenever you get mood swings and act like a monster, he'll scuff you and say.

•"No need to yell, honey."

•on the first day of having your period, he'll text you what type of pad/tampons you use then won't ever ask again since he has good memory.

•sometimes, he'll snap at you if you keep whining and being a "prick" to him, but as soon as he sees you hugging your knees because of him in your shared room, he'll immediately feel guilty and apologize 100 times.

•He gets you your favorite snacks and makes you your favorite food. He is "Chef Speirs".

•He gets angry at himself whenever he makes a minor mistake, if he guys you olives with the pits, he'll literally curse at himself even though you said it's ok.

•He really cares about you so don't take his snapping seriously.

[shelyue99]

I came across BoB only last year (thanks Netflix the best thing you have done to me) hence 22 years late. I wish I had done it earlier (I definitely heard about the title, maybe in the 2000s, but I was too young at the time to take interests in it and I forgot about it), but because of it there are already a lot of resources and materials (and numerous fanfics) to dig into. I love research and meta and here are something I found interesting and relevant to BoB (with a focus on Winters and Nixon) :

Documentary:

Ron Livingston's Band of Brothers Video Diary

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company

He Has Seen War

Book:

Band of Brothers, by Stephen E. Ambrose

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoir of Major Dick Winters, by Dick Winters, Cole C. Kingseed

Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers, by Larry Alexander

Conversation with Major Dick Winters: Life Lessons from the Commander of the Band of Brothers, by Cole C. Kingseed

Hang Tough: The WWII Letters and Artifacts of Major Dick Winters, by Erik Dorr, Jared Frederick

Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich, by David Kenyon Webster

Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, By James Andrew Miller

Podcast:

HBO's official Band of Brothers 20th Anniversary Podcast

The Ross Owen Show, this blog has all the BoB cast interview recordings.

Dead Eyes

Other Materials:

"Band of Brothers" 20th Anniversary Symposium, the video can be found here.

Re the symposium, I love some of the trivia stories the cast shared, like when some replacement guy (I remembered it's Rene Moreno who played Ramirez but my memory could be fuzzy) were having dinner with the OG Easy men at this posh restaurant after shooting. Someone asked Moreno what he did today and he said he cut his hair and got to shoot the gun something like that, and Neal McDonough (Compton) asked him to drop and gave him 20, Moreno looked at Ron Livingston for help, who he thought was the only normal person at the table, but Ron was like yeah you had to do it, and so he dropped and did 20 push-ups and startled the waitress and other customers.

The other interesting episode is that when they were shooting for the river crossing scene in Ep 8, a replacement guy (Ramirez or Hashey?) who wasn't in the bootcamp and wasn't that immersed, jokingly told Dexter Fletcher (Martin) to fuck off, everyone went quiet like how dare you say to that to the officer, and Ross McCall (Liebgott) asked, "Permission to throw him off the boat, sir," Fletcher said let him think about it. They didn't throw him off the boat but I find the comparison between those who went to the bootcamp vs. those didn't and thus didn't have a clue is so interesting. Oh, and Matthew Settle still scared the other cast and staff because Speirs is so scary lol.

[ronsenthal]

Part three of Jess Reads Fierce Valor it's here baby and it's getting pretty interesting and intense as they are getting to Belgium

Notes: Once again I highly recommend that (if you can of course) read the book and take your own conclusions, this is my view from my experience reading it

SO HE SECRETLY LOVED HIS NICKNAME SPARKY ✨✨

at this point they are at Holland and he is part of staff battalion? more precisely a S-2 intelligence officer (again robbed in the shows)

ah yes we were robbed again!!! do y'all know the Eindhoven scene were the girls kiss Dick? Well it happened TO SPEIRS and guess what? he was so shy he turned beet red and was frozen

ok time for some praise for the autors because huge kudos on how they tell the story, they mix historical details with some quotes from actual people who were involved not only with Speirs' story but also in general, giving us the readers a good outlook of what was happening during that time

he was so meant to be Easy's CO as he was shot in his ass (and hip) during a night patrol, again the showrunners robbed us!!!!!

Idk if I'm biased because I really love the portrail of Colonel Sink by Dale Dye but I really love his presence and how cared for the men, Speirs said he saw him as a father figure (okaaay) and Winters was all heart eyes too

btw I forgot to mention but Dale Dye foreword is simply amazing as he recalls he studied the guy to help out Matthew in his portraying on the show, so he recalls when he got to meet Speirs and his*check notes* FOURTH wife, or was it the fifth?

anyway back to business, he is recovering because he was pretty badly wounded and was sent back to Paris for the biggest war hospital in Garches. When he is back the morale is so low due to the events of Market Garden, he got transferred from the Staff Battalion do Dog Company again

now at Belgium they are heading to Bastogne and it starts to get really intense, idk if it because I know how hard it was but the atmosphere is so dense, there was no plan, they had no supplies, it feels like a trap, every corner has as surprise and to me it's pretty clear they [the Airborne] were sent there because there was no one else, pretty dark really

on a lighter note, on the foxholes line he made one of his friends take a photo of Don Malarkey because he couldn't stop laugh because Malarkey was using burlap bags as insulation to warm his feet??? weird guy

ROBBED!!! because there was an encounter with a dog!!! a german shepherd and Speirs was so afraid the dog would bark at him, which is pretty funny because he loved dogs and was at Dog Co.

other than that not much happens besides what we already know about how hostile Bastogne was, both mentally and physically everyone was on the edge

oh yes we have more Dick Winters downplaying some more gossip about Speirs while saying how Sparky was the "Cruelest man I ever met" you can sense how he KNEW what Speirs has done but its like "Hey watch your tongue he is MY war criminal friend"

okay so they are at Foy and the infamous incident with Dike happens and he was finally Easy's CO

btw it says he was a former running athlete, which makes sense if you think about it

anyway, his path with easy crossed before but specially with Dike there is this really funny anecdote of when Easy and Dog were at Bastogne and Dike moved Easy and was like "You are on my area" to which Speirs was like "No you dumbass YOU are in my area look at this map" *pterodactyl noises* Dike even tried to argue but he was wrong, Speirs gave him on of *his* looks and stayed in his rightful position while Easy had to move somewhere else. This is what Lipton tells us anyway

the amount of respect both Winters and Lipton had for the guy is insane!!!!! He gained so much respect after running Foy and even more respect by the way he was leading by example and how he cared for the men

Okay that's it for today with Jess Reads Fierce Valor!! stay tuned for more

taglist: @mads-weasley, @mutantmanifesto @love--persevering, @gorgeousundertow , @grumpy-liebgott, @wexhappyxfew, @latibvles and @1waveshortofashipwreck

if you want me to tag you for this series let me know

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 17 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Well we finally made it out alive, so far! Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story! I just want to say I love this community so much and that all of you are so kind and supportive. It's been amazing to meet all new people who share the same interests as me, and that I can just be authentically myself here without judgement. There is plenty more to come and I hope you all enjoy! So here is chapter 17!

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, no hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @next-autopsy, @panzershrike-pretz, @xxluckystrike

Don was right, it was easier. The guilt I felt still haunted me like a thick fog, but I was able to see through it. I didn’t even have time to think about it, we were moving out. We had hoped that since we had taken Foy we would be pulled back for a break, but it wasn’t to be. We needed to keep moving forward as ordered. We moved to Rachamps, the attack was successful. Minor casualties from the assault. We spent the night in the convent, the sister’s brought in their choir to sing for us. It was one of the few moments I felt calm. I looked around the room at the men who filled it. A small group. We had started with at least 100 plus soldiers, but looking around the church at the men, the loss was noticeable. I sat next to Don as we listened to the women sing. It was heavenly, their voices so ethereal echoing around the room.      

“Emily, a word.” Speirs appeared in front of me. I nodded standing from my seat and following the Captain. He walks us into a side room shutting the door, he motions for me to sit on one of the seats in the room, he does so too, sitting across from me. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together.   

“I’m going to mention to Captain Winters what happened the other day during the assault.” He speaks first. I sigh with relief, I was worried about how my actions would affect my position in the company.

“But if I ever catch you using a weapon, not in self defence, I will have you back on a ship faster than you can blink you hear me.” He said sternly. I was being given a warning.  

“Yes, Sir.” I stated. He sighed, rubbing his face, his eyes softened.  

“Listen Emily I heard about what happened before Foy, I know you saw Muck and Penkala die.” He says in a more gentle tone. 

I stiffen. The flashes of their final moments play in my head.  

“I also understand that the men thought you were fine. But I have heard otherwise from some of the soldiers you are closer with, that you didn’t handle it very well. Is that correct?” He asked, I tried to hide the pain on my face. 

“I did the same thing I did when my mom died, I pushed everyone away.” I said quietly he nodded. 

“Does your family send you letters, Emily?” He queries.  

“No Sir, I don't have any family.” His brows furrow. 

“Friends.” He asks.  

I shake my head. A concerned look crosses his face. 

“You know you can go home if you want Emily.” He offers, I’m sure he thinks it’s what I want.  

“No, I would like to stay.” I blurt. He’s surprised by my answer, sitting up straighter in his chair. He regards me.  

“Emily, can I ask you what you were doing before you joined?” He implored.  

“Studying sir, to be a nurse. I hadn’t quite finished yet, I was in my last semester.” I tell him the truth.

“What are your plans for when the war is over?” He continues, watching me carefully.  

I’m stumped by the question. I have no clue. If the war finishes does another shimmer appear to take me home? Or do I stay here? If I stay here what the fuck am I going to do. I don’t exist. I have no house, no money. I’m technically not even an American citizen, I have no passport, no birth certificate, no identification. I didn’t think that far ahead, right now I am just trying to get through the days. The question throws me for a loop. Ron waits expecting an answer I can’t give him. 

