#feeling2022wc

Alpine belongs to your neighbor across the street. You’ve never spoken to him but you’ve seen him enough in passing or while you’re sitting out here and notice him across the way. His bike woke you up sometimes when he got in late but you didn’t mind it. He didn’t strike you as a cat person though with his leather jacket and scary aura, if anything you assumed he’d be a dog person.

“Alright then Alpine, let's get you back home.” You scoop her up and smile at how loudly she purrs in your ear. James is rushing out of his door and shoving his leather jacket on when you make your way across the street. “Hi! Hello!”

“Sorry doll can’t talk right now.” He’s locking his door so he’s only gotten a quick glimpse of you and didn’t notice the cat in your arms. “I have to go find someone.”

“This someone wouldn’t happen to be a white cat with baby blue eyes and is an absolute angel would they?” He turns and finally sees you standing in front of him with Alpine in your arms.

“Oh thank God! I thought I was gonna have to search the whole neighborhood for her.” Alpine meows at him as he takes her from you. “Where’d you find her?”

“Oh, I don’t know if you’ve noticed the house with the sunroom type of porch with the doggy door but that’s my place. It’s so strays are able to get food and have somewhere warm and dry to go. I walked out today to fill some of the food bowls to find her there munching on what was left in one of them. She let me get close to her without scurrying off or hissing which normally strays do until they get used to me so I looked for her collar and found your address. And badabing badaboom here we are.” You finish your rambling while he finishes unlocking his door and putting Alpine inside. You’re not even sure he paid much attention to it.

“Sorry to cause you any trouble. She must’ve gotten out early this morning when I was working on my car in the garage.”

“Oh it was no trouble at all, I welcome all animals whether they’re strays, outside pets, or even animals that aren’t cats. I’ve gotten raccoons, possums, and a few dogs here and there. The dogs are normally someone's pet that got out and smelled the food. I can get those back to their owners if I’m home. The stray dogs I normally get checked out at the vet before I take them to the no kill shelter. Sometimes I’ll take one in if it’s a pup or a senior.” He just stares at you with an unreadable look in his eyes. “Okay well I should get back to filling up the bowls so I can feed my own pets and get to work. Have a good day James.” You turn with a wave ready to get home.

“Bucky.” His voice stops you from walking away.

“What?” You turn back to face him.

“It’s Bucky.”

“Bucky, alright. Have a good day Bucky! If she wanders over again I just might be tempted to keep her so watch out!” You wink and wave at him as you cross the street to head back home.

Bucky watches as you open the door to your porch and smiles as two cats scurry out causing you to jump a bit. He shakes his head  before locking his door and hopping on his bike to head over to the garage.

“I’m assuming this means you found Alpine then?” Sam asks Bucky as he walks into their place of work. He had called him earlier to let him know that he’d be late today due to the whole situation.

“She wandered into my neighbor's porch and she brought her over as I was running out the door.”

“Ah so a girl brought her over? Was she cute?” Sam waggles his eyebrows as he straightens up from the car he’s working on to look at his friend who’s getting ready to slide under the car next to his to start its oil change.

“I guess.” Bucky shrugs. “She kept rambling about her porch and how she has it set up for strays. I think I’ll buy her some cat food as a thank you on my way home.”

“You’re into her.” “No don’t be stupid Sam. This was the first time I even met the girl. I just want to do something nice for her because she brought Alpine home.” As he speaks though he can’t help the smile that crosses his face as he remembers how the morning sun reflected off your hair giving you a kind of halo.

“Alright well I know this pet store that sells in bulk, this chick I met at the bar last week works there. And before you start spouting your only organic food nonsense, it’s for strays they don’t need that expensive bullshit you always buy.”

“Send me the address and I’ll go after work before meeting you at the bar.”

“Oh Wanda I wish you could’ve seen her, she was the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen in person. I mean you could just tell she was very well groomed.” Wanda rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless as you ramble on about the cat you found this morning again.

“Babes I know, you’ve told me twice already today.”

“Oh, well have I told you that she belonged to my biker neighbor I’ve told you about before. I mean I didn’t expect it but he was so relieved when I brought her over. And he seems so nice, didn’t even seem annoyed when I was rambling on like I normally do.” While you speak you organize the shelves of fish tank decorations. You and Wanda have been on stocking duty for the last couple hours taking turns helping customers when they come in. 

“That’s good, more people shouldn’t get annoyed when you ramble, it’s cute.” The bell at the front of the store rings and Wanda walks away to go greet whoever is walking in. you’re walking over to the cat section arms full of toys when you bump into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just so focused on keeping all of these balanced and in my arms that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings and-”

“Doll?” Your eyes go wide as you recognize the voice of the man you’ve been thinking about all day when you weren’t thinking of his cat.

“Bucky! Hi, what are you doing here? Probably looking for something for Alpine that was a stupid question sorry.” You shift your arms as the cat toy pile starts to seem like it’ll topple over. Bucky’s quick to take the majority of it from your arms and move over so you can keep walking.

“Nah I was actually coming to buy some cat food to drop off at your place as a thank you.” If he wasn’t holding anything he would’ve been rubbing the back of his neck. His words send butterflies to your stomach and you walk ahead of him so he can’t see your smile.

“That’s very sweet of you but you don’t have to. I’m sure anyone else would’ve brought Alpine home if they found her. I was just doing my neighborly duty. Besides, I get all my stuff here at a discounted price. Most of the time it’s more discounted than my coworkers because our owner Stan knows about the whole situation and says he wants to help in any way he can.” As you start to put each toy in its relative spot Bucky follows your lead and helps you. “I was actually gonna get some today before heading home.”

