CHAPTER ONE
❝ at first sight ❞
A GOLDEN-HAIRED toddler ran across the lush green meadow that stretched for miles ahead. She sprinted as fast as her little legs allowed her to, trying to reach the horizon in the distance so that she could feel the colors of the sunset.
The child interrupted her dashing every so often, hopping like a little bunny to avoid the patches of flowers spread across the land. After spotting a kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies swirling around her, she forgot all about the painted sky and began dancing with the insects instead.
The warm summer air hugged the girl as she spun. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Her body practically sighed in relief as the batch of fresh air spread through her lungs.
"Lucy!" Hearing her name being called, the toddler spun around and pushed her wispy strands of hair back. When she saw her mother standing there with a wide smile, the little girl replicated it, displaying the gaps in her teeth where a few were yet to grow in.
"What are you doing, my little dreamer?" She picked her daughter up and placed the girl on her hip. As Lucy pointed to the butterflies, the woman lightly hummed and stuck out a dainty hand.
The mother reflected her daughter's sparkle in her own eyes. Wearing a long, elegant white dress, she was the princess that little Lucy dreamed about becoming.
When a glimmering blue butterfly landed on her mother's outstretched finger, Lucy clapped and giggled, leaning forward to get a closer look.
"Lucy."
The girl heard her name being called in the distance but didn't make any move to listen. She had never been more content than she was with her mother, still observing the butterfly.
"Lucy!"
Lucy Everhart finally woke up when she heard her father calling her name. When she slowly cracked her baby blue eyes open, she was met with a view of unfamiliar streets buzzing by. The eighteen-year-old squinted as she yawned and stretched her arms, trying to adjust to the harsh light streaming through the Cadillac's windows.
Hearing a frustrated sigh come from the seat next to her, Lucy craned her head over to face her father.
"I don't know how you were sleeping for the entire goddamn ride. All you do is sit on your ass all day." It was no surprise that the grey-haired man scolded his daughter in the first ten seconds of her being awake. Thomas Everhart didn't exactly win the 'dad of the year' award. He was harsh on Lucy, to put it simply.
Mary Everhart, Lucy's mother, passed away when Lucy was just four years old. As a nurse, Mary caught a severe case of pneumonia while treating patients that just got worse and worse until she died.
After Mary passed away, Thomas turned stone cold. Any loving parts of the man died the same day that the love of his life did.
Thomas projected his blame onto Lucy, the one person that was there to take it. There were endless nights where he would drink one too many glasses of whiskey and run his mouth about his disappointment in his daughter.
And even though she had learned to live with it, the venom in his words still stung
"We're almost to the apartment." Thomas's announcement brought Lucy back from her thoughts.
Thomas forced his daughter to pick up her life in Queens and move to Brooklyn after losing the same job he had for the past twenty years. His boss had always been lenient with him, but couldn't stand it any longer when Thomas failed to show up repeatedly, eventually firing him.
It was easy to find a new job. Thomas quickly connected with an old friend who owned a factory in Brooklyn, so Lucy had no choice but to go with him when he landed a position in the unfamiliar city.
Lucy just wordlessly nodded at her father's words, letting her gaze fall to the streets once again. She wondered if there would ever be a day that he showed an ounce of love to her again. She couldn't remember the last time that she received a simple kiss on the head or an encouraging hug from him.
When the Cadillac finally came to a halt, Thomas opened his door and grumbled, "Start bringing the luggage in from the car."
As he slammed the door shut, Lucy followed suit by getting out of the car and taking in the first full view of their new home.
The apartment was located in a large, run-down brick building on Glenham Avenue. The streets wrapping around the area were sketchy, with no room for tranquility as endless mobs of people and cars buzzed by.
The girl grabbed as many bags as her arms would allow and began her journey up the rusty stairs leading to their apartment.
Opening the front door, Lucy dropped the bags with a huff. The living area, dining table, and kitchen were all located in the main room that she walked right into. To her left, there was a hallway that Lucy assumed would lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms.
