#bob fics

July 02, 1945 - Zell am See, Austria

"Where are you taking me?" you laugh as Joe pulls you along. He blindfolds you and tells you to just trust him, which you do. You'd trust him with your life if it came down to it.

"Stop nagging now and let yourself be surprised," Joe says, holding your hand.

You can feel the stones under your feet, and the lapping of the water is getting closer. "I swear to you, Liebgott, if this is a stupid joke and you throw me in the lake, you will regret it!" Joe has to grin at your words. It's incredible how you can ruin a romantic idea with such a fantasy, but that's just you, and for Joe, it's perfect.

What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in and you kicking me out.

"Why can't you trust me for once?" asks Joe, and you stop. "You think I don't trust you?" you ask, perplexed, but you hear Joe laugh. "You know what I mean, Y/N," he says, and you feel him standing before you. Joe shakes his head in amusement as he eyes you. You just can't be tamed by anyone; you're a free spirit through and through.

Then he walks around you and pushes you forward a little more by the shoulders.

You've got my head spinning, no kidding

I can't pin you down

"Ready?" he asks, and you just shrug your shoulders. "Since I don't know what for..." you start grinning, but then Joe already takes the blindfold off your eyes. The grin on your face is quickly gone. With your mouth open, you stare at Joe's surprise.

Directly by the lake is a small table with two chairs, which is set. All around the table are torches that illuminate the little place. There are also candles on the table, which is just highly romantic.

Joe is watching you, but he can't tell at all what's happening in your head, which makes him visibly nervous.

After what feels like an eternity, you stir and look at Joe. Your eyes glisten in the candlelight.

What's going on in that beautiful mind

I'm on your magical mystery ride

"This... Is that for me?" you ask uncertainly, looking at Joe. He's facing you with his typical lopsided grin, hands tucked away in his pockets, and he looks at you before nodding. "But why?" you continue to ask, and Joe bites his lip.

"Because..." he begins, taking a step toward you. He looks you in the eye and doesn't know what to say. "Because you deserve it," he whispers, and you still look at him in surprise. Then, to Joe's surprise, you step forward and put your arms around him.  "No one has ever done anything like this for me before," you whisper, looking at him. Your expression is gentle, and you smile slightly.

Joe quickly steps forward and pulls the chair out to let you sit down. Hesitantly, you walk up to him and sit down on the chair. Then he almost runs around the table and sits across from you.

"Would probably be even more romantic if I wasn't sitting here in the ODs," you laugh after a while, pointing to your clothes. Your hair is tied up in a disheveled bun, and you're not wearing any makeup. "You're beautiful like that too, Y/N," he says then, and you can't help but take his hand in yours and gently stroke it with your thumb. Joe pours you both a glass of champagne.

"You're too good to me."

"Y/N, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Joe then says, and you can tell he's nervous because he's kneading his fingers. "What's wrong?" you ask immediately, looking at him thoughtfully. Joe looks at you gently before standing up and walking over to you. He pulls you back to your feet. "Y/N..." he almost whispers.

My head's underwater

But I'm breathing fine

You're crazy, and I'm out of my mind

"For about three years, we've known each other. From the beginning, you've knocked my socks off, even if, in between, I would have loved to slap you against the wall. Your whining or incredibly annoying habit of biting your fingernails nearly drove me out of my mind. But here we are at the end of the road. And I just have to tell you now: I love you, Y/N. With all my heart. You gave me the strength to get through this war."

With tears in your eyes, you look at Joe. "Joe," you whisper, wiping away some tears with your hand. He takes your hands in his and looks at you.

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

The tears continue to run down your face, and you try to cover them, but Joe takes your hand away from your face before coming closer and kissing your cheeks. "Don't ever hide! You're beautiful just the way you are. You always have been."

How many times do I have to tell you?

Even when you're crying, you're beautiful too.

Automatically you think back to the difficult times you both went through.

Normandy, when you had your first jump and wandered alone for almost two days before you found Easy Company and Joe, who held you in his arms for minutes when he saw you.

Holland, when you were wounded, and he sat next to you in the aid station and held your hand as Doc removed the bullet from your shoulder.

Then came Bastogne - your worst nightmare. The countless friends you lost. The depression you fell into, and Joe pulled you out of.