“I’m-I’m not sure, sir.” He looks at me confused. 

“Will you not go and finish your degree?” Ron suggests.  

“I quit. I don’t have the money to go back and study.” I shift on my seat, I’m sure he doesn’t mean to but his questions are making me nervous. No one has asked this much about me, not about my future, or where I live or what I want to do. I don’t even know myself. If I was to stay here in this time, how would I even go about slotting back into reality, because it isn’t mine.    

“You have no savings?” He says shocked.  

“I spent everything to come here.” I lied.  

“Where are you living?” I freeze. I can’t answer him. I open and close my mouth. 

“I was living in the dorms when I was studying, but I guess now I’m homeless.” I say slowly.

“You have no one you can stay with?” I shake my head. 

“Emily, what about your possessions?” He seems frantic at this point, he sounds worried for me. 

“The only things I have sir is what I came here with and the clothes on my back, which technically aren't mine since I have to give the uniform back. I sold everything for a ticket to europe.” I wring my hands together, throughout the conversation growing more clammy.  

He looks shocked. “That’s why you don’t want to leave?” I nod, “I have nothing waiting for me back home, sir. I want to stay with the Easy men, I want to see it through till the end.” 

“Right, well, you’re staying, but I think we will discuss the other matter later.” He seems very concerned for me, he seems stressed. He rakes his fingers through his hair, taking a breath, he moves to stand.  

“Please don't tell the men. I don't want them to know about my situation.” I say quickly before he leaves. He turns to look at me. 

“Emily, I thought you would have more confidence in me. I would never.” He smiles gently. He stands and leaves the room, leaving the door open for me to follow after him. 

“Thank you, sir.” I mutter softly even though he has already left. 

I made my way back to my seat, “Em.” A voice called to me, my eyes searched the room wondering who had called me. Lieb raised his hand waving at me. I walked over standing in front of the pew he sat on.

“Hey Joe.” I smiled at the man, he sat next to Grant and Russo, Babe was perched behind them talking to the men he sat with. 

“You alright kid?” He leaned forward as he spoke, resting his arms on the front of the wall he sat behind. 

“I’m ok.” I smiled, he nodded looking up at me.

“Em, we don’t think of you any differently.” He starts, he reaches out his arm taking my hand from my side, holding it in his. “I should’ve noticed.” He shakes his head, his thumb tracing over the back of my hand. 

I shook my head. “Joe I made it so you didn’t. Even if you had, I wouldn't have accepted the help.” 

He sighed giving my hand another squeeze before letting it go. “Next time Emily you ask for help. Got it?” I chuckled, nodding. He gave me his signature grin. I said goodnight to the men. I sat down beside Don, who looked exhausted. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be inside but these goddamn seats are so uncomfortable.” He wriggled around on the seat trying to find a comfortable position. The pews were very uncomfortable, the seat part was so small you could barely lie down sideways without falling off and the back of the chair was so upright there was no way to slouch or lean. They were also wooden, hard and slippery. If you sat in one position for too long you could feel yourself slowly sliding down the seat. I laughed nodding. My butt hurt from sitting. 

“Well I think they’re made with the intention to keep you awake through mass.” We laughed together. 

“The old people find a way to do it though.” He said in a hushed voice as to not disturb the others. 

“Yeah but they’re old, they can fall asleep anywhere. Have you ever seen an old person sleeping in a comfortable position?” I asked, he looked baffled by my question. 

“I mean I don’t go sorting them out.” He chuckled. 

“Don think of your grandparents, where do they fall asleep?” I tried to get him to imagine it so I could get my point across.

“Sitting up in their arm chair.” I nodded, my point being proven. 

“One time when my Nana was getting older, she had taken out her hearing aids and fell asleep. I thought she was dead. I yelled at her for so long and she didn’t move. Then I went up to her and shook her, she almost booted me in the head.” I recounted the story to Don as we both laughed. 

“My Granddad fell asleep with his false teeth still in and they started whistling, so loudly in fact that the dog actually came.” Don and I covered our mouths trying to keep quiet while sharing our stories. 

“The dog jumped on his lap and then stole the teeth from his mouth cause they were hanging out.” I wiped the tears from my eyes as he continued. 

“What did the dog do with them?” I asked, trying to catch my breath. 

“He ate them.” I covered my open mouth, laughing at the thought. 

“You’re kidding?” He shook his head while he giggled.

“No, we had to wait till the dog shit them out again.” We were getting glances from the other men for being too loud, I pressed my face into his shoulder trying to muffle the noise.

“The best part is once the dog did shit them out he washed them and kept using them. He said he paid so much money for them he wasn’t going to throw them out.” I scrunched up my face in disgust as he laughed. 

“Oh ew!” I pretended to gag.

God I hadn’t laughed like this in a while. It was a normal occurrence with the four of us, but since Skip and Alex had passed I hadn’t laughed since. There wasn’t a time with them we weren’t laughing, they were so funny. Alex, Skip and Don together was pure entertainment. Then when I got closer to them it was absolute chaos. I always found myself in the foxhole with the three of them. We were either playing games, cards, making stupid bets, talking shit or telling the worst jokes. It was like we were in another world when we were all together, I could forget that I was having the worst day ever and was absolutely freezing. I missed them so much, but it felt so good to hear Don laugh again. I smiled at the man who had finally stopped laughing, he smiled back. 

My heart fluttered. I have never been in love, but I think this is what it feels like. His smile could pull me from the darkest depths. His touch soft and gentle made my whole body come alive. His laughter made me smile so hard my face felt like it could crack. He made me happy. I wanted to spend every day next to him, if I wasn’t with him his name would still be on my lips, his face would still linger in my mind. I couldn’t stop the pitter-patter of my heart everytime he said my name, smiled at me, laughed with me. Like I was floating, weightless. He lifted me up but somehow grounded me. He still made me nervous, my stomach flipped when he was near. The amount of times I had to hold back from just kissing him. I would forget that we weren’t a couple and have to stop myself from kissing him goodbye when I left, or saying I love you when he looked at me in a certain way.   

I was falling in love, or maybe I had already fallen. But one thing I was certain of, I was completely and utterly in love with Donald Malarkey.       

“Do you want to try and get some sleep?” I ask him, his eyes drooping. He nodded. 

“Here lie down, rest your head on my lap.” I didn’t need to convince him, he lay down immediately placing his head in my lap. He crossed his arms over his chest, whispering a goodnight. I ran my fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, his breaths quickly turning even.

I admired his sleeping face, lightly tracing my fingers over his features. I traced around his face, then his eyebrows, his eyes, his nose, his mouth and his chin. Painting a picture in my mind of the man I was in love with. I mulled over the thought of when to tell him. My brain quickly takes me to the worst case scenarios, what if he doesn’t love you back, only loves you platonically, what if he laughs in your face and tells everyone what you said.

I shook my head at the silly thoughts, Don would never. Even if he didn’t like me he would be gracious and kind in letting me down, it wasn’t in his nature to be cruel. If it turned out he only loved me platonically I could be happy, I just needed him in my life, and even though it would hurt to see him fall in love with someone else I would still be happy for him. His happiness is mine, and that’s all I wanted.

Then another nagging voice crept from the back of my mind, you’re an imposter, this isn’t your time, what happens when you need to leave? How would you explain this to him? He’s going to think you’re insane. You have nothing here, it won’t work. Those thoughts shook me to my core, am I going to have to leave this all behind, what would happen if I stay, would there be irrevocable damage done? Can I stay without everything falling apart? Then I will just have to make the most of the days I have left with him, and the rest of Easy company. I won’t take anything for granted. 

The thing that annoyed me the most is that I don’t have the answers to my questions. There are no books I can read, no one I can ask. It’s not as if someone asked me to come and then sent me through the shimmer. The shimmer just appeared there was no sign, no instructions. I didn’t even know if it was meant for me, was I the only one who could see it? If someone else had been there before I did would they be in this position I am in now, or would they go somewhere else.

I groaned internally, this was too much thinking, I could feel a headache starting. I pressed my fingers into my temple, rubbing small circles to relieve the pain. I could dwell on that another time. But for now I just needed to rest, we still weren’t out of the woods yet. The soft snores from Don lulled me to sleep.  

I sat next to Don in the back of the truck as we bounced along the road. We were enroute to Haguenau. We had all thought we were being pulled back but they needed us to hold the line, as per usual. Lip sat across from me looking pale, I had asked him earlier if he was ok and he told me he was fine, but I could see the exhaustion etched into his features. He looked ill. He tried to hide the wet cough from me but I heard him. Even when we were sleeping last night in the convent he coughed in his sleep. I needed to get him to rest but the man was so persistent it was hard to get him to stop. 

“Hey, look, it’s 1st battalion.” George said, pulling me from my thoughts about the sick Sergeant.

I looked to see the soldiers walking down the street. 

“Hey! Hey!” George turned around yelling at the men as they walked. I looked at him confused. 

“What do you want?” One called back. 

“Yeah, thanks for crapping in our foxholes, ya shitheads!” He shouted at them. I burst out laughing.  

“Hey, it’s our pleasure!” The man called back. 

“Enjoy the walk boys.” Bull called to them, popping his cigar back into his mouth. I shook my head as I chuckled. I leant into Don smiling at him. He gave me a smile, taking my hand in his. I scooted closer to share the warmth. Watching Lip and George smoke their cigarettes.

