#and sat in a foxhole cell

[crazyforkasey-blog]

When we met

Chapter 14

German Field Hospital Somewhere in Belgium

"Captain Hendrick…Doc Hendrick…Can you come here for a second" A young nurse called out for Katie.

It was Christmas Eve and the German Hospital was overcrowded. Katie did the best she could for the German soldier, but she never talked or got close with them, not as she had done with her American Patients, her friends.

Katie missed Winters, she would dream of him at night. She longed for him and she needed him more than her next breath.

Katie walked towards the young nurse; suddenly the German commander blocked her path.

"Ah Doctor Hendrick…Kommen Sie mit…Bitte" The Commander motioned for Katie to follow him

Katie followed him into his office, the commander closed the door, Katie swallowed, she was afraid he heard how she helped Mia escape.

"Doctor, one of your nurses has gone missing…Do you…how do you say, have a finger in the escape act" The commander sat down in his desk chair.

Katie swallowed hard "I don't know what you are talking about I didn't even know a nurse was missing" Katie bit her cheek. Mia must have made it since the commander decided to interrogate Katie.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't know anything about this flucht…escape?" The commander got on his feet.

The commander walked over to Katie. Being young and away from home, he couldn't help but being attracted to the young doctor, she was a beauty.

Katie looked at the commander. He was a poster boy for the Nazi's he was tall, slender and blond with blue eyes. Katie hated the commander, he never hurt her, but she knew he was playing her. He wanted something from her and she had a feeling it was her in his bed and that was why he had been so nice these past few weeks.

"I don't know anything" Katie looked the commander right in the eyes

"You know what I think you are lying" the commander walked over, lifted Katie's hair away from her neck, and kissed the spot right behind her ear.

Katie shuddered and the commander took it for lust not the fright it actually was, he grabbed her hand and kissed her. Katie tried to fight him off. When he pulled back, Katie spit him in the face.

That turned out to be a big mistake, the commander slapped her hard across the face, the door opened and a soldier stepped in, the commander stepped away from Katie. The commander looked at the young soldier

"WAS" his eyes never leaving Katie?

"Haupt sturmbahn fuhrer Schmidt" The young soldier stepped away and a German SS soldier stepped in the room.

The commander stepped up to the young soldier and whispered something in his ear and the young man grabbed Katie and pulled him alongside of him. He stopped in front of a cell. Katie started to protest she knew no one made out of the cell a live.

…

Christmas Eve, somewhere in a cold forest in Belgium

Dani sat in a crowded foxhole with Malarkey, Muck, Penkala and Bain. Malarkey passed out Lucky stripes.

Dani was shaking like oak leaves and she missed Ron. It was Christmas Eve and she was supposed to be with the people she loved, not sitting in a foxhole freezing her ass off.

It was quiet and the only sound was some guys coughing, which had become as common as breathing.

Suddenly the Germans started to sing Silent night, the sound traveled over the snow. Dani closed her eyes and started to sing as well and the men in the foxhole became quiet. Dani opened her eyes and saw the men all staring at her.

"What" she asked

Malarkey shook his head "You should sing more often that was amazing, merry Christmas lieutenant"

Dani blushed "Merry Christmas boys"

….

December 26th somewhere in a holding cell in Belgium

Katie was going insane; she knew all the signs from her psych classes. She was hallucinating and she was itching all over and she was sure she heard voices. Katie crept into the corner of the cell.

The door to the cell opened and a soothing voice sounded, "Ok, its ok, it's over"

Katie looked at the soldier standing in the door and sighed with relief, it was over, and by the look of his uniform, he was a part of Patton's third army.

The Soldier picked up Katie, carried her up to the hospital ward, and put her on the bed. Katie passed out, the next time she woke up, she saw the German soldiers were gone and replaced by Brits and Americans.

One of the young nurses stopped when she noticed Katie was awake "Oh Doctor…oh I can't believe it, you are awake" The nurse motioned for one of the doctors to come over and examine Katie

"Doctor Kent" Katie mumbled and let the other doctor look her over. Katie knew she was ok physically, she was just dehydrated and starved, but emotionally she was beat, she felt like she lost a part of herself somewhere between the beating and the cell.

….

A frozen forest in Belgium, December 31st

"Glen Miller's plane has gone down somewhere over the channel" Roe brought back news from town.

"Wow…Can't believe we won't hear any new music from that guy again" Malarkey mumbled and returned to watch the line.

"Well I got some more news…Patton has liberated the 326th" The 3rd army had penetrated the German lines and had rolled into town, the circle was broken and Easy would finally be resupplied and the wounded would finally be evacuated.

Roe ran off, he needed to tell Winters. Roe knocked on the tent pole at the CP, Winters looked up at him "Doc…what can I do for you" Winters asked

"Well, sir, I just wanted to…the 326th was liberated by Patton

Winters starred at Roe "Is there any…is there any news about the…"

Roe knew Winters wanted to know if he had heard anything about Katie "No sir, Nothing"

Winters sighed "Ok, thank you for the news and Doc if you hear anything…"

"You will be the first to know" Roe turned and walked back to the foxhole he shared with Spina, he hoped the nice doctor was ok.

The tarp over the foxhole lifted and Mia slid into the foxhole "Is it me or is Dike the biggest moron on the face of the earth"

Roe and Spina looked at Mia. Mia never complained so Foxhole Norman must have screwed up "What…never mind…the 326th has been liberated" Roe told Mia

Mia just smiled and snuggled up in her blanket. She was happy but she wondered what shape Katie would be in when she showed up.

Mia heard Dani run by the foxhole just as a barrage started. Dani was shouting at the men trying to get them to take cover, she pushed the men into the foxhole. A German plane swooped low and fired an anti personnel bomb. Toye pushed Dani out of the way and in return, he took some shrapnel to the wrist.

"Oh god Toye, I am so sorry are you ok" Dani was crouched by Toye's side and she was almost crying.

