Green

Viridity

x

For his entire life, James Buchanan Barnes has always found amusement in his soul-mark. It's impossible not to.

The writing had appeared on his inner wrist, his right arm, in perfect cursive, a green so bright against his skin it almost shone.

He'd wrapped it up with bandages ever since, not quite willing to show the syntaxes to anyone other than his mother. His mother who, while quite obviously pleased that his future intended could write exceptionally well, clicked her tongue over the words.

Personally, he found them to be rather exciting.

After all, what kind of person would he be meeting, what kind of words would he give to his soul-mate in reply to 'Hi, have you seen a glowing cube of mysterious extraterrestrial power recently?'

It was what got him through those first awful nights when he went over to Europe, fighting in war against people he felt he had no chance against.

Because he couldn't die until he'd found his soul mate. He was sure of it.

How else would he get to hear those words if he didn't keep himself alive?

Yes, Bucky Barnes was damn sure he was going to finish fighting in this war, return home and then run into his one and only.

Which was why it was a bit of a surprise when he found her in London mid-war.

.

He'd been walking the streets, enjoying the short amount of leave they'd been given. Steve was off… Well, off somewhere doing something. Probably at some big meeting now that he was all tall and buff and important.

Still a bit bemused over the change -Steve had been a pipsqueak and then suddenly he was taller than Bucky- the dark haired male scratched absentmindedly at his soul mark, no longer hidden by bandages but instead covered by the length of his button down shirt.

The streets weren't too crowded, it was early morning after all. But there were enough businessmen passing by, looking hurried, and none too pleased when a dame in green kept trying to stop them.

Pausing in his steps, Bucky watched as the redhead tried to corner another man, but the middle-aged swine bustled by her without even an excuse. Just completely ignored her existence.

That wasn't on. That wasn't how you treated a lady, no matter how late you were running. Bucky's mother raised him right, raised him better than half the people he'd seen today.

So with little hesitation he cut a path through the small flock of women -dressed a securities, no doubt heading off to their jobs- and came to a stop just beside the girl.

She turned to him and Bucky only had a second to take in the brightest green eyes he'd ever seen before the words from her mouth blindsided him.

"Hi, have you see a glowing cube of mysterious extraterrestrial power recently?"

He gaped.

Quite unable to help it in all honesty.

But really, in the middle of a street in London -she was British, she had a British accent and gods it sounded good- that was the first thing she said to a stranger? And instantly his mind went to what he could recall of a glowing cube that Schmidt had bragged about, and before he could stop it, the words came tumbling out of his mouth.

"I've heard a few stories."

The girl blinked, eyes as green as freshly turfed grass before her whole face lit up in a smile so bright Bucky almost flinched from it. Almost.

"Hi there soulmate, I bet my words had you confused for a few years."

And Bucky laughed, watching as the dame's -his soulmate. His Soulmate- eyes lit up at the sound. God she was gorgeous, with freckles surrounding her vivid eyes like a natural scattering of war paint.

"I knew you'd be special, that was for sure. But seriously doll, why're you looking for some cosmicy cube?"

Two pearly white teeth flashed into existence as they worried her lower lip about, and dear lord did he find that gesture appealing.

"Do you, erm, wanna discuss it over lunch?"

"Sure thing doll. The name's Sergeant James Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky."

"James huh?" The girl repeated, something indescribable flashing about in her eyes before she hooked her arm around his, which he'd happily offered.

"I think I'll stick with Bucky then. Lady Hariel Potter, but I go by Harry."

.

It was over lunch, a walk around the city, and then dinner that Harry convinced him she was from an alternate universe. She'd had a bit of an accident and ended up here, and a friend -though from the expression her face, friend wasn't how she'd describe them- had asked her to check up on this magical cube. The fact she could change the colour of the napkins up to the table, and then his own shirt colour, went a long way to having him believe there were powers beyond money in this world.

Or rather, another world.

