Author's Notes: Steve didn't go the past. Nope, never happened. This story came to me all in one go last night when I couldn't sleep. I hope you enjoy it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in relation to Marvel Comics or the MCU, any movie cliffangers / serials or Head and Shoulders.
Work Text:
Bucky, Sam and Steve are walking to their regular lunch table outside the compound when he suddenly spots her. The two men who are left sitting behind at the table startle a bit when Bucky continues on walking towards the woman that they've briefly become acquainted with throughout their few interactions. They're not even so much as startled as they are shocked because Bucky's finally going to make his move. Steve and Sam grin at each other and settle in to enjoy the show, because, heh, this should be so good.
Bucky's caught glimpses of her around the compound and ran into her a few times and he's noticed how she seems different to the other girls that he's met so far. He admires how she puts others ahead of herself and gives her best effort. She's also studious, quiet and shy. Mostly, she's just…sweeter. And he's definitely sweet on her.
His feet move of their own accord until he comes to an abrupt halt a few feet away from her table. She quits bobbing her head to Kitty Callen's "It's Been a Long, Long Time" and sets aside her book as a shadow crosses over the pages and looks up to see Sergeant James Barnes standing before her shifting his feet nervously.
Bucky takes a deep calming breath. Okay, how do I start this again? He clears his throat. "Hey, doll, how are you doing today?"
"I'm well, thank you." She blushes slightly and his smile grows along with the pink tinging her cheeks. "How are you?"
Pleased that she seems willing to continue the conversation, he sets his tray down on the table and slides in next to her on the bench. "Like I'm on top of the world. I noticed that you're listening to Kitty Callen, are you a fan?"
"Yes, I am," she replies quietly. "She's one of my favorite singers."
He gestures towards her book. "You a fan of movie cliffhangers too?"
Her eyes sparkle and she bites her lip as she nods excitedly. "I love movie serials!" Her expression is sheepish as she explains, "I've collected comic books since I was a kid, especially the super-hero ones, which of course led me to watching their movies and then eventually discovering their movie serials." She flushes in embarrassment as Bucky stares at her agog. "I know that it's not the norm for most girls but I really do enjoy them. Does that seem very odd to you?"
"Not in my book, doll. In fact, it's rather refreshing." He preens at her sigh of relief.
She glances up shyly and offers him the sweetest smile that he's ever seen. "Thank you, Sergeant Barnes…Sergeant Barnes, Sergeant Barnes, Sergeant Barnes!" His entire body jolts when she practically has to yell his name to draw his attention. "Are you alright?"
"Huh? What? Yeah, sure. Why, don't I look alright?" he asks uneasily.
She gives him a concerned once over before answering. "I guess so? It's just that after you cleared your throat, you've just stood there and stared at me."
"I did?" he croaks. She simply nods and keeps an eye on him for further irregularities. "Like…?" Like, I'm completely enamored of you? Like, you're the one I've been waiting for my entire life? Like, would next Tuesday be too soon to get married and start our lives together?"
"Like I was a target on a mission and you're determined to get me."
Bucky's shoulder slumps in defeat. Yeah, more like Mission Impossible. He hazards a look back at Steve and Sam.
"So your super-soldier hearing is picking up their entire conversation loud and clear?" inquires Sam with a side-eyed glance at Steve.
"Yup," replies Steve as he focuses on Bucky and his girl.
Sam demands, "And you're telling me everything?"
"Every single word," vows Steve before he shares the couple's last bit of conversation with him and then they break out into laughter.
Jerks. Bucky turns back to face you. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute." His gaze drops down onto the empty space on the bench. "Would you mind if I sat with you?"
She gazes at him in surprise. "No, not at all, please have a seat."
He immediately sits down beside her. "I like your taste in music and books."
"Thanks, not a lot of people are into older stuff but my grandma helped raise me and she was born in 1925." She gave a small shrug. "I guess everything that she introduced me to sort of stuck."
Bucky's smile is genuine and relaxed. "That's great, not a lot of people appreciate that." He glances over at the book that she's been reading and spies his favorite movie cliffhanger, Adventures of Captain Marvel. "Hey, this was one of the best!" he enthuses as he points out the serial. "Whenever Steve was down and we had money, we'd hang out at the movies. I really like this one, there's lots of action and plot."
