#randy hill

[as-amanda]

[mirainawen]

Prompt: Hill Brothers + We don't like our cousins. @missnagatsuki

“That is the last time I sit next to cousin Elba at Thanksgiving.”

“That’s right, brother. You could always sit next to Tim-oh-thy.”

“Not a snowball’s chance.”

“Then that just leaves Shaunty, and you both don’t even like her.”

“We don’t like any of our cousins, Randy.”

“I don’t know, I think Eva’s kinda alright.”

“She bought you snowman slippers. You would.”

“Hey, those are the comfiest, nicest slippers you could ever wear!”

“Real men don’t wear slippers, Randy.”

“You do if you don’t want your feet to get cold.”

“Like Patches’s paw booties?”

“You make fun now, but being able to knit booties is an important life skill. Someday, when the nuclear war happens and you can’t find electricity anywhere, you’ll be glad one of us has some good old-fashioned skills to survive the post-modern world.”

“Okay, only half of that made sense.”

“I still just want to focus on the fact that Randy had Alverta teach him how to knit because cousin Mathias convinced him a cold war or zombie apocalypse or something stupid like that was coming and he could just knit himself out of danger.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Derrick. You can’t knit yourself out of anything - but into it, maybe.”

“He says that because he managed to knit himself into a chinese finger trap.”

“It wasn’t a finger trap, Derrick. It was a mitten.”

“Right, sorry. Finger booties.”

“Not even close.”

“No, I am. But can we get back on topic here? As I said, I’m not sitting next to cousin Aisha next holiday.”

“Next holiday is Christmas.”

“You said Elba.”

“Did I? Well, her too.”

“Which cousin is it? We only have -”

“I am not sitting next to any of them next Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines, or St. Martin King Jr. day!”

“Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t a saint, and we don’t celebrate that holiday.”

“We don’t? How come I never have schoo- I’m gonna stop talking.”

“I’m gonna let it slide, because it’s Christmas, but-”

“Guys, it’s only Black Friday.”

“Randy, you’ve been blasting Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Frosty the Snowman since November 1st.”

“Those are excellent Christmas songs, Derrick.”

“Debateable, but in light of the holiday spirit, I myself will let that one slide.”

“Maybe in light of the holiday spirit, we can just let it all slide. I’ll sit next to Shaunty and Pete can sit next to Alverta and Derrick -”

“Not. Verena!”

“Derrick, I thought it was Elba?”

“None of them! Ever! Never again! All the cousins, all the aunts and uncles and mysteriously related relatives I don’t think are related at all!”

“Don’t talk that way about Albion. You know he’s sensitive about it.”

“And don’t even get me started on the Ever-triplets.”

“Everett, Everah, and Everlina?”

“See! Those aren’t even real names! Why do all of our cousins have weird made-up names!”

“I guess when you have ten kids and those kids have kids and their kids have kids, you run out of names pretty fast.”

“Do not blame this on Granderma and Granderpa!”

“Yeah, blame it on Uncle Aflreda-”

“Aunt Alfreda.”

“Sorry, it’s hard to keep track. Aunt Alfreda. Adopting foreign dignitaries’ offspring.”

“That is not what happened.”

“Close enough.”

“Derrick don’t encourage that stupid story-”

“Wait, it’s a lie? They’re not my cousins?”

“Don’t panic, buddy. Here.”

“Thanks, Pete. But back to what’s important - are Alphonso, Alphonsus, and Alpheus our cousins or not?”

“I don’t think any of them are. I’m not sitting next to any of them. Next holiday, I’m staying home by myself and I’m never attending another ‘family reunion’ ever again! My cheeks are bruised, my dignity is shot, I can’t go to the bathroom by myself, my lungs are broken, and my hair is purple!”

“But it does look good on you, brother.”

“I will murder you!”

[nedyma]

[nicolawritesnovels]

I know that Bugs doesn’t find out what happened that summer. There was something more to the riots, I’m sure, but Bugs isn’t going to find out what it is that summer. It ends on a bitter sweet note, and future Bugs gives us the rest of the information, that he gained from others later on. 

