A Little Taste Of Home.
(Inglorious Basterds x Female!Reader, Aldocentric!)
For the lovely anon, really hope you enjoy. All credit for the gif goes to the original owner.
Days morphed into months and months grew harsher as time passed.
The war drew on with no signs of stopping. The winter had long settled and soon, you would have to go look for food. Supplies were scarce and the Basterds were being frugal with them. Even Donny stopped asking for coffee every single day.
Snow had yet to fall, which you were grateful for. The air howled, causing a shiver to run up your spine. The Basterds and you had taken shelter in an old cottage, the place miraculously big enough for the group.
You wouldn't say it, but the stress has been getting you. The fear that you would run out of bandages, medicine and even food was constant. It was a constant shadow over you , waiting to creep up at the worst possible moment. By the time the airdrops got to you, you'd probably be scraping the surface of starvation.
Such ailments led to you forgetting about yourself and forgetting about a rather important day.
You were supposed to be snuggled up in bed, with a fire close to you and a good book on your lap. You were supposed to be home, celebrating another year of life with family and friends. Yet here you were, among soldiers and enemies at every turn.
Aldo watched you from afar, looking down at the documentation that was provided for you. The Basterds all had the same documents, with birthdays and other important details. Aldo smacked Donny on the shoulder, the Bostonian jumping slightly.
"What the hell, Lieutenant?"
Aldo didn't speak another word, choosing to instead show Donny the documentation. Donny gazed down, his brows creasing in confusion. "What am I looking at?"
"Look at the date."
Donny did as he was told, and even when the date was in his sights, Donny failed to see where Aldo was getting at. Aldo sighed, pointing to your picture. "It's her paper." Aldo said, gesturing to you as you passed by. "Our little worker bee has a birthday today." The southern drawled. Donny's face exploded in a smile.
He loved birthdays. His little brother's birthday had been but a week ago and the Basterds could tell you that Donny had never seemed happier. Now, knowing that someone else he cared about had one and forgot it too, Donny knew he had to give it his all.
"No way. Who forgets their birthday? Hey (Y/n)-" Donny yelled, only to be cut off by a punch to the gut. Donny doubled over, while you looked over in suspicion. "Nothing to see here, (L/n). Back to work." Aldo chuckled, sending you a wink. You rolled your eyes with a grin, already knowing that it wasn't something serious by the sight of Donny.
"What the hell was that for, now?" Donny inquired, his arms still clutching his stomach. "You can't just go reminding er' of er' birthday, Donowitz. I say we give her a much needed celebration." Aldo informed. The morale had been nothing short of non-existent and Donny and Aldo both saw that the group needed a pick me up. One cant fight a war if one doesn't believe in what they’re fighting for. “I'll see what i can get from the supplies, you make sure that we get a good spot for the surprise.’’ Aldo ordered and Donny happily agreed.
“And Donowitz.’’
“Yeah, Lieutenant?’’
“Don't tell Hirschberg, kid can't keep a secret to save his life.’’
Donny nodded, not finding a reason to disagree with his commanding officer. Gerold was a good kid and he meant well, but my god did he need to learn to shut up. One time, he nearly got himself and you killed. The others liked to think that he learned his lesson. The other missions would just have to prove that later, it would seem. Donny walked up to Wilhelm and Hugo, who stood on their loyal watch.
“You two, come here.’’ The man called, making both the Austrian and German walk to him. Hugo shot him a suspicious look while the look Wicki had was one that urged Donny to go ahead. “(Y/n)’s birthday is today.’’ Donny stated, the simple statement making Wicki’s eyes widen. “And by what we’re all seeing, she seems to have forgotten it?’’ The Austrian inquired. “Exactly.’’
Wicki breathed a small laugh while Hugo was silent. Birthdays were something he really didn't get much of as a child. In his mother’s own words, it was just a day where you get one year older. The older you get, the more tiresome the work becomes. Parties, food, celebrating…it was all so foreing to Hugo. Hugo nodded his head at the next orders.
Keep you distracted.
Donny walked off, leaving the duo to do their jobs. “Wilhelm.’’ Hugo breathed. “What is it, Hugo?’’ The Austrian responded. It wasn't often that Hugo spoke and when he did, everyone knew it to be important. “What…what do people do on birthdays?’’ Hugo inquired. Wicki chuckled. “They eat, they party, they drink…’’ Wicki answered, his hands numbering the activities on his fingers. “But this is going to be a bit more tame than that, we aren't exactly in the position to keep our guard down for too long.’’ Wicki explained, making Hugo nod. Caution came hand in hand with many things these days, if you didn't want to end up dead.
Both men laid their eyes on you, as you finished moving some boxes around.
“She deserves this.’’
Hugo hummed in agreement.
—
You sighed heavily, wiping the sweat from your forehead.
Your nose burned from the cold air, as you rubbed your hands together. The cottage you were temporarily occupying had some boxes hidden under the floorboards, no doubt belonging to the people that used to live there. You wrestled with yourself briefly, before deciding that it was morals and such didn't quite apply to your situation. You had other people to look out for, not just yourself.
War made it so.
And you weren't about to die in someplace you didn't know.
As you rested, Wicki came to walk up to you. He had a look of concern on his face, which made you stand. “What is it, Wicki?’’ You inquired, your voice almost frantic. Wicki had to suppress his smile as you dotted over him, his eyes falling on Donny, who gave him a thumbs up before he disappeared again. “We’ve run out of firewood..and the Lieutenant said that we need to go look for some. It's going to be a long night." He said.
