Summary:
Your relationship with Bucky Barnes is strange. He seems to know more about you than you know about yourself. It, truthfully, freaked you out. You could never figure out how he knew the smallest details, or why he treated you with a certain hesitancy even during his Winter Soldier days.
Then you get sent back to the 1940s.
Word Count: 13.9k
Warnings/Tags: Fighting, Choking (not like that), Reader does not speak Russian or Romanian, Google Translated Russian and Romanian, Reader can kinda fight but general backstory on how they learned is kept vague, Flashbacks, The year jumps around a lot, LOTS OF EXPOSITION, Time Travel
A/N: Feel free to correct me on any of the Russian and Romanian! My first series for Bucky. It’s kinda slow in the beginning but give it a chance this is the first chapter I gotta set stuff up. I hope you guys enjoy!
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-
2014
The Winter Soldier.
You had heard the name before, but you knew nothing substantial about him. One thing you knew for certain, however, was that he was dangerous.
You didn’t know how dangerous until your first encounter with him.
You had been running after Natasha. You saw her take cover after taking a shot to the shoulder. Breathing heavily, you force yourself to run after her. She desperately needed backup; you had never seen her afraid before.
You weren’t sure where Steve was, but you could’ve really used his help. You watched helplessly as she leaned against the car, her body pressed up against the wheel.
“Shit.” Cursing, you pulled out a pistol, ready to defend her. Then you saw him.
He jumped up on a car, aiming his gun in her direction. Raising your pistol, you took a shot at him. She wasn’t in a good position right now. You needed to distract him from her.
The bullet hit his gun, causing him to fumble. His focus immediately snapped to you. You were wide open, an easy shot. You dove for cover behind a car. Glancing to where you had been standing, you catch a glimpse of bullets shooting at the spot you previously stood with unparalleled accuracy.
You looked in every direction frantically. He could appear from anywhere, and you knew if you left your cover, he’d take the opportunity to shoot you.
Suddenly, the car you leaned against bounced, and you looked up to see the Winter Soldier standing up on top of it, his gun pointed at you.
He shot the pistol out of your hand, and you frantically attempted to reach into a pocket to grab any weapon. He never gave you the chance, as he threw himself on top of you, effectively pinning you to the ground. Back against the street, his eyes leered at your own. Your throat seized as his metal hand constricted your airway.
You desperately attempted to get air, but you only ended up coughing, releasing what little air you had. You gazed into his cold, rigid stare. This was it. This was where you would die, looking at the man HYDRA had turned into a weapon.
Then he stopped.
He didn’t let you go, no, but he stopped choking you. You took in every gulp of air you could, your chest rising and falling. Eventually, your breathing slowed, but the cold metal of his hand still lay on your neck.
You didn’t dare to speak. You didn’t dare to move. Body frozen, you remained on the ground, taking deep breaths, staring up at him. You blinked slowly, and to your surprise, he mirrored the action.
Breath hitching, you tilted your head to the side, and as a result, he tilted his head too. Lowering his weapon, he leaned closer to your face. Unable to move under his unyielding grasp, you watched as he approached.
“Почему я тебя знаю?” His voice was low, barely above a whisper. It didn’t help that he wore a mask, muffling what few words you could hear.
You didn't respond. You couldn’t. Frozen in your spot, you stared at him. You had no idea what he said. Attempting to formulate a response, you moved your lips, but no words came out.
Suddenly, Steve’s shield threw him off of you, sending the Soldier sprawling on a van’s door. Gasping, you immediately moved your hand to your throat. Feeling the beginnings of a bruise, you had let out a shaky breath. You’re alive. You turned your head back to where the Soldier landed, only to find he had already recovered.
You expected his attention to be on Steve, after all, Steve was the biggest threat to him.
You felt a chill move up your spine when you realized he was staring at you, almost as if his gaze never left.
You felt somebody attempt to pull you up. “Shit, we gotta get you out of here. Did he get you?” Natasha pulled you up, and you shook your head. Focus, you aren’t even that injured.
As you walked with Natasha to better cover, you turned back to the fight.
Why didn’t he kill you?
-
You weren’t sure if you should tell anybody about that incident.
You weren’t exactly sure what happened. Perhaps you weren’t his main target?
Bucky.
That’s the name Steve said belonged to the man. You remember briefly seeing his name at the Smithsonian. Apparently, he was a part of the Howling Commandos, the unit Steve had led during World War II. Steve had insisted that he watched Bucky fall off a train, and that one of his biggest regrets was failing to save him.
You looked up the name “Bucky Barnes” on Google. Opening the images, you withheld your gasp at seeing the older photos.
It wasn’t that you didn’t believe Steve, you’ve always had faith in the man. It was just hard to imagine that the Winter Soldier is just a Google search away. Tapping on one of the photos, you noticed that his hair was shorter back then. He looked lighter back then.
“What are you doing?” Natasha leaned on the couch you were sitting on.
The instant you heard her voice, you shut the phone off. “Nothing.”
She raised an eyebrow, “Sure, of course.” She walked around the couch to sit next to you. “Did he do something to you?” She whispered, her voice almost sounding concerned.
Your eyes widened slightly, “Sorry?”
“The Soldier. You looked shaken after I pulled you away.” She leaned against the back of the couch. “Did he do something? Say Something?”
“Well, he almost choked me to death.” You deflected dryly.
“No, I’ve seen you almost die. That wasn’t it. You froze.” Natasha pushed, before sighing. “Look, it’s none of my business, I know. Just,” she stood up, looking down at you, “don’t let him get in your head. We can’t let him win, even if he is the long-lost friend of Steve.” She placed a hand on your shoulder, rubbing it slightly before walking away.
“He said something.” The words left your mouth before you could stop them.
Natasha stopped, turning back around to face you. “What’d he say?”
You shook your head, “I don’t know. It was in Russian.”
Natasha cursed, “Any context clues?”
You tapped your phone absentmindedly, “He almost killed me, I was right there under his arm. I thought that that was it. Then he stopped. He let me breathe.” You brought your hand up to your throat, still remembering the feeling of the cold metal tightening around your airways.
“I remember looking up at him, scared that any movement would cause him to choke me again.” You shook your head, chuckling. “Then he started mirroring my movement. I blinked slowly, he blinked slowly. I tilted my head, he tilted his head.” You threw your phone down onto the couch. “Then he spoke, and before I had a chance to ask what the hell he just said, he got knocked off of me, courtesy of Steve.” You looked up at Natasha. “When I sat up, I turned toward him, only to find him staring at me.”
Natasha gave you a conflicted look. “You didn’t tell anybody?” She asked.
You shake your head, “I didn’t know what to say. What can we even do with that information?”
Natasha walked back over to the couch. “He spared you.”
“I mean, yes, he did, but he was distracted. Perhaps, I just wasn’t his target. He might not care about collateral damage.” You shrugged, but Natasha shook her head.
“No, you don’t understand. The Soldier eliminates any collateral. He doesn’t spare people close to his targets. You should’ve died there…” Natasha looked straight forward, contemplative.
“Gee, thanks.” You chuckled humorlessly.
“And you didn’t say anything to him?” Natasha asked, turning towards you.
“No, I was a little busy getting choked to death.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “Seriously, Nat, just drop it. I’m not going to question it, I’m just glad I made it out.”
She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. She stood up slowly. She sighed, giving you an indecipherable look. “Fine, but if it happens again…”
“I’m not exactly searching for him, Nat. I doubt it’d happen again.” You smiled, shaking your head, and grabbing your phone.
She gave a small smirk, “Your search history says otherwise.”
You opened your mouth to respond, but she’s already halfway out of the room.
“You’re taking that out of context.” You mumbled to yourself, unlocking your phone, which reflects Bucky’s face.
-
You never found out if Steve knew about your little encounter with the Soldier (Bucky?). You considered telling him, but he was already stressed out with everything else going on. Everybody was. There was no point in telling him useless information like that.
Shortly after HYDRA fell, you decided to work with Sam and Steve in order to track down Bucky. You still remember the look Natasha gave you after she handed Steve his file. She didn’t even have to say anything, for you decided to walk over to her anyway.
“I know what you’re going to say.” You sighed.
“Then why search for him? You even said it yourself, it could’ve been nothing.” She said, the two of you turning away from Fury’s “grave.”
You shook your head, “I don’t know.” You whispered.
She stopped, turning to face you. You matched her movement. “I can’t stop you, can I?”
You offered her a remorseful smile, mouthing the word “No.”
She sighed, “Be safe, okay?”
You grinned at her, “I’ll be with Steve and Sam. I’ll be fine.” You waved a hand back towards them.
“That’s what worries me.” She looked back towards them before turning back to you.
