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desert-fern · 7 months

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Ring Around My Rosie - Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw X Fem!Nurse Reader (WWII European Theatre AU)

Pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw X Fem!Reader

Summary: The year is 1944 and the Second World War rages on. You have been a nurse in Belgium for nearly three years, having seen the effects of the worst things human beings can do to one another. One day, like always, an injured man is brought in. An American sailor too far from the ocean he came out of on D-Day and you both are entranced.

Warnings: blood, bullet removal, mentions of Nazis (it is a WWII AU so…), probably inaccurate depictions of wartime nursing, most likely factually incorrect WWII history, fluff so fluffy I gave myself a cavity just writing this, 1940s Bradley Bradshaw (yes, he is a warning)

Word Count: 6.1k

A/N: If you can’t guess, this oneshot is a WWII AU inspired by a cover of Ed Sheeran’s Nancy Mulligan that I have linked here! I’m 90% I fucked up my Spotify Wrapped for this fic so I hope you enjoy!

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Well, I met him at Guy's in the second world war

And I was working on a soldier's ward

The scent of blood was thick in your nostrils as you dragged yourself out of the field hospital in Les Annais, Belgium. The Germans had been menacing your location for weeks, baiting your troops and sending fractions limping back into your capable hands.

You knew nothing of the tactics being used, very few did. You were here as a nurse, not as a tactician, not as anyone of note, save for being the longest serving nurse at the 51st Field Hospital. The others had bailed out as soon as they could, doing their duty but the gruesome fighting months earlier at the Battle of the Bulge had sent many fleeing.

It wasn’t like you could blame them.

You were still new, having joined up as soon as you could convince your father and while you were a month shy of 23, you had never experienced anything like this. Your grandmother had told your father off, reminding him that it was his own stubborn streak that raced through you.

But you were unprepared for everything you would have to do out here, hundreds of kilometers away from home, with the least amount of training that they could spare. At the beginning, you could only offer comfort to some of these men, being unable to save them from their wounds, as they cried for their mothers, wives, children, begging for the pain to end.

Sometimes - well, most times - these men were boys your age or younger. Lives that had only just begun were snuffed out in the most violent of ways and you were left to piece together your shattered heart day after day.

So you closed yourself off, choosing to help as many as you could. The conditions were brutal, the wounds you saw even more so. A year and a half ago, you didn’t know how it felt to hold down a screaming man so a doctor could try and save a septic leg. You were a shoulder to cry on, a smiling face despite the bleakness, and more often than not, an object of flirtation and admiration.

The sky was a miserable gray, like it always was. It seemed like the sky was trying to match the color of the tents scattered around the outside of the main camp, doing its best to hide you from the prying eyes of the German aerial patrols.

The Luftwaffe were always around. Luckily for you, they couldn’t aim for shit, but you couldn’t deny that the German movements had been far more frequent. Sometimes a young man crawled through the borders surrendering to the English and American forces and begging for help.

No one else would treat him, refusing to even get close to him.

You had chastised them all, reminding them of their promises to help those in need, and slowly you had gained some help in the care of these young men, though they were few and far between.

Shouts caught your attention, sending you racing through the muddy field back to the hospital. A group of soldiers, Americans by the sound of them, were calling for help and you would be a hypocrite if you didn’t help.

Hurrying through the door ahead of them, you saw a small group, maybe seven or so men approach. They were muddy, beaten and bruised, but your eyes fell upon the man being held up by his compatriots. “What happened?” You asked, quickly replacing a red headed man and half-carried the brunette towards the only open bed in the corner.

“A bunch of Krauts caught us by surprise, caught Rooster here with a few shots and some ass- pardon me ma’am, idiot jumped out of a tree and landed on top of him,” the man explained, helping you lay this Rooster on the bed.

You focused on the brunette’s bloody uniform, eyeballing the few bullet wounds in his arms, but you were the most concerned about the broken leg. It only took one infected wound and that limb would be gone. Not today, you thought. “Dot, I need the suture kit and a basin. You,” you stated, standing up to face the man standing next to you.

“Mulligan, ma’am,” he told you, standing up straighter. “Lewis Mulligan, US Navy.”

“Lewis, can you help me hold him down? I can’t stitch him up and hold him down at the same time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dot hurried over with the makeshift kit, placing it on the bed along with a basin of water. Unbuttoning his shirt, you found that two of the three bullet wounds still had the bullet in them and that the third had begun to clot against his shirt. Pulling the scissors from the pants pocket of your uniform and cutting the shirt away, you finally had a better view at what you were working with. “Fucking Krauts. Guess they must be really desperate to keep using shitty ammunition,” you remarked dryly, dipping a set of tweezers in a basin of cheap spirits.

Lewis didn’t say a word, clearly stunned by your foul language. “Ma’am?”

Sighing, you turned to face him. “Lewis, I need your help holding him down. The longer this takes, the bigger the risk of infection. I can’t do that if you are going to be shocked when I cuss and swear. Can you help me or not?”

He nodded, coming to stand on the other side of the unconscious man. Hands placed on his friend’s shoulder and hip, Lewis gave you a nod and you began.

The bullets were soft and slippery. They slid out of your tweezers more times than you could count, but you made it work, finally prying the two out of his shoulder and side. Lewis wasn’t looking at you, his face green by the time the last bullet clinked into the porcelain tray. “I can take it from here, Mulligan. Go back to your group, tell them…”

“His name is Bradley.”

You gave him a smile. “Tell them Bradley should be okay unless he does something stupid.”

He left you alone, perched on the side of Bradley’s bed, stitching him up. You saw his eyelashes flutter as you finished the last stitch and quickly stood up. If he lunged at you, you had to be standing. Enough men had grabbed at you when they woke up and you had quickly learned not to make that mistake again.

Too many bruises, too many sprains, too many punches thrown.

To your surprise, Bradley let out a groan and his eyes slowly blinked open. That groan turned into a hiss of pain as he tried to sit up. “Stay down,” you said gently, approaching slowly with your hands up. “You’re in a field hospital in Belgium.”

His eyes flicked to you, taking in your bloody uniform and trailing over your face. “The others?” He said in a panicked voice. “Where are the others?”

“Lewis and the redhead are outside, they carried you here. Seven of you came up to us, that’s all I know Bradley.”

A nod. “Thank you Ma’am.” Relief was written all over his face, in the way his eyes fell closed for a moment and his shoulders dropped.

“I just finished stitching up your chest, but I need to look at your leg. Can I do that?”

“Anything for you doll,” Bradley replied with a wink as he tried to lay down. But he winced and you were there, your bloodstained hands firmly holding his shoulders and neck while you guided him back down.

Never had I seen such beauty before

The moment that I saw ya

You moved quickly to treat his leg, finding that thankfully it was just a broken ankle and not somewhere further up. The number of men that had come in with a broken leg and left with one and a half was a number that you didn’t like to think about. It was far too high.

