Author's Note: There's a serious lack of stories with Shifty Powers, so here's my contribution! Although it's rated M, there aren't any explicit parts apart from the last chapter (right now, at least).
I just want to add that "Sarah" is based on an actual friend of mine and this was originally going to be a story about the two of us before it changed direction. She's a cool and funny Jewish girl who makes history and sex jokes. Regardless of Jewish people being a targeted minority even to this day, she's the kind of person who can laugh at herself and the stereotypes surrounding them, including herself. I wrote her as she is in real life. I felt the need to clear this up so as to not sound anti-Semitic.
I also had my name attached to this before converting it to a self-insert, so please excuse anything I may have overlooked regarding either that or any specific characteristics.
Anyway, you guys know the drill: no disrespect to Easy Company. This is all based on the HBO series, etc.
Sarah stepped out of the bathroom, warm vapors seeping from the open door. She was wrapped in a towel while drying her short, wavy brown hair with another.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the dark blue sky.
"What?" she wondered.
She opened her bag and got some fresh clothes out, tossing them on the bed and tightening the latch.
"Hot shower," I leaned back on the headboard.
We've already left the Ardennes forest and are getting settled here in Zell am See. It's the first time in years since we've had hot showers and warm food.
"Yeah, finally," she pulled her green tank top on and plopped down on the bed next to mine.
We'd picked a room on the third floor of one of the deserted buildings miles in front of Hitler's Eagles Nest.
Despite there being more rooms on this floor, the rest were unoccupied.
Major Winters told the men that if any of them were going to room in the same building as Sarah and I, they had to be on separate stories.
I guess when we were all in foxholes, there wasn't much of a choice since he was concerned enough to put at least one armed man with each of us. Plus, it seemed like a better idea to spread out the medics and nurses.
Of course, Sarah stayed with Joseph Liebgott.
Ever since we were at the party, which officially marked us as paratroopers, they've been flirting here and there throughout the war. As much as they tried to hide it, I was certain the entire company (maybe save for the replacements) knew they had something going on between them.
I suppose at the time, our officers simply dismissed it as a friendship. Both of them were Jewish and got along great, same sense of humor and everything.
I believe I shared my foxhole with Talbert. I may have moved at least once though. If it sounds like I don't remember, it's because I'm still trying to block it out of my memory.
So much shit happened in Bastogne that I'd rather not relive... ever. I wouldn't wish it on my own enemy, either.
It's hard to explain but those events are clear as day to me now, while at the same time, it's also a blur.
Anyway, I'm sure they figured something was up with Sarah and Joe since we're not neighboring any of the guys.
In the midst of silence, I rolled over to face her bed. "How are you and Joe holding up?"
For a few minutes, she didn't say anything. I didn't expect her to, but she's still my best friend and considering what we saw and learned at Landsberg, I knew they were going to be affected the most.
"I'm okay," she sighed.
From my peripheral vision, I noticed she was wiping a tear from her cheek.
"I'm sorry," I immediately felt awful for bringing it up.
They both looked as if they were coping well with it.
After a sniff, it sounded like her voice returned back to normal.
"Really, Y/F/N. I'm fine," she reassured. "Thank you."
I knew ever since we landed in Normandy, she was a warrior. From then on, she's done nothing but prove she was resilient and spunky. There were times like now that she let herself feel the wave of emotions outwardly, but that doesn't make her weak by any means. Especially after seeing two of the toughest guys in Easy each having one leg blown off and a handful or other casualties, no one ever thought less of each other for expressing grief and devastation.
"See, you're so caring, Y/F/N," she switched the lamp off, leaving us in total darkness with the exception of the ivory glow of the moon casting itself through the balcony doors left ajar. "No wonder, Shifty—"
"Shifty nothing!" I cut her off loudly.
She laughed and grabbed at my shoulder, trying to get me to turn on my other side to look at her. This was usually how our conversations went. It's serious one minute, and the next, she's doing one of two things: eagerly bringing out the penis jokes or ragging on someone.
I pulled the blanket over my head when I heard her scoff. "Come on, Y/F/N! Just face the facts!"
"What facts?" I rolled my eyes. "'Facts' are not perceptions of an interaction between two people."
Not long after, I felt a sudden thump of something hitting my covered head followed by the sound of the object landing on the floor.
"Ow!" I threw the covers off.
But upon seeing her surprised reaction, I burst into a fit of laughter. She looked like a statue that was shown The David's crotch from out of the blue.
Soon after, she doubled over and started laughing too, landing on my bed. "Did that really hurt?"
Now at that point of laughing so hard that no sound came out, I shook my head and calmed myself down.
"No, but it startled me! You should've seen your face. You were like—" I wiped a tear from my eye and mimicked her expression, putting us in hysterics again.
"Hey!" someone hissed from the balcony.
Our heads immediately jolted in that direction to see none other than Joseph Liebgott hanging from the side railing, his face pressed between the black bars.
