Red Warrior - Bucky Barnes x Super Soldier! Reader (1)
This is a super old story I made like pre-lockdown I think when the Avengers were like THE thing. I still love them and I thought I'd just put all my writing here so I could find it :" Enjoy!!
Chapter One: A good-looking man in uniform
“Are you sure you don’t mind me coming?” Gloria asked as Y/n took off her medical apron and tossed it into her bag. She smiled at Gloria and grabbed her coat from the rack, slipping off her oxfords to then replace them with a pair of low heels. She cringed at the blisters from her work shoes that had been made from running around all day.
“I’m sure, Gloria, trust me.” She watched as Gloria grabbed her coat and linked arms with her, bidding farewell to the matron for the evening. “Bucky has been talking about this for days, I told him I’d set him up with someone pretty and you were the first girl that came to mind.”
“Are you sure he’s happy to see me? Or to spend time with you?” Gloria smirked, hinting at the one thing she knew she could tease her with.
It was an ongoing thing that she thought Bucky was head over heels for Y/n but Y/n couldn’t see it, only seeing him being the flirty friend she grew up with. She shrugged in response, not wanting to have this conversation again and they left the hospital. They’d finished their shift later than usual tonight despite this being the one night they had plans meaning they had no time to go home and change. Y/n hoped that Steve and Bucky wouldn’t mind them still being in their uniforms and probably not smelling like the prettiest women in the world but then realised it was Steve with the heart of gold who would never hurt her feelings even if he wanted to; Bucky was Bucky and she could deal with his comments.
After about a ten-minute walk with comfortable small talk about gossip within the maternity ward (Gloria had an ear for it and always made sure to report back to her), both girls finally found themselves at the start of the Stark Expo and fair. As she looked around, she couldn’t see the familiar sight of Bucky and Steve and decided to wait by the erected statue at the centre of the entrance. She began looking around, taking in the sights of the stalls, some food vendors and some exhibits dotted around the large park with futuristic-looking inventions inside. Gloria tugged her arm, causing her to snap back to her friend who then raised her hand and waved into the crowd, obviously seeing the boys they were waiting for.
Y/n turned and saw her two oldest friends; Steve had a black eye and she cringed slightly, already being able to piece together the story. That boy, that 5”4, 95-pound boy, always got into trouble for all the right reasons. Like she said before, he had a heart of gold and that heart worked on respect and courage so when someone didn’t do the right thing – he couldn’t look away. She shook her head slightly, realising she would probably be stitching him up later in the evening and turned her attention to the taller of her two friends.
Her heart dropped. His hair was slicked back and hidden under an army-green cap. Her gaze lingered for a moment before her sights dropped down to his body. Green shirt, green tie, army blazer with golden adornments. If it was any other time, any other time at all, she would have stopped to blush but the only heat that coursed through her was anger. Anger and fear.
“You didn’t.” She snapped out, startling Gloria who moved her hand back to her side, Y/n’s mood dropped as she stalked towards him. They seemed to notice her anger as Steve whistled and stepped aside so Bucky could take the brunt of her anger, leaving a defenceless Bucky in her wake. She shoved him lightly, to others it may have seemed playful but she was hurt. How could he have not told her?
“Woah, Doll,” He grabbed her enclosed fists in his slightly larger hands and held them between them both, looking her up and down. He bit his lip as he watched her mood change again and she slowly calmed down. She dropped her hands and moved back slightly. "You’re not beating me up in front of the pretty lady to ward her off now, are you?” He winked at Gloria who gave a flirty chuckle back but Y/n was in no mood for jokes. She inspected his uniform before slapping him again on the side of the arm, moving his attention back to her.
“Where are you going?” She asked, watching as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He muttered something but the crowds of the park stopped her ability to hear it so she asked again.
“England…” That was so far away. She’d never even dreamed of going to England and now she was losing her best friend so he could go without her?