“I’ll see you around.” She nodded at you.
You returned the gesture, “See you around.” You watched as she walked out of the graveyard.
You walked back over to Steve and Sam, “When do we start?”
-
2016
“Sam, I really don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get involved. This sounds like an actual Avengers issue.” You rubbed your temples, phone still held up to your ear.
“You’re an Avenger.” You scoffed, Avenger adjacent maybe. “Come on, we need all the help we can get,” Sam begged.
“Look, there was a reason I dropped the search for him, and seeing as he is speculated to have killed the King of Wakanda, I might have made the right decision!” You paced around the room.
You heard Sam sigh from the other side of the phone. “Look, we’re desperate. Please at least come over to check out the situation. You don’t have all the facts. Bucky did not kill King T’Chaka.” You remained silent at his words. “I won’t pretend to know your reasons for dropping the search. It’s none of my business, I know. I won’t make you interact with him, but we need help.” Sam pleaded.
You huffed, “You’re really this desperate?”
“Yes,” Sam emphasized. “Look, I will send you the location where and when we will be meeting up. Please consider it.” Sam reiterated.
You paused, damn it. Sam has always been good at persuading you. “I’ll consider it…”
You could practically see his shoulders relax in relief. “Thank you.”
-
2014, Bucharest
“I will let you guys know if I run into anything, don’t worry.” You rolled your eyes as Steve frowned at you.
“Are you sure you’re okay doing this alone?” Steve asked.
“My answer hasn’t changed since the last time you asked.” You replied confidently.
“Okay, good luck out there.” Steve clasps your shoulder, a strained smile on his face.
“You too.” You nodded at him and Sam before exiting the Quinjet. Stepping out into the sunlight, you took a deep breath before walking into the forest. You turned around one last time as the wind picked up. Hoping Steve and Sam could see you, you waved as the Quinjet took off.
You sighed before starting your long trek towards the city.
Truthfully, it didn’t take long. Steve and Sam had given you a quick rundown. It was one of the five cities they narrowed Bucky’s location down to: Bucharest, Florence, Moscow, Athens, or Prague.
You didn’t particularly care where they sent you out to, so you just let them drop you off wherever they thought was right.
For weeks, you had ambled around the city, looking for any sort of clues. Newspapers were unhelpful, showing no signs of any activity by the Winter Soldier. Nothing on television helped either.
Eventually, a month went by. Frustrated, you almost contacted Steve, saying this place had nothing useful.
Then you heard it.
“Mama! I want a metal arm too!”
Your head never whipped around so fast. A young boy, no older than six, had his hand latched onto his mother’s long skirt. You watched them pass you by as the young boy proceeded to ask his mom if he could have one.
You immediately felt your heart pound. The three of you had been living off scraps of information for months now. Ever since HYDRA went down, there’s been no sign of him. The only lead you had was the file Natasha gave you.
“Uh, scuze,” You apologized to the mother, turns out learning basic phrases comes in handy. She turned toward you, questioning. “Did you happen to run into a man with a metal arm? We’re old friends, trying to reconnect.” You asked, giving the woman an innocent smile.
Immediately, the boy's eyes lit up, “Yes! It was so cool.” He gasps, “Do you have a metal arm too, ma’am?” The young boy asked.
The mother muttered something to her kid in Romanian, seemingly scolding him for asking such a question. “I’m sorry about him, yes, we saw him down the street by the clothing store.” She turned to point you in the direction.
You nodded thankfully, “I see, mulţumesc mult.” You gave her a small smile, then waved at the kid as he walked away with his mother.
You turned around, slowly heading down the way the mother told you. A lead. A real lead. Of course, it could always just be a coincidence, but this felt right. Metal arms can’t be that common anyway.
You approached the small clothing store. “Buna ziua!” You greet the shopowner, an older woman. She nods in acknowledgement. You slowly approach her, “I am sorry to bother, but have you seen a man with a metal arm recently?” You asked her, giving her your best innocent smile.
She seemed to hesitate, “Can’t say that I have.”
You frowned, “Look, I’m looking for a friend of mine. I’ve been searching for him for months now—”
“I know why you’re here.” The lady shook her head. You raise an eyebrow at her words. “Ruining a good man’s life like that,” she scoffed.
You blinked, shaking your head. “What? I think there’s been a misunderstanding, ma’am. I don’t want to ruin his life or anything. I just want to talk to him.”
She chuckled, “Talk to him?” She repeats the words as if they left a foul taste in her mouth.
You moved closer to the stand, placing your arms onto it. “Look, I know this sounds suspicious, but I’m part of the good guys here. I don’t want to hurt him.”
She shook her head disapprovingly, “But you will if you have to.”
You quickly shook your head, “Woah, I never said that.”
“You implied it.” The woman glared at you. Apparently, she was insistent that you had malicious intentions. Great.
“I did no-” You took a deep breath, looking down at your hands. “Okay, I’m sorry. Look, we only want to help him. Trust me, that man is very capable of defending himself. The situation is very confusing, but I promise.” You looked up at her, pleading, “We only want to help him.”
The woman looked you up and down, her eyes judging your every movement. Resisting the urge to squirm, you met her cold eyes with your pleading ones.
The woman turned away slightly before saying what was probably some curse, muttering a few more phrases in Romanian. “Do not hurt him.” She placed a hand on the counter you’re standing next to.
You nodded eagerly, “I promise.”
She sighed, “A couple of blocks down, there’ll be a fountain. Somewhere near it is a small alley. There should be an abandoned building somewhere in that area.” You nodded at the end of each sentence, eagerly absorbing the information.
“I’d move quickly, from what he’s told me, he moves around often. He won’t like being followed.” She added on.
“Got it, multumesc.” You thank her frantically before opening your map and attempting to find this fountain.
“Remember! Do not harm him.” The lady repeated, a stern tone in her voice.
You turned around, smiling, “Yes, ma’am!” You waved at her (a gesture which wasn’t returned), before making your way to the fountain. Eventually, you found it. It was not a very large fountain, but it was pretty cute. You smile as you watch some children chase birds around it. You scanned the area searching for any alleys. After walking in circles a few times, you eventually found one that was hidden by the entrance to a building.
You slowed down a bit, taking in your location and any potential exits there may be, just in case you need to run. As you walked further and further down, you began to wonder if there were any abandoned buildings here. The alleyway seemed to consist of the back of restaurants and stores. Eventually, however, you stumbled onto a barricaded door.
You hesitated before approaching it. Is this it? Should you have texted Steve? It could still be a false alarm, but with how suspicious the woman was, you doubt it. You tried to peep through the window, but it was impossible to see through.
Just as you thought all hope was lost, you notice another window, albeit much higher up, that’s open. Yeah, you could fit through that. The problem was getting up to reach it. You looked around for anything to stand on. Finding some boxes from the restaurant next door, you pile them up to create a tower you can climb on.
“Come on,” you muttered to yourself, reaching up for the small window. You decided to risk it all, jumping up.
“Yes!” You whispered as you hoisted your upper body through the window, groaning. You looked around the room. There was an inflatable mattress on the floor, and next to it lay a small backpack. You pushed your full body through the window, attempting to quietly make your way through the room.
Cluttered trash lay in every corner, and you tiptoed to avoid it. A coffee table, oldened and scratched up, sits next to a worn-out leather couch. You walked over to it, wincing as the floorboards creaked under each step. A lightly creased newspaper lay upon the coffee table, and next to it, a cup of coffee on a coaster. You uncrumple the newspaper, and your heart drops.
AVENGERS DESTROY GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, ARE THESE TRULY THE HEROES WE WANT PROTECTING US?
You read the date: May 23, 2014
May 23rd, 2014
You looked toward the cup of coffee, still steaming. Shit.
“You could’ve knocked.” An unfamiliar voice echoed across the space.
You jumped, immediately throwing the newspaper away and grabbing your pocket knife. As you jumped, you nudged the coffee table, causing the mug on top of it to spill.
Both of your eyes flickered toward the mug. “Sorry,” you cleared your throat awkwardly, keeping your eyes on Bucky.
Bucky barely reacted, but his eyes glanced at you in what almost feels like amusement.
“Don’t worry about it.” He spoke a little louder, his eyes still on you. “Why didn’t you knock?” He repeated.
You slowly lowered your knife. “Sorry?”
He tilted his head to the barricaded door. “The door.”
You narrowed your eyes in confusion, “It was barricaded?”
He shrugged, “I would’ve let you in had you knocked.”
Your knife, essentially forgotten, lay in your hand at your side. “We’ve been searching for you…” You stated, watching as he casually walked over to you. He gives a hum as if to say “Is that so?”