"Damn it…don't worry about me Lt, just remember to tell Speirs how I saved your life" Toye joked

Spina came running and he patched Joe up. Malarkey and Luz was standing by the Jeep joking with Joe "You lucky SOB"

"Hey Malark I will be back" Joe said and the jeep took off.

Dani stood and looked after the jeep as it disappeared. She felt guilty she looked at the small crowd gathered around her.

Luz walked over and hugged Dani "Don't worry Lt, he will be back"

Dani nodded and sniffled "I know"

Dani looked up and noticed Speirs standing a few feet away, if looks could kill Luz would have been dead.

Speirs held his hand out and Dani walked over and put her hand in his. Speirs walked Dani back to her foxhole and jumped in and then grabbed Dani by the waist and lifted her into the frozen hole.

Speirs pulled Dani close "I thought I told you to stay away from Luz" he mumbled into her hair

Dani sniffled into Speirs' chest and nodded. Speirs just held Dani tight and waited for her to calm down. He knew she felt guilty for getting Toye hurt even though she had nothing to do with it, But Dani was sensitive and he knew she just needed to feel like it was ok and that she was forgiven.

A few minutes later Dani felt a different presence in the foxhole, she looked up, Luz, Malarkey and Muck were all there. Speirs looked at Dani and then at Luz "Behave" and then he disappeared into the snow-covered forest.

Luz looked at the other soldiers in the foxhole "How does he always just show up and disappear without anyone noticing, he always know when you need him Lt"

Dani sighed, "I know, he is just…"

"Scary, we know," Muck joked.

"You know what," Malarkey asked

"No" Muck said and waited for his friend to continue

"It's new year's eve," Malarkey said

Dani looked at the men, in all the madness they forgot a year ago, they all celebrated the New Year in England Warm, wild and all the food you could eat; now they sat in their foxholes talking quietly. Buck jumped in the foxhole and wished them all a happy New Year.

"Buck can we fire off some mortars rounds," Malarkey asked

"You got ammo?" Buck asked

"Yeah" Malarkey waited for the response from his friend

Buck looked at Dani "I don't know, what do you say Dani?"

Dani looked at the men; they looked like boys waiting for permission to fire off firecrackers on 4 July.

"Oh go ahead" Dani smiled

The boys scurried out of the foxhole and fired off six rounds, just to let the Germans know it was not over yet.

On January 2nd Easy was called upon to push the Germans back through the Bulge. Easy were sent to clear the Bois Jacques,  third platoon were moving out, they met little resistance, at one point, Buck stopped and ordered Malarkey to squad down, and he placed a map over on his back.

Buck and Lipton were discussing where they were, and which way to proceed.

"That means, we must be right here," Buck said and tapped Malarkey on the back of the head.

Malarkey protested "Hey take it easy"

"Quit whining, or I will nail it to your head," Buck said

Guarnere snickered "You should, it's made of wood"

Dani and Lipton was walking next to each other "Man I glad to be out of my foxhole, at least I keep warm walking" Lipton said

Dani looked at him "I don't know Lip, I don't like it, it's only a thousand yard attack, and we already had casualties, I don't like it"

Easy reached the MLR and dug in. Darkness was setting in; defensive positions were set for the night. A German soldier came roaring through the woods on horseback, like something out of legend of sleepy hollow, he scared the hell out of everybody there. He encountered a patrol and did a one eighty turn and headed back. Hoobler pumped three rounds in the soldiers back, the soldier fell off the horse and Hoobler finally got his luger.

The company dug in as best they could, Dani was swearing and cursing. Lipton finally decided to help her and shifty dig in.

"Hey Lip thanks for the help" Shifty was grateful for the help, Dani had always been petite, but after weeks in the forest, she was now weak and she looked pale and sick. Speirs checked in on her occasionally, but there was nothing anybody could do, without rations and water Dani would not get better.

Buck moved from foxhole to foxhole to check on the men asking if they were ok and telling them to keep moving. When he reached Lipton and Dani, he motioned for them to follow him

Where is Dike?" Buck asked

Dani shrugged "He is around"

"Can you be a little more specific there?" Buck asked her

"Not really Buck" Dani told him

"God damn it, I didn't see him coming through the woods, and I haven't seen him all day. I have figure how we ended up" Buck said

"Two wounded" Lipton told him

"Who?" Buck asked Lipton

"Browns and Stevens" Lipton said

"Damit, Where is Dike? Where the hell does he ever go?" Buck was pissed off, and damn near his breaking point, a missing CO was a big problem

Malarkey and Shifty was digging a foxhole next to Dani and Lipton's, the two of them retorted, "I don't know, but I wish he stay the hell there, and it would be nice if he took lieutenant Shames with him"

Lipton knew talk like that could lower morale, and he told the two men to shut up.

A gun went off nearby and a soldier screamed. Hoobler had been fiddling with his luger in his pocket and accidently shot himself. He was squirming in the snow, the blood gushing from the main artery in the right thigh.

"Help me, help me, oh god help me," He cried

Mia came running thru the forest and skidded to a halt when she saw what she had to deal with "Ok, we need to get him to the aid station" Mia was working frantically, but she knew Hoobler was a going to die and he did at the aid station alone in the night.

Lipton, Mia and Dani walked back to CP to report the incident, Lipton were telling Winter, Nixon and Lane how they couldn't find the artery underneath the layers of clothes Hoobler had been wearing

Nixon looked at Lipton, "Oh hell Lip, you cut that main artery in the leg and that's… that's it"

Lip looked at Dani and the rest of the officers" I am going to head back, to make sure the boys are alright." Lip turned and disappeared into the falling snow.

Winters looked at Dani "Where is Dike?"

Dani shrugged, yeah where the company commander was, that was the big question "I don't know, why you want to talk to him"?

"No, I just expected to hear this kind of news from him" Winters gave Dani a stern look

"Well, if I see him, I will send him your way" Dani said

Peacock, Shames, Buck, Lipton, Welsh were gathered around Dike, he was trying to hand out orders, but everything that came out of his mouth made absolutely no sense.

Buck asked him what formation to use while dug in, and he got some crazy answer about how Dike would clarify that with him at a later time.

