band of brothers - circle
Feb. 13th, 2014 12:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
augustbirdTitle: Circle
Fandom Band of Brothers
Rating: PG
Word Count: 912
Characters/Pairing: Babe/Roe
Summary: “I’ve never had a cat,” Roe murmurs, “I hear they’re very picky.”
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters--they are based off of the actors' portrayals of characters in HBO's Band of Brothers, not the real people themselves. Absolutely no disrespect is intended.
Author's Note: This is forskylilies who was having a bad day. <3 This is complete and unabashed fluff intended to cheer her up--I've never written these characters before and hope I'm not too far off the mark. :)
He figures that it’s just a really fat tomcat that’s somehow wandered the mile over from the next farmhouse. One of its ears is a little mangled and it walks with a bit of a limp in its hind leg and it doesn’t have a collar. He sees it every once in a while, on the edge of the porch. When he tries to get close, it drops off the side and lands on its feet, slinking quietly into the cool space beneath the deck. Roe learns to keep his distance and the two of them strike up a sort of truce: Roe keeps to his side of the porch and the cat stretches across the weathered planks, eyes half closed and tail flicking against the wood.
Babe comes out one evening with two beers in hand, looking first at Roe, then at the cat. He takes a seat next to Roe, leans into his arm and grins, “When do you think she’s due?”
“I thought it was a he,” Roe says as he takes the beer.
“She’s definitely pregnant,” Babe says.
The cat looks at the two of them, her tail curling against her hind leg. Fireflies glow with a transient light over their weed-scattered front lawn, twilight disappearing into the hum of crickets and the sputter of their antique lantern. Roe looks at the curve of the cat’s belly, as she pulls herself to her feet and jumps down from the porch.
“You scared her away,” Babe says, tilting his head so it’s resting on Roe’s shoulder. Roe fits an arm around Babe’s shoulder and takes a drink of the beer that Babe brought him. Babe picks at the hem of Roe’s worn undershirt, fingertips barely grazing against skin and Roe settles into the familiarity of it, watching the pattern of fireflies weaving through the tall grass against the fence.
_____
“There isn’t a vet in town,” Roe tells Babe over dinner the next day.
Babe grins as he scoops peas onto his plate, “Cats have been having kittens for a long time, Gene.”
“What if something went wrong? We wouldn’t have a vet within driving distance.”
“I really doubt that anything would go wrong,” Babe says, “But if it did, you could fix her.”
Roe cuts off a piece of the roast and puts it in his mouth. Babe pushes the peas around on his plate before scooping it up—Roe still finds it kind of endearing.
“What constitutes as cat food?” Roe asks.
_____
Babe likes to read before he falls asleep and Roe can’t fall asleep with the light on so he spends the time keeping the house neat. He takes the damp dishes from the dish rack and dries them before putting them back in the cupboards. Babe has a tendency to mess up the papers on the counter next to the telephone so he straightens those. Babe doodles on the pad of paper meant for jotting down messages and contact information and Roe can’t bring himself to tear off the page for a blank pad. There’s a phone number crammed under a drawing of a dog and Babe’s illegible handwriting curved around the beginnings of an automobile. He’ll have to ask Babe about that later.
When he finishes brushing his teeth and climbs into bed, Babe sets the book aside and turns the light off. Roe curls toward him and Babe settles a hand across his side, warm and heavy against his ribs.
“I’ve never had a cat,” Roe murmurs, “I hear they’re very picky.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Babe whispers.
_____
The cat shows up at their back door a week later, looking up at them with pale green eyes. Roe is a little surprised to see her and he opens the screen door intending to go out onto the porch when she slips between the gap of his legs and disappears into the house.
“What do you mean?” Babe asks when Roe tries to explain to him what happened—and then they search the corners of the pantry and beneath the sofa until Babe opens their closet door and finds her nestled in a corner with one of Roe’s two ties. She looks at them balefully until they shut the door to give her some space.
“Should I leave some food for her?” Roe asks, “Isn’t human food unhealthy for cats?”
Babe touches the small of his back as he leaves the room, “Don’t overthink it.”
_____
The kittens haven’t yet opened their eyes when Roe comes home from work and checks on the stray. She purrs as they press against her fur, completely unbothered by Roe’s presence. He takes a seat on their bed and watches the kittens tumble over each other, squeaking in high pitched mewls.
Babe finds him almost an hour later, smelling like sweat and sawdust. He crouches down next to the closet, inspecting the cats and then motions Roe down. Roe hesitates before getting off the bed and sitting on the ground next to Babe.
Babe reaches forward and gently picks up one of the kittens—Roe’s protest dies before it reaches his lips. The mother looks up at him but it doesn’t seem like she’s perturbed—so Babe holds the tiny kitten out to Roe. Roe takes it, cradling it in both hands. He can feel the flutter of a heartbeat under the warm fur.