Now, Summer makes a good point in mentioning that just the sight of those pictures shouldn’t bring the whole town to that much violence so quickly. There wouldn’t have been that many people supporting them. So it wasn’t just the pictures, even if it seemed like it. There’s more to that story. And Gary knows it, which is why he was coming to get them. He said it was because their parents were looking for them, but I’m getting the sense that there was more than that. But it’s hard to write the explanation if I don’t know what it is.

My instinct is to make Gary gay with a crush on Bruce, but I’m not going to do that. It doesn’t fit with the story, it’s just my instinct to make everything gay. 

Maybe it was because of Summer’s powers. Randy knew about them before that. And I think Gary did too. They saw the fireworks that Summer created, when he held hands with Bugs. But I’m not sure how or why they would be hidden from Bugs. I’m still missing something, but I guess I don’t need it right now. 

It’s time to finish Summer’s story off, at least for that Summer. Summer wants to find out the truth, and Bugs is going to sit this one out. She isn’t really comfortable getting in any more trouble, but of course, Summer is. And Summer will. Summer wants to talk to Gary. And in the process, he’ll get in trouble. 

[nickywritesnovels]

Part of the problem is that Bill Hops needs to stay in the cops good books in order to keep doing things the way he does. And Randy Hill’s father is the Sherif. 

So having Bugs at war with Randy is a bad thing for him. Which might also be why he didn’t insist on taking care of Kit after Charles Friar died, even though he felt morally obligated to. He just made the offer, and left it at that. 

[bipolarcharacteroftheday]

Today’s Bipolar Character of the Day is: Randy Hill from Enlisted

[submitted by anon!]

[setsailslash]

30 Days of Writing: 24/30

10. the photograph. (enlisted: the hill brothers)

It isn’t so much as one as it is an album in his phone.

He takes it out on more occasion than he wants to admit.

And maybe he will not admit to this over the rare skype calls with Randy (and Derrick too, walking by in the background with a bowl of what must be soup carefully balanced in one hand), but he takes to any and all of his troop’s ribbing with all the good nature he has never showed his siblings.

He takes to them calling him a sap and so many other things.

All of which he finds himself not minding one bit when he is next to his men (and women) and they haven’t walked away when he fishes out his phone from a pocket of his fatigues.

Pointing at himself with that scraped knee and the start of a black eye, Derrick with that bandage haphazardly taped to his elbow, and Randy with his two front teeth missing. The latter the only thing that is not the result of a fight that started because of something just as stupid as all the things they still fight about now.

It is probably embarrassing to have pictures of his brothers on him instead of a girlfriend waiting back home or anything really. But.

Pete doesn’t delete a single one of those pictures, not even when he is back in Florida, with his two brothers under his command in rear detachment.

He only adds to it.

[laughterandlove]

How is there no “best of” video for  Enlisted? I mean it would be super long but worth it!

I’m just missing the show! Especially after Parker’s new role announcement.

[clairemiller86]

"Maybe it's time for this hippo to fly solo."

Randy: Bro, Jill was right about us. I’m researching animal facts with my wildlife index cards.

Derrick: Randy, you’ve had those since you were eight, okay? When are you gonna get rid of ‘em, pal?

Randy: Never. A lot of this knowledge hasn’t made it to the Internet yet. When Pete was around, we were like bonobos.

Derrick: Bonobos. Okay.

Randy: Yes. We lived together. We sought food together. There’s also a bunch of weird hypersexual behavior with bonobos that doesn’t really apply.

Derrick: Where are you going with this, and how can I go the other way?

Randy: When Pete left, our dynamic changed. We evolved to the hippo and the oxpecker.

Derrick: That's not how evolution works.

Randy: There's no denying how well this hippo and this bird work together.

Derrick: Yeah, I get it. The bird eats from the hippo's teeth. It gets free food. The hippo gets free dental.

Randy: Yes. I'm the hippo. You're the bird. It's science.

Derrick: It's a free set of cards from the zoo.

Randy: Maybe it's time for this bird to fly solo.

Derrick: You just said you were the hippo.

Randy: Maybe it's time for this hippo to fly solo.