Dani shook her head; Dike wasn't a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader, because he made no decisions at all.

Dani and Lipton took a walk, to make sure the men were secure for the night. They found Liebgott, Bill, Malarkey, Skip and Talbert in a foxhole.

Lipton walked up to them "Hey boys, what's you doing"

Skip looked at Lipton and Dani "Nothing, just sitting here singing Dike's praises"

Lipton and Dani sat down on the side of the foxhole, Lipton looked at the men "Yeah well, I would hate to be a replacement officer coming in here, getting thrown in with a group of guys, who have known each other for what two years? Who has been in combat together since Normandy, is he just supposed to show up and lead them? How does a guy do that, how could anyone really earn the respect of the toughest, most dedicated, professional sons of bitches in the ETO? So if you ask me a guy would have to march of to Berlin and come back with Hitler's mustache or something"

Lipton got serious again "Anyway, you all do your jobs and we will be fine" Lipton got up and so did Dana

Dani put her arm around Lipton's shoulder "How do you do it?" she asked him

"How do I do what?" Lipton asked

"All ways know what to say" Dani answered him

"I don't know, I just say what I think they need to hear, I don't always believe it, but we need to protect the integrity of the company" Lipton stared into the horizon

Mia walked up to Lipton and grabbed him "I am going to steal this one away for the night"

Dani nodded "Ok, goodnight" She looked after the couple she sighed and decided to seek out Speirs

…

Winters, Lane and Nixon were gathered at the CP, they were also discussing Dike.

"You know what Dike's problem is don't you? He is just one of those arrogant rich jerks from Yale" Winters teased Nixon and Lane.

Lane looked at Winters "oh god, another one of those"

Lane was sitting on Nixon's lap, she was freezing, and she wasn't looking forward to walking the line in three hours.

Winters continued, "Division isn't going to let me replace him, just because I got a bad feeling about him, even if they would, who would I put in his place? Shames, he have seen to many war movies, he thinks he has to yell all the time"

Winters continued "Peacock? God bless him, no one tries harder, but he is not fit to take the men into combat, I sure as hell isn't going to make him company CO, when I don't want him as a platoon leader"

"How about Compton" Nixon asked him

"Buck is the only real choice, but I want Easy to have at least one experienced platoon leader, not that it matter anyway, because I can't get rid of Dike"

Nixon looked at Winters "well we all know who you like to have around Easy, problem it isn't your job anymore"

Lane nodded in agreement, Nixon and Winters looked at each other, and they knew Lane was right, but Dike was a favor to someone at division and he was sent to Easy to get some combat experience under his belt before moving on.

The truth was, Buck had changed since he got back from the hospital, and he was more serious. Lane was walking the line, the men were reinforcing their foxholes and Buck was talking to his men, telling them not to do anything stupid.

Dani was sitting, talking to Luz and Skip, when Buck showed up, and gave them don't do anything-stupid speech.

Skip looked at them after they left "Don't do anything stupid; who the hell is he talking to? A bunch of morons who volunteer to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, don't do anything stupid, can you get any more stupid than that?"

Skip continued to tell a story about how he once swam across the Niagara River, and how Faye, his girl gave him hell, when he mentioned Faye, Luz, Dani sang out "The sweet Faye Tanner"

Lane walked on, she found Lipton sitting in a foxhole and Dike was standing on the edge, it seemed like they were talking, when Dike suddenly turned and walked away.

"What was that about?" Lane asked Lipton.

"He wanted to know where I was from" Lipton said

The group went silent; they all tried not to think about home, it was too hard…

…

The next morning Nixon and Lane were sleeping in a foxhole, when a jeep stopped and a runner yelled for Captain Easterday and Captain Nixon.

Nixon woke up and shushed the runner, so he wouldn't wake Lane, she was sick, but refused to go to the aid station.

Nixon grabbed the piece of paper the runner was handing him and dismissed him. Nixon read the paper and knew he had a solution to one of Dick's leadership problems.

Nixon walked around the CP and found Dick drinking coffee, he poured himself a cup and said "good morning" and held up the piece of paper

Winters looked at Lew "Eviction notice?" he asked him

Lew laughed a little "Not quite, but I think, I got something that will help you, with your leadership problem"

Winters smiled "Dike is being transferred?"

"No, I can't help you with that, but division has decided to pluck one officer from each regiment, who have served in the heroic defense of Bastogne and send them back to the states on a thirty day furlough. Get them out banging the drum for the war bond drive, that sort of thing, turn out I been plucked" Nixon handed Dick the order

"That's great, good for you, but how in the world does you leaving help me?" Dick asked him

"Well I am not going, I have already seen the states, I grew up there that's why I came to Europe. I just wish they told me there was a war going on. The point is this thing is wasted on me, but I am sure we can find an officer somewhere in this battalion who can use a long trip home" Nixon and Winters just nodded at each other.

"If you even consider sending one of my girls home, I will kill you both in your sleep" Lane breezed past the two officers, in the end Peacock was the one they sent home, and the men were glad to see him go.

….

Sink, Nixon, Winters, and Lane was in CP "If the Camera comes by here remember to smile for the folks back home"

"Why" Nixon asked Sink

"Hell if I know" Sink said

Lane was coughing bad, "Maybe you should stay away from the camera," Sink told her.

"Ok, Captain Nixon what do we have waiting for us in Foy" Sink asked him

Nixon started to explain what he and Lane had spotted in Foy, when Winters excused himself, he had seen two soldiers get out of a jeep and one of them was the love of his life.

[jemej3m]

IT’S FINALLY HERE

@requiemofkings‘s beautiful works inspired this post-ww2 dramatic shenanigans, and i’m so hyped (and terrified) to let it out into the world. 

two important things to note!

1. this is based on the hungarian revolution of 1956! the dates are accurate, as are the places (though many are renamed). the specific details, however, are obviously tailored for AFTG and for sensitivity reasons. 

2. @whatmack was the other writer, and their fic is AMAZING! you should defs check it out!!

i really hope yall like this one :DDD thanks to my beta @wishbonetea who helped keep me on track. go forth and enjoy, i guess??!!

