#supersoldier

There’s nothing he won’t do for those he loves.

Chapter Two: A good-looking woman in uniform

It had been a week since Bucky had left for London and it wasn’t any easier on Y/n. Steve had followed him shortly after and God knows where he had been shipped out to, she couldn't bear the thought of it. At least he finally got what he wanted, Y/n reassuringly thought to herself. They were both gone now and soon she’d join them with her own mission.

Janie, her sister, had cried when Y/n told her what she was going to do. She liked to think that they may have been tears of happiness as Y/n was finally being recognised for the talent she'd possessed for years. Janie had never been quiet about how good she was as a nurse, how she could've done much better if it wasn't a man's world - but now that Y/n was going to be drafted out, she was proud to be able to go and tell her friends that she was the sister of one of the first ranked women in uniform - regardless of the fact that Y/n had repeatedly reminded her that the ranks weren't finalised seeing as though her superiors were still fighting the government for equal ranking (which she hoped they'd win...mostly so she could shove her rank in Bucky's face).

She continued packing up her things, not bothering to bring too much with her as she knew she wouldn’t have time for unnecessary things when she got to her new job. Given her experience, she assumed her job would just be a more advanced version of what she already did now - patching up the wounded and tending to the sick. She didn't see the point in bringing many clothes with her either seeing as though she'd either be stuck in the itchy khaki skirt-suit combination that made up her uniform, her medical uniform, or her pyjamas.

Y/n checked the clock, noticing she had fifteen minutes until her cab arrived and went over to her suitcase, pulling out the uniform that matched Bucky’s own that he’d taken her out in. She smoothed her fingers over the lapels, the service patches, the gold buttons, the name tag – this was as close as she would get to being a real soldier. Her name was pinned to her left breast pocket and smiled. L/n. It looked good on the jacket. Above it was her unit badge, the nurse's one. The arms were bare but perhaps they would be covered soon.

She would be made a second lieutenant if they got the ranks. It was the lowest of the ranks the nurses would have but nevertheless, she knew she would have some authority. She suspected she could hold rank over Bucky too – although she wasn’t too sure how the system worked for the nurses as they would probably change it but wished she could see his face as she rubbed her insignia in his face.

Y/n put the uniform back in her case, double-checking to make sure she had everything. She closed the case and clipped it shut just as she heard the honking of the taxi’s horn outside. It was early. With a slam and lock of the door, she made her way to her new job, scared and excited about what it could hold.

The taxi outside was driven by another soldier. He looked no older than twenty and had quite a slim build with lightly toned muscles. He had thick, brown locks hidden underneath a pointed hat and he smiled politely at her. She watched as he quickly got out of the car to place her bag in the trunk, and then opened the door for her and waited until she had slid in to close it behind her. Y/n leaned back against the soft leather of the car and waited for him to begin to drive. He started the engine and they were off. He drove in silence for a while until he caught her eye through the mirror.

“This must be big for you, ma’am.” She had to double-take at the name. Ma’am. It made her feel old but in a good way – like she was respected. It was usually miss or madam but ma’am seemed so proper and formal.

“Yes, very.” She replied, watching as the town she grew up in whisked past her. She’d barely ever left Brooklyn, never mind New York. “How far will this trip be?” Y/n asked politely, fumbling with the sleeves of her coat.

“Just over two hours, ma’am.” It wasn’t as long as she thought. She thanked him and continued to look out of the window for a while. “Ma’am, if you don’t mind my asking, what is your job? I was only told this morning I had to pick someone up of great importance.”

Great importance? Her? She was just a nurse. She flushed at his question and thought for a moment.

“I’m a…nurse?” He seemed to droop at her answer, obviously expecting some dangerous title that he could brag about to the boys back at base. “I don’t know why they brought you all the way out here, sir, but I’m not that special.” He looked at her through the mirror again and his smile seemed to melt all of her worries away.

“Well, ma’am you must be important to make them drive out here to pick you up, and please call me Private Smithson, I’m not really a high enough rank to be referred to as sir.” She was important…The thought warmed her up. It seemed narcissistic but she liked the fact she was so relevant that someone took the liberty to drive her out to the base instead.

“I’m not really a high enough rank to be called Ma’am, private, so I’ll call you what you want but drop the title hm? Y/n is fine.” He let out a small laugh and agreed to her terms and for the rest of the ride, they both sat in a comfortable silence. The smooth road beneath the car sent Y/n off into a dreamless sleep and when she woke, the car had stopped completely.

“We’re here ma- Miss Y/n.” She glared at the use of a title but still thanked him, opening the door of the car and climbing out. The air felt different here, they were in the middle of nowhere and behind her, she heard the chants of men running in unison as they trained. She really was here. Private Smithson brought her bag to her side and told her to follow him to his commander. She followed his orders and he led her to a building near where she saw a group of soldiers training. As she entered the room, she looked around in awe at how it was laid out. There were a few tables littered about the room and a desk in which a young secretary, typing something onto a typewriter. The private walked up to her and began talking and Y/n realised he was flirting with her.

He was like Bucky, she thought to herself, mentally cursing at the fact her mind seemed to keep bringing her back to her friend. She watched as the receptionist blushed and coughed before standing and running out of the room to find someone. The private walked back to her with the remnants of a grin and she rolled her eyes.

