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#major john egan x reader
ereardon · 2 days
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In The Skies || Ch. 2
[Major John "Bucky" Egan x Reader]
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Overview: On a night out in London, you meet fellow American Major John “Bucky” Egan of the 100th. As war rages on, you take a leave of absence during the spring of your third year at Oxford to sign up as a nurse on the front lines in England. Time and time again, you and Bucky find yourselves thrown together in the hospital ward as you tend to him and his teammates after missions gone awry. What happens when you find yourself falling for a man who might never return from the skies? 
Pairing: Major John “Bucky” Egan x Reader
Chapter summary: Six months after you first meet Major Egan, he shows up at the bedside of Sergeant Quinn who just happens to be your patient. Sparks fly, again.
Warnings: Smut, alcohol, cursing, definitely historical inaccuracies
WC: 2.8K
Masterlist here
“Nurse? Nurse!” 
Your head shot up, legs unfolding beneath you before you even realized, carrying you down the narrow hallway of the hospital, the floors squeaking beneath your shoes, a mixture of blood and urine and saline and muddy footprints all blurring into one. 
“It’s his leg!” You skidded to a stop in front of a man writhing in pain. 
“Morphine,” you said, nodding at the girl to your right who reached into her pocket, fingers returning with a small clear vial that you grabbed, driving it into the flesh of his thigh. The man let out a shriek, followed by blissful silence as you surveyed the scene. A severe bleed and a cracked tibia. The bone hadn’t shattered through the skin but you knew it was bad just by the way it was bulging against the flesh. “Over there,” you pointed at a gap against one wall. “I’ll get the surgeon.” 
They wheeled him away and you made your way through the maze of beds and walkways, eyes wide, a few strands of hair sticking to your temples. It was hot, too hot for how early in the year it was. Early June. You should have been graduating from Oxford. Instead, you spent your days nursing soldiers back to health, sending them back to the battlefield with missing limbs and poorly patched scars and wounds on their souls that would never heal. And somehow, it felt better than any degree ever could. 
“Dr. Peters!” Your voice rang out in the dingy corridor and the surgeon turned. He was short, with tight, dark curls and a pair of glasses that teetered on the edge of his nose. 
“Nurse,” he said, “what is it?” 
“Patient, Doctor, broken tibia.” 
“Are you sure?” 
You nodded. “Yes. I just did a visual exam, no x-ray, but I’m positive.” 
Dr. Peters eyed you. In the three months you had been stationed at Stoke Military Hospital in Devon, you hadn’t been wrong once about a patient. He knew that. The doctor sighed and put his hands in his lab coat pockets. “Alright. Show me this man.” 
***
“Y/N? Isn’t your shift done?” 
You shrugged, wiping your hands on a cloth before sticking it back in the pocket of your apron. “An hour ago, I don’t know. Still have to see Lieutenant Davies.” 
Anna raised an eyebrow. “I’ll see you at home?” 
“See you at home.” You rounded the corner and smiled. “Lieutenant Davies?” 
The gentleman on the gurney looked up with a grin. “Ma’am.” 
“How are you feeling tonight?” you asked softly, stepping closer. 
“Good as a man with one arm can be.” 
“You always keep good spirits. I like that about you.” 
“Go out with me, won’t you?” 
You laughed. “Now Lieutenant, we’ve been over this before. I don’t date patients.” 
“Won’t you make an exception?” he asked, brown eyes glittering. “Just this once? For all you know, I could be the best date you’ve ever had!” 
“Oh I bet you would be,” you said, ringing out a washcloth in a nearby basin and pressing it gently to his forehead, dragging it down the side of his face, washing his neck carefully. His soft eyes never left yours. “But that wouldn’t be fair to all the other men, now would it?” 
“Screw them,” he murmured and you laughed. “What do you say, darlin’? You and me, let’s get out of here.” 
You shook your head, dipping the washcloth once more and pressing it over his bare chest. “You’re forward, aren’t you?” 
“War taught me anything, it’s that we all die someday. Gotta make the most of every day that’s left.” 
“Amen,” you whispered, setting the rag down back in the pan. “I’m going home now. You be good, alright?” 
Davies grinned. “Aren’t I always, darlin’?” 
You chuckled, making your way down the hallway toward the doors when they burst open, a flash of night sky visible through the open doors before they swung shut. Everything in the hospital was a rush. Triage and move on. But you had long-term patients as well. Men who were there for days, weeks, even months. Ones who weren’t healthy enough to go home, and not whole enough to go back to battle. Men who had seen loss. Men who had nothing left to fight for. 
“Y/N?” A voice from your left startled you out of your thoughts. 
“Yes?” 
“Are you headed home?” 
“Just about.” 
“Can you do me a favor?” Jolene tipped her head to one side. “A patient in bed fourteen. Came in earlier today. Having a hard time sleeping. Think he just needs someone to sit with him and I’ve been here for going on twenty hours.” 
“Go home,” you insisted, practically pushing the girl out the door. “I’ll take it. What’s his name?” 
“Quinn.” She flushed. “Thank you. I owe you.” 
“Don’t worry about it.” You took a look around the room, spotting the bed that Jolene had mentioned. “Hi there,” you said quietly, inching toward the bed. “Lieutenant Quinn, is it? I’m Nurse Y/N.” 
The man who looked up at you was pale, practically ghostly. He had diminutive features, a small nose that curved upward, eyes that gapped at you from the hollows of his sockets. “Sergeant,” he croaked. There was sweat beading his forehead, his upper lip, the visible bones of his collar. “You’re promoting me.” 
You smiled, grabbing for a washcloth and pressing it to his forehead gently. “Sergeant Quinn,” you replied. “How are you feeling?” 
“Not bad, ma’am.” 
“Now don’t you go lying to me,” you reprimanded him. 
“Not good,” he said after a moment. “Feel cold. And dizzy. It’s like everything in my brain is static.” 
You pulled away the washcloth and sat down on the thin cot next to his leg. Quinn looked up, eyes wide. “What brought you here, sir?” 
“Got shot in the side,” he whispered. “Running from enemy fire.” 
“Are you a pilot?” 
“No, ma’am. I just fly with them.” 
“I met a pilot once,” you said. The memories of Bucky flooded your senses. The way his touch felt against your bare skin. The bristle of his mustache as he kissed you. You shook the memory out of your mind. You had been a different person, seven months before. Back then, war hadn’t felt so real. It was tangible now. It crept into every thought, it had made its way into every atom in your body. You were no longer a girl. You were a nurse. You were part of the war effort. 
“Oh yeah?” Quinn said, teeth chattering. “Maybe I know him.” 
You smiled. “Maybe.” You reached out, brushing one hand over his cheek, thumb stroking his sullen face gently. “Jolene said you’re not sleeping. How come that is?” 
“Every time I close my eyes,” he whispered, “I see them.” 
“See who?” 
“Them,” he murmured. “All the men we lost.” 
There was a type of pain in his voice that you hadn’t known until you joined the hospital. Now it was the only tone you could hear. It saturated every word that was spoken under this roof. “You try and sleep,” you whispered, settling down into the chair next to his bed and reaching out, taking his frail hand in yours. His was dirty, but yours was caked in dried blood as well. “I’ll stay here so you’re not alone.” 
“You don’t have to do that.” 
“Yes, I do,” you replied. “Now close your eyes.” He closed his eyes, and you did too. The next thing you knew, it was the morning and your neck was bent to one side. Your eyes opened, trying to place where you were. And then the scent hit. It was as familiar as the smell of the ocean or a new book. 
Death. 
Sergeant Quinn was asleep on the bed and you dropped his hand gently, standing up, careful not to wake him. He looked peaceful. You took a mental picture of him. That was the best you could do, you had realized. Remembering them at their best was the only way to make it through the hard days. 
The flat you shared with two other girls, both nurses, was small and tidy. You spent as little time there as possible. Not because you didn’t like it, but the only place that you felt at peace was at the hospital. Doing your part. Helping people. All of the trivial things that had mattered so much less than a year before had vanished. You stopped wearing as much makeup or caring as much about how your hair was set. You had given up pantyhose entirely. You were a different girl than you had been. 
Back at the hospital, the stench of decay and the sharp bite of stringent solutions nipped at your nose. At first it had been jarring. Now it was simply familiar. The hustle and bustle no longer felt out of the ordinary. If anything, laying down to go to sleep at night felt uncomfortable in its near silence. 
“Jolene.” You stopped the girl with one hand against her arm. She swiveled around. “How’s Sargeant Quinn?” 
She smiled. “Good. Better. Says you were the one who got him to finally rest.” 
“I tried.” 
“Few of his friends from his unit stopped by, but you should check on him. Think it would make him feel even better.” 
“I will.” You weaved around the corridors, past incoming traumas: soldiers on gurneys, soldiers limping, ones with bandages across their faces and arms and necks. Every one you gave a sympathetic look. “Sergeant Quinn,” you said, rounding the corner where his bed sat. 
Four heads turned. Three men in uniform standing in a semicircle turned and your eyes scanned them quickly before doing a double take, backtracking to the man on the far left next to Quinn’s bedside. His warm eyes flashed in recognition. 
“Y/N,” he breathed out and you felt your breath catch in your throat. 
“John,” you whispered. The room, so crowded and cloying and loud, suddenly felt very still and very quiet. Just you and Major Egan standing beneath a street lamp on a bitingly cold London evening. 
He stepped forward and you saw how even over the course of half a year he had aged. Tiny crows feet in the corners of his eyes. There was a hollowness, too. He placed your hands in his. “You’re a nurse? What about Oxford?” 
“I deferred my last semester,” you replied quietly, suddenly aware of all of the eyes on the two of you. “To help.” 
He smiled, his fingers squeezing yours. “So you’re the fantastic nurse that Quinn here won’t stop yammering on about.” 
From the bed, Sergeant Quinn blushed. “Bucky, I didn’t know.” 
You shook your head. “Nothing to know, Sergeant. Major Egan and I met a few months back. Looks like you weren’t lying when you said you were in good hands.” The memory of that one night with John brought a tingle between your legs. He grinned. 
“Are you working?” Bucky asked. 
“Always,” you replied candidly. “It never stops, you know. It’s a constant revolving door of injured men.” 
His eyes darkened. “I know.” His mouth shifted into a smile. “Take a walk with me.” 
“I have some patients to check on,” you whispered. “How long are you here?” 
“Few days,” he replied. 
“Meet me for dinner.” You listed off a restaurant nearby and Bucky nodded. 
He squeezed your hand one more time before dropping it. “I’ll be there.” 
You smiled at Sargeant Quinn. “Now I’m going to have to ask you boys to leave so I can clean the Sargeant’s wounds and replace his bandages.” 
Bucky and the two other men exited the makeshift room and you felt a shiver work its way up your spine. 
You had thought you would never see Major John Egan ever again. 
***
Normally time in the hospital sped forward, like a clock that was wound too tight. But waiting for the sun to set so you could meet Bucky felt like it was taking an eternity.
You were fixing a dressing on a soldier when Jolene popped out around a corner. “Y/N?” 
“Yeah?” 
She tipped her head to the side. “Heard there was a handsome Major here earlier asking all about you.” 
You tried to hide your grin. “Gossip.” 
“I love gossip,” she replied and you laughed. “Does that mean Lieutenant Davies is on the market?” 
You raised an eyebrow. “What happened to not getting involved with patients?” 
“He’s so charming!” 
“He is,” you replied, wiping your hands on your apron and standing up straight. “They all are.” 
“So this Major?” she asked as the two of you made your way down the hall. “How well do you know him?” 
“We only met once,” you said. “Just before Christmas, at a bar in London.”
“And?” 
You grinned and hid it behind one hand, faking a yawn. “And nothing. He’s a gentleman. He’s taking me to dinner tonight.” 
Jolene shrieked and a few patients turned their heads. You shushed her but it was no use. She was practically giddy. “God, you’re lucky,” she whined. “Ask if he has a friend, why don’t you?” 
“He has a best friend who is also a Major,” you said and her eyebrows shot up. “But don’t get too attached. He’s engaged.” 
She sighed. “All the good ones are.” 
“Not all the good ones.” 
Jolene squeezed your hand. “You go have fun. I have it covered here.” 
“You sure?” 
“Yes. Go!” She practically pushed you out of the door. 
***
When was the last time you had dressed up? Worn something other than a blood-soaked apron and saddle shoes? 
When was the last time you had gone on a date? 
Probably at Uni, but even then the lines were blurry. Was studying together over a tea equivalent to a date? Or a formal where everyone was required to attend? You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt the way you did that night in Bucky’s arms. 
Safe. 
You were late, hair pulling out of the messily placed pins, the neckline of your dress slightly crooked. As you whipped into the restaurant, peering around, you spotted John with a grin on his face, his eyes planted on yours. 
He stood as you approached the table and leaned over, pressing his lips to your cheek, one hand on the back of the chair, letting you settle into it before he pressed it inward. 
“Hi.” There was something so sincerely innocent about the way he said it. Almost shy. 
“What brings you to town, Major?” 
“A mission,” he replied. “Or the end of one, I guess.” 
“Sergeant Quinn. He’s quite impressed by you.” 
“He’s a good guy.” 
“He said you’re the better guy.” 
Bucky paused before lifting his glass of wine to his lips and taking a slow sip. Then, “I’ve thought a lot about you. Since that night.” 
“Had to send a fellow American off to war the only way I knew how.” 
His eyes darkened. “It was more than that, Y/N.” 
“What are you saying, Major Egan?” 
Bucky tipped his head. “I’m saying I haven’t stopped thinking about you, sweetheart. That not a day goes by where I haven’t wondered if I would ever see you again.” 
“Must have made an impression, then,” you whispered. 
His eyes were glued on yours. “Go out with me.” 
You laughed. “We’re on a date right now!” 
“Tomorrow,” he replied instantly. “And the night after that.”
“Let’s see how the date goes first,” you replied, “before we go making plans.” 
He shook his head. “Don’t need to wait to know what I already do. Which is that you’re the woman for me, Y/N.” 
“John,” you whispered, a blush creeping up your neck. “You’ve known me a total of two days. You can’t say something like that.” 
“I was five years old the first time I saw an airplane,” he replied. “And do you know what I thought?” 
“That you wanted to be a pilot.” 
He nodded. “Yes. The first time I ever saw a plane I knew that’s how I was going to spend my life. In the skies.” 
“You based your entire career, your whole life, around one glance at the sky when you were a child?” 
“I knew in my heart, with every inch of my body, that it was what I was meant to do.” He paused. “It’s how I felt when I saw you again earlier today. Something clicked. Something said this was right.” 
“You have to give me a second to process this,” you whispered. “I haven’t seen you in six months. And here you are, saying what exactly?” 
His fingertips met yours across the table. “All I know is that I knew the first time I saw a plane that it was going to change my life.” His eyes met yours. “And that’s how I feel now, looking at you.” 
Tagging some people I think may enjoy this:
@gretagerwigsmuse @gigisimsonmars @iangiemae @tgmavericklover @sunny747 @perfectprettypisces @na-ta-sh-aa @ryebecca @kmc1989 @spinning-away @yorkshirekiwi @clancycucumber230
#masters of the air#mota#john bucky egan#masters of the air series#major john egan x reader#bucky egan x reader#callum turner
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shockercoco · 2 months
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Whiskey
Major John Egan x reader
Warnings - few swear words, flirting, alcohol
Word count - 1418
a/n - it's been sooo long, mainly because I've been focused on doing applications to transfer colleges. I also didn't know who to write about for a while after farleigh, lol. I hope you enjoy :)
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“How much longer are you going to be back there?” your friend groans from the other side of the bar. The bar staff requested extra hands since a large number of pilots and crew had arrived, and for some reason you volunteered to help out. 
“I have another hour left, and then I’m finished,” you say as you hand the guy next to her his drink. She just groans in response. “Plus, you said you were planning on ditching me and finding someone to entertain you for the night.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same when I’m doing it alone.”
“You do realize I’m not the only person you know here, right?” You tell her as another uniformed man walks up to the bar.
“Can I get a round of whiskeys and a ginger beer, please?” the man asks before your friend could answer. You nod and get started on his order.
“Ginger beer?” you hear your friend ask in a judgemental yet light tone.
“Don’t worry it’s not for me,” the man lets out a small laugh. You hand him his drinks on a tray, and he thanks you before walking away.
“You may not be the only person I know, but you're the only one I really like. But I’ll leave you alone to do your job and make my way to where that man just went,” your friend nudges her head in his direction. After following him with your eyes you give her a ‘really’ look once you spot the table and she gives you an innocent shrug in return.
The table is surrounded by nothing but higher ups. It also happens to include the inseparable best friends Major John “Bucky” Egan and Major Gale “Buck” Cleven.
“Maybe once you get Major Egan you’ll be able to put in a good word for me with Major Cleven, or if I get to Cleven first, I could put in a good word for you. We could do the whole double date thing. Their names have a nice ring to it don’t you think?” 
“Lower your voice,” you shush her as you glance around for any listening ears. All of the men in the bar know one another in some way, and word travels fast.
“What? You’ve had a crush on the guy for the longest time, and you do nothing about it every time he flies in,” she tells you. “If you ask him out and he turns you down, it's not like you have to see him for long.”
“I’m sorry, have you met me? What makes you think I would ever go up to a guy and ask him out?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess I’ll just have to be bold for the both of us. Can I get a shot before I go, I’m going to need some liquid courage to take these men on.”
“Take your shot and go,” you say as you wave her off with your hand after placing her shot down in front of her. She takes her shot and wanders off, but not before giving you a smirk. You just playfully roll your eyes in return.
You don’t realize how much time goes by with the constant swarm of men coming up to the bar, but when you decide to look up at the clock on the wall you notice you only have ten minutes left until you're free. It has pretty much slowed down given the fact that most of the men were already drunk out of their minds, but the room was far from quiet.
“Next time it’ll be me who knocks his ass out,” you hear a voice say as they come up to the bar you currently had your back to.
You turn around confused, planning to question the person, but you freeze a little once you notice Major Eagan infront of you. You feel yourself panic a little given the fact that this is the closest you’ve ever been to him. He must see your confused expression though because he begins to explain himself.
“Sorry not you, I was talking to one of my buddies. He knocked some brit out on the first punch,” he says, but not before quickly adding, “It was well deserved though, the man was a prick.”
You just nod in response, not knowing what to say to that other than, “Can I get you anything, Major?”
“Yes, whiskey please,” he smiles as he leans his uniform covered arms on the bar top.
“You wouldn’t happen to belong to the table that requested all those whiskeys tonight would you?” you ask as you turn around to grab a bottle and glass. You also try to keep your hands steady and your face as neutral as possible.
“Guilty,” he lets out a small laugh as you set his drink in front of him. He doesn’t reach out to touch it, but keeps those blue eyes of his on you. “Got a problem with whiskey?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“Because I could’ve sworn you made a face when I said it,” he tells you, but there’s no attitude behind it. Good observation skills on his part, bad concealing skills on your part. He is a soldier after all.
“Oh, you caught that,” you let out a little laugh as you try to busy yourself with something behind the bar. As much as you would like to keep talking to him – because you would most likely never get the chance again – you kind of wish he would walk away so you could control your sweating. Your friend would probably slap you if you turned this interaction down though.
“Yeah, is there a story behind it or you just don’t like whiskey?” 
“I just don’t like it,” you say, and it’s true. You feel it’s way too strong, especially to be drinking so casually.
“You have one of the best whiskeys sitting on that shelf behind you, and you're telling me you don’t like it?” you’re not looking at him, but you can hear a playful tone in his voice. If only your friend could see you now, wherever she is.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Uh huh,” he replies in a tone that tells you he doesn’t believe you. “When are you able to leave from behind there?” he motions to you behind the bar. 
You take a glance up at the clock at the wall and notice you’re not supposed to leave for another three  minutes. But, then again, a cute guy is standing across from you so who cares?
“Now actually,” you respond.
“Well then pour yourself a glass, and I’ll drink it with you,” he tells you, and you feel your stomach flutter. It also could be that you’re nauseous from being so nervous.
“This sounds an awful lot like peer pressure,” you joke and he lets out a laugh. 
You do as he says and pour yourself a glass because what the hell. He raises his up as a form of cheers, and you do the same before you both tilt your heads back and drink. You pull a face as the liquid burns going down your throat; he just laughs. 
“You really don’t like it,” he says as you set your glass down.
“I prefer sweeter things like wine. You know, the stuff that doesn’t taste like acid,” you say, and he just lets out another laugh at your response.
“Well I’ll remember that for next time,” he says, and you almost drop your guys’ cups, which you just picked up to put away.
“Next time?” you pause before looking up at him.
“Yes. I’m going to be here for a while, and I figured the two of us could do something,” he tells you like it was obvious,” Without any whiskey involved of course.”
“And what makes you think I want to?”
“Because you just spent the past ten minutes having a conversation with me. Oh, and your friend told me to come over here since I helped her get with my buddy Buck,” he gives you a smirk.
Your heart practically slaps the ground, and you feel like you actually might throw up. Part of you isn’t surprised because you were never going to do anything about your crush and your friend knew, and the other part of you is shocked because what happened to girl code?
“Well now I definitely don’t want to,” you tell him, half joking, as you resume cleaning up.
