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Ah Margaret Houlihan.
Khaki clad goddess, strong, vibrant...
When you started at the 4077th it was a whole lot of Margaret.
Being a nurse was hard enough, a nurse under fire was even more so. And on top of that, many of your comrades felt a verbal barrage on top of all that was too much.
The other nurses complained about her a lot. You suppose their complaints were founded, but you were too head-over-heels to feel bad when she bossed you around. You were a little startled in the beginning, thinking you had made some mistake.
But as you time went along, the two of you fell into a comfortable rapport. You understood the reasons why she lashed out some days, and she understood that you would never respect the army as she did.
The mutual understanding that these things were not personal attacks helped you get closer.
You naturally bonded with the others in the camp; Kelley was always nice and welcoming, Klinger and you were very close- bonding over your shared love for shiny things and pita bread, Hawkeye and Bj were insane and lovely, Father Mulcahy was the nicest person in the world (who was also giving you boxing lessons), Colonel Potter was a warm, solid figure who gave off a much-needed sense of security. Charles was also there.
But Margaret was this just wonderful glow of a personality, and you bonded over little inconsequential things; memories of back home: the smell of a garden hose on a summer day and the sound that scissors made when they were freshly sharpened. Also a shared love of spy novels, the cheesier the better. Random things, but also personal things. Her silent loneliness weighed on her heavily, and even if your time together meant something different to you than it did to her, you weren't going to complain. If being her friend was as far as it would go (and surely thats all it would be) you'd take it.
You made an empty bed in Post-Op and waved goodnight to Nurse Baker as she started her shift.
You walked out of Post-Op into Klinger's Office, yawning as you looked noticed the now dark windows.
"Colonel wants to see you." He said, a suspicious grin on his face.
"Ok..?"
You cautiously knocked on Potter's door and pushed it open after the call of "come in".
"Oh! Just the First Lieutenant i wanted to see." He smiled and stood up.
You furrowed your brow,
"Sir? I'm not a-" It dawned on you.
"Really!?"
He nodded his head and held out a file of paper.
"Came in today- it seems a couple commendations pushed your points up enough to speed up the process. Congratulations."
You exchanged the paper for a handshake.
"Thank you sir. I guess i've been here longer and done more than i thought!"
Naturally, Klinger had been listening the whole time. So when you came out he met you in full salute. Which you swatted away and shooed him off.
He hugged you. "Proud of you."
You hugged back.
As you stepped into the night air you remembered.
Oh my gosh! You thought. I get to go tell Margaret!
You rushed off through the compound.
When you got to her tent you could see -thankfully- the lights were on, signaling that she was in. You rapped on the door.
"Margaret!"
She opened the door.
Before you could say anything she squealed "I HAVE NEWS!!!!!"
You went in and turned to face her, looking expectantly.
"I got a letter from my sister and it's turns out i'm going to be an aunt!!!!"
You grinned and hopped up and down clapping your hands. "Thats WONDERFUL!!!!"
"I know!! I'm so excited!" She was giddy.
"Ok wait but i have news too!!" You smiled so hard you started to giggle, which put it off for a few seconds longer.
"Well tell me already!"
"I got made 1st Lieutenant!!!" You beamed.
"OH! Thats-thats..."
Suddenly she reached forward and pulled you face to hers, landing a short but firm kiss on you lips.
When she pushed you away her hands were still holding your cheeks.
You were stunned.
You were buzzing.
Your mouth was probably hanging open.
You saw a flash of fear go over Margaret's face and she looked like she was about to say something. But before she could you wrapped your arms around her neck and pulled her back to you.
This time the kiss was intense. Overwhelming would be a better word. It was firm but her lips were so soft. And hot, you thought to yourself. Her arms hugged your back and kept you firmly pressed against her.
It was faster now, you were both breathing into the kisses and you felt her tongue slip into your mouth.
This is it. You thought. This is how I'm going to die.
You must have made a noise similarly expressing this thought because she chuckled and at last broke away.
You stood there panting, heads close, faces hot.
"I...I'm so..." You couldn't finish the sentence so you kissed her again. Softer this time, less desperate.
"I know." She breathed when you separated.
"Wait." You said, eyeing her skeptically. "This isn't just because of my promotion right?"
"Oh shut up!" She laughed and kissed you again.
How late was it? You thought. Would anyone notice if i didn't emerge from this tent until morning?
You decided, well evidently you both decided, that it didn't matter.
As you kissed you both began peeling off your clothes.
She broke away only to push you down onto the cot, and turn off the light.
Margaret smelled like jasmine. You wondered why you hadn't noticed before. Maybe because it was subtle, you could only smell it on her neck, right under the curve of her jaw. She breathed louder when you kissed that spot, louder still when you sucked on the soft skin and tasted it with your tongue. Her weight on top of you was heavenly, pinning you down to the mattress and controlling you with her movements. Her hair fell at times like a curtain around your faces. In all the times you fantasized about this, you never imagined so much giggling. When her breath hit your stomach it tickled, and when you grabbed at her waist you found she was ticklish too. In someways it still felt like a dream, because there was only the two of you. You clung to her and her to you and twisted your legs around hers. And when it was done you held her and caressed her like you dreamed you would. But this was better than a dream because in the morning, she was still in your arms.