Chapter Text
The first time Ken sees Robert, it's as a pair of shoes walking up next to his fort. Ken's in the landing gear confirming bolt torques, and as he pauses to reset his footing on the wheel support, he spots the feet of some officer, shoes as shiny as Ken's are grimed up.
"Can I help you, Sir?" Ken hollers, wincing at the way his voice echoes. But it's the only way to be heard without the officer sticking his head into the gear himself.
The officer squats down and looks up into the gear, shifting until he can see Ken's face. "Not to be rude, but which one are you?"
Ken grins. They've been getting new pilots in all the time as fellas finish flight school and get assigned to Boise, and he's gotten used to getting asked his name and rank.
"Lemmons, Sir," he says. "Ken Lemmons. Sergeant."
The officer smiles. With his carefully waved hair and mustache, he looks more like Clark Gable than a lot of the other pilots, even if his mustache is the wrong style. It's the right style for his face, though, Ken thinks, as the officer says, "I'm Captain Rosenthal. I'm already hearing your name said like a blessing, Lemmons. That's my landing gear you're standing on. Or maybe it's yours."
"She's only mine until she starts flying, Sir," Ken replies. "And when she comes back. In the air, she'll be as good to you as you will be to her."
"Any tips on treating her right?"
"Sure," Ken says. "Let me finish this inspection, and I could tell you some things."
Captain Rosenthal gives a sharp nod. "I'll be here."
Ken grins to himself as he turns back to his inspection. He has to take a deep breath to steady himself before he goes back to it. There's a feeling in Ken like the first time he used a wrench. A bone-deep sense of rightness he doesn't fully understand in this context. He tucks it away to finish his work.
He tosses his clipboard down through the hatch ten minutes later and he waits a moment before jumping down himself. He sees a hand grab his clipboard and get it off the ground.
"All clear!" Captain Rosenthal calls.
Ken jumps down and falls into a roll before jumping to his feet. He holds out his hand and takes his paperwork back. "Thank you, Sir," he says.
"You're welcome," Captain Rosenthal says. "That was a nice maneuver you just did, the way you rolled away from the tire."
Ken shrugs, shy at the compliment. "Learned it growing up is all. You always want to be able to roll away from any equipment that can move on you, even if you're sure it won't move."
"What sort of equipment were you working on?"
"Our farm equipment," Ken says, shyness going away as quick as it came. "Well, ours and the neighbors," he adds quickly. "Sometimes other people’s if they needed the help."
Captain Rosenthal smiles again, and up close, it's even more incredible. "You're confident in yourself. That's good. That's exactly what we need."
"Thank you, Sir," Ken replies, smiling in return. Something shifts in Captain Rosenthal's face, and he takes a half step back. "Sir? You all right?"
Captain Rosenthal nods. "I think…well, I feel like you're someone I'm going to like knowing, Lemmons." He licks his lips and looks at Ken for a moment, then clears his throat and turns so he's facing the side of the fort. "Now, tell me how to sweet talk this beautiful lady."
Ken takes him all around the fort, explaining the tricks he and the other ground crew have figured out through trial and error. Captain Rosenthal listens and asks questions. A few times, he seems to simply be watching Ken talk, looking at his profile instead of where Ken is pointing.
"And that's everything I know, Sir," Ken says when he's finished explaining about air currents on the tail.
"I don't think it is," Captain Rosenthal says. He looks away from the tail and meets Ken's eyes. "Where are you from, if you don't mind the question?"
"Arkansas," Ken replies. "No place you've heard of."
Captain Rosenthal cocks his head. "Some farming town, though, right?"
Ken feels himself smile. "Yes, Sir. But to be fair, that's a lot of places in the state."
"That's true. There's farmland in New York, but I'm not from any of those."
"Are you from the other New York I've heard of?" Ken asks, feeling brave in the face of Captain Rosenthal's easy conversation.
Captain Rosenthal chuckles. "Yes, but I doubt you know which borough Flatbush is in."
"No idea," Ken says, chuckling himself. "What did you do for work?"
"Law," Captain Rosenthal looks away, like he's embarrassed. "I was with a big firm, but I wasn't anything special."