“If that’s the case at least let me help load it into your car.”

“Alright, I’ll be done in like, what time is it?” You look at your phone before he has the chance to respond. “I’ll be done in twenty minutes. I don’t know if you want to hang around here for that long or not. If you don’t want to I get it and you really don’t have to help with moving it or anything really. I don’t want to hold you back from anything else you need to do today.”

“I’ll meet you up front doll, want me to take some food up with me.”

“Oh, um you don’t have to, I was gonna use a dolly to get a few bags up there.” Before you can say anything else he picks up two of the big bags of cat food and balances them on his shoulder.

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes then doll.” As he’s walking away you realize you haven’t told him your name and that’s why he kept using that nickname.

“I’m Y/n by the way, I probably should’ve introduced myself earlier.”

“I know dollbaby, I read your nametag.” You can’t help but let out a little squeal at how this attractive kind man just called you dollbaby. As you walk quickly away from the spot you were just standing in hoping he didn’t just hear that you think about how it’s been a long time since you’ve had contact with a human man, that wasn’t Wanda’s brother or your beloved Odinson brothers, that gave you more than just an awkward conversation. It would be nice to find a new friend in Bucky especially since you’ve already fallen in love with Alpine. And it was hard for you to make friends, people often have enough of you once they get annoyed with your rambles and see just how little free time you have.

You do inventory in the back of the store so Stan knows what he’ll need to order more of soon for the next twenty minutes. You wonder to yourself if Bucky will have actually waited or not and if Wanda struck up conversation with him or if she ignored him and went on her phone like she would do if your other friends were standing around waiting for you to get off. You’re pleasantly surprised when he’s leaning on the counter and talking to Wanda as if they’ve known each other forever.

“Alright Wands, I’m gonna head out. Can you ring me up?”

“I can't, your cargo has already been paid for. I’ll see you later tonight?”

“Yeah of course, do you know if the boys are still coming over for movie night? I haven’t checked my phone for any messages from the group chat yet today. And what do you mean it’s been paid for.”

“Pietro will definitely be there but I’m not sure about the other two. Bucky here paid for it already so just get out of here before you convince yourself to adopt another hamster.”

“C'mon doll face you gotta show me which car is yours.” Bucky picks the bags again and motions for you to lead the way as he opens the door, the bell above singing as he does so. 

“You shouldn’t have done that Bucky I could’ve paid for it. It’s my job anyway, I’m the one who decided to take care of strays as well as my own.” You smile despite your words. “I’m right across the street by the way. The red minivan is mine, before you say anything I know it’s a soccer mom car but when you have as many pets that need transport as I do a minivan makes sense.” You’re cut off from saying anything else as Bucky's arm shoots out to prevent you from walking forward anymore. A car whizzes past not far from you, running the red light and if it wasn’t for Bucky's arm stopping you you probably would’ve gotten hit. 

“Slow down asshole!” He turns to look at you then as if checking for a hair out of place. “Are you alright? Some people need to retake their driver's tests I swear.” 

“I’m good thanks for being my knight in shining armor Buck. Alright this is me, you can just throw the food in the back seat.” Once the two of you reach your car you swing open the side door for him. “Thanks for buying it too, I’m just now realizing I didn’t thank you. You must think I’m so rude but I’ve never really had someone be nice enough to buy me this much cat food. I mean Wanda and the guys will sometimes buy me small bags of pet food here and there or maybe a new toy or two and Stan helped me set up my porch with the fake grass and cat trees but that was mainly just him giving me those things for almost nothing. So thanks again for the food and the whole preventing me from being run over thing. Oh god am I rambling again sorry.” You look down at your feet watching as your toes kick at the concrete of the sidewalk. Bucky tilts your head up with two fingers under your chin.

“Hey you don’t have to apologize, there’s nothing to be sorry for.” He steps away from you then and shuts the door of your car. “I’ll see you back at your place alright? I’ll get the food inside for ya.” All you can do is nod after being left speechless before getting in the driver's seat and heading home trying to not get too distracted by the motorcycle in your rearview mirror.

As you pull into your driveway you realize the mess he’s probably going to walk into. This is it he’s going to take one look around your house, at your pets, and turn around and never look back like most people do. He’ll realize that there’s no point in trying to be your friend because you’re the crazy cat lady even though you don’t actually own enough cats to be one. And you can probably forget about whatever attraction you have to him too. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself you get out and open the side door just as Bucky’s walking up to you.

“You know you don’t actually have to carry these all the way in. You can just leave them on the porch and I’ll take them in myself.”

“It’s fine, I don’t have anything I’d rather be doing than helping a pretty girl carry cat food into her house. Besides you’ve met Alpine it’s only fair I get to meet your pets.” He picks up the bags again and waits for you to lead the way while you sigh and close the door.

“Alright, just, be prepared because it’s not just like a couple pets okay? And I’m not just saying that because it’s more than two, I mean I have four dogs and three cats and then there’s all the others. So just be aware that when I open this door it could be complete chaos and I’ll completely understand if you don’t want to be around it.”

“Doll, don’t worry about it. Nothing could be more chaotic than my friend Sam's apartment, it's truly a mess and I go there at least once a week.” You take one more deep breath before opening your door. The sound of barking invades your ears as the dogs start to run at the door.

