A Shield from the Spectrum

Buck meets Wanda

B U C K Y
"Buck. Do you remember me?" Steve had walked into the room tentatively.

That was the first time Steve had met Bucky as a friend, not as a mission victim. Now, it was time for Bucky to meet the rest of the team, so long as he didn't want to remain a threat.

Steve walked next to each of them, pointing their names out to Bucky as he went. "This is Natasha Romanov. You may remember her from the last mission."

Bucky smiled and waved "hello" at her.
She was pretty enough. He liked her bad-a looking smirk and her life-filling eyes.

Steve stopped at the last two people. The girl was sitting next to and holding the man's-- what was that thing? She was holding ITs hand as she seemed to shake in tremors. She curled herself into fetal position occasionally and the thing would put its arms around her in a comforting way.

"Bucky, this is The Vision. Jarvis stuck inside of Ultron's new body, along with the mind stone. And this here is Wanda Maximoff." He didn't say any more about who she was, an indicator to Bucky that he should just keep quiet.

After a moment too long, the Vision gave her a slight nudge. Wanda pulled herself out of his hold and walked towards him. "Sorry for my rash behaviour. It's just hard sometimes. I lost my brother in the war against Ultron. Shot 8 times..." her voice faltered. Straightening herself, she stuck out her hand, which Bucky took with a surprise. Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul, or what was left of it, and her lack of a smile gave Bucky a cold feeling through him.

"It's alright. Sure!" Bucky composed himself quickly again and she pulled away. The cold feeling still stuck in him when she sat back down next to the Vision. He shivered.

"We have Dr. Bruce Banner, but he's... he's not here right now. But he will be. I know it..." Steve said quieter than he may have intended. Natasha sniffed and wiped at her eyes in the corner near Clint. That was all Bucky needed to piece the story together. Banner had run off. Probably in a manic state.

He noticed everyone staring at him. He quickly nodded and a slight "mhm" came from behind his lips.

"So there you have it Buck! The Avengers team. You're welcome here whenever." Steve said heartily. It pained Bucky. He didn't want to be here. Well, he did, but not when he could lose it and hurt someone. He had to get out of here.

But those girls... Natasha was beautiful. But she seemed unstable then, perhaps from the loss of Banner? Well then, nevermind, he thought to himself, she's already got a sweetheart. But, if she were to return my own possible feelings, it could bring us BOTH out of a bad place...

And that other one, Wanda. Bucky tried convincing himself she meant no harm and that she was merely traumatised, but he couldn't shake the cold feeling he got when he pictured her. Something was up with her.

He hadn't realised he was standing there awkwardly until Steve walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Buck. What's going on?", then louder to the rest of the group, "Clear out! The food's in the dining hall!"

Bucky felt fine telling Steve what was bugging him, just not when Wanda still hadn't left the room. Her and the Vision levitated off the floor and floated out into the dining hall, laughing about something. She had opened the door with her red "powers". Bucky didn't trust people who could fly without aid.

"Bucky? Buck..." Steve waved a hand in front of Bucky's eyes. "What's eating at you?"

"That girl..." he answered unwillingly. "She- I don't trust her." The words tumbled out before he had a chance to re-word them.

"Who, Wanda?" Steve gave him a surprised look. Bucky nodded slightly.

"Yeah. I got this cold feeling when she introduced herself... Her eyes and dead expression... It's not normal."

"Nah that's just her way of doing things. She's much younger than us, and her bond to Pietro, her brother, was a lot stronger than you may believe. They're twins. Plus her Hex stuff kinda messes with her mind. It's a good thing she bonded so well with the Vision."

Bucky nodded as if he understood, but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't shake the feeling of, "Wanda doesn't like me. And she's going to do what she can to make sure I know that."

Steve smiled and started towards the dining hall. Bucky liked it when Steve smiled. It meant he was alright and not almost dead. Like the one time I almost killed him, his mind added unwillingly. Bucky felt his face screw up in worry and remorse.

Steve looked at Bucky again, asking, "You hungry? There's plenty in the hall. Come on." Steve's face was now plastered with worry at Bucky's too long hesitation.

Bucky nodded in reluctant agreement. When Steve smiled in pure glee, he felt guilty about his next plan: get out of here and away from everyone. They were all dangerous to him, and he to them. He had to go. He couldn't stay here. Bucky glanced at Steve laughing merrily as he talked about the adventures he and Bucky had went on before and during the war. It pained Bucky to know he would have to leave this and Steve. But Bucky was already planning on his way to get out. He knew one thing and one thing only about this situation:

It was dangerous, and he had to leave by morning.