Author's Note: I have no idea why I didn't post this before, it's been sitting on my harddrive for months, pretty much ready. Anyways, here it is, finally...
Title from Fall Out Boy’s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago”.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters shook his head, not quite believing this war would ever be over or that he’d survive it. He was, however, reasonably sure Nix would and found some comfort in the thought of his friend enjoying a night out on the town at some point in the nebulous future.
They’d only met a couple of years ago at Fort Benning, and no one had been more surprised than Winters that they’d hit it off immediately. Richard Winters had had to work hard for everything, leading him to appear overly serious at times, while Lewis Nixon had been born to privilege and seemed to take nothing at all seriously. Yet somehow they played well off each other, the banter flowing easily, something in the way Lew grinned at Dick’s low-key jokes fitting perfectly.
Touching his shoulder to Nix’s, Winters reached up to steady his friend’s hands while lighting a cigarette in the British breeze that had grounded them once again. All too soon they would jump and everything would change, but at least they’d face whatever the war threw at them together. Dick met Lew’s eyes and saw his own wry acceptance reflected in them.
He shivered and told himself it was the wind.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters had to clamp down firmly on the panic that threatened to overtake reason when he saw his friend go down, helmet knocked off by a bullet. This was neither the time nor the place to analyze why exactly his heart had stopped beating for just a second, but something of it must have shown, because Nix’s face softened just a tad before he waved him off.
It lessened Dick’s embarrassment over losing his cool, but it wasn’t until they were holed up in yet another requisitioned farm house that night that the adrenaline fully dissipated. This was normal after seeing action, yet when Dick closed his eyes it was only one particular moment that replayed behind his eyelids. It made him smile in unguarded relief when Lew found him, ubiquitous bottle in hand, the offer of which Dick declined, as per usual. Not normal was the pressure of Lew’s fingertips against his chin, tilting his head upwards. Their eyes met, considering, and then the bow of Lew’s lips was warm and intimate against Dick’s mouth.
It should have been a bigger deal than it was. Instead, Dick made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and surged upwards, tangling his hands in Lew’s dark hair. Lew’s body fit snugly between Dick’s open legs, his arms wrapped tightly around Dick, pushing him against the desk, their chests flush against one another. They kissed deep and slow until the creak of the downstairs door broke them apart. Even then there was no guilty jumping apart, no uneasy averting of eyes, just Nix lazing on Winters’ bed while Winters was rifling through some papers on his desk.
Dick licked his lips absent-mindedly, chasing the taste of liquor and cigarettes, and Nix gave him a lewd grin and waggled his eyebrows. Shaking his head fondly, Dick realized he felt no misgivings whatsoever.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters curled up in his icy cold foxhole and imagined they were there. Never had home, had peace felt more remote than here on the line, always cold, always hungry, always waiting for the next shots to be fired, the next men to be wounded or killed.
Right now Winters was supposed to be catching some shut eye after having checked on the men shivering in their dug-outs along the line, but sleep eluded him despite his bone-deep weariness. Just then the tarp covering his foxhole was opened and Nix slid in, pulling the cover closed over their heads. His lips were the same unhealthy blueish color most people’s had these days, and unlike Winters he hadn’t bothered shaving, but he grinned and for a moment looked just as he had back in England, before all of this.
Raising an eyebrow in invitation, Dick lifted his blanket and Lew burrowed next to him, both of them knowing that no one would bat an eyelid if they saw them like this. Sharing body heat had become second nature to most by now, and who was to tell where Lew’s hands were beneath the cover. Dick welcomed their touch, cold as they were beneath his hastily unbuttoned coat and two layers of shirt, turning into the curve of Lew’s body and letting his own fingers wander down Lew’s back, slipping into the gap between jacket and pants.
Lew bit his lip when Dick wrapped his quickly warming hand around his cock, tugging it to hardness while Lew licked his way into Dick’s mouth. Knowing his grip was too dry, Dick broke their kiss to offer his free hand to Lew, who grinned and made of show of wetting it with his tongue. It worked, too, Dick’s cock hardening against Lew’s thigh as he switched hands and started jacking Lew in earnest. There was never enough time, but then, they didn’t need long, not when it had been what felt like months since the last time there’d been beds and a reasonable amount of privacy.
Any noise they made was swallowed by the slip-slide of tongues and lips, Dick never enjoying the taste of liquor more than when he got to lick it out of Lew’s mouth. Strong hands pressed against his erection through the fabric of his uniform, moving in counterpoint to his thrusts, and Lew chuckled, pleased, when Dick cursed and came. Not long after Lew followed suite, stickiness coating Dick’s fist, leaving them both resting side by side against the wall of Dick’s foxhole, panting and laughing helplessly as their heart rates slowed down.
