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lostdreamr-blog1 · 5 months ago

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Outrun the Future - G.Cleven Ch 5

A/N: Sorry for being MIA. Here is an extra extra long chapter for ya!

Word count: 7.4K

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4

Ch 5

As the days went by, the 100th were starting to understand the harrows of war. Their latest mission had been one where they were hit hard, losing more friends in the process. Between them and the fighter pilots, it seemed like the numbers were falling faster than the military could replace. There was no healthy way to manage that kind of stress and loss, drinking became a coping mechanism for most. Which is why Marley was currently getting ready to go out that night alongside Betty.

“There have been rumors that your brother is single. Any chance that they are true?” Betty was taking the curlers out of her hair, trying to get as dolled up as she could.

Marley let out a hum of confirmation. “Also has herpes too. I’d steer clear if I were you.”

Betty scoffed, hitting the girl on the arm. “Oh stop. Keep saying things like that and the poor guy won’t have a lady within ten feet of him.”

Marley chuckled, fastening the last button on her uniform. “Serves him right. It took nearly a week for the guys to even look my direction after the threats he handed out.”

The two of them headed out to the pub that wasn’t too far off base. It was one that both the US and RAF frequented, having felt losses on both sides. Even with the mutual understanding of war, it didn’t mean they were understanding of each other.

When they arrived, Betty found some of the nurses from base and bid her friend adieu for the meantime. Marley, on the other hand, grabbed a beer from the bar and went to find her brother. It didn’t take much searching on her part when she heard yelling coming from a card table. Money, drinks, and cigarettes were going around the group of B-17 pilots, none of them giving a glance to the other end of the table.

She made eye contact with Buck first, the blonde motioning with his head for her to join them. Bucky saw her after Biddick moved over a seat to allow her room to sit with them all. “I think Marley is going to be my good luck charm this next hand.” Bucky glared at Biddick, making the pilot smirk as he got under the Major’s skin. “Maybe she can kiss my cards or somethin’. Really seal the deal for me wining.”

Marley chuckled at the balls this guy had to rile her brother up in front of everyone. Others seemed to find it amusing as well, biting back smiles so Bucky wouldn’t turn on them as well. She put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him from lunging out of his chair. “It’s a joke, John. Calm down before you get us all kicked out.” He relaxed back in his chair, sending one last glare to his so-called friend.

“You know, I rather admire you Americans.” One of the British officers cut in, making the group turn their attention to him. It was something about the tone he used that rubbed Marley the wrong way. She had worked alongside the RAF back at her other base, never having an issue with them. These ones though, seemed like they wanted to start some sort of pissing contest. “You’re all up there in broad daylight, seeming oblivious to the downsides.”

Jack Kidd shook his head, quickly defending his group. “I don’t understand what you are saying, Captain.”

The British officer smirked back at him, “Never mind old boy. One for the higher-ups.” He took a sip of his drink and continued, “It’s a question of philosophies. We bomb at night because it doesn’t matter what we hit, as long as it’s German. But bombing during the day is suicide. And clearly you are all lacking replacements as they are letting female’s join you lot.”

Marley took a sip of her beer, waiting to see how it all played out. This wasn’t the first time she had be looked down upon for being a female pilot and it surely won’t be the last. But the boys around her are experiencing this for the first time.

Bucky shook his head, “Someone seems threatened.” He had a calm exterior, not letting the Brit seem like he cared. But everyone around him knew he was a ticking time bomb.

“Nothing to be threatened by Major. I could foresee in the future American strategy adjusting due to the unfortunate losses you’ll no doubt continue to suffer. Math’s.” Marley rolled her eyes at the condescending tone he had, but her brother seemed confused at the last part. “Math’s?” He repeated it in a horrible British accent.

The groups went back and forth tearing each other’s strategies apart, but Marley tuned them out. It was always the same no matter where she went. With two different approaches to war, everyone believes theirs is the best. That they will be the reason to end the war. Realistically, they would be lucky if even half of them made it to the end with the way things were going.

It wasn’t until the egotistical Brit mentioned the P-51’s, did Marley give him her attention.

“The 100th have made a name for themselves throughout Europe. Bombing in large groups during broad daylight will do that for you. But the P-51’s having a female amongst them have nearly made them a laughingstock. I think I would rather fly alone out there than have the likes of her defending me.”

Buck was confused when Bucky didn’t defend his sister. With how close the two of them were, he figured he’d have to be holding him back from an all-out brawl. But what confused him more was the smile Bucky had plastered across his face.

Until he looked over to the younger Egan. Her eyes were sharp, making even the arrogant Brit across from them look away from her. The smirk on her face was one he’d seen too many times from his best friend, letting him know shit was indeed about to go down. And for once, he couldn’t wait to see an Egan in action.

“Tell me, how many targets have you actually hit? Or better yet, how much action have you seen? Because to me, it takes more effort for me to do my hair than fly a plane at night aimlessly dropping bombs.” Buck admired her ability to throw back at him without making it seem like his words got to her.

The RAF pilot did not share that admiration in the least bit. Before he could say anything back, Marley held up her hand, silencing the man. “Until you’ve actually done something productive in this war, keep your dick in your pants. Because I promise you it’s the smallest one here.”