[paperficwriter]

We Will Meet Again (Day 1 of Batarou Week 2022)

YEAH LET’S GO

Where have you gone My love, my friend Somewhere without the rain I feel afraid now, I feel alone Will we meet again

For as much as Badd knew they shouldn’t, he couldn’t push Garou away. Everytime Garou sank into him, filling him entirely to the point of too much, he thought, stop, stop, stop, you should not be doing this. And then Garou would kiss him and he’d wonder if he was thinking the same thing. Those gold eyes and sharp teeth said that he probably didn’t. Garou was an animal, on the battlefield and here, in front of the fire, the trees standing guard around them, and Badd showed his throat to him.

Like this, with Garou crowding out the moonlight and painted only by the yellow contrast of the flames, he couldn’t really see the marks drawn over his skin, smudged now. And Badd wasn’t wearing his armor, tossed away, the indentations from the tight material smoothed away. They were just men. Hungry and lonely and cold, seeking out something that only the other could give.

The matching twin marks were still healing, blood oozing under the bandages on each of their shoulders as they ignored them. Badd gave Garou his with a sword. Garou gave Badd his with a dagger. There were probably other marks too—bites, bruises, scratches. In fact, Badd was adding a few when Garou sank in the last time, filling him with heat, making him cry out as he added his own between their bodies.

They both heard something snap, and Garou’s head lifted quickly. Badd could swear he saw his ears move like a wolf’s might, still twitching as he mumbled in Garou’s ear that it was probably just the firewood settling.

Garou didn’t seem convinced, but he still kissed him again, hard, pressing his head back onto his cape, the only thing separating his skin from the dirt. Badd could only think of a few times he had heard Garou speak, but for some reason that didn’t bother him. Words came with his mouth, soft and tasting one moment, nipping and tearing the next. Whole sentences could be written with his fingertips. 

And in his eyes Badd liked to believe there were volumes, but that might have been romantic, wishful thinking.

Can you recall what we once knew Somewhere without the pain I feel afraid now, but not alone We will meet again

When Badd came back to camp, the others were waiting, swords drawn. Their faces said everything, between hurt and disbelief and anger. He couldn’t find it in him to be surprised or resentful. 

It happened quickly.

He was on his back for the second time that night but this time the heat was a different one, pooling under him, and when his eyes rolled back towards the spot, he thought he saw a small flock of birds take flight, scattering from the trees in disorganized, momentary panic, mixing into the sky and stealing the stars with their silhouettes. 

Selfish though it was, he was glad he wouldn’t be left alone to suffer without him. He liked to believe that too, that he would have missed him.

I can't hear your voice But you know I feel your soul

Badd jerked up when he heard the gunshot, eyes opening huge as he kicked his cell phone off the coffee table and the remote control off the side of the couch. The television was on a history show that was talking about war throughout the ages, and there were more shots as black and white footage showed soldiers firing out of foxholes. 

And then, a laugh. 

Garou sat beside him, one long arm lazily straightened out over the back of the couch behind his head as he dissolved into giggles. “Holy shit, I thought you pissed yourself for a second.”

Badd’s heart was still trying to slow down from being so suddenly startled. “Oh, fuck you, you know I hate this shit.”

“Ugh, fine, even though it’s my turn to pick what to watch, I’ll let you change it to something else.” Garou waved dismissively at the remote on the floor, and Badd scooped it up. 

But instead of changing the channel, he turned the television off. He didn’t want to be entertained. He didn’t want to think about other things. No, he climbed into Garou’s lap, straddling his legs, resting his ass on his thighs and looking at him, the little smirk lingering on his lips. Gold eyes. Sharp teeth. Like always.

Badd held his jaw as he kissed Garou with his whole body, pressed into him, soft meeting hard, legs squeezing tight, until Garou cupped the back of his neck and wrapped a long arm around his waist. Badd forgot everything else, closing his eyes and letting himself feel it, feel him, feel this moment that in the dark could have been anytime, anywhere.

You should not be doing this. You are the hero. He’s the monster. What if it ends the same way?

Badd didn’t care. No matter what happened, what anyone might do to them, they could never keep them from finding each other again. A heart, a soul, those were constants, resistant to sword or flame or sinking ships, and, of course, time.

Where have you gone My love my friend Somewhere without any pain I'm not afraid now, I'm not alone We will meet again

[side-effect-of-the-meds]

Hey! There's this hc that's been on my mind for a while now but it's a bit dark so I've kinda been scared to ask people about it because IDK how it'd go down.... Okay, it's AFTG, and: What if after Aaron's trial with the whole Thanksgiving thingy they propose Aaron should be on mood altering drugs? What would happen? What would people do?? Also I know there are some fanpeople that don't like how Andrew's medication was represented in the books so I completely understand if you'd rather not reply

I’m sorry this took so long and I’m sorry for my recent inactivity. I’m still not ready to come back from my surprise hiatus but here’s this. It’s largely unedited so please forgive my bullshit. Thanks so much for the ask, love <3

“Aaron Minyard was oft-referred to as "the normal one" of the two, though that was usually followed by a debate over whether or not he could be sane when he shared genes with Andrew.”

Anyone with half a brain knows that Aaron doesn’t need the drugs. Hell, anyone with half a brain would have known better than to put a minor on something so strong but Andrew was on them for like 4 yrs + Exy is a thing so obviously no one in this universe has a single functioning brain cell. Another thing to be considered is that Aaron is a rehabilitated drug addict. He’s been sober (or as close to sober as he’s going to get) since he was 16. In the real world, I seriously doubt they’d put him on anti-psychotics, especially considering his past. But this is The Foxhole Court and I’m invoking suspension of disbelief. 