“You boys are all the same.” She shook her head, causing him to blush slightly and they waited again in silence until an elderly man came through the doors behind the lady from the desk. Y/n noticed the number of medal colours on his chest, took in his older appearance and realised she was about to speak to the man in charge. Both she and the private subconsciously straightened up and Y/n hoped she looked all right. Private Smithson saluted him and the man saluted back before nodding for him to leave. The private smiled at her once more before turning and leaving.

“You must be Miss L/n,” he started, motioning for her to follow him. She followed his command and he led her to a large office. Inside, there were medals on the walls and pictures on the desk and there was a name bar situated right so anyone could see; Colonel Phillips. “Tell me, Miss L/n, do you know why you’re here?”

“I believe it’s to nurse the wounded, colonel?” It was a guess, she still hadn’t been told of her duties and it was cutting a little too close to her starting day for her to not know. He let out a dry chuckle and walked behind his desk, grunting a little as he lowered himself into the chair. He motioned once more with his hand for her to sit and she did so, dropping her suitcase at her side so it leant against the chair.

“It’s more than that, this is a special branch of the army, we call it the S.S.R – the Strategic Scientific Reserve.” He told her, watching her with his aged eyes. It was like she could see the battles he’d fought through his eyes alone, they looked tired but full of life at the same time. Why was she here? She wondered. The fact she was just a nurse rang through her head but she dared not ask him, fearing he would quickly grow angry at her insistency that she was nothing more than her job. “It’s our job to come up with new ways to win the war using…different methods. This is why we’ve brought you in.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t believe I follow you, Colonel.” There was nothing she could do to help, she wasn’t a warrior, she was a healer. He let out another dry chuckle and reached inside of his desk to pull out some papers. He laid them flat on the table so she could see and Y/n quickly realised they were her records from both high school and all the jobs she’d had since.

“We’ve been following you for a while, L/n, you’re a smart girl.” He sifted through the pile of papers to a chart of her scores through every test she’d ever taken. “Smart enough that we are, or should I say Doctor Erskine is, asking specifically for your help in creating the new line of super soldiers.”

Y/n paled. What the hell were super soldiers? The colonel continued to tell her about their plan and she could only take half of it in, the other part of her brain was on overdrive. They knew about her results, they knew about her tests, her projects through high school…how? She’d barely used her knowledge on those subjects since she graduated, instead choosing to focus on her nursing abilities to pursue a career in it. It was like a slap in the face to know that all this time someone had been watching her like she was important.

“So, miss L/n, are you interested?” He finally asked and she shook herself from her inner thoughts, thinking hard on the question. She could help win the war, she could bring her boys home…She nodded, shaking the colonel’s hand and he smiled at her. “Good, now then, I suppose you should meet your new team?”

+++

“Agent Carter.” Colonel Phillips called over the field as they walked towards the mass of bulky men. Y/n expected one of them to turn to the colonel but was pleasantly surprised when a uniformed woman came from behind them and walked over. She saluted to him and he returned it before motioning to you. “This is Miss Y/n L/n, the new nurse for Project Rebirth.” The woman smiled at her and Y/n couldn’t help but take in how gorgeous she was.

“Hello, lovely to meet you,” The English accent shocked her. She expected something as strong as the Colonel’s or maybe even a New Jersey accent but the accent she held seemed to fit her perfectly. “Please, call me Peggy.”

“Nice to meet you, Peggy, I’m Y/n.” Y/n raised her hand to the woman and she shook it politely before turning back to the men she was with and barking out an order for them to take a lap. The colonel said his goodbyes and left the two of them alone.

“I’ll get someone to take care of your bags,” She pointed to the large case Y/n had been carrying since she arrived and she thanked the British woman. “Now, let’s take you to the doctor, hmm?” She called for a soldier nearby to take her case and he immediately was at her side, taking the bag towards the barracks. She led her away from the training area into another building and Y/n sighed in silent content causing the English woman to look to her. “Can I just say that it’s nice to have another uniformed woman on this base?” She asked, pointing her finger between them. Peggy let out a laugh that sounded melodic and Y/n looked at her like she was a goddess. How could one woman be so perfect?

“Yes, I have to say, it does help combat all of the testosterone that wafts through.” They laughed together until they reached the laboratory at the end of the hallway. She pushed the door open for Y/n and let her enter before closing it behind her.

Y/n felt the hairs on her arms prickle at the sudden drop in temperature. It was cold inside and she shivered. The lab itself was huge and there were various machinery and apparatus spread throughout the room with some men in lab coats dotted around. One of them was Erskine and he smiled when he saw her, placing his vial onto the table.

“Ah! Miss Y/n, so good to see you!” He enveloped her in a hug and Y/n stiffened at the contact. She slowly patted his back and he let go, grabbing her by the arms. “How was your trip? All well?” He asked with concern and she nodded slowly.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good, good, I see you have met Agent Carter.” Both of them turned their attention to Miss Carter who was still standing by the door. Her red lips smiled at the doctor before she turned to Y/n.

“Yes we’ve become acquainted, I’d best let you get to work but you know where to find me.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.

“Ah Miss Carter, always so busy. Come-“ He pulled Y/n towards a rack with lab coats on it and urged her to remove her coat to replace it with the white variant. She did and placed her coat on the hanger next to it.

“What exactly will I be doing here?” She asked as he pulled her once more over to the vial he was previously working on.

