Work Text:
The celebration is in full swing when Gale enters the hall. It’s almost overwhelming at first, the masses of people dancing and fooling around while wave after wave of booming noise crashes into him. Looking around, he finds Rosie twisting his body to the music. Gale studies his highly comical moves for a while, mouth pulling into a wide grin as Rosie spins around and sways his upper body like a man possessed.
Rosie notices him and grins back, then, before Gale can say anything, motions with his head for him to turn around. He follows Rosie’s gaze and, sure enough, there is John, propped up against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a sly smile plastered on his face as he stares back at Gale. He is surprised to see John not in the middle of all the commotion but far away from its epicenter.
”Party not to your liking?” he shouts over the music as he settles next to him. He was half expecting to find John singing with the band or leaning over the bar counter handing out drinks to everyone.
John shrugs his shoulders and slants closer to Gale so he doesn’t have to shout. ”Just not really my scene anymore.”
Gale snorts at that, shaking his head without believing him for a second.
”Could go somewhere else more private?” He pulls his flask from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and jiggles it suggestively.
And Gale is nothing but predictable when it comes to John. There’s not much John could ask him that he wouldn’t agree to do. He nods, says, ”Lead the way,” and allows John to grab him by the sleeve of his jacket and pull him through the groups of people like they’re navigating through a labyrinth. They get a few whistles and catcalls from the guys that John just laughs through, and Gale finds himself grinning as well.
John takes Gale outside into the crisp night air. He looks around a bit, then, a clear goal in sight, starts walking them through the airfield towards the control tower. He lets go of Gale’s sleeve when they’ve arrived and motions for him to climb the stairs. ”After you, Buck.”
Up in the tower everything feels secluded even when Gale can still hear distant sounds of music and notices some guys walking below them talking excitedly about going home.
”To think just a few months ago we were still on the road. I think my blisters got blisters from all that walking.” John chuckles as he sits down on a bench, stretching out his legs in front of him.
It’s a topic they return to every now and then, and even after everything’s been said out loud, it’s something Gale thinks they will both think about for the rest of their lives. There are still things that Gale hasn’t known how to talk about, hasn’t found the right words or the right time. Now though, away from everyone else, he thinks the time might be right. He’s spent many nights awake in his bed thinking about their escape plan, how it was supposed to have gone. Him and John returning to Station 139 on the same plane, getting greeted by Croz and Rosie together instead of Gale having to explain to them how John had to stay behind.
John pulls him out of his thoughts tapping Gale’s chest with his flask. Eyebrows raised, he waits for Gale to take it, and their fingers brush when Gale’s hand closes around the stainless-steel bottle.
He takes a swig, the burn of whiskey blooming into his chest and easing the feeling of regret momentarily that’s come creeping back now that they’re here. ”Been meaning to say this many times, but haven’t found the words…” He trails off, not really sure how to continue. John frowns and cocks his head to the side to get a better look at Gale. Exhaling shakily, Gale hands John back his flask. ”Leavin’ you behind like that… It wasn’t right, and I —”
John places a hand on his arm and stops him before he can say anything else. ”You did what you had to, Buck. What we agreed on.”
”It still felt wrong.” Gale knows for a fact John wouldn’t have left him behind, would have stayed with Gale to make sure the Krauts didn’t get back at him for the others slipping away.
”Not to me it didn’t,” John says emphatically, then flashes Gale a soft smile. ”I was happy you got away, okay? That thought alone kept me going, the thought of seeing you again. It gave me hope. I finally had someone to return to.”
”But—”
”No buts tonight.” John gives Gale’s arm a comforting squeeze. ”It’s way too nice up here to worry about meaningless shit.”
Flares shoot up in the air lighting up the black sky and shining bright in John’s eyes. ”Look at that,” he grins, and Gale finds it hard to look anywhere but at John. ”Like Fourth of July.”
”I love you,” Gale distantly hears himself saying, and John tears his eyes away from the flares, a surprised look on his face. ”You know that, right?”
”Yeah, I know,” John says after a while, his voice light and happy. ”’Course I know. I love you too, Buck.”
