Dangerous Woman

[ 6 ]

It was still dark outside as Bucky shoved the last item of clothing into his backpack, looking around his apartment one last time. It seemed smaller than he remembered it, probably because anything that had mattered to him had been removed and there was less furniture than normal. Steve had tried to convince him to leave the apartment as it was so that when he returned, everything would be ready for him but Bucky wasn't as optimistic as his friend when it came to the war and was almost certain that he would never return to this apartment. It didn't hold any sentiment to him because it was just a few walls that held some memories, no matter where he lived, he would take those memories with him and he wasn't getting upset over leaving his home. He was more upset about leaving the people that he loved the most and that was why he hadn't woken up Noelle, who was fast asleep on the couch.

The night before had been full of laughs, tears and memories. After they had danced the night away, they relaxed on the couch and had talked about everything under the sun because they had no idea when would be their next chance to talk to each other so openly. They discussed Noelle's father and his sickness which was worsening every day; if things took a turn for the worst, Bucky was angry at himself for not being able to help her through the grieving process but she understood that it wouldn't be his fault. Besides, she had Steve to take care of her and he would keep his promise of watching over her until James got back; he was sure that his friend would live past the war and didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't. They discussed what would happen while he was away, Noelle was going to continue caring for her father but had no idea what she would do after that. Bucky promised that they would think of something together, both of them crying at the thought of not having each other after the war.

What wasn't discussed was their relationship. Right now, they were dating, and they could both see a future that they wanted together but because of the war, everything would-be put-on hold. They had no idea if Bucky would ever return from the fighting and what would happen if he didn't? Would Noelle move on with someone else or would she be too heartbroken to find love again? Neither of them brought it up because they didn't want to think that way. But right now, Bucky was staring lovingly at the girl who had his heart and he fumbled with the box that had been burning a hole in his pocket for weeks. Of course, he wanted to marry her, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and had had this ring picked out for months. But the country was at war and promising the rest of his life to someone when he didn't know what the future held wasn't fair to either of them and that was why the box had never made an appearance. There had been times when Bucky almost proposed, but he stopped himself and reminded himself that it wasn't a good idea. He had to wait until after the war and hope that he was still alive to get the chance to propose.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips against her forehead and she stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't wake up; it was extremely early in the morning and they hadn't gotten much sleep so he didn't blame her for being tired. He tried to savour this moment, taking in every single detail so that he would never forget her because when he was on the battlefield, this was the image that he wanted in his mind to keep him going. He wanted Noelle to be the reason that he kept on fighting, she was his reason to come home. She was his home. Taking a final glance at the apartment, he slung the strap of his backpack onto his shoulder and removed his hat from the coat stand. He had packed all of his belongings because he didn't know what to expect on his travels, he had never left the city before. All he knew was that he was heading into war and it wasn't going to be pretty. Goodbye New York. Hello England.