𝙷𝙱𝙾 𝚆𝚊𝚛 𝙸𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜

Three Little Hearts | Evan Stafford

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♡ One ♡
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"Hey, Q-Tip, pass me some MRE's." you called from the head of the humvee.

No response.

"Q-Tip?"

You frowned, then made your way to the humvee's rear. Q-Tip wasn't usually this quiet; he was always humming a song or rapping quietly to himself if he was alone.

"Stafford, you there?" you tried again.

You lifted open the canvas and saw Q-Tip sitting there, his knees drawn up to his chest and eyes staring ahead but unfocused.

"Hey," you murmured, quickly hopping into the humvee. "Look at me, Evan."

You gently nudged him when he didn't respond.

"Hey, Evan, look at me." you repeated. You smiled when he slowly turned to face you, his eyes full of tears. "That's it, just look at me, okay? We're not in any danger. We're safe now, okay? The fighting's over."

"Y/N? What-"

"Here..." you felt around your pockets for a marker, letting out a quiet "Aha!" when your fingers grasped one. "Wanna draw something?"

He sniffled. "What?"

"Come on, draw something for me."

"I don't have paper..." he began.

You hummed in thought, then rolled up your sleeve.

"How about you use my arm?"

"I mean..."

"Go on, I don't mind. Besides, it'll be nice to have something to look at out here. I've had enough of looking at Ray's mug for a lifetime."

Evan laughed at that, and began moving the marker across your skin. You left him to his work, staring out the canvas covering you had left open. There were men still bustling around, shouting for supplies or an extra hand. You should have been out there with them, handing out supplies and the like, but you'd much rather stay where you were; it was nice sitting with Evan. You much liked sitting in silence. One rarely got silence out in the desert surrounded by Marines.

I could get used to this.

Evan capped the marker and poked your shoulder with it. You turned back to him, beaming when you saw what he doodled: some flowers and three little hearts around them. He added a little tiny sun as an afterthought.

"These are so pretty, Evan."

"'S nothin' special. Just some flowers..."

You studied his sheepish expression, chuckling at the pink around the ears and cheeks, then smiled softly at him again.

"Alright, if you say so."

You pocketed your marker, then hugged Evan as best you could in the cramped space, and hopped out of the back of the humvee. You turned to leave, but then remembered why you had stopped by the humvee in the first place.

"Oh, can you hand me a box of MRE's? Thanks."

He handed you the box without another word, and you were on your way.

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♡ Two ♡
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"Brad, you seen Q-Tip around? Nate's been asking for him." you overheard Ray say. "Says he disappears for a little bit every other day. Almost every day. Lieutenant has trouble finding him whenever he's needed."

"He check the back of his humvee?" you interjected from where you sat on the humvee hood.

Ray shook his head. "Says he's looked everywhere."