Nix/Winters

A/N: This was written for the Valentine's Day LJ Challenge! This is purely based off the Band Of Brothers series and not the actual soldiers themselves.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

Dance Like No One Is Watching

Valentine's Day. Probably the sappiest holiday man had ever come up with. Or well, it was more of the Christians' faults, basing it off St. Valentine and all, but that didn't make it any better.

Nix had never liked Valentine's Day for as long as he could remember. He hadn't even known the god damn holiday actually existed until he first started school. Some little blonde girl with big brown eyes had given him a card, a lollipop taped inside asking him if he would be "hers". He didn't get it. At least not until he went home and showed his mother who couldn't stop giggling for a whole two hours after she read it.

And then she explained it to him.

The whole "love-fest" idea was in no way appealing, not to him at least. Nix didn't like how mushy everything got, how flustered people acted, their faces going red, their sentences incoherent. More than that, Nix hated the color red (At least, that was until he met Dick and then red was suddenly his favorite color). And pink. Pink more so than red. They were girly colors and Nix was not a girl (he was pretty sure of that).

What's more, the school always had those damn Valentine's Day dances every year. Insisting you found your match for the season and brought them for a night of fun. The only fun there was spiking the punch and watching the Freshmen go green and end up in the bathroom an hour later. Yup, Nix hated Valentine's Day (he refused to deny it was the fact he had no one to spend it with), but he wouldn't dare pass up free alcohol.

Dick, on the other hand...it wasn't that he liked Valentine's Day, it was more that he just didn't care. And he liked red, like his hair. He thought it was a rather nice color, as long as if wasn't too vivid. He didn't mind the occasional cards from girls and others from friends (And hell, who didn't like chocolate?).

So it wasn't that big of a deal, although his mother seemed to think so, conning his father for expensive little trinkets on that very day. (His father seemed alright with it, but then again, no one really wants to come home to an unhappy wife).

As for the school dances? Dick didn't dance. So he never went. He had been asked a few times, sure, but he wasn't interested. He much preferred to stay home listening to his mother croon over a new pair of earrings his father had bought her earlier that day.

"I thought I'd find you in here." Nix drawled with a smile, taking a drag from the cigarette between his fingers. Dick didn't bother looking up, just shuffled through the papers in front of him, eyeing them warily. Quarterly reports were a bitch. Dick wasn't even at the desk anymore, but rather seated on the floor, a map or two beside him, pens and pencils scattered here and there...followed by more papers.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the party?" Easy Company, along with others, had been given permission to have a small celebration in honor of the lovely holiday known as Valentine's Day. Nix knew it was more out of pity than actual permission. This could be the last Valentine's Day for any of them.

"We ran out of Scotch."

"Jesus Nix." Dick sighed, looking up, green eyes exasperated, tired.

"What? I hate Valentine's Day." Nix sat down beside him, a flask seeming to appear from thin air. Dick raised an eyebrow, but said nothing even as Nix made a gesture towards him, offering him a sip. Dick wrinkled his nose in protest and shook his head.

"Do you ever drink?" Nix almost looked disappointed, putting the cigarette out on the floor. Dick smiled a bit, unable to help it, watching Nix as the man gulped down a heavy swallow.

"Do you ever not drink?" Dick retorted, scribbling something down in the margin of one of his papers. He didn't really mind Nix being there, not really. But when Nix finally does get to that stage, past buzzed, and landing on drunk, there might be a problem. Nix could sometimes get a little...how should he put it? Touchy-feely? Yeah, that seemed good enough.

"Nope."

"Didn't think so."

"You know, the nurses came." Nix said, eyeing the papers without interest. How Dick could find any actual solitude in these damn things was beyond him.

"Really..." Dick didn't sound interested, but he knew the drill. Nix needs to keep talking, so Dick will keep the ball rolling. Nix hummed out an "Mhm" in between sips, offering the bottle again and taking it back with a grin when Dick glared at him.

"Harry was making a move on the blonde one." Nix furrowed his brow, picturing her in his head.

"The head-nurse." Dick played along.

"Sure, that's the one."

"Didn't think he had it in him."

"Neither did anyone else." Nix snorted, coughing a bit as he swallowed at the same time. Dick made some sort of noise between a laugh and a sigh, but Nix couldn't tell which. He smiled though, and that made the situation suddenly seem a whole lot brighter.

"I bet he's trying right now."

"Who? Harry?"

"Yup." Nix suddenly stood, swaying a bit, the Scotch in his flask starting to get to him. Dick stared at him, question and amusement in those green depths. Nix walked over to the other side of the room, his lips quirked into somewhat of a smirk if you squinted at it just right.

"And knowing Harry, it'll probably end up going something like this." Nix steadied himself on the doorframe, Dick now just watching him, the paperwork now forgotten. Curiosity taking over.

"He'd be across the room, a drink in his hand," Nix gestured to the flask in his hand, "And she-" Nix pointed at Dick, who scowled at him.

"Why am I the girl?"

"Woman. Be polite Dick."

"Alright. Why am I the woman?"

"Women don't drink and neither do you."

"Yes they do."

"Not here they don't." Nix grinned, taking another swallow. Dick didn't look convinced.