“Hi babies! I’m home!” You distract them off to the side while Bucky walks in and shuts the door behind him. He doesn’t move any farther than the doorway, looking around your living room and taking in every detail. The couches that have been scratched up in the back, the different cat and dog toys spread out on the floor, the shelf of movies next to the tv stand, and the different photos that hang on your walls and live on shelf space. “The kitchen is this way, if you want to follow me.” As you lead him through the dining room he notices the shelves of puzzles and board games and how you have a table big enough for a family of six even though he’s pretty sure you live there alone. There’s a giant fish tank against one wall and an almost completed puzzle on the table. There’s even more pictures on the walls of this room and Bucky can’t help but notice that they seem to all be of the same people. “You can just put them on the floor or the island. I don't really care, it's just gonna get dumped into containers anyway.” As you fill up the food bowls for the dogs at your feet a corgi comes into the room and goes straight for Bucky’s feet. He crouches down to pet him and you stand up and pet the cat that’s hopped up on the counter next to you.

“That’s Thorgi, I lost a bet with Wanda’s twin that he got to name the next dog I got so he named this one after our friend Thor. I rescued him after someone surrendered him claiming he was too much work than he’s worth. The pitbull is Zeus. He was set to be put down at a pound because he was ‘too aggressive’ but he’s just a big ol sweetheart. The boxer who I’m sure will be all over you after he eats is Jax. I took him in when he was still just a puppy, an old family from down the street didn’t have the time to take care of him and knew about how I take in animals and asked me if I could take him instead of giving him to a shelter. And the shy dachshund behind my legs is Penny. Once she gets used to you she’ll be less timid but her last owner would beat her, at least that’s what the shelter said.”

“Did you rescue all of your animals?”

“I wish I could say yes. All the dogs were but only two of my cats were, Leo my maine coon and Shadow the tortoiseshell were. Tigger, my tabby was adopted from a pet store. And I didn’t rescue any of my fish, they were all purchased. My rabbits were given to me by a family member. I rescued one of my ferrets but the other one I bought because they’re social creatures and get depressed alone. And my hamsters were bought too.” He’s just crouching there staring at you and petting the two dogs at his feet. “Alright c’mon tell me I’m crazy.”

“You’re crazy. But it’s in the best way possible doll. I don’t know anyone who would take on the responsibility of taking care of so many animals.”

“Yeah they’re a handful and it can get a little overwhelming sometimes but I love them and I have friends like Wanda who will come help take care of them if I need it. Not that I actually have that many more than Wanda, it’s a little difficult to have a life outside of these guys but that’s okay. It just means that I’ve lost friends because I can’t go out all the time or I have to cancel or change plans last minute because something happened with them. But these guys and my support group are all the friends I need so that’s okay. And I discovered pretty early on that there’s no point in dating if they can’t understand that all of what I do here is important to me. It’s the first thing I open up with when I’m set up on dates or I start an online conversation. Y’know just ‘hi I’m Y/n and I have four dogs, three cats, rabbits, ferrets, fish, and hamsters.’ Normally they say I’m crazy and never message me again or if it’s an in person date they say that’s cool and will ask me questions about them. But really the more I talk about them the more people realize that taking care of them is really all I do not to mention the strays, and they decide that’s not for them. I get it though, I’m never too upset about it. Besides, I don't want to be with someone who can’t get behind it or doesn’t want to help out. There’s a strange look in Bucky’s eyes when you look away from Tigger at him. “I’m rambling again aren’t I? Sorry.”

“I thought I told you not to apologize for that.” He stands up and makes his way over to you as he speaks. “I like your rambling. I’ve always been more of a listener anyway. And even if I wasn’t I would still like it. It’s cute and part of who you are.”

“You better watch out Buck, you keep saying things like that and I’ll fall in love with you.”

“That wouldn’t be too bad now would it pretty girl?” Just as you’re both nose to nose your phone begins to ring. You reach into your back pocket to answer while Bucky only backs up a little bit.

“Hello?”

“Lady Y/n!”

“Sir Thor! What do I owe the pleasure?” Your nicknames for eachother started when you were kids running around playing slay the dragon with fake swords and a hammer Thor always carried around. Bucky watches as your face lights up as you answer the phone and smiles at the sight.

“Movie night is still on at your place tonight right?”

“It sure is. Are you and Loki coming?”

“Of course! We’re actually at the store picking up snacks now, wanted to make sure we had the place right.” You can hear Loki saying something in the background. “Well then you should’ve called her yourself. Loki’s trying to get me to give him the phone even though he didn’t want to call at all. I’ll let you go though, you probably want to clean up all the toys even though we’d all be fine if they were still there.”

“Alright, I’ll see you guys in a bit. Bye!” After you hang up you see a message from Wanda telling you she’ll be on her way over after she stops at home.

“So movie night tonight?”

“Oh, we do a movie night at least once a week and a game night every other week. Most times we do either one of them more than once though. Because as much as they’re my only friends they’re also basically each other's only friends. Thor’s the only one who has a friend group outside of ours, they’re nice though I’ve met them a few times. They all get together once a week to play D and D. His friend Sif said she’d teach me but our schedules never line up. Anyway movie night is tonight, yes. Do you want to stay for it?” 

“I’d love to stay for it. Let me call my friend Sam to let him know I won’t be at the bar tonight.”

“I didn’t know you had plans already, you don’t have to stay y'know. You can still go to the bar.”

“I want to stay, Sam will be fine. I go with him every night. I’ll be right back pretty girl.” He kisses the side of your head before walking away while pulling his phone out leaving you there with butterflies in your stomach. You focus your attention on Penny as you pick her up and wait for Bucky to come back. “Hey doll, you care if Sam comes too he won’t leave me alone about it now. The man is blowing up my phone with texts even though I already told him no.”

“Yeah, he can come.”