“In...simple terms, you will be my assistant. We must find a suitable candidate, administer my serum correctly and then, if the transformation is completed successfully....we will recreate it many times until we have an army.” He said simply as if he expected it to just be a normal thing for her to hear. Y/n was still reeling from the whole story the Colonel had told her so she just went along with it. Before long, she was working on the solution in the vial with the doctor, telling him her opinions on the dosages and amounts of each chemical inside.

It felt right to her. Like a superior part of her brain was rebooting and she could finally use the knowledge she’d suppressed for so long. Erskine found himself smiling at the child-like smile Y/n made when she read over his notes, she was like a kid in Candy Land and he could tell she hadn’t had the chance to do things like this before.

“Why did you choose nursing?” He asked her as she read through his plan of how they would simulate the muscle growth, she added her own ideas in pencil and was deep in thought when he asked her.

“I have a friend who would often get into trouble, you met him, Steve.” The doctor nodded at her words, “That and it was the only medical thing I could really do.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, she was an intelligent woman who clearly knew what she was doing so why did she stop at nursing?

“I don’t know how things work in Germany, doctor, but here…there were sort of expectations for women. I had to pass up a lot of my dreams as the doors weren’t open for me.”

“I am... sorry to hear that.” She felt the sadness in his voice. Erskine knew that women had generally fewer chances of success but to see it first-hand, such a smart girl was limited because of who she was. “Are you unhappy because of it?” Y/n stopped her note-taking for a second and paused. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet her new superior’s and shook her head after a few moments.

“No,” she stated, causing him to frown in confusion. “I was happy with nursing. I could help the two boys who meant the most to me while helping others around my city when they were in pain.”

“A very respectable outlook on your situation, I admire that.” He told her honestly and she hid a blush at his praise. The doctor rolled his sleeve to read the time and gasped. “Ah, Mr Stark will be here soon to go through his side of the work, we should look through the files before you help me assess the candidates tomorrow.”

He passed Y/n some thick manilla folders and she sifted through them, reading about men who were top of their class in their groups, had reached peak fitness level and were good with orders. Some were handsome and she had to stop herself drooling at their pictures of their bare chests from the physical analyses. As she continued through the pile, a name shocked her to her core, he couldn’t be here. How? How could he have gotten into this project when even the normal army wouldn’t take him on?

“Steve is here?” She asked quietly, trying to contain her shock. Doctor Erskine laughed quietly and nodded, she opened his file and began reading it, stroking her finger over the photo of him. He finally made it. Her chest swelled with pride as she looked over his forms and noted the bold black ‘1-A’ stamped onto his card. “Why?”

“I found something in him that I have yet to see in most of the men that pass through this base,” he took the folder from her and pulled out a slip from behind his medical records, it was a handwritten note signed by him and as she read, she realised it was a personal recommendation from him for her best friend. “Your own description of him helped me choose him as my preferred choice and I believe he could be the final candidate.”

She’d helped him. She’d helped Steve achieve the one thing he wanted most in the world; a chance to fight for his country. She should have been scared; scared about the testing; scared of the chances he wouldn’t come out of the war or even the tests themselves alive. The only negative feeling she felt was that sisterly worry that had always presided over her when it came to him. She’d practically raised him with his mother after his dad died in the war, now who was she going to care for? She had her nursing sure, but, was she even a nurse now?

“Are you worried for him?” He asked, noting her silence as Y/n stared hard at the photo in the folder. It was one that she hadn’t seen before, taken on his first day on the base in his uniform. She smiled fondly at the picture and turned to her new boss.

“No, not as much as I should be,” She imagined him pushing through even the hardest tasks available to him as he fought to prove himself. “He’s doing what he’s worked so hard to do. I’m happy for him.” Doctor Erskine hummed in response and checked his watch again. Any minute now and Howard would be joining them, he felt rather excited to see the two communicate; perhaps they would get along. He’d briefly seen how Y/n had dealt with Bucky’s subtle flirting the night they had met and secretly hoped she would be able to knock him into line. Howard was a good scientist but he could be a pain in the ass.

Y/n tore herself away from Steve’s folder finally and went back to checking the stats of the other candidates, after she’d read through them all she placed them back onto the doctor's desk and turned back to the notes she’d been making.

There was a brisk knock on the door and Doctor Erskine waddled over to it, leaving her be. She closed the notebook fully now, she guessed it was time to finally meet the man who would be helping her change the world. The door opened and she heard the German doctor speaking to someone before a thick American accent cut him off with a laugh and some kind of jokey comment. Y/n thought back to the Expo only a week ago and marvelled at the fact she’d be working with someone as smart as him. She really was in the big leagues now. She waited for a moment until the doors closed again and two footsteps made their way back to her. Y/n was met face-to-face with the man with the flying car. He looked almost the same except his posh-looking suit and top hat had been replaced with a more casual pair of tweed suit pants, a neutral shirt and tie and brown suspenders to hold it all together.

“Y/n, right?” Howard asked as he walked over to the desk that she was stationed at. She smiled and nodded and he let out a charming grin, stretching out his hand so she could shake it. When she clasped her hand in his, he pulled it to him and kissed it softly, his gaze never leaving her own eyes.