“Tomorrow.” Her heart sank. No, this wasn’t happening. Not tomorrow, he couldn’t just drop that on her and expect her to be okay with it. She noticed people were beginning to turn their heads to meet the four of them because of their earlier confrontations but saw the scene play out as it had probably had with hundreds of other families, lovers, couples and friends – someone was going to war and leaving the ones they loved behind. “I only got told today, Y/n, okay?” He grabbed her shoulder in comfort but it felt foreign to her. “I promise I would have told you sooner if I could.” She focused her energy on not raising her voice at him again and sighed, she craned her head to meet the smaller of the two friends and Bucky instantly moved to the side of her, happy to be out of harm’s way of an earful.
“Did you do it too?” Steve shook his head in an almost sad manner and she realised he wanted to join. She should have felt infuriated but she couldn’t. It was Steve. Steve the little guy, Steve the defender of the little guys; Steve who wanted to change the world FOR the little guys.
“He tried, didn’t ya? Where are you from now? New Jersey?” Bucky teased, pushing the significantly smaller boy to his side, almost toppling him over. Y/n rolled her eyes again, turning back to Gloria with a huff. She’d lost count of how many times Steve had falsified his credentials to try and get in and even though every time he did it, she explained to him how serious it could be if he was caught and yet he still did it. Gloria noticed the sour look on her friend and coworker’s face and pulled her to one side. The boys watched as she berated her on her behaviour.
“Look, I know it's sad but at the end of the day, you can't change anything,” Y/n bit her lip, knowing she was right, Bucky couldn’t choose when his orders were given out. “This is his last evening and he wants to spend it with his two friends and I guess me too so let's just go out and have fun.” It was true, Bucky was obviously wanting the people he cared the most about with him and he just wanted it to be another evening. She thought back to when he’d asked her to bring her friend to the expo, it was like any other day where Bucky was either flirting with her or trying to get a friend of hers instead. Forever the womaniser, she thought, if Bucky wanted this evening to be like any other night then so be it. She took another breath and followed Gloria back to the group.
She smiled at the two of them and Gloria nodded at her in respect at her decision to drop the concern for one evening.
“There’s my doll face.” Bucky grinned, slinging his arm around her. She shoved his arm off of her and pushed him towards Gloria, motioning for him to talk to her. She then stepped back to be in step with Steve and they walked at a slower pace.
“So did it work?” Y/n asked after a few minutes of silence, Steve turned to her with his small features and shook his head.
“Nah, they didn’t take, I didn’t get in on the asthma alone.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, bringing him to her side as they walked.
“That’s okay, there’s plenty more states and cities – right? One of them has to take you.”
“You’re okay with it?” She shook her head and Steve smiled sadly at her. They both knew she wasn’t okay with it but it was what he wanted to hear so he appreciated that she was thinking about him. They slowly walked to join Bucky and Gloria who were now standing watching in anticipation for the show to begin and stopped talking. The curtains opened and a few dazzling ladies came out onto the stage where a car was stationed.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Howard Stark.” One of the women called into the microphone and after a second, a handsome man in an expensive-looking suit and top hat came waltzing onto the stage. The crowd cheered and Gloria squealed, muttering to Y/n that he was quite the looker. Bucky moved his arm so Y/n could see and she looked up at him and smiled before looking back to the stage. She watched as they removed the wheels from the cars and slowly lifted the automobile from the ground.
“Holy cow,” Bucky muttered, watching in awe as the car rose.
“I second that.” She muttered but just as she blinked the car began to falter and fell to the ground with a crash. The crowd all gasped as they watched the scene unfold and an embarrassed Stark moved back to the mic, telling them that it would still take a few years. The crowd clapped and Y/n followed suit before turning to Steve only to realise he wasn’t there. She tugged on Bucky’s sleeve causing him to turn from the flirtatious comment he was making towards Gloria to focus solely on her. She motioned to where Steve was standing moments before and he looked around, noticing a recruitment sign.
“He didn’t…” He muttered, alerting her attention to it and she sighed.
“Stay here, I’ll go find him.” With that, she parted the crowd and left to find her frail friend, leaving Bucky and Gloria alone.