“He’s an annoying fucker though, I gotta warn you. You’ll like him I think. I hope so at least because if I’m gonna be sticking around for a while he’s bound to be around.”

“You’ll be sticking around?”

“For as long as you want me to doll.”

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The rain was coming down hard, masking your tears as you ran down the sidewalk in Brooklyn. You should have listened to your friends that Brock would break your heart, but you were a fool in love. Was it really love though? The lightning lit the sky while thunder echoed loudly through the streets. Your breathing came out forcefully, making your way past people to put distance between you and your now ex-boyfriend. 

The plan was to cook him dinner in his apartment and have a quiet night in while trying to salvage your relationship. Your boss had let you out early and the thought of his surprised face would have made your night. As you walked into his apartment he was indeed surprised as he had Stacy, his receptionist, on his lap with their clothes half pulled off and her tongue in his mouth.

Backing out of the apartment you heard him call after you. He had chased you to the elevator telling you it didn’t mean anything but you weren’t a fool, not anymore. Brock made a grab at your arm to talk sense into you but your hand flew to his face, striking him hard enough that he let you go. 

Now you’re completely soaked from the storm as you pushed your way into the apartment building. You walked slowly while a million thoughts ran through your mind about what you could have done differently. Maybe if you did your make-up more or dressed to show more skin, maybe then Brock wouldn’t have strayed. Your body seemed to be on autopilot at the moment and you walked past your apartment. All you could do is stand outside your neighbor's door for a brief moment before you knocked lightly at his door. After a moment of no answer, you turned to leave when the door flew open. There stood your best friend and neighbor, Steve Rogers.

“Oh my gosh, doll what happened? You’re soaked to the bone.” Steve took in your drenched appearance as you stood at his door refusing to make eye contact

Softly you whispered, “I didn’t know where else to go.” 

“It’s okay, come in here so we can get you warm.” Steve looped his arm around your waist and walked you both into his apartment. He could tell something was very wrong. Quickly he pulled off your jacket and shoes, leaving both at the door. Picking you up he walked to his bedroom to grab you some dry clothes. This wasn’t the first time he had seen the sadness in your eyes, he knew this reeked of Brock. “Doll. I need you to change in the bathroom for me and put these clothes on. Leave the wet clothes in the tub and I will throw them in the dryer when you’re done. Can you do that for me?” You refused to look at him but nodded your head. 

Steve gave you the privacy that you needed while you changed. He tried to push his anger deep inside him because being mad at Brock wouldn’t solve anything. Knowing just what you needed Steve grabbed the phone and called your favorite Chinese food restaurant, hoping this would bring a smile to your face. After he hung the phone up he heard the bathroom door open and watched as you made your way to his couch. Once you sat down he pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around you.

“Thanks, Stevie. I’m sorry I dropped by like this again,” you softly spoke, nuzzling into his blanket and breathing in his scent. He always seemed to know what you needed. 

Steve sat next to you and rubbed the blanket over your arms, trying to give you warmth. “Don’t be sorry. I love when you stop by. I already ordered some food for us and once it’s here we can pop in your favorite movie.” 

“Legends of the Fall.” Steve smiled as you looked up at him in excitement and nodded his head. “Aren’t you sick of that movie by now?”

“Not really, it’s a great movie. Plus I know you have a crush on Tristan.” Steve wiggled his eyebrows at that and you buried your head into the blanket. “Hey, don’t be shy. There is nothing wrong with it. I mean heck Susannah is hot and we both know they belonged together.”

“Do you think that two different people could end up together?” Your eyes looked up from the blanket and watched Steve trying to process the question.

Steve sat closer to you now and brushed the stray hair from your face. “I think two people in love, despite being different, can absolutely end up together.” 

You bit your lip as you took in the true meaning of what he was saying. There was never any doubt that there were untold feelings between the two of you. Even Brock had brought that up at one point when he was mad at you that you had a guy friend. Maybe you were just denying the inevitable all this time. 

Steve cupped your cheek as he gently spoke, “I’ll wait for you. However long it takes. I’ll wait for you forever.”

A smile finally crossed your face. “One of my favorite quotes, Steve. You really do enjoy that movie. But I-I agree, I think a part of me always knew that Brock was never going to work. That my heart leaned more towards someone else.”

“If you say Tristan you’re gonna break my heart.” Your finger poked him in his side and Steve laughed at your mischievous smile.

You took a slow, deep breath. “It’s you, Steve. I know it’s been you but I’ve always been too afraid to say anything.”

Before you could finish your thought Steve cupped your cheek and kissed you. It wasn’t dominating, oh no, it was a soft passionate kiss like what you saw in the movies. Steve wanted to deepen the kiss but there was a knock on the door. He let out a sigh as he got up, answered the door, and paid for the food.

“Is that what I think it is?” You asked, throwing the blanket off you and bolting to the kitchen where he set the food down.

He couldn’t help but chuckle as you tore through the bags. “It’s exactly what you think. I ordered all your favorites.”

You stopped what you were doing and turned to face him. “Thank you, for always knowing what I need. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life.” Steve walked over to her and caged her body against the counter.

“How about we don’t find out cause I’ve loved you for a long time now.” Your eyes began to water at his confession, starting to fall as he watched you with a gentle smile and loving eyes. With as much tenderness as you've ever experienced, he wiped them away with his thumb

“I love you too. How about this being our first date? That’s if you don’t mind,” you asked, biting your lip from nervousness. 

