BLACK INFERNO [BUCKY BARNES]

DEUX

Chapter Two
Brooklyn, 1941

It was getting dark out, and while Bucky wanted to spend the rest of the night with Quinn in his arms, he knew they had plans to meet with Steve at the bar down the street. "Quinn," He nudged his fiance's sleeping form, urging her to sit up.

The two were currently in Bucky's flat and neither wanted to leave. Quinn's head was laying on Bucky's chest as the two were snuggled up in his bed while the small radio next to them was playing soothing music. The brown-haired girl picked up her head a little bit and turned to peek up at her lover. "Do we have to go?"

Bucky grinned down at her. "We have to, we promised Steve. But we don't have to leave for another hour," the man gingerly grabbed Quinn's forearms, pulling her up a little bit so her head was on his broad shoulder and he could kiss her on the forehead. "Besides, I can think of a million things we could do in an hour." Bucky's cheeky smirk was the most adorable sight in the world, Quinn had decided. As she giggled, she couldn't help but reply.

"Are you being risqué with me, Mr. Barnes?" She breathed, now fully focused on the man beside her. Bucky laughed, looking deeply into her eyes as he prepared for the news he was about to reveal.

"How about Sergeant Barnes?" Quinn's face suddenly turned blank, a ghost of a surprised look making it's appearance. He wiggled his eyebrows in an attempt to distract his fiancee from most likely wanting to murder him right then and there.

Fully processing what Bucky said, Quinn sat up completely and her eyes hardened as she crossed her arms. "You joined the army?!" It completely disheartened the girl to even think about her soon-to-be husband getting hurt in the middle of this terrible war.

His smile faded a bit when he noticed she was being completely serious. "Well, not yet, but I plan on enlisting tomorrow." Panic instantaneously rose inside of Quinn and it was evident on her face. Bucky sighed at her countenance and silence. "I'll be fine. You have Steve,"

The dark-haired girl interrupted him. "And I need you." Her voice contained a faint pleading tone.

Bucky felt himself shift closer to her, grabbing her hands gently in his own. In own swift movement, he connected their foreheads making Quinn let out a breath and the corners of her lips lifted upward momentarily.

"I love you, Quinn," He muttered, his breath fanning her face. The aforementioned girl looked deeply into his eyes as she spoke back.

"I'll come with you." The look of utter confusion and slight fascination illuminated upon her fiance's face, and she couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean as a nurse? There's no saying you'd be assigned to my--"

"Oh, hell no," Quinn quickly intervened. "I mean as a soldier. It can't be that hard, can it?"

Bucky shrugged lightly. "I have no idea. It's dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt." Automatically Quinn got defensive by his words. She sat up more, so that they were face to face and glared.

"Are you saying that I can't do it? Because I'm a woman? I'll have you know that I'm--"

Bucky silenced her rant with a passionate kiss on the mouth, a truly effective way to dissolve all of her anger. She pulled back moments later, taking in a deep breath. Bucky's lips curved upward into a smile and he grabbed her hands once again and intertwined them with his own. "Very independent, I know. You tell me all the time--" She glared playfully, "and I love it."

He rubbed his thumb over his fiancee's knuckles and Quinn let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "If you're going to do this," The girl started, "then we're going to do it together." Bucky smirked and pecked her on the lips ardently.

"Now that's a good idea right there."

Bucky gasped, sitting up from the hard floor he was previously resting on.

He never told her that he was drafted.

He lifted his human arm, pressing the fingertips to his lips as if he could still feel the kiss as if it was just moments ago. Sighing, he briskly stood and wiped the dirt off his jeans.

The man leaned down beside him and grabbed his backpack off the ground, slinging it around his shoulder to get ready for another day's worth of travelling. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to stealing a car. Hitchhiking was out of the question as well -- it wasn't polite to ask someone to drive you all the way to Washington D.C.

Kicking loose gravel as he walked out of the alleyway, he was greeted by a traffic jam next to the sidewalk he was planning to start his trek on. Bucky awkwardly pushed his cap down a little tighter, the thought of anyone recognizing him sending small shivers of discomfort up his spine. You can do this, Bucky, he told himself silently. All he could remember at the moment was Quinn's soft touch.

The smooth, grey sidewalk stared boringly up at him while Bucky counted the cracks as he stepped. One for the amount of chances he deserved with Quinn that he knew was already gone; two for the years it's been since he had seen her, and he didn't even know exactly who she was; three for the amount of times he has harmed her physically in the past -- something he'd never forgive himself for.

Eventually the numbers blurred together and Bucky looked up, seeing a sign for I-95 ahead of him. Sighing in relief, he kept going and followed the direction the billboard had pointed in. The cement seemed endless, and Bucky started to feel upset on the fact that he was just in D.C. He should have stayed, but he needed to run. Now, he was going back to square one -- but this time he was prepared for the worst.

As the sky grew darker and Bucky's thoughts lessened, he finally saw the six-lane highway to the left of him. All he had to do now was find a way to follow it without getting hit by a car.

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this is so bad but this chapter took me like 2 weeks to write lmao. you guys wouldnt know bc i wrote these all in advance but yikes

anywho, quinn will actually come in at like chapter 4 whoop