Work Text:
BJ rolled over and saw Hawkeye sitting up on his cot with his back turned. He was hunched over, with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. BJ realized it was the sounds of Hawk’s muffled sobs that had woken him. It wasn’t surprising—they had been through three straight days of hell. BJ got up, grabbed something from under the table with the still, and sat on the cot beside his friend. He placed the object in Hawkeye’s lap as he gently pulled Hawk’s hands away from his face. Hawk stared at the thing in his lap as he tried to regain his composure, and then he slowly picked it up and held it tight against his chest.
They sat side by side on the cot for what felt like forever, with only Hawk’s sniffles and Charles’ light snores to break the silence. BJ just sat with his friend, occasionally patting his shoulder or rubbing his back. Eventually, Hawkeye calmed down and began drifting back to sleep, falling over onto BJ’s shoulder. As gently as he could, BJ pushed Hawk back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him. “Thanks,” Hawkeye mumbled. BJ replied with “Don’t mention it,” but Hawk was already out. As he crawled back into his own bed, BJ turned to look back at his exhausted friend. For the first time in weeks, Hawkeye looked peaceful; and Radar’s teddy bear was still snug in his arms.