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rogue-durin-16 · 3 years ago

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SMILE FOR ME (I/III)

Summary: a young promising war photographer is sent to document the Airborne's first missions on french soil, where she inevitably meets Easy Company, and Don Malarkey becomes immediately smitten by her. Lucky him, France wouldn't be the only place in which their paths would cross.

Pairing: Don Malarkey x photographer!Reader

Genre: fluff (1st part)

Tags:

Band Of Brothers: @sparkyluz

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

Warnings: language (?)

A/N: I'm rewatching the tv series with my bestie and she mentioned how cool it'd be to have a war photographer showing up. This will be a two part of mostly fluff because I tortured him enough in a single oneshot. Also I've got a Luz x medic reader coming soon because Luz falling for the medic somehow sits right with me. Enjoy <3

Part II

Part III

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

"What's the fuss about?" I questioned with a confused frown, approaching Christenson and Guarnere with my rifle hanging on my shoulder.

I had been wandering around Sainte-Marie-du-Mont for less than half an hour, and I was coming back to an absolute ruckus of paratroopers who seemed to be revolving around something.

"Uh... there's a pretty gal." Christenson mentioned, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Drop-dead gorgeous kinda lady."

"A lady? here?" Skip questioned, coming from behind to join us. "She a nurse?"

"She don't look like that." Guarnere commented.

"War photographer!" Our attention was drawn to Penkala, who struggled to make his way through the exhilarated crowd to meet us. "She's a war photographer." He explained, thrilled as a little kid.

"I want a picture! Malark, Penk, c'mon." Skip tugged on my jacket, leading us three back into the chaos, determined to reach the lady, which he managed to do. "Hello sweetheart!"

"Oh— Hello!" she looked up from her camera, a big bright smile on her face, which was partially covered by some rebel strands of hair slipping out of her bun. "Name's Y/n, nice to meet you fellas!" She shook hands with Skip and Penkala, but when she extended her hand in my direction, it took me a hot minute to react.

People might say whatever about love at first sight, but I knew what I felt when I saw the photographer was a coup de foudre.

Penkala's elbow dug on my bicep, and I cleared my throat, giving her a firm handshake with what I was sure was the most idiotic smile ever; I could tell by her confused giggle. "Malark— Don."

"We call 'im Malarkey or Malark." Penkala clarified.

"But you can call him whenever you want." Skip intently winked at her, patting my back in a somehow encouraging way, while Penkala struggled to muffle his snort.

"Did you just... flirt on his behalf?" Y/n asked amused.

"might have." He winked at her again, this time more exaggeratedly, and we all laughed, though I could feel the blood rushing all the way up to my face.

"Well, what's a fella gotta do to get a picture from a pretty lady?" Penkala asked, throwing both his arms over Muck's shoulders and mines.

"The three of you?" I nodded, and she gesticulated for us to follow her. "Okay— here's good, lemme just..." She left her camera hanging around her neck and, placing both her palms on my arms, in order to slightly move me to the left, something that might have or might have not make my stomach flutter. "There you go. Smile for me, boys!" The three of us parted from one another once the picture was taken.

"Is there any way of gettin' our hands on that picture?" Skip questioned, pointing at the camera.

"Not until the film roll is developed." She answered, letting her camera hanging from her neck once again. "And that's not gonna be possible here."

"And after you get that done...?" Penkala tested the waters, eyebrows raised.

"I'll get you a copy as soon as I get back." She assured him, a soft chuckle of amusement leaving her lips, head tilted to the side as if showing genuine fondness towards us.

We all thanked her and attempted to make our way out of the crowd, but before I could try and follow Penkala's lead, Muck tugged me back.

"She caught your eye, huh?" I felt my cheeks turning pink, which made the already existent smirk in my friend's face grow larger. "Don't be stupid, Don, go talk to her."

I shook my head no. "What for? I'm sure she won't stay for long." Skip smacked me on the back of my head, earning a shocked 'ouch' from me. "What's that for?"

"Heard what she said?" A confused furrow formed between my brows. "'As soon as I get back'? She'll be back, so go talk to that pretty little thing before someone else has better judgement than you, boy."

Incoherent, anxious babbling came out of my mouth while Skip pushed me back to the center of the crowd, right before disappearing among them, probably going to join Penkala and the others.

My eyes landed on the war photographer, who was now taking a picture of Liebgott, Luz and Lipton.

I saw Luz ready to shoot his shot and a thought crossed my mind; 'to hell with it'.

"Y/n!" She spun to face me without missing a beat, that bright beam of hers still lighting up her face and the whole town if you asked me. "Mind if I keep your company while you work?"

"Not at all, Don." I blinked a couple of times, somehow shocked that she had learned my name. "Maybe you can help me a bit get these boys organized?"

"Whatever you need." I assured her, asking Lipton for help to do that, as he ranked higher than I did. "May I ask for how long we'll have you here?"

"Why? Am I too much of a disturbance?" She half joked, though I could appreciate some worry on her question.

"I just wanna know how much time do I have left to convince you to go dancing with me."

She took her attention away from the camera, clearly dumbfounded by my straightforward statement, but to be fair, I was equally shocked.

