withtheoldbreed | d-day ✯ spam

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d-day ✯ spam

[Open Spam for the Deck]

[It happens quickly. One minute, Gene's sitting in the rocky Peleliu hills, hearing Burgie's voice over and over in his head - Sniper got the Skipper, Ack Ack's dead - watching someone pull the wool blanket over the Skipper's head, and the next, he's here. Standing on the deck of a ship, looking out at a seemingly endless horizon of stars. He remembers the conversation, the promise that this could be fixed, a wrong could be righted, and he remembers agreeing, but he blinks, and suddenly, the hills, the crackle of gunfire, the solemn footsteps, his buddies are all gone.

He's alone. For the first time in well over a year, he's alone, and that hits him like a ton of bricks.

It's cold, is the next thing he realizes. At least, it's colder than the hundred and fifteen degree temperatures he's been forced to cope with for the last month, and he shivers involuntarily. He's still holding his helmet in one hand, his rifle in the other. His pack and sidearm and filthy fatigue green dungarees he's been wearing since they landed on that fucking beach have all come along too, along with the dirt and dried blood. Sometimes, it feels like he'd do anything for a shower, even a cold one with salt water.

He's filthy, exhausted, and he's staring out at an ocean of stars. Everything hurts - the scrapes and sores on his face, arms, feet, his feet in general, but his chest, too, even if that's a different kind of pain entirely - but for a moment, he's utterly distracted, staring. What is this? What kind of ship had he volunteered for?

For the hundredth time since he got on the LVT, Eugene Sledge wonders what the hell he was thinking when he volunteered for any of this.]

[ooc: multiples & fuzzy time are all welcomed. c8]

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[The guy responds almost exactly how Steve expects him to - although there are a couple of possibilities, and this one's the best, if you ask him. He offers a salute as he gets closer - and then offers his hand to shake, even if that's not exactly protocol.

What he is thinking, though, based on the reaction he got, is that familiarity wouldn't be a bad thing for this guy right now. Which is why he says,] Captain Rogers - Army, [he clarifies, given that his uniform isn't exactly recognizable.] Where did you come from?

[By which he means, where were you before this, because he, at least, knows why you're here. Or, at worst, there's a 50/50 chance.]

[Gene stares at the offered hand for a second or two before shifting his helmet under his arm and cautiously accepting the handshake. His grip's gentle because he's still not sure of what to make of this. Is this just how familiar people are with each other in the Army? He's never seen a Captain shake a Private's hand before, not even Ack Ack.

(God, Ack Ack. How could they lose Ack Ack?)

Plus, his hands are filthy, and this guy looks like he's had access to clean water and clean clothes for a while, so there's a weird mix of guilt and maybe resentment or jealousy coiling in the pit of his stomach.]

Private Eugene Sledge, sir. I was on Peleliu when the Admiral offered me a deal.

[It's definitely not Army - more Captain America, honestly, because Steve's happy to stand solely on the protocol they both recognize... but this guy looks like he could use a friend.

And Steve's all the more decided when he mentions Peleliu; his face doesn't show shock so much as respect, because he learned more about it after the fact, but what he did learn is pretty awful.] Right in the worst of it.

I was in Europe. [Which he assumes the Private will assume, given Steve's Army - and he also knows Sledge will assume it was right before he made his deal, and not seventy years ago, but he figures that can wait. The guy's probably had enough dumped in his lap at the moment.

Although if there's one thing Steve doesn't care about, it's shaking a hand that's dirty, and he shows it - his grip is firm.] You need some water? And maybe someplace a little warmer. [Don't worry, he'll suggest a shower, too.]

[Gene's still in shock, still worn out and exhausted and grieving, but something in him brightens just a fraction when Captain Rogers doesn't respond with "where?" or "what?" It's good to know they're not actually forgotten on some shithole of an island fighting and dying while no one else cares.

So he tries to find something like a smile, even if it's maybe a little shy, or just fleeting.]

My brother landed in Italy, [He offers, maybe intending it as some kind of peace offering. Sure, he thinks the Marines are the best, and knows they are, too, but he's not going to insult the Army and seriously mean it when the guy's reaching out to him.

Especially when that suggestion just reminds him of someone else, because Ack Ack had always been trying to find ways to make people feel more comfortable, less scared, less homesick, and he's gone. It's been less than an hour since it happened, and he still almost can't believe it happened at all. It makes it easier and more difficult to say what he does next.]

