𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕋𝕠 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕝𝕪𝕟 | Bucky Barnes⁽¹⁾

07 | Six Weeks Apart

December 1941 - Brooklyn

"I'll be back in six weeks," Bucky managed a smile as he hugged Steve. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"I'll do my best," Steve chuckled a little, patting Bucky's shoulder before the two friends pulled apart. "See you when you get back."

Looking past Steve, Bucky's heart broke at the sight of Ella. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked down at the ground beneath her feet. Her long hair was hiding her face, but Bucky knew she was crying. He walked to her and cupped her face in his hands, trying to get her to look up at him. The redness of her eyes sent a spear through his heart, and he found himself having to take a deep breath at the sight.

"Hey," Ella whispered.

"Hi," Bucky spoke softly. "I'm gonna be back soon, okay?"

Ella nodded her head, her bottom lip quivering.

Bucky felt his own tears start to brim his eyes, seeing how upset she was. "C'mere."

He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. She softly cried into the materiel of his jacket, her arms around his torso. Since finding out he would be leaving, she had tried to keep it together. This was the first time she had properly broken down in front of him, and she was finding it tougher and tougher to pull herself together.

"I'm gonna miss you," Ella whimpered, lifting her head from his chest to look up at him. "You'll write to me, right?"

"Of course, I will," Bucky promised, kissing her forehead. "And I have the letter you gave me yesterday."

"You definitely packed it?" Ella checked, asking for the hundredth time since they left the apartment that morning.

Bucky couldn't help but chuckle. "Baby, you're the one who put it in my bag. It's packed, I promise."

"Alright, just checking," Ella smiled softly. "Don't know what I'm gonna do with myself while you're gone."

"Try to keep busy," Bucky replied. "Do more writing... Maybe look at some wedding plans," he added with a small smirk.

Ella giggled tearfully, nodding her head. "Okay."

"Okay," Bucky smiled, leaning down to close the gap between his lips and hers.

Ella wrapped her arms around Bucky's neck, pulling him closer as they kissed sweetly and lovingly. His hands rubbed up and down her sides whilst her hands entangled in his hair.

The moment was cut off far too soon when the train conductor blew the whistle, calling for all the trainee soldiers to come aboard.

Bucky sighed and leaned his forehead against Ella's. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered back. She kissed the tip of his nose before stepping out of his embrace.

Steve came back over to the pair and stood beside Ella. Bucky picked his bag up from the ground and slung it across his body. He walked backwards a few steps, forcing a smile as he waved goodbye to the people he loved. If it was this hard leaving just for a training camp, he dreaded to imagine how tough it was going to be when he was shipped off for real.

The conductor blew the whistle again as a final warning, and Bucky closed his eyes as he turned away from his fiancé and his best friend, disappearing into the crowd of men who were all feeling the same devastation of leaving their loved ones.

Once she had watched Bucky step onto the train, Ella sniffled as she started to cry again. Steve pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around him, her head rested on his shoulder whilst he rubbed her back.