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kafkasmuses · 2 months
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bucky who very openly manspreads, he always sits down with a grunt, slumping down into the seat with his legs instantly parting from each other. and it’s not like it was a little part, something barely noticeable— no, his legs were spread as far as they could possibly be. buck always gripes at him about it, telling him he looks ‘easy’ in which bucky just scoffs, rolling his eyes and spreading even farther just to annoy buck. 
bucky who reeks of mint, coffee, and the cologne he deems the best ever made, pour un humme. 
bucky who rarely ever gets hurt, but when he does? he loves to put on a show for the nurses, wincing and groaning in pain over something simple like a paper cut, or stumbling into the infirmary with a busted lip after he decided it would be funny to box one of the majors on the british air forces. he’s always flirting, too, saying something cheesy like, “gonna take good care of me, doc?“ 
bucky who makes you call him sir when you’re in the empty barracks with him, as everyone else is attending the bar, he’ll tease and tease you until you’re pathetically begging him for him to fuck you— but you left out the one thing he wanted, making him click his tongue disapprovingly, “please who, huh? you gonna be good for me and call me sir, right?”
bucky who puts his military visor hat on you when you’re riding him, chuckling whenever your thighs shake at the feeling of his thick cock stretching you out, making some idiotic joke like, “tryna ride me like ‘m an airplane, huh, doll-face?” 
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saturnville · 3 months
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home to you, major john egan
pairing: major john "bucky" egan (masters of the air) x black fem oc (amelia egan)
content: bucky returns home after spending time away in the war. inspired by this gif set
an: an anon asked me for more major john egan fics, so here we are! ask and you shall receive.
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Amelia Mae Egan found it difficult to adjust to the absence of her husband. The sound of silence was daunting and nothing short of a haunting melody that kept her up at night. 
The bed was cooler than Antarctica. The chill of the sheets stung like bitter cold. His pillow was left just as it was the day he left. Perfectly propped against the metal bedframe. She would lean over to inhale the remnants on his scent. 
Amelia wasn’t used to making her own coffee. Only he knew how to make it the way she enjoyed. When her own hands attempted to make the rich goodness, she spewed it out like a stubborn child and chucked the remainder into the sink. 
Breakfast was uncompromising without him. She couldn’t stomach more than a few bites before her eyes filled with tears and she slid the bowl across the table. It would stay untouched and crust over as the day went on. 
Her frustration grew even more when the overhead light in the bedroom went out. Her day had been long, and the last thing she needed was to enter a dark bedroom. Amelia found herself running around the house like a chicken with her head cut off searching for a new lightbulb. Of course, it was on a shelf taller than she was, so she had to use a chair to retrieve it. 
Amelia’s heartrate quickened as the agitation within her seeped through her pores. Her fingers flicked the side lamp aggressively. She kicked off her shoes and climbed unto the bed, the springs squeaking gently. She reached above her, but her hands just barely met the unlit lamp. 
“Son of a bitch,” she cursed in frustration. 
“Nasty language for a pretty woman.” Amelia’s head flung up like a spring. She released a noise--a mix between a gasp, a sob, and a laugh. Last time she checked, she wasn’t going to see him for another two weeks. But, there he stood, in all his beauty. 
John gave her a small smile and placed his suitcase on the ground. He gently placed his hat on top of it. His shoes kissed the floor as he quickly made his way to her. Amelia smiled like a child in the candy store and dropped the lightbulb on the bed. 
“Hi darlin’.” His voice was deep like ocean waters yet smooth like silk. His rough hands trailed up her soft calves and to her hips. He clenched the flesh of her bottom; she leaned into his touch, leaning down to cup his cheeks with her hands. Her tear filled eyes gazed into his loving blue eyes. 
She wasted no time connecting their lips. Relief and comfort washed over her body like tidal wave. Her baby. In that kiss was an intense fuel of passion that transcended all other emotions she felt before. Amelia released a soft whimper when his hands cupped the back of her thighs, hoisting her in his arms. 
One of John’s hands searched for the bed, laying her against it gently. Amelia giggled softly as her husband wrecked her neck with kisses, “Johnny.” John nudged her thighs open and slotted his body between them; she trapped him in position. 
“I’ve missed you, doll,” he whispered lowly, fondling with the thin shirt that covered her chest. His nose brushed against the valley of her breasts. “Did you miss me?” His ears caught her heavy breaths and soft expressions. 
“I did. So much. So happy you’re home.” Amelia’s fingers carded through his hair as she tried to maintain the small amount of self control she had left. 
“How about you show me how much you missed me, darlin’,” he commanded softly, looking into her eyes. She smiled mischievously and lowered her hands to his belt. Four months without her, there was much to make up for, and she was more than happy to oblige.
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blurredcolour · 1 month
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The Only Truth... | Part One
The Only Truth I Know Is You Masterlist
John "Bucky" Egan x POW Flight Nurse!Female Reader
While your journeys are very different, fate brings both you and Major John Egan to Stalag VIIA in Moosburg, Germany.
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Warnings: Language, Angst, Descriptions of Aerial Combat and Plane Crash, Reader Injury (2nd Degree Burns), Death, Blood, Gore, Angst, John Egan Injury, Forced March, Hospital Setting, POW Camp Setting, SS Officers, Mental Health Struggles, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Rating - 18+ ONLY.
Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.
Word Count: 7531
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January 8, 1945
A cacophony of thunderous explosions and shrieking metal shredded your restful state where you lay perched on the bottom stretcher in the back of a C-47, desperately trying to recover from the routine 0400 wake-up that came on mission days before your arrival at the advance airfield where some eighteen wounded men would come under your care. As the plane lurched and shuddered again, you bolted upright, cracking your head on the middle stretcher above you with a sharp expletive as the rows of jerry cans that you had helped load to fight off pre-flight jitters rattled against the floor where they were strapped down.
You had never experienced flak before. You had trained for the possibility of it at the School of Air Evacuation in Bowman Field, Kentucky, but the reality of it was something entirely different. Watching pinpricks of daylight appear through the alarmingly thin skin of the aircraft flooded your mouth with the bitter taste of adrenaline, your heart pounding violently as it prepared to fight or flee – but given that you were thousands of feet in the air, neither of those options were really available to you. Scrambling to your feet, you stumbled along the narrow path between the supplies that had been crammed onto the plane to be left at the front, to be traded for wounded patients on landing, and tried to get to the nose of the plane. Tried to get to cockpit where Major Roy and Captain Mercer were, pilot and co-pilot – the senior officers. They would surely know what to do.
Grateful for the decision to add your sheepskin flight jacket and gloves to your uniform of olive drab jacket and slacks with shirt and tie, a garrison cap pinned onto your sensibly styled hair, you still felt a shiver run through you despite the added warmth as you neared the radioman Warren and the brand new, baby-faced navigator Schmidt. With brown eyes wide as saucers and freckles splattered haphazardly across his face, you would not have believed the boy to be a day over fifteen. Given the fact that the plane had wandered into the range of enemy guns, your suspicions were growing all the more likely. Turning to see the back of your surgical technician, Fitzgibbons, blocking the entry into cockpit, you were about to tap his shoulder when a shower of wet, hot viscera splattered across you from the left – the only trace of Warren that remained, as a ragged hole in the fuselage now replaced his radio operator’s position.
You were vaguely aware of someone screaming, not realizing the haunting and horrified noise was emanating from your throat until Fitzgibbons grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you firmly.
“Lieutenant!” He shouted, seemingly exasperated with you. “Are you hurt?!”
Snapping your mouth shut, you smeared your hands across your face and down your body, shaking your head as the acrid smell of fuel flooded your nostrils, returning your senses to you. You quickly looked to Schmidt on your right, worried he might have been in the line of fire, and frowned to see him trying to yank a sizeable piece of metal from his shoulder.
“No, don’t!” You shouted firmly and grabbed the first aid kit from the wall above him, quickly padding the penetrating object with gauze and wrapping it, finding the purpose and procedure of it steadying. “It’ll keep the bleeding slow, ok? Keep it in, Schmitty.” You offered what you hoped was a reassuring smile, but with the remnants of Warren, mixed with the contents of the fuel tanks, splattered across you, who was to say what image you presented in that moment.
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault Ma’am, we shouldn’t even be here, got lost in the clouds an…” He began to blubber, and the plane shuddered and lurched again as Mercer tried banking out of the hail of flak, fairly dumping you into his lap.
“Easy now, easy…” You cleared your throat as it began to burn with irritation, lifting your head to see smoke billowing in from the hole in the fuselage.
“That’s it, we’re bailing out!” Roy yelled from the cockpit as he hit the bailout bell and Fitzgibbons quickly collected your parachutes, but you insisted on sending Schmidt down the aisle and out the door behind the wing first, given that he was injured.
“You know what to do Schmitty, try not to land on that shoulder.” You nodded firmly as you strapped your parachute on, fumbling slightly due to shaking hands and your thick gloves, but the repetition during your training paid off with your eventual success.
“Yes, Ma’am.” He nodded before seeming to vanish out the side of the plane.
“Sergeant.” You turned to Fitzgibbons, but he shook his head.
“You may outrank me Ma’am but you’re still a lady.” He muttered stubbornly, gesturing insistently toward the door.
“Get a move on!” Came Mercer’s impatient cry from the now-distant cockpit and you glared at Fitzgibbons.
The smoke that had been curling around you ignited then, a wall of flame licking through the air, fixing to separate Fitzgibbons from the door. A look of pure terror crossed his face – in a plane loaded with fuel, carrying dozens of jerry cans and tanks of oxygen, fire was certain death. Gripping the doorframe tightly with your right hand, you flung your left forward in advance of the encroaching, fierce heat, somewhat protected by the leather you wore, though the searing pain on your wrist assured you the flames had still found a way through. Grasping the surgical technician by the collar, you yanked him toward you just before the oppressive wall of fire sealed off the front half of the plane, checking that he nor his parachute were alight before shoving him out the door. You did not wait long to follow him.
Tears were streaming down your cheeks as the sleeve of your jacket was smoldering, the leather hardening and shrinking, the fleece on the inside trapping agonizing heat against your flesh. But your first priority was gravity. Yanking on the ripcord, you cried out at the sharp jolt from your midsection as the parachute caught the air and flung you upward before you began a gentle descent. Then you were able to begin frantically smacking at your coat, trying in vain to stop further injury. But it was not the leather itself that was burning, rather the fuel that coated the surface of it, and it refused to be put out. You had to get the damn thing off.
At last the disorienting cloud gave way to mercifully flat Italian farmland, the ground rushing up to meet your feet. You punched the harness free from your chest, yanking off your gloves, and wrestling free of your coat before stumbling forward toward the sound of a nearby stream, collapsing onto your chest to submerge the screaming flesh of your arm into the icy water. The relief of it drew a soft sob from your throat. The sliver of skin that had been exposed between your sleeve and glove was already starting to blister, would surely scar. You could not see the rest of your forearm trapped beneath your uniform sleeve, but it might have faired somewhat better.
You could have happily lay there for all of eternity, numbing the agonized nerve endings in your arm, but the sharp press of a rifle muzzle between your shoulder blades brought an abrupt end to your moment of bliss.
“Up.” A sharp command was issued in an angry, accented voice and you carefully, if awkwardly, raised up onto your knees with your hands in the air, turning to face the man.
The German soldier’s eyes widened, and his jaw hung slightly open for a moment, his shock more than evident as you revealed yourself to be a woman, before a hardened mask fell over his features once more. He gestured sharply with his rifle for you to rise to your feet and you were quick to obey. He stepped forward, reaching out as if to search you and then stopped, once again looking to your face.
You had read a pamphlet once, on what to do if you were captured. At the time, the situation had seemed utterly preposterous and unlikely, but standing face to face with a German solider in the middle of occupied Italy, you were suddenly grateful you remember something of what to do. You gave him your name followed by,
“Second lieutenant. N-741432.”
“Leutnant?” He muttered, nose crinkling, but his gaze moved to the gold butter bar on first your right shoulder and then your left, the second lieutenant’s insignia. His eyes narrowed further to see the silver wings on your left breast with the prominent N denoting your status as a Flight Nurse. “Schwester…”
The first bit of German was easy to extrapolate, sounded very much like the English version of your rank, but the second sounded like ‘sister’ more than anything else and you were not entirely certain what he was trying to communicate. He seemed finished with the conversation when he motioned to the left with his rifle.
“Go.”
And so you went, keeping your arms raised despite the arching protest of the left, past the still-smoldering remains of your flight jacket and your gloves, past your parachute tumbling across the field on the icy breeze, towards a group of two more German soldiers who seemed equally shocked as your face came into view. You supposed the slacks and loose fit of your jacket made it difficult from a distance to determine that you were a woman, but each of them was quick to smother their reactions as soon as they were revealed. One of the new fellows, so blond he barely had eyebrows, motioned for you to drop your hands and you were barely able to conceal your pain in doing so.
A flurry of Germany left his lips, making your eyebrows furrow in confusion before he gestured at the wet sleeve of your jacket. “Hurt?”
Nodding emphatically, you swallowed, pulling the fabric up slightly to reveal some of the blistered skin. The three men turned to one another, and a rather heated debate ensued, or at least that was the impression you gleaned from their tones of voice and body language, before the loudest among them seemed to prevail.
“You, come, medic.” He grasped your uninjured elbow and led you through the field on a slightly different vector toward a semi-ruined barn where several German soldiers were receiving treatment.
A soldier bearing a white armband with the Geneva cross came over when your guide beckoned and after their brief exchange, gestured for you to take a seat on an old barrel. Taking a pair of scissors, the medic carefully cut through your jacket and shirt, revealing angry, blistered skin all the way up to your elbow. Very gently, your arm was bandaged before he offered you a couple of pills that you did not recognize, and you refused them with a soft shake of the head. He shrugged and tucked them back into his pocket.
“Go, schwester.”
You frowned and pointed at yourself. “Schwester?”
The medic nodded and pointed to your golden nurse’s Caduceus insignias pinned to the lower lapels of your jacket and your eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, nurse.” You muttered quietly and stood. “Thank you.” Nodding to the medic, you followed the soldier out of the farmhouse as you rolled up the ruined ends of your sleeves to keep them from flapping obnoxiously.
What followed was a seemingly endless amount of walking, your entire body beginning to shake with cold and shock, as the soldier sought out his commanding officer. Everything felt surreal, the sound of battle so close at hand, German soldiers all around you, casting repetitive glances your way – it felt as though you had stumbled into the wrong side of a John Wayne film. When, at last, you plodded into the correct house on the outskirts of a small village, you were unspeakably grateful for the fire roaring in the hearth behind the desk of the imposing German officer who glared down his nose at you.
“Too bad you’re a woman…” He muttered in startlingly good English, making it your turn to look on in shock as your legs threatened to give out. “I suppose you also only know name, rank, serial number?”
Clenching your jaw, you nodded stubbornly, trying not to let your face betray the way your heart lurched hopefully at the word ‘also’ and he exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “You can put the contents of your pockets in here.” He held out a small burlap sack and you frowned, but obediently surrendered your favorite tube of lipstick, the four spare hairpins you always carried around, and your change purse – things all stored in your uniform jacket as you found the pockets of the flight jacket too unreliable for storage anyway. Satisfied you were carrying nothing more, he nodded to the man behind you and issued an order in German.
It was difficult to convince your legs into motion again as you were led down to a grimy root cellar with a dirt floor and only one window letting in little light. You had never seen a more welcome sight in your entire life as Schmidt and Mercer lifted their faces to meet you, their equally grimy and worn-out but elated expressions quickly blurring behind tears of relief that mortifyingly flooded your eyes. Dabbing them away, you quickly moved to Schmidt’s side and frowned to see he still had the remnants of your hasty bandage job and the piece of shrapnel in place, seemingly not afforded the same medical care you had been.
“Shit, Schmitty, they didn’t do a thing for you did they.” Kneeling beside him you began to unravel the bandages and gauze. “This needs to come out, then. Captain, would you mind holding him still, sir?”
“I’ve got him.” He nodded and grabbed the boy’s hands as you took a steadying breath.
Wrapping your fingers around the protruding end of the warped, jagged piece of metal, you began to carefully pull it from his shoulder, angling it forward as an uneven, wider piece was revealed on the end. Schmidt did an admirable job of relegating his protests to whimpers and murmurs of ‘oh god,’ only letting out one great yelp as you pulled the last of it free. You would have preferred to flush the wound with something, but there was no water available. Encouragingly, though, there was no great gush of blood.
“You did so good, Schmitty.” You smiled broadly and frowned a moment at the filthy bandages you had removed from him before beginning to unravel the relatively clean ones from your own arm.
“M…Ma’am!” He protested, voice cracking as he saw the state of your skin.
“You’re at much higher risk of infection than me, Sergeant, I won’t take any argument.”
“I don’t suppose I have any say in this?” Captain Mercer arched one of his rather elegant, black eyebrows and you swallowed.
“I’m sorry sir, but not when it comes to medical treatment. Besides, they went out of their way to bandage me once, maybe they’ll do it again.” You muttered and tied off the dressing on Schmidt. “Let me know if it gets hot or more painful, ok?”
He nodded quickly, settling back against the wall and you followed suit, feeling quite fatigued, sore, and to your surprise, hungry. Resting your throbbing arm atop your knee, you leaned your head back against the bricks of the foundation, closing your eyes to listen to the scuff of jackboots across the floorboards above you. Your mind wanted to whirl like a top, to turn questions over and over like ‘Where are we?’ ‘What will they do with us?’ ‘How long will they keep us down here?’ ‘Where are Fitz and Roy?’ but it would just be a waste of energy. Your fate was no longer in your hands and what would happen next would come no matter how hard you dwelt upon it.
The sound of the door at the top of the stairs scraping across the worn floor had all three of your heads snapping up as three sets of feet tromped down into the cellar. It was difficult to hold back your smile as Fitzgibbons peered out from between two German soldiers, the first gesturing for him to join you all on the floor while the other set down a tin plate of thick slices of dark bread covered with thin smears of margarine and four mugs of bitter smelling, black coffee. The first soldier crouched down and pointed at your arm, speaking in German.
“I needed bandages.” You pointed at Schmidt, and he frowned, either not understanding, or unimpressed. Perhaps both.
He straightened with a huff before digging around in his woolen jacket to produce a thick, rectangular bundle, tossing it at you. The two of them then retreated upstairs, shutting the door firmly behind them. Fitzgibbons was on you almost immediately, grasping the folded bandage to unravel it curiously.
“This does not look good, Lieutenant.” He looked at your arm pointedly and you huffed.
“Schmitty was worse off, Fitz, needs must.” You muttered but held out your arm without further protest as he quickly familiarized himself with the foreign bandage and carefully wrapped as much of your burn as he could.
“Thank you for what you did, Ma’am.” He murmured, voice barely audible, and you shook your head quickly.
“You’d have done the same.”
He lifted his eyes to meet yours, gaze filled with a vulnerable uncertainty, and you squeezed his shoulder with your free hand.
“Let’s eat something you two.” Mercer chimed in once he had finished bandaging you and the four of you descended on the plate of food, which tasted a lot better than it appeared. The coffee was just as bitter as it smelled, but was hot and that was entirely welcome.
After the plate was emptied, Fitzgibbons looked to Mercer slowly. “Roy?”
The Captain shook his head and you swallowed your gulp of coffee painfully – of the six of you that had left the airstrip outside Rome that morning only four had made it. Two of you were injured, and your journey had most certainly only just begun now that you were captives of the German army.
As the slim shaft of light that penetrated the cellar began to fade, your companions were fetched one by one for individual questioning by the German officer who had greeted you upon your arrival. When it at last came to your turn, the sun was well set, and though you tried to pay more attention to the detail of the rustic country house, it was hard to pick out much in the low light of the sporadically placed candles.
There was a chair waiting for you opposite the desk this time and you sank into it gratefully, every muscle in your body tight with pain as it felt distinctly like someone was rubbing sandpaper over your superheated flesh with every movement you made.
“I’m terribly sorry about your radioman and pilot, must have been horribly shocking to see such things. What a terrible day you’ve endured Lieutenant.”
Shifting quietly in your chair, you shook your head as he offered a cigarette from a pack of Lucky Strikes – surely confiscated from one of your crew members as they were not so readily available in occupied Italy.
“Is there anything I can get you to ease your discomfort? Blankets? A coat? More bandages?”
Pressing your lips together in a thin line you dropped your gaze to your lap, focusing on filling your lungs to a count of three before slowly exhaling, then repeating the process. Each offer of comfort, each word of kindness was horridly tempting and yet the source also filled you with revulsion.
“It’s a far cry from Lido De Roma where you’re going, no beaches or sea air…” Your head jerked up in shock and a slow, devious smile curled onto the German officer’s thin lips as his mention of the 802nd Medical Air Evacuation Squadron’s posting finally garnered a reaction from you. “I hope you like the Alps, Lieutenant. You will see them on your way by.”
Tears of shame pricked the corners of your eyes, and you blinked them away furiously, looking to the side. Slamming his leather-clad palms flat onto the desk, you jumped and eyed him warily as he stood slowly. “If you have nothing of value to add, then?”
Inhaling slowly you repeated your name, rank, and serial number one last time – much to his ire – before he barked out an order to have you removed from the warmth of his office and returned to the cellar. This process was repeated several times at random intervals throughout the night, the four of you taking turns resting and watching for the unfriendly arrival of an errand boy soldier to haul you upstairs for another ‘chat’ with their English-speaking officer. Sometimes he was friendly, other times he was intimidating. Once he simply sat opposite you in the near-dark and glowered.
