1 | SURVIVE • BUCKY BARNES [COMPLETED]

I.

The steady hum of people rushing around her filled her ears, reminding her that today was like any other day, steady, easy, safe. Little did she know that today would prove to be nothing like the previous, far more life-changing than she knew yet also for the better.

The cafe she sat at with Steve across from her teemed with life, the night coming to an end and everyone out a day of work. But while enticed by her turkey club and the worry of hours of homework she had for the night, she also noticed the quiet expression of her recent friend, his food untouched. "Something's bothering you Steve. I can see it. What's up," the twenty-six year old asked. A slight German accent could be detected in her voice, yet her ancestry wasn't something she preferred to proclaim, especially now with the war in full fledge. The brunette detested the actions of her home country, and that was the very reason her family fled. Only, it came with costs in the form of deaths.

"I didn't get enlisted today, again," the sandy haired man sighed, toying with his coffee mug yet never taking a sip.

"Steve," she exhaled, blue eyes wide as she tried to think of words to say, but she was left speechless. From the second she met him, she could see the determination he possessed to serve, and she also saw the disappointment engraved in his features from the first time he was denied by the on-call doctor. Having worked at the evaluation sites for months, she knew the expression well. She couldn't quite remember why she befriended Steve on that day, but she liked the valor in his eyes, and Gideon Erskine knew what is was like to have to jump so many hurdles to do what you want.

With marks exceeding the averages of her classmates, she excelled in school and had her doctorate set in close reach, an impressive triumph for a woman of her time. She only had a couple of classes left, and nothing was going to stop her from becoming a doctor. Even at twenty-six she had seen nearly every horror of the world, and those experiences gave her the courage try to save as many lives as possible, with hopes that they would never see the same monstrosities.

A moment of quietness fell over the two friends, both pondering the same dilemma. Chestnut hair laid splayed around her shoulders, slightly disheveled from the previous braid it sat in, and her dinner sat pushed aside and forgotten. But the longer she sat, the more annoyed she grew at Steve's second denial into the army, and she couldn't bite her tongue anymore.

"They're completely stupid not to accept you! You having every right to join just as much as the next guy. Who signed off on it? I'll make them change their mind, I promise you.," she prepared to defend.

"No Gideon, thank you though," Steve shook his head, slightly amused, "But that's what I'm saying!"

"What are you trying to say Rogers," came an intrigued voice from behind the booth, excited humor in his tone.

Curious eyes peered over the red leathered booths to meet another set of approaching eyes, the vibrant shade of blue catching her attention with no intent of letting it go. Steve twisted in his seat, and an immediate smile formed.

"Hey Buck," Steve rose from the seat to embrace the uniformed dark haired man.

Watching the two men, Gideon knew they were long time friends just by the way their faces lit up with excitement at the sight of each other.

"Who's this," the man asked, the same pair of enticing eyes never leaving hers. He stood tall, his muscles built, hair trimmed, and Gideon felt her heart rate rise which surprised herself. She was never one to take an interest in men, her concentration far too focused on defying the common social stream for women. To become a doctor was a bold move, and she needed every ounce of focus to complete it, which didn't leave time for relationships.