Buck chuckled and leaned back in his chair, taking in the beauty that was Marley Egan. The flick of her hair dismissing him was the cherry on top, making the man across from them red in the face. “Who do you think you are to talk to a man like that?”

The table tensed at the clear misogynistic comment, but the female pilot surprised them and snorted. “Someone is overcompensating. Maybe you should go back to your Math’s.” She turned to her brother, “It was math’s, right?” Bucky nodded his head with a smirk. “Apparently there is more than one. Who knew?”

That seemed to be the last straw for the RAF pilot as he and the others started chirping about taking things outside. It didn’t take much convincing for the Americans to agree, nearly bouncing with joy as the group headed out the back door.

Marley watched as Biddick practically begged to be the one to take a shot at the British asshole, noticing Buck standing near her. “You didn’t want to throw your name in there? Something tells me you would be good when it came to a fight.”

Buck put his hands in his pockets, watching everything unfold. “As much as I wanted to slug him for the way he was treatin’ you, Biddick said he would owe me one. I’m more surprised you weren’t itching to get in there.”

He turned to look at her as she shrugged her shoulders. “With my luck we will have to fly out tomorrow. And flying with a bruised hand isn’t fun.”

His eyebrows rose at that comment, “You know from experience?” The smirk returned on her face and that told him everything. “There is a reason we are called fighter pilots. Not everyone gets to fly in a boat like you.”

Buck smiled and shook his head. Biddick had the RAF pilot down in one shot, signaling the night was coming to an end. “Kind of wished there would’ve been more of a fight. Too much talking for him to go down in one.” Bucky said, joining the two pilots.

“I’ll go a few rounds with you.” Buck took a strategic step forward at the younger Egan’s words, trying to place himself between the two of them. There was no doubt in his mind the two of them would start swinging for the fun of it.

“Three bucks says you can’t touch me.” Bucky was cracking his knuckles and Marley laughed. “Make it five and you have a deal.”

“I’ll buy you both a drink next time we are out if neither of you do this.” Buck had almost a pleading tone, making the two siblings’ step back from each other. Bucky threw an arm around his friend, “Live a little, Buck. A few bruises never killed anyone.”

Buck shook his head, “I don’t want to carry your ass all the way home after losing. I think the drinking is causing you to gain some weight. Gettin’ hard to lift you.”

Marley smiled, watching the two of them interact. The more time she spent with them, the more she was starting to understand their dynamic. Buck was someone her brother needed to ground him. And if she had to bet, Buck needed her brother in order to see a brighter side of living. While she didn’t know too much about the blonde pilot, something in his past had made him guarded.

“You coming, Mar? Don’t have all night to wait on you.” She picked up her steps at her brothers words and joined the pair as they decided to walk back to base, dragging out the night before dealing with tomorrows problems.

***

Today was the day both the 100th and the fighters were headed out on the same mission. The morning started like every other flight day. Wake up, eat, brief, preflight checks, and take off. But it was the first time both Egan siblings were experiencing it together.

Marley had taken to eating with her brother and Buck when the group met in the mess hall. It was an easy habit she formed, basking in whatever familiarity she could get while being away from home. But today was different and the older Egan picked up on it immediately.

“Why is she sitting over there?” Buck glanced to the direction his friend was looking at and saw what he was talking about. They had both sat down to eat their breakfast and Marley was currently a few tables down, deep in conversation with her squadron.

“Maybe she didn’t want to deal with you this early in the morning.” The blonde knew it had something to do with her routine. Everyone had one on flight day, some call it superstitions. But seeing as this was their first flight together, most chances were they would not be a part of her morning.

“I’m gonna say something.” Bucky went to get up until his friend said, “Leave her be. You stress her out enough as it is.” John turned his attention back to the blonde, eyebrows raised. “And how would you know that?”

The two pilots had started to talk more the longer they were at the base. What started as small talk here and there has morphed into deeper conversations, entrusting the other with secrets they wouldn’t want to get out. It was almost therapeutic, the way they could drop the walls around each other. But neither were sure how the Major would feel about his best friend and little sister becoming more than casual friends.

So, instead of telling the truth, Buck shrugged his shoulders, “Common sense. The two of you seem to get under each other’s skin at times.”

The older Egan huffed and shook his head, “Have you met her? The kid needs to be on a leash or something.”

Buck smiled and shook his head at the comment, thinking the same could be said about him.

The 100th found themselves in the briefing room, going over their mission for the day. Bombing German U-boat pens in Norway with Major Cleven leading them was the hefty task that laid ahead. But after the happy demotion from air exec. a few days earlier, Major Egan found himself flying with his boys again.

Before, John Egan would only worry about one thing at a time. When his sister flew, he worried about her getting back in one piece while he waited at the airstrip for her return. When the 100th flew, his focus was on his men and the mission at hand. Wanting to make sure they made positive impacts in this war and living to talk about it.

But never did he have to worry about both at the same time.

Buck picked up on the nervousness of his friend next to him. The brunette couldn’t sit still, constantly fidgeting with his hands and knee bouncing. As much as it was getting on his nerves by drawing his attention away from the briefing, he didn’t have it in him to tell him to stop.

The blonde pilot didn’t want to admit it, but he had more nerves this mission than the one before. They all knew there was some form of air support for them on these flights, but there was never a reason to know the people behind them.