"It's my all-time favorite serial!" she shares with bonafide excitement. "Although, I can never remember who the Scorpion turns out to be in the end." Her entire face suddenly lights up. "That's okay though, it just makes it brand new for me all over again!"
Bucky chuckles softly. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Do you have any other favorites?"
"Yes, I do, The Green Archer, The Phantom and The Adventures of Sir Galahad." She starts to flip through the book to look for their summaries and photos to show him. It was so rare to find someone who shared her interests, she was hoping that he would stay longer so that they could talk more. Most people just tended to grow bored with her rather quickly and then leave. "Here it is, I think…," she froze and questioned, "Sergeant Barnes, are you sniffing my hair?"
Bucky freezes himself then at her scandalized tone and his gaze inadvertently returns to Sam and Steve. Sam was sniffing Steve's hair while Steve blew a kiss to Bucky. Not jerks, jackasses. He clears his throat and tries to sound casual. "Um, yeah…I noticed that it was a very unusual scent. But I really like it," he hastily adds to assure that it's a compliment. "What is it?"
She shifts uncomfortably and avoids looking at him. "It's my dandruff shampoo."
Bucky tilts his head in a considering manner and says, "That's nice."
She promptly swings her gaze back to him. "It is?" Her brow furrows at his curious reply. "Why?"
"It shows that you're trying to better yourself." His heart squeezes tight in his chest and he finds it a little difficult to breathe as she stares back at him, confusion written all over her face. What the hell am I saying?
A loud guffaw draws their attention to Steve and Sam's table where they see that Sam is face down on the table with his hand slapping the top of it and Steve is leaning over Sam's back trying to muffle his own laughter. Catching Bucky's heated stare, he does his best to compose himself and offer his best friend a thumbs up.
"You know, those two are always in hysterics whenever they're together." She watches as they settle down and offer her a couple of friendly waves. "Are they really that funny?"
His gaze travels over the dopey grins on their faces as they rest their heads in their hands and tilt their heads to stare adoringly at each other. "Yeah, they're a regular riot." He hurriedly flips them off when she turns away and scowls as Sam clutches his hand to his heart as if wounded and Steve's only response is to laugh. He musters his friendliest grin and suggests, "You don't have to call me Sergeant Barnes, you can call me Bucky."
"Isn't your first name, James?" she quizzes.
"Yeah, but it's my nickname, it's what everyone's always called me…Bucky." Was that not okay? Did it sound stupid? Did he sound like an obsessed Little Rascals fan?
"I like it," she tells him ever so quietly.
"I like you," he declares without warning. He takes a sudden interest with the overhanging ledge above them when he hears her slight gasp. "I like you a lot." He moves his gaze away from her to see Steve offering a hopeful smile and Sam an encouraging one. "If you've heard about what I've been through and by now I don't know who hasn't," he denotes with a wry smirk, "then I'm' hoping you'll understand and be patient while I try to re-assimilate myself into society." He runs a nervous hand through his hair. "God, now I sound like a Borg!"
Her interest is instantly peaked. "Do you watch Star Trek, too?"
Bucky's eyebrows nearly rise to his hairline. "Yeah, I've been watching what I can find on television whenever I have time. I was a fan of Buck Rogers back in my time so Sam recommended Star Trek and I've been hooked ever since. I'm starting a collection so I can watch them in order."
"You'll love it, trust me, it's quite a franchise. I'm a big Sci-Fi fan." Her smile is soft and shy as she offers, "I'd be happy to make more recommendations on other shows and films if you'd like."
Bucky already felt as if he were soaring around in space. "That would be great, thanks." He releases a small chuckle. "I feel as though I've pretty much lived a sort of Sci-Fi life so far, it made sense to see how someone else made a go of it." She laughed at that. "You have a beautiful laugh, it suits you."
"Thank you, I'm glad I didn't snort then." She looks up at him with eyes full of mischief. "I've been trying to better myself," she says teasingly.
He places his head in his hands and groans while her delighted laugh taunts him. "I am so sorry, I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I was saying that. You're perfect just the way you are, you don't need to change a thing."
"Then I won't," she peeks up at him with a rising blush, "and neither should you. I like you too, Bucky, just as you are."
He scans the area around him, mostly out of habit, and notices several tables full of diners like themselves watching them. Some gazes are curious, some are suspicious but most of them are just wary. He wishes he could say that he wasn't used to it. "Not everyone thinks that."