[enlistedbros]

[mirainawen]

I need you to watch the teaser for "The Good Dinosaur" and TELL ME THAT RANDY WOULDN'T FLIP HIS LID OVER THIS ;;

YES OMG HE’D GET SUPER ATTACHED TO THESE SILHOUETTES OF DINOSAURS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF SECONDS AND WOULD START TO GET ALL EMOTIONAL ABOUT THE APPROACHING ASTEROID COMING FOR THEM, BAWLING ABOUT THE IMMINENT DEATH OF THESE CRITTERS HE LITERALLY KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT HE JUST MET THEM 30 SECONDS AGO AND THERE’S BEEN NO DISPLAY OF CHARACTER OR ANYTHING HE’S JUST DEVASTATED AT THE UPCOMING IMPACT AS THE ASTEROID ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE AND THEN-

ZOOM. It missed. Never mind. Whew. Oh, no big deal. The dinosaurs lived, everybody! The dinosaurs lived.

And Derrick’s just like

[htbthomas]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Enlisted (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Derrick Hill & Randy Hill Characters: Derrick Hill, Randy Hill, Donald Cody, Tanisha Robinson, Mort Gumble, Jill Perez, Pete Hill Additional Tags: Brothers, Carnival, Humor, Yuletide 2014, Brotherly Bonding, POV Alternating Summary:

The annual Fort McGee Family Fun Festival has always been a victim of sabotage. But not this year, with Private First Class Randy Hill on the job!

----

So here was my main assignment, a match I was surprised but not unhappy to get. Enlisted! Such a sweet, wonderful, sorely missed show. I know a few of you here watched it. 

Also, happily, my recipient, theswearingkind, liked the same things about the show I did - in her words: "This show is warm and good-hearted and hilarious, and the ensemble is just hilariously on-point at every moment, full of characters who are all huge weirdos in such excellently specific ways, and it deserved so, so much better than it got. " So I wanted to give her something that matched.

So, after one start that fell apart, and then some more brainstorming with innie, I ended up with a 6k fic about brothers "stepping it up" for each other. Plus I got to have lots of fun with all the goofy characters besides.

[enlistedbros]

Randy + Derrick ► Hippo & Bird

Bro, Jill was right about us. I'm researching animal facts with my wildlife index cards. Randy, you've had those since you were eight, okay?  When are you gonna get rid of 'em, pal? Never. A lot of this knowledge  hasn't made it to the Internet yet. When Pete was around, we were like bonobos. Bonobos. Okay. Yes. We lived together. We sought food together. There's also a bunch of weird hypersexual behavior  with bonobos that doesn't really apply. Where you going with this, and how can I go the other way? When Pete left, our dynamic changed.

[mirainawen]

if you're still accepting hillbros requested, plEASE do a fic where they're in a situation where randy is so worried about the possibility of pete getting hurt that he doesn't notice when derrick actually is

First, allow me to apologise most profusely for how long this took me to produce. As already shared tonight, part of the problem has been my utter lack of motivation to do anything, especially all the stuff that replenishes me.

Fear, pt i.

It’s too dark and they’re not supposed to be here. Randy firmly believes that, abelief with a steel spinal cord made so hard by terror.

They should be home.They should be in bed.

(He hadn’t wanted to bein bed; he’d been reveling in being out past his bedtime.)

He shifts. “Shouldn’the be here by now?” he worries, coiled to spring.

It’s been seconds,handfuls, but forever, too long.

“Randy.” Derrick’svoice comes out of the darkness beside him. “Be quiet.”

He doesn’t know what’sgoing on, but he knows it’s terrifying. One moment, he’s having agood time with his brothers (Pete was taking them out for the night,and even Derrick had stopped moping), when these scary guys comearound the corner and knock Derrick down with something for noreason, and then it was all confusion after that.

Pete had flipped a lid;he’d gone after the biggest guy, and the next thing Randy knows,Derrick’s dragging him down the sidewalk, away from Pete, andaround a corner into the alley the guys had come out of.