“Steve’s been trying to pull every favor he has just to catch a lead on you.” You openly gaped as the Winter Soldier anticlimatically sat down on the couch.
He scoffed, “I’m sure he did.” He had a fond smile on his face, small but present.
You blatantly stared at him as he casually shrugged off a leather jacket from his shoulders, as if this was a normal occurrence. “Who am I talking to right now?”
“James Buchanan Barnes.” He answered.
“Do you always tell everybody your full legal name when they ask?” You raised an eyebrow.
“I read it in a museum.” He ignored your question. You can’t help the laughter that emerges from your chest. It’s such an absurd sentence.
“You found out your name from a museum?” You placed your hands on your hips.
“Well, Steve told me. I just did a background check on myself.” He shrugged.
“Okay, do you remember anything outside of what Google can tell you?” You asked, putting your knife away as you crossed your arms facing him.
“Here and there,” he picked off lint from the couch, “do you?” He asked, meeting your stare head-on.
You frowned, “Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”
He looked into your eyes for a bit longer before a disappointed smile crossed his face. “Hm,” he hummed, looking away.
“To answer your question, yes, I remember meeting you. Sorry about choking you by the way.” He looked genuinely upset, a contrite frown on his face. Is this really the same guy who almost killed you?
“It’s okay,” you responded hesitantly, tapping your foot.
His eyes fell to your feet. “You seem confused, perhaps anxious.” He gives you a look. “I know you well enough to know that.” He whispered to himself, chuckling. His eyes didn’t look up at you. He continued to stare at the ground, contemplative.
Despite how soft his words were, the room was quiet. You took a slow deep breath, “What do you mean you know me well enough? How could you possibly know me?” You asked him, beginning to feel uneasy about the situation.
He sat up straighter, tapping his finger on his leg. Sighing, he averted his gaze. He said your name softly before looking back at you. “You really don’t remember?” He whispered. His voice was a low whisper. You almost wonder if you imagined the words.
“What are you talking about?” You asked, attempting to hide your growing panic. Is this some kind of test?
As if sensing your unease, he paused. “I’ve been slowly remembering stuff, you know?” He suddenly changed the subject. He rubbed his thumbs over his hands, looking down. His eyes snapped up to your own, “I believe I figured out what triggered it.”
“I knew I’d see you again.” He sounded so sure of himself that you began to wonder if you truly had met him before this. “You always said we’d meet again one day.” He gave you a pained, tired smile.
You felt your heart drop, “I never said anything like that.” Perhaps he is still under HYDRA’s control? There’s bound to be some members still lurking. Perhaps they drugged him?
His smile faltered, “I vaguely remember when HYDRA first took me in.” Despite your unease, your heart somehow still managed to ache for him. “I remember thinking that I never wanted to forget you. You had said that we’d meet again, and I wanted to ensure that. You sounded like you knew it would happen, that we’d meet again.” He gave you a soft smile. “I just didn’t expect like this.”
“Bucky,” you began slowly, “did you run into a HYDRA agent before this?” You weren’t sure if they drugged him, but with all this nonsense he was saying, it made sense.
“What?” He sounded angry, perhaps bewildered for the first time. Familiar. It reminds you of his tone the first time he spoke to you (Почему я тебя знаю?). Cautiously, you watched his every move.
“I swear, I know who I am. I am aware. I am not him. I’ve been trying not to be him.” His hand reached out to you, and you flinched back. Immediately, you stood up, creating distance between you two.
You weren’t sure how to describe what his expression was. On the surface, it looked stoic, calm, unbothered. However, you could see the hurt in his eyes. His eyes seemed to attempt to communicate a silent question, one you couldn’t deduce. You didn’t remember him? Why didn’t you remember him?
He said your name softly, standing up in order to try and go over to you. How does he know your name?
“I… I got to go.” You slowly walked to any exit you could find. Once you got out, you attempted to put as much distance between you two as you could. Bucky didn’t attempt to approach you again, only giving you the look of what almost resembled a lost puppy. That made no sense. This is the Winter Soldier, an assassin who’d been active for decades. Sure, he may not be killing anymore, but that doesn’t make him a cuddle buddy. Even years after this incident, you still can’t burn the image of his expression from your brain.
You ran like a coward. Steve and Sam had been searching for Bucky for months, and you ran.
Emerging out of the alleyway, you pulled your phone out. You turned around once you reached the fountain, dialing Steve’s number.
“Steve,” You were out of breath, checking each direction as if Bucky would magically appear. He didn’t.
“I’m done.” You shook your head, sitting at a bench near the fountain.
“What- Did something happen? Did you find him? Are you hurt?” He asked with growing concern.
“No,” you smacked your lips, still breathing heavily, “no. I just, I just can’t do this mission anymore. I’m sorry.” You leaned over from your seating position.
“Okay, okay, we’ll finish up here and be there within the day. You think you’ll be okay until then?” You heard him picking up the pace of whatever he was doing.
“Yeah,” you exhale, “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you then, thank you.” You said your goodbyes before hanging up.
-
2016
You never told anybody that you found Bucky. You weren’t sure how to. Neither Sam nor Steve questioned why you suddenly dropped “Operation: Search for Barnes.” They were curious, no doubt, but they didn’t pry. All you told them was that some personal information came to light about him, and you couldn’t continue the mission.
After you had time to reflect on the incident, you thought that maybe you overreacted a little bit. Your thoughts were conflicting. On one hand, he didn’t seem to be malicious to any extent. In fact, he seemed quite amiable even though you broke into his residence. On the other hand, he knew your name and had your quirks down to a T. He looked at you as if he knew you better than you knew yourself.
When you got back, you had even done a quick background check on yourself. Yes, on yourself. Perhaps you were missing something. Perhaps you had met him somewhere in the past, but nothing added up to any places he had been. You two, hypothetically, should never have known each other prior to the whole HYDRA incident a couple of years back.
When Sam called, you knew you’d have to face him. The fact that you were able to walk away for two years was a luxury. What made things worse is that you heard things from Steve after Sam contacted you. Steve put his full trust in Bucky. He wasn’t a bad person.
He just happened to know an eerie amount about you.
Really, you should’ve told somebody. Steve definitely should’ve known. You essentially turned his manhunt for Bucky into a two-year dead end. The only reason he had been found was because he’d been falsely accused of terrorism.
Even though you didn’t know him, you didn’t. Somehow, you immediately knew Sam was right. Bucky didn’t blow up the United Nations center in Vienna.
Perhaps it was guilt you felt? After all, maybe Bucky was drugged, and he was lying. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. You didn’t know.
And that’s just the problem, isn’t it?
You. Didn’t. Know.
Packing your bags, you set out for Germany. Apparently, they wanted to meet at an airport in Leipzig? You didn’t question it. The Avengers were always extra, but airport meetups were a new thing.
The flight was long and boring, but eventually you landed. As you exited the airport, you took out your phone to get an Uber when a white van pulled up. You took a step back, thinking it was for another person. The window rolled down.
“Hey,” Clint nodded at you, Wanda seated next to him. She offered you a small smile.
Mouth dropped in awe, you blinked at Clint and Wanda. You don’t know when the last time you saw Clint was. You had met Wanda once or twice in the past, but you never got to know her that well.
“They rope you two into this as well?” You asked, as you slid the van door open, revealing a man who you had definitely not met.
“Oh- Who… Who is this?” You asked, closing the door and stepping into the back of the van, avoiding the unconscious stranger sprawled comfortably on the two seats in the middle.
“Back up.” Clint looked down at him. “Sam said he could like shrink or something? I dunno. His name is Scott.” He shrugged.
“Oh,” you nod slowly, “Alright, I guess. He did sound desperate. Who are we up against anyway?” You leaned against the side of the car as you felt the car move.
“Well,” he paused, “at minimum Tony, Nat, Rhodey, and probably Vision.” He looked toward Wanda, who nodded solemnly.
“So, hypothetically, we should outnumber them?” You asked hopefully.
“We hope so, but I’m sure Tony has some tricks up his sleeve.” Clint sighed.
The rest of the car ride consisted of casual conversation. It wasn’t very long until you all pulled up to the location. Clint parked the car, waiting a bit before you saw another car approach. “You stay here with him, make sure he’s still alive. I’ll go talk to Steve first.” He shut the door, going over to greet Steve, Wanda following him.
You unbuckled your seat belt, attempting to maneuver your way to the window. As you passed by Scott, you heard him snore softly. Perfect, he’s still alive. You crawled your way up to the passenger seat, trying to look through the window. From what you could see, it was Steve, Sam, and him in the back. As if sensing you were watching him, Bucky’s eyes fell onto you, his posture immediately straightening once your eyes both met.