“You like her, don’t you?” Bucky’s attention snapped back from the dispersing crowd where he had been watching Y/n leave through to the woman he was meant to be going out with tonight. He watched as her eyebrow rose and her lips formed a smirk. “It’s pretty obvious, Bucky, admit it.”
“Y/n? No, she’s my best friend. I’m here with you darlin’.” Bucky knew he was lying to himself. He adored her, everything about her. He hated that she was so angry at him for leaving tomorrow and he hated that her last memories of him tonight would be of him flirting with a woman while she chased after their friend. Gloria picked up on this and shoved him slightly in annoyance. Her smirk stayed on her lips, however.
“Look, Bucky, Y/n’s not got a lot of time left here so you need to spend every moment with her that you can tonight – even if it’s just as her friend or you’re gonna regret it.” Gloria paled as the words came out of her mouth. Oh no, she thought. She wasn’t meant to tell them about that – Y/n had specifically told her not to tell them otherwise the evening for them would be ruined.
“What do you mean she hasn’t got a lot of time?” He asked, his worry increasing. Was she hiding something? Was she okay? When Gloria stayed silent he grabbed her arms, face filled to the brim with panic and she bit her lip. She was really in for it now.
“Y/n got drafted last Monday by the A.N.C.” She started, taking in the new emotion she could only describe as something between sadness and shock that crossed over Sergeant Barnes’s face. “She’s shipping out next week but she didn’t want me to tell either of you because she didn’t want either of you being upset.” Bucky’s worry dispelled and he realised she’d been so angry not only because she was worried for him, but she was worried for Steve. Y/n wasn’t the type to tell people her problems, preferring to help others before tackling her issues and he realised just how much of Steve he saw in her. He had a type when it came to the people he hung around. There was slight anger in the back of his mind, however. She had been hypocritical, yelling at him when she’d done the same thing anyway. He realised he needed to talk to her and apologised to Gloria who seemed fine with the idea of him leaving her in favour of their friend. He took off towards the recruitment centre, hoping he could catch the duo.
Instead of finding Y/n, he found Steve and pursed his lips. Steve probably didn’t know, he couldn’t do that to him, not when he’d only found out about his own deployment a couple of hours ago. Y/n wouldn’t have told him, she’d have left it until the last minute so she didn’t have to witness the aftermath of her decision and he cringed just thinking of how he was going to take it. Instead of bringing it up, he decided to change the topic, focusing on Steve’s interest in the army once more. He straightened up, wiped the pained look from his face for the benefit of his friend and walked towards him.
“Come on, you're kinda missing the point of a double date – let’s take the girls dancing.” Bucky shoved Steve lightly, bringing him off the weighted plat that showed how he would look in a uniform. Steve turned with a neutral face and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you.” Bucky sighed and backed up, wishing Y/n was here for backup. Of course, he was going to do this. He was like a pig running after a carrot on a stick when it came to enlisting. He couldn’t stop, not until he reached his goal. His prayers were answered when he heard the familiar click of wooden heels come closer to him and they both turned to see Y/n with a neutral expression to match Steve’s.
“You’re really gonna do this again?” She asked, watching him like a mother would with her child. Steve looked at the floor as if he was ashamed of himself for not being able to stop. She locked eyes with Bucky and realised she couldn’t stop him. “I’ll be in the bathroom.”
As she walked away from the group, she knocked into an older man, knocking the clipboard out of his hands and onto the floor. She cursed, moving to pick it up and almost bumping heads with the man as he followed suit. He let her rise back up and smiled at her and she took a look at his nametag. Erskine. She’d heard that name, he had something to do with the job she was being sent to.
“Excuse me, miss.” He said in a rough German accent that contrasted his well-pronounced English. She stepped to the side but before he could walk past she caught his attention again.
“I’m sorry – are you THE Doctor Erskine?” He turned to face her and his cheeks wrinkled as he grinned at her.
“Well it would be the first time hearing that there is another," He joked, "I am him, how can I help you?”
“Yes actually, my name is Y/n L/n, I think I’m going to be working with you soon.” He pondered over her name for a moment before looking back to her and it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.
