The interior of the bar was based on the existing and famous “I-bar” which is also based on North Island (we went there often for “research”). Our set decorator, Jan Pascal, painstakingly found, bought and/or borrowed all of the dressing that was used inside. Our amazing construction crew pre-built this bar in our mill space in Los Angeles before taking it apart and rebuilding it out on the beach. Both the interior and exterior were built there for the film. Though many wished it could have stayed, it was not built to be permanent. It only now exists on film.
We used the existing ready room at our disposal on the base, but repainted and redressed it to fit our story. Its on the 2nd floor right above the area we used inside the hangar for filming. The ceiling truss you see in the second photo is there because we couldn’t mount our new fixtures into their ceiling without damaging them. The truss also housed and disguised our electrical wiring for the film.
jake/bradley + otters holding hands when they sleep.
it isn't until they're alone in their bunks that jake really lets himself feel the weight of what he - what they all just went through.
he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. he can still hear the terror in rooster's voice. the acceptance in mav's. it makes his skin crawl.
there's no way in hell he'll make it through the next few weeks without nightmares about it.
judging by the sound of bradley's fingers tapping in the bunk below him, he isn't the only one trying to stay awake.
jake debates it for about ten seconds before rolling his eyes at himself, sliding out of his bunk and letting his feet hit the floor with a soft thud.
"can't sleep, either?" bradley asks, his voice all gravel in the back of his throat, exhausted and dried out from time spent in the cockpit.
jake bites the inside of his cheek, finding bradley's eyes easily despite the darkness of the room. he knows they aren't anywhere close to okay. shooting down an enemy aircraft isn't the same as apologizing for the shit they've been through. it doesn't erase the distance between them.
but jake knows just how bad the nightmares can get after going through something like this, after crashing from the adrenaline, and it's just.
it's harder to go through it alone.
(he assumes, anyway. he didn't have anyone to face it with back then.)
wordlessly, he slides into bradley's bunk. he waits a few seconds, gauging bradley's reaction and preparing himself to either be kicked to the floor or told to leave.
but bradley just scoots back. jake scoots forward a little more, lifting the thin sheet and pulling it over his hips.
and then it's like they're right back at the start - playing chicken with each other, waiting to see who'll break first. jake used to take pride in holding out longer than bradley ever could, grinning against bradley's lips when he'd give in and kiss the smirk off his lips.
now, though.
now, jake just reaches out and finds bradley's shoulder. squeezes it gently, his fingers featherlight against bradley's skin as he slides them beneath the cotton of his shirt sleeve.
he can practically hear the way bradley's eyebrow arches in question.
jake pretends he doesn't notice. softly asks, "y'know otters hold hands when they sleep?"
bradley squints. "did you really wake me up to talk about woodland creatures."
but bradley's arm is moving, palm facing up so that jake can easily run his fingers down the length of his shoulder, over the inside of his forearm and the sensitive skin of the pulse point on his wrist. bradley lets jake run his fingertips over the lines of his palm for a moment and then threads their fingers together.
finally, after a long moment of just listening to him breathe, jake hears bradley's soft whisper of, "...why?"
and jake knows it's meant to be why are you acting like this. why are you being so soft with me. why are you pretending the last decade didn't happen.
jake's fully aware of all of that.
but right now, with bradley's eyes on his, bradley's skin beneath his fingertips - right now, it doesn't fucking matter. for the first time in a long time, jake thinks they could figure it out.
maybe it's just the adrenaline crash. maybe they'll get back to base and this feeling will be gone.
or maybe.
maybe their souls are tied together. maybe they always have been, and maybe jake wants to pretend they could strengthen the knots and smooth away the frayed pieces of this bond between them to create something eternal.
jake ignores the questions that he knows bradley's actually asking. instead, he explains, "they do it so they don't float away from each other when they fall asleep. keeps 'em together. gives 'em, like. a tether."
bradley stills a little. there's a shine in his eyes that wasn't there a moment ago.
jake doesn't mention it.
"that what you're doin', man?" bradley finally asks, looking down at their joined fingers.
the phrasing of the question makes jake's skin crawl a little. bradley's man is purposefully casual, like he's trying to keep this distance between them despite the way he's clinging to jake's hand, and jake just lets out a little sigh.
"bradshaw."
"seresin."
"bradley."
when bradley looks back up, there's genuine fear in his eyes. for a moment, jake's transported right back to nights spent together in the academy, back when this thing was supposed to be physical and meaningless and -
christ. jake's never been able to look at bradley without his breath catching.
"... you gonna keep me here?" bradley asks quietly, thumb brushing back and forth over the back of jake's hand. "tether me?"
jake just slides a foot through bradley's calves. keeps the movement slow, gentle, giving bradley time to pull away if he wants.
but he doesn't. just squeezes jake's hand harder.
"jake," he whispers, voice thick.
jake lifts their joined hands to his lips. "i know," he says softly, kissing each of bradley's knuckles. "i know. i've got ya."
when bradley finally falls asleep, jake can feel sweat in the space between their palms. the pad of his thumb is raw from rubbing it over bradley's sunkissed skin for so long. it's uncomfortable. hurts a bit.
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