Band of Brothers Imagines

Private Bullshit - Donald Malarkey x Reader

"And so there I was, right, swimming across the Niagara, when I noticed the current is taking me right in the path of this boulder. And I'm thinking, how the hell do I avoid that, I'm already close to it and the current is pretty damn fast..."

"Wait, you swam in a waterfall? How on earth did you do that?" You cut him off.

"No, not the falls, the river! But, boy, that current sure was strong. And I did it at night," Malarkey puffed out his chest proudly.

"Private Bullshit, you're really living up to your name, huh?" You heard a voice calling Malarkey, and looked behind you to see Skip there. Turning back to Malarkey, you saw that his face had gone almost as red as his hair.

"Are you blushing?" You teased, giggling.

"No," he mumbled, an obvious lie. Skip came over to you two.

"Stealing my story, Private Bullshit, shame on you," Skip's tone and playful grin showed that he didn't really mind, and he clapped his friend on the back before walking up to the bar.

"Don't worry," you moved your hand onto Malarkey's. "I knew you were talking shit all along, Skip told me that story two months ago." If it was even possible, Malarkey's face fell further and he didn't think he'd ever felt so embarrassed.

"You should've stopped me from talking," he mumbled.

"Why?" You shrugged. "I think it's sweet that you told me that just to impress me." Malarkey's head snapped up and his eyes met yours. "That is what you were trying to do, wasn't it?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, going slightly coy as his gaze fell to the table, where your hand was still covering his, spreading warmth through his entire body.

"Well, you know, one time I swam across the Amazon," you grinned and Malarkey looked confused. You sighed and explained: "maybe I want to impress you too." You smiled shyly now, hoping that you hadn't confused the signals. Malarkey grinned widely, and he moved his hand so that he was holding yours properly. For the first time, you focused on how he felt: his skin was softer than you'd expected it to be, and his hand was spattered with freckles. You loved it when the sun brought his freckles out and they dappled his skin.

"I love seeing you smile," he was almost whispering now, wanting this moment to stay just between the two of you, even though you were in public. You blushed furiously, your cheeks matching Malarkey's hair. "Can I... can I kiss you?" He waited for you to nod assent before he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss to your lips. It was all too brief - both of you were very conscious of Skip's eyes on you - but it was long enough for you to imprint the feeling of his lips onto your brain - their softness, their tenderness.

"Can I take you on a date?" He asked after you'd pulled apart; both of your faces were plastered with goofy grins.

"Don't you think this kinda counts as our first date?"

"I guess it does," Malarkey smiled even wider, so wide that his face hurt a little, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything, not when you were looking at him with such adoration; he couldn't remember feeling so happy, and neither could you.