ICARUS {d.w}

Approx. 6 Hours Before

𝟷𝟷:𝟷𝟻𝚙𝚖

"Rafe!" Red's voice shouted from the bar. "Real live ace!"

The boys around Red cheered as Rafe entered the beach sidebar. Red raised a glass then handed his to Rafe as he hugged him. Rafe sat down at the bar and took a shot.

"Ace is only five, I shot down six ME's. I got two smokers too, but they don't count." Rafe sighed as he downed another shot. "Of course, I got shot down myself before they could pin me."

"You got back from behind enemy lines, huh?" Gooz asked from a small table. "What's that combat like?"

"We're you scared?" Red asked.

"Well, them boys over there can fly pretty good it's not like, you know, trainin." Rafe poured himself another drink then looked up.

Danny entered the bar and looked at Rafe.

"Danny!" Red shouted as he put his arm around him. "How was your date with June?"

Danny slapped Red on the chest as he looked at Rafe.

"You know," Rafe started. "They're all about tactics. See, the Nazi's they're faster than you are, they'll disappear and they'll get up in the soup, up there like a roller hammerhead, you know, come around on your high side. Shoot you from behind like some Americans will."

Danny looked up at Rafe's comment.

"Hey, G-g-gooz you're looking at a real live ace." Red stuttered as he turned to Gooz.

"Well, let me give ya the shirt off my back!" Gooz yelled as he handed Rafe a light blue Hawaiian shirt.

"I'll take it from ya!" Rafe said as he took off his unofrm jacket and put the shirt over his white under shirt.

"We gotta talk." Danny said stepping forward.

"I got nothin to talk about with you." Rafe grabbed a bottle from behind the bar and poured Danny a shot. "Here. Why don't you have a drink."

Rafe set the shot glass on the table infront of Danny. Danny looked down at the drink but didn't touch it.

"I'll make a toast." Rafe raised his glass. "To returnin' from the dead. Wasn't all I expected, but that's life. And to my best friend and loyal buddy, Danny, for keepin' up the war effort here at home."

Rafe drank his shot then slammed it on the table. Danny stood back and watched Rafe.

"You know, where I come from when somebody makes a toast to you and you don't drink that's sayin' something."

Danny sighed and stepped forward, grabbing the glass.

"Alright, Rafe. That's how it's gonna be. To you." Danny threw his head back and downed the liqor.

"Hey, you guys need to spend some time alone, I think." Red commented.

"Oh no, Red. Come on" Rafe objected. "Oh, no, no, no. We're celebratin' here! Me over there fightin' almost gettin' killed. My friend Danny back here, lookin' after my interests for me. He even looked out for my sister for me, while I was gone."

Rafe slammed another empty glass on the table.

"We thought you were dead, Rafe." Danny stepped towards him. "And it gutted us both. We were just tryin to get on with our lives."

"Life is good ain't it, Danny." Rafe sighed.

"You're a rotten drunk, you always have been." Danny turned to leave.

"Yeah, well you're a lousy friend."

"You left her to fight somebody elses war!" Danny walked towards Rafe again. "And you made damn sure that I didn't go with ya and we thought that you were dead."

"I almost did die!" Rafe stood up. "So don't stand here and act like it's alright."

"Well, I stayed. I stayed and you made sure of that." Danny sighed. "Some things changed and I hope that you can get used to that."

"Oh, I have to get used to it. Alright, well I can get used to it." Rafe gritted his teeth.

He quickly swung his hand across Danny's face pushing him backwards into a table. The boys around them shouted as they tried to hold Rafe back. Danny touched his hand to his bleeding nose. He pushed the men around him away and ran back towards Rafe. Danny tackled him causing them to fall down the small flight of stairs and into the sand. The men around them started to fight each other as well.

Rafe and Danny convoyed to fight as glasses got broken. The remaining men in the bar joined in on the fighting, throwing each other into tables and chairs.

A truck pulled up to the bar and the men throughout the bar started to shout. A whistle blew and the men shouted warnings at each and started to clear out the bar. Danny grabbed Rafe and pulled him towards his car.

Danny pulled the car to stop about a mile away from the bar. Rafe leaned over the side and puked.

"Rafe," Danny started. "You're the only family I got. When you were gone it was the loneliest I'd ever been. It was the same for June too."

Rafe rubbed his face.

"Oh, boy. Now you're really breakin' my heart."

"Look, I can't guarantee that if you hadn't gone none of this would have happened, but you leavin' had something to do with it."

"Ah, so it's my fault then, I guess."

"Damn it, Rafe." Danny looked over at him. "I just know that there's got to be some way we can work things out, so that things can be right between me and you."

Rafe shook his head slightly.

"I just don't see how it could ever be the same."