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privatebullshit · 21 days ago

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with faith undaunted [part 03.]

— ♡

part 03. timidity [3k+ words]

summary: y/n y/l/n is a nurse-in-training when she meets joseph j. toye in 1942, shortly after the attack on pearl harbor, at camp toccoa. she's the americana dream, he's a reckless private. what happens when their fates cross paths?

♡ follow along on their journey of love, loss, and hardship as the story progresses in events taking place before, during, and after the war. ♡

warnings: language, throw up, time period sexism, liebgott (you'll see why), harassment

a/n: pic is not a face claim for y/n! just what her and joe would look like talking to each other<3

song rec: anything - adrianne lenker, bluebird - lana del rey

wfu taglist: @luvrottt @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @fromjupitertocentauri @annasansh @bluecanvasshoe @catbusloki

previous parts: 00. promo 01. remembrance 02. blossoming

wfu masterlist bofb masterlist

— ♡

Apparently, nearly everyone had been getting promoted today— Joe included, so he sat outside of his quarters with a needle and thread in hand. He carefully sewed the double chevrons onto his uniform sleeve, cursing whenever he accidentally pricked his fingers. Sure, he used to watch his mother sew back at home, but he never quite learned the art of it.

Y/n had just happened to pass by while carrying a stack of medical field manuals, her headscarf fluttering in the wind. Joe looked up to see her walking, hand stilling its movements as he called her name.

"Y/n!"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, fumbling with the books as she looked his way. Y/n looked like she was about to chew out whoever yelled her name, but upon seeing that it was Joe, her jaw unclenched and her brows began to unfurrow slowly.

"Oh, Joseph. Hello," she greeted him with a nod, walking a bit closer. She inspected his uniform top, laughing slightly at his sewing skills. There were long threads askew, visible stitches, and some parts of the patch that were unstitching itself. She took pity on Joe, setting the manuals down as she took a seat beside him, sliding the top from his lap to hers.

"I was almost done," Joe muttered, embarrassment creeping into his tone. It was bad enough that she saw his poor stitching, now she was going to help him with it.

Y/n looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before reaching to pluck the needle from his thumb and forefinger, "Consider it a congratulations on your promotion, Corporal."

She smiled at him, digging her hand into her apron to fish out a pair of scissors, cutting away at the previous stitches. She made quick work of sewing on the new chevrons, making it look easier than words could muster. Joe watched as her fingers nimbly rethreaded the needle with precision he could only hope to have. Each pull of the needle and thread was like a pull on his heartstrings, finding himself completely enamored— even if he didn't realize it fully just yet.

Y/n snips the remaining thread after making a strong knot, holding up the uniform to admire her work.

"Here you go, Joseph," she said softly, a proud smile making her whole face light up beautifully.

Joe swallows hard, taking the top and tugging it on. His ego bloomed at the fact that he was wearing chevrons that y/n sewed on herself, but he bit his tongue to prevent any nonsense from slipping out of his mouth.

"Where'd ya learn to sew like that?" he asked.

Y/n looked to the ground, "Nurse training. They teach you how to stitch people up, so doing it on some clothes is really nothing."

Joe nodded, silent for a moment before speaking again. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, y'know?" he said, thumb rubbing against the fabric on the bottom of his fatigues.

"It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to help," Y/n responded, beginning to stand up.

Joe caught her wrist before she could fully stand, pulling her down just enough to wrap his arms around her shoulders in a hug. Y/n let out a small squeak at the sudden closeness, but brought her arms around his neck hesitantly, drawing him closer.

He breathed in the scent of her, perfume filling his senses and making his mind hazy. But the moment was fleeting, Y/n wriggling out of his grasp and stepping back, grabbing her books once more.

A soft sigh escaped Joe's lips, disappointment striking him in the gut. He understood her apprehension, as much as it pained him to go another second without feeling her skin on his. He was forbidden to let her know how he truly felt, the blossoming, raging feelings for her growing more each day. He wanted nothing more than to say that he adored her so, but the path they chose in life stopped him.

