#background clegan

[bcolfanfic]

hiiiiii (: spent too much time on lesbian history jstor and decided i need to give cessie some proper development- just in time for @blind-dates-fest (; we will see much more of her in my clegan WIP off roading- but here’s this for now.

***this is a completely different alternate universe than brady blue ticket land

**annie is cessie's friend from college that had them start writing each other

i guess she is technically a the pacific oc haha. but for now she's in mota land (:

\\\

May 15th, 1945 - Okinawa

Marjorie,

Your last letter only made its way to my hands in the dead of night, and I read it then and there, half-asleep but unwilling to wait. I like the way your words sound in my head, like I can hear you saying them. Annie doesn’t have much of an accent, but I suppose that’s because she’s not really from Wyoming. You must have one though, I’d expect. And I’d expect I’d like it too.

I can’t say I’m surprised that your pilot is bringing his pilot home. From all you’ve told me, I’d have wagered as much. I do hope he knows what he’s doing, but if he’s anything like you say, I expect they’ll be just fine given the chance.

As for things here, well, you can likely guess. It’s a strange thing, feeling the tide turning but still having to wade through the worst of it. I think I’m better at lying than I’ve ever been. The boys ask me if I think it’ll be over here too anytime soon, and I look them in the eye and tell them yes, though I don’t believe it myself. I think of home more often these days, but when I try to picture it, it doesn’t come as easy as it used to. Too much distance, I suppose. Or too much time.

There’s so much more I’d like to say, but you know how it is. I’d rather say it to your face, anyhow. It’s funny, isn’t it? I’ve seen your handwriting more than I’ve seen you. That hardly seems fair. I hope we’ll be able to fix that soon enough.

Write when you can, you know I’ll be waiting.

All my love,

Cessie

September 30th, 1945 - Casper, Wyoming 

Cessie had imagined this moment a hundred times, maybe more. Every time she tucked a letter or a drawing into an envelope and sent across an ocean to somewhere safe. To a woman she’d never met but who, somehow, had become something steady in a world that never was.

For what had felt like a lifetime, her hands had been busy with bandages, needles, and the sweat-slicked, blood-slicked, foreheads of boys far too young to be dying. The idea of the war ending had once seemed almost ridiculous. The idea of the war ending and her standing here, in Casper, even more so.

And yet.

Marjorie stood just beyond the threshold, the late afternoon light catching on her hair, turning it gold at the edges. She was just a bit shorter than Cessie had pictured, hands twisting together at her waist, fingers curling and uncurling.

She looked like she might startle if she breathed too loud. 

And was every bit as pretty as she’d been in the few photographs she’d sent her. 

Cessie took a deep breath, glancing down at herself. Her dark, curly hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, a few strands brushing her freckled cheeks. She tugged the sleeve of her blouse into place and adjusted the way it tucked into her trousers, suddenly hyper-aware of the tremble in her hands.

Restless, she pushed a hand back through her hair, finding that she needed the motion to ground herself.

“Marjorie,” she said, finally.

Marjorie’s lips parted slightly, but no words came at first. Her hands fluttered at her sides before she managed to clasp them together right underneath her chin.

“Cessie,” she breathed, with a tremble to it.

Behind her, Cessie heard a sharp little snort, then a laugh, loud and unrestrained. The source stood just behind Marjorie, a dark-haired man she didn’t recognize. But the blonde one who shot him a quick glare before pinching his hip in reprimand, she knew from the photos was Gale.

Before she could decide whether to acknowledge them or not, the dark-haired one cleared his throat and stepped forward, all easy charm. Marjorie sidestepped to let him through, her fingers twisting together at her waist once again.

“John Egan,” he said, reaching for Cessie's hand and shaking it firmly before pulling back, giving Marjorie a little squeeze on the shoulder as he did. “We’ve both heard an awful lot about you from Marge here, should’ve seen how quick she snatched up your letter last week. Damn near bit my head off when I got to the mailbox first.”

“John.” Marjorie said- more a squeak than a proper protest.

Gale shot John a look, and he put both hands up in mock surrender, grinning all the while.

Cessie had known plenty of men like John Egan, flyboys with that casual sort of arrogance. But there was something different about these two, the charm feeling more disarming than it did irritating.

Still, she raised a brow. 

“You two always lurk in doorways, or is this just a special occasion?”

John barked.

“Oh, this is a very special occasion.”

Marjorie, dear thing, looked as though she might keel over.

Cessie gave her a moment, letting the silence settle for a beat before she offered her an out.

“Now,” she said, picking her bag back up and slinging over her shoulder- waving off Gale when he moved to take it off of her. “Are you going to show me where I’m staying, or are we just going to stand here and let your friends gawk to their hearts content?”

Marjorie flushed again, and John, damn him, laughed even louder.

Straightening, she smoothed the skirt of her dress with one hand, inhaling and smiling some on the breath back out.

“This way then,” she said, quiet and turned on her heel. John made another gesture of surrender, and Cessie couldn't see the look from Marjorie that must have prompted it but chuckled soft under her breath anyhow.

Gale’s voice broke the silence from somewhere deeper in the house when the front door shut behind them.

“Why don’t you two sit down?” he called out. “I’ll grab us some coffee.”

Cessie smiled, her gaze shifting toward him for a brief moment before it settled back on Marjorie, who seemed almost relieved by the distraction. She nodded, a bit more composed now, though her fingers still fluttered restlessly at her sides.

“Come on,” Cessie said gently, nudging her head towards the living room they'd just passed. "Promise I don't bite."

A moment of hesitation passed, brief but noticeable enough for Cessie to catch the way Marjorie’s fingers twitched, as though the urge to reach out was there, but she wasn’t sure whether she could.

