#(hc; egan)

[avonne-writes]

Bucky would carve Gale's intitials into the frame of his bunk in the stalag like a pining high school boy.

[alienoresimagines]

What if John was never shot down ? (John edition)

I've been thinking a lot lately about what would've happened if John hadn't been shot down over Münster so here are some HCs 😊 Warning : Lots of angst lol (Gale HCs here)

Let's imagine for a second that, after meeting with Bucky, clearly grieving, a bit drunk and all in all not fit for being on a mission, Harding decides not to have him on the Münster mission

Instead, he sends him to the flak house which was a decision he'd already thought about after Dye's party but Gale had convinced him to send John on a weekend pass instead

So Bucky is ordered to the flak house despite his best efforts to convince Chick he can be on the mission

He's so angry at everything and everyone : Buck for having left and being shot down, the 100th for acting as if Buck was dead (he's not, Bucky'd know), Chick for sending him to the flak house instead of giving him a chance to let him join Buck, either down below or even higher in the skies, the world for having taken his Gale from him

Most of all he's mad at himself because he left Buck, he wasn't there with him, instead he was spending the night with Paulina and while he was doing that Buck had already been shot down and he didn't know

He's in a strange place of grieving Buck but also convinced he's not dead because if he is, then there is nothing more for Bucky to do in this world

He lashes out at pretty much everyone but is somewhat grateful the doctor doesn't try to make him talk, and lets him be morose and quiet in his corner

He doesn't try to socialise with anyone and tries to drink as much as he can but there's only so much alcohol to be found in the flak house

He barely sleeps because all he can see when he closes his eyes are images of Gale bleeding, Gale unconscious as his plane goes down, Gale exploding with his plane, Gale pierced by flak, Gale terrified and alone

He'd be sitting somewhere and feel a ghost of warmth where Buck would usually be seated, close enough for Bucky to sling an arm around his shoulders except the space is empty

The Münster mission goes as it does in the show : only Rosie's crew make it back and that's the last straw for Bucky

Not only Buck's gone but now almost all the men he flew from the US with, Brady, Murph, Crank, his boys

Chick hasn't put a time limit to his stay at the flak house because even if he needs a Major now more than ever, he knows Bucky can't do that right now

Bucky can't bring himself to talk to Rosie's crew when they arrive at the flak house, too busy with his own grief and anger (a bit like he was at the Stalag except there's no Buck to check on him and pull him out of his own head)

He can't even look at them because why couldn't it be Buck who came back unscathed ? He immediately hates himself even more at the thought because it's unfair to Rosie and his men but also because Buck would never in a million years want that

He'd rather be the only one to go down if it means all his boys make it back rather than the other way around and Bucky knows that

More and more he can hear Buck's voice in his head, which isn't a good sign so he doesn't mention that to anyone, but he clings onto it like a lifeline. He refuses to forget what Buck's voice sounds like, not when he's already starting to forget the exact shade of blue of his eyes no matter how long and hard he stares at the picture he has of him and Buck from flight school or how long he stays awake at night picturing Buck's face not to forget it

Still Buck's features become blurry and John hates himself even more because can he even say he loves Gale if a few days were enough for him not to remember the exact shape of his jaw, the curve of his nose ?

Except that Buck's voice doesn't just sound like his voice, it says things like Buck would say

Encouraging Bucky to drink a bit less, to go to sleep even if he can only close his eyes without falling in Morpheus' arms, to eat more, not to give up on himself and not to give up on Buck

Voice!Buck encourages him to go talk to Rosie and his crew, not even to be Major Egan but just someone who knows what they've been through, someone they can talk to

And Bucky knows that's what Buck would want him to do. Knows that from wherever Buck is, he'd be worrying about his men and about Bucky

So he does the only thing that he can do for Buck at the moment and tries to pull himself in a semblance of a man

How ironic is it that even though he's not there, even though he's been shot down while Bucky was enjoying a woman's touch, Gale's still the one to save him ?