“See?” Babe says, smiling at him, “You’re a natural, Gene.”
Fandom Band of Brothers
Rating: PG
Word Count: 912
Characters/Pairing: Babe/Roe
Summary: “I’ve never had a cat,” Roe murmurs, “I hear they’re very picky.”
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters--they are based off of the actors' portrayals of characters in HBO's Band of Brothers, not the real people themselves. Absolutely no disrespect is intended.
Author's Note: This is for
skylilies who was having a bad day. <3 This is complete and unabashed fluff intended to cheer her up--I've never written these characters before and hope I'm not too far off the mark. :)He figures that it’s just a really fat tomcat that’s somehow wandered the mile over from the next farmhouse. One of its ears is a little mangled and it walks with a bit of a limp in its hind leg and it doesn’t have a collar. He sees it every once in a while, on the edge of the porch. When he tries to get close, it drops off the side and lands on its feet, slinking quietly into the cool space beneath the deck. Roe learns to keep his distance and the two of them strike up a sort of truce: Roe keeps to his side of the porch and the cat stretches across the weathered planks, eyes half closed and tail flicking against the wood.
Babe comes out one evening with two beers in hand, looking first at Roe, then at the cat. He takes a seat next to Roe, leans into his arm and grins, “When do you think she’s due?”
“I thought it was a he,” Roe says as he takes the beer.
“She’s definitely pregnant,” Babe says.
The cat looks at the two of them, her tail curling against her hind leg. Fireflies glow with a transient light over their weed-scattered front lawn, twilight disappearing into the hum of crickets and the sputter of their antique lantern. Roe looks at the curve of the cat’s belly, as she pulls herself to her feet and jumps down from the porch.
“You scared her away,” Babe says, tilting his head so it’s resting on Roe’s shoulder. Roe fits an arm around Babe’s shoulder and takes a drink of the beer that Babe brought him. Babe picks at the hem of Roe’s worn undershirt, fingertips barely grazing against skin and Roe settles into the familiarity of it, watching the pattern of fireflies weaving through the tall grass against the fence.
“There isn’t a vet in town,” Roe tells Babe over dinner the next day.
Babe grins as he scoops peas onto his plate, “Cats have been having kittens for a long time, Gene.”
“What if something went wrong? We wouldn’t have a vet within driving distance.”
“I really doubt that anything would go wrong,” Babe says, “But if it did, you could fix her.”
Roe cuts off a piece of the roast and puts it in his mouth. Babe pushes the peas around on his plate before scooping it up—Roe still finds it kind of endearing.
“What constitutes as cat food?” Roe asks.
Babe likes to read before he falls asleep and Roe can’t fall asleep with the light on so he spends the time keeping the house neat. He takes the damp dishes from the dish rack and dries them before putting them back in the cupboards. Babe has a tendency to mess up the papers on the counter next to the telephone so he straightens those. Babe doodles on the pad of paper meant for jotting down messages and contact information and Roe can’t bring himself to tear off the page for a blank pad. There’s a phone number crammed under a drawing of a dog and Babe’s illegible handwriting curved around the beginnings of an automobile. He’ll have to ask Babe about that later.
When he finishes brushing his teeth and climbs into bed, Babe sets the book aside and turns the light off. Roe curls toward him and Babe settles a hand across his side, warm and heavy against his ribs.
“I’ve never had a cat,” Roe murmurs, “I hear they’re very picky.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Babe whispers.
The cat shows up at their back door a week later, looking up at them with pale green eyes. Roe is a little surprised to see her and he opens the screen door intending to go out onto the porch when she slips between the gap of his legs and disappears into the house.
“What do you mean?” Babe asks when Roe tries to explain to him what happened—and then they search the corners of the pantry and beneath the sofa until Babe opens their closet door and finds her nestled in a corner with one of Roe’s two ties. She looks at them balefully until they shut the door to give her some space.
“Should I leave some food for her?” Roe asks, “Isn’t human food unhealthy for cats?”
Babe touches the small of his back as he leaves the room, “Don’t overthink it.”
The kittens haven’t yet opened their eyes when Roe comes home from work and checks on the stray. She purrs as they press against her fur, completely unbothered by Roe’s presence. He takes a seat on their bed and watches the kittens tumble over each other, squeaking in high pitched mewls.
Babe finds him almost an hour later, smelling like sweat and sawdust. He crouches down next to the closet, inspecting the cats and then motions Roe down. Roe hesitates before getting off the bed and sitting on the ground next to Babe.
Babe reaches forward and gently picks up one of the kittens—Roe’s protest dies before it reaches his lips. The mother looks up at him but it doesn’t seem like she’s perturbed—so Babe holds the tiny kitten out to Roe. Roe takes it, cradling it in both hands. He can feel the flutter of a heartbeat under the warm fur.
“See?” Babe says, smiling at him, “You’re a natural, Gene.”
