Winter

Winter and Arden

A/N: All characters are 100% my own and are near to my heart. If anyone reading has any desire to use said characters, contact me and we can discuss possible collaboration. DO NOT just use them. I have worked hard on these. Now, without further ado, enjoy! 

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Winter was headed- once again- to the medical ward, though there was a rotation of staff yesterday so maybe they wouldn't get a lecture this time. Winter had quite the reputation of requiring medical visits far too frequently.

Winter has been in the military serving their country for six years now. When they left home, it was in a fit of rage and Winter's mother was convinced that they would return home soon, despite the words exchanged. It had been six years and Winter had not so much as written a single letter to their family, with the exception of occasional correspondence with their youngest sibling.

As soon as Winter hobbled through the door into the familiar medical ward, they stopped and immediately forgot all pains previously plaguing them in favor of staring spellbound at the new nurse. Attempting to subtly shake off the shock, Winter stepped further into the unit, expressing their reason for being there to the head nurse who fussed and lectured about their disregard for personal safety- apparently the last crew left notes about Winter's frequent flier status.

-oOoOo-

Over the following days, Winter could not get the image of the nurse out of their head. They caught brief glimpses of her in the camp moving about her duties until one day, two weeks later, they finally met when they both were grabbing breakfast.

The two struck up conversation, Winter feeling awkward at first and the pretty nurse lightly teasing them for it. That day, Winter didn't even learn her name. They began meeting regularly and made it a point to have breakfast together whenever both of them were able to get away. Winter eventually learned that her name was Arden and that she usually worked at the hospital in the city near her home but volunteered for the military rotation when the sign up sheet came around because Alencia was desperate for nurses and paid better than the hospital. She was saving up for school.

-oOoOo- 

As the two continued to meet, they became ever closer and after a few weeks, began dating officially- albeit quietly. They spent nearly every free moment together, which was far less than either would've liked. Despite the tense situation and their unconventional employment status, their relationship blossomed. 

-oOoOo-

Arden was at the camp longer than any other non soldier Winter had ever known, but eventually had to return home. It was a sorrowful parting for them both but their promises to remain in contact held true. The two wrote to one another constantly, Winter getting lots of well meaning teasing from their fellow soldiers for their infatuation with the young nurse. This was the first time Winter ever considered leaving the military, to be with Arden.

-oOoOo-

A year after she left, Arden returned to camp, surprising Winter who had no idea their girlfriend was returning. When questioned about her return, Arden told most that she did so because the pay was good. To Winter however, Arden made sure they were well aware that she returned for them.

The next few months were blissful for the two, despite the fighting getting increasingly heated around them. They even decided to get married, officiated by the camp priest. Their relationship was decently public now, but the officers were surprisingly relaxed and not much of their daily routines changed, other than the fact that they just so happened to have more of their break times line up. 

Though the couple got a decent amount of teasing from the rest of the camp, Winter especially, everyone was happy for Winter and Arden. It was refreshing to see love blossoming despite being surrounded by the hatred of war.