Crying to the Sky // Bucky Barnes

Chapter 19: First Time for Everything

The icy air surges through the gaps in my teeth, awakens a rosy blush on my cheeks and blows my brown hair into my face. The early afternoon sun is blocked by tall buildings, looming over us like trees as we wade through the sea of people. I squeeze Bucky's hand, willing my eyes to close, trusting Bucky to gently tug me though the crowd. His grip tightens and we turn a corner, the sound people and traffic gradually disappearing. My eyes open to be welcomed by a small diner, the word "Restaurant" in neon red above the door and windows. I look to my left, peering up at Bucky with eyes stinging from the cold.

"Me and Steve used to come here, back in the 30s and 40s. I honestly didn't know it was still in business." He looks away from the diner and his eyes drop to meet mine, "I thought you might like brunch."

I nod my head vigorously, hoping to get away from the chill in the early Winter air. I huddle up to his side slightly as we walk in, a friendly warmth inviting us in with open arms. We take a seat at one of the booths, a lady in a 1930s style, working dress approaches us, a smile gracing her features and curls sculpted into her hair.

"Welcome! Two menus?" She asks. We nod and she hand one to each of us, leading us to a table for two, "The specials menu is just over there, if you need me just shout!"

We both thank her and sit down across from each other, skimming the menu in front of us. We chat quietly, discussing what to eat and how nice the diner is. The waitress comes back, a notepad and pen between her fingers, asking if we are ready to order.

"Can I have the special breakfast, extra bacon please." He pause, "... Make that lots of extra bacon."

I laugh along with the waitress, who scribbles it down, "Can I have the French toast and bacon sandwich with cheese please?"

"Of course!" She exclaims, "Breakfast and extra, extra bacon and a French toast sandwich, comin' up!"

She strides away, picks up some empty glasses from a nearby empty table and pushes through a door with a plaque on it that reads "Staff only".

"So, first date, huh?" Bucky states, awkwardly.

I giggle a little, "I'm glad you found this place. It must be strange being here again."

"Yeah, same place, different time." He sighs, "It'll be hard to get used to."

"Does that mean you plan on coming here again?" I raise my eyebrows.

"That depends on how good the food is."

I grin at him. We continue talking until our food comes. The waitress places our plates gently in front of us, "Enjoy your meal."

We start eating in silence. Not an awkward silence. If it is awkward, we don't notice because we are too occupied with eating. I am half way though my sandwich and I realise we haven't said anything, "Is it as good as it used to be?" I ask Bucky.

"It's not quite the same. But it is still real good." He stuffs his last strip of bacon in his mouth.

"So, is it worth coming back?" I hold in a laugh.

"Yea!" He says, through a mouthful of egg. I laugh, going back to eating.

After another few minutes of silence, Bucky speaks up, "I've always appreciated seeing you eat."

I frown.

"Not in a creepy way!" He exclaims, "It's just... When I was in Hydra, you were so thin. You looked like you could've broke at any second. You would give me all your meals. Now... Seeing you eat, It's like a big weight off my shoulders because I know with every meal, you become less and less likely to break."

I smile at him, never being happier that I am recovering. He smiles back, "Well, you know you will never have to see me like that again."

He grins at my words, I can see gratefulness and relief in his eyes as he finishes his breakfast. I take a few minutes after he's finished, slightly struggling to eat everything but I do. I finish and we go to pay, Bucky insists on paying for mine so I let him, just this once. As soon as we get outside, I jump up and down with happiness.

Bucky looks at me, slightly startled, "What is it?" He asks curiously.

"That's the first time I have ever finished a meal!" I bounce, pride in my voice.

"Oh, Josie!" He lifts me up and spins me above him, his hands on my waist. He grins, "That's amazing! I'm so proud of you, Doll!"

My feet meet the ground and immediately, I pull Bucky into a hug. He holds my waist tightly, pulling back after a minute before taking my hand in his. The cold metal slips over my skin, causing goosebumps to appear up my arms as we start strolling back to Steve's apartment.

"So, how was the first date?" Steve asks after we close the front door behind us. He is sitting on the couch, surrounded by cardboard boxes. He places a couple of hardback books into a near full one.

"It went perfectly. And somebody ate their first full meal." Bucky beams proudly.

"Really?!" Steve smiles, standing up and hugging me loosely, "That's great, Josephine!"

"Thanks, Steve." I hug back, "I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"Now help me pack up!" He lets go.

We get to work, filling cardboard boxes with steve's belongings. Bucky and I have always kept our own belongings to a minimum, so everything we own just went in the smallest box we could find. In it there is the Harry Potter book series, a bottle of expensive oil that Tony gave us for Bucky's arm to stop it from rusting, a photo album that Steve found full of old photos of him and Bucky, my prototype Night-Night gun, a cute stuffed bunny, chocolate cake mix and a smashed, semi-working alarm clock.

Finally, with all the boxes filled to the brim, we go to bed for the last time in this apartment.

"Just think about it," Bucky whispers while facing me on his side, trying not to wake up Steve, "Some lucky person is gonna move into Captain America's old apartment."

I giggle silently, "I bet they'll be so proud of that."

He links his fingers with mine, "Tomorrow, we'll be living together in our apartment. We should probably get some sleep," he yawns, "we got quite a big day tomorrow."

"You're right." I yawn as well, Bucky's sleepiness contagiously spreading to me.

My eyes flutter to a close and I am pulled close to him, "Goodnight, Doll."

"Goodnight."