Jealousy Rings - Major Gale Cleven
summary: not everyone at Thorpe Abbotts knew you were taken and one of them was Major Rosenthal ; 2k words
Planes crashed, planes disappeared, planes returned. That was everything you knew - they wouldn’t tell nurses more than that - not that you necessarily needed additional information to seeing injured pilots, anyways.
But you always felt a sense of relief when you were told that some pilots managed to jump off a burning plane or that despite mechanical issues they were all able to return to base safe and sound.
“This is going to sting, Major.”, you warned Rosie as you started disinfecting one of his wounds. The pilot didn’t wince, the disinfectant doing its job within seconds. It was the second time you had encountered Major Rosenthal in the sickbay - fortunately only to take care of his wounds and nothing too concerning.
You felt his heavy gaze on you, those blue eyes burning holes on your skin. Having Major Rosenthal in the sickbay was seen as a treat for all the nurses who worked there - you noticed the withheld giggles and the exchange of looks. His presence didn’t distract you too much, after all you were there to do your job. And your job was to help others.
“Alright, you’re all set.”, you pulled away and looked at the bandage. “I would leave it there for today. Please come by tomorrow so I can take a look at the wound again.”, the words left your lips swiftly. Major Rosenthal nodded and cleared his throat, before he stood up from the bed.
“Thank you.”, he said, his eyes meeting yours. You smiled, not hearing a lot of gratitude these days. “I, uh… Are you going to the party for the 25th tonight?”, his tone didn’t waver despite his hesitation at the beginning. Silence followed after his question and you swore you could hear a pin drop. You looked around and noticed that even the other nurses were expecting your response.
“Uhm…”, you hesitatingly locked eyes with him. “Yeah, I think so.”, a nod was all you could muster.
Rosie smiled, the sigh of relief unseen by you. “Good, good.”, he nodded, smiling. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”, after his final words, he left the sickbay and in an instant, all nurses gathered around you.
“Oh my god, Y/N!”, one of them exclaimed. “You broke up with Cleven?”, you frowned at her question and immediately shook your head.
“No, of course not. Why would you say that?”, you looked at her questioningly. The nurses exchanged a look and scoffed.
“You said yes to going to the party with Rosenthal.”
Your breath hitched in your throat. “No, no, he just asked if I was going to be there. I’m going with Buck tonight.”, you explained and suddenly felt embarrassment flooding over you. He meant it in a friendly way, right?
“Ah, one of the men is going to be toast.”, Julia said and Greta found herself agreeing with her. Your lips parted and before you could say anything, another chipped in.
“My money is on Cleven punching Rosie.”, more nurses agreed and you simply stood there, petrified. You knew your Buck would never lay a hand on anybody, because you wouldn’t be seen with anyone other than him in the first place - the whole debate was absolutely nuts.
You didn’t want to encourage them anymore, so you wordlessly left the sickbay and walked down the corridor, trying to forget about it all.
“Bucky.”, Buck greeted his friend and sat down. “Have you seen Y/N?”, his friend shook his head and took a sip of his drink.
“I thought you’d pick her up.”, he raised an eyebrow and Buck sighed, shaking his head.
“I thought so too, but she said she was gonna come here with her friends.”, at Buck’s words, Bucky straightened up in his seat.
“Is Julie coming as well?”, he asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Another sigh left the Major. “That’s the thing. I don’t know.”, Buck wasn’t all too worried, but he hadn’t seen you all day. With him handling some documents and preparations all day and you at the sickbay, your paths had yet to cross today.
Maybe tonight was the night he’d gather his courage and pop the question. There was serenity lingering in the air as one of the pilots was going to celebrate the infamous milestone of the 25th. He wanted to share that experience with you, let you absorb all the positivity of the party and then take you out.
But it seemed like someone else already had plans for you.
“Gale.”, at the sound of his actual name, Buck’s eyes darted on Bucky´s, immediately noticing the serious look on his friend. “Six o’clock.”
Buck turned around and noticed you by the bar - you weren’t alone though.
“I’m going to kill him.”, his face was stoic, but the emotion in his words told another story.
Bucky clicked his tongue, also keeping his eyes on you and the flirty Major. “Teach him a lesson, but don’t kill him, though. He’s a good pilot.”, Gale turned around to face his friend, his face void of emotion. “What?”
Buck abruptly pushed his chair back and stood up swiftly. Major John Egan leaned back in his chair, eager to see the situation unfold before him. His eyes darted on your figure, your expression visibly uncomfortable at the attention Major Rosenthal was giving you. Bucky knew he was a good man, but he was flirting with the wrong woman.
Your eyes softened at the sight of Buck approaching you, but Rosie still kept talking about one of his missions.
“Major.”, your Buck said and Rosenthal turned around, almost startled by the firmness in the man’s voice. “I hope you’re not bothering my wife, Major.”
Just like in the sickbay, everybody seemed to be listening to your conversation. You had a feeling your heart stopped at the way he referred to you. Your cheeks started staining red, the same shade as your lipstick.
Major Rosenthal´s eyes widened at his words, his gaze darting between you and Buck, who instinctively inched closer to you. His arm curled around your waist as he waited on the pilot’s response.
“I, uhm, I am so sorry Major. I had no idea.”, the brunette stammered, his eyes disappearing from the both of you. He looked down for a moment and then raised his gaze again, your eyes locking.
