GK - Traveling Soldier (comment!fic, Brad/Nate, Layla)

[hackthis_archive]

A too-long happy comment!fic for sparky77.

Generation Kill
Nate/Brad, Layla
620 Words

Traveling Soldier


Nate's had the week from hell. One of his political clients had a personal disaster (read: one coked up hooker too many), which Nate had to fly to Albany to oversee personally.

His plane was delayed on the way there, and he had to stay three extra days because of a fucking blizzard.

Layla cried on the phone because he wasn't there to read her Peter Rabbit; Brad was upset (in his silent, stoic, displeasure-radiating-out-of-all-pores way) because Layla was upset, and then on the way home, Nate got detoured via fucking Miami, and a two-day trip has now taken seven days.

Nate used to love travelling. He used to love going to new places, and now, all he really wants is to stay at home with his daughter and Brad.

He left the Corps so he could stop flying miles from home to rescue people from someone else's mess. There has to be a more efficient way to provide for his family.

He's assured of this.

He rubs his face, two days of stubble rough against his palm, and digs in his pocket for his keys as the taxi pulls away from the front of the house.

It's barely seven in the morning on a Thursday, but Nate's been awake since Tuesday and he isn't a Recon Marine anymore.

He's still digging for his keys when the door swings wide open. "You're late," Brad says with a wry grin.

Nate snorts. "Hi, honey, I'm home," he says, stepping inside and letting Brad take his carry-on.

Brad pauses with Nate's bag in his hand and raises an eyebrow.

Nate rolls his eyes. "What? Compared to Iraq, I can't smell that bad."

"Bloodshot eyes. Messy hair. A loosened tie. Are you sure you weren't in Vegas spending next month's mortgage payment?"

"Yes, I confess. I was in Vegas doing lines off of trannies' implants. I took Ray in your place."

"That's not even a little amusing."

Nate quirks an eyebrow as Brad sets Nate's bag down and takes his coat.

"Okay, maybe it is a little bit," Brad concedes, hanging up Nate's coat.

Nate smirks and leans in for a kiss, but Brad pulls away.

"What now?" Nate bitches.

"You have stubble."

"And?"

"There was no stubble in Iraq."

Nate blinks. "You have an issue with my stubble."

"Only if 'I need to fuck you now' is an --"

Whatever Brad's about to say is cut off by a high pitched squeal, and Nate smiles at Layla peeking around the corner from the living room.

"DADDY!"

Nate's grin threatens to split his face in half as Layla runs down the hall as fast as her 19 month-old legs will take her.

He gets down on one knee to catch her when she launches herself: red tee-shirt, afro puffs, diaper and all, at him. "Hi, sweetie," he says, giving her a huge hug.

Layla pulls back and wrinkles her nose. "No," she says, patting his face.

"You don't like the stubble, huh?" Nate asks.

Layla shakes her head, completely unimpressed. "No leaving. Leaving is bad."

Nate scoops Layla up. She has food on her shirt, but her hair is perfect. How very Brad.

"Okay, no more leaving," he promises, and she beams at him.

"Leaving made Daddy sad," she says solemnly, looking at Brad.

Nate blinks and looks at Brad, who is looking just past Nate's shoulder. "My leaving made Daddy sad?" he prompts.

Layla nods very deliberately and then flings her arms around Nate's neck. "I love you, Daddy," she says.

Nate holds her that much tighter, looking over her head at Brad, who's watching them very intently.

"I love you too," he says.

Brad graces Nate with a small smile and nods his head.

Comments

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

LAYLA! I cannot be cranky in the face of Layla. That's cheating! Layla and stubble and domestic adorableness! And YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now I am totally smiling and inspired to write things other then emo angels and their boytoys.

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

And I used the wrong Brad icon because this was clearly not an affront to my warrior spirit. LAYLA!!!

[missdunham.livejournal.com]

AWWWWWWWWHHHHH

THIS DESERVES A LOT OF CAPSLOCK!

She has food on her shirt, but her hair is perfect. How very Brad.


HAHA THIS MADE ME LAUGH!

Dude, Layla is the cutest things xD!!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[dine.livejournal.com]

I'm grinning so broadly just now. this is perfect - banter and Layla and it just feels good!

Nate rolls his eyes. "What? Compared to Iraq I can't smell that bad."

hee, I'm just finishing One Bullet Away, and this reminds me vividly of passages in that book!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Yes, OBA shows you that Nate's kind of into hygeine, which is perfectly understandable when you're denied the basics so much.

[novalinedy.livejournal.com]

Awww!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

:-)

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

LAYLA!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

:-)

[farwing.livejournal.com]

I am trying to restrain myself from grinning like a loon, because I am sitting at the reception desk and I think I'm supposed to look distantly cheerful and not insanely amused but...this is so wonderful!!!!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I win! *\o/*

[pairatime.livejournal.com]

that's so cute

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lazulus]

Oh, bless! You big softy, you.

*hearts*

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

*sighs*

I am weak when it comes to them, what can I say?

[logans-mom00.livejournal.com]

"designed to promote smiles and inappropriate noises"

Done and done! Thanks so much!!!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[oh-mcgee.livejournal.com]

Nate with stubble? UNF. Also, LAAAAAYLAAAA. :D

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

[cues up Eric Clapton]

Exactly.