"Oh boy, you need no one to flirt on your behalf." She laughed, and behind the teasing, I could hear some nerves. "Sadly, not a lot. I'm being pulled back in a few hours."

"Sadly, huh?" I quirked an eyebrow, easing up to her already. She only shook her head with the corner of her lips still twisted up, and commanded a few privates to smile for her before taking a picture. I waited for her to take a couple of pictures, not wishing to be an impediment in her job, before asking another question. "Where are you from, Y/n?"

"I'm from Y/c." She answered, motioning me to move with her away from the group in order to take wider shots of the soldiers. "What 'bout you?"

"Astoria, Oregon." She kept walking, and I kept trailing after her. "Will you be going back there?" I most likely looked like a lost puppy following her around, but I didn't mind, and by the looks she periodically gave me, she didn't either. "To Y/c I mean."

"Are you worried I might be too far away?" She teased, sparing me a single look. A sheepish laugh left my body before I could say anything, which she seemed to enjoy. "I'll be staying in Aldbourne."

"Oh, that's great." She snorted, raising her eyebrows at my out of the blue high-pitched tone.

"That's great?" She repeated, still smiling.

"Yeah," I enthusiastically nodded. "I just have to make it back alive."

"I'm sure you will."

I grimaced, scratching the back of my neck. "Not so sure about that, but I hope so."

Her looks had been cheerful and outgoing so far, very uplifting, but as soon as I said that, her gaze softened and turned a little more serious. It was as she extended her hand to hold mine, offering me reassurance that it dawned on me.

She was a war photographer; she had seen the horrors of war, just like us —maybe even more—; she understood the fear and dispair and had tried to lift our spirits as much as she could.

"Don't think about it too much, Don." She advised me, rubbing the back of my hand with her thumb. "Take care of each other and be careful." I only nodded, captivated by the feeling in her voice. "In Aldbourne you'll have plenty of time to convince me go dancing with you." She teased, making me chuckle. "Though I don't think it'll take a lot of effort."

"Is that so?" My chest swelled with pride and my eyes flickered with excitement, but before she could respond, Nixon called her name and she took off. "I'll see you around!"

"Yes you will!" She responded jogging away.

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

Sitting on the wooden bench inside of that warehouse, my torso half turned to the side and my eyes and attention fixed on Liebgott, I didn't acknowledge the girl with the camera crossing the entrance with Nixon, greeting some of the boys she had already met and the ones she had yet to meet.

"Hey Y/n!" My head snapped at Skip's voice, just in time to catch him shooting up and walking a beeline to the war photographer.

I didn't even notice the beam that appeared on my face when I saw her bickering with my friend about something I couldn't make out, though knowing Muck, it was probably about the picture she had taken of us.

Their conversation quickly took a turn, and now Skip was pointing behind him, Y/n's eyes following the indication to meet mines.

I took that —and Talbert's push— as a cue to stand upright and walk to them.

"Don!" I wanted to believe her smile grew wider and brighter when she pronounced my name, waving her hand at me; mine sure did. "Told you you'd made it."

"Y/n, 'bout the pic—"

"Jesus Christ, buddy," I cut Skip off. "Let her do her job, annoying sonofabitch." The boy only spun to me and mentioned something in a mocking tone about me trying to get Y/n's attention, which earned him a shove on his way back to his table. "Sorry 'bout him."

"Nah, it's fine I like that kid." She assured me, sounding authentic. "How are you?"

"Well for starters, I'm alive and in one piece, and that's always nice, isn't it?" A soft laugh escaped her lips —such a heavenly sound. "I also got a weekend pass for the first time in forever."

"Any plans for that one?" I couldn't tell if she was genuinely curious, or if she was testing the waters before proposing something.

God, I hoped it was the second one. It would be much easier to continue what I was about to say.

"Well, you said you were in Aldbourne and," I rubbed my hands in anticipation, something she seemed to notice by the look of amusement in her beautiful gaze. "I was hoping to run into you."

"How come, soldier?" Maybe she didn't pay much attention to the step she took in order to stand closer to me, but I did.

"Well," I felt my heart pounding on my chest, threatening to leave my body. No lady had made me this nervous ever. "I thought maybe I should resume what I started back in France and, y'know,"

"Convince me to go dancin' with you?" She finished, the corner of her lips twitching up in anticipation and her fingers toying with the strap of her camera.

"That's right, miss."

"In that case, I'll save you some time." She leaned on me an whispered in my ear, "you can convince me over a drink or two this Saturday." Sending chills through my body. "Yeah?"

"Sounds like fun to me." I tried to sound as confident as possible, to avoid coming off as the bundle of nerves she had just turned me into. "You know this pub—"

"Couple of announcements, men!" Lipton's call cut me off mid sentence. "First, the training exercise scheduled for 22:00 has been cancelled."

There were cheers all over the place, and my attention quickly turned back to Y/n, about to suggest to take her out that same night, but Lipton resumed the announcements.

"Secondly, all passes are hereby revoked." The smile that had been dancing on my lips fell, and so did Y/n's. "We're heading back to France."

"Shit." I couldn't help but whisper, my eyes on Lipton once more.