Your breath hitched in your throat.
The days were cold enough, so you could only imagine what the nights would be like. Discarding your previous task, you nodded. "I'll be right with you. Utivich!" You called Smithson, who dutifully walked to you. He had a smirk on his face, which confused you.
What the hell was he smirking about?
Both Wicki and him had their eyes on you, which you chose to ignore. They were probably just on edge. You all were. "Please make sure that these boxes get checked. Anything useful goes back inside, the others we'll burn for the fire." You said, your voice carrying soft order. Smithson grinned. "You got it, (Y/n.)" He said.
"Thank you. Now come on, before it gets dark."
Wicki walked ahead.
—-
Midday soon came and Donny was scrambling while Hugo and Wicki were desperately trying to keep you distracted in the forest.
“Donowitz! For the love of God, how much longer is this gonna take?’’ Aldo called, earning a grunt in return. “Gimme a break, Lieutenant. We can't exactly throw her a birthday bash now can we?’’ Donny retorted as Aldo chuckled. “You talkin’ back to your commanding officer, Donowitz?’’ THe southerner asked. Donny replied with a simple flip of the bird.
The cottage was soon set up, the floor was cleaned and it was made to look less decrepit than it actually was. With any luck, Aldo and his men would move in the morning and leave the dreadful cold of this forest behind. The closest town was about ten miles due north from their position, so the morning was their best bet. Now all that was left to do was wait for you. Aldo wasn't quite sure why he was doing all this for you.
You were a hard worker but also the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Aldo could practically hear his mother, telling her son to move it and git the girl.
She would have liked you, Aldo was sure of that. Mama Raine had a soft spot for girls who spent their whole lives working, trying to keep balance between life and work. Mama Raine was one in a million and boy, did Aldo wish you got to meet her. The sudden sound of leaves shuffling made the Lieutenant rise to his feet, as Hirschberg came running. “They’re on their way sir. They’ll be here soon.’’ the soldier warned.
“Good job, Hirschberg. And remember, keep your yap shut or else I won't be able to protect you from Donny.’’ Aldo warned, making the soldier gulp and nod. Aldo snapped his fingers, ordering everyone inside.
—
The three of you walked back from the woods, a decent amount of wood in your hands. Wicki and Hugo carried some larger logs, refusing to let you even touch them. The silence of the cottage was the first thing you noticed. You couldn't suppress the fear that bubbled up. In war, this sort of silence could only mean one thing, either this was an ambush, or something far more unfortunate was awaiting you in that bar. Hugo seemed to sense your worry, choosing to move forward.
“Hugo-!’’
“Let him go. He’ll make sure we aren't shot as soon as we pass those trees.’’ Wicki informed and while you would still much rather follow the stoic man. You and Wicki followed once Hugo gave you the go ahead. Discarding the wood on the ground, you etched closer and closer to the cottage door. You gulped, bracing yourself for anything that you might see. Aldo would have wanted you to be strong and by God, were you trying to be. Wicki and Hugo were at your back, guns drawn, though they knew that they had no real reason to use them. Wicki was sure that he had never suppressed a smile so much as at this moment. You grabbed hold of the door knob, exhaling quickly as you opened the door.
“SURPRISE!’’
The cacophony of voices that yelled at you sent you tumbling backwards, Hugo taking this moment to step in and keep you steady. Sounds of laughter preceded you. "Happy birthday, (Y/n)!" Donny yelled, laughing at your shocked expression. Aldo walked to you, as Wicki and Hugo finally let the charade end. “Up and at em’, sweetheart. We couldn't just let you forget about your birthday, now could we?’’ He inquired.
They allowed you a moment to compose yourself, as your mind gathered.
The work had been so overwhelming, that you had forgotten your own birthday. A crimson blush dusted over your cheeks, as the other Basterds moved to wish you a happy birthday. After thanking them all, you all moved into the cottage, where things had been moved. It was warm on the inside, which you were more than grateful for.
Aldo walked up to you, holding something that you didn't expect.
It was a small cake, with a little candle on it.
The sight brought tears to your eyes. “Thought we’d give you a little taste of home.’’ Aldo stated, before telling you to make a wish and blow out the candle. Cheers and yells echoed out, as the celebration continued on. Donny had even gotten you a makeshift gift. “It aint much but at least you can defend yourself now.’’ He laughed. Aldo stood next to you the entire night.
“I gotta say (L/n), you look good for your age.’’
“Was that supposed to be a compliment, Raine?’’
“Take it as you wish. You know what I mean.’’ Aldo chuckled, his voice deeper than usual. You hoped that he couldn't see your blush. “I wanted to thank you, for all of this.’’ You expressed. “Been so worked up, i even forgot about it.’’ You chuckled. “You dont need to thank me, it was my pleasure. You deserve a lot more than what we can give.’’ Aldo said. “But i swear this to ya’...we are gonna make it back home and who knows…maybe we’ll go on that date i owe ya’.’’
“I'll be holding you to that, Raine.’’
“I hope you do, darlin’. I hope you do.’’
The night came and through the celebration, it was time to head to bed. For all the fear and the doubt, Aldo’s words made it all seem alright. As you laid onto the floor, the last breaths of the fire leaving the embers, you sighed.
This was a birthday to remember.