But Bradley wouldn’t be one of them and you couldn’t help but send up a prayer of thanks. The minute he’d opened his eyes, you’d been transfixed by the deep amber of them. A deep brown like the whiskey that was saved for special occasions and sparkled like a polished gun barrel or belt buckle. It wasn’t like you hadn’t seen handsome men. Quite the opposite. You saw all kinds of men at their worst. Lots of them lookers, but you hadn’t felt a connection to one until him.

His gaze made it hard to focus as you fumbled with his boot lace, finally undoing it after what felt like hours. The smell still made you recoil a little, even after nearly a year in the nursing corps. Regardless, you still had to do your job. So you worked quickly, removing both boots and socks and compared both sides to assess where the break was.

A soft touch to his foot had him chuckle and you glanced up at him curiously. “Sorry, just ticklish, is all,” Bradley said sheepishly, hand coming up to rub at his mustache.

You gave him a smile before returning to work, splinting his ankle and cleaning the blood, sweat, and mud from his skin. “Better now?” You asked him, tucking a blanket over his body and helping him into a clean-ish shirt.

His eyes met yours and despite being in pain, Bradley shot you a small smile. “Better now that I can see my guardian angel.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that one, sailor? More times than you’ve used that line on anyone in stockings.”

Bradley just grinned at your retreating form and let his eyes slip shut. The pain in his body was getting to be too much, but as he dozed off, he found himself listening to your voice as you reprimanded a soldier barely older than yourself for getting out of bed. You intrigued him, that’s all.

He said I was his yellow rose

And we got married wearing borrowed clothes

Weeks had passed since that first interaction and both you and Bradley had been writing to one another as often as you could spare. While in the hospital, you learned that he and his friends had been separated from their landing crew as they made their way inland from the coast. He’d been on Omaha Beach during what had become known as the “D-Day” landing in Normandy.

Not that he’d been allowed to tell you that, but he had anyways, trusting you implicitly. He’d had to leave after nearly a month under your care, but made a promise to come back.

You hoped he would, but neither of you knew what would take place.

The fighting had drawn closer to your hospital as the Allies fought for Belgium, liberating it in 14 days and wrestling it from German hands. There had been some celebration amongst your ranks, but your heart ached for Bradley, praying every night that he came back to you.

For now though, you had to settle for letters. Bradley’s smooth voice seemed to read every letter aloud to you, each word wrapped in that gentle, flirtatious tone he had used every day you had looked after him.

Doll. My darling Rosie, the most recent letter began. They usually started out with some endearment, God knows he had used enough of them as he tried to win you over despite your colleagues warning him that you wouldn’t fall.

You remember Lew? Well he told me that writing to you was a waste because I wouldn’t get any letters back, but I know you. You wrote me back like you always do. Means I’m going to have a nice big stack of letters waiting for me the minute the post catches up with us.

We’re still marching. It’s been hell on my ankle, but you patched me up nice and neat so I’m not too worried. At least the view is nice. I think you would like it where we camped tonight, crickets are chirping now as I write this and it’s peaceful. Kinda like those nights you spent sitting with me when we’d talk about everything and I would always get worried that you would get sick of me jawing and talking your ear off, but you never did. Spoiled me for a good listener. The boys here don’t talk much. Battle fatigue is crawling all over them and it is always quiet around these times cause no one says a word.

It’s awful lonely though, sweetheart. I miss your laugh, especially how you would have to cover it when it was the middle of the night. Closest thing to home I had in a while. I hope you can hear my voice in this letter because I know I hear yours every time. And I mean every word, Doll, I hope you know that.

When I come back, I want to take you somewhere nice. Get you all dressed up in something pretty but you would still be the most beautiful dame I ever saw if you came out in your uniform that I know you are wearing now. Maybe I’ll take you dancing like you talked about, holding you close for song after song and if I’m lucky we would be going steady after that. That kiss on the cheek you gave me before I left is just haunting me because I had a taste of the future, if you feel the same of course.

Call me a flirt, doll, but I’m just sweet on you. I’m doing everything in my power not to go AWOL and come all the way back to find you, but I hope this letter finds you well instead.

Thinking about you, my English rose.

Yours always,

Bradley.

Wiping a tear from your cheek, you carefully folded the letter back up and placed it with the others. They were all like that, yearning to be back here instead of wherever he was, thoughts of the future and he always, always, signed it off with “Thinking of you,” or lately “Yours always.” Every letter gave you hope and while you knew some of yours had likely been delayed, you always jumped up like you’d sat on a tack whenever the post arrived.

Dot had started teasing you the second that Bradley left, but one reminder of Lewis and she too was blushing. The two of you sat in your quiet fear, praying that neither one of you would get a letter from one of their unit mates saying that one or both was gone.

Your next letter went out the same day.

Hopefully, it would all be alright. So for now, you let yourself dream of dancing in Bradley’s arms, Glen Miller playing softly in the background as he held you close, whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

Hundreds of miles away, huddled under a thin blanket, Bradley pulled a creased letter from his pocket, finally having the chance to read it. As the letter slid out of the envelope, a sweet smell burst free and filled his nostrils. He recognized your perfume, the scent having filled him with joy every moment he spent by your side as he recovered.

Shifting a little and adjusting the blanket, he opened it up, catching a second page that tried to escape in the sudden breeze. Bradley moved his lantern over and began reading your tight script that had his heart skipping a beat each time he saw it fill a page.

Bradley,

I received another letter from you today and I thought I had best get writing so I don’t miss the post truck. I do remember Lewis. Hopefully he remembers Dot because she is patiently waiting for a response to her letter. I don’t think it matters, the sentiment is still the same and I would rather see you at the end of this harrowing ordeal than have you replay thoughts on paper.

I had been meaning to ask about your ankle. If it ever gives way, splint it like I showed you. I don’t want you to break it again, even if that would mean you have to come back to me. But for the moment, I am glad for your letters. They make me feel closer to you. Describe the view for me, please. I see nothing but muddy fields, canvas walls, and wounded men. Is it raining a lot on your march? I know your boots were ruined when you were brought here. Did you ever find new ones? He had, but the source of them sent his stomach twisting in knots. Pulling boots off a man killed in battle felt savage, like they didn’t matter as a person.

I miss our talks as well. I learned so much about you so quickly and I feel like I know everything about you. I miss the snort you make when you laugh, especially when I told you that the other nurses called me Rosie because I was the only English nurse here. I was worried you would stop breathing some nights the way you clutched your chest as you laughed like you had never heard anything so funny. But I would give anything to see your smile, the one where it reaches your eyes and it seems you swell up with joy. I know there isn’t much time for smiles now but if I could just give you one of mine, I would.

Send my love to the boys with you. War is hard enough without having to deal with loneliness at the same time and you all are in my thoughts and prayers. I miss you terribly and find myself daydreaming of you every spare moment I have, which is not often anymore, but I drift off to sleep with your past letters in my hands and your words in my mind.

Your confessions for after this war sound like heaven. I hadn’t let myself dream too long about what will become of us. We have both heard the stories of wartime romances often enough to know how precarious they can be, but if you have hope, dearest, then so do I. I’ll wear my best dress and you in your uniform, we will be the best dressed pair at the dance hall. Nothing sounds better than dancing close with you. I don’t care how presumptuous it is, the way my heart yearns for your nearness, I can give my answer to your most secret hopes without hesitation.