“I don’t hearanything.” Randy’s eyes do not settle; his nerves do not abate atDerrick’s voice, growing tauter and fuller with worry at onebrother’s voice and the distinct absence of another’s.

“Randy.”Derrick’s hand closes around his neck, and he tries not to jump.“Buddy, I need you to come back here with me.”

“But Pete could behurt.” He’s ready to spring for his biggest brother, butDerrick’s hand is a firm, sweaty presence on the back of his neck,anchoring him to the spot.

“Pete will bealright.” Derrick says, all for Randy’s benefit, becausehe’s many things, but an idiot is not one of them and Randy’smore perceptive than his brothers realise.

“But it’s so quiet-”

“Probably because he’schased them off.” Derrick interrupts softly. “Come on.”

“Or he’s hurt.”Randy’s voice trembles with worry, and fear. He doesn’t shiftback toward his brother like Derrick wants him to; instead, he triesto peer back the way they had come, as though he could see what washappening; as if it would summon his biggest brother.

“Guys?” Pete’svoice, strong and fine,comes out of the darkness, carries down the alley, and there he is atthe end, summoned by Randy’s fear and overpowering need for Pete tobe fine. It’s like magic.

“Pete!” Randy jumps up, all ten-year-old bodyfull to the brim with sudden relief. Just yesterday they’d foughtover something stupid (and he’d cried); today, Pete was angry atDerrick, and Derrick had been unusually subdued, and Randy wouldrewind the clock to yesterday and never being able to beat his bigbrother if it meant tonight wouldn’t happen.

“I sent ‘em pac-” Pete’s expression suddenlydrains. “Randy, get down!” he hollers, and Derrick’s hand curlsaround Randy’s wrist, lightning fast, and the next thing he knowsis he’s down beside his brother, huddled next to the dumpster, andPete’s going tooth and nail at some big guy Randy thinks must havebeen part of the group who’d come after them in the first place,right? Except Pete had made them go away – that’s what he wassaying.

Randy starts to cry. He doesn’t understand whythis is happening, it’s too dark, and he’s scared,and Pete was supposed to make it safe and it wasn’tsafe, and why were these people so mean? Why were they trying to hurtPete?

“Shh,” Derrick shushes him, putting a hand overRandy’s mouth.

He wrenches it away. “They’re hurting him.”

“No, they’re not.”Derrick shoots back, but Randy knows he’s lying because Derrick’shand is shaking against his skin, his brother’s body is tremblingagainst his side, and Randy is very scared, more scared than he’sever been, and Derrick had locked him in the woodshed just last week.

The fight lasts forso long, every seconda millisecond to the trembling, fraying mess the ten-year-old isbecoming, but then it’s over,like a switch, too quick to catch, and the bad guy -bad guys?- are running off down the alley and Pete’s left standing alone beforethem. Safety oozesfrom Pete’s 6’1 seventeen-year-old frame.

“They’re gone,” he says, and Randy bursts fromhis hiding spot.

“Pete!” he rams into his brother, sticking tohim like a tree frog, arms around his brother as far and hard as theycan be.

“Really?” Derrick asks, much more hesitantlyuncurling himself from his hiding spot, double-checking Pete’sstory for himself before allowing himself to step into the opennessof the alleyway.

“I’m alright, buddy,” Pete says to Randy inthe interim, patting Randy’s shoulder to reassure him.

It does. For the most part. “I thought for surethey were gonna hurt you, Pete,” Randy confesses, twisting his headback to look up at his brother.

“Did you see them, buddy?” Pete asks. “Theywere Derrick’s size.”

“Hey,” Derrick mutters. “They’re bigger thanme.”

“Everyone’s bigger than you.” Pete shootsback, peeling Randy from his waist. (Randy lets him, and steps back.)“So why are you picking fights with them?” he demands.

“I wasn’t!” Derrick defends.

“That’s right. They were just out for you for nogood reason.” Pete shoots back snidely.

“Pete,” Derrick’s expression is hard, butsuddenly, all the fight -as Randy knows it- leaves Pete.

