By the Light of the Silvery Moon

(A response to the prompt "moon." Pre-relationship fic.)

They were stumbling back to the Swamp after what seemed like an endless OR session—the sun had been shining and the day had been young the last time they'd been outside—when B.J. stopped, looked up into the sky, and observed, "Huh. Full moon tonight."

Hawkeye followed his gaze. "So it is," he said just before he let out an enormous yawn. "Well, you know what they say, Beej. The full moon brings a lot of craziness. Murder and suicide rates go up."

B.J. nodded. "More accidents, a rise in crime."

"And of course," Hawkeye added, "there's the whole werewolf thing."

B.J. chuckled. "Well, now that you mention it, Klinger does seem to get a little hairier, yeah."

"I don't think that's possible." Hawkeye yawned again and stretched, arms reaching high as though he were trying to grab hold of that moon and bring it down to them. They stood there with their faces turned to the sky for a while, looking at the moon, contemplating its power. A weary smile came to B.J. When you gazed at something so beautiful, so serene, it was kind of hard to believe a war was going on. On a night like this, the moon seemed downright magical… full or not.

After a time, Hawkeye broke the silence. "I think it's true," he said softly.

"What's that, Hawk?"

"A full moon does make people do crazy things."

B.J. turned to him, seeing the glint in his eyes, the impish smile on his face. He was caught completely off-guard as Hawkeye leaned into him and planted a soft, brief, barely-there kiss on his lips.

B.J.'s heart thumped. All too soon Hawkeye gently pulled back, still smiling that mischievous smile, looking for all the world like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. Neither of them said anything. Had B.J. been able to speak, he most likely would've asked, "What the hell was that all about?"

Or maybe not.

But since he couldn't manage to react at all, there was a long moment where the two of them simply stared at one another affectionately… words unspoken between them but still understood… as it always was for them.

Then Hawkeye's smile grew into a broad grin that lit up his eyes, and he announced, "I'm blaming it on the moon." He slung an arm around B.J.'s shoulders and steered him toward the Swamp, leaving the moon to work its magic on someone else.