Eyes widening and frantically trying to hide, you pushed yourself back, landing awkwardly on the ground with an “Oof!” You attempted to push yourself back up, but there was not much space in the van, and Scott was still asleep on the seats. You tried shifting in a way you could get up without disturbing him, but it was becoming more impossible by the minute.
Then the door slid open.
“He should be good—” Clint turned to look inside the van, “—What are you doing?” Scott jumped awake, and you watched in horror as everybody laid eyes on you two. “Woah, when did you get here? I don’t think we’ve met.” Scott groggily sat up, gesturing at you sprawled beneath him. “Why are you on the floor?” He gives an amused smile at you.
You pushed yourself up, now having the room to stand, “Technical difficulties.” You muttered.
He nodded sympathetically, “Been there.”
Steve gave you a wide-eyed look, his mouth parting in surprise. He turned to Sam, who gave him the most smug smirk imaginable. “I thought you were done with these kinds of missions.” Steve walked over to help you out of the van, giving you a pat on the shoulder.
“Yeah,” you gave him a small smile, “I thought so too.” You gave a pointed look to Sam, shaking your head. He returned it with a smirk and smug nod. You purposefully ignored Bucky’s eyes on you.
Steve pulled you to the side as Scott greeted Sam. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Sam did tell you Bucky would be involved, right?” Steve frowned, crossing his arms.
You nodded slowly, “Yeah, I had time to think about it.” You looked up at him, “It’s okay, Steve. I’m here to help you and Sam. You two have done a lot for me over the years.” You glanced back at Sam before turning back to Steve, “I should return the favor.” You smiled at him.
Steve exhaled with a smile on his face, “Alright, I appreciate it, really, but if you want to drop it now, this is your last chance—”
You turned to face him, “Absolutely not. I am not taking it back, come on.” You walk past him, patting his arm and tilting your head to Scott. “You gotta meet the whole team.”
Steve gave you a small smile, walking up to Scott. You followed closely behind Steve, giving Sam a small nod. Hesitantly, you turned your gaze toward Bucky. His attention was focused on Scott fawning over Steve. He looked almost casual, leaning against the car like that.
He met your eyes, catching you staring, and you both stared at each other for a moment before you offered a slow nod in acknowledgement. He straightened his posture, taking his arm off the car as if ready to move, when an announcement blared over the parking garage. He paused his movement, his eyes still resting on you. “They’re evacuating the airport.” His eyes flicker toward Steve.
“Stark.” Sam looked toward Steve, his arms crossed.
“Stark?” Scott repeated incredulously.
Steve shifted, looking between Clint, Wanda, Scott, and you. “Suit up.” His nods, his tone calm and authoritative.
As the team began to suit up, you approached Sam separately, “Hey, so I couldn’t bring any of my weapons cause you know… TSA.” You offered him a sheepish grin. He held up his finger, telling you to wait, before he went to the trunk of his car and pulled out your gear. “Boom.” He dropped your gear into your arms.
“You brought all of this just in case I was coming?” You chuckled, looking up at him.
“I knew you were gonna show.” He smirked, patting you on the back. “Now, suit up.”
The team decided to send in Steve first, more as a distraction than anything. The main goal was to get Bucky to the Quinjet. Steve decided to split up the team. Wanda and Clint would keep their distance as back up for Steve or Barnes, keeping their main focus on Steve, but easily being able to divert it to Bucky if needed. As Steve talked to Tony, Sam would send Redwing to try to find the optimal path to the Quinjet.
Of course, you ended up with Sam and Bucky.
You would be used as a backup specifically for Bucky and Sam. You positioned yourself so that you could trail them easily without being seen. As Steve was telling the others their mission, you felt Bucky brush up from beside you.
“You never told them, did you?” He whispered to you, unbeknownst to the others.
You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, slowly shaking your head. “No,”
He continued to look at you, “Why?” He asked incredulously. “You said it yourself, Steve was still looking for me at the time. You probably thought I was crazy, too. Why did you not say anything?” His voice was still a low whisper.
You finally turned to face him, and he looked confused. He looked desperate, as if he wanted to understand, but couldn’t.
“I don’t know.” You eventually whispered back.
He sighed, weary, “I’m sorry for that day. It wasn’t my intention to make you comfortable.” He shook his head. “I truly didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with anything I said…”
You looked at him, his eyes downcast. You slowly reached a hand to put on his shoulder, and he looked startled by the touch, but didn’t move away from it. He stared at your hand as if it would disappear at any moment. “It’s okay, Bucky. Really. I can’t imagine what you were going through. I don’t blame you for any of that. I mean, I probably didn’t look great either. It must have been startling to see a random person creep into your room.” You offered him a small smile.
You knew that going into this, you’d have to eventually talk to Bucky. He didn’t hold anything against you, and you did not hold anything against him. Sure, you were disconcerted by your first meeting, but you had this gut feeling that you should give him another chance. After all, like you said, he was only starting to live as a regular person again after seventy years. You decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, Steve vouched for him.
He stared at you before blinking away his surprise. “It was a little off-putting.” His lips turned up in amusement.
Out of the corner of your eye, you realized that Steve was watching you two. You nodded at Bucky, who watched as you walked over to Steve. “You two good?” Steve asked softly.
You nod, “Yeah,” you smile, “better than ever. You ready to execute this plan?” You smiled at him.
He smiled, “Let’s get into positions.”
Despite how anxious you felt, you thought you did pretty well. The plan, while not perfect, was satisfactory. You can’t say that you weren’t expecting Tony to bring some new recruits, but the abilities they demonstrated definitely weren’t expected. Dealing with a Spider-person (Spiderman, you think he said) wasn’t exactly in your top three guesses for possible obstacles, but you eventually dealt with him. You managed to distract him for a bit before Redwing was able to carry him out of the building. You looked toward Sam and Bucky, giving them a nod of encouragement.
The team eventually realized that in order for Bucky to have a chance to leave, some of you would have to stay back. You figured it would come to that, and didn’t object to staying behind. Despite running into multiple obstacles, eventually Steve and Bucky were able to escape.
After the whole Zeno situation, you hadn’t interacted with Bucky. Steve offhandedly mentioned that after everything, Bucky ended up staying in Wakanda. From what you heard, the main goal was to remove the Winter Soldier programming. You were glad he was accepting help after running from Steve for two years.
All things considered, you thought you two parted on decent terms. Friends might have been a bit of a stretch, but you supposed that is the word that fits your partnership.
You didn’t ever consider that you’d meet Bucky again, after all, you were kind of done with the whole “Avengers” thing. You wanted to just move on from that part of your life, and you were ready for something different.
Perhaps you could find somebody? Maybe get a dog or a cat? You could finally have peace.
Obviously, that didn’t happen.
-
2023, Present time
There are no words you can use to explain how you feel.
After Thanos wiped out half of the universe’s population, you felt defeated. Everyone who remained did. You were one of the lucky few who were left behind. If you consider that “lucky.”
You truly thought all hope was lost, but then Tony came up with the device to go back in time without getting lost in the Quantum Realm. It was brilliant. You had faith in Tony, but you were also afraid of being disappointed. You missed everyone. You missed a time when everyone was alive.
When everything worked out in humanity’s favor, you couldn’t believe it. It was nothing short of a miracle. You could’ve cried when everybody returned. Optimistically, you thought that maybe everyone could make it by the end of this whole ordeal.
You were proven wrong. Both Natasha's and Tony’s deaths left you heartbroken. You knew that their deaths weren’t in vain. After all, their actions led to humanity persevering, but you couldn’t help but wish you could have your friends back.
After everything that went down, especially Tony’s funeral, you truthfully forgot about the stones.
Steve volunteered to go back, and nobody countered it. Hell, initially, you didn’t plan on going back. You didn’t think much of it as you watched him prepare for another trip to the past. It makes sense that he’d do it. Steve is a responsible man. He’s Captain America. He knows what he’s doing. Nobody questioned it as he started setting up the suit's internal GPS.
“Hey, can we talk?” Nick Fury approaches him. Steve looks down at the suit in his hands before placing it down. His eyes meet yours, and you give a small smile and tilt your head towards Fury. Returning the nod, he follows Fury.
Slowly, you make your way to the platform, nodding at Bucky and Sam, who are already waiting there. “Where did he go?” Sam asks as you approach, and you shrug.
“Fury wanted to talk to him. Not sure why.” You shake your head, looking to where he left the suit.
“Well, make sure he doesn’t just leave the suit there. I don’t exactly like the idea that anybody here can just casually grab it.” Bruce comments from behind his computer. Figuring Steve will eventually return, you grab the suit and bring it back, dropping it onto Bruce’s workspace.
