two airmen. one love story.
flyboys (99969 words) by aerialiste
chapters: 28/28 [complete] fandoms: Stargate Atlantis, Captain America rating: explicit relationships: John Sheppard/Sam Wilson, Rodney McKay & John Sheppard, past Riley/Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson characters: Sarah Wilson, Radek Zelenka, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Kanaan, Natasha Romanov, Original Character(s) tags: Air Force, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BDSM, Bondage, Crossover, Fighter Pilots, Major Character Injury, Military, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, PTSD, Rope Bondage, Therapy, Trauma, US Air Force, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kink Negotiation summary: John Sheppard is on convalescent leave—or at least that’s what he keeps telling himself, though it looks a lot more like hiding in a crappy apartment in Houston, never leaving except for physical therapy and more alcohol. So he’s not sure why he turns up at a kink club, much less why he starts hanging out with Sam Wilson, probably the only other guy on the planet with a tighter security clearance than his—not that either of them much wants to talk about work. Two airmen, both with troubled pasts, find solace in each other one humid Gulf Coast summer. And the strength of the pull John feels toward Sam surprises him more than the odds of their meeting at all.
So several years ago, at eighties night at my favorite club, my friend cascat ran out onto the dance floor to pick up a beer bottle someone had dropped; and a fic was born. I’d been thinking for a while about two very different airmen in the US Air Force and kept wondering what would happen if you crossed @astolat‘s Sam Wilson with @cesperanza‘s John Sheppard; so I resolved to find out. 100k words later, I’m not sure I solved the problem but I had fun trying. Dedicated to @seperis because she’s pulled me out of several writing blocks with her magic bag of tricks, not the last of which is “[more]”—and because we’re going to be roommates and always leave our organic unsalted pasture butter out of the fridge. Love to everyone else who helped, including @bettsfic (who is both BFF & BBF, best beta forever), @expatgirl (always up for a game of “what if” and/or soundtrack mixing) & @starlessfuture (crucial last-minute keysmashing). I will now shut up about this, after making you all listen to me talk about it for the last two years; thank you for your patience and kindness, and above all for reading.