-------------------------------

Chapter 18

[latibvles]

Hey Poet! I’ve been loving the headcanons you’ve been writing and it’s got me thinking about a Mouse Hole crossover with Band of Brothers and/or The Pacific. Do you have any other thoughts on that, like ships or friendships that would come from that?

anon, when I tell you you are unleashing a monster (affectionate). yes I have thought about this — and I do eat it up quite frankly. As with the Alex & Inez headcanons and underrated girls headcanons, these will be thrown under the cut for length. also this is an invitation to drop any crackships / friendship dynamic things you want to hear me talk about in my inbox because we've got a lot of little army and marine men in this toy box to interact with our barbies.

So I think a crossover with The Pacific would be a bit harder — mostly because B-17s were used primarily in the ETO if my googling and reading serves correct. There's accounts of B-17s being used in anti-naval bombing but they didn't really, ahem, hit anything. So whoever makes it to the end of the war would be the ones to meet (unless I dived into a Lady Marines AU, which I am not well-versed enough in to do right now)

I've said this before and I maintain that... Harriet and Malarkey crossing paths after the war is very beautiful to me. They both suffered the cold, both lost their undeniable best friend and had to process that grief while fighting for their lives in one way or another (Malarkey in Bastogne, Harriet in the Stalag). What they go through leaves them both fundamentally changed as people, noticeable enough that their friends have concerns. Harriet is pretty hard to track down after the war (she's there for June's wedding, but she misses Jo and Rosie's). Who's to say she and Malarkey don't cross paths stateside? I think they could both use that kind of friendship & healing.

In a world where these girls exist (I've thought about making them apart of the WAFH WIP canon. Thoughts? Opinions? Who's to say) a magazine cover of one Fern Carmine and Vivian Savorre (among others) with bright smiles walking away from a plane in their leather jackets and aviators has definitely made its way through some Toccoa barracks and one Lewis Nixon is possibly realizing he has a thing for redheads.

There is a small window of time before Bremen/Munster where the guys are in Aldbourne & most of the Mouse Hole crew hasn't been shot down yet. Who's to say who crosses paths on a weekend pass in consideration to officers

And of course there's always a.) AU where the 101st are pilots or b.) AU where the Mouse Hole girls are paratroopers but that's besides the point

In terms of friendships? I could see Inez and Shifty getting along pretty well, Harriet does generally get along with everybody so I think she could soften up even the most hardened of hearts. Willie and Lip would also probably get along pretty great — but I think Viv is a pretty tough shell to crack in terms of getting friendship from her that isn't her expertly evading personal questions.

Lorraine and Speirs? Funny in a scary way. I think Tab would probably develop a crush on June pretty quick before learning that she can and will fight just about anyone. I also think she'd be rightly annoyed by Liebgott. And Guarnere. And— [GETS YANKED OFFSTAGE]

I do think that Lena and a certain Andrew Haldane would make an extremely cute couple. Well-read jock and his wife who works on cars [ he's alive and well TO ME. ]

I think how Vivian interacts with Easy Company Officers is interesting because of how much of herself she tries to hide from others. But I think the girls who aren't officers would probably have more interactions with the guys in The Pacific.

Jo and Eugene? Nerds. Sweet little nerds (before the horrors). She, too, keeps a library in her footlocker, Bob Leckie.

This is also my realization that Sledge and Harriet grew up 2 hours from one another but Harriet's got a lot of family — maybe some is in Mobile. Why is she the touchstone here (I'm not mad about it).

I do think June and Hoosier could have a funny friendship though. I think they'd bicker but also take the piss out of most of their friends

..... A Chuckler and Carrie dynamic is also something I would like to see. Which is to say I think Carrie needs to continue to gather Large People who would go to war for her because she's two apples tall and is still finding her voice

Send me crossover requests please

Nix Bucky and Viv in a room sounds like my nightmare blunt rotation. Dick falls into the famous trap of thinking Willie doesn't like him because of her RBF.

My brain is scattered but there's a lot of ways that these people could all cross over into one another and it looks different depending on which way you slice it

My final verdict? Fern Carmine is everybody's type /lh

[mercurygray]

Anonymous said:

Hello again, same anon from the Sobel ask earlier. Currently sat on a train with a thousand delays and too much time on my hands. 🪐 I would want to see John Brady in Easy company. First Lieutenant, maybe a transfer after getting promoted after Normandy or Market Garden. Fairly reserved and wants to get the job done, as close to the rules as possible, please. If you are looking for him, you can often find him cleaning his weapon, pipe in his mouth. He takes his responsibility for the men very seriously.

Kind Anonymous freind, your brain.

If the AU is also TDS, Brady is not going to discredit the women of Easy. If he finds it unusual at first, he tries not to let it show. Competence is more important than gender, sure, but his mother raised a gentleman. So even after being through firefights and having his ass saved by Doris Russo once - he says thank you, of course - he still checks in with female NCOs if they want him to order them an escort at night or someone to stand guard for showers. Billie maybe scares him a little bit. She thinks it’s a little funny how straight-laced he appears, at first, but she also thinks he’s a good egg. If he overheard that, he would blush and maybe walk with a tiny swagger at the same time. Dick likes him. Joan would too. Lewis is a bit indifferent, but maybe Brady can’t help but snort when the officers overhear Webster talking grand about some Dutch musicians and Lewis finds out he studied music, they both snigger a bit about how incorrect Web is. Harry gets Brady out of his shell, a little bit, gentle jabs, come have another beer, they don’t bite. I imagine he would keep his distance from the enlisted as an “outsider”, but during Bastogne he gets talking to Molly and they bond chatting over missing Christmas music and college concerts in their foxhole. Brady is also adamant over light and noise discipline and for the love of god, Babe, would you find some better cover?? Especially after Harry is hit. He absolutely despises Dike’s incompetence. They are soldiers, they need direction and while Brady never talks out of turn, even he lets slip out a little "and thank God for Sergeant Lipton” when he is reporting to Dick at HQ. And someone else who would really, really appreciate Brady? Speirs. Ron doesn’t like stupidity, he is straight to the point and after his very spontaneous promotion as Easy CO he will have someone like Brady any day. The fact that Brady praised Lipton in highest tones and got more cross than usual when Lip is sick and shouts at a replacement that dares to ask the sick man for something has definitively absolutely nothing to do with it. Probably. I just think John Brady is neat. Well, at least this version my brain concocted up from about five minutes of screentime and five sentences, anyway.🪐

I think he's really neat too, Anon! The Girl Gang is going to absolutely gang up on Brady to tell that nice Red Cross girl he likes her. It's imperative. Someone else is going to get her if you don't. Have you written to Fred yet? How about now? Are we going to have to write her for you?

("Everyone says hi," he adds, in small letters. Fred thinks this is cute.)

[wexhappyxfew]

" You were the one that interviewed Eisenhower."

Esther quickly turned her head upwards to find an officer - she didn't miss the Lieutenant's bar shining on his collar nor the bar hidden on the cover slipped through his belt - his face aglow with the only light of his cigarette, eyes darkened with an evening shadow and his voice rough, like gravel, yet sharp, like a knife. It demanded to be heard and to be listened to. Esther took a moment to look at him; he wasn't looking at her, instead his eyes appeared off towards another part of the crowded PX, but she slowly reverted her own gaze forward again and let out a deep breath. If he heard, she didn't bother. It was Lieutenant Speirs. Who had yanked Private Kavanagh from training one morning and let Colonel Sink tear him a new one with a worthwhile amount of latrine duty on top of it.

" I did most of the talking, less of an interview, more of a debriefing, sir." Esther offered, sipping the beer bottle in her hands thoughtfully, her eyes crawling out to the crowd; Mercy with Bill and Joe at the dartboard, heavily improving - she promised one day to teach Esther. There were a few Easy men milling about at the bar and at tables filled with laughter and smiles. Esther sat like water ready to boil. She briefly heard Lieutenant Speirs let out a low chuckle and rounded on her and leaned against the chair in front of her where her legs were kicked up.

" I think we've met before." he said, catching her gaze and she gave him a nod.

" Told a man that he either speaks or you'll make him." Esther said," A fine 'how do you do'." Lieutenant Speirs smirked at her.

" Yeah, I can promise you that he's been gone for some time already; couldn't take the feel of dirt up his nose." Lieutenant Speirs said," If you catch my drift." Esther slowly nodded as she took another sip of the liquid, letting it run down her throat.

" Officers don't usually come out Friday nights." she said to him, watching as he flicked his eyes to her and then took a sparing glance around the lively bar.

" Heard something about a move to Benning, figured I'd get my last sip of beer before I start jumping outta planes." Lieutenant Speirs said cooly before placing his cigarette back onto his lip. A smirk rose on Esther's features the slightest bit.

" How the hell you get an interview with Ike?" he asked her, challenging her gaze for a second of time as she took another sip of beer," You don't just sit down with the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces."

" He was Chief of Staff at the time." Esther said with a casual look his way," If that matters any." Lieutenant Speirs smirked.

" You sat down with Ike." Lieutenant Speirs said with a casual shrug," That's enough to be curious about."

" Seems I was persistent enough." Esther said, tapping her fingers against her beer glass, noncommittal," Whether that mattered, I'd ask Eisenhower himself if he were here."

" I'll take your word for it." Lieutenant Speirs said with a nod, before looking at her fully again," Supposedly your face's been in the paper more in the coming weeks."

" So you've been keeping tabs on me?" she pondered as she finished off her beer and sat back in her chair and watched him with a tense gaze, challenging his word nearly against her own. Lieutenant Speirs watched her for a minute and then let out a dry chuckle and pushed up off of the chair back and crossed his arms.

