URBAN LEGEND | BUCKY BARNES

five

Because Bucky was incapable of speech, Steve stepped in. It was a peculiar situation, as it had appeared that the best friends had switched roles.

"Rebecca was waiting for a guest, so we offered to wait at the theatre. It's the centre of town, you know." Steve explained, his teeth chattering violently. Winter had gotten to the small, fragile man more than he would have liked, and the last thing he needed was another bout of pneumonia.

"Rebecca?" Juliet's heart skipped a beat, as though a miracle sunbeam had suddenly shone through the clouded veil hovering above Brooklyn. "Does Rebecca's guest happen to be called Juliet?"

Steve nodded his head, and Bucky's paralysed state began to twitch and regain feeling. As though the puzzle pieces, so jagged and unrecognisable, finally realised they were meant to slot beside each other. Well, that truth had dawned on Bucky. Juliet thought he was rather peculiar, and perhaps just needed to lie down.

"Well, I'm Juliet. I lost Rebecca's address, and found myself wandering in the New York snow as if it would hit me in a flash." Juliet replied, offering a frozen hand to Steve. The two men exchanged a look, and Steve tentatively grasped her hand in his. Juliet stared expectantly at him, but it took a few moments of lingering silence before Steve gasped in realisation.

"Shall we head back to mine? N-Now that we've found ya." Bucky's stammering tone alarmed both Juliet and Steve, who turned to face him. Upon hearing the rich tone of his voice, Juliet found a surprised smile trickle onto her lips.

"Anything to get out of this blizzard," Juliet offered, initiating nods of agreement from the men. And so they trudged off, a lovestruck brunet, a shivering blond and a woman who was utterly confused as to why she was here in the first place.

It didn't take long for Juliet to finally reach the destination she had been longing to find. There was something about the warm yellow light illuminating the apartment window that flickered a sense of joy inside Juliet's well-encased, slightly frozen heart.

Bucky kept glancing back at her, his hands deep in his threadbare coat pockets. She's real, he thought to himself. She's here, and I made an absolute idiot of myself.

He leapt up the icy concrete stairs, his fingers rapping on the thin wood of the door. Steve stood behind him and Juliet lingered on the second-highest step, her own fingers clenching the frozen metal railing. Even after all she had gone through to get there, doubt still lit a candle in the far corners of her mind.

The sound of rattling keys and doorknobs soon filled the winter air, followed by the warm gust of sugared treats and Christmas songs crackling on a dull radio.

"There you are!" Rebecca exclaimed, although Juliet barely caught a glimpse from her distance. "She wasn't there, then?"

"No, ah.." Bucky stepped aside, basking Juliet in the artificial yellow lights. The woman smiled nervously, structuring a well-minded apology in her head. Rebecca squealed, dashing forward and wrapping Juliet in a hug.

"You're here! I was getting so worried, I thought you weren't going to show up!" Rebecca rambled, gasping at the cold and immediately dragging Juliet inside. The sporadic nature of the young woman was gratefully acknowledged, as relieving warmth spread over Juliet's body.

"I lost your address, but thought it best to wander around the city," Juliet nodded, her eyes travelling over the small room. It was soaked in homemade Christmas decorations and sepia photographs, the very essence of a family Christmas. Juliet felt homesickness pang at her heart, but she smiled at the beauty she had found herself tangled in.

Rebecca watched her new friend with enthusiasm, but her eyes fell upon her older brother. His awestruck expression initiated a shared glance with Steve, and her jaw dropping in an 'o'. New York City was feeling awfully serendipitous this Christmas.

It wasn't long before food was offered, and Juliet was ushered onto the velvet armchair in the corner of the room. The brown material was torn in places and revealed too much of its skeleton for it to be safe, but Rebecca wholeheartedly reassured her that it was the best seat in the house. Juliet sunk into the material the moment her coat was shed, and couldn't agree more.

"So Juliet, what do you do?" Rebecca asked, her hands encircling a mug of hot cocoa. Bucky had insisted that she was not allowed to touch the sherry the adults were drinking. And by adults he meant himself and Juliet, as Steve had politely denied in fear of getting embarrassingly sick.

"I'm a military nurse, but I'm currently on required leave," Juliet explained, her lips tingling at the sweet taste of the sherry she was sipping. "So I'm at the recruitment office until I'm well enough to be sent back to the front."

"You've been out of America? What's it like?" Rebecca's eyes were wide, the cerulean twinkling in curiosity as she leaned forward in her seat. She was sat on the couch, her legs adjusted so that Bucky could lean against them on the floor. Steve was sat next to her, his short legs stretched in front of him.

Juliet chuckled at her enthusiasm, the innocent question shrouding the brutal images that began to flood her mind. "England is a time machine and Tunisia is very hot."

A young girl like Rebecca didn't need to know of the rubble that lined every street in London and the cries of the dying in Tunisia. She didn't need to know that war was a miserable, horrendous, soulless bloodbath.

Rebecca began to fire question after question, asking about accents and clothing and architecture as though Juliet had just returned from vacation. She meant it in good faith, which was why Juliet wasn't disgruntled to answer her queries.

Bucky's eyes struggled to tear away from Juliet, admiring the way the lamps illuminated the mysterious angel that had found a way into his life. His little sister was doing all of the talking so he had a chance to ponder over his redeeming conversation, and just how he would adjust Juliet's first impression of him.

"How had you not frozen over from the cold?" Bucky suddenly asked, during a natural lapse in Rebecca and Juliet's conversation. Juliet stared at him quizzically, wondering why this was the third thing she had heard him say.

"Um, luck I suppose?"

Bucky chuckled softly to himself as the pair exchanged small smiles.

Luck indeed.

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omg i updated!! the problem with this story is that i have zero plans or structure, therefore have no idea what i'm writing half the time.

i really love and appreciate the love i'm getting for this story, it's insane and i am unbelievably grateful. comments are much appreciated, and i hope you like this chapter x