Y/n gave him a quick nod before hurrying off to complete her duty, leaving Joe alone again. His finger traced the chevrons, a million thoughts clouding him at once.

Luz spotted Joe sitting alone, striding over to the man, "Ya look like a kicked puppy there, Joe."

"Shut up, Luz," Joe muttered, scoffing as he stood up.

"What? I'm just sayin'. Every other man in the company has noticed except for you," George laughed, hitting Joe's arm playfully.

Joe scowled, his tough exterior returning, "Notice what? Fuck off with your bullshit, Luz."

George put his hands up in surrender, still looking at Joe with a grin, "Are you sayin' that you don't have any idea what I'm talking about? At all?"

Joe's jaw clenched as he shook his head. He hated being oblivious to his own behavior, but he especially hated being obvious.

George's grin falters slightly as he puts a supportive hand on Joe's shoulder, "You've got it bad for that chick, Joe. It's written all over ya face!"

The taller man rolled his eyes, but he couldn't exactly deny the truth in George's words.

"She's everything," Joe admitted quietly, his usual gruffness lacing his voice. "But we can't be together."

George sighed, nodding in understanding, "I know, bud, maybe if things were different. . ."

Joe nodded in agreement this time.

Had they been two normal civilians instead of him enlisting in the army and her in the Army Nurse Corps, maybe things would've been different— but maybe they would've never met at all then. Maybe.

— ♡

Joe wasn't the only promotion, of course, word of Sobel reaching Captain status quickly spreading. As a "celebration," Captain Sobel allowed the men to have a spaghetti meal for dinner. Joe got his plate of noodles with sauce splattered on top, taking a seat next to his buddies.

"This is army noodles with ketchup," Perconte said in disgust, still helping himself to a mouthful anyway.

Joe chuckled, shoveling food into his mouth. It had been forever since they had a decent meal that was worth going crazy over. Thank God for Sobel's promotion, he guessed.

Well, shit, he guessed wrong.

A loud whistle blew through the mess hall, the sound of harsh footsteps following, "Orders changed. Get up!" Sobel shouted as the men stood up and at attention.

Sobel continued, "Lectures are cancelled. Easy Company is running up Currahee."

The men stood still and slowly chewed whatever food was left in their mouth. Sobel turned and and screamed at the men, "Move, move!"

All of Easy shuffled out of the mess hall, groaning in discomfort as they went to go change into their PT gear. Joe cursed Sobel under his breath, catching up with Guarnere and Perconte.

"That sonuvabitch, I should've known," Joe huffed, rushing into their quarters to change.

"I ate two servin's of that crap, Jesus Christ. . ." Guarnere spat, holding his stomach as if he was ready to throw up already.

Perconte made a face, nauseated by the thought, "Well, don't aim it my way, Gonorrhea."

They ran Currahee while Captain Sobel screamed at them, telling men that they were pathetic for throwing up all over themselves. Joe felt sick, but he swallowed down the warm spit that collected in his mouth.

Luz started to sing to bring back up morale, eventually the whole company joining in, Joe's voice booming as well.

"We pull upon the risers, we fall upon the grass. We never land upon our feet, we always hit our ass. Hidee tidee, Christ Almighty, who the hell are we? Zim, zam, goddamn. We're Airborne Infantry!"

Without a doubt, Joe dragged himself to the aid station after completing all six miles of the run. He found a bunch of the other men there like Webster, Liebgott, Malarkey, Muck, and Penkala. Safe to say, even with a stomach ache, they were enjoying getting fussed over by the nurses, including y/n.

Webster was pretty quiet, but his eyes shone with pure adoration as y/n gave him some nausea medicine, placing the pills in his palm and instructing him to take them with a good amount of water. He thanked her before nearly stumbling over his feet trying to get out of the tent, cheeks and ears pink.

Liebgott apologized for his friend's behavior, leaning against one of the stacks of crates as he shamelessly looked y/n up and down as her back was turned.

"Say, doll, what made you want to join the Army Nurse Corps?" he asked, eyes flitting over to Joe before returning back to y/n's back. She turned around, his gaze roaming over her chest without a second thought.