Pete jerks forward, grabbing Derrick, letting out acurse, “Damn it, Derrick!” He peels Derrick’s arm away from hisside and their brother puts up a struggle but lets out a painfulsounding gasp instead; Pete pulls Derrick’s shirt up then, becausetheir brother is incapable of fighting back all of the sudden,revealing something dark spread across the white of his side and upacross his ribs.

A car drives past at that moment, lightening thealley a touch for a second, revealing something dark and nasty acrossDerrick’s side and the last thing Randy remembers is the suddenwhite of Derrick’s face, and then waking up sometime later in theER on his mom’s lap and watching Pete pace up and down betweenchairs, snapping with temper and tension, and he remembers it beingthe new scariest moment of his life.

*

Panic, part ii.

It’s too dark andthey’re not supposed to be here, and if things had been right inthe first place, they wouldn’t be.

It’s a very Derrick thought.

It is drenched in connotations of their father;never outright addressed, but lingering nonetheless.

(He misses their dad, and he barely remembers him.That still hurts.)

Randy firmly believes that there are some things youcarry with you your whole life; you just have to decide if they willbe as light as patches on your sleeves, or heavy as rocks in yourfatigues. He prefers to transform them into patches; badges he wearson his arms like the heart their mom always said had too many softspots for a basket of kittens to rival.

(He loves her so much. It’s a heavy, goodweight in his chest.)

“Hey, Derrick, do youthink Pete’s alright?” he whispers. The fear chokes his vocalcords, coating them in a spring-loaded coil of terror he can’t biteback.

He can hear his brothershift in the darkness a few feet behind and to his left. “Pete’sfine,” Derrick says.

“Yeah, but whatif he isn’t?”

“You’re alwaysworried about him and he’s always fine.” He can hearthe shrug Derrick’s giving him.

“Are you dismissing myconcerns?”

“No, Randy,” Derricksighs heavily, a great gust that he would almost swear he could feelfrom here. “I’m just saying that you worry about it and there’snothing to be worried about. Pete’s Pete. He’ll be fine. It’snot like this is Afghanistan or anything.”

Only Derrick would touchthat subject so lightly. Sure, they talked about it, and sure Petementioned it every chance he got, and sure it wasn’t a subject theytreated delicately, and sure-

“You’re overheating,buddy,” Derrick’s voice grounds him, knocks him out of histhoughts and back into the present; a training exercise gone terriblywrong. “I know the last few minutes have been really terrifying,okay, but we’re gonna get through this and Pete’s gonna bealright. He was headed out.”

Randy glances inthe direction he knows Derrick is in, recognises the big brotherlyDerricksorta-but-not-exactly patronizing tone that’s actually supposed tobe calming and comforting and sympathetic, and it is,but…PETE.

Randy jumps up.

“Randy,”Derrick snaps. “Sit down.”

“But-”

“You’re going to tripover something and get hurt and then I’ll have to-”

“No. It’s okay,Derrick.” Randy waves a hand at his brother. “I got this.”

“Really.” There wasDerrick’s frustrated sarcastic voice. “And you cansee…anything. In this dark.”

That did give Randypause.

“You can’t see whereyou’re going.” His brother snipes. “And don’t tell me you canguide by sound alone or something stupid like that.”

He recognises this moodhis older brother is in, even if he isn’t quite used to actuallyresponding to it. “Derrick-”

“Get back here,Randy.” Derrick’s tone is impatient. “I’m not going to gohunting around in the dark for you when you break your leg orsomething.”

He scoffs, chuckling.“I’m not- I’m not gonna break my leg.” The humor evaporates,much like the water in those deserts he always pictures Pete in whenhe thinks about him in Afghanistan. “What if Pete did? God,Derrick, we haven’t heard from him, and you know Petewould’ve come to check on us- oh, God. I’m actually gettingreally worried, Derrick.”

“Calm down, buddy.”Derrick is using his soothing voice, but it’s a little bit tightand sets Randy’s nerves on edge rather than fixing it becausemaybe, really, despite all of Derrick’s so-called assurances to thecontrary, there is something to worry about.

And its name is Pete.

“Derrick.” Randystarts, “I will be right back. I promise.”

