Hello, everyone! Welcome to the fluff and domestic stuff before I attempt to resolve Endgame.

*STANDARD CHRISTYVERSE DISCLAIMER IS STANDARD* Check out my profile if you have no idea what "the ChristyVerse" means. Otherwise you might be a wee bit confused. Me and canon MCU have a love-hate relationship. So I changed a few things. Made people actually talk to each other to make up and whatnot. Please enjoy.

Chapter 1: Get it Right on the First Try

Unlike Steve, Bucky hadn't struggled with a deep longing for his left-behind time.

Maybe it was because of his, as Sam called them, 'random freeze-n-thaws'. Maybe it was because he hadn't woken up alone, and then been lied to at first, before being thrust into Time Square.

(He was still, as the kids said, salty at Fury for that one.)

But there were still little things from 'his' time that he missed. The sound of a record playing, soda fountains, and not being bombarded with information 24/7 were top among that list.

A lower-level petty thing was that all his good date spots were pretty much kaput. Or overrun with tourists.

When he had remembered that bowling was still a thing, he'd almost wept with relief.

Exactly one week ago, he had asked out Wanda Maximoff.

"Asked out" seemed such a paltry term.

He felt more serious about this than he had felt about any other dating relationship of his life. Sam said it was because he was older. Steve was feeling the same with Sharon.

Whatever happened, he wasn't in this for something casual. Provided they didn't hit any major snags or incompatibilities, Bucky Barnes was in this for a ring.

Which is why tonight, he was slicking back his hair and dabbing on cologne, getting ready for their first date.

Sam stood in the doorway of the common bathroom, smirking. "You look like such a teenager right now, Barnes. A fifties teenager. Did you get date tips from Grease?"

Bucky growled under his breath. "Considering I missed the fifties, Wilson, I think I'm entitled to a little throwback. Besides, Wanda says it looks classy."

"I think it looks good." Steve volunteered from the hallway.

Sam shook his head. "Rogers, the only reason you aren't still dressing like a suburban grandpa is thanks to me an' Nat. Mostly Nat. Your fashion judgement is skewed."

Steve hmphed. "Thanks a lot, Sam. You're so encouraging an' thoughtful."

Bucky left his two best friends to snipe at each other and went back to primping his hair. He had started to grow it a little bit long, since Wanda had hinted she preferred it that way. It was still short, but he liked the idea of growing it to his shoulders. Such an idea would have been unheard of in his own time, but he had gotten used to the comforting weight of hair. Now that people were less on the prowl for the former Winter Soldier, it seemed a good chance to get back his mane.

He took a deep breath and pondered his reflection in the mirror.

Man up, Barnes. She's seen you with bloodshot eyes, sweating an' screaming bloody murder after a flashback. An' she still chose you. You'll be fine. Jus' fine.

And really, that was the kicker. With every other girl, in that time so long ago, Bucky had been careful to project an image of calm control. Ironically, it hadn't been much of an act at the time. His life had been hard, but whose hadn't been? It wasn't like he was struggling just to breathe half the time, or watching his mother die, like Steve. He'd been alright.

Now, with so many inner demons to fight, everything was already laid bare. Wanda had seen his worst, and accepted it with a compassionate grace.

So she won't care if my hair is stickin' up.

He still took one last look in the mirror. Just to be safe.

Wanda twisted strands of red energy between her fingers and around the strap of her purse, as she sat on the Barton's sofa.

Twenty-two years old, and I finally get a first date.

In Sokovia, she had been perennially uninterested in romance. Pietro was the skirt-chaser, and she had to be the sensible sister that got him out of scrapes. Plus, there had simply been no one around that she was interested in, beyond shallow crushes.

But Bucky…Bucky was different.

"Does the name 'Winter Soldier' mean anything to you?"

"Yes…the Fist of HYDRA…the one who would help bring order…"

"Guilty as charged, ma'am."

From the first day they had met, Wanda had been intrigued. He had seemed like a big brother or young uncle figure, when she was young and unsure.

And then had come the Accords.

Wanda had seen the man she'd come to care about broken back down to a hollow shell. When Pietro had suggested that she try using her powers as a form of mind therapy, she had jumped at the chance. Thankfully, it had actually worked. Bucky still battled flashbacks and trauma, and he likely always would. But so would she.