Dear god. All of her nausea of being surrounded by such intelligence went right out the window. He was a flirt. She snaked her hand back and wiped it on her coat jacket, revelling in the slightly shocked appearance of the genius in front of her. He quickly shook off the loss and plastered that same smirk he’d had the whole time he was on stage that night and moved back.

“Howard Stark, I’ve heard lots about you.”

“All good things I hope?” He stepped closer to her again in an attempt to flirt and she watched as his moustache quivered as his lips rose into a sultry smirk. He was lathering it on thick, this man could not deal with not being able to get the girl straight away. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes into the back of her head, she walked around to the opposite side of the table, catching the ghost of a smile on Erskine’s face as he watched the scene play out.

“So, Doctor,” She started, completely ignoring the attention-seeking playboy that now feigned offence at her change in topic, “Where should we start?”

- Vietnam 1970.

Dry dead leaves crunched under the weight of his body repting on the ground in the shadows with the maximum stealth possible as he was used to. Covered in his uniform with vegetation, leaves and mud, that made his cover in the middle of the cloudy battleground called jungle; hands gripping tight the long range rifle, putting his senses to work getting on the ordered position. Hearing, smelling, feeling his surroundings, high guard at all times.

The safety of the gun clicked with a steady move. Sight aimed at an open field over a fallen trunk from the deep foliage, one order, one shot, one kill, all what he had to and then return with the allies to accomplish the next task.

His eyes looked through the telescope, adjusting the lenses, searching for that one selected face, giving a look around to the amount of American soldiers occupying the burning village; women and kids being carried on trucks, some men taken away, others were getting ready to be brought to the enemy POW camps. He settled into his ground, squinting one of his eyes. Target in sight, ready to shoot, ready to comply.

The finger on the trigger froze, his attention got stolen as the corner of his eye caught a quick flutter, a bug, landing at the tip of the gun. He stood still, watching the creature, a butterfly flick its wings at a slow pace resting on the cold metal; the gentle flaps of white and bright yellow got him hypnotized, displaying in front of him, it was… beautiful, nothing as he could have seen before. He stared at it, watching that moment go away as the bug chose to leave flapping its wings gracefully, just as it came, it left followed by his eyes.

His mind came back to reality, blinking to focus on duty. Looking through the sight, the target was gone; guilt bit his chest, he missed the chance, he will have to track them back again.

"Living weapon" prompt.

In the middle of a mission My supersoldier character experiences seeing a butterfly for the first time.

This is a super old story I made like pre-lockdown I think when the Avengers were like THE thing. I still love them and I thought I'd just put all my writing here so I could find it :" Enjoy!!

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Chapter One: A good-looking man in uniform

1942

“Are you sure you don’t mind me coming?” Gloria asked as Y/n took off her medical apron and tossed it into her bag. She smiled at Gloria and grabbed her coat from the rack, slipping off her oxfords to then replace them with a pair of low heels. She cringed at the blisters from her work shoes that had been made from running around all day.

“I’m sure, Gloria, trust me.” She watched as Gloria grabbed her coat and linked arms with her, bidding farewell to the matron for the evening. “Bucky has been talking about this for days, I told him I’d set him up with someone pretty and you were the first girl that came to mind.”

“Are you sure he’s happy to see me? Or to spend time with you?” Gloria smirked, hinting at the one thing she knew she could tease her with.

It was an ongoing thing that she thought Bucky was head over heels for Y/n but Y/n couldn’t see it, only seeing him being the flirty friend she grew up with. She shrugged in response, not wanting to have this conversation again and they left the hospital. They’d finished their shift later than usual tonight despite this being the one night they had plans meaning they had no time to go home and change. Y/n hoped that Steve and Bucky wouldn’t mind them still being in their uniforms and probably not smelling like the prettiest women in the world but then realised it was Steve with the heart of gold who would never hurt her feelings even if he wanted to; Bucky was Bucky and she could deal with his comments.

After about a ten-minute walk with comfortable small talk about gossip within the maternity ward (Gloria had an ear for it and always made sure to report back to her), both girls finally found themselves at the start of the Stark Expo and fair. As she looked around, she couldn’t see the familiar sight of Bucky and Steve and decided to wait by the erected statue at the centre of the entrance. She began looking around, taking in the sights of the stalls, some food vendors and some exhibits dotted around the large park with futuristic-looking inventions inside. Gloria tugged her arm, causing her to snap back to her friend who then raised her hand and waved into the crowd, obviously seeing the boys they were waiting for.

Y/n turned and saw her two oldest friends; Steve had a black eye and she cringed slightly, already being able to piece together the story. That boy, that 5”4, 95-pound boy, always got into trouble for all the right reasons. Like she said before, he had a heart of gold and that heart worked on respect and courage so when someone didn’t do the right thing – he couldn’t look away. She shook her head slightly, realising she would probably be stitching him up later in the evening and turned her attention to the taller of her two friends.

Her heart dropped. His hair was slicked back and hidden under an army-green cap. Her gaze lingered for a moment before her sights dropped down to his body. Green shirt, green tie, army blazer with golden adornments. If it was any other time, any other time at all, she would have stopped to blush but the only heat that coursed through her was anger. Anger and fear.

“You didn’t.” She snapped out, startling Gloria who moved her hand back to her side, Y/n’s mood dropped as she stalked towards him. They seemed to notice her anger as Steve whistled and stepped aside so Bucky could take the brunt of her anger, leaving a defenceless Bucky in her wake. She shoved him lightly, to others it may have seemed playful but she was hurt. How could he have not told her?