The briefing went faster than either pilot wanted, but soon they found themselves waking out to their planes. The buzz of excitement on mission days has slowly dwindled down to nearly nothing. It seemed only the new crews that were fresh out of training wanted to go up.

“First day back up and it better not be your last.” Buck threw the comment out to try and pull his friend out of his thoughts. He hadn’t said much since they left the briefing and knew it had to do with his sister.

“You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily.” Bucky gave him a smirk but turned his attention back to the airstrip. He wasn’t sure if the fighters were done with their meeting, but he needed to see his sister before they all took off.

“Does she know you’re headed back up there?” Bucky knew he should’ve told Marley about the well-earned demotion before today, but he didn’t want her focus to be off if she knew one of the planes she’d be protecting was his.

“Nah, I thought it would be a fun surprise sharing the skies.” Cleven shook his head and asked, “Just like the surprise of her being a pilot?” John went to answer back when he saw the familiar braided hair walking up to her plane. “I’m going to fucking kill her.”

Buck watched as he ran off towards the one person who was going to put his friend into an early grave with the decisions she was making.

Marley!” The girl turned at the call of her name. Her brother running towards her, a task she didn’t know he could do.

“We are about to set some damn ground rules.” Her eyebrows rose at the demand. “And why would we do that?” She had a good feeling she knew why but wanted him to confirm it.

“You can’t keep going on these missions without so much as a goodbye. I thought I raised you better than that.”

“John, you ever think there was a reason for that?” He stood there, waiting for an answer.

Marley sighed and looked down the runway of planes getting ready to take off. “A goodbye is something final. It’s accepting the fact that I might not make it back to say anything more. I guess leaving with things unfinished gave me a good reason to come back.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure if it was the war or simply time that had matured his sister, but he didn’t like it.

“I need you to stop looking out for me. I’m a big boy and can handle it. But what I can’t handle is seeing you get into that plane and pretend like we aren’t in this god damn war together.” He watched as Marley looked back to him and then looked down.

“I really thought going to war together would be more fun than this.” Bucky snorted at her comment and pulled his sister into a hug. “It’ll be more fun when we make it out of this together.” He pulled back and Marley asked what he did all day when everyone was on a mission. This time it was his turn to avoid eye contact.

“Well, I used to sit around and make sure I could count high enough to be able to count the planes coming back in. But, uh, now I don’t have to do that anymore.”

Marley sighed as she put the pieces together, something that surprised John. He thought she would be more upset with him holding back information. “I thought it would just be Gale up there I’d have to look out for. But now I’ll try my hardest to watch out for you both.”

Before he could respond, one of the guys from his crew was yelling at him to get a move on. He turned back to his sister before he walked off and said, “Make it back in one piece, will ya. I don’t need Ma flying all the way out here to kill me. Doesn’t make for a good story going out like that in a war like this.” Marley laughed and got back to her preflight checks.

Footsteps were heard drawing near her as she looked at something under her plane. Figuring it was her brother she yelled out, “Last I checked, you know nothing about P-51’s, John, so you’re just going to get in the way. Hell, I’d be surprised if you even know much about your own plane.”

The chuckle she heard came from someone that was in fact not her brother. Marley popped her head out from under her plane and saw Major Cleven leaning against the wing.

“Ah, sorry about that Major. There is no doubt in my mind you are well versed in all thing’s bomber planes.” Buck couldn’t help but smile at the lopsided grin she gave him.

“I do know a thing or two. Can’t say much about your brother, though.” He glanced over her plane, seeing the bullet holes patched up from her last mission. “How are you feeling?” His eyes made his way back to hers and couldn’t help but notice something different in them.

“Will be more excited when this mission is over. But the plane looks good. They fixed her up better than I could’ve wished for.” He watched as she spun the little bit of hair from the end of her braid around her finger. Her voice was steady and posture strong. She was the picture of calm. But that little gesture showed him a new part of her that he would lock away for safe keeping. Marley was nervous just as her brother was and he hated that there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Planes were starting up and the blonde knew he needed to get back to his crew. “Stay safe up there, Mar.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze and walked off.

“Hey Cleven.” He turned around at her voice. “Do me a favor and try not to get shot down.” He gave her a small salute, “Yes ma’am.”

It wasn’t much longer until Marley watched as the 100th started flying out. With her group being faster, they would take off a little later to allow for the best defensive strategy against the Luftwaffe fighter planes.

With it being their first mission together at the same base, she felt weird with how the timings were different. Watching the small dots in the sky disappear while she sat in her plane only made the nerves grow higher.

Marley wasn’t good at too many things, but flying was something she took pride in. She seemed to have a natural skill for it, as well as a passion. It was why she was able to pry her way into this war. While it was technically a job, she loved every bit of it and the freedom of flying in the wide-open skies. But sometimes that love faltered when she saw fellow pilots getting shot out of the sky.

It was turning into a normal occurrence, seeing the small P-51’s with fire coming off the back of them. Or the plane spiraling out of control, hoping that the reason was because the pilot bailed. The only thing Marley could do was pray neither of those things happened to her.

A flare went up, signaling it was their time to go. The plane sped down the runway right after a few of her fellow pilots, effortlessly making its way into the sky. It wouldn’t take long before the group caught up to the 100th, indicating the start of another harsh mission. It was an eerie feeling for Marley, flying headfirst into deadly dogfights without hesitation. Especially after the rising amount of enemy fighter’s last mission.