"Can I come in?" he asked quietly.
I gotta hand it to him. By looking at his slender frame and gawky appearance overall, you wouldn't think he was capable of such a feat.
Sarah and I met eyes, contemplating on whether or not to let him in our room.
However he was already hoisting himself on the platform and swinging his legs over the rail.
"Ah, screw it," he dragged his boots across the floor, so as to not make too much noise.
I stood up and looked over at Sarah.
"Take your time," I told her in an understanding tone and headed for the door.
I always left whenever they were together. Couldn't stand being the third wheel back home, couldn't stand it here.
"Relax, Y/L/N, I'm not here for that," he lazily crawled across Sarah's bed, stretching across her lap and resting his head on one of her pillows.
"Yeeeah, that doesn't make it any better," I rolled my eyes and turned the knob.
"I guess I'll have to tell him about you and you-know-who!" Sarah teased.
"Tell him whatever you want. We're just friends," I firmly declared.
"Who? Shifty?" Liebgott yawned.
"Oh my God!" I groaned a little too loudly and darted my gaze to him. "We're just friends, Lieb!"
"Yeah? I didn't know 'friends' gave gifts like lockets," he folded his hands under his head.
I instinctively put my hand over the silver locket hidden underneath my t-shirt. It was the kind of reaction he was looking for, since I saw a smirk etched across one side of his face.
"You really didn't think he only saw you as a friend, did you?" Sarah asked.
I made my way back to my bed and sat down, feeling the locket bounce lightly over my chest. It was like my heart thumping whenever I looked into his almond-shaped, doe eyes or when the ends of his lips perked up into his cheeks to reveal a radiant smile. Well, except it feels like a hundred beats per minute instead of just one.
"Maybe more? I don't know..." I shrugged. "But I know for sure he would never feel the same way."
"Will you stop with that crap, Y/L/N?" Lieb pulled a lighter out from a side pocket on his jumpsuit, a cigarette now dangling between his lips.
He lit it and inhaled, breathed a cloud of smoke, and continued. "You don't know that. Only he knows how he feels."
Sarah took the cigarette from between his fingers and took a drag. "What makes you think that anyway?"
They were both looking at me now, waiting for my response. Her other hand was over his hair, her middle, ring and pinky finger dug through his dark coif. While one arm acted as a pillow, holding his head up, the other was now hanging across her back, his hand resting over her shoulder.
If only I could have that with him.
"Because I'm ugly. And he'd much rather prefer someone like Sarah," I admitted dejectedly.
"Someone like me?" she raised her eyebrows, forming lines on her forehead.
"Yeah. Someone who's also from Virginia and loves nature," I looked at the sky.
It took me back to when I was huddled with Shifty in a foxhole on Christmas night. He talked to me about his camping trips back home that he went on with his family.
"Ever been camping before?" he wondered.
"Sadly no," I frowned.
Surely he would've loved someone who has just as much nature running through their veins as he does.
"I would take you," he said shyly.
I blushed. I'm not an outdoorsy person, but I won't say no to that.
"We have to settle on this for now," I forced a smile and looked at the walls of our foxhole. "Just wish we had a fire going."
His arm slithered around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his body.
Is this really happening?
"It's not much, but I hope it helps," he said to me.
I turned my head towards him. He was actually looking at me now and our noses were barely touching.
"It... definitely does," I muttered while looking at his lips and back into his eyes.
Ever since we were at Holland, I knew I loved him more than just a friend.
We're both the shy and sweeter ones in Easy. It was a bonus that he didn't seem bothered by my lack of grace and social confidence. The other guys—although they might mean well—teased me for it or didn't understand that I can't "just get out there".
"First of all, I'm from Georgia. I only went to school in Virginia," Sarah corrected before passing the cigarette back to Joe.
I gave her an 'okay, close enough' look.
"Second," she continued. "It's no secret you're both comfortable in each others' silence. I see the way he looks at you and so does everyone else. Everyone knows."
"In fact, Joe's around him more. See what he thinks," her eyes dropped to her boyfriend on her lap, who was half asleep by now.
"Yeah, yeah... he probably wants you against a tree or something. I don't know," he groggily said.
This made Sarah fall back on her bed laughing into her hands.
"Okay, get out before I get Major Winters," I said in disbelief, rolling my eyes and pointing to the balcony.
Once he left, I turned my attention to Sarah. "Okay, really? You two are just..."
"The best?" she smugly asked, repositioning herself to where Joe had been.
"Yeah, that's it," I sarcastically said. "And Jewish, so his family's gonna love the hell outta you."
She told me how Joe wanted to bring her back to San Francisco to meet his family. It makes me wonder if Shifty would ask me to return to the states with him.
"Which is good because maybe they won't mind when I'm reading his scroll with my tongue while they're downstairs preparing Matzo."
"Gross," I shook my head and smiled big.
"Talk to him tomorrow, okay?" she pleaded.
"Yeah, I will," I said before dozing off.
I will.