You have feelings for Bucky, but are unsure of how to tell him. Things only get more difficult when Bucky and other members of the 107th end up missing in battle.

Being a nurse in Italy stationed near his infantry, you had gotten to know Bucky the last few weeks. The chemistry had crackled from the moment you two first met and he would sometimes drop by the infirmary to chat with you. You both had flirted on and off and enjoyed each other's presence. You knew that you liked him a lot, but you weren't sure how he felt.

Unfortunately, to your discomfort, you'd heard of Bucky's reputation for being a ladies' man. This made you hesitant about getting too close to him. The last thing you wanted was to risk falling in love only to get hurt.

Speaking of the handsome young soldier, he stood by the tent entrance, those beautiful blue eyes gazing at you. "Well, I'm going to be leaving soon." It was clear from his battle fatigues that he and fellow soldiers from the 107th were going into battle.

You swallowed and nodded, continuing to wrap up the gauze you used earlier.

"Hey, why the long face? You gonna miss me that bad?"

Blushing, you rolled your eyes and shook your head. "Of course not, but...I just don't want you to get hurt," comes the whisper and you feel foolish for saying it.

Bucky looked at you and for a second, there was a flash of something in his eyes, but you couldn't identify it. He took your hands in his and said, "I don't want to get hurt either, doll, but these are dangerous times. I'm a soldier; I have to do this to keep my country safe...and that includes you, too."

You blinked back a few tears. Maybe he did care about you after all. "I know. I'm just being selfish. I can't help that when it comes to you." You really hated sounding like a silly adolescent girl, but you just couldn't help it.

"Now, that's a compliment I like hearing." He smirked and leaned down, his lips coming close to yours.

You noticed this and quickly pulled away. "No, Bucky."

He frowned and let your hands go. "What's the matter? I thought you wanted..."

"No, no! I do! But this isn't the right time." You touched his shoulder gently, to show him that you do care. A coy smile appeared on your face as you said, "Kiss me when you come back. That way, you'll have something to look forward to."

Bucky's eyes glinted with that familiar look of mischief you'd grown accustomed to and he chuckled. "So you're gonna make me wait? Boy, I underestimated you."

You grinned and leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. "You bet you did. Now, hurry up and come back as soon as possible. You know I hate waiting."

He saluted you and with a wink, he was out of the tent in a flash. Once he was gone, you let out a shuddering breath and grabbed onto the nearest bed railing, trying to keep yourself together. Bucky really had no idea how he made you feel.

Well, when he got back, you would show him just how much he meant to you.

Four days passed and Bucky still hadn't come back. You began to feel anxious as the time went one. At night, you hoped and prayed that he was not hurt or worse...killed. A bitter taste came to your mouth when you thought of how you could have just swallowed your fear and told him how you felt before he left.

Bucky was a gentleman, so he wouldn't have made you feel bad about it. Even if he didn't feel the same way about you. "Stupid, what if you never get the chance to find out?" You curled up in your dog and tried to get some sleep, the thought of Bucky still burning in your mind.

When Captain America came to entertain the troops, you felt so sorry for him. They troops were battle worn and angry because many of their infantry had been killed. With so much death surrounding you, it can be hard to put on a happy face. The costume they gave him was awful and even thought you weren't a soldier, you could see why it was a garish display.

Later that day, after the show was over, you approached him. You noticed that he was drawing and politely introduced yourself. You asked what his real name was, as you only knew of him as Captain America - you hadn't had a lot of free time to go out lately. He smiled and told you that his name was Steve Rogers and a gasp came from your mouth in shock.

This was the man Bucky had told you about. The man from his childhood who was so tiny and frail...but he was certainly not frail now. He was strong and muscled, like any other soldier in the military - except he wasn't.

You stared at him in surprise and it took you a few moments before you could speak up. "...Y-you're Steve Rogers? I know your friend, Bucky."

His face brightened. "You do?"

"Yes, he's my...friend, too. I got to know him a bit and we've gotten along really well." You couldn't help the tiny blush that crept onto your cheeks as you spoke. Steve wouldn't have known that you and his best friend had interacted unless you said something and you felt a little shy, informing him about what Bucky had been up to while he wasn't around.

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "That jerk found himself a girl in a different country. Figures." He grinned. "Well, it's nice to meet you, ma'am," he said kindly and held his hand out to you.

You grinned right back and gave his hand a firm shake, wanting to impress this man. After all, he was close to Bucky and anyone close to Bucky was a worthy of being called a friend to you. "Likewise."

"So where is he? Hiding somewhere, ready to burst out laughing because he kept a secret from me?" The amused look in Steve's face made you chuckle, until you remembered that Bucky was now missing.

"No. You've only missed him by a couple of days. He and some of the men from the 107th went into battle several days ago, but...they haven't come back."

Steve's face paled and you felt so horrible to have to tell him this. "Is...is he dead?" He asked you, voice halted in a whisper.

"I don't know. It's not my place to ask..."

There was a worried look on his face and he stood up. "I have to find out. I'll ask the colonel." He started to rush off, but turned back put his hand on your shoulder. "I don't know you, but thank you for telling me about Bucky."

"You're welcome, Steve," you replied and with that, he rushed off to Colonel Phillips' tent.