“I don’t mind one bit doll.” He kissed your forehead, then the both of you divided up your food. It was a perfect night, something that you have grown to love over time. Movie, take out, and now cuddling is something you could definitely get used to. Tonight had started out difficult but if you were honest this is exactly where you were meant to be all along. There was nothing left for them to say, both content and excited for the future. It felt like everything and nothing had changed between them. Things were looking up.

You both had fallen asleep during the movie all cuddled up under the blanket on the couch. When Steve woke he carefully picked you up and brought you to his bed to sleep. Being the gentleman and friend he was, he turned to go sleep on the couch when your fingers lightly grabbed his shirt.

“Stevie, please stay with me. I need more cuddles.” Your words were slurred from sleep and your eyes stayed closed as you continued to hold onto his shirt.

How could he deny you ever, especially with how cute you looked? Lifting the covers, Steve crawled underneath, and instantly you rolled closer, hanging onto him like a koala bear to eucalyptus. He couldn’t help the smile as he placed a soft kiss on your brow. “I’m not going anywhere, doll. I will always be here for you.”

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"That's what the map said, but I think we better check," Steve replied.

It looked like an abandoned building in the middle of a forest. In none of the files you were given, did it say anything about it. However, the coordinates and location were correct.

"Well... we have work to do," Steve said as he walked by.

You nodded. Although it was still daylight, it didn't mean that you wouldn't have to take precautions. You really didn't know what kind of enemy you were facing. Although you read the information, sometimes there was data that was not included due to the authors' ignorance.

Another strange thing was that you didn't hear any noise, not even in the forest part. It was like there were no animals, not even when you stepped on the leaves on the floor. You weren't sure if Steve hadn't noticed, but he seemed calm and focused as always. However, you had a hunch that something strange might happen.

In the same way that it seemed to you that the light began to decrease, it did not seem to make sense, since it was barely going to be noon. You took a deep breath. Maybe you were nervous, or your mind was playing tricks on you. You had to concentrate on the mission; it was the kind of mission you always did and it never went wrong.

You knew that enemies could appear at any time and attack them; you didn't think they'd fled; you knew that any enemy wanted to capture Captain America, and you'd have to face them.

When you entered the building, it also seemed abandoned. It did not even have any signs that at some point it had been used as a laboratory. You noticed again that not even your footsteps in that empty place were heard. There was definitely something strange about that mission, but you did not know how to tell Steve.

Right in the middle of the corridor that was in the middle of the building, on the ground floor, was a box containing the documents that were their objective. Both looked at each other strangely. No mission was that simple. You very carefully took them without lowering your guard. You knew that at any moment, enemies could appear, or it could even be a trap.

You quickly left the place. However, the forest did not seem to be the same place, and even though it seemed as if it was dawn, you were sure that you had not taken so long in there. It had been less than 5 hours, even before finding the box. You checked your watch; there was no way it was night.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon; there was no way that darkness could exist unless the clock had broken down. You kept walking for another few minutes. However, it didn't seem like you were heading towards where you left the motorcycle.

"Steve, I think we're going in the wrong direction. We're going into the woods," you said, trying to stop him by grabbing his arm. He looked at you, then he looked around. You were right, but somehow you had to get back on the right track before things went wrong.

"Here, hold my hand," he said, as he stretched out his hand.

You started walking in another direction. You lost track of time, but finally, you got to the motorcycle. You turned to see Steve confused. There was still some sun. You saw your watch. It was six o'clock in the afternoon.

"What just happened?" Steve questioned you heavily.

"I'm not sure, but we have our goal," you replied, as you checked your purse. The documents were still there.

"Where do you want us to go for dinner?"

"Hamburgers."

You were not sure what you were going to write in the report. You did not even understand what happened in that place. Had you traveled in time?

"Alright, you four wait back here, and then come out when I signal you. Got it?"

Happy Hogan stared down me, Pietro, Wanda, and Vision, his face deadly serious. The four of us were the newest official members of the Avengers, and today was the press conference to make the announcement. Happy was in charge of making sure it went off without a hitch, which was no easy feat.

Wanda, Vision, Piet, and I nodded, and despite the grin on Pietro's face, it seemed to be good enough for Happy. He gave a single, curt nod, then turned on his heel to go make sure Stark was ready to kick things off.

Once he was out of sight, I turned to my three companions with a smile on my face.

       "Poor Happy. He looked like he was about to have a stroke," I said.

"Not very fitting for his name," joked Pietro. We shared a laugh, leaning into each other as we did. We'd been dating for a few months now, and after almost losing him during the Battle of Sokovia, I didn't take a single moment with him for granted.

Even when he was being incredibly annoying, like in our recent prank war, which had started with Pietro scaring me in the middle of drinking water and making me spill all over the kitchen.

I'd been debating doing something to him right before we went out for the press conference, since it was such a golden opportunity. But this was our first official introduction to the world, and Happy already looked ready to pass out at any moment, so I'd decided against it.

"I can't believe this is really happening," said Wanda, staring ahead at the stage where Tony was now making his opening remarks. "So much has changed in such a short amount of time."

"No kidding," I agreed. Next to us, Vision put a comforting hand on Wanda's shoulder, and she visibly relaxed. Pietro squinted at them, but neither of them paid any attention.

I'd be willing to bet they'd officially be together within the month. Pietro thought it was weird, since Vision was technically a robot, but her brother's opinion certainly wasn't going to hold Wanda back from love.

Finally, from the stage, we heard Tony begin the lines that would cue us to walk out. From the opposite side of the stage, just out of sight of the press, Happy made very deliberate eye contact with all of us. I grinned back at him, and from the frown he gave us, I knew my boyfriend had a matching look on his face.

