I Am Static

10

Music playing.

People dancing.

Light flashing.

Sam, Bucky, Emma, and Zemo all stood at the bar before they decided to split up. Well, Emma turned to the bartender for a moment, but saw the bartender shake his head at her.

"Wha- What?" She asks.

The bartender shakes his head, "Sorry kiddo." He says, "This stuff is for the grown ups."

Emma made a face and walked away from the bartender. Despite being denied a drink, Emma ended up finding herself dancing around with some guys before meeting up with Bucky.

Bucky eyes the two men she was dancing with.

Emma brushes some hair behind her ear, "What?" She asks.

"Aren't they a little too old for you?" Bucky asks.

Emma raises a smirk, "What are you my dad?" She asks, "Oh wait, Tony is dead and Michael is in jail, so no."

Bucky looks at her a bit shocked.

Emma sighs, "Look, my generation runs on constant jokes about our trauma." She says, "Maybe try it?"

Bucky saw the attempt of light humor from Emma, but then noticed the two men looking back over at Emma. They were checking her out, up and down. Bucky didn't like it. He didn't like the way those men were looking at her. Powers or no powers, he knew Emma was capable of taking care of herself, but he was still protective.

"I don't like you dancing with those strangers," Bucky flat out said.

Emma shrugs, "Then why don't we dance?" She suggests.

Bucky shakes his head, "No."

"Why not?" She asks with a small smile.

Bucky looks a little embarrassed, "I haven't danced since 1945." He says.

Emma kept her smile, "So you're a little out of practice." She says, "I can show you the basics and when you find yourself a cutie you can impress her- or him with your sick moves."

Bucky gives her a look.

"What?" She asks, "I genuinely don't know your sexuality, dude."

Bucky kept the stare on her.

Emma has a small smile on her face, "Honest, I don't care who you're into. Guys, girls, anything in between." She placed a hand on his flesh arm, "I want you to find happiness, Buck."

Bucky looks at her hand resting on his arm and then back at the teen in front of him. He knows she's technically not really a teenager, but she appears as so, and yet her wisdom seems beyond that of a typical teenager.

Her smile here seemed genuine and kind.

It was the smiles he grew familiar with when he roomed with her during that period of his life. He grew to know her fakes smiles from her fake ones. Her real smiles happened in moments when she'd talk to Bucky about random things, light topics, meaningless topics. Her real smiles came at a sort of peace in their chaotic trauma. Her fake smiles came when she was pretending that seeing the news about Spiderman. Her fake smiles came when the mention of the Blip or the battle against Thanos.

Bucky's expression softens.

"You deserve happiness, too." Bucky says.

This statement seemed to shock Emma at first. She hadn't expected that. She slowly lowers her hand from his arm. Her smiles turns into a sad one, but it was somehow still present.