“Ah! Miss L/n, the nurse!” He moved the clipboard under his armpit and took her hand in his, grasped it tightly and shook. She smiled politely at him in response. His grip was kind of tight. “You will be coming with us to New Jersey, yes?”
“If all goes to plan, may I ask what I’ll be doing there?” She had been thinking this question through since she got told she was leaving – why would they want an ordinary nurse up in New Jersey? There were no wars on the home front as far as she could tell.
“Top secret business, Miss L/n – now tell me,” He turned her by her shoulders so she was in direct eyesight of Steve and Bucky. Bucky seemed exasperated as they argued over Steve’s continuous choices. “About him…”
“Who? Bucky?” She asked motioning to her friend in the uniform but the doctor shook his head and pointed towards the smaller of the two: Steve. “What about him?” She asked, her voice laced with obvious concern which caused him to chuckle.
“He’s just…Steve. He’s a hardworking guy who has to put in twice the effort as the average Joe but he’s good. He’s kind, selfless, hellbent on joining this war.”
“He wants to kill Nazis?” The German doctor asks with a hint of a joke tipped at the end of his words. She thought for a second, she didn’t know. She only knew he wanted desperately to fight but he’d never really told her why. She thought of her own answer, using it instead to cover the gaps.
“I don’t think he wants to kill anyone, but Steve’s a good kid, he just doesn’t like people who push others around like they’re better than them.”
“Hmm, I see,” Erskine muttered, not taking his eyes off of the two as they finished their little argument and Y/n realised she should probably go over there now. As if sensing her departure, the doctor bid her farewell until they would meet again and Y/n moved back over to the two boys.
“This isn’t about me.” Steve all but yelled as Y/n got closer and she slowly pushed her way between them to separate them.
“That’s enough boys, come on.” She yanked Steve’s collar and dragged him away from Bucky.
“Right, ‘cuz you got nothing to prove?” Bucky’s eyes were full of sadness. Y/n knew what he meant. Steve just wanted to be a good person, to show the world that even the little guys needed to be respected and while she admired him for doing it, she realised he was oblivious to the fact their best friend was worrying so much about him.
“Come on, are we going dancing or what?” She asked them both and they both looked away for a second. “Guys?”
“Bucky’s gonna take you, Y/n, I have some stuff to do.” Her sad smile was back on her face and Steve broke a little on the inside, he wondered if she would take her turn and berate him on his choice but she just engulfed him in a hug. They stood at almost the same height and Y/n held her arms around him as his frame was so small compared to any other she’d hugged. If he was doing this again, she wanted him to know that she would support him.
“Be safe, okay?” She asked and Steve noticed she was sniffling a little. He pulled away and Bucky’s stomach dropped at the tears that circled those beautiful eyes he adored so much. She wasn’t crying for him tonight, she was crying for the fact she wouldn’t likely see him for a long time.
“Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” Bucky changed the focus from her, allowing her to wipe her tears. Steve looked straight up at him with his small smirk, Bucky began to turn and grabbed Y/n’s arm, linking it with his own. She looked up at him and he smiled softly down at her in understanding. He knew, she didn’t know how but he had picked up on it.
“How can I?” Steve asked, bringing the attention back to him, “You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Y/n laughed at that and wiped her eyes again.
“There’s enough stupid between the both of you to keep the world running.” Steve and Bucky laughed at her and her face lit up slightly, she was going to miss this. Bucky walked back over to Steve and brought him in for a short hug, pulling back and muttering that he was a punk. Steve smiled and called him a jerk causing Y/n to perk up again and tell them they were both idiots. She smiled one last time before walking off with Bucky, watching as he turned and saluted to Steve when he told him not to win the war until he got there.
They walked a little further until Steve disappeared back into the building and they stopped. Y/n looked around, wondering where her friend was.
“Did you leave Gloria?” She asked, trying to find her through the sea of people. Bucky bit his lip and turned to face her.
“Yeah she – uh, she went home.” Y/n nodded slowly. She had to tell him, now. He was leaving tomorrow and she couldn’t just keep it from him forever. What if he came back and she didn’t? What if he came back and found out she had served without telling them? “I know about it.” This broke her from her questioning and her eyes went wide. He knew.