I think the only thing more devestating than Nate with stubble would be Nate and Brad with stubble.

[transtempts.livejournal.com]

AWWW.

Yes, this will cure any woes.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I think so too!

[sarkastic.livejournal.com]

Awwwwww, this left me with a huge dopey grin on my face. =D

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[plumtastic.livejournal.com]

Yay Layla! Yay stubble! Yay Brad and Nate! Yay for happy places that make trannie refs and curse a lot!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Yay for happy places that make trannie refs and curse a lot!

*blinks*

It's possible Ari has corrupted what I consider to be a happy place.

[ex-trolleys.livejournal.com]

Aww, LAYLA. ♥♥♥ The last three lines are positively heart-melting!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[bijoux.livejournal.com]

Eee, anything in Layla-verse puts a grin on my face :)

Brad was upset (in his silent, stoic, displeasure-radiating-out-of-all-pores way)

What an apt description :)

"Yes, I confess. I was in Vegas doing lines off of trannies' implants. I took Ray in your place."

*snort*

And is the little girl in your icon supposed to be Layla? Because she is super cute and not at all how I was picturing her, for some reason, but it all fits now.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I had been thinking of grown Layla looking a lot like a younger Iman, who is Somalian, but when I saw this icon I was like, dude, that's Layla visiting Nate's parents and experiencing snow for the first time. So, it's not casting per se, more of an idea.

[missdunham.livejournal.com]

Is Layla your character or one of those characters that everyone uses for Brad/Nate?
What's her story. I'm kind of new and still working everything AU out xD

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Yes, she's my creation. Her story is here (http://hackthis.livejournal.com/515044.html).

[fly-meaway.livejournal.com]

Oh this is so terribly cute and precious. Like all the other stories you made with Layla are, really. I love your flow in this and the conversations in these are so good and just; this is beautiful :D

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[dragondie.livejournal.com]

Dude, this- "She has food on her shirt, but her hair is perfect. How very Brad." Tee-Hee!
Also this- "Nate blinks and looks at Brad, who is looking just past Nate's shoulder. "My leaving made Daddy sad?" he prompts."- Ha, ratted out by the baby. Priceless!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[iwwfw.livejournal.com]

Nate smirks and leans in for a kiss, but Brad pulls away.

"What now?" Nate bitches.

"You have stubble."

"And?"

"There was no stubble in Iraq."

See if Layla 'verse were a movie, I would replay this scene a million times before continuing.

So earlier when you were asking about what is classic hackthis?

"Yes, I confess. I was in Vegas doing lines off of trannies' implants. I took Ray in your place."

"That's not even a little amusing."

It's amazing how expressive you make Brad with so little. His pissy-ness, mopiness because Nate was gone totally comes across, and then is confirmed out of the mouth of babes.

LOVE!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

See if Layla 'verse were a movie, I would replay this scene a million times before continuing.

If this were a movie, I've have written a trilogy by now and be chillin' on my own private island with my Brad clone, because if this becomes print, clones'll be an easy thing to get.

[ruggerdavey.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwww. I just...this was so adorable and lovely.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[busarewski.livejournal.com]

Yes of course Layla's hair is perfect!! =) Oh Brad, what else could he do when Nate was gone ? =) I love your Layla-verse SO much. And extra-yay for Nate's stubble.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I think the first few days Nate was gone, Brad was fine, lots of time with his daughter to teach her all the things that Nate wouldn't approve of, stay up late, too much bubble bath in her baths (too much to the point of her practically disappearing), go the park, take her to the beach, but then Brad can't surf b/c he watching her, and then he can't do the baby hand off in the shower with nobody to hand her off to. And Layla's very demanding, she's a Colbert Fick, she wants what she wants, when she wants it, and to go from having a partner to contend with all the demands to running solo? Marines make do for themselves and their teams, but teams aren't nearly as dependent as toddlers.

[lunasky.livejournal.com]

Aw!!! That just made me smile from ear to ear. :)

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I'm glad!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[alhazred.livejournal.com]

I managed to see the title of this and then my eyes just missed everything else. "Wait, it's named after that song? ogod depressing fic ogod probably character death ogod....... ... ...wait....awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

It's nice being a pessimist, I'm never disappointing, only pleasantly surprised.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Well, I am glad it was a pleasant surprise.

[mydocuments.livejournal.com]

Oh happy happy happy. I drove 600 miles today to come home to GK fic. (Although apparently my Brad and Layla were lost somewhere along the way. Le sigh.)

"Yes, I confess. I was in Vegas doing lines off of trannies' implants. I took Ray in your place." ::Snort:: Or actually, snort might not be the most appropriate sound, considering that line.

"Leaving made Daddy sad," she says solemnly, looking at Brad. Awwwwww. And Brad very pointedly looking the other way.

"I love you too," he says.

Brad graces Nate with a small smile and nods his head. This fills me with so much love. Brad and Nate and Layla are simply the most wonderful family. ♥

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Oh happy happy happy. I drove 600 miles today to come home to GK fic. (Although apparently my Brad and Layla were lost somewhere along the way. Le sigh.)

I know exactly what you mean, dude.