Young & Proud (update)
Next installment of the Giorraíonn beirt bóthar series
Summary: Leaving Ireland and the Tenth Street Reds behind him, Caleb Shepard finds a new life in the Alliance military. Presented with a chance to fulfill one of his dreams, sniper school, he thinks nothing can stand in his way. Until he meets his roommate, an unexpected rival and a man who can jeopardize everything he’s worked towards so far in his career…
Coats drops onto his bunk, relaxing back against the pillow. “So, what’s a Paddy like you doing in the Alliance?”
Caleb swallows tightly. Only his bed, about three additional feet between them, and his ability to keep his temper in check separate him from the Englishman. Silently, he debates whether or not he can make the distance in one leap. Ideally, he wants to yank the man’s tongue out so he can’t speak; instead, a tight smile forms at his lips but doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he sacrifices that whim to keep his dream alive. For now. “Same as anyone else, I expect …”
Chapter: Keep the Dream Alive
Chapter Summary: New assignment. New people. Old experiences. aka: An Irishman and an Englishman walk into a pub ... and a brawl ensues.
Characters: Caleb Shepard, (Ryan) Coats, David Anderson
Tags: angst, military backstory, Earthborn background, sniper school/training, military training, Irish vs. English, national pride, Irish language, pub brawl
Author’s Note: HUGE thanks to @nightmarestudio606 and @mallaidhsomo for their betaing skills and suggestions!
Excerpt:
Tonight, Caleb heads for a small table against the far wall he tends to occupy whenever he visits; out of sight, out of mind, he hopes. He has no interest in being poked fun at, but neither is he willing to walk away from an opportunity to relax after a long day of training. He’s got his right to it just as readily as the others, even if he prefers to indulge in a quieter manner.
Unfortunately, tonight appears to be the one night the rest of the pub cares less about his wants and desires than their own.
It begins innocently enough. As he’s done each visit over the past three weeks since arriving, Caleb waits until Coats and company head over, gives himself an extra half hour, then follows.
The barman, an older woman by name of Ellen tonight, pulls him a pint – they have Guinness on tap tonight, as it turns out – and he heads for his usual table. It only seats two, so chances are it’s free since most people here come in groups of four or more. But as he rounds the end of the bar, one of the locals – a young man, large and burly, mop of curly dark hair and a hint of drunken mischief in his brown eyes – knocks into Caleb’s shoulder jerking it to his right and spilling half the contents. Caleb tries to catch himself and the pint, or at the very least avoid the table nearby, but with no such luck. Some unfortunate sod gets drenched.
That sod just happens to be his roommate. Accident or not doesn’t matter; Coats is on his feet and in Caleb’s face in less time than it takes to blink. Caleb has a couple of inches on the Englishman, but Coats is broader in the shoulders.
“How’d a blind Mick like you make it this far bein’ so clumsy?” Coats challenges as he shakes the beer out of his hair and off his shoulders.
~~~~~
Read Entire Chapter on AO3 // Read from the Beginning // Read the Rest of the Series
