Clara Lewis: S.H.I.E.L.D agent, New Yorker, accidental time traveller- wait what?!
Clara thought being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent made her life as crazy as it would get. Ever since her accident in the field, she'd become a desk agent but working as Phil C...
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All Clara could do was stare at this child, for he was nothing more than a child, who claimed to be the Captain America. He couldn't be. This boy was no bigger than she was and half as skinny. His bony arms looked like they wouldn't be able to lift his trademark shield without snapping. The suit would surely swamp him. Nevertheless, it was him. He had the same soft eyes, the same courteous smile. Clara suddenly couldn't think of anything to say. What was she supposed to say to him. 'Listen kid, seventy years in the future we're going to work together on a secret mission to save the planet from an alien invasion'? Somehow she didn't think that would spark much of a conversation. It would definitely be entertaining but Clara wasn't prepared to answer all those questions. Besides, if it had taken her half an hour to explain to Howard that most women in the 2000s wore trousers, an alien invasion may take up the rest of her life.
Clara had allowed Steve to escort her back to the bar, despite her feeling like she should be the one taking him inside and making sure he didn't get hurt again. He mustered up the strength to heave open the door and edge to the side to let Clara enter before him. He looked ridiculous escorting a girl who, had she not been wearing heels, would only just be smaller than him. She looked twice his age with Clara being an average size and Steve being, quite frankly, tiny. Half the bar gave them comical looks as he walked her up to the bar, the other half were actually giggling and whispering to each other. Despite all the oddities, all Clara could think about was how much Phil would have wanted to hear about this. It would be easy to convince Howard she needed to return to her time a couple of months before, so she could correct her mistakes, so that Phil might still be alive. He'd never go along with a plan like that but he wouldn't necessarily have to know.
"Does the lady want a drink?" The barman asked Steve. Clara half expected him to have asked to see ID.
"I can pay." Clara said. The bar man frowned at Steve who glanced away but got Clara's drink anyway. So with nothing else to do, they sat in an uncomfortable and incredibly awkward silence. Every time she looked at him all she could see was the Steve she knew from her time. What would happen to him? This sweet little child. What horrors would he see?
"Steve, there you are!" A friendly voice broke the hushed din of the bar. A larger man, although everyone seemed to be large in comparison to Steve, sauntered over, extending a welcoming arm to the scrawny boy struggling to stay sat on a bar stool. The other man clapped Steve on the back, almost making him topple off and onto the floor. "I was beginning to worry about you, standing that girl up like that." His attention was quickly switched from his pal, Steve, to Clara. His piercing blue eyes somewhat familiar but she couldn't quite remember where from.
"Bucky," he said, extending a hand to Clara. She shook it and replied with her name politely.
"You didn't tell me you already had a date for this evening otherwise I wouldn't have had to try so hard to fix this one up." He laughed, again slapping Steve, who had ordered himself a pint, on the back, causing his body to lurch forward and the contents off his glass to sluice over the edge. At least most of it went on the floor. His friend, Bucky, didn't seem to notice. The name was familiar too.
"How'd you meet?" Bucky asked, folding his arms across his chest, expectantly awaiting an answer. Steve's eyes avoided Clara's at all costs, darting away from hers.
"Mutual friend." Clara lied, the only plausible reason she could think of. She could hardly tell him the truth- 'my boss was obsessed with him and we officially met trying to save the world from aliens'. For Steve that wouldn't happen for another seventy years, not that that would make it any more believable.
"Now I know that's not true. He's only got me and I haven't had the pleasure of making your acquaintance until tonight."
Charming, she thought, and it was only half sarcastic.
"Steve, why hasn't this pretty lady been asked to dance?"
Steve mumbled his excuses and Clara looked at her feet embarrassed enough to have been dragged down here by Howard. She smiled nevertheless, and sipped her drink to hide it from them both.
"I came over here to let you know I'm taking the girls out, you're more than welcome to come along Steve. I'll even pack your shoes with newspaper so you can dance fine." Bucky said, clapping his small friend on the back, who attempted to wriggle away but to no avail.
"Newspaper?" Clara wondered aloud which caught Bucky's attention. Steve turned red.
"We're going dancing and Pat's a tall girl."
"You don't own stacked heels?" She mused to Steve half expecting him not to reply.
"They're a thing?!" He clamoured, almost falling off his stool. Bucky folded his strong arms across his chest, a hand raising to cover his smile. Clara once again sipped her drink to stop herself from laughing.
"The offer applies to you too, ma'am." Bucky offered. Over his shoulder Clara could see the two girls he'd already gained the attention of. They were giggling together and looking over, sharply turning their heads away and scowling when they caught Clara's eye.
"No thanks." She said dryly, Bucky's face fell. He can't be used to rejection then. "Three's a crowd."
He chuckled as he turned away from them, throwing up a hand to wave back at them and then he, followed by the two women, was gone.
