Bucky gets to Lizzie's building. "Okay... your keys? Wanna open the door-"
He notices she left him. Where the hell she went?
"Lizzie? ...." he starts looking for her. "I swear if she's doing another robbery but in a different place, we're gonna die." he sighs to himself.
Then she comes back bringing a box of hot pizza, and asks lightly. "Who's gonna die?"
"Uh, never mind. I'm just dying to eat some of your pizza. Thanks for grabbing the dinner." he nods and she chuckles sarcastically. -"Dude, I didn't order it just for myself. I can share, relax."
"So?" he points to the door. Obviously.
Lizzie opens it with her keys and lets him in. And then sighs to herself, watching him go first. Her smile immediately goes away. "You almost got me, but you're not going to die."
And then she also gets in.
At the hall, she rips a note sticked to her apartment's door and reads it seriously. Bucky watches and starts reading from behind her shoulder. "What's that?"
It's bad.
"The hell I'm no longer residing here!" she forms a ball from this piece of paper and throws it to the trash can. She succeeds. Yeah, this girl was good at basketball in high school.
"They kicked you out?" he frowns in confusion.
She scoffs and kicks the locked door open, since her keys won't help her get in anymore. "I mean, it was a matter of time I faced consequences, but this didn't need to go this drastic way. Sooner or later he'd find out about my actions, so there's that. I need to find a new roof above my head, but money first."
Thankfully she doesn't have a lot of stuff to take, and most of it can be sold or wasn't expensive. Lizzie rushes in and starts packing her bag. Bucky follows her and watches her apartment that's about to say goodbye to her, even if he's here for the first time. "Gonna miss this place... so many good memories happened here."
Lizzie rolls her eyes, stopping in her room. "You haven't even placed a foot in this apartment before. Don't start crying, please."
"I mean, this is a lost opportunity. We could have spent vacation here, watching those cute Japanese cartoons and eating strawberry ice cream..." he stands in the door, watching the room.
"God, you're weird."
Lizzie's room is as simple as his– Bucky finds it pretty, but this also has some details that match Lizzie's interests and her love to Italian decor.
What he finds creepy, a little bit, is that her walls have Captain America's fan posters that every obsessed fangirl has in her room. His second best buddy is worshipped by Lizzie. Also there's a red-white-blue shield from her childhood. And a toy gun... and rock music records.
"So, need a hand?" he stops staring.
Lizzie quickly finishes packing just the essential stuff and hands him the pizza box, so she can carry her bag. "I wonder where will I sleep tonight. Even financial problems didn't make me homeless, but looks like that's my status now."
"Maybe Felicia will welcome me for a few nights.."
But she won't mention this isn't the first time she'll be sleeping at her ex's apartment.
"Which is smart, 'cause I'm doing her groceries and bring fun to her liveless walls." Lizzie adds, positively.
Now Bucky shares his (not very good) idea. It's spontaneous for a reason. "Y'know, actually my buddy Hawkeye has a..."
He brings out his phone as he speaks and texts Clint, having Lizzie stare at him with her face like "wut the-?"
"... whoops, and.. sent." he starts smiling like an idiot, but he knows he won. "I swear my finger just slipped. I didn't mean to-"
Lizzie realizes what he did and sees that once she looks at his chat with Clint and the message he sent to him.
She groans angrily and steals his phone and then just throws it out of the window. He contacted Clint and told him about her private bad situation! Without consulting her.
"Hey! My-my phone." Bucky runs to the window and watches his poor phone crash land on the street and then one car running it over... then another..
And then other five cars, so his phone gets just killed. "Noooo. Man, how will I manage my Instagram for Alpine now?"
"Are you serious? Come on, bro, no one cares about the Soldier's cat's Instagram these days."
Actually they do and she remembers those millions of likes under his posts. But no. It doesn't matter right now.
"But... you killed it! You killed my phone and you said you don't kill anything. Now it's so dead."