He didn't want to sound bad, but he was glad she had been in whatever accident that'd happened. It'd brought her here, to him after all.

Walking down one of the many streets of London, Bucky looked up at the sky, letting out a low sigh as he did so.

"So doll, how's this gonna work then?"

"First you're gonna wear this-" and she pulled a simple leather cord out of nowhere, a small, golden coin on the end unlike anything he'd ever seen before, "- to keep you safe, and then when you get out of this war alive, I'm going to come and find you. We'll figure it out from there."

Grinning, Bucky pressed his nose into the crown of her hair, inhaling the soft, feminine scent that was Harry Potter.

A lady.

His soulmate was a lady.

The lad from Brooklyn, destined for beautiful dame.

It was like something out of a fairy tale.

"I'll wear it. And I'll think of you every day."

"Every night and day," Harry corrected, cold nose nuzzling into the curve of his collarbone.

Huffing a laugh, Bucky tightened his grip ever so slightly, pressing the young woman's slighter body against his own just as her own arms clung a little tighter.

"Every night and day doll. I promise."

There a woman. He catches sight of her whenever he's on a mission, only she's not really there. More like an afterimage.

She's always got red hair, and brilliant green eyes. Freckles, easy to distinguish but no matter where he looks whenever he's outside, whenever his handlers give him a new mission, he can never find her.

Like a ghost. Even more of a ghost than he is, because more than one person knows of his existence.

The Asset is the only one who sees her though, and after the first time he'd mentioned her, after their reaction, he learnt not to bring it up again.

No, he kept quiet.

They had almost all of him.

But she was his.

The idea sat right in his stomach, it agreed, as if it were simple fact.

Part of him said that the girl was the reason why he wore the metal manacle on his right wrist, that she was the reason he felt a slight itch at the skin he couldn't quite reach.

But then the mission would take priority and he'd forget all about it.

He was the Asset, and she was his secret alone.

One day, the Winter Soldier went to sleep.

The next morning, Bucky Barnes woke up.

His head hurt, oh god did it hurt and there were all these memories that weren't his and were at the same time and the leather cord, the one that'd never ever been removed from his neck, -"It won't come off sir, it just slips through our fingers. Not even the Asset can take it off…"- the coin on the end was burning hot.

What the hell was happening?

.

It took a few days for his brain to rewrite itself, to reboot and begin working again.

He was Bucky Barnes, and he was the Winter Soldier.

Two halves of the same coin.

It'd been a hour since he'd sat himself down atop one of the more famous suicide bridges in town, an hour of contemplation all to himself. He'd done so much wrong, but he'd been brainwashed, used and abused.

But children had grown up without fathers, without mothers because of him. He'd almost killed Steve damn it, there was no way he could go back now. But then-

"I see it didn't keep you as safe as I wanted."

His fingers froze, neatly cut nails still scraping slightly against the edges of the golden coin that hung around his neck.

Oh, HYDRA had tried to take it, but every time they had attempted the theft, it'd slipped through their fingers, quite literally.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"…I think it separated the two parts of you, kept Bucky in the dark until it was safe to join again… I got my glowing cube of mysterious extraterrestrial power if you were wondering."

His laugh was dry, almost lifeless but never dead because Harry had sat herself down next to him on the bridge, not looking much older than when he'd last seen her, that day in England when they'd first met. He'd gotten letters from her while out fighting, but it hadn't been the same. Her hair was longer, only slightly, but enough to let him know about six months had passed for her since they'd last met up.

"How are you here?"

"I've got friends in high places. Or just the one I guess. I helped him, he helped me. Most importantly though, right now it's me and you… If you still want me that is."

Looking at the redhead, her brilliant viridity eyes framed with the freckles that made her so damn memorable, Bucky carefully placed his hand, the human one atop hers.

It went unsaid that he wanted her to stay.

.

Even as his time as the Winter Solider, she'd always been his.

And right now, he was hers.

Because I couldn't find any FemHarryxBucky so I wrote my own.

Tsume
xxx