And finally, the concentration camp, where you completely lost faith in humanity, but he never left your side.

In all bad situations, he was there for you.

Nervousness rises in you as you see Joe reach into his jacket and then kneel in front of you. "Y/N Y/L/N. I love you. So much. I can hardly describe it. You are my angel sent to me in the darkest time of my life." Joe opens the box he is holding, and a beautiful ring is inside. "You are my life, Y/N, and I don't think it would be the same without you. You bring the color to this dreary time, and since I no longer want to go around being color blind..."

The world is beating you down,

I'm around through every mood

You're my downfall; you're my muse.

My worst distraction, my rhythm, and blues

He clears his throat. "Will you do me the greatest of honors, make me the happiest of men, be my angel for life? Will you marry me?"

Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts

Risking it all, though it's hard

Your heart stops for a moment, and you look at him. Did that really just happen? Tears come to your eyes again. "Holy shit!" You laugh, which immediately infects Joe. Of course, only you could manage to comment on such a romantic and essential moment with those words. "Joe Liebgott, you have no idea how much I love you."

"Is that a yes?" then Joe asks, and you just nod, "But of course! Jesus, you are my life, Joe! Yes, yes! Thousand times, yes!"

Joe's grin widens as he slips the beautiful ring over your finger, stands up, and gives you a big hug. "Jeez, I love you," he whispers against your lips before kissing you passionately.

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I lose, I'm winning

Cause I give you all of me

The music was jaunty, lively in a way few of them had ever heard before. Low notes created a constant, syncopated rhythm that pushed the high notes into a series of impressive scales. The heroes found themselves struggling to focus on their meal with the music almost pulling them to move with it.

As the song came to a close, calming down with a few chords, the crowd erupted into whistles and cheers. They hadn't realized how quiet the crowd had been during the performance, but it now seemed that whatever spell had taken hold was broken. Conversation began again, laughter and mirth filling the air around them once more.

"That was amazing! I haven't heard anything like that since we all began traveling together," Hyrule gushed with a smile, “It makes me feel like I’m back home.”

Legend raised an eyebrow from the seat across from him, surprised. “You know ragtime?”

Hyrule brightened even further, “You know ragtime? It’s been my favorite ever since I heard it after my first adventure. Dawn held this big ball to celebrate, and all these musicians played, and she spent so much time leading up to it trying to teach me-” He cut himself off with a gasp, “Legend! Do you know how to ragtime dance?”

The vet scoffed, “Do I know how to ragtime dance... ‘Rule, just who do you think I am? Of course I do. Danced with the best back in Holodrum,” he declared confidently as he shoved a spoonful of potatoes and gravy into his mouth.

Hyrule was nearly vibrating out of his seat in excitement.

“Do you wanna dance with me, then, if he plays another song?”

At this point all the heroes were listening to their conversation, but Legend hadn’t really noticed it until right then, when he nearly choked on his food at Hyrule’s question. He looked up from his near coughing fit with wide eyes to see everyone’s eyes on him.

“Uh,” the veteran responded with utmost sophistication.

“What’s the matter, Vet? You got stage fright?” Warriors taunted. Legend rolled his eyes.

“No.” He shot back. And it was the truth. Hyrule knew Legend loved performing, whether it was music, dancing, jokes, fighting, bickering- anything that entertained those around him, he was happy to do. It was one of the ways he took care of the group.

“I wanna see you dance! I’ve never heard any song like that before, how do you dance to it?” Wind piped up from next to Legend.

Murmurs of agreement sounded around their table. Hyrule was looking at him, growing more hopeful by the second. Legend sighed, long and dramatic, as he relented. “Alright, we can dance.” The heroes around him clapped and cheered teasingly, Warriors even slapping his back with an attaboy!

Hyrule’s smile grew wide, dimples pinching his cheeks. He saw Legend smile too, just a little, as he threw himself into describing the various dances done with ragtime music. Hyrule listened intently, trying to gather if there were any major differences between the dances he was taught and the ones Legend knew. Warriors surprisingly had a lot of questions after Legend mentioned the similarities to standard ballroom dancing, and the vet seemed happy to answer.

Though Hyrule loved to dance, he really couldn’t explain it, so he was glad Legend had that covered. It took a long time for him to get the feel of the steps and the rhythm, Dawn getting frustrated with him more than a few times. They’d been so young, only children- had it really been over six years since then? It was probably a miracle he’d managed the dances at all. He smiled at the memory.