“Woah, Doll,” He grabbed her enclosed fists in his slightly larger hands and held them between them both, looking her up and down. He bit his lip as he watched her mood change again and she slowly calmed down. She dropped her hands and moved back slightly. "You’re not beating me up in front of the pretty lady to ward her off now, are you?” He winked at Gloria who gave a flirty chuckle back but Y/n was in no mood for jokes. She inspected his uniform before slapping him again on the side of the arm, moving his attention back to her.

“Where are you going?” She asked, watching as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He muttered something but the crowds of the park stopped her ability to hear it so she asked again.

“England…” That was so far away. She’d never even dreamed of going to England and now she was losing her best friend so he could go without her?

“Oh god…when?”

“Tomorrow.” Her heart sank. No, this wasn’t happening. Not tomorrow, he couldn’t just drop that on her and expect her to be okay with it. She noticed people were beginning to turn their heads to meet the four of them because of their earlier confrontations but saw the scene play out as it had probably had with hundreds of other families, lovers, couples and friends – someone was going to war and leaving the ones they loved behind. “I only got told today, Y/n, okay?” He grabbed her shoulder in comfort but it felt foreign to her. “I promise I would have told you sooner if I could.” She focused her energy on not raising her voice at him again and sighed, she craned her head to meet the smaller of the two friends and Bucky instantly moved to the side of her, happy to be out of harm’s way of an earful.

“Did you do it too?” Steve shook his head in an almost sad manner and she realised he wanted to join. She should have felt infuriated but she couldn’t. It was Steve. Steve the little guy, Steve the defender of the little guys; Steve who wanted to change the world FOR the little guys.

“He tried, didn’t ya? Where are you from now? New Jersey?” Bucky teased, pushing the significantly smaller boy to his side, almost toppling him over. Y/n rolled her eyes again, turning back to Gloria with a huff. She’d lost count of how many times Steve had falsified his credentials to try and get in and even though every time he did it, she explained to him how serious it could be if he was caught and yet he still did it. Gloria noticed the sour look on her friend and coworker’s face and pulled her to one side. The boys watched as she berated her on her behaviour.

“Look, I know it's sad but at the end of the day, you can't change anything,” Y/n bit her lip, knowing she was right, Bucky couldn’t choose when his orders were given out. “This is his last evening and he wants to spend it with his two friends and I guess me too so let's just go out and have fun.” It was true, Bucky was obviously wanting the people he cared the most about with him and he just wanted it to be another evening. She thought back to when he’d asked her to bring her friend to the expo, it was like any other day where Bucky was either flirting with her or trying to get a friend of hers instead. Forever the womaniser, she thought, if Bucky wanted this evening to be like any other night then so be it. She took another breath and followed Gloria back to the group.

She smiled at the two of them and Gloria nodded at her in respect at her decision to drop the concern for one evening.

“There’s my doll face.” Bucky grinned, slinging his arm around her. She shoved his arm off of her and pushed him towards Gloria, motioning for him to talk to her. She then stepped back to be in step with Steve and they walked at a slower pace.

“So did it work?” Y/n asked after a few minutes of silence, Steve turned to her with his small features and shook his head.

“Nah, they didn’t take, I didn’t get in on the asthma alone.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, bringing him to her side as they walked.

“That’s okay, there’s plenty more states and cities – right? One of them has to take you.”

“You’re okay with it?” She shook her head and Steve smiled sadly at her. They both knew she wasn’t okay with it but it was what he wanted to hear so he appreciated that she was thinking about him. They slowly walked to join Bucky and Gloria who were now standing watching in anticipation for the show to begin and stopped talking. The curtains opened and a few dazzling ladies came out onto the stage where a car was stationed.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Howard Stark.” One of the women called into the microphone and after a second, a handsome man in an expensive-looking suit and top hat came waltzing onto the stage. The crowd cheered and Gloria squealed, muttering to Y/n that he was quite the looker. Bucky moved his arm so Y/n could see and she looked up at him and smiled before looking back to the stage. She watched as they removed the wheels from the cars and slowly lifted the automobile from the ground.

“Holy cow,” Bucky muttered, watching in awe as the car rose.

“I second that.” She muttered but just as she blinked the car began to falter and fell to the ground with a crash. The crowd all gasped as they watched the scene unfold and an embarrassed Stark moved back to the mic, telling them that it would still take a few years. The crowd clapped and Y/n followed suit before turning to Steve only to realise he wasn’t there. She tugged on Bucky’s sleeve causing him to turn from the flirtatious comment he was making towards Gloria to focus solely on her. She motioned to where Steve was standing moments before and he looked around, noticing a recruitment sign.

“He didn’t…” He muttered, alerting her attention to it and she sighed.

“Stay here, I’ll go find him.” With that, she parted the crowd and left to find her frail friend, leaving Bucky and Gloria alone.

“You like her, don’t you?” Bucky’s attention snapped back from the dispersing crowd where he had been watching Y/n leave through to the woman he was meant to be going out with tonight. He watched as her eyebrow rose and her lips formed a smirk. “It’s pretty obvious, Bucky, admit it.”