She would much rather be broken with someone than be broken alone.

A quick, nervous knock sounded on the door. Wanda couldn't help but smile.

He's probably been anxious all day.

She had been at the Barton's house all day, and he had kept to the 'Mansion'—as Christy had dubbed it—just up the hill. The large white farmhouse was not exactly palatial, but it suited them all just fine.

"It's open!" she called out, getting up from the sofa.

The door swung open with a hesitant whine. Bucky was framed in early evening shadow, tugging nervously on his jacket.

"H-hey, doll." he sputtered, trying to keep a grin on his face. Wanda had assured him she found the old-fashioned endearment cute, not sexist.

"I know you are not so foolish to think I am actually a doll."

Wanda smiled. "Ready to go? You have the car?"

"Yeah, I got Steve's Dad Car. It's not the swankiest thing, but it beats walkin'."

"Your accent is coming out again."

Bucky blushed. Steve's Brooklyn always came out when he was angry or tired. His came out when angry, too, but also whenever he was trying to be, in Wanda's words, 'a boy'.

"I thought you said it was cute." he fired back.

Now it was Wanda's turn to blush.

Fortunately, they were saved from too much time lost in each other by Laura poking her head into the living room.

"Oh, hi, Bucky. You two have fun!"

The idea of someone else watching and potentially teasing them was enough impetus for Bucky to take Wanda's hand and lead her out to the car. He opened the passenger door for her, tipping an imaginary cap.

"M'lady."

Wanda squealed and quickly ducked inside the car. "Stop! You're making my face red!"

"I'm makin' your face red? Is that it? Do I really have enough power t' make th' Scarlet Witch scarlet?" Bucky crowed, settling behind the wheel.

In answer, Wanda smacked him with an energy tendril.

"Ow!"

"You deserved that." she returned coolly.

"…yeah, I did. Still worth it. Ow! Not so hard!"

"So you roll the ball and knock down the…what did you call them?"

"The pins." Bucky repeated, as they entered Hebron's only bowling alley. It was full of teenagers trying to play and elderly grandparents in leagues who actually knew how to play.

"And you want to push over them all?"

"Yeah, or as many as possible. The person with the highest score at the end wins. If you knock over 9 at once, it's called a spare. If you knock over all ten, it's called a strike.

Wanda repeated the words carefully as they approached the counter. Bucky quickly paid for two hours of play before she could even reach for her wallet.

"I have money…" she said shyly. "We do not have to…"

Bucky frowned. "You not like it? Nat said girls sometimes get offended, these days…"

"No, no! It's nice. Just…" she blushed again, cursing herself.

"…how 'bout you buy us both ice cream, huh?"

Wanda nodded. "That is fair." She glanced at the shoes. "We have to wear these?"

"Yeah, otherwise you're gonna slip on the lane. See how slick it is? They gotta keep it smooth for the ball to roll well."

They carefully put on the signature ugly shoes of all bowling alleys, before heading over to the rack of balls.

"So, you pick the one you can lift best. Lighter is easier to throw, but heavier means you can knock down more."

"Will you throw with your metal arm, then?" Wanda asked. "Isn't that cheating?"

"Is not! They made it so's I can't lift more than I would with th' other…you're teasing, ain't'cha?"

Wanda gave a sly grin. "You are not the only one with a cute blush. The Winter Soldier, brought low by a pretty girl."

Bucky growled. "Pick yer ball."

Wanda slowly tested each of the brightly colored balls until she found one that she could lift, but not too easily. Bucky did the same. They finally headed over to the lane they had been assigned.

Unfortunately, they were now fixed with a problem.

"I, uh…" Bucky mumbled, staring at the electronic scorekeeper. "I don't…we didn't have…"

Wanda decided to save time and flagged down a worker. "Excuse me, we haven't been bowling in a while. How do you work this?"

The teenaged employee patiently worked them through the rigors of entering their names. "So, see, they show 'em on the board, an' your score for each round. Your name will flash when it's your turn to go."

"Thanks, kid." Bucky said gratefully. He slipped a five dollar bill into the boy's hand.

"Sir, I don't…it's my job!"

