Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing of the MCU's. Kitty is mine, the plot is mine (at least most of it, but not after the eventually tie-in with TFA).
Unbeta-ed so sorry for any mistakes? I'm surprised at myself for updating this soon tbh. There's a ton of 40's slang in this one, more info at the bottom.
James Buchanan Barnes likes the food at the local diner on the corner of Red Hook's main drag. Which explains why he's there on a Wednesday afternoon with a couple of friends, Robert Thompson and Joseph Allen, without Steve. His best friend off again at yet another of the many art courses he enjoys attending.
Rob and Joey are alright guys, he knows them from some manual labor work they'd done together a few years back. While Steve would rather hang back at the apartment when Bucky takes girls dancing, the two men are always happy to accompany him. "The girls in Red Hook are real sweet." They'd say. And, he didn't feel bad ditching them when he found himself a broad who was willing to find some place more quiet, which can never be said about when his best friend is accompanying him.
"Check out the *gams on that dame, Robbie!" Joey calls in a loud whisper, but it's still enough to get the heads of other patrons turning, as a pretty brunette waitress comes down the aisle toward them, coffee pot and ceramic mugs balanced on a serving tray in her right hand. Bucky doesn't look up, because he knows without checking who they're talking about. Of course he's right, as the young lady in question stops in front of their table and smiles down at the three of them politely. She shows no signs of having heard Joey's hushed outburst, but in the time since he started frequenting this place, Bucky's learned that she pretends not to hear a great deal of things.
"Afternoon, Kitty." he says, finally looking up from the newspaper he'd been mulling over. She tilts her head and replies casually, "Afternoon, Barnes. No Stevie today?" He shakes his head, folding the paper in half as he smiles back at her, "No, m'am. Had a class."
"Shame. Nice guy, that Rogers is. He's got a real hand for art." Sometimes Bucky and Steve go there for breakfast and Steve likes to sketch the people. The first couple times their waitress gets a little short with them, mad about them tying up one of her tables. After that they sit in a different section, Kitty's, and instead of stressing about the loss of tips she pulls up a chair and asks him if he'd drawn her yet too. He had. She talks up his drawing skills a whole ton, really inflates Steve's ego. Then asks if she can keep the one he'd done of her, tells him she's gonna frame it. They always sit in her section after that.
"Didn't know you knew such a *dish, Buck." Rob cuts in, eyeing her. "You gonna introduce us?" Bucky fights the urge to roll his eyes and gestures toward his two pals, "This here's Rob Thompson and Joey Allen." She reaches out to shake both of the hands being offered to her, "Katherine Harris, but everyone 'round here calls me Kitty." she explains, before skipping right into work without a hitch, before this can turn into the two men hitting on her. "What can I get you fine gents today?"
The two men list off their orders, as Kitty places the mugs down on the table in front of them and fills each one with coffee. "I'll just have the usual, doll." Bucky answers last with a wink. "Figured." She replies with an arch of her eyebrow at the obvious flirtation. Much more subtle and a lot less uncomfortable than what she usually receives though, so she doesn't mind. Kitty excuses herself and disappears to place their order and check on her other tables.
"I didn't know that's what Kitty Harris looked like." Joey comments, watching her walk away. Bucky knows what he's on about, he's heard the gossip too. "She's even prettier than they make her out to be, a total *wolfess." Rob nods in agreement, but turns to check over his shoulder, whispering to his two friends. "Yeah, but they say she's an *able grable that one. Heard a lotta fellas have been with her."
Bucky pauses in bringing his mug to his mouth, uncomfortable. Joey shrugs, keeping his voice low, "Heard that too. Bunch a guys down at the bar said they've had a night with her." Robbie wiggles his eyebrows, "What about you, Barnes?" Joe joins in, "Ever went home with that pretty lil' friend of yours?" It's uncalled for, but he isn't surprised. After all his reputation isn't much better on his side of the spectrum, known for being real *doll dizzy. It's not a secret he goes home with a lot of girls, but he'd never gone home with Kitty Harris, never even tried. "Sorry, boys. The only thing I've ever got from that dame is my breakfast."
Bucky doesn't know how to feel about his buddies talking down on the girl. They aren't friends, but he knows her, is friendly with her. She's always pleasant, not chatty, but still engages him and Steve in easy conversation whenever they come in. She's a charming woman, stands at average height, has an ideal figure, a pretty face. She's never flirty toward them, but she seems to really like Steve, which is more than he can say for most women his best friend meets. As far as Bucky is concerned, she's a nice girl. But, that doesn't mean he doesn't wonder where all these rumors come from, from time to time.
He isn't sure where they started or when exactly, but around six months prior they began working their way through supermarket aisles, down the line at the deli, lingering around bus stops. Out of the mouths of young broads, and strapping lads, and gossiping housewives. He's heard most of them, though he can't say he knows any of the guys that claim to have laid with her. But, people talk and there sure is a ton of it. Most of them tell the same story, took her home with them after her shift at the dance hall.