Ken doesn't know what to say to that. He knows that being a lawyer means going to college, then going to law school. But he's never met someone near his own age who's actually done it. It's always just been Mr. Sturdy and Mr. Jennings, and they're both nearly old enough to be Ken's grandpa. "You're pretty special," he says without thinking. "I didn't even finish high school."
"No shame in that," Captain Rosenthal replies without a pause. "We all have our own way of doing things."
Ken nods, feeling overwhelmed. The rightness he felt earlier is worming through him again. He glances at his watch because he doesn't know what else to do. "Pardon me, Captain, but I need to sign off on a few more things before the shift change."
Captain Rosenthal nods and takes a step back. "I'll let you get back to work. Thanks for the tour." He looks at the fort and his whole face changes. His jaw tightens and his eyes go sharp. Ken's seen it from the other pilots. Captain Rosenthal is thinking about what it's going to be like to fly in combat.
Ken walks away slowly, leaving Captain Rosenthal with his thoughts. He's got plenty of his own to keep him busy.
*
Ken lies in bed that evening, his book forgotten in his hand. He's thinking about Captain Rosenthal and the way he felt being near him. He's had plenty of crushes, especially since working with pilots. Some of them are cocky, which Ken doesn't care for, but they're all smart, which he does like a lot.
And they all look good in their uniforms. Ken chuckles at that thought. He wonders if they think the same of him in his coveralls and cap and worn-in jacket. He's never actually made it with any of them, so he doesn't know. The few that have made a pass are the ones he finds too cocky. They must have liked the look of him, though, to make a pass in the first place.
The barracks door opens, and Ken lifts his head to see who it is. It's still early for most of the boys to be returning from dinner, but Ken had eaten quickly and excused himself, wanting a little quiet time. Winks is standing in the doorway, looking perplexed. He spots Ken and holds up an envelope. "One of the new flyboys just passed me this and asked me to give it to you," he says.
Ken sits up, putting his book aside. "What?"
Winks walks over and holds out the envelope. "He grabbed me outside the mess and asked if I knew you. I said of course I did. He asked me to give this to you. That's all the news I've got."
Ken takes the envelope and opens it. There's a single piece of paper inside. It's a short note, written in block letters that slant slightly to the right:
If this is too forward, please disregard, but I'd like to talk to you tonight if you have time. I'll be outside the mess for awhile. If you don't want to come, that's fine. I won't mention this to anyone.
-Rosenthal
"What is it?" Winks asks as Ken reads the note a second and third time.
Ken folds the note and puts it back in its envelope. He grabs his boots and slips them on. "I'm going to talk to him," he says.
Winks drops on the bed next to Ken's and leans back on his elbows. "Someone got a crush on you, Lemmons?" He grins when Ken cuts him a sharp look. "Oh, you have a crush on him. Well, you haven't had one in awhile. It's about time."
"Shut up," Ken says, feeling a blush rush up his face.
Winks laughs. "When did you even meet this guy? He's so new Kogan didn't even know who he was."
"He came to inspect his fort," Ken says as he stands. He grabs his cap and jacket off the bed post. "We talked a little."
Winks stands and grabs Ken by the shoulders. "Just remember, you don't have to put out on a first date."
"Oh, how would you know?" Ken says and gives Winks a shove.
Winks laughs again and follows Ken outside, making kissing noises in his ear. He breaks away when another of the ground crew hollers from the next barracks over to invite them both into a card game.
"I'll let them know you're busy making eyes at a pilot," Winks says.
Ken manages a glancing kick to Winks's butt as he tries to dodge out of the way. He shakes his head as he walks towards the mess and laughs at himself as he breaks into a jog to get there faster.
He slows down about a hundred yards from the mess, taking in who's milling around. All the lights are still on, and they glow pleasantly in the early twilight. It takes Ken a few minutes to spot Captain Rosenthal. He's near the back of the building, leaning between two windows and reading a book.
Ken's long been immune to the charms of Clark Gable in Test Pilot, but for a moment, the old crush comes roaring back. He takes a deep breath and shakes out his shoulders, then cuts across the grass. Before he can say hello, Captain Rosenthal looks up and spots him. He smiles, and it makes Ken smile in return.