Marjorie beat her to the couch, sitting on the edge, hands clasped tight between her knees. The way her gaze lingered on her, waiting with a quiet intensity, was so sweet that it made Cessie’s teeth ache.

When she settled beside her, she slipped her arm around Marjorie’s shoulders, instinct taking over before she could second-guess herself. Only holding back for a second, Marjorie gradually shifted closer.

Her frame was warm against her side in the exact way she'd laid awake in the Pacific imagining it would be, and this whole deal suddenly felt more real than it had out on the porch.

Marjorie’s fingers brushed against her hand where it had come to rest on her shoulder, and her chest tightened with something soft.

“You know,” Cessie said, tentatively tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, fingers grazing her face, “you’re even prettier in person.”

The words were out before she could second-guess them, and she watched as Marjorie’s eyes widened just slightly. 

“Thank you,” she said with a voice that faltered, flush climbing up her neck. She straightened up a little, her shoulders stiff, lip tucked back under her teeth for a beat before she found her words. “You’re, I'd say- quite the sight, yourself."

Cessie let out a soft chuckle.

“And you’re just as straight-forward as you were in your letters,” Marjorie continued, the words tumbling out quickly, like she was trying to keep up with her own thoughts.

There was something about the way she was playing with her hand idly while she talked that made Cessie’s breath hitch, and it crashed over her like a wave that she wanted to kiss her with a desperation she hadn't expected.

But she swallowed thick and held back.

It could wait.

They had time.

Before she could respond at all, John’s voice broke the moment.

“Am I interrupting you ladies?" he said from the mouth of the room, amusement in his tone.

Marjorie’s face flamed red.

“You’re alright Marge,” John said, though his grin said he wasn’t sorry at all, his eyes flicking between them with a glint. “Just entertaining is all.”

Cessie laughed under her breath, holding John's gaze as she tucked another strand of hair behind Marjorie's ear.

“Didn't come all this way just to give you dinner and a show, John Egan."

Marjorie shifted subtly, then, slowly leaned further into her, tucking her head gently onto Cessie's shoulder. For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then, almost hesitantly, Marjorie slid one arm around Cessie’s front, pulling herself just a little closer.

Her breath, soft and warm against Cessie’s neck, sent a ripple of something fond through her- something that spread slowly, from the place where their bodies met, all the way down to her toes.

Cessie brought her chin down to rest atop her head, and the gesture felt protective in a way she hadn't meant it to.

Though, she realized where the instinct had come from when she locked eyes with John as he crossed the room, his gaze just a touch more curious than she thought she liked.

“I’m thinkin’ Cessie,” John said lightly as he sat back in the recliner, gesturing between Marjorie and where Gale was still getting the coffee ready in the kitchen. “That our sweethearts here might have a type.”

[theleft0ver]

Somebody please take my phone away…

I spend way too much time making these on Shuffles 💀💀 I can’t stop *gurgling noises* the fandom is too good

[wildfirefruitjars]

This stupid joke has been living rent free in my head, I just needed to get it out!

[swifty-fox]

when you couldnt remember the name of a gay artist so you were trying to google it and now you're reading an academic excerpt of gay 1900's-1940's arts culture

[ligawolfcosplayandarts]

Finished this Ser Gregor Clegane x Oc drawing, and I can be in peace one less unfinished drawing in my tablet.

Will see what is next draft to finish 😩

Her name is Aerin Fyorninn and she's badass asf. She's half ginger tho lol.

[knoepfchen]

"Egan, was it? John Egan?" The voice drawls and Bucky is struck by the image of a toothpick between plush lips.

He whips around in the doorless room trying to find where the voice is coming from. Hand steady on his gun. Aware he is being watched.

"Or should I still call you 'Bucky', Agent 007?"

Bucky's heart plummets all the way to the floor.

He's taken back to the bar he stopped at a few hours earlier to meet the contact Q had hooked him up with for weapons on the ground.

A sparsely populated dive at that time of day. He'd sat at the bar and ordered a Martini.

"Shaken, not stirred," he'd told the bartender, when his eyes fell to the person next to him.

He was wearing a cowboy hat indoors, but Bucky's eyes were drawn straightaway to his mouth, slowly chewing a toothpick.

It was a very distracting mouth. Or it was, until the man looked up at him with the bluest eyes John had ever seen.

"And whatever this fella's having," Bucky completed his order. Slipping on an American accent just to be on the safe side.

M always said no distractions, but M never meant no distractions. A man with a license to kill surely also needed a license to live a little.

He grinned at the guy next to him and was rewarded with a cool raised eyebrow for his troubles.

"Feeling generous, are we?" the man drawled, in a husky voice that travelled straight down John's spine like a pleasant scratch.

"The name's Egan. John Egan," Bucky introduced himself, raising his drink. "But friends call me Bucky."

The barkeeper placed a ginger beer in front of the stranger, who lifted it to Bucky's drink in a half-hearted toast.

"Pleasure is all yours, I'm sure," the man said and took a sip.

Bucky stilled his drink halfway to his mouth."Are you not gonna let me know who I'm drinking with?"

The man looked at Bucky with an expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief, like he couldn't quite fathom who or what Bucky was. It was strangely addictive, but then, Bucky had always had an addictive personality.

"Cleven. Gale Cleven."

The man tapped the lip of his hat at Bucky, his mocking clear but gentle.

"Gale? What kind of a name is Gale?"

"A perfectly serviceable one."

"Nah, nah, that won't do at all," Bucky said, playing up the obnoxious American traveller. "A guy like you, with your face... You look more like a Buck to me."

Gale snorted a laugh that looked like it escaped him against his better judgement.

This was going to be interesting.