Bucky grinned. "I didn't always have a lot of money. I like to spread it around. Don't question it. Buy yourself a soda."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Don' mention it." He turned back to Wanda. "Alright, let's take this slow to start. Remember how I showed you to throw."

"Yes. Pull your arm back far, then come forward." She mimed rolling the ball.

"Just like that. Keep your wrist straight."

Wanda gazed anxiously down the long lane. "It is so far. I won't do it right."

"Hey now! Don't worry about that. Everyone screws up at first. It's a hard game to master! Want me t' go first?"

"…yes, please."

Bucky moved to the front of the lane, watching in fascination as the mechanical arm set up all the pins. "It's so smooth…" he whispered, before shaking himself and getting into position.

He drew back his arm and let the ball fly down the polished wood. It hummed a bit in the air before crashing down and rolling into the pins.

"Eight!" Bucky cried happily. Wanda hugged his arm.

"Very good! You can get a strike, maybe?"

"Mm…not so likely. See how the two pins are at opposite ends of the space? That means it's hard to knock them both over. The only way to do it is a fancy move. I'm not that good…"

Sure enough, Bucky's ball was not bowled at quite the right angle to allow one pin to knock at the other. But it still managed to get one.

"Spare!" he said triumphantly. "Okay, now your turn, doll."

Nervously, Wanda stepped up to the edge of the lane.

"Nice an' easy. Pull back…you want some help?"

Usually, Wanda hated to ask for help. Even from Pietro. She liked handling things herself. But now…

"A-a little…" she whispered.

Chest puffed, Bucky leaned against her slightly and took a light grip of her arm.

"Pull it back, straight wrist…now, go forward!"

The ball wobbled forward down the lane, knocking down five pins.

"Not a bad start! An' they're all in a clump, see?"

Wanda nodded, sizing up the angle the ball would have to roll. As soon as the machine fed the ball into the waiting area, she grabbed it and carefully pitched it down again.

Four pins slowly wobbled to their doom.

"Hey, look'a that! A spare an' a spare, all tied."

Wanda nodded, a big grin spreading across her face.

"I bet I can get more points than you." she said deviously.

Bucky did a double take, and then gave her an equally big grin. "Oh, you're on, doll!"

Bucky still won, just from sheer experience. But Wanda put up a fight the entire game.

In between their two paid rounds, they ordered overpriced nachos and Cokes from the concession stand.

"These are pretty good." Bucky said, around a mouthful of chips.

"Yes. I think I can make this at home. Laura makes tacos but these are also good."

Bucky took a sip of his Coke. "So this was your first time bowling?"

Wanda nodded. "I don't think we had this in Sokovia, and I had not been in America yet. Did you go many times before…before the war?"

"Some…usually on dates. Sometimes with Steve. He could barely lift the ball, though." Bucky gave a wistful smile.

"Was it strange? When he was suddenly strong?"

Bucky frowned, staring down at the garish carpet. "I, well…yeah, it was strange. Mostly 'cause the first time I saw him like that, I was strapped to a table an' all woozy from HYDRA drugs an' torture."

Wanda pretended to contemplate a chip. "Why did they want you, then? Was it because you were attached to Steve?"

"Huh? Oh, no, back then, that didn't matter. Steve was still jus' doin' propaganda shows. He wasn't…he wasn't a 'real' soldier. He hated it. That's part of why he came after me. He wanted to prove that he was someone; that he was worth it. Even though he'd been worth it from the minute he was born."

"He was always such a…a good person?"

"Well, he wasn't a saint. Never has been. I could tell you some stories…"

"Please!" Wanda cried. "I want to know what you both were like, before everything."

Bucky gave a soft sigh. "Truth is, we're no one special. If I had to pick two people to survive all we've survived, I sure as hell wouldn't have banked on us. We were just a couple boys from Brooklyn."

"…we weren't anyone special, either. There were many orphans in Sokovia after that bombing. But somehow we got lucky. Or unlucky…"

Wanda drew her knees up to her chin in the chair and hunched forward slightly.

"Wanda? How did you an' Pietro end up with HYDRA?"

For a long minute, Wanda didn't say anything. Finally, she spoke up in a whisper Bucky had to strain to hear.