"I hope I didn't scare your friend," Captain Rosnethal says when Ken stops in front of him. "I wasn't thinking very clearly when I grabbed him."
"You can't shake Winks," Ken says. "He's good people."
"I'll keep that in mind." Captain Rosenthal tucks his book under his arm and gives Ken a once over. He pauses at his curls that are peeking out from under Ken's cap and gives a knowing chuckle. "I think your hair might be curlier than mine."
Ken leans in, going up on his toes to get a closer look at Captain Rosenthal's hair. "Hard to tell with yours done up," he says. "I can get it into a wave, but it all works loose by the end of the day."
"Especially in the summer, I'd imagine." Captain Rosenthal looks around, then points left. "Do you mind some walking? If it's too cold, we can do something else."
"No," Ken says. "I don't mind being out. It's not bad." As he turns the direction they're headed, his right hand brushes his leg, and he hears a crinkle. "Oh," he says when he looks down and sees the envelope in his hand. "I meant to put this down."
"Is that my note?" Captain Rosenthal asks. He looks quietly pleased at Ken's nod. "I wasn't sure how to sign it," he says. "I realized I didn't tell you my first name. It's Robert."
Ken tucks the note into his pocket and nods. "Well, now we're even," he says. "You know mine, and I know yours."
"You can use it, if you like," Robert says. "Or you can call me Rosenthal. Or Rosie."
"Rosie?"
"I got nicknamed in flight school pretty much immediately. It's not original, I'll grant you, but I like it."
"I've never gotten a nickname," Ken admits as they leave the glow of the mess hall behind.
"Not even Freckles?" Robert asks. He grimaces. "I didn't mean to say that."
Ken feels brave and confident. He leans a little closer and tips his chin up. "I'd let you call me Freckles," he says.
Robert stares down at him for a moment. He shivers. "No, I don't think so. I like them. But it's not right for you."
"No?" Ken asks. They've come to a stop in the deep shadows on the edge of the woods. Ken tilts his head to one side and watches the way Robert stares at his throat and jaw. "What's right for me?"
Robert meets Ken's eyes, and he smiles shyly. "Kind of hoping I am," he says. "I can't explain it, but I just have a feeling about you."
"I have a feeling about you, too," Ken admits.
Robert looks away, squinting towards the mess hall. "I haven't stopped thinking about you. I know that's not saying much. We only just met. But I feel…I don't know." He shakes his head and looks at Ken again. "Maybe I'm misunderstanding it. War makes everyone lovesick to some degree, I think. But even if what I'm feeling or what you're feeling burns out in a week, I want to find out."
Ken nods. "Me, too," he says. "Me, too."
Robert reaches out, pausing with his fingers hovering next to Ken's face. "Could I–"
Ken nods.
Robert touches Ken's cheek, then leans in and kisses where he's just touched. He breathes out slowly and pulls away with a smile. "Okay, that's out of my system," he says.
Ken laughs. He steps in close and gets on his toes. He presses his face against Robert's cheek, and something in him settles. When he pulls away, Robert catches his hand and holds it. Ken squeezes. Robert squeezes back.
"Tell me about Arkansas," Robert says.
Ken does. He talks about the farm and his family. His parents and brothers and sisters (Susan, two years older; Lester and Patty, twins and just toddlers). His grandmother. The neighbors. He describes the heat in summer and the sharp cold that can come in the winter.
Robert talks about his parents and his sister (Matilda, starting college soon). He talks about New York City and how it's been wild to be in so many small places after living in a city like that. He talks about the book he's reading, and when Ken admits he's never heard the name of it, promises to lend it to him.
"Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to see you again," Robert says as they finish their long, meandering walk and end up near the mess hall again. Ken's fingers are cold from being out in the early spring night. The lights are off. Down the way, the officer's club and enlisted club are lit up, and there's raucous noises floating through the air.
"You don't need one," Ken replies.
Robert smiles and shifts towards Ken in the dark. Ken meets him halfway. They stand close and quiet for a few moments, then Robert leans in the last little bit and kisses Ken on the mouth. It's a brief kiss, polite and careful.