If you asked, dearest, I would be yours in a heartbeat. So long as you are mine as well. Bradley breathed out a laugh, trying not to wake his comrades. He had been kicking himself ever since he had sent that letter, hoping you felt the same and by the grace of God, you did. I may be English but we aren’t always prim and proper when angered. I could and would write a million pages with barely any thought, but the truck is waiting for me, so I must end this letter here. I hope my words keep you warm in this autumn weather and please, if you can, come back to me.

Stay safe, dearest.

Your Rose

The letter crinkled in his grip as Bradley bit back a wide grin. You were okay. You wanted to go steady. You cared for him. Fuck the war, he though. His doll was waiting for him back in Belgium and not for the first time, he hoped that the war would end for purely selfish reasons. You were waiting and his mama had raised a good boy who never left a woman waiting, he wasn’t going to start now.

The radio in the small hospital crackled as the BBC broadcast announced Germany’s surrender as Russian troops poured into Berlin. Cheers went up amongst the nurses and the men they were caring for, but you knew that the casualties were high on both sides. The United States still fought with Japan in the Pacific, chasing them back towards their island, and you knew that the fighting would go on for a long time.

The only thing? You hadn’t heard from Bradley in months, not since March of this year; 1945. It was now May.

The worry in you grew every day, trying and failing to hide it from Dot and the others around you. It hadn’t affected your work, but it affected nearly everything else. You were hardly sleeping, rereading his letters so often you had them memorized. “Thinking of you” was written in his neat handwriting against the back of your eyelids, and everytime you blinked, you thought of him.

A few days went by since that monumental announcement of the war’s end and some fighting was still happening but Germany’s surrender had a lot of Nazi sympathizers fleeing like rats. But world leaders were acting quickly and you knew that while it would be some time before you would return home to England, it would also not be enough time for Bradley to come back to you here in Les Annais.

So, like always, you went to work. The soldiers around you were still flirtatious, some even outright admitting that they were sweet on you, but you politely told them that you were waiting for your man to come back to you, and that while you were flattered, you just couldn’t.

Sweet smile after sweet smile. Bed bath after bed bath. Infected wound after infected wound. And still, no Bradley.

Then you heard your name shouted from outside. You had been packing your things, having received your letter to head back home, when Dot yelled so loudly you thought a hoard of Nazis were marching toward you. Racing outside dressed in your one non-uniform dress, you saw a Jeep full of men pull up. They too were yelling, and when you ran up, you saw a familiar face not half a meter away.

He was covered in dirt and grime, his hair longer than you had seen and his cheeks were covered in stubble like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, but it was still your Bradley in every way that mattered. “Bradley…” you breathed, coming to a stand-still with your hands over your mouth. You stood stock still, your heart nearly beating out of your chest as you took him in disbelief. “You’re safe…”

“Hey doll,” the rasp in his tone gave you shivers as you met his eyes. They were still the same color as the whiskey you all had drank the night the war was declared over, the same sparkle twinkling like the stars as he took you in. “Look at you. You look beautiful.” Bradley clambered over Simon, nearly elbowing him in the face in his haste to get out of the Jeep. “Prettiest picture I ever saw.

You blushed, ducking your head a little at his compliment. Bradley’s heart soared as he took you in, marveling at how his imagination had been unable to capture the picture perfect moment of you in that dress. You had lived in his thoughts for months, each letter sending pangs of loneliness through him as each moment without you passed. Now, standing in front of you, your hair curled and dressed like a million bucks, Bradley felt his love for you grow infinitely larger.

“You…” you began, looking up at him, your eyes wide in shock. “You came back, sailor.”

“‘Course I did. What kinda man would I be if I left my best girl waiting.”

Dot and the others were still watching intently, keen on seeing what happened when you both finally let your resolve snap. “Come on Rosie! Give your man a kiss!” Lewis hollered from where he stood with Dot in his arms. “He’s only been dreamin’ about this since forever!”

“Mulligan, I swear to God, shut your fucking yap for one minute,” Bradley yelled back, shifting his focus from you to his friend. “Sorry doll, Dot, shouldn’t have said those words with you around. Can you forgive me?”

Shooting Dot a wink, you caught his hand. “If you kiss me hard enough, sailor, I just might forget the whole thing.” You weren’t sure where the boldness came from, but it was worth it when Bradley’s face lit up.

“Is that right?” He said in a low voice. “Just one kiss?”

You shrugged as your gaze fell from his amber eyes to his lips and back again. “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”

That was all it took because next you knew, Bradley had picked you up in his arms and let his lips fall against yours, kissing you so soundly your breath left you in a rush. His hands around your waist held you so securely you didn’t fear falling. Your own hands cradled his face, subconsciously brushing away the tears that fell from his eyes.

He set you back on your feet, but his hands didn’t leave your hips. “So, did you forget about it yet?”

Smiling cheekily back at him, you replied “Forget what?” He chuckled and you let your palms slide down his neck to rest on his chest over his heart. “All that being said, dearest, I leave today. And I know you aren’t down yet.”

“We got separated from the Navy landing crew, doll. Kramer sent a telegram to the high ups and they are sending us on leave for a little while. Especially since we weren’t supposed to be in Berlin,” Bradley told you, a big hand running up and down your back. “So as long as I get to port at a reasonable time, I’m still doing my duty.”

“And when is that, Bradley?” Toying with his jacket, you found yourself chewing on your lip in thought.

“Hey.” His gentle tone had you looking up at his face that was filled with compassion. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I’ve got it in writing and up here,” Bradley told you, tapping his temple. “My mama always said I had a mind like a steel trap.”

You leaned up onto your tiptoes, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I’m still going to worry, Bradley. I don’t know how not to. But I trust you. If you say you have it, then you do.”

Bradley leaned down to kiss you again, this time the fierceness of the gesture had you gasping against his mouth. “God I love you.”

The world stood still as you looked up at him. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course, Rosie. Unless you have some other beau running around London that I don’t know about.” He paused, looking down at you. “Wait, you don’t have a beau waiting on you, do you?”

Looking shocked, you shook your head. “No. No, I don’t. My sister was the looker of the two of us.”

By now, Lewis and Dot had run off somewhere and the other men traveling with Bradley had scattered throughout the camp offering help to the pretty young nurses still there.

The two of you were alone.

“Come on,” you said, tugging him towards your tent. “I have something to show you.”

“You could lead me off a cliff, Rosie and I’d follow you happily,” Bradley chirped, relishing in the pretty blush that dusted itself across your face. His body hurt from sleeping sitting up, he hadn’t had a shower and probably smelled terrible, yet even just being near him flustered you to no end.

And he loved it. Maybe not as much as he loved you, but how could he deny you? Your grip on his hand tightened as you pulled him to you, your other hand coming to rest on his jaw. “I didn’t want to do this in public, but I’ve been daydreaming about you kissing me like I’m all you have ever wanted, Bradley.”