The four of you stand there in silence, waiting for Steve to return. “So… He didn’t say anything?” Sam breaks the silence.
You shake your head, pursing your lips, “Not a word.”
“Well, he'd better get back soon, I can’t keep powering this for very long.” Bruce gestures toward the platform. “If he doesn’t come back, I might just do it myself.”
“So is he just returning the stones to the moment they left or their location before we stole them?” You ask, crossing your arms and turning to Bruce.
“He will be returning to the moment they left that point in time, but the circumstances of how the stone was acquired determine where it should be returned to. If Tony grabbed the Tesseract during the 70s at Camp Lehigh, then it’d be odd if there was just a briefcase with the Tesseract sitting out in the open. Additionally, he probably won’t appear at the exact spot it disappeared, just at the same time it disappeared and in the general vicinity.” Bruce explains, tapping the desk.
“Will it really have that big of an effect if it’s left in the wrong spot?” Sam asks, copying your pose. You raise an eyebrow at him, and he returns the gesture.
“Probably not, but it’s best to try and return them close to their original spot. I know that may be a little difficult for some stones, so he’ll just have to try and get as close to the original location as possible.” Bruce gestures in a so-so motion.
“Yeah, if he even shows up at this point.” Sam huffs, causing the four of you to turn toward where he left.
“Okay, yeah, I’m calling it. He is talking too long, I don’t know the next time I’ll have enough power to do this again. Who wants to volunteer?” Bruce turns towards the three of you. You look towards Sam, who is looking towards Bucky, who is looking directly at you.
“I don’t mind doing it if you guys don’t want to.” Sam places a hand on his chest.
“I don’t mind doing it either, I’ve already done it once.” You shrug.
The three of you turn toward Bucky, “You gonna offer yourself too?” Bruce asks jokingly.
Bucky shakes his head, “Nah, you two can have this one.” He doesn’t take his eyes off you. His eyes brighten in understanding as he continues to stare at you, almost as if he’s realizing something at this moment.
“What are we gonna settle it with rock, paper, scissors?” Sam jokes, turning towards you.
Smiling, you raise your hands, “I’m down.”
“Hey, don't take too long, remember the power won’t last forever before we have to find a new source.” Bruce gestures to the machine.
Waving a hand at the machine, you shrug, “Eh, can’t take longer than Steve.”
Sam snaps his fingers at you, “True.”
“Alright, ready? Winner goes back in time.” You put your hands into position.
“Born ready.” Sam mirrors you.
“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” The two of you chorus.
Scissors lay in his palm.
Rock lies in yours. From the corner of your eye, you see Bucky shift.
“Whew,” Sam pats you on the back. “Congrats on winning.” He grins at you.
You roll your eyes, nudging his hand off of you, “It almost sounds like you didn’t want to go.”
He puts a hand on his chest in mock offense, “I would never. I’ll have it be known that I volunteered first.”
Shaking your head in amusement, you roll your eyes before grabbing the suit that Steve left behind. “Whatever you say.” You mumble as you link the suit to your mind.
Stepping onto the platform, you allow it to materialize over your current clothing. You turn around to look at the group.
Sam gives you a small smile, making you feel more brave than you actually do about this whole idea. At least when you time travelled in the past the first time you weren’t alone. If you mess up now, you will be alone. Bucky crosses his arms, smiling at you before looking down and laughing softly to himself.
You tilt your head at him, “What’s so funny?”
He shakes his head, the smile stuck onto his face, “Nothing.”
You raise an eyebrow, but you doubt he can see it through the mask covering your face. “Alright, be cryptic like that.” You shake your head at him, smiling.
Bucky returns the smile, “Don’t get stuck anywhere.” He remarks obscurely. “But if you do happen to get stuck in… I dunno… the 40s?” He walks closer to you. “Steve and I will always be there.”
You chuckle at him, slightly concerned, “Why does that sound vaguely threatening?”
He shakes his head, “Think of it as more of a safety net. Just in case.” His eyes meet yours, twinkling with playful amusement.
You shake your head at them before turning toward Bruce. “Ready?” He asks, you nod. “Going quantum in three,” the machine begins powering up, “two,” you look back towards Sam, “one,” you look at Bucky.
Going quantum is a strange feeling. It’s not particularly one you enjoy, but it’s not painful. It feels as if you have a chill running through your spine simultaneously as your body falls asleep. As you traverse the Quantum Realm, you realize that you don’t know the order Steve set it to.
Stumbling around as you resize back up to normal, you take a look around your surroundings. If you had to guess, this must be Vormir. In the distance, a mountain pans into view. There is nothing else nearby.
“Oh,” you mutter, looking up at the giant mountain. Nobody mentioned you’d be scaling a mountain to return the stone. Slowly, you make your way over to begin your long hike. While you are sure it takes hours to climb up the mountain, there is no sign of time passing. The sun doesn’t rise or set. About halfway through, you begin to wish you had brought water.
Eventually, you climb the last step, reaching the top of the mountain. Hesitantly, you walk forward. From the corner of your eye, you see a cloaked figure.
Eyes freezing on the figure, you slowly look around. “I assume you’re the one Clint mentioned? The stonekeeper?”
Kneeling, you slowly open the briefcase. They don’t respond, but you open the case anyway. Hopefully, this is the right guy, but he seems to fit Clint’s description. Grabbing the Soul Stone, you hold it out in front of you.
With one blink, it disappears from your hand. The figure stares down at you for a moment longer, before turning around and vanishing.
“Bye, I guess.” You sigh before materializing the suit. You click the button, going quantum once again. The next place you land in is Asgard. Honestly, it was the one you were most excited for. After all, how many people can say they’ve been to Asgard?
That excitement was quickly diminished. You don’t even get a chance to remove the mask from your face before you see about half a dozen guards standing maybe twenty feet away from you.
Immediately diving for cover, you hide behind one of the pillars. You hear one of the guards ask, “Did you hear that?” Breathing hitching, you cover your mouth.
Once their conversation quiets down, you open the briefcase. Fishing out the Reality Stone, you close the briefcase, looking around for a safe place to leave it. Maybe on the throne?
Before you even get the chance to make a move, a loud voice booms across the hall. “I found one of the intruders!” You pick up the briefcase, immediately running down the hall. You don’t bother to turn around and check if they’re following you; you know they are. Making turns whenever you feel like it, you eventually reach a dead end.
“Well, that’s not great.” You look up at the painting on the wall, out of breath. Turning around, you see a large horde of guards charging at you.
“Uh, well, I was gonna place it nicely for you, but I guess this works.” You roll your eyes, sliding the stone over. A small group of guards circles the stone, pointing their spears at it as if it’ll explode, but the rest continue to pursue you.
Reluctantly, you raise your hands in surrender as they point their spears at you. “Got you now, intruder.” One guard sneers at you.
You smile, “Did you?” You push the button down, going quantum. You chuckle to yourself as they vanish from your view.
The next time you open your eyes, you’re on Morag (at least you think this is Morag, you’ve never actually been there). Stumbling over the uneven terrain, you open the briefcase and grab the Power Stone. It was the only stone that was encapsulated by something. Bruce said it was dangerous to touch it directly.
Jumping over cracks, you vaguely recall that Nebula said that she said the stone was protected by some sort of laser. You aren’t sure if you can place it back in there without burning your arm off, which isn’t ideal.
In the distance, you see an oddly human-shaped object. Cautiously, you approach it, quickly realizing that it is a seemingly unconscious person, before quickly dropping all suspicion.
“Damn, Quill.” You huff, kneeling to slide the stone into his satchel, giving it a few pats. “Better wake up soon, buddy.” You lightly place the bag on top of him. Chuckling to yourself, you press the button once more.
The moment you take in your surroundings, you know exactly where you are: New York. You decide to return the Mind Stone first. As you step into the tower, you immediately feel eyes on you. It probably isn’t a good idea to run into anybody you actively know, so you try and avoid the ruckus in the hallway. As you walk by, you notice a random agent. You aren’t sure if they’re all HYDRA agents, but you do know that the stone ends up in HYDRA’s hands after the Battle of New York.
Finding a room without cameras, you take the stone out of the briefcase. As you exit the room, you bump into a random agent. Both of you immediately stop walking, and their eyes zero in on your hand, which looks like it’s glowing.
“Is that–”
“Upper management made a mistake. Here, take the stone back.” You shove the stone into the agent's hand. They blink in surprise, sputtering.
“Where’s the staff?” They ask.
“I dunno. I was just given the stone.” You shrug, picking up the briefcase and adjusting your clothing. “Thanks again.” You walk out of the building, leaving it in the agent's hands. That should be close enough.