"We were in an orphanage, when our parents died. It was a…a sad place. No one was cruel on purpose, but no one cared much for us. We were left to ourselves all day. Food was bad. And when I was fifteen, Pietro overheard another boy saying that he wanted to…that he was planning…." Wanda dropped her head.

"To…hurt you?" Bucky said hesitantly.

Wanda gave a bitter, hollow laugh. "Is that how you say it?"

"…it's one way." Bucky put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, doll. Sorry…God, what a jackass kid. What a world."

Wanda sniffed slightly. "Pietro said we had to leave. Said we could get jobs. But after three years, we were nowhere. Then, Pietro started to come home later and later. He said he was making friends, friends that cared about our country, that wanted to take revenge for the countries that treated us like nothing. I warned him not to do anything foolish. But I was angry, too…so I went to one rally. Then, another. It was at one that we met a man who said he could help us."

"An' that didn't seem suspicious at all." Bucky deadpanned gently.

Wanda gave a sad, half-laugh. "We should have known it was too good to be true. But we were poor, and angry, and desperate. And he promised us revenge. Two weeks later, we went to Strucker's lab. We didn't leave for a year and a half, until the Avengers broke the base open."

During the story, Wanda had moved closer and closer to Bucky. Now, she rested her head on his shoulder in near exhaustion.

"Thank you." he whispered. "Thanks for tellin' me all that."

Wanda shrugged. "We should not have secrets. And I am tired of keeping mine."

Bucky brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Me, too. I'm such a mess, though. Feels almost criminal, t' be so screwed up."

Wanda touched his cheek. "You are a fugitive." she teased.

"Not anymore, thanks to Tony." Bucky sighed. "I can't believe I killed them. I can't believe we're actually on speaking terms."

"He knows it was not something done in your right mind. Deep down, he knows. But it hurt him to know the first time."

"Believe me…" Bucky whispered. "If I could take it back…trade their lives for mine, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Wanda frowned. "But you cannot. And you are alive. The dead are honored best by a good life, not more death. I had to learn that the hard way."

Bucky gently ran his hand over her hair. Wanda gave a pleased little shudder.

"I know." he said finally. "It's just hard, sometimes. To live with the guilt an' the 'what-ifs'."

"I have them, too. We can help each other."

"Yes, please." Bucky said, pulling her back against his chest. He let out a small sigh. "These chairs are entirely too uncomfortable to cuddle you properly."

"Cuddle!" Wanda cried, mock offended. "On the first date?!"

"W-well, I guess I just….um, well…"

Wanda stood up. "Come, we still have another game. If I win, you buy me the biggest ice cream I like. If you win, you get your 'cuddles', ti vojniče.

Bucky grinned. "Soldier boy, huh? You're on!"

"But how?!" Bucky cried, staring aghast at the screen.

The score was not in his favor.

Wanda looked like the cat that not only ate the canary, but barbequed it before consumption as well.

"You would have done better if you were not so cocky." she said. "You twirled and then let the ball go. More than once."

"If I had just had one more shot…fine. Let's get you ice cream."

They ended up at a Dairy Queen, where Wanda ordered the biggest Brownie Blizzard she could.

Bucky got exactly the same size, but with mint Oreo.

They sat in the car, happily enjoying their treats. Wanda was still flush with success.

"This was nice…" she whispered.

Bucky nodded, turning down the jazz music coming from the radio. "Good first date, for you?"

Wanda smiled. "Well…there was one little thing."

"Oh yeah?"

Wanda ducked her head. "In movies, the boy always walks the girl home. And then kisses her."

Bucky's gaze was fixed firmly on the steering wheel. "You wan' me to do that."

"Well…yes. But one small difference. I do not want to wait until we are home."

Bucky carefully set down his Blizzard.

"What, now?"

Wanda nodded. "Unless you prefer to wa—"

She was cut off as Bucky quite plainly showed that he was not, in fact interested in waiting a second longer.

Now this is a first date.

Man have I missed writing these two! I love Bruce and Natasha, but writing someone besides them romantically is breath of fresh air!

Drop me a line, tell me what you think. Reviews are Dairy Queen blizzards.

Tune in next time for the long anticipated wedding of Tony and Pepper. There will be tears! Laughter! Shenanigans! Possible fainting! See you all there!