I wanted to hold back on posting another chapter for a little while, but I literally couldn't. We are very, very close to our mains finally having some prime interaction (no juicy stuff just yet, but we're getting there!)
I loved writing this chapter. Honestly, Bucky + the gang are just my favs. And Dum Dum is such a loveable character. I hope you love their little interaction as much as I do!
Trigger Warning: Some slight* sexual harassment.
Chapter XIV
Following the more than irksome day of taking orders from Dr. Heinrich, Bucky sat at a table with some of the guys in his infantry. Abe Anderson was joking around with Simon Pym about something or another, and the two were howling with laughter.
Bucky wasn't in a mood to be happy with them though. He had a long couple of days, and he hadn't been sleeping well. The thoughts of the fighting from earlier had been burned in his brain, and every time he thought of it anxiety rose in his chest. He had lost his appetite as well, and the fact he had been forced to be under the services of the Wicked Witch of the West didn't help his mood.
He tried to be involved and laugh with his friends, but every time he did, he felt guilty. Guilty that he was there while so many people weren't.
He tried to distract himself, since he found it wasn't so bad when he was occupied. He guessed that was one benefit to working with Dr. Heinrich. He had been so focused on disliking her that he didn't have time to think about all the trauma he had seen in the few hours before then.
But now he wasn't busy, the darkness seemed to creep in. He tried to distract himself any way possible, thinking of anything but the horrors and focusing on his friends. But even though he was there and present, it was like he couldn't hear what they said. Nothing registered, and although their voices rang in his ears it was like it was muffled, almost like he was hearing them from underwater.
Bucky tried to think of anything. He concentrated in his mother's face, trying to remember her soft smile. For some reason, he couldn't though. He tried to think of his sisters on Christmas, pouncing on him in the early morning and dragging him to go with them to open presents.
He tried to think of Steve and their time on Coney Island, and how they had eaten enough hot dogs to make them sick and played more games than they could afford. He was desperate just to get out of his own head, and the more he tried not to focus on all the bad, it just seemed to get worse.
He wasn't ripped out of his thoughts until Gilbert Whitney let out a loud whistle a couple of seats down from him. That seemed to rip Bucky of whatever trance he was in and bring him back to reality.
He had to focus on the fact he was there, alive, and not still stuck in battle. It was over, for now. He couldn't dwell on it and he had to remain in the present.
His eyes directed back to where Whitney was looking, and the man yelled at two women who walked by, trying to get their attention.
Bucky's gaze intensified as he saw Lucy Heinrich walking with another woman. The other woman was equally as attractive as she was, but it a different way, given her uniform was in a well-kept condition and she had her hair and makeup done. Lucy didn't though, her hair was in a messy updo, and she didn't wear a stitch of makeup. She wore the same uniform from earlier in the day, not bothering to change out of it. Bucky guessed the reasons for the other woman's appearance was due to her being an agent.
The women only glared at Whitney as he wolf-whistled and invited them over to chat with them all while he had a smug look on his face. Bucky snapped, "Knock it off!" He said a little too harshly. But one, he knew women didn't appreciate the harassment. And two, the last person he wanted to talk to at that moment was Lucy Heinrich.
"What's your deal, Sarg?" The man scoffed, "You don't want to chat up a couple dame's?"
"Not those ones," He shook his head, knowing that Lucy was the last person in the world he would ever be attracted to. And not to mention, the women were there to do a job and were military officers, they didn't need guys talking them up and annoying them.
As Lucy walked past, their eyes met. Once again, the sense of familiarity struck him and his heart tugged a little bit. He felt as though he had to have known her from somewhere, although he knew it was impossible.
"What you have against them? They're good lookin' gals!" Whitney only asked, absolutely in shock that Bucky didn't want to converse with them, "I'll take one of each, please."
"Before now I barely remember what a woman looked like." Abe sighed as his eyes followed the women as they walked away. He noticed how Lucy had made eye contact with Bucky, "Did you know that one? She was giving you eyes."
