- ONE YEAR LATER -
Bucky Barnes' heart pounded. Six of hearts...a king... Sam Wilson tapped on his can of beer impatiently. Bucky wiped his forehead.
"Do you fold?" came Sam's taunting voice.
Bucky glared up at him. "Never." But before he could save himself from the embarrassment of losing to Sam, Steve hobbled in, waving his cane at him.
"Bucky! How've you been, buddy?" He smacked him on the back and Bucky flinched. He did not appreciate physical touch. Steve flopped onto the sofa and raised an eyebrow at Sam's cards.
"Buck, you're losing bad." commented Steve.
"Yeah, I got that." Bucky muttered bitterly.
Sam rolled his eyes. "He's still not folding."
Steve shook his head. "Buck will never fold; his ego's too big." At that Bucky snorted and continued to examine his cards. A moment passed before Steve spoke up. "Alright, let me spare you." He turned to Bucky. "Let's go out."
Bucky blinked at him in confusion.
"See? I told you they were into each other!" cried Sam, cackling evilly and high-fiving Scott, who was frustratingly trying to sew a sock puppet. Steve gave him a warning look before turning back to Bucky. "There's a new vintage cafe that just opened. Apparently they serve amazing sandwiches! You in?" Steve's face wrinkled even more as he smiled mischievously. "Cute girls will be there. Maybe you'll finally find someone."
Bucky stood up abruptly and shook his head. "I'm kind of done with that kind of stuff." He hesitated, carefully choosing his words. "Girls don't usually take the whole damaged-psycho killer thing well." Sam nodded in agreement, sipping his beer. Bucky started to walk off but Steve followed him, hobbling along with his cane.
"How do you know if you never tried?" pressed Steve.
Bucky whirled around, a panic in his eyes. "I know what she's going to say!" he cried. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper so as only Steve could hear. "The moment I walked through that door, she will recognize me as the Winter Soldier, and then everything will be over." His eyes were pleading Steve to understand. "I can't risk that."
Steve sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, no girls." He paused. "But can we at least go get those sandwiches?" he suggested, cautiously.
Bucky smiled in relief. "That I can do."
Sam, Steve and Bucky strolled down the streets of New York City to the cafe. The cafe was old and rustic, as if it was inhabited in 1945 and hadn't changed a day since. "Wow, this place is really authentic." commented Bucky, as they walked in and took their seats at the counter. Sam ordered their sandwiches while Bucky glanced around the cafe. Soft jazz music was playing in the background and people were mingling around, drinking coffees and laughing. His eyes fell on a girl, sitting down the row reading the newspaper with earbuds in her ears. Her red hair was done up in pin curls and she wore a simple yellow A-line dress that complemented her small frame. The moment he laid eyes on her, it was if he was taken right back to 1945. The room vanished and all he saw was her and him in the middle of a smoke filled bar, soft jazz music playing from the record machine. She walked up to him and smiled. She had the most beautiful smile. "Hi." He couldn't stop looking at her. His daydream was cut short by Sam clearing his throat much louder than necessary. Bucky snapped back into reality and realized that the girl was standing right in front of him and smiling. He flushed. "Hi." he said awkwardly when he realized he had been staring. Steve chuckled whilst continuing to gum his sandwich, which Sam had cut up into bite-sized pieces for him.
"You're standing in front of the salt…" She gestured to the salt shaker behind him. Bucky flushed and stepped to the side. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a long "uhhh". The girl reached around and took the salt, giving him a quick smile.
"Um, I'm James." he suddenly blurted out, sticking out his hand stiffly. Sam snorted his soda and Steve turned around slowly, grinning widely when he recognized who it was.
Slightly surprised but rolling with it, the girl took Bucky's hand, shaking it. "I'm Katie." Bucky was highly aware of the fact that her hand was a full size smaller than his own and much softer. They stood there, shaking hands, until Steve popped up between them.
"Katie!" he cried. "It's me, Steve!"
Katie looked completely confused, staring at old Steve. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever met..." she said cautiously, stepping back.
"Oh, yeah..." Steve looked down at himself. "Some weird time travel stuff went down. I'm telling you, it's me."
Katie peered at Steve, her brain processing this information. "Steve? Is that you?" she said. Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh my gosh! It is you!" She hugged him carefully. "I never got a chance to thank you for what you guys did. You know, bringing back my family and all that."
Steve shook his head. "It's fine. It's what we do." He gestured to Bucky. "This is the friend I was telling you about."
Katie smiled at him. "Hi! I heard so much about you." she said, cheerfully.
"What about me?" added Sam, carrying the sandwiches.
"Yes, I mentioned you too." replied Steve.
Bucky shook himself off and mentally scolded himself for acting so ridiculous. She's just a very pretty girl, that's all. No big deal. He glanced down at her yellow dress. "I love the outfit." he suddenly commented.
Katie glanced down at her clothes. "Oh!" she cried, flushing. "Thanks...I'm a big fan of vintage." she summarized awkwardly.
Bucky chuckled at her awkwardness. "Well, I am too." he said carefully, not wanting to reveal any more than what was necessary.
Katie's eyes widened. "Really?!" she cried, excitedly. "You like the 40s?"
He shrugged. "Something like that."
"That's amazing." sighed Katie.. "I had yet to find anyone who liked it as much as me. Lotta people just think it's weird. 'Live in the present!' they say, but I just love how simple of a time it was." Bucky nodded along and listened to her ramble. It was nice to find someone who had a shared experience as himself, even if only as a fan. His memories of the 1940s were still fragmented, but there was that little hope that Katie could help him remember more.
Bucky barely touched his sandwich. Sam raised an eyebrow. "Dude, are you smitten?" he whispered.
Bucky blushed, giving Sam the stink eye. "Of course not, I just wasn't expecting a pretty girl to be here, that's all."
Steve shook his head from Bucky's left side. "Buck, I've known you all my life; I think I can tell when you're smitten."
His best friend rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Maybe a little. She is...pretty."
Sam smirked and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Then, you should talk to her again. You're good at that!" The goofy smile on Bucky's face faded. "Not anymore." he muttered.
Steve's heart panged. "Buck, I know you're still that guy deep down." he said gently.
Bucky pursed his lips. "Bucky in 1945 wouldn't have killed innocent people."
"You didn't have a choice. You know that."
"Yeah." he sighed, looking down at his half-eaten sandwich. "I know." He stared at the sandwich, his thoughts racing. "I just don't know anything anymore."
There was a brief silence before Sam leaned over, pointing to the sandwich. "Are you gonna eat that?"