She hadn’t been bored for a while and it was something she definitely had not missed.
Lying stretched out on her bed she had even given up on flicking through all of the stations on the television hanging on her wall. It had been hooked up to receive any kind of station from any country and across the internet…
And she was still bored.
The knock at her door raised her heart and launched her into action. Her excitement about the possibility of company causing her to almost fall off her bed, her feet catching her before she landed on her bum.
Swinging her door open a wide grin stretched across her lips when she saw the young girl standing on the other side “Finally!” she exclaimed as Shuri stepped inside, the two of them crossing their arms over their chests and sharing nods before Harper pulled the younger girl into a hug “I thought you’d forgotten about me up here.”
“Give a girl the most sought after room in all of Wakanda and she still manages to moan,” Shuri answered in a teasing tone rolling her eyes dramatically “I’ve actually brought a guest for you.”
Harper’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion “You have?” she asked, her eyebrows arching in surprise and her grin back on her face when the blonde woman who had been waiting outside of her door wandered in “Mal! You’re here, in Wakanda?”
“Don’t look so worried,” Mal said with a warm smile as she crossed over and pulled the reluctant Harper into a hug of her own “Oh but you’ll let Shuri hug you?”
“Yes well look at this face,” Harper answered squishing Shuri’s cheeks together and laughing as the teenager batted her hand away “So, is everything okay?” she continued with a question as her eyes flickered between the two standing in front of her.
Letting out a small sigh Mal’s shoulders squared and she was suddenly all business, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans “I need your help with something.”
Throwing her arms out into a shrug Harper nodded her head “Sure.”
“You don’t know what it is yet?”
“This one is so bored I think she’d say yes to anything,” Shuri spoke up from where she had thrown herself on Harper’s bed and took over flicking through the television stations “Can’t switch off even after all she’s been through.”
Harper rolled her eyes and let out a huff of a sigh as she folded her arms over her stomach “Ignore her I’ve been fine,” she said raising one of her shoulders into a shrug “So what’s going on?”
Her eyes were wide once she had shut and locked her door. Hurrying down the corridors after Mal and Shuri her heart pounded in her chest and thoughts were spinning around her mind “Are you for real?” she asked breathlessly once she had finally caught them up and the three of them stepped into the waiting elevator “And you really want my help?”
“It’s kind of specialist,” Shuri answered practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement “You’re going back to the 40s,” she continued with a wink.
“Shuri!” Mal exclaimed as they reached the bottom floor and the doors slid back open “I wasn’t going to tell her until we got to your lab,” she continued with an arch to her eyebrow and a slight smile on her face “Har-”
Mal’s word cut off as soon as she turned around to see Harper still standing in the middle of the elevator staring to the two of them blankly. When they had first told her what the mission would entail, the fact that she would be travelling back in time, she had practically jumped up and down on the spot…
But now she looked as though she was going to throw up.
“I can’t go back to the 40s?”
“Yes you can,” Mal answered as she and Shuri exchanged glances before they walked back into the elevator to grasp onto an arm each “And you are,” she continued sending Harper a ‘look’ “We really need you on this Rhodes.”
“But do you?” Harper asked not even acknowledging the fact that not only did Mal have her ‘Agent’ voice on but she called her by her surname “I’m pretty sure you got this,” she said as the three of them came to a stop outside of the car awaiting their arrival on the street.
“Let me talk to her,” Shuri said directing Mal toward the back of the car before she grabbed hold of Harper’s hand “What is going on with you?? You have been moaning about being bored for the past two weeks now!”
“I ca-I can’t,” Harper replied with a shake of her head “Do you know what’s in the 40s?”
“War, Hattie McDaniel, the very first McDonalds-”
“Okay stop being so smart,” Harper interrupted “Bucky. Bucky is in the 40s.”
Shuri looked to her blankly for a couple of seconds before she shrugged “And? That’s another thing I’ve had to listen to you moan about. You miss him! It hasn’t been very long, and I am working on it, but you still miss him.”
“He was so different back then,” Harper answered in a small voice “What if 40s Bucky doesn’t like me?” The blank look was back only this time Shuri let go of her and took a step back “Oh shit you know what? I’m good. I can’t believe I just said that. I didn’t say that okay?”
“Whatever you say girl,” Shuri answered holding her hands up as Harper walked past her and climbed into the back of the car.
“So you’re in?”
Glancing from Mal to the sixteen year old climbing in after her Harper nodded “I’m in.”
*
“Okay so you have to keep these on your wrists at all times,” Shuri said fixing the band to Mal’s wrist before tucking her sleeve over it and stepping down from the platform they were standing on “It’ll help me keep track of how you are, how things are going.”
“To see whether or not we’ve fucked up and need to be brought back?”
Mal let out a sigh and rolled her eyes as she adjusted her sleeve some more “We’re not going to mess up Harper.”