Just as the higher ups had planned, the P-51 fighters met up with the 100th as enemy pilots started their attack. Marley gripped the yoke of the plane tighter, trying to visualize the best path for her to take. The mix between the three different groups were starting to blend together, making it difficult for a clear route.

But as soon as she saw one of the B-17’s fall from the sky, instinct took over and she forced her way into the chaos.

As soon as the flak stopped around them, Buck knew the hardest part of the mission was upon them. The skies were unnaturally quiet, causing all the men to tense up. “Make sure all the guns are loaded. They will be here any second now.” Major Cleven tried to get his men ready as the inevitable was about to happen.

“Enemy fighters 3 o’clock!” One of the men yelled out, signaling the beginning of the uphill battle. Gale almost felt helpless, keeping the plane in the air as the men around him fought for all their lives. With as big of a formation as theirs was, there wasn’t much room for movement or evasion. He simply prayed they weren’t targeted, and that air support would be there soon.

“P-51’s just joined the fight!” Buck wanted to feel some relief but knowing that Marley was in that group made it challenging. At least the smaller planes would be able to escape fire if needed. He watched as the P-51’s skillfully weaved in and out of their group, making it look more like a dance than a dogfight.

“Anyone have eyes on Marley?” Buck looked around at the traffic in the sky but couldn’t see her. Not that it was easy to see much of anything with gunfire and smoke filling the air.

“They all look the same, Major. the only thing I can say for certain is how many get shot down.” Buck slightly shook his head at those words, not doing a damn thing to reassure him.

“Keep your eyes peeled. Try not to cause any friendly fire.” The last thing any of them needed was one of the bombers shooting down one of their own.

Buck’s grip on the controls never let up until they were past the drop site and on the safe part of the route back to base. Both sets of fighter pilots had since left, having completed their tasks as well as they could. But Buck couldn’t get his mind off the younger Egan.

He didn’t want to admit it, but more P-51’s had been shot down this time around than they had seen before. The enemy had upped their resources while their side seemed to have stuck to the same numbers. Statistically speaking, odds weren’t in their favor.

Buck shook his head at his thoughts. The war was already tough enough as it is, but Marley Egan was making things harder by having him worry about her well-being. How the hell he was supposed to make it to the end like this was something he wasn’t sure of. But what he did know was that his feelings for the female pilot were slowly growing and there was no way to stop them. If this war wasn’t going to be the death of him, she might as well be.

***

As the B-17's landed back at base, both Majors were looking for Marley. The only issue was the fighters had landed over an hour ago and they were currently being forced onto the back of a truck and into interrogation.

Bucky's eyes met his friend's, and it was clear neither one of them had gotten anywhere with finding her. "I counted six P-51's. But I can't tell which one is hers." John quickly looked over at the planes after the blonde had mentioned the numbers. "Shit."

The truck they were both in started moving away from the airstrip, leaving the two Majors more nervous than before the mission. Buck saw the hard look on his friends face and knew there wasn't much he could say to make things better. Four planes didn't come back, and they saw firsthand why.

Bucky kept replaying the mission over in his head. It had been a while since he'd been up on the observation flights, but today seemed worse out there than before. The numbers increased on every aspect. More Luftwaffe fighter planes, more planes falling from the sky, and ultimately more deaths. But was his sister part of those numbers?

Before this mission, Bucky didn't pay too much attention to anyone else in the sky besides his men and whatever enemy plane was trying to take them out. Today was different, having him watch the small P-5l's coming to their aid. The way they skillfully maneuvered in the sky made it look like a dance between the two different fighter groups. It almost made him proud knowing his sister was one of those skilled pilots. Almost.

Both Majors had to turn off any emotions surrounding the younger Egan as they walked into the interrogation room, making sure they covered every detail they could remember. The mission took a slight turn, having their navigator find a new path home to make sure Biddick landed safe and out of enemy territory. Another reason why it took longer for the group to get back.

Buck and his crew were done before his friend, giving him the chance to find out what happened to their counterparts. Knowing there was a chance he was going to have to act as the levelheaded one if something had happened to Marley. His first thought was to check medical, hoping if she was in there it was for something minor.

Betty was in there, refilling some supplies when she saw Major Cleven walk through the door. The usual stoic pilot had a sense of urgency today and she had a good feeling she knew why. She watched as his eyes passed over all the beds trying to figure out if he looked relieved or worried. "How can I help you, Major?"

His eyes moved from the beds to the blonde nurse walking towards him. "You haven't seen Captain Egan, have you?" Betty shook her head, "Captain Sutton would be the one to ask. We haven't heard much from their group."

Buck knew what meant. When a P-51 gets shot down or a pilot was hurt, most chances where they never made it in here. He let out a deep breath and thanked her. The mess hall would be his next stop to see if any of the other fighters were there. "Major! When you hear something, could you let me know? Usually, she comes by to show me she's okay, but I haven't seen her yet."

His heart nearly stopped when he took in those words. Four planes never made it back and the pilot didn't make it by to see her friend. It was too early in this war for something to happen to her. All he could do was nod his head as he walked out.

Luck continued to run out as Bucky jogged towards him. He could see the worry on his face and knew what he was about to tell him wouldn't ease that. "Not in medical. Betty said to ask Sutton what happened."