But Gale thinks John hasn’t heard him right, hasn’t fully understood. He slips his hand into John’s and laces their fingers together. ”I love you,” he says more pointedly. It feels easier to say the second time.
John frowns a little, says, ”I — yeah, love you too,” uncharacteristically shy, but he sounds like he means every word. Gale wonders if John has ever said those words to anyone else before him and wants to kiss him then to show how much he really means them, too.
”Think I’ve always loved you,” Gale continues, a little panicked because he just needs John to understand. And finally saying it out loud feels important, because if he doesn’t tell John now, he thinks John will never know. They’re flying home soon, start planning their futures. Gale hopes together, but it’ll be for John to decide.
”We both know that ain’t true,” John grins and looks more confident now, back in his element. “I still remember the first time I was in the cockpit with you. You gave me a hard time ’bout every little thing I did that wasn’t exactly to your liking.” He snickers, caught in the memory, but then quickly sobers up a little, smiles adoringly at Gale. ”Hell, you made me try harder, made me a better pilot for sure. A better man, too.”
John was wild and reckless when they met, hot-headed, act-first think-later kind of guy – all terrible features in a pilot although he still somehow made it work. Gale doesn’t like to take much credit for the man John is today, but they fit well together. He knows he has a calming effect on John’s wildest, most reckless side, while he often feels more daring and adventurous in turn when John is around.
Perhaps just that daringness that he attributes to John is what gives Gale the spark to act. He leans in and presses his lips to John’s, heart drumming a beat in his ears much faster than anything the band was churning out. He relaxes with a soft sigh when John kisses him back, at first a little uncertainly, like he’s still trying to piece all of this together in his mind. He can’t blame the guy. Gale’s just running on instinct now, feeling brave in new ways, ways he’s never been brave before. John opens his mouth and Gale takes it as an invitation to deepen the kiss. He tastes whiskey on John’s tongue.
They break apart after a while and John presses a grin against Gale’s cheek. There haven’t been many moments in Gale’s life that have felt truly perfect, but now he finds himself in the middle of one. ”Well, I’ll be,” John murmurs in a deep, affectionate tone close to his ear. ”You tellin’ me we coulda been doing this the whole damn time? Would’ve made prison more interestin’, don’t cha think?”
”I’m sure the guys we bunked with would have had something to say about that.” Thinking about Crank or Benny or Ham witnessing this tenderness makes his face feel hot from embarrassment, even if they’ve all teased both Gale and John about their ”special friendship” so often he’s lost count.
A burst of laughter from John. Gale notices their hands are still linked when John gives his fingers a tight squeeze. ”Yeah, you’re probably right. Can’t give them any more ammo than they’ve already got.”
They sit in the tower for a long time holding hands, kissing a little, mostly just leaning against each other and enjoying the night.
”Goin’ home soon,” John speaks with a wistful tone in his voice, his eyes tracking more flares in the night sky. They remind Gale of fireflies he used to catch into a jar as a kid.
”Fly with me?” he asks, turning his head to study John’s face. ”I know it hasn’t been possible while we’ve been deployed, but I’ve missed having you on my right side again.”
”Just hasn’t been the same without your right-hand man, huh?” John teases, but Gale can see how proud he looks. ”’Course I will. I’d fight whatever schmuck tried to take that seat from me.”
Gale snorts, amused at the image John is painting with his words. ”Fightin’ over me now? Why, I’m touched.”
”Well, I’d have to. You still have my lucky deuce and I’m not planning to crash into the Atlantic on my way home. I just couldn’t live that down.”
Gale rolls his eyes and John pulls him back close, cards his fingers through Gale’s hair as he brushes their noses together and slowly sucks Gale’s bottom lip into his mouth.
Distant hooting and whistling carry over to Gale’s ears from below. Someone’s definitely noticed them, which means the whole base will have been updated by breakfast tomorrow morning. Knowing the 100th, Gale half expects a goddamn parade waiting for them in the mess, but right now whatever John is doing with his tongue is all too distracting for him to think about much else than yes, please, and more of this.