Auction - Soldier!AU
Task 5 - Zoology - Task 1 - Write a Soldier!AU. Alt: write a fic with the Theme: war
Will our story shine like a light, or end in the dark
Fleur is more than a pretty face, and she sets out to prove it. When she gets hurt and gets discharged, she continues to fight. Soldier!AU
Fleur curls her lip at the men who stare as she jogs around the track. Whilst they say the army treats everyone as equals, that's not the case. Sexism exists everywhere, no matter how they promote equality.
But she proves them wrong. She fights to finish the obstacle courses before them. She fights to show them that she is worthy of her place here. She just fights and fights and fights. The people that matter here can see she's more than just a pretty face. The rest… they learn when she leaves them in the dust.
She spots a familiar woman in front of her and she speeds up. The other woman's feet pound against the ground as she runs, but she's not giving it her all. It's not overly difficult to catch up, and Fleur grins at her friend.
"I can't wait for us to see action," Tonks says, slowing down a little.
Fleur nods. She's feeling a slight ache in her thighs from all of the running, and she knows she's got to stop jogging soon. "Next week, we ship out," she confirms. "I'm a little scared." She glances around to make sure that there's nowhere near her to hear her.
"It's good to be scared," Tonks confirms. "It means we understand that there's a reason to be scared, and that keeps us from getting complacent or cocky."
They've talked about these things before and Fleur doesn't feel the need to reply. She silently agrees as they continue their run. "Have you told your parents yet?" Tonks adds.
"I have," Fleur confirms, a little quieter now. Her parents didn't want her to join the army, but she gave them no choice in the matter. It's her life, after all. It's not up to them. She learnt at a young age that she didn't want to be known only for her pretty face. She wanted to show that there was so much more to her.
Meeting Tonks on her first day was a godsend. Whilst really pretty, Tonks wasn't someone who strived to be beautiful. She just was. But in a different way to Fleur. Whilst Fleur loved her long blonde hair, Tonks was happy to have short hair, barely touching her ears.
"I'll be less scared because you're there," Fleur tells her, trying to change the subject.
Tonks smiles. "Tell me."
"You know how they are," Tonks insists. "Over-protective. They want me to have a safe job. They suggested if I must do this, I could be a nurse and stay away from the action. They don't get it. It's my life, and I need to live it. They say I have too much spirit."
Tonks sighs. "Mum is the same, but I get where she's coming from. She was in the army when she was younger, and she knows this life herself. So her worry at least comes from knowledge." Tonks slows down a little more. "Quick break?"
Fleur nods.
Maybe they do get complacent, maybe they do get cocky. They do two tours and come out the other side fine.
Or maybe they didn't realise the extent of danger.
But one minute they're travelling in the truck, and the next minute Fleur hits the ground, a distance away. The sounds echo in her head, and there's a painful ringing, and she stumbles to her feet, looking wildly around.
The people on their feet are crouching and Fleur ducks, trying to find cover. She hides behind the wreckage of the truck and aims her gun, shooting as the others do. Bodies drop and just as they take the last one down, a bullet comes from behind her, hitting her in the back.
Pain shoots through her and she cries out. The gun slipping from her fingers as she does. She falls to her hands and knees as another soldier shoots, taking the man who had attacked, down.
That's when Fleur sees her. She hadn't looked when thrown from the van after the explosion. She was too busy shooting, but when Tonks landed, it looks like she hadn't moved since. The moment of astonishment turns to panic as she understands what she's seeing. Blood. A small pool of it by her unmoving friend.
"Medical," Fleur screams. "Medical now. Help her." The edges of her vision is black. "Tonks. Wake up." She can't move closer. Her arms are shaking and she's breathing in the dirt that has swirled up from the ground.
Her vision flashes in and out, and she feels arms pulling at her, lifting her. She hears more gunshots in the background, but she's put into another truck and it drives away, and she realises that they're escaping from the situation. She fights to stay awake. She wants to find out what has happened to her friend, but she isn't strong enough to stay awake any longer.
Each day is as hard as the last. She has no feeling in her lower body for the longest time. It's frustrating because she has to learn to do everything again. She wheels herself around in the wheelchair, and finally - finally - she can move her legs once more.
Tonks is still on tour, and she misses her friend so much. She sends so many letters, but Tonks' replies are few and far between. Fleur gets it, letters take time to get there, and more time to get back. She wouldn't be surprised if Tonks was replying on the day she got the letters. She misses her too much and she can't think of anything else.
Her parents are supportive, but she can feel the 'I told you so' in their actions, in their looks, even if they don't voice the words. It's in their condescending tones. But she fights, because it's what she's always done. The fights are to move her legs. Fights to stand. Fighting to walk. Days turn into weeks. Months pass and she's able to make it to the shop and back. People don't stare at her. She's not as beautiful as she once was - in their eyes anyway - but that doesn't change anything for Fleur.
And then the letter comes.
'I'm finally coming home and I can't wait to see you'.
Fleur reads the flight details over and over, and she knows that she's going to do the trip there. Even if she has to be in her chair, she's going to be there to see Tonks.
She leaves the chair with her father and walks slowly forward, joining Andromeda as she waits for her daughter to arrive. The people are getting off the flight already, and Fleur wants her friend to see her progress for herself. In her hand she holds a small bouquet of bright yellow tulips, because yellow is so very Tonks. Brightness and sunshine and happiness.
Finally, Tonks emerges, her eyes seeking around. She grins at her mother, but then locks eyes with Fleur.
She looks different. She's never looked like this after a tour before, and Fleur wonders if it's because she was there alone. Well, with the team but without Fleur at her side.
"You came," Tonks says. She rushes over. Her arms wrap around Fleur and she leans in to place a kiss on Fleur's cheek at the same time Fleur leans in to do the same. The kiss is accidental, and the freeze in place, and suddenly Tonks' lips find hers again, and Fleur clutches onto her, because she's hated being without Tonks for so long. The flowers are squashed between them a little, but Fleur forgets that they're even there.
They pull away and Tonks reaches up, brushing a stray lock of hair from Fleur's face. There's a scar there now, but Tonks doesn't stare at it. Tonks looks at her like she's something so very special. "Did you miss me?"
"I've missed you," she says softly. She takes the flowers and her smile widens at the sight of them.
Fleur nods. There are tears streaming down her face. "I'm so happy you're back. I've missed you too. More than I can express. "I've done my waiting."
"And I'm sorry it took so long for me to come back, but I'm here now."
1366 words
Slash September Fleur/Tonks
Cat Herding: Fleur / 20. Quidditch Pitch - "Did you miss me?"
Writing Club - 2. Ghost: (word) Spirit (bonus)
Written in the Stars - 17. (flowers) tulips
Book Club - 2. Sirius Black - (word) astonishment / (plot point) escaping something / (dialogue) "I've done my waiting."
Showtime - 11. Harden My Heart/Shadows of the Night - (action) Crying
Film Festival - 12. (item) Letter
Lizzy's loft - 5. Rise Up - And the more I reach, the more I fade away
Elizabeth's Empire - 10. (object) bouquet of flowers
Lyric Alley - 3. Miss me so much, you've been goin' psycho
Throwback - 28. (word) Dust
Artist Appreciation - We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome): Prompt - (word) wreckage
Buttons: Objects (4) flask / Action (3) Falling / Emotions (5) panic
Resolutions - 7. Write a fic with an AU you like but have never written before
TV Spree - 10. (word) Tension
Celebrating Women: 3. Aphrodite - (character) Fleur Delacour