“Y/n? No, she’s my best friend. I’m here with you darlin’.” Bucky knew he was lying to himself. He adored her, everything about her. He hated that she was so angry at him for leaving tomorrow and he hated that her last memories of him tonight would be of him flirting with a woman while she chased after their friend. Gloria picked up on this and shoved him slightly in annoyance. Her smirk stayed on her lips, however.

“Look, Bucky, Y/n’s not got a lot of time left here so you need to spend every moment with her that you can tonight – even if it’s just as her friend or you’re gonna regret it.” Gloria paled as the words came out of her mouth. Oh no, she thought. She wasn’t meant to tell them about that – Y/n had specifically told her not to tell them otherwise the evening for them would be ruined.

“What do you mean she hasn’t got a lot of time?” He asked, his worry increasing. Was she hiding something? Was she okay? When Gloria stayed silent he grabbed her arms, face filled to the brim with panic and she bit her lip. She was really in for it now.

“Y/n got drafted last Monday by the A.N.C.” She started, taking in the new emotion she could only describe as something between sadness and shock that crossed over Sergeant Barnes’s face. “She’s shipping out next week but she didn’t want me to tell either of you because she didn’t want either of you being upset.” Bucky’s worry dispelled and he realised she’d been so angry not only because she was worried for him, but she was worried for Steve. Y/n wasn’t the type to tell people her problems, preferring to help others before tackling her issues and he realised just how much of Steve he saw in her. He had a type when it came to the people he hung around. There was slight anger in the back of his mind, however. She had been hypocritical, yelling at him when she’d done the same thing anyway. He realised he needed to talk to her and apologised to Gloria who seemed fine with the idea of him leaving her in favour of their friend. He took off towards the recruitment centre, hoping he could catch the duo.

Instead of finding Y/n, he found Steve and pursed his lips. Steve probably didn’t know, he couldn’t do that to him, not when he’d only found out about his own deployment a couple of hours ago. Y/n wouldn’t have told him, she’d have left it until the last minute so she didn’t have to witness the aftermath of her decision and he cringed just thinking of how he was going to take it. Instead of bringing it up, he decided to change the topic, focusing on Steve’s interest in the army once more. He straightened up, wiped the pained look from his face for the benefit of his friend and walked towards him.

“Come on, you're kinda missing the point of a double date – let’s take the girls dancing.” Bucky shoved Steve lightly, bringing him off the weighted plat that showed how he would look in a uniform. Steve turned with a neutral face and stuck his hands in his pockets.

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you.” Bucky sighed and backed up, wishing Y/n was here for backup. Of course, he was going to do this. He was like a pig running after a carrot on a stick when it came to enlisting. He couldn’t stop, not until he reached his goal. His prayers were answered when he heard the familiar click of wooden heels come closer to him and they both turned to see Y/n with a neutral expression to match Steve’s.

“You’re really gonna do this again?” She asked, watching him like a mother would with her child. Steve looked at the floor as if he was ashamed of himself for not being able to stop. She locked eyes with Bucky and realised she couldn’t stop him. “I’ll be in the bathroom.”

As she walked away from the group, she knocked into an older man, knocking the clipboard out of his hands and onto the floor. She cursed, moving to pick it up and almost bumping heads with the man as he followed suit. He let her rise back up and smiled at her and she took a look at his nametag. Erskine. She’d heard that name, he had something to do with the job she was being sent to.

“Excuse me, miss.” He said in a rough German accent that contrasted his well-pronounced English. She stepped to the side but before he could walk past she caught his attention again. “I’m sorry – are you THE Doctor Erskine?” He turned to face her and his cheeks wrinkled as he grinned at her.

“Well it would be the first time hearing that there is another," He joked, "I am him, how can I help you?”

“Yes actually, my name is Y/n L/n, I think I’m going to be working with you soon.” He pondered over her name for a moment before looking back to her and it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.

“Ah! Miss L/n, the nurse!” He moved the clipboard under his armpit and took her hand in his, grasped it tightly and shook. She smiled politely at him in response. His grip was kind of tight. “You will be coming with us to New Jersey, yes?”

“If all goes to plan, may I ask what I’ll be doing there?” She had been thinking this question through since she got told she was leaving – why would they want an ordinary nurse up in New Jersey? There were no wars on the home front as far as she could tell.

“Top secret business, Miss L/n – now tell me,” He turned her by her shoulders so she was in direct eyesight of Steve and Bucky. Bucky seemed exasperated as they argued over Steve’s continuous choices. “About him…”

“Who? Bucky?” She asked motioning to her friend in the uniform but the doctor shook his head and pointed towards the smaller of the two: Steve. “What about him?” She asked, her voice laced with obvious concern which caused him to chuckle.

“What is he like?”

“He’s just…Steve. He’s a hardworking guy who has to put in twice the effort as the average Joe but he’s good. He’s kind, selfless, hellbent on joining this war.”

“He wants to kill Nazis?” The German doctor asks with a hint of a joke tipped at the end of his words. She thought for a second, she didn’t know. She only knew he wanted desperately to fight but he’d never really told her why. She thought of her own answer, using it instead to cover the gaps.

“I don’t think he wants to kill anyone, but Steve’s a good kid, he just doesn’t like people who push others around like they’re better than them.”

“Hmm, I see,” Erskine muttered, not taking his eyes off of the two as they finished their little argument and Y/n realised she should probably go over there now. As if sensing her departure, the doctor bid her farewell until they would meet again and Y/n moved back over to the two boys.