Exiting the tower, you make your way to find the Ancient One. From what you heard, Bruce found her on the roof? Eventually, you find the New York Sanctum, just as you’re about to knock, the door opens.
Blinking, you peep inside before slowly entering. “Hello? I’m here to return the Time Stone. Bruce– Er… the Hulk sent me.”
Looking up, you see the Ancient One staring down at you from the top of the stairs. You watch as she slowly descends. Once she reaches the bottom, she looks at you expectantly.
“Oh,” you snap yourself out of the daze, “here.” You open the briefcase, handing her the Time Stone. She looks at you amused, “Thank you.” She nods at you.
Returning the smile, you nod, “Thank you. We couldn’t have done it without your help.”
“I guess Strange did have a plan.” She mutters to herself.
You chuckle, “Always seems like he does.”
She smiles softly, looking down at the stone, “That he does. Good luck on the rest of your journey.”
“Thanks.” You smile at her, activating the suit. “It’s almost over, though,” you let her see the briefcase with only the Space Stone glimmering.
Her eyes snap up to your own, and she gives you a knowing smile. “Oh, it has only just begun.” She places a hand on your shoulder before brushing past you. Mouth parted in confusion, you watch as she opens a portal and walks through it. That was odd.
Shrugging it off, you press the button before landing in your final destination. Letting the suit vanish, you straighten your posture before making a move.
From what Steve had said, Tony had met his father when they were picking up the Space Stone (and the Pym Particles). You aren’t sure where exactly the Stone was located, so that leaves you with two options. Peggy Carter and Hank Pym. As long as you can leave the Stone in one of their offices, you figure that’s close enough. They’re both important people, so it wouldn’t be outlandish to think that they ran into the stone at some point in their lives.
As you enter the building, you check every door as you pass by. Eventually, you stumble onto Carter’s door first. Attempting to peep in, you notice that somebody is definitely in there, so there goes that idea.
Continuing down the hall, you avoid eye contact with all soldiers that pass you by. Eventually, you reach a door that reads Pym’s name. Looking through the blinds, you see that the room is empty. Thank goodness that makes your job easy.
You slowly open the door, making sure it is silent as you slide inside the room. Casually, you walk over to his desk, placing the stone underneath his notes, before walking out.
Just as you walk out, you run into a scientist. They look at you, instantly suspicious, “What are you doing in here?”
“Carter’s orders. Looking for an old file. Came to see if it was in here.” You blatantly lie.
They raise an eyebrow, “File? We don’t have any files in here, Pym’s orders.” The scientist narrows his eyes at you.
Sweating, you shrug, “I don’t know. She just said to check everywhere, so I did.”
“Who was the file for?” They press.
Think of something!
“Barnes?” You blurt.
“Barnes?” They repeat, matching your tone. “I don’t think I’ve heard that name. What’s their first name?”
“Look,” you rub your temples to make it seem like you’re annoyed, “it’s not my job to ask questions. I was doing as Carter told me to do.” You frown at them.
After a moment of silence, they make room for you to walk by them. “Thank you.” You smile at them before making a beeline toward the exit.
The moment you exit, you let out an exhale of relief before finding a good spot to vanish. Finally, you press the button.
You hum softly as you feel yourself moving throughout the Quantum Realm. Mission complete, a successful mission at that.
“And that should be,” you open your eyes, feeling your feet hit the ground, “it…” You blink, slowly adjusting to your surroundings. This is not the platform you left off at. You don’t see Bruce, Sam, or Bucky either.
It’s a tent, seemingly for military purposes. You walk around the space, noting the map on the table. The map seems to picture Europe. You sit down in the chair before leaning over to observe it. A year is scrawled on the bottom right corner, 1945. There seems to be a specific spot in Austria circled, the word “HYDRA” in red ink next to it.
“Alright, let’s see…” Reaching into your pocket, you pull out your remaining Pym Particle. Okay, at least you have an extra. You set it down on the table before checking to see if there’s any left in the suit. To your surprise, you didn’t run out. You had assumed the random time period was a result of running out mid quantum jump.
“That’s odd.” You rest your thumb on the button. Right as you’re about to grab the Pym Particle you left on the table, somebody storms into the room, causing you to jump and accidentally press down slightly on the button.
Not even having time to process the horror of what just occurred, you feel yourself move throughout the Quantum Realm before stumbling into a wall. You don’t move. Staring blankly at the wall, you don’t dare to look down at your most certainly Pym Particle empty hand. You fucked up. You really fucked up.
Taking in your surroundings, it appears as if you’re in some dingy alleyway, on your right is a large dumpster filled with trash. Wincing at the smell, you attempt to press the suit’s button, hoping that maybe there’s a backup Pym Particle stored in it somewhere.
There is not. You try, multiple times, to tap the button before accepting your fate. You’re stuck, and you don’t even know what time you’re stuck in. Maybe you’re in a time where it’s already invented? You pull up the GPS coordinates on the suit, the numbers displaying themself on the screen. You frown, you aren’t sure how to read time coordinates, but you know for a fact Steve did not set them back to 2023. Was he planning on taking an extra trip?
After you retract the suit, you make your way to the main street. Feeling your eyes widen, you watch as a woman with a cloche and shirtwaist dress walks by you, her heels clicking with each step. You see a few older Cadillac models driving down the street.
“What the…” You mutter to yourself, ignoring some of the odd looks people give as they pass you.
An old crumpled-up newspaper blows past you. You stomp your foot on it, preventing it from going any further.
You pick it up, immediately scanning it for the date.
February 22, 1943
Your grip on the newspaper loosens, allowing it to blow out of your hands. 1943. You stare ahead of yourself, disbelieving. Steve was planning on taking a trip down memory lane. Damn him. Now you’re stuck.
“Shit.” You whisper, feeling a growing pit of horror in your stomach.
You’re stuck in the 1940s.
Wait, no, the date on that map said 1945. The Pym Particle should be sitting on it sometime in 1945.
Okay, modifying your previous statement: You’re stuck in the 1940s until 1945 (probably).
If you weren’t horrified, you’d laugh. Isn’t this the one thing Bucky warned you not to do? You lean against a wall, sitting down. You probably look homeless to these people, but you can’t bring yourself to try and look presentable. You basically are homeless.
People pass by you, but you barely register it. You aren’t even sure if time passes as you sit there. Maybe this is all one bad dream. Maybe you’ll wake up?
You sit there looking down for what feels like eternity before you look up to scan your surroundings. What are you doing? You’re from the future. You can use that to your advantage. Perhaps you can find somebody you know—
“But if you do happen to get stuck in… I dunno… the 40s? Steve and I will always be there.”
Bucky’s voice rings in your ears, and you repeat the memory in your head. Damn, he really jinxed you. He’s here, though. They’re here. Steve and Bucky were alive during this time. You aren’t sure exactly when HYDRA decided to take Bucky, but you pray it hasn’t happened yet. You haven’t seen any advertisements with Captain America, so you take that as a good sign for now.
Judging by your surroundings, you were definitely in New York. The problem is finding Steve or Bucky. Realistically, you’ll have a better chance of finding Steve. You don’t know when exactly Bucky was sent out to Europe. Steve, though, was only sent after he became Captain America. Where do you even start? You know he was from Brooklyn, that’s about it. Damn, now you regret not asking Steve more about his life during the 40s.
You decide to start moving, you will need shelter before nightfall. Perhaps you can just camp outside of one of the registration sites. Maybe you’ll just happen to find Steve.
You also need new clothes, you stick out like a sore thumb here. It’s not like you can buy any. Any money you have is made way past this time. You feel a little self-conscious walking by as people very obviously judge you. You try to offer a small smile to anybody who passes you by, but in return, you just receive more stares.
Eventually, you stumble onto a more up-to-date newspaper. You aren’t sure if February 24th is the exact date, but it’s the latest one you’ve seen. The headline reads “BATTLE OF KASSERINE PASS ENDS.” You skim over the article. It was a battle that started on the 19th and ended on the 24th. It was the Allies' first major battle in Africa. In the beginning, the battle wasn’t looking very promising, with both the Americans and British being pushed back. However, once reinforcements came, the Allies finally put up a real fight. While the battle was a victory for the Allies, the casualty count was devastating, with an estimated loss of ten thousand troops.
You slowly put the newspaper down in horror. Reading that made this situation feel very real.
You decide to keep the newspaper just in case you need to read any info later. You continue to walk further and further down the street until eventually you come across a run-down building. You can’t tell what it used to be, but beggars can’t be choosers. Looking around to make sure nobody is observing you, you head toward the double doors at the entrance. The rickety doors squeak as you pull on them, but other than that, they don’t budge.