Eventually, time or patience ran out and just as the grey light of dawn began to permeate the misty winter morning, the four of you were marched as a group up the stairs and loaded into the back of a canvas-covered truck partially filled with crates. Wedging yourselves into what open spaces you could find, you had barely sat down before the vehicle lurched into motion and began its long and jolting ride to your next destination. The sun was much higher in the sky by the time you arrived at a small train station, emerging into midday, the mists long burned away. Herded across the tracks towards a cattle car, you were startled to see a group of other American soldiers – infantrymen, being loaded in.
“Up.” Came the command from the German soldier at your back and you reached up gratefully for the broad hand of corporal already in the car who helped hoist you inside.
“How the heck did you wind up here?! Ma’am…” He quickly tacked on, and you could not help but laugh a little at the bewildered expression on his face, shuffling further into the car as the last of your comrades were loaded in.
“Well the long and the short of it is, we ran into a bit of trouble during our flight…”
Captain Mercer scoffed as he came to stand behind you. “You could say that again, Lieutenant.”
The space was suddenly plunged into darkness as the door was slid shut and barred closed. You nearly toppled over as the train jostled forward, thanking Fitzgibbons as he steadied you. You embarked on a seemingly endless journey in darkness as the train ascended and descended, stopped and started, climbed and came down across unknown landscape. It was nigh impossible to see through the thin gaps between the slats of the car itself, but you knew from your ‘conversations’ with the officer that you were crossing the Alps. Could feel the air grow cold as you huddled closer to the men around you for what warmth you could glean as your breath hung from your lips in foggy exhales.
Your bladder ached until you could no longer deny needing to use the squalid bucket in the corner. Mercer, Fitzgibbons, and Schmidt formed a human wall with their backs to you, loudly clearing their throats as you took quite possibly the longest piss in the history of womankind. With that basic need met, the ravening hunger set in. Those slices of bread were long digested by the time the train came to a stop and disgorged the lot of you, blinking into the daylight like mole-people, squinting for signage.
“Moosburg.” Mercer muttered under his breath, and you hugged your arms tightly around yourself as you stumbled through the snow to form two lines as instructed by new soldiers whose uniforms sported the double lightning symbol of the SS.
You would had never thought it possible to envy a dead man, but standing there shivering in the snow as cruel-faced men in well-cut uniforms marched up and down the lines with their snarling dogs, you wondered if perhaps it would not have been better if that piece of flak had taken you out at the same time it had struck Warren. You were not entirely certain if you were strong enough for what was to come.
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April 11, 1945
Every step was an agony. It was remarkable, really, how many injuries two goons had managed to inflict on Bucky’s body in the brief moments between Buck’s escape and Lieutenant Colonel Clark’s intervention. At least two of his ribs were cracked by the butt of that rifle, severely hampering his ability to breathe properly. Then there had been the sharp kick to the back of his calf, wrenching his knee. The coupe-de-grace had been the left hook to his jaw, shredding the inside of his lower lip across his teeth and flooding his mouth with blood. If Clark had not called them off with the threat of riot, Bucky was not entirely sure he would have made it out of that village.
As it was, he had barely made it off the floor of the church the next night, requiring a great deal of prodding from DeMarco. Teeth gritted against the raw ache in every limb, every joint, he had risen to his feet through sheer force of will, knowing the alternative was a bullet to the brain. Somehow even though Buck was well on his way back to the American lines – by god he truly hoped so – Bucky could not face the thought of disappointing him by dying like that and so he had persisted. Had kept putting one foot in front of the other as they had trudged through the mud, crossing the Danube, putting another twenty kilometres between them and Nuremberg.
It had not made it any easier to keep up, however. Bucky had felt himself slowing, felt his body refusing to keep pace with the rest of the men. Every time he had lifted his eyes from the boots of those in front of him plodding through the endless muck, he had been surrounded by different faces. As he had neared the back of the group, lightheaded from pain and lack of oxygen, he had taken a second glance as he realized the faces around him were those of Brady, Cruikshank, DeMarco, Murphy, and Hamilton – all men from the Hundredth. All had been keeping pace with him.
“We’re almost at 20, Bucky.” Brady had murmured quietly under his breath, glancing back at the pair of goons bringing up the rear.
“Keep it up.” Cruikshank had nodded encouragingly.
By some miracle he had made it into the half-collapsed warehouse, crawling into a corner that was still partially covered by its patchy roof and had promptly fallen asleep. There had been a gentle prodding against his shoulder sometime later, daylight filtering in through the dust motes drifting thickly in the air and an offering of bread had been waved in front of his face. He had pushed it away clumsily before falling back asleep. Bucky’s next return to consciousness had been with his arms slung across the shoulders of DeMarco and Brady, a great amount of protest falling from their lips about the size of him.
It had been dark again. Darkness meant more walking and so he had awkwardly planted his feet. Relieved sighs had filled his ears from both his companions as the three of them worked together to propel him out of there and down the muddy road. Night had yielded to the hazy light of dawn and at last a sea of barbed wire fences, clapboard buildings and canvas tents came into view. Bucky had quite honestly never been so pleased to see a Stalag in his entire existence.
“Almost there.” Groaned Hamilton, who had since switched off with DeMarco, though the stalwart Brady had yet to budge from beneath his right arm.
As they stepped through the gates into the main courtyard, Bucky lifted his head to eye Clark blearily. “Guess they’re not gonna process us.” His words were slightly slurred as he tried to present his usual level of joviality, but the man’s brows only furrowed deeply in response.
“Get him to the hospital immediately.”
There was a chorus of ‘yes sirs’ and some hesitation before Hamilton and Brady got their bearings, but then they were on the move again. Bucky’s legs were barely responding by this point, toes mostly dragging through the incessant muddy landscape that seemed a consistent feature of every Stalag he’d had the misfortune of visiting thus far. As his vision began to go fuzzy, black dots eating away at it while it simultaneously began to dim at the edges, Bucky began to worry this might be his last camp.
“Put him right there please.”
Bucky tried to swing his head towards the most musical sound he had heard in over a year, but Hamilton and Brady were turning him to lay on his stomach, rambling about the broken ribs on his back and all he could see were worn wooden floorboards. Until suddenly your gorgeous face flooded his vision as you knelt beside his cot, your shockingly feminine fingers cradling his face to gently turn it and ensure he was not smothered in the pillow.
The style of your hair, the lashes framing your eyes, the cupid’s bow of your upper lip – the unmistakable womanliness of you; it made his heart ache.
“Must be in heaven…” He slurred as there was certainly no way he could be alive anymore. Women did not exist in this reality of underfed men and murderous goons.
“They got you good, Major, but you’re still very much with us.” You smiled warmly up at him, and he groaned out a laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“You’re killing me, angel face.” He wheezed, lips clumsy and barely responsive, before promptly blacking out.
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Your heart plummeted as you watched his eyelids fall, shuttering those stunning, if exhausted, blue eyes, terrified you had lost another one before you even had the chance to try and save him. Fingers delving beneath the collar of his shirt, you were greatly relieved to find his strong pulse. Holding your cheek in front of his notably plush lips, the bottom one all the more pronounced by his recent injury, you were even more encouraged to feel the caress of his steady breathing. Sitting back on your heels, you nodded up to his mismatched pair of friends reassuringly.
“Did he just call her ‘angelfish?’” The blond one with angular features and a mouthful of gold muttered as they watched over their friend protectively but also seeming shocked, as everyone before them had been, to find an American woman in a POW camp.
“Maybe he was going for ‘angel face?’” The brunette with sturdy eyebrows replied in a hushed voice.
“Are you gentlemen in need of anything?” You asked, fighting hard against the amused smile that wanted to break through. They were truly a distraction when you had a patient in need of attention before you.
“No, Ma’am.”
“Thank you, Ma’am” They shuffled off to leave you to your work.
Taking a moment to assess the length and breadth of your patient, you carefully worked off his leather flight jacket before untucking his uniform shirt and undershirt to reveal the deep purple bruises on his back. His friends had been very right to be worried about broken ribs – at least three by the span of the contusion. Kneeling back down you looked over his face once more, gently lifting his head to inspect both cheeks and confirm the bones were all intact. There did not appear to be anything in need of bandaging. It was most likely that undernourishment, the march, and the broken ribs all compounded to extreme exhaustion.
“What do we have here, Nurse?”
You looked up as Major Chalmers, a British surgeon, and head of the hospital emerged from one of the exam rooms. He had been a resident POW of Stalag VIIA for nearly eight months when you arrived in January, happily surrendering one of his exam rooms to become your separate quarters in return for your work in the camp hospital. It was an arrangement that benefited both of you, kept you safe and out of the male population and occupied the long and lonely hours that seemed to pass at their own pace in this place.
Chalmers had done what he could to care for your burned arm, re-bandaging it daily. However, by the time he had been able to start giving it proper care, the damage had already been done. The skin was now permanently mottled by scars, unnaturally smooth, with a texture akin to crumpled cellophane. You were always very mindful to keep your mended sleeve down to your wrist. It was not all that difficult to cover your shame when the rest of your wardrobe consisted of standard men’s POW wear from the Red Cross – the sweaters draping over half your hands and the winter coat blissfully warm but nearly swallowing you whole.
It was only due to Chalmers’ temerity that anyone walked away from the camp hospital at all. With supplies chronically low, men were dying of the most preventable and treatable things. All you could do most of the time was put on a brave face and hold their hand, give them a little comfort at the end. Even Schimdt, despite your best efforts, had found his shoulder wound quickly beset with infection in the less than sanitary environment. Penicillin was non-existent here and he had faded fast, lost in a feverish delirium as you held tight to his hand, watching the light fade from his burning eyes. Your brave façade was second nature to you by this point, showing itself more often than your real, bedraggled self who only showed her face in the cold isolation of your locked exam-room-turned-solo-combine at night.
“Newly arrived American Major, force marched over eight days, beaten two nights ago. At least three broken ribs, damage to lower lip, abrasions to the face and contusions to the back but nothing else I can see. Pulse is strong, breathing is steady, but lost consciousness almost as soon as we laid him down, sir.”
“Hmmm.” Chalmers made a noise of displeasure at the last and conducted his own exam, digging out one of the makeshift charts to add some notes before glancing at his watch. “Do we know when he last ate?”
“No, sir.” You shook your head.
“Alright, I want you to sit with him and keep an eye on his vitals. Hopefully, he’s simply sleeping this off, but I want you to get some water and broth in him as soon as he wakes up alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
Collecting the requisite liquids, you settled onto the sliver of floor space between the Major’s cot and his neighbor’s, working at folding some boiled and dried bandages, now ready for re-use. The actual hospital itself was unspeakably crowded, men nearly stacked atop one another around a small cast iron stove. Originally built for 10,000, the camp’s population had been well over that when you had arrived in January and seemed to multiply every week now. Things had become so dire, a tent hospital had been erected adjacent to the building you lived and worked in to allow for the treatment of more men. It was crowded and ripe, and even surrounded by all these humans you still felt alone as the sole representative of your sex.
As you pulled each strand of once-white fabric from the basket, carefully rolling and tucking the ends to form neat bundles, you studied the unconscious man’s face. Errant dark curls were dangling across his tall forehead and the most absurd and yet endearing dusting of hair graced his upper lip. Clearly, he was going for a Clark Gable, but it was not quite there. Even with one ear poking a mile out to the side, however, you swallowed tightly as you realized you would not change a thing about him. Taken individually his attributes seemed odd, yet combined to make an incredibly handsome whole. Not to mention his feet were dangling off the end of his cot, his shoulders barely contained by the sides of it. If he woke up, no when he woke up, he was going to be a devastating sight to behold.
Reaching the midway point of your task, you slid forward onto your knees to check his vitals, pleased they were holding steady and noting so on the chart, before settling back onto the floor. You had nearly reached the bottom of the basket when a pair of boots entered the hospital. Not German, you had long since become familiar with the way jackboots reverberated across wooden floorboards. Most likely American or British. Peering around the end of the bed your eyes widened as you caught a glimpse of a silver oak leaf – a Lieutenant Colonel! That was the highest rank you had yet to encounter in camp.
Struggling to disentangle yourself from your laundry and not kick over your patient’s waiting fluids in the process of trying to rise to your feet and accord the man the proper greeting that his rank entitled him, you looked up startled as he addressed you first.
“At ease, Nurse.”
He was the first man to seem utterly unfazed by your presence and you somehow found that unspeakably reassuring.
“Thank you, Colonel.”
“How is Major Egan?” He peered down at the still very much asleep man.
“Major Chalmers, our Surgeon, is certain it is no more than a case of exhaustion and he will recover with rest and fluids upon waking. He’s just down the hallway behind you there if you’d like to speak to him yourself, sir.”
He nodded thoughtfully as he glanced over his shoulder before looking back to you. “The Red Cross knows you’re here?”
“I filled out the card when I arrived in January, sir.” You nodded.
“Where have they put you?”
“Converted one of the exam rooms, sir. I eat, sleep, bathe separately.”
“Good.” He nodded in return, seeming quite satisfied with your answer. “Name’s Clark, please find me if you need anything.”
“Thank you very much, Colonel.” You smiled warmly, feeling strangely fragile as the warmth of it actually emanated from deep inside you rather than a mask plastered on for the comfort of the recipient.
Dismissing himself from your presence with one sharp nod, he turned to follow your directions down the hall, most likely in search of Chalmers. Turning back to eye your patient, Major Egan, you sighed a little as he remained blissfully unconscious, lips parted against the thin pillow to allow heavy exhales to fall rhythmically. There was little change to his condition as the sun made its way across the sky before hovering at the horizon, preparing to set. Your dinner was delivered to the bedside and there was a rather heated exchange between Chalmers, Clark, and a few of the guards before they conceded you could remain unlocked for the night to keep an eye on your fragile patient. This Lieutenant Colonel was obviously not someone to be trifled with.
You waved off Chalmers when he asked if you were up to the task, taking advantage of his presence to make a quick bathroom run and fetch a blanket before returning to your post. It was your first night spent amongst others in months, their soft snores and nightly noises combining with the sound of rain pattering onto the ramshackle roof to do their very best to pull you under into sleep. The downward slide of your eyelids was halted abruptly by the first vocalization from Major Egan since his contested term of endearment – angel face? Angelfish? Whatever it had been, silence had since reigned over his mouth until he began to mutter and emit soft sounds of protest, his features tense and furrowed. Shifting up onto your knees, you lay one hand over his clenched fist, trying to smooth the crease in his brow with the thumb of your other.
“It’s alright Major Egan, you’re safe.” You soothed in a hushed whisper, hoping to dispel whatever unseen terror was plaguing his thus far peaceful sleep.
He shifted slightly in response, lips smacking a little as his hand moved with alarming speed to engulf yours in a tight grip and hold it close to the side of his chest. Barely smothering your gasp of surprise, you held your breath a moment until he stilled completely, features relaxing and breath evening out as he slipped deeper into sleep once more. Exhaling slowly you gnawed on your lip a moment before shifting to sit on the floor with your back against the cot, hand still very much held captive by his. Allowing yourself to drift a little more, quite certain any movement on his part would now alert you to his wakening, you barely noticed the hourly checks the goons were making on you – clearly uneasy about having you roam free amongst the hospital patients, but for whatever reason Clark’s demands had been honored and it was a refreshing change around here.
It was just before dawn of the following day when Major Egan began to shuffle and groan behind you, your hand slipping free from his. You straightened stiffly, turn to watch him roll onto his uninjured side and take stock of his surroundings.
“Good morning, Major, have a good rest?” You asked quietly, hoping not to wake the others sleeping around him.
His head immediately snapped down towards you and he eyed you in bewilderment once again. “I thought you were a hallucination.” He rumbled, voice roughened by disuse.
You smirked slightly and nodded. “I got that impression. Thirsty?”
He bobbed his head in a small nod, and you slid to your feet, grasping his elbows to help him sit up. Grabbing the mug from the ground, you offered it to him, only allowing him to take a small sip before pulling it back. He blinked at you sluggishly for a moment before you offered him the mug again. After three limited sips, which he clearly found frustrating, you allowed him to keep hold of the mug as you wrapped your fingers around his thick wrist to track his pulse.
“How long was I out?” He asked once you were finished noting your findings on his chart.
“Almost a day. Seems as though you really needed the rest. Ready to try a little broth?” You smiled as he nodded once more and picked up the other mug from the ground. “I saved you some, I’ll get it warmed up.”
He slowly lay back down as you took the mug of broth over to the stove in the centre of the room and set it on top, swirling the liquid until it was steaming and then decanting it into his now empty water mug so it would not burn his hands. As you returned to his bedside, he leveraged himself up with barely concealed, painful effort and you frowned as you set the mug in his hands.
“I’m here to help with that, Major.”
“Please,” he took a sip of the steaming liquid, “call me Bucky.”
You smiled and introduced yourself properly as well before your lips tugged into a mischievous grin. “But do feel free to keep calling me angelfish, I certainly haven’t gotten that one before.”
He choked a little on his next sip, giving you a rueful albeit lazy smirk. “Kick a man when he’s down why don’t ya, angelfish.”
You were unsuccessful in smothering your answering giggle, several of the men around you muttering and tossing restlessly as you had accidentally woken them. Bucky pressed a long finger to his lips teasingly before turning back to his broth, slowly finishing it before setting the empty mug on the floor beside the low cot.
“I uh, am sure the facilities are lacking but…” He raised an eyebrow meaningfully and you swallowed, gesturing for him to follow you, and assessing his movements with your medically trained eye.
It was of course a test, of his balance, pain level, and energy to see how he moved across the floor and into the rustic patients’ washroom. You, of course, left him to his own devices in there, but walked him back to the bed, noting how he grew stiffer with each step.
“I’m sorry we don’t have anything for the pain.” You whispered when he lay down once more on his stomach, small grunts of discomfort escaping him.
He shook his head. “S’fine, angelfish.” He mumbled softly, sleep tugging at him again already as you tucked him in with the worn blanket.
“Rest then, Bucky.” You soothed, relieved that he was quite cognizant, able to keep his food down, and resting well.
This one might make it.
-------------------------
Read Part Two
The Only Truth I Know Is You Masterlist
Tag list: @gretagerwigsmuse, @luminouslywriting, @softspeirs, @sunny747
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gloryofroses19 · 1 month
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The Force of a Curl
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Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan was hungover, wet and missing a shoe. Hungover because those boys in the 389th challenged him to a drinking contest, wet because his mother stopped pestering him to take umbrellas when he was twelve years old and missing a shoe because of that damned English mud. 
If the boys could see him now, Bucky thought, shaking his head. He could practically hear Curt and Buck’s laugh all the way from the US. 
Sighing loudly as the storm increased, the pilot moved to pick up his shoe. But as his fingers brushed the shoe, the Major was shocked to find that the rain had stopped. No, not stopped he amended noticing the umbrella extended above his head.
“Are you alright, Major?” Asked a feminine voice conveying a mixture of concern and thinly veiled amusement. 
While he had only been at Thorpe Abbots for two days, John Egan recognized the woman before him. Lieutenant [last name] was a notable figure to many. To most on the base, she was the pretty faced WAC lieutenant included in the upper brass briefings. To Bucky Egan, she was a puzzle he wanted to solve. Though their interactions had been limited to a short introduction and shared proximity during meetings, he already knew she was beautiful, smart, calm and confident. Even when facing the asinine questioning of Colonel Huglin. However, this interaction was offering something entirely new… 
Standing to his full height, John ran a hand through his hair. Whether it was because of the rain or self consciousness of being caught in this position by her was something he’d never tell.
“Oh, I’m doing great, Lieutenant. Just enjoying the feeling of the ground.” Shooting her a confident smile despite his sorry state.
“Just with one foot?” Raising an eyebrow, [y/n] struggled to keep the laugh from escaping. “Guess you pilots really do forget what it’s like to be on solid ground. Bit of advice then, try to avoid the puddles. They’re deeper than they seem.”  [y/n] teased as the Major moved to rescue his shoe from the mud. 
“Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” He responded airly feeling his grasp on the situation slip. With no teasing retort brewing on his mind, the pilot was left feeling mollified by the teasing glint in her gaze. 
Raising the umbrella to adjust for the height difference, [y/n] watched transfixed as a stray curl fell in front of his eye. He really was a handsome sight to behold [y/n] mused as his hand brushed hers to take the umbrella from her grasp. 
If anyone were to pass by them, the pair offered the illusion of intimacy and familiarity through their shared laughter and proximity. However, an illusion was just an illusion unless perceptions were altered. 
“You been here long?” Like in any small town, she had heard of the new Major before she met. His singing alone had reached her ears before she entered the pub two nights prior. Though his voice was loud and brash when singing, the deep Midwestern baritone during conversation was far more pleasing. “I hope you’ve fared better with the mud than I have, Lieutenant ''. 
“5 months and yes I have,” [y/n] began before pausing to giggle at a memory, “but two weeks in being here I…”  Looking up into those inquisitive cerulean eyes, [y/n] stopped herself from continuing. Clearing her throat, she reminded herself that he wasn’t just any handsome man, he was a Major. And therefore, it was probably best to not inform her superior of some slight trouble that happened to find her. “Nevermind, sir”. 
Noticing the tone of professionalism that blended into her dulcet tones, John frowned. He had heard this tone before, it was how she responded to him when he introduced himself and when she spoke during the Brass meetings. 
“No, don't give me sir, I don’t want sir. I’m soaked and missing a shoe, rank’s off. Call me Bucky or I’ll even take John.” He liked this version more, because there’s nothing he loved more than someone he could laugh with. Even if it was at his own expense as Bucky Egan wasn’t a man who took himself too seriously. 
“Come on, can’t leave me hanging like that. You’ve seen me at my lowest, it’s only fair that you share as well.” He countered, his determination to get her to smile at him again unwavering. To further emphasize his point, he wiggled his sock clad foot hoping to get another laugh. 
