Weekly Writing
Judy is my Avengers OC. This is not so much an introduction to her as a character, but more the state of the world when we meet her. I am a fan of the “Everything is okay and everyone lives in Stark Tower” approach to Avengers fan fiction, so continuity is hardly a thing, haha. Like I said, this is more of an introduction to the state of things, and the state of Bucky specifically. How he handles being caught mentally between two people, and not feeling like either of them entirely. ______________________________________________________________________
Bucky loosened the tie around his neck and glanced over at Steve, who was straightening his jacket.
“Do we have to go to this thing?” They both knew he had only said “we” for Steve’s benefit. He was the one who had no desire to go to Stark’s party. A room full of people, some of whom had fought with him, some against, and all staring at him. Whether they actually would stare was up for debate, but he had no desire to find out who was right.
“The whole point of the party is for Tony to publicly renounce the Accords. That has a big impact on you. I know how you feel about publicity stuff, but this one’s pretty important.” He patted Bucky’s metal shoulder in a comforting manner and smiled at his friend. “I’ll stay by you the whole time.” Bucky shrugged off Steve’s hand, running his own metal one along the back of his neck.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. Doubt anyone would say anything to my face anyway.” Steve furrowed his brow in a way that Bucky knew meant the discussion was far from over. Bucky stepped away from the mirror and chuckled. “I’m gonna go grab something from my room. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.” The other man’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled back at his friend.
Bucky turned and walked back down the hall, his own smile falling. He hated the look Steve gave him, like he was worried he would disappear again. It made him almost regret saying such a familiar phrase, but he had known that it would appease Steve enough to let him walk away. Who would have known how hard it was to live up to the memory of a man you hardly knew?
His room was still pretty bare. They had moved into Stark tower about a week ago, and both Steve and Sam had taken the time to use Tony Stark’s fancy computers to order furniture and things to personalize their rooms, but his still held the plain furniture that had previously outfitted them. The Soldier had never had any real belongings, and he couldn’t remember any strong interests of Sargent Barnes’s other than the few Steve had mentioned in passing.
He sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his long hair. He really wasn’t looking forward to tonight. As far as he could tell, he had one of two options. Either he could fake his way through being Sargent Barnes to the best of his ability, or he could be quiet and sit in the corner, like the Soldier. Both had their consequences, and neither felt like what he wanted to do.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red and blue move past the door. He stood suddenly and moved across the room. Steve hadn’t been wearing red, and he doubted Sam would have worn anything that colorful. Which meant that someone who wasn’t supposed to be here was on their floor. Peaking his head into the hall, he saw a girl slowly making her way down the corridor. Something in his mind seemed to jolt at the sight of her. She looked exactly like a girl from the forties, with her hair softly curling around her shoulders and her dress modestly styled. It was as if some strange vision on the edge of his memory manifested in front of him. He walked towards her, unable to think of anything else to do in that moment. She stood with her back to him, not making any movements at his approach. Well, he thought, just one more reason to believe that she wasn’t real in the first place. He reached out towards her but hesitated for a moment. What if she wasn’t real? What did that say about him? Did he even want to know? He shook his head.
She startled at his touch, turning quickly to face him. She didn’t say a word, just stared at him with wide blue eyes. He stared back, his hand still on her arm, as if he wasn’t sure what would happen if he let her go. They stood there for a few seconds, gazing in shock at each other.
“Are you real?” The words came out as a whisper, as if he was afraid if he spoke too loudly she would disappear in front of him. She nodded, not breaking eye contact with him. He stared at her for a few more seconds, taking in everything about her.
“Buck?” The word snapped him out of the trance, and he quickly released the girl across from him. He had almost forgotten he had been holding her. She gave him a confused look and turned, moving quickly down the hall and into the elevator.
Steve moved to Bucky’s side, putting a hand on his shoulder. That concerned look was back on his face, which twisted at Bucky’s insides.
“What was that about?”
“Nothing. I just… I guess she looked familiar.” Bucky shook his head and pulled a relaxed smile across his face. “We’d better get going. Don’t want Stark to come looking for us.”
“Yeah, if you’re sure.” Steve still hadn’t dropped the concerned look, so Bucky rolled his eyes and pushed the other man towards the elevator.