Happy Days

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 ❤️

☀️ The Bucks in a Boat by magic_glow (not sure if the author has a tumblr!)

Explicit, Post-War, Falling in Love, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort

This is an AU based on the movie The Boys in the Boat (starring our lovely Callum). The plot follows John returning home from the war, where he still served as a B17 bomber pilot. But he enrolls in school and times are tough, so much like in the film, he tries out for the rowing team for the free room and board. Where he meets, and immediately forms a strong bond with, Gale Cleven. The author manages to keep the characterizations true, while still making them their own. They manage to incorporate almost every Mota character in a meaningful way and I especially love the sweet friendship between John and Brady in this one. It deals with the trauma of War and life and also displays a beautiful sense of camaraderie as they form as a team and learn to lean on one another. It’s wonderfully written and the world building is phenomenal. The pace is perfect and the story is compelling and John and Gale’s connection is explored with care. This is my current ‘comfort fic’ and I look forward to reading how it all develops. (And the title is so cute!)

☀️ He may be the Reason by c_goldthorn (@c-goldthorn)

Explicit, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy

This a modern au based on the movie Notting Hill and I recommend this one, whether or not you've seen the movie! As someone who has never seen the movie, this fic is my first experience with the plot and I'm loving every minute of it. The author infuses humor and care and love into her stories and you'll fall in love with all of the characters in this one. It's romantic and sweet and angsty and the longing is palpable. I am always patiently waiting for me. (And she has a couple of side stories in the universe posted as well that are very sweet!)

☀️ one way, or another by hart (@blixabargelds)

Explicit, Kidnapping, Strangers to Lovers, Getting Together

Okay, so literally everything that she writes is fantastic. No one quite hurts Gale like she does (lol) and it's done with care and reason and it's beautiful to read. This story though, it's hard to find words to describe it. It's a modern au where Gale orchestrates his own kidnapping (for reasons) and John is the kidnapper. A truly unique plot that is executed so perfectly that I read it twice in one weekend. It's angsty, especially as Gale's circumstances seem to get more and more bleak, yet there is this light, romantic air to it throughout because of the dynamic the author creates between John and Gale. It's FUN. And reading should be fun. It's truly a masterpiece and you'll be hooked from the first paragraph.

☀️ before you say 'cut', wait five more seconds by phlegmatic (@irregularcollapse)

Explicit, Actors AU, Workplace Relationship, Sharing a Bed

She is one of those gold standard creators in my opinion. Not just in the Mota fandom, but just in general. The way she tells a story is captivating and you get the sense that every word written is there for a specific reason. The care she puts into the craft is evident and appreciated and while I’m too shy to have ever really interacted with her, I’m such a huge fan. I could rave endlessly about her work, but onto the specific story I’m recommending! This story follows Gale, an up and coming actor that gets his 'big break' when he's cast as one of the leads in a big movie. He's starring alongside John, who is already an very established name in the industry. They fall into bed (and never really leave for long) and along the way, start to fall for each other. It is clear that this universe the author created means a lot to them. It is so authentic and focused on acting as a craft, as an artform and I learned a lot about the industry from reading this. The turmoil, buzzing under the surface, that Gale feels about his career and his future is so palpable and so vivid, I felt the anxiety along with him. Her version of John in this story is one of my favorites. He's sweet and raw and brash and caring. I really could gush forever about this one. The characterization is so impressive, they're them, but they're also hers and they're layered and real and beautiful. Honestly, just go read it. You'll understand why I rambled and still couldn't manage to say anything eloquent.

☀️ Packages and Pet Names by youllneverrecme (@recmeidareya)

Modern Setting, First Meetings, First Dates, PTSD

Any pet name you could possibly imagine John using for Gale, this author has already thought of them (and more!). In this one, Gale is a war veteran and John is his local UPS driver. I went into this one thinking it would be a silly, funny, sexy story (and it is!), but it also so much more than that. It's tender. And it's sweet and it's gentle. The way this author writes Gale is beautiful. He feels so real to me. The care and thoughtfulness that clearly went into his background as a Soldier is very important to me. And watching him open himself to new things, to John and to love? It's been a wonderful journey to be on. And John in this? Absolutely amazing. He's funny and sharp and soft and he cares about Gale so much. I am genuinely enjoying watching them fall in love in this and I can't wait to read more. Every one should be reading this.