She could see why many were transfixed by the new Major on the base, he carried himself with a genial ease that was both disarming and charming. 
Deciding she might as well dig her own grave, she relented with a sigh. “Two weeks in I got locked in the enlisted men’s mess hall on an unnecessary errand for Colonel Huglin.”
Eyes crinkling in delight, John took in her deadpan delivery that was obviously a pass fake to her underlying embarrassment. “How’d you get out?” John asked in response, knowing it would be a worthwhile story. 
“As the metaphor goes, when one door closes another one opens. Namely a window in the back of the kitchen.” She remarked casually as if any rational person’s first idea would be to climb through a window. 
Laughing in warm boisterous bursts, Bucky’s gaze was unwavering and full of affection and intrigue. 
The implication of his gaze was enough to make any girl flustered, [y/n] included. Deciding to busy herself with pointing in the opposite direction, she hoped to quell the butterflies. “Can I walk you somewhere, Major?” 
“How chivalrous of you.” He responded softly, with a matching grin. Watching the rain drops land on her otherwise pristine uniform, he stepped forward. Leaning closer, he was captivated by the teasing curl of her lips. 
“Well if being one shoe down and soaked doesn’t make you a damsel in distress then I’m not sure what else would.” 
With the way she was smiling at him, he wouldn’t mind being saved by her again, John thought. “Well you got me there. Walk me to my billet kind knight?”
Up until this point in the war, her mindset had firmly been 'loose lips sink ships’. No unnecessary comments or connections or else her heart would be broken. However, watching that damn curl fall across his face, [y/n] knew she had lost this battle. And if she was so easily defeated by Major John Egan then she feared for the poor unsuspecting Germans. 
“Lead the way, Fly Boy.”
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arkhamknightz · 2 months
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SUNDAY, MONDAY OR ALWAYS
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pair : major john 'bucky' egan x fem!reader
summary: you hate bucky egan– could a song drunkenly sang at a pub change that? based off this ask
warnings: drunk bucky, language ig?, bad writing
notes: masters of the air has completely taken over my life.. also on that note this fic may be awful while im trying to figure out how to write for this series but its okay because theyre pretty men in uniforms ! also i changed the song from blue skies to fit the fic better :) i dont know about timeline so if the song wasnt written before this scene was supposed to take place then ignore that 🙏🏽
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The pub was loud, soldiers spread all across the room. In a sea full of people, Bucky could only notice as you stood against the wall with a drink in your hand. He started to walk towards you, as soon as his eyes met yours, you looked away and rolled them– taking another sip of your drink.
"Oh c'mon! I was barely even halfway here and you're already rolling those pretty eyes of yours?" His voice got closer, before he stood against the wall right next to you. "May I help you Major? Or are you just here to bother me again." Annoyance was laced through your words, eyes scanning the room for Buck.
"C'mon sweetheart you know its Bucky!" He smiled at you before you looked up at him. "Well Major, its always a pleasure talking to you." She spat sarcastically before making her way over to the bar, a small pout gracing Bucky's face.
He watched as another soldier sparked a conversation with you, watching as you give him a polite smile. He stared for a moment before feeling a pat on his back, Buck coming into view. "What'd you even do to piss her off this time?"
Bucky scoffed. "Nothing! Why do you always assume I did something?" Buck stayed silent for a moment, staring at him with an eyebrow raised. "Do you really want me to awnser that?" Bucky stayed silent, a small chuckle leaving Cleven.
"Just give it up for the night, we both know she isn't gonna budge." Bucky sighed. "I didn't even get to try before she walked away!" Another laugh left Buck, smiling at his friend as he spoke. "Gotta take the hint- go get another drink, you look like you need it."
He in fact, did not need it. Half an hour later Bucky made his way over to where Buck and a few guys from the 100th were sitting. He was clearly drunk, slightly stumbling before plopping down in the chair, tapping his foot against the floor as music played.
He looked over at Buck, a grin on his face. "You know what this is missing?" Without even turning, Buck replied. "Nothing" "Vocals!... I'm gonna sing" As soon as Bucky tried to stand up, Buck's hand pulled him back.
Bucky pouted for a moment before leaning over. "Jack! Should I sing?" Jack shook his head, a quick 'no' leaving his lips. Bucky leaned back disappointedly, before turning over again to another member of the 100th. "Should I sing?" "No"
He leaned back in his chair again, fixing his hair as he stared at the musicans. "Alright, you're right... you're right." He sat back for a moment, biting his lip and tapping his hand before shooting out of his seat. Dancing over to the middle of the room before turning to Buck.
"It's my song!" Buck shook his head, watching as his friend grabbed the mic. As he was about to start singing, he saw your eyebrows furrowed as you both made eye contact before sitting next to Buck.
"What's he doing up there?" You asked. Buck sighed, "He said he was gonna sing." Your face turned into a grimace, a big smile on Bucky's face before he started singing, making eye contact as he started.
"Oh, won't you tell me when, we will meet again! Sunday, Monday or always" He was loud, a big smile still on his face as he sang. You sat back and watched, a small smile starting to grow on your face as a small laugh made its way out of you.
There was no possible way he knew the song was a favorite of yours, but there was something nice about the sight of him singing up there- even if it wasnt objectively the best thing you've ever heard. Bucky watched as a small smile appeared on your face, growing more estatic as he sang.
"If you're satisfied, I'll be at your side! Sunday, Monday or always— No need to tell me now, What makes the world go 'round!" Bucky made his way closer to your direction, clearly making eye contact as he continued. "When at the sight of you, my heart begins to pound and pound! and what am I to do?"
A small blush started to appear on your face, trying to bite back a smile as you shook your head, a laugh leaving your chest as he danced around, shaking your head 'no' as he motioned for you to come up. He finished the verse, grabbing your hand and pulling you up onto the dancefloor, mic held up to his mouth. "Can't I be with you, Sunday, Monday or always."
You laughed as he put the mic back on the stand, spinning you around. He smiled down at you as he pulled you close, speaking softly, but loud enough for you to hear. "If I knew I could get you to stop glaring at me everytime I talked to you by serenading you in a bar I would've done this ages ago."
You shook your head, holding back a smile, dancing with him as the music continued. "Don't get cocky with me, this is a... a one time thing-" You couldn't ignore how his face fell for a moment, before being replaced by a smile. "Why do you hate me so much anyways?"
She shook her head. "I don't exactly hate you- I just didn't like your approach the first few times we tried talking." Bucky smiled softly, "And now? What's the verdict sweetheart?" You paused, feet no longer moving to the music. "Hmm... ask me in a few more days and i'll give you an awnser."
She walked away, Bucky sighing in disappointment. He walked back over to Buck before hearing you call him over. "I'm going back to the bar to get a soda, you coming or not?" Bucky looked wide eyed at Buck before smiling and jogging over to you.
Maybe he would finally get his shot.
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millie-multifics · 3 months
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Proverbial Dark Clouds • Part 3
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Major John Egan x Reader
A woman finally snuck her way into the heart of eligible bachelor Major John Egan, he is all too soon reminded of why he fended off love for so long.
Warnings: Angst. Themes of war, death and violence. Heart break. Spoilers to episodes 1-4. A little bit of steam but nothing graphic.
Word Count: ~2.7k
Final part of Proverbial Dark Clouds. Thank you so much for reading!
Masterlist Part 1 Part 2
x x x
Every moment they were stuck in the Algerian sand, Bucky kept his eyes on the sky, hoping that maybe a straggling plane would come along. The sun and sand were hot, most of the men had stripped to their underclothes hoping for some relief, many thinking about their lost comrades and the prospect of an ice-cold beer.
The only thing on Bucky’s mind was you. He could picture you sitting along with the boys in the sand, hounding them about sunburns and heat sickness but you would be as undressed as your modesty would allow with sweat dripping down your brow- so in love with the fact that you both had made it through alive.
It had all been a blur, the past two weeks or so for John. Being a leader amongst his men meant he couldn’t allow himself to be effected by the disappearance of you and his friends, he couldn’t lay his pain on the shoulders of his men. It had become a morning routine to visit the infirmary. The visits had started as a daily occurrence until Buck had caught on to his pre-breakfast disappearances, but he still stopped by when he could sneak away from Gale’s watchful eye. He’d stand near the doorway, expecting you to walk by, beautiful as ever even with blood spattered on your uniform. You never did.
You quickly learned that the base was always abuzz before and following a mission. While the pilots rested as much as their minds would let them the night before, all the other personnel were preparing to bring the men home as successful and safe as possible. For you it meant one more checkup for any soldiers who were cleared to leave the infirmary, preparing a general medical kit for each plane and hundreds of smaller medical kits for each soldier, a precaution should they need to bail out of the plane.
“Is there a man you fancy on this mission?” Doctor Williams asked, earning a confused frown as you shook your head. “If you keep pacing you will wear a hole in the middle of my floor.”
To put it lightly, you were bored. All of the patients had been tended to, every other task that the doctor had requested you complete was finished and you were full of trapped energy as your body overcompensated for your lack of sleep.
“They should be arriving anytime now, put on a jumpsuit and meet them in the field.” The doctor suggested, glancing up from his paperwork as you continued to pace.
“Am I permitted to do that?”
The man shrugged, just as tired as you. “Well, I’m permitting it. It would be more of a hassle to replace this floor if you wear a divet in it.”
You watched as the planes landed one by one. Most of the men had small treatable wounds until one particular plane caught your eye. The crew worked together to lower a bloodied man from inside, the rest of the medical team quickly rushed toward them with a stretcher. You followed, working to roll up the sleeves on your jumpsuit, ready to get your hands bloodied if need be.
“What’s his name?” You asked, your feet following along with the stretcher as you moved the injured soldiers jacket away from his wound.
“Duval.”
The familiar voice had you glancing over your shoulder as the men loaded the stretcher into the truck. Those gray eyes had been ingrained in your thoughts for the past week. Recognition dawned on his features, and what you could only decipher to be distaste flashed across his face. You had been someone he was not expecting to see again, after all, England had an array of American bases and neither of you had specified your destination during your previous encounter.
“Alright Duval, let’s get you fixed up.”
After helping Doctor Williams assess and treat Duval, you had been placed in charge of treating the men with smaller, more superficial wounds. Since most of the men had smaller wounds requiring only proper cleaning, bandaging and maybe a few stitches the lineup at your station was quite lengthy. Needless to say, your lack of sleep had you on edge and when the final man sat in the chair across from you, you couldn’t help but sigh.
“Don’t sound so sad to see me, sweetheart.”
“I heard you’re the one who treated Duval on the plane?” Your fingers gently gripped his chin to turn his head to the perfect angle for proper light.
“Impressed?”
“Confused.” You dipped the clean cloth into the bowl of water, “You could treat a wound like that but not take a shower to wash this blood off your face?”
“And miss my chance to be patched up by you?” He teased, but you could see it in his eyes, the nervousness he tried to hide. With your time in the medical field you had learned to read people through their eyes and body language, an important part of your job was to detect when people were in discomfort or pain.
“Earlier, you looked at me like I was a ghost or something.”
“I was just surprised is all.” He winced from the sting as you dabbed the dried blood from his hairline, “You this heavy-handed with every soldier?”
You scoffed, “The man before you did not flinch when I put 6 stitches in his brow.”
“Are you calling me weak?” John playfully leaned away from your touch “Maybe I am weak, weak in the knees for you.”
“Do these lines usually work for you?” Your fingers paused their work, your eyes jumping from inspecting his wound to the mischievous glint in his gray eyes.
“That depends. Will you agree to have a drink with me?”
“You are infuriatingly charming, Major.”
“Please, call me John.”
He had been tense lately, slipping closer and closer to the edge. It had become clear to Buck at Dye’s 25th Mission celebration that his friend was in dire need of a break. He sent John to London for the weekend, hoping that it would ease some of the tension in his shoulders and cast away the dark cloud that hung over his head. John felt the hotel was too quiet, escaping to a local pub for some noise and a beer and when a beautiful woman had approached him to share a drink he had tried to entertain her, maybe that would help him forget about you, but when she had gone to powder her nose he had slipped out undetected.
Sometimes John had trouble sleeping before missions, he would still be tossing and turning when a runner was sent to wake them up for their briefing. Now, he had trouble sleeping every night. Nearly two months had passed since you had disappeared, still nobody had any answers of what exactly had happened, either you had died a gruesome death or become a prisoner of war. The dark truth was John wasn’t sure which one he would prefer, resting at peace like the angel you were or trapped, possibly facing cruel acts of violence every day.
When exhaustion took over and sleep was impossible to avoid, he dreamt of you. Always so beautiful, always so you- those nights caused a deep ache to spread through his chest. He almost felt silly for the whole thing, you two had not been together long but he had been so captivated by your whole being. For so long he had sworn off love, not because he did not want it, but because he was certain that he would never experience it.
You smoothed down the soft skirt of your dress, no longer accustomed to wearing such a luxury item. The dress had been gifted to you by another nurse upon hearing through the grapevine that you had a date with the handsome Major. Unbeknownst to you, that Major was the “grapevine”.
A fast moving jeep suddenly stopped in front of your billet, the sound of it skidding along the gravel road pulled your attention away from the small crease along the dresses hem. The handsome Major stepped out of the jeep, his smile grew as he took in your form. There was a glint in his eye as he approached, gently brining your the back of your hand to his lips to lay a gentle greeting kiss.
“Your carriage awaits.”
You inspected the jeep and the patiently waiting solider in the drivers seat. “Have you ordered that man to chauffeur us around this evening? Or is he doing this with his own free will?”
“Half and half,” John shrugged, leading you toward the vehicle, “But that is because I have a plan.”
“A plan?”
The Major hummed as he opened the passenger door of the Jeep, “Do you happen to know how to ride a bicycle?”
Your chauffeur dropped you off at your destination and quickly drove off into the sunset, presumably back to Thorpe Abbott before anyone realized he was gone. John led you into a quaint pub, his familiarity with the other patrons and bartender told you that he had visited it often since arriving in England. He led you to a table in the corner, leaving you by yourself momentarily while he went to get drinks.
“It feels like you are sitting a whole world away,” He gripped the edge of your chair, pulling it closer to the corner of the square table, “Much better.”
“So, what are the components of this master plan?”
“My crew is set to arrive tomorrow, if all is according to plan. Bicycles are hard to come by at Thorpe Abbott right now and I sure as hell could use one, trying to get one for a friend of mine too.” His breath brushed your face as he leaned closer, keen on hiding the next phase of his plan from any nosy patrons. “He always said that drinking leads to gambling, and where would a better place be than here?”
You gasped, feigning shock. “Major, I hope you are not planning to swindle some poor locals for their bicycles?”
“If all goes according to plan.” His charming smile returned, “But of course that is simply only a singular component of my plan, enjoying a beer and the company of a compelling lady are my highlights.”
You spent your evening tucked away in the corner, John coaxing stories from you about your past, eager to learn more about you. You were both so enthralled that neither of you had noticed your bodies slowly gravitating closer as the night went on. You were sitting on the same side of the table now, shoulder to shoulder, feet tangled together and hands lingering merely an inch apart on the table top.
“It’s getting late.” John glanced at his watch, turning his wrist to show you the face of the timepiece.
You sighed, not wanting the evening to end. “Time flies when you are having fun.”
“That it does.” He finally stopped playing coy, boldly taking your soft hand into his rough one. You felt a chill run through you as his thumb swiped over the back of your hand. “I should put in a little work on acquiring those bicycles, then get you back to base.”
You waited patiently, unsure of what his gambling entailed. What you had not expected was for John to bet another man could hit a bullseye, the target though being an apple resting on top of Johns very own head.
“John, as a medical professional I must advise you against this.” You spoke over the rowdy patrons in the pub “There has to be another way for you to acquire a bicycle, you’ll lose an eye.”
“No I won’t, I trust Tommy.” He assured, the additional beer and adrenaline now running through his blood stream providing him with extra confidence. “Now he wins this, I get both those bikes.”
“Yeah, you’re on yank.”
“And I get a kiss.” John sent you a wink as he stepped in front of the dart board. “Alright, Tommy, not my eyes. Not my eyes, Tommy. All right?”
He placed the apple on top of his head and covered his eyes with his hand, letting a big breath out. “Alright Tommy, whenever you’re ready.”
You held your breath, pulling at the skin on your fingers to keep yourself from covering your eyes as well. The possible outcomes filtered through your mind, puncture wound of the face or hand, loss of an eye; both would not have great outcomes for any pilot. You had to close your eyes as Tommy took aim.
Gasps echoed through the pub as the dart pierced skin, luckily for sake of most peoples it was the skin of the apple.
“Tommy!”
John brushed past you to hug Tommy for their victory, before circling back to pull your body into his arms. You were too shocked with the contact to return it before he retreated for one more celebrity cheer with the other patrons who had witnessed the unbelievable sight.
You gripped your dress in your hand while trying to maintain grip on the bicycles handlebar, not wanting your dress to get caught in the wheel. Only a minute after you had departed the pub, the clouds opened up and the down pour started. You had laughed in disbelief at first, just your luck to be caught in the rain on a night like this.
“Nothing but blue skies do I see,
Not in England though,
Got shitty weather and blue skies, smiling at me.”
John sung at the top of his lungs as he weaved along the road in front of you, making the most of the poor weather with his clever lyrics and self-identified singing ability.
The bikes were abandoned in the rain on the walkway to your small cabin. Against all the rules, you had invited the Major to step inside to escape the rain to say goodnight. He stood in the threshold, his confident demeanor dwindling as a near awkwardness hung by the threshold.
You were grateful that the other ladies in your cabin had been granted weekend passes, you couldn’t imagine this moment if you had five other women watching this moment like it was the next best movie.
“I enjoyed tonight.” You found a shirt abandoned on your bunk, using it to quickly dry the water droplets running down your scalp. “Despite you nearly blinding yourself for a bet.”
“Actually, I do recall the bet including a kiss.”
His words hung in the space between you. You dropped the shirt onto your bunk as he took slow steps forward, almost unsure if you were open to fulfilling the wager.
“You’re right, I think it did.” The words sounded like a whisper coming from your lips, nearly being drowned out by the sound of the heavy rain beating against the tin roof above your heads. You slowly stepped forward, closing the space between your bodies until your finger tips brushed.
“This alright, sweetheart?” His warm breath fanned your face as he asked. Your nod causing your nose to briefly rub along his before your lips connected in a slow kiss. Your hands found his hips as his snaked around to the back of your head, slowly increasing the pressure of the kiss as your body relaxed against his. The kiss had unleashed an array of feelings that continued to smolder throughout the night.
His short trip to London had done nothing to help ease the spreading darkness of his mind- 30 bombers lost.
The headline in the newspaper and his phone call to Thorpe Abbott was all he needed to solidify the fantasy he had of what he must do moving forward in this war. The only way he would make it through without losing the rest of his sanity was to find you, and now Gale with the other missing men.
The heart breaking truth was you had never made it out of your reverie, the last words gracing your thoughts was your Majors sweet whisper.
“My pleasure, sweetheart.”
x x x
@canyousmelltheflowers @mads-weasley @groovin2beats @major-john-bucky-egan @finelinetimothee @surazim @orphancains @danny-boy27 @eugenedream
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theliterarybeldam · 3 months
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It is absolutely ludicrous that there are no Callum Turner fics for Masters of the Air 💀
I need my Major John “Bucky” Egan fix ASAP
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hbowarbabes · 2 months
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Living to See Another Day
John “Bucky” Egan x Reader
Summary: As the 100th bomb group get ready to fly their next mission, Bucky is uncertain of his fate or his relationship.
This is based off the scenes in episode 5 of MOTA
Warnings: angst, crying, heartbreak
Words: 1.8k
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• • •
Thorpe Abbotts Airbase,
Norfolk, England
October 10, 1943
The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the air force base as Bucky stood on the tarmac, his heart heavy with worry. The supposed "disappearance" of his friend Buck and his crew on the mission to Bremen had shaken him to the core.
The unease in the air was palpable, a sense of foreboding hanging over the base like a dark cloud.
In front of him, Y/n’s crew were making their way to the jeep which would take them to one of the replacement aircrafts. That didn’t soothe Bucky’s nerves one bit.
There weren’t enough aircrafts to make the mission over the English Channel. And once they’d reached enemy territory, the rest would be left undetermined.
Bucky watched the squadrons getting in vehicles that would take them to their planes and possibly their last destination. His mind kept drifting to Y/n, the pilot who stole his heart all because of her sheer determination to prove that she could fly a mission even as others looked down on her. And that she did.
But no matter how talented one was, there was no guarantee of survival. You had to expect the worst.
The thought of something happening to Y/n or himself filled him with a deep sense of dread. He couldn't shake the feeling that he or anyone else could be next. No one knew.
As Y/n walked past him, her face a portrait of determination, Bucky felt a sudden surge of panic. He knew he had to do something, anything, to protect her from whatever invisible threat loomed on the horizon that could harm the future of their relationship.
Without thinking, he reached out and pulled Y/n aside, away from the prying eyes of their fellow pilots. Of course, they all noticed and whispered among themselves. Y/n, embarrassed and a bit confused, followed Bucky as he held onto her arm.
Hiding behind a building, Bucky scanned the area for any wandering eyes, making sure no one else was listening.
Y/n stood there dumbfounded. This behavior was very unusual. She knew something was wrong just by the look of desperation in his face.
“Y/n, we need to talk,” Bucky said, his voice low and urgent.
Confusion flickered in Y/n's eyes, her brows furrowing in concern.