The words raced through him, excitement building as he let you guide his face to yours. The first gentle touch of your lips to his had him smiling broadly, and he knew that you were smiling just as hard by the way you pulled back just a little. The next attempt went similarly; the two of you too giddy in the other’s nearness to kiss the other properly.

But he made it work, catching your chin and kissing you soundly. The gasp that fell past your lips gave him an opening and he took it, slipping his tongue past your lips.

Bradley had anticipated some kind of resistance, the feeling probably new to you, but he found none as he continued to kiss you like you were the oxygen he needed to breathe. If anything, you brought in your own fierceness to the gesture, your tongue tangling with his.

When you finally pulled back, cursing your need to breathe real air and not just Bradley’s closeness, you found that his eyes were still screwed shut. “Pinch me,” he breathed out. “This has to be a dream.”

“This is real, dearest,” you replied with a giggle. “Would I lie to you?”

“You promise?” The tone of his voice seemed so young to your ears, reminding you that for all your 25 years, and his 27, he was still too young to have seen everything he likely had seen.

“Of course.”

His eyes fluttered open, shining brightly with unshed tears. “Thank God. I don’t know what I would do if I had imagined you.”

“I’d say that you have a very vivid imagination then, dearest,” you replied softly, turning his face back to yours. When he’d looked away, you didn’t know, but you loved the sight of those warm eyes looking down on you and you would do anything to keep them in your life. “Besides, where would I go then? If I weren’t real, as you say.” Your fingers ran along the back of his neck, gently playing with the short curls. That was something else you hadn’t noticed until now; the natural curls that had emerged once his hair had a little length.

“Marry me.”

You froze, shock filling you from head to toe. “I beg your pardon?”

“Marry me, Rosie. I don’t have a ring, hell, I don’t even know if I’m going to have a home when I get back stateside.” The words poured out in a rush, but the emotion in his tone was palpable. This wasn’t just a wartime distraction to him. “All I know is that if I don’t tie you to me, if I don’t make every effort to keep you near, I’ll regret it forever doll.” Bradley’s eyes held nothing but sincerity, truth seeping from every pore as he held you, his big hands pressing you to him.

A deep sigh left your lips, the silence thundering in Bradley’s ears as he waited. You glanced up at him, your eyes misty with tears. “If I say yes,” you began, swallowing thickly. “If I say yes Bradley, you don’t get to leave because this is hard. I would be your wife, and you my husband. We do this together or not at all.” Tears had begun falling and you didn’t know if this was an accumulation of emotion from finally having him close or if it was fear. Fear of being wed and left in a heartbeat.

“Rosie, I would find the Chaplain now if it meant that I could spend the rest of my life with you. I would march to the Pacific now to end this war if it meant I could marry you faster. I fought for us just as much as I fought for my country and my mama would come down from Heaven like a shot if I even so much as thought about leaving you behind.” Bradley had ducked his head down, holding your teary eyes with his own. In the growing darkness, you could barely make out the ring of his honey-coloured iris, but you knew that he meant what he said.

How could he not?

“So, doll. What do ya say, hmm? Feel like being Mrs. Rosie Bradshaw?” The usual humor in his tone returned when he saw the meaning behind his words sink in. You understood him and trusted him deeply, after all he’d come back, hadn’t he? In what world would he do all of this and not mean it, not swear by it? Bradley had taken a step to close the distance between you both for the rest of time, pulled his heart out of his chest and held it out to you.

You met him halfway. “I’ve certainly been called worse, Mr. Bradshaw,” you teased gently, as you toyed with the collar of his jacket. “What makes you think I’ll come running when you call that name?”

“Because I’ll come running if you promise to call me that everyday, Rosie doll.” A giggle broke loose from your chest and the matching smile seemed to split your face in two as you watched Bradley’s face light up once he heard your reaction to yet another sweet name he could drop. “You never did answer my question, doll. Are you gonna leave me standing out in the cold like some sort o’ schmuck or are you gonna let me in to get all the good lovin’ my weary bones need?”

You slapped his chest, cheeks burning under his attention. “My mother raised me to never let a man starve nor grow cold, therefore I believe I ought to marry you, dearest. How else am I to go on living when I have a very handsome sailor practically begging for my hand?” You were still smiling broadly and as you watched your words get processed.

“Yeah?”

“Of course.”

Bradley let out a whoop of joy, grabbing you suddenly before picking you up and twirling you around the yard. “Well dammit all! Rosie said yes!”

Cheers broke out from around the hospital. Nurses and the G.I.s were clapping and whistling in celebration that only got louder when you brought your hands to his face and kissed him so hard you could feel your lips bruise from trying to pour every ounce of feeling into it. “God, I love you,” you mumbled against his lips.

Setting you back on your feet, Bradley dipped you over a strong arm, bringing you into another sweet kiss that had you wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing yourself as close as you could to his chest. “So,” Bradley mumbled. “When I find my mama’s ring, it’s yours. She would have loved you, Rosie. My pop too.”

You leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to his nose. “I’m certain that they’re very proud of you, Bradley.” The softness of your tone combined with the sincerity filling every word was a shot straight to his heart. Tears sprouted in his eyes and Bradley brought you back up, hugging you tightly.

“I really lucked out, didn’t I? Meeting the most perfect girl this side of the Atlantic.”

A week later, you married Bradley William Edward Bradshaw in a simple ceremony at a small chapel outside London. His mother’s simple diamond and gold ring had slipped into your finger on the voyage across the English Channel while you had been staring out at the ocean around you.

You had scarcely noticed it at first, but when your eyes fell upon it for the first time, you swore that your heart had nearly fallen into your shoes at the sight. Bradley had laughed at your reaction, pulling you close and wrapping you in his arms for the remainder of the journey, all the while watching you trail your eyes over your hand time and time again.

It was all he could do not to press a kiss to your left hand every time he saw the ring catch the light, which was often, especially by lantern and lamp light.

Needless to say, the pair of you were very happy, and while Bradley had been tapped for deployment into the Pacific theater, his ship had only just made port somewhere in Spain before the US detonation of their super weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese emperor had surrendered almost at once and from your position in London, you couldn’t blame them. You had always hated the unnecessary violence, the casualties just because and this was no different. The innocent civilians hadn’t needed to die in such a way as they had, though you couldn’t see a way of changing the course of the war.

But Bradley was safe and on his way home to you. In the end, you couldn’t help those affected by the tragedy any more than you had during the war in Europe. You would be trying to wrap a wound made by a cannonball with a tiny sliver of fabric, so you set about waiting for him to come back to you.

Now though, you needn’t worry as much. You were Mrs. Bradley Bradshaw and he had made many a promise yet never broken a single one. So the mere sight of his form on the dock eased it all.

Today started the rest of your life.

We got eight children now growing old

Five sons and three daughters

She and I went on the run

Don't care about religion

I'm gonna marry the woman I love

Down by the Wexford border

She was Nancy Mulligan

And I was William Sheeran

She took my name and then we were one

Down by the Wexford border

===

A/N: So, I hope your heart has a big ass cavity in it and that you enjoyed the cotton candy level of fluff that I just threw at you! Big thank you to @startrekfangirl2233 for being the best beta reader ever and @sarahsmi13s, I’m sorry for making you sob when I was sharing snippets

Read Roo and Rosie’s Christmas fic here!