Bucky ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, "Fuck. I don't like this. She never should've followed me out here."

There wasn't much he could say to calm his friend. They were both out there. They saw what it was like in the air and knew it took a whole lot of skill and luck to make it out of it alive.

The pair made their way to the mess hall and saw a few men scattered about. Usually after a mission everyone went straight to drinking, most not having a stomach for food after what they had been through or seen. Which made it easy to spot the other captain sitting with what they assumed was the remaining pilots from their group.

John moved at a fast pace when he clocked the man he needed, forcing Buck to nearly jog after him.

"Tell me she isn't dead. Tell me you aren't sitting here eating as her plane is in the ground somewhere." His tone came out sharp, clearly looking to take his frustrations out on anyone he could.

Captain Sutton already knew the oldest Egan would be coming to find him. And from the few interactions they've had together, he knew not to take things too personal. So, when they words flew out of the Major's mouth, Sutton took a sip of his coffee and calmly turned to him.

"Had a little mishap. Should be flying back soon from another base in England."

John had a sense of relief hearing she wasn't a POW or worse, but after being wound up tight since they landed, it wasn't enough to settle him down. "What kind of mishap? Is she hurt?"

Sutton shook his head, "All I was told is that she had engine problems and wasn't going to make it back here. They gave her new coordinates and orders to fly back when the plane was fixed. You can stand there and berate me as much as you want, but that is all the information I have."

John ran a hand through his hair as Bucky thanked him for the update. They both knew this was the best-case scenario, but until she physically landed back at base, there was still an ounce of doubt.

Sutton watched as the two Majors processed that information, seeing them both still tense. It wasn't lost on anyone that Marley had become someone important to Major Cleven. The two of them seemed to click instantly, whether it was as friends or more. Which is why he decided to add, "Marley is one of the best pilots I've seen. She's levelheaded and has some crazy talent. There is a reason why she broke down so many barriers and became an active female fighter pilot. I know it's hard but have some faith in her. If there is any one of us that is going to make it to the end of this war, it's her."

The two Majors nodded their heads and thanked him. John turned to walk out the mess hall without another word, but Gale stayed behind for a minute. "How bad was it up there for you guys?"

Sutton let out a deep breath. "The more we go up, the worse it seems. Not too sure what the higher ups have planned, but something needs to change. We are losing too many good people."

Gale could only nod his head. What he said was true for both sides. Too many planes kept falling and he wondered when they would run out of replacements. "We are going out tonight if you want to join. Try and get our minds off today."

The captain gave him a quick nod and Buck left to go find his friend.

***

The day dragged on and soon the sun was setting along the horizon. No one had heard a thing about Marley, but they held onto hope that she would be landing soon. For once, Bucky had to drag the oldest Egan out to where the 100th was drinking.

It was an eerie sight, seeing the lone jeep next to an empty runway. A few people had tried to coax the Major into coming in, but he wasn't having it. Buck could only pray nothing happened to Marley during this war. Because if this was how John reacted to the delayed arrival, he could only imagine what a loss would do to him.

"She's coming back. You sitting here waiting is not going to speed that up." Buck watched as his friend shook his head, "Not in a partying mood, Buck."

"No one said anything about partying. Just a drink or two while we pass the time. You know she is going to be pissed if she sees you out here while everyone else is inside." He watched as John slowly nodded his head.

"Fine. But I'm coming out here every hour to see if she's landed. Knowing her, she's going to head straight to bed without letting us know she's back." Buck knew he had a point. With her track record of running off without so much as a glance, it wouldn't surprise him to see her plane sitting there in the morning without a heads up.

John started the jeep up and went to drive off until he heard the sound of a plane in the distance. The pair stood up and watched in silence as a P-51 made their decent to the runway. Neither moved until it shut off and the familiar braid popped up when getting out of the cockpit.

"Thank god." Was heard as a near whisper from Major Egan as he watched her climb down with zero assistance.

Marley greeted the two Majors with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here this late at night. Almost makes me wonder if you've been sulking out here all day."

Bucky scoffed but the blond had to cough to cover up a laugh. "What happened Marley?" She continued to walk towards them, taking her flight jacket off. "I'm good. Thanks for asking."

She didn't miss the eye roll her brother gave her but shrugged it off. "Can we walk to the mess hall? I haven't eaten since this morning." The two nodded their heads and the trio started walking.

"As you both know it was a complete shit show up there. It was like we would shoot one down and three more came at us. It didn't really seem like we were making much of a difference with how many enemy fighters were up there." She ran a shaky hand through her hair. Something Buck picked up on but knew her brother missed it. Today shook her up more than she was letting on.

"Out of nowhere, the side of my plane was sprayed. Luckily it was near the end, and I was able to steady it out without having to eject. I was given new coordinates to a closer base and landed right outside of the runway. Took them nearly all day to fix up the plane but got interrogation out of the way there at least. Now I'm here."

They walked into the mess hall, the two boys trailing her as she grabbed a few things to eat. Neither spoke a word until they sat down, occupying the only table in the building.

"How are you, Mar?" Gale knew her brother was still processing things and tried to get some more information out of her.

