Emily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly2019-11-16 04:45 pm
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in fandomweekly2019-11-16 04:45 pm
Entry tags:
[#031] Say the Word and I'm Already There (Original)
Theme Prompt: #031 – The Road Not Taken
Title: Say the Word and I’m Already There
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 854
Summary: Bryan says goodbye to the way his life used to be.
Note: Written as a follow up to my entry for Challenge #030.
Bryan would say it’s odd to feel like a stranger in his own home, but if he’s telling the truth, this house has never felt like his. This house that he bought with his hard earned money to make sure that his family had a home had a place to go, had safety and security, had never really been his. He bought Evie this house and helped her fill it with children, but the moment his country called he was off to the war front again.
It was his job, and his life, and he doesn’t regret a single moment of it. But standing outside of the house that he’s no longer calling home, he feels the weight of all the moments missed – all the birthdays and barbecues, report cards, and first steps. Those aren’t his memories to share, because he wasn’t here to share them.
He leans back against the Jeep stuffed with his belongings to take in the house one last time, soaking in the silence and idealism of suburbia, a world that he never truly fit in. He knows he got off lucky compared to some of the vets he knows, he came out of it with his limbs intact and can sleep through the night most nights, but the simplicity of the life he signed up to defend still grates. Almost as though he’s allowed to defend it, but not to be a part of it. That distance between the curb and the front porch seems far too long.
Evie seems to see it too. That’s why she decides to meet him halfway, standing on the paved pathway that cuts through the perfectly manicured lawn, and she slides her hands into her pockets, giving him a small smile. “Loaded everything up okay?”
He nods. “Yeah, it all fit.”
“And you said goodbye to the kids?”
Another nod. “I told them I’d be back to pick them up to spend the summer with me, and they all have my cell. I’ll text as often as I can, but with the new job …”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry.”
“Make sure they know they can call me whenever. This isn’t like when I was overseas. Anytime. I’ve got all the unlimited bullshit. They can even video call if they want …”
Evie laughs, and it’s another two steps closer to rest her arms on his shoulders. “I got it, Bry. I’ll make sure they know.”
“I don’t … don’t want them to think that I don’t care, you know? I’ll try to call when I can.”
“They know you love them.” She squeezes his shoulder. “They’re surprisingly enlightened for children.”
“They really fucking are.” There’s a small, broken laugh before he shakes his head. “Where the hell did they get that from?”
“From their awesome parents, obviously,” she smirks. One hand comes up to rest against his cheek, and she smiles. “I’m really proud of you. This job is going to be good.”
“I hope so.”
The hand lingers a little too long, and he reaches up to pull it away. It’s an intimacy that they both still have and aren’t supposed to anymore, all at the same time. He never truly understood how hard it was to walk away from a marriage until it was his own that was failing. It was his own that was hanging on by a thread, and the humane thing to do was sever it. He still loves her. He’s fairly certain he always will. But love isn’t enough, and he isn’t sure that it’s the kind of love that would continue to weather the storm. He can’t help but wonder if things would have been different if he stayed put.
Or maybe it would have just imploded sooner, and they would have one less child or one less memory together, and he’s not sure he would be willing to sacrifice any of it. He looks down at her hand and gives it a small squeeze.
“Hey, Evie? Were you happy?”
She tips her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“When I asked you to marry me in that stupid dive bar – did you really want it? The honeymoon phase, the wedding, all of it – it was real, wasn’t it?”
She smiles softly, a tinge of sadness crossing her features as she leans in to hug him, pulling him in close as tight as she can. He closes his eyes as he leans into it and she whispers. “I was. I was really, really happy … up until I wasn’t.”
That’s the truth of it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, and it wasn’t anything anyone did. It did work up until the moment it didn’t anymore. Eventually, Evie pulls away and looks back at him with a small smile.
“Drive safe, okay? Call me when you get there.”