Tagging: @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s @horseshoegirl @roosterforme @@eli2447 @nobody7102 @gigisimsonmars @dcyllom @bobgasm @multifandomlover4life @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls

#fern writes #Ring Around My Rosie #wwii au #bradley bradsaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #top gun maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #American Sailor Bradley X English Nurse reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader

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moonlitegay · 1 year

Text

Feel like the Belgium song is going to be a lipsync song on drag race

#eurovision #my own stuff

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shujubeelamoglia · 1 year

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Athena Sorgelikis

Drag Race Belgique

Finale Look

Photography by Laetitia Bica

#rpdr #drag race #rupaul’s drag race #drag #athena sorgelikis #drag race belgique #drag race belgium

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rubyanjel · 1 year

Photo

Drag Race Belgique S1 E3- Festival Realness

#rita baga #drag race belgique #drag race #drag queens #drag race belgium #this is my favorite looks of hers now along with the pageant one from cdr 1 #she looks amazing oh my god #the judging of this episode was so sketch but this look slays so i don't care

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youjustwaitsunshine · 5 months

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Very Long 2010 pre-season Seb Post

Under the cut you will find posts from the sebsite which include:

The RB6 car launch + RB6 specs

Seb's test days in Jerez

Test days in Barcelona (original in german + my english translation)

a short blurb on the name of the car

some pictures

masterpost // pre-season 2010

10 | 02 | 10

2010 Car Launch

Sebastian Vettel | Driver – Car 5

Sebastian Vettel’s first foray into Formula One saw him fined for speeding in the pitlane during the first ten seconds of his debut. It’s fair to say he hasn’t slowed down much since.

Fame and fortune hasn’t made any discernable impact on Seb (“What fortune?” he asks, bewildered). He still gives his cars girl’s names, argues that there are more exciting things in life than driving Formula One cars (but not many) and is proud of being taller than Rubens Barrichello. He loathes being referred as ‘the new Schumacher,’ and so is relieved to see his Race of Champions team-mate returning to F1.

Born 3 July 1987 in the town of Heppenheim, Germany, Sebastian enjoyed a successful career in karting before making an immediate impression the moment he came into open-wheel racing. Starting the 2003 season aged 15, he won five of 19 races in his debut Formula BMW year, finishing second in the German Championship. The next year he took the title, winning 18 of the 20 races (he finished on the podium in the other two but doesn’t like to talk about them).

It marked Vettel as one to watch and he duly tested F1 cars for Williams and BMW-Sauber, while moving up through the junior ranks, impressing in Formula 3 and the World Series by Renault. Vettel’s chance in F1 came when he replaced Robert Kubica as BMW-Sauber’s third driver in the second half of the 2006 season. In addition to incurring the Stewards’ wrath, Vettel’s debut during Friday practice for the Turkish Grand Prix also saw him finish the day top of the timesheets.

While the performance on track was impressive, everyone was equally knocked out by the confidence and effervescence with which the teenage Seb dealt with the garage and Paddock. The authority with which he spoke and the evident self-deprecating wit stood him out as much as the blistering pace.

Sebastian finally got his chance to race a year later, standing in for the injured Kubica at the United States Grand Prix. Still only 19, he qualified seventh and finished eighth, becoming the youngest man to score a Championship point. Later in the 2007 season he moved to a permanent seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso. He made a lasting impression on future team-mate Mark Webber (and the rear of his car) during the monsoon-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji before bouncing back a week later to secure fourth place at an equally waterlogged Chinese Grand Prix.

Confirmed for 2008, Vettel didn’t have the best start to his first full season and crashed out of the first four races, mostly as a result of being dragged into other drivers’ accidents. Fortunately the crash-magnet curse was soon lifted and Vettel scored points at Monaco, Montreal, Hockenheim, Valencia, Spa, Singapore, Fuji and Interlagos – though the only race anyone properly remembers is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

On the back of a strong fifth place in Belgium, Vettel and Scuderia Toro Rosso went to Italy in good form. Torrential rain over the weekend failed to dampen their pace and Vettel duly became, first, the youngest driver to take pole position in Formula One history, and then the youngest race winner, having utterly dominated the race in which a rudder may have been of more use than a steering wheel.

Elevated to the senior Red Bull team for 2009, Vettel won his second, and Red Bull Racing’s first, victory at the third race of the year. He followed it with a string of podium and solid points-scoring finishes and established himself as a firm championship contender with a second, commanding victory in the British Grand Prix. He finished the season strongly with further victories in Japan and Abu Dhabi that, together with four other podium finishes, took him to second place in the Drivers’ Championship.

Definitely a follower of the ‘second is first of the losers’ philosophy, Sebastian has loftier ambitions for 2010. He lists his lifetime ambitions as winning the Formula One World Championship and beating Kimi Räikkönen at badminton.

RB6 – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Renault V8 engine as fully stressed member

Transmission: Seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. AP Racing clutch

Wheels: OZ Racing, Front: 12.0in x 13in diam., Rear: 13.7in x 13in diam.

Tyres: Bridgestone

Suspension: Front: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Rear: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Brakes: Brembo calipers, Brembo carbon discs and pads

Electronics: FIA (MESL) standard control unit

Fuel: Total Group

Renault Engine RS27 – 2010

Number of cylinders: 8

Capacity: 2400cc

Max rpm: 18,000rpm

Number of valves: 32

Vee angle: 90 degrees

Power output: Not disclosed

Engine construction: Cylinder block in cast aluminium

Engine management: FIA (MESL) standard control unit TAG310B

Oil: Total Group

Weight: FIA minimum weight of 95kg

important: the picture on the left is - on the sebsite - called 'sebi-vettel'

10 | 02 | 10

Sebastian and the RB6

It was windy, it was cold - rain was just a matter of time. Sebastian‘s face was nearly covered by his Beanie cap, but despite the dark clouds he was in really good mood. The reason why? It was the moment when his new car was unveiled. Sebastian laughs: „Finally we are back on the track - the winter break was far too long."

Sebastian stands in front of his car and proudly he gives a short version explanation: „We were lucky to have the best of all cars during the second half of the season. That means we had a very good base right from the beginning, so we just had to develop the car. In contrast some of the opponents had to develop completely new designed cars."

The only real new part: „I got a new seat, it‘s like having a new chair. Beside that in general all the more than thousand parts of a Formula One car have been optimised. "I have a feeling I can reach my target"… So far I have not made a decision regarding the car‘s name. So ideas are welcomed.More next Friday: Today and tomorrow my team mate Mark will do the shake down and the first laps.

On Friday it will be my turn and so on Friday evening I will able to give you further information, about how the RB6´s handling qualities.

