Work Text:
Pushing the tip of his shovel into the ground, Marco began his long night with the chore of digging, taking time to break the surface with a few strikes of his tool. Once the ground was churned up, the dirt clinging together from the past night's rain, the freckled man opened his mouth to let a light tune fall from his lips, his gaze flicking to the cold lump laid beside him and a relaxed smile on his own face.
"God bless America," his voice began, a bit strained as he lifted the first mound of muddy soil upward with his shovel, dumping it on the ground adjacent to him in a neat heap. Immediately, he pushed the shovel into the hole he'd created again, working quickly. Years of doing this as a job had made him fast at this part of his job, and as he picked up the pace, his voice only grew stronger, following the lyrics of a song he'd grown up hearing.
"Land, that I love." Another strike to the ground, another pile of dirt being lifted with his shovel to deepen the hole. Thank god the ground was soft, "stand beside her--"
Shhnnk, crrck, fffffp.
"--and guide her,"
The pace of his digging was beginning to set the tempo of his singing.
"through the night with a light from above."
By now, his work was beginning to pay off, and just in time, too. Wiping sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve, Marco's head raised just in time to see the first fireworks launch themselves upward and into the night sky, exploding in dazzling colors in the distance and sizzling away shortly after. The view sparking and raising his spirits, he began again with a new vigor.
"From the mountains," he sang, voice loud over the cacophony of fireworks, focusing on digging straight down, working on something tall enough for the corpse beside him. He was safe in this abandoned field, so he let his voice carry slightly, "to the prairies--"
Tugging out a heavy rock, he tossed it aside and took a moment to judge the hole. It should be deep enough by now. Pushing himself upright, he stepped over to the body and slipped gloved hands under it's armpits, dragging it toward its resting place.
"--to the oceans--"
Marco let out a loud grunt, and haphazardly dropped the body down into the hole, smiling as he watched it tumble in. Perfect fit. Joyfully, he immediately began filling in the grave, eyes directed at another rising firework.
"--white with foam!"
He quieted for a moment after that to focus on filling the hole up the rest of the way, patting down each patch of dirt he dropped back in with the end of his shovel.
When it was finally done, he smoothed down the rest of the dirt and again wiped the sweat from his face, offering up a salute to the colors exploding in the sky as he finished the song.
"God bless America, my home,
sweet,
home!"