I can manage, sir. [He's a marine, he can take whatever anyone has to throw at him.

But he is cold. And he's pretty sure he's never going to turn down fresh water after what he's been through.]

[Steve knows - maybe he didn't have time to care overly much at the time, but that doesn't mean he never cared about the troops stationed halfway around the world then or after the fact. He's met plenty of Marines since then, too, and done plenty of reading. He knows everything you can know - without having been there, because he knows there are things he'll never quite get. And that's okay. He won't pretend that he does, in that case.]

Oh yeah? [Hey, it's definitely something - and not just a brush-off because they're different branches.] I got over there a little too late for all that excitement, [and boy, does he sound like he wishes it could have been different] but my best friend did, too.

I know you can. [And he's not being dismissive - you're a Marine, and given where you came from, he's got no doubt in his mind.

But that doesn't mean you don't need a couple of things, like that water and a shower and something clean to wear. You can manage, sure, but the alternative would be a lot nicer - and you deserve it.] Well, I was just headed back to my cabin anyway. You want to grab a canteen of water, for the hell of it?

[And, he might as well mention,] I've got a shower that stays hot, too. If you want to think about it.

[Gene's expression falters a little at the disappointment and calling it excitement - has this guy been in combat? - but he does his best to mask it a little. This guy's a captain, he's being polite and offering his help, the least Sledge can do is not piss him off on the first day by accusing him of not getting what's really going on here.

But seriously, where is that uniform from?]

If you're sure, sir. [His canteen's only half full as it is, something he's always uncomfortably aware of and impatient to resolve, because he never wants to be thirsty like he was in the first days of battle ever again.]

I'm sure. [For all that things were hard in Europe... well, Steve knows he missed a lot of it. Yeah, there were plenty of days and nights and weeks spent out in the field, but the SSR operated mainly out of London, and that meant at least a bunk bed to sleep in and fresh water, even if the showers were unreliable in terms of temperature. But he won't even pretend that he knows what it was like out there for Sledge - just respect it, and do what he can to make it better for him right now.

He tilts his head toward the door leading down.] It's just down a couple of decks. [He won't offer to carry anything, because he doesn't want to insinuate that Eugene can't, but he will try to get him to a place where he can set things down as quickly as possible. So he'll get started if and when it looks like the other is ready to follow him.] Where are you from, Private? Where's home?

[The accent gives away the region, but not much more.]

[Gene nods, puts his helmet back on, and swings his rifle over his shoulder, keeping pace with Steve easily even if he's tired and gross and trying not to think too hard about what just happened.

(This time, though, he's really not sure how not to dwell on it. It's not like he'd thought Ack Ack was immortal, but he'd just never really considered the Skipper getting hit, or not being there, and now he's just... well. Considering why he's here, it's probably safe to say he's not really dealing with what happened.)]

Mobile, Alabama. [And while he doesn't turn the question on Steve without permission, he does glance at him like he's anticipating hearing his answer next.]

[Steve would definitely understand that - there's a reason he does very little other than work, even here, although it's gotten better - when it can, when there isn't a crisis - because he's got the one person he refuses to lose back by his side again.

Either way, he could never fault a guy for not really dealing with things, for shoving them aside to be dealt with later. Maybe not at all.

He smiles, nodding at the answer.] Yeah? I haven't been that far south. It always sounded nice, though. [And yeah, he gets the unspoken question.] I grew up in Brooklyn. Probably pretty different.

[They head down the stairs, and he figures he'll give Sledge an opening, if he needs one:] So I know the Admiral's not always very, uh, detail-oriented. If I can clear anything up for you... just ask. Anything.

Probably, sir, [Gene offers, managing a smile. It's a little strained - more than a little, probably, because grief is still biting through him like the cold and he's so goddamn tired - but distraction's helped in the past, hasn't it?

It winds up not mattering much, because his expression turns serious and more than a little wounded as he considers how best to proceed there, staring at the beat up tops of his boondockers instead of looking at Steve.]

Does he really follow through? If you help someone graduate? [He's not all that sure what he'll do if it turns out the answer's no, but it's just so crazy to think about. Part of him isn't even sure if he should be here, if he should try to change history like this.]