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Jerez Test

12 | 02 | 10

JEREZ TEST – Day Three

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 59

Best time: 1.21.783

Circuit length: 4.423 km

Fastest lap: J. Alguersuari – 1:19.919

Sebastian Vettel drove Red Bull Racing’s 2010 championship challenger, the RB6, for the first time today, as he took over from Mark Webber on day three of the current four-day test in Jerez.

After an initial run on dry tyres, Sebastian was forced to use intermediate and extremes for the rest of the day as wet weather set in from 0945hrs. The team’s plan was to focus on aero-testing, but progress was hampered by deteriorating weather. By 1615hrs, conditions were so wet on track that Red Bull Racing, in line with the other Formula One teams testing in Jerez, decided to end the session early. Despite the weather, the car ran without any problems today.

Sebastian Vettel commented; “After three months, it was good to come back and drive the car – it felt okay and we didn’t have any big issues. Obviously the weather is not ideal for us to find out more about the car, but we knew the rain was coming so we didn’t mess around this morning and went straight out to do some laps. It then rained all day, but you could face these conditions in a grand prix, so it’s important to do laps in the wet. Overall, we didn’t do enough because of the weather, but I’m pretty happy.”

Sebastian will be driving the RB6 again tomorrow for the last day of this current preseason F1 test at the Jerez Circuit.

2010 Rider on the Storm

Sebastian Vettel | Driver – Car 5

"You can't influence the weather, we have seen that today. After a three month break, I was finally able to sit in the car today and it was good fun, I am still able to drive and the car feels good. This morning I did some (a few) laps in the dry the car went well straight away, but then it started raining and I had to park the car for some time in the garage. For sure it's a shame that it wasn't dry all day but also its possible to have rain in a race and so you have to learn to keep up with diffrent weather conditions. At the moment its still very difficult to give an idea of where everybody stands due to the new rules and the big tanks. The teams are driving with diffrent fuel levels and this also keeps changing. I hope it continues raining over night so that nothing is left for tomorrow and I can speed though all day, but as I said we have to see as we can't tell mother nature what to do..."

13 | 02 | 10

JEREZ TEST – Day Four

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 90

Best time: 1.21.203

Circuit length: 4.423 km

Fastest lap: L. Hamilton – 1.19.583

Sebastian Vettel was at the wheel of Red Bull Racing’s RB6 today for the final day of the current Jerez test. It was his second day of testing, as Mark Webber had driven on days one and two.

The team’s plan was to focus on set-up work and aero testing, although the weather once again played a part and damp conditions in the morning meant Sebastian began the day on intermediate tyres.

Conditions dried by lunchtime, but a fuel pump failure in the afternoon cost the team around three hours of dry running time. Sebastian ended the day with a final long run on dry tyres.

At the end of the RB6’s first test, Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering said: “It’s been a productive first week with the RB6, despite the weather and lack of dry conditions. We’re pleased with the car overall, it’s showing a lot of promise.” The next test will take place at the Jerez Circuit, starting on Wednesday 17 February.

-------

Barcelona Test

26 | 02 | 10

Barcelona Test - Tag 2 (english version below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-01

Auto: RB6-01

Runden: 125

Bestzeit: 1.21,258 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: N. Hülkenberg (1.20,614 Min.)

Das Team fuhr seine zweite Rennwochenend-Simulation, und am Ende des Tages hatte Sebastian 125 Runden zurückgelegt.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Heute erlebten wir in etwa eine Wiederholung der Renn-Simulation, die Mark gestern gefahren war. Alles lief mehr oder weniger nach Plan. Erneut stoppten wir das Auto während der Renn-Simulation. Dabei handelte es sich um eine Vorsichtsmaßnahme, um einige Dinge kontrollieren zu können. Es ging um ein kleines Problem, und wir konnten schon wenig später weiterfahren. Sebastian konnte die Simulation vor Ende des Testtages in voller Länge beenden. Wir drehten viele Runden und sind recht happy, was das Auto angeht."

Sebastian Vettel meinte: „Das war ein guter Tag - größere Probleme traten nicht auf. Im Verlauf des Nachmittags mussten wir wegen einer Kleinigkeit unterbrechen, aber bei Testfahrten ist das ziemlich normal. Während der Tests will man keine Schäden riskieren. Aus diesem Grund ist es am besten, das Auto abzustellen, sobald es im Hintergrund Alarmsignale gibt. Weil es in Jerez oft regnete, haben wir an den beiden kommenden Tagen noch viel Arbeit vor uns. Beispielsweise müssen wir mehr über die Reifen herausfinden und einige Abstimmungsarbeiten erledigen."

Sebastian Vettel wird morgen erneut zum Einsatz kommen, bevor Mark das Cockpit am Sonntag, dem letzten Testtag, wieder übernehmen wird.

Barcelona Test - Day 2

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 125

Best time: 1.21.285

Circuit length: 4.655 km

Fastest lap: N. Hülkenberg – 1:20.614

The team drove its second race simulation, and at the end of the day Sebastian had completed 125 laps.

Ian Morgen, Head of Race Engineering said; “Today we experienced about a repeat of the race simulation that Mark drove yesterday. Everything went more or less according to plan. We again stopped the car during the simulation. This was a safety measure to control a few things. It was a small problem and we could continue soon after. Sebastian could finish the race simulation in full length before end of the test day. We ran many laps and are quite happy about the car.”

Sebastian Vettel said: “This was a good day – no large problems showed up. During the course of the afternoon we had to take a break due to a small thing, but that’s pretty normal with testing drives. On test days you don’t want to risk damage. For that reason it’s best to stop the car once there’s alarms in the background. Because it rained a lot in Jerez, we have a lot of work to do in the coming few days. For example we have to find out more about the tires and do a bit of coordination work.”

Sebastian Vettel will take the wheel again tomorrow before passing it back again to Mark on Sunday, the last test day.

Barcelona Test - Tag 3 (english below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-02

Auto: RB6-02

Runden: 44

Bestzeit: 1.23,123 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: N. Rosberg (1.20,686 km)

Sebastian Vettel absolvierte in Barcelona beim letzten Test vor Saisonbeginn seinen zweiten Testtag. Der Tag wurde durch Regen beeinträchtigt. Morgens wurden wegen eines Mix aus Regenschauern und technischen Problemen nur wenige Runden gefahren. Der Nachmittag erwies sich als wertvoller, denn das Team arbeitete an der Abstimmung für das erste Rennen der Saison in Bahrain. Seine Bestzeit erreichte Sebastian während seiner letzten Runde des Tages. Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Nach den nächtlichen Umbauarbeiten mit Blick auf das für heute geplante Programm waren wir morgens wegen einiger technischer Probleme spät dran. Nachdem wir nachmittags richtig zum Fahren kamen, gelangen uns drei, vier Tests bezüglich der Abstimmungsrichtung für das Rennen in Bahrain. Sie brachten uns klare Resultate. Entsprechend beendeten wir den Tag in deutlich besserer Form." Am morgigen letzten Testtag werden sich Sebastian und Mark Webber das Auto teilen.

