Band of Brothers Imagines

Forest - Shifty Powers x Reader

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The trees stood tall, but thin, allowing the sunlight to fitler through and illuminate the lush greenness of the soft grass. The sky above was a bright baby blue, as if matching your mood, and the clouds were sparse. Shifty's delicate hand was wrapping around yours, swinging them slightly, as you walked in a companionable silence through the sun-kissed Virginia forest. It had been three months since he'd finally returned to you. The two of you remained devoted to each other while he was in Europe, and the day after he returned he'd asked you to marry him. But there was one thing you had never once spoken about. War.

"Shift, what was it like? The war?" you dared ask. Fear of upsetting him had held you back from asking on previous occasions, but curiosity and a desire to be there for him took over. You felt his hand stiffen in yours and noticed his shoulders grew tense. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to discuss it if you don't want to."

"No, its fine," Shifty's voice was barely louder than a whisper and he was inspecting the ground to avoid looking at you. "It was hard. Coming home, you have to fit back into your old life like nothing ever happened. But so much happened, and I don't think I can ever be the same, Y/N," he leant against a tree trunk, hand still in yours. He sniffled slightly and you realised he was crying. You leant lightly against him, manoeuvring his face up to meet yours, and carefully kissing his tears away.

"It's okay, I'm here," you mumbled between kisses.

"When I'm with you, it's easier for me to forget. You remind me of all the good in the world... but then something will remind me of the war, and I feel like I'm back there again. I can't even walk through the forest without thinking of Bastogne," you didn't know what to say to make him feel better, so you pulled him into your comforting embrace, one hand playing with his hair. You broke away after a few minutes, a grin plastered on your face.

"Come on," you pulled him away from the tree by the hand, pulling him down the path. Eventually, after winding your way through the woods, you reached it. The little fairy-tale path where you played together as children, where you first held hands, where Shifty first kissed you – or, more accurately, where you first kissed Shifty. The path was so narrow it could only admit its travellers single file. The trees here were much shorter, but far more dense.

"Our path," he smiled widely at you, the grin reaching his eyes and making them sparkle with happiness, a sight that you welcomed. The two of you meandered down the path, you first, holding his hand behind you. Little birds, twittering, flew overhead, their deep brown hues standing out against the brightness of the sky. The only other noise came from your footsteps on the muddy path, twigs occasionally snapping beneath your feet. After a few minutes, you stopped, in the middle of the path, and turned to face Shifty.

"I wish we could stay here forever," you whispered, looking up at him.

"So do I," he leant down to kiss your nose softly. "But we can make it feel like forever," and with that his lips reached yours, melting you into his touch.