After hearing a familiar clinking sound coming from the kitchen, Lucy let her eyes slip shut. They had been in Brooklyn for less than five minutes and Thomas was already grabbing a glass of alcohol to distract himself from the permanent grief that hung over his heart.
New city, same habits.
Feeling suffocated in the small space, Lucy grabbed her small purse and walked toward the door. "I'm gonna go out for a bit."
Thomas didn't even respond, too busy downing the beverage in his glass.
───
Lucy decided to take a walk instead of driving so that she could breathe some fresh air after being cramped in the car for so long. Along with the fact that walking would take longer. She could only hope that her father would already be passed out by the time she got back.
Brooklyn wasn't too different from Queens, but it was still unfamiliar territory for Lucy. As she strolled, the sun began to set and the city was engulfed in darkness. If possible, the December air got even colder.
The girl came to a quick stop when her stomach began to rumble. With the hectic day she had, Lucy had barely eaten anything all day. The only restaurant in sight was Reuben's Diner, a small joint that was right across the street. Lucy gave in and crossed the road, practically drooling at the idea of french fries.
The diner was small but adorable in her eyes. Right when she walked in, Lucy was met with the option to go sit at the bar that stretched through the middle of the entire restaurant, or at one of the tables lined up against the windows.
Sitting at the bar was always more fun, so Lucy settled down on a red, leather stool.
As she sat, a waitress slid over to her, offering a kind smile to the teenager. She was a middle-aged woman wearing a red dress and a white apron over the top, mirroring all the other waitresses.
"Hi there, sweetheart. What can I get for you?" The curly-headed waitress grabbed a pencil and flipped open the tiny notebook in her hands to take Lucy's order.
Lucy offered her a polite smile back, glancing around shyly. "Hi. Could I get one chocolate milkshake and an order of fries, please?"
"Comin' right up." As the waitress walked away, Lucy thanked her and pulled out her latest book, The Age of Innocence.
She loved the distraction that books gave. They allowed her to feel sadness for someone else when she could no longer identify the source of her own. They allowed her to feel happiness for someone else when she felt like she had none left for herself.
If it wasn't already clear, reading was Lucy's favorite coping mechanism.
In no time, her waitress returned, balancing the two items in her hands. Lucy eagerly grabbed her chocolate milkshake and a few fries, dipping the salty snacks in the sweet concoction before eating them.
The waitress couldn't help but laugh. "My boy does the same thing. I've never met another person who does it too. It drives his best friend insane."
"Oh," Lucy hadn't met anyone who did the same either. "How old is your son?"
"He's eighteen. Probably about your age, is that right?"
Lucy nodded in confirmation as another customer called the waitress over, causing the woman to give one last smile before walking away. "Well, if you need me, my name's Winnifred."
"Thank you, Winnifred. I'm Lucy."
The diner was fairly quiet as Lucy ate. It took nearly twenty minutes for someone else to enter, ringing the bell on top of the door. Lucy twisted around out of curiosity, getting a clear view of the two boys who were walking into the diner.
They seemed to be about her age. One was short and skinny, with a blonde head of hair. He was definitely the shyer one out of the two, cowering a bit behind the other boy. The other was taller and more muscular. He ran a hair through his gelled hair as he pulled the blonde to his side.
Lucy didn't even realize how late it actually was until she saw the streetlights of Brooklyn through the windows from her new position. She plucked the cherry resting on her whipped cream off of the drink and popped the sweet fruit between her lips while pulling some money out of her purse.
Even though she was limited on money, saving up from each job that she had worked in the past, Lucy made sure to leave a good tip for Winnifred. She grabbed her small purse and stood, beginning to make her way to the door.
The blonde who entered passed Lucy and gave her a polite smile, one that she didn't hesitate to return. The brunette didn't pass by as quickly, accidentally bumping into her and knocking the bag out of her hands as he was trying to squeeze by another family.
Both teenagers spewed out hurried apologies in sync as they bent down to pick up the purse.
As Lucy was reaching for the bag, the boy did the same and their hands met in the middle, prompting both of them to look up.
