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𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙴𝙽 — 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚞𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗...
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸
𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺
𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯...
— ᴷᵃʰˡⁱˡ ᴳⁱᵇʳᵃⁿ
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AN ETERNITY SEEMED TO PASS SINCE VEAL PULLED AWAY FROM THE MISSION, each ticking second a weighty reminder of his solitude amidst the vast expanse of the sky. As he recounted the grievous tale of his ill-fated journey to the attentive engineers feverishly laboring to resurrect his battered fort, his senses sharpened to the haunting symphony of their wrenches and drills. But amidst the racket, a familiar sound pierced the air — the thunderous roar of a B-17; a beacon of hope cut through the suffocating veil of despair, igniting a spark of bravery in the brunette's weary heart.
"You were saying, Major?" Wink's sharp voice sliced through the air like a whip, jolting the man back to the present moment, shattering the fragile cocoon of his thoughts. "Oh, yes... No power, and then she just gives up on us completely." Veal resumed, narrating the entire incident. "I'd be lying if I didn't admit how surprised I am you even made it back in one piece." Muttered Lemmons, causing the Major to shoot a puzzled glance towards the blonde. "The carburetor mixture link caused a spark plug to load up and foul." He explained. "It should just take a few hours to fix, but if you would've stalled for even a minute longer... Well, let's just say it wouldn't be the plane that'd need intense fixing." Wink chimed in.
"Y/n told me to go back- Major l/n." Veal murmured, his gaze fixed on the unforgiving earth below, a profound sense of gratitude welling up within him like a tide against the shore, silently acknowledging the girl for her heroic act that had saved not just his own life but those of his companions as well. "Welp, wouldn't be the first time she'd be saving someone's ass." Chuckled Wink, his fondness for the young woman evident in his tone. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen when it's her turn to be rescued." Lemmons sighed, a weight of concern settling in his voice as he reflected on the risks she often took, even when it came to her own well-being.
"Speak of the devil — I bet that's her right now, flying back home with all her crew alive." Smiled the brunette as the alarms started blaring, announcing their arrival, only a few hours too early. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Wink..." Stated the Major with utter disappointment as he recounted the forts for the 3rd time already. "Surely I'm mistaken- I count only 14!" Lemmons exclaimed, summoning his team to ensure a safe landing. "We're missing Buck." Veal noticed. "Isn't that where Duck was?" Wink's voice trembled slightly as he posed the question to no one in particular, a knot of dread tightening in his chest at the mere thought of that grim possibility.
"We got you- we got you!" Within moments, soldiers and medics surged forward, their urgent movements akin to a well-oiled machine as they rushed to aid their wounded comrades, extracting them from their battered fortresses and onto stretchers. Each team bore the weight of casualties, some grievously injured, others tragically lost to the ravages of war. Amidst the chaos and the somber scene of carnage, there emerged a triumphant roar, belonging to none other than—Alice from Dallas! As the aircraft emerged from the thunderous skies she dominated with her powerful roar, subdued celebrations were abruptly halted as all eyes turned skyward, collective breaths catching in throats as they witnessed the unthinkable — a plummeting descent towards the bloodstained ground.
"Hey hey, stay tight..." Minutes after the harrowing flapless landing, the medics sprang into action, their practiced hands swiftly evacuating the anguished soldiers. Though only two of their crewmen had endured severe frostbite, the others remained physically unscathed yet mentally ensnared in a haze of shock and disbelief. Their CO on the other side, however, just burst an ulcer. The mission left a trail of trauma in its wake, an ordeal that only one team managed to endure and accomplish. "We'll be out in a minute..." y/n assured their rescuers, her voice steady despite the chaos around them, urging them to focus on the wounded men first.
With a gentle request for privacy, she turned her attention to her ex-lover, her heart heavy with concern for the man; knowing that in the midst of pandemonium, some wounds needed tending beyond the physical, she walked up to him, and took a seat beside him. Staring blankly at the punctured walls of the once invincible fort, the man found himself at a loss for words. He struggled to make sense of the devastation before him, but each attempt to comprehend the events only left him feeling more adrift in a sea of surreal uncertainty. "It gets easier to bear over time, I promise." She said in a gentle tone, her words a pharos of solace amidst the wreckage, offering a glimmer of hope amid the darkness of despair.