" Tabs is a word for it, more like these people sitting at their desks gotta whole lot to say about someone whose actually going out and doing something for the war effort." he told her and she sent him a look. He had a point.

" They'll do their job and I'll do mine, sir."

Esther Armstrong and Ronald Speirs in an [Upcoming] excerpt of Chapter 11 of And Then The Dawn Came

taglist of possibly interested people!: @mads-weasley @thoughpoppiesblow @cetaitlaverite @icantdecideofthename @sergeant-spoons

(please let me know if you would like to be added/removed, just trying to see who wants to be on or not since it’s been a bit!)

[bellewintersroe]

Ronald Speirs x reader

Part 3! This should be better than the last part and less of a filler chapter?! I hope anyway.

Anyway, surprise surprise, sorry not sorry, this is smutty asf. Idk what’s wrong with me atm but whatever, I just need to write this whilst I can!!

Tw - 18+, sexual references, sex unprotected AGAIN lmfao, whatever, dirty talk, let’s just see what I end up writing.

Jenny keeps dreaming about Ron, now there’s no distractions with war, she finds the tension between the two of them too much and some how they end up in an office together… talks about fraternising ensue between the pair.

“You’re so good… so fucking good at that.” Ron whined, bucking his hips further up into my own. I was riding him, my hand pressed to his chest as his head dropped back, overwhelmed by the pleasure he was experiencing. He was beautiful, so overwhelmingly perfect, and he just oozed sex appeal.

“Keep riding me like that.” A soft spank was left on my ass cheek, my hips quickening their assault and my knees ached for release. “That’s it… cum for me Jenny, cum all over me.”

“Oh, fuck, I’m gonna c-“ gasping, my eyes burst open, scanning around the room wildly. My heart was thumping against my ribcage and my momentary confusion was soon dissolved when I remembered where I was and what had just happened.

A stupid dream, another one. About Ron as well, god, these stupid wet dreams had to stop, what was I, a 14 year old boy?? Glancing around my own room, I was grateful I had my own space, able to not disturb any of the other girls from their slumbers.

As I slumped back down into the bed sheets, I couldn’t help but feel the aching of my core between my legs, sighing, I crossed my legs and attempted to ignore the sensation. I was becoming obsessed with the idea of being around Speirs, I hated it, another few days had passed and I just couldn’t clear my mind of all the nasty thoughts I had about my commanding officer. We could be dishonourably discharged, punished, locked up- even though the war was drawing to an end, the methods of punishment were still severe. My hand didn’t slip anywhere near my underwear this time, I just couldn’t give in to the thought of ruining mine and somebody else’s life. It was easier for me to think that when I wasn’t around him, when he was there, I felt compelled towards him. Fuck.

The following day, I’d spent my day off in the confinements of my bedroom. I’d had a relaxed morning, desperate to avoid the exact same guy I was also desperate to see again. The only time I’d ventured out was to go on a gentle stroll around the lake to meet Betty who would be waiting for me somewhere around the waters edge. It was tranquil, peaceful, I enjoyed myself. That was until I’d bumped into a group of men from a company I didn’t realise. They’d been drinking, and for the most part the majority just smiled and walked past me, but two guys towards the back of the group began nudging one another, sneering towards me. I knew better than to react, so I continued walking past them, praying nothing else would be said until they decided to steer directions and walk up at either side of me. “Hey, pretty, what’s such a nice dame like you doin’ walking all alone?” “I’m meeting somebody.” I politely responded, forcing a smile as I continued my quick pace to my destination. “Oh yeah, who? Your boyfriend?” The other one responded as I simply forced an awkward laugh. “Shut up, Frank, she’s obviously not taken if she’s walkin’ around here alone.” “Uh- I actually am.” I lied, crossing my arms over my chest defensively as I waited for my answer to get rid of them. “Oh, really? What’s his name?” “Where is he?” I winced at their questions, ignoring them again and continuing to walk forwards. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the interaction, especially with both of them being on either side of me. “You don’t speak very much do you?” The one I assumed was called ‘Frank’ questioned, almost stepping in front of me so I had to step around him. That’s where things got weird. Just as I stepped around this ‘Frank’, the other guy stepped straight up behind me, seeming to find it appropriate to place a hand on my lower hip. “Get off me!” I snapped, brushing his hand off and yelping in surprise as I turned around to face the two of them. “Hey!” A third voice erupted, bellowing from across the dusty track. As I turned over, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The moment couldn’t have been any more awkward than if it tried, but of course Speirs had witnessed the whole thing. “Oh great, who is that? Your boyfriend?” The first man leered as I watched Ron practically push straight past the second guy, snatching the other man’s arm. “Touch her again and I’ll break your fuckin’ arm. Both of you what’s your name and company? You’ve got nothing better to do than harass women, huh?” Woah. Even I was intimidated by Ron’s act of dominance. The men learnt the hard way not to mess with me again- or Captain Ronald Speirs. I’d never seen him in such a bad, bad mood and I didn’t know where to look when he and the two men’s commanding officer were practically telling them off like school children. As if the exchange couldn’t get anymore awkward, the men were fully escorted away to be dealt with, both their heads hung sheepishly low. Their commanding officer apologised to me once again before following the disgraced pair with a harsh stomp in his step. “You ok?” I was squinting watching the pair being practically arrested, my face only relaxing when I looked back over to Speirs. He was calm now, he wasn’t all pissed off and protective, even though I found that charming that he’d stand up for me, the way he was so soft now made me feel something deep within my chest. Something other than lust, oh no-

“I’m ok… thank you sir, I should go and find my friend.” “Where are you walking to? I’ll walk with you.” He swallowed as I averted my gaze from his. “To wherever my friend is, sir, Betty’s waiting for me somewhere.” “You don’t have to call me that, you know.” He muttered, beginning to walk besides me as I looked back up to him curiously. “Call you what?” I slowly asked, looking over his jawline that had a slight layer of stubble growing on. The afternoon sun was creating an orange glow across his profile, and I began to find myself admiring him in the most stupidest of moments.

“Just call me Ron.” He gently told me, kicking the dusty dirt below him. His words made me smile, the softness of them surprised me, before I then, of course, panicked that we were suddenly having a one on one conversation. “Okay… S- Ron.” I let out a soft breath of laughter at how normal it felt coming from my mouth. I’d only really called him that once before, and that’s when we slept together in the Eagles Nest. “I’ll have to get used to that.” I admitted. “I think I see your friend.” Ron then responded as I glimpsed up to see Betty waving me over. “Oh, yeah. Thank you for standing up for me earlier, I appreciate it.” Ron’s lips twitched half up as his eyes remained fixated on my own. “You let me know if anybody bothers you again.” Nodding, there was something a lot more innocent about the exchange compared to all the others we had. It felt pure, and it filled me with a sense of warmth. “Thank you, sir.” I quickly spoke, walking backwards, get still facing him. “Ron!” I corrected, before scurrying off to where my friend was.

* ”Then fourteen hundred you can report back to me that it all went smoothly in there.” Winters explained to me as we walked side by side towards battalion headquarters. Winters was busying everybody up, giving them ways to escape the war, whilst half of us nurses had been treat unfairly, he’d managed to get me out of a night shift by going down to a children’s hospital for the morning and visiting there. “Perfect, thank you so much, sir, I appreciate it.” I turned up to the red headed man with a smile on my face. “Good, you’ll be good help in there. It seems slightly more… alive than the night shift does.” “You’ve got a good point there.” I chuckled, entering the building to where a few of the other nurses were gathered around with our superiors. The majority of us had been fixed up with a good reasoning to get us off this unfair treatment, Winters wouldn’t have us being used unfairly.

The only space there was, was besides Captain Speirs at the back, as I walked over I smiled gently, swallowing the lump in my throat at the sight of him. I figured it would be substantially less awkward considering our interaction earlier, I hoped so anyway. Throughout the whole meeting I was only half listening, Ron’s arm would brush up against mine every now and then, and out of the corner of my eye I could see he was so close. If I stepped just the slightest bit closer, we’d be touching, to an outsider it looked normal, but to us it felt like there was something else completely different happening. Maybe that’s what he wanted, to play some kind of game, like cat and mouse. It was dangerous, so risky in a room full of all these people, but I liked the thrill of it. It felt like my breathing was uneasy, I swear he could tell, with one small glance to the side he’d be able to watch over my every movement.

Fidgeting, I moved my hand behind me, to rest on the table, but my fingers had brushed over his warm ones, and if I wasn’t crazy I swear I felt the nudge of his hand against my own. I remained completely still after that, feeling like a prey in that room under a predators beady eyes. Captain Speirs was so close to me, there was barely any room for small movements without grazing over one another. Worst of all, I wanted him to touch me- I wanted to touch him. After all the dreams I’d had about him…

There was a short film to be played, about the army nurses going into Japan. Exactly not what I wanted to think about, the impending threat of war not being over in the pacific somehow seemed even more daunting than everything we’d gone through in Europe. I switched my mind elsewhere, Ron. Avoiding listening to such statements such as ‘suicidal enemy’, I instead glanced down to the darkness that surrounded us in that small room. If he or I were to touch one another, nobody would know. He could probably slip a hand right up my dress and it would all be concealed by the darkness of the room. Sighing, I purposefully inched my hands ever so closer to him. Whilst I didn’t think he noticed, he did rest one hand on the table, the side closest to me. Stopping my movements, I glanced down to my left, making it a little obvious what I was doing. He must’ve noticed, copying my actions and gazing down to where my hand lingered before back up to the short film once again. For a moment, I thought he didn’t like it, so just as I went to retrieve my hand I was shocked when a simple finger ran over mine. A smile grew on my face, it was good it was dark in there because the footage was nothing to be smiling about. I felt his finger tip dance over the skin of my fingers, then my hand, before daring to reach behind me and stop at the tables edge. The small action drove me crazy, I think Ron knew it as well. When the lights were back on both of us acted like nothing had happened, despite the fact I was still breathing in manual mode, I semi ignored him, not knowing what to take from that situation.