"First, I'm not your doll, and secondly, I wanted the same thing as you— to join the war effort. Is that a good enough answer for you?" she snapped, haphazardly putting away boxes of medicines for the medics in training. Joe had never seen her so ready to rip someone's head off.

Liebgott scoffed and smirked, pushing himself off the crates to grab her chin, "Nah. The only answer I need is hearin' the pretty noises you're gonna make for me once I get ya alone."

Joe's blood started to boil, taking a step forward and ready to interfere, but y/n handled it on her own.

She smacked Liebgott's hand off of her, starting to scream, "STOP BOTHERING ME!" So it must've not been the first time Liebgott's been there and said things like that. Muck, Malarkey, and Penkala slowly backed away from the tent, the three Stooges scampering away in fear.

Liebgott didn't budge, his shit-eating grin still on his face, "C'mon doll, no one will know. You're lucky I'm even lookin' your way."

That did it for Joe, he couldn't just stand there anymore. Fuck his nausea, Liebgott's behavior made him more disgusted than anything else.

"That's enough, Liebgott. Leave her alone," he hissed, taking a step in front of y/n, shielding her from Lieb's gaze. Liebgott barked out a sarcastic laugh, a cocky eyebrow raised at Joe.

"You're protectin' the broad, yeah? Why? Are you hopin' that she'll let you fuck her real good if you do?" Liebgott crossed his arms, awaiting a response from the other man.

Y/n saw another side of Joe that day too, gasping as she watched Joe swing at Liebgott's face. He had hit the latter square in the nose, earning a pain groaned from him and another swinging fist. Soon, the two were brawling on the aid station's floor. She knew better than to get involved directly, so she quickly fetched some of the other guys to help.

"Hey, Liebgott and Toye are fighting! Can someone come break them up before they mess up my aid station?" she screamed at a group of men consisting of Luz, Guarnere, Roe, and Powers. The men hurried into the tent, two each pulling one man off of the other who were still spitting insults at one another.

"If you dare touch her or say anythin' like that again— if you even fuckin' look at her again, Liebgott— I'll fuckin' kill ya!" Joe shouted, struggling against Luz and Roe's grips, the two telling him to shut up and quiet down.

Liebgott, whose face was fucked up and bloody now, laughed, "I'd like to see you fuckin' try, lover boy. You can have her. No bitch is worth this much trouble."

Joe started to scream at him again, both men being dragged away to their respective quarters. Roe stayed behind, letting out a disgruntled sigh, turning to y/n.

"I'll take care of their injuries later. Are you alright?" he asked, his thick Cajun accent soothing her in the moment.

Y/n nodded, thumbs rubbing on her apron. She looked a little shaken up and a tad bit guilty, as if she threw the first punch.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Roe said softly, dipping his head to look at her face better. Her eyes met his, a slight pout on her face.

"It's not your fault. Liebgott was being a couyon," he reassured her, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder as comfort.

She gave him a half-smile, grateful for his words and respectful touch, but her little smile fell as she thought about Joseph.

"I don't want him to get in trouble," she said, hushed and guilt-ridden.

Roe's brows furrowed at first, wondering who she was talking about before piecing it together, "Who? Toye?"

Y/n nodded, exhaling softly, "He was just. . .defending me."

Roe hummed, "Maybe that's something you oughta talk to Lieutenant Winters about. In the meantime, I'll go see what's going on, okay? Take it easy."

He gave her shoulder a light pat, turning on his heel to go scold the two men and take care of whatever bruises they sustained.

Y/n chewed on her bottom lip before brushing herself off and deciding to head to the officer area, looking around for Winters. Sergeant Lipton spotted her, walking over to see what she needed.

"Miss y/l/n, it's good to see you. You look lost, can I help you with something?" Lipton asked, standing in front of her now.

She looked up at Lipton, lips still in a slight pout, unsure of what to say. She really didn't want to get anyone in trouble; she was scared. Y/n's hands wrung in circles before Lipton reached out to take them in his, stilling her nervous fidgets.

