wannabe writer

 A/N I really like this AU and it's probably because Tarzan was lowkey daddy 

 After three months in the lush, magnificent Congo, you concluded that you absolutely loved this place. It was so much more beautiful than anything the smoggy streets of London had to offer. The loud, crowded streets were replaced with the lovely sounds of the birds' symphony and flowing waterfalls. Most of all you loved the smells, so many beautiful flowers whose aroma filled the air especially after a fresh rainfall.

 The bright sun shined down on your face accompanied by the chirps of the small family of birds that had resided near your tent. You yawned, sleep still evident in your body. Stretching your arms above your head, closing your eyes, and smiling as you realized you awoken to yet another marvelous day in the exotic place you now called home. 

 "(Y/N), are you awake, dear?" Your father said, before entering your small tent, map in hand, and seeing you still laying in your bed. "Oh, I see. It's nearly noon, dear. You've nearly wasted half the day."

 "Sorry, dad. I really tried to quit painting early last night, but the falls to the east of camp is just sooo beautiful. You really should come with next time, father." 

 "It's no trouble, dear. I'm glad you're enjoying the life here. And I was actually planning on taking a hike that way this afternoon. I wanted to watch the sunset, might be gone for a little while though, so I just wanted to know your plans for today before I take off." 

 "Mhm, that's wonderful. I didn't really have many plans for today." 

 "Well, if you're up for it I think a walk through the jungle would be well worth the trek, maybe observe the gorillas. I heard there were a few new babies but be careful they're a rather dominant species especially when it comes to their young. Oh, and what ever you choose please don't get lost again, dear. Lord knows what I would do if I lost you too." 

 You shot your father a sympathetic smile, and your father lightly smiled while he folded the map to place it in his back pocket. The hurt from the memory of losing your mother evident on his aged face. Your mother had died when you were four. Sadly, you barely remembered her but from what you had seen and heard she was such a beautiful and kind hearted person.

 One day, you hoped to be just as selfless as she. She had traveled throughout Africa helping the those who needed it that was how she met your father. He was traveling there as well studying the wildlife and terrain, hoping to write his first book. They fell in love then and you could only hope to find a love as pure as theirs was. Your father cleared his throat trying to regain your attention as he could clearly see you were drifting off. 

 "Um, that sounds rather tempting, but I was just thinking about maybe reading or doing a few sketches over by the springs."

 "Oh, well have fun, dear."

He placed a kiss on the top of your head. Then with that he turned around, and exited the tent. Looking around the room to see the shelves upon shelves of books you've already read, you released a sigh. What would you even read, today? You swung your legs off the side of the bed, and raised your arms above your head for a final stretch before hopping out of the bed. You looked towards your small closet, where all your clothes and shoes resided. It even housed the family photo album you managed to snatch from your father's office before you left for the Congo months ago. 

 It was your favorite album by far. In it was three year old you pictured traveling with your parents through the marvelous country of India. You wished to return one day, but your father was hesitant. The memory seeming so fresh to him. He only came to Africa, reluctantly, to finish the last few chapters of his book that became his life's work. 

 Picking the book up and running your fingers along the spine, you imaged what it was like seeing the joy on your mother's face as she bound the book together. Placing memory after memory into it, and then placing it onto the living room table so all her guests would ask to see it. 

 With a sad smile you placed it back in its hiding place, and hoped your father wouldn't find it. Releasing a deep breath, you began to get dressed in your most comfortable outfit. Sadly, the only pants you managed to sneak into your luggage was ripped while you hiked up the expansive mountain range last week.

 Your father refused to let you be seen being "unlady like" in front of the other men in the camp, so he was overjoyed when the pants were destroyed. He still held hopes you would find a husband in one of his colleagues' sons, but you could care less. You wanted adventure and no man would ever let you experience that if you were married. You refused to be banished to a life that only consisted of cooking, cleaning, and birthing bratty children. With a nod, you straightened your dress and slipped on your boots. The mess of bed head you had was none of your concern really and a quick ponytail would suffice. Quickly, shoving a few books, pencils, and your sketch into your bag; you pushed through the tent flaps and headed toward the clear springs. 