So Bucky starts to pull himself together and is eventually sent back to Thorpe Abbotts

He's not even 75% alright but he can do his job even though he still drinks more than what's healthy

Chick was never scared Bucky would pull a suicide mission because he knows that no matter how deep in gried, Bucky'd never endanger his men like that, but he feels a tad bit more serene when sending him on missions

Bucky is absolutely burning with his want for revenge and justice

In December, he learns that Gale's alive and that changes things

It's like a weight was lifted from his shoulders and he can finally look up from the ground to look at the stars and hope

Which is strange because he's always known Gale was alive, too stubborn to die, but now nobody looks at him with pity anymore

And the thought that Buck is down there in a POW camp makes him even more determined

He sends Buck's letters even though he has no idea if the Germans will let it get to him but he still does (girl worth writing too and all)

In the meantime he kicks up a friendship with Rosie

He flies his 25 missions but he re-enlists because there is no way in hell he'll be going home while Buck is still a POW

No, he'll drop bombs until Germany's unconditional surrender and the liberation of the POWs

He gets a letter back from Buck and he has to go hide himself in the cockpit of B-17 to read it because he knows he'll lose control of his emotions

He absolutely cries in relief and because of course Gale would ask him if he's alright and hope he's holding up okay

Not so gently threaten Buck into taking care of himself and not be the sacrificial idiot John knows him to be in his next letter, even though he has little hope Buck will do it

But if Voice!Buck was enough to pull him out of his hole, maybe knowing Bucky is waiting for him will be enough to give Buck something something to stay alive for

Bucky you idiot Buck was fighting and staying alive for you all along

As D-Day gets nearer he's more determined than ever to really deal a blow and bring Gale closer to home

He doesn't fly as many missions as Rosie but that's okay with him. Even if he'd rather be the one flying with his boys as many times as he can, he knows the work he does is helpful to the cause.

He still doesn't take his lucky deuce back from Buck's footlocker though. The bunk stays empty, no one daring to even sit on it. Bucky dusts Buck's stuff often, makes sure everything's in top condition for when Gale comes back

As the Russians grow nearer to the POW camp, Buck stops answering his letters and while Bucky tries to rationalize, he's still going mad with worry

Especially when he sees how's the winter is treating Germany

The nightmares, which haven't ever fully left, come back in full force as all the different scenarios for POWs haunt him

He absolutely refuses to imagine he could lose Buck so close to the end

And then April 1945 comes around

Bucky was on a mercy mission of his own when he comes back to be greeted with Blakely and Kidd, smiling wider than he's seen them do in years

Immediately, hope swells in his chest, echoes of POW camps being liberated in his ears

He welcomes back Gale like in the show, guiding him to land the plane with tears in his voice then immediately steals Jack's jeep to welcome him on the runway

Absolutely gives him the tightest, fiercest hug ever seen

He doesn't let Gale out of his sight for even one second, devastated to see the effects of being a POW for so long had on his Gale but so damn relieved to finally have him back

Is a bit embarrassed to show Gale how he's been taking care of his footlocker but tries to make light of it

"I knew you'd be back. Told any loony trying to take your bunk that you were just MIA."

And "I've been expecting you back for more than a year, what took you so long ?" though he's choking on his tears by the end of it and Gale's eyes glisten too

They hug for a long time after that

More in the reblogs because I've somehow hit the characters limit lol

[hogans-heroes]

HC that Bucky was already messed up and struggling before the start of the show and the happy-go-lucky attitude was just a front. We just watch him lose the ability to keep up the front and he “regresses.” Dude’s a straight-up alcoholic with the worst attachment issues imaginable and self-harmful inclinations since day one. HC that Gale knows this and was the one to help Bucky in the beginning just as much as Bucky helped him. We always give Gale the angsty backstory but I think we’ve been totally missing out on this.

Edit: Oh god what if Gale was the one to befriend runaway-trainwreck John and not take no for an answer not the other way around. MAYBE early in triaining before they were friends John’s drunk behavior triggers Gale but John reacts so differently from his dad that Gale is shook, realizes John’s different and wants to save him from becoming like that.

[umika]

Still is high school AU. (yeah I'm here again)

Maybe this was in Bucky’s dreams. Some moments make Bucky remember a very long time. He always wondered if this would happen one day or if it was just his imagination.

Someday, Buck asked Bucky to go to the mountaintop, and this happened.

