New York City.
New York City. Modern day New York City.
Bucky let the words replay in his mind over and over again, like a record on repeat. He couldn't help it. His eyes wandered everywhere; up, down, left and right, the Empire State Building over to the Chrysler building. Tilting his head, he followed the trail of Grand Central Station, thinking, it used to be so much smaller. It was little things like times and spaces, shapes and sizes that reminded him that for all intents and purposes, James Buchanan Barnes was not in Kansas anymore.
"Hey, Buck, whatcha looking at?"
He turned his head to glance at Steve next to him in the drivers seat, his blue eyes finding those of his friend, and grinning.
"Grand Central," Bucky chuckled. "It was so much smaller when we were kids."
"I know what you mean, I did the whole stop and stare routine a dozen times when they brought me off the ice..." Steve shook his head and smiled. "A lot of stuff is so much bigger now, better too though."
"Okay punk, no need to go boosting your ego." Bucky landed a friendly punch to Steve's shoulder, the super soldiers sharing a laugh.
"Jerk, I wasn't taking about me!"
"Uhhu, sure you weren't..." The pair remained silent the rest of the ride home, Bucky continuing to take in some of the sights while Steve focused on the road.
Steve couldn't admit out loud to anyone except for Nina the relief he felt at having Bucky back; really back. After the fall of the Triskelion in DC and HYDRAs attempted takeover, Bucky had fled, but not before pulling Steve out of the Potomac. For months he had searched everywhere for his friend, with Sam by his side, and eventually, Steve has thrown in the towel after an endless six months. It wasn't until the star spangled soldier received a call in the middle of the night from Tony, the restless billionaire screaming something about terminator attempting to get up to the tower and that Steve had better come and get him.
By the time Steve and Nina reached Avengers Tower, the entire team had assembled and was surrounding James Barnes in the main lounge; and he looked positively frightened.
Natasha had suggested cognitive recalibration, but Steve balked at the idea of hitting Bucky over the head with anything, and Tony had scoffed when Nina backed Steve's decision; the brunette had put her foot down, quite literally, on Tony and his idea of just locking him in the basement until he was "good to go." It had taken some convincing on everyone's part, but in the end Steve and Nina had taken Bucky home with them, the guest bedroom in the apartment now Bucky Barnes' room and the healing process has begun.
Bucky had suffered from incredulous nightmares, thrashing around in bed at all hours of the night, even knocking Steve unconscious with his metal limb once, but none of them faltered in their decision. It took Bucky a solid two months to warm up to Nina at all. He had only spoken when she asked him questions about what he wanted to eat for dinner or if he wanted to watch a movie with her and Steve. It wasn't until Steve was called away on a mission by Director Fury that Bucky had no choice but to allow his best friends girl access into his life so to speak. When Steve had returned home from his mission, it was to Nina and Bucky watching the Yankees game and drinking beer. From then on they had all started to see Bucky's changes climb steadily uphill; and today he was a clean cut, clean shaven modern day version of himself.
When Steve pulled the car in front of their building, he killed the engine, turning to Bucky with a amused look on his face.
"You know, you should go out, try to meet a girl."
"What?!" Bucky exclaimed, practically looking mortified.
"A girl..." Steve said slowly. "You used to date girls left and right Buck!"
"Used to." Bucky shook his head. "It's a bit difficult these days Steve..."
"You're James Buchanan Barnes, no dame could resist your charm!"
"Steve...process this for me okay? I have metal arm, it's never going to happen."
"Jerk."
"Punk."
Getting out of the car they quickly made their way into the lobby, pressing the button for the elevator and waiting for their ride back upstairs. Nina would be home from work soon, and Steve was hoping she had some plan to convince Bucky otherwise of the dating game. Surely if Steve Rogers could do it then Bucky could too. It wasn't until they got off the elevator and entered the apartment that Steve had began talking again.
"Nina's got a friend..."
"I'm sure Nina has plenty of friends..." Bucky laughed, shaking his head.
"She has a single friend, her name is Antonella, everyone calls her Nella, very sweet woman."
"Steve!"
"Oh come on Buck, what's the harm in a double date?"
Buck thought for a moment, his mind taking him back to the night before he shipped out for England, and how it was seventy odd years ago that he was in Steve's position, setting the then scrawny soldier up on blind double dates. At least this time around, both Steve and Nina could vouch for the woman. He hoped.
"I don't know..."
"What's not to know? Buck, she's a beautiful woman!" Steve exclaimed, just as the front door of the apartment opened and Nina walked in.
"Who, me?" Nina chuckled as she entered the kitchen, throwing her blazer over the chair, fully intent on staying in with her boyfriend and Bucky for the evening. "I know I am!"