As the pairs of blue eyes met, Lucy felt butterflies erupt in her stomach.
The boy was handsome, his sharp facial structure easily displayed since his hair was gelled back. Lucy couldn't tear her gaze away from his steel-blue irises.
He was the first who broke the momentary silence, beaming at the girl in front of him. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Forgive me, doll."
Lucy's heart fluttered at the pet name and she involuntarily blushed. She just shook her head dismissively and offered him a small smile while slightly biting her lip. "No, no worries. I wasn't either, so don't worry about it."
The eighteen-year-old boy smirked, his ego growing at the sight of her blush.
Both teenagers stood up and the boy offered Lucy her purse as she gently dusted off her dress. She took the bag and gratefully smiled. "Thank you so much."
He didn't even need an apology from her. "Now, I'm a Brooklyn boy, born and raised. I know everyone 'round here," he paused, looking around before pointing at her. "But I've never seen you before. I would've remembered a pretty face like yours..."
Lucy perked up when she realized that he was asking for her name. "Oh! I'm Lucy. Lucy Everhart. And you're right, I just moved to Brooklyn."
Before he could go on and introduce himself, Winnifred walked by, momentarily butting into their conversation while on the way to take someone's order. "Lucy! I see you've met my son, James."
So this was her son.
"I was gettin' there, Ma." James turned back to Lucy, offering her a hand to shake. "You can call me Bucky. That's what all of my friends call me."
Lucy softly repeated his name under her breath as they shook hands, relishing in the gentle grip he had on her palm.
Bucky's face lit up, turning to the blonde he had walked in with. "Speakin' of friends, Steve! Come over here."
Steve sheepishly walked over to the small group, cringing at how loud Bucky was yelling even though he stood mere feet away.
"Lucy, this is Steve, my best pal. Steve, this is Lucy." Steve gave a small wave as Lucy reciprocated it, smiling at the bashful boy.
"Hi, Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you." She wanted to stay and converse with Bucky and Steve but it was already late. If her father hadn't passed out already, he surely would have a harsh lecture prepared. "It's been nice talking to you all, but I should get going."
Not once smothering his dorky grin, Bucky walked her over to the exit. "I hope that I'll be seeing you around, Lucy."
Lucy nodded, giving him one last smile before leaving. "I hope so too."
───
Bucky Barnes bit his lip as he attempted to hold back the toothy grin fighting to take over his face. Even after the short interaction, Lucy still lurked in his mind.
She was a shy little thing, a contrasting but refreshing personality for the outgoing ladies man that he was.
And oh boy, was she pretty.
"Buck?" Bucky turned and was met with a teasing Steve Rogers. "Wow, I don't think that I've ever actually seen you flustered by a girl before."
The brunette just rolled his eyes at his best friend, sighing and sitting down next to him. "Shut it. She was nice. And did you hear? She's new to Brooklyn."
Even without Lucy revealing that piece of information, Bucky and Steve would've figured it out anyway. They knew everyone who frequented that diner.
Winnifred brought the boys a basket of fries and two milkshakes, one strawberry for Bucky and the other vanilla for Steve. "I was talkin' with Lucy for a bit, she seems like a sweet girl. Said that she was new around here."
"Mhm," Bucky let out, still thinking about the blonde girl as he dipped a fry and then stuck it into his mouth.
Winnifred knowingly smiled.
Even Steve was intrigued, simply because of her politeness. Usually, girls his age would take one look at his scrawny body and grimace, not sparing him another glance.
"Maybe she'll be goin' to our school," Steve said, slowly slurping on his own milkshake.
Bucky nodded, trying to hold back the smile that was pulling at his lips. "I hope so."
AUTHOR'S NOTE!
hi!
i am so, so excited for you all to read this story!
i have been reading marvel fanfiction for a while now and have always had the idea for this book at the back of my mind, but never thought that i would actually be writing my own!
so for all you 40s bucky barnes lovers out there, this one's for you.
anyways, i hope that you all enjoyed this first chapter!
have a lovely day!
<3 mal