Winter Love || Bucky Barnes

1943: Date

"What happened?" I asked, shaking my head as I tended to Bucky's bleeding hand. When he didn't answer, I had to follow up. "What did you do, James?" "Nothing. I just fell on a rock."

"I can tell when you're lying. So, tell me the truth." He grinned broadly at me. "I wanted to see you."

"And that's why you hurt yourself?"

He took my hand and held it tightly in his.

"Yes."

I tried to remain serious and rolled my eyes. "James, that's stupid. This training is important and..."

"I know. But you're also important, doll. And I can't bear to be separated from you. I want to have you with me at all times." Now, I had to grin. "You could just ask me out on a date. That would be more appropriate." His eyes lightened. "Would you say yes?"

"Only if you never do anything like that again." He nodded and gave me a quick kiss on the hand. "Deal."

Suddenly the door opened and John entered. The man who just used me for his bet. The man who never wanted to dance with me. I saw that his nose was bleeding. "What happened?" I asked worriedly. I was still disappointed, but I still wanted to help him as much as I could. John didn't answer, he just gave Bucky a dirty look instead. Now I finally understood what had happened. Bucky hadn't hurt himself on purpose, he had punched John. "You did that?" I wanted to know to confirm my claim. Bucky looked to the side. "He treated you badly. He deserved that. No one treats a woman like that." I couldn't help but smile. "True," I agreed with him, making Bucky look at me again.

"About that date. Are you free tonight? "

"Yeah, I think so. "

"Great."

He threw me one last smile and left the room.

5 hours later, I was standing next to my best friend Bonnie, waiting for Steve and Bucky to arrive. We hadn't told Steve about our date, so I took Bonnie with me so Steve would leave us alone. Finally, I saw Bucky in the distance and waved happily to him. When he returned the wave, my heart jumped. Steve's eyes widened when he spotted me. "Wait a minute. You" he pointed at Bucky "and you" he pointed at me "are dating?" I nodded. "Yeah, I hope this is not a problem?"

Steve sighed. "It's kind of strange. I mean Bucky is my best friend and you are my sister." Steve gave Bucky a dirty look. "I'm keeping my eye on you." Bucky laughed and took my arm. Bonnie looked at me with raised eyebrows and whispered "You said your brother was hot."

I smiled innocently. "Well, some people might think that. But please, give him a chance." She rolled her eyes. "Only because I like you."

Then we heard a drumming. "It's starting", I exclaimed happily, took Bucky's hand and pulled him through the crowd. I stopped in front of a small tribune where a car was parked. A man came onto the stage, wearing a black suit. I heard a woman in the audience shout "I love you Howard Stark" and had to giggle.

"Ladies and Gentleman. What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile wouldn't touch the ground at all?" Howard began his speech. He pressed a switch so that the car lifted off the ground and into the air. I held my breath and watched the action with rapt attention. Suddenly there was a slight bang and the car fell back to the ground. I was startled and instinctively reached for Bucky's hand, who smiled at me in amusement. "I did say a few years, didn't I?" Howard added, making the audience applaud.

"He is awesome," I said to Bucky, but when I turned around, he was gone. Steve was also nowhere to be seen. "Where are they?" I asked Bonnie, who just shrugged her shoulders.

Disappointed, I ran to a waiter and ordered a tequila. Normally I didn't drink, but I just needed it right now. "Another please." "Hey, easy Connie," Bonnie tried to calm me down. I ignored her and asked for a third drink.

Just as I was about to drink the fifth, Bonnie pointed into the distance. Finally saw the two of them standing a little way off. "Hey James, you can't just leave me. We have a date, remember?" I called out to him.

"Yes, sorry. I'm coming."

"I'll leave you two alone," Bonnie said and gave me a quick hug before disappearing in the crowd. "I'm really sorry, doll but I needed to talk with Steve." Now I was worried. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired."

I let out a sigh of relief. "So, what do we want to do?"
"I was thinking of taking you out to dinner."

I smiled at him. "That's a great idea."

I hooked into him and we walked a few minutes together until I stumbled. Luckily, Bucky caught me. "Wow, Connie, are you alright?" "Sure."

We walked on, but with every step it became harder to keep our balance. Bucky looked at me in surprise. "Connie, have you been drinking?"

I smiled innocently at him. "Just a lill' bit."

Bucky stopped abruptly. "Doesn't sound like little to me."

"Okay, maybe a few glasses. But you weren't there an' I have missed you. Cause I have feelings fo' you. Strong feelings." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his.

He returned the kiss for a second, but then he carefully pushed me away.

"We shouldn't do this, doll."

I looked at him with big eyes. "Why not?"

"Because you are pretty drunk and I don't want to take advantage of the situation. And now I should bring you back home." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "But I wanna stay here. We have a date."

"Another time. Come on now." When I didn't move, he lifted me up without hesitation. "You a' so strong, James."

He started to grin.

"An' so handsome. I would love to have children with you. A little boy and a little girl. They will definitely look good with these parents." Bucky laughed. "Slow down, doll."

"I'm serious." He raised his eyebrows.

"But first, I wanna marry you cause I love you, James."

He didn't say anything back, but just carried me on until we got home. Then he ran into my room, put me to bed and tucked me in. Slowly, he gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Good night, babydoll. Sleep well."

I smiled happily and closed my eyes.

"Goo' night, Bucky."

Bucky's pov:

With a small smile, I looked at Connie snuggled into her pillow. She looked so peaceful and so beautiful.
I thought about what she had said to me. It was the first time she had called me Bucky instead of James.
She really loved me and she wanted to have a future with me.
My smile widened. She had no idea that I wanted it just as much.