Later that afternoon I was doing a few physical exams of the men for their records. I didn’t mind them, they passed time and I usually just got to spend time with the men I’d grew close friends with. It was 7pm, however before I’d got to the last man. “See you later, Alton, can you send in the next guy?” “Sure, I’ll catch you in a bit.” He winked, leaving the room as I ticked off a few more things on the paper before hearing the door shut quickly. “Oh, Captain Speirs, sir.” Scraping back my chair, I moved to stand at attention. “It’s fine.” He was quick to settle the formalities, handing me his papers over. “You’re here for a physical?” I asked dumbfounded as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Yes.” He responded, looking at me like I had two heads. What else would he be hear for? Stupid, stupid.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” I shook out of my awkwardness, glancing down to the papers on the table. “So you passed your physical exam by miles… you feeling okay in general?” My eyes widened seeing his physical scores. He was one of the top men, fastest, strongest- no wonder he was now the commanding officer. Ron nodded with a slight pout. “Okay, good.” I pushed the papers to one side, grabbing the stethoscope from the side. “I’m gonna just listen to you heart and breathing, take some blood and then I’ll start examining, come sit over here.” I nodded as he awkwardly took a seat in front of me. I smiled gently, moving over and pressing the stethoscope on his skin, under a loose gap in his shirt. Everything was fine, heart, lungs, but what I felt more awkward about was telling him to strip. “Um, if you just go behind the curtain and undress for me, same as always.” I avoided all eye contact, pretending to busy myself with a pen that I couldn’t find a home for. When I glanced up I noticed Ron attempting to undo his shirt right in front of me, my eyes widened. “Oh no, sir, you gotta go behind the curtain.” My hand landed on his as our eyes met for a brief few seconds. “Oh, okay.”

Within moments Ron was undressed and I was a blushing mess, of course he had his underwear on, but seeing him like this when we weren’t in a sexual situation made me al flustered. “You can come sit back down.” I watched as he sat back in front of me and I began examining, feeling his glands for any sign of bother, there was nothing.

“How much of this are you gonna do?” Ron then cleared his throat as I looked back up, my hand still rested on his chest. “How do you mean?” “As in… what else do you have to examine.” “oh, nothing private.” I sheepishly spoke. “That’s a man’s job, not mine.” An awkward giggle escaped my lips as I pressed over his chest, feeling for any abnormalities. I’d moved in closer, our knees knocking slightly, as I shuffled in my hair hearing him exhale gently. “You got any more after me?” Ron then questioned, my eyes lifting to really recognise how close we were. “No, you’re my last of the day.” My voice came out, barely a whisper as he nodded, a half smile growing on his face. Bashfully, I fluttered my eyes away, my heart rate taking off at a million miles per hour. Once everything was checked, sight, hearing, breathing- Ron was fine, but I however was left completely flustered, a literal mess, I was overheating as well. “You’re all done, everything’s fine.” My hand ran off his shoulder, standing back up from my chair, to push it back to where I got it from. “It is?” Ron spoke as I nodded. “Perfect, yeah. No surprise you got some of the top scores for your fitness earlier.” Ron sheepishly shrugged it off as I picked on the wooden table nervously as he stood up once again in front of me. “Don’t do that.” He winced, a hand covering mine. My gaze directed straight up to his, head tilting back to fully catch sight of him.

“Sorry.” My voice came out weak, like a whisper. “You said I was your last check up, right?” His voice lowered as I nodded, anticipating where this was going. His hand was still on mine, and we’d began to close the gap between us. “Yeah, last of the day. I got more tomorrow.” I averted my gaze one again, seeing him nod from the corner of my eye as his hand slipped off mine. Without thinking, I chased after it, my hand resting back in his again. “Ron, wait.” I stepped closer, borderline freaking out when I realised what I’d just done. Ron’s brows furrowed slightly, his free hand coming up to caress into my hair and over the side of my neck.

“You should go relax tonight.” He muttered, tracing his fingers across the sensitivity of my scalp. “I’m fine.” I sighed into his touch, hearing him hum out before moving closer to fully end the gap between us. Ron kissed me once sweetly, and again, before I felt myself practically dive on him. Shit, I couldn’t help it, I couldn’t get enough of him.

My fingers dug into the bare skin of his back, deepening the kiss as I couldn’t decide whether to yank on his underwear or his body to get even closer to me. The close proximity all day had ruined me, I was already aching desperately over him, and it was so wrong, in a physical exam with one of my superiors. But shit, I couldn’t help it. When my hands fell to his underwear, pushing on the band, he borderline pushed me back onto the desk, body toppling onto mine whilst pushing up my skirt. “I need you.” I admitted. “I just need you to fuck me.” The words came out bolder than what I expected. His fingers snapped at my underwear, stretching them down as he kicked at his fingers, lubricating my aching pussy before I pulled him by the ass into me. From the lack of foreplay I was still a little tight, but god I needed more of him, the second he entered me I let out a relieved sigh, feeling his arms wrap around my body to pull me close. His thrusts began, quick and harsh, filling me up in the way I’d needed. The sexual tension between us couldn’t be contained, and it always came to this in the most sneakiest of times. “Fuck me, sir.” I sighed out, keeping my voice on the low seeing as there was most likely people outside the door. Ron huffed with each thrust as he fucked into me, making the the table jump and move with each pump. He took a few harsh, slow thrusts, before giving it to me exactly how I wanted. One of his hands guided down to my clit, rubbing fast circles over my core as I covered my mouth with one hand.

Ron, knocked this hand away with his chin, attaching his lips onto mine as he groaned into the kiss causing me to scratch at his back harshly. “Please, please- like that, I’ve needed you so bad.” I admitted as he panted out, quickening his pace as he was encouraged by my words.

“Can’t stop thinking about you- about this.” He whispered back, grinding his hips right up to mine now as I let out a yelp maybe a little too loud. His words went straight to my chest, a warm swell filled me up and it caused me to scratch at his back more, Ron letting out a growl at the sensation.

It wasn’t long before I came crashing over the edge, babbling away as Ron moaned into my ear. “Cum all over me, fuck, that’s it.” He growled, biting down on my shoulder as his movements became choppy and strained. “Fuck.” “Cum for me, sir, fuck, I want it so bad.” With one last whimper from me, Ron pulled out and unloaded his seed onto my thighs, his high following mine shortly after as we both laid there breathing heavily. He was collapsed onto me, his cum rubbing up all over us uncomfortably. Grimacing, I glanced down as he followed my eyes. “Oh.” With that he was yanking tissues out of the box, wiping me clean before he did himself. I sat up on the table, still coming down from my high as Ron turned back to me, reaching forwards to do up my buttons. “So, is this becoming a regular thing now?” He practically smirked as my eyebrows raised. “I don’t know is it?” I straight up asked.

“Well… seems like it.” He muttered as he pulled his underwear back up, my eyes averting from his still evidently hard bulge. The white briefs didn’t do much to conceal anything, let alone something that bi- “shouldn’t we be more… careful?” “what d’ya mean?” He dumbly asked as I snatched my underwear back off the floor, pulling them back up. “I mean… you know, careful. If somebody finds out we’re both done for.” Ron watched me speaking with an unreadable expression. “You’re my commanding officer, I mean.” I mumbled out, shrugging with an awkward kinda chuckle leaving my lips.

Ron cleared his throat and moved around to retrieve his uniform that was discarded on the patient bed. “Yeah, suppose so.” Suppose so? How was he acting so nonchalant about this? His laid back attitude confused me, I’d expected him to be slightly more uptight, concerned, or maybe that was just me deflecting my emotions on him. “We should, I mean.” Ron corrected as I nodded, nudging down my dress to flatten any creases. Once dressed, Ron inhaled sharply like he was about to announce something important, but it fell flat. “Hm?” I frowned, not knowing how to fill the awkward silence. “I’ll see you… on patrol, tomorrow.” He too seemed a little awkward. After the intensity of our love making, our mundane conversations felt weird and unfitting. “Oh, I’m not going. I’m in the hospital tomorrow morning, so… I won’t be there…”

“Really? Forget what I said then.” He shook his head, fastening the last of his buttons on his uniform. He looked so handsome stood there, all tall and brooding, if it wasn’t so goddamn awkward then I would’ve been overjoyed. “I’ll see you later then, sir.” I smiled softly, fixing all the crumpled papers on my desk which we had messed up previously. “See you.” With one last nod of a goodbye, he’d left the room. A good 10 seconds later I’d noticed he’d left his god damn tie. Fuck. I contemplated running up after him, but then I didn’t want to seem desperate if I did so. Maybe he’d come back for it? Or maybe not, it had been too long of me sat there contemplating for him to have remembered. I was overthinking to the next level, so I simply left the tie there on my desk, gathered all my papers and left the office which I probably could never look at the same again. I was in trouble, big trouble- with myself.

————————————————————————

Here is the link to the chapter before: https://www.tumblr.com/bellewintersroe/714888831358451712/ron-speirs-x-fem-reader?source=share

[crazyforkasey-blog]

I will always find you

Jo

Sitting in jeep biting my nails and watching Easy company trying to take Carentan, I smiled, when i noticed a screaming Nixon, he was standing in a jeep of his own, screaming for Winters to get the men going.