She took a bite of an apple, buying herself time to formulate an answer. She'd be lying if she said today didn't shake her up. Feeling the bullets hit the plane and then watching as she slowly lost control of it, was enough to give her nightmares. But she couldn't tell her brother that. It was clear as day he worried enough about her as it is.

So, instead she swallowed the piece of apple and shrugged her shoulders. "It sucked taking this long to get back. And the guys there were not nearly as welcoming as the ones here. But it sure beats becoming a POW."

Buck knew that answer was brushing over how she really felt. But what he wasn't expecting was her brother to also pick up on it.

"Want to give me the real answer and not the bullshit one?"

Marley's eyes snapped up to her brother's, clearly surprised at his question. She looked down and bit her lip. Confidence fading.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on." John's voice had a bite to it, and Buck knew she wasn't going to respond well to it. They were more similar than they each believed.

"I never asked for your damn help, John." She stood up causing her brother to do the same.

"Sit your ass back down. We aren't done talking." The eye roll she gave him back only caused things to escalate.

"I say we are." She started walking away, making her brother follow. Buck quickly jumped in between the two and gently pushed the oldest Egan back. "Not now. Give her time to recover from today. She just got back."

John didn't put up much of a fight. As much as he wanted to push the issue of his sister keeping things from him, Buck was right. Today was hard on everyone, but they've had hours to recover. She had been back for less than thirty minutes.

They heard the door of the mess hall shut and gone was the youngest Egan.

"I need a damn drink." Buck gave John a single nod and the two of them went the opposite way of Marley.

***

Marley had quickly showered, taking advantage that the girls were out with everyone else. It didn't take long to wash off the day and put on more casual clothes. She toyed with the idea of meeting everyone out, but the interaction with her brother had her cautious. It was a long ass day, and her fuse was already short. She didn't think getting into a fight in front of everyone would be good for either of them.

But she knew she needed to see her team, or what's left of it, and Betty. Today was hell for everyone and she needed to remember that. So, she put some shoes on and started the long walk to the Officers Mess.

The air was nice and crisp, almost considered cold. Marley forgot to bring a jacket, but the chilly breeze was a nice reminder that she was in fact still in once piece and back in her temporary home.

Today was a brutal reminder that getting close to people out here was dangerous. Marley considered it a wakeup call, knowing she needed to start putting some distance between her and the blond Major. While things hadn't progressed beyond a friend stage, she knew that giving it more time could potentially cause heartbreak. He was someone she could see herself falling for, but war was a selfish thing. War would take anyone and everyone from you without any remorse. Only fools would hold onto hope out here.

Before Marley could reach her destination, sirens went off, signaling a possible air raid. It was one of the last sounds she heard when fleeing from her original base not too long ago. Men ran from buildings, seeking shelter in the bunkers they had throughout the base. But Marley could see the smoke in the distance, and knew they weren't in any danger.

Captain Sutton saw Marley and let out a sigh of relief. When he saw Major Egan chugging his drink earlier, he assumed she was back but didn't know in what shape. Seeing her walk on her own was a promising sign.

"Reminds me of old times." Marley turned her head and saw Sparks walking up to her. A smile crossed her face, and she gave him a quick hug. "Glad to see you made it back. I heard we lost more this time around."

All he did was nod his head, not wanting to talk about the friends they continued to lose. "You make it back okay?" She gave him the same nod in return. Neither pushing the other for more.

The two Majors were rushing outside with the rest, praying nothing would happen to their base. But as they reached the bunker, they noticed none of the fighter pilots had made their way to the bunkers.

"The hell you doin', Mar? Get down here." Marley shook her head at her brothers demand and sat on the ground outside looking out at the sky. "Too far for us to be hit."

Bucky made eye contact with his friend, neither knowing what to do. It wasn't often air raids happened this close to base, but they sounded an alarm for a reason.

"Marlene, I swear to god if you made it back just to get taken out by an air raid we had warning about, I will bring you back from the dead and kill you myself." Sparks chuckled as he sat down next to his friend. "Overprotective much."

Marley sighed and nodded her head, "You have no idea." She looked over her shoulder and saw both Majors attention on her. "We got these all the time before we were actually hit. Trust me, this one is too far to do any damage. Think of it as fourth of July and some really expensive fireworks are going off."

Buck hated the way his heart clenched at her explanation. He watched as she laughed with her friend next to her, not having a care in the world while the rest of them held onto a small shred of fear at what was happening in the distance.

"She's lost it. That's the only explanation I have for it." Bucky looked on as his sister was lounging in the grass, watching the bombs go off as it was some sort of show.

"Leave her be. She's happy." Bucky turned his attention to his friend after that statement. There was a moment of silence before John said, "Just promise me you'll look after her."

Gale looked at his friend confused, "What are you talking about?"

John looked back over to his sister, small smile on his face as he saw her throw her head back and laugh. "As much as she thinks I don't see things, I do. So, do me a favor and don't hurt her. She's been through too much already."

Instead of arguing that there was nothing goin on between then, Gale shrugged his jacket off. "Marley!" Her head turned at the sound of her name being called. Buck tossed her his jacket and she caught it with ease. "It's too cold out here without it." She slipped the warm jacket on and thanked him. He answered back with a wink, not missing the way her cheeks had a tint of pink to them.

War might be ruthless and hope was a foolish thing, but love always manages to overpower, making you feel invincible.