"Ain't that your name?"

"No, my name's Bucky. And yours is now Buck."

In the present, Bucky schools his features into a disarming grin.

"You're breaking my heart there, Buck," he says. "Don't you want to at least show me your pretty little smile?"

The intercom crackles and for a moment Bucky could swear he hears a little snort.

This was going to be interesting.

guys we've all been saying Callum should be the next bond and I totally agree so hear me out on this au:

John is a James Bond type and Gale is the sexy ass villain who John constantly flirts and tries to fuck him while Gale is trying to kill him

very homoerotic, very sexual, very horny... good au

[alienoresimagines]

Ali's Mota Bingo

Hooray to myself for managing to complete this just in the nick of time, and a huuuuuuuuge thank you to the entire team over at @mota-collab for organising this event, it was so much fun to do 🥰❤️ Sadly, uni and life got in the way so I think I'm still a good 30 pages behind on the Clegan Tag, which is why there aren't much 'recent' recs but it was very important to me to participate, and I'm planning on catching up and reccing fics as I go <3 Also a special thanks to @onyxsboxes for delivering and customizing this bingo for me, and to @amiserableseriesofevents for helping me find a fic again ❤️ And finally, an enormous thank you to all creators in the mota fandom, whether you still create for mota or not, I can't appreciate all of you enough, you really are something special <3

Posted January 2024 -> The Long(er) Story by stillheremydear (I don't know if they have a tumblr, if they do please let me know so I can tag them!)

Such a sweet little fic about John's POV of giving Gale his name 🥹 It's still so insane to me that Bucky saw Gale and went 'Mine' so hard, he had to give him his name so the whole Air Force would know, giving the lousy excuse of a 'Buck from Manitowoc'. John being so damn smitten from the start is so precious to me, and I feel like this fic really delves beautifully into his thought process before Gale his name. Also this "Knowing that if the handsome blond were a girl, Bucky would fight every man in the whole damn Air Force if he needed to, to get to give him his name. " Gnawing at the bars of my enclosure

Massages -> Sous Le Ciel de Paris by @rambleonwaywardson

The Olympics AU!!! So sweet, soft, and such a delight to read!! Reading John and Gale falling in love will never be something I tire of, and I love how all the characters pull their weight in the story. Gale and John's relationship has its highs and lows (including lovely massages because the characters' backstories!!! everything is well thought-out and developed, it really feels like reading a novel), but the writing is such *chef's kiss* that even when you're crying and considering throwing your phone at the wall screaming "Why, John!!!!", all you really want is to keep on reading <3 It had me giggling and crying and jumping up and down, especially because, on a personal note, the Olympics was a really good time for me, I live in France and there really was a vibe in the air that I could feel in this fic 🥰 (Special mention to Chick being a sort of father figure to Gale too!!! and I loooooove that in OP's multi-chaptered fics (see the Astronauts AU), even if the story itself is Clegan focused, the other characters don't fall in the background. They're Gale and/or John's friends, and they pull their weight as such, and they all have individual personalities and stories, so once again, chef's kiss writing and storyline all around <3)

Holidays -> May Your Days Be Merry and Bright by @happy-days19

Such a sweet story of John and Gale celebrating Christmas 'properly' for the first time, post war 🥹 You can stil sense the war is in the air, it'll never really leave them, but they're so in love, and they're slowly but surely healing, it makes for a really soft fic of them enjoying each other and savoring the fact that this little corner of happiness they've built is theirs, and it's forever 🥹 Just them learning to heal together, to see the good and to enjoy the little moments, loving each other is so special to me <3

Posted April 2024 -> AMV by @magneticghouls

All of their amv are just soooooooooooo good, I could've recced so many of them but I had to choose one posted in April 2024 so this one it is 💕 Apart from a wonderful song choice, the way the lyrics fit the clips, the seamless transition.. I could go on and on about how much I love this but really, I'm in love with all of the op's amv so there goes my bias 😂❤️ Also I won't lie but like these are 1000% what got me into Clegan because I only watched the show in June so, never underestimate the power of super, incredibly well done amv

Made me smile -> Happiness, you're a cat by @avonne-writes

This fic is 100% one of my comfort reads, so soft and sweet. Two times Gale fell asleep on John in Avonne's High School AU, which I find so sweet, it makes me feel so many feelings at once. Gale hasn't had the easiest upbringing, so for him to feel safe enough to fall asleep on John? My heart <3 Such a sweet, funny read for a rainy day when you just want to be under a warm blanket with a hot cocoa and need some joy and warmth <3

Missing Scene -> Falling apart by @moghraidhs

I'm so weak for hurt/comfort and this DELIVERS!!!!! Post-Regensburg mission are so special to me, we deserved to see Gale breaking down, he was already tearing at the seams when he landed but this fic 🥹 Reality crashing down on him even though he doesn't realizes what's happening, John reassuring him!!!! Calling Gale 'darling'!!!!!! telling him he did good!!! I'm so weak and soft for them, John doing his best to take care of Gale ❤️ This fic really hits the spot for me, I remember watching the episode and running to AO3 to see if there were any fic dealing with the immediate aftermath of the Regensburg mission, the crashing down post the euphoria of being still alive, and this fic is definitely one of my favorite takes on this <3

This has altered my brain chemistry -> Just for you, I'd let it happen by @whirlpool-blogs

Notwithstanding that this fic launched me on Gale/Brady (which, thank u OP, even if that wasn't your intention, I see the vision) the originality!!!!!!!! It takes a lot of bravery to give up on a reality where you could potentially been happy - or have been happy in - because you feel like something's wrong, or not right (like if this John isn't your John), but Gale, my beloved darling boy still takes his chances and never stops to ask "send me back" until he finds his John and his reality. I loved how all the different relationships are explored, why they work and why they don't work, how they develop. Just prime writing and originality that I can't get enough of, I think about this universe. Often. Probably more than is healthy. Definitely more than a sane person should but. 10000000000/10 read

Joy -> Pretty much all of @carnevol 's edits fill me with joy, we're so lucky to such a talented gif maker to make us notice all the little details that we wouldn't have noticed if they didn't put so much efforts in the flow, and the coloring, and lighting. Everyone, please, a round of applause for your local gif makers because they are the backbone of fandoms!! So I'd encourage to watch all of Carnevol's edits but I linked here a few of my favorites - edits with lil annotations that never fail to make me laugh but I could have put their entire blog on there and it would still have been some of my favorites <3

Bucky and his bikes

Did you just flirt with me?