Frowning, you turn around to see if there’s a different entrance. You walk around to the back of the building, finding another door. It looks less sturdy than the ones up front. You gently push it to test its integrity before stepping back and kicking it open. It immediately bursts open, and a cloud of dust puffs up in the room. Waving the dust away from your face, you walk in.
It’s definitely abandoned. Cobwebs cover the ceiling of the room. Some floorboards are broken. A layer of dust covers every surface of the room.
You did need shelter, though. You sigh as you begin to explore the building. First, you check the kitchen, not having much hope of finding anything edible. There are no plates or utensils (not that you exactly planned on using them). On the brink of giving up, you open a cabinet to find some canned beans.
You slowly pick one up, checking for an expiration date. The can doesn’t feel damaged, maybe dusty, but it is unopened. Eventually, you find the expiration date. The exact date is rubbed off, but it says “1946” on it. You kneel to see the rest of the cabinet. Reaching your hand in for more of the cans, you grimace as cobwebs cover your hands.
Eventually, you pull out all the cans, shaking your hands free of any webs. Guess the food problem is temporarily solved. You decide to check upstairs. Maybe you might be able to find some cash lying around.
As you walk upstairs, the stairs creak under you. Eventually, you get to the top. There are a few doors left ajar. You decide to check out the biggest one first. You stumble onto abandoned desks, shelves, and nightstands all filled with nothing.
You search room after room as your disappointment grows. Discouraged, you go back downstairs, finding a somewhat clean spot to lie down on. You walk back over and notice one floorboard in particular is extra creaky. You press your foot on it to test it, and it moves. Kneeling, you slowly move it up. There’s a small bundle of cash there. It’s not more than a few dollars, but it’s cash. You were hoping that maybe you’d be lucky and find some coins strewn around. Actual cash is a blessing.
You look outside the window, noticing the sun is no longer visible. Soon it will be dark, and you don’t feel comfortable enough in this era to roam around at night.
You decide to save the beans for tomorrow, you don’t want to eat all your food just cause you found a few dollars. It’s best to save it for tomorrow. Shrugging off your jacket, you place it on the floor, using it as a makeshift pillow.
You lie down, pulling out the newspaper. It’s probably worthwhile to catch up on current events.
After you reread it a few times, folding some of the corners of the page out of boredom, you eventually doze off.
The following morning, the sun shines through the fogged-up window, and the newspaper lies flat on your face. You move it off before instantly regretting the decision, the sun’s light directly hits your face. Groaning, you sit up.
You rub your eyes, forgetting where exactly you were for a moment (and when). You pick your jacket off the ground, dusting any dirt off of it that it may have picked up on the ground. You aren’t sure what time it is, but you can’t imagine it’s late. The sun would’ve woken you up earlier if that were the case.
You crack open one of the cans of beans. It leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s food. Slowly, you watch as the sun continues to rise with a can of beans in hand.
Today you’re going to try and find Steve. Combing your hair with your fingers, you try to make yourself look somewhat presentable before you leave the building.
Walking out, you see that the sun has barely risen. There is some chatter from across the street, but nowhere near as much as you heard yesterday. Adjusting your jacket, you set off with a mission in mind.
First Objective: Find Steve
Truly, you expected this to be simple. Perhaps you lie to a few locals about him being a distant relative, you thank them, and move on.
Apparently, Steve was, quite literally, a nobody.
You aren’t sure if he ever mentioned it to you. That’s not exactly something you flaunt, but it would’ve explained the sheer lack of people who had no idea who he was.
Of course, New York isn’t exactly small, so maybe your expectations were too high. However, that doesn’t make you feel better since you’re actively feeling every ounce of hope evaporate from your body at an increasing rate.
So yeah, everything is going great.
Every shop owner you asked had not recognized the name. The few who did would say something along the lines of “Steve? I haven’t heard that name in years.” It felt like every time something seemed to go in your favor, the universe would find a way to turn it right back around.
You take a deep breath. This is day one. You can’t lose it on day one. Maybe you are not the luckiest person, but you will find him eventually. Worse case scenario, you wait until he becomes Captain America to find him.
The sun is setting by the time you decide it’s time to wrap things up for the day, beginning your slow trek back to your little home. You are about halfway back when you hear commotion down an alley. You pause blinking, eh, not your circus, not your monkeys. You don’t want to make enemies in a time you don’t belong.
About to walk past it, you, being nosy, turn to see what is going on. A scrawny man is getting cornered by three guys. You can’t see what the smaller guy’s face looks like, his face angled away from you. You notice his hair is blonde. It might have been neatly combed at one point, but he has a few strands out of place. One of the thugs punches him in the face, causing the smaller guy to lurch to the side. You wince, that looked like it hurt. The smaller guy looks up, and you feel your heart stop as you see his face.
Holy shit, YOUR circus, YOUR monkeys.
Immediately, you run into the alley. “HEY!” You yell out, jumping in front of who you now recognize as Steve Rogers.
One of the thugs, presumably the “leader,” spits on the ground. You grimace, not breaking eye contact with them.
“Oh? Little lady thinks she can—”
You punch him in the face.
From your peripherals, you notice how one of his sidekicks attempts to tackle you to the ground. Swiftly, you pivot backwards and watch as he ends up tackling his buddy instead. They both yell out, struggling to get up.
The leader, now recovered, glares down at you. He is definitely bigger than you, but that doesn’t mean defeat. That just means you have to play smarter.
The taller man attempts to punch you again, but you redirect his punch. You may not be able to take a punch from him, but you can certainly guide him in the wrong direction.
Frustrated, he starts punching more and more without reason. He is tiring himself out. You take a quick look toward his rookies, both of which are standing up again. Grabbing a brick from the ground, you launch it at one of their heads, before tripping the other.
With two of them down, and one of them panting like a dog, you rush toward Steve. “Hey, man, think you can run?”
He looks at you in awe, nodding immediately.
“Great!” You help him up with ease (something that was not easy to do with the Steve you know). “Let’s run before they recover.” You pat his shoulder before leading him out of the alley. He trails behind you, noticeably slower. Not wanting to leave him behind, you stay with him the whole time.
Eventually, once you deem the two of you far enough, you stop running. You hear Steve sigh in relief, catching his breath. “Bend over, it helps you catch your breath.” You suggest. Steve immediately follows the advice.
Glancing down at him, you try not to show your anxiousness. You can’t screw this up. If you mess things up here now, it might make things more difficult later on.
“Sorry about that.” You wince at Steve, who is nearly wheezing at this point.
He waves a hand, still looking down, before holding up his index finger as if to say, “Give me a minute!”
Patiently, you wait next to him before he pushes himself up. “Thanks,” he huffs, “for fighting them off.”
You snort, “I wouldn’t call it much of a fight. I ran with you.”
He looks at you, dusting off his sleeve, “You stood up to them though, even if you thought the odds were against you.”
You smile softly, “I don’t like bullies.” You quote the future version of himself. You remember him saying that once. Even before becoming Captain America, he despised bullying.
He tilts his head slowly, “Haven’t seen you around here.” He comments.
You shake your head, “Doubt you would, just got here yesterday.”
He hums, “How’s that going for you?”
You shrug, “Eh, struggled finding a place to stay and almost got beat up by some thug.”
He holds his ribs, standing up straighter. “Ah sounds great.” He offers you a small smile.
You chuckle softly, “Couldn’t be better.”
He sticks his hand out, “Steve. Steve Rogers.” He introduces himself. You take his hand, introducing yourself to him.
As he takes his hand back, he inhales deeply, wincing as he holds his ribs tighter. “Aw, did they get your ribs?” You wince.
“Eh, it’s fine. I’ll recover.” He grimaces, hunched over.
You frown, “They might be broken. You live near here?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waves you off, “don’t worry. I got it.”
You roll your eyes, still stubborn, “I’ll believe it when you stop wincing every time you move. Come on, I’ll walk you. You never know if those guys will return.” You walk next to him.
“And what are we gonna do? Run away from them?” He asks, and you roll your eyes.
“I hold them off while you escape.” You smile, patting him on the shoulder. He winces as you pat him, and you immediately whisper a soft apology, forgetting about the injury.
Now, did you offer to walk him back because you thought it’d be vital to know where he lives? Absolutely. You aren’t going to tell him that, though; you don’t mean it in a creepy way.
The walk to his place is short. Barely ten minutes go by before you’re pulling up to his door. The apartments look run down, but you aren’t in a place to judge. You’re not exactly living a life of luxury at the moment. After watching him fail to find his key for a minute, you speak up, “You got a spare?”