A/N: Thoughts? Thank you for reading!!

Tag list: @probabydeadbynow

#masters of the air #john bucky egan #john egan #gale buck cleven #gale cleven x reader #gale cleven #mota #mota fanfic #buck cleven #bucky egan #chelseawrites

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at1nys-blog · 8 months ago

Text

Next Door

When you try to save your friends from bad press (your father's opinion on them) ending up having to find a way to survive it turns different than what you expected, but along the way there are your best friends, new friends and a very annoying gym bro that lives just Next Door

Previously on... Next Door//More about... Next Door//Next on... Next Door

Vol.7 Ch.30-little kids

She regretted everything: having had too many drinks; focused on the wrong guy; getting drunk to not think about what was happening, but mostly important she regretted how her main focus was Zoro interacting with kids.

She had never saw him like that, and it was not even because he didn’t notice her, he did, and she knew he saw her at her table downing drinks after drinks like no tomorrow.

Her head was throbbing so much Y/N thought her brain was about to get thrown out of her skull.

Taking her phone she checked the time: 8:33 am, then a text message got her attention. It was from Kidd, she unlocked the phone and opened the message app. A simple ‘we need to talk.’

The second she answered, he called. Y/N imagined Kidd eyeing his phone like a hawk. She laughed at that.

“Do you like him?” He started.

“Good morning to you too, I’m great just an headache. What about you? Have you slept good?” She mocked. It was insane, she thought it was just insane to start a conversation like that.

“I don’t… just answer my question. Do you like him? Yes or not?”

“First of all, who do you think I like? And second, why don’t you answer my question?” Leaving her bed she walked to the kitchen, maybe she could try and eat something.

“Because I am waiting for my answer. So? Do you like him?” Y/N had to remind him to be more specific, she had a couple of guys that she liked, not in a romantic way that’s it, but still. “Roronoa Zoro. Do you like Roronoa Zoro?” She laughed. “I’m serious don’t laugh.”

“Are you for real? Roronoa Zoro? The Roronoa Zoro that is always annoyed if I just even breath his way? Man please don’t make me laugh.”

“I’m not, I am dead serious. I didn’t say anything yesterday because it was your cousin’s wedding and I didn’t want to cause a scene but I swear…”

“You swear what? What were you going to do if we weren’t at the wedding?”

“Never mind.” The conversation was going nowhere, Kidd just started yelling and as a consequence Y/N kept raising her voice, which got Eustass Kidd angrier the more they talked.

Y/N was getting impatient, she just wanted to end the conversation here and there but whenever she tried to put an end, he started once again with his stupid ideas that she was just using him to get back at Zoro.

“You are just stupid at this point. I’m not that desperate to get a man attention like that.”

“Oh you forgot how we started talking?” She scoffed, what had that anything to do with their conversation? “I overheard you talking about Law and the second Chopper told you he is not interested in a relationship or whatever you wanted, oh look at her going into her next victim, aka me. I should have known better.”

“Hold on. Is not my fault I like it when a guy looks good. And before you could say…” he cut her off, Kidd didn’t want to know more, he made a mistake and he was paying the price of his decisions. He hung up the phone. “I can’t believe this.” She said and in the heat of the situation she smashed the plate on the ground. She had to cool off before doing anything, before having breakfast, before going out. She has to let it slide and move on with her day.

“Mutherfucker blaming me for his insecurities. Fucking bitch, how dare he yelling at me like… ugghhhh” she walked to her balcony, thinking that maybe some fresh air could have helped her. It did. A bit. Because the memories of last night came back but honestly, she was glad they did. Seeing Zoro making a child smile with just his presence was helping calming her nerves.

The phone in her pocket kept on buzzing, it was getting annoying so she decided to check what was so important to make her phone go off like that.

Zoro was pacing, back and forth in front of the door, he didn’t know what to do, nor what to think. Was the sound he heard a good or bad sign? Was she okay? Was he supposed to call an ambulance? The police? Both?

His phone dinged, taking him away from a spiral of stupid questions, to be honest, and took a deep breath when he saw it was Y/N. She had screenshoted his tweet, he didn’t care much, sent it to him and told him to get inside, the door was unlocked and that she was on the balcony.

He walked inside, the main space was clean, cleaner than what he assumed it was. Zoro had a picture of what Y/N was like and the fact that she always proved him wrong made him upset, he was always right.

Moving his focus to the kitchen, there he saw it: a plate smashed on the ground. Looking more carefully he was happy to not see a single drop of blood, thanking whoever was above him that she wasn’t hurt. Walking to the terrace he started thinking how to approach the topic, how to ask her without being too noisy and without making her mad once again. After hearing her scream he didn’t want any repeat of that.

“So, I heard you screaming and smashing things. Is everything okay?”

“Nothing is okay.” She didn’t move from her position, not a glance his way, nothing. He had to not think much about it, the two of them hated each other. “I woke up with an headache because I got drunk yesterday and I got drunk because…” a pause. “I wanted to” Zoro knew it was a lie but he didn’t care, she was talking to him without a hint of teasing in her voice and for him was good enough.

He spaced out in the middle of her talking, Zoro heard nothing of what she said after, the man was so into his own thought he forgot he was with someone else. Just when Y/N called his name he was back on planet Earth.