“Well look who’s been spending too much time with Captain Rogers.”
“The person who knows his name is Steve?”
“Okay, okay who is the teenager here?” Shuri asked raising her voice and her arms into a shrug “Now do you want to time travel or am I sending you to your rooms?” she asked letting out a laugh when she didn’t receive a reply “You know what you’re supposed to be doing?”
“Not really,” Harper answered with a shrug as Mal spoke at the same time.
“Locate Peggy and warn her about Hydra infiltrating Shield.”
Harper’s eyebrows raised as she slowly turned to Mal “I’m sorry, we have to find Peggy?” she asked resting her hands on her hips as Mal avoided her gaze “So that’s why you’ve asked me along.”
“Please just get this thing going,” Mal said directing her plea to Shuri and keeping her eyes away from the smug look on Harper’s face. Dropping her gaze down to the gadget Shuri had attached to her she let out a sigh “I don’t think we-” her sentence trailed off as she glanced back up and noticed the sudden different surroundings “-have alot of time…”
“So,” Harper began stepping closer to Mal’s side “Shuri is all about surprises. What do we do now?”
Letting out a sigh Mal tucked her sleeve over the band on her wrist and glanced around the darkened street they found themselves in “We find Peggy I guess,” she said with a shrug nodding her head for Harper to follow her “Steve told me about this bar they would all go to when they had downtime. I told Shuri to place us nearby in the hope we’d be able to bump into them quicker.”
“In a place with alcohol, good choice,” Harper replied hurrying to keep up with the agent on a mission “Listen will you just...tone it down?” she asked reaching out and grasping onto Mal’s arm to get her to stop “You’re not Agent Coben here, you keep acting like this we’ll be noticed in a second.”
Taking in a deep breath Mal nodded “Yeah, yeah I guess you’re right,” she said smoothing her hands down her skirt “Y’know you remembering some of your training is really helpful.”
“Thanks mom,” Harper answered with a smirk and a roll of her eyes as Mal hooked her arm around her and pulled her in for a squeeze “Now we just look like two drunk weirdos hugging in the street,” she continued, her voice muffled from where she had her face smushed against Mal’s shoulder.
Stepping apart Harper sent Mal a smile before she made her way over to the window of the bar they were standing by. Stepping up onto her toes she peered inside “Okay, we’re not going to freak out alright?” she asked as she turned back around to face Mal and waved her over “We have a mission and we’re going to stick to it,” she said with a pointed look before she tapped her finger against the window “Steve and Bucky are sat by the bar.”
They stood there for another couple of seconds before Mal nudged Harper’s arm with her elbow “Better get on with it,” she said with a smile. Butterflies fluttered nervously in her stomach as both she and Harper made their way around to the front door.
This was the Captain America she had learned all about from her father. The Captain America all of her childhood stories contained. It wasn’t even like she was seeing her Steve she was meeting some kind of fictional hero and she couldn’t help but feel a bit jittery about it.
It was noisy in the pub as they pushed their way through the door. With neither of them really knowing what was going to happen and how they were going to go about doing this it was as though each other’s nervous energy was pushing them forward.
“Go ask the main man about Peggy,” Harper said leaning over to talk quietly into Mal’s ear. Sending her a smile she let out a long breath before she turned to where Bucky was saving him and his best friend a table “Anyone sitting here?”
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart jumped as he glanced up from where he’d been picking at a stray piece of fabric on his uniform. He looked confused for a second but when his eyes met hers a grin stretched across his face “You?” he asked stretching his leg out and nudging the chair to push it out for her.
He looked so different it took her breath away as she sat down opposite him. Of course his hair was shorter and he was wearing an army uniform but there was also something more. He wasn’t carrying the weight of being a hydra assassin on his shoulders, he seemed lighter and she had to stop herself from reaching across to touch him.
“So what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this huh?” he asked as he leaned with his elbows on the table.
Her head tilted to one side as she too leaned with her arms on the tabletop “I’m here with my friend,” she said glancing behind her to where she was proud to see that Mal was actually speaking with Steve.
“Chatting with Captain America huh,” Bucky said, the only hint to his voice was that of admiration for his friend as he followed Harper’s gaze “You sure you wanna be chatting to little old me?”
“Don’t say that,” Harper answered a little too quickly, clearing her throat and shaking her head slightly as he looked to her with a slight smirk on his lips “I mean...I’m sure you’re okay. For a chat over a beer,” she corrected unable to keep the smile off her face.
Over by the bar Mal wasn’t having as much luck at striking up a conversation. Steve was standing right beside her, one arm leaning on the bar and that dopey, amazing smile on his face as he listened to the barman ramble on about Captain America.
She had wished her entire life that she could meet the Steve Rogers she had heard about when she was a kid but now she was standing right beside him the words just wouldn’t come to her lips.