"Well, they should think that way," she insists defensively, her tone becoming a growl, sounding as if she's ready to go to battle for him. For him. "Don't you pay them any mind, they just don't see you like I do."
"And how's that?" he questions with a mixture of desperation and hope.
"I see you, Bucky. Not a Howling Commando and definitely not the Winter Soldier," she lays her hand over his metal one and squeezes his fingers with her own. "I see you, just you."
She really is the girl of my dreams. "Thank you," he responds in a hushed and grateful voice that quickly fades into silence. Too much silence, so much that it becomes an uncomfortable silence. That is, until it is broken.
"Have you told her about the ticket yet?" queries Sam.
"What?" bleats an anxious Bucky, no longer worrying about the silence but what these two were up to now.
"You remember, the tickets that Tony gave the three of us for that private Star Wars movie showing." Steve's eyebrows scrunch together as he tries to recall the name. "I think that it's called Episode Four?" The three men all grin at her gasp of excitement. "We can each take a plus one and Sam and I already have friends who are going with us and Bucky wanted to ask you to join us."
"It's nothing fancy," reassures Sam, "just a few friends hanging out and chilling. Come on, you'll have a great time." When she still looks unconvinced, he prods, "And you like Sci-Fi, right? It's the original Star Wars movie, you don't want to miss this!"
Her eyes narrow sharply as she pins her gaze on Sam. "Wait a minute, how did you know that I liked Sci-Fi?"
"Please go," intercepts Bucky. "Please, I would really love for you to be my date."
"Okay," she blushes prettily, "then I will."
Bucky finally releases a breath that he didn't even know that he had been holding. "Good," he gives a slight nod of acceptance, "that's really good."
She unexpectedly starts laughing. "What's so funny?" asks Sam as he's slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst.
Her only reply at first is to point at Bucky and then Steve. "It just came to me," she looks at Bucky and says, "Buck" and then looks over to Steve and finishes, "Rogers. Buck Rogers!" She laughs again while the others smile in amusement. "Sorry," she readily apologizes, "I've been told that I have a strange sense of humor."
Steve chuckles. "Then you'll fit right in with the rest of us."
Her cell phone alarm goes off informing her that her lunch is over. "I have to go," she rapidly pulls a pen and paper out of her purse and jots down her phone number. "Call me when you have a chance so we can set up the details." Bucky just nods as he holds the slip of paper as delicately as if it were a newborn while he watches her walk away. Wow. If Sam hadn't told me last week that Bucky liked me so much and his difficulty approaching people then I think I would have ran off when he started sniffing my hair. Now… she takes one last peek at him over her shoulder as he still watches her, I wonder if he could be someone that I would run to instead of away from.
Once she was out of sight, Bucky turned to face his friends. "This is the first time that I've heard about those tickets."
"Is it?" Steve wondered, all innocence. "I thought we had told you about them."
"It must have slipped our minds," adds Sam as they both sit down with him.
"Do you guys really think I can do this?" questions Bucky with a trace of sadness lacing his tone.
"Yes," states Steve firmly, "I do. You have to, Buck. You heard what she said, she sees you." He leans forward on his arms. "You know what I would give for that, don't let this chance pass you by. Life is only going to give us so many second chances."
Sam places his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Man, you are ready for this. Your head is clear and when you're with her, we can all see that your heart is open. Go on the date, see how you feel and if you start to screw up then we'll back you up, just like always."
They all start laughing and Bucky takes a deep breath. "Thanks, guys," and then silence. Lord, how he hated silence.
"I'm sorry," Sam offers, "did we make you uncomfortable? Maybe we should have cleared our throats and stared at you for a while before we sat down."
"No, no, I think we should've let him sniff our hair first," poses Steve. "Don't worry, Buck, it'll calm you. Sam let me use his Head and Shoulders."
Bucky glowers at the two as he watches Steve throw his head back with laughter as Sam punches his arm just to end up having to rub his bruised knuckles. "Shut up," hisses Bucky, "I hate you both," which only causes them to laugh harder.
He didn't really hate them, Steve and Sam were his best friends for life, and he knew that they were the kind of pals who would stick with him until the end of the line. More importantly, they were his brothers. And like any good big brother, he was so going to kick their asses later for ragging on him.
The End