“What's wrong, Bucky? Why are you acting so strange?”
Bucky hesitated, the words catching in his throat. He knew what he had to do, even if it tore his heart to pieces. “Y/n, we can't do this anymore. We need to end things between us.”
The girl's eyes widened in shock.
“What? Bucky, what are you talking about? Why are you leaving me all of a sudden?”
Bucky's heart ached at the hurt in her voice, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her the real reason behind his sudden decision. She would see him as a coward if he even bothered to bring up his motive for wanting to leave her. Instead, he shook his head, his jaw clenched in determination. “I can't explain it, Y/n. But please, just understand that it's for the best.”
Y/n stared at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she nodded in disbelief. The man who she’d always trusted had dropped this news on her right before their biggest mission. Could the timing have been any worse?
“Fine. Then consider all of this,” Y/n moved her index finger in a circular motion as she got in Bucky's face, her face growing angrier. The tears continued to pour from her eyes and drip down her face.
“Over.” She turned on her foot, not willing to hear another word from the man who had just broken her heart.
As Y/n walked away, her shoulders slumped with defeat, Bucky felt a pang of guilt stab at his heart. If he could have it another way, he would’ve, but he didn’t see another way out of it.
He pushed aside his emotions, his mind consumed with the looming mission ahead. The more he thought about Y/n, the more he’d drive himself crazy. And crazy was not something he needed to be on an important mission. Now was no time for screw-ups.
“I’m so sorry, Y/n.” Bucky thought to himself.
• • •
The fleet of 17 aircrafts soared through the sky, cutting through the clouds like silver arrows as they headed for Münster. The tension in the cockpit was palpable, the pilot's grip on the controls white-knuckled as they braced themselves for whatever lay ahead.
Only flying 2 aircrafts behind Bucky’s, Y/n still felt as if she wanted to rip the Major’s head off. She kept her calm composure even through the many questions and assumptions she had heard upon getting in the aircraft. The crew could see her tear-stained face and they had already guessed that Bucky said something that set her off.
Y/n didn’t explain the whole ordeal, but instead sold them a lie that the Major had only warned her of her flying abilities.
Part of the crew bought it, but the rest knew better. Y/n was just covering Bucky’s ass so no one would try to confront him later on.
“Don’t try to get us killed, sweetheart!” A crew member yelled with humor, all aware of Y/n’s lack of patience at the moment. She was much too focused on keeping watch for enemy aircraft.
She had been lucky enough to survive the missions she'd been on. They all came with their complications, but in the end had resulted in her and her squadron getting to live a little longer.
But today's mission felt different. There wasn't a feeling of security. and it all had to do with the shortage of inventory of aircrafts. they could easily be taken out. They were sitting ducks.
And then it happened.
German aircrafts descended upon them like a swarm of angry bees, outnumbering them with ruthless precision. Chaos erupted in the sky as the metallic glint of gunfire filled the air, the deafening roar of explosions drowning out all other sounds. There was no escape.
In one direction, German planes would be firing at you, and in another, one of the fleet's aircraft would be seen going down on fire or blowing up before it even hit the ground.
In the midst of the chaos, Y/n's aircraft was hit, a burst of flames erupting from its engines as it spiraled out of control. Bucky's heart clenched in terror as he watched her plane plummeting closer to the ground, a trail of smoke marking its descent.
As her crew finally got out, Y/n quickly jumped out of the cockpit and made her way out of the aircraft, her parachute billowing out behind her like a white flag of surrender. Bucky held his breath as he watched her fall, his heart pounding in his chest as he prayed for her safety.
On their aircraft, Bucky and his crew faced their own battle for survival, the enemy bullets raining down on their engines, not giving them much time to think of a backup plan. With a high-pitched whine, their aircraft shuddered and lurched. It was then that Bucky urged the pilot to hit the bailout bell, giving the rest of the crew enough time to get out.
Once they were out, the pilot, along with Bucky would be the last to leave. Unable to decide who should jump out first, Bucky eventually jumped out into the open skies.
As he plummeted towards the earth, the wind whipping past his ears, Bucky braced himself for the impact, his mind a whirlwind of chaos. Was Y/n alive? Where did she land?
But miraculously, he landed safely in a rural area of Westphalia, the soft earth cushioning his fall. As he picked himself up, he quickly gathered up his parachute, rolling it up so no one could see it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in the distance, a familiar silhouette standing amidst the rolling fields.
Heart pounding in his chest, Bucky stumbled towards the figure, his legs shaky with exhaustion. And there, under the vast expanse of the open sky, he saw Y/n, her parachute deflated at her feet, her eyes wide with disbelief.
For a moment, they simply stood there, the world around them silent save for the rustle of the wind through the trees. And then, with a rush of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him, Bucky reached out and pulled Y/n into his arms, holding her close as if afraid she might disappear.
"Y/n, oh thank God you're okay," he whispered, his voice filled with emotion.
Y/n buried her face in his chest, clinging to him as tears streamed down her face. "I thought I lost you," he whispered, his voice filled with relief.
Bucky held her tightly, feeling the weight of his words from earlier. "Y/n, I'm sorry." he said, his voice filled with distress.
“I take back everything I said earlier,” Bucky whispered, his voice choked with emotion. “I was a fool to let you go like that.”
Y/n gazed up at him with a small, sad smile played on her lips. “Bucky, you’re an idiot. Do you know that?”
“I know- and I’m so sor-”
Y/n brought her finger to Bucky’s lips as soon as she heard the sound of voices. He quickly closed his mouth, and moved up next to Y/n. Both of them peeked through the tall pile of hay, only to see people occupying the farm they landed on.
They listened closely to the words being spoken by the occupants, only to realize none of them were in english. They were in German.
“Oh, shit.” Bucky muttered in a low voice, receiving an annoyed glance from Y/n.
“We need to get out of here before they find us,” Y/n continued to keep a close eye on the man walking around the farm. If they stayed there for too long, there would be a higher likelihood of them getting caught.
“Maybe we can escape through those trees. It’ll give us some cover so no one can see us.”
“No. It's too dangerous. Someone might’ve found out that our plane crashed in this area. They'll be looking for us. We have to lay low for a little.” Bucky shook his head in refusal as he knew this territory was unfamiliar to them and too risky to wander around.
Never in a million years would he have imagined that he and Y/n would go down together. Their lives were still in danger regardless of each others’ company, but at least they wouldn’t be going through it alone.
The specter of the missing crew still loomed in the shadows, and they both silently prayed that the crew made it out alive.
Now all Bucky and Y/n had to worry about was getting out of Germany. Alive.
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callumsgirl · 2 months
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ONE SHOT
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strawberries and dirty talk (pt. 2)
or: Bucky surprises Gale with another weekend pass. A little hopeful spark in John's mind lights up and gives him an romantic and crazy idea: Why should it be all temporary and hidden with him and Buck when they both deserved so much?
It had been a long, exhausting few weeks. Between all the breakneck, dangerous missions over Germany, where more of John's friends were shot than he could count. It had been a constant dance with the devil and death. A power struggle that was different every day and a single moment could change and decide everything.
Every pain he felt, every blow he took and every enemy plane he shot out of the sky. Even though he was exhausted and at the end of his rope, it was Gale who kept him alive.
John had finally found a piece of peace in all this chaos - his own reason to survice all of this god damn war...Gale was worth it.
It had taken all his charm and persuasive arguments to talk Colonel Harding into a weekend pass for him and Major Cleven. Harding had slid into his leather chair, grumbling, with a cigar between his lips, and had finally waved him away with a gesture of surrender. Bucky hadn't been able to wipe the broad grin off his lips that morning. Nothing could dampen his spirits, not even when only 11 of the 21 planes that had taken off returned to base.
A soothing and calming warmth had spread throughout his body when he walked into the canteen and saw Buck sitting there. Almost completely alone, his head bowed and a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him. One of his arms was resting over the back of the chair next to him and with the other hand he was shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. But as John came closer, his footsteps getting louder, Gale raised his eyes - almost automatically - and that small, barely visible twitch of the corners of his mouth almost made Bucky go crazy.
The urge to circle the table, to pull Gale up from that uninspiring wooden chair and just kiss him almost overwhelmed him. This urge was so strong that it squeezed all the air out of his lungs and his chest suddenly felt terribly constricted. God...he got my fully heart and soul, Bucky thougt. He's only smiling at me and i go crazy.
While fragments of him and Buck danced around in front of his inner eyes, he cleared his throat instead and dropped into the chair opposite him.
"Mornin' Major…" Gale had murmured in a pleasantly low voice, looking at him under half-lowered eyelids. The blue of his eyes so bright, warm and engaging that John's heart threatened to explode in his chest.
Unobtrusively, their feet had touched under the table, bumping against each other, and Bucky had smiled as if drunk.
"I've got a surprise for you," he'd said, and Gale hadn't let his curiosity get the best of him, but John had noticed the way Buck's fingertips had tightened around the back of the chair beside him and his pink lips had parted.
Gale had raised an unimpressed eyebrow and pushed a toothpick between his lips: "Oh yeah? Tell me, Bucky"
That had been the start of everything and John had come out with the tingling truth. Harding got them permission to left the base for a few days for recovery. Afterwards, they had both packed their bags, joking around with Bubble and Crosby before they thrown their bags into the back of John's jeep and driven out of the barracks.
A contented sigh escaped Bucky's lips as the thoughts and memories of the past 24 hours rolled over in his head. His mind was in chaos and his thoughts blurred, dancing salsa and leaving nothing but a warm, sluggish feeling in his body.
It was saturday morning, 6:30 a.m. and the sun rised slowly. The sky was painted in different shades of red, orange and pink, and it was almost silent outside. The only noice was coming from singing birds through the open windows and a light breeze blew the curtains in gentle waves. There could be nothing more beautiful John thought in the moment when he finally woke up.
Looking at the sky almost staying in flames...there couldn't be much better.
Being pressed against Gale's sleepy-warmth and bare skin, his palm laying on his stomach and his fingertips drawing circles. The white sheets around their legs and hips, a total mess, but it didn't boather Bucky at all.
He blinked sleepily and looked around the bedroom. There were clothes all over the floor and he couldn't help but smile happily.
The last 24 hours felt like a distant dream that was finally within his grasp. Bucky didn't need to be told twice and reached for it when Harding agreed to let him and Buck go. Not forever, but for a while.
Now that he had Gale all to himself, time could stand still. He was pretty sure he could stay in this small, hidden house by the lake forever. As long as he could feel Buck's body against his, hear his heartbeat and taste his sweet lips, this twisted world was all right with him.
Sighing, he buried his face in the crook of Gale's neck again. His lips brushed over the soft, sensitive skin and John noticed how Gale presses closer to him, still half asleep.
Circles, unrecognizable patterns … His fingertips traced out lifeless lines and shapes on Gale's skin. He savored the peace and quiet and the fact that Buck lay beside him in bed, completely relaxed and healthy.
There were only a few bruises on his chest and a lightred scar on his cheek. In a few days or weeks, it would all be gone. It would just be a shadowy memory in Bucky's head.
His lips tingled as he let them brush over Buck's skin again and again, slowly opening his mouth to brush his teeth over the dark red hickey. John smiled as Gale winced slightly and moaned sleepily.
John was convinced that he had never heard a more beautiful, raw and beguiling sound. His hand automatically traveled over Buck's abs, up his chest, and he tried to memorize every ridge and valley. The thought that he could find every freckle, ridge and hard valley between Gale's muscles blindfolded in record time made him chuckle. It was the most sensual of routes he had ever explored with his fingers. Bucky's hand curved half around his jaw, half around his neck and his fingertips brushed over Buck's soft skin. Beneath his touch, he took in Gale's sleep-warm skin and the contrasts that brought out the blond stubble. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."
Buck grumbled into his pillow, making John laugh. He knews only too well that Gale wasn't a morning person, and god it was 6.30 a.m. on a saturday.
"You're such a son of a bitch, waking me up so early," Buck complained, sighing as Bucky stroked the sensitive skin on his neck again. His lips opened slightly, and John didn't miss the opportunity to slide his thumb over the curve of his lip.
Gale's opened his mouth a little wider and sucked John's thumb in. For a tiny moment, Bucky's heartbeat stopped. He breathed once, then a second time deeply and then exhaled again until his heartbeat galloped off again. Buck's tongue left a moist, warm sensation on his finger. The tingle of the touch spread throughout his body within seconds and his muscles tensed in joyful anticipation.
Slowly, Gale turned onto his back and looked lovingly at Buck. John's hair was completely ruined. Strands of his dark brown hair were sticking out of his head in disarray and some strands were falling into his face.
Gale lifted his left hand and brushed a few loose strands of hair from John's forehead. He buried his fingers in them and opened his mouth. Bucky withdrew his thumb and leaned forward. Their noses touched and Buck whispered, "Mornin'."
"Was that an attempt to suck me off?" Bucky teased him with a dark glint in his eye.
"It would have been a ridiculous attempt if it had been one. You know I can suck you off much better…making those forbidden erotic circles with my tongue around the tip of your hard cock," Gale whispered in a low, husky voice that sent a shiver through John's whole body. He pressed his bare chest against Gale's and moaned softly. He was already hard and ready to fuck Buck's tight ass. But he was patient, because they had all the time in the world and after last night, they both needed a break and then a first slow, sweet fuck.
"I can still remember what that potty mouth can do…" John pressed his thumb against Gales' lips again and they both shuddered as they felt a warm explosion in their stomachs.
Last night had been a total mess of impatient fingers, swollen lips and passionate snogging. They had hardly been able to wait to finally be naked again and enjoy each other. It was restless and hot - almost like the first time, when they had been so nervous and shaky. They didn't know what to expect, and then every touch had simply exceeded all expectations.
So they spent the whole morning stealing kisses from each other, laughing and enjoying this carefree time out. At first, they had both stood up, staggering rather than steady on their feet, and staggered towards the outdoor rain shower. Only to kiss there under the warm water jet, jerk each other off and then come to orgasm together.
Reaching this tingling high was exhilarating, and for a moment John's eyes blurred black. Various veils of color danced behind his eyes. A soft sound echoed in his ears, as if a swarm of bees were buzzing repeatedly past his head.
Gale had knelt in front of him and taken him so deep in his mouth that he had become dizzy. The magic of the tip of his tongue and the rhythmic movements of his hand had given him a tremendous high.
His breathing was loud and heavy and it took him minutes to calm down. Then he had grabbed Gale's face with both hands, pulled him back to his feet and kissed him so passionately that they had both lost their balance. Buck had laughed without breath against his swollen lips and the smell of freshly cut grass, sweet apples and John's salty, slightly bitter cum had mingled on their tongues.
Afterwards they had fallen back into bed with only towels wrapped around their hips and had exchanged more sweet kisses until they were both breathless and sleepy.
Gale had grabbed the shaving cream and a razor, stood between Bucky's thighs and shaved him. This intimate moment of closeness and vulnerability had felt somewhere special and precious to them both. Like a sign they had both been waiting so long for, and in the aftermath, the afternoon had passed them by in a few breaths.
When evening came and the sun slowly disappeared into the distance with a spectacular play of lights, they were both still in bed.
Bucky was leaning with his bare back against the headboard of the bed. The comforter was spread over his legs, pulled up to his lower abs. Gale close beside him, lying on his stomach with a crossword puzzle from The Times in front of him. A pen in his left hand and his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. Buck repeatedly stroked his lips with the pen while John scrutinized him. The last rays of sunlight fell through the open window and bathed the entire room in an exclusive play of pink and orange - Bucky and Buck in the middle of everything.
"A seven-letter word…a synonym for passionate," Buck read aloud with a deep voice.
Bucky grinned and stroked Gale's sun-warmed back with the flat of his palm. His fingertips left fuzzy goose bumps, which John noted with self-satisfaction. Buck's body shuddered softly under his touch and John heard Gale gasp audibly.
"Stop distracting me…" Buck complained, grumbling, but he could also hear the grin that resonated in his words. "A seven-letter word…a synonym for passionate", he repeated.
"Sorry darlin'," Bucky replied, still smiling and leaning closer to Gale. He bent halfway over Buck's back from behind and positioned his hands next to Buck's torso on the mattress. Then he lowered his lips to Gale's sensitive skin and savored the way he looked again. More forcefully this time, and when Buck lowered his head momentarily, John sucked gently on Gale's neck. "It's just too easy to distract you. Besides, it gives me great pleasure to taste and touch you."
To emphasize his words, he rubbed the tip of his nose against the shell of Gale's ear and blew gently into it.
Buck's hands crumpled the pages of the newspaper and he lowered his head further. "John," he whispered hoarsely. "That feels good."
"Hmmm..." Bucky breathed a series of soft kisses on the side of Buck's neck and throat, and approached his ear again. Then he whispered in a quivering voice, "How about amours?"
For a moment, unspoken confusion floated through the room and Bucky enjoyed how much he managed to distract Gale. He nudged him with the tip of his nose, tickling his cheeks and repeating, "Try amours."
Buck took a deep breath and checked the available letters. "It doesn't fit," he mumbled back, swallowing hard as John stroked his right hand over his shoulder blades and then down the side of his ribcage.
"How about burning? Does it fit?" he asked, intensifying his kisses. He opened his lips slightly and began to suck on Buck's neck. From behind, he lowered himself further onto Buck's backside and when their naked, warm torsos collided, Gale let out a soft, stifled moan.
"No," Buck replied, feeling his body temperature slowly rising. His cheeks took on a pinkish-red hue and his heart beat as fast as a hummingbird's wings. "It doesn't fit…there's an "I" and an "N" in it….God, Bucky," he groaned. The groan that slipped over his lips mingled with John's heavy breaths as he rolled his hips against Gale's ass with definite, rhythmic thrusts.
As his hard cock slid between Buck's firm, warm ass cheeks, a tingle ran through Bucky's veins. The fluffy towel increased the pressure between them. "You feel so damn good, Buck. I really wanna fuck this tight ass", Bucky whispered in a voice veiled with lust.
"Bucky," Gale replied, sounding breathless, excited and yet Bucky could hear the hint of doubt in his voice. So far, they had never gone further than kissing each other wildly, wet and hard, touching each other. Just the fact that Gale's swollen lips already felt so forbidden, what would it be like when he slid his cock between his beautiful ass cheeks.
"I know, darlin'. We'll do everything in your tempo...but it almost kills me to fully have your attention here and can't have all of you", he reassured Buck.
Bucky wrapped one hand around Gale's neck from behind and tilted his head to the side. With his lips, he breathed a trail of kisses on the exposed skin and when he found that one sensitive spot, he began to suck. He felt Buck's body relax beneath him and he leaned closer into John's touch. "I know you're not stressing me out…I want you too, but I'm scared too."
"I'll catch you…how about intense?" Bucky suggested in a warm voice and Gale was glad he was offering him this little distraction. In an instant, his racing heartbeat calmed a little and the agonizing tension left his muscles, giving way to the tingling and prickling that shot through his veins.
"Yeah," sighed Buck. "That fits perfectly," he added, filling in the last gaps with trembling fingers. His handwriting was barely legible, but his thoughts were already drifting off into darker abysses.
Bucky replied: "Good." He could think of other, more sensual things that went perfectly together…or into each other. For example, his hard cock in Buck's tight, warm ass.
"Now turn around and let me see your beautiful blue eyes", he commanded.
He gave Gale just enough room to turn around under him. As soon as their eyes met, Buck reached out for John's cheeks and pulled him down to him. The kiss was different - more intense and fiercer than the breathy kisses on his neck before.
Invisible bonds formed between them and Gale's body vibrated and with every second that John touched him, his desire increased. He opened his mouth and asked Bucky's lips to let him in with his tongue. John intensified their kiss and opened his lips wide so that their tongues could touch. They both breathed loudly and heavily through their noses as they kissed. Gale's one hand traveled from John's cheek to his neck and then his fingers buried themselves in his dark, soft hair. The small touch of Gale's fingers in his hair made Bucky moan.
"You're driving me crazy," Bucky confessed as their kiss ended and he leaned in on his elbows. His weight pressed them both deeper into the soft, yielding puss and Gale spread his legs wider so their hips were touching.
"Not as much as you drive me crazy," Gale fired back with a wink. His hand still buried in strands of John's hair, he pulled him down for another brief, fierce kiss.
"You know how much you mean to me, don't you?" murmured Bucky, stroking his thumb over Gale's chin. His blue-green eyes sought reassurance and security in Buck's gaze, and when he found all of that, his heart warmed terribly.
Gale, lying beneath him, blinked a few times and whispered, "Why are you asking me that? It almost sounds like you want to leave me, John"
Bucky opened his eyes in shock and shook his head wildly. "What? No way…I don't know why I said that either…but actually I did…" he gloried in his words and it was a rare, amusing and refreshing moment for Gale.
He could only remember a handful of conversations where Bucky hadn't known how to phrase something.
"Relax…I love you, okay?" whispered Buck, kissing his jaw.
"That's exactly the problem," Bucky replied, smiling wistfully. His thumb brushed over Gale's bottom lip and he added, "I love you so much and knowing I'll never have you completely-never kiss you in public or hold your hand - almost kills me."
Buck swallowed and his throat suddenly felt dry and terribly constricted. He frowned and cleared his throat, hardly trusting his own voice. "I'll always be with you. No matter what the others will say…there will be a time when all this will be possible."
"What if it takes our whole lives and we have to live a lie?"
Buck shook his head slightly and stroked John's neck. "Who knew you could be so sentimental and brooding, Major Egan?" he teased, and when Bucky's features relaxed a little, Gale leaned forward and kissed him briefly. Then he added: "There won't be a lie as long as we know the truth, okay?"
