[For Martin]

[thewordofweb]

My palm is rubbing idly at my neck as I step out of the bedroom and make sure to close the door gently behind me as I go. Joe's gotten enthusiastic again with his mouth and it results in a mark and that would be fine if not for the fact that Malarkey and Martin most definitely don't exactly know about us. It'd be too easy to keep on with the deceit, but I'm growing more than tired of sneaking around and trying hard to get caught (or to not get caught, depending on my whim of the day).

I lean back against the door for a moment before pushing myself off it, intending to get breakfast while Joe is still in bed and I've yet to put myself together for the day. I've still got bedhead and the stubble on my cheeks to prove that I'm very much not awake.

Comments

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"Then I'd go home." It'd be heartbreak in a moment and I wouldn't know what to do with myself for the first little while, but I like to think that inevitably I would find a way past it all. "Besides, he'd see me," I say with confidence. "He'd see me if only to tell me to fuck off, so I could see him one last time."

[peeweemartin.livejournal.com]

Johnny sniggered. "Funny how ya always manage to be so goddamn opportunistic. I wonder if ya'd stayed like that back in Bastogne."

And they're back to the old subject, back to the one thing, the one mistake Johnny won't ever be able to forgive Webster for.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I suppress the roll of my eyes. "Honestly, Martin?" I do say bluntly. "If I'd come back to Bastogne with my injury, I'd probably be dead, okay? If you want to keep harping on that, you go ahead. I could hardly walk and I'd have ended up like Toye. I fought the war, I kept on fighting, but I actually let myself heal in the meantime, didn't earn any tarnish on my record so that when I could go home, I wouldn't have anything to keep me there."

[peeweemartin.livejournal.com]

Johnny pressed his mouth shut, his jaw set tightly. It was too early to fight, too early to start yelling and cussing, and as long as he kept that in mind, he'd be fine.

So he doesn't mention that Guarnere went AWOL to join them - Guarnere who could barely walk because his leg had been in a cast for several weeks - doesn't mention that Toye was taken off the line for a wound but chose to come back because his friends needed him, doesn't mention anybody else of the other guys who could've left but chose to stay because they knew they were needed.

Instead he pressed out between his teeth, "Whatever ya say, Webster."

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I let out a quiet sound and nod, knowing that this is a losing battle and one I really should just abandon. "I should be getting back to Joe," I point out, my own jaw terse and tight, as if it might snap at any minute. "Good talking to you, Martin."

[peeweemartin.livejournal.com]

"Whatever, Web, really. I'll jus' be catchin' breakfast." Johnny gave him one final nod before walking out on the writer.