Screams reverberated through Aaron’s head. There weren’t many words Aaron could discern amid the broken sobs and dry heaving. The overwhelming stench of vomit hit his nostrils. Pain shot through his left arm. It was likely dislocated from ramming it into the door at an odd angle. Staggering to his feet, Aaron saw himself in the mirror. Dark circles rimmed his bloodshot eyes. A cruel smile slowly curled the lips of his reflection. Andrew. Swinging a punch at him with his good hand, the mirror shattered. Shards of glass embedded themselves into his fist. Blood ran in rivers down his arms. 

His surroundings distorted, exchanging the soft glow of yellow bulbs for the harsh glow of fluorescents. The blood was gone along with the mirror shards. In their place was a motley of scars. None of them seemed too severe. The acrid smell of smoke clung to the air and mixed with the alcohol and vomit, making Aaron’s stomach roil. The sound of someone retching caught Aaron’s attention. Whirling around, Aaron felt his heart stutter. Matt lay twitching on the floor in a pool of his own spew.

“That’s what you looked like,” Andrew said from beside Aaron. “Pathetic.” The word echoed through Aaron’s head. 

“Aaron?” Nicky said, laying a hand on his shoulder. Aaron jerked away from him as though he’d been burned. Nicky’s face crumpled. Aaron’s gaze darted around the room.Taking stock of his surroundings helped ground him. Overstuffed chairs lined one of the walls. Three sofas boxed off the corner they were sat in. Orange fox prints decorated the white walls, a name, number, and photograph at the center of each. Aaron was back at the Foxhole Court. 

“I told you not to touch him.” Andrew’s voice froze the blood in Aaron’s veins. Stalking forward from the corner he’d been standing in, he moved to stand in front of Aaron. Cold brown eyes identical to Aaron’s own now held his gaze. Aaron wanted to look away but, as always, there was something about his brother’s eyes that never failed to command his attention. 

“How’s he going to play if he’s medicated?” Kevin asked. Aaron felt his heart sink. After spending two years with him, Aaron should have known better than to expect Kevin to care about anything other than Exy but he couldn’t help it. Just as he’d begun to think that the last few months had meant something, Kevin squashed the tiny bud of hope that had blossomed in Aaron’s heart.  

“How are you going to play if I break your other arm?” Andrew snarled. Aaron watched the color drain from Kevin’s face. A part of him wanted to smirk in Kevin’s face. It served the asshole right. All Kevin ever thought about was Exy. Exy and himself. Half of the things the foxes had been through could have been avoided had it not been for Kevin. They wouldn’t have suffered the graffiti attacks nor would they have been constantly dogged by the media. They sure as shit wouldn’t have had Neil and the mafia to contend with had Kevin not been such a selfish asshole, insisting on dragging that good-for-nothing junkie out of the middle of bumfuck Arizona. 

A larger part of Aaron wanted to cradle Kevin in his arms and protect him from Andrew’s wrath. Had Kevin not run, Aaron would never have had the chance to feel the press of Kevin’s vodka drenched lips on his. He definitely wouldn’t have had the chance to hear the soft keening moans that fell from Kevin’s lips when Aaron fucked into him. Worst of all, there would be no soft smiles or lazy kisses before Kevin drifted off to sleep.  

“Andrew,” Neil’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle. Well, not really. Neil’s voice was always gentle when he spoke to Andrew. Gentle and tender and full of love. Aaron couldn’t help but notice the way his brother’s brow softened and his shoulders drooped. Fuck you, Neil Josten. 

The door down the hall slammed shut. The sound of Coach Wymack’s footsteps echoed in the silence. Taking a moment to glance around the assemblage, Wymack read the room and decided it was best not to say anything. Instead, he held out a plastic bag. Aaron’s hand shook as he accepted it. A paper bag resided within the first. Extracting it, Aaron read the label. He’d seen the label a thousand times before but, up until today, it had always borne his brother’s name. 

Pills rattled ominously inside. Sweat slicked Aaron’s palms. Upending the second bag, the sight of the orange bottle jarred Aaron to his core. Andrew took the bottle from Aaron’s lap and squatted in front of him. 

“Two pills in the morning after breakfast,” he said. 

“And two again at 4,” Aaron finished. Andrew pried Aaron’s hand open before unscrewing the cap. Tipping two pills into Aaron’s palm, Andrew lay a hand on the back of his neck. Aaron knew his brother struggled to express his emotions but this was one gesture Aaron had learnt to recognize. It was a gesture of comfort meant to offer support. Staring into his brother’s eyes, Aaron forced himself to bring the pills to his lips. He swallowed them dry, painfully aware of every inch of their passage down his throat. 

Anyone watching knew that Aaron’s descent into madness was swift. Aaron himself didn’t know that, though. To him, time seemed to slow. Staring down at his hands, Aaron flexed his fingers. Were those his fingers? Maybe. Maybe not. Aaron opened his mouth and felt the skin around it stretch. Laughter bubbled out of him at the odd sensation. 

“Aaron?” Nicky asked. Aaron turned his gaze to his cousin and a smile split his face. Once again, the odd sensation of his skin drawing taut left him in a fit of giggles.

“It hurts,” Aaron said. 

“What hurts?” Kevin demanded. 

“Looking at your face,” Aaron replied. Had the words passed anyone else’s lips, Kevin’s anger might have flared to life. Instead, any remaining signs of life seemed to drain from him. Now it really did hurt.

Nicky had always told Aaron that if you looked at something over and over again, you would eventually get it. Perhaps it was because seeing the reward would motivate a person to work towards their goal, but no matter how much Aaron looked at Kevin nor how hard he worked, Aaron knew Kevin would never truly be his. Why he kept tormenting himself by staring at him, Aaron didn’t know. Maybe he was just as self-destructive as Andrew. 

Sadness welled up in Aaron’s chest. A bone deep yearning had settled into him long ago but he suddenly felt the full intensity of- 

“Stickball!” Aaron cried as Neil wheeled the racquet cart out. Rocketing out of his seat, Aaron caught his brother’s arm and yanked it hard. “Andy, come play stickball with me!” 

“Play what?” Kevin squawked.

“Who?” Andrew choked at the same time. 

