Work Text:
I will leave my heart at the door
"Joe?"
Toye opens his eyes to the sound of his whispered name, sleep escaping him with the promise of what tomorrow brings. Or, rather, the lack of promise that tomorrow brings. D-Day. Operation Overlord. Possible death.
He's now staring at a man who could very well be dead tomorrow. It's morbid, Joe knows, but he's a soldier, and he has to accept the fact that his life is merely a tool in the great machine of the war.
"Luz? What're you doin' here?"
He shrugs. "Just need someone to talk to, I guess." He glances somewhat hopefully, somewhat desperately at the thin blanket thrown across Joe's body.
I won't say a word
Without even looking around to see if anyone's awake, Joe wordlessly pulls the blanket aside and makes room on the small cot for George to scoot in. Toye notices that Luz is shaking slightly, eyes closed in an attempt to steady his breathing.
Joe knows that George didn't come here to talk (for once). Wordlessly, Toye wraps an arm around the front of Luz, pulling him tight against his body. He stops shaking, but he grips Joe's forearm with white knuckles.
They've all been said before you know
It's not unusual that Joe doesn't have words to offer. He's not much of a talker; his physicality had always been the answer to his problems. With comfort it's no different — and Toye knows that George doesn't need words; he has enough of his own. He needs someone to tell him it'll be okay without actually saying anything.
So why don't we just play pretend
"You should come to Rhode Island when we get home."
Joe chuckles. "Why? There's nothin' to see; it's so fuckin' small."
George rolls over to grin at him. "You can come see me."
"You should come to Pennsylvania; there's more to do. Then you could visit Bill, Harry, and Winters," Joe offers, and George's mischievous glint is back in his eyes.
"Ah, but I'd want to spend the whole time with you."
Toye rolls his eyes behind a sad smile. It's so normal. Too normal, yet too distant. Pretending as if nothing could go wrong.
Like we're not scared of what's coming next
Minutes of silence pass. George sighs and shifts again, glancing up at Joe through teary eyes. Toye flinches; he looks terrified. Luz, with his ever-present smile, annoyingly amusing jokes, and obnoxiously loud laugh, looks like he could fall apart at any moment.
God, the thought of that makes Joe swallow the lump rising in his throat.
"Georgie..."
Luz shakes his head, forcing a small smile to tug at his lips as a tear falls. "I know."
Or scared of having nothing left
Writing wills, sending final letters to family, well-wishing your friends who are on different planes. They went through it once for it all to be postponed. It only makes the waiting worse, knowing that Lip is going to again call for a final time to write a will, buddies have another chance at goodbyes. After that, there's nothing left.
But that's what everyone's scared of.
Look, don't get me wrong
I know there is no tomorrow
"I'll meet up with you when we land," Toye offers weakly, uncharacteristically needing to break the heavy silence. George nods, sniffling a bit, his face buried in Joe's jacket.
"Okay." It's a simple word for a simple promise neither of them know if they can fulfill.
All I ask is
He barely hears him, the words muffled in the heavy material of his uniform. "Joe, it's stupid, I know... but fuck, I need to tell you..."
If this is my last night with you
"If we're gonna die tomorrow, blown to hell in some damn plane or staring down a Kraut, God, I need you to know that I care a whole lot about you. More than I probably should," George laughs slightly, not Meeting Joe's eyes. "I'm sorry. If you want me to leave, I will."
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
Joe doesn't reply. He can't reply. His tongue feels like lead, unable to move to form words. So he just hugs the smaller man closer, pressing his lips to his head through his fluffy hair. George understands perfectly, sighing contentedly.
"Thank you," he breathes, closing his eyes and burrowing into Joe's chest.
Give me a memory I can use
Joe's almost worried George has fallen asleep. A jumble of words threaten to spill past his chapped lips, but he wants, needs, Luz to hear them. When he's laying on the ground, bleeding out from some wound or staring down the barrel of a gun, Joe needs the memory of some tangible confirmation to flash before his eyes.
Even if he's already dead, he'd kill himself for never taking the chance when he had it.
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
"Georgie, fuck, I don't know how to do this," Joe grumbles, and the look of confusion George gives him is fleeting because his lips are soon captured by Joe's.
It's overly sentimental and entirely cliché, but George still entangles his fingers with Joe's calloused ones, running his thumb over the back of his large hand.
With all the time in the world but no time at all, they're not rushed, instead slow and sweet, savoring the moment of utter humanness before the chaos begins. The kiss is a promise stronger than words, a physical, emotional link that surpasses the fear of what's to come.
Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.
It matters how this ends
"We'll get through this together, okay?" Joe assures George, firm in his words and his belief as he wipes the tears off of Luz's face.
"You can't get rid of me that easily, ya shithead," George teases softly, choking back a sob with a laugh. "You're doin' a bang-up job, but you should let me stick to the talking."
Toye chuckles. "Believe me, you can have your job back any time. I think I'm better at just being a giant lump to hug anyway."
"Yeah, you're pretty good at that too."
'Cause what if I never love again?