#ive got like 17k written so far but theres def more to go

[gingerwerk]

it’s wip wednesday so here’s a blurb from my andyeddie pre flowers & tattoos au fic so there is actual proof out in the world that it exists outside of my head 

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Eddie. Not Edward. Never Edward,

Not always Eddie either. Sometimes he was Hillbilly.

Even before all that, before the familiarity, the level of trust Andy experienced with so very few other people, he was simply Sergeant Jones. 

The first time Andy saw Eddie Hillbilly Jones it had been brief, a quick introduction by Captain Harper who took it upon himself to show the green lieutenant around Camp Lejeune.

He was the newest member of Echo company in the Second Marine Regiment- which was exciting -and was set to lead Echo’s weapons platoon- which was less exciting. It was unusual for a fresh second lieutenant to run the weapons platoon, as it required more expertise than a regular rifle platoon but when Captain Harper asked if he’d be comfortable taking over how could he say anything but yes? The marine corps was all about rising to the occasion and Andy knew that this would simply be the first of many instances he had to push through his anxieties to lead. 

After a meeting in his office, Captain Harper took him around the base and occasionally pointed out people worth knowing. Near the end of the quick tour, the two paused near the parade deck, and together they watched briefly as a sergeant led enlisted men through drills. 

“Oh, that’s Sergeant Jones,” Captain Harper informed him. “Solid as they come. Might hear some of the men call him Hillbilly.”

Andy wanted to ask why ‘Hillbilly’ but Captain Harper was already moving on. Andy spared the tall, lean man one more look before he went to catch up with his CO, fighting the feeling he got suddenly in his gut that he should’ve stayed watching that man for a moment or two longer.

During his stint in weapons platoon, Andy and Eddie never really crossed paths. It made sense with him in weapons and Eddie, he learned later, was an infantry school instructor, but he still saw Eddie around enough to never fully let the man leave his mind, heard enough about the man through the grapevine to already have a mental picture of the man without ever speaking to him. Every time Eddie was within Andy’s eyesight he got that same, strange feeling in his gut, the one that told him to stay, the one that made him feel like something was pulling him towards the other. Now, Andy was a firm believer in following one's gut but this had to be some sort of malfunction of his internal compass. He couldn’t get bogged down all because of one man he had never even spoken to before. 

Eventually there came a time when Andy realized he hadn’t seen nor heard Sergeant Jones as he led new recruits about the base. After casually asking someone about it, he was informed that Jones left for a specialty school in preparation to transfer.

“Oh, good for him,” Andy said calmly

It’s for the best, Andy told himself. 

Andy tried to convince himself that was it, that he was happy for Sergeant Jones, and come next week Jones probably wouldn’t ever cross his mind again. He tried, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that he had made some huge misstep along the way.

Never reaching out to Eddie at Lejeune might’ve felt like a missed opportunity but after three years, promotions, and a transfer across the county, it felt like missing an entire flight of stairs when Andy walked into the Fifth Marine Regiment office at Pendleton just to find none other than Eddie Hillbilly Jones staring right at him with fresh second lieutenant bars on his collar.