The entire John "Mouthy" Egan series

Dirty Talk -> Damn You by @oopsiedaisiesbaby

I won't lie, this fill was a bit hard to complete because I don't tend to read one-shots centered around smut so I didn't much to go with but then I remembered this piece I read and I couldn't not rec it! Curt interrupting John and Gale in the middle of their 'morning activities' and mocking John for his dirty talk will never not be funny to me, I remember cackling when reading this passage because, honestly John, is that the best you can do? Though Gale seemed turned on, so perhaps it works 😂 Also Curt's friendship with the Buckies is very precious to me so little moments like these <33 (even if they scar Curt (and Gale) for life)

New Kinks (Thanks OP) -> fever pitch. by @anachilles

I'm usually not one for A/B/O fics, unless they focus on hurt/comfort but this fic!!!!!!! pure smut but maaaaaaaaan, I'm in love!! And the breeding kink too? I'm deceased, I've died twice and came back to life just as many times because this fic is just too good, it was a tough choice not to put it in 'altered my brain chemistry' because it did. Irreparably so, I'm afraid 😍🥹

Found Family -> And with your hands your hearts by @amiserableseriesofevents

The sweetest, tooth-rooting fluffy fic ever. Gale's journey to proposing to John in the Such Stuff verse is sooo special to me, the way it brings together so many people and really shows how far Gale has come. He's grown into his own person, but also he doesn't just have Benny and Marge (and Meatball). He's got so many friends who are there for him and willing to help him to prepare to propose to John, John's little sisters have chosen him as their brother, and just 🥹🥹 Everyone's come so far 🥹 Gale asking for Brady's 'blessing' to ask John to marry him, Brady asking Gale's blessing to marry Benny, the way the words are never spoken but it is understood that yeah, they're as close to a family as can be, and it's something that neither Brady nor Gale thought they'd ever have or deserve 🥹 I'm so soft for all the Such Stuff verse boys, even when they're being idiots with feelings too big for their brain but never small enough for their heart, they're all so special to me, and Ginia's writing is so soft and sweet, you really get into Gale's head as he first thinks about marriage, then realizes, that yeah, he wants to marry John, to working up the nerve to prepare, then to propose, and John being so John (in all senses of the term lmao) and they're both so soft and in love 🥹❤️ Comfort read this one <3

Parents -> Dad Harding and his Two Sons by @onyxsboxes

THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS. AU of all time to me, it is so special to me, you have no idea. I have such a soft spot for Chick, and to read him having a father-sons relationship with Gale and John? I feel like I've won the lottery. So soft, sweet and funny, the little tidbits of post-war stories of John and Gale living with Chick, his wife and their daughter (the Buckie's adopted baby sister 🥹) I adore their little family so much, and Chick ruffling his boys' hair!!!! Just. I don't know maybe it's the daddy issues coming in but. Dad!Chick with his boys Gale and John are so very special to me 🥹❤️ (thank you, Ame, for indulging me with them 🥰❤️)

Guilt -> What else should I be? (all apologies) by @heretoobsessstuff

Gale having nightmares over leaving John behind during the march!!! John comforting him!!! PET NAMES!!! Gale needing John's forgiveness even though John doesn't blame him at all!!! This fic has it all, it does such a wonderful job at showing how that event affected Gale, going into his head, and how John always prioritizes Gale, but isn't afraid to admit afterwards that Gale's nightmare scared him. I'm just feeling so many things at once with this fic, there's never enough stories dealing with Gale's guilt in my opinion but this one definitely scratches the itch <3

Please let me talk to you about it -> Let me long for you so deep, I drown in it by Anonymous

The 'everyone is a bit in love with Gale Cleven' fic, aka a fic that I can't not adore, this is everything I've ever wanted, whoever wrote it, please know that u have my undying loyalty. I always regret that we don't see Gale interacting much with the rest of the 100th in the show, despite him being one of their 'uncontested leaders' (still don't understand why Crosby introduced himself to Gale in Greenland lol) but this fic doesn't break this mystical aura around Gale, in fact I feel like it only reinforces it because he is that unshakable force for the 100th, and ALL of the boys love him so much, and Gale loves them so much too. This fic makes me emotional in a lots of way, OP please come back I need more (jk ofc, but like. I owe you my life)

D-Day -> Heal my wound without a trace by wyomingstategov

One of the first fics I read for Mota and one I came back to so often! It takes place on D-Day but mostly deals with the aftermath of Gale and John's fight in the Stalag, how the Stalag affects both of them, and most of all, John realizing how hard it's been on Gale. Gale allowing himself to be vulnerable, to convince John to stay with him, and to fight just a little longer is something so precious to me and this fic delivers oh so well. Also I love their take on John and Gale's relationship, but also their personal take on John and Gale, it all fits together so well 🥹❤️Also this moment <33 In a rush, hoarse like it was forced from his lungs, Gale whispers, “don't leave me here. You can't go.” “Buck,” John says again, swiping his thumbs over the scars, meeting his eyes. “I'm not going anywhere.” “I'm not going to any ball games with you,” Gale manages, steadier, “and we're not getting shot during an escape.” He holds onto John's wrists, bony fingers hot like coal. “We're getting out of here, even if it's gonna be a while.”

