Imagines. | Band of Brothers [𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡]

24 hours in paris. | lipton

"We can get that cleaned," he said, smiling at you, "Lucky we caught up to that man earlier so you'd have a spare uniform to wear."

***

As though the day couldn't have gotten any worse, you were anxious. They were setting off fireworks in the streets, putting you on edge. You and Carwood stood, waiting for a cab to take the two of you to your hotel. Every time a firework set off, you trembled, your eyes darting everywhere. Doc Roe had scolded you to stay away from everything for awhile and to get some rest— But now, in the heart of Paris, as far away from the fight as you could possibly be, you felt like you were in the middle of it.

Another one set off, and you braced yourself on Lipton's side. The man quickly wrapped an arm around your shoulder, rubbing it gently. "We're in Paris," he whispered in your ear, "Breathe. We're in Paris." That seemed to calm you down a bit, and you shook your head quickly, closing your eyes.

You hadn't realized it, but Carwood had helped you into a cab and continued to have his arm wrapped around you on your way to the hotel. "You know, Y/N," he began, turning to face you, "You impress me a lot." There was no sarcasm painted on his face, you were unsure if he was even capable of being anything but kind.

"Being the only woman in the entire army must be stressful," Carwood continued, handing you a bottle of water he had taken out of his bag, "But you're so much stronger than I think I'll ever be." You jut out your bottom lip in a pout and shook your head quickly, the dimly lit cab giving you more courage than you'd normally have.

"That's not true, Lip," you replied, placing a tender hand on his hand, "You're incredibly brave, and dependable as well. We all look up to you, you know." Carwood seemed to have softened at this, and leaned back in his seat.

"I've just been worried," he replied, looking out the car window, "That I might let the men down. There must be a reason Dick sent us off, right?"

You were silent at first, before shrugging and tipping his chin to face you once more, "Maybe he just saw how well you took care of the men, he decided you had to take care of yourself too."

Carwood bit his lip and nodded.

***

The hotel lights were bright yellow, much alike the lights all around Paris. It had been so long since you had stepped foot into a building so beautiful. As you and Carwood made your way to the room assigned to you, you trudged behind him, thinking about how this break was everything but that. You were anxious, dirty, and more tired than you were before you had gotten here.

He unlocked the door, turning on the lights as he stepped inside. Dragging your bag on the ground, you were closing the door behind you when you heard him inhale sharply. You turned to see something that might have made your day a thousand times worse. A blush crept on your cheeks and you muttered, yet again, the third curse of the day.

One bed.

"They must've saw the names and thought we were a couple," Carwood said simply, ignoring the redness of your face, "Don't worry, I'll call up the front desk and arrange something."

You sighed, sitting yourself on the bed as he phoned the receptionist. He fumbled around, trying his best to communicate in broken French. You were all only taught how to say a few words, most only used while in combat.

Carwood ran a hand through his hair, messing up the gel. He was frustrated, you thought to yourself, for the first time today.

He slammed the phone down and his shoulders dropped. Turning to you, he said, "So I can't speak French." You let out a quiet laugh, and he chuckled as well, "I can sleep on the floor."

"This day couldn't get any worse, huh?" you said, watching him set blankets on the floor for him to lie on. Carwood stayed quiet.

That night, as the two of you lay quietly, you realized you couldn't sleep.

"Lip?" you said, hoping the man was still awake. He grunted in response. "I need to say something."

You heard him move on the floor, and his head peeked up from the end of your bed. "Is something wrong?"

"I wanna thank you," you said, sitting up as well and pulling your knees to your chest, "For being so patient and kind with me today."

He squinted, shaking his head, "It was nothing, Y/N."

"No, sir. It was," you quickly interrupted, whispering, "I'm scared, Lip."

"We all are, Y/N," he said, rising up to sit beside you, "But we're all proud of you for being so brave."

You both sat there, the moon shining through the hotel window. "You're a good leader, Carwood." you said, and he turned to face you, a sad smile on his face.

"I hope so."

"I know so."

***

The sun shone through the curtains, nearly blinding you. Your hair was messed up, all spikes on your head. You stretched as your eyes adjusted to the light. Suddenly, you heard a snore, seeing your 1st sergeant in bed beside you.

Your eyes big, you sat up quickly, rousing him from his sleep. "Y/N?" he asked, looking at you hugging the blanket over your chest. "We must've fallen asleep," he plainly said, running a hand over his face.

"I'm so sorry, Sir," you said, chiding yourself in your head. You were in bed with Carwood, and you looked like a mess.

"What a great break this has been, huh?" he let out a laugh, and soon you were laughing along with him as well because of how awkward the situation was. "How about this, Y/N? When this is all over, I take you around Paris for real?"

You grinned, shutting your eyes and shaking your head. "I'd love that, as long as you promise to never speak of the past 24 hours to anyone."

"I wouldn't even dare."

***

a/n: ahh this took me so long to write! i'm not so sure about this one, i don't think i did dear lip any justice, since he's such a magnificent man.

i'd really appreciate some feedback so i could improve my writing in anyway!

thank you so much for reading.

with love, 

𝓖.