“I actually think this lovely lady was next.”
Mal jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. She knew the tone almost too well, he was pretending to be confident Cap when really he was pushing through his shy nature “Malia,” she said offering her hand out to him and trying not to blush when he took it “I think my friend is sitting with yours,” she continued in a whisper before telling the bartender her order “I, uhm, is it just him you’re here with?”
“Bucky? Yeah just him and the rest of my squad,” he said glancing around the bar to where the other Howling Commandos were stationed, chatting to various people in the room “Are you looking for anyone in particular?”
Before she could even open her mouth, and as though it was written in some god awful book, the sound of heels on the wooden floor caught all of their attentions and Peggy Carter entered the room.
Mal was pretty sure she had never felt as nervous as she did in that moment. Her jealousy radar was going off the scale and, as much as she wished she could look away, she couldn’t stop herself from noticing the look in Steve’s eyes when he saw her.
“Miss Carter,” she blurted out before her brain gave her a better greeting, just knowing her cheekbones were burning a bright red when Peggy turned to look at her with a questioning expression “I, uhm, I have a message from Stark.”
Peggy’s eyebrows furrowed but she nodded her head “Follow me,” she said turning back to where she had appeared from and waving for Mal to come with her. As they passed the table Harper and Bucky were sat at Mal was thankful to hear her friend make her apologies and get up onto her feet.
“Agents Coben and Rhodes,” Mal said once they were round the corner and out of sight “Not much of this is going to make sense to you but we’re here to warn you about Hydra.”
Much to their surprise Peggy made sure they had her full interest. She didn’t think they were crazy and listened to every single concern they had about Hydra infiltrating Shield. She didn’t even question how they knew what Shield was about.
“I can assure you both that we’re taking all the precautions we can,” Peggy said crossing her arms and regarding the two with just slight suspicion “If Howard Stark has any issues with how I am running things you tell him he can come to me himself.”
“Of course,” Harper answered with a nod of her head “But for now I think he would like to speak with you. He said to meet in his office,” she continued with a sweet smile, the three of them exchanging pleasantries before Peggy made her way back out of the bar “Well that was easy!”
“Almost too easy,” Mal answered craning her neck to see Peggy slip out of the back door “Why’d you send her away?”
“Because if Peggy Carter isn’t going to take us seriously I know two guys who will,” she explained jabbing her thumb over her shoulder “And we came here so you could meet 40s Steve.”
“Actually we came here-”
“Malia.”
Mal let out a laugh and reached over to jab Harper in the arm “Okay but we can’t stay long, is your band also heating up a little?” she asked rubbing her hand over her wrist “I’m pretty sure that’s Shuri saying time is running out.”
Making their way back to into the main room of the bar the two girls split up. Mal making her way back over to Steve, her heart lifting when he greeted her with a smile. He was everything her father had told her about and more. His heart full and yet to be broken, his view on the world not shattered as of yet and, as much as she loved every single thing about her Steve back home, it just felt so good to see this version of him. A version of him that still viewed the world with hopeful eyes.
Opposite them and sat back at the table Harper was laughing at a story Bucky was telling her. It was so hard for her to spend time with him when she knew what would happen in the near future but at the same time it was so amazing to see him with such a light and carefree attitude.
“I have to go,” she said as she got to her feet “It was lovely meeting you though James,” she continued as he too stood, a surprised noise leaving her as he tugged her into a hug. Her eyes closed and her chin leaned on his shoulder “Be careful out there,” she said in a whisper “Especially, y’know, with trains.”
She knew she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help herself. She knew that he had to become the winter soldier for them to get the chance to meet but, in that moment, she just wished she could give him the gift of being happy without having to go through all of that torture.
“It was lovely meeting you too doll,” he said with that lopsided grin that made her heart soar “And trains? Sure why not,” he answered even though the confusion was evident on his face “I’ll watch out for...trains?”
They shared a laugh, her’s a little watery with emotion she was trying so hard to hide, before she patted him on the arm (a real arm on his left side) and turned to grab Mal.
“So just, y’know, maybe make the shield a little bigger? Your legs are just too vulnerable Steve.”
“Come on M, we gotta bounce,” Harper said reaching over to grasp onto her friend’s arm. Smiling up to Steve she had to force herself to not ask him all of the questions she had “We’ll see you round,” she said quickly, the two of them hurrying out of the bar before Shuri could burn their hands off.
“Okay S we’re-” Mal was cut off as she opened her eyes from a blink to see they were surrounded by Shuri’s lab once more, the teenager grinning to them from across the room.
“And?”
“Message received,” Mal said stepping down from the platform they were standing on and staggering slightly “But you gotta stop with the surprises. Don’t know if I’m coming or going!”
“Yes, yes missions and time travel,” Shuri said with a wave of her hand “Now. Tell me about 40s Steve and Bu-” she paused for a second as she glanced around the room “Where’s Harper?”