The poor scared men were crouching the ditch trying to hide from the bullets that was spewing out of the German machine gun. Finally Winters got them going and I watched Nix plumbed down and relax.

My fellow agents and I had been in Carentan the night before to gathered intel about the amount of resistance the 506th could expect from theGermans.

Carentan and vital point for the troops way further in land and a thorn in the eye of the resistance. I watched Easy take the town and felt myself relax when I saw Nix was unharmed. I closed my eyes and let myself drift of fantasizing about what it would be like if I just had signed up with the regular army like my friend Anna, Easy's sharpshooter and princess.

A stone hit the side of my jeep, so much for the clever cover I thought. I looked up and noticed Anne wave at me from her vantage point. Shit I hadn't been carefull enough in my eagerness to see Nix. I waved back got out of the jeep and noticed Anna leave her cover. Shoot what now?

I met Anna on the outskirt of the town, she smiled at me " I thought that was you" Anna said and hugged me. I smiled back and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, we were here last night and the others retreated early this morning, but I couldn't leave for some reason" I shrugged and turned my blushing face away.

Anna let out a giggle "I bet, Nix still haunting you?" she asked

I kicked a rock "Yeah I can't let him go, I even seeked him out on

D Day "

"So that was why he was so pissed" Anna laughed

"Yeah I left him in a hurry" I hugged her and turned my head towards the hedgerow not far from us a whistle sounded and I knew I had to leave.

"I have to run" I turned and left Anne standing by herself.

Nix

Anna was hiding something from me again and if I learned something tese past few months It was that whenever she avoided me it meant Jo was near by. I found Anna at her favorite spot which was where ever she could watch Speirs without him seeing her. She startled a little when I sat down next to her "Still no luck with him" I asked

She turned her blushing face away from me and told me, she had no idea what I was talking about. I laughed and put my arms around her and gave her a squeeze.

" Then how about you tell me where I can find your friend" She sighed and turned to me "You know I can't do that Nix, Jo is like a fucking ghost"

I nodded and lit a cigarette I knew she was right Jo was like a ghost, just like her friends. Standing I thought I saw a shadow cross the square.

Propably just a soldier running towards his quarters.

Jo

I stood in the dark shadow watching him talk to Anna. We were in Carentan reporting on the Germans troop and where they should expect to encounter troops when they moved out the next day.

When Nix left Anne I followed him, he crossed the square and headed towards his quarters.

I watched him open the door and I followed his path to his room. I crossed my fingers hoping he did'nt share a room with Hester when I snuck into he quarters. I listned for noise and located Nix distinct steps and followed the sound. I pushed the door open and snuck in.

Nix

I was in the midst of undressing when somebody opned my door. I turned and saw Jo stand there. In two steps I was infront of her and my mouth covered hers. We devoured each other and somehow our clothes melted of our bodies and I was on top of her, not able to stop myself I found her slick moist folds and pushed inside her, she let out a small scream of pleasure and my body took over slamming into her again and again, she clung to me pressing her fingers into my shoulderblades and wrapping her sexy legs around my waist, while I pounded into her with all my pent up feelings and lust.

After we both finished I didn't get out of bed I just held onto her with all my strength.

Jo

Sated I looked at Nix, he turned to me "Please don't leave" he whispered and kissed me

"I won't, i can stay til the morning, but then I have to leave again" I told him.

We made sweet love and we both fell a sleep. I woke when a small peeble hid the window frame. I dressed, kissed the sleeping Nix, gathered my gear and left.

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

Should've Been Born Later, Nix - Chapter 7: The Boys Back Home

Easy Company x Fem!OCs

Chap. Synopsis: What will happen when some of Easy Company's most valuable soldiers disappear?

Words: 2,135

Find the fic's navigation page here !!

Have a question/want to be on the taglist? Let me know !!

Author's note: Hey everyone! Apologies for the delay with the chapter lol 🫠 This chapter is the point of view of the men in Bastogne!! Also, because this is my fanfiction and I can do whatever I want, there will be some soldiers who somehow survived their demise in previous episodes (Miller? Dukeman? PERHAPS) Anywho, thank you as always for reading and be on the lookout for Chapter 8! 🥰

"Luz!" Carwood cried over the last shell to drop. He watched the radioman dive into the foxhole - George met the same fate as the nine others who dropped into that hole, none of them came out. Lipton was astonished. At most, a foxhole could fit three of the men comfortably, perhaps four if needed. But ten men in one? Lipton should have seen a dog pile of olive drab stretching above the opening. Instead, he saw an empty hole in the ground. The First Sergeant blinked and rubbed his eyes, making sure what he saw was indeed reality. The foxhole stayed empty when he opened his eyes.

Lipton sprinted from where he was taking cover, desperately searching for Lieutenant Dike. He knew that Dike was the least preferable choice, especially in a situation like this, but the officers Lipton would have preferred to ask for help had disappeared. After an agonizing search mission, Lipton finally found the Lieutenant - Dike was absentmindedly strolling along, looking at the trees around him with a glassy, thousand-yard stare. “Lieutenant Dike!” Lipton called out, scrambling over tree roots and broken branches. Dike snapped back to reality, his posture automatically improving when he saw First Sergeant Lipton.

“What is it, First Sergeant?” Dike asked, trying to be authoritative. The yawn that followed his words worked against him. Carwood began to speak, but his words were caught in his throat… how in the world was he going to tell the lieutenant what just happened?

“Sir… we um…” Lipton tried to force the words out of his mouth.

“Spit it out, First Sergeant Lipton!” Dike ordered, irritation evident in his voice. Lipton paused, taking a breath before responding to the officer.

“Sir… several men are gone…”

“First Sergeant, this is war, we're going to have casualties every day.”

“Not like that sir, I mean… they've disappeared…”

Dike stared blankly at the NCO, wondering if he heard him right.

“Where did they go, Carwood?” Hearing Dike use his first name gave Lipton a feeling he could only describe as ick, but nevertheless, he continued.

“Sir, I saw ten men go into a foxhole, but when I reached them, the foxhole was empty.”

“And you’re sure you went to the right foxhole?” Lipton had to pause and take a breath before answering.

“Yes, sir.” In a flurry of urgency that Lipton had never seen from Dike before, the lieutenant had rounded up Compton, Peacock, Shames, Foley, and Welsh, as well as radioed to Colonel Sink. Lipton hastily repeated his experience to the officers, who were just as hesitant to believe Lipton as Dike was. 

“So they’re just… gone?” Harry asked, still skeptical.

“I wish I had more information for you sir, but all I saw was the men go into the foxhole and not come out,” Carwood replied, defeat evident in his voice.

“Shit…” Welsh muttered under his breath. The Irishman stared at the ground in front of him, wondering how he let two of his closest friends just disappear.

“So who all are we missing?” Buck interjected. He stood with his arms crossed, instinctively taking command of the conversation.

“Captains Winters and Nixon, Lieutenant Speirs, and then Roe, Luz, Liebgott, Guarnere, Toye, Malarkey, and Randleman,” the NCO listed off the men he saw disappear, and prayed he would see again.

What Lipton did not see was Skip Muck quickly scrambling back to his foxhole. He had originally made his way to CP to ask Captain Winters a question, but when he overheard the discussion between Lipton and the officers, panic consumed the soldier’s thoughts. Muck all but fell into Penkala’s foxhole, unaware that he inadvertently elbowed his best friend in the face.

“HEY! What the fuck!?” Penkala yelped in surprise, his hands shooting to his cheek.

“Keep it down, Penk! I gotta tell you something,” Muck hushed the soldier, looking to make sure no one else was around. “I just heard Lipton telling Buck that we lost a bunch of men.”

“Like, to a sniper?”

“No, like they fucking disappeared.” Alex rolled his eyes, figuring Skip was just up to his usual mischief.

“Yeah, and I’m marrying Rita Hayworth.”

“Penk, I’m serious. Winters, Nixon, and a few others are gone and they have no fucking idea where they went.”

“Wait, what’d you say?” Muck and Penkala looked up to see that Shifty Powers had joined them in their foxhole. The rifleman looked at his two friends with shock and concern - how could the soldiers just disappear, especially vital officers like Winters and Nixon?

“He said we’re missing half the fucking company!” Penkala’s voice raised again, becoming more distressed by the minute.

“I said keep it down, you ass-hat!” Skip punctuated his interjection with a sharp whack to the back of Penkala’s head. “Look, we all know Dike isn’t gonna do shit. When Colonel Sink gets here, we need to back Lipton up and make sure Sink knows what’s happening.”

“I can go round up some of the other NCOs and tell them,” Shifty offered, gathering up his rifle to go find the rest of Easy Company’s leaders.

“Alright, we’ll come find you once Sink gets here,” Penkala replied before Shifty set off on his solo mission. Before long, the Virginian had gathered up Alley, Christianson, Grant, Martin, McClung, Perconte, Sisk, Talbert, Popeye, and Smokey Gordon. Of course, the trio of Hashey, Garcia, and Miller wanted to tag along as well - even if they did not have a leadership role, they wanted to help their company however they could.

“I really hope Bull’s okay…” Hashey muttered to no one in particular, crossing his arms to conserve the little warmth he had. “First he went missing in Holland, now we lose him in Bastogne…”

“Yeah, we need to keep a leash on him or something!” Miller snickered to his friends before Babe Heffron bumbled up to the group. The redhead resembled a baby horse learning to gallop as he jumped and weaved past tree roots and foxholes making his way to the group of soldiers.