Most of their group was finishing up their food by the time the pianist stepped back up to the piano. Hyrule had cleared his plate long ago, not wanting his food to sit unattended when he eventually went to dance. The movement on the stage caught Hyrule’s eye immediately, and he hurried to stand when those first few notes rang out. He rushed to stand by Legend’s seat, and held out an arm for him, unable to keep a grin off his face.

“May I have this dance, M’Legend?”

Legend snorted, but still linked their arms together as they walked to the clearing in front of the stage.

“You’re gonna lead, I assume?”

Hyrule faltered. He’d forgotten to ask!

“If that’s alright? I usually only dance with Dawn and Aurora, so I don’t-”

Legend cut off his apologetic rambling with a bump of his shoulder and a reassuring smile.

“’Rule, it’s fine, I can follow perfectly well. I’m sure I can keep up with whatever dance you choose. And if I can’t, well, I’m pretty good at improvising.”

Hyrule sighed in relief as they got into position, his right hand on Legend’s back, his left in Legend’s right. Once they got a feel for the music’s tempo, Hyrule nodded and began the simple one-step. They simply circled the floor at first, just getting used to the way they moved together, until the music finally took a lively turn.

They sped up to follow along with the piano, Hyrule getting more carefree with his movements, rocking back and forth on each step, occasionally spinning the both of them with a light laugh. Legend leaned into the turns effortlessly, smiling at the way his skirt fanned out behind him. Cheers from their friends were easy to hear over those from the rest of the patrons, and Hyrule delighted in the warmth that settled in his chest.

Somehow, the pianist upped the tempo even more, and Legend barked out a laugh at the brief panic that must have flashed in his eyes. Hyrule took that personally, and decided to switch up the dance pattern to something more complicated. Legend, the jerk, easily followed, not even needing to look down at their feet. The veteran grinned at the little challenge, and Hyrule prayed that he himself could keep up with the new dance.

With their new speed, the spins were fast enough that the force of it threatened to pull them apart, and Hyrule laughed every time and the way their grips tightened. Neither of them wanted their dance to end so soon, and the effort of keeping their feet in check and throwing in spins and dips and hell, Hyrule even managed a few pretty decent lifts that caught Legend off guard, making him yelp as his feet left the floor. Warrior’s sharp laugh at that was loud enough to be heard over the whole tavern.

All too soon the song began to slow, their feet naturally slowing with it and drifting back to the simple steps they started with. The last chords rang out from the piano, and the two dancers came to a stop with one final spin. They simply stood there, grinning wildly with faces flushed from exertion and laughter.

Then, the tavern burst into applause and whistles, not just for the pianist but for them as well. Had they been the only ones dancing? He turned back to look at Legend, who just let go of his shoulder and bowed to their impromptu audience. Hyrule belatedly bowed with him. He’d never bowed to a crowd like this before, not for dancing. The red in his cheeks burned brighter.

When they got back to their table, they were showered with enough compliments that Hyrule was sure it would be hours until his face cooled off. Legend beside him was in a similar state, though he was trying and failing to act casual.

“You two were great up there,” from Time, with his proud dad smile once everyone stopped talking over each other.Hyrule could do nothing but laugh sheepishly at the praise and try to rub the warmth off his face.

“I don’t know how you two managed to make a ballroom dance so damn competitive, but I’m honestly impressed,” Warriors added, “You were both incredible.”

“That was all Hyrule; the gremlin kept changing the dance on me,” Legend replied, clear fondness dripping from his tone.

“You said you were good at improvising!” Hyrule argued with huff, knowing full well what he’d been doing during their dance.

Their brothers laughed at the exchange as they all gathered their belongings, preparing to head back to the inn.

Legend walked by Hyrule’s side down the dirt road, relaxed arms bumping together every other step.

“Hey, ‘Rule?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like to do that again, if we ever get another chance,” the man spoke into the air between them, a soft smile pulling at his lips, “It was a lot of fun.”

“Me too. I’ve never had a dance with the princesses get so intense!”

“Yeah, well, next time I’ll lead. See how well you deal with switching to a crabwalk right in the middle of the song.”