Simple. It was supposed to be a simple mission. But obviously the universe has something against him. He was needed for a solo mission that required his sniper skills. Colonel Phillips ordered it, and Steve was not happy at all. He had tried to get Colonel Phillips to let them all go as a team but Colonel Phillips ordered to Steve stop talking, which led to Bucky using all the self restraint he had to not laugh.
He was dropped off. The mission went fine. The target was killed. He wasn’t injured. It was simple. It was certainly weird to not have Steve watching his back, or anyone else, but it went fine. The ‘getting back to base’ part was when things started to go bad.
First, his transportation failed to show up. So he was forced to lay low in the woods, which he is fine with doing by the way. But the woods being filled with Hydra agents didn’t help at all. He eventually made it to the backup pickup point where his transportation should have arrived. But he got…distracted.
Some British soldiers were going to be killed by some Hydra agents and he saved them. Unfortunately he also got shot in the leg and was losing consciousness by the second. He registered a truck getting kicked and some Hydra agent flying through the air. Yeah, that was definitely Steve Rogers. As much as he was so damn happy to see Steve, and ignoring the fact that he was about to pass out, he knows damn well that Steve is gonna be upset and yelling as soon as he wakes up. The last thing he saw before falling asleep was a blurry Steve above him and saying something.
——
Bucky blinked his eyes open and immediately felt soreness everywhere in his body. He groaned quietly and smiled out of reflex when he saw Steve sitting there next to him.
“Hey,” Bucky said, his voice slightly hoarse from not having water.
“Hey,” Steve said in a shaky voice, his eyes watering slightly.
Bucky went to say something, ask if he was okay or hurt, but got distracted when he saw more people near him. More people that definitely were not the Howling Commandos. And one of which was himself.
“What the fuck?!” Bucky yelled as he tried to scramble away and grab his gun. The adrenaline rush did little to help the pain he felt shooting throughout his body. But he was more preoccupied with getting away from this fake Steve as fast as possible.
“Bucky! Bucky!” Steve said as he grabbed his wrists to stop him from moving. “Please, calm down. You’re gonna hurt yourself. Please.”
“What the hell? You’re not…you’re not Steve,” Bucky said anxiously as he tried to get out of Steve’s grip. This wasn’t Steve. It wasn’t. Because he was wearing a different suit that was completely black and this wasn’t Steve. “What the hell? Let go!”
Steve quickly covered Bucky’s mouth as best he could while holding both of his wrists with one hand. Despite the awkward position they were both in, Bucky could only mumble.
“Buck, Buck. Breathe, please. It’s a long story and I’m gonna explain but you need to relax because there are Hydra agents in the woods. And I doubt you want to have Hydra show up,” Steve said nervously. Bucky stared for a minute and thought to the fact that he doesn’t want to get shot again by Hydra. And this fake Steve seemed like he wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe? But he knows Hydra will shoot him on sight. This Steve doesn’t even have a gun, that he can see anyway. Bucky nodded slowly and Steve moved his hand away gently. “Explain, now.”
“We’re from the future and we accidentally time traveled here. And I saved you from getting hurt because I panicked,” Steve said quickly.
“Time travel?” Bucky mumbled to himself. Of all the lies to come up with-
“Bucky, I promise that if I was Hydra, I’d come up with a much more believable story than time travel,” Steve said before sighing. Bucky stared and…yeah, this Steve does have a point with that statement. “It’s me. Remember, we had an apartment together before you got drafted. And…and there was a storm outside, and I brought a cat inside the apartment. And you told me to get rid of the cat, but I argued with you. We ended up getting rid of the cat after the rain stopped. And…and that was how I found out I was allergic to cats. I was coughing and sneezing and my face was all red. And…you took me to the doctor afterwards, and the doctor asked how I’m still alive after hearing my long list of illnesses. You said-”
“Stubbornness and stupidity,” Bucky said quietly. Steve nodded.
“Yeah, which is pretty accurate,” Steve said hesitantly with an awkward smile. “I promise I’m me. I promise. We’re from the future and we’re gonna be here for another…um…”
Steve trailed off and turned to one of his companions. They looked at their wrist and saw a device. What the hell was that?
“About eight hours,” the guy said. Wow that guy looks like Howard Stark. The beard was definitely similar.
“Eight hours. Okay. I won’t hurt you, promise,” Steve said patiently. Bucky stared and really looked at this guy. The same blue eyes, the same calm voice when Bucky freaked out, which was more frequently after Zola. He moved the same way in this new body, and definitely appeared to have the same strength.