Mal smiled “She’ll have gone to see Bucky.”
*
Harper was quiet as she slowly opened his door. Bucky had come out of the ice a week previous but Shuri had been insistent that he was still learning control. He and Harper were allowed to see one another but it had been such a long time since they were alone.
“Hey,” he said with a soft smile as she poked her head in around his door “You okay?”
She blinked back the tears which had sprung to her eyes as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her “I just...needed to see you,” she said sitting down on his right side and smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning down so her head was on his chest.
He placed a kiss on the side of her head “I’m glad I didn’t listen to your advice by the way,” he said in a whisper and her eyes widened “Without the train and the winter soldier I never would have met you.”
“Well the probability of that is 0, but you go ahead…” Harper x Mal
Requested by @isaaclahys
Harper kept close to Bucky’s side, her fingertips just touching the sleeve of his jacket as they made their way through the room. She craned her neck slightly to see where they were headed and only ended up shrinking closer to him when she caught sight of the other occupants.
“They’re not going to bite.”
“If you laugh at me I’ll tell them all about the time you tried to use a computer.”
Bucky paused as she slid her arm through his, sending her a look out of the corner of his eye “We may as well just leave now because I know that story will come out of your mouth in no time.”
“Well if you insist.”
Stopping in his tracks when he realised she was no longer joking Bucky stood in front of Harper, reaching out and resting his hands gently on her shoulders “I’ve told you you don’t have to do this,” he said softly “We can get you away, get you sa-”
She cut him off before he could finish with a simple look and a tilt to her head.
“Okay, bad suggestion...but it does mean you have to actually meet the rest of the team.”
Before she could even reply, or think, Steve Rogers was standing in front of her with a wide smile on his face “Harper,” he greeted with a nod of his head. Though she had met him before it was still hard for her to believe Captain America was welcoming her so warmly “This is Mal.”
Her attention was drawn to the blonde woman stood beside him, her arms crossed over her chest as she stepped forward to complete the introduction “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said and, as she extended her arm out for Harper to shake, the belt holding her guns that had been hidden beneath her t-shirt peered into view.
Yet, as she shook Mal’s hand, she couldn’t stop her eyes from narrowing “I know you!” she exclaimed, clamping her lips together when she realised what she had blurted out “I mean...I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“Well the probability of that is 0, but you go ahead…” Mal answered as she straightened up and pushed her hair from her face while she watched Harper think over where she could have possibly seen Mal before.
“I was in New York,” she said breathlessly, her hand landing on her chest as the events of the day came flooding back “I was trapped in the bank and you and Captain Rogers saved me.”
“Huh,” Mal answered, Loki and New York felt like such a long time ago to her but she could still remember running into that bank and helping Steve so clearly “Well I’m really glad you’re okay after that day,” she continued before her eye caught Steve in deep conversation with Bucky and she leaned forward “You don’t have to call him Captain Rogers you know.”
“Habit,” Harper answered with a chuckle, slightly surprised when Mal returned her amusement with a laugh of her own before she was distracted. Turning to where Mal’s gaze had landed Harper glanced between the two of them “So, have you and Steve been together long?”
Harper jumped slightly as Mal let out a surprised noise “What?! No, no,” she said shaking her head “Steve and me? Me and Steve? No. We’re not together.”
“Oh!” Harper exclaimed glancing between the two of them for a second time “I’m sorry it’s just...the way the two of you look at one another it’s really quite-”
“Please don’t say cute,” Mal said just as Harper continued.
“Cute,” she said with a wince “I’m sorry I must have got the wrong end of the stick. You just,” she had a confused expression on her face as she looked back to where Steve’s eyes had wandered over to Mal once more “I’m pretty sure he likes you anyway.”
“I...well…” Mal stuttered, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans and shaking her head “I think Sam’s calling me,” she continued in a bit of a rush as she jabbed her right thumb over her shoulder and tried to hide the blush forming across her cheekbones “So...so I’m going to leave. See what he wants y’know? It was...it was lovely to meet you though and look! Bucky’s back! Have fun you two!”
There was a confused frown on Bucky’s face as Harper glanced up to him standing by her side “What just happened?”
“I wish I knew,” Harper answered with a shrug “But I don’t think I made a very good first impression.”
tbh i think if they were in such forced proximity for so long it would've developed in a really similar way to snowbaz.... shanes repression of his sexuality becoming so intense and all consuming hes completely convinced he hates ilya totally , the constant outside pressure to perform well only fanning those flames.. and ilya would make such a good self hating vampire, he'd form such an intricate fake version of himself just spiked enough so that no one dares look closer and see the gooey emotional core at the center of this performative asshole, if he were surrounded constantly by shane and reminders of his perfection, it would curdle into hatelovehatelove really quick