"Alright. It's because you have the more...feministic touch, ok?"

"I do not. And you're drunk."

"Getting there...and it doesn't change anything. Just play along," Nix settled back down, "He'll be on one side of the room, the music low, and she," Nix pointed at Dick who gave him a slightly irritated look, "Will be on the other. He'll be watching her, waiting to make his move. She'll spare him a few glances per say, but more likely she'll keep it else where...that means look away Dick." Dick sighed resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He hadn't had to do that since he was a teenager and his mother was getting overly ecstatic over the crystal necklace she got for Christmas of his seventeenth year.

But Dick looked away, focusing a bit on his papers. Or trying to anyway.

"And he'll he'll take another swig, gathering up his courage...if he has any..."

"Be nice Nix."

"He'll amble his way over slowly," Dick watched Nix make his way over, stumbling a bit, face tight with concentration on making this work, "And of course, he'll get nervous. All men do. But, it'll be then or never. So he'll come over, all cool and calm, drink still in hand-"

"No that's just you Nix."

"Drink still in hand, thank you very much. And then he'll take a seat beside her," Nix sat down where he had been moments before, "And he'll probably say something along the lines of, "Never seen you before. You new?" Something clever like that."

"That's not particularly creative."

"It's Harry."

"True."

"And she'll say...?" Nix looked at Dick expectantly, who just stared back blankly not sure what was going on. Nix rolled his hand in a gesture that said he needed to say something but Dick didn't have anything.

"This is your idea. Don't look at me."

"It's called improvisation Dick. Try it sometime," Nix chuckled, taking another swig, "Now...she'll say...?" Dick gave a shrug, thinking. He opened his mouth a few times, always closing it again, not sure what to say. He wasn't as good at this as Nix was.

"Uh...I don't normally work around the men in this area." Dick finally said, his shoulders sagging a bit. Nix smiled, looking a bit impressed.

"Mind if I ask where you do work?"

"I don't think that'd be a problem."

"...Oh! Where do you work?"

"The hospital in the front division. Head nurse."

"Really now? How fascinating. Care for a sip?" Nix offered the flask again. Dick immediately frowned, giving him a "you're-doing-that-on-purpose" look. Nix gave him an encouraging look, and with a defeated sigh, Dick took the bottle.

"Love it. Thank you." He said flatly, taking a swallow. The strength made him grit his teeth. It was probably more due to the fact he rarely drank. Nix seemed to enjoy watching him cringe.

"Can you hear the music?" Nix asked, leaning in a bit. Dick cocked his head, and nodded. The music was soft and slow, and in his mind's eye he could see the men pairing off on the floor, most praying that they could get a little extra before bed that night. And judging a woman's capacity of with-holding emotions and it being Valentine's Day, Dick was pretty sure a lot of them were going to be busy.

Dick was unsure if they were still playing or not. Nix answered that a second later, getting unsteadily to his feet again.

"It'll carry on until the music gets slow, and then he'll make a move. That's Harry for you," Nix pocketed the flask inside his jacket, and held out his hand to Dick, "He'll, of course, ask it casually, "Would you like to dance?" and then, she'll reply...what?" Dick stared at his hand. Nix had to be joking. He was drunk, or damn near close and he really had to get these papers done.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he was protesting this, telling himself he needed a break and something to laugh at. Something to enjoy. And with Nix he could do all three with and he liked that. He had always been able to do anything with Nix.

"I'd love to." The words came with such ease they surprised him and for a while, Dick just sat frozen. Nix either didn't care or didn't hear it, but either way he smiled and bent over, taking Dick by the hand and yanking him up. Dick fell against his chest, suddenly wondering if a shot amount of liquor really had the ability to make someone drunk, because he now felt strangely overheated, the nearness of Nix a bit too overwhelming.

"Sweep you off your feet princess?" Nix asked to Dick's startled expression.

"I'm not a girl."

"I would hope not." Nix intertwined their fingers, an arm slipping around Dick's waist, keeping him from going anywhere. Dick went rigid, not really sure how to respond. He'd never been in a situation like this, not with a woman, and much less with a man. And definitely not with Nix.

"Nix, I really don't think-"

"You think too much. You really ought to relax sometime." Nix murmured into the crook of Dick's neck, warm breath making his skin tingle. Dick knew he should've pulled away. Just told Nix he was drunk, told him to go back to his barracks or the party or whatever, but to just leave him alone. That this wasn't right, even though it felt it. That they weren't allowed, even if the sweet melody carrying from the mess hall kept them moving.

Instead, Dick just rested his chin on Nix's shoulder, letting his body slack. He really did work too much for his own good.

"There was no blonde nurse was there?"

"Nah, she was a red head. A new intern too. The head-nurse is a brunette." Nix snorted, placing a chaste kiss where Dick's neck connected to his shoulder. Dick sighed, smiling a bit. He might regret this later. Might. But for now, he'd just go with it. The music was slow and so were their movements. Dick would remember later how odd it seemed that Nix still had the capability to dance just fine, but walking was almost too troublesome.

"Hey Nix?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy Valentine's Day."

"You too Dick...you too."

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