Jealousy -> One of Your Girls by @soliloquy-dawn

Admittedly a tough contender for 'altered my brain chemistry' because I remember reading this fic and going "wowowowowowow", the writing is incredible, the story a masterpiece, the way it gets into Gale's head and his refusal to admit that yeah, he wants to be John's, one of John's girls, the yearning on both their ends, Gale acting standoffish with Lil, he's so jezngnzegn... It's so much fun being in Gale's head, Dawn's writing makes me want to pick at his brain and poke because it's so complex and so Gale, I want to study him under a microscope. Dawn always does justice to how complex their characters are, and it's always a joy to read their take on John or Gale, how they think, how they see the other, what they admit to themselves, what they do not, what they see that they do not understand is bias... It's really just always a delight to read their writing so, please, do yourself a favor and run to their AO3 <3

There we go for my Bingo!! There are so many more recs I could have done, some fills I took ages to figure out which one to put, and I am decidedly bummed that I didn't caught up to the tag because I'm sure I've missed gems but that will be a mission for the coming months <3 Thank you for scrolling this far, I hope you've discovered/re-discovered some fics that scratch an itch for you, and I hope to be back soon with more recs as I catch up with the tag ❤️

(I hope all links and tags work, please tell me if not and if you know the tumblr of some of the authors whose AO3 is the only thing I found!)

[caustinen]

✧˖°. navigation ⋆˙⟡

multi-part fics & posts

hollywood au

a series of tumblr posts including drabbles, headcanons and fake ig-posts set in a modern au universe where bucky is a popular hollywood heart-throb and gale is a publicist - they have been in a secret relationship for years before they go public after getting engaged. mostly silly with barely-there plot. masterpost.

regency au

gale comes from humble background but falls for the rich, alleged playboy, most seeked out bachelor john egan. there's the original headcanon and then a short fic on ao3 set on the morning after their wedding. original headcanon / morning after fic "maybe i'm amazed" (ao3)

oneshots

"summer kisses/in my body" (ao3)

Sometimes – not often, mind you, but sometimes – Bucky wonders if he should be worried by what he’s unleashed. (canon post-war pwp)

"sharp dressed man" (ao3)

When Gale realizes he has forgotten to buy a present for his boyfriend's birthday, he ends up giving himself wrapped in something special. (modern college au, lingerie, established relationship, pwp-ish)

"hold me like a knife" (ao3)

The mission is done and Bucky is wounded, but he’s got a date to make. (agent!bucky x mob!gale (kinda-not-really), secret relationship)

"oh, when the saints" (ao3)

A moment shared in the night after Bucky arrives to Stalag Luft III. (canon, hurt/comfort)

drabbles

(also posted collectively on ao3)

chance meeting - gale is hit on at a bar and bucky comes to the rescue

lawyers au - a moment in the office after a very special day

headcanons

teacher!gale x single dad!bucky

pilot!bucky x cabin crew!gale one & two

singer!bucky x songwriter!gale one & two & three

"you better paint the bedroom ceiling your favorite color"

bucky flirting with gale post-surgery not knowing they're married

modern au cleagan roleplay

college au gale discovers he's into bondage (could be read as part of sharp dressed man universe)

canon post-war clegan buy a house together

concubine!gale/king!bucky

one of them didn't go to war (currently working on making this a fic where gale stays behind)

everyone in the 100th has a crush on buck and bucky is not happy

buckies being obvious with their pda and everyone being annoyed about it

family christmas hc part 1 & part 2

++ jumping on other peoples business one & two & three & four & five

what's your favorite? which one should i write more about? ask box is always open 💞

[amoromniaodium]

I hate angst, but Clegan has been making me feel horribly sad. I wanted to see if any of you are interest in an extremely angst fic. I am posting for the first time this is my first full on prompt I hope you guys like it. This is probably horrible but here you go:

---

Gale Cleven was born unloved. His father despised him, beat him, and screamed at him. His mother was coldly indifferent to her husband's treatment of their only son. This harsh upbringing forced Gale to adapt to any environment, learning to read people so effectively that he could almost predict their words and reactions. However, sometimes his gift didn't work properly he does not see it coming; his scars and bruises from his father were telltale.

Gale Cleven grew up feeling cold and unloved, so detached that it seemed something within him had broken; he had never felt warmth in his life.

Gale Cleven grew up in profound loneliness, constantly questioning if things would ever improve.

He didn’t have friends because he moved so often. His shyness and disinterest in typical boyhood activities meant that no one approached him.

Gale Cleven was always pretty—not handsome but beautiful—and that beauty frightened him.

That is why, when he entered flying school and met the men who made him feel warmth for the first time, Gale Cleven became Buck Cleven—a person with friends and love.

Buck Cleven was born, but Gale Cleven still lurked in the background, waiting for the warmth to fade and the cold to return.

Gale Cleven loved Bucky Egan deeply and loyally; he was the only one for him. This obsession or loyalty might seem abnormal to the average person, but Gale had grown up cold, alone, and unloved, and when he finally felt warmth, he clung to it.

Bucky Egan was the hottest and brightest being out there, the sun that kept him warm on the coldest days.

However, what Gale felt for Bucky Egan was not reciprocated, and it only took one evening outside the pub for him to realize this.