Lew’s body pressed against his, dark head resting on his shoulder, Dick felt warm for just a moment.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters blinked away tears in an attempt to focus on the document on his desk. Just another report, paperwork like any other, but how was he supposed to report what they had found in that camp? He felt shell-shocked, and a look at Nix, taking long drinks of local liquor, told him he wasn’t the only one. Strain showed in every line of Nix’ face, the way it had for days, weeks, but now there was an added layer of grief, one that Winters was fairly certain was mirrored in his own expression.
He held out a hand for the bottle, and Nix handed it over without comment. The liquid burned its way down Winters’ throat, promising oblivion, and he seriously considered the benefits of getting black-out drunk, of forgetting what he’d seen that day. But already Nix’ familiar fingers were plucking the bottle from his grasp, and Winters sighed, knowing his friend was right, that this wasn’t the way for him. To his surprise, however, instead of drinking more himself, Nix set down the bottle and kicked the door shut with a foot.
There had not been much time for this recently, Nix away, Winters busy, and Dick had started to wonder if maybe that thing between, the one they never spoke about, had run its course, what with Nix’ wife divorcing him and all. Apparently he’d been wrong, though, since Lew was reaching out to him, cradling his face in both hands. His dark eyes were unreadable, but his lips on Dick’s spoke volumes, stealing his breath with a kiss that seemed intent on devouring him.
Without hesitation Dick let himself be dragged across the room to the bed in the corner, where he toppled them both onto the mattress. They barely stopped kissing long enough to pull their uniform shirts over their heads and kick boots off their feet, then Dick was covering Lew’s body with his own, enjoying the feel of him, so strong and alive beneath his hands. Impulsively he opened Lew’s zipper and looked down for a moment before taking a deep breath and pressing his lips to the soft, warm flesh quickly hardening under his touch.
Dick had never done this, but now he wanted to, wanted to coax those soft noises from Lew’s throat, see his handsome face go slack, feel his fingers against his head, half-patting, half-gripping. One hand was wrapped around the base of Lew’s cock, the other he slid behind it. He grinned when Lew let his legs fell open with what was almost a mewl, hips bucking as Dick’s fingers traced over his balls to the patch of skin behind them, and further still, breaching and moving until Lew came with a shout muffled by an arm slung over his face.
For a moment Dick just watched, his breath quick and shallow, all too aware of his own erection pressing into the mattress. He still had two fingers buried inside Lew, and the sensation of muscles contracting around them had him bite his lip. Then Lew scooted up a bit, dislodging him, but only so he could pull Dick towards him, kiss him deep and dirty, and wrap his legs around Dick’s hips, which rocked upwards of their own volition, seeking friction, pressure, relief. A quick hand between their bodies freed Dick’s cock of its confines, let it push against the flat planes of Lew’s belly, until Dick broke their kiss to bury his head in the crook of Lew’s neck and came with a shudder, Lew’s low chuckle wafting into his ear.
Having cleaned them both up with his discarded undershirt, Dick wrapped his arms around Lew, already asleep, his features open and relaxed. He’d kick him out in a couple of hours, but for now he allowed his eyes to close, blessed oblivion waiting.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters jumped into the lake, its glacial waters freezing - but in a good way, in a way that made his skin tingle. He laughed from the joy of it, arms propelling him forwards until Lew’s form on the shore was barely visible anymore against the dark green of the trees.
When he came back, he was greeted by Nix jumping into the lake fully clothed, exuberant, and Winters laughed even louder, for once forgetting all burdens, all worries. He dove back in, swam quickly to where Nix was treading water and pushed him under, initiating what was the first water fight Winters had had in years. Nix played dirty, of course, and so the fight ended when a hand slid into Dick’s swimming trunks and wrapped around his cock, half-hard already from their rough-housing.
Lew liked his freckles, had told him so on numerous occasions and sometimes even within earshot of others, cackling when Dick blushed, and now he was chasing water drops over the pale expanse of Dick’s chest, licking his way from spot to spot, closing sharp teeth over peaked nipples. Finally Dick stopped him to capture his moist lips with his own and let himself be steered towards the shore until his back hit the stone of the pier.