"...and without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the newest Avengers, heroes of Sokovia!" called Tony, throwing his arms wide and grinning at us just off stage. I took half a step forward, then stopped short when my boyfriend turned into a blur around me, running in tight circles so fast it felt like I was standing inside a tornado.

He came to a stop, and almost no time had passed. No notable delay, at least. One thing, however, had changed: my hair. He'd whipped it up into a wind blown mess, and after I'd spent so long this morning getting it just right for today.

I stared at him, mouth open in shock, and he just grinned back at me.

"Your move in the prank war, Printessa," he said before striding for the stage. I gaped after him, getting a sympathetic look from Wanda but no real help.

I growled and tried to fix my hair with the few seconds I had as I walked onto the stage. I knew it didn't look great, but thanks to my lovely boyfriend, there was really nothing I could do about that.

I stopped in line next to him, behind Tony, and forced a smile onto my face as I waved to the crowd. I could tell Pietro was barely holding in laughter from next to me.

"If we weren't being watched right now I'd kill you," I muttered to him under my breath, through my gritted teeth and fake smile. He just snorted a laugh.

"Why do you think I waited to do that until we had witnesses?"

I huffed, and he just chuckled again. So much for not wanting to do any prank war stuff during the press conference.

I smiled through Tony's introduction of all of us, waving at the crowd when appropriate and trying to subtly fix my hair little by little with some magic. We answered a few softball questions for the gathered press, and then our first moment in the spotlight ended.

We all turned to head off stage the way we'd come, Vision and Wanda leading the way with Pietro and I bringing up the rear. As Pietro took the first few steps out from behind Tony, so he was in clear view of everyone in the audience, I gestured with my hand hard, disguising it as nothing more than swinging my arm to walk. In reality, I used the move to send a force of my magic slamming into Pietro's back.

I caught him totally off guard, so even his superspeed wasn't enough for him to be able to catch himself. He went stumbling forward a few steps, and when he straightened up, I could see a bit of red rising on the back of his neck.

I snorted, then quickly lifted my hand to cover my mouth.

As soon as we made it backstage, Pietro whirled around to face me with a glare. I just laughed.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I grinned.

"It was just fair play," I said, holding up a lock of my still-disheveled hair for emphasis. Pietro snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I suppose," he said, taking a few steps towards me. He slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, a slight smile on his face as he leaned in and kissed my temple. Wanda and Vision took that as their cue to go, heading off somewhere else in the Avenger's compound as Pietro and I lingered backstage.

Pietro wrapped his other hand around my waist and pulled me to his chest tightly as Stark made his closing remarks onstage. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he nuzzled into the crook between my neck and shoulder, placing light kisses there.

"Mmm, Printessa," he muttered into my ear. I sighed as he tightened his arms around me and continued. "You have no idea the can of worms you just opened. You'd better sleep with one eye open until this prank war is done."

With that, he kissed my cheek and gave me one last tight squeeze before pulling away. I stared after him in shock as he lazily strutted for the door to the compound.

"Piet, wait- maybe we should truce!" I called after him, hurrying to catch up to him. He just laughed.

"Not until I get a little payback of my own."

I froze as he kept walking down the hall. I stared after him, but he didn't turn around. I sighed.

The paranoia I'd be feeling for who knew how long would be payback in and of itself. I guess I'd just have to be on high-alert, and then take the first opportunity I got to redirect Pietro's energy towards someone else in the compound.

Or... I could spend some time scheming and coming up with a battle plan of my own. After all, I couldn't just lie down and let him win, could I? Sure, maybe I had no idea what Pietro had in store next. But my boyfriend also had no idea what I had in store next for him.

"Alright, tomorrow is Bucky's birthday," said Steve, hands on his hips as he stared at me and Sam. He looked like he was marshaling troops for war, not organizing a birthday party. "You two are in charge of making his cake. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course we can handle it," said Sam, waving Steve off as he stepped up to the counter. "I'm a fantastic baker, and I'm sure Y/N's not half bad either."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence babe."

"Any time sweetheart."

I just smiled and rolled my eyes as I started gathering ingredients. Sam started looking for a recipe, and Steve hovered in the doorway looking concerned.

"Don't worry Steve, we've got this covered," I said, piling the flour, sugar, and some bowls together on the counter. "You can stop hovering now."

"Yeah, get out of here. I'm sure you've got all kinds of other things to take care of for tonight."

Steve sighed heavily, but he started heading for the door anyway.

"Alright, I'm gone. Just please make sure whatever you make actually tastes good, and hopefully looks nice."

"We've go it covered, Stevie. Trust us," I said. Sam and I turned to him with matching grins, and he sighed heavily. He knew we'd only keep giving him a hard time if he stuck around, though, so he shook his head and left the kitchen.

"Finally. I thought he'd never leave," I said, plopping the rest of the basic ingredients down on the counter then moving to stand next to Sam. I put my head on his shoulder as I read the recipe along with him. "Anything else we need?"

"Nope, it's a pretty simple recipe. You ready to get going?"

"Let's do it."

*****************

Despite Steve's obvious doubt in our abilities, Sam and I were both great bakers. We whipped up the batter and got it in the oven quickly, giving us a little bit of downtime while it baked.

"Alright, so how do we want to decorate this thing?" I asked, hopping up on a kitchen stool while we waited. Sam set the timer, then took a seat next to me.

"I don't know... did you have any ideas? I feel like we gotta do something fun."

"I agree... let's see, what are some fun things we know about Bucky we could use for inspiration?"

I grabbed a notepad and pencil, then started a list and angled it to make sure Sam could see too.

