"Steve?" I breathed. This...This can't be Steve. The Steve I know is a lot, well, less scrawny and frail.
Steve's brows furrowed as he stood. He held his shoulder in pain from where he landed on the trash. "Do I know you, miss?" he asked.
Ok, what's going on? Did I accidentally teleport myself into another universe? Is that why Steve's looking at me as if we're meeting for the first time?
"That's a neat trick you did there, doll face," I heard behind. I turn around to see Bucky, except, just like Steve, he looks completely different. His hair isn't long, it's short but covered by at since he's wearing a military uniform. He doesn't have his bionic metal arm and I don't see a haunting look on his face. "I should thank you for helping my friend. I was starting to think he likes getting punched."
It was then I started putting the pieces together. I didn't go to another universe. Somehow, while casting that spell, I got teleported back in time. I was transported back to the 40s before Steve got the serum. Does this mean what he said to me back at Sam's house true?
"So, can we have the name?" Bucky asked. I didn't realize I spaced out. When I looked at him, he was already scanning my body. Bucky didn't look away when I caught him. He seemed even more amused when I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Keep staring at me like that and you're not going to," I growled.
"Sorry about him, miss," Steve apologized. Wow, he's still a gentleman back then. I thought he was faking it when I first met him, sorta like a new beginning, new attitude kinda thing. He motioned to Bucky. "This is James Barnes." He placed his hand over his chest. "I'm Steve Rogers. Somehow, you know my name."
"You look like a Steve," I gave a stupid excuse.
"Well, if it isn't much trouble, can we get your name?"
I let out a breath and decided to be nice. I held my hand out for them to shake. "I'm Raven. Nice to meet you."
Steve shook my hand. Bucky grabbed my hand but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.
"I think I just found my new favorite bird," Bucky mumbled with a grin.
How could I forget that Bucky's a womanizer? If he did this to any other girl, I'm sure they'll swoon. But it won't work on me. I'll admit Bucky's handsome with nice blue eyes...and that's it. It's only been a minute and I don't understand how I could end up with someone like him.
"Great, now I'll have to sanitize my hand," I grumbled while I pulled my hand away. Steve bit his lip to hold back a chuckle while Bucky tried not to look offended by my comment. I noticed an envelope on the ground and went to pick it up. It must've fallen when Steve was getting punched. "I think this belongs to you, Steve."
"Oh, thank you," he said while he went to reach for it, only to be intercepted by Bucky. He grabbed it, took the papers out, and started scanning it.
"Oh, you're from Paramus, now?" Bucky asked Steve with a bit of disappointment in his voice. "You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"
I pretended I didn't know what they were talking about. "You're signing up for the military?" I asked.
"Trying to," Steve answered. "But..." He let out a breath. "I've been rejected because I don't -"
"Because you have a weak body," I stated plainly. Steve slowly nodded. "Look, you're going to get rejected a lot because they want people with strong bodies. But that doesn't mean you should give up. There will be someone that will enlist you someday."
Usually, I wouldn't butt in to something like this. Yet, I feel like this is a good thing that I met Steve. Maybe, I can return home once he takes the serum. So, maybe I'll stick around to make sure nothing changes his future while not telling him about it. I don't want to cause a butterfly effect so I have to be careful about not messing up the timeline. All I need to do is make sure Steve doesn't die.
"Thank you," Steve said with a small smile before looking at Bucky. "You get your orders?"
Bucky nodded. "The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."
Steve was putting on a brave face but it was obvious that this was hurting him. "I should be going."
Bucky nodded again before a huge grin came to his face. He wrapped his arm around Steve and pulled him to his side. "Come on, man. My last night! I gotta get you cleaned up."
"Why? Where are we going?" Steve wondered.
"The future." Bucky handed Steve the newspaper.
"I should get going," I said as I pulled my hood up. All I need to do is find a new place to lay low. I won't interact with them unless I need to. So, I started walking away from them.
"Hold up, doll!" Bucky yelled as he ran up to me. Ugh, I hate that nickname so much. I felt his hand brush against mine and it startled me for a bit. There was this weird spark when our fingertips touched. I felt my eyes turn white as I used my powers to push Bucky against the wall. Steve's eyes bugged out, not expecting me to do that. I looked at Bucky with my teeth clenched. "Don't call me doll."