“This isn’t about me.” Steve all but yelled as Y/n got closer and she slowly pushed her way between them to separate them.

“That’s enough boys, come on.” She yanked Steve’s collar and dragged him away from Bucky. “Right, ‘cuz you got nothing to prove?” Bucky’s eyes were full of sadness. Y/n knew what he meant. Steve just wanted to be a good person, to show the world that even the little guys needed to be respected and while she admired him for doing it, she realised he was oblivious to the fact their best friend was worrying so much about him.

“Come on, are we going dancing or what?” She asked them both and they both looked away for a second. “Guys?”

“Bucky’s gonna take you, Y/n, I have some stuff to do.” Her sad smile was back on her face and Steve broke a little on the inside, he wondered if she would take her turn and berate him on his choice but she just engulfed him in a hug. They stood at almost the same height and Y/n held her arms around him as his frame was so small compared to any other she’d hugged. If he was doing this again, she wanted him to know that she would support him.

“Be safe, okay?” She asked and Steve noticed she was sniffling a little. He pulled away and Bucky’s stomach dropped at the tears that circled those beautiful eyes he adored so much. She wasn’t crying for him tonight, she was crying for the fact she wouldn’t likely see him for a long time.

“Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” Bucky changed the focus from her, allowing her to wipe her tears. Steve looked straight up at him with his small smirk, Bucky began to turn and grabbed Y/n’s arm, linking it with his own. She looked up at him and he smiled softly down at her in understanding. He knew, she didn’t know how but he had picked up on it.

“How can I?” Steve asked, bringing the attention back to him, “You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Y/n laughed at that and wiped her eyes again.

“There’s enough stupid between the both of you to keep the world running.” Steve and Bucky laughed at her and her face lit up slightly, she was going to miss this. Bucky walked back over to Steve and brought him in for a short hug, pulling back and muttering that he was a punk. Steve smiled and called him a jerk causing Y/n to perk up again and tell them they were both idiots. She smiled one last time before walking off with Bucky, watching as he turned and saluted to Steve when he told him not to win the war until he got there.

They walked a little further until Steve disappeared back into the building and they stopped. Y/n looked around, wondering where her friend was.

“Did you leave Gloria?” She asked, trying to find her through the sea of people. Bucky bit his lip and turned to face her.

“Yeah she – uh, she went home.” Y/n nodded slowly. She had to tell him, now. He was leaving tomorrow and she couldn’t just keep it from him forever. What if he came back and she didn’t? What if he came back and found out she had served without telling them? “I know about it.” This broke her from her questioning and her eyes went wide. He knew.

“Did Gloria tell you?” She asked, remembering that Gloria often forgot to think before opening her mouth. She knew she shouldn’t have told her, Bucky nodded and it seemed like forever until she mustered up the courage to speak again. She’d been a complete hypocrite and he was probably so angry at her now. “Look, Buck, I wanted to tell you but-“

“You didn’t want us worrying about you?” He finished a playful tone resting on his words. She nodded slowly, unable to look him in the eyes. God, she was so done for. She didn’t even think when she got so angry at him before but now he was completely calm at her confession and it made her realise she’d overreacted. “Doll, we’re gonna worry about you regardless. You can't just not tell us things like that and expect everything to work out.” Bucky saw the tears in her eyes once more and sighed, pulling her head to his chest as he rubbed circles in the back of her neck. This was hard for both of them – this was a war for crying out loud. No one knew whether one day would be their last day and both of them realised they’d spent some of their last hours together with one of them angry at the other for something out of their control.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was tiny and he barely heard her over the booming voices of families at the fair. He did hear her however and his heart swelled at the noise. She pulled her face away from her chest and looked up at him, her face was flushed red from the tears and her eyes glistened under the lights. She looked beautiful. He smiled down at her and she slowly felt a smile spreading onto her face like it was contagious. Y/n found herself staring at him like she’d never done before, he looked ethereal. The uniform, the boyish smile, the adoration in his eyes as he looked down at her – he was something else. She felt something stir in her chest and it scared her. She couldn’t do this, not now. Y/n pulled away with a cough and looked around the area, not noticing Bucky’s slightly sad features at the sudden movement. When she looked back he covered it with his trademark boyish charm and offered his arm to her. She took it and they began walking out of the expo.

“I’m thinking burgers and dancing – my treat.” He told her as they walked down the dark street. She scoffed at his words and turned her head to face him with a frown.

“No way- it’s your last night. I’m buying.” He grinned down at her and she realised he’d fallen into his trap. Of course, he wanted her to pay and knew she’d call him out on trying. She shook her head as a laugh erupted from her lips and they made their way down to the diner; their diner.

They didn’t bother ordering, they just sat in their usual spot and the waitress gave them a thumbs up, rattling their usual order to the chef.

“I think it’s bad that they know exactly what we want, Buck.”

“Nah, we’re just loyal customers.” The cook came over a few seconds later, hands filled with two plates of burgers and fries. He grinned at the two of them and set the plates down. The food steamed slightly and Y/n’s mouth watered just at the sight of the perfect food. The waitress followed close behind and placed two milkshakes on the table.

“Here you are! Looking good Barnes.” The cook commented, placing his hand on Bucky’s uniformed shoulder. Bucky smiled politely back and Y/n glanced at him, relishing in the happiness one small diner could bring the both of them.

