So this is the one Bucky shows up in, I hope you guys like it!
Natasha awoke the next morning thinking hard about becoming an adult again. The truth was that she was nervous but she thought that it was probably best. As long as she could remember everything she would be fine with it. She was sure she couldn't be too different as an adult. She thought she might ask some questions.
She got up and brushed out her hair. She liked doing that. It always made her hair soft and look pretty. After that she went and got dressed, it was a leasurly morning routine and she was glad of it. There was no formality, no military strictness. It made her happy. Then she headed out to find breakfast.
Steve and Tony were sitting at the table drinking coffee. As usual Steve was back from a morning run and Tony looked as though he'd gotten less than two hours of sleep. She took a seat and helped herself to cereal. Normally she would prefer something little more for breakfast but cereal was fine. It was what the others ate. She ate quietly, listening to what the others said. She was always careful to listen to them in case they mentioned something important. Today however was not one of those days. Steve was talking about a 1930's collection of Dodgers baseball cards he'd seen with excitement and Tony was yawning exaggeratedly.
She ate and listened quietly, not recognizing any of the names Steve was mentioning and trying not to laugh every time Tony rolled his eyes.
They kept on bantering and eventually she finished eating. When she was done she took her bowel to the sink. "Oh, Natasha," Steve said, turning in his seat. "I wanted to know if you wanted to spend the day with me? Not go visit anyone or anything but just have fun. There's a baseball game I've got tickets for. That's what started our conversation earlier." He gestured at Tony.
"I have never been to a baseball game." She said curiously. She knew baseball was something Americans liked and got very excited about. "Is it fun?"
He grinned. "Yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's a Yankee Red Sox game. Not my teams but I guess I'm gonna have to find a new one anyway."
"Who do we root for?" She asked.
"Well. . . um, you can root for whoever you want. I think I'll just wish for a good game."
She frowned curiously but trusted his judgment. After that Tony excused himself from the room and Steve cleaned up the rest of the breakfast dishes. "Actually I have a friend in town who's going to meet us there. Is that okay?"
She nodded curiously. "Is what I'm wearing okay?"
He smiled. "Yeah but don't worry, we have plenty of time until the game. It doesn't start until noon."
She nodded again and then excused herself to occupy her time. She headed off to go and watch television for a while. She had taken to watching at least one episode in the mornings. She didn't have a particular show she liked but she could generally find something to watch.
By the time noon rolled around Steve came and reminded her about the game. She quickly followed him to the elevator and then down to the front door. She was excited. She didn't quite know what to expect but she knew enough to know that lots of people enjoyed the game and she wanted to join them.
They took a cab to Yankee stadium, Steve commenting on the differences he remembered between the new one and the old one. She listened, not understanding everything and talk turned to him explaining the rules which she tried her best to remember and thought she did rather easily.
When they got out at gate four at the stadium, Steve looked around. A man was standing not far away with his hands in his pockets. Steve grinned at him and waved, shepherding Natasha in his direction. "Natasha, this is my friend Bucky Barnes. Bucky this is Natasha, I told you she'd be coming."
Natasha looked up at Bucky. There was something similar to Steve about him. The way he styled his hair. . . the way his configured his face even. It just felt old fashioned. His smile however was young. He smiled down at her. "Hey." He said.
She thought he was good looking. Her face flushed a little. "Hi."
He looked at Steve and grinned. There was something secretive in the smile. "You got the tickets?" He asked.
Steve nodded. "I figured out how to pre-order them. I got yours too." He handed one over.
Bucky smiled a little and thanked him and the three of them headed up to the ticket office, where a woman in a box was tearing their tickets and handing the stubs back. She smiled at Natasha and Natasha smiled back. She found Americans smiled a lot just to be friendly.
Inside Natasha was struck by the different food vendors and even restaurants. "Once upon a time you could just get pop corn and hot dogs. Nothing crazy like this." Steve said, finding a kiosk selling hot dogs for outrageous prices. Want one Buck?"
Bucky nodded. "If you're paying." He had been eyeing Natasha and she didn't know what to make of it. It was like he was waiting for something. Still, she didn't dislike him. She couldn't place it but there was something she really liked about him.
Once they had gathered up their food and drinks they headed off to find their seats. It was a good view, not too high up and not too far down. She sat next to Steve with Bucky on his other side.
"Do you know the rules?" Bucky asked, leaning forward to talk to her.