"How are you able to do that?" Steve stuttered.
"Magic," I stated the obvious.
To my surprise, Bucky looked really amused as if he was not pinned to the wall. "Wow," he breathed. "I always assumed witches were just stories used to scare kids."
I raised my brow. "And you're awfully cheery for someone who's pinned to the wall." I gently lowered him to the floor. "Most guys would run. Or call me the devil. Sometimes both."
"I don't see the devil. Just a gorgeous face with incredible power. Doesn't make her different from everyone else." Good thing my hood is up, otherwise the guys would have seen me blush. I mentally slapped myself because I let some pickup line make my heart race for a moment. "And maybe she would like to join us." I rolled my eyes this time. "Let me buy you a thank you drink for saving Steve."
"I don't drink." I glanced at the newspaper in Steve's hand and saw it was an advertisement for the Stark Expo. Hmmm, maybe I could get the chance to meet Howard Stark and see if he's just as cocky as Tony. "But I guess...spending an hour with you two wouldn't hurt anyone."
》》》》
Even Howard Stark likes to make things flashy. People were dressed up in their nicest outfits. Fireworks were flying through the air. I feel out of place in my usual attire.
"I don't see what the problem is," Bucky began. "You're about to be the last eligible man in New York." Steve's been sulking the entire way here. We were running a bit late so I offered the guys to portal us there. Their mouths dropped but didn't get much word out since I pushed them inside. "You know there's three and a half million women here?"
"Well, I'd settle for just one." And her name's Peggy Carter, but I'm sure he hasn't met her...yet.
Bucky motioned to me. "How about our little raven? Gorgeous, smart..."
"And will throw you across the room if you suggest something like that again," I threatened while crossing my arms. "No offense, Steve."
"I agree with you there," Steve agreed.
Bucky chuckled as he brought his arm up and waved. "Fine. It's a good thing I came up with a Plan B."
I followed his line of vision to see him waving at two girls. I rolled my eyes again when one started waving back. "Guess I'm fifth wheeling," I muttered annoyingly.
Even Steve looked annoyed as he asked, "What'd you tell her about me?"
"Only the good stuff," he assured him.
》》》》
I was better off trying to find a place to stay. The girls were clinging on to Bucky. Steve's date isn't even interested in him one bit. And it's clear it's because of how he looks. Part of me feels bad, if this happened after Steve took the serum then the girl would have been clinging on to him and getting a bit touchy.
"Oh, my god. It's starting!" the brunette exclaimed while pulling Bucky along. He had a ridiculous smile on his face as he allowed her to do it.
"I'm sorry you had to get dragged into this," Steve apologized.
"It's fine," I felt myself lying. "I've been meaning to come here anyway. Would have been pointless to go alone?" We walked toward the stage where a nice red car was parked with a few dancers in front of it. My eyes narrowed when the brunette scooted closer to Bucky and wrapped her arms around his. "Although, I think I made the wrong decision."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!" the announcer shouted.
A man wearing a tuxedo and a top hat walked on stage. He kissed his fingertips before throwing it to the crowd. The announcer took Howard Stark's hat before he placed a big kiss on her lips.
Yup, just like Tony.
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his lips clean. Ok, I'll give him that. Tony would have made out with the girl if he wasn't with Pepper.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all," Howard opened with.
Steve offered his date some popcorn but she gave him a look before going back to the presentation. I glared at the back of her head before I conjured up one of my shadow tendrils. Steve noticed and shook his head no, for me to not worry about it. I ignored him and had my shadow slap the back of the blonde's hair while grabbing a piece of Steve's popcorn, unaware of Bucky's stare. The blonde looked back to see what hit her but didn't find anything. She should be glad I didn't stick gum in her hair.
Back to the presentation, the assistants took the wheels off the car as Howard continued, "With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology you'll be able to do just that." He turned a few knobs before the engine connected, where the wheels used to be, started powering up. The car slowly began floating.
"Holy cow," Bucky breathed.
Sadly, the engine blew up and the car crashed on the ground. Howard didn't falter or panic. Instead, he made a joke and said, "I did say a few years, didn't I?"