"Y/n, what's going on?" he asked more cautiously this time, eyes scanning over her distressed expression. Y/n leaned in to whisper what happened and why she needed to talk to Lieutenant Winters, Lipton's eyes widening.

If anything, Lipton didn't stand for harassment in the field, or at all, for that matter. He quietly escorted y/n to Winters' office, knocking on the door.

"Enter," Winters called out.

Lipton saluted Winters, the latter saluting him back before telling him to be at ease.

"How can I help you, Carwood?" he asked, hands folded in front of him on his desk.

Lipton sucked in a breath, turning his head, "Go on in, honey, it's okay."

Winters raised an eyebrow, putting it back down when he saw y/n enter from behind Lipton, standing beside him. She gives him a timid salute, earning a soft chuckle from the man before he saluted her back.

"At ease, come here, what's wrong?" he asked, motioning for her and Lipton to have a seat.

She explained the situation to Winters, watching as his expression went from relaxed to concerned to angry in seconds.

"Thank you for telling me, y/n. I'd like you to know that we take this very seriously here, and Liebgott will be reprimanded as we see fit," Winters said, running a hand down his face.

"I- I do have one request, sir," she spoke, fingers tapping along the armrest of the chair.

Winters hummed, urging her to continue.

"Please don't punish Toye, he was only trying to defend me. And if you must, just— nothing too harsh, please."

Winters looked at Lipton who merely raised his eyebrows, signaling for him to make a decision. The former hummed once more, eyes going back to y/n's, "I will respect your request, Miss y/l/n. Toye will be given latrine duty for fighting with another enlisted man, but nothing more."

Y/n nodded gratefully, "Thank you, sir, and you too, Sergeant Lipton."

They both nodded, Winters standing up as she did, "Dismissed. Get some rest, y/n, you deserve it."

She thanked him before scurrying off to the women's quarters, ready to get into bed and forget everything else for a few hours.

— ♡

A week later

Y/n had been getting ready to use her weekend pass to go into town for a bit to get some fresh air and buy a few things that the commissary didn't offer. Joe caught her just in time, running to meet her before she passed the gate.

"Y/n, wait! Wait up. . ." he panted, slowing down to a stop as he stood in front of her.

"Joseph," she said, looking at the man with a gentle gaze.

"The one and only," he grinned, standing up straight as his chest continuing to rise rapidly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, setting her bag down.

Joe ran a hand through his hair, clearly not thinking that far ahead, "Uhm, well, I came to say thank you, y'know, for talking to Winters. And also, to ask how you were doin', I can't imagine what's it like to be talked to like that by a man." He clicked his tongue, remembering the fiasco.

"Oh right, of course. It was only right of me," she said, eyes darting past him, not wanting to make direct eye contact. "I'm fine, thank you for asking."

Joe nodded, his mouth dry with words that he wished to say. He wasn't quite sure how to string a sentence together with her there.

"Right, so where're you headed for the weekend?" he asked, glancing at her overnight bag.

"Just going into town for a bit. . . sight see, go shopping, you know."

Joe nodded once more, letting out a hum of acknowledgement. He wanted to go with her, to hold her hand as they walked around the shoppes, to buy her whatever she wanted with the money he's earned so far. But he couldn't, he had to stay on base.

"Have a good weekend, y/n. I'll see you soon," Joe said, taking a step back to let her leave.

Y/n looked at him, her longing expression causing Joe's breath to hitch.

"See you soon, Joseph," she whispered, taking a few steps closer to him. His breathing became uneven as she looked around before pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek, stepping away before anyone could see.

She turned and started to walk, leaving him dumbfounded as he touched the spot she kissed with his fingertips. Before she passed through the gate, he called out to her.

"It's 'Joe!'"

She faced him and tilted her head, puzzled, "Sorry?"

"'Joe'. You can call me 'Joe,'" he said, a sense of yearning coating over his words like honey.

She smiled softly, "Then, I'll see you later, Joe."

Never before had Joe fallen for someone as hard as he did for her, now standing like a lovesick fool as he watched her fleeting form.