It started out with little things.
A stray glance here, a flirty comment there, a lot of not-so-subtle brags about his time in the military, all just to impress you. It didn't work out well for him, mostly because you knew exactly what type of man he was. Bucky liked to pull the same tactics on every girl you knew, and nearly every single one seemed to fall for his pretty face and pretty words. He liked to mess around with women to have a good time, not to stick around. You didn't really mind what he did, you had no reasons to care. You didn't mind that other women were alright with it, it just wasn't your thing. But you did begin to mind when you ended up on the receiving end of his attention.
Despite all of his compliments and offers for a night around town, you had shut him down. You had no interest in meaningless encounters when you could quite literally be doing anything else, and none of his charms managed to reach you the way it had reached so many others. You were set on staying away from a man who only showed interest in you for some fun, and your unwillingness to fall for him only piqued his curiosity towards you.
With a little bit of time and persistence, the glances turned into gazes and the comments turned into conversations. He stopped trying to woo you with stories about his epic feats in the army and began to wonder about you. He started talking to you about little things, making real conversations, and trying to make you laugh, to make you ease up around him. With a little bit of time, you began to see a more genuine side of him that you hadn't expected to see, and Bucky began to see you lowering your guard against him, little by little.
It was somewhere during that process when he started falling for you. Hard.
You began realizing it yourself through the little things you noticed him do. From the way his friends laughed and elbowed him while he straightened watching you walk by, the way his eyes lit up when he talked to you, the way his confident, cocky smirks turned into much softer smiles at the sight of you. It was through the flowers left by your door, the feeling of his arms wrapped around your waist, the way his eyes flickered across your face whenever you spoke as if he was taking in every single detail of you. And once you realized it, you knew you had fallen for him, too.
The night before he was shipped out again, Bucky took you around town.
It had been a beautiful night, and you had spent most of it walking around with him, laughing about little things and gaping at his attempts to win you a giant stuffed teddy bear. Nearly three whole dollars later, he had won it, smirking proudly as he handed it over to you to hold like a trophy. The sheer size had nearly engulfed you in fur, and it had ended up with him carrying it for you until you could safely take it back home. The night would've ended with you thanking him for the bear and the trip, if he hadn't insisted on you coming back with him yet again to stop at one more place before that could happen.
And so, you found yourself smiling as he wrapped an arm around your waist and guided you to the dance floor, swaying to the music.
"You gonna miss me while I'm gone?" The teasing notes in his voice were enough to make you scoff, looking up to meet his smug expression while you felt your face burn red.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I will."
"I'm just checking, sweetheart," Bucky assured with a grin, pulling you a little closer to his chest as you rolled your eyes at him, smiling despite yourself. "Just had to make sure."
"Yeah, keep stroking your ego, I'll definitely miss that while you're gone."
He laughed and your smile widened as you leaned forwards to rest your head against his chest. He pressed a kiss to your hair, resting his chin on top of your head, and you felt your heart skip a few beats. You felt safe with him, secure enough to relax and let him hold you steadily as you made your way around the floor. The music was soft and you could feel his heart beating like a strong, sturdy drum. You closed your eyes for a few moments, letting yourself sink into the moment.
If only it wouldn't end.
You didn't want to think about how long you would have to wait to see him again, whether or not he'd come home safely. You didn't want to have to let him go, even if you knew it was inevitable. In that moment, you just wanted to feel him there with you, like you were alone at the center of the universe, even if it was only for a brief while. You had started off thinking he was nothing more than a nuisance, and now you couldn't bear to think of letting him go.
You were convinced you had to be crazy. But you didn't really mind it.
"Bucky?" You felt him hum in response. "Do me a favor and come back in one piece." He laughed again at that, shaking his head.
"You're worried about me?" You lifted your head to look at him again, your smile fading a little.
"Yeah. I am."
Bucky's expression softened at the look on your face, eliciting another small smile from him.
"You don't have to worry, sweetheart. I'll come back here no matter what happens. I guess I got too many people waiting on me." He grinned, studying your expression for another moment before raising a hand to tuck a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. "I'm not about to leave you hanging. I promise."
He leaned forwards and you did the same, meeting with a soft kiss as he pulled you closer.
I promise. It gave you as much comfort as you could get, and in that moment, it was satisfactory enough. You would wait for him to come back to you, and you would have another moment like this, when nothing else mattered except for the two of you. You would wait for that moment for as long as it took, whether it was a week, or a month, or an entire year.
And wait you did.
You waited for a long, long time for a man who would be lost at war.