“You’re…you…” Bucky said slowly. Steve nodded. Bucky turned to Steve’s friends.
“Um…I’m Sam Wilson, and that’s Bruce Banner, and that’s…Tony Potts,” the Sam guy said awkwardly before turning to… “and this is…you.”
His future self stared before he went back to looking at the ground. Bucky continued staring at the man he would become in the future. Dark clothes. Gloves. Bitchy expression that definitely intimidated him.
Bucky turned back to future Steve and stared. What kind of crazy stuff happens in the future?
——
Steve was tapping his leg anxiously on the ground as he stared at a bunch of maps. They were at an allied camp with British soldiers mostly. Or something. Steve was a little too preoccupied with Bucky being missing. The mission was supposed to be simple but obviously that isn’t happening now. Bucky’s missing and Steve’s losing his mind. He hasn’t slept in the two days Bucky’s been gone. Has it been two days? Or three? Or a day and a half? He didn’t know. Bucky was missing and Steve was going to search the entire planet if it meant getting Bucky back in one piece.
Steve tuned out the commotion happening outside as he focused on the maps. He tried to take a few breaths but felt panic, just like he used to feel back before the serum and he had asthma. Of course, that particular thought made him feel so much worse because he was thinking about Bucky again. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes to stop them from watering.
Dugan must have noticed because he not so subtly walked over to the table and put his hand over the map. Steve looked up at his other hand offering a cigarette.
“I’m good,” Steve said tiredly.
“Five minutes, come on,” Dugan said.
“Is that an order?” Steve asked.
Despite the fact that Steve was a Captain and Dugan wasn’t, Dugan nodded. Steve slowly shuffled out of the tent they were in and stumbled on his way out. The exhaustion was kicking in and he could barely focus. He wanted to sleep. But more importantly he wanted Bucky back alive and okay. The Howling Commandos didn’t care about rank, they only cared about trust. And they trusted each other, which is good. Trust goes a long way to begin with, especially knowing that you can trust that your team has your back. And you can trust that your team will help you.
Right now, Dugan, and the entire team, knew Steve wasn’t at 100%, or even 30%. He probably looked awful right now and all he wanted to do was focus on finding Bucky, but his team knew he needed a break and they all smiled as he left the tent.
“We’ll find him. Sarge is…a tough son of a bitch,” Dugan said with a laugh. Steve smiled and rubbed his eyes again.
“What if we don’t find him?” Steve asked miserably. “I…I need him alive. I need him okay and alive and safe and…”
“He’s got you looking for him, and us. And we won’t stop until we find him, no matter how much Philips yells at us,” Dugan said. Steve nodded. “It doesn’t matter if we all go AWOL looking for Barnes. We’ll find him.”
Steve nodded. He took a deep breath and finally managed to notice the fresh air. He’d been stuffed in a tent for hours trying to figure out where Bucky was. And the stuffy air didn’t help his headache at all. Steve went to walk back inside the tent but stopped when he saw a soldier walking over.
“Thank you, Captain America, for saving us,” the private said with a smile. “I hope your friend is okay. He lost his dog tags in all the chaos and I didn’t think he’d get them back, but now we can return them.”
“What man?” Steve asked with a confused expression before the soldier handed him the dog tags. Steve went pale when he saw James Buchanan Barnes written on them.
“What do you mean Cap saved you?” Dugan asked, also seeing the dog tags.
“He saved us a few hours ago,” he said hesitantly. Steve and Dugan stared at each other, knowing that Steve’s been hunched over maps for hours and in the tent. All the Howling Commandos know he was there.
“Where did this happen?” Steve asked anxiously.
“We have a map. Hurry up,” Dugan said as he dragged the soldier into the tent.
“What’s going on?” Falsworth asked.
Steve anxiously watched as the soldier pointed to a section of the woods on the map. He stared and took a few breaths as he tried to process what was going on. Captain America did not save Bucky at all. Because Captain America is him and he’s been here for hours.
“I’m sorry but if you could please let go, I won’t have to have my arm amputated,” the private said nervously as he referred to Dugan still holding him. Dugan let go and the soldier quickly moved towards the edges of the tent to get out of the way.
“Did he find Barnes?” Dernier asked.
“What’s going on?” Morita asked as Steve marked the map with a pencil.
“That wasn’t me,” Steve said numbly as he felt his heart drop. “We’re going, now.”
