𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

xiv. promise me this

Rebecca kept her gaze pointed at the ground. After Bucky finished saying goodbye to his parents, he turned and stepped toward his little sister. He hooked a finger under her chin, pulling up her face to meet his own.

She sniffled, rubbing at her red-rimmed eyes. Even though she and Bucky fought a lot, they loved each other with a type of bond that could never be replaced. He pulled his sister in for a tight hug, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back to ease the shuddering breaths coming out of her.

"Does it feel real to you?"

Steve's question broke Lucy out of her trance, turning away from Bucky's family to look at her best friend.

She gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "No. The apartment is gonna feel odd with only the two of us."

Steve nodded, averting his eyes from her as guilt clawed at his throat. He didn't tell either of his best friends about his acceptance at the enlistment center the night prior. God,  he didn't want to break Lucy's heart or anger Bucky but he knew he would have to tell them eventually.

Bucky finally made his way over to the duo, pulling Steve in for a hug first. The brunette held onto his scrawny best friend tightly as if it would be the last time the two embraced. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

"How can I?" Steve pulled away, looking at Bucky with nothing but admiration. "You're takin' all the stupid with you."

Bucky clapped a hand over Steve's shoulder, smiling and shaking his head. "Seriously though, stay out of alleys while I'm gone please."

Steve huffed out a laugh. "Uh-huh. I'll wait until you get back to get in any fights."

Bucky shook his head, the corners of his lips curling upwards. "You're a punk."

"Jerk," Steve fired back. "Be careful."

The lifelong best friends hugged one more time before Steve went to join Bucky's family, wanting to give Lucy and Bucky a moment alone.

Bucky immediately grabbed both of Lucy's hands, pulling them up and giving her kisses on both of her knuckles. After a moment of simply staring at one another, Lucy dove into his arms and held onto the back of his uniform tightly.

The brunette reciprocated the embrace, holding the back of Lucy's head with one hand and her back with the other. He craned his head down and pressed a kiss to her hair, closing his eyes for a moment to take in the smell of her signature lavender perfume.

God, he was an idiot.

Why the hell didn't he give her the ring yet?

Bucky created a whole plan in his head about how he wasn't going to do it until the war was over. When Steve pestered him about why he hadn't proposed yet, Bucky claimed that it served as motivation for him to go and win first.

Truthfully, Bucky bought the ring when the two of them were nineteen years old. He was just scared.

Lucy wiped away her tears with the back of her hand as she and Bucky parted. She placed her hands on Bucky's scruffy cheeks, rubbing her thumb over the rough skin. "You ready, Sergeant?"

Bucky tried his best to smile for her. "Ready as I'll ever be. I'm gonna go win the war and then we can get a head start on that future we talked about?"

She quickly nodded at that, standing on her tippy toes to engage in one final kiss. Bucky kissed her deeply, trying to get in the months of affection that he would miss until he saw her again.

If he saw her again.

The shrill whistle of the train rang through the air, breaking Bucky and Lucy out of their personal bubble. He peppered more kisses all over her face, eliciting a giggle from his girlfriend. "I'll see you soon, honey. Promise."