Breaking away, Lew quickly took off his clothes, a somewhat inelegant affair because they were sticking wetly to his skin. He slung them onto the pier with a force born from frustration and Dick watched, laughing, which almost started another round of dunking, if Lew hadn’t gotten sidetracked by the way Dick’s erection was tenting his shorts, visible in the clear water. Not that Lew was in a better state, naked as the day he was born, and Dick loved seeing Lew’s darker skin next to his own paleness, ran his hands through the dark hair on his chest, following it down to the reddish curve of Lew’s cock.
They made out in a frenzied, frantic way Dick had never indulged in even as a teenager, until they could no longer forget the fact that the water originated high in the mountains, in the ice of glaciers, and climbed out of the lake. There was no rush these days, and they knew a comfortable bed was waiting for them in their cushy officers’ quarters, which sported a convenient connecting door. Tumbling them both onto it, Dick covered Lew’s body with his own, kissed him until they were both breathless and halfway there just from the friction and pressure of their thrusting bodies.
Then Dick got to watch Lew stretch himself, fingers glistening with slick, his grin smug when Dick had to grasp the base of his cock to stop himself from coming. It was worth it, though, because soon he was buried deep inside Lew’s body, rocking back and forth in a steady rhythm. Lew was holding him, anchoring him with arms and legs, urging him on, and Dick allowed himself to let go, thrills of pleasure shooting through his body. He normally tried to get Lew there first, but the internal muscles squeezing his cock, milking it, made it pretty clear what Lew wanted, and with a hoarse shout Dick came. When he had recovered enough, he kissed the smile from Lew’s lips and then slid out slowly, scooting down the bed to repay the favor with his mouth, the taste of Lew now familiar and welcome.
When they talked about where to go now that the war in Europe was over, it was always about the two of them, as if there was no option in which they were apart. Which was as it should be, as far as Dick Winters was concerned.
***
I’ll take you to Chicago, Nix had said, and Winters turned in the luxuriously soft hotel bed Nix had insisted on and pressed a kiss to Lew’s bare shoulder, causing him to grumble something unintelligible into the fluffy pillow.
They had been out late the night before, dinner, theater and drinks, both of them, although Nix naturally more than Winters. Civilized pleasures for civilized men, just as Nix had promised all those years ago, but now it was morning, bright sunshine streaming in through the window and Winters was wide awake. He was not quite sure how he’d gotten here, through all the darkness and violence and death, yet here they were, alive and together still, in spite of everything.
Smiling to himself, Dick continued to kiss his way along Lew’s neck and shoulders, pushing down the blanket to continue downwards, following his spine until the curve of his butt, naked like the rest of him. This finally got him a reaction, as Lew moved into his touch like a giant cat before turning over onto his back, grinning widely at Dick, who was still crouched next to him. Then, without warning, he pounced, flipping them over so their places were reversed, startling a laugh out of Dick, who had forgotten how much Lew enjoyed it when he took the initiative, as if he still didn’t know that Dick really, truly wanted this, wanted him, them.
They exchanged slow, sleep-flavored kisses that built into a pleasant tension, both of them getting lost in the simple luxury of having nowhere else to be, no duties to fulfill. Finally, Lew grabbed the tub of cream still on the bedside table from the night before, and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Dick answered with a smile and a slick hand wrapped around Lew’s cock, enjoying the glazed look on Lew’s face.
It was his turn to gasp, however, when Lew began preparing him, taking so much care that Dick became impatient and basically ordered him to get on with it, which got him a laugh and a reminder that they weren’t in the military anymore. Still, Lew complied, sliding in deep and firm, and finally they were moving together, a gentle rocking of hips, Dick’s cock trapped between their bodies. Again they took their time, kissing and tasting, a slow, sweet dance, until Lew wrapped a hand around Dick and jacked him off in counterpoint to the thrusting of his hips.
Gripping Lew’s shoulders tightly, Dick was the first to tip over, but it wasn’t long before Lew’s movements became jerky as well and he collapsed on top of Dick, for once not caring about the noise he made. Dick trailed hands over Lew’s back, stroking him gently until he stopped shaking and slid off Dick’s body to collapse back against the mattress, boneless with a pleasure Dick shared wholeheartedly. Later there would be breakfast in the hotel and then a sightseeing tour of the city, including the best pizza, or so Nix had promised. For now they lay exhausted side by side, neither one of them overfond of cuddling, although Dick liked feeling Lew’s body so close to his, radiating warmth and comfort.
Finally, smiling fondly down at Lew’s sleeping form, Dick got out of bed and walked to the window, where Chicago was spread out at his feet, all the way to the glistening waves of the lake. For the first time he could actually believe that the war was over, and that they’d survived.
***