——
“He’s gotta be lying, right?” Morita asked nervously. Everyone had left a few minutes after the private explained what had happened, and it was definitely suspicious. Now they were in the woods searching for Bucky, and hopefully would find him soon. “I mean…another you? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s gotta be like…another super soldier.”
“The Captain got captured back in April,” Dernier said before everyone got quiet. Steve felt a full body twitch and closed his eyes tightly. It was a taboo topic to talk about when Steve got captured. It had only been for a few hours but Hydra took as much blood as they could during that time, all while the Howling Commandos we’re strapped to gurneys in the room and couldn’t do anything but watch. “Wouldn’t…wouldn’t they possibly be able to make another super soldier after they got your blood? What if they did make another super soldier?”
“And what? Dressed him up like Captain America?” Dugan asked with an annoyed tone. “It doesn’t make sense. Why?”
“It would make Barnes trust him,” Falsworth said hesitantly. “If the man wore a suit like yours, and if Barnes was delirious…he could have faked being Captain America.”
“The private said he was injured. Do we know how bad?” Jones asked.
“Gunshot to the leg he thinks,” Dugan answered.
“Shit,” Morita said. “Let’s hope it didn’t hit an artery or anything important.”
“Bucky’s important!” Steve snapped, causing everyone to get quiet again. He took a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as they continued walking. “Sorry, I just…”
“It’s okay. We’ll get him back. He’s too damn stubborn to…” Morita trailed off.
“He’s too stubborn, he learned it from you,” Dugan said, causing a few snorts from the team. “We’ll find Sarge.”
“We’re gonna figure out who this fake Captain America is,” Falsworth said.
“I have a really bad thought but I don’t think anyone wants to hear me say it,” Gabe said hesitantly.
“Speak your mind,” Steve said.
“Without repercussions?” Gabe asked, meaning will Steve get pissed off or freak out with what he was about to say. Steve nodded and Gabe took a breath. “You said that Johann Schmidt wore a mask that made him look like a real person. And then he ripped that off right in front of you and Bucky.”
Steve coughed and his face twisted in disgust at the memory. The factory and Bucky being strapped to a table and then Schmidt ripping off his face right in front of them wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory to think about. He nodded to Gabe to continue.
“What if it’s Red Skull out here wearing a mask pretending to be you?” Gabe asked, causing everyone to freeze and stare at him. Steve’s eyes were as big as flying saucers and he started shaking. “What if he has a mask that looks like you? What if the fake you is him pretending to be you…to get Barnes back in Hydra’s custody? Because we already know Zola’s obsessed with Bucky.”
“I’m gonna be sick,” Steve said quietly before coughing.
“Woah, Cap,” Dugan said. “Deep breaths. Come on. Breathe, come on, that’s it.”
“Hey, got something,” Gabe said as he adjusted his grip on the gun. Everyone slowly walked over through the trees and saw a few bodies scattered around, along with a truck that was definitely tipped on its side.
“Only a super soldier would be able to do that,” Morita said nervously, referring to the tipped over truck while Dernier said something in French.
“I got a blood trail,” Gabe said, causing everyone to freeze at the sight. The team stared at the snow and the marks where a struggle took place. And drag marks.
“It’s gotta be Bucky’s, right?” Steve asked.
“It’s gotta be,” Falsworth said.
“Let’s follow it. Come on, it’s getting dark,” Steve ordered.
“Barnes you better be okay,” Morita said to himself.
——
“I’m not okay,” Bucky complained as he rubbed his temples.
“Yes you are,” Steve said with an annoyed expression.
“No, I’m not. You’re giving me a headache,” Bucky said. “Time travel is headache inducing.”
Steve rolled his eyes and looked at 1944 Bucky. He smiled as they continued walking through the snow. Thankfully it wasn’t deep so they could get through it relatively fine. But their tracks in the snow definitely wouldn’t be able to be covered up.
“Time travels not that complicated to understand. I could explain it to you if you’d like,” Bruce offered from next to Bucky.
Bruce and Steve were both helping him walk while Tony, Sam and his future self were walking behind them. And it gave Bucky time to analyze the situation and the time travelers.
Bruce Banner seemed like a nice guy. He’s a doctor, which Bucky has a slight problem with, but he seems to know about Bucky being twitchy around him and is being gentle. Bucky appreciates it, more than Bruce would know. He wore all black clothes and a lab coat.