It was at that moment that Buck Cleven broke in half, and Gale Cleven re-emerged. It was then Buck realized that, like the sun, Bucky had many orbiting him. Gale was just one of many, the farthest from the warmth, not even a planet—a dwarf planet like Pluto, forgotten and cast aside.

When Buck Cleven saw Bucky kiss someone he knew, so deeply and lovingly, he realized he meant nothing.

Isn’t it funny how naive he was to think that someone like Bucky would ever love him or be there for him? Buck had given his whole self, his broken soul, only to be cast aside and destroyed again. Perhaps it was better that it happened now.

Buck Cleven ceased to exist. Why should he be kind and present when he was not valued? He cast aside the name Buck, a name given to him by the man he loved, and decided this was it.

No more touches, no idle chatter, no more loving glances, no more following and waiting to be acknowledged.

He would be Major Gale Cleven, performing his duties well, but he would no longer yearn for John Egan. It was over.

Like his father, John Egan had taken a piece of his soul, destroyed it for laughs, and handed it back.

Gale Cleven realized that there was no such thing as emotion, love, or peace—there was only living.

[rangerelizabeth]

I got a personalized 2x2 card with the themes AU and comfort for the @mota-collab bingo (you can get your own here)! I decided to fill mine with recs only.

FLIRTING -> art by @nebudaze : adorably funny art in which Gale is so done with (which we all know actually means totally endeared by) Bucky's shit.

PLAYFIGHTING -> art by @kylaym : rosie's crew is playfighting in the background, and I love his character arc in the flak house scenes so much that I just had to include this gorgeous art.

ARRANGED MARRIAGE -> sit next to me before I go by @stereobone : centers around Gale fleeing to escape an arranged marriage, but then sort of ending up in a whole new (albeit fake) one with Bucky. heartfelt, complex, and beautifully written fic.

CARING FOR SICK/ INJURED PERSON -> checking off firsts by @joeyalohadream : some of the sweetest, gentlest Clegan fics I've ever read, such lovely hurt comfort featuring injured Gale and caretaking Bucky.

[libraryofneith]

Old Dog, New Tricks - Chapter 3 (Sandor Clegane x Female Reader)

@ladysandorclegane1968 @broadsdrinkwhisky

Series Masterlist

Summary: As Sandor settles in, he wonders what is next for him, what to do with his life.

Tags/Warnings: none really, whole fic is 18+ but this is a very chill chapter. Enjoy it while it lasts, cos it won't, OC has mutism.

Thanks to everyone who's liked, reblogged or left a note. The response to this has been amazing.

When we found her, she was wandering the countryside, filthy and covered in blood. And her eyes – there was a look in her eyes of someone who’d seen something truly terrible.

Weeks past and with them, Sandor found himself healing. With the help of some other friends of Septon Ray’s, he found himself beginning to walk a bit more with each passing day. First across his room, then he ventured outside. That was when he learned where he was. He was with a small settlement of people who appeared to have set up camp in the middle of nowhere and had started building a sept.

They were people from all over: the North, Riverlands, Westerlands, and people from all walks of life and backgrounds. All these people brought together by religion to start their own way of life, a bit like the Brotherhood Without Banners only not so stuck up their arses and with a lot less fire and a lot more sanity.

Once he was able to walk, stretch and lift weights without fainting like a maiden at the sight of blood, Ray set him to work helping with the building. He said they could use a man with the Hound’s infamous strength on their mission. Sandor had given up his identity when Ray told him he already knew who he was.

“Your reputation proceeds you; huge man, and even through all that mess I could see those infamous scars.” Sandor growled, irritated.

He then asked if he’d seen a scruffy looking girl of about 13, might’ve looked like a peasant boy. The septon shook his head and said they’d found him alone. That didn’t surprise him. If he remembered right, the girl had left him on a mountainside to die then left, looking to be heading towards Saltpans.

“Why the fuck did you bother asking my name then?” The man smiled and shrugged.

“Formality, I guess.”

When Sandor wasn’t chopping wood or carrying heavy planks, he spent most of his time alone. The people here weren’t unkind, some of them could even look him in the eye, but they were all happy and decent folk who seemed to be completely un-phased by the horrors in the world around them. He had no place among such folk. Well, except for Septon Ray, he always took time in the day to visit him.

Truth be told, he was growing quite fond of the holy man. He wasn’t like the other septons he’d met, he wasn’t all solemnity and false piety, acting all holier-than-thou. He was happy and he was human, always greeting people with a smile and a joke. He even knew jokes bawdy enough to make Sandor snigger. The man was also completely unpretentious, a trait Sandor rarely found in anyone.

Sandor had snorted and said “You’re in the wrong line of work.” At least he was honest, which was more than could be said for most holy men.

Other septons liked to pretend that they knew the answer to all of the world’s mysteries and that if you just kept quiet and prayed then everything would turn out right. When Sandor challenged him with another man’s beliefs about the Lord of Light, he simply said

“Well maybe he was right, I don’t know much about the gods.”

But then there was the girl, Kyra. He didn’t know what to make of her. A young girl who he’d seen every day while he was bed-ridden, and most days once he was up. When she wasn’t nursing him, he noticed her about the camp cooking, planting vegetables or doing whatever chores needed to be done. She was small for her age and moved so quietly he mostly wouldn’t realise she was there until she was upon him.

He’d approached her one day, to thank her for her skills in nursing him. He'd been unsure of what to say, it'd been a long time since he'd thanked anyone for anything and he wasn't sure what she would say, but she said nothing. She just smiled, nodded, then walked away. He thought that odd but when he thought about it, he realised he’d ever heard Kyra speak. She wasn’t deaf or foreign; he saw her reacting to what people said, but she never spoke back.