"I was under her service earlier today. Dr. Lucy Heinrich is her name. And she's the bane of my existence." Even saying her name stirred feelings of animosity in him.
"A Doctor? I love me an educated woman! Who's the other one though?" He asked, curiously.
"Don't know." Bucky shrugged, "Don't care either." If she was friends with Lucy, chances are they wouldn't get along.
"I miss how nice they always smelled," Simon reminisced, "How is it possible dame's hair always smelled like flowers? And ever notice how their houses were always clean? Women, I tell ya. They're magic."
Bucky chuckled, "I think you're romanticizing. You're just doll dizzy, that's all."
"No, I've just been surrounded by you animals too long, I think." He insisted with a slight scowl. His bitter tone reflected how he likely would be rather elsewhere than in their company.
"Forget the way they smell, or how clean they are." Whitney's annoying voice rang in Bucky's ears. Every time the man opened his mouth he was irritated, "I just miss one being in my bed."
"That too!" Abe laughed before shoveling another spoonful of food into his mouth.
"What are you old hen's gossipin' about?" Dum Dum slid in on the end of the table, looking a little rough from the events of the day as well. He and Bucky had been through mostly the same ordeal, and they were equally as exhausted.
"Dames, that's all." Simon still seemed in a dreamy state, clearly fantasizing about something.
"Ah, any in mind? Saw a cute nurse earlier today in the field." He said, "Or maybe a particular Doctor?" His attention turned to Bucky and he wanted to laugh.
Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him and Bucky scoffed, "You've definitely got it wrong."
"Really? Because from what I saw from earlier it seemed like there was some tension there." Dugan had a shit-eating grin on his face.
"You just lied to our faces, didn't you Sarg!" Simon asked, absolutely scandalized that Bucky would do such a thing. "You're sweet on her!"
Bucky's eyes widened at the accusations and he quickly responded, "I think that woman would be the last person I'd ever want to be with!"
"Don't have to like her to have a quick tousle," Whitney said smugly, his eyes following the ladies' backsides as they walked away. Bucky wanted to tell him to be more respectful. It bothered him he was so blatant and crass about women.
"I'd rather rip my fingernails off." He shot back. It would be less painful than spending time with her.
"Cut the shit, Barnes." Dum Dum suddenly turned serious, "Your eyes were all over her when she walked in. There was tension."
Bucky will couldn't shake the feeling as though they had met before. He only shrugged, "Thought I knew her, that's all. She reminds me of someone…" Although he couldn't remember who, exactly. There was something about her dark eyes that was familiar though… "And as for tension? Yeah, you hit the nail right on the head for that one, Dugan." He said. "The type of tension where I'd like to wring her neck."
Dum Dum only pursed his lips, "I was talking more of the sexual nature kinda tension…"
Bucky could only scoff, nearly turning red even at the mere suggestion. "What?" What did he mean by sexual tension? "There's no… Sexual tension." He was suddenly flustered and didn't know why.
"Oh, trust me. There's sexual tension."
Bucky felt bile rising in his throat. No matter how beautiful she was, he held no feelings of sexual attraction to her. Well, perhaps he did. There had been one moment back in the cave where he had... No. He wasn't going to think about that. "Please," He scoffed once more, absolutely baffled by his observation. "Whitney, she's all yours." To prove he didn't want her, Bucky told the man he detested to go for it. "But I gotta warn you, she's a heinous, malicious, untamable bitch." It was crossing a line to say that. Immediately Bucky felt bad, but he had to prove that he held no kind of feelings towards her.
Dum Dum rose his eyebrows and Whitney smirked and reveled in his victory. He only patted Bucky on the shoulder as he stood up, glowing as though he had won the lottery, "Was gonna go her regardless of your permission. And maybe the reason why she's such a malicious, untamable bitch is that she's too much woman for ya, huh?" There was still animosity between the two men, but after meeting Lucy Heinrich he figured why not pair the worst two people he knew together? They could get married and have demon children, for all he cared. "But thanks for your blessing, Sarg. I'll let you know if I'm able to tame the beast, alright?" He gave him a wink and a cocky smile as he strode away and suddenly Bucky felt sick.
