Eleanor Stark had it all. A kind brother, amazing friends, and a promising career.
So, what will happen when she constantly bumps into a blue-eyed soldier, who, in her words, is the personification of the word trouble?
Placed in Captain America: The...
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Eleanor Stark had decided that James Barnes was the personification of the word trouble.
This started when she noticed he didn't really mind that, if someone found him on the rooftop, he could get punished or even thrown out of the training program.
"Your company makes it all worth it, Lane" he would say every time Ellie talked to him about it.
Her thoughts about it increased when one day, he sneaked out of the Military Base and walked towards a restaurant nearby.
Nearby meaning at least 7 miles.
Ellie was there, eating a hamburger and fries, alone. Alex had given her a ride; the restaurant was on the way to the city and he was going there to meet his girlfriend.
How was Ellie going to get back to the base? That was a great question, but she hadn't really thought about that.
All she wanted was a burger.
To say that she was surprised when she saw James Barnes there was an understatement.
He didn't look tired, and Ellie knew that if the situation switched, she'd be sweaty, with messy hair and sore legs.
"Hello, Lane" he smiled and sat in front of her, "nice evening"
"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously, offering him some fries.
He took a couple and said, "wanted to eat something"
"And you walked 7 miles?"
"For fries, I'll walk 50," he said.
Ellie loved fries; she really did. But she wouldn't even walk a mile to get them. She was lazy like that.
"And you left?" she said, "just like that? I thought they didn't allow that..."
"Oh, they don't" he grinned and looked at the menu a waitress had just given him, then gave it back to her. He asked for the same thing Ellie was eating.
"So, a hamburger with no pickles?" asked the waitress, giggling.
James gave Ellie a look, "you eat hamburgers without pickles?"
She nodded, "yeah"
He raised his brows dramatically, shaking his head, "a burger with pickles for me, please" he said to the waitress.
She nodded and left hurriedly.
Ellie looked at him, still curious, "how did you manage to leave? I mean, it is supposed to be one of the most secure places and all..."
He just shrugged, and smiled at her "I have my ways"
✧✦✧
Months passed and December rolled around. With the chilly weather also came the situation that made Ellie finally decide that the blue-eyed boy was trouble, the day before Christmas, 1940.
Ellie was going to leave for a couple of weeks, seeing as she had some free days because of, well, the holidays.
James was going to stay, as every soldier in training did.
So, the last day Ellie was at the base, James took her by the hand and led her to the only place Ellie knew that neither she nor James could go.
"We can't," said Ellie.
"Why?"
"I can get fired"
"No one will catch us," he grinned.
And oh, that damned grin was enough for Ellie to lose the last string of responsibility she had.
And so, he took her where the planes were.
Beautiful, bright, new planes.
Ellie had wanted to be close to them the moment she set foot on the camp but was forbidden to do so because of her low range in the Engineer and Development of Aircraft Department.
This was the first time James heard Ellie talk nonstop.
She rambled about planes, gears, motors, and turbines...
But she was talking, and that was definitely something.
She looked so comfortable talking about planes with him, he wondered what it would take for her to talk about everything with him.
He was already enjoying Ellie's rambling about planes, gears, motors and turbines. And he was sure that he would enjoy Ellie's rambling on anything and everything.
All the way back to the rooftop, hiding behind cars and buildings and even a muddy wall, Ellie kept muttering about how irresponsible they were, and that someone would surely find them and that they would be in trouble.
"You worry too much," he smiled when they were back on the rooftop, clothes and faces covered in mud.
"You worry too little" she responded, trying to clean her clothes but to no avail.
"We only live once, Laney'' he said and she smiled at the nickname, "and worrying is not in my plans, at least not yet..." he drove off and she knew what that meant.
As much as both wanted to forget it, the world was at war.
"Merry Christmas, Lane" whispered James a while later, when Ellie was about to leave the rooftop and then head home.
It was not Christmas yet, but Ellie smiled, "Merry Christmas, James"