Bucky was shocked at the sight, then Buck smiled and called him to come over and sit with him to enjoy the view.

[imasexypotato]

Curt watches as his two closest friends dance around each other, tip toeing between the lines of what is socially acceptable and what is downright romantic.

He watches the way they look at each other, how John looks at Gale, as if he'd personally raised and set the sun each day.

And how Gale watches John, as though he's the only man in the world worth knowing.

He sees the way they touch. How John all but throws himself all Gale, trying to conceal his longing under the guise of playfulness. Forcing himself not to lose control and take, take , take.

And how Gale leans into him, almost tenderly, yearning for his touch, accepting whatever John will give him, holding onto the ghost of his touch like a dying prayer.

Letting no other get as close to his heart as John Egan has.

And John, doing the same in turn.

Curt watches and shakes his head.

How no one else had noticed, how even the two people in question seemed to be in the dark, Curt had no clue.

He turns back to his drink and takes a sip.

It was so Obvious.

[rosiesriiveters]

Keep thinking of Buck and Bucky's perception of Rosie through their eyes. When they meet him, Rosie's a great pilot, has been training gunners for ages and knows his way around a plane well - but has yet to see any combat. He's that wide-eyed kind of hopeful that he can make a difference.

When they meet him again by the end of the series, Rosie's gone on to fly 52 missions. He's well and truly past his first tour, and well into his second. The rest of the 100th adore him and respect him as a leader; and Rosie adores them all right back.

Despite all of that, Rosie still seems like the same person - undemonstrative, and a little more heaviness to his shoulders perhaps, but that wide-eyed hope that I can make a difference hasn't faded.

[bcolfanfic]

some young vets au slice of life just bc this au has my heart and i ❤️ my blorbos

[rqsser]

random buck & bucky headcanons…

gale doesn’t like morning kisses because of bad breath, but john loves them cuz they annoy gale

hand kisses are a very intimate thing to gale, they go beyond a formal greeting to him. they express his appreciation for one’s soul rather than their presence (he kisses animals paws/hooves)

john is an extrovert, quite obviously, but he can easily recognize when gale’s uncomfortable and will leave whatever outing they’re at to calm him down

john loves hunting and gale loves fishing! (in some au where they don’t have ptsd)

gale prefers vehicles in europe because he can at least sit on the left side without driving (popular, but he hates driving)

post-war au, they’d live outside of a town/city, on a ranch or near a lake, because then nobody can see them different from everyone else. (they’d say that they’re war buddies and their spouses left them while they were away, no one bats an eye)

john worships the ground that gale walks on, in a sense. when gale’s coming back inside from yard work, or exiting the shower after 30 minutes, john’ll drop whatever he’s doing to follow gale around. (related to the one just above this!!)

gale loves animals, john’s never had a pet.

after the war, gale takes up sewing as something to pass time, and to calm himself. john likes to sit behind him with his arms around his waist and watch gale’s steady hands weave together a b-17.

gale is an introvert, but people seem to gravitate towards him, just like how john’s voice seems like a promise for a good time. he doesn’t mind being in large groups, but when a bunch of people start talking to him, he gets anxious and kind of annoyed. john is quick to pull him away in those situations.

gale sews, and john cooks. he finds old recipe books that gale’s mother made before she passed, and serves gale memories.

[anavilante]

Flight school HC

When John and Gale first met and became roommates, they didn't like each other at all. There was no love at first sight, no John's fascination with Gale's beauty. Quite the opposite. Initially, both guys have no attraction to other guys, so they look at each other absolutely critically. Gale doesn't like John because he seems to be his complete opposite, he is noisy, cheeky, unceremonious, has absolutely no respect for other people's personal space, drinks a lot, smokes, chases girls (a new one every time), loves gambling , bets, fights and he is always ready to do something stupid, there is some kind of madness in him that irritates Gale, he does not respect authorities and rules and in general does not seem to take anything seriously, he jokes all the time and he is absolutely irresponsible about training and their mission, in general to everything, as if he is here not for an important matter, but just for fun (but at the same time, by some unimaginable coincidence, he flies well). John doesn't like Gale because he's pretty and boring. There is nothing good about pretty guys, except that they can easily steal a girl and you have to fight with them for a place in the sun, knowing that they have an innate advantage - their pretty face. In addition, Gale is uptight, secretive, and gloomy. He's boring. Especially when next to John there is a crowd of noisy and lively guys who share his interests and fun in drinking and girls (their pack, as they call themselves).

