Stasis || Bucky Barnes (1)

One

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Britain needs you!

Serve your country!

Basil Parrish, Baz to his friends, looked over the bright poster  pinned to the wall with a unreadable expression. Around him the bustle of London echoed around the streets. Cabs and buses honked. People shouted and chattered. Bicycle bells dinged and footsteps clipped against the pavement.

He had paused outside the local church. The notice board covered in various recruitment posters for the war. Pin up girls perched on land rovers pursing their lips at him and handsome soldiers saluted towards the sky, heroic smiles emblazoned across their faces. Basil snorted at the ridiculous flag colours and bold slogans. Red, white and blue. Loud, bright and attention seeking.

"Baz!" A voice called. A tall red headed boy about eighteen or nineteen called from further up the street. He was waving frantically at Basil to get his attention, foot propped against the curb as he leaned on his bicycle. Baz jerked and looked away from the patriotic posters towards his friend. The guy was growing impatient at the hold up.

"Baz come on!" The redhead yelled, voice tinged with frustration. "We're going to be late for class!" Above them, the church clock struck the half an hour, the morning busy and growing on. It clanged loudly overhead, startling a flock of pigeons. Basil jolted and kicked off the curb. The lecture started in fifteen minutes and they were still twenty minutes away.

"I'm coming!" Basil called back. He put his foot back on the peddles and began cycling after his friend. The poster forgotten in the rush to get to class on time.

——

A year later Basil dumped his bag on top of a creaking cot. He was somewhere in the south east of France maybe. He had lost track over several trips in the back of a jeep. The army uniform itched and the mild heat of summer was bugging him. He disliked this place. The tent was cramped and stank of sweat. Around him several other soldiers lounged around in various states of undress. They laughed and talked jovially, the easy atmosphere a relief from the constant fear.

Basil sighed as he unbuttoned his shirt. It was growing late into the evening and the small group of British forces which had been sent over, had only just arrived. It had been trekking across country then a long and vomit inducing bumpy car ride before another long march. The majority of the British troops had been marched to their base further north. But he had and around half a squadron others had been assigned to work with the Americans. Basil had been promptly pushed into a busy tent and shown to the only free cot in the room. It was the uniform green and Basil sighed with exhaustion. He missed the colours of London. The paintings in his university. They had been so bright and beautiful. Now everything was uniform green.

He was just about to lay down, maybe pull out one of the paperbacks he had brought and catch up on some reading, when a voice startled him. It was a pleasant one, polite but with a distinguishable American accent. New York maybe?

"Are you the new corporal?"

Basil turned and saluted. The man was taller than him. With short cut black hair and warm blue eyes. The stripes on his jacket announced that he was a Sargent. He eyed Basil's salute amusedly. "Yes sir. Corporal Basil Parrish".

"At ease Parrish. I'm Sargent Barnes. Bucky my friends call me", Bucky smiled. It was more genuine than Basil would have expected. Most upper rank men were cold and harsh. Bucky seemed natural. "Welcome to the 107th". He clapped a hand on Basil's shoulder warmly. "Glad we have another medic. Can never have too many of those".

Basil nodded and relaxed his stance. Bucky looked him up and down slyly. "So why did they send a Brit like you here?"

Basil cracked a wry grin. "Couldn't handle me sir". That was true but not for the reasons you would expect. Basil was pretty sure that his previous commanding officer would have killed him if he spouted one more history fact or versed another line of poetry. The only reason he was a corporal and not a private was the fact that he was very good at fighting.

Bucky laughed. "I'm sure we can keep up. Just call me Bucky or Sarge when we aren't in combat", he added. "Can't have my new neighbour calling me Sir all the time, the other boys would think that I'm being mean".

Basil nodded. He relaxed further and sat down on his cot. Next to him, Bucky began unbuttoning his jacket to get ready for bed. Basil rummaged through his bag and pulled out a well worn paperback copy of Frankenstien. Bucky raised and eyebrow at the novel choice. "Light reading?" He asked.

Basil glanced up at him. Bucky was taking off his shirt, leaving him in a green vest. His dog tags hung down the middle of his chest. The cheap metal glinted in the lantern light. Basil could feel the comforting weight of his own against his collar. Around them, the noise from the surrounding men began to die down as they all began getting into bed.

"It's interesting", Basil amended. Bucky nodded as if he knew what Basil was talking about. But judging from he look on his face, he probably didn't.

"So where are you from Parrish?"

"Canterbury", Basil replied easily. "Was studying in London before I joined. And it's Baz. My friends call me Baz".

"I'm from Brooklyn, New York. I like Baz. It's better than Basil. Who the hell calls their kid Basil?"

Basil laughed at the frown on Bucky's face. "Who the hell calls their kid Bucky?"

"It's James Buchanan Barnes actually", Bucky corrected with a smirk. He rolled onto his cot and settled himself agains the metal frame, blue eyes watching Basil in the rapidly deepening gloom.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jahi Basilton Parrish", Basil held out his hand and Bucky shook it easily. His hand was pale against Basil's slightly golden skin.

"We both must of had mad parents", Bucky commented with a chuckle.

"I suppose", Basil shrugged. "What does Buchanan mean?"

"It's after the president. What does Jahi mean?"

Basil placed his book on his pillow. It was obvious that he was not going to get any reading done. Bucky seemed keen to talk. That was new. You generally didn't get to know your fellows much because they were usually dead the next day. It was actually nice to be having a decent conversation for a change.

"Dignified", Basil replied. "My ma is Egyptian but my dad is english. She wanted me to have as English name as possible but my dad loves Egypt. He said that my name would remind me from where I came".

Bucky snorted. "That's a better story than mine". Basil looked over at the Sargent in the flickering lantern light. The night had fallen with a cool blanket of darkness. Outside, a slight pitter patter of light rain thrummed against the tent. Bucky yawned deeply. The tent was growing silent aside from quiet mummers of those still awake. A few men were snoring.

"We'd best get some sleep", Bucky said, voice hushed. "I have a meeting in the morning".

"Orders?" Basil asked sleepily. "Are we moving out soon?"

Bucky shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. See you in the morning Parrish".

"Goodnight Sarge".