"Cranky, old, likes to stare," Sam listed off. I smiled and wrote each one down.

"Likes plums..." I added. "Shoot, should we have made a plum cake instead?"

"Nah, we'd all have to eat it too."

"Good point."

Sam and I shared a smile, then went back to staring at the list. I tapped my pencil on the counter as Sam wrapped an arm around me and we continued our brainstorm. We managed to come up with a pretty long list of stuff, from favorite color to Tolkien nerd, when the oven finally beeped to tell us the cake was officially baked.

"I'll get it," said Sam, pushing off from the counter. I hummed and kept staring at the list of ideas in front of me. An idea was slowly forming in my head, and I was trying to decide whether to follow through on it.

"Hey Sam?" I asked, glancing up at him as he carefully set the cake on the counter. It would need to cool a little before we took it out of the pan, and then a little longer before we could start decorating it.

"What's up babe?"

"How much time do we have before the party again?"

"A couple of hours still," he said. "Why?"

"Well, I had an idea... what if we had a little fun with Bucky?"

"You know I'm always interested in that. What did you have in mind?"

"It would require us making two cakes..." I said, staring at Sam as I tried to decide whether it was worth it. He shrugged.

"I don't see any problems with making more cake."

I grinned. "Alright, then let's do it."

****************

Sam and I decided, based on our list of ideas, it would be fun to make Bucky a Tolkien cake for his birthday, since he loved all those books so much (who knew the Winter Soldier was such a mega-nerd?). But, also based on our list and the fact that we wanted to mess with him, we decided to make another cake that focused on Bucky's age.

It was a birthday, after all.

Sam and I quickly got Bucky's second cake in the oven, then started decorating his first cake. The first cake was the Tolkien cake, and I pulled up a few pictures from Pinterest for inspiration. Sam and I worked hard on that one, and carefully decorated it with all the details we knew Bucky would lose his mind over (the One Ring especially). It took us a while to finish it, and by the time we were done, the second cake had already come out of the oven and cooled.

"Wow. That looks fantastic!" I said, stepping back to admire our handiwork with a smile. "If we ever decide to quit the whole Avengers thing, let's open a bakery together."

"I'd be onboard," said Sam, smiling with me as he put an arm around my shoulder. "I think I know the perfect spot back home, too."

I grinned, turning to my boyfriend and leaning up to give him a quick kiss. I pulled back after a second, and then the two of us turned in sync to the second cake.

"We on the same page about not making this one quite as pretty?" asked Sam.

"Absolutely," I responded. We shared a grin, then moved forward to get to work on our second masterpiece of the night.

We covered it in white icing to give us a solid base, then Sam did a little pink piping on the outside. Once he'd finished, he handed me the piping bag with a smile.

"Alright, what are you gonna write?" he asked.

"How about this?" I stepped forward and carefully piped on the words, then stepped back with a smile. Sam wrapped his arms around my waist as he stepped forward to look at what I'd written on the cake:

You're OLD as dirt.

"That's perfect," he said. I turned around to see a massive smile on his face as he let go of my waist and stepped around me. "Just one last thing to finish it off."

Sam picked up a jar of sprinkles and artfully scattered them across the top of the cake. Once he was happy with it, he set the jar down and stepped back with me to admire our two finished cakes.

"I can't wait to show him," I said with a smile.

"Neither can I. Even better, it's gonna work for Steve too, since they're the same age."

"Why are we friends with so many old men? Thor's like a thousand years old or something too, isn't he?"

Sam just shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. Must just be part of the business working with the Avengers."

"Weird."

We shared a laugh, then a quick glance at the time told us the party was about to start in the living room. We quickly put both cakes in the fridge to keep the icing from melting for the next hour or two before cake, then went out and joined the rest of our friends.

As soon as we got into the room, Steve made a beeline for us to check in on how the cake-making had gone. Sam and I assured him it'd gone even better than expected, and he immediately looked relieved.

Sam and I laughed and talked and joked with all our friends, Bucky included, as the night went on. Although he tried not to show it, I could tell it meant the world to Bucky that we'd thrown him a birthday party, and that he got to spend the night with people he cared about and who cared about him.

It had certainly been a long time coming.

Sam and I kept sharing looks throughout dinner, especially as more and more people finished eating and we crept closer to cake time. I was practically giddy with excitement, and I could tell Sam felt the same way.

Finally, we worked together to clear the last of the plates, and Steve stood.

"Alright, I think it's time we cut into the cake," he said with a smile. Bucky smiled too as Steve turned to Sam and I. "You guys wanna go get it?"

"We're on it!" I said, smiling as Sam and I jumped up and headed to the kitchen. Bucky looked a little nervous when he realized we'd been in charge of the cake, which was fair.

Sam pulled our cakes out of the fridge while I grabbed the candles. I'd gotten a package of number candles at the store, and I stuck the numbers 106 into our old as dirt cake. Sam lit them as I took one more second to admire our handiwork.

"Alright, you ready?" asked Sam, picking up the dirt cake.

"So ready," I said, grabbing the Tolkien cake. We shared a smile, then headed out into the living room together.

As soon as we got within sight, Steve led everyone in singing happy birthday. Sam and I sang along, slowing down enough that we wouldn't set the cakes on the table until after the song was finished.

Bucky raised an eyebrow as Sam and I came towards him with two cakes and two absolutely massive grins. Steve looked a little concerned, and everyone else just looked curious until we set the cakes down in front of Bucky.