“Sorry, you were saying?” She rolled her eyes and walked inside. “If you don’t care, why bother asking.” It wan’t a question and he wasn’t asked to explain himself but he did it regardless. He apologized, explaining that when she talked about the wedding his mind, on its own, started to remember bits of the night before.

“Really, it wasn’t planned. I wanted to know if you were doing fine, genuinely curious.” She sat on her couch and he followed, cautions in case she didn’t want him there. Y/N didn’t say a word, he took it as a good sign, it was fine for him to take a seat next to her. “So, if is not too much to ask, why were you screaming.”

“Eustass fucking Kidd.” Zoro noticed how she called him by his name and not referred to him as ‘punk boy’. He had to bit the inside of his cheeks to not smile at that. “Man is so insecure he thinks I was using him. He implied am I an attention seeker. Do you think I seek for attention?” She was now looking at him, deep into his eyes, his soul. He felt weird.

“No, I don’t think so. Also, Eustass is stupid so don’t listen to him. He is always wrong.” He said. He knew she was going to say something stupid so he managed to play his cards right by anticipating her next question by shutting it down before she could even ask.

“Thanks.” Never in his life he ever thought to heard that word from her, not if it was meant for him, no sir. He didn’t say anything, until he had an idea.

“Are you free today?” Y/N looked at him confused, Zoro could guess what she was thinking right now, but just waited for an answer. She told him Franky was nice enough to give her a day off. “Great. So go change, I have something in mind that might take your mind off of things.” She pondered what to do, he saw it but then agreed.

“I’ll be right back.” She said heading to her room.

Y/N was dying inside. She wanted to know where were they going, what were they going to do, but she didn’t dare to ask. Zoro had told her it was going to be a surprise, so even if she asked he wasn’t going to talk.

“Please tell me.” She gave in. She couldn’t stay any longer without knowing.

“I told you it is a surprise, and besides we are almost there.” He answered.

It was true, not even five minutes later Zoro parked his car and invited her to get out the car, to which she didn’t have to be told twice.

“A…dojo?” Seeing the building she was in a loss for words. Why did he took her there? Was she going to take part of the class? Was he going to give her a private lesson? What was happening?

“Yeah, I have a lesson and a meeting with a special guest. I thought it was going to be of help. I can drive you back home if you want.” Y/N looked at him, then she looked back at the dojo. Her eyes shifted between the man and the building a couple of times, she couldn’t believe what was happening. “So?”

She agreed. It could go any worst than this morning right?

She regretted accepting the idea. She was surrounded by kids, not older than 10 years old, asking questions and question and more questions all together. Some of them complimented her beauty, one of the kids joked about being the happiest guy if she was to go out with him.

“Do you like master Roronoa?” She didn’t know if she was supposed to laugh or yell at the kid for the question. It took her sometimes to come up with an answer good enough to shut him up but before she could mutter a single word, Zoro walked in.

Y/N had a thought, for a second she had an unholy thought about Zoro dressed in that samurai edoten. The color wasn’t that flattering but she knew that if it was anyone else they couldn’t pull it off as much as Zoro was.

He smiled at her, the kids too immersed in the stretching session to notice the exchange of looks the two adults were having. Y/N scoffed and went back to the exercises.

After the stretching was over, Zoro personally handed the students a wooden sword.

“Do as much as you can. This time I won’t push you too much.” He said, winking at her.

“No, I don’t…”

“Okay now, before the beautiful lady that joined us can waste our time take your position and let’s start.” Y/N’s mind was racing, she couldn’t believe he thought she was coming back at the dojo; she couldn’t believe he winked at her while saying that; she couldn’t believe he called her beautiful. He just called her beautiful and she didn’t know what that meant.

She couldn’t ask for explanations, she couldn’t take Zoro outside and ask him to explain himself so she just kept on doing what she was told to do.

Zoro was happy, happier than usual. He loved training his little samurai in the art. He grew up in the dojo, he was immersed in such a beautiful tradition he took proud in teaching the new generations about it, in hope they would take it to heart and teach it to the future generations.

His happiness was because she was laughing. It was the first time since the wedding he saw her laughing to her heart content and now, watching his students show off in front of her, Y/N was having the time of her life.

“Okay okay, enough now. Give me back the swords and go change. I have a little surprise so don’t be late.” As on cue the kids rushed to Zoro heading their weapon, Y/N followed in tow. “You can go home if you want, I need to stay and check the kids for another hour and a half.” He said once she was close enough to hear him. Unbeknownst to the both of them the kids were looking at them, laughing and giggling at the interaction.

“I think I’m going to stay. I don’t want to go home yet. If that’s okay, of course.” He waited before answering.

“Go change then. I’ll see you at the front desk later.” Zoro watched her leave the room and when he was sure she couldn’t him he called his little students. “Okay, listen to me. The lady that joined us today had a pretty bad morning so now do me a favor. Either in groups or one by one, I really don’t care, go to the garden by the main entrance and give her a compliment. Anything to make her smile okay?” They all nodded “great, now go change first.”

It didn’t took Zoro long to change so he was able to see, from afar that’s it, the kids doing as they were told, watching carefully how Y/N reacted at the compliments she was receiving.

“I thought you hated her?” Kuina asked, stopping next to her cousin.

“I thought that too.” He said. “Now let’s get this room ready for our guests.”

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