When the news that Captain America had disappeared reached your ears, you were surprised, but something told you that he hadn't been captured. There was a resilient glare on Steve's face when he left General Phillip's tent and you sensed that he might do something drastic. Something like go and try to find and rescue Bucky.

Unfortunately, you were tied up in the infirmary again, so you weren't able to talk to him, but when you went to you own shared tent with the other nurses, you saw a small, folded piece of paper on your cot. Curiously, you opened it and read the contents. It said:

I went to see if Bucky was on the casualty list. He wasn't. That means there's a chance he's still alive. I have to go and find him. I'll do my best to bring him back to you.

Steve.

You blinked several times before folding the paper up and sliding it under your pillow. You were right. Steve went to go find Bucky. Not only that, but he clearly saw that you cared about the man as more than a friend. You didn't mind. Steve was a near stranger to you, but he was bringing Bucky back because he was his friend and because he knew how you felt about him.

Sighing softly, you took your nurse cap off and ran a tired hand through your hair. "Please be safe, Steve. I don't want anything to happen to either of you." You wiped a few errant tears from your eyes and began getting ready for bed.

You honestly had no idea how you got any sleep the night before. All you did the entire time was toss and turn, your mind full of horrible nightmares of Bucky dying in front of you. You gasped awake and tremors shook through your body. Your dreams had been so haunting that your skin was covered in sweat. Thankfully, no one heard you in your sleep.

Later, you were in the infirmary again, keeping your mind away from thoughts of Bucky as you treated a soldier's leg. He had been cut by shrapnel, but the wound wasn't too bad. You had just finished bandaging him up when you heard the growing sound of voices outside.

Curiously, you went outside of the tent and widened your eyes when you saw a very large crowd of soldiers in the area. They all seemed to look a bit haggard and tired, but there was a gleam of relief and happiness in their eyes. You tapped the shoulder of a soldier near to you and asked, "Who are all these men?"

The man looked down at you and smiled widely. "You don't know? Captain America snuck out of camp last night. He brought back Bucky and the rest of the 107th. Turns out they'd all been captured by German troops and were put in some big building behind enemy lines. Just about all of them are back now."

You gaped at the man and without a second thought, you rushed forward into the large crowd. Yes, there were men who likely needed to be checked for injuries and have their wounds treated, but you had only one man on your mind: Bucky.

You needed to see his face, to hold him in your arms. It was a bit of a struggle, pushing through all of the men, but you kept on, desperately. There were hundreds of men all around you and their voices were cheering for some reason. You wondered what why they were doing this and that's when you saw him.

Standing a few feet away with Peggy Carter, Colonel Phillips and Steve Rogers was Bucky. Your heart felt like it could leap out of your chest and you broke into a run, not caring if it was inappropriate.

"Bucky!" You shouted as you came nearer to him.

His back was towards you, but once he heard your voice, he slowly turned around and those beautiful eyes of his widened with recognition and relief. You ran straight into his arms and the force made your nurse cap fall to the ground.

Bucky let out a little yelp and then chuckled, his arms wrapping around your waist possessively. "Well...this is a nice welcome. Wouldn't you say so, Steve?"

Steve grinned and watched the two of them, looking like a proud father. Teasingly, he said, "Definitely one you don't deserve, jerk."

"Punk," Bucky responded with a laugh.

You rolled your eyes at them both. "I guess I'll have to hear when this fond name-calling started, but right now, I believe I owe you a kiss." You gave him a sultry smile and tightened your grip around his shoulders.

Bucky ignored all of the cheers around him and held you so close that you could feel his heart beating in sync with yours. "You're right. This has been a long time coming." Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours.

It didn't surprise you that he was an amazing kisser. After all, he did have experience with the opposite sex. But wow. Talk about smolder. Your toes curled from the intensity of the kiss and head began to get a bit fuzzy. When you both pulled back to get air, Bucky ran a hand through your hair.

"I've been waiting to do that for a long time," he said, voice husky and full of desire.

Your eyes slowly fluttered open and you sighed, letting him kiss you on the forehead. "Me too." You looked up and noticed that his ear was bleeding. "Oh, no. Are you alright? They didn't hurt you badly?" Worry was evident in your tone as you tenderly touched his bleeding ear.

Bucky took your hand in his and rubbed it affectionately. "They did rough me up a bit, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Don't worry."

You nodded and glanced at the horde of people around. Pressing close to his other ear, you whispered just loud enough so he could hear you. "I think we should go to the infirmary so I can fix that ear for you."

A mischievous look appeared on his face again and he squeezed your hand. "Whatever you say, doll. My ear does need to be taken care of...among other things." There was a underlying meaning behind those words and a shiver ran down your spine when he said them.

It was difficult for you to resist the urge to kiss him again, especially the way you really wanted to. Instead, though, you took his hand and entwined your fingers together. "Come on. I'll fix your ear and then you can tell me what other things you have on your mind."

"Oh, they're more of a show-than-tell kind of things." The innuendo behind his words made you breath a little heavier than normal.

"Sounds like my kind of things," you said playfully as the two of you made your way to the infirmary. There was no way this day could go badly for you now. Bucky was back and he was here to stay.