They've been walking for almost 40 minutes when they finally reach their destination. Bucky looks to Steve with an unimpressed look on his face.
"So this is the place you're always talking about?" He asks. Steve smiles, holding the door open to Bucky leading into an old-fashioned diner. The smell of grease and the buzz on neon signs welcome the two super soldiers. They make their way through the nearly empty restaurant towards a booth.
"The burgers here are great!" He exclaims, "And it kinda reminds me of, ya know, back then. It's stupid, I know, but I like it."
As they sit down, Bucky's expression falls into a more sympathetic one, but he doesn't know if he can say the same for himself. While some of his memory has come back to him, the 40s was home to James Buchanan Barnes. While he wasn't the Winter Soldier anymore, he certainly wasn't James either. It hasn't been easy on him or Steve, one desperate to be the man the other expects him to be. But with time they are both adjusting and becoming more comfortable with each other.
"There's also someone I'd like you to meet, a friend of mine," Steve says. And with that,
"Steve!" From across the diner, an excited feminine voice calls out. Both super soldiers look up in time to see Steve snatched into a hug. "It's been way too long!" The attacker cries, her voice muffled by Steve's shirt. She pulls away just enough to plant a kiss on Steve's cheek. As Bucky's eyebrows shoot to his hairline, Steve turns as red as the bottle of ketchup on the table.
As she pulls away from Steve, Bucky is now able to get a good look at her. She's gorgeous. She's short, standing around 5'5". Her curly brown hair is piled up in a messy bun on her head, her curves evident through the blue diner dress. Her white tennis shoes were worn out and greying with age. Her eyes were wide and beautiful as they practically sparkled as she gazed on Steve. And as quickly as she smile came, it quickly slid into a scowl.
"Where have you been? I thought you didn't like me anymore! We're friends, aren't we? I know your job is crazy, but still! I thought I meant more to you than that." The pretty waitress seemed to talk a mile a minute.
"I'm sorry Debbie." He apologized with a small smile, his blush finally calming down. His eyes shift over to Bucky, who sat silently across the booth.
"This is my friend Bucky."
At this moment, the smile returned full force but this time directed at Bucky.
"Hi Bucky! I'm Debbie, nice to meet you." She held her hand out. Slowly, Bucky put his nonartificial hand into her much small one, nervous to squeeze as if he might break her. She turns back to Steve, opening her mouth only to be cut off.
"Ma'am? Can you take our order?"
"Yes of course," She calls over to another table before turning back, "I'll be back. Look at the menu while you're at it." She swiftly walks away, her skirt swaying with each rock of her hip. Not that Bucky notices.
A few minutes pass when she makes it back to their booth, takes there order only to scurry off again. Steve and Bucky talk until she returns with the food, placing the plates in front of them. She then plops down on the bench next to Steve.
"I'm so tired! My poor feet are about to fall off." She all but moans, letting her head fall back to rest on the back of the booth.
"How long have you been here today?" Steve asks.
"I'm not sure. What time is it? My shift started at 5."
"It's nearly 10."
Another annoyed moan escapes her. The boys continue to munch on the burgers. Bucky internally admits they are pretty good.
"I have two more hours before my shift ends."
"Well how about this," Steve starts with a bright smiling forming on his face, "Buck and I will wait for your shift to finish and walk you home."
She spun to face him, some of her hair falling out of place and her hands clasping together in front of her chest.
"Really? You would do that?" Excitement radiates through her voice.
"Of course. Right, Buck?" Bucky gives a small grunt, going along. "Besides, you don't live in the best part of town, you should always have someone walk with you."
She rolls her eyes.
"Okay, Dad. Let me start cleaning up so we can leave as soon as it's time."
The rest of the night seems to fly by. Debbie would stop by the table periodically to check on and talk with the boys. Bucky enjoyed her company. She was as talkative and bubbly as he was quiet and reserved, but he didn't mind her at all. She had an energy about her that made him quicker to smile.
Finally, it 12:03 am. Debbie is pulling on her zip up sweatshirt as she wishes a good night to the cooks in the back. They start their walk to her apartment, only 15 minutes from the diner.
"Really Steve, I appreciate the gesture but I know Avengers tower is in the opposite direction. I do this almost every night and I even bought myself some pepper spray."
Bucky tunes out Steve's reply as he walks about two feet behind them. Debbie is dwarfed by the two of them, taking two steps for every one of their own. Every few minutes she glances back to see if he's still there and every time she'll smile warmly when she meets his eyes. After the first few times, Bucky finds himself smiling back.
They reach her building, a worn down brownstone that has seen far better days.
"Goodnight, Steve." She pushes up onto her toes, placing a small kiss on his cheek. Bucky's eyes find the ground.
"Goodnight, Bucky." His eyes shoot up to see Debbie now in front of him. She leans forward. Her soft, plump lips grace his check. It only last a moment, but Bucky can feel his heart racing.
With that she turns on her heel, racing up the steps to the door. Once she has unlocked the door and is halfway through, only then does she turn around and steal one last glance at Bucky. A blush paints her cheeks, but in the dark, it goes unnoticed.
The super soldiers turn to leave once they hear her door lock.
"So, what do you think of Debbie? She's sweet right?" Steve asks.
"Yeah. She's sweet." Bucky replies, keeping his eyes forward. If he were to turn his head, he would see the slightly smug look on Steve's face.
So this is my first fanfiction ever, finally got the courage to make one and post. I don't feel like this chapter is super exciting but I'm just trying to lay down the foundation of the setting and character personalities before jumping into the plot. Please bear with me and please let me know what you think, suggestions are always welcomed. I hope you guys enjoy :)