Title: And Never Back Down
Author: HalfshellVenus
Characters: John (Gen)
Rating: K+
Summary: 100-word drabble, written for the prompt of "Fireworks" challenge.
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When John was a boy, he'd loved fireworks. The color and surprise and the exploding-star beauty of it was a once-a-year event—the highlight of summer.
Post-combat, it was different. Firecrackers and whistling screamers sounded too much like bullet-fire, brought back ambushes and ground-volleys in an instant. The shattered night-turned-day was tough even from a distance, a too-close battle that would find him in the end.
He took the boys every year he could, watching their joy as he muscled down fear-sweat and nerves.
He'd be damned if he'd let this own him. Someday, he would beat it for good.
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