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The warm Iowan air smelt of Autumn, its early-September infusion of ripened crops and something crisp wafting past Sarge's nose and through his short-cut, silver hair. He draped one arm lazily out the window of his old, clunking car as he drove, music from decades ago singing their old lament from a crackling radio. If he were being honest, he should have replaced his car a long time ago, around the first time it broke down on him, but he was pushing the old girl for all she got; it wasn't because he didn't have the money, but because he believed in using something to its full extent and not wasting a single bit. Being an ex-captain in the war did that to you, he supposed.
He also supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when his old car finally gave out on him among the corn fields of nowhere, but it didn't stop him from being pissed about it. He'd kicked the front tire to no avail and spent a good five minutes cursing before finally figuring that yeah, he should try finding a nearby farm for help.
"I didn't even want to be out here." He grumbled to himself as he trudged down the side of the road, sweat beginning to bead on his neck, and he was definitely regretting his decision to come to the stupid event in the first place. "I'm too old for this." It wasn't necessarily true; he was forty-three, sure, but he was strong with a broad chest and muscles kept fit and young by rigorous work-out sessions. So really, he was just complaining about anything possible as he walked, his journey lasting around fifteen minutes before finally coming across a quaint-looking farmhouse. Its barn was visible behind it and a pasture dotted with grazing animals lined the immense field of corn.
He made his way to the front door and knocked once with his knuckles; when no answer came, he repeated the motion more vigorously. Still, nothing happened, and he was about to give up and curse all the way back home until a rustling behind him set his trained mind on edge. He turned on his heel, fists raised for combat, but froze when he saw a young man kicking his way out of the corn fields with a basket full of the yellow grain in his hands.
He was also shirtless. In Sarge's mind, that was probably the most important fact because the shaggy blond hair just happened to accentuate the lean, sun-kissed body it sat atop perfectly. Tan lines cut off where Sarge assumed a shirt usually was, leaving his torso a slightly-milkier golden tone. When the man caught sight of Sarge standing there he grinned, ambling towards him with bright enthusiasm radiating off of him.
"Hi!" He greeted cheerfully, placing the basket down on the porch's railing. "I hope you weren't waiting for me too long! I was just picking a few early bloomers. What brings you out here?" Sarge took a moment to reply, the now-absent basket revealing the short, tight denim shorts the farmer sported, fabric hugging his muscular thighs snugly.
"M'car broke down. I was on the way to a meet-up of sorts for veterans of my team." Sarge explained, his blue eyes attempting to look everywhere except for the sweat-shined chest in front of him and the small pink nipples that rested there.
"Oh! That's a shame! Does your cell phone not work out here?" Sarge forced himself to look up at the young man, noticing for the first time that the right side of his face was riddled with thin, small scars. Strangely, it only added to the lovely boyish charm of his smile, and Sarge made a face.
"I don't believe in owning a cell phone, kid. They're useless."
"Not so useless right now, huh?" The farmer grinned cockily and Sarge felt a pang of annoyance and arousal. "You probably wouldn't get service anyways. Come on in! I have a land line inside." He grabbed the corn again, arm muscles straining slightly against the heavy load, and Sarge would have offered his help if he weren't enjoying that so much, so instead he held the door open (and may have taken the opportunity to look at his ass).
"I'm Donut, by the way!" The farmer offered as Sarge checked out the quaint house. It was definitely a farm home, but it smelled of sweet fruits and was exceptionally clean. The style of it was more modern than he expected, too, and it was almost like a professional decorator had been hired to design it all.
"Donut is your name?" Sarge quirked an eyebrow as he was led to a small, bright kitchen. Donut set the corn down on the table and turned to retrieve two glasses from the cupboard.
"Well, it's actually Franklin, but everyone just calls me Donut! Would you like some tea?" He looked back and smiled when Sarge nodded before bending to grab the pitcher from the fridge (and yeah, Sarge was definitely checking out his ass this time and feeling like an old perv for it).