“The fuck is this I hear about Gaurnere missing!?” Babe’s respirations were loud and labored as he attempted to catch his breath. Before anyone could respond, Lipton came across the group of soldiers all congregated near CP.

“Hey fellas, everyone doing all right?” Carwood asked nervously - he loved his men, but he knew they were up to no good if too many were in one place without a good reason.

“We heard about the men going missing,” Smokey replied, Mississippi accent thick in his words.

“We want to help, Lip, however we can,” Floyd Talbert added. He nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other, Smokey glancing a look of concern at his best friend. 

Lipton was about to express his gratitude to his company before Colonel Sink’s Jeep was seen pulling up beside the rest of the group. Lipton quickly went to grab the company’s officers as Sink nodded in thanks to his driver and stepped out of the car. With a loud, abrupt command to “Ten-Hut!” from Buck Compton, the gathered men snapped to attention and saluted the colonel, who offered a gentle salute in return.

“At ease men,” Sink instructed before turning to the officers, “I knew it was bad when I was getting a call from Dike.”

Lipton and Welsh needed to bite their cheeks to hide their amused smiles. “We’re not sure what to do, sir, or if anything can be done…” Buck replied to the colonel before taking a step back - the blonde gestured for Lipton to step up, an instruction to inform Sink of their predicament.

“Carwood, tell me exactly what you saw.” The rest of the gathered men leaned in as Sink spoke, anxious to understand what was happening.

“Ten men went into a foxhole while we were getting shelled, sir, but the foxhole was completely empty when I went to check on them afterward. There was absolutely no trace of anyone being in that foxhole, sir, and now we can’t find any of the men I saw go in.”

The older man nodded in understanding, silently processing Lipton’s words. “Who all went in?” The NCO repeated the names from earlier, ending with Captains Winters and Nixon. Sink simply looked down at the snow. “And you have no idea where the hell any of them went…”

“No sir,” Lipton replied quietly.

The colonel simply let out a sigh and shook his head, “I’m sorry boys, but since it was during a shelling and they were last seen going into a foxhole, the higher-ups probably aren’t going to authorize a search party,” he sent a determined look to the men, “I’m going to do everything I can to push the request through, but I better not hear of anyone taking matters into their own hands.” Before getting back into his Jeep, Sink turned to Lieutenant Dike, or rather, where Dike should have been. “And where the hell is Dike?”

“We don’t know, sir, we looked for him before you arrived but didn’t find him,” Welsh chimed in. Sink rubbed his forehead in irritation before turning to Buck and Welsh.

“All right, I’m making this an official order. Lieutenant Compton, if Dike isn’t to be found and a decision needs to be made, your company comes to you. Harry, you’re second in command. You kids do what you think is right. You’re good soldiers with smart heads on your shoulders.” Sink nodded to the officers and saluted the men before getting back in his Jeep and driving back to Regimental HQ - the poor man put his head in his hands, his most trusted officers were gone without a trace, and there was virtually nothing he could do to help them.

As if on cue, Dike returned to the company, “What are we all standing around for? We have a line to protect!” Dike crescendoed his voice to try and be more authoritative, but his efforts fell flat. Eyes rolled and voices groaned as the gathered men all dispersed and returned to their assigned duties - well, all except for Babe, Talbert, Smokey, McClung, Shifty, Alley, Grant, and Popeye. As everyone was trying to leave, Smokey grabbed the sleeve of whoever he could.

“Y’all, this isn’t right, we need to do something,” the machine gunner pleaded in a hushed tone.

“You heard Sink, though, there’s no way they’re gonna authorize a search party,” Moe replied, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Popeye took a beat before he chimed in, “...why do we need to wait for authorization?”

“Because only a general can authorize a search party,” Talbert answered the Virginian - while he did not agree with the policy at all, he knew that there was no getting around it.

“But didn’t Sink say that he left Buck and Welsh in charge if Dike isn’t around? They’re not the type to snitch,” Grant offered to the conversation, scrunching his shoulders up for warmth like a turtle retreating into its shell.

“Hell, they might be happy to help out,” Gordon affirmed the NCO. The men looked around at each other with uncertainty - what if Dike found out? Or Peacock? To be honest, it was probably worse for the latter officer to discover the plot. Thomas Peacock tries his best to be a good captain, but these efforts cause him to be rather heavy-handed with the rules. If Peacock were to hear of the plot to find the missing soldiers, he would surely either tell his superior officers or try to stop the soldiers himself.

“What if we get caught?” Shifty asked nervously - while he wanted to help his friends, the poor boy was nervous to hatch a plot like this.

“We can’t just do nothin’! We all know they’d do the same if it were any of us out there!” The man from Philly interjected, earning Babe a smack on the head from Grant.

“Where would we even start?” McClung asked the group.

“Well, best thing to do would be to investigate the foxhole and see if there are any clues,” everyone turned in shock to see Lipton returning to them. “I needed something from CP, and then I noticed all of you still over here, I figured you were up to no good,” the first sergeant said with a smile, earning him a loving slap on the back from Grant and Johnny Martin. The rest of the afternoon was about to be spent brainstorming, at least until one of the men needed to take their turn watching the line.