Wait. Maybe Bucky had made a mistake. No matter how awful Lucy Heinrich was, he was pretty positive Gilbert Whitney was worse. He didn't think any dame should be subjected to that type of torment, no matter who she was.
Whitney walked away, heading in whatever direction the women were heading. Bucky's eyes followed him. Suddenly, regret pinged in his stomach and he thought perhaps he was being too cruel by siccing Whitney on her. No one deserved that.
Bucky almost didn't notice Dum Dum's shit-eating grin. When he turned back, he must have looked a little lost in through because the larger man only laughed and then said, "Like I said, sexual tension."
"Where are you even getting that from?" Bucky demanded to know, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he rose his chin up. "We were both there, earlier, right? You saw how awful she was."
"Listen, I know what I know. And you sending Whitney to her to just prove that you don't like her speaks volumes, my friend." He only chuckled and then lit a cigar "And you better change that good for nothin' attitude of yours if you wanna woo her."
"Woo her? Woo? Is this 1700's England? Shall I buy a parasol for my betrothed as we walk around the river canal?" Bucky asked sarcastically in a bad English accent, making Abe chuckle. "Maybe I should ask for her father's permission before I hold her hand?"
"Okay, I don't appreciate your tone here. I'm just tryna' lay down some good, old fashioned, advice on love."
"You are delusional! That woman and I will — No. You know what? I'm not even entertaining the idea of it anymore." Bucky rolled his eyes, wondering how the man could be so wrong. He could create a situation out of nothing, and pretend there was something there when the reality was that it was the furthest thing from.
"J'm just observant. Christ, no reason to get so sore." Dum Dum insisted, but had a smirk on his face at Bucky's reaction and how adamant he was. Simon only sat and listened intently. He was more of a quiet man, who preferred to sit quietly and observe than interject. Abe Anderson only snorted at Dum Dum's statement, "In my experience, a gal and a guy only hate each other like that after just meeting for one reason."
Bucky raised his eyebrows and then interjected, "Because one of them is a self-righteous, elitist who doesn't care about anyone but herself, and also processes a superiority complex and a bad attitude?"
"Oh, look who learned how to use big boy words!" Dugan laughed, "See, she's already wearin' off on ya, Sarg!"
"Jesus, tell us how you really feel about her." Anderson chuckled, unaware that Bucky was capable of feeling so hostile towards someone.
Dum Dum ignored him, and then said smugly, "Two complete strangers only hate each other that much if there's an attraction."
Bucky was about to disagree, but then Dugan quickly beat him to it. "Come on, Sarg! You have to admit she's a beautiful woman."
Frowning more, Bucky thought about his answer for a second. "Yeah, I've got two eyes and I'm not stupid. But she's… just, the worst." He needed to stress just how bad she was. And yeah, she was drop-dead gorgeous. And not to mention, ridiculously smart. But Bucky was dead set on disliking her, and nothing was about to change that. No matter how pretty she was when she smiled, or how her mouth twitched every time she got excited about a new find. He certainly didn't notice the way her eyes sparkled, or how her brows creased with frustration.
He was not attracted to her. Even if his groin slightly tightened when she ordered him around, and even if he kind of liked it when she was bossy, it did not mean that he, Bucky Barnes, was attracted to Lucy Heinrich. So what if he just liked powerful women? It didn't necessarily mean that he liked her. Dugan had it wrong, Bucky tried to convince himself.
Dum Dum smirked. "Just you wait," Bucky didn't appreciate his smug grin. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to smack it off his face, "I've got a knack for these types of things."