"I suppose that's fair. M'name's Sarge." He offered right back, and Donut accepted the name without question. The young man sat the glass in front of Sarge before sitting down with his own. He took a sip, seemingly content with sitting there silently, and Sarge's brow furrowed. "Uh, weren't you going to let me use your phone?"
"Oh!" Donut started, jumping to his feet. "Honestly, I completely forgot! I guess I got distracted." He smiled sweetly at Sarge before leaving the room and returning with a wireless home phone. Sarge took it in his larger hands, noting how soft Donut's skin was despite his job when their fingers brushed together.
"Thanks." Sarge gruffed before punching in the number of a soldier he knew would be attending the get-together.
Donut busied himself with shucking corn across from him at the table as he talked, and only looked up when Sarge put down the phone.
"He said he can come get me, but it'll take a good four hours. I suppose I ought to make my way back to m'car." Sarge made to stand with a sigh but Donut held out a hand to stop him, grabbing his arm lightly.
"Wait! Why not just stay here?"
"I wouldn't want to impose-"
"Nonsense!" Donut grinned, showing off pearly white teeth. "I'd enjoy the company, and I hope that being here is better than sitting in a broke-down car for four hours." Sarge took a second to consider, knowing already that he'd much rather be around the young man, before sitting back down.
"Alright then. Do you need any help? I'd like to be helping if I'm gonna be here." Donut hummed his thanks before pushing a pile of corn his way and moving the disposal bin between them. "Why are you shuckin' this corn anyways? I may not be a farmer, but shouldn't you keep this on if you plan t'sell 'em at the market?"
"Oh, these aren't for the market!" Donut giggled, fingers locking around the tough husk and ripping it down. "I always give the early corn to the homeless shelter in town. It just helps if I shuck it first." He shrugged nonchalantly as if that wasn't some amazing act of generosity and Sarge couldn't help but smile as he took a piece of corn in his hand.
"So my turn to ask a question!" Donut perked up, tossing a piece of corn into the correct bin. "What were you in the war?" Sarge jolted at the unexpected question, but his chest puffed out proudly.
"I was a captain. They called my team the Reds, and we were among the most important soldiers in that war. We saved a lot of lives, even if my team was sort of... Well, they were certainly unique." He laughed, remembering the odd dynamic between them all. "There was one guy who didn't speak a lick of English. Then there were the two having a secret affair, I'm pretty certain." A chuckle escaped him. "I remember there was talk of us getting a rookie in at some point, but the kid apparently got pretty badly injured before he could even get the news of his transfer and he never got to come in. It's a shame. Coulda used some new meat at some times." Sarge rose his head to look over at the young man and was somewhat surprised to see him looking back with admiration on his face. He found himself wondering about those mysterious scars again, and couldn't help his curiosity.
"D'ya mind if I ask another question?" Sarge bit his lower lip, and Donut happily agreed to it. "Well, how'd ya get those scars?"
Donut's smile fell for the first time since Sarge had met him, and the older man felt panic rise in his throat. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to! I was just... wonderin', I guess. Sorry, that was probably pretty rude of me."
"No, no." Donut mustered another smile, but it was significantly less brighter than what Sarge was already accustomed to. "It's fine, really. I'd be curious, too, if I were you." Donut fixed his eyes on the corn, movements robotic as he spoke.
"I'm a veteran, too." A soft chuckle escaped him at Sarge's surprised grunt. "I know, I'm young. Usually a twenty-seven year old kid isn't already a veteran of the war, but here I am." Bitter. His voice was bitter, Sarge noticed, and it left a sour taste on his tongue.
"I was a bit of a loner there, but not exactly by choice. My enthusiasm seemed to throw the other soldiers off and I got pinpointed as reckless. Heck, maybe sometimes I was a little reckless. I just wanted to see the good in everyone so badly. I wanted to believe that everyone had the ability to carry peace in them.
"There was this... this little girl. She was crying, and she looked so sad. I had to help her, you know? I just couldn't leave her alone, crying in the middle of this war zone. I, uh, I took off my helmet so she could hear me. I wanted to try and calm her with some words. I thought seeing a smiling face would help. I was pretty close to her when I heard a yell from behind me that sounded like my sergeant so I turned to hear him and...."