“Stickball, Andy,” Neil said. A smile curled the edges of his lips. Kevin opened his mouth to say something but Aaron didn’t stick around to hear. Instead, he followed after Neil chanting ‘Stick! Ball! Stick! Ball!’, dragging Andrew along behind him. 

So that gives you a general idea of Aaron’s madness.

Unlike Andrew, Aaron doesn’t really fight his meds. Where Andrew was terrified of not being able to properly watch out for his family, Aaron finds himself freed from all his anxieties. As such, he’s quite content with drifting through his life. I’ve always hc’d the twins as ADHD but are undiagnosed so it’s just a more intense version of how he normally is.

In the last two years, Aaron’s managed to make quite a few friends so they do their best to support him. Since he can’t focus very well and is no longer burdened by his anxieties, I feel like he also kinda relaxes around them??? Like he’s not as awkward. Very easy, breezy, joking around all the time. They really enjoy how much he’s opened up but they care a lot about him and are scared because they don’t know how to help him with class. What ends up happening is Katelyn is an absolute sweetheart. She convinces all of their friends to sit at the front of the room to record the lectures and upload them to a drive along with any extra notes that’ll help Aaron.

All the Foxes have to go to tutoring but Aaron’s tutor gave up the second he started his meds. After getting special permission from Wymack, they cut that time out and changed up the practice schedules a bit so Aaron could get out early and head back to Fox Tower. Once he’s made it through withdrawal, Katelyn will sit him down and help him work through his assignments. She’s a godsend. 

Aaron is usually off his meds on weekends. He usually goes out to Columbia with the Monsters. He still dances with Nicky and has his fair share of fun. They go to the mall pretty often bc there’s a carousel with spinning tea cups. The twins have spent an entire afternoon riding the spinning tea cups, competing to see who hurls first. Aaron almost always wins. Andrew will take him out late Saturday nights and speed down closed sections of highways or do donuts in parking lots because they're both dumbasses with death wishes. 

One weekend a month, Aaron remains at Fox Tower with Katelyn for spa day where they wax poetic about their respective crushes. Kate’s got a bit of a thing for a boy on the lacrosse team. Aaron screams bc he hates the guy. One time, at a party, the dude was talking to Kevin, shit talking both Kayleigh and Exy, completely unaware of exactly who he was talking to. Kevin ended up with a blackeye but the lacrosse kid couldn’t play for nearly two months. 

Speaking of Kevin, he’s only thing that ever seems to hold any of Aaron’s attention. He’s just so… pretty. If Exy is Neil’s shiny object, then Kevin is Aaron’s. Since Aaron makes even less of an effort to pay attention than Andrew did, there's times when he straight up can’t play. It infuriates Kevin to the point where Aaron gets pulled off the court. At first he doesn’t mind because it means that he can sit back and watch Kevin without any fear of getting caught. However, ever since he got put on his meds, Kevin hasn’t touched him. Not even in a non-sexual way. Before, there were casual touches: a hand on the small of Aaron’s back, shoulders pressed together as they squished into a booth, ankles hooked beneath the table. Now? There’s nothing. Kevin leaves a conspicuous space between himself and Aaron and it’s the only thing Aaron can feel anymore. 

So he starts paying attention on the court. Whenever they have a scrimmage, Aaron makes sure that he’s marking Kevin. Everytime Kevin crashes into him, Aaron’s consciousness slams back into his body. The heat of Kevin’s skin on his, their limbs tangled together, their ragged breaths intermingling, their helmets the only thing keeping their mouths from colliding together. Those little encounters are the only times when Aaron finally feels like himself. Those little encounters only last a few seconds and leave Aaron craving more, more, more. 

Aaron noticed that medicated Andrew was always brushing up against Neil but he’d never really thought much of it. Now he understood. Andrew had craved Neil just as Aaron craved Kevin. 

Speaking of Neil, he and Aaron get along well? I feel like Aaron is just as much of a smart mouth as Neil so the two of them just go around roasting the shit out of everyone. The drugs don’t change Aaron’s opinion of Neil but he begins to understand why Andrew broke their deal. Realizing that Neil didn’t steal his brother from him, Aaron starts to see the appeal in him. He’s stupid and funny and actually kind of pretty. Not as pretty as Kevin but pretty nonetheless. On weekends in Columbia, Aaron begins to notice all the things Neil does for his brother. Neil wakes up early in the morning to make breakfast and spends hours in the kitchen baking. He always picks up an extra pint of ice cream at the store and takes photos of stray cats to send Andrew. One time, Aaron couldn’t sleep and went to the kitchen for some water. His heart almost stopped when he heard Andrew’s rumbling laughter. Sneaking a peek around the corner, his heart really did stutter. Neil was standing on Andrew’s feet as he waltzed around the kitchen to the soft strains of music flowing from the radio. After aaron’s heart restarted, he hurried away because OH MY GOD ANDREW WAS LAUGHING AND DANCING AND HOLDING NEIL SO TENDERLY AND OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD

Okay so maybe Neil did sic the mafia on them but he also makes Andrew happy so that evens it out right? It’s v slow but Aaron is very slowly learning to accept Neil.

Slipping back to his room, Aaron placed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart racing a mile a minute. Off his meds, Aaron found it hard to stem the surge of jealousy threatening to overwhelm him. He was glad Andrew had found someone who loved him the way he deserved to be but didn’t Aaron deserve love too? 

A soft knock sounded behind him. Aaron nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound. Oh, fuck. What it was Andrew? What if he’d seen him? With shaking hands, Aaron opened the door. For the second time that night, Aaron’s heart stopped. 

Vodka stained lips crashed against his. Aaron’s mouth opened on impact and he felt the warm slide of Kevin’s tongue on his. A moan tore from Kevin, reverberating down Aaron’s thought. It was a shot right to his core. Suddenly, Aaron’s clothes felt too tight, his body too warm. Grabbing the collar of Kevin’s shirt, Aaron hauled him into the room. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Aaron panted as he tore himself away from Kevin.

“Missed you,” Kevin slurred as he leaned back in. Aaron shoved him away, sending Kevin crashing into the wall. The look of anguish that washed over Kevin’s features threatened to tear Aaron’s heart out of his chest. 