“Good girl that.” Septon Ray said, approaching him where he stood. “Should’ve seen her when you were still out of it, most of the men wanted to slit your throat as an act of mercy but the look she gave them would’ve made the bloody Mountain shit his pants” Sandor smiled at that thought.

“Aye she’s a good lass. Why doesn’t she speak?” The septon’s face seemed to sadden at that.

“Fear, I think. When we found her, she was wandering the countryside, filthy and covered in blood. And her eyes – there was a look in her eyes of someone who’d seen something truly terrible. She screamed bloody murder when we tried to bring her back to the village but even when we eventually managed to calm her, she never spoke a word, and hasn’t in all the time I’ve known her.”

“Then how do you know her name, or get her to do anything?”

“She writes things down, or motions them, or sometimes just a look is enough.” Sandor could understand that – the girl had the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen. They’d been the first things he’d noticed about her when he woke up.

The bell rang out, meaning a break for a meal.

“Come, sit with me for dinner” Septon Ray said.

“Nah that’s alright; I don’t want to scare your men.” The man just chuckled.

“If they’re scared of you that’s their problem, I’d have my friend join me for a meal.” That took Sandor aback. Ray was kind to him, but he was kind to everyone. He didn’t think that the man thought of him as a particular friend. He didn’t know if he really wanted a friend.

That got him going.

“If you come now there might be some ale waiting.”

[swifty-fox]

Are we getting KFAK this week? Going to be so blue when it finishes...

So I posted an update (chapter eighteen) last Sunday because I was going to be traveling but yes we will have a Wednesday update this week!

I can officially say that there are two chapters left in this story however I am not donewith this universe by far!! We have the Brady fic which has some background Buck and Bucky and I will be working on a John POV fic that will show us some stuff we haven’t seen from the story as well as things like the Clegan wedding. I also dream of doing a Demarco fic, a Curt fic and a Blakely fic that will all circle around the Buckies and their inevitability. And so on so forth.

I’ve got their whole lives to write about, this universe isn’t over!!!

[brotherwtf]

could we maybe get Christmas eve by the fireplace sex with Gale and John? Like with red wine and the Christmas lights twinkling in the background? Like the snow falling heavily outside or something EEEEE

AGGHHH CLEGAN BEING SOFT OH MY GODDDDD brb crying rn

----

Christmas wasn't anything special to Gale. It usually came with increasing nightmares and promises that were all for naught, every night leading up to the "happiest day of the year" made him itch with the cold and fear. He never got any presents, not for Christmas or his birthday, and so he didn't expect anything when he and John were finally together after the war.

Because to him, being with John was better than anything he could wish for.

The snow was falling in beautiful billowy clouds and flurries, piling up on the windowsill as the fire crackled before them. Gale and John sat on their shag rug, one John had pawned off of a neighbor, hands linked together in the soft material. Gale didn't drink, but he had an almost full glass of wine with dinner and another half glass sitting on the coffee table behind them. John's already three glasses deep and he's leaning into Gale's space, pressing his nose against his temple and smiling, muttering incoherently to himself.

"John... what's going on, baby?" Gale hums, hand coming up push John's hair back, smiling at him gently.

John hums again, caressing Gale's cheek with his hands and pressing a kiss to his nose.

"Just happy... so happy to be here with you, in our house, getting ready for Christmas, can't wait to show you what I got you, baby," John says, kissing across Gale's cheek and nose, looking into his eyes loopily when he pulls away to just hold his face.

John looks at him like Gales his everything, like he hung the stars and created the world, and Gale finds himself almost squirming under his gaze.

"Lemme kiss you, Gale. I wanna kiss you so bad," John says and he almost sounds like he's begging.

Gale could roll his eyes but he finds the glass of wine has softened him almost, made him less anxious and keyed up and he smiles, eyes crinkling as he leans in and takes John's lips, hand coming up to his cheek and running his thumb over his cheekbone.

John sighs into it and holds Gale's head in his hands, tilting his head so he can almost immediately deepen the kiss. Gale breathes heavily against him, opening his mouth for John to slide his tongue inside, easily moving against Gale's as one of his hands slides down to Gale's waist, a thumb pressing into his hip. Gale sighs and lets himself be touched by John, lets John push him down onto the shag rug in front of fire, lips never leaving his.

Gale's warm, and he can't tell if it's from John's body heat or the lapping tongues of the fire, but he lets out another sigh when John slides his hands underneath Gales shirt and lifts it above his chest, moving his lips from Gales and trailing them down his neck before pressing kisses on Gales chest, worshipping it like he would an idol. Gale squirms, a hand tangling into John's hair as he huffs, his own hand creeping under Johns shirt so he can try to desperately pull it off.

"Off, come on John, want this off," Gale almost begs, pushing John off of his chest and tugging on it himself.

John chuckles and easily takes it off, Gale following suit before running his hands up John's stomach and chest, pulling him by his neck back to his lips and kissing him deeply. John's deft hands easily flick open Gales belt, pushing his slacks down, urging Gales hips up with his hand so he can pull them off. John pulls away and looks down at Gale in awe, a dumbstruck expression flicking across his face.

"Fuck... Gale... you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, like a damn angel sent down from the heavens, just for me. You're all mine, right baby?" John mutters and Gale nods, nods desperately closing his eyes and moaning high in his throat when John's hand finds his aching cock.

His hips buck up into John's hand and John bites his lip, watching it spring back into place as he takes Gale's cock in his hand and tugging it on a few times to make Gale whine even more.

"Please, John, I need you, please..." Gale pleads and moans open mouthed when one of John's fingers circles his hole, pushing in oh so gently.