She nodded. "I think so. Steve explained them to me."
Bucky smiled. "I hope you like it. If you get board I'm sure we can find you something to do. " Then he leaned over to Steve. " Think you can keep it together if the Yankees win?" He whispered.
Steve grinned. "I'll try."
"You do not like them?" Natasha asked curiously. She wasn't quite sure she understood sports teams yet.
"They're um. . . not my favorite." He glanced at the two people sitting next to them in Yankees shirts and caps. "I told you I'm looking for a new team, I like the Mets alright. Bucky, what about you?"
Bucky waved a hand. "I'm too busy. I'll catch a game when I can but I just don't have the time to follow anyone right now."
Natasha watched his hand move and had a sudden jolt of surprise whens he saw that it was metal. Her first thought was that he was wearing some kind of glove but on closer inspection she saw that it was indeed mechanical. She wondered what had happened to his arm. She watched him carefully. He was sitting back in his seat at relative ease but under closer inspection she saw he was on edge. His real arm was tense and his movements sharp and jittery. She frowned and sat back so that Steve's body obscured her vision of him.
The game started with the national anthem and although she didn't know the words she stood with Steve and Bucky. Steve sang along quietly but Bucky shot her a half smile behind his back. They sat back down and listened to the opening line up before the game began. Natasha listened with interest and then looked around at the different people gathered. Most of them were sitting back comfortably in their seats, watching the field. Steve was listening to the line up and Bucky was squinting at the Red Sox players with a hand shielding his eyes. She watched the batter take his first swing and miss. Steve seemed torn between wanting to root for someone and not wanting that someone to be the Ynakees.
"Just get it over and root for the Red Sox." Bucky said, leaning forward as the Yankees stole a second base. A roar of approval rose up all around them and Bucky let out a cackle as Steve smacked the arm rest of his seat.
Natasha smiled and watched, trying to match the rules she had been taught to what was going on in the game. It was rather slow paced to her but that was fine. She didn't understand everything the announcer was saying but she thought she had a pretty good understanding of the game even so.
After about three innings she began to grow restless. She twisted in her seat still trying her best to stay still. This was a nice treat and she didn't want to come across as ungrateful. She muttered to herself in Russian, trying to stay entertained. Steve was caught up in the game and didn't hear but Bucky snorted.
"Do you want to stretch your legs?" He asked, also in Russian.
She felt her eyes go wide. Since she had come to the tower no one had been able to speak Russian. She had gotten used to speaking English. It was coming more naturally now but to hear someone speak Russian again was a little comforting. She knew the language better. She nodded. "Just for a little bit."
He clapped Steve on the shoulder and stood up. The two of them fought their way out of the crowd and all the way out of the stadium. They headed out to where the food vendors were located and stood for a moment, trying to stay out of the way. Natasha glanced up at Bucky quietly. There was something reachable about him to her. Maybe it was that he spoke Russian, maybe it was the way he didn't seem altogether at peace. He stood still but she could feel that he was on edge. She didn't know why but there was something different about him that set him apart from the others. Not that it was better or that the others were worse it just made her feel closer to him.
They walked for a bit and she tried to remember where she had heard the name Bucky Barnes before. As they walked past a row of banners depicting famous Yankee players it came to her. "You were with Captain America only. . .you were younger." She said in surprise.
He glanced at her. "That was a long time ago."
"How come you are still alive."
He looked down at her and smiled sadly. "After the war I. . . let's say I worked for the Red Room. I didn't choose to but I did."
"Did they make you?" She asked softly.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Did we know each other?"
He hesitated. "I trained you when you got older."
She narrowed her eyes. "Did we like each other?"
Again he hesitated but then he smiled. "Very much."
"Did we go out?" She had heard the phrase on television many times and now understood what it meant.
He looked down at the floor and smiled to himself. "Yeah. We did. I don't know if Steve would want me telling you that. But yes, we went out." He didn't tell her that it hadn't been quite that simple. He didn't tell her that it had been all secrets and sneaking around or that it had ended horribly with their discovery. There was no reason for her to know these things. Instead he let her mind fill in the details. It seemed to make her happy that that amused him. He'd loved her since the first moment he'd seen her and that wasn't going to change only now seeing her as a little girl was charming. It made his heart warm.