She shrugs. "Still not as much as my father."
"You're being so dramatic and I don't like that tone." she leaves the room.
He stays speechless and alone in this room... just staring at the pizza box. He feels even more hungry, so he follows Lizzie to the door. "All fine, but still what's up with your mother? Even she won't let you stay for a while?"
"Who told you we're still in touch?" she turns back to him. "I haven't seen her since my father died, and she disappeared back then––I was eleven at that time."
"I'm still looking for her, but it's like looking for a ghost that doesn't want to be found. I was thinking about giving up, but then I heard she's somewhere in the other side of the world. Where I don't know when I'll travel, I don't have time for this right now."
"So it can be later." he suggests.
"If she cared, she'd show up and save me from the place called orphanage." Lizzie says, sarcastically. "I remember her. She was beautiful– her hair was like mine and her voice like an angel. That's why I loved music––she played guitar. And she was always wearing her necklace made of shiny pearls, her favorite. She found the pearls at the seashore on our island."
"Seems nice.." Bucky admits. "But speaking of islands, I also found out something about this case. It's just begging for solving it by undercover, in your case. I don't see another option that doesn't require this skill of yours."
"Thanks? I appreciate it, too." Lizzie starts listening. "So this is serious."
"It was always serious, sometimes you just can't take me seriously which I understand, sometimes." he crosses his arms. "And... guns. Take your guns."
"I never leave my guns behind, Bucky."
"Because whatever evil boss is behind all this, he might have a great business to your country or an army."
"Army." she chuckles, mockingly. "You know I was once thrown straight into a group of big wolves that were supposed to eat me, but I ended up leading the pack, right?"
"Is it a metaphor or a real story?"
"Where are we off to, exactly?" she changes the subject as they walk out of the apartment forever.
Ignoring his question gave him so much more to suspect. But also what she said seems very real. Accurate.
"Rome. But I'd search the small village first. Where the missing kids were from––you know, ask their worried parents about details and the stuff detectives do."
Lizzie is thinking, but says what she thinks. "This is going to be my first investigation and a children kidnapping case. I'm no detective or private eye, should I ask Kate and Jessica Jones about this job?"
"Nah..." she immediately replies to her own question. "I can do this on my own."
"We can do this together." Bucky corrects, getting excited.
Lizzie gets out of the building and they walk down the street. She notices crowd at the sidewalk so she tries to come through faster because she's in a rush. "Move-"
Bucky gives her a look of disapproval. "I mean, excuse me." she says through her teeth, but she means it. Kind of.
Bucky follows her. "That's the spirit! See, small steps. It's part of the process. It's cool and feels nice."
"I feel ridiculous." she's not recognizing herself since she said that.
Then one random guy pushes her, unintentionally, but she reacts cautiously. She starts pointing her gun at him and threatens. "Hey, you! Blink and I shoot."
"No, Liz, drop the gun." Bucky reacts immediately. "Drop. the. gun. I understand he did something bad, but we don't shoot people here."
"Well, you don't but I do." she replies stubbornly.
"Are you really threatening random people from the street?" he isn't proud.
Lizzie gives the guy a death stare and then puts down her weapon. So her target starts breathing again. "Just in case they don't know who's the boss."
"Now get out of my sight before I kill you." she says to the guy and he flees the scene real quick.
Lizzie raises her eyebrows to Bucky and hides her gun. "Shall we?"
He steals her gun and just throws it to the dumpster. Because he can if she can. Payback?
"You idiot!" Lizzie's eyes widen and she runs to the dumpster to get her gun back. "You don't even realize how much it–""
"Yes, I do. But those are not toys for kids."
She intends on looking for her gun in the dumpster, so basically swim in there. Bucky doesn't want her to stink, so he pulls her away from here and they keep walking. "Lizzie, are you insane? You're giving me bad flashes of myself from my dark era. Don't do this. This new death stare of yours is enough of me."