The beautiful rocks and flora that surrounded the small body of water. Sliding out of your boots, you took a sit upon a large rock that sat on the edge of the water; slowly dipping your legs in as the cool water reached just above your knees. The springs was such a serene place, probably your favorite spot here. You heard a rustle in the tree above your head. Squinting you tried to make out the shape of the creature that could be up there; trying to decipher if it was a friendlier species. 

But with the small chirping of a bird above you and then the faint sounds of the other animals that inhabited this jungle, you dismissed the sound as just a bird. You took out your book and began reading it for probably the third time; it was your favorite after all. Your eyes gazed back and forth across the familiar words as you became unaware of the world around you. You were transported into another world until you heard yet another rustle in the leaves this one just behind you. 

Living here for so long you weren't startled that easily, but hearing one so close to you caught you off guard. As you stood up straight, clearly on edge, you heard a growl come from the bushes behind you. Now, you were scared. Your father warned you about the jaguars around here, though you had never seen one for yourself; but as you saw this one slowly emerge from the shrubbery, you knew just what you were in for. There was no way you could outrun it, and if tried to attack you had no way of fighting it off. You were armed with only a couple of books and what good would that do. 

You took a cautious step to the side trying to distance yourself from this massive beast, but as this only caused another growl to emit from it you halted in your spot. The jaguar stalked toward you, and this felt like the end to you. Letting out one last growl, the jaguar pounced. You closed your eyes tightly and dropped to the ground in fright waiting for your inevitable death…but it never came. Cautiously you opened your eyes, only to reveal a…man? 

 He stood- well more like crouched between you and the jaguar. The nearly naked man appeared to be…communicating with the feline. With a couple hits to his chest, just like an ape would, it seemed the man had won his battle with the jaguar as the feline turned and walked back in from the way it came. 

 "Thank you so much, I thought I was dead for sure." You said looking up at the rugged man. His curly, dark brown was disheveled and obviously dirty. His green eyes held so much intensity as he stared down at you. The lack of clothing he was wearing put his body on full display, and you had a front row seat to his defined muscles. You couldn't deny that he was handsome even though it was quite obvious that he hadn't actually showered in a long time. With a grunt he grabbed your arm and pulled you to your feet, flush against his body. "O-oh, that's a little close, don't you think?" You said and pushed yourself further from the man. 

Where had this man even came from? There wasn't a tribe within a 100 miles of the campsite. He said nothing as he continued watching you. You picked up your bag and tried to collect all the things you had brought with you. "What the-" you started as you searched for your sketch book in the bag, but stopped after you saw it in the hands of the man. "Oh, can I have that back, please?" Reaching for it, only for him to move it out of your grasp. With another attempt at grabbing it, he jumped up into a tree and climbed to the branch just above your head. He looked at the book curiously then flipped it open. You could clearly see him and the book from your spot on the ground; he was on the page with the drawing of the birds that lived outside your tent. He frantically pointed to the page then looked down at you. Pursing his lips together, he made a bird call exactly like the one you had heard earlier. You gasped, "It was you early wasn't it?! Have you been watching me all day?" He ignored your calls and continued looking at the drawings making the corresponding noises to each animal you'd made. 

As he made it to the end of the book, he dropped down to the jungle's floor right in front of you. You quickly yanked the book from his grasp and stuffed it into the bag at your side. When you looked back to him he was even closer to you, so close you could feel his breath fan across your face. Your heart was beating like crazy. Slowly, he reached down to your hand and ran his thumb across your knuckles. He brought his hand up to yours and aligned them together; his hand a great deal bigger than your. Then he dropped it. 

You thought he was going to leave then but he stayed there and began to further examine you. He ran his strong hand through your hair to the ponytail you had in it with a tug he took it out of your hair; making your hair fall in front of your face. He grabbed a piece of hair and began… sniffing your hair. Your eyes widened as you heard him frequently inhale in your hair. 

 "Wha-what are you doing?" 

 He grunted again but continued his sniffing toward your neck and made his way further down before you felt his nose hit your crouch. Your face turned beat red and you quickly pushed him away. "St-stop that!" You assumed he understand because he kept his distance from you. With a last look at him, you turned away and began walking towards camp. When he jumped out from behind you and held his hands out to stop you. 

