[attr="class","ajbdbsb"]
i.[break][break]
" should i be worried?" he asks and peels himself from the wall where he has been so artfully leaning all this time. [break][break]
lydia shoots him a glare almost telling him to shut his mouth before it's too late. " he's a patient, tobias." [break][break]
" yeah but he's good lookin'." [break][break]
" and he's 84, i don't think there's much competition." she waves a cheery good-bye to the old man who just a minute ago was checking lydia's rack. [break][break]
" he looks like trouble." [break][break]
lydia rolls her eyes and sighs. " you said the same thing about the plant i got." [break][break]
" that's different." [break][break]
" yet it still hasn't killed us in our sleep. " [break][break]
tobias decides not to engage into a silly argument about a plant that could possibly strangle them when they weren't looking. he has much bigger problems in his hands than potentially dangerous plants so he settles in taking lydia's hand and giving it a squeeze. [break][break]
he'll still ignite the damn thing when lydia isn't looking. [break][break]
there it is. the suspicious look in her eyes and tobias just
knows what's going on inside of her head. [break][break]
" what's gotten into you?" nailed it. [break][break]
" nothing." he lies. he knows how to lie. it's what he does for his living. " i'm just very happy that i have you as my girlfriend." [break][break]
tobias knows two people with rather exceptional 'bullshit-radar' and lydia is one of them. his mother is the second and probably the only one who could always tell if tobias stole in the neighbours apple tree or not. it was either that they were good at detecting lies or then tobias was just a lousy liar. [break][break]
lydia says " i'm not going to let that slide, something's gotten into you." and they exit the building. [break][break]
that evening he asks her to marry him and she says yes. that evening they decide that instead of admitting that their relationship was in ruins, they get married in hopes to fix all of things. tobias is willing to forgive her the cheating and the lying. lydia is willing to become the wife of an marine. [break][break]
what they are not willing to do is to do give up. [break][break]
tobias joined the muggle marines when he was 17 - he somehow managed to falsify his recruiting papers and helped to be a just graduated wizard from ilvermorny - and he was ready to turn his back to the wizarding world. he got trained as an muggle and he lived his life as an muggle for 2 years until he met a lydia. she was a witch, working as an healer.
[break][break]
he went back to the marines. it was his calling after all. [break][break]
ii.[break][break]
" if this isn't finished in twenty minutes, i'm outta here." [break][break]
" shut your cake hole, you ain't going anywhere. " [break][break]
tobias scowls and the other man shuts his mouth. they're crouching in the darkness, behind a goddamn bush believe it or not. he has to admit that his team mate has a point. years of military training, auror training in the wizarding world and this is what they do; crouch behind a bush like they're taking a goddamn dump. how exciting with a fucking capital e. [break][break]
in his mind, tobias is making a bullet point list of the reasons why he should be home right now:
- this was a waste of time
- this was a fucking waste of time
- instead of being stuck here in this stupid mission, he could be with his very pregnant wife.
- who was due any day now
[break][break]
tobias checks his watch. they have exactly five minutes. if their guy isn't finished talking with the mob bosses soon, they had to rely on backup. that's exactly what tobias
doesn't want to do. calling in for the backup would only mean endless paperwork and he doesn't have time for that shit. [break][break]
there's a nudge on his upper arm. " colonel?" [break][break]
" i told you, shut your goddamn mouth or i'll stuff something in there that ain't pretty." [break][break]
"it's your wife, sir." the man tells. " she's gone into labour." [break][break]
it takes him exactly 12 hours to fly back home and burst into the room his wife is. [break][break]
it takes him exactly 1.2 seconds to fall in love with the little bundle in his hands. [break][break]
" what are we calling her?" asks lydia after a long moment of silence. [break][break]
tobias is too busy staring down at the little baby girl. his
daughter. [break][break]
when he finally croaks, his voice comes out in hushed tone. " we can call her after your mother." he suggests not really thinking. later on he mentally slaps himself for even suggesting that because his mother-in-law is a hag and the last thing he wants was to name his daughter after her. [break][break]
lydia doesn't say a word for a moment until, " what about iris?" [break][break]
" iris." he repeats and the baby pokes her tongue out. " perfect." [break][break]
iii.[break][break]
he hears a bang. and another. he hears screams. and then something hits him. [break][break]
at first it's nothing. it feels like a mosquito bite. it's just that isn't exactly a mosquito bite now is it? when the realisation finally hits him and the pain takes over, colonel wilkinson is on the ground. loud, instinct voices roar around him but he can't make out anything what they're saying. his basic medical training is telling him to put pressure on the wound. he does this and he screams. he tries to tell him not to go into shock but that's too big of an task at the moment. air comes out of his mouth in a quickened pace but he still can't dismiss the pain. [break][break]
colonel wilkinson can't stop thinking about his daughter. he can't stop thinking that this is it. it's against all of his marine training. he's simply not
allowed give up. that's the one rule you live by in the marines. [break][break]
you don't give up and you certainly never let anyone die. [break][break]
unfortunately for him, he's broken the two golden rules of the marines already. [break][break]
tobias squeezes his eyes shut. [break][break]
tries to move but stops. if he moves, he'll bleed out faster. he still wants to see iris. [break][break]
irishis baby girl who he said goodbye to two months ago. his baby girl who was too young to understand what her father did for a living. she would grow up without a father. without someone who holds her tight when she has a nightmare. someone who tells there are no monsters in the closet. [break][break]
well lydia would probably have guys lining up already he thinks bitterly. [break][break]
he doesn't want to die. not here. not now. not without telling iris how much he loves her. [break][break]
oh god please let me live[break][break]
iiii.[break][break]
america was changing. the wars were fought differently. the wars were fought in secret and tobias was too tired and too old to start that game. he had a daughter now who waited by the door for toby to come home. or, at least those days when it was his weekend. the divorce had gone through a year later. toby had just returned from afghanistan. after getting shot and after he refused to do go into physical therapy.