"Marry me," Bucky murmured, leaning back until he was kneeling over him. His thighs pinned Gale to the mattress on either side of him and he unfastened the collar of his dog tags.
A strangled laugh escaped Gale. "John what are you talking about? Are you going crazy?"
Bucky shook his head, barely visible. An engaging smile on his lips as he repeated, "Marry me, Gale Cleven." Then he leaned down to him again. The tips of their noses touched and Gale could barely breathe as he realized the seriousness in John's words, the meaning of them catching him completely off guard and burying him like a wave.
"You know we can't...", he started when closes his mouth again, struggeling finding the right words. The bedroom was filled with loud breathing and pounding heartbeats, and when Gale moved in again to shatter Bucky's dream, John simply kissed him.
"Forget this world for once. No more prohibitions, no more judgments, no more hiding…. would you marry me then?"
Before Gale could fully comprehend the words, his heart had already made a decision and he blinked several times. He was so close to John that he could feel his warm, minty breath on his skin. Time seemed to stand still between them and it seemed like an eternity to Bucky, but it was only a few seconds before Buck finally answered, "Yes, I would marry you, John Egan."
The next kiss between them got completely out of hand. Their lips collided and their loud breaths mingled as Gale opened his lips and they both kissed with their mouths half open and their tongues dancing together. Sometimes John gained the upper hand in the kiss, sometimes Gale reclaimed it, and when they breathlessly broke away from each other, John breathed another loose kiss on Gale's forehead and sat up.
As Gale tipped his head back and gasped for air, he watched Bucky undo the clasp on his one necklace and as he held his dog tags in his hands, he took one off and placed it on Gale's bare stomach.
"What are you doing?" asked Buck, taking the small, cool metal plate in his hand.
"I'll give you a piece of me," Bucky explained, smiling gently. "Hold her tight," he added, running both palms over Gale's chest. His thumb stroked one of his nipples and as it hardened sensitively, he grinned in satisfaction. "Lift your head," he ordered Gale and took off his own necklace. Still speechless, Buck watched as John exchanged a dog tag and then closed the clasp so that Gale now wore his own and John's dog tags around his neck. John did the same with his necklace and when he had closed the clasp, he bent down to Gale. "…and you give me a piece of you, baby. Unfortunately, I can't put a real engagement ring on your finger, but this way you have my promise that I'm yours."
"…and I'm yours," Gale whispered, sounding hoarse, and breathless, and hopelessly in love.
Then the next few minutes blurred between them and there were only restless kisses, wandering hands and desire.
Bucky kissed Gale's lips slowly at first, gentle pressure, soft, wet touches echoing in his ears before he eased away from him and attacked his neck.
Gale's hand settled on his cheek, holding him close, and the love he felt in that moment made his heart pound desperately. The only sound Buck could hear was his and John's loud breathing and the blood rushing through his veins. He threw his head back and closed his eyes in pleasure as Bucky opened his mouth and scraped his teeth across his collarbone.
"John," he sighed excitedly, lifting his hips. Hoping Bucky understood his restlessness and his urge for more, he slid both hands over John's back and placed his palms on his hips. "I need you closer."
Bucky finished his kiss trail and smirked, "This hickey looks absoluty stunning on your skin, darlin'."
"I want that you mark me all over with your lips," Gale whispered, his blue eyes momentarily losing their focus as his thumbnail scratched over the fresh hickey.
"Are you challenging me?", John asked slowly and his controll almost fliped away.
"Maybe a bit." Gale closed his eyes in desperate lust and bit down hard on his lower lip as a shiver ran through him. His fingertips twitched, digging them deeper into John's hips.
"Fuck," he groaned, blinking at Bucky under half-closed eyes. "Are you trying to get me so turned on I'll go crazy?" he asked with a smirk on his lips, snapping at John's lips.
"No, just drive you crazy enough that you relax and let me touch and fuck your beautiful ass", he teased him back.
Gale inhaled deeply through his nose and as he looked at Bucky. Memorizing every detail of him, a feeling of deep satisfaction spread through his belly. Suddenly there were no more doubts or fears. There was only lust, desire and …. love left in him, and he didn't care that it wouldn't be perfect or maybe hurt a bit first, because the only thing that mattered to Buck was that he made every moment with John count.
Gale blinked and rested his forehead against Bucky's. He closed his eyes and as his finger stroked Bucky's lip, tickled by his beard, he finally said, "I'm not afraid anymore, John. I'm ready for the next step, I'm ready for everything as long as I do it with you."
"Are you sure?" Bucky's voice sounded raspy. "You don't have to feel forced into it."
"Yes, I'm sure." As soon as those words crossed Gale's lips and got through to John, he kissed him. These kisses felt more passionate and special - they were reckless and heated.
Gale lost himself in the taste of John's lips and skin as he pressed his face into Bucky's neck and kissed him there. He lost himself in the taste of him, a little salty, a little sweet, and absolutely addictive.
Then a fever suddenly broke out in him and an unstoppable heat raced through his limbs. Gale opened his mouth and licked over Bucky's warm, slightly damp skin.
"Hmmm", John moaned loudly. "I like your mouth on my skin."
Meanwhile, John's hands stroked his ribcage and as they undid the knot of his towel and pulled away the soft white fabric, he shivered slightly.
In the next breath, a warm, rough fist closed around his hard cock and an electrifying wave shot through Buck's body. He bit his lip and tried to hold back his lust, but he couldn't fight the urgent feeling in his arms and legs that was driving him wild. A shiver rippled down his back and made his spine tingle, making him squint as Bucky stroked his tip with his thumb.
"You're already wet," John whispered, ecstatic and surprised. "So sensitive", he added with dark glinted eyes. Then he lifted his gaze from Gale's cock and licked his lips seductively as he brought his thumb to his face. Inevitably, Gale held his breath and stared at him as Bucky opened his mouth and licked his thumb. Another wave of heat rushed through Gale and within a breath his face was in flames. "You taste the sweetest of all drugs."
A strangled sound escaped Gale's lips and made the corners of John's mouth twitch. His slightly swollen, full lips curled into a traitorous, hot smile. "Want more?"
Buck's throat was dry as dust and not a word escaped his lips. He didn't trust his voice and wrinkled his nose slightly as he nodded.
"Let me hear you, baby," Bucky begged him, closing his fist around Gale's erection again. He encircled it with light pressure and began a steady, slow rhythm. Sometimes Bucky slid his thumb over the sensitive tip of his cock again and Gale lifted his hips toward him each time. A desperate attempt to increase the friction, and at other moments John would twist his wrist slightly and increase the pressure around the base of Gale's cock. Hot cold shivers chased over Buck's body and veiled his eyes.
"Fuck John. Please…" Gale begged, sliding one of his hands under the pillow to find purchase in the soft fabric. But the various sensations racing through his body were unstoppable and merciless. They burned him from the inside out and left him with nothing but insatiable desire.
"Please what?" Bucky teased him, sliding his open mouth across Buck's chest. His lips brushed his right nipple and as he gasped for breath, John repeated the process. He slowly closed his lips around the sensitive bud and said, letting him feel his teeth. Echoing Gale's heartbeat beneath his lips, John lifted his gaze and stared at him under half-closed lids. Buck lifted a hand and wrapped it half around his neck, half around his shoulder. His fingertips dug into John's warm, firm skin with gentle pressure. With light, barely perceptible pressure, Gale invited him down further - a desire, a wish Gale would never have spoken aloud.
We'll get there some day, Bucky thought boldly, sucking harder on his nipple one last time.
"I want your mouth", Buck replied huskily. His eyes almost on fire and dark.
"You have my mouth, Baby."
Gale grumbled angrily and exhaled loudly before lifting his head from the pillows and frowning. "You know where I want your lips."
"Yes," John smirked dirtily. "Here?" he asked, kissing Gale's upper stomach.
"Further down" Gale directed him, dropping his head back into the pillows.
"Here?" asked Bucky innocently, blowing two or three kisses on Gale's lower belly. Under his lips, his muscles tensed deliciously and John dipped his tongue into Gale's belly button.
"Shit, further down." The grip on his shoulder tightened, and when Gale finally buried his fingers in his dark hair, he knew he'd broken through an invisible wall. Mouth open, he licked further down to Gale's hipbone, where he scraped his teeth.
He was pushing Gale's patience to the limit. John could feel under his lips how close he was to pushing Gale over the edge. As he sped up the rhythmic up and down movements with one hand, he sucked on Gale's easily irritated skin with his lips. He left another hickey in his wake.
Gale let out an almost silent scream and looked Bucky straight in the eye before asking hoarsely: "Can..can you please suck me off?"
It only took John a second or two to react. Then his lips closed around the tip of Buck's cock. The feeling of being surrounded by wet warmth made Gale dizzy. Watching John's pink, swollen lips stretch around his cock almost made him cum. His hips jerked and he inevitably pressed his cock deeper into John's throat.
"Sorry…" Gale gasped, trying to hold back. But Bucky shook his head imperceptibly and wrapped his other hand around Gale's wrist, which was still resting on his shoulder. "You want me to…" Gale asked breathlessly and Bucky's eyes flashed brightly.
Bucky raised his head briefly and took a breath. "Don't hold back and relax. Don't think about what comes next." He breathed a wet kiss on Gale's thigh and slid further down his body until his elbows were resting on the mattress, spreading Gale's legs.
A hint of panic flitted across Buck's face, but when John curved his lips around his erection again, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the tingling in his body.
Then John's tongue licked over his entire length and he shuddered again. The combination of firm, twisting hand movements, Bucky's wet lips and the cool air hitting his heated skin drove him further towards climax.
Bucky's warm palm rubbed over his lower abs and then fingers wrapped around his thigh. With gentle pressure, John spread his legs wider and for a tiny moment Gale felt terribly naked and vulnerable.
"Bucky," Gale whispered, cupping John's chin. He sounded throaty and slightly uncertain, but he suppressed the hint of fear. "Can you move your fingers…I'd like to feel it," Gale stuttered and sighed. Once again, he found it difficult to express his desires openly and dirty. But that didn't matter because Bucky knew exactly what he wanted and needed.
"Don't worry about it," John encouraged him and leaned over him briefly, kissing his lips and then reaching over to the bedside table.
Gale closed his eyes, embarrassed, and when he felt a soft rustling and then John's body heat again, he shuddered.
"It's still a mystery to me how you can be so embarrassed and at the same time so uninhibited when I'm sucking you off and hopefully fucking you soon," Bucky whispered, stroking his heated cheeks with his knuckles.
"Shut up, John." Gale pressed a hand on his's shoulder and pushed him back between his legs. "Do it before I change my mind."
"Yes, Major," Bucky winked and kissed his groin and thigh. Again, he closed a hand around Gale's erection and pumped a slow, firm rhythm. With his other hand, he opened the lube and dipped two of his fingers into it. He then rubbed his fingers together and warmed the gel.
John squeezed Buck’s dick in time with his thrusts, as sweat dripped from his brow onto Buck’s thigh. He speeded up and then slowed down the movements of his fist and suck again - hard and deep this time.
Bucky groped blindly beside him and grabbed a pillow. "Raise your hips," he demanded and Buck did so. The soft fabric and the elevated position would make things a lot easier, Bucky knew from previous experiences. It had been that way with many women…why should it be any different here?
"Jerk you off, baby," John demanded in a raspy voice. He watched as Gale's hand replaced his own and began to pump. "Slow down," he laughed as Gale rolled his hips. Buck wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed him back into the sheets.
"God damn…make me come," Gale hissed breathlessly.
"I'll darlin'…just relax," Bucky begged. "Close your eyes and just feel." Gale sighed and pressed his head into the pillows. Then John kissed his thigh one last time and ran his palms over his firm, twitching muscles to his ass.
As his hands gripped Gale's butt and he slowly spread his ass cheeks, they both inevitably held their breath. John only realized it when his chest began to burn. Gasping hard for air, he whispered again, "Relax. You're beautiful."
He slid his hands over Buck's thighs and bottom several times until he clearly felt his muscles relax. Only then did he continue, blowing a kiss on the base of Gale's cock and further down. He ran his fingertips carefully between his ass cheeks.
"Ahh," Buck gasped and John paused. He repeated the touch and pressed his thumb gently against the firm ring of muscle. Along the way, he spread kisses and applied light pressure to Gale's tight hole. "That feels intense…" Buck whimpered.
"To much?"
Gale shook his head, "No...keep going!"
Bucky breathed a sigh of relief and drew a few circles with his thumb. Gale's firm muscles worked under the tip of his thumb and when John lowered his lips again, licking his tongue between his ass cheeks, Gale moaned loudly and deeply.
"Okay?" Bucky asked slowly.
"Better than okay," Gale whispered, squeezing his cock hard to curb his desire.
John rubbed his thumb over the ring of muscle again and when it was soft and wet, he pressed the tip of his thumb against Gale's ass with gentle but firm pressure. Half-lowering his eyelids, he squinted up at Buck and followed every movement on his face as his thumb broke through the muscle.
He paused and waited until Gale's muscles relaxed a little. "You're doing so good," he praised him. "You feel amazing around my finger - it's hot and tight."
He continued to look up at Gale as he moved his thumb slightly and slowly began to slide it in and out.
"God…this feels…more Bucky. Give my a little more," Gale begged in a raspy voice, sliding his own thumb over the tip of his wet cock.
John moved his thumb in and out a few more times at a slow pace before dipping his tongue in and then sliding his ring finger in. "You look breathtaking…I can't wait to take you…slow and deep," Bucky murmured, swallowing hard to control and ignore his own desire and the urgent throbbing in his cock a little longer.
"I'll add a second finger," he warned Buck. A few breaths later he pressed his wet fingers against Gale's tight hole and this time it was much easier for him to thrust through the tight ring of muscle.
"I won't last much longer," Buck groaned, licking his dry lips. "I'm ready."
Gale's cheeks were on fire and his muscles shook with the effort. The slightly stinging friction of John's fingers inside him triggered waves of emotion he had never felt before. Heights he had never thought possible. His mind was blank - all thoughts completely swept away as Buck's fingers slipped out of him and for a strange, brief moment he felt empty and cold. Then the next few breaths blurred, and as he felt Bucky's body weight and searing heat against his skin again, he grabbed John's wrist with one hand. "Don't leave me," he pleaded breathlessly, his voice tinged with fear.
"Never," Bucky replied in a heavy voice. His tongue felt sluggish and he clasped Gale's left cheek. "We can stop anytime," he reminded Buck.
A tiny nod was all John needed before he positioned himself at Buck's entrance and leaned down for an all-consuming kiss. Just before their lips met, he whispered in a husky voice, "Take a deep breath."
Gale's grip on his wrist tightened and John followed Buck's every reaction with his eyes. He thrust his hips forward slowly and deliberately, feeling the resistance of Gale's hot, tight muscles. John lowered his head and rubbed the tip of his nose over Gale's heated cheek. His lips breathed kisses on his smooth skin as he pushed himself centimeter by centimeter into Gale's tight hole. They were both breathing loud and heavy, and when Buck let out a huff of air, John slid fully into his ass.
Reassuringly, he rubbed his nose over Buck's heated skin and held still, waiting for some sign. A sigh, a moan, or Gale's muscles tensing and relaxing.
Bucky didn't know how much time had passed when Gale licked his lips and exhaled. Fingertips brushed over John's slightly sweaty skin as Buck slid his hands over his torso and finally placed them on his hips. "Are you okay?" Bucky asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Gale whispered in a raspy voice and when John moved his hips, pulling back and then slowly thrusting forward again, he let out a strangled groan.
"You feel fantastic." Buck felt dizzy and on the verge of passing out as Bucky began a slow and sensual rhythm with his hips. His right hand slid from his hips up to his neck and he pressed his lips hard against John's.
The kiss was wild and unbridled. Their mouths collided, teeth scraped over lower lips and their tongues took turns fighting for dominance. Buck felt like John was setting him on fire with each successive touch, each kiss, each rhythmic thrust of his hips. He was about to explode like a spark of dynamite and burst into a thousand pieces.
"Fuck…John," Gale moaned as he changed the angle of his hips and thrust deeper, somehow even more intensely into him. "Just like that", he begged and started to jerk himself off again. This time rougher and faster.
"Looking at you and feeling your heat is killing me," Bucky gasped. "You feel great…you're taking me perfect, darlin'"
Bucky felt weightless. Having Gale beneath him, feeling him completely and watching him burst into flames was almost like flying. As electrifying and ectastic as jumping out of a plane without a parachute and being shaken by a thousand volts at the same time. A tingling sensation rushed through his veins - one hotter and more urgent than the previous one and as he accelerated his thrusts and now thrust deeper and a little harder, his heartbeat began to falter.
They were both about to burn alive and burn to ashes. John pressed his face into the crook of Gale's neck and breathed a few kisses on the salty skin. His breath caught in Gale's ear and when he wrapped one hand around the back of Bucky's neck and the other around his hard cock, John lost control.
"I'm close," he whispered in a raspy voice. Gale pressed his lips to his skin and stifled his moan.
"Me too…a little harder," Buck gasped, intensifying his own pumping motions. "John," he warned him brittlely. "Make me come…make me fly."
"I will," Bucky promised, thrusting harder and more rampantly. An urgent heat gathered in his belly and as he lifted his head, his eyes meeting Gale's, a fireball exploded in his chest. "I'm about to come."
Gale cursed quietly to himself and arched his back. His hips thrust against John's and he sank deep into Gale's ass a few more times.
Bucky thrust into Gale as deep as he could, his hips rocking in unison with Gale's. Some thrusts hit Gale so hard and unpreparedly intense that he bit his lip, shuddered and his muscles tightened around John's cock
"God…you're so tight and hot, and perfect," Bucky gasped, dropping his sweaty forehead against Gale's as his hips jerked uncontrollably and he shuddered to climax. "Fly with me, Buck."
"I'll come...I...John", Buck moaned surprisingly loudly and in a sensually deep voice. At the same time, he felt Gale tense beneath him and seconds later, warm, thick cum shot between their torsos.
Bucky breathed a wet kiss on Gale's forehead and stroked his red cheek with his fingertips. His heartbeat raced in his chest and he let out a breathless laugh. "There aren't many things, but this…with you…felt better than flying," Bucky murmured.
Beneath him, Gale's muscles twitched and his bright blue eyes glittered in the last of the sunlight. He was slow to come down from the climax he had just experienced and the wild rhythm of his heart thundered in his ears. His hips were still rolling back and forth in small, lazy thrusts. Bucky tried to prolong the aftershocks a little longer. They had left a mess everywhere, but especially on Gale's stomach and he could feel the cum drying up.
"How are you feeling?", he asked und kisses Buck's lower lip softly.
"Giddy, satisfied, overwhelmed," Gale murmured. "I've never felt anything so intense...but I'm good, baby."
As the words filtered through to Bucky, he couldn't help but think of The Times crossword puzzle and everything that had happened afterwards. "Feeling like this every time i look at you", he teased.
Gale laughed and the sound was beautiful. He propped himself up on his elbows and slowly slid out of Gale. They both shuddered at the sudden loss of contact and John quickly scrambled to pull the covers over their sweaty, sticky bodies.
"You made a mess," Gale whispered with a glint of pure contentment, snuggling into him sideways.
The corners of Bucky's mouth twitched and he cupped his hand around his chin, lifting it and smirking dirtily against his lips, "I just like rocking your world and you've never looked better to me…relaxed, sweaty, covered in love bites and really well fucked."
Gale blushed again, making Bucky laugh. For a moment it was timeless - the two of them happy, naked and deeply connected. His heart threatened to explode when Buck wrapped his fingers around his necklace and pulled him close by the dog tags. "I love you…I've never flown higher than with you."
"Fyling high…say yes to heaven, say yes to me…" whispered Bucky.
"A thousand times yes," Gale smiled. "I'll be your co-pilot today and forever."
"Good," Bucky replied and kissed him. "I couldn't fly without you." Nothing could touch them, and when Bucky realized he never wanted to hold anything but Gale in his arms again, everything was pretty much perfect.
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ereardon · 2 months
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COMING SOON: In The Skies
[Major John "Bucky" Egan x Reader]
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Summary: On a night out in London, you meet fellow American Major John “Bucky” Egan of the 100th. As war rages on, you take a leave of absence during the spring of your third year at Oxford to sign up as a nurse on the front lines in England. Time and time again, you and Bucky find yourselves thrown together in the hospital ward as you tend to him and his teammates after missions gone awry. What happens when you find yourself falling for a man who might never return from the skies? 
Pairing: Major John “Bucky” Egan x Reader
Sneak peek here
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shockercoco · 4 days
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Modern Lonliness
Major John Egan x reader
Warnings - little bit of angst, but mostly fluff
Word count - 2159
a/n - this was literally supposed to be posted over a month ago for the ending of MOTA, but I kept writing for Austin lol. Might as well get it out the drafts now. I also basically had to rewrite the whole thing bc wtf was I thinking a month ago. I hope you enjoy :)
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The war is finally over, allowing all the soldiers to go home, including the two best friends Buck and Bucky. The only thing holding Bucky back from being completely content about leaving is the fact that he doesn’t have that special someone to go back to.
Buck has Marge, and of course he’s happy for him, but Bucky just wishes had found a girl before he got sent off, someone who would know how he was before the war. Buck would always tell him not to worry and that he would find someone soon, but each time it doesn’t give him any reassurance.