Tony Potts hasn’t talked much but whenever he does talk, he gives off the ‘I’m smart and egotistical’ vibes. He might also be rich too. Some comment was made about ‘wanting to pay the universe to stop hating Barnes’, which caused Steve to snort. His clothes were jeans and a long sleeve shirt, with some weird triangle thing on his chest. He wanted to know what it was. Some piece of future tech or something. What did it do?
Sam Wilson seemed to want to talk a lot and stayed close to his future self. Since they were in the woods with Hydra, it wasn’t a good idea to talk that loudly and that seemed to bother him a little bit. His clothes were all black with some type of pack thing strapped to him. Bucky definitely wanted to know about that device too.
His future self was the most difficult person to think about. The person he would inherently become one day. He seemed tense, which yeah, okay, he had just time traveled and was in the woods with Hydra while his past self was injured so that seemed like a good reason to be tense. And he clung to Sam too, occasionally grabbing his hand. His future self wore all black and some weird…something covered his left arm. And his hair was probably cut recently too.
Steve wore all black, which was so weird but looked good. And the star on his chest was faded. Bucky had asked about that and Steve mentioned ‘stealth suits’ that Tony had been working on since ‘our usual colors aren’t subtle’.
Bucky tuned out here and there but blinked his eyes. Bruce was talking to him. And a normal person would usually respond to being talked to.
“I’m okay…thanks,” Bucky replied to Bruce’s comment about time travel. He knew he wouldn’t be able to understand time travel even if it was explained to him like he was a foreign child. Unfortunately a small part of his brain wanted to know just so he could have a conversation with Howard Stark about this. But his brain was still processing being safe from being stuck in the woods for two days, and then time travelers showing up. Steve being a time traveler was something he was going to need a long time to process.
Bucky yawned and stumbled slightly. Steve tightened his grip.
“You okay?” Steve asked.
Bucky nodded and mumbled some random noise. He was exhausted and still half expecting these time travelers to be hallucinations. He could barely see clearly and wanted to sleep. Bucky didn’t even know where they were taking him but he knew he was too tired to argue.
Steve kept on looking at him. Bucky wasn’t going to pretend that his friend wasn’t worried about him. Bucky had been stumbling the entire walk and was on the verge of being delirious from the blood loss and exhaustion. He leaned against Steve tiredly out of reflex, it being an old habit for years.
“You’re okay, Buck, just keep going this way. We’re almost there,” Steve said.
“Almost where?” Bucky asked.
“You’re not gonna like the answer to that,” Steve admitted.
“Tell me,” Bucky mumbled.
“There’s an empty Hydra base nearby,” Steve said slowly. “And I remember medical supplies being there. You need to be patched up properly.”
“Oh god, now I wish you didn’t tell me,” Bucky complained. He was willingly going to a Hydra base while being delirious and was going to be patched up. Yeah, this day sucked.
“Deep breaths,” Steve reminded him. “You’re okay.”
“Promise?” Bucky asked tiredly.
“Promise,” Steve said.
——
The Hydra base was thankfully abandoned and there were a lot of medical supplies that they left behind. No one cared enough to ask why the supplies were left behind. Maybe they needed to leave in a hurry. Who knows.
Bucky eyed the gurney in the center of the room and felt nauseous at the sight, but he needed his leg to be checked out. He took a few breaths and stumbled over slowly. Steve helped him get settled and grabbed his hand.
“You’re safe,” Steve said.
Bucky looked over at his future self and noticed his own hesitation surrounding the room. It’s interesting to know that even in the future he doesn’t like Hydra medical rooms. Bucky wondered if his future self got better. He had nightmares about Zola but hopefully those would go away, right? He noticed Sam holding Bucky’s hand and decided not to say anything out loud. He himself was holding Steve’s hand to ground him, his future self probably needed someone too.
“Okay, I just need to take a look at the wound. I’m gonna just roll this up,” Bruce said calmly as he gently moved Bucky pant leg and looked at the bandages. “You can look away if you want.”
Bucky took him up on the offer and looked at Steve before freezing. No. He needed to see what Bruce was doing, for his sanity. He turned and noticed the bandages being taken off and Bucky gripped Steve’s hand a little tighter.
He was fine. He was safe. Steve was right here. Granted, it was a time traveling version of Steve from the future and was probably going to be sent back to the future within a few hours but Steve was still here. Bucky made a noise and no one mentioned it, but Steve tightened his grip on Bucky’s hand slightly. Not enough to hurt, just enough to remind him ‘yes I’m here and you’re okay’.