☀️ just stay with me (baby stay with me) by bcoflove (@bcolfanfic)

Teen+, Modern Setting, NYC, First Kiss

This story is so sugary sweet. The author has created a 'Cornerstore AU', on tumblr and posted a fic on AO3 on Super Bowl Sunday and I'm a little obsessed. Gale moved to NYC and ended up in bad living situation. But he finds solace in visiting a corner store where John works. I'm in love with this version of Gale. He's unsure of himself and he's awkward and he's so sweet. And John is a force of nature. Funny and kind and in Gale's corner. I hope the author is inspired to write more for this au, because I'd read a 100,000 words of this.

☀️ Driving In Your Car (I've Never Felt Safer) by Thetrystingtree (@alienoresimagines)

GA, Mutual Pining, Boys in Love, Fluff

One of my favorite things about this authors writing is that it always feels a bit like I’m reading poetry when I read her stories. There’s a lightness, a beauty to the way she weaves words together. It’s vivid and authentic and I can clearly picture the settings and feel the emotions in her stories. This story in particular is such a sweet premise. Gale is tired and John drives him around base in the jeep to allow him to rest a bit. The other night, I was lying in bed and I wanted something calming and gentle to read before I fell asleep. So I went to this authors page and found this story to reread because I knew her words were what I was looking for in that moment. It's sweet and funny and, just like all of her stories, always the perfect bedtime story.

☀️ I Won't Go Where You Can't Follow by stars_remain2 (@stars-remain2)

Teen+, Whump, Violence, Protective John

If you know me, you know I have a weak spot for Gale whump and John being protective and this story has both in SPADES. It is a canon-divergence, looking a what if? scenario where Gale doesn't go over the wall and is punished for his escape attempt. He's beaten while John is forced to watch and it's brutal and painful, but so well written and so beautifully explored. The way the guys rally around Gale to help him get through the march, the way John cares for him, the way Gale is so self-sacrificing...it's all woven together into a fantastic story. The cliffhangers are killing me, but I'm hanging on because it's too good to stop. And I just know some supreme comfort is coming after all of the hurt.

☀️ Looking for Eight by VoluptuosPanic (@weimarweekly)

Explicit, Modern Setting, Rodeo AU, Repressed Feelings, Love

I'll embarrass myself if I go on to much about this fic because it brings me such joy. John is bronc rider and Gale is farrier. In this modern au, they met and spent a few days together on a road trip, years ago and then they reconnect at a rodeo. This story is so calming and so gentle and so tender it will melt you into goo. The authors style is so unique and beautiful. Her words flow together in a way that honestly reminds me of water running over river rocks in a stream. I swear I have a dopey smile on my face while I read each chapter (and then reread it). This fic is breathtaking and wonderful and just one of my favorites I've ever read. I've never read a sweeter version of Gale and John. They're so tender with each other I could melt into goo just thinking about them. Read it!

☀️ cicada season by Swify_Fox (@swifty-fox)

Explicit, Modern Setting, PTSD, Past Child Abuse, Therapy

Oh, Swifty. A fandom staple and a masterclass talent. This fic is no exception. A modern au where Gale is a Phd student, working on an intense thesis breeding a rare breed of frogs and John is a contractor, hired to remodel the house Gale lives in with Crank and Marge. The research that went into this is evident and impressive and makes the story that much more compelling. Gale is practically made of barbed wire in this (for good reasons I dread to learn) and he's so three-dimensional. Each chapter begins with a therapy session for Gale as he works through trauma from his childhood. It's such a well crafted story in every aspect. John and Gale's dynamic is so fun and contentious and full of potential for something more. I'm in love with this one. You can feel the care that went into this one and every word you read means something special. Rachel's mind is truly a marvel and you are missing out if you haven't given this one a go yet.