You have been best friends with Marge since college, so when she told you her fiance was coming home you had nothing but joy for her. You had been a huge supporter of their relationship since the beginning, and while Buck was away you were always at her house comforting her for when she cried or just needed a friend. During his absence, Buck would write to you to check in on Marge because you and him both knew Marge would never tell him how she was really doing.
Currently, you are walking out of her front door to go back home when you see a taxi pull up in the driveway. You didn’t think anything of it until you saw Buck exiting the vehicle with his bags in hand. You shout for Marge to come outside, and it doesn’t take long for her to sprint into Buck’s arms after seeing him in the driveway. With a smile, you watched as he held onto her tightly and so lovingly, knowing this is exactly what Marge needed after a bad week. 
Deep down, though, you were wishing you had someone coming home to you, someone whose arms you could run into and kiss you like his life depended on it. When it came to the dating scene you never had much luck, so after a while you just accepted the defeat and gave up, deciding it was better to put your energy towards your career. 
During your girl talks, Marge would always tell you that you would find someone soon, and how perfect of a person you were, but year after year of not finding a relationship was making it hard to believe her. 
A couple days after Buck’s return, Marge invited you over because she was hosting a barbeque for Buck and some of his friends. You tried your best to get out of it, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She also mentioned that Bucky – Buck’s friend from the military who you’ve only heard while reading letters – would be there and that it would be an opportunity for you.
You didn’t find it unusual that she was trying to set you up with someone because this is what she always does, but you just weren’t in the mood to have small talk with a guy who probably wouldn’t find you attractive.
When Buck had invited Bucky – because when are they not together – he turned down the offer, and just like Marge, Buck wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
So, now here you were in Marge’s backyard surrounded by men and their partners. The only people you knew were the hosts, so you sat on the steps of the back porch with Marge beside you. Marge also didn’t know many of the guests given the fact everyone was Buck’s friend from the military, so she kept you company as she watched Buck man the grill with a few other guys beside him.
Bucky was among them, standing right next to his best friend and sipping on a beer as he talked. Every now and again, he would run a hand through his hair to push some of his loose curls, and you couldn’t deny the fact that he was attractive as you found yourself admiring him from a distance.
“Are you going to say something to him?” Marge asked you as she swished around the lemonade in her glass. She had been watching you this whole time as you practically drooled in the direction of the grill.
“Of course not,” you say as you turn your attention back to her, not before glancing around to see if anyone else had caught you staring. 
Thankfully some of the women had formed a little group and were laughing and gossiping amongst themselves, so there was little chance anyone had noticed you.
“And why not?” asked Marge with furrowed brows. “He’s a nice guy, I promise.”
“I’m sure he is, but it’s not like I know what to say. Plus look at him, he’s way out of my league,” you reply as you take a sip of lemonade from your own glass. 
“No he’s not, he’s just like any other guy,” she scoffs followed by a laugh.
“And just like with any other guy, I have nothing to talk about. What do we even have in common? He also just got back from a war camp in Europe, what if I say something that triggers him? 
“You’re overthinking. Just start off with a simple hello, and then go from there. He’s a huge flirt so knowing him he’ll do most of the talking,” she smiles. 
She was always so optimistic about these kinds of things, but you would be too if you were getting married to a guy who basically worships you.
You quickly finish the last of your lemonade before standing up. “I’m going to get a refill,” you mumble as you walk up the steps and into the house. You needed an excuse to get away from the conversation, and to get out of the heat. The sundress you were wearing was cute and gave you airflow, but it also exposed your arms and legs to harsh sun.
You head into the kitchen and open the fridge to take out the pitcher of lemonade Marge had made earlier in the day. After refilling your glass, you thought it was best to linger in the kitchen for a bit longer and decided to grab a plate of fruit out of the fridge to keep you busy.
Just as you jump up on the kitchen counter to get comfortable, you hear the back door opening. Next thing you know, you see Bucky walking into the kitchen, letting out a sigh that seems to be of exhaustion. He flashes you a smile when he notices you, before proceeding to grab another beer out of the fridge.
“You’re Marge’s friend right?” he asks as he shuts the door and turns to face you. 
“Yep,” is all you say before sticking a grape in your mouth.
“I’m John, but everyone calls me Bucky,” he says. He makes direct eye contact as sticks a hand out for you to shake, which you do, before popping the cap off his beer.
“So I’ve heard. I’ve seen your picture in Marge’s letters,” you respond as you focus your attention on the plate in your hands and begin moving some fruit around.
“Oh, yeah? Did I atleast look good in those pictures? Buck never lets me read his letters,” He smirks as he leans against the counter opposite from you.
You almost choke on the piece of fruit you had just placed in your mouth from his statement. You feel your face and ears turning warm so you turn your head and look out the kitchen window to avoid his gaze.
You stop yourself from smiling and cover it by clearing your throat. “Well  you were in a uniform and in black and white, so I couldn’t really tell.” 
“Understandable, black and white photos can be misleading,” he jokes, taking a swig from his bear. There’s a short silence that follows that isn’t completely awkward, but not exactly comfortable to you either. You hope he doesn’t notice.
The silence is interrupted by the back door opening and Marge sticking her head inside. She grins as her eyes flicker between you and Bucky before stopping on you to say, “Are you coming back out or what?”
“In a second, I’m just going to cool off in here for a bit,” you tell her. She gives you a nod before closing the door.
“Not a fan of big gatherings, I take it,” Bucky says once Marge is gone.
“What makes you say that?” you steal a glance at him before looking back out the window.
You smile as you watch Marge join Buck at the grill, making him turn his head to give her a quick kiss.
“I can tell you’re avoiding going back outside, and I don’t blame you. I’m doing the same thing myself,” he answers.
“What are you avoiding?” you finally turn your head to face him.
“Nothing specific really, I’m just not in the mood for conversating and answering people’s questions right now. That doesn’t include you though,” he looks over at you with a small smile. ” I used to love being around people and having fun, but now all I want to do is leave.” 
You watch as Bucky stares at the wall, going distant. His mood seems to have shifted from the one he had when he first stepped foot in the kitchen. “Everything okay?”
Your voice interrupts his thoughts and brings him back to the present. ��Yeah, I’m fine…I’m just…I can tell I’m a different person ever since I got back, and I’m not sure I like this version of me.” He sets his beer on the counter and folds his arms, no longer in the mood to drink it. 
“I don’t think anyone expects you to be the same.”
“Well yeah, it’s just the fact that everyone I meet from now on will only know this version of me. They won’t know how different I was before the war, and they won’t understand what I’ve been through. Like Buck has Marge to talk to, and she understands because of the letters he would send her. I don’t have that,” Bucky says before adding, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to dump this all on you.”
You just give him a smile. Even though you will never understand completely what Bucky went through, you do have some grasp on what he’s feeling. To you it’s obvious that he puts on a mask when he’s around people, and won’t let his feelings show unless he’s alone – harboring his emotions.
“I know how close you are with Buck, have you ever told him about how you felt? It always helps to talk to someone.” you tell him.
He shakes his head, “No, I don’t want to bother him. He has his own problems.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” you tell him, but he just shakes his head again. “Well...I know we’ve just met, but you could talk to me. I mean, you just opened up to me in a kitchen within ten minutes of meeting me. I’m obviously a great listener Only if you want to, though,” you end with a hopeful smile.
Bucky finally looks away from the wall to look you in the eye with his eyebrows raised. “Really?” he asks and you nod. “That would be nice.”
And that’s where the bond between the two of you started, and it only continued to grow stronger. You would meet up with him for drinks, lunch, or just for a walk through the park. Bucky would tell you everything, from him joining the military and meeting Buck to what he has experienced throughout the past few years. You could tell that he would get emotional when he brought up certain topics, but he never cried around you, even though you always encouraged him to let his feelings out.
One day when he invited you to dinner, you brought it up to Marge. She quickly got excited and said it was a date, but you just brushed it off and told her it was just another casual meeting. Nonetheless, you still decided to put effort into your appearance – more than you normally do – and once the dinner was over, you realized she was right.
Bucky ended up confessing to you how his feelings for you have grown over the past few weeks. At first you were shocked, but when you realized he was being serious, you admitted that you felt the same way. 
You didn’t care that Bucky thought he was a ruined person with a lot of baggage, everyone has their hardships, after all. Bucky loved how you enjoyed being with him after everything he had told you, and how you accepted him for who he is now.
When you eventually told Marge that you and Bucky were official, she wasn’t surprised at all and brought up how she always said you would find someone. When Bucky had told his best friend, Buck was happy for him and gave Bucky his fair share of I told you so’s.
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kafkasmuses · 2 months
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bucky is that bf that is so cocky and annoying and insufferable but hes just so sweet and treats you so good after annoying you all day, hand on your hip and kissing your temple saying something like, “c’mon, sugar, you know i was just messing with you, love to see you all riled up ‘nd pouting.” OH I NEED HIM BAD…..
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saturnville · 3 months
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stolen moments, major john egan
pairing: major john "bucky" egan x black fem oc (amelia mae egan)
content: john manages to call amelia after not hearing her voice for weeks.
an: this was the top choice in the poll so far. I've been anxious to write so we knocked this off the list first lol. enjoy!
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“Are you alright, Major?” 
They’d just arrived at a new station. It smelled like sweat and fear. Men streamed throught the doors like a school of fish. Their deep voices shook the brick walls as their conversations bellowed throughout the building. Dozens of men struggled to keep their composure. He was one of them.
He was overwhelmed. Tired. Desparate. His clothes felt tight against his body. The scent of gasoline and fumes clung to his vest. His hat damp and chilled against his forehead. His shoes were coated in black soot.
John’s eyes caught the telephone in the corner of the station. It was secluded from the rest of the quarters, in a corner, protected by a frosted glass divider. John's shoes grazed the dirty floor as he strode purposefully towards the telephone.
“M’fine. Head in and get your rest. Long day in the morning.” He didn’t know how he was able to make out coherent sentences. Gale stepped in, noticing his friend’s disheveled state and guided the men to the resting quarters. 
John’s shoes kissed the dirty floor as he stood long strides to the telephone. He shrugged off his backpack and slid it by his feet. His hands trembled as he plucked the phone off the hook and typed in the number he had engraved in his heart. 
It rang. And rang. And rang. His heartbeat was in his ears. His nails scratched as the black paint around the phone as he succumbed to his anxiety. He sent a silent prayer to God above. 
Then he heard it. “Hello?” John’s forehead tapped the frosted glass as he rested against it. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. He’d never been particularly sensitive, but he was overwhelmed with emotion, good and bad, and hearing her sweet voice made his eyes well with tears. 
The words were stuck in his throat and all he could release was a heavy sigh. That seemed to be enough for her to identify the caller. “Johnny?” 
He shut his eyes. A lone tear fell from his eye. “Hey, Rosie.”
Amelia let out a soft cry. “Oh, thank God! I-I thought something happened to you; I hadn’t heard from you in weeks. Are you okay, where are you now? Is Gale alright, when are you coming…” His first instinct was to cut her rambling short, but the sound of her voice was the choir-like song his soul ached to hear. 
He’d gone three weeks without hearing her voice. It was the most tortuous three weeks of his life. For 21 days, he survived by remembering the last words she said before they hung up, Whatever you do, do not die on me, do you understand? I love you, John. I love you. I love you. I love you. It kept his heart beating.
A small smile tugged on his lips. “I’m okay, baby, I promise. Things got a little rough; didn’t stay in one place too long. I didn’t mean to scare you.”  
“I’m just happy to hear your voice…are you okay?” 
His stomach churned at her question. A feeling of despair threatened to creep upon him. Thirty men lost. A plane in the middle of the ocean. An uneasy stomach and even more uneasy mental state. His head pounded, his body shook with unwanted adrenaline, and his hands craved the feeling of her hot skin. He was not okay. 
“No,” he replied honestly, rubbing his eye with the stump of his palm. “I’m not okay but I will be. Especially because I get to talk to my favorite girl. Tell me about your day..”
He heard her heavy sigh. “Deflection won’t rid you of what you’re feeling.” 
“Talking about it won’t do too much good, either. It’s…it’s hard, Rose. I just.” John’s jaw clenched as he struggled to articulate what he felt. “I just can’t talk about it right now, Amelia. If I do, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep it together.” 
Silence stretched on, interrupted only by the sound of her shuffling on the other end. She was probably sitting at the edge of her bed. He imagined her, looking pretty in her long-sleeved pajamas and satin scarf, with a blanket tucked under her chin.
“Then how about this,” she started. “You make it home in one piece to tell me about it later, yeah?” 
“Always making demands,” John laughed. The first genuine sound of joy he’d made all day. And it made her smile. So wide that her cheeks were sore and her dimples made an appearance. “But you’ve got a deal.” He readied himself to speak again, but a tap on his shoulder interrupted him. 
Gale. Meeting with the CO in five minutes, he mouthed. John nodded. He ran a hand through his dirty hair. “Darlin’, I’ve got a meeting in five minutes; I’m sorry.  If I don’t call in the morning, know I love you, alright?” 
“I know. I love you, too. Don’t apologize. Just make it back to me.”
“Always.”
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The Only Truth... | Part Three
The Only Truth I Know Is You Masterlist
John "Bucky" Egan x POW Flight Nurse!Female Reader
There are all sorts of hazards inside a Prisoner of War camp - guards, disease, injury, infection. One that none of you were banking on was the weather itself. Despite it all, and a severe lack of time to linger in one another's presence, you still find yourself growing ever closer to a certain Major.
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Warnings: Language, Angst, Death, Blood, Disease, Reader Scars, Hospital Setting, POW Camp Setting, Kissing, SS Officers, Depictions of Nazi Atrocities Against Russian Soldiers, Threats, Fear, Mental Health Struggles, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Rating - 18+ ONLY.
Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.
Word Count: 6337
-------------------------
April 21, 1945
Despite heeding your request and allowing others to bear the body of the late Freddy Simms, the boy whose name he learned only after his death, from the hospital to the corner of the camp where other bodies were also awaiting transport to the graveyard, Bucky still found himself tremendously sore the next morning. If not for roll call, he would have much preferred to remain on his makeshift sleeping palette tucked beneath the eaves of a fully occupied tent only half-protected from the elements. As it was, the resident goons needed him upright and counted, and so, with no shortage of grunting and grimacing, he had forced himself up and into line.
Considering the overwhelming population present, it was a wonder the guards did not just spend all day counting the prisoners to satisfy their twice daily checks. A few mouthfuls of broth later and Bucky had just lain back down to rest before it seemed like he was having to repeat the arduous process all over again. It had taken another day of rest to recover from his overexertion, but when he awoke this morning, things seemed a little less torturous. The warmth in the sunshine certainly helped, and he felt energized enough to accompany the delivery of the hot loaves of dense, black bread to the hospital. As his eyes scanned the rows of cots in the tent and then the clapboard building, he barely concealed his frown as you seemed nowhere to be found.
“Major, would you mind taking this pail of bandages out back for me? The Nurse seemed to miss them when she collected the laundry this morning.” There was a knowing tone to Chalmers’ request that made him swallow sheepishly, his ears heating up slightly, but he quickly nodded.
Grabbing the rather light pail with the hand of his uninjured side, he walked down the hallway to drop off a loaf of bread in your sparse quarters, brows furrowing at the lack of windows therein, before continuing out the back door. The sight of you crouched beside a basin, sleeves rolled up as you scrubbed at the sudsy rags with a large pot of bandages boiling away on a small fire nearby was so utterly domestic, Bucky could not help but let his mind wander. To imagine you in a kinder place doing something so very mundane without the fear of being shot or starved to death. That was where you ought to be – not here trying to scrub blood and other filth out of tattered cotton under the thumb of SS goons.
Bucky swallowed painfully as you paused a moment to smooth some errant strands of hair from your face and he was able to fully see the painful scars on your left arm. Scars that he had previously caught small glimpses of, despite your best efforts to hide them from him, but the full extent of them made his skin ache in sympathy. That explained why your nightmares featured fire.
Your sharp inhale, swiftly following by the sound of your boot impacting the pail behind you, pulled him from his reverie. Sent his eyes flying back up to see your horrified expression. You were frantically tugging down the rolls of your sleeve as you backed away from him, gait horribly off balance due to the obstacle you had encountered, and he was both afraid you would fall over and that he had offended you. Dropping his own pail, Bucky once again found himself chasing after you across the small, mud-filled yard behind the hospital, sliding his arms around you to haul you tight against his chest.
“Sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It just looks like it hurt a lot.” He murmured into your hair, hating the way your entire body was rigid and stiff against him.
There was an agonizing, drawn-out silence where the ambient sounds of the camp bled into the intimate moment until finally some of the tension melted from you.
Sniffing indignantly, you muttered against his chest, “it did. Well not at first, I was too busy trying to get out of the damn plane and take my surgical tech with me. But after…” He felt your head bob in a nod against him and he pressed a reassuring hand between your shoulder blades.
“He make it?” Bucky whispered, immediately feeling guilty for prying, but he could not take back the words now.
“Fitz? Yeah, he’s here – helps out at the hospital once a week…” You leaned back in his arms to look at him with dewy eyes, that wicked grin tugging at your lips and the depth of his longing to kiss you took his breath away. “Don’t see him quite as often as certain prisoners, though.” You teased, making him grin warmly in response.
“Maybe I’m still a patient in a way, angelfish. Maybe you’re still healing me.” He had meant to parry your jest with one of his own, but instead all that had come out was a vulnerable truth, and you both stood there, eyeing one another intensely before Bucky felt your arms, previously trapped against his chest, slide around him properly.
The way you pulled him closer should have felt comforting, reassuring, but instead all it resulted in was a lightning bolt of pain ripping through his back and he was barely able to smother the resulting hiss. You pulled back quickly, fairly ripping yourself from his arms as you frowned at him with your hands on your hips.
“John Egan you are still very injured.” You chided, gripping his shoulders to maneuver and guide him back to the stairs before forcing him down to sit on the edge of them.
“Like it when you say my full name, angelfish. Middle name’s Clarence if you want to really give it all you got.” He smirked up at you incorrigibly and you huffed in what he hoped was a mix of fondness with that obvious infuriation.
“Don’t think I won’t add that to my arsenal Major. Now you stay right there, that way I know you’re not off getting yourself into more trouble.”
“Yes Ma’am.” He grinned, loathe to admit it aloud, but it really did feel better to be sitting down.
Nodding sharply, you grabbed his abandoned pail of bandages to add them to the pot of water, fanning the flames of your small fire until they burned hotter to boil off anything infectious, before returning to your bucket of rags. You continued to scrub at them, casting scrutinizing glances his way every so often before transferring them to a rinse bucket.
“Did you really meet the Pope?” Bucky suddenly asked the question that had been burning at the back of his mind since he had heard you speak the words to the Simms boy.
“Yes, I did.” You nodded, wringing out the clean rags one at a time before draping them across your ersatz clothesline. “The whole squadron did.”
“You were in Italy then…” He mused quietly and you nodded with a quiet hum of agreement, the pair of you swapping information without giving too much away to anyone who might be listening in. “Well I definitely did not meet the King.”
Your sudden peal of laughter had him both grinning and bristling defensively.
“That far-fetched an idea, hmm, angelfish?” He raised an eyebrow demandingly and your hand pressed against your lips, trying to smother giggles you seemed to be unable to stop. “Alright, alright… If I wasn’t stuck on these steps on your orders.” He threatened playfully, basking in the way that only made you throw your head back and laugh harder.
God, you did not belong in this place.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” You apologized as he huffed, coming over to tousle his hair fondly.
It took all his willpower not to press up into your touch like some demanding housecat. Slinging an arm around your waist, he pulled you down to sit on his broad thigh.
“Think all this hard work is making you hysterical, angelfish, take a load off.”
“Bucky…” You murmured, reluctantly holding your full weight off him until he forced your hips down fully.
“Rest dammit, isn’t that what you’re always tell me to do?”
“But you’re actually injured…”
“So were you. They let you rest when this was fresh?” He asked softly, fingertips trailing across the abnormally smooth yet ridged surface of your burned and healed flesh.
Bucky could feel you twitching slightly in his arms, obviously not entirely certain how you felt about his touch on your scar and so he shifted to lace his fingers through yours instead.
“There were too many people to help.” You sighed. “Still are, I–”
“Just sit another minute. Can’t save ‘em all if you’re too tired to stand up.”
Your fingers closed around his as you exhaled shakily, head coming to rest on his shoulder. “I do want to save them all…and it’s never enough.”
“I know.” He whispered squeezing your side, lips brushing against your forehead.
The sound of voices caught his attention then – voices growing louder, growing closer. You leapt from his lap, and he reluctantly released you, assuming a casual posture as you grabbed a long stick to pull sterilized bandages from the pot and dump them into the sudsy water for scrubbing. Two guards rounded the corner, immediately barking at him.
“What are you doing back here?!”
“Hospital staff only, get out of here now.”
“Major Chalmers asked me to assist the Nurse, you can confirm it with him.” Bucky replied with a shrug, watching your eyes widen with curiosity.
“We will go confirm with him together, up.” The first guard spoke again, and Bucky rose stiffly, nodding to you before they led him inside.
------------
As you awoke the next morning to the sound of rain hammering against the roof, you were filled with relief that you had managed to wash and dry all of the laundry yesterday. It was still waiting in its baskets to be folded, but it would hold until your next free moment. Forcing yourself to feel satisfied with a few slices of the loaf of that black bread that had appeared in your room – you held your suspicions that Bucky may have played a role in its arrival – you dressed and emerged as your door was unlocked, blinking in surprise as Fitzgibbons entered the hospital along with Chalmers and Menzies.