I let out a tired breath. I'm getting bored just standing here and I'd rather not be the fifth wheel. I gently tapped Steve's shoulder and mouthed to him that I was gonna walk around. I don't even think I'm fifth-wheeling at this point. Steve and I are pretty much the third wheels. Howard Stark isn't that bad, so far. I can see where Tony gets his genius from. I know I said I wouldn't change anything but what if - and that's a big if - I was here long enough to keep Howard Stark alive for Tony.
"Well, hello," I heard someone say next to me. I tried to ignore the two guys that decided to walk next to me. "What's a pretty little thing doing here alone?"
"Go away," I warned them.
"Hey, we're just trying to be nice," the second guy said. "We saw you walking and wanted to talk to you."
"What makes you think I want to talk to either of you? You see me alone and assume I need company."
"I think you want some attention," the first guy said. "With the way you're dressing, someone can assume you're one of the dancers."
"Yes, because we're wearing the same uniform," I replied sarcastically. "Now, I'm going to go somewhere that's not near you two."
I could see the anger in the second guy's eyes. "Hey, you fucking cunt -"
Suddenly, Bucky grabbed the man's shoulder before kneeing his abdomen. The guy doubled over and held his stomach in pain. "Take a hint. She's not interested," he said.
The first guy scoffed. "Whatever, she isn't worth the trouble." He grabbed his friend. "Come on, Leslie."
Bucky took a protective stand in front of me with his arms crossed. He blocked me from the guys' view as they walked away. When they were gone he faced me. "You ok, doll face?" he asked.
I crossed my arms. "What was that, Buck?" I wondered. Look, I understand that he came to my rescue. I appreciate it but I didn't need to be saved.
"What? They were bothering you," he defended himself.
"And you know I could have handled them."
"By using your magic?" Bucky looked around before grabbing my arm and taking me away from the crowd. "I don't think that's a good idea. There are scientists, military recruiters, and soldiers here."
"Ok, and?" I trailed off. It's not like I haven't used my powers in the public eye before.
"What if they want to capture you and do some kind of experiment?"
"Bucky, I'll be fine. You and Steve didn't even know about me until today." Bucky let out an annoyed breath. "What happened to your dates? Where's Steve?"
"Steve and I said our goodbyes. And...I wasn't feeling it with the girls."
"Sorry for your loss," I replied sarcastically.
"I'm being serious." He looked up when the music over the PA system changed. His eyes went toward the crowd dancing in the middle of the quad. Bucky smiled as he held his hand out. "Dance with me?"
"No. I don't dance."
"Come on, it's my last night. It'll be special if you dance with me." He smiled. "You can even stand on my toes."
I felt my heart beating against my chest. I couldn't even ignore how my stomach swirled when he smiled at me. "Fine," I gave up eventually. "Just one dance."
"One dance is all I need." Bucky grabbed my hand and gently pulled me toward him. I thought he was kidding about me standing on his toes but he made sure I was standing on his toes before he had one hand around my waist while the other held mine. I'm not used to this, I wasn't sure where I'd put my free hand so I awkwardly set it on his shoulder, which made him laugh. "I won't bite, doll face."
He started to sway us to the beat of the song. His smile never left his face while he stared into my eyes. Bucky scanned my face as if he was trying to save everything to memory.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I wondered.
"Because I want to remember what's waiting for me when I return home," he answered honestly.
Sure, I bet he says that to everyone. "Right? Remember the face of the woman you just met. 'Cause that doesn't sound creepy at all."
"Which is why I'll be fighting hard to come home." He looked at me sincerely. "Would it be too much to ask you to wait for me?"
It's so strange seeing this side of Bucky compared to the one in the future. It feels like it was yesterday that we were fighting each other because he was brainwashed and now I'm dancing with him. Is there something wrong with me for actually enjoying our closeness? Am I feeling something for Bucky? Or is it just my mind messing with me to wanting to like him because everyone said we were together during this period?
"I hope you're prepared for disappointment, Bucky," I answered honestly.
He shook his head. "I don't think I could with you."
》》》》
A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this little Raven/Bucky moment. I was going to have Peggy come to her rescue but I thought this would be better.
Did I even ask what their ship name would be?