He pauses before nodding, “Under the brick.” He gestures towards the sole brick lying on the ground. Not very inconspicuous. You kick it slightly, revealing the key. Grabbing it, you head towards the door and unlock it.
Opening the door, you gesture for him to head in first, following behind him. The apartment looks, well, lived in. It wasn’t very clean, but it wasn’t filthy or anything. It looks like he hadn’t been expecting guests, based on the way he is frantically moving about, attempting to clear dishes.
“Live with anybody?” You ask, offhandedly wondering if you should remove your shoes before walking around. He’s walking with shoes on, so you guess it’s fine?
“Not anymore.” He mutters.
Damn, way to create conversation. “I’m sorry.”
He offers you a small smile, but there’s no joy in it. “Don’t be,” he shrugs, grabbing a first aid kit. “A friend of mine offered for me to stay with him, but…” he pauses, “I dunno… I just couldn’t bring myself to leave this place.”
You assume the “friend” he’s talking about is Bucky. Nodding in understanding, you walk over to him. “I get it.” Should you change the subject? You just met him (or so he thinks). Is odd to continue that line of conversation with somebody you just knew?
“So how’ve you dealt with broken ribs?” He changes the subject for you.
You laugh, shaking your head, “I haven’t broken my ribs before. I just know a lot of people who have. Good news, though, I doubt you’ve actually broken them. You’d be in a lot more pain.”
He frowns, “I am in a lot of pain.”
“Well,” you shrug, “a lot lot more. Like ‘Every time I breathe it feels like my ribs are getting stabbed’ more.” You smile at him.
“That makes me feel so much better.” He responds dryly.
Laughing, you open his freezer, trying to find something suitable for an ice pack. Grabbing a small bag of mixed vegetables, you give it to him. “Apply for like twenty minutes. Don’t leave it on too long.” You offer him the mixed vegetables.
“Thanks.” He mutters.
You wash your hands before grabbing a clean cloth. “Got any scratches?” He rolls up his sleeve, revealing a couple of cuts on his arm. “Okay, well, run that under water for a little bit.” You direct him, and he nods following your instruction. If current Steve could see you now. After a few minutes, he takes the cloth from you and dries the wounds.
Walking over to the first aid kit, you open it to see if there’s any ointment. Finding nothing of the sort, you turn towards him. “Have any ointment? Antibiotics?”
He blinks at you slowly, “What?”
“Taking that as a no.” You mutter to yourself.
“I have honey?” He gestures to a jar next to the fridge.
You look at him, then at the jar, “Alright, I guess.” You grab a couple of Band-Aids before grabbing the jar. Opening the jar, you make your way to him, gesturing for him to roll up his sleeves.
“I’m gonna apply the honey, and then the bandages. Try not to get the band-aid dir–”
Three loud knocks bang on the door.
Both of you jump, and the honey drips along his arm. “Uh, sorry…Expecting a guest?” You ask.
Steve shakes his head, “No… Not today.”
“Want me to answer it?” You offer.
He nods, “Yeah, if you could. I can apply the honey.” You nod before standing up to answer the door.
“Hey Steve, I know you’re in there! The key under the brick is gone.” The voice sounds familiar, but there’s something different about it.
Opening the door, it is exactly who you think it is, but nothing could’ve prepared you for how he looks.
“You aren’t Steve.” Bucky blinks at you, suddenly smirking. “Didn’t realize he had company.”
“I am not.” You confirm dryly. He looks like he belongs in this time. Which sounds kinda stupid when you say it like that, but it’s so unlike how he dresses now. His hair is neatly combed, and he has a suit on. You’ve never seen the Bucky you know in a suit. You dare say he looks dashing. “Don’t mistake this for anything. He got beat up, decided to help him out.”
“Ah,” he nods understandingly, allowing himself into the apartment. “You know if all it took for you to bring a girl home was to get beat up, I’d have let it happen a lot more.” Bucky chuckles, looking towards Steve. You’re about to close the door when he puts his hand on the handle. “I got it, doll. Don’t worry.” He winks at you.
You can only stare blankly as he smoothly moves you away from the door, closing it behind him, offering you a charming smile. You guess it makes sense. He was raised in the 40s, and chivalry was important during this time. Perhaps Current Bucky acted like this too, and you just didn’t realize it. If he does, he definitely doesn’t act like this with you.
“So,” Bucky begins as you both walk over to Steve, who puts the honey down. Steve introduces the two of you to each other, and Bucky offers you a small smile, repeating your name. You pretend not to know who he is, offering a small smile in return.
“Alright, what’s the damage?” Bucky asks, looking down at Steve.
“Bruised ribs, couple cuts.” You sneak a glance at Bucky, who has his hands casually placed in his pockets.
He nods, “Ah, so the regular.”
You chuckle, “This is normal?”
“Yep.” Bucky watches as Steve tries to grab the Band-Aids. After watching him fail to peel the backing off of it, Bucky decides to help him, placing them on the scratches.
“You from Brooklyn? Haven’t seen ya around here.” Bucky looks over to you.
You shake your head, “Nope. First time around here.”
“Visiting or moving?” He asks, grabbing the “ice pack” that Steve left on the counter.
“Uhh, visiting?” You watch as he gives Steve the mixed vegetables.
“Uh huh, and where’re you staying?” He asks, walking back over to you. Both Steve and Bucky are looking at you.
“Uh, down the street.” You respond vaguely, gesturing in the vague direction of your current residence, but both Bucky and Steve frown.
“‘Down the street?’” Bucky repeats. “There’s nothing but construction and abandoned buildings to be torn down over there.”
Oh. You turn to Steve, about to say something, when Bucky shoves Steve lightly. Steve winces, glaring up at Bucky. “You were gonna let the lady go homeless?”
“In my defense, I didn’t know until just now,” Steve grumbles.
“Also in his defense, I just told him I ‘struggled to find a place.’” You add on. Steve looks at you gratefully.
“You know, if I knew, I would’ve offered. You’re free to stay.” Steve looks up at you from his spot on the dining table.
Your mouth parts in surprise, “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You helped me escape from getting beaten up,” you and Bucky both look down at the vegetables on his ribs, “well, more beaten up. It’s the least I can offer.” He offers you a gracious smile.
You look towards Bucky, and you don’t know why. It’s not like you need his approval. “You can stay with me too, if you’d prefer.” He smirks suggestively at you. You blink slowly at him, unsure whether to be flattered or appalled.
Steve rolls his eyes, “Ignore him. Please, let me do this. It’s the least I can offer.”
You look between the two of them. Steve is looking up at you, a soft smile on his face. Bucky is looking at you as well, a less innocent smile on his face, but you can’t help but smile at them in return.
“Okay.” You sigh, smiling. Bucky nudges Steve softly, a victorious smile on his face.
“Why’re you so happy?” You look at Bucky as you decide to put the first aid kit away.
“Well, now I get to see your face every day, sweetheart.” He smirks at you.
You and Steve both groan.
Translations:
Почему я тебя знаю? - Why do I know you?
Scuze - Sorry
Mulţumesc mult - Thank you very much
Buna ziua - Hello
If you made it to the end, thank you, I love you. I plan on making this series around three MAYBE four parts total. I do have the big idea of the story down, I just need to actually write it. That being said, I did not intend for this part to be this long. Do not expect future chapters to be this long lol. They probably won't... probably.
Also, are you proud of me for not making another miscommunication trope fic? It really wasn’t my intention to make so many. I have a lot of ideas in my drafts right now and those just happened to be the ones I tackled first.
Anyway, I’ll shut up lol, thank you for any likes, reblogs, comments, and follows. I genuinely can’t believe the support I’ve gotten with JUST three fics posted prior to this. Thank you so much for the support <3.
Мистер пипистер
Вообще я ничего не планировала по поводу мИрмай, чисто шарилась по хештегам в поисках тентакле-мужиков, а тут на те фанфики с моим крашем детства, да еще и вкусные
(⌒▽⌒)☆ @vunblr
Gotta say I hate any Phantom of the Opera that has Erik being sexually abusive. The man, while evil and responsible for many crimes, canonically doesn't do that shit, even when Christine at first worries he will (hence the scissors she keeps on her person). The man is redeemed by a forehead kiss and a handhold and a cry session, this is not a dude who could even conceptualize that crime much less have incentive to do it. And if you are adding sexual assault/abuse for no reason (looking at you, Danny Boyle's Frankenstein), maybe question your motives and stop that shit.
Never really understood how Spamton physically went from Addison to puppet, but I saw a bunch of super cool interpretations and tried my own hand at figuring out how I see him.
I love over-designing characters to the point they look unrecognisable from their original counterparts
Edit : accidentally misgendered Kris on the second page!! It should be corrected now :)
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