“No, Randy, don’t-”

He hits something in thedark and it topples over, clanging through the training facilitieswith an intensity and decibel that shreds their raw nerveslike…like cheese graters.

“RANDY,”Derrick shouts, and he winces – everything echoes all at once.

“Woah. It was loudenough.” He reprimands his brother.

“You’re gonna killyourself.” Derrick decides, announcing it like an exasperatingthing had just donged on him.

He doesn’t respond,just continues -clumsily- trying to navigate through the decimatedarea in the dark with nothing but his toes and shins and knees -andoccasionally hands- to guide him.

“It’s alright,Derrick,” he throws back a few feet later. “I’m just gonna findPete and then we’ll get the lights back on in here.”

“I don’t needlights,” he barely hears Derrick mutter sullenly back as he ramsinto something sharp and pointy that makes a lot of noise (and makeshim make a lot of noise).

“I’m alright,” heassures. “I’m alright.” And presses on.

Derrick had apparentlygiven up on arguing with him, because as he slams around throughwho-even-knew-what (seriously, where did all this stuff come from? Itwas a minefield in here. Like that time Derrick threw Legoseverywhere after they went to bed for Pete to step on because hewas…angry at Pete about something, who even knew what he wasgetting him back for now.), his brother remains quiet.

He won’t stop though.Pete could be hurt -or worse, of course, but he won’t focus onthat, get it together- and need a medic or immediate help, ormaybe he already had and that’s why he hadn’t come looking forthem, because come on, Pete would always come looking for themin a situation like this, even if he was hurt, and that’s justridiculous because Pete could hurt himself worse and they’realright and then they’d have to help him and who even knows wherethe medics are right now and-

He trips, stumbling upagainst the door and it flings open, flooding the training facilitywith light. He blinks, shielding his eyes from it, and steps out.

It’s a bit chaoticoutside.

Soldiers are rushing toand fro, and there doesn’t appear to be much order, but theearthquake -and since when do they get earthquakes in Florida? Thisplace is weird (and that thought sounds too much like Derrick or Pete– see, he’s always got them with him, like his dog ta-)

“Pete?” he hollers.“Anyone seen Sergeant Hill?”

-the earthquake hascaused part of the recreation facilities to collapse, and there’s agiant hole where their formation usually takes place.

Dobkiss is sitting nextto the hole, clutching his shoulder, and talking to a medic. He’sthe only one of Randy’s platoon that he sees around, but he’s toobusy looking and worrying about his brother to stop. There are somany people going around, and there’s so much different, that it’sa lot to take in on a one-track livewire raw mind.

“Pete?” he’s justtaken to waylaying passing soldiers and asking about his brother, butno one’s really paying attention and he’s getting more frantic.

“Randy!” he finallyhears, and the world rights itself. Pete’s voice is strong andfine, and everything’s alright with Randy’s entireuniverse again.

“Pete!” Relief washesthrough him, crushing into the tiniest edges of his voice. He nearlycrushes his brother hugging him.

“Al-alright, buddy,”Pete pats his shoulder, but Randy can feel Pete’s own relief. It’slesser than his, and marginally different. “I’m fine. Looks likeyou got a couple knocks, though.” He gestures at Randy, face,arms—Randy’s not sure, but he doesn’t really hurt so it mustjust be some vague bruises. “You alright?”

“I’m fine. Man, I wasso worried about you Pete, I-”

“Where’s Derrick?”

“Derrick? He’s backin the trai-” he turns and the words freeze. Half of thebuilding is collapsed, only whole on one side, where heexited, and as he’s speaking, the building shifts, slippinglower.

“No!” Peteshouts -Randy shouts? he’s not sure, the world kind of warps insideout for one terrifying moment- and they’re both pounding for thefacilities, pushing soldiers and response teams out of their way.

There wasn’t buildingcrushing down on their heads when Randy had been in there, becausethey were on the opposite side of the collapse, but with the buildinghaving moved, he’s actually really scared again.

“Derrick!” Peteshouts, flinging through the door, and it might not be the smartestthing ever but—who is he kidding, Pete’s brilliant, he knowsbest.