When John calls Gale Buck, there's nothing cute about it, it's not a sign of affection. This is a way to mark territory, to put your opponent at a disadvantage. Gale is furious and angry, reminding him at every opportunity that his name is Gale, but John is so persistent and unshakable that soon the entire base calls him Buck.

John's pack often occupies his and Gale's room. And although this infuriates Gale very much, it also helps the guys and John understand over time that Gale is not such a prude and a bore as he initially seems, just as it makes Gale understand that John is not such an incorrigible idiot and asshole.

(plus all of this with the faces of Austin at 23 yo and Callum at 27 yo)

[andylyn]

I want someone to caress Bucky's cheek before cupping his tenderly. Looking at him with hooded eyes filled with anguish. Looking at his blue blue eyes so dull from the magnesium flare they have before. And say with voice so soft and tender "Who did this to you?"

And Bucky would laugh it off, giving the excuse that he is fine, had never felt better. But that someone heard the crack in his tone and barely noticible shake of his fingers.

Rage will burns bright and hot within them but none is shown, so they will slowly pull Bucky's face down and kiss each of his eyelids. "Are they alive? Because they won't be for long"

May mercy be with those who harmed their precocious boy.

[moghraidhs]

In the scene where Buck and Bucky met Rosie and the others for the first time Bucky’s expression/body language feels like he’s trying to be nice but also closing himself off? He’s not as warm and open as he was at the beginning of the show, he’s already expecting them to go down and doesn’t want to get close, but he also genuinely cares about people and the two aspects are fighting.

HC that towards the end even though Bucky isn’t mean to the new guys he starts to get aloof and give them the cold shoulder? He’s just trying to unconsciously protect himself which also makes the others think he’s a bit of a jerk l until someone else fills them in.

oh, this kills me.

i remember actually writing in a post after seeing the trailer for ep 4 that i didn't think bucky liked rosenthal, and then when i watched the ep i realised he was acting the way nixon behaved around that new lieutenant in 'the last patrol'. bc by this time bucky's tired and disillusioned and definitely suffering from ptsd, and these new guys with their bright eyes and hopeful expressions have no idea what's coming for them, and he can't tell them. he can't save them, even if he flies with them. (look at what happened to curt.)

so yeah, i can definitely see this - and i can also see it not working out so well. bucky is the kind of person who can't help but care, and in the end trying to close himself off hurts even worse than before.

[avonne-writes]

gale looks so soft and adorable in that scene where he’s woken up for his first mission i can’t

Aw, yes 🥺 Bucky can’t resist spooning him when he sleeps like this.

(I think gif is from @austinbutlermischief )

Also, imagine this Gale with this Bucky:

[alienoresimagines]

Bucky: Hey, you want some leftovers?

Buck: What's that?

Bucky: You've never had leftovers?

Buck: No, because I'm not a quitter.

Buck: Also my dad used to gamble all our savings away so I always finished my meals since I never knew when the next would be.

[hogans-heroes]

Boy that has Problems with authority that we really need to talk/write more about. So much so that it’s in his personnel file. That kinda stuff doesn’t come from nowhere. (Also, Gale 100% also has this problem due to his dad, yet I think their approaches are different. John rebels and acts out while Gale just, takes it.)

[jenning-fcb]

I was thinking of a Clegen au with reincarnation, but like

Before they meet, John starts having dreams about Gale, but at first they aren't very clear dreams, he keeps dreaming about his eyes and his voice. And he can't get this person that he doesn't even know who is out of his head. Until Gale transfers to the college that John attends, and although he is a little different, younger, with longer hair, and even though John had never seen his face clearly in his dreams, when the His eyes meet Gale for the first time, John is sure he is the one he dreams of.

And John is very confused by this, how is the person in his dreams a real person? And why does he keep dreaming about him? He even thinks about going to talk to him, but soon discards the idea knowing that he would seem crazy.