“I will.” He pulls away slowly, letting his hand linger in hers for one moment longer before he turns and heading back to his car. The next phase of whatever his life is begins now. Hopefully, in learning from his mistakes, next time he can do better.
Title: Say the Word and I’m Already There
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 854
Summary: Bryan says goodbye to the way his life used to be.
Note: Written as a follow up to my entry for Challenge #030.
Bryan would say it’s odd to feel like a stranger in his own home, but if he’s telling the truth, this house has never felt like his. This house that he bought with his hard earned money to make sure that his family had a home had a place to go, had safety and security, had never really been his. He bought Evie this house and helped her fill it with children, but the moment his country called he was off to the war front again.
It was his job, and his life, and he doesn’t regret a single moment of it. But standing outside of the house that he’s no longer calling home, he feels the weight of all the moments missed – all the birthdays and barbecues, report cards, and first steps. Those aren’t his memories to share, because he wasn’t here to share them.
He leans back against the Jeep stuffed with his belongings to take in the house one last time, soaking in the silence and idealism of suburbia, a world that he never truly fit in. He knows he got off lucky compared to some of the vets he knows, he came out of it with his limbs intact and can sleep through the night most nights, but the simplicity of the life he signed up to defend still grates. Almost as though he’s allowed to defend it, but not to be a part of it. That distance between the curb and the front porch seems far too long.
Evie seems to see it too. That’s why she decides to meet him halfway, standing on the paved pathway that cuts through the perfectly manicured lawn, and she slides her hands into her pockets, giving him a small smile. “Loaded everything up okay?”
He nods. “Yeah, it all fit.”
“And you said goodbye to the kids?”
Another nod. “I told them I’d be back to pick them up to spend the summer with me, and they all have my cell. I’ll text as often as I can, but with the new job …”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry.”
“Make sure they know they can call me whenever. This isn’t like when I was overseas. Anytime. I’ve got all the unlimited bullshit. They can even video call if they want …”
Evie laughs, and it’s another two steps closer to rest her arms on his shoulders. “I got it, Bry. I’ll make sure they know.”
“I don’t … don’t want them to think that I don’t care, you know? I’ll try to call when I can.”
“They know you love them.” She squeezes his shoulder. “They’re surprisingly enlightened for children.”
“They really fucking are.” There’s a small, broken laugh before he shakes his head. “Where the hell did they get that from?”
“From their awesome parents, obviously,” she smirks. One hand comes up to rest against his cheek, and she smiles. “I’m really proud of you. This job is going to be good.”
“I hope so.”
The hand lingers a little too long, and he reaches up to pull it away. It’s an intimacy that they both still have and aren’t supposed to anymore, all at the same time. He never truly understood how hard it was to walk away from a marriage until it was his own that was failing. It was his own that was hanging on by a thread, and the humane thing to do was sever it. He still loves her. He’s fairly certain he always will. But love isn’t enough, and he isn’t sure that it’s the kind of love that would continue to weather the storm. He can’t help but wonder if things would have been different if he stayed put.
Or maybe it would have just imploded sooner, and they would have one less child or one less memory together, and he’s not sure he would be willing to sacrifice any of it. He looks down at her hand and gives it a small squeeze.
“Hey, Evie? Were you happy?”
She tips her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“When I asked you to marry me in that stupid dive bar – did you really want it? The honeymoon phase, the wedding, all of it – it was real, wasn’t it?”
She smiles softly, a tinge of sadness crossing her features as she leans in to hug him, pulling him in close as tight as she can. He closes his eyes as he leans into it and she whispers. “I was. I was really, really happy … up until I wasn’t.”
That’s the truth of it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, and it wasn’t anything anyone did. It did work up until the moment it didn’t anymore. Eventually, Evie pulls away and looks back at him with a small smile.
“Drive safe, okay? Call me when you get there.”
“I will.” He pulls away slowly, letting his hand linger in hers for one moment longer before he turns and heading back to his car. The next phase of whatever his life is begins now. Hopefully, in learning from his mistakes, next time he can do better.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
no subject
no subject