This was fun! There is so much talent in this fandom and I have been having such a good time reading. As I was making this, I kept thinking of more and more, so I'm sure I'll be making another one of these at some point. 💕

For now though, I'm taking a little break from Tumblr. I'll still be writing and reading and posting on AO3, but I need some time off from social media for personal reasons.

“Better stay off your knees, Major,” the heavily accented voice, ugly words spit in broken English raise the hairs on the back of Bucky’s neck and his muscles tighten with the urge to hurt someone.

“Don’t.”

Gale’s quiet voice and his trembling hand grasping his sleeve brings him back to reality and he knows he can’t do a damn thing. Not with the krauts as trigger happy as they are. But he turns the words over and over in his mind and thinks his teeth might crack with how tight he’s clenching his jaw.

“That was the same guard from the line-up,” he grits out. “The one from the cooler?”

Silence greets him and he turns his head to look at Gale, who is stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes.

“Buck,” he pushes. “Give me something here.”

“Just leave it, Bucky,” Gale finally answers, shaking his head.

“I can’t,” Bucky admits. He feels like he’s going to be sick all of a sudden as the implication of the words turn his stomach into a knotted mess. Now isn’t the time for this. But he can’t even breathe properly with these thoughts in his head. “Did he-”

“No.” Gale finally turns his face enough to glare at him. “Whatever you’re thinking. No.”

Bucky swallows, feels his eyes sting from more than the wind as his mind rolls over images that he wants to vanquish from existence. Too terrible to imagine. Gale must see something in his eyes because his glare falls away and his features soften.

“John, I swear,” he says. “If what you’re thinking happened had happened, I wouldn’t be here. ‘Cause I’d have killed him. And then they would’ve killed me.”

The words don’t make him feel better. They just conjure another horrible, unfathomable image that he tries to physically shake out of his mind. He believes him. But something happened. Something with this guard. Something that Gale doesn’t want to talk about.

“What can I do?” He finds himself asking, feeling useless as he watches Gale concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. Tired blue eyes find his and Bucky watches him shrug.

“No matter what he says,” Gale says, looking over his shoulder. Bucky follows his gaze and sees the guard keeping pace with them on the edge of the column. Watching Gale. “Don’t do anything to get yourself killed. He likes to talk.”

Bucky flexes his fingers and glares ahead, jaw working. Not understanding but wanting to.

“Promise me, John.”

“Sure, Buck.”

“John.” Gale sounds tired, frustrated. Bucky feels the same way.  “I learned to drown him out in there. You gotta do the same.”

He thinks of Gale hiding himself against Bucky’s chest, making himself small every night when the krauts were talking outside their window before they slammed the shutters closed. Remembers the flinching, the tightly coiled muscles, the trembling he’d feel when the accented voices grew in volume, shouts drifting through the walls of their hut.

Their eyes meet and they can read each other plan as day.

Even if he never touched him, that man hurt Gale. Scares him still.

When the wheels of his fort touch down on Algerian soil, the first thing Gale feels is a flood of relief, despite being several yards from the runway, in a beat up fort made of what seems like more bullet holes than metal, all engines feathered, one of his crew killed, and far too many others lost on the way. At the very least, they made it. 

The second thing he registers is the dull ache in his right side, just below his ribcage. He’d felt the initial impact, certain and painful, when they were flying through heavy enemy fire some hours ago. 

Yet in the chaos of the moment, it seemed his copilot hadn’t noticed his wince of pain accompanied by a sharp intake of breath. So, he’d elected to keep it that way, allowing the initial excruciating pain to fade to a low thrum in the background as they continued with the mission. His crew was already shaken enough as it was. No reason to add insult to injury by informing them their pilot had been hit.

Now, safely on the ground in Algeria, he knows he should probably tell someone. But time seems to swim confusingly in the haze of a post-mission adrenaline crash, and before he knows it, Bucky and Jack are there and his crew is pulling the remains of Norman Smith, their trusted radio operator, out of the wrecked fort, so Gale shoves the injury out of his mind once more to take care of his crew.