“You haven’t come near me in months,” Aaron hissed. “Why now?” Kevin opened his mouth but nothing came out. He tried two more times before dropping his gaze. 

“Because I got scared.” Wrapping his arms around himself, Kevin retreated into his shoulders. “No one’s ever made me feel like this before. All day, all night, you’re all I ever think about.”

“You don’t think about me on the court,” Aaron sneered.

“And you don’t watch me from the sidelines.” Aaron felt the blood rush to his face. It had been years since Aaron had prayed but now he begged God to bend the shadows of his room to hide the burning of his ears. “Exy was all I’ve ever had. Back then, I played to stay alive but now… now I play because I know you can’t take your eyes off me when I do.” Kevin reached out slowly, giving Aaron time to move away. Relief flooded his face when Aaron didn’t flinch. As Kevin’s hand cupped his face, Aaron leaned into the touch. Pulling their bodies flush against one another, Kevin bent down enough to rest his forehead against Aaron’s. “I don’t want Exy to be the only thing I love anymore.”

“Then pick something,” Aaron whispered. He could feel his heart slamming against his ribcage as though it was trying to escape. He knew what was coming but nothing prepared him for actually hearing it.  

“ I pick you,” Kevin replied. Their lips collided once more and Aaron let Kevin steer them to the bed. Collapsing onto it in a tangle of limbs, Aaron felt like himself for the first time in months.  

[inyri]

Fluff prompt: warmth

(I thought the recent weather we’ve had here suited this one rather nicely.

SWTOR. Nine/Theron.)

Of all the terrible romance holonovels Nine has read over the years, by her own reckoning at least twenty percent of them featured some variation on the classic theme: oh, no, it’s so terribly cold and we’ve only got one bed, whatever shall we do? (The outcome was inevitable, of course. She’s never claimed to have good taste when it came to literature, but good taste was decidedly beside the point.

A girl’s got needs.)

Not a single fucking one of them covered this particular situation.

She’s always hated Hoth. The only predictable thing about the whole planet was that the weather was going to be lousy and this run was no exception, one unceasing snowstorm ever since the shuttle landed. But they needed the fuel cells and the pirates were easy prey, just a quick speeder trip in and out of their territory-

-until the left-hand engine sucked in a chunk of ice the size of her head. Sparking and sputtering, the speeder skids to a halt and the loaded cargo skiff nearly pulls the whole rig over sideways before it settles up beside a snowdrift.

“It’ll be fine.” Theron shouts, looking back over his shoulder until she can just hear him above the howling wind. “I just need to-” he turns the engine over, or tries to; it whines pathetically as he revs the throttle and starts to glow a worrisome shade of orange- “okay, that didn’t work. Let me try something else.”

When he dismounts the snow’s up to his knees. The ice shards are still wedged in the intake and he tags at one piece, then another, slipping off one padded glove to prod at the jammed mechanism before he almost immediately pulls it on again.

“I can fix it,” he says after a moment. “But I don’t think I can fix it right now.”

“Then we’d better start rigging up a shelter, or we won’t last long enough to have the chance. I don’t think this storm-” her mask prickles against her face, the heat of her breath not enough to thaw the frost as she does a few quick calculations in her head. In this cold and wind they’ve got half an hour, probably, before they risk losing toes. Maybe less than that.

Theron nods. “Might have something better. Hold on.” He tilts his head. “You up for a hike?”

“Define hike.” She’s already off the speeder, though, pulling the camouflage covers out from beneath the seat. Storm or not, she’ll be damned if those pirates steal the power cells back (they were Imperial property to begin with, technically speaking, so really she’s just taking them back, right?), and the skiff’s far too heavy to haul behind them to shelter. “Tatooine, or Belsavis?”

“I’m pretty sure I apologized for Belsavis.”

“The swamp was particularly scenic the third time around.” She throws the far end of the tarp at him and he hooks it down against the skiff. “Although their MaxSec is a joke. I could have broken out of there with a shoelace and a sharp stick.”

That was a grin, she thinks. It’s hard to tell beneath mask and scarf and hood and goggles. “I bet. And think Tatooine- I’m picking up a bolthole a half-klick east. We picked a good place to break down.”

“Next time, shoot for a sauna.”

Theron takes point with the emergency pack slung over one shoulder, breaking a rough trail insofar as it’s possible with ice stinging through their coats and snow drifting in heaps and piles waist-high in places, filling in his footprints almost before she can step into them. But he keeps moving forward and she pushes hard to keep pace- his strides are longer and she could have run this distance twenty times over without a thought but running’s one thing; slogging on half-numb feet with a headwind faster than they’re moving’s something else entirely. After two hundred meters he signs back at her, glancing over his shoulder. Okay?

She returns the sign and points forward- keep going.

Void, she hates Hoth.

Another hundred meters and then another hundred. They must be nearly on top of it by now but she still can’t see it, doesn’t even really know what they’re looking for but clearly Theron does; he stops abruptly and crouches down beside a snowbank, digging with both hands until he strikes something solid. Even then he keeps going, clearing off a flat surface- after a minute she grabs the pack off his shoulder and pulls out the little folding shovel and sets in beside him- until a small metallic hatch with a ring-shaped handle sits exposed.

A very small hatch.

She thinks she knows what’s beyond it. (For a brief regretful moment she recalls a dugout trench on Alderaan, up to her hips in rubble and mud in the middle of a warzone and fighting a Sith for the one dry foxhole until he threw her half the length of the trench and slammed the entrance shut before she could move again. That ended up working in her favor; an artillery barrage took out the whole damned emplacement ten minutes later.) It’ll be tight quarters, but better than nothing. Better than freezing to death. 

She and Theron both reach for the ring, pulling backward together until the door hinges open with a squeal of protest. “After you.” Theron gestures into the darkness beyond the hatch.

“If a wampa eats me-” she reaches into the pack again, pulling out a chemlight and cracking it between her hands- “I will haunt you forever. Fair warning.”