"Not ever gonna happen. She's the most infuriating person I've ever met." Bucky rubbed his knuckles as he scowled, his hands absentmindedly having a mind of their own as he tried not to think of Lucy. He realized after a moment that it was a nervous habit, and he remembered how when he was younger he used to rub the skin raw. He didn't realize until now he was actually uncomfortable about talking about her to the other guys.
"Funny," Dum Dum paused, missing a beat and watching Bucky's reaction. "She said the exact same thing about you."
Bucky realized he had been just as nasty to her as she had been to him and a sour taste formed in his mouth. "Still," He swallowed, "Not gonna happen." He didn't like the way he had been treating Dr. Heinrich. If his mother was there she would have hit him on the back of the head for speaking to a dame in such a matter.
And Steve.
Oh God, Steve. Steve would be so disappointed.
"Why not?" Abe asked, a grin slightly building, "Yeah, she's irritating. But if that's the same broad that walked this way I'd be on her in a second. A guy starts missing the feel of a woman while he's at war." He took a moment to laugh, as he teased him, "You're not a virgin are you?"
Before Bucky could even answer that he definitely wasn't, Simon interrupted. "I am!" Simon piped up, frowning slightly at their tones. It was obvious he didn't understand why they were saying it as if it were a negative thing.
"Good for you, son. You a holy man or something?" Dum Dum inquired, pretending interest.
"Actually yes, I am. I also think you should be in love—,"
"That was sarcasm. No one wants to hear about your chastity vows to God. It's boring."
Bucky couldn't help but chuckle at the interaction between them. Despite the easy setting though, he still felt nervousness and anxiety from the mornings' violence that he had witnessed. Pushing it from his mind, Bucky tried to live in the moment as it crept back up.
"Anyway, " Dum Dum focused back on Bucky, sighed, and then said "Moving on past Pym's stupidity—,"
"Hey!" Simon shot back, offended, "It's not stupid to—,"
"Moving on!" Dugan stressed again, rolling his eyes, "I think you should give her a chance. She doesn't seem half bad. And, it would save your ass from trouble if she ever tried to report back to Phillips."
Bucky thought about it for a moment, "We'll see." He replied, "Though I don't see me warming up to her anytime soon. The broad is frigid as hell. Plus, I don't like the way she walks around thinking she's smarter than everyone else."
As he spoke, Bucky didn't even notice a man approach them. He had seen him sitting at the edge of the table, but he was quiet in contrast to all the ruckus they were making. Apparently, the last sentence Bucky has said angered him, a pissed expression on his face. The man stood up after getting up rather aggressively, clearly more than angry about what they were saying.
Bucky's stomach dropped as he recognized the man as Dr. Heinrich's assistant. And he heard all they had said about her… And apparently, what Bucky had last remarked was the final straw.
"For the record, Doctor Lucy Heinrich deserves more respect than the lot of you twats talking about her in that nature. She's brilliant, and despite the world dolling her out a shite hand, she's made something of herself. Can you all say the same? " the man was angered by the way they were speaking. And with good reason, since they had truly been awful. Not only was Bucky being insulting, but they had all been moderately crass. Shame welled in his chest as he remembered passing her off to Gilbert Whitney, as though she were an object and not a person.
"Oh! And another thing! The reason why she acts like she's smarter than everyone else, is because she is smarter than everyone else." He stormed away, red in the face.
Bucky had to admit he royally fucked up by saying such things about her within ear distance of her assistant. He looked at Dugan, dumbstruck and not sure exactly how to react from the smaller man's outburst.
"Shit." Dugan only said before Bucky huffed. Bucky realized that if her assistant relayed what he had said and it looked like he was undermining her again, he could be in major trouble.
He ran a hand through his hair and then only sighed. "I gotta go fix this."
After they had gotten some food in their bellies and caffeine in their bloodstream, the company at Lucy's table felt rejuvenated.
She no longer felt as anxious as she previously did, and she all but forgot about Sergeant Barnes and the debacle they had earlier. Almost.