"Well of course, sweetheart," Steve smiled up at her as she passed.
"Are you talking about Nella then?" She moved to grab the bottle of wine off the counter, but the second her fingers grazed the corkscrew, Steve had the bottle in his hands and was opening it.
"Show off," she smirked. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He smiled back, placing a kiss on her cheek as he put the bottle back on the marble countertop. She quickly retrieved three glasses, not bothering to ask if the boys wanted any; she knew that Steve and Bucky never let her drink alone.
"See?" Bucky lamented, taking a seat at the table. "You two make it difficult to even live up to your happy couple standards."
"Oh jeez, don't be so melancholy," Nina sat beside him with her wine, sliding a glass in front of him. "It's not like Steve swept in and held his shield up and whisked me away to happily ever after."
"Well, come to think of it..." The blonde chuckled from across the room where he was fiddling with the record player.
"Okay okay, bad analogy." She chuckled.
"Very bad," Bucky laughed, dropping his head back. "You were held at gunpoint and he saved you, then, you almost take a header on the street and he saves you again. Nina, you've got to be more careful!"
"Yea yea," she waved her hand dismissively, waiting for Steve to come sit with them before speaking again. "If I tell you a secret can you keep it?"
"I'm not a kid Nina, no need to bribe me." He laughed.
"Well, you're sulking like a five year old so I'm going to talk to you the same way I talk to my niece and nephew."
"She's got a point Buck..."
Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve, not a word sipping past his lips, but no words were needed when Steve replied.
"Jerk."
The brunette held her hands up in surrender before speaking again.
"Nella is just as scared of blind dates, I should know I've been setting her up for years."
"And none of them worked out?" Bucky inquired.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because, none of them were you Mister Barnes." The brunette stated matter of factly.
"You have a lot of faith in the guy with the metal arm doll..." Bucky chuckled, waving his metal appendage in her face.
"No, I have a lot of faith in Bucky Barnes, cause from what I hear, he was a real charmer back in the day."
"Yet here I am, while Steve charms the pants off you."
"None of that..." Steve blushed.
"Man, you still blush like a little school girl," Bucky laughed at him. "She's your dame, take pride in that!"
"Believe me, I do." Steve grinned, his hands falling on top of Nina's that were resting on top of the table, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Yea, he really does." She grinned.
The trio was silent a moment before Bucky spoke up.
"Okay, fine. Set it up."
The next week at work, Nina had set up a casual lunch with Nella, the brunette asking her friend to meet her up in her office before heading down to the bistro around the corner from their building. The friends were lucky; Nina had brought Nella on as a vital part of her team the moment she was given a position that allowed it. The two brunettes were inseparable, and the more Nina thought about it, the more it caused her to chuckle at the idea of being the female Steve and Bucky.
"Hey!" Nina's head snapped up, grinning as she spotted Nella standing in the doorway of her office, her purse over her shoulder. "You ready?"
"Yea, come in for a second I wanna show you something before we go." Nina smiled.
Shaking her head, Nella entered the office, shutting the door behind her she dropped her purse down in one of the empty chairs before sitting in the chair next to it.
"What's up?" The brown eyed woman questioned. "I'm starving over here!"
"I know, just real quick." Nina promised. "I wanted to know if you're free Saturday night..."
"You couldn't ask me this over lunch?" Nelly's eyebrow raised, and Nina mentally prepped for the sass that was about to be tossed her way.
"Steve and I are going to check out this jazz club in Soho, and I think you would really hit it off with his best friend James."
"Nina..." Nella warned. "The last time you set me up was horrendous!"
"The last time I set you up the guy sent his creepy roommate instead, so that is not my fault." She countered.
"Ugh," She groaned. "I'm really okay with either not going or third wheeling it while you canoodle with Steve."
"Nella, I promise, James is as sweet as they come."
"And he's Steve's best friend?" She asked warily.
"Yes."
"I didn't think Steve had many friends..."
"Outside of his little group, and James, he doesn't have many..."
"How did they meet?" The blonde quizzed.
"Honestly?" Nina sighed, knowing she couldn't very well let her best friend go into this totally blind. "They met in the war."
"...which war?" Nella spoke slowly, almost afraid of the answer.
"World war two..."
"NINA!" Nella screeched, the brunettes eyes going wide, and Nina thanked all her stars the door of her office was closed.
"Just...hear me out, I'm begging you!"
"You've set me up with some real winners but for God sake!"
"It's James Buchanan Barnes, Nella." Nina sighed again, and watched as her friends face changed.
"He's...well...he is handsome...I always thought so since Steve took us to the Smithsonian..."