There is no response, andfor the half second that Randy was calming down and thinkinglogically and also believing firmly that everything would be alright,the way Pete’s always able to make it, the terror that comes at thesilence beats him to pieces in retaliation.

“No!” Randyyelps (again), pushing Pete out of the way and rushing in, dodgingfallen paraphernalia and plaster. This room is intact, but through adoorway, he can see the far side and how decimated it truly is, butmore than that, this room is wrecked and who knows what couldhave happened.

“Derrick!” Peteshouts again, flashlight suddenly flashing around the room. Thevisibility is lower -and lowering- the farther back into the room hegets.

There’s a low,disgruntled sound of anger. “Be quiet.”

“Oh, thank God,Derrick,” Pete says. “Where are you?”

“Right here. Randy,slow down.”

He does, seeing as he wasabout where he had been before the world went sideways earlier, andPete picks his way their direction.

Pete, however, spotsDerrick first, and his speed picks up. He jumps over debris and dropsdown next to where Randy can, finally, (after following Pete’s aim)see Derrick for the first time since the earthquake.

Derrick’s missing hishelmet, but Randy can see it just a little to the left of his head;obviously their brother had removed it. For a moment, Randy doesn’tnotice anything wrong, but then-

“Oh God, Derrick,”Pete’s voice is rough as he drops down into a crouch next to theirbrother, seeing everything Randy cannot, but his tone sends a hardlump into Randy’s throat.

Derrick doesn’t reply,but now that Randy’s close and paying attention, hecan hear Derrick’s labored breathing (or maybe it had just gottenworse?) and there’s a disturbingly spread pool of blood beneath hisleg.

Derrick does respond,however, when Randy’s movement catches the corner of his eye. “I’mfine, Pete,” he says impatiently.

“No, you’re not,Derrick. You’re bleeding everywhere.” Randy says, tripping oversomething in the dark as he sinks down next to his brother’s leg,avoiding the blood.

“I’m not bleedingeverywhere, Randy,” Derrick’s voice is tired, and that can’t begood, can it?

And Pete…Pete’sfrantic. Randy can tell, even though he’s trying not to be.

“Help me get this offhim, Randy.” Pete says and Randy’s nerves respond to it, but hismind remains sort of blank and stuck on the blood. Everywhere.

See, of course they hadbeat each other up, and they’d had their share of beat-ups in thepast, but this was different. This was worse.

It was too dark andlooked too awful and Randy was just half sure this was it, they werelosing Derrick. Especially the way Derrick’s eyes fluttershut as he and Pete assess the best way to drag the toppled supportbeam that is half-crushing Derrick’s lower body off of theirbrother. It is now far too clear why Derrick hadn’t come to bodilystop Randy despite how convinced he’d been that Randy was going totrip over something in the dark and injure himself or worse.

A sweat is making theback of Randy’s neck clammy, but he wills away the stress and thetremors. Derrick has to have it worse. But even that admonishmentonly makes Randy worse, a vicious cycle that makes him spiral.

“Hey, buddy!” Petesnaps his fingers in front of Randy’s face, breaking him out of hisinner meltdown. “You with me?”

Derrick’s eyes havepeeled open just a little, wide pupils and dull irises, cloudy whitespeering at Randy. “Pete-” he starts.

“I’m fine,” Randyassures, forcing himself to school his face into utter control. It’snot entirely successful, because the blankness that it brings onlyscreams volumes to his brothers—even this is expressive.

“Okay. Get that side.”Pete instructs, strong and level head in any emergency. This is oneof many reasons why Randy needs him. “Okay, on three. One, two,thre-”

“Wait, wait…”Derrick breathes suddenly.

His brothers freeze.

“Derrick, we gotta getthis-”

“I know, just…” Hiseyes screw shut, face pinching. He takes several deep breaths,holding the last. “Alright.”

Pete’s and Randy’seyes meet over their brother, Pete to give his littlest brother thego-ahead nod.

“Three.”

Derrick barks out a harshnoise, and abruptly cuts it short by clamping his lips together andgrinding his teeth in the obvious pain caused him, breathing harshand uncontrolled in the dark. Pete’s flashlight rolls around,flashing across their brother’s face and revealing the dirty sweatthat had worsened on his brow.

