1926 (seven years old)-
"Sweetheart get up," my mother says while gently shaking me. I groan and turn over not wanting to get out of bed "But mama" she holds up her hand telling me not to complain "No ma'am no complaining, now get up" she states pulling my blanket off. I pout getting out of bed and getting dressed "Can I at least go out and play with the neighborhood kids today?" She sighs and reluctantly nods "Just be careful dear, we wouldn't want you getting sick again now would we" I shake my head and run out the door before she can change her mind.
I ran down the stairs of our apartment and go outside, pausing for a moment when I open the door. I don't go out much unless it's for schooling and don't know many other kids around here. 'Maybe I should just go back up' I thought to myself, I begin to turn when a stray baseball rolls towards me. I reach down to pick up the ball and look around to see who might have thrown it when a boy who looked to be a year or two older jogs towards me. "I assume this is yours," I say holding the ball out, he reaches for it "well thank you, I don't believe I've seen you around." I look down slightly embarrassed "oh well I don't go out too much.."
He starts to say something else when a smaller boy comes up out of breath, "Buck.. *huff* what's taking *huff* so long." "Sorry, Steve I got caught talking to this new girl" the taller boy chuckles. They both look over at me "oh s-sorry I didn't notice I'm Steve, Steve Rogers." The blonde boy sticks out his hand I hesitantly take it and shake his hand. The brunette looks down at me and smiles "James Buchanan Barnes but everyone calls me Bucky" I felt small in his gaze and quietly say "it's nice to meet you I'm Luna Faustus." Steve smiles at me and opens his mouth to say something when James grabs my hand and starts dragging me out the door "come join us." I didn't fight back from him pulling me but then again I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to pull my arm out of his grip anyway. "Buck you can't just grab people like that!" Steve yells at him running after the two of us. James stops "oh... I'm sorry I just got excited." "It-it's okay..."
When we finally end up where they were originally I notice Steve sits on the curb and doesn't join the game the other boys are playing. "You're not playing Steve?" I ask sitting down next to him "oh no, I don't have the stamina to play with them" "I understand that, I don't leave my apartment too much because I get sick really easily" I spend time talking and getting to know Steve while James plays with the other kids. "You two seem to be getting along," James says as he runs up to us, Steve smiles "Yea Luna was telling me about herself..." "I mean a little but Steve here is talking my ear off" I laugh. "Anything about me" "Oh of course he told me how much of an idiot you are" James frowns and jokingly punches Steve "well he's probably right" Steve nods. "Can we walk you home?" I smile and nod "that would be nice."
They walk me back to my apartment and James reaches out for my hand "it was nice meeting you Luna hopefully we'll see each other again" "well of course Steve and I are practically best friends now" I smile "oh no that spots taken by me" James retorts almost offended "for now James.." I notice he freezes when I say his name "no one calls me James." "Well now someone does" I smirk and hear Steve chuckle "see you later Luna" "bye guys" I wave them off and head upstairs.
A few months later-
I wake up in a coughing fit to which my father runs into my room. "Are you okay dear?" "I think so I *cough* I'm okay." He leans down to feel my forehead "you're burning up dear I'll get your mother to ring for the doctor in the morning" I nod with a sigh 'great sick again.' The doctor comes the next morning and does the usual checkup. "Well, she should be fine with some bed rest like usual." My parents nod and thank him and my father walks out with him talking about something quietly. "I'm sorry sweetheart it looks like you can't see those two boys you're always hanging around" "it's okay mama" I lay down and try to sleep.
There's a light knock on my window around midday and I look out and see James on the fire escape waving at me to come out. I frown seeing him, not wanting to open the window I grab a sheet of paper and write to him that I was sick and couldn't come out. I slide it out the window without opening it too far and he picked it up with a confused look. Upon reading it his smile falls and nods and climbs down to where Steve is standing underneath the fire escape. I watch him hand Steve the paper and Steve reads it and looks up at my window gives a small wave and they turn and walk off.
As the years go on I would leave them letters outside my window every time I fell ill. Sometimes they would even write back and I'd find a letter from them a few hours later. I wrote more to Steve than I usually wrote to James but that was only because I could tell him things I could never say to James. Steve always asked why it was that I would only say James when he always corrected me by saying his name was Bucky and I'd tell him it was because it annoyed him but that wasn't the complete truth. Steve and I were closer than I was with James only because we'd sit and talk while watching James play ball with the other guys, as time went on Steve stayed relatively small however James did not, and I started to lose focus on the conversations Steve and I had while watching James play. Steve noticed this quickly and started making jokes about it when we were alone.
1932 (13 years old)-
I'm getting dressed to go out with Steve and James for my birthday when I hear my name being called from outside my window. I chuckle as I open it seeing James and Steve down below the fire escape, which was odd because usually one of them would come knock on the window. When he notices I opened the window James kneels down and yells up to me "Luna Faustus will you marry me!" I stand there in shock 'this has to be a joke right I mean he's two years older than me but we're still way too young to get married!' James continues to yell about marriage and I notice people staring at him so I quickly jump out my window and run down the fire escape to shut him up. "Well, will ya?" He gives me a joking smile. At this point, I realize it's a joke "at me again in ten years Barnes and maybe I'll answer you." Steve is laughing at us. "So that's a maybe then?" "We'll talk when you get a better ring," I tell him looking at that small silver band he has. "Ah, how pretentious," he says faking a faint. "Stand up James people are staring"
'He's a real tease, joking about asking me to marry him like that. God, he's an idiot, if he knew how I felt well then... well I don't even know what I'd say because only Steve knows. I wish he felt the same way but I doubt it... I wonder if he does, maybe Steve would know that too. What am I even thinking he's two years older and other girls are always chasing him why would he feel that way about me don't be dumb Luna.'
"Earth to Luna," James says waving his hand in front of my face. I snap out of my thoughts and looked at his "huh?" The two of them laugh "we goin or not?" I nod and the three of us begin walking to where ever it is they were taking me.