"Mmhmm..." The brunette made a knowing face, her arms crossed over her chest.
"So he's like Steve?"
"Just about...he's got a.." Nina chose her words carefully.
"A what?" Nella questioned. "He's divorced, he's got a kid, what?"
"Divorced? A kid?" Nina choked on her water as she laughed. "Where do you come up with this garbage!"
"Well, divorcees or guys with kids are kind of common lately." Nella grumbled. "I should know, I've been out with my fair share of them."
"Oh god, that's not it at all..." The brunette grumbled.
"So what is it?"
"He's got a prosthetic arm," Nina spoke quietly. "Shoulder down to his fingers, on the left side."
"Oh, that's not a big deal."
"It's made of metal."
"Oh..."
"Please don't let that change your opinion of him...Bucky is such a catch, just, meet him, please."
Nella was silent for some time, her eyes closed, her thumb and pointer finger of her right hand pinching the bridge of your nose.
"Nell..."
"I'm going to give you and your patriotic boyfriend the benefit of the doubt here," she finally spoke. "I'll meet the infamous Bucky Barnes."
Just wear a shirt!" Steve threw his arms up in the air, sitting on the edge of Bucky's bed.
"Not that easy, I need to cover my arm!" The sergeant sighed.
"She knows about your arm you lunatic!" Steve shook his head, the soldier grabbing a handful of button downs off the bed and thrusting them in Bucky's direction.
"How does she know!" Bucky's voice was laced with panic, and Steve had to fight the urge to shake him to snap him out of this episode.
"Nina had to tell her, it's not the end of the world..."
"Oh for crying out loud!" Bucky threw his arms in the air, the shirt currently in his metal grasp flying behind him like a flag.
Outside in the living room, Nina could hear muffled groans of protest, Steve occasionally telling Bucky he was crazy, followed by Bucky groaning again. Standing from the couch, she made her way into Bucky's room, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Hey! You two almost ready? We need to hit the road if we plan on making that seating." Nina poked her head into the room to find her boyfriend and Bucky surrounded by dress shirts, and the latter standing in front of her in just his jeans.
"Yea, just trying to get Buck...dressed?" Steve finished sort of awkwardly.
"Oh," Nina giggled, coming into the room, inspecting the items on the bed before picking up a plain black button down with the Burberry pattern inside the collar.
"Nina...this is one of the expensive ones, isn't it?"
"Put it on, it looks nice on you." She grinned, walking out of the room, before calling back over her shoulder. "We didn't stock your closet cause we felt bad, we did it cause we wanted to!"
"Sheesh! Is she always so forceful?" Bucky spoke, tugging the shirt on and buttoning it up, allowing Steve to adjust his collar and cuffs.
"Na, she's a real gem." Steve grinned, his eyes filled with adoration for his brunette love.
"Come on!" She called from the living room, and the pair could hear her rapping her nails on the coffee table.
"Let's get this show on the road punk." Bucky sighed.
"Jerk, come on!" Steve clapped him on the back, leading him from the room.
Nina stood in the living room wearing a sleeveless black A line dress, with a square neck and a pair of red heels. Steve grinned the minute he took in her ensemble, taking her hand and giving her a small twirl as he whispered how beautiful she looked.
"Ugh, you two disgust me." Bucky fake gagged.
"Soon enough you're going to be doing it to Nella and I'll be saying the same thing."
"One can only hope." Bucky sighed.
The trio pulled up outside the Jazz club, appropriately titled String of Pearls. The boys appreciated the nod to their era, immediately recognizing the glowing sign as the title to a Glenn Miller song from the forties.
"Nice name," Bucky grinned, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans as he stood on the sidewalk and admired the outside of the lounge.
"I thought you and Steve might like it," Nina smiled. "It's very much a throwback."
"I resent that." Steve chuckled, draping an arm around Nina's shoulder.
"You'll get over it." Bucky laughed.
They stood outside, Nina checking her phone for any kind of messages from Nella, her face lighting up as she opened a message.
"She should be here in a few minutes, we'll wait here and then all head in together..."
"Sounds like a plan." Steve nodded. The soldier was very much used to giving the orders on his missions, but when it came to social outings, Nina ruled the roost; and he was glad.
A moment later, just as Bucky had opened his mouth to say something, they heard Nina's name being called from the end of the block.
"Nina!" The woman called again, closer this time, and Bucky pushed himself off the wall, his eyes settling on the approaching form of Nella.
"Hey!" The girls exchanged a quick hug, before Nina steered her towards Bucky and Steve.