Donut's hands stopped on the corn and he took a deep, ragged breath. He lifted his head and Sarge was surprised to see his wide eyes wet with tears and filled with a fresh pain.
"They... they'd strapped a bomb to that little girl. The shrapnel tore up the right side of my face pretty bad, even did some brain damage that had me in a coma for a couple weeks. I came out fine, besides these scars, but I just... I just couldn't do it anymore, y'know? They discharged me because of the injury, and I moved out here the first chance I had. She was so small..." He squeezed his eyes closed and a tear escaped to trail down his cheek, spilling over the ridge of his scars. "I don't think she even... She looked so scared." His voice cracked, breaking into a small sob, and he stopped talking.
Sarge was rarely rendered speechless, but this was one of the few times. He knew war, he knew its hardships, and he'd seen more than a couple good men lose their lives on the unforgiving land of a battlefield. There wasn't anything that could take away that horror, nothing in the world, and Sarge felt Donut's pain coil in his heart.
No words could cure that pain.
And so he stood and made his way towards Donut, making his intentions clear; Donut didn't question it, instead rising to his feet and immediately falling into the embrace. Sarge's strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him close and inhaling the scent of earth and something sweet. He could feel the young man shaking against him, muscles tensing with each cry that escaped his attempts to hold it back. What prompted him to do what he did next, he'll never know, but he pulled back slightly to tuck a finger under Donut's chin and tilt his head up. Leaning in, he captured Donut's lips gently with his own, applying a soft pressure that simply spoke to be invited. Donut deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around Sarge's broad shoulders and pulling him closer.
It was born from a need for comfort, and the mannerism of it spoke volumes for its creation. For one, Donut's hands wouldn't stay still as his tongue darted out to lick at Sarge's, his palms running down the sculpted back and around his sides to slide back up his arms. Sarge wasn't much better off as he took Donut's lower lip between his teeth, nipping it softly before he was dragging his lips down to mouth at Donut's neck. The young man threw his head back, exposing more of his skin, and Sarge explored it greedily.
"S-Sarge.." Donut moaned, hips jerking forward, and Sarge gasped against his shoulder. "Can we...?" He trailed off, but the offer was obvious by the way he was grinding against Sarge, the feeling of his cock rising to hardness making the older man bite and lick his neck eagerly.
"You sure you wanna?" Sarge wasn't too dense to know that grief did things to people, things they would regret, but Donut didn't relent in the grind of his hips and he was a weak-willed man when it came to something he'd been neglected for much too long.
"I need... I just need it so bad." Donut breathed, bringing Sarge's head back up to litter his mouth with sloppy kisses and Sarge understood completely, allowing himself to be led to the other's bedroom. Sarge laid Donut down carefully, kissing up his body from his knee until he was nuzzling his face in the crook of the younger man's neck.
"Donut..." Sarge held himself up by his elbows to look into the young man's eyes, and Donut bit his lower lip, a frown tugging at his cheeks.
"Shh. Don't... Sarge." Donut reached up and stroked the Captain's cheek, thumb pausing to gently rub a circle around the scar on his forehead. "Please." Tears brimmed once more and Sarge nodded before leaning down to connect their lips, hips rocking forward to grind against him. Donut whined, tugging at Sarge's shirt, and he let it be dragged off of him before pressing their bare chests together. "T-top drawer." Donut gasped and Sarge didn't take his lips off of the other's smooth skin as he rooted around the drawer for what he needed. His hand emerged with a small bottle of lube and a foil-wrapped condom and he tossed the two items beside Donut's head.
Sarge's fingers slid down to peel off Donut's shorts, watching his cock spring free and tent his boxer-briefs, and his fingers brushed it lightly to make Donut's breath hitch. He pulled down the underwear next and swiped his finger over his slit playfully.
"P-please, Sarge!" Donut's voice was so pleading that Sarge had to clench his fists for a moment before he could remove the rest of his clothes as well. "Nngh..." As Sarge unscrewed the lid, Donut stroked the older man, feeling the hardened flesh under his palm and squeezing it lightly.