It wasn't until they had finished up and Lucy and Peggy said farewell to Elsa, who cheerily waved goodbye that Lucy began to feel the dread well back up inside of her. She felt anxious as she thought of how she would have to be ripped away from the few people who were friendly to her and go back to being treated as a burden.
Lucy attempted to stay clear of negative thoughts as she walked on with Peggy, who rambled on about the amount of work she had to finish and the supplies they were short on.
Lucy listened intensely until they walked past a group of men at the mess hall. Both she and Peggy had become very much used to the constant stares by the men, and even the wolf-whistling and catcalling.
Stares she could deal with. When they were from random men, Lucy could find herself unable to care less. But stares from Sargent Barnes was another thing. She shouldn't have been so affected by him, but she was.
And as his gaze fell on her Lucy's cheeks turned pink as she walked by. Partially, from how goddamn gorgeous he was. The other half was how she was still angered by him. And the last reason was that she had never had to deal with someone so frustrating before.
Lucy redirected her gaze and suddenly was annoyed with herself for acting like such a coward. If it were any other person, she likely would have stared at them right back, or even in a defiant manner asked 'what the hell are you looking at?. But the feeling of incompetence was still fresh, as was the feeling of her work being regarded as unimportant. Lucy was frustrated that she felt such things, since never before had she been disregarded on such a monumental level.
She fixed her gaze anywhere else, refusing to even look at his comrades, even though one yelled something that she can only assume was something he thought was a 'compliment'.
She could feel Peggy notably tense at his words. It was clear neither one of them appreciated what he was saying. "There's one looking at you," She stated plainly, but kept her eyes forward after briefly looking over.
"Probably," Lucy sighed, "The pretty one with dark hair?"
Peggy curiously looked back with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, he is quite pretty, I suppose. You know him?"
She nodded, noting it took everything she had not to turn back and look at him also. Although she could feel his gaze staring daggers into her back as she walked away. Lucy chose to ignore it. Usually, in a situation such as this, she would put her chin up and stand taller, walking with purpose. Mrs. Lee always told her to act as though people were lesser than her should they ever make her feel insignificant or small. But something told Lucy that acting superior wasn't the answer in this situation, given the fact he was under the false belief that she had an ego problem and a superiority complex.
"Worked with him this morning." Lucy replied, "He had a complete disregard of my authority, and was purposefully refusing some of my orders and being difficult."
Peggy only scowled further, "I hate that. I'm sorry that happened to you. If you would like, I'd be happy to put in a word with a superior officer?"
Lucy was a superior officer already. But Sargent Barnes didn't seem to care so much about that.
"No," She said hastily. Lucy thought of the words that Sargent Dugan had said, and how Barnes only disliked her for her attitude that she appeared insensitive earlier that morning. Of course, Lucy felt bad for that. And she would have apologized under normal circumstances, but nothing about this situation was normal. "That's not necessary." She figured he was partially right in his hostility towards her. But Lucy would never act that way to someone if they ever offended her. But then again, she was also raised differently and with different manners.
"Are you sure? You can't work with defiant officers." Peggy's tone ensured her it was more a professionalism issue than a personal one. Lucy understood that, but despite her trying to demote him earlier that morning she believed it was a little too drastic.
"I'm sure," She sighed and pushed some hair out of her face, "It's just frustrating, but I've dealt with frustrating men my entire life. One more won't make a difference." She promised her.
"Alright, well," Peggy licked her lips and touched Lucy's elbow lightly, "If you need anything don't be a stranger. This is my stop here," She gestured to a large operations tent. Lucy nodded and assured her she would.
The two new friends parted their ways and Lucy head towards her own operations tent to begin labeling the artifacts they had acquired earlier.
Heading over, her boots sloshed in the mud and she couldn't help but hide the destain on her face. She never thought she would miss Egypt, but she did. She missed the warmth, and she missed the sun shining on her skin. She missed the way a fire in the cold desert nights. She missed the way the locals would sing to them in deep guttural sounds, playing a stringed instrument as they drank sweet wine and sat below palm trees.
