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footprintsinthesxnd · 2 months

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Just Friends?

Rosie Rosenthal x Y/n Summary: Y/n and Rosie had been friends ever since they were children. They did everything together and eventually Y/n ended up falling head over heels for her best friend, but she could never pluck up the courage to tell him, until it was too late. Warnings: heartbreak, unrequited love, childhood sweethearts

Y/n had known Rosie nearly all her life. Growing up alongside him in Brooklyn, New York, she’d instantly warmed to the curly, brown-haired boy that had bumped into her on the street outside her house. Her family was new to the area and Rosie’s family had instantly taken them in as a fellow Jewish family. From then the rest was history and they went everywhere together. Most weeks consisted of dinner at each other's houses, including family meals with each other's families on Friday nights.

Rosie had taken Y/n to her first jazz performance when she was sixteen and from then on the pair were hooked. It was their thing to do together and so any shows or clubs were often frequented by the pair. Rosie was a far superior dancer to Y/n, but she tried to keep up the best she could, allowing Rosie to spin her around the floor like she was the only girl in the world. It was moments like that when she was in Rosie’s arms that Y/n realised just how special Rosie was to her. She’d have done anything for him.

She’d been there for him during his time at Brooklyn Law School and when he graduated and joined a firm in Manhattan. It was one of the proudest moments of her life, seeing him become a lawyer. He’d always believed in fighting for what was right and now he was going to show the world what an incredible person he was. That night they’d spent time sitting on the roof of her family home, talking for hours as they watched the stars. It was the early hours of the morning before they snuck back inside and Rosie slept on her bedroom floor, to not disturb her parents. Y/n couldn’t sleep that night, instead listening to Rosie’s soft snores as she relished in him sleeping beside her.

She wasn’t exactly sure when she realised that she loved Rosie. Was it the time he’d taken her out to the cinema to catch a movie and they ended the evening with dinner and a walk home through Prospect Park? Or maybe the time that he’d taken her up to the top of his house to look through the night sky? They’d spent hours up there, lead on a blanket beside each other, pointing out the different stars. Or maybe it was on December 8th 1941 when he told her he’d enlisted? She’d cried herself to sleep that night, and many nights after that. The thought of losing him was too much to bear. The final straw was when she said goodbye to him before he headed to Laredo, Texas to learn to fly B-17 Flying Fortress. She’d nearly told him then. Nearly told him how she’d loved him for years and that he’d better come back to her, but she didn’t.

“I can’t believe you’re going on an adventure without me. We promised we’d always do things like this together,” she pleaded, clutching tightly to Rosie’s hand. “You promised me, Rosie.”

Rosie's own eyes were tearful as he pulled her in close, nuzzling his nose into her neck as he had always done when they were children. “I know I promised, Y/n, but this is the one time that you can’t follow me. It’s not safe for you and I want to keep you safe.” He looked at her sincerely, his large, blue eyes staring down at her with all the kindness and comfort he could muster as he fought his own emotions.

She knew he was only doing this because he felt a sense of duty and not because he wanted to leave her. If it was up to Rosie he’d never have left her side, but he couldn’t admit that not to Y/n. She was his best friend and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin their friendship before he headed off to war. What worried him more was that she would feel the same and that despite their love for each other he’d be shot down and killed in action, leaving her even more heartbroken. He couldn’t do that to Y/n, not his Y/n.

Neither of them could admit what they felt so instead, Y/n wished him luck and told him to be safe, and Rosie promised he would write. She saw him occasionally if he was home on leave, and they corresponded via weekly letters but she hardly saw him until she arrived at Thorpe Abbotts in late September 1943.

Y/n had finally had enough of trying to help the war effort back in the States, she’d signed up for the Red Cross when Rosie had enlisted but she wanted to be in the thick of it, to be alongside the men who were fighting for their freedom.

Her first experience of life on the base was the bear hugs she’d received from Tatty and Helen, her fellow Red Cross girls, who were ecstatic another woman was joining their team.

“We are going to have a lot of fun, don’t you worry,” Tatty reassured her as they stacked the crates of supplies into the Nissen hut being used as a warehouse.

“You can count on that,” Helen added, “There’s probably going to be another dance soon.” Helen smiled sadly, and Tatty and Y/n shared a sympathetic look. Y/n had heard that Helen had been sweet on Lieutenant Nash, whom she’d heard of in her letters from Rosie, she’d never met him but he seemed like a sweet man. She didn’t know what she’d do if she found out that Rosie was… she stopped herself before she worried herself into a frenzy. Rosie was fine, and he was somewhere here on base, she just had to find him.

Helen excused herself to go and collect some more boxes, while Tatty and Y/n continued stacking, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The first pilot Y/n met was none other than Major Cleven and Major Egan who gave her a warm welcome. They stuck their heads around the warehouse door, Major Egan smiling cheekily.

“Well, hello ladies, who do we have here?” He asked, leaning back against a stack of crates, his moustache twitching as he grinned at her.

Major Cleven stood beside him, a soft smile on his lips as he nodded towards her.

Before Y/n could introduce herself Tatty stepped in, “This is my lovely new colleague, Y/n who is off limits to the likes of you, Major.” She pointed her finger at the moustached Major who raised his hands in surrender.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Tatty. Scouts honour,” he saluted her, sending a wink Y/n’s way that had her blushing for the next hour.

“You’ll soon get used to that sort of behaviour around here,” Tatty assured her, finishing up with the last of the boxes. “Just ignore Major Egan, he’s nothing but trouble.” Tatty linked her arm through Y/n’s pulling her in the opposite direction to the Majors. “Those pilots are all the same.”

“Oh I can imagine,” Y/n laughed, “Don’t worry I already have my heart set on a pilot,” she mumbled her thoughts drifting to Rosie and his boyish grin.