Y/N poked my arm and gave me a small smile. "We'll reschedule it for when you come back."

"So, pack up all your gear," Lipton continued. "we will not be returning to England, boys."

"Well fuck." It was time for Y/n to cuss. As she sighed, I looked over my shoulder at my friends who, as I suspected, had been observing me. Skip's lips were pursed, giving me a sorry look. "It's alright— you're still free tonight, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, way too eagerly. "So, the pub I was talking 'bout." She nodded, that bright beam reappearing on her face, though this time it seemed a bit forced. "If you'd like to, we can go there and maybe have a drink—"

"Y/l/n." I was about to finish the sentence, but I quickly realized by the roll of her eyes that Y/l/n must have been her last name. "Sorry to interrupt, Malarkey," Nixon walked in between us and turned his back to me; I then stepped away in order to give them some privacy, and headed to the table where I had been sitting.

"No dice with the lady?" Luz asked, to which I shook my head no. "Cheer up, boy, there's plenty of— oh she's comin'." I turned around just in time to see a very downhearted Y/n walking to me.

"Turns out I'm the one who's not free tonight." She pointed at her camera. "Gotta get to work."

"Oh." She gave me an apologetic look, and I didn't know what to respond, so we fell into a tense silence.

"Hey, it's Y/n right?" Talbert questioned behind me, which made Y/n snap back into her charming, affable manner that she seemed to have while working.

"That's me, yeah."

"Can you take a picture of us together?"

"Of course!" She stepped back, holding up her camera. "You're gonna have to squeeze up a bit." Guarnere tug me down by my sleeve so I'd be kneeling instead od standing, and they all did as we were told. "Perfect. Smile for me!" The click of the camera was heard, and we all went back to our previous positions. "Beautiful. See you around, boys!"

Just as she attempted to walk away, and I proceeded to climb back to my seat, George spoke.

"Hold up hold up!" We both turned to him, seeing him standing up and jogging to meet Y/n. "May I take a picture of our ravishing photographer?"

The girl hesitated, her eyes rightfully squinted at Luz. "Careful with the camera."

"Don't worry 'bout that." She prudently took the camera strap off her neck to hang it on Luz, who now held a pleased grin. "Okay, Malark, get your ass here!"

I shared a confused glance with the photographer, who seemed as lost as I was, while the boys made me stand up and shoved me to the front so I could join Y/n.

"I just gotta press this, right?" Luz inquired, studying the camera.

"Well, you also gotta— hold on." Y/n moved in George's direction to teach him exactly how to take the picture. I took that chance to take a look at my friends, who seemed to be enjoying the situation a bit too much.

"Click and push then, right?" The girl nodded. "Okay I got it, c'mon buddies, let's take the picture!"

I cleared my throat, not really knowing where or how to situate myself, until Y/n spoke.

"Don?"

"Yeah?"

"You can hold me."

"Oh okay." I could hear the muffled cackles from the tables at our left —which honestly were quite contagious— as I passed my right arm behind the small of her back, letting my hand rest on her waist.

"You're gonna have to squeeze up a bit!" The technician mimicked the photographer's voice, making both of us laugh.

Before I could pull her a bit closer, she turned slightly to face me, her left hand on my back and her right hand placed on my shoulder.

"Hey Don." I hummed at Y/n, prompted her to talk. "Smile for me?"

My mouth curved up even before my brain ordered it to, as if my body obeyed her more than it obeyed me.

"Okay fellas, say cheese!" Right before Luz pressed the button, Y/n's lips softly landed on my cheek, making my grin grow wider.

The camera's button clicked, and as George followed the instructions Y/n had given him, the girl, pulled away just enough for me to be able to turn to her.

"That's one pretty smile." She said, with a much more beautiful one dancing on her lips, the ones that had just been pressed on my cheek, imprinting a kiss I would carry with me to France.

"Look who's talkin'. Yours gotta be the brightest smile I've ever seen." I was able to play off my sheepishness, but her sudden bashfulness shun through her now pink cheeks.

"Okay I gotta... Head to work." We disentangled from each other for her to go get her camera. "Good luck in France, boys!"

There was a chaotic wave of different variants of 'thank you's and 'take care's from the soldiers to see off the photographer as she jogged out of the place, where Nixon waited for her, observing with knowing eyes the whole scene.

"See what I did there?" Luz questioned, delighted with his own actions. "Now she got a picture of you."

"She got a picture and Malark got a kiss." Skip added, wiggling his eyebrows at me and causing our friends to simultaneously mock me by loudly awing.

"Y/n and Don," Muck sang.

"Sitting in a tree," Luz joined in.

I buried my face in my arms with a groan, still unable to remove the smile from my sore cheeks while my friends chanted the children's song.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Talbert patted my back. "Cheer up, Malark." He said laughing.

Oh, but I was cheered up, the most cheered up I had been in a long time, and it was all thanks to a chaste peck on the cheek.

I spent that night thinking of Y/n, torn between wishing she'd come to us and wanting her as far from the front lines as possible.

For better or worse, the decision was not mine to make, not hers; Fate would tell whether our paths would cross again or not.

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