Barcelona Test - Day 3

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 44

Best time: 1:23.123

Circuit length: 4.655 km

Fastest lap: N. Rosberg – 1:20.686

Sebastian Vettel finished his second test day in Barcelona at the last test before the start of the season. The day was affected by rain. In the morning only few laps were run due to a mix of rain showers and technical problems. The afternoon showed to be more useful because the team worked on the race setup for the first race of the season in Bahrain. Sebastian reached his best time during the last lap of the day. Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering said; “After the nightly work in view of the program planned for the day we were late due to a few technical problems in the morning. After we got to driving in the afternoon, we managed to do three, four setup tests for the race in Bahrain. Those brought us clear results. Accordingly we finished the day in much better form.“ Tomorrow, on the last test day, Sebastian and Mark Webber will be sharing the car.

28 | 02 | 10

Barcelona Test - Tag 4 (english below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-02

Eigentlich wären meine Tests am Samstag abgeschlossen gewesen, aber durch die schlechten Wetterverhältnisse bin ich nicht auf meine gewünschten Kilometer gekommen.

Deswegen haben wir uns darauf geeinigt, dass ich am Sonntagvormittag nochmal ins Auto steige.

Am Freitag haben wir eine Rennsimulation gemacht, das verlief mehr oder weniger alles nach Plan. Jetzt muessen wir das erste Rennen in Bahrain abwarten, heute in 14 Tagen, wo alle die Hosen runterlassen... Wir müssen bis Bahrain noch etwas an unserem Topspeed arbeiten, aber insgesamt bin ich ganz zufrieden mit meinem Auto. Übrigens: Einen Namen habe ich auch schon, aber den werde ich erst am Montag vor dem GP in Bahrain auf meiner Website bekanntgeben...

Fahrer: Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber

Auto: RB6-02

Runden: 137 (Vettel – 76; Webber – 61)

Bestzeit: Vettel: 1.20,667 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: L. Hamilton (1.20,472 Min.)

Nachdem er gestern auf der Piste weniger Zeit als erwartet verbracht hatte, kam Sebastian vormittags zum Einsatz, während Mark unsere Vorbereitungen auf die neue Saison nachmittags beendete. Die beiden Fahrer standen vor ähnlichen Programmen, die das Team erfolgreich bewältigte. Die vorläufig endgültigen Abstimmungen für unterschiedliche Tankfüllungen beim Saisonbeginn wurden gefunden.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Weil wir gestern etwas Zeit verloren hatten, konnten wir mit Seb nicht alles abhaken, was wir uns vorgenommen hatten. Aus diesem Grund erledigten wir heute mehr oder weniger das Pensum von eineinhalb Testtagen, weshalb wir auf insgesamt 137 Runden kamen. Das war ein ziemlicher Wirbel, aber wir haben viel geschafft.

Der letzte Test verlief gut für uns. Nach eingeschränkten Testmöglichkeiten auf trockenem Asphalt während der beiden Tests in Jerez, hatten hier die fast komplett trockenen vier Testtage zur Folge, dass wir wieder auf Kurs kamen. Im Verlauf der Woche machten wir große Fortschritte. Das waren sehr gute Testfahrten."

Zwei Wochen trennen uns nun noch vom ersten WM-Lauf der Saison, dem Grand Prix von Bahrain.

Barcelona Test - Day 4

Usually, my Tests would have concluded on Saturday, but due to the bad weather conditions I did not get to the distance I wanted. Because of that we agreed that I’d get back into the car Sunday morning. On Friday we did a race simulation where everything went more or less according to plan. Now we need to wait for the first race in Bahrain, today in two weeks, where everyone will drop their pants… We’ll have to work on our top speed until then, but all in all I’m rather happy with the car. By the way: I have a name already, but I’ll only share that one on my website the Monday before the GP…

Drivers: Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber

Car: RB6-02

Laps: 137 (Vettel – 76; Webber – 61)

Best time: Vettel: 1:20.667

Circuit length: 4,655 km

Fastest lap: L. Hamilton – 1:20.472

After he spent less time on the track than expected, Sebastian was in the car in the morning, while Mark finished our preparations for the new season in the afternoon. Both drivers followed similar programs that the team successfully completed. The provisionally final setups for different tank fillings were found.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, said; ”Because we lost some time yesterday, we couldn’t finish everything we set out to do with Seb. For that reason we went over more or less one and a half test days worth of work, which got us to 137 laps. That was a lot of turmoil but we managed to do a lot.

The last test went well for us. After limited testing opportunities on dry track during the tests in Jerez, the almost fully dry four days of testing here let us get back on course. During the course of the week we took great steps. These were very good test drives.”

Two weeks still separate us from the first World Championship race, the Bahrain GP.

05 | 03 | 10

In diesem Jahr nenne ich sie Luscious Liz

Einige von Ihnen wissen vermutlich schon, dass ich meinen Formel 1-Rennwagen Namen gebe.

In der vorigen Saison fuhr ich zwei Autos, die ich auf die Namen Kate und Kates dirty Sister taufte.

In diesem Jahr nenne ich sie Luscious Liz!

This year I’m calling her Luscious Liz

A few of you probably already know that I give names to my F1 cars. In the last season I drove two cars who I christened Kate and Kates dirty Sister.

This year I’m calling her Luscious Liz!

back to the masterpost

the pre-season in general

#sebastian vettel #f1 #return to the 2010 season #i think it's fascinating that they already favored seb in the preseason testing #like they took half of marks day because sebby didn't get enough run time on his day? mark must have been soooooo pissed

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currentlyfckingurmom · 10 months

Text

Beneath the Wreckage (part 1)

Natasha Romanoff x female OC

Prologue:

An eerie silence filled the sheltered forest. From the trees towering over their heads to the moss covering the ground, everything was consumed in green. The moss did a fine job of muffling their footsteps, which was greatly appreciated, given the circumstances. The only sound for miles was the heavy breathing and frustrated grunts coming from the small blonde woman, who was currently dragging her unconscious counterpart through the dense forest.

The blonde leaned the redheaded woman against a thick tree and pulled out her compass. According to the instructions she was given, there should be a safe house exactly where she’s standing. She knelt down to tighten the bandage on her sister’s bloody abdomen. She failed to notice the silent footsteps approaching her from behind. She did notice, however, the cocking of a gun, which is exactly what the other woman had intended.

“Hands in the air. Turn around slowly,” came a low, calm voice. The blonde complied, but quickly drew her own gun and aimed it at the other woman’s head.

“Who are you?” The blonde’s voice was even, but her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing with concern for her sister’s condition.

“You don’t need to know that. What are you doing here? Who sent you?”

The blonde gestured with her head to the redhead on the ground behind her. “She did. She needs medical attention immediately. I’m looking for a woman who can help us. Does anyone live around here?” The blonde had a sneaking suspicion that the woman in front of her had much to do with Natasha’s vague description of an ally they could rely on, but it would be reckless to assume.

“Lower your weapon and I’ll do the same,” the woman said, still unnervingly calm with a stony expression, “On three.” The blonde nodded and began counting.

“One.” Both women removed their fingers from the trigger.

“Two.” The synchronized click of the safeties being flicked on echoed through the woods.