"Donut.." Sarge moaned, bucking into his hand as he lubed his fingers, and Donut sighed heavily. "Tell me if it hurts." He circled a finger around the tight muscles until they relaxed enough to allow him entrance, dipping the digit in and out. Donut moaned, clenching, and Sarge suckled his nipple to soothe him. When Donut was ready, he added a second one, hooking and scissoring the younger man open as he kissed his lips gently.
"S-Sarge, please f-fuck me!" Donut thrashed when Sarge added a third, teasing his prostate with barely-there touches, and the older man rearranged to slick his cock. He removed his fingers only to replace them with the head of his dick a moment later, nudging himself in with shallow thrusts as to not hurt Donut.
When he'd bottomed out he paused to rest his arms on either side of the younger man, propping himself up slightly to kiss Donut more passionately, their tongues mingling together. With an insistent push from Donut he began to move, his thrusts slow and deliberate. He rested his head by Donut's ear, nibbling on it, and groaned low and quiet. The sound reverberated through Donut and he whimpered, nails digging into Sarge where they rested on his shoulders.
"Donut.... You're a hero." Sarge murmured into his ear and he felt Donut tense, the sudden tightness coaxing a moan from him.
"I-.... I'm not..." Donut hiccuped and tears streamed freely from his face.
"Shh. Donut. It's... It's not your fault." He whispered and Donut broke. A long sob escaped him and he wrapped around Sarge, desperate for comfort as he cried into his shoulder.
"She was just a kid!" He yelled and Sarge's thrusts slowed to a languid pace as he clung to the young man. "If I'd... If I'd listened to my sergeant, maybe she...."
"There's no way you could've known. There was nothing you could do." Sarge reassured, lips grazing against Donut's skin. "You can't blame yourself for that."
"J-just a baby. She was so small." Donut's voice was hoarse and small, and Sarge felt his own tears begin to fall as images of the past flashed through his mind. "So, so small."
"Shhh. You're a good person, Franklin." At the use of his name, Donut turned to look at him, eyes wide and desperate for closeness. His lips tasted of salty tears but Sarge kissed him anyways, feeling his pain and sharing his own; they took what they needed from one another and gave what they had, bodies rocking together as if connected.
"Please don't stop." Donut mumbled into his mouth, noticing the slowing tempo. "I need you." The words pierced Sarge, coursing through his veins like adrenaline and he whimpered before fucking him harder, hands moving to cup the younger's face and twine fingers into his blond locks.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Donut repeated the phrase over and over, clutching onto Sarge as if he were his anchor; he wasn't apologizing to Sarge, the captain knew, and he whispered words of reassurance against his skin. Donut came first, spilling onto his stomach with a cry of Sarge's name, and the other followed soon after, not breaking tempo until the very end. He pulled out with a hiss and tied the condom before tossing it into the nearby trash and taking the time to clean Donut. When it was all done, he pulled Donut into his arms and hugged him tight, smiling when the younger man attached to him like a cuddly octopus.
"I... I forgive myself." Donut uttered and Sarge wiped a tear from his scarred cheek, pecking it with his lips afterwards.
"I'm glad, Donut. You learned a lesson that it took me many years to." He chuckled and was pleased to hear a watery giggle in return. "Now c'mere." He squeezed Donut around the waist and turned on his back, taking the young man with him so they lay chest-to-chest with Donut on top, looking down on him with flushed cheeks. "You're really cute." He remarked, and Donut snorted.
"Sarge, you don't exactly have to butter me up. We just had sex." He traced patterns on the older man's chest with his finger idly, and Sarge shook his head.
"No, now I mean it. Yer a beautiful person." He insisted, and the blush on Donut's cheeks deepened to a rosy pink.
"You're very handsome." Donut offered back, circling around the captain's nipple before drawing a little heart with his fingertip in the center of his chest. "I'm gonna be really sad when you leave."
"Why does that have to be it?" Sarge inquired, and a grin spread across Donut's face. "I'm just sayin', I have a plus one to my conference that I haven't taken advantage of." He smirked and Donut nuzzled his cheek.
"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot. But we are getting you a dang cell phone."