Randy all but tosses thebeam out of his hands as soon as it clears their brother, Pete’sgrip following suit if only out of necessity.

Randy hovers overDerrick, not really sure what to do but frantic all over againnonetheless, and Pete’s trying to be cool but it’s just notcutting it completely.

“Derrick, Derrick,Derrick,” Randy’s babbling, and Derrick grunts again.

“Quiet, Randy,”he bites out between clenched teeth, annoyance hardening the wordsinto harsh jabs at Randy’s chest, already so just because he’snever seen Derrick so hurt before and he can’t handle it.

He makes the mistake thenof looking down at the mess the disaster has made of Derrick’s legas Pete grabs the flashlight to take a look before determining how tomove forward. Randy’s head lightens considerably, the worlddarkening, shrinking around the deep colors of red and shadows andbusted, grated skin.

It’s the last thing heremembers, and it haunts his nightmares.

[danielsarmand]

LOOK AT ALL THE HILL BROS-NESS OF MY BLOG I AM IN LOVE

[kalafudra]

Enlisted and Being (Left) Alone

[Enlisted is a wonderful show that unfortunately won’t see a 2nd season (or at least it’s really unlikely). Because of that there’s 13 Weeks of Enlisted - a re-watch of the 1st season with accompanying fandom involvement. Since I suck at graphics, I’ll try to write a meta post each week. Since I didn't get around to it last week, I have some catching up to do.]

In the third episode of Enlisted, very different stories are told that all revolve around the topic of being (left) alone.

There is Pete Hill who wants to be left alone. He is overwhelmed by his brothers, especially Randy, but most of all he is overwhelmed by being at home, in safety, not in combat. I would go as far as to say that he suffers from PTSD [even though I'm in no way qualified to make this diagnosis], even if in a milder variation than the usual cinematic/TV interpretation of it.* In any case he has things to work through and things to work out and a reverse culture shock to process. And he doesn't get the space to do that because people don't realize that he needs that space until they're explicitly told. Even Randy who is usually completely intuitive - but he also has huge blind spots when it comes to his big brother.

Here we come to the second story around the topic of being (left) alone: for Randy there is nothing better than having his big brother back. He wants to share everything with Pete, show him how much he's loved and how happy Randy is to have Pete back. And Pete can't reciprocate Randy's exubarent enthusiasm - because Pete has to use his energy just to keep it together, to keep up the impression of the actual supersoldier when he's actually struggling to find his place in this new situation. Randy doesn't understand. He can't, really, since Pete doesn't talk about it. So Randy has to generate new ways of engaging Pete, of trying to connect to him, which has the opposite effect of pushing him away. It's only when Donald Cody can articulate what Pete is feeling to both Randy and Derrick (Derrick who takes nothing seriously unless he realizes it's important) that this vicious circle is broken. Randy might still feel slightly abandoned by Pete - and in fact pre-combat Pete did go away and didn't come back to Randy - but at least he understands now why.

While this brotherly drama is happening, it is contrasted with Jill Perez' story. Jill doesn't have a problem with keeping her distance. She is clear that she believes it necessary because should her soldiers realize that she is, in fact, a woman and not just an officer, they wouldn't respect her.** And then Cindy Park and Tanisha Robinson happen to her. They demand social contact as they both revel in their friendship and they accept nothing less from Jill. And Jill is hesitant about this at first - she, her reputation, her career could get hurt by participating after all - there's also a part of her that misses that social contact, especially with other women. So she gives in. And even if rules have to be established how and under what circumstances this friendship can work, it is worth it.

Where Pete's story is all about needing space and Randy's story is all about learning how to give space, Jill's story is about letting people into her own space, letting them connect to her. It's not always easy to navigate these spaces, but even when there are small collisions, we still need to try.

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*And how important that we get a mild version of it as well. That way people who recognize Pete's alienation and the stress his return causes in themselves might find a way to express it and realize that even if they don't have continuous debilitating flashbacks, their issues aren't easy and they matter.  **Not a problem she would have if she were male.