That rumor seems easy enough to believe, if you didn't know the girl. It's not a secret that Kitty's second job is at the local dance hall. She can be found there four nights a week, serving drinks, wiping tables, anything the boss asks of her really. And, it's not uncommon to overhear men hitting on her or to spot one trying to walk her home. But, that doesn't mean she ever follows through with those men. Bucky honestly doesn't know what to believe, so he lingers on the line. The gossip's always there, but he doesn't accept it or deny it. To him she's only the girl she shows them when she serves them their breakfast and that's all he cares about.
At least he thinks so, until he and Steve come in one morning, same as they often do. She takes their orders, serves them coffee, not unlike any other time they'd come in. Everything is as it usually is, until she's pouring him a refill twenty minutes later and her sleeves are rolled up. Kitty's wrists and forearms are purple and blue. The bruises wrap all the way around, like they were left by the rough grip of someone's hand. He and Steve lock eyes at the sight, both all too aware, but if she notices, Kitty doesn't say anything about it. After that Katherine Harris is stuck in his head a hell of a lot more than Bucky bargains for.
That night he and Steve take a couple of dames out dancing. Pretty girls who talk a little too much for his taste and they don't really pay much attention to Steve, which gets on his nerves far more than he likes to admit. The dance hall is crowded, a lot of couples out for a Friday night on the town. Steve's date is a petite ginger haired broad named, Marjorie, with her hair done up in pin curls and bumper bangs. Bucky's date, Pearl, is fit and pretty, a real *solid sender. She's got brown eyes and mid-length dirty blonde hair, styled in finger waves and a big front-barrel roll. She's wearing a pretty blue dress and dancing shoes, pulling him along by the hand as a number of acquaintances greet him.
Bucky frequents the dance hall quite a bit, he's known around Red Hook as a *hard-boiled, *active duty, *sheik that knows his way around the ladies. Those are not rumors, unlike the prattle about Kitty. Bucky is a well known ladies man. He knows the regular crowd in the dance hall, is greeted like an old friend each time he comes, and every time he's there, he sees Katherine Harris.
That evening she's wearing an emerald dress, her usual kitten heels, and a black waist apron. Her hair is done up in two front-victory rolls, the rest of her long, brown tresses pulled back into an elegant ponytail. In her hand, she balances a serving tray with a number of cocktails on it, headed for the lounge section, where she delivers each drink to it's owner. Bucky can see the way each man turns his head as she passes, chatting amongst themselves, mostly likely about her. Kitty gets lost in the crowd after that and Pearl is tugging him toward a group of her friends. She introduces him as her guy and that puts him off a little, Bucky isn't isn't fond of the concept of monogamy. He's young and wants to have his fun before even considering the thought of settling down.
Across the dance floor Bucky looks up and sees Katherine again, her eyebrows furrowed as she marches away from the lounge with a mildly distressed look painted on her face. Behind her a tall young man follows after, wearing a determined expression. Bucky watches the way she ducks behind the bar, keeping out of arms reach, and busying herself. He zones out of the conversation he'd been in, watching as the man waits until she comes back around the bar and touches her shoulder as she passes. Bucky can see it, the way her eyes widen and she shrugs the hand from her shoulder, try as politely as possible to make her rejection clear without being rude. That doesn't stop the man from getting visibly upset at being turned down. He follows as she walks away, shouldering his way through a couple to cut across to her and grabbing her wrist. The same bruised wrist Bucky and Steve has seen this morning.
Before he even realizes Bucky turns from his companions, marching with focused irritation at the man clinging to Kitty's injured wrist. A few feet behind Steve recognizes the indignation in his best friend's gait, the same silent channeled rage that he displays in the boxing ring. "Hey, lay off the lady, pal!" Bucky bellows, grabbing the man's arm and freeing the woman from his grip. Steve is a little surprised to see him so ready to get physical, usually his best friend is the one pulling him out of fights. Luckily it doesn't go any further than that, the man gets lost real quick when a couple of acquaintances join in, asking if everything's alright.
Bucky stands there looking down at her, eyes locked in concern. "Put some ice on that wrist." he tells her, sounding a little miffed. He doesn't know why he's angry, but something about how easily he becomes worried for her peeves him to the core. No one bugs Kitty the rest of the night, but Bucky isn't all there with his date. Pearl seems a little put off with him being so concerned about another dame, so come closing time, she decides to head home with her friend. And, to be honest Bucky doesn't mind. Pearl's easy jealousy is a turn off, especially when it was over something like another woman's safety, and Marjorie hadn't paid much attention to Steve either. So the two young men hail the ladies a cab and stand outside the dance hall as the place is closing up.
Kitty Harris comes out a few moments later, waving to a taxi driver who appears to be waiting for her. The boys watch her get into the vehicle and take off down the street. For the time that evening since that man had approached her, Bucky Barnes is able to relax. He realizes this, as the tension seeps from his bones, and has to fight the groan that attempts to rip itself free. He runs a hand through his hair, turning to follow Steve back to their shared apartment with a shake of his head. He's got it bad, he knows.
*gams: a woman's legs
*dish: cute girl
*wolfess: an attractive woman
*able grable: girl with low morals
*doll dizzy: girl crazy
*hard-boiled: a tough, strong guy
*active duty: sexually promiscuous boy
*shiek: a man with sex appeal (from the Valentino movies)
Leave a comment and let me know what you think so far!