Tatty turned to head, eyes wide and mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she waited for more information, “Well don’t leave a girl hanging, Y/n. Who is he?”

Y/n grinned, shaking her head stubbornly, “I’m not telling you all my secrets on the first day, Tatty. You’ll just have to wait.”

She could see Tatty rolling her eyes dramatically, but she didn’t say anything else. Y/n wondered how long it would be until she ran into Rosie and that was when she did.

He was strolling along in his class A uniform, his brunette curls bouncing as he walked, and a beautiful woman on his arm. Her blonde curls sat perfectly on her shoulders, her lilac dress hugging her curves perfectly. She looked so small and dainty beside Rosie. She was perfect.

Y/n felt the lump growing in her throat, her lungs growing tight with each short breath. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be true.

Just as she was about to turn away from the scene, turn and run away from the man who had her heart, his dark eyes caught hers and he stopped in his tracks.

“Y/n?” He called out, a beaming smile spreading across his lips as he jogged towards her. Why did he have to look so perfect?

Before she could protest, Rosie had lifted her into his arms, spinning her around effortlessly. Y/n wanted to feel safe in Rosie’s arms just like she had all the other times he’d held her, she wanted to stay in his arms forever but the blonde woman behind him caught her eye and she pushed against Rosie’s chest. He placed her down quickly, his hands still resting on her shoulders.

“I didn’t know you were coming to England!” He exclaimed, clearly excited by the arrival of his childhood best friend. Y/n only wished she could be this happy.

“Well, here I am. Surprise,” Y/n replied, a strained smile forming on her lips as she tried not to choke on her words. She didn’t want him to realise that he’d hurt her, she didn’t want to make a scene. They were childhood best friends after all, they had no ties, no commitment to one another so why shouldn’t Rosie find himself a girl of his own? “I finally managed to persuade the Red Cross to give me an overseas position.”

“I’m so pleased you’re here,” Rosie pulled her into another hug, this one more gentle. She pressed her nose into his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of his aftershave. The aftershave that Y/n had first bought him for his eighteenth birthday, had been expensive but Rosie had always been worth it.

“I’m happy to be here,” she assured him, stepping back and eyeing the blonde beside him suspiciously. She had her eyes trained on the ground as she pushed the earth awkwardly with her shoe. Y/n cleared her throat, motioning to the girl who Rosie glanced at quickly, his arm coming to rest around her shoulders.

“Y/n, I’d like you to meet my girl, Elizabeth,” he grinned widely, looking between the women.

Swallowing her pride Y/n reached forward with a warm smile, “It’s lovely to meet you, Elizabeth.”

The girl grinned in return, her nervousness from earlier disappearing, “Call me Lizzy, please. It’s lovely to meet you too, Y/n, I’ve heard so much about you from Robert.”

Robert. Of course, she called him Robert.

That name seemed foreign to her after calling him Rosie for so many years.

Lizzy couldn’t have been a nicer girl. She was young, pretty, funny and seemed besotted with Rosie, and he was with her. Y/n couldn’t help the jealousy building inside of her.

It should have been her tucked safely under Rosie’s arm. It should have been her that Rosie kissed sweetly on the cheek. Why wasn’t it her?

Tatty coughed quietly beside her, drawing her back to the present where she realised she was staring at Rosie. Her cheeks blushed furiously which couldn’t have been missed by anyone there. She berated herself for making it so obvious, she’d hidden her feelings for so many years and here she was making it plain to everyone.

Lizzy smiled sympathetically at Y/n and she hated that Lizzy was being so nice to her. She wanted to hate the girl, but how could she?

Rosie seemed oblivious to the situation, still grinning between the women.

“We should be getting on, Y/n, we’ve still got some things to organise this afternoon,” Tatty beckoned her to follow and Y/n nodded thankfully. Thank goodness for Tatty.

“Yes, we do,” Y/n agreed, stepping back from Rosie and Lizzy with a small smile. “It was great to see you again, Rosie, it is, and it’s lovely to meet you, Lizzy.”

Rosie went to speak but Lizzy pulled at his hand, silencing him, “It was lovely to meet you too, Y/n. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around the base.”

“Definitely,” Y/n agreed, and in truth, she didn’t mind seeing Lizzy around the base, it was seeing Rosie that would be the hardest thing.

Rosie’s dark eyes met hers, a warm smile on his lips as his eyes sparkled like they always had. His eyes always seemed to gleam when he smiled, something that had always made Y/n’s heartbeat a little faster. Why had he always had this effect on her?

Tatty’s grip on her arm tightened as she led Y/n away, keeping her steady until they rounded the corner. Y/n composure shattered like glass as she fell to her knees, lungs screaming to air as a broken sob fell from her lips. It felt like everything that Y/n had ever relied on, everything she had ever held dear had been ripped away from her in a matter of minutes, and all she had left were her memories.

“It’s Rosie, isn’t it?” Tatty asked, kneeling beside her and brushing the stray curls away from Y/n's face. “I’m so sorry, Y/n, I didn’t know…”

“No, no it’s… it’s not your fault. You didn’t know and I should…” Y/n sighed, wiping away the tears quickly, and taking a deep, shaky breath. “I should have told him how I felt a long time ago, I can’t expect him to just wait around forever.”

It was true, she’d had so many opportunities to tell him how she felt if only she had plucked up the courage. Now she would just have to live with her decision and try her best to be happy for him, after all, they were still friends. Even if it hurt like hell to see him with someone else at least he was still in her life. They could just be friends.

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#masters of the air #rosie rosenthal #robert rosenthal #rosie rosenthal x reader #rosie rosenthal x y/n #masters of the air fic #mota #hbowar #rosie’s riveters

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