All of the men felt nervous, but especially Babe. Guarnere is his best friend, it would be one thing if Babe knew that he was wounded, even killed, but not knowing what happened to Bill was eating away at Babe worse than anything he had ever felt before.

~~~~~

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 (coming soon!)

Taglist: @b00ks1ut , @blueberry-ovaries , @bucky32557038ww2 , @claudycod , @dontirrigateme , @easycompany123 , @emilee1421 , @executethyself35 , @hanniewinnix , @ithinkabouttzu , @jump-wings , @panzershrike-pretz , @stolen94 , @themysciraprincess , @xxluckystrike

Thank you so much as always for reading and stay tuned for Chapter 8! 😁

[mccall-muffin]

Love vs. Hate - Part 23 // Joe Liebgott x OC

Summary: The days go on in the freezing hell, but there seems no end to it. Though Liv is finally reunited with Joe, the loss of their friends and fellow soldiers is taking a big toll on them.

Warnings: Language, War wounds, death

A/N: Okay, okay, okay, okay. I'm BACK! I'm literally not happy with that chapter and I'm soooooo sorry, it took me so long. I had a massive writers block and now this is what came out of it. I'm sorry, I'll try to do better with the next.

Here is my Masterlist

Taglist: @brassknucklespeirs, @liebgotts-lovergirl, @lieutenant-speirs, @mads-weasley, @emmylindersson

January 2nd, 1945 - Bastogne, Belgium

This morning, I finally gather the courage to approach Babe. Over the last few days, he's been avoiding me, and the tension between us is palpable.

I spot him standing with the others, waiting for food, and I steel myself for the conversation. As I walk up to him, he glances up but quickly averts his eyes, and I can feel the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding us. Taking a deep breath, I call out his name, "Babe."

He responds with a slightly sarcastic tone, "What is it, Sarge?"

"I need to talk to you. Now," I assert, gesturing with my head for him to follow me away from the others.

Reluctantly, he joins me, crossing his arms defensively. "What is it?" he asks, clearly on guard.

I sigh, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze. "Listen, umm... I'm really sorry about Julian," I say, and Babe finally looks at me, but he remains silent. "You know that I didn't have any other choice."

Babe snorts, shaking his head. "You know the funny thing about that sentence is, that it's bullshit. You always have a choice."

His words weigh heavily on me. "Maybe that's true. And yesterday, I made that choice. I chose not to let you die, too. Do you even get that? If I had let you go for him, you would be as dead as he is right now!"

"So now you want me to thank you for saving my life? Is that it?" Babe retorts with bitterness.

"No, for fuck's sake! Of course not!" I reply, my frustration evident. "I just want you to understand what I did. I don't need you to like my decisions because, hell, I couldn't care less about that. I just want you to understand them because you are in my platoon, and I want to look out for my men."

There's a moment of silence as Babe absorbs my words. He rubs his nose, sniffs, and looks at me again, his eyes glazed with emotion, and his lip trembles.

"He was my friend, you know?" he finally speaks, his voice shaky.

"I know," I respond gently, nodding slowly in acknowledgment.

"I know what you settled with him," I continue, my voice softening. "I'm glad you can keep your word."

Confusion flickers across Babe's face. "What do you mean, Liv?"

"We were able to get him. Julian," I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out his Class ring, wallet, watch, and dog tags.

Babe is taken aback, almost unable to comprehend my words. "You-? What?" he stammers, as I hand him his fallen comrade's possessions.

"We sent out another patrol this morning. The Krauts retreated, and we found Julian. I don't think they even noticed him yet," I explain, my voice tinged with sadness.

"If you want... If you want, you can look at him," I offer softly, placing a comforting hand on Babe's arm, though he quickly shakes his head.

"I- I can't," he whispers, his emotions overwhelming him. Then, he looks at me with teary eyes, hesitating before asking, "Did you- did you lead...?"

I press my lips together, knowing what he's trying to ask. With a heavy heart, I nod, and Babe breaks down, pulling me into a tight embrace.

"Thank you!" he whispers, and I gently stroke his back, offering comfort in the face of loss.

"It's okay," I reassure him, understanding the depth of his emotions.

As Babe returns to the others, my attention is caught by Joe, standing before me. Adrenaline courses through my veins, and I nervously bite my lips as he eyes me. Trying to hide the scar under my left eye, I lower my head to the left.

"Liv," Joe whispers, stepping closer to me. My lips begin to tremble as he places a hand under my chin, gently lifting my head. "Hey," he says softly, looking me in the eye. "Why are you trying to hide from me?"

I've imagined this moment countless times, but now I feel ashamed of my scars and vulnerability.

"It looks terrible," I admit, barely audible, and the redness under my eye only worsens my insecurity.

"Liv," Joe says firmly, his expression filled with tenderness. Then, he envelops me in his arms. "I don't care about any of that. The main thing is that you're standing here in front of me, alive!"

Tears well up in my eyes as I press myself against his chest, feeling the warmth and security he provides.

God damn, how can one person always evoke such a profound reaction in me?

As we hold each other in the freezing forest, surrounded by the sounds of war and the remnants of tragedy, the intensity of our emotions overwhelms us both. Joe's arms tighten around me, and I find comfort in his embrace. The world around us fades, and it's just the two of us, connected in this moment of vulnerability.

"I missed you, Liv," Joe whispers into my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "I couldn't stop thinking about you when I was away."

"I missed you too, Joe," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was so relieved when I heard they pulled you away. But now you're here again. What if we won't make it through this fucking hell?"

"We're both still here, though," Joe says softly, lifting my chin with his fingers so I meet his gaze. "And I'm not going anywhere, not without you."

The weight of the war, the losses, and the constant danger seem to fade away when we're in each other's arms. In this desolate place, I find solace in the bond we've forged, knowing that I'm not alone in the midst of the chaos.

As I pull away, I feel a sense of tranquility, knowing that we have each other to lean on in this tumultuous time.

"I don't know what the future holds, Joe," I say, a hint of sadness in your voice. "But right now, being here with you, that's all that matters."

Joe nods his expression a mixture of determination and love. "We'll get through this together, Liv. I promise."

As we stand together, hand in hand, you both know that the road ahead won't be easy. The war continues to rage on, and the future remains uncertain. But at this moment, we find strength in each other and the knowledge that we have something worth fighting for.

"We should head back," Joe says, breaking the silence. "They'll start wondering where we went."

I nod, reluctantly pulling away from his embrace. As we walk back toward the others, I know that our relationship is no longer a secret. And while the dangers of fraternization persist, I find comfort in the fact that I have a love that keeps me grounded amidst the chaos.

January 3rd, 1945, Bastogne, Belgium

After holding the line at Bastogne we were once again called on to help push the Germans back through the Bulge. I stand next to Buck, overlooking a map with Lip and Buck. Bill stands next to us and Muck and Penkala also. We have the map on Don's back.

"We were here this morning and then we came this way", Buck explains. "Right, so, right here's gotta be the logging road coming into here, which means we get right there", he says showing it with his finger and then hitting Don on the head.

"Hey!", Don says. "Take it easy." I chuckle and nudge him.

"Stop crying, Malark or I'll nail it to your head", Buck then says and I chuckle.

"Good, it's made of wood", Bill says and Buck is looking at me, before he nods. I nod back at him.

"Guarnere, move them out, let's go", Buck then says.

"Yes, sir. 2nd Platoon, let's go!"

I'm glad to be out of my foxhole and moving again. Even if only to get warm. We are being sent to clear the Bois Jacques the woods near the town of Foy in preparation for what we knew would be the eventual assault on Foy itself.

During that 1,000 yard attack through the woods we encountered German machine gun fire and had a couple of casualties. But, for the most part, met little resistance. Hoob's run-in with the German officer on was the most dramatic moment of the day.

Amidst the freezing darkness of the night, we huddle together in a small foxhole, seeking whatever comfort and warmth we can find. The sounds of distant gunfire and explosions serve as a constant reminder of the perilous reality we face. Exhausted and weary from the relentless battles, we are startled by the sudden sound of a gunshot, piercing through the quiet night.

"What the fuck was that?" I exclaim, my heart racing as I instinctively reach for my rifle. Beside me, Don looks equally alarmed, his eyes wide with concern.

As the echoes of the shot fade, the urgent voices of our fellow soldiers guide us toward the source. "Jesus, it's Hoobs, he's shot!" someone calls out, and without hesitation, we rush to Hoob's side.

"What? Sniper?" I inquire, fearing the worst.

"No, he shot himself," comes the disheartening response.

As Lip joins us, his face reflects the gravity of the situation. "What happened?" he asks, seeking to understand the circumstances.

"It just went off," Hoobs explains, his voice filled with pain and regret. Kneeling down beside him, I take his hand, trying to offer some comfort amidst the chaos.

"Why is there a loaded gun in your pants?" I inquire, struggling to comprehend what led to this tragic event.

"Liv, I wasn't touching it or nothing. Goddamn it," Hoob desperately responds, his eyes pleading for understanding. "I wasn't touching it, I swear."

Sighing with a mix of frustration and concern, I call out for the medic, knowing that Hoobs needs immediate attention.

"Medic!"

Doc quickly arrives at the scene, his experienced hands taking charge. "Hold on. Wrap him up. Hang in there. Come on," Doc reassures Hoob, doing his best to stabilize the wounded soldier.

"Lip. You said I was a great shot, right?" Hoob asks, his voice tinged with vulnerability.

"You're a great shot. Come on, you jump out of planes. You're tough," Lipton responds, trying to encourage him.

As we gather around, trying to keep Hoob warm, we continue to talk to him, hoping to distract him from the pain and fear.

"He's still shivering," I note, my heart breaking for our wounded comrade.

"It's not that bad at all, come on," Perconte tries to reassure Hoob, but the situation remains dire.

"Stay with us. Hoob, take it easy," Doc urges, his dedication unwavering despite the grim circumstances.

"What are we gonna do?" Don asks, his voice heavy with helplessness.

"How are we doing?" Lip inquires, seeking an update from Doc.

"You're gonna be fine," I assure Hoob, holding his hand tightly.

"We've gotta get him to an aid station. Hold on tight. All right, let's get ready to move him. Take it easy. Stay there, Hoob," Doc commands, already preparing for the difficult task ahead.

As we work together to get Hoob ready for transport, I call out to Doc, my voice filled with concern and desperation. "Doc!"

But before Doc can respond, I realize the truth, and my heart sinks.

"Can't see anything", Doc says still occupied with Hoobs leg.

"Doc!" I point to Hoob, who is already gone, and the weight of the moment settles heavily on us all.

"Jesus," Doc murmurs, shaken by the loss.

"Lipton, we need a jeep," Perconte says, his voice heavy with grief.

As we reflect on the tragedy that has unfolded before us, we come to the sad realization that Hoob's life has been cut short by an unfortunate accident. Despite our frantic efforts, his injuries proved too severe, leaving us with a void that cannot be filled.

As we return to our foxholes, the weight of his loss hangs heavy on our hearts, and the darkness of the night is now intensified by the shadow of a fallen comrade. We mourn the loss of a fellow soldier, knowing that his memory will forever be etched in our hearts as we continue to face the relentless turmoil of war.

The following day, we're pulled back a little to grab a much-needed meal after that horrific night. Word spread out fast, that we lost our friend Donals Hoobler that night.

Seated on the ground next to Joe, I massage my temples, trying to soothe the incredible headaches that have haunted me since I was hit. I close my eyes, attempting to find some relief from the pain. The pills Doc Roe gave me are helpful, but there's just not enough to fully ease the agony.

In the midst of my discomfort, I hear Muck's voice raise, and I open my eyes to see him approaching. "Fellas, look who I found. Joe Toye, back for more," he announces, with Joe Toye standing next to him. Joe looks a bit worse for wear, but knowing him, he's determined to soldier on.

Joe nudges me, and when I look at him, he winks quickly, as if to reassure me. However, my attention is soon drawn back to Muck, who's joined by Don, Penkala, and a replacement named Webb. They're sharing stories of how people got hit, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry, there's enough crap flying around here. You're bound to get dinged sometime. Almost every single one of these guys has been hit at least once. Except for Alley, he's a two-timer. He landed on broken glass in Normandy... and got peppered by a potato masher in Holland," Muck says as he walks through the ranks.

I follow his gaze and chuckle, appreciating how he's trying to downplay the danger we face. The camaraderie and banter among the soldiers provide a semblance of comfort in this harsh reality.

"Now, Bull, he got a piece of an exploding tank in Holland," Muck points out, and Bull doesn't seem too thrilled about the reminder. "And George Luz here has never been hit. You're one lucky bastard."

"Takes one to know one, Skip," George playfully retorts, drawing laughter from me as I rub my eyes, still struggling with the headache.

"Consider us blessed," Muck shrugs, before making his way over to us. "Now, our dear Sergeant Stark over there, that blonde beauty you see, got a nice graze in Nuenen - 26 stitches, right Liv?" he remarks, and I lift my head, feeling slightly annoyed.

"29, actually," I correct him.

"Oh, whatever. And as you can see, she got a little Christmas gift from the Germans on her face as well. An improvement, if you ask me."

"Bite me, Skip," I respond, playfully giving him the finger, which only elicits a chuckle from him.

"Eh, come on, Sweetheart. But don't try something with her, or you don't need to worry about ding flying around. Liebgott, the skinny little guy next to her... will take care of you then, if you know what I mean," Muck teases, drawing Joe's attention as well.

"Ah, shut up, Skip!" I interject, feeling the teasing becoming a bit too much. I stand up and walk over to Don, who's smirking.

I offer him the rest of my bread and nudge him affectionately. "Just telling the truth here, Liv," Muck defends himself. "Well, he got pinged in the neck in Holland. Right next to him, that other skinny little guy, that's Popeye. He got shot in his scrawny little butt in Normandy."

"And Buck got shot in his rather large butt in Holland," Don chimes in with a smirk.

As they continue their banter, I step away, seeking a moment of solitude to collect myself. The headache persists, and I take a sip from my water bottle, wondering how I'll endure this hellish war when it feels like my head could explode at any minute.