But shortly afterwards John remembers everything. He remembers what Gale meant to him, and who he was to him. Who he still means and is. And the first thing he feels is such intense pain, almost like mourning, for the love they couldn't have in their past life.

The night John remembers everything, he cries like he thinks he's never cried in his life. He remembers that all they had were stolen moments, that at that time they could never truly be together. He remembers as if it were yesterday, not a lifetime ago, the feeling of having Gale sleeping in his arms, even though it had only happened once in his other life, but the memory seemed so recent that he could almost feel him in his arms again.

But after the grief he felt for his past self, John also feelt hope. They were no longer in 1940, and it was no longer a crime to love another man. He still feels lost and doesn't know how to approach the blonde, since he's almost certain that the other doesn't remember anything. So he only plans to get closer little by little. But every time he sees Gale, his heart fills with love, and he knows that it won't be easy to act around him as if he doesn't know him, as if he isn't his entire world.

But John would do it, because he knows that if it were necessary, he would still wait Gale for another 10 lives more.

So, Gale and John start having study sessions together. Well, John knew that Gale attended these study sessions and signed up just to get closer to him. And as Gale always stayed alone in the library after each session, John started to stay too, and during those nights they started talking and getting to know each other. In fact, Gale got to know John, as John knew him better than his own face.

These nights were John's favorite parts of the day, but also his personal torture. It was so hard to be in front of Gale without being able to pull him into his arms, without being able to tell him how much he loved him. Pretending he wasn't agonizing to touch him.

In one of these conversations, John discovers that before returning to the USA, Gale was attending college in Brazil. And to try to impress him, he tells him that he knows a little Portuguese and how beautiful he thinks the language is. One of his favorite words is Saudade. A word that only exists in Portuguese, which has no direct translation into any other language, but which means the feeling of missing someone, the longing or yearning.

Gale agrees with him that it really is a nice word, but he prefers the expression: eu sinto sua falta. And John asks what the translation is, and then Gale explains that many translate it to ''I miss you'', but if you translate it literally it means: I feel the lack of you.

I feel the lack of you. Never had a sentence described so much of what John felt. He felt Gale's absence in his soul every day of his life. Even though Gale was still in front of him, still not quite… his Gale. And he felt so alone without his Gale.

But John would still live for Gale, even if he wasn't his Gale, he would accept any space in his life that Gale was willing to give him. He would take what he could have.

[imasexypotato]

Imagine Gale having an "Oh" moment the first time he realises John loves him.

I HC that Gale grew up with a very absent mother and a terrible father. So he isn't used to anyone doing anything for him.

No affection, no care, no love. He's used to people only caring about themselves. So it never crosses his mind that someone could ever truly love him.

That is, until he meets John.

He's wonderful. He's the complete opposite of Gale. He's outgoing, he's loud, friendly. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He isn't scared of speaking his mind.

He's perfect.

At least, to Gale he is.

He's so happy after they become friends. Why John picked him out of everyone there to be his friend, Gale had no clue, but he wasn't about to complain.

It's only a matter of time before Gale starts to wonder when it will end. Everyone leaves eventually. People get tired of him and move on.

So Gale watches and waits. Waits for John to falter. Waits for him to realise Gale isn't worth his time. Waits for him to leave.

But he never does.

Over the years, Gale waits for the other shoe to drop. Waits for the happiness to end. Waits for John to leave him behind.

Soon, he tells himself over and over.

Because there's no way Gale deserves John's friendship. He doesn't deserve his kindness, his care, his devotion, his love.

And yet, the day never comes.

John doesn't stop caring. He doesn't stop smiling at him. He doesnt stop touching him oh so gently, as though Gale was something special. Something to be treasured.

It's like John has an endless supply of .... something Gale doesn't dare to dream of.

He keeps on treating him the same as always, and soon enough Gale can't take it.

Why hasn't he left yet? Why does he continue to stand by his side? What did John see in Gale that was worth wasting his time on?

And then, one day, he realises.

Perhaps it's something small, something no one else would bat an eye at. Something John says or does that makes Gale realise the truth.

Oh

John loves him.

It's that simple.

Nothing more and nothing less.

That's all there is to it.

Love.