His eyes held a sad, pleading look that almost made you regret pushing him so hard earlier. "Please, I just want to go home." You begged, but knew it was hopeless since he had proved he couldn't understand you. 

 "P-p-pl-please?" He stuttered out and your eyes went wide in shock. He…spoke.

 "Wow, you actually spoke! Can you- no that's dumb- um, what's your name? You do have a name, right?" He looked at you not knowing what you wanted from him now. "I'm (Y/N). And you are?" Again, you received a blank stare. Sighing you tried to move around him, but he held out his hand. 

 "Y-y-you, (Y/N)." 

 "Yes! Yes! Me, (Y/N)! Who are you?" 

 "You, (Y/N). Me… Ha-har Harry." He replied, getting gradually quieter as he progressed; keeping his head. But when you clapped your hands together excitably, his head shot up to see the large smile on your face and one slowly made its way onto his. You two held each other's gaze for a little longer before you heard the faint sounds of your father shouting in the distance.

 "(Y/N)! Where are you, dear? I've great news!"

 "Oh my gosh, I have really have to go. It was great meeting you, really." You rushed out frantically and took off running to the camp before your father came to see you with a half dressed man in the middle of the jungle. You took one last glance behind you to see Harry, but he was no where in sight. You sighed a little disappointed and hoped you'd be able to see the mysterious man again. 

      Here you remained sat at his side after hours just staring at his beautiful face. Not knowing what would happen. Not knowing when he would wake up. Not knowing IF he would wake up. You had just been introduced to this wonderful, bright world and in a matter of seconds it could all go away. You knew that once your soulmate had died all the color would slowly drain from your vision. As if losing the only person meant for you wasn’t enough, your eyesight would return to its original state just like your love had never even existed. You could still hear the other nurses running back and forth through the hallways as more men piled in. A knock at the door interrupted your thoughts. You jolted off the bed and flattened your dress. 

        “Uh…come in.” You rushed out pleased to see that it was only Eloise. “Oh, hello El did you uh need anything?” Trying to be discrete but failing honestly miserably. She gave you a questioning look and with that you knew there was probably no hiding it. Considering you were a terrible liar. Eloise was also probably the closest person to a “friend” you had here now after Betty left. She hadn’t even opened her mouth yet, but you had already battled in your mind on whether or not to tell her the truth right then and there. “El, would you consider us friends?” You asked a little hesitant. 

          “Of course!” She replied rather quickly. “But that’s not why I’m here.”                     “Yeah, yeah, I know but please I need to tell you something or else it’s going to eat me alive.” She signaled you to continue. “Oh, El the most amazing thing happened! The uh um how do I say this. That man, guy he’s my um soulmate! We locked eyes and oh Eloise it was amazing! El, his eyes are my favorite thing in the world now. They’re such a beautiful green. I wish you could see it. I swear I could fall into them and be content for the rest of my life just living there.” You rushed it all out as quick as possible moving your hands around like crazy to further your point. Eloise stood still for a second, processing what all you had just said. Then she gasped as she collected every word. Immediately you were engulfed in a tight hug. 

           “Oh my goodness (Y/N), that’s amazing! First Betty now you whats a girl gotta do to get noticed by a handsome stud!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up on faux exasperation. “Oh, I almost forgot what I came in here for… what was it again?” Eloise pondered for a minute and then was over come by an aha moment. “Right, um I feel kind of bad about this now but Dr. Roberts has dismissed from this and says you’re now needed in room 12. A flyboy was just rushed in and he might need his leg amputated. Apparently you’re just gal he needs to do it.” 

            “But why me… there’s like 15 other nurses here. One of them being you!” You exclaimed angry for being ripped away from this man who’s name you had still neglected to learn. Well, just wait a second (Y/N) Dr. Roberts probably has all the information you need to know about your mystery man. “You know what I’ll go El but just now it was not happily! Oh and if he wakes up please, please come get me right away. I don’t care if the guys leg is half way off I will run out so quick you’d think me a superhero!” Eloise nodded as you ran out of the room and down the hall to where you’d hope to assist in the quickest amputation this military base had ever seen. But before you opened the door you and halted. What if he woke up and you weren’t there? What if he opened his eyes for the first time to see color and you weren’t there? What if Eloise wasn’t quick enough to reach you? Worst of all what if he…died? What if the love of your life took his last breath and you weren’t there to see it? Hell what if you never even got to place your lips upon his plump rosy lips? 