"Nella, I want you to meet James Barnes..." Nina gestured between the two, stepping back next to Steve as she watched them interact for the first time.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Nella." Bucky offered his hand, the flesh one, and she accepted with a smile, the brunette shaking his hand sweetly.
"It's nice to meet you too James," Nella spoke. "Nina told me a lot about you."
Bucky blanched momentarily as he let her words seep in, his eyes never leaving her face as he watched her smile grow.
"Ah..she did?" He stammered a bit.
"Yes, she did." Nella nodded her head for emphasis, both unaware that they were still holding hands, and that their friends were standing behind them watching intently.
"Well, I'll have to thank her then." Bucky broke out into a grin, offering Nella his arm and gesturing to the door of the lounge. Nella gladly took his arm; allowing him to lead her inside the dimly lit club, the sounds of swing immediately greeting them.
The foursome found a booth towards the back of the club, the girls sliding in next to each other whole Steve and Bucky occupied the outside like two large bookends. Conversation seemed to flow easily between them, the main focal point for Bucky was getting to know more about Nella, and when Steve took Nina for a dance, he made sure to do just that.
"Is Nella short for something?" He asked, turning in his seat to face her, her chocolate orbs meeting his.
"Antonella," she grinned. "It was my great-grandmothers name, and as you can tell, very Italian."
"I took you for a sweet Irish gal." Bucky chuckled.
"My friend over there, maybe," she gestured to Nina. "And even then, all she's got to show for her Irish roots is her last name and ability to drink me under the table."
"Well, I like it..." He mused. "Do you have a last name Nella?"
"It's very, very Italian, even more so than my first name!" She laughed, not caring or saying anything about her hand that was resting on Bucky's metal arm.
"Lay it on me doll!"
"Ready?" She tilted her head a bit, a smile on her face. "I don't think you are."
"I was born ready, let's hear it!"
"Bertolini..." She trailed off, a hint of Italian dialect present in her voice as she let the name roll off her tongue.
Bucky sat, wishing she would say it again just so that he could hear the slight accent in her voice, and watch her lips move ever so slightly.
"So, Antonella Bertolini..."
"That's me," she chuckled. "From the island of Sicily."
"Back in the day, there was a saying about women from Sicily." Bucky raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had caught on to where he was going.
"Ah, right. Sleep with one eye open, Sicilian women are crazy!"
"So should I be worried?" He pressed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"No," she leaned in closer, her nose almost touching his and winked. "I'm nothing like those women you used to date in the forties."
"So you do know..." He sighed.
"Did you think she wouldn't tell me?" She quizzed.
"Not really," Bucky glanced over at his friends, still dancing, and both seemingly oblivious to the two of them. "I mean, either way I would have come clean with you myself."
"I would hope so, but either way, it's nothing to get worked up over. You're just a guy, same way Steve is just a guy."
"A guy whose still adjusting to this century." He snorted.
"You'll get there," she smiled. "Now come on, I heard you were quite the dancer back in the day."
"Yea? Who told you that?"
"I have my ways," she smirked. "So how bout it, let's dance."
"You've got it doll!" Bucky winked, taking her hand and leading her out on to the dance floor, somewhere near where their friends were currently cutting a rug.
More and more couples had crowded on to the floor, and the live band was playing all of Bucky's favorites from the road houses of the forties.
As they fell into an easy rhythm, hand in hand, Bucky silently prayed that he would show her a time like he had been able to all those years ago, and that Nella would agree to a second date. He really liked dancing with her, after all, she was an exceptional partner.
The foursome left the lounge only when the lights came on, forcing them to make their way home. As they walked down Bleeker street, their laughter rang out for anyone passing by to hear.
"Where did you learn to dance like that!" Nina giggled, poking at Nella who was tucked safely under Bucky's left arm.
"My nonna, she loved the Andrews Sisters and Fred Astaire..."
"Hmm we we're a Harry James family." Nina winked, nudging Steve gently.
"Aww, is Harry James special to you two?" Nella grinned cheekily.
Neither of them answered, Steve blushing while Nina hid her face in his chest.
Bucky tightened his grip on Nella, the pair perfectly content to Sam silently, wrapped up in each other. Since Bucky had taken her hand when dancing she couldn't seem to get enough of him.
"Where's your apartment doll?"
"Midtown." She smiled up at him.
"I'll walk you."
"That's a hell of a walk Bucky, I took a cab here..."
"I'm not quite ready to say goodnight, if that's okay with you?"
"More than," she beamed, leaning up to gently place a kiss to his cheek. "Come on, soldier."
As the two took off down the street, ignoring the calls of Steve and Nina behind them, Bucky raised his arm and gave them a slight wave as he turned the corner with Nella right next to him.