He looked at the Tolkien one first. Even Mr. Grumpy himself couldn't keep a grin off his face as he stared at the One Ring and felt what I assumed was a wave of nerdy excitement. Then, he turned his attention to the second cake. He read it quickly, then looked up at Sam and I and rolled his eyes.

I just smiled right back at him as Sam laughed.

Everyone else in the room looked over Bucky's shoulder one after another to read the cake, and everyone but Steve started laughing. Steve had a similar expression to Bucky's, especially as Natasha started making dinosaur jokes.

"I was wondering what the two cakes was about," said Steve, shaking his head. "I should've known."

"Yeah, you should've," I said with a smile. "We can probably blame that on your age, though."

Steve rolled his eyes, but he couldn't keep a small smile off his face. Bucky leaned forward to blow out his candles, then paused to look up at me and Sam.

"I wish for different friends," he said, looking us dead in the eyes as he blew out the candles with a huff.

"Ah, you told us your wish!" cried Sam, pointing a finger at Bucky before going to plop down next to him on the couch. "That means it won't come true."

"Looks like you're stuck with us," I said with a grin as I plopped down on Bucky's other side. He rolled his eyes again, but he was still smiling, even as Sam and I high-fived behind his back.

"Alright," said Sam, sitting forward again and rubbing his hands together, "let's cut this cake."

Sam cut pieces and put them on plates while I handed them out. As I passed Steve on my way to hand a piece to Nat, I caught him sharing a suspicious look with Bucky. Based on our history, I knew what the look meant: the two old super soldiers were officially planning some kind of revenge for Sam and I. It was a prank war that had been going strong since Sam and I had started dating.

—Eso decía el mapa, pero creo que es mejor que chequemos —Steve respondió.

Parecía un edificio abandonado en medio de un bosque, en ninguno de los archivos que les dieron decía algo al respecto, sin embargo, las coordenadas y ubicación eran las correctas.

—Pues… tenemos trabajo que hacer —Steve dijo caminando por el lugar.

Asentiste, aunque aún era de día, no significaba que no tendrían precauciones, realmente no sabían a qué tipo de enemigo se estaban enfrentando. Si bien leyeron la información, algunas veces había datos que no fueron incluidos debido a su desconocimiento.

Otra cosa rara era que no se escuchaba ningún ruido, ni siquiera en la parte del bosque, era como si no hubiese ningún animal, ni siquiera cuando pisaban las hojas en el piso, no estabas segura si Steve no lo había notado, pero él parecía tranquilo y enfocado como siempre. Sin embargo, tú tenías un presentimiento de que algo extraño podría pasar.

De igual manera te pareció que la luz comenzaba a disminuir, no parecía tener sentido, ya que apenas iba a ser mediodía. Respiraste profundamente, tal vez estabas nerviosa, o tu mente te estaba jugando una mala pasada. Debías de concentrarte en la misión, era del tipo de misiones que siempre hacías y nunca salían mal.

Steve te hizo señas, él abriría la puerta del edificio, tú lo cubrirías, sabían que en cualquier momento, los enemigos podrían aparecer y atacarlos, no creían que hubieran huido, no, ustedes sabían que cualquier enemigo quería capturar al Capitán América y definitivamente lo enfrentarían.

Entraron al edificio, también parecía abandonado, ni siquiera tenía alguna señal de que en algún momento hubiese sido usado como laboratorio. Volviste a notar que ni siquiera sus pisadas en aquel lugar vacío se escuchaban, definitivamente había algo extraño en esa misión, pero no sabías como decirle a Steve.

Justo a la mitad del pasillo que estaba a la mitad de edificio, en la planta baja, entraron una caja que contenía los documentos que eran su objetivo, ambos se miraron extrañados, ninguna misión era así de sencilla. Con mucho cuidado los tomaste, sin bajar la guardia, sabían que en cualquier momento los enemigos podrían aparecer o incluso podría ser una trampa.

Salieron rápidamente del lugar, sin embargo, el bosque no parecía ser el mismo lugar e incluso, parecía como si fuera de madrugada, estaban seguros de que no se habían tardado tanto tiempo ahí adentro, había sido menos de 5 horas, incluso antes de encontrar la caja, habías checado tu reloj, no había ninguna manera de que fuese de noche.

Por si acaso volviste a ver tu reloj, no obstante, únicamente te hizo sentir confundida, marcaba las cinco de la tarde, no era posible que esa oscuridad… a menos que el reloj se hubiera descompuesto. Siguieron caminando durante otros minutos más, sin embargo, no te parecía que se estuviesen dirigiendo hacia donde dejaron la motocicleta.

—Steve, creo que vamos hacia la dirección incorrecta, nos estamos adentrando al bosque —dijiste, tratando de detenerlo al tomarle del brazo, él te miró, luego observó su alrededor, tenías razón, sin embargo, de alguna manera debían de regresar al camino correcto, antes de que las cosas fueran mal.

—Aquí, toma mi mano —él te dijo, a la vez que estiraba su mano.

Comenzaron a caminar hacia otra dirección, perdiste la noción del tiempo, pero finalmente llegaron hasta la motocicleta, volteaste a ver confundida a Steve, aún había sol, viste tu reloj, marcaba las seis de la tarde.

—¿Qué acaba de pasar? —Steve cuestionó patidifuso.

—No estoy segura, pero tenemos nuestro objetivo —respondiste a la vez que checabas tu bolso, los documentos seguían ahí.

—¿A dónde quieres que vayamos a cenar?

—Hamburguesas.

No estabas segura de que iban a escribir en el reporte, ni siquiera habías comprendido lo que sucedió en ese lugar, ¿habían viajado en el tiempo?, ¿a otra dimensión?