          “Nurse (Y/N), get in here right now before this infection spreads any further!” And with that you reluctantly pushed through the door. The amputation lasted much longer than expected considering the infection did indeed spread further than the doctor had expected and the man continued to writher in agony. There was no hope, however, the man’s death was inevitable as Dr. Roberts had said. But you persisted because what if this was your soldier and another nurse had been assisting and she didn’t try with all her might to save his life? To think about the fact that this man was someone’s one true love, someone’s happiness that was just slowly dwindling from their life. Knowing that you had failed them was crushing you. The reason you had decided to come seemed so selfish now. Just for a name. But as you were pulled away from the patient and out the door by the doctor you decided it was now or never. 

          “Doctor, please if you won’t let me save this man then at least give me the name of the soldier from room 4, the one who saved the boy!” You shouted through the commotion of the medical bay. “This man cannot be saved (Y/L/N) and you need to give. it. up. You wasted too much time on a dying man and we’re not letting you waste anymore of our supplies for a dead man.” With that you gasped how could someone be so… heartless. You understood that not everyone could be saved, but would it kill him to at least try! You opened your mouth to speak but he held up a finger to silence you. 

         “You will return to your duties of watching Sergeant Harold E. Styles where you will remain for the rest of the week until you can learn your place in this hospital.” You released a huff, turned around, and walked back down the busy hall. Knowing that if you would continue to talk back to the stubborn doctor you’d surely be released from duty. Then it struck you. Harold Styles! You had a name! And he was a sergeant! You decided that this fact made him about ten times more attractive to you. Maybe he’d be awake when you’d returned and you could finally be able to hear his voice that you had no doubt would be as attractive as he was. You entered the room to discover Eloise was no where to be found. Strange the girl was usually so good with following instruction. Then through the silence of the nearly empty room you heard it. The noise you now considered to be your favorite thing in the world. His voice. His amazing husky voice. 

         “Ey, will you please tell me what the hell is going on.” He croaked out before he released a cough to clear his throat. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t exactly what you were hoping for but you still couldn’t help but melt as he accented every word. “Where am I?” 

         “I mean I’d say it’s pretty obvious you’re in the hospital. A medical building on a military base to be exact, but you should know that.” He hadn’t looked up at you yet and you decided to take your time at telling him the rather big surprise you had for me. Hell, for all you know he hadn’t even opened his eyes at all yet to see the all the color around him. 

       “Yeah, I get that love, but what country exactly?” You suddenly felt so stupid of course he wouldn’t need to know he’s in a hospital room. 

       “Oh, you’re in England still. The men with you thought it’d be best to bring you to this base because we have better equipment and have far more medical supplies than the others. And um I do have something else to tell you but I don’t quite no how.”

       “Well, it appears I have all the time in the word doll, I’m all hears.” 

       “When you first came in here, they called for me to assist Dr. Roberts while he was attending to you. Do you remember that by any chance?” He shook his head no so you took a seat on his cot and continued. Hoping you wouldn’t be too awkward with what you were meaning. “I didn’t think you would so um you looked at me then and I…well to put it mildly I guess my entire world stopped. I could see everything. Did you know what color your eyes were? Because they’re my favorite color now. You’re all I can think about! And you almost died right in front of me!” You felt him slowly lift up your chin and just like that your eyes met. Without another hesitation you pushed your lips onto his. Grasping onto his short, brown locks like if you were to let go he’d disappear, slip through your fingers. You then realized that maybe you I should’ve waited just a second longer. I mean the man probably barely got to process the word vomit you had just spewed at him when you attack his lips with yours. But then he responded slightly moving his lips before he slowly pushed you away. Resting your foreheads together you caught your breath while just staring into each other’s eyes. 

