𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

xiii. world of tomorrow

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched," Bucky told Steve, staring at his best friend with a grimace on his face.

Steve got up, wiping his pants off with a sigh. "I had him on the ropes."

Lucy immediately went into nurse mode, jogging over to Steve. She cupped his cheek, running a thumb over the bruise forming on his nose. She frowned when he winced under her touch. "You okay? You're lucky you didn't break your nose."

"I'm fine," Steve mumbled, waving off her concerns. He stared past Lucy's shoulders, nervously watching as Bucky picked up the papers strewn across the ground.

"How many times is this?"

Lucy turned around, sighing at the enlistment form in her boyfriend's hands. Bucky scoffed as he read through the papers. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"

"Steve... I thought we talked about this." As much as Lucy wanted to support Steve in what he wanted, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen if he actually got accepted. She was already worried enough about Bucky.

Steve frowned and guilt flashed through his eyes. "I know, I know."

It wasn't until then that Steve truly noticed Bucky's uniform. He looked his best friend up and down, trying not to show his obvious jealousy. "You get your orders?"

Bucky's expression grew solemn for a moment before he straightened his posture, tilting his chin up in a confident manner. "The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."

Lucy looked down at her shoes, biting the inside of her cheek. She didn't need that reminder.

"I should be going," Steve muttered, about to walk away until Bucky grabbed him by the shoulder. "Come on, man," Bucky drawled, pulling Steve to his side. "My last night! We got to get you cleaned up." Bucky threw Steve's papers to the side and took Lucy's hand instead.

"Why? Where are we going?"

Lucy handed Steve a newspaper for the Stark Expo, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "The future."

───

Fireworks erupted around the trio as they made their way to the Expo. It looked like a scene out of the future, just the way Howard Stark wanted it to be. Bucky had an arm tightly wrapped around Lucy's waist as they walked, staring up at the sky with wide eyes.

Lucy was now wearing a striking blue dress that made her blonde hair pop. She couldn't decide if she wanted to wear that dress or her red one, but she loved how the blue fabric matched Bucky's eyes.

"Why can't the three of us just go to the Expo alone? I don't think any women are gonna want to go on a date with me," Steve whined.

Lucy turned to him. "Steve, any girl would be lucky to have you!"

"Exactly," Bucky said, pointing at his girlfriend. "I don't see what the problem is. You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there are three and a half million women here?"

"Well, I'd settle for just one," Steve commented, his gaze pointed toward the ground.

"Good thing I took care of that," Bucky said as he raised his free hand to wave at the blonde in the distance.

"Hey, Bucky!" She waved back, completely ignoring Lucy's presence.

Steve groaned. "What'd you tell her about me?"