John's so gentle with Gale, and Gale could cry, he does start to tear up when he thinks about how softly John is holding him. Holding him like he's something that could break, oh so tender in front of their shared fire. Tears start to stream down his face when John presses another finger in, his cheek pressed to Gales as he slowly fucks his fingers into him, unclasping his own belt and shirking his pants and boxers down.

When he takes his fingers from Gale he turns to look at him and kisses the tears away, pushing his hair back and pressing kisses to his cheeks and forehead.

"It's okay... it's okay baby," John whispers, taking his cock in his hand and pressing into Gale, groaning as Gale clenches down on him and sobs gently.

It's so warm and safe, here with John, even as he starts to grind gently into him all Gale can think about is being here with John in front of their fire, snow falling quietly outside but not penetrating their walls, Christmas lights that John insisted hanging up twinkling above him on their mantle when he throws his head back. John's chest is pressed to his and he wraps his arms around John's shoulders to hold him even tighter as he fucks into him.

His cock is trapped underneath John's stomach and he keens in his throat when it rubs against John's stomach, tears continuing to stream down his face as John's lips press into the hollow of his neck. John's hands are bracketed around Gale's head, fingers tangled into his hair as his thrusts get slightly faster, shifting Gale against the rug beneath them both.

He can feel heat roiling in his gut as he approaches his orgasm and his moans get louder as John's thrusts get deeper, thrusting up into that spot that makes Gale's jaw drop open and a long litany of sweet and beautiful noises coming out of his mouth.

"I'm close, doll, come on, come for me," John groans and Gale nods breath coming in short gasps as he comes on his and John's stomachs.

John comes shortly after, arms shaking as Gale feels himself get filled with John's come. They both pant and Gale finds himself smiling even through the tears and he runs his hands across John's shoulders when he finally collapses on top of Gale.

"Was that your gift, John? Not very original, are you?" Gale teases and John lifts himself up just so he can playfully glare at Gale.

He pushes a wayward strand of Gales hair off of his forehead and just smiles at him, something loopy and full of so much love Gale finds himself dizzy with it.

"Nah, but I can't tell you yet, it's not even Christmas," John whispers and kisses Gale gently.

Gale's about to protest when their little clock above the mantle dings it's melody for midnight and Gale just raises his eyebrows at John.

"Not Christmas yet? I think it's Christmas now, baby," Gale says and John pretends to be exasperated.

John kisses his forehead again and smiles cheekily down at him.

"Well I ain't telling yet, besides, what did you get me?" John asks and Gale pantomimes zipping his lips closed.

"If you won't tell me until the morning, then you don't get to know my gift either," Gale whispers and finds himself giggling when John sighs and hangs his head onto Gale's chest.

"You're no fun, you know that, Gale?" John says and Gale can't help but smile.

"But you love me anyway, right? You're stuck with me," Gale mutters and smirks when John just rolls his eyes and pushes Gales hair away from his face again.

"I love you more than anything in the world, helps to be stuck with such a pretty face, I guess," John jokes and Gale's cheeks hurt from how much he's smiling.

They don't get much sleep that night, too busy lazily kissing and finishing their second bottle of wine to even get up and get back to their bed. But it wasn't so bad, here in front of their fire, together.

goodness gracious this one got away from me

[optimisticflicker]

welcome to the fandom love!! so happy to have you here 💕💕

honestly the first thing I wrote was some post war stuff, so tell me all about what you think clegan are getting up to after the war!

Thank you so much for the welcome, haven’t been here for a week and already feel very welcomed!! Also love your works so much and sorry for the late response. 💗

After the war ends, they end up going to Wisconsin (they both confessed their feelings are very happy that it’s reciprocated) and live in John’s grandmothers house that she left to him. The cover story is of course two war buddies who survived the worst together and are just helping each other get back on their feet and accustom themselves in learning how to live in a world that moved on without them.

But of course behind closed doors they catch up on all and any kind of touch they can to make up for the lost time and get to know each other as well. They’re finally able to tell each other how much the other means to them, how their souls are intertwined, without the fear of those feelings being unrequited. They spend hours by the lake a few miles behind the house or sometimes go to a diner (but those are usually on grocery run days) but it’s mostly being in each other’s presence.

It’s not all perfect because they are just coming back from a war while also being POW so there’s always going to be nightmares and bad days. With nightmares they always help calm each other down or are at least there as support depending on how the other wakes up, either wanting to feel the other or just see their presence with no touch. The bad days differ from each other.

For example, Buck can dissociate, mostly around winter time, and depending on the severity of the dissociation, Bucky either tries to help bring him back or just wait it out while also making sure his presence is known and then kissing and hugging away any and all apologies. Bucky’s bad days on the other hand see him like he was in the Stalag, either muttering to himself or making sure Buck is okay, that he’s safe, and that he isn’t cold and he has to be constantly on the move, can’t feel trapped but almost always lets Buck calm him down or just hold him while they listen to some record as background noise until he feels calm enough.

Sorry for the rambling but I love them so much and hopefully most of this makes sense. Still kinda trying to find my footing with the characters and writing again 💕

[rangerelizabeth]

If it feels like love (then it must be love) - Ch. 3/11

[Mature, Modern day, Clegan college au, Gale Cleven/ John Egan, Fluff, Hurt comfort, Slow burn, Freshman Gale, RA John]

John files away the fact that Gale loves ice cream, tucking it neatly into a corner of his mind like a precious secret. Later that night, as he lies in bed beneath the soft glow of his bedside lamp, he drifts into a daydream that feels somehow vivid and tantalizingly close. He imagines taking Gale out on an ice cream date, the kind where the world seems to slow down and everything else fades into the background. It feels so real, John thinks he can almost taste mint chocolate chip as he pictures kissing the sweetness from Gale’s likely even sweeter lips.

[AO3 LINK]