"Oh I'm nothing like you. As far as I'm concerned, you're like me." she denies. "I've always had this stare, and I don't sue you for copying."
"What bad flashes?" she asks, confused.
He replies. "The Winter Soldier flashes? You know, that boom-boom dark, and you're about to die vibe."
"I also liked threatening, but I don't do that anymore. I'm a hero." he becomes proud.
Lizzie rolls her eyes. "Congratulations. I'll come to your funeral."
They sit down synchronously on a bench, and open the pizza box and just grab a slice. At least it's not too hot now, and Bucky enjoys it.
"Hey, you know Captain America, right?" she goes on. Bucky scratches on his beard in thought. -"Yes... no. Okay, yes, but depends what you're asking."
"Say, has he ever mentioned anything about me?" she smirks to herself in fangirl.
"Why should he know you? Did you rob him, too?"
"Yeah, and his residence. That great collection of classic watches.." she counts with her fingers.
Bucky's eyes widen. "WHAT?!"
Actually she didn't. She and Captain America just had an encounter in the past, and it was an honor for her.
Lizzie gives him a playful look. "That was a joke."
He realizes... she had him fall for it the dumbest way. "Damn you, Thompson."
"You're so naive, I'm going to Kate." she decides.
"Is it sarcasm?" he wonders. But he doesn't believe that. It's definitely admiration or love. Beautiful love. He knew it'll happen one day.
Lizzie doesn't confirm nor deny. "You texted her best friend– also yours. I'm assuming they all know now and they'll be so glad to have me as their roommate for a couple weeks."
"Hey, I'm sure they'll give you a chance. They won't judge you for your worst actions, but accept. We heroes-"
"You all never fail to disgust me, but somehow I like what you have. Your hearts are so pure. Full of gold."
"I know you should get to know them better. Give them a chance." he nods. Lizzie sighs, looking to the night sky. -"So once you're ready for our mission, you know where to find me. Thanks for the ride and the night, Bucky. See you around."
She gets up and grabs her bag. She leaves the pizza for him. He watches her as she walks away, and then a star-shaped portal opens right in front of her, startling even the most experienced shooter in this city– Lizzie Thompson.
You don't have to tell her twice who came here to take her and opened the portal. America Chavez. Fast, tough, interdimensional. One-of-a-kind in the entire Multiverse, mysterious superhero with mysterious background and mysterious anger issues.
She walks in and all Lizzie can think of is her limitless power and reputation. She knows her and everything about her, maybe even too much. Who knows, maybe in another universe they could be besties, where they're on the same side of course. Or dating.
Lizzie smirks sarcastically. "Wow... Thought we're already grown-ups, but I see it missed you when it was-"
"Yeah, no, you're still an asshole I see." America steps out of her portal. What a normal friendly greetings among a superhero and an anti-one. "I'm doing this just because Kate wants you for some reason, whatever. Now if you wanna get your ass this way, Winter Heart."
"This hole leads to a universe where I'm gonna die, right? Yeah, no chance. I'm not trusting another of you heroes. Bye." Lizzie waves her hand and turns around.
America rolls her eyes and doesn't give a shit anymore. She starts handling this her own way, not Kate's kind way. Because it's Lizzie.
"Yeah, just like I thought. So let's do this my way.."
America flies to Lizzie and stops her. She just grabs Lizzie's arm and as Lizzie sees the stars in her eyes, America kicks another portal. "Let's go! I don't mean to push you."
Lizzie groans and breaks free from America's strong hold. She doesn't underestimate girls same strong and powerful as she is. Lizzie agrees. "Fine, and I don't mean to make you. Just don't touch me, unless you wanna end up with a broken jaw."
"I like you." America smirks, boldly, imagining them punching each other in their next fight.
What if it already happened before? They're capable of greater things, and both are incredibly skilled. So they could have done something funny back then... maybe not in this world. Or more like bad? Who knows? Who?
Lizzie turns to the portal and gulps. First time?