      “Y'know I think your eyes might just be my favorite color now too.” At that you leaned your head back to let out a joyful laugh. “Now that is definitely my favorite sound.” God, if there wasn’t a hole in his chest you would’ve just jumped his bones right there. He was so damn sweet you could get a cavity from listening to him all day long. 

       “You don’t know how happy I was to find you. Hell my mom is gonna be more excited than I am. She was pretty sure I was gonna live out my life as a lonely spinster since you decided to take so long to find me, Sergeant.” He chuckled at that and intertwined your fingers together. 

        “Well, I’m glad I found you, Nurse. And even though it hurts my entire body, I’m pretty happy to have been shot.” 

        You let out a sarcastic laugh at that. “If you ever get yourself shot again, I will personally kill you, myself. I’ve already saved your life once can’t do it another time, babe.” 

        “Oh, my hero.” He fawned and you laughed before joining your lips back together careful to not put pressure on his wound. Everything was happening so suddenly but you just knew that right now you were going to relish in every moment with him. His beautiful smile, his dorky laugh, and god his accent could melt you like butter. And right now this moment, where his hands were on your waist and yours in his hair, felt like heaven to you. It felt like dream that was too good to be true. An amazing dream that when you wake up from it your life would just pale in comparison to it and you’d wish for nothing more than to return to the peaceful state of magic. You were jolted from your thoughts when you felt his tongue swipe along your lip asking for entrance which you gladly gave him. You gasped and he took that as an invitation to pull you closer to him being careful to avoid giving himself any further pain. This man was so intoxicating to you. No matter how close you were to him you couldn’t ever get enough of this gorgeous man sat in front. You continued this for what felt like hours before you pulled apart and rested you foreheads together yet again. It had only been such a short time but as you both pulled apart and stared into each others eyes again. You knew exactly how you felt about him and it was a feeling you had never experience before. 

    Gray. That’s all you saw everyday was gray. It was a terrible way to live, but this was the reality that any person who hadn’t found their soulmate faced. And now as you walked down the busy streets of London for the first time, it became even harder for you. Couples every where being happy. Seeing color. You decided to keep walking…and walking…and walking for hours just trying to distract yourself.

    Life had become to much in America. The pressure from your mother to find your soulmate daily was suffocating. It wasn’t like you weren’t trying. Hell you tried everyday making eye contact with every person you came near! So you left the place you called home to a foreign country in the middle of a war. The second World War to be exact. But the war zone was no foreign place to you. Having been an army nurse for months now, nothing surprised you anymore. You knew that when men came in they might not come back out again…alive at least. The hustle and bustle of the war kept you distracted, kept you busy, kept you from thinking about the crushing fact that you might die alone. And so you kept walking the endless streets until you finally decided you should head back to the nurses’ quarters for another restless sleep. Who could sleep when they felt like the weight of the world rested on their shoulders? To make matters worse you had no one left to vent to. The only other nurse you had befriended here, Betty, had found her soulmate last week while she was tending to a group of wounded soldiers. He had lost mobility in his left leg and was relieved from duty, so Betty left with him to start their happy, colorful life together. It was just another painful reminder of how alone you really were. No one to confide in. So with that thought you closed your eyes and let sleep envelope you. 

      “Rise and shine, ladies!” shouted your superior. “The war waits for no one!” With that you groggily rose from your cot as did every other nurse in the vicinity. You tossed on your dress and slipped into your shoes. Your messy bed head thrown up into the best possible bun you could make to keep your hair out of your eyes and headed out the door into the wild world. It was only 4 in the morning, but the base was alive with action. Faint screams could be heard from the medical tent. There were talks of a man who had taken a bullet to the chest to save a child who’s parents had been shot in front of him. The ladies loved a good hero story and you’d already heard it twice this morning.       “Hey, (Y/N),” you heard Eloise, a new nurse, shout from behind you, “you’re needed A.S.A.P in the med building! That hero is losing a lot of blood fast! They need all hands on deck!”       “And so our day begins.” You replied with slight sarcasm. With that you broke into a jog, and followed El close behind, all the way into the room where a nurse and Dr. Roberts worked feverishly to keep the man from bleeding out.      “I’m here, Doc! What do you need?”

      “Come here and push on the wound! Nurse May move aside and go get more supplies!”