Ken licks the corner of his mouth and sways forward for a second kiss. Robert gives it to him. Then turns Ken's head to the side and kisses his cheek. Then kisses it again in a slightly different spot.
Ken smiles. "Are you kissing my freckles?"
"I doubt I'm the first person to do it," Robert says. A third and fourth kiss land on Ken's cheek.
"No, you're not."
"I don't care." A fifth and sixth kiss. A brief nuzzle of Robert's nose against Ken's cheek.
Ken touches Robert's neck, then his ear. He closes his eyes when Robert kisses a freckle near his eyebrow, and he gives up trying to go slow. He turns his head and catches Robert's mouth, pressing his fingers into Robert's neck to hold him in place as he gets the deep, long, desperate kiss he's been thinking about all night.
They're both panting when they pull apart. Robert's eyes are wild. His hands are tight on Ken's waist. He turns his face into Ken's hand and kisses his palm.
"Of all the places to meet you," he says. "Idaho. But it couldn't be anywhere else, could it?"
Ken shrugs. "I don't know," he says. "But, no, probably not. I sure wouldn't have left Arkansas before the war."
"No, of course not," Robert says, then shakes his head. "I mean–"
"I know," Ken says because he does. It's not an insult or a dig. Robert's listened to his stories all evening. He knows how Ken feels about his family and the farm. How much he loves the work there. "You wouldn't have left New York, either."
"You're right," Robert says. "At least not anytime soon." He kisses Ken's nose, then his forehead. "Can I walk you back to your barrack?"
"Yes."
They walk in silence, not holding hands but shoulder-to-shoulder, arms and fingers brushing every now and again.
"I want to see you again," Robert says. "But I'm in the air for the next couple of days."
"I'll be on the ground." Ken smiles when Robert elbows him lightly. "You know where I live," he says, gesturing to the barracks. Robert chuckles and stops, touching Ken's sleeve to get him to stop as well. He kisses Ken's cheek then takes a step back. "Feel free to send me a note, if you want."
"Okay," Ken replies. He takes a step forward, but Robert takes another step back.
"If you kiss me again, I won't leave," he says.
Ken wants to tell him he's fine with that. But he holds it back. He needs to sleep, too. "See you in a couple of days," he says.
Robert smiles at him one last time, then turns and walks away.
*
Winks finds Ken in the mess the next morning and makes a show of pulling Ken's collar away from his neck.
Ken swats him away, but it doesn't stop Winks from checking the other side. "What are you doing?" he says with a laugh.
"Trying to guess how much virtue you have left," Winks said. He drops down to sit next to Ken and gives him a faux-serious look. "It looks like you kept his advances at bay. Very good."
"Shut up," Ken says, the memory of kissing Robert last night rushing through him.
"It is too early to see someone blushing like a virgin," Kogan says as he sits across from Ken. He's another of the ground crew, Winks's closest friend. They're both from Chicago but only met in basic. That idea still feels wild to Ken. To live in the same place as someone else and not know them or their family. He's been to cities and understands how it happens, but that's not how he grew up at all.
"Oh, we both know Ken's no virgin," Winks replies.
Kogan groans and curls around his breakfast. "Leave me alone."
Winks grins but doesn't poke Kogan further. He's not a morning person and they've learned the hard way that trying to tease him out of it just makes him mad all day.
Ken eats his breakfast and looks out the window. It's clear and bright today. There's low wind and high visibility. It'll be a good day to fly.
Ken spends the day on minor repairs on several forts and getting teased by his fellow mechanics as the rumor mill lets them know he's got a beau.
"Oh, don't call him that," Ken says when Harrison teases him. "It sounds like one of those cheap books my sisters like."
"You sure it isn't?" Harrison asks. "He's sweeping you off your feet and you barely know him. Maybe he's one of those cads with a dark past."
"He's not," Ken says with a laugh. Robert had spoken so freely and happily about his family, it can't possibly be a trick.
Harrison shrugs and wipes his arm along their workspace to get rid of the metal shavings that are piling up. "Oh, that's what you think now, but give it two weeks, and he'll have a whole secret family you don't know about."
"You're talking with a lot of authority about those books my sister likes."