"You were right all along... Nothing could've prepared me." He muttered, his voice laden with the weight of resignation, acknowledging the brutal truth of their predicament and the impossibility of readiness for such unfathomable devastation. The girl placed a comforting hand on Gale's trembling shoulder, her touch a lifeline in the midst of their shared turmoil. With a soft sigh, she spoke, her voice a soothing melody amidst the chaos. "I know..." She murmured, her words filled with empathy and understanding. "It's okay to feel lost right now. None of us could have foreseen what we've been through." She started.
"But we're survivors, Gale— always have been." She mused, taking his hand in hers, offering it a reassure squeeze. "We've faced challenges before, and we'll face this one together." The blonde met her gaze, his eyes filled with a mix of agony and gratitude. "I just don't know how to make sense of it all." He confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't have to have all the answers right now." Sighed the y/h/c haired girl. "Just know that you're not alone. We're here for you, Buck, every step of the way. You know what? Fuck that. I AM there for you... every step of the way."
In that moment, amidst the ruins of their once formidable fortress, Gale found consolation in y/n's presence — a lighthouse of faith in the darkness, guiding him through the storm. And as they sat together, enveloped in the silence of their shared grief, they found strength in each other's embrace, a reminder that even in the face of devastation, they were never truly alone. "You have no idea how much I missed you, y/n. If I could take it all back in a second, I would..." He murmured into her ear, holding her tight as if clinging on to her support for life, yearning for this moment to last forever, or at least like a million years.
Y/n's heart ached with the weight of unspoken words as she held on to the boy, her throbbing head resting against his muscular chest, longing to express the depth of her emotions. 'I missed you too...' She wanted to say, the words lingering on the tip of her tongue, but her throat tightened with the pain of memories past. The echo of his departure still reverberated within her, leaving behind a wound that refused to heal. Despite the longing in her heart, the words remained trapped, imprisoned by the scars of their shared history.
"We need to head for the Interrogation, Buck." The girl said instead, her voice steady despite the turmoil within. With an adamant resolve, she gently pulled away from his warm embrace, her eyes fixed on the shot-up hole in their once-invincible fortress. The blonde nodded in understanding, his expression reflecting the gravity of their situation. "Right." He replied, his voice tinged with determination. "Let's focus on the task at hand. We'll deal with everything else later." Together, they moved forward, leaving behind the remnants of their shattered sanctuary.
Though the scars of their ordeal ran deep, they pressed on, driven by a shared mission and an unbreakable bond forged in the crucible of adversity. "No-flap landing." They were instantly bombarded by the raven who had been worrying sick about the two. "Motor was shot." Explained Buck, reluctantly turning to his friend. "I need to get you two to interrogation now... Come on." Sighed the Air Exec instead, knowing exactly what the blonde was in store for, long before they set out for the mission. He wanted to warn the Major. He really did; but he didn't really have any words to say.
"We were the only ones who managed to drop the bombs." Major l/n mumbled, her voice heavy with the weight of their accomplishment and the cost it had extracted. "We had to use the sacrifice of three forts to our advantage, instead of taking the time to grieve and honor their deaths." Bucky was all too familiar with this strategy and the profound effect it had on people's minds. Dealing with death was never easy, but leveraging it for personal gain required a level of psychopathy beyond the ordinary. It wasn't something inherent; rather, it was a mentality instilled in them from a young age, a mindset ingrained before they even enlisted.
"I know." The raven simply said. "Now let's go." He started his jeep, not a fan of delving into emotions, specifically heavier ones. Without another word, the two got into the jeep, feeling defeated despite their achievement. "You've been up... several missions; how do you not let that affect you?" Questioned the blonde, unable to move on. "Seen it way too many times now." Bucky answered with honestly. "And so have you." y/n added. "I don't know what I saw." He sighed to himself, massaging his temples. "30 men in less than 3 hours — all just gone." He let the realization finally sink in. "I should've been up there with you two." Egan said.
"Yeah, well... We've got a long road ahead of us, pal."
(1.7k words)
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