Soldiers ↠ Bucky Barnes

1 ↠ Recruit

James Buchanan Barnes was not one to get nervous easily. Hell, he would say he was nearly never nervous. However, on his first day in training, he could feel his stomach was in knots. It was just basic training, why was he so anxious for it? Maybe it was the crushing reality finally settling in that he was going to be on the frontlines, nearly dying day in and day out. Or maybe it was the fear of losing his comrades and friends in the crossfire. Whichever it was, it didn't sit well in his stomach.

At any rate, he couldn't doddle around the bunks any longer and so, with his head held high, he headed out after his fellow soldiers. They were all shapes and sizes, but none of them were as small as Steve was and Bucky was glad, deep inside, that Steve had been rejected from the military so many times. Had he been accepted, he would be cannon fodder. That thought alone made Bucky queasy so he was quick to shake it away.

He stood in his line, hands at his sides and feet shoulder width apart, his posture the best out of any of his fellow gunmen. As he continued to observe his surroundings, something in particular caught his eye. It was a girl, who couldn't have been any bigger than Steve, standing in front of a tent with a large red cross on the front of it. Bucky assumed she was a nurse, but what really caught his eye about her was her small frame and that someone like that could be allowed into the army.

Granted, she was a nurse so it's not as though she was on the front lines, but if an encampment were to get rushed, she would surely be trampled over. Something about this girl had Bucky curious. Maybe it was because her long blonde curls and tiny stature reminded him of Steve. Whatever the reason, he was determined to find a way to talk to her. If not for any other reason than to sate his curiosity about what drew him to her.

"Barnes!" A drill instructors gruff voice yanked Bucky from his thoughts and he jumped slightly, causing a soft murmur of laughter to erupt through the other cadets.

"Sir!" Bucky was quick to recover, saluting and standing up straight, staring directly into the eyes of his instructor. He was almost taller than the man that stood in front of him.

"What were you looking at soldier?!" The sergeant got further into Bucky's face and he held his ground, not shrinking back.

"I was just getting a lay of the land, sir!" He let his hand drop from its salute as he answered. The drill instructor seemed to think this answer was good enough as he continued down the line and screamed in the faces of the other cadets. As the sergeant left his line of sight, Bucky's eyes couldn't help but drift back to the medical tent.

Most of the morning was spent being yelled at and trained on who the superior officers were. A few cadets had to do push ups as a punishment for not listening or for addressing someone incorrectly. Luckily, Bucky was not one of those cadets.

Lunch time came to pass and for a moment, Bucky considered eating by himself. That was, until, he caught sight of the girl from the medical tent sitting by herself. A small smirk came to Bucky's lips and he was quick to walk over to her, taking a seat beside her without asking. She seemed to be surprised by this action and looked up at him, her blue eyes swirling with confusion.

"Hi," Bucky smiled, dimples gracing his cheeks. "My name is James, but everyone calls me Bucky. What's your name?" The conversation felt very childlike in demeanor and to the girl, it was both off putting and comforting at the same time.

"My name is Kathleen, but most people call me Kathy," her voice was soft as she spoke, confusion still plainly written on her face as she stared at the rather handsome man sitting beside her. "Wh-why did you sit by me, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well no one should have to sit alone!" Bucky smiled again, stuffing food in his mouth while he continued to talk. "See how everyone else has someone their sitting with?" He motioned with his free hand, showing how most people were in fact sitting with another person or a group of people. "You were not, so I thought I would come keep you company." A slight blush found it's way onto Kathy's cheeks, so she turned her attention back to the tray of food in front of her, shifting in her seat shyly. She wasn't exactly the greatest with people.