Bucky was home alone. Sam had taken Steve for bingo at the community center and Bucky was lacking in something to do with himself. He had just rearranged the fridge magnets for the hundredth time when he decided to go to the gym. Shuri hadn't really given him much opportunity to work out on Wakanda, saying he needed to "rest" and stuff like that, but in the process he had lost most of his muscle definition. He grabbed the apartment keys and headed out. Back in the 40s, Bucky had excelled in all things fitness and even trained Steve back when Steve was skinny, but after everything that had happened, he had forgotten most of his old skills. But this all changed the moment Bucky was faced with a punching bag again. He smiled a little more with every punch, feeling a little bit of his pain ebbing.

"You're pretty good at that." one of the gym employees commented, walking over to him.

Bucky wiped a loose strand of his dark hair from his sweaty forehead. "Thank you." he said, refocusing on punching. But the guy lingered, watching him. Bucky paused punching. "Can I help you?" he said, on edge.

The guy smiled. "Yes, actually! We're looking for someone who can teach a boxing class here. It will pay pretty well and you obviously know quite a bit about boxing."

Bucky blinked, thinking over his proposition. "A class?"

The guy shrugged. "Yeah, you know, just a few beginners. The basic stuff. Nothing too serious."

Bucky glanced away. It would be nice to share his knowledge with other humans again, now that Steve no longer needed his training. He nodded cautiously. "Okay. Thank you." The guy eyed his metal arm before walking away and Bucky returned to punching.

The first day of classes came and Bucky was standing off to the side, now changed into a loose grey long-sleeve that mostly covered his arm. The boxing students slowly trickled in, consisting mainly of teenage guys wanting to get swole, some giggling girls, and an old woman who kept wiggling her eyebrows at him. Bucky swallowed down his nerves. Just teach them what you know. "Just imagine they're Steve." he whispered to himself, smiling at the group. "Hey, guys!"

Just then the door opened again and Katie walked in, her red hair no longer in pin curls, but up in a ponytail, and she had ditched the dress, opting instead for a sports bra and leggings. She waved at him as she came in. He smiled slightly, his face feeling warm at the sight of her. "Okay, let's start with the basics."

Maybe it was due to the fact that Katie was one-quarter Irish that she had a tendency to be angry, but during her time in Steve's therapy group, they advised her that boxing was a great way to deal with it and she did a lot of it during her time with S.H.I.E.L.D. So, here she was, heading to a boxing class. She walked into the gym and she immediately felt faint. Steve's mysterious friend was the instructor and her stomach flipped at the sight of him. Katie took the bandages and began to wrap her wrists when he approached her. "I didn't know you were into boxing." he commented.

Katie chuckled to herself. If only he knew. "Well, I have a lot of layers." she squared her shoulders and punched the bag, hoping to relieve some of the nerves that were still fluttering in her stomach.

Bucky crossed his arms and watched her from a proper distance. "You have strength." he heard himself saying. "But your form is off."

Katie blushed. "I might be a little rusty." she said, taking a sip of water.

Bucky shrugged. "You're better than everyone else here." He gestured to some of the other girls, who were hugging their injured wrists from punching completely wrong. He hesitated before walking away to talk to them.

"Hey!" Katie called after him. He stopped and turned, an inquisitive expression on his face. "Steve and I were going to go for ice cream to catch up. You're welcome to join us." she offered.

Bucky smiled and nodded. "Sounds nice."

(Later)

"Don't you think that's too much sugar for you?" Sam commented with concern, as Steve horked down a second chocolate sundae.

Steve licked the bowl happily. "Nope!" he smiled.

Katie and Bucky sat across from them, arms crossed, watching this scene with confusion. "Didn't they give you ice cream in 1945?" Bucky wondered out loud.

Steve shrugged. "Well, yes, but there's something about 21st century ice cream that's so much better." he explained, turning to the waitress and starting to order another. Sam stopped him with a shake of his head.

Bucky turned to Katie. "So, what do you do?" he asked, carefully, remembering what Sam told him about small talk.

Katie smiled at his effort to be social. "I'm a tour guide at the Smithsonian." she answered, taking a sip of her coffee. "You?"

"Boxing instructor." answered Bucky. "Before that I was, sort of, in recovery."

Katie nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, it must have taken lots of adjusting to get used to this." She gestured around her.

Bucky sighed. "Definitely." The memories swirled around in his mind but he pushed them away, preferring to focus on the moment and the ice cream in front of him.