Makin' Plans (hbo war imagines)

5. Eugene Sledge; Moment of Peace

You had come to realize a few things during the course of your time as a combat medic in the Pacific theatre of war: hell came in many forms, tragedy is a matter of perspective, and heaven was found in the little moments.

Your heaven came in the form of a sweet Southern boy named Eugene Sledge.

Your little moments started as a personal, one-sided luxury. A glimpse of his face in the midst of battle. Making brief eye contact as you crossed paths. Even exchanging pleasantries a time or two.

You would be happy to never have to hear him call for you. You never wanted to hear his voice in that moment of anguish, whether for his own pain or for another's, but you selfishly wished you had more opportunities to build upon the friendly foundation you'd formed with him.

Little did you know that Eugene was also longing for just a second longer with you. He figured it was just his luck to fall for someone in the middle of a war. He savored the glances he made your way when he knew you were near. He looked for you when you weren't.

But after Peleliu, you were both worn thin. You had to treat more men than you could count, and you had a bittersweet relationship with the fact that you were becoming more numb to the sight of blood and gore. It felt like a bit of humanity trickling out of your ears every time you didn't wince at the sight of flesh torn away.

Eugene felt that in a different way. He had experienced war. Not the way little boys played it in their backyards with sticks for guns and fighting over who-shot-who, but the real thing. He had taken lives. He had caused those screams of pain. He, too, felt his humanity had been shaken.

After many long days, you'd stitched and bandaged all that you could. You were letting yourself catch your breath for what seemed the first time in forever. There was a lull, and you would take advantage of it.

Eugene was finally not looking for a spot to hunker down to avoid enemy fire. The mere idea seemed foreign, but he'd figured out that he couldn't get too used to anything. He had a moment to process, which was proving to be difficult. It didn't help that he had spotted a certain medic across the way. The confusion he felt seemed to fade away as he found himself moving closer and closer to you.

"Y/n?" His accent made your name sound new to you.

And that breath you had been trying to catch got stuck in your throat. "Sledge. Hello." Had this been any other time, you'd be facepalming at how awkward your greeting sounded, but you didn't get to greet many people anymore. Sudden dread made your blood run cold. "Is something wrong?"

Noticing the panic in your face, he vigorously shook his head. "No, no. Sorry. I just wanted to say hi."

You had never melted so fast in your life. The tropical sunshine had nothing on the tenderness behind his words. "Oh." You sighed in relief. "I've gotten used to assuming the worst when I hear my name."

"I reckon you would." The weight of the air between you was immense.

Or maybe that was the humidity.

"I appreciate you stopping by to say hi."

Without a moment's hesitation, he blurted "Are you busy right now?"

You smiled. "No, I'm not."

"How'd you like to come sit with me for a while?"

"I'd love that."

Linking arms, he led you towards a fallen tree, and using it as a bench, you two sat down, looking out to the horizon.

You kept a hold on his arm. A breeze smelled like gunpowder and salt water. "This is the first time I've held someone that wasn't bleeding or dying or crying in a while." You were still watching the clouds roll past.

He studied your profile and ever so slightly tightened his grip on you.

"Shame that such a beautiful place is being torn apart and soaked in blood. I'm so tired of blood." Finally you faced him again. "I'm sorry. Let's talk about something else."

"You know what," he began, "I would love to know how you keep your hair looking so good out here. I've got helmet hair and here you are, not a hair out of place.

You laughed—an honest to goodness laugh. "Years of practice and hair pins. I haven't really washed my hair in far too long either, so I guess it's just stuck this way."

You two carried on like this as the sun began to sink. As the daylight began to fade, you both knew that this moment might be your last.

"Y/n," he whispered.

"Yes?" you murmured back.

He glanced down at your lips before meeting your eyes again. "May I?"

You nodded with more enthusiasm than you'd like to admit. "Please do."

He leaned in to close the space between you when someone shouted your name.

"Oh," the other medic stopped. "Sorry, L/n, but we need you right now."

You slightly huffed. "Alright." You gave Eugene a helpless look, but before you could say any parting words, his lips were on yours.

The kids was brief, and you almost weren't sure it even happened, but judging the look on his and the other medic's faces, it did.

"I'll be seeing you, Y/n," Eugene said.

You got up to follow the medic back, feeling a little stunned. "Don't go getting hurt just to see me, okay?"

"I might." His smile was warm and sweet.

You walked away shaking your head. You said a silent prayer that you both might know another moment of peace together before either of you were worse off.

This was a request from tumblr that I wrote in like 3 hours and then left and then came back to hours later. :)

M'kay.

~Mariah