𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕋𝕠 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕝𝕪𝕟 | Bucky Barnes⁽¹⁾

10 | Star-Spangled Man

November 1942 – Atlanta

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Dear my Ella,

Hi baby. Sorry it's taken me so long to write back to you. I hope you weren't too worried. My unit has been moving around a lot and finding time to myself has been tricky. But I'm here now, and I love you.

It's hot as hell where my unit is. It rains practically all the time, but it's so humid, I hope that it never stops pouring. The ground is so muddy, I've almost slipped over about a hundred times. You'd hate it here. I can imagine your hair going all big and bouncy in this heat like it always does in the hot weather.

I know you hate it, but I love it when that happens because you go all cute and shy, worrying that you look terrible and crazy. You don't. You look beautiful.

I wish I could say that I was doing okay, and that everything was going good out here, but I can't lie to you. These last few months have been the hardest of my life, and sometimes it feels like it's not going to get any better. I've seen good men, friends, go down fighting. I'm not going to let that happen to me, because I need to get back to you.

I miss you so damn much. You're all I think about every second of every day and night. Every time I barely escape death, every time a bullet flies past my head, I see a new memory of us together. Sometimes, we're eating dinner. Sometimes, you're sitting at your desk writing, and I'm just watching you from across the room. Sometimes we're lying in bed and I'm holding you as close as I can.

I dream of you, Ella. I hope you dream of me too.

I have your picture in my pocket, and I look at it all the time. A couple of the guys caught a glimpse of it, and said I was a lucky fella. Boy, are they right. When one of them asked who you were, I accidentally said you were my wife. I didn't correct myself when I realised what I said because it made me so happy saying it out loud. That's what's keeping me going out here, El. The thought of you and I being husband and wife is what's keeping me alive.

I'm the luckiest damn fella in the universe. In every universe.

I should go. I wanna get this to the mail guy before I go to sleep. I hope you have fun at whatever show it is you said you're going to see. You said it was in Atlanta? Be careful on the trip there and back. And let me know what it was like.

Have a good birthday. I'm sorry I can't be with you, but best believe I'll be thinking of you.

I love you with all my heart, Elenora. I'll keep fighting for you if you keep living for me.

Love, your James,

Bucky xx

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Big flashing lights of red, white, and blue were all over the place, signs and posters pinned to the walls with Steve's face plastered all over them. It was early in the evening, but the sky was already dark. The streetlamps lit up the pathways and roads, along with the bright lights around the theatre sign. The street was bustling with the orderly crowds, inaudible conversation and chatter happening all around.