“Three.” Both guns were lowered slowly and tucked into their respective holsters.

The mysterious woman raked her eyes over the limp body of the redhead, before returning her gaze to the blonde in front of her. The woman’s face showed the first sign of emotion as a small smirk spread across her lips. The blonde certainly hadn’t expected the next words that came from her mouth, but they changed everything.

“You’ve grown up, Lena. Let’s get your sister fixed up.” As they picked up Natasha’s limp body, Yelena could’ve sworn that she saw a look of longing—and something that almost looked like love—cross over the other woman’s face, but it left as soon as it came.

Chapter One: Ireland:

32 HOURS EARLIER; BELGIUM:

“Target is on the move, I’m going in.”

“Natasha, no. You’d be going in completely blind.”

“Too late, almost to the door.”

“Идиот! Just wait, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Breaching in 3...2…” A loud thud sounded through the comms, followed by a series of grunts and a flurry of gunshots. Yelena ran toward the apartment as fast as she could, but she would never make it in time. She could tell by the sounds of struggle through the comms that there had been more Widows than they anticipated. ‘She’s going to get herself killed. This is why you don’t go in blind,’ Yelena thought to herself as she sprinted up the stairs in the apartment complex.

The gunshots no longer rang out through her earpiece, and Yelena’s stomach dropped at the possibility of losing Natasha right after she finally got her back.

“Natasha, what is your status? Say something, dammit! Natasha!”

Yelena stormed through the front door and raked her eyes over the apartment. There were three unconscious Widows laying on the ground. She saw a blob of red hair on the kitchen floor from the corner of her eye, but she refused to look, afraid of what she might see. She quickly checked the small apartment for threats before hastily making her way into the kitchen. She knelt down beside the unconscious woman and her hands hovered over her sister’s body, afraid of making anything worse.

She quickly snapped out of her hesitancy and put pressure on the gunshot wound. It was bleeding a lot, but not so much that Natasha was going to bleed out (well, as long as she got medical attention). She carefully rolled Natasha onto her side to check for an exit wound— there wasn’t one, which meant the bullet was still buried somewhere inside Natasha’s abdomen.

She grabbed some kitchen towels and quickly tied them around Natasha’s stomach in a makeshift bandage.

Yelena dragged the passed-out Widows into one pile and cracked a vial of the Red Dust over their heads— there was now only one vial remaining.

She returned to Natasha’s side and repeatedly tapped her cheek, trying to wake her up. After a few fairly hard slaps, Natasha’s eyes fluttered open, a pained groan immediately falling from her lips.

“Good morning, сестра. Nice of you to finally join the land of the living. I’m going to pick you up now. I need you to work with me here,” Yelena said as she awkwardly wrapped one of Natasha’s arms around her shoulders. Without any warning, she lifted Natasha until she was standing, not that the redhead could support much of her own weight.

“Oh! Fuuu…” Natasha’s exclamation of pain trailed off into a groan that almost sounded like a whine.

“Oh, suck it up. If you had just stuck to the plan, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Yelena grumbled as they slowly made their way out of the apartment.

“Well, I got to the Widows, so it didn’t turn out horribly.”

“You got shot in the stomach! The bullet is still inside you! You’re going to need surgery, Natasha. I really don’t think Mason knows how to work a scalpel. And it’s not like we can just waltz into a hospital— we’re still fugitives, remember.” After the fall of the Red Room, Ross had let them get away, but he wouldn’t clear their names. Something about it damaging his reputation.

“Just give me a minute to think of something, Yelena.” The blonde gave a tilted nod and muttered ‘okay’.

It was quiet the whole way back to the vehicle. Yelena laid her older sister down in the backseat before climbing in the front. “So where to?”

“I know someone, an old friend. She’ll be able to do the operation and give us a place to lay low. She might even be able to replicate the counteragent.”

“It’s called the Red Dus-”

“Oh, will you shut up? I’m not calling it that,” Natasha complained, cutting her off.

“It’s catchy and you know it. So do I get a name or are you going to be all mysterious and vague?” “I happen to think ‘mysterious and vague’ is fun.”

“Seriously? You’re not gonna tell me anything about this woman? Do I know her?”

Natasha hesitated before answering. “You used to. We both did. Drive us back to the safehouse, the information is all there.”

Knowing that she wouldn’t get any more information at the moment, Yelena put the car in drive and started toward the safehouse. The Widows in the area had been much more active lately, so the Russian duo was planning on moving again soon, anyway. They were fairly certain that the Widows had been tracking them. Natasha and Yelena had freed countless Widows already, but there were still many left.

After a short drive, Yelena pulled up to the safehouse. She turned around to face Natasha, and was met with closed eyes and shallow breathing.

“Natasha? Are you awake?”

“Mhm,” she hummed, “I don’t think I can get inside the safehouse. Just help me into a different vehicle and go in by yourself.” “Okay, fine,” Yelena replied shortly. She exited the vehicle and broke into an SUV with dark-tinted windows. She walked back to the car and half-carried Natasha into the SUV, laying her down in the same position as before.

“There’s a cardboard box— a little smaller than a shoebox. It has a letter and a burner phone inside. That’s what we need. It's hidden beneath the floorboards under my bed; grab it and get out.”

“Got it. Just stay here and don’t move. I really don’t need you bleeding out on me while I’m gone,” Yelena said with a smirk before closing the car door.

She entered the small apartment and went directly to the shared bedroom. There were only two small twin beds with rock-hard mattresses, but it was better than nothing. She knelt down beside Natasha’s bed and wiggled the loose floorboard out. She reached inside and felt around, pulling out a cardboard box. She quickly opened it to confirm its contents, then shut it and left the room.

She grabbed the emergency duffle bag with food, medical supplies, identities, and weapons, as well as a bottle of vodka, before leaving the safehouse. She walked back to the SUV at a careful pace; fast enough to save time, but not fast enough to raise suspicion.

She climbed into the driver’s seat and threw the box and duffle bag next to Natasha. “There you go. Fix yourself up a little bit while I drive. Speaking of which, where the hell am I going?”

Natasha handed Yelena the slip of paper from the box and said, “There should be a safehouse at those coordinates, as well as someone we can trust.”

“The mysterious and vague woman?”

“Yeah, her. Drive to the private airport on the edge of town, I have a small plane parked there for emergencies. They won’t question you about anything. Stop in the UK to fuel up— there are reliable airports marked on a map inside the plane. Then fly to Ireland and land as close as possible to those coordinates, even if it means a controlled crash. The forest is dense in that area, so we’ll have to finish it on foot. If I pass out and you need to leave me behind, do it. The important thing is that you get-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. What the hell are you talking about, Natasha? I’m not going to leave you anywhere. And why are you talking like you’re going to die?” Yelena was trying desperately to keep her voice from breaking, but it trembled, nonetheless. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was shaking her head in disbelief.

“We both know I might not make it out of this, Lena. Even if I do, chances are I’ll pass out pretty soon from blood loss. Just remember everything I told you, okay?” The blonde huffed out a sharp breath before saying, “Okay.”

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