[Yeah, more than a little, but that's not really important right now. Steve can tell the guy seems distracted, but there could be a hundred or more reasons for that. He wants to ask if there's anything he can do, but he figures he should at least answer the question first. That is something he can do, at least.]

As far as I know, he does, yeah. I haven't graduated anyone - I've only been here a couple of months - but I've seen people leave, go home, and I believe he really does give us what we ask for. Even if I don't know how, exactly.

[He kind of smiles, though, as if to say, Then again, you've been up on deck. There's a lot he can do that we don't understand.] The Admiral's... well, he's not a bad guy. Maybe not a great one, but I've asked him for help in the past. And I've gotten it.

[It's not exactly the most reassuring answer he could have hoped for, but it's not totally hopeless, either. Maybe this will work out. Maybe this is a smart move, not some other dumbass leap into something he hadn't really understood until it was too late to do anything about it.

Maybe.]

Understood, sir. [Thing is, he doesn't really remember the Admiral, and his thoughts drift towards that direction as they continue their descent. They cycle back quickly enough, and he lets out a tired, steadying breath. It's warmer below deck, at least.]

[Sometimes Steve wonders the same thing - if he's just running away when he shouldn't be, or if this is really something that can help Bucky. If he's being selfish, or selfless, or if it even matters in the end, because he's here, and he's got a job to do, and he's going to do it.

Having Bucky here, though, sure as hell doesn't hurt.

He glances back as they go down the second-to-last staircase, smiling a little bit.] Look - we're probably both going to be here a while. And we're both wardens. You don't have to call me sir day in and day out, unless you really want to. [He's not sure how well this will go over - but it feels like the right move. On the one hand, maybe it's comforting to him - Steve got used to military life, and he liked it (well, some aspects of it), and Sledge has probably been embroiled in it for a while, now. But on the other, they're really on the same level, on the Barge, and he wants to make that clear, too.] My first name's Steve.

[Or, if that's just too weird -] A lot of people call me Cap, too.

[The young marine all but stops in his tracks to stare at Steve, definitely disbelieving and once again wondering what on Earth his uniform is supposed to be for (and what's it made out of?), but he still somehow manages to hold in his questions about that specifically first.]

You want me to call you by your first name, sir? [Cap he can get behind, but he absolutely never would have thought of calling Ack Ack Andy, or Andrew, or even Ack Ack to his face.

Not that he's necessarily somehow morally opposed to it, but it's just strange. There's no way people are that familiar with their commanding officers in the Army, even if he does think the Marines are more disciplined.]

[Yeah... okay. It's definitely not protocol, but it just seems silly to stand on it when there isn't a hierarchy, here. He's not going to give Sledge orders, after all, nor is he going to expect the young man to follow anything he suggests, unless he actually thinks it's a good idea.

He looks a little sheepish, but he plows right on ahead.] I just want you to realize that... yeah, we're both military - and we're not the only ones aboard - but I don't have any more authority on this boat than you do. So if you really want to keep up with the rank, I won't stop you, but I don't want you waiting for orders I don't have a lot of right to give.

[He smiles a little more genuinely, now.] Besides. You look like you could use a friend a lot more than a commanding officer.

And - [The smile's sheepish again.] If you'd still rather stand on rank, Cap's a hell of a lot shorter than Captain America.

[Wait. Hold up.

Gene blinks, and this time, there's no sir, just a little disbelief and surprise.]

Like the comic book character?

[... Although now that you mention it, the uniform does look sort of familiar, except the colors are all wrong and there's no sign of a kid sidekick wandering around.

Maybe it's just a nickname?]

[Now the smile's more than just a little sheepish. Although he doesn't realize for a minute that Sledge might be more familiar with a different version of him.] Yeah. Which really wasn't my idea, honestly, but... [He shrugs a little, helplessly.] It got me out there, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining, right?

You're saying you are the comic book character? [And again, that's maybe a fraction less polite than it should be, even though he still doesn't really sound like he's mad. More disbelieving.]

Well - I'm saying they wrote comics about me because somebody thought it'd be good propaganda.

[And he really, really hates admitting this - especially to a guy who's at least familiar with the comics, and one he's just met - but he somehow finds himself saying it anyway.] It was part of the deal - I let them turn me into a celebrity, I get to do something to help the boys overseas.