“Did Gloria tell you?” She asked, remembering that Gloria often forgot to think before opening her mouth. She knew she shouldn’t have told her, Bucky nodded and it seemed like forever until she mustered up the courage to speak again. She’d been a complete hypocrite and he was probably so angry at her now. “Look, Buck, I wanted to tell you but-“
“You didn’t want us worrying about you?” He finished a playful tone resting on his words. She nodded slowly, unable to look him in the eyes. God, she was so done for. She didn’t even think when she got so angry at him before but now he was completely calm at her confession and it made her realise she’d overreacted. “Doll, we’re gonna worry about you regardless. You can't just not tell us things like that and expect everything to work out.” Bucky saw the tears in her eyes once more and sighed, pulling her head to his chest as he rubbed circles in the back of her neck. This was hard for both of them – this was a war for crying out loud. No one knew whether one day would be their last day and both of them realised they’d spent some of their last hours together with one of them angry at the other for something out of their control.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was tiny and he barely heard her over the booming voices of families at the fair. He did hear her however and his heart swelled at the noise. She pulled her face away from her chest and looked up at him, her face was flushed red from the tears and her eyes glistened under the lights. She looked beautiful. He smiled down at her and she slowly felt a smile spreading onto her face like it was contagious. Y/n found herself staring at him like she’d never done before, he looked ethereal. The uniform, the boyish smile, the adoration in his eyes as he looked down at her – he was something else. She felt something stir in her chest and it scared her. She couldn’t do this, not now. Y/n pulled away with a cough and looked around the area, not noticing Bucky’s slightly sad features at the sudden movement. When she looked back he covered it with his trademark boyish charm and offered his arm to her. She took it and they began walking out of the expo.
“I’m thinking burgers and dancing – my treat.” He told her as they walked down the dark street. She scoffed at his words and turned her head to face him with a frown.
“No way- it’s your last night. I’m buying.” He grinned down at her and she realised he’d fallen into his trap. Of course, he wanted her to pay and knew she’d call him out on trying. She shook her head as a laugh erupted from her lips and they made their way down to the diner; their diner.
They didn’t bother ordering, they just sat in their usual spot and the waitress gave them a thumbs up, rattling their usual order to the chef.
“I think it’s bad that they know exactly what we want, Buck.”
“Nah, we’re just loyal customers.” The cook came over a few seconds later, hands filled with two plates of burgers and fries. He grinned at the two of them and set the plates down. The food steamed slightly and Y/n’s mouth watered just at the sight of the perfect food. The waitress followed close behind and placed two milkshakes on the table.
“Here you are! Looking good Barnes.” The cook commented, placing his hand on Bucky’s uniformed shoulder. Bucky smiled politely back and Y/n glanced at him, relishing in the happiness one small diner could bring the both of them.
“Thanks Mr Daverish.” He replied and before she forgot, Y/n pulled out her purse, giving the stink-eye to a laughing Bucky and began to count out the necessary money. A large hand stopped her and she looked up at Daverish in questioning. He shook his head at her and pushed the purse away from him.
“Oh no no, on the house for military boys – you do us proud son.” He winked at Bucky and left the table with the waitress, continuing their work. Y/n looked at the purse for a second and put it away, turning her attention back to the soldier in front of her.
“Yeah, you definitely can't leave now Barnes. I need to take you everywhere if this is how people react.” She joked and he tucked into his food, barely stopping to breathe as he inhaled the homemade burgers and Y/n watched with a cheesy grin on her face as she tried to stop herself from laughing at him. She tucked into her burger, groaning at the flavours that melted in her mouth. This place was heaven to the trio. They would come here all the time after school and now as they were older, whenever they hung out.
They ate in with a small conversation for a while until Bucky finished his food, eyeballing her fries to which she rolled her eyes and pushed them towards him.
“So..the Army Nurse Corps.” He started in an attempt to pry more information out of her. He wanted to know all that he could – would she be safe? Was she going out to the front line?
“Yeah, it…different I guess.” He noticed her blandness and inwardly sighed, knowing she didn’t want to tell him all that she knew.