She asked him about some of the players on the wall and he tried to remember what he could about them. He thought someone else might have a better knowledge. He remembered a man he'd met during the war who knew every man to ever play for the Yankees and all of their stats. He'd brought his trading cards with him. He didn't know what had happened to the man but he hoped he'd lived on to see more games.
She stayed by his side and once when she was almost stepped on by a crowd he picked her up and put her on his shoulder. From there she had a much better view. She liked it better than the forest of legs she'd been faced with before. He was fun to be with. He had said he'd worked for the Red Room and that meant that he knew everything. She didn't have to explain why the place was so horrible. He was like her. At least, she thought he was.
The two of them walked around for a while more before returning to their seats. Steve greeted them and said the fourth inning had gone fast and they were on the fifth. "There's abreak at the seventh inning." Bucky leaned in and said. "It's called the seventh inning stretch."
She nodded seriously and checked the score board. Steve had explained how to read it but she asked Bucky to explain it again. She liked hearing him talk. The Yankees were winning but it was close. Steve was on the edge of his seat, torn between wanting a New York team to win but not wanting that team to be the Yankees. Bucky seemed to find this humorous.
Natasha leaned forward and watched the game seriously. Since no one had told her who to root for she decided to root for the Red Sox. She liked the red on their uniforms.
Around them a cry rang out as the Yankee batter was declared out before he reached first base. Angry yells surrounded them while a smaller but surprisingly loud section cheered exuberantly.
"People are very excited." Natasha observed.
"It's a big game." Steve said, sitting back and taking a drink from his coke. "These guys are rivals. People take these games seriously. I'm surprised we could even get tickets. Tony helped me get mine."
Bucky nodded and leaned forward to watch the Yankee batter step up to home plate.
The game eventually finished with an extra inning and an eventual win by the Yankees. Bucky laughed loudly as several Red Sox fans near by left grumbling. Steve wasn't pleased either but he admitted that he was glad a New York team had won.
After the game they headed for dinner. The extra inning had made the game run late but as it had only been one it wasn't too terribly late. Natasha left still humming take me out to the ballgame which she thought was a terribly funny song.
Bucky muttered something about a thank you note to Tony for the tickets. Natasha wondered if she should write one too.
They stopped for dinner at a deli near by. The sandwiches were good and Natasha, who had not eaten since her popcorn and hot dog around noon ate the entire sandwich, eliciting laughter from Steve and Bucky who were already on their seconds. It had been a very good day. Although she didn't quiet see what all the fuss over baseball was it still seemed like a fun game. Maybe it was just being together in a crowded place people liked. Steve had really liked the game and so did Bucky so she thought maybe it was something older people enjoyed more.
When they finally said goodbye to Bucky he thanked them for the day and told Steve to thank Tony for the ticket and then knelt and gave Natasha a hug. She hugged him back and surprisingly found it very easy. His hug was tight and warm and for a brief moment he seemed to relax. Then he drew back, ruffled her hair and stood up. "I'll be seeing you."
"Where's he staying?" Natasha asked as they watched him hail a taxi.
"I think he's staying at a hotel. He's been taking a lot of missions lately. I think he's just trying to keep busy."
She nodded, feeling as though she understand. "I liked him. He said we dated."
Steve laughed as they caught their own taxi. "Did he? Yeah you did. I don't really know that much about it but yeah, you did."
That made her smile and she leaned back against the seat and close her eyes, opening them just enough to let the city lights blur past her as they headed home.
Sometime during the ride she must have dozed them because when they reached the tower, Steve had to carry her up to bed. She was dead weight in his arms, fast asleep but it made him smile. He put a finger to his lips as he passed the others and pulled back the covers with his free hand. Then he untied her shoes and set them aside and after getting her into her pajamas tucked her in. it was the first time he's done that. She normally was self sufficient and didn't need any help getting ready for bed. He watched for for a minute and smiled. She looked happy in her sleep and that was good enough for him.
So, sorry to any Red Sox fans, I had to pick a team to win! Also sorry if I confused anyone with any baseball terms, I tried to keep them to a minimum and all but I worked at a baseball park for two years and kind of got used to them. (Fun fact: the baseball park I worked at was the same one that A League of their Own was filmed at and it just turned 100 a couple of days ago. also they haven't remolded since the movie and everything looks very 1940s since that was when the movie was set!)
ALso, I just wanna add to any Harry Potter fans, my HP fic is up to chapter 8 and updates are almost daily! If you're interested please take a look!