You had honestly lost track of the days, a serious risk in the camp, and the fact that it was now Sunday, his shift and your day of rest, had completely slipped your mind. As a medically trained Sergeant, it was well within Chalmers’ rights to order Fitzgibbons to work in the hospital more often, but an early clash of personalities between Menzies and your surgical technician meant that his presence was only requested on a more limited basis.
“Morning Ma’am. Brought you a book to try and keep you off your feet.” He held out a battered paperback and you shook your head with a fond sigh as you accepted the copy of The Great Gatsby.
“Thank you, Fitz…sure you boys don’t need any help today?”
“You can help us by taking the day off as intended, Nurse.” Chalmers replied in a tone that brooked no argument and you nodded, retreating to your room to sit at the small table to crack open the book curiously.
The selection of reading material in the Red Cross library in camp was limited, dated. This book had been published twenty years ago, and you had a feeling you might have read it before, but it was hopefully going to keep you relaxed and your mind off the dozens of tasks you felt like you ought to be doing instead. Despite your predilection to turn inward and get caught up in an overwhelming sea of introspection, the story proved engaging enough to lose yourself in until a knock on the door jamb startled you.
“Mail call.” One of Bucky’s friends stood there, the blond with the gold teeth, grinning. He had a box tucked beneath his arm.
Confusion bloomed unabated across your face as you had not once received a piece of mail since you had been taken prisoner in January. No one had.
“I didn’t think that we were getting mail…” You slid a piece of scrap paper into the book to save your place.
“We’re not, Hambone, stop confusing angelfish.” Bucky appeared over his friend’s shoulder and snagged the box out from under his arm. “It’s those Red Cross boxes we thought we might get.”
“Man, I just wanted to say it once, still a kind of mail.” He grumbled as he strode back down the hall.
Bucky sighed, shaking his head as he set the box down on your table. “Sorry if he got your hopes up.”
Laughing dryly, you set your book down to pry open the already portioned box – each package meant for two servicemen. “Don’t worry, I’ve learned not to expect anything here.”
Spotting the can of powdered milk you held it out to him. “You take this.”
“Angelfish, why are you giving me your rations?” Bucky eyed you suspiciously and you raised an eyebrow in response.
“You’re healing bones and I’m not?”
“At least take half, put it in one of your old cans…”
Glaring at him a moment, you relented with a sigh, unable to deny the fact that it would be nice to have some to add to the bitter coffee. Digging through the remnants of your last box, you found the empty can from the allotment of powdered milk that had arrived in February and began decanting half of the fresh supply.
“You haven’t gotten a single letter? Not even your parents?” He asked quietly, leaning against the door frame.
Swallowing tightly, you slid the metal lid back into place on the cannister, shaking your head. “Figure things must be pretty bad if they can’t get the mail through. Not that I got a lot of mail before but…” You shrugged and held out the powdered milk to him. “Pretty sure it’s got a hole so use it quick.”
Stepping forward to take it carefully, Bucky’s eyes traced over your face curiously. “No handsome fella desperate for your scented stationery, angelfish? I find that hard to believe.”
You could not help but roll your eyes with a sarcastic noise. “Fellas don’t want girls like me, Bucky. They want some pretty thing waiting back home with the time to write pages long letters in looping cursive and those saucy acronyms and pretty spritzes of perfume. Not girls who spent so much time making a living they forgot to make a life.” Your eyes dropped to study the cans of corned beef, of ham, the fresh box of crackers, and small block of American cheese in your ration box. “I’m sure you’ve got a beautiful girl waiting stateside. Sweet and kind and not a whisp of a scar on her. Doesn’t know the sound of jackboots on floorboards or how to use a parachute or what it looks like when the life leaves someone’s eyes. That’s the kind of girl a man like you deserves, Bucky. To completely forget this nightmare even happened. Not this beat up, grungy, girl who wouldn’t even remember which fork to use at the dinner table–”
You barely registered the press of his lips against yours at first, mouth fumbling against his as you continued your litany of reasons why you were utterly unsuitable for him until at last you became fully aware of his warm palms cupping your cheeks, his kiss growing firmer until you stilled against him. An exhale sighed its way through your nose as the tension seeped from your bones, melting against his tantalizingly firm and broad chest. With a noise of deep reluctance, you forced yourself back, licking your lips slightly.
“You could get yourself in serious trouble doing things like that John…”
“Long as it’s not in trouble with you, angelfish.” He murmured fondly, tracing his fingertips along the curves of your ears before slowly pulling them back, tracing your jaw as he went, your nerve endings shimmering in the wake of his touch. “I just couldn’t bear to hear another word of that horseshit.”
A smirk tugged lazily at your lips, the tender flesh of them still humming slightly. “So if I spout nonsense, I get kissed, is that how this arrangement works?”
He exhaled sharply through pursed lips. “You can just ask, too. No need for all the absurd self-deprecations. Because the ‘fellas’ you speak of are idiots. You are a damn treasure, angelfish. Anyone who can’t see it isn’t worth your time.”
Feeling moisture gathering at your lash line, you grabbed a fistful of his shirt and hauled him in to lay a firm kiss of appreciation on his lips, briefly glimpsing his look of surprise before your mouths collided. Mindful of his ribs, you slid your other hand to his hair, holding him close as his arms encircled your waist.
“I like this ‘arrangement.’” He breathed against your mouth when the pair of you were forced to come up for air.
“Mmmm. Well you’d better get out of here before someone comes looking for you.” You muttered, not making a move to release him.
“Absolutely.” He replied, only pulling you closer into him.
“Bucky…” You sighed, tone not nearly admonishing enough.
“Thirty more seconds.” He whispered.
The unmistakable and aforementioned sound of jackboots scraping across hardwood echoed down the hall and you started to shove at him. “Goon, goon!” You hissed and he back pedaled quickly to the threshold of the room, cradling the powdered milk under his arm.
“I tried reading that book, didn’t really understand the green light business.”
Chest heaving, you furrowed your brows, watching him gesture sharply to the paperback on the table beside your ration box and you inhaled in recognition.
“I think it’s some kind of metaphor in futility?” You blurted out, a long-lost lecture on the novel suddenly flooding back to your rescue as a guard strode past him down the hall, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
“Yeah, got enough of that in my real life.” Bucky huffed with easy nonchalance before shrugging. “Well, see you around, Nurse.”
“Thank you again, Major.” You nodded, desperately trying to even out your shaky breaths as Bucky disappeared down the hall and the guard continued out the back door, sending you slumping into your chair in relief.
Your trembling fingers traced the tiny smile that curled at your lips, not at all certain what had just transpired, but things between yourself and Bucky had definitely changed.
What most certainly did not change was the weather. The deluge persisted through the night and into the next day, Chalmers and Menzies arriving mud-splattered and damp after being released from their combines. The humidity was of absolutely no help to Desmond Brown, an infantryman from Pennsylvania who had been battling pneumonia for nigh on a week now. Dusty, as he was affectionately known, only seemed to grow weaker, and you were quite dismayed to note a bluish tinge to his fingernails and around his lips today.
“Won’t be long now.” Menzies uttered as you made your rounds and you nodded silently. “Doubt we have anything to prop him up and make him more comfortable?”
Scouring the hospital with your gaze, you shook your head with a frown. “I’ll move his cot against the wall and try to prop him against it – not the best but better than…” You left the fact that he surely felt as though he was drowning in his own fluids unspoken.
Menzies was smart enough to understand and nodded firmly. “Try and sit with him as much as you can today.”
“Yes, sir.” You nodded and the pair of you parted ways to put your various treatment plans into action.
Pushing the cot flush against the wall, even with its occupant still in place, was not terribly difficult. Malnourishment and illness had devoured much of Dusty’s muscle mass, though you did need a moment to catch your breath and recover, given that you too were three months into your POW diet. What proved hardest was keeping the man propped upright. Any time you would leave his side to check on another patient or help one of the surgeons with a task, you would find him slumped to the side or slid down into what he deliriously claimed was a more comfortable position.
Most concerning of all, a soft rattle had taken up residence in the back of his throat, audible with each exhale. It was worryingly known as the ‘death rattle’ and usually signalled the end was not far off. Fetching a cool cloth, you settled him into the most comfortable yet still propped-up position you could manage with a combination of his pillow and blanket and the wall before laying the cloth across his fevered forehead. Dusty blinked his glassy hazel eyes at you once, then twice, before his eyelids fell shut for the last time. His labored, rattled breathing continued on for a remarkable duration, and all the while you sat at his bedside, cradling his hand in yours.
You tried to remember sweet things to talk about – spring and its flowers, family dinners, Hershey bars from his native Pennsylvania, anything at all so he would know he was not alone. The men in the adjacent beds grew quiet, the only sound the insistent rain striking the roof and the fading breaths of your patient until even those were gone too. Confirming Dusty had passed by checking his pulse, you shifted his body to lay flat on the cot and covered him with the blanket, standing with a start to find Bucky leaning against the wall, soaked to the skin, watching quietly.
“You know where his friends are bunking?” He asked in a hushed voice, and you nodded, fishing out his chart to find the number of his combine, providing it softly. “I’ll tell ‘em.”
“Thank you, Major Egan.” You nodded, looking quickly as Menzies arrived to note the time of death as you glanced back at another meaningless loss, wondering when it could all just be over.
Bucky’s knuckles brushed against yours gently and you offered him the ghost of a smile before Chalmers was calling for you. “Try and stay dry, this is perfect trench foot weather.” You gave him a meaningful look, willing him to not become another tally on the death sheet, another hole in the POW graveyard.
Bucky nodded sharply in return. “Doin’ my best, angelfish.”
“Good.” You breathed before rushing off to try and keep someone else alive.
Another night, followed by another day of incessant rain, had the yard outside resembling a sea of mud. It kept everyone trapped indoors, even the prisoners who had been sleeping outside found their fellow men making room wedged between sleeping palettes lest people get swept away in the night. There was no meeting Bucky out back whilst doing laundry, nor any excuse to sneak off to quiet corners for a moment of privacy. There was simply too much to do and so all you were able to share, when he and his compatriots delivered another allotment of black bread that day, was an intense look of yearning before duty pulled you away once more.
The state of the tent had been weighing on your mind as it sagged lower and lower beneath the three-day onslaught of water, and it was no surprise when the canvas gave way the morning of the 25th, a mighty sound of rending fabric echoing through the space. A deluge of frigid, accumulated rainwater poured down onto the three men who had the misfortune of being positioned below the gaping tear, its ragged ends flapping in the breeze. Grabbing some towels of rough cotton, you were rushing along the slickened wooden floor to try and move them, dry them off, when the entire corner of the tent lurched and collapsed with a groan and further cries of distress.
“Help!!” Was all you had the mental capacity to yell in the face of the sight before you, hoping to summon Menzies and Chalmers.
To your immense surprise and relief, a flood of men began to pour in from the yard, most likely summoned by the sight of the collapse, but also perhaps your scream. As the lot of you began to unearth men from beneath the debris, you recognized Bucky’s friend with the gold teeth – Hambone, he had called him – as well as the brunette who had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt over ‘angel face.’
“Where should we put ‘em, angelfish?” Bucky’s voice broke through the cacophony from behind you and you turned back to him quickly, wondering when he had arrived.
“In the hall, towards my room.” You thought quickly on your feet, the very last available space in the hospital coming to mind.
With over half of the tent still intact, you worked with the group of volunteers to reinforce the structure that remained standing and ensure the men resting there were all right. Mercifully, the rain slowed for the first time in days, before stopping altogether. Barricading off the collapsed portion of the tent with the sodden, unusable cots, you turned to take stock of the rest of the patients, pleased to find them resting as comfortably as possible. You were drenched and filthy, but that was a secondary concern. Squelching your way inside, you gnawed on your lip to see a total of eight patients now sheltered in the hall with no bedding to speak of.
The feel of a towel being draped over your shoulders jerked your head to the right to see Bucky roughly rubbing at his dripping curls with a towel of his own.
“I am once again in your debt, Major Egan.” You sniffed, wringing out your shirt slightly into the rough cotton.
“Don’t mention it. I’m guessing the only beds you have for them are out there in Lake Moosburg?”
A small, incredulous snort escaped you despite your ragged state and he huffed an exhausted laugh in reply. Shaking your head with a sigh, you furrowed your brows. “We’ve got nothing but a few more towels, and an abundance of dirty rags and bandages…It stopped raining though.” You tagged on the tiniest piece of good news and lifted your knuckles to rap against the wooden wall for good luck, to help it hold, grinning fondly as he practically mirrored the motion.
“Small mercies. I’ll see if I can convince some of the others to part with their blankets in the name of the unwell. I’ll be back, angelfish.”
“You’re a good man, John Clarence Egan.” You murmured tenderly.
Bucky froze, eyeing you intently, unmoving. Not even breathing for nearly a minute before he exhaled heavily. “Suppose you did warn me you’d weaponize my full name, angelfish…” He rasped, fingers wrapping around your wrist to squeeze in a subtle but emotive gesture, his thumb stroking across the sensitive skin of your inner wrist, making you shiver.
“Sorry.” You whispered, having not anticipated the heaviness of the blow it would land, but Bucky quickly shook his head.
“I look forward to you almost killing me again, soon.” He smirked and squeezed one last time before releasing his grip on you to head outside, sloshing his way around the camp to scrounge up enough bedding to keep the displaced patients comfortable.
A variety of guards and their officers came to inspect the damage throughout the day, Lieutenant Colonel Clark making his presence felt as he appeared on Bucky’s heels and immediately demanded the tent be repaired to provide appropriate care for the men.
The next morning dawned sunny for the first time since the 21st, but the cheer brought by the change of the weather was significantly dampened by the appearance of the skeletal figures of Russian labourers. You had glimpsed them from time to time through the barbed wire of the fence behind the hospital, ghoulish figures forced to work in the kitchens, on camp maintenance and repairs, and burying the dead, but you had never been this close to them before. Clearly summoned to complete the repairs on the corner of the hospital tent, they moved in a slow shuffle, clothing barely more than limp rags around their spindly frames. Rumor had it they did not even receive Red Cross ration boxes, subsisting solely on the scraps provided by the SS camp administrators.
Your heart ached at the sight, and you longed to smuggle them food or something of comfort, but they were, at all times, surrounded by a ring of guards to keep them separate. To keep them apart from the rest of the POWs. Casting sympathetic glances their way, you collected the rest of the cots and bedding they unearthed from beneath the partial collapse and shifted it all outside to dry out in the sunshine, noting the increased presence of guards kept Bucky and his compatriots from dropping by.
You assumed the same would be true throughout the 27th as well, however, shortly after the sun reached its zenith, you straightened from a patient’s bedside to see him leading in an unfamiliar face, the shorter man cradling a bloody hand to his chest.
“McLeod here sliced himself good on one of the ration tins.”
“Sorry to trouble you, Ma’am, it just won’t seem to stop bleeding.” The Scottish brogue tumbling from McLeod’s lips matched his shock of red hair impeccably, even if it was a bit difficult to decipher.
“Take a seat right here and we’ll take a look.” You smiled and gestured to one of the freshly dried cots, wedged between other patients at it awaited the completion of its normal resting place.
As you perched on the edge of the cot beside him, setting a pile of bandages in your lap, you noted Bucky eyeing the crowd of SS guards and their waif-like labourers hard at work in the corner of the tent. Gathering McLeod’s injured hand in yours, you gently dabbed at the blood pooling in his palm, nodding as the depth of his cut was revealed.
“Think you might need some stitches here, let me fetch the surgeon.” You smiled reassuringly, pressing a wad of bandages over the wound, coaxing him to apply pressure to it before approaching Chalmers who was working just a few beds away from the construction zone.
The clatter of tools striking the wooden floor caught your attention before the frail body of a workman collapsed to the ground. Acting on instinct, you surged forward to check on him, a professional hazard when on duty in a hospital. The nearest guard, not quite so tall as the others and thereby twice as mean to make up for it, barked at you sharply.
“Get back, schwester.”
He gave you little warning before the butt of his rifle cracked against your shoulder, making you lurch back in pain and chastisement. The cramped quarters combined with the mud-slickened floorboards to send you sprawling backwards onto your hip, mortified, but as you immediately tried to scramble back up to your feet, a wall of humanity was in your way.
“She’s just tryna do her job, keep your shirt on.” You recognized Bucky’s terse growl first, followed by Chalmer’s British accent, made all the crisper in his annoyance.
“You would strike a woman who is only trying to help an unwell man?!”
Sliding backward across the slimy wood, you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder.
“Let’s get you on your feet, lass.” McLeod grasped your elbow with his uninjured hand and hoisted you up despite the way your boots seemed reluctant to find purchase on the ground, holding you steady until you nodded that you were, in fact, stable.
“Nein!” The guard shouted back through the men who had formed a barricade between you. “No help!”
Frowning deeply you balled your fists to see the Russian POW laying in the mud, unaided, unacknowledged by any of the guards or his fellow labourers.
“Nurse, go get cleaned up.” Chalmers’ orders snapped your eyes to his face, and you swallowed tightly before turning on your heel, making your way to the utility room to fetch some water.
You could vaguely hear the surgeon arguing for the man’s life as you transitioned from the tent into the main hospital building, but you narrowed your focus to carefully stepping over the men sheltering in the hallway. To trying not to cry at the meaninglessness of it all. Stopping at your room to grab your wash basin, you looked yourself over in the mirror, sighing as you were thankfully not as mud stained as Chalmers’ order led you to believe. Bucky’s reflection as he peered into the room made you turn sharply to face him, gulping back tears as there were patients just steps away.
“You hurt?” He asked softly, seizing your hands.
You shook your head quickly. “Just a little bruised, but I’ll live.”
Bucky tugged on your hands to pull you against him, wrapping you tightly in his arms. “You’d better.”
Burrowing your face into his neck, you could only muster a nod in reply, clinging to him, careful not to hurt him, until you felt able to take more than just the tiniest sips of air for breaths. As the crushing weight lifted from your chest, you lifted your head to look at him apologetically. “Sorry…”
“Don’t apologise, angelfish, you were just trying to help that poor man.” He sighed, pressing his lips to your forehead. You felt one of his hands leave your back and heard him huff a laugh. “You might want to change your shirt though, your back’s covered in mud.”
Tensing, you craned your neck to look over your shoulder, muttering bitterly. “So that’s what Major Chalmers meant…”
“I’ll get you some fresh water and make myself scarce, too many goons watching.”
Nodding softly, you passed him the basin, hoping the construction would be done soon and things could go back to their bleak yet relative normalcy. As if hearing your wishes for the first time in months, the universe actually conspired to have the repairs to the hospital tent completed that evening, all eight patients returned to the cots in the corner, the hallway cleared. Everyone seemed to breathe a little easier that night as you settled them down for sleep, awaking to yet another gloriously sunny day and finally the chance to catch up on the overwhelming backload of laundry.
Setting your water to boil out back and prepping your wash basins, you returned to the hospital to collect the pails of rags and used bandages, smiling warmly as you found Chalmers in conversation with Bucky about one of the American patients. He sent you a friendly nod without breaking his concentration and you bent down to grab the pail that rested between the central desk and the cot where one of the medium-term residents, Pete Thompson from Ohio, was recovering quite well.
“Nurse, you gotta be the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” He gushed, as he was prone to do, fluttering his long, dark eyelashes.
The young man had lain it on pretty thick since the moment he had arrived several weeks ago, before traversing a brutal course of bronchitis, which he was thankfully coming out the other side of.
“Oh come off it, Thompson.” You laughed warmly. “You boys are so desperate for female company, I’m sure you would propose to Eleanor Roosevelt if she had the misfortune of crossing your paths in this place.”
The guffaw your joke earned had you grinning brightly in return, and you made sure he was comfortable before turning to grab the last couple buckets, blinking to find them in Bucky’s hands.
“This all of ‘em?” He raised an eyebrow and you nodded, leading him out the back way to set your load down in the nearly dry yard.
You hard barely turned around when his lips were crashing into yours, hands gripping your elbows, kissing you breathless.
“Wha…” You tilted your head at him, stunned, when he finally pulled back.
“That’s for slandering our First Lady but also diminishing yourself. Couldn’t just kiss you right there in front of everyone though, angelfish. Specially not that soldier boy getting fresh with you. Had to wait ‘till we were alone.” He smirked and pressed his lips against the tip of your nose, making you giggle airily.
“John Clarence Egan, never change.” You sighed dreamily.
His chest rumbled softly before his lips surged forward, already parted, to take advantage of your surprise and slide his tongue along yours hungrily. In retrospect, his ‘attack’ may have been well warranted, give your twice use of his full name. It was also not unwelcome, making you cling to his shoulders and whimper down his throat as he seemed to taste every inch of your mouth. The way the hair dusting his upper lip brushed against your face threatened to undo your knees, your head swimming with lack of oxygen and emotion until the sharp snap of the door’s hinges had Bucky wrenching back from you.
Pressing your lips together to take greedy breaths through your nostrils, you watched Menzies moodily deliver a missed bucket of rags, eyeing the pair of you suspiciously.
“Best move along Major, we have guests inspecting the handiwork of our unfortunate neighbours.”
Bucky nodded to him firmly, sucking in a deep breath as though to muster a reply. “Thanks for the heads up, Captain. See you around, angelfish.”
He tipped his imaginary cap to you, and you nodded in return, watching him disappear around the side of the building, heart hammering beneath your sternum, before lurching back to focus on the task at hand. To say that your thoughts stayed to him often throughout the course of the day would be an understatement.
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