[You know. Like shows and film clips.

Lots of help.]

That's how it started, at least. I promise - the rank's not just for show.

[By now, he even believes it when he says that.]

Edited 2014-11-16 04:44 (UTC)

Sir- [Gene hesitates, really not sure how to say this delicately.] Captain America's not real.

[... At least he says it politely, and definitely a little cautiously. Like he's trying to gently break the news to him, instead of rub it in his face or anything.]

[Steve makes a little bit of a face - mostly like a, Damn, I forgot kind of face -] It's - right, it's complicated. I guess in some places... uh, I'm not real. [And Bucky's younger than he is.]

But I promise, I'm real. Not just comics. And I did fight in Europe. Although I guess my details might be a little different than the ones in your comics.

[Some other places. What's that supposed to mean?]

I don't really read 'em, [He admits, still picking what he says carefully so he doesn't offend the guy.] My buddy Bill does, though.

[Seems to enjoy them, too. He's seen Snaf flip through a couple too, but he's less into it, and they're just kind of not Gene's thing, personally.

Which might turn out for the best, considering he knows he'd feel weird as hell if someone showed up and knew everything about him, or thought they did because he was in some comic book.]

Does this happen a lot? Sir?

You know, neither did I. [It was always kind of weird, and he just never felt right reading them. Watching the propaganda films was a little easier - at first - but then he stopped doing that, too, once he got out there and started doing some real good.

Either way, don't worry, Sledge. You're definitely not offending him.]

It - kind of does, yeah. [He laughs a little.] At least, more than you'd think -

Which would be not at all, honestly, because come on, it's crazy to think you don't exist someplace, isn't it?

[He offers a helpless smile, and then they finally reach Level 7, so he heads them away from the stairs and down the hall, because he's at the other end of it.] I guess all I can tell you is that regardless of what's different, Peleliu happened in my history, too, and every Marine I've talked to said it was the worst place he'd ever been, and that was understating it by a lot.

[When they reach his door, he gets it open and leads Sledge inside, just because he's not sure the young man will take it well if he just treats him like a guest and tries to get him to go in first.] You can put your pack down, if you want. [He'll focus on getting that water.]

Edited 2014-11-16 16:54 (UTC)

A little, [Gene says, smiling cautiously, even if he's still not entirely sure how much he believes the guy. Maybe he's just totally insane, but maybe he's telling the truth? It's definitely not something he'd ever considered as a possibility before, and now he finds himself wondering if someone's going to try to tell him he's in a comic book or something. Jesus.

Anyway, despite not being entirely certain, Gene still follows him and nods when he mentions Peleliu. He wonders if that's a good thing to know, that no matter what's coming next for him, he's already been through the worst of it. Maybe it's even a little reassuring.

Assuming he survives. Assuming there ever is a next thing.

He steps into Steve's room and stops in his tracks again, frowning a little as he looks around. It's not like showing up on the deck, not something totally alien and strange or anything, but the furniture's all wrong, the books on the shelves look different, just... all of it looks off.

(It's also very clean, and he's filthy. There's so much dried blood on his uniform and has been since the landing, since the guy got shot on the LVT and fell on top of him.)

So he sort of self consciously sets his pack down, and even more reluctantly props his rifle against it.]

Is this what all the cabins look like, sir?

[Not in a comic book - although you did write some books, pal.

But while Steve isn't going to necessarily offer a whole lot of information on what happens, once he explains that it's in the past for him, he'll still answer any questions Eugene has, if he asks. It's the least he can do.

He does notice the way the guy sort of stops in his tracks, glancing back. He absolutely does not mind the fact that his guest is dirty, because there's nothing in here he's so attached to that a little dirt is going to matter. Or even a lot of dirt. Besides, he's tracked plenty of mud in here, before.] No - they actually all look different, if you can wrap your head around that. They usually look like whatever you want, if you're a warden - home, or someplace you feel comfortable living.

[He grabs that water, and brings it back, handing it over.] If you want a shower, I really don't mind - or even just something clean to take back to your cabin, when you get there.

[He kind of looks at that pack in a way that says, I doubt anything you have in there is something you'll want to wear after a shower.] You're closer to my best friend's height - he's the guy who landed in Italy, he's not gonna have a problem lending a guy like you something to wear.

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