She never felt particularly welcomed in Egypt either. But at least it was better than this hell hole.
As Lucy remembered earlier times with a fond sense of nostalgia, she almost didn't remember to watch where she stepped and she found herself tripping. A strong hand caught her quickly, and she found herself turning to her savior.
"Woah, Woah! Easy there!" The man chuckled, his southern accent thick. "You alright there, sweetheart?"
She had been called sweetheart countless times before, but never before had it sounded quite so demeaning as it did leaving his lips.
"Fine, thank you." Lucy straightened herself out and then nodded to him, "I must have not been looking where I was walking. Thanks again,"
"Oh, it was my pleasure," He said smoothly, giving her a smile which she assumed would have made most women melt. He was in fact, a very attractive man. Towering over her 5'9 frame, he must have easily been 6'4. He had broad muscles and a well-shaved face, with slicked-back black hair which looked too clean for a military man to have. "Gilbert Whitney." Lucy recognized him as one of the men who had been sitting with Sergeant Barnes at his table. She wondered if they were friends and just thinking about it made her want to roll her eyes.
"Dr. Lucy Heinrich." She nodded to him,
"Ah, right! You're the archaeologist!" He smiled, "And here I was thinking you were a movie star."
Lucy wanted to frown and gag and roll her eyes all at the same time but instead, she kept her facial expression neutral. "No, perhaps you had me confused for someone else."
"Definitely not, but that's alright." He flashed her one of the whitest smiles she had ever seen.
Lucy only pursed her lips as she began to walk away, saying "I should go, thank you again."
"Hey, Dr. Heinrich? Sorry, I don't mean to intrude but you wouldn't happen to need any help or anything at all with your work, do you? I'd love to volunteer."
Usually, Lucy would jump at the opportunity to gain some extra help. But she figured perhaps Gilbert Whitney wouldn't be the best fit.
"Ah, no. That's alright though. Thank you again!" This time she managed to walk away, even turning around before he caught up to her, quickly getting in her way and standing in front of her. Lucy scowled at his relentlessness,
"You sure, sweetheart? You look like you could use the help."
Her eyes narrowed and she assured him with a short reply, "I'm good. And it's Doctor, not sweetheart." She gave him the typical answer she gave anyone who overlooked her or said anything moderately insulting by insisting she was just a silly little girl. She patted his shoulder lightly and maneuvered around him.
"My apologies." He was an annoying lost dog, she realized as he kept following on her heels, moving quickly to keep up with her. "I just thought I'd extend my services but if you don't want them —."
"I don't want them." She snapped and wished to be left alone. "You would just slow me down and be a distraction."
"A distraction?" He gave her a big toothy grin, "Because of my good looks?" Lucy wanted to scream in frustration. Why was it some men had selective hearing? It seemed he had only heard half her sentence and chose to ignore the part he didn't want to hear. "Also, has anyone ever told you that you have a great smile? You should smile more."
Lucy's stomach flipped and a shiver ran down her back. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes at his comment, which she assumed he thought was a compliment. "Because you're annoying!" She scowled, wanting only to be left alone to do her work without constant harassment.
"Hey now," He grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking further and pulling her back. It was meant only to keep her from moving, but Lucy recognized it as a power move, and she felt the sting of his fingers digging their way into her tender flesh, "That's not a very nice thing to say after I just offered to help you."
Lucy knew better than that. He was shifting the blame to her, attempting to make her feel bad for being rude and using social normatives against her. He was not only pestering her and not taking no for an answer but also not understanding she expected a certain level of professionalism and knowledge if he wanted to work on her project. She and Charles had spent most of the day instructing Foster and Green on what to do, and she didn't need to go over it a third time to some eager newbie who only wanted to help due to his attraction to her.
"Take your hand off my arm, Private." She said harshly, not backing down for even a second despite his threatening stance and how he towered over her.
