Brooklyn's Babe

2- The Curious Girl and A Secret

Bucky's POV:

We arrived at the park and I marveled at the colorful trees and beautiful scenery. Virginia beamed at me as we continued down the path. When we arrived at a bench, she told me to wait there and she'd be right back. I sat down and she jogged off. I sat there, taking in the landscape. I slid off my jacket, forgetting about my arm, and watched as the ducks paddled across the pond. A small girl was skipping down the pathway. When she saw me, she stopped dead in her tracks and gawked at my arm. I felt embarrassed and looked down. I glanced at her and she was smiling. "That's a really cool arm mister!", she gushed, hopping onto the bench beside me.

"Thanks kid...", I smiled, and I felt something warm and fuzzy fill up inside me.

She then took off her coat to reveal part and pieces of her arm were robotic. "I'm like you", she grinned.

I looked from her, to her arms, to my arm. I chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"My name's Mia Coulson", she beamed, sticking out her hand.

I took it gingerly and shook it."My name's James", I replied.

 Somehow, this kid was making me feel incredibly relaxed. Her legs swung underneath her because she couldn't touch the ground. I smiled wider and she just grinned at me. We didn't say anything after that and for the first time in years, I felt completely at ease. "Mia, it's time to go sweetie!", a man in a suit called.

She turned to face the man and told him she was coming. She put her coat back on and without warning, hugged me. I had no idea what to do, since I haven't been hugged in so long. But her warmth made me feel so happy and I wrapped my arms around her tiny body. I gave her a quick squeeze and she giggled. We broke the hug and she hopped off of the bench. She quickly ran over to her father. She took his outstretched hand. Before walking away, she turned to me and waved. I gave her a small smile and waved back with my metal arm. She smiled wider and walked down the path with her father. 

Leaning back on the bench, I enjoyed this new feeling. Not long after, Virginia jogged over to me holding a bag.

Virginia's POV:

Upon arriving back at the bench, I saw James had taken off his coat. I ignored that, knowing it was a warm day. I sat next to him and he raised an eyebrow at me when I showed him the bag. I laughed and pulled out two warm pastries. Although he'd already eaten, James took the one I offered him and we ate in silence. After he finished, he looked at me and I looked up from my pastry, my face stuffed with sweet dough. He laughed heartily and I grinned through a faceful of food. This only caused him to laugh louder and I slowly managed to swallow my food. I laugh along with him and we grab our sides. Finally our laughter subsides and he gazes at me with a sweet look and I can tell he's going to tell me something. 

"Virginia, I know we've just met, but may I tell you something?", he asks.

"Anything you tell me is safe James", I reply.

He smiles and nods. "Well the thing is, I'm not exactly normal. In fact, I'm far from normal. The truth is, I'm the Winter Soldier."

My eyes widen and then it all clicks into place. He's the one I've been researching, trying to find. If he's the Winter Soldier, then that means he's..."Bucky?", I whisper.

Bucky's POV:

When she whispers my nickname, I tense up. No one's ever called me Bucky since 1943. I look at her and then I remember where I've seen her before. She's the girl I used to fancy back when I was a kid. We stared at each other in utter disbelief for at least two minutes. Finally, her mouth curves into a loving smile and tears begin to form in her eyes. I'm about to wipe them away when she attacks me with a hug. I return the hug and bury my nose into her hair. We hug each other for a few long moments, remembering our friendship from when we were younger. We slowly break the embrace and I gaze at her lovingly.