Clato oneshots

It's time to go home (Armistice tribute)

AN: Today is the armistice an I hope we can all take a minute to appreciate all the people that fought along with all the widows and orphans the war made.
They sat on the sofa, eating freshly baked cookies, talking…
Naturally, it was about the war and when it would start.
She finished her cookie and rested her head on his shoulder as he reached for another.
He had his arm wrapped around her and he was making claims of his thoughts, he was very opinionated about the war but then again everyone was and she just wanted to savour theses moments for she knew that when the war would start he would be away for à couple months.

“ The war is coming, I tell you"  exclaimed Cato, she just nodded her head.
“ After the assasination in Sarajevo, there’s been so much unrest, Austria-Hungary has already declared war on Serbia, Russia’s swooped in, so has Germany, I reckon it’s not long before we’re called to fight,” he explained but she knew, she just didn’t want to acknowledge that he would miss her birthday.

“ I give it a week, we’ll be called on the 9th then maybe two weeks until we’re on the battlefield” she nodded, closed her eyes and smiled, everyone was looking forward to the war and she was happy for him.

“What happens if we miss the church bells? “ she asked,genuinely concerned about him missing the call.

“I won't,” he smiled.

They continued to talk, she was happier than she’d ever been, she was spending the afternoon cuddling and eating her favourite treats with her husband and soon he would go to war, he had wanted this for a long time and she was happy that he was going to go and win this war, she couldn’t wait for the welcome home parade.

Eventually, she fell asleep.

She dreamt of telling him, about what the future held, she desperately wanted to tell him that they were finally going to have their own family, she saw her son running outside, his father picking him up, telling him about all the wonderful things he’d done for their country but she didn’t want to worry him, she would tell him when he came back, it would make him even happier.

Clove was woken up by a sound she didn’t exactly recognise, she was sure she’d already heard it but didn’t know where. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and realised her husband was gone. She got up and walked to their room where he was rifling through à draw full of papers. She stood silent in the hallway, she had finally placed the sound and as Cato pulled out his certificate out of the drawer she realised what this meant.

A huge smile broke across her face and she flung herself at him, she was just so happy for him. She intertwined her fingers with his and accompanied him to the square where all the other men brandished their certificates happily.

<<  À couple months after the beginning  >>
He wasn’t back yet, the newspapers didn’t give her any real information about the war, she knew they were censored so that they wouldn’t lose hope but at this point, she knew the war wasn’t what they had thought it was.

<< 5 months after the beginning>>
She had got her first letter, she was utterly shocked when she got it, she didn’t expect to receive any, Cato was not the type of person to sit down and write, he had wanted to fight, like countless others. And she knew him well enough to know he didn’t want this, he hadn’t expected the war to be the way it was but then again what did she know about the war, nothing because no real information was ever leaked.
She sat down on the sofa, the last place she had sat down with him and rested à hand on her stomach. It was December now, he wouldn’t be back for Christmas, not even New Year, she had expected him to be back by now. No one had expected the war to last this long, she was scared that she would have to do this without him, no one had predicted this, all but one but he was assassinated for thinking that.

<< 10 months after the beginning>>
She had done it by herself, it was terrifying and when it happened, the only thing she wanted was for him to be there with her, but he hadn’t.
Clove rocked her baby in her arms and kissed her forehead, she wanted him, she needed him. The letters weren’t enough, she couldn’t do it without him, she didn’t want to raise her daughter without him.

<< 1 year after the beginning>>
He wasn’t back, it had been à year, he wasn’t back.

<< 2 years after the beginning>>
She missed him, she knew he wasn’t okay, she wasn’t okay either.
She still got the letters and was reassured every time she got one because that meant he was still alive but she was also worried because each letter he sent sounded less and less like the person she had fallen in love with.

<< 3 years after the beginning>>
Elsa was 2 already but she didn’t know him, she didn’t know her father and that made Clove extremely sad. She still hadn’t told him about her, she wanted him to be surprised when he saw her but she knew that was a risk. what if he didn’t come back? What if he died without knowing he had a daughter? She had seen countless people, friends even fall apart when they received the one letter. It was a beautifully white paper and spared you the truth until the very end, when it told you that your husband, brother, the person you most cared about was gone.

<< 11 november 1918>>
The armistice, the Germans had given up, the war was ‘over‘ she would see him again! After all this time, she remembered all those times spent together and longed to create new memories. She was flooded with joy, she had wanted this moment since before the war had started. She wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers, she wanted to smell the scent of the cologne he always wore, on him and not just sniff the bottle like she did when he was away. She wanted him to meet his daughter, she just wanted to see him again.

<< A few weeks later>>
He was finally returning, after so long she would finally be with him. She was terribly nervous though, she was scared that the war had changed him, that he didn’t love her anymore. She knew he had changed, she knew from the letters but she also knew this war wasn’t what he thought it was, she just hoped he was okay. She didn’t care if he didn’t look the way he had when they were younger because she had changed too.
She had grown thinner, from food shortages and stress, her once black hair was now turning white at the roots, her always-present smile was now barely seen, her lips were chapped from biting down on them and that was just her physical appearance. But she still loved him, more than ever and all she could think of was seeing him again, she hoped he thought the same.

And then she heard the church bells ring, she had awaited this moment for so long. She put on the first shoes she could find, along with Cato’s tattered old coat which she had taken to wearing, dressed Elsa and walked to the square where she hoped to see him again.

They came down the street in perfect synchronisation, it took her à minute to realise which one was Cato but once she saw him it was like the first time,she couldn't take her eyes off him. She couldn’t help herself and her eyes welled up with tears. The parade came to a stop in the middle of the square and they were dismissed. He turned to her but she couldn’t move, it didn’t seem like he could either. They stood paralysed staring at each other as couples embraced. Suddenly it was like a string snapped and she was in his arms.  She was fully crying now and she had let go of Elsa’s hand, she looked up at him, he really had changed and the war had taken its toll on him but she knew he loved her and that was all that mattered.

He wouldn’t let her go, with his arm draped around her shoulder as she introduced him to Elsa and explained everything. He turned to her, smiled and picked her up, he kissed her forhead and sat her on his shoulders, and put his arm back around Clove before stating

“It's time to go home.”

AN: Don't forget to give me your thoughts in the comments
Hope you enjoyed :)

And please just a minute of silence for all the victims!