You felt unspoken words locked up in your throat, but you couldn’t say anything. “I’m very sorry Mrs Cleven.”, Rosie apologized and then looked over to Buck. “It won’t happen again, Major. Have a good evening.”, his blue eyes lowered once more and then he left, leaving the 25th mission celebrations.
All the eyes that were locked on the scene moved away and that was when you could finally breathe out.
“You okay?”, Buck’s caring tone brought you back to reality. You wordlessly nodded, but having known you for a long time, he knew exactly what to do. Gale found your hand with ease and pulled you away from the crowd and music, until you found yourselves outside in the fresh air.
You found a quiet place and sat down, your eyes low as you still couldn’t wrap your head around what had just happened. Discomfort still lingered in the air.
“Has he been bothering you for a long time?”, the Major’s voice and tone drastically changed now that he was with you. There was no firmness, no jealousy and no confrontation. Just his soft, loving side bared before you.
You found yourself shaking your head. “No, he’s just been at the sickbay and I looked at his wounds.”, you explained, still feeling uneasy.
Buck’s eyes didn’t leave your face, waiting for more.
A sigh left your lips. “He did ask me if I was gonna go tonight and I said yes.”, Gale hummed, the ring box feeling heavy in his pocket. He couldn’t do it tonight - that wouldn’t be their story, no.
“I´m sorry.”, your voice made him snap out of his thoughts. His expression turned confused to your apologies. “I probably led him on—“
Gale cut you off immediately, his hands finding yours in comfort. “No, no, darling. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just doing your job, weren’t you?”, his finger grazed your cheek in a loving way, his blue eyes finding yours with ease.
But you suddenly remembered something. “Buck… Earlier, you called me your wife.”, the familiar blush was back on your cheeks, but fortunately he couldn’t tell due to the darkness outside. Now it was Gale’s turn to feel a little warm in his face, the actions from earlier biting back at him.
“I did?”, you nodded quickly at his unfazed tone.
“Major Rosenthal called me Mrs Cleven and all…”, and there was that shyness in your tone again, almost overwhelming you. His lips formed a small grin, his eyes darting at your joined hands.
“Yeah, he did, that Major…”, he trailed off, brushing your finger. You glanced at his pocket and bit your lip, not knowing whether or not you should tell him that you knew.
“I wouldn’t mind being Mrs Cleven.”, his heart skipped a beat at your impulsive words. “I just need a ring or people won’t know I’m taken.”
Gale´s eyes widened, his heart in his throat. At the moment of weakness, your eyes wandered on his face, taking in his clenched jaw and his stormy eyes. A gentle smile made its way on your face, absolutely in awe of this man and his soft side.
“How’d you know?”, he scratched the back of his neck, his gaze hesitating to meet yours. Your smile turned into a teasing one as your hand reached out to pat the pocket in his jacket. The Major’s cheeks seemed to be permanently stained by a soft, cherry blush as you felt the box under your touch.
“I can pretend I don’t know. That way you can proceed with your plan.”, your hand slid to his as you gave it a comforting squeeze. You knew that Gale had an elaborate strategy to anything in life, so your proposal wasn’t going to be counted out of it.
A sigh fell from his lips. “I wanted to take you to the party and then I would’ve danced with you and—“
You looked at him dreamily, for your Buck never danced.
“—then I would’ve taken you outside, muster up the courage— first tell you how pretty you look under the moonlight, of course.”
“Of course.”, you repeated, catching the glimpse of his beautiful smile.
He fiddled with his pocket and pulled out the box, a small gasp escaping your lips at the sight of the pretty ring. “Then I would’ve said, Y/N you’re the most incredible woman I´ve ever met and you’re the reason I wanna come home every time I’m in the air. I love you and I hope you can give me the honor of being your husband.”, he concluded and then slowly found your eyes.
“Ideally, you would say—“
“YES!”, you jumped on him with a squeal, Gale laughed and kissed your temple.
You pulled back and felt tears brimming in your eyes, making you look up.
“Aw, baby.”, he cooed, his finger brushing a tear away. “C´mere, let me slide this ring on your finger.”, you nodded, still unable to speak due to the overwhelming emotion.
Comfortable silence engulfed you for a moment, his hand found your chin and tilted it up, placing his soft lips on yours. It was a magical moment, even if it had started in a slightly tragic way.
“My honey.”, he murmured softly against your lips. “I mean it. You’re the reason I come home, baby.”, your heart burst right then and there. Your eyes slowly drifted to his and the sight amazed you — you could only find love and adoration there. You were truly at loss of words. But something he had mentioned earlier gnawed at you.
“Gale.”, your voice almost as sweet as honey with those tears still running down your cheeks. He hummed, his eyes couldn’t tear away from you. “Can you still dance with me?”
The Major chuckled, but he nodded nonetheless. He stood up and offered you his hand with a smile. Without giving it a second thought, you grabbed his hand and stood up, immediately engulfed by his strong frame.
You swayed in the dark, your ears to his beating heart — that being the soundtrack of the night. The ring glistened under the moonlight, almost outshining your eyes.
“I love you.”, he murmured against your hair, an automatic smile finding its way on your face. You instantly looked up and placed a kiss on his lips.
“I love you, Major Cleven.”
A/N: I´m so in love with Buck - also writing this because Mr Austin Butler has gone into hiding 😩🥺🤍
MASTERLIST buck cleven masterlist
austin 2025 digital calendar 🎀 austin phone case💋
