Benevolence [H.S.]

TEASER & INFO

The envelope was thick, stained, and heavy with the dog tag she hadn't found the courage to remove yet. The shipments had been late, the correspondence severely lacking the warmth she knew to be Harry's voice from the hundreds of letters these last few months. They all knew something was amiss, but neither possibility left them with much hope. It all came down to the name on this tag, which would either be his own, or that of a captor. If someone else's was scrawled on the thin metal, the operation was compromised. If it was his...well, the world itself would simply cease to turn. At least, Benny's world.

"We have to know, Benny. Open it."

With a shaky exhale she nodded, slipping a red nail under the military insignia and jerking it across the adhesive. Benny winced as the thick parchment knicked her knuckle, leaving a faint red smudge on the paper's border. Without inspecting the notification within, she tipped the parcel upside down. The tinny sound of metal hitting wood filled the room as the tag and chain tumbled onto the table.

Shakily, she reached out and flipped it over. With a cracked sob, Benny whipped her palm to her face, eyes squeezed tight. Louis stood quickly to see for himself. "It's not him..." he sighed in relief. The other two men at the table let out a breath in unison.

Benny nodded erratically through her tears, relieved and sick all at once. "It's not him. Thank god it's not him." She might yet touch him again, feel the weight of his chest against her own, the breadth of his fingers splayed across her back, the plush joy of his lips at her neck. Their time together thus far had felt eternal, yet somehow never enough. It had only been a few months since he was forced overseas to continue the operation, but now they'd already walked into trouble they couldn't yet imagine.

"He's still out there." Liam tried to sound reassuring, but the relief was short-lived as Niall spoke up: "Now how do we get him back?"

Description

At the height of US involvement in the Vietnam War, four young men in Northern California have managed to avoid military service thanks to their interesting political connections--but at what cost? When Benny, the fiercely feminist daughter of a former suffragette, learns her brother has been shipped off to war, she returns home from college to help their family stay afloat.

When she finds that her brother's former employer has been paying their bills, however, she confronts him in an effort to return the debt. Refusing to accept payment, the stubborn British garage owner instead offers to hire her on at the shop until her brother's return. Working close and feeling closer, Benny navigates life as a woman in 1963, the complexities of love, political and sociocultural conflict, and soon discovers that her boss-and brothers-involvement in the war might be more than it seems...

Hello everyone!

I'm so excited to share this with you guys, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I've loved writing this so far.

This story takes place in 1963, there will be references to different political, social, and cultural issues that were going on at the time. So if you're into strong women, slightly Dark Harry and history then you've hit the right page, my friend.

As a disclaimer, there will be moments of heavy violence (both in and out of war settings), drugs, drinking, ***SMUT because obviously*** and mentions of racism, sexism, homophobia and mental health. I will add trigger warnings at the beginning of any chapters that involve these things.

****Song below to help set the mood for the setting and time of this story...and you never know, this song might be important later on ;)