“Thanks Mr Daverish.” He replied and before she forgot, Y/n pulled out her purse, giving the stink-eye to a laughing Bucky and began to count out the necessary money. A large hand stopped her and she looked up at Daverish in questioning. He shook his head at her and pushed the purse away from him.

“Oh no no, on the house for military boys – you do us proud son.” He winked at Bucky and left the table with the waitress, continuing their work. Y/n looked at the purse for a second and put it away, turning her attention back to the soldier in front of her.

“Yeah, you definitely can't leave now Barnes. I need to take you everywhere if this is how people react.” She joked and he tucked into his food, barely stopping to breathe as he inhaled the homemade burgers and Y/n watched with a cheesy grin on her face as she tried to stop herself from laughing at him. She tucked into her burger, groaning at the flavours that melted in her mouth. This place was heaven to the trio. They would come here all the time after school and now as they were older, whenever they hung out.

They ate in with a small conversation for a while until Bucky finished his food, eyeballing her fries to which she rolled her eyes and pushed them towards him.

“So..the Army Nurse Corps.” He started in an attempt to pry more information out of her. He wanted to know all that he could – would she be safe? Was she going out to the front line? “Yeah, it…different I guess.” He noticed her blandness and inwardly sighed, knowing she didn’t want to tell him all that she knew.

“I think it’s nice you're finally being appreciated for your talents.” He finished, sucking the salt off of his fingers. She reached for her milkshake, taking a short sip before swallowing and locked eyes with him again.

“I guess patching up Steve has helped me hone my talents through the years…” They both laughed for a moment until she sighed. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“He’s Steve, he can get through anything.” They both knew it was true. He was small but he was resilient and Y/n knew deep down he’d be okay. He’d made it this far, right? Still, there was a part of her that panicked about the idea of leaving him alone.

“I know that, Buck but-“

“Listen to me doll, this is my last night so I wanna enjoy it.” He dropped his napkin on the table and leaned over, taking her hand in his. “So we’re gonna eat the hell out of these burgers, dance the hell out of that club then who knows?” He winked and his eyes ran down her body in a flirty gesture. She yanked her hands back and blushed, instantly realising what he was getting at.

“Absolutely not Barnes.” The sound of his laugh settled her down and she realised how much she was going to miss it. She was going to miss his laugh, his smile, his annoying little comments – she was going to miss him.

“I didn’t say anything!” He put his hands up in mock surrender and she shook her head, getting up from the booth and smoothing down her skirt. He followed suit and straightened out his uniform, picking up his hat from his side and placing it back on his head.

“We’ll see you soon, Mr Daverish.” She called to the back and the chef peeked his head through the door, waving them off with a smile. They made their way out of the establishment and began walking down the street. Y/n stopped, looking up at the sky and sighed. Bucky stopped walking and turned back to her.

“What?” He asked, his hands hung loosely from his pockets and he wondered why the girl he so was infatuated with looked so sad.

“We don’t have long left.” She responded, motioning to the full moon that plastered the sky with a subtle glow. He realised that it was far later than they both anticipated. The dance hall would be closed by now and Bucky had to get some sleep before his big day. “Walk me home?” She offered and he took her arm in his. They walked in silence until they got to her apartment and she pulled out her key, opening the door.

“Can I give you something?” Bucky asked as she threw her bag into the apartment before returning out to the landing of her complex. She frowned at his question, wondering what he could possibly give her when the ones who stayed were meant to be the ones giving going-away presents.

“Sure, what is it?” She watched as he pulled a silver chain from around his neck. The two metal plates jangled as they knocked against each other and he placed them in her open palms. She looked down at them and felt those stupid tears well up in her eyes again. This was too much, she couldn’t bear the thought of him actually leaving her and now, in their final moments together, he gave her the one thing that now meant so much to him as a soldier. They told the world who he was, they literally defined him as a soldier. “Bucky, I can't have these.” Her small voice returned and Bucky frowned down at her, had he overstepped? “It’s sort of counter-productive if you don’t have these on you in case you, you know.” The big D word. The one she had made sure she did not think of while he was wearing that uniform. He couldn’t die on her, she refused to believe that was even a possibility so she pushed it to the back of her mind. She heard him sigh and he grabbed the chain back from her, opening the clasp and pulling one of the tags off. He dropped the chain in her palm again.

“There. Now we both have one.” He watched as she ran her fingers over the indents in the metal and watched as her body froze when she spotted the number three, that dreaded number no man wanted to get.

“You didn’t choose…” He was called up, but he didn’t choose to enlist. He was drafted. He wasn’t leaving her by choice.

“No.” His voice was hurt and she realised the pain he must have gone through. He didn’t plan for this. He wanted to stay with them, protect them.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologising, doll. There was nothing you could do.” She didn’t know what to say after that so she wrapped the tag around her neck and brought herself to his chest, wrapping her arms around him once more. After a few seconds, he hugged her back. She took in a breath, savouring the smell of his cologne and the smell of his new uniform and tried to remember it perfectly for the coming days. This was it. He was going to war tomorrow.

“Be safe.” She muttered into his chest and he pulled her back, stroking her face with his thumb. He was breaking inside, he didn’t want to leave her, not like this.

“I’ll see you again soon, doll face, don’t you worry about it.”