“I think it’s nice you're finally being appreciated for your talents.” He finished, sucking the salt off of his fingers. She reached for her milkshake, taking a short sip before swallowing and locked eyes with him again.
“I guess patching up Steve has helped me hone my talents through the years…” They both laughed for a moment until she sighed. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“He’s Steve, he can get through anything.” They both knew it was true. He was small but he was resilient and Y/n knew deep down he’d be okay. He’d made it this far, right? Still, there was a part of her that panicked about the idea of leaving him alone.
“Listen to me doll, this is my last night so I wanna enjoy it.” He dropped his napkin on the table and leaned over, taking her hand in his. “So we’re gonna eat the hell out of these burgers, dance the hell out of that club then who knows?” He winked and his eyes ran down her body in a flirty gesture. She yanked her hands back and blushed, instantly realising what he was getting at.
“Absolutely not Barnes.” The sound of his laugh settled her down and she realised how much she was going to miss it. She was going to miss his laugh, his smile, his annoying little comments – she was going to miss him.
“I didn’t say anything!” He put his hands up in mock surrender and she shook her head, getting up from the booth and smoothing down her skirt. He followed suit and straightened out his uniform, picking up his hat from his side and placing it back on his head.
“We’ll see you soon, Mr Daverish.” She called to the back and the chef peeked his head through the door, waving them off with a smile. They made their way out of the establishment and began walking down the street. Y/n stopped, looking up at the sky and sighed. Bucky stopped walking and turned back to her.
“What?” He asked, his hands hung loosely from his pockets and he wondered why the girl he so was infatuated with looked so sad.
“We don’t have long left.” She responded, motioning to the full moon that plastered the sky with a subtle glow. He realised that it was far later than they both anticipated. The dance hall would be closed by now and Bucky had to get some sleep before his big day. “Walk me home?” She offered and he took her arm in his. They walked in silence until they got to her apartment and she pulled out her key, opening the door.
“Can I give you something?” Bucky asked as she threw her bag into the apartment before returning out to the landing of her complex. She frowned at his question, wondering what he could possibly give her when the ones who stayed were meant to be the ones giving going-away presents.
“Sure, what is it?” She watched as he pulled a silver chain from around his neck. The two metal plates jangled as they knocked against each other and he placed them in her open palms. She looked down at them and felt those stupid tears well up in her eyes again. This was too much, she couldn’t bear the thought of him actually leaving her and now, in their final moments together, he gave her the one thing that now meant so much to him as a soldier. They told the world who he was, they literally defined him as a soldier. “Bucky, I can't have these.” Her small voice returned and Bucky frowned down at her, had he overstepped? “It’s sort of counter-productive if you don’t have these on you in case you, you know.” The big D word. The one she had made sure she did not think of while he was wearing that uniform. He couldn’t die on her, she refused to believe that was even a possibility so she pushed it to the back of her mind. She heard him sigh and he grabbed the chain back from her, opening the clasp and pulling one of the tags off. He dropped the chain in her palm again.
“There. Now we both have one.” He watched as she ran her fingers over the indents in the metal and watched as her body froze when she spotted the number three, that dreaded number no man wanted to get.
“You didn’t choose…” He was called up, but he didn’t choose to enlist. He was drafted. He wasn’t leaving her by choice.
“No.” His voice was hurt and she realised the pain he must have gone through. He didn’t plan for this. He wanted to stay with them, protect them.
“Stop apologising, doll. There was nothing you could do.” She didn’t know what to say after that so she wrapped the tag around her neck and brought herself to his chest, wrapping her arms around him once more. After a few seconds, he hugged her back. She took in a breath, savouring the smell of his cologne and the smell of his new uniform and tried to remember it perfectly for the coming days. This was it. He was going to war tomorrow.
“Be safe.” She muttered into his chest and he pulled her back, stroking her face with his thumb. He was breaking inside, he didn’t want to leave her, not like this.
“I’ll see you again soon, doll face, don’t you worry about it.”
She wanted to believe him, but part of her knew it wasn’t true.
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