Crouching, one hand on her knife and the chemlight in the other, she makes her way slowly down the entrance tunnel into the main room of the shelter. It’s empty, at least- probably an old Republic hideout if Theron had it in his own maps, and this stretch of terrain’s still nominally White Maw territory- but scarcely large enough for one person, let alone two: a padded mat and sleepsack, a few hooks for hanging wet gear, a little camp-style ‘fresher in one corner. But it’s dry, and warmer than outside. It’s something. She calls back to Theron.

“Wampa-free. Latch the door behind you.”

There ought to be a lantern in their kit somewhere, she thinks, and she crouches down to look for it just as he clears the entrance and almost trips over her. “Well,” he says, bracing himself against the wall, “this is cozy. Sorry. If I’d known-”

“It’s not so bad. ” Lantern lit, she hands it up to him. “Hang this up there?”

“I could go find a tauntaun. Had a buddy who claims he sheltered through a storm inside a dead one once.”

The light bounces off the walls, casting shadows into the corners; she pulls off her goggles, hat and mask and ah, that’s better and- wait. “You can’t be serious.”

Theron shrugs. “Cross my heart. Gutted it with a-”

“Force, imagine the smell. I’d rather freeze to death.” She wrinkles her nose. “Help me get my jacket off.”

Gloves off next, half-sodden and studded with ice- that’s what she gets for wearing combat gloves in this weather. Her fingers shriek protest but start to pink up quickly; flexing her hands for a minute until she can almost feel them, she manages to get all her coat fastenings undone and holds up her arms. Theron reaches for her sleeves, tugging the heavy jacket off over her head. “I don’t think this place actually has heat, speaking of freezing to death. Are you sure you want to kit down?”

“Better than wet gear, and it’s warm enough to sleep- we’ll barely fit in the sleepsack as it is, let alone in all that extra padding. This storm’s supposed to last all night, so we may as well get some rest.”

“You should sleep. I can-”

She wiggles one foot free of her boot and kicks it at him. “Warmer with two. Unless you’ve gotten tired of sleeping with me?”

“That isn’t-” Seeing her grin, Theron stops answering just long enough to drop a chunk of snow onto the back of her neck and as she yelps and swats at him he finally starts to undress himself, coat and insulated trousers and scarf and hat and boots all put up carefully to dry until he’s standing in just his woven undersuit and rolls his eyes at her when she whistles appreciatively. “You know what I meant. Now take off your pants.”

“Rather forward of you,” she says, unhooking her belt as she tries to get up again; in the little space she has to stand on the padded mat. “Considering.”

He dabs at a water droplet on the mat with one sock-clad foot; the snow’s been melting as she sat. “It’s that or you get the wet spot. Your choice.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Have fun with your tauntaun.” The effect’s entirely ruined by her giggling- he’s not nearly so serious as he likes to pretend but in all their time together she’s pretty sure he’s joked about sex exactly twice (that being the second time) and given the circumstances she can’t help but laugh as she wriggles out of her own trousers. “As for me, I’m going to sleep.”

Theron knows she’s teasing, of course. She can tell by the way he kisses her.

It’s a close fit as they both settle into the sleepsack, doing up the fastening to keep as much heat in as possible. But moving’s overrated, anyway, with his arms around her waist and breath on the back of her neck, and before long her eyelids flicker with the lamplight.

“See?” she murmurs. “Warmer with two.”

“Mm.”

[warpoetry]

'The War After the War' by Debora Greger

for Greg Greger

I

Where were the neighbors? Out of town?

In my pajamas, I sat at my father's feet

in front of their squat, myopic television,

the first in our neighborhood.

On a screen the size of a salad plate,

toy airplanes droned over quilted fields.

Bouquets of jellyfish fell: parachutes abloom,

gray toy soldiers drifting together, drifting apart—

the way families do, but I didn't know that yet.

I was six or seven. The tv was an aquarium:

steely fish fell from the belly of a plane,

then burst into flame when they hit bottom.

A dollhouse surrendered a wall, the way such houses do.

Furniture hung onto wallpaper for dear life.

Down in the crumble of what had been a street,

women tore brick from brick, filling a baby carriage.

II

What was my young father,

just a few years back from that war,

looking for? The farm boy from Nebraska

he'd been before he'd seen Dachau?

Next door, my brother and sister fought

the Battle of Bedtime, bath by bath.

Next door, in the living room,

a two-tone cowboy lay where he fell,

too bowlegged to stand. Where was his horse?

And the Indian who'd come apart at the waist—

where were his legs to be found?

A fireman, licorice-red from helmet to boot,

a coil of white rope slung over his arm

like a mint Lifesaver, tried to help.

A few inches of ladder crawled under a cushion,

looking for crumbs. Between the sag of couch

and the slump of rocker, past a pickle-green soldier,

a plastic foxhole, cocoa brown, dug itself

into the rug of no man's land

and waited to trip my mother.

III

Am I the oldest one here? In the theater,

the air of expectation soured by mouse and mold—

in the dark, a constellation of postage stamps:

the screens of cell phones glow.

And then we were in Algiers, we were in Marseille.

On foot, we fell in behind a ragged file

of North African infantry. Farther north

than they'd ever been, we trudged

straight into the arms of the enemy:

winter, 1944. Why did the French want to live in France,

the youngest wondered while they hid,

waiting capture by the cold.

They relieved a dead German soldier

of greatcoat and boots. Village by muddy village,

they stole, shadow to shadow, trying to last

until the Americans arrived—

as if, just out of range of the lens,

the open trucks of my father's unit

would rumble over the rutted horizon.

Good with a rifle, a farsighted farm boy

made company clerk because he'd learned to type

in high school—how young he would look,

not half my age, and no one to tell him

he'll survive those months in Europe,

he'll be spared the Pacific by Hiroshima.

Fifty years from then, one evening,

from the drawer where he kept

the tv remote, next to his flint-knapping tools,

he'd take out a small gray notebook

and show his eldest daughter

how, in pencil, in tiny hurried script,

he kept the names of those who died around him.