His jaw locked and he reluctantly took his hand off her, a sour look on his face. The only thing she said was "Like I said, I appreciate the offer. But I said no, and I would like it as your superior officer if you respected that and didn't continue pestering me with questions." She continued trying to be polite, believing there was no reason for more hostility.
"Barnes had it completely right, you really are a heinous bitch."
Her blood turned to ice and she stopped in her tracks. She felt hurt by his words, but it was nothing compared to the rage she felt. Once again, no one would ever speak to their superior officer like that if she was a man. Anger boiled up inside her and just as she was about to wring him out when another voice made itself known.
"Whitney!" Sergeant Barnes stood there with an angered look on his face as he walked up. The stance he had was rigid, and he moved closer to Lucy. "Lay off her and report back to Sargent Dugan. He has chores for you due to your inappropriate behaviour of disrespecting a superior officer."
Lucy could barely hide her shock. Barnes was actually sticking up for her and she shouldn't believe it. Her heart pounded in her chest from the adrenaline and also from the surprise of Sergeant Barnes possibly taking her side.
The man only chuckled and before staring at him with disdain, "Are you shitting me right now? You fucking hypocrite."
"Get," He clicked at him like an animal. A smug look appeared on his face, knowing he won this round, his arms were crossed against his chest. Lucy wanted to add something smug as well as Whitney walked away but she bit her tongue, figuring his ego was hurt enough already.
He turned away with a scowl, and something suggested to Lucy that whatever rivalry they had it was far from over.
When it was only her and Barnes, he ran a hand through his hair and then breathed out, "Sorry about him—,"
"A heinous bitch?" Was all she was able to spit out. His words still stung a little. It wasn't the first time she had been called a bitch, but for some reason, this time hurt a little more. Especially since he was spreading around his opinion of her and making it easier for more of the men to dislike her and disrespect her.
"I know," Was all he could say shamefully as he exhaled deeply, "That was crossing a line. I'm sorry. And you're right, I should have never undermined your authority like that. I'll be talking in some chores as well for punishment."
Lucy was shocked he would punish himself for his behaviour. But she supposed if he wanted to be respected by his men he had to be held at the same standard.
"Thank you," She told him, genuinely. "I appreciate that, Sergeant. And I apologize as well for my insensitive comment earlier. I wasn't aware of how I came across, and I am truly sorry if I offended you or any of your men."
He swallowed a lump in his throat and looked down. He became tense, suddenly remembering all she said earlier, "Yeah well, my mom always told me to do what was right. And how I treated you earlier with disrespect wasn't becoming of my character or how I want to be as a leader here. So… This doesn't change anything between us, doll."
She wanted to roll her eyes again. But Lucy couldn't help but grin at their bickering, "I'd be disappointed if it did, Sergeant." She was going to have to come up with a nickname for him if he insisted on calling her 'doll' all the time.
He only smirked and then turned around, clearly amused by her fiery reaction. "Good," He chuckled and started off in the other direction.
Once again, in that small smile, Lucy felt the feeling of familiarity and lost feelings. The more she interacted with him, the more she felt as though she knew him.
Lucy shook the feeling away, knowing it was impossible. She began walking, she didn't expect him to call out to her again.
"Hey, Doc?" He called out to her. She turned around, a few stray pieces of hair falling into her face. "You ever been to Brooklyn?"
"Two or three times," She shrugged, "Why do you ask?"
He only pursed his lips and then also shrugged, "No reason, don't worry about it."
But Lucy did, and the wheels of her head began spinning. She couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him. As she turned around to glance back at him, she caught him doing the same thing, and as they made eye contact and she knew in that moment that her feelings weren't one-sided.
WELL. PROGRESS PEOPLE. If you liked that you should just wait until the next one. Because honestly, besides Chapter 11, the next one has to be favourite. It's just so... Ugh fluffy and funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I can't wait to share it with you!
Please review, follow, and favourite. Every time you do, it fuels the inspiration I need to get into the good stuff with Lucy and Bucky ;)
Thanks again,
Amelia
