Return to Me (Soldier!America x Reader)

Return to Me

You inhaled deeply, eyeing, with a small sense of pride, your Victory Garden, and beside it your flower bed overflowing with color. A smile, rare and tight, crawled across your lips.

You could remember the day Alfred had so painstakingly helped you plant every single one. It was your anniversary and he had, as usual, forgotten to get you something. You had cooked a lavishing dinner in spite of your humble income, and had set up candles, flowers, and slow music. Alfred had felt so guilty for forgetting, he left the house without a word and did not return for a whole hour. When he finally did, he had a whole car full of flowers.

Perhaps his actions had been a bit overzealous, but it gave you two a reason to spend the day outside together. He had helped you dig and plant every single last flower until the yard was brimming with freshly dug ground and speckles of color, and the two of you covered from head to toe in mud. After that, and in spite of his lack of a green thumb, he took time out of his busy schedule to help you tend both your flower bed and garden daily.

But now those days were no more. It was just you and you alone to care for them all. It took hours, sometimes, everyday for you do it by yourself, but you were thankful for the lengthy time. For it was when you were outside in God's great splendor, remembering the way Alfred would come up behind you when you were weeding, kiss your cheek, and then declare he would help make dinner, remembering his voice, his warmth, and his smell, that you were most at peace; at peace and pretending that letter that declared he was missing in action six months ago was not tucked away in your bedside drawer, buried beneath other papers and letters in hopes of never being seen again.

A bee whizzed passed your ear and you shuttered, ducking further into the flowers. It was warm outside, the sun beating down on your back, and bees were all over everything. You would be surprised if you managed to go the whole day without getting stung.

"....ones?"

You paused, blinking a few drops of sweat away from your eyes.

"Mrs. Jones?"

Sitting up, you turned around to find two men standing at the end of your walkway.

"Ye-?"

Your heart stopped.

They were both in uniform, both slick and pristine, and both looking very grave and very remorseful.

You had seen these two men before.

The very same ones.

You remembered them oh so very clearly. The way they had handed the letter to you, the way they had both apologized solemnly but helplessly.

These were the two that had brought you the news of your husband's disappearance in action.

Your legs quivered and your arms went numb. Standing up to greet them would have been the proper thing, but how could you? How could anyone when they knew what news those two dreaded men would bring? Surely they were not visiting on behalf of the army in congratulations that the war was over. No, the look on their faces and the shaking envelope in the second man's hand was enough to tell you everything.