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“Well?”
“Says we’re not leaving till the morning, three battalions have gotten shot down past the fault line.....two more are missing just past that”
The two men look at each other and sigh deeply. The first man turns down the radio making the empty hideout just as quite as it always has been. The first man looks up at the other questioningly. “Steve”
He starts “this war...This fight...” he takes a pause “I don’t think we’ll see the end of it.”
As his voice breaks he looks away from Steve looking out towards the paneled up window, looking beyond the moment. He looks back, “I’m scared. I aint never been this scared in my life. Not even when your ma caught” he pauses voice caught in his throat and lets out a soft chuckle, “well you know.”
Steve looks over, really looks over, pushing down the false promises and bravado that comes with being captain. “Buck, I cant promise you we will get out of this,” Steve hesitantly sits down next to him on the ground and grabs his hand, “I’ve never been this tired. Never been this broken, even before...before all this.”
They’re quite for a moment, looking at each other and nothing else. “I never knew life could get so dark, we lived in a dirty apartment with nothing to eat for years and I never thought it could get this bad.”
Bucky looks up towards Steve, “what are we going to do?” His voice cracks “how...?” He stops. He looks down.
...a tear slips from his eye. “I know I won’t make it out this war Stevie, I don’t know if imma see you again after we leave this room”
They hold each other tighter. Hoping, praying that maybe this time it’ll help.
“Let’s forget all this for now. General says we ain’t going no where till morning. Let’s just....”
Bucky cuts him off shrugging “let’s just?” Steve laughs, Bucky slightly smiles.
Still grasping his hand, Bucky stands up and turns the radio up. “Let’s just...dance?”
“Dance?”
“Steve...please”
He’s tired...so tired but he could never say no, not to him.
“I think I can do that.” Steve gives a sickly sweet smile, “I mean I did have one hell of a teacher”
“Suck ups don’t get no points Steve”
“What do they get?”
Bucky laughs “something if they’re lucky, just get up here”
The room is small and stuffy but The two men listen to the radio, holding each other lightly and sway to the deep vibrato of Billie holiday.
Steve lowers his head till his mouth lines with Buckys ear, whispering, he sings along to the song playing
“I’ll find you in the morning sun and when the night is new.”
They sway till they can’t stand, till they can’t hear sirens or remember the days to come, days that may never come.
I’ll be seeing you.