Besides, he figures, it can’t be that bad if he’s made it this far.

~~~

As they get the men settled with bedrolls and water and whatever food they can scrounge up, considering their less than warm welcome in Algeria, Bucky basks in the relief that Gale is really there, on the ground, alive. He thought he knew nerves, but nothing could compare to the feeling of watching Gale’s beat up fort from his faux position as ‘reserve command pilot’, unable to do anything except hope against all odds that they would both make it to their destination.

Bucky can’t help but notice that the other man looks paler than normal, can’t help but notice the way his hands shake as he helps set up their makeshift camp. It’s understandable, Bucky supposes, after using every ounce of his willpower to keep his fort in the sky, then finally, finally touching down safely by nothing but the skin of his teeth. The comedown from something like that isn’t easy.

So, he chalks it up to that. Until moments later, that is, when sudden, frantic shouting comes while his back is turned. He whips his head up from where he was neatly unfurling a bedroll, his senses shocked when he finds Gale collapsed on his knees in the sand a few feet away from him.

Bucky abandons the bedroll, rushing forward. He drops to his own knees in front of Gale, hands latching onto Gale’s forearms while his eyes frantically search his face. Somehow, he looks even paler now. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Gale’s eyes are slow to find his. When they do, they’re pinched with a deep pain that Bucky can’t believe he didn’t notice before. Still, Gale shakes his head weakly. “‘M fine.”

They have an audience, which Bucky knows isn’t helping Gale to tell him anything, stubborn and unflappable as he is. Or rather, as he would like to appear. Reluctantly, Bucky tears his eyes from the other man’s to glance around at the rest of the men. “Make yourselves busy, will you?”

Mercifully, they get the hint, dispersing in all directions away from the pair of them, busying themselves with getting settled in once more. Bucky’s gaze returns to Gale’s face with even greater urgency. “C’mon, Buck. What’s going on?”

It’s then that Gale presses a gentle hand to his right side, wincing even at the slightest pressure. There’s a tear there in his flight suit, accompanied by a spot of blood, which Bucky had naively assumed was someone else’s or just a minor scrape like the littering of small cuts now marring the other man’s face. 

“Think I’m hit,” Gale finally admits reluctantly, low and under his breath. 

Bucky clenches his jaw, inhales sharply through his nose, and forces himself not to panic. “You stubborn bastard. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Gale shrugs. His eyes appear cloudy with fatigue or dizziness, Bucky can’t quite tell. When he speaks, his voice comes out sounding weak. “Had things to do. A mission to complete.”

John stares at him in a mixture of concern and disbelief for a moment before spurring himself into action. Pushing Gale’s jacket off his shoulders and beginning to undo the straps of his flight suit in hopes of getting a good look at his wound, Bucky admonishes in frustration, “The mission was complete the second you landed that fort against all odds, and you know it. You should’ve told me right then.”

“Did want to cause a fuss. I’m fine.”

“You are not fine,” Bucky disagrees sharply, but then softens. He could have lost Gale today. Still could, really, depending on how badly he’s hurt. If they both make it back to Thorpe Abbotts safely after this, then he’ll give the other man an earful about taking better care of himself. But for now, harsh words aren’t going to make Gale feel any better. “It’s my job to fuss over you. So just let me do my job, okay?”

Gale sighs, accepting, then nods. He glances around to see if anyone else is keeping an eye on them. Then, apparently satisfied when they’re not, allows himself to slump forward against the broad warmth of Bucky’s chest with a quiet grunt of pain.

It’s not helping Bucky get him out of his flight gear any faster, but it feels so good to have Gale close after the day's events that he allows it, just for a moment. He strokes a hand down Gale’s back, ducking his head to murmur into his ear, for the two of them only, “I’ve got you, doll. You’re gonna be just fine.”

Once Gale hums in acknowledgement, Bucky reluctantly pushes him back to continue his efforts. He’s afraid of the injury he might find underneath the layers of clothing, but forces himself to keep his attitude light and optimistic on Gale’s behalf.

“Never thought I’d be taking your clothes off surrounded by all of our men,” Bucky teases quietly as he pushes the top Gale’s flight suit down to bunch around his waist, hoping to brighten the mood.

It seems to work briefly, with Gale letting out a surprised, albeit weak chuckle. But then the movement seems to pain him, and he winces. “Don’t make me laugh.”