The Promise

I'll See You at the End of the War

The next morning, I find myself still laying with Bucky. My eyes are puffy and hurting a little. I get up from the couch, without waking Bucky. It was only 6 AM, but I wanted to wake him up anyway. He can sleep when he's gone. We can't waste any time on sleeping. I sit beside him on the couch, leaning into his ear.

"SERGEANT BARNES!" I yell into his ear in a deep voice. He springs away and tries to stand in position. I roll back onto the couch, cackling. He finally realizes what just happened.

"Very funny Y/N. Good one." He says sarcastically.

"Why are you so loud, Bucky?" Steve says, coming down the stairs half asleep.

"WHAT? ME? That was... you know what, nevermind." He looks at me and shakes his head.

"Get dressed. We're getting breakfast." Steve and Bucky look at each. "No,no,no. You guys are leaving me, therefore I get to call the shots today. At least until 9." They both slouch a bit and sigh. "Hurry up, we have no time to waste thanks to Hitler." I say, rolling your eyes. We all race upstairs. I put on my favorite black dress and touch up my makeup. My hair looks fine, surprisingly. We get in the car and go to the diner down the road. We met up here every Sunday, even if we hadn't talked all week.

"I'm gonna miss it here." Steve says, sipping coffee. Me and Bucky nod in agreement. We order food and finish breakfast. The clock reads 7:45, so I drive the boys to their houses to pack anything they want to bring. By the time they're done it's 8:30. I sit on the step outside Bucky's house waiting, trying to keep from crying. They both file out and sit on either side of me.

"So, this is it?" I say solemnly.

"Yeah, I guess so." I can hear Bucky begin to tear up, although he would never let me see him cry. A car pulls up in front of the house.

"I could've taken you, you know. You didn't have to ride in a cab."

"I know Y/N, but I didn't want you there when we actually left. God forbid you'd actually let yourself cry." Bucky says mockingly and smiles.

"I could say the same for both of you right now." Steve and Bucky look at each other and turn pink. They blink away their tears and I smile. I stand up and look at Steve.

"Stevie. I'm so happy for you. Go out there and give them hell. I mean it." I give him a hug. He tries to pull away, but I keep him there, just a little longer. I step over to Bucky.

"Buck." I choke up and he hugs me, knowing I was about to cry.

"Don't be a hero. If it's between you and another guy, save yourself. Please." I whisper into his ear.

"I will."

"Bucky. You promised me. You better come home." My eyes overfill with tears and I start to cry on his shoulder. I squeeze him a little tighter, before letting go. They take their bags and load them into the car.

"I'll see you at the end of the war." I smile at them. The car pulls off. My eyes follow it before it's out of sight. I sit back down on the step with my head on my knees. I'm alone now.