# You Should Be Proud

Title: You Should Be Proud
Status: Complete
Characters: Fang
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
Summary: Lucy eagerly awaits a letter from her new husband, Anon.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, barely caring if the brown liquid was too hot or too strong. She had too many things on her mind to care about a little detail about that now. Besides, Anon liked his coffee this way, and in the short time they’ve been together, Lucy had gotten used to having things a certain way. Anon always got up early to make her coffee, for example, not knowing that he always made it far too strong. But, Lucy always sipped it with a smile, not wanting to upset him. It was enough for her that he cared to do it.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, amber eyes darting nervously to the clock in the kitchen. It was nearly seven: Soon, she’d have to get ready to go, get ready to start her days without Anon. It was always hard when he wasn’t around, and at first Lucy didn’t know how she was going to survive. Years without him, with only a promise to sustain her, and then, suddenly, he was back in her life, sweeping her up like a whirlwind, cradling her in his strong arms and making everything in her life okay again. The more time Lucy spent with Anon, the more she could pretend he had never left. And now, he had gone away again, called to duty by a country that had promised they were done with him. She had promised him she would be stronger, this time, and he had promised to write her at every opportunity he could get. And she intended to keep that promise.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, rising from the small kitchen table. Everything in their new home was small, to be honest, but it was theirs, and that’s all that mattered. And in truth, the size of their home didn’t bother Lucy. She had been in much smaller places in her life, small enough places to make this home they shared together feel like a palace, and she the queen. Life had a way of making you feel small, after all.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, shaking her head to banish those thoughts as she poured another cup into her thermos. Nearly seven… The mailman should be arriving shortly. He always did, carrying a special letter for her. Each time, Anon’s poor penmanship was scrawled across the letter, amid the many government stamps allowing for its release. It had been some time since he had gone away, and his letters came infrequently, delayed by his deployment half-away across the world. But every time they came, they came in droves, filling up the days between with stories and acclimations of love and affection for his wife, for her. Anon promised to write every day, and he had kept this promise.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, shrugging into a coat her parents had bought her recently. They still came over nearly every day for dinner, outwardly wishing to spend time with their daughter. But Lucy knew the truth, knew they were checking up on her. When she had lived at home, her mother and father had kept a keen eye on her, able to spot when she was spiraling downwards and providing the support she needed to hang on. Now that Anon had been called to duty, now that she was alone, they continued to make sure their little baby girl was doing okay. At first, Lucy had tried dissuading them, lying how she felt fine, how everything was alright. Now she looked forward to it, looked forward to the prayer they said over every dinner. Lucy prayed everyday that Anon was going to be alright, that he would come back to her.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, careful not to let the thermos spill any on her new coat. Gathering up her things, she spared one final glance out of the window, hoping to see the mailman cross through their little white picket gate up to their front door. He usually did anyways, even if he didn’t have a letter for her. Just to talk to her for a moment, ask how she was doing. Most of the small suburb they lived in knew about her and Anon, about how Anon had been called back to the desert far away, and they supported her as much as they could. Lucy was grateful for their concern, but each word was like a dagger to her stomach, each word another reminder that her loving husband wasn’t here with her anymore.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, and had to reach out to steady herself against the door frame. The headaches again… The room would suddenly spin, sometimes, causing her breakfast to try and fight its way back out of her throat. It was always in the morning, too. Lucy really needed to make an appointment with the doctor, to get them checked out. Anon would be mad she had waited this long, and she hated making him mad, but it was hard for her to talk on the phone with strangers since he had went away. But she needed to be strong, to be strong while Anon was away. Taking a deep breath to steady herself against the nausea, Lucy pulled the door open, already mentally steeling herself for the phone call.
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Lucy sipped her coffee, only just noticing the man walking up her front path, only just noticing his trim figure and military dress uniform. Only just noticing the letter he held in his hands, turning it over and over in between his claws as he walked towards her. Only just noticing the expression on the man’s face, that look of pure and abject despair at the news he was about to deliver.
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Lucy’s coffee slipped from her hands, the heavy thermos clattering on the ground and splashing coffee all over her new coat.