"I've got sisters, too," Harrison replies. "They kept stealing my adventure books, so I swiped their romances. Read one just to see what it was like, and they're like adventure books but with kissing."
"That how you learned to kiss?" Ken asks and laughs when Harrison sticks out his tongue.
*
Ken eats with his boys, then takes a walk by himself after dinner. He watches as the forts fly back and forth overhead. They've been doing that all day, but this is the first time he's been able to do more than glance up. The evening crew will take care of those forts when they land and Ken will find out in the morning if there's any work on them he needs to tackle. He wishes he were on the runway waiting for those landings. Not because Robert's in one of them but because they're his forts as much as they're anyone else's, and he wants to check them over himself.
It's not a lack of trust in the others. They all know what they're doing. It's just wanting to be the one to take stock and plan the repairs. He's been considering trying for crew chief, but he hasn't decided yet. It'll be decided when they muster for England based on how they've done here. For now, he's happy to set up and do his work with any of the others and not think so far into the future like that.
*
It's full dark when there's a knock on the barracks' door. One of the other guys gets it, and a minute later, he's standing in front of Ken with an envelope. "Guy said it was for you, Lemmons."
Ken takes the envelope and waits for the other guy to walk back to his card game before he opens it. It's the same block letters from yesterday.
I saw you through the window. Got a minute? - R
Ken sits up and pulls on his boots, not bothering to tighten the laces, but he does make sure to zip his jacket before he steps outside. The Idaho cold likes to sneak in if you're not careful. He stands just in front of the door for a moment before he hears a low whistle, then turns and sees Robert peeking around the corner of the building. He walks over, and they walk deeper into the grass together, stopping when the light from the barrack doesn't hit them anymore. The moon's mostly full, and between that and the light, they can see each other.
"You're peeking in windows?" Ken teases.
Robert grins and touches Ken's hands. His fingers are cool but not cold. His flight gloves are shoved messily into a pocket on his coat. "Only to check if you're there. You looked comfortable."
"I was, but this is better," Ken says. He steps toward Robert then half-trips when he steps on one of his loose laces.
"Are you–are your boots untied?" Robert asks.
"Yeah." Ken bends over and tucks the laces down behind the tongue of his boots so he doesn't trip again.
"Why didn't you tie your boots?" Robert asks.
"I'd be barefoot if it was warmer," Ken says. "No point in getting them all tied up when I don't need to."
Robert kisses him. It's warm and swift. Up so close, he smells like sweat and engine oil, a little like leather and rubber. "I thought about you while I was up there," he says, tipping his head back to look at the sky. "Nash teased me when we landed. Said I should just come over and say hi at least if I was going to be so dopey in the air. It sounded like a good idea."
"It was," Ken says. Robert pecks him on the nose, and Ken retaliates with a kiss to the chin. "Who's Nash?" he asks.
"My co-pilot. We were in the same class in flight school. He's fun. You'll like him. If you want to meet him."
"I like meeting people," Ken says.
"Okay, I'll tell him. We'll figure something out."
Ken nods in agreement. Robert kisses him one more time, then takes a step back. "I wish I could stay longer, but I'm about to fall asleep standing up," he admits. "Let me walk you back."
It's all of twenty yards, but Ken lets him. Outside the door, he pulls Robert down to kiss his cheek. There's a whoop from the window, and Ken groans. "How many of them are watching? He asks.
"Looks like everyone's on deck," Robert says. He waves towards the windows, and there's a cheer.
"Well, goodnight I suppose," Ken says. He can feel his blush, but Robert's smiling at him, and the cheers are only getting louder.
"If I kiss you now, what will they do?" Robert asks.
The temptation is great, but Ken knows the teasing will be greater. Especially because he knows if Robert kisses him on the lips again, he won't want to stop. "Just pick a freckle instead," he says.
Robert looks at his face, then leans in. He kisses Ken right near his hairline, lingering for a moment before he pulls away. "Give the boys my best," he says, smiling a little more when Ken laughs.
Ken watches him walk away. When he turns around, the boys are clear of the windows. He's gonna get dog-piled the moment he walks in the door, he knows. He's done it to the others when they've been caught romancing. He grins and opens the door, ready for them to do their worst.