Bruce removed the bandage and Bucky got dizzy. It was getting better, which was good. And Bruce began to explain everything he was doing. Bucky definitely appreciated that. By the time Bruce was finishing bandaging up the wound, his adrenaline rush was fading fast and he was swaying, despite sitting.
“Woah, Bucky,” Steve said as him and the Tony guy gently lowered Bucky back so he was laying on the gurney. Steve quickly adjusted it so he was sitting up and not laying flat on his back.
“Tired,” Bucky mumbled miserably. He blinked his eyes and looked down at his arms. They weren’t restrained. He could move them freely. And Steve was right there.
“Sleep, Buck, you need it,” Steve said with a worried expression.
“No,” Bucky argued. He did not want to fall asleep in a Hydra base while sitting on a gurney.
“But you need it,” Steve argued.
“No I don’t. ‘m fine,” Bucky mumbled.
“Can’t you listen to me for once?” Steve asked exasperatedly. “Sleep or I’ll make it an order.”
“So bossy,” Bucky mumbled before he passed out.
——
It looked like multiple people had taken Bucky. The tracks showed that one of them was injured and being dragged a lot, so that was definitely Bucky. And there were about five people give or take. Two people to drag Bucky and three people who were staying behind them. Steve was losing his mind.
The Howling Commandos hoped that Bucky was okay but it was taking the toll on them. Steve was too out of it to focus, only following the tracks. Everyone was focusing on watching each others backs right now.
“Hold on,” Steve said, holding his hand up. They all froze and he took a breath when he saw what he assumed was a Hydra base. Simple building, not too big but big enough. “No guards out, nothing, looks abandoned.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Morita said, causing everyone to twitch. They were all nervous right now, not just because of Bucky but the fact that there might be another Steve, and that Steve might be Red Skull.
Steve nodded to himself and adjusted his grip on the shield. Everyone looked to him and he nodded again.
“We’re going in together, not being separated at all. Watch each others six. Stay together. I don’t know if there’s any more surprises or…or any fake me’s,” Steve said slowly. “Find Bucky, and get him out of here, that’s the priority.”
“Copy that.”
Steve’s mind was reeling. It had been going crazy since Bucky first got this solo mission and then it just got worse since he was reported missing. And now they were walking into a Hydra base where there was possibly another him waiting, and that other him could be Red Skull.
They approached the building and very quietly walked in. The door wasn’t locked and despite tracking in snow, no one seemed to make too much noise. This place seemed empty. But it was the only lead they had to find Bucky and if this didn’t work…
Steve walked down the hallway and froze at the sound of noise. He went pale when he heard that his own voice was speaking. He had his doubts about a fake him but after hearing his own voice speaking…
“I’m just worried,” he said, and all the Howling Commados seemed to hear Steve’s voice too. So much for the hope that this other Steve was fake and a huge misunderstanding.
“Obviously you’re worried,” another voice said. “Hey, Doctor Turns Green, how is he?”
“He’s been shot and probably hasn’t slept in two days since he’s been in the woods. He’s exhausted, Tony, so he’s asleep,” another person said. Steve felt his heart drop. That has gotta be Bucky. He took a slow breath and prepared himself, as did the Commandos.
“We’re gonna be leaving in a few minutes. What are we gonna do with him?”
Steve and the team quickly came into the room, guns raised, and Steve felt nauseous at the sight of another him. And worse, another Bucky, who immediately stepped in front of some guy. His eyes moved to the Bucky that was currently asleep on a gurney and that was definitely his Bucky.
“Back away from him!” Steve yelled, knowing that they needed these guys alive to explain whatever the fuck was going on. Steve’s copy quickly moved back and stepped in front of the doctor.
“Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot,” the fake Steve said as he raised his hands. “I can explain.”
“Go check on Barnes. We’ll watch them,” Dugan said as they all kept their guns pointed at the group of guys.
Steve quickly moved over and felt Bucky’s face. He looked pale, exhausted and was asleep. But he had a pulse. He was probably dehydrated too.
“Wake up, Buck, come on,” Steve pleaded before Bucky opened his eyes slowly. Steve practically jumped with joy. “Yes! There you are. Are you okay?”
“My head hurts,” Bucky said tiredly. “I thought you’d be gone or something. Thought I made you up.”
“Uh…” the fake Bucky trailed off before Bucky turned to see the Howling Commandos pointing guns at the other guys.
“Don’t shoot them,” Bucky said quickly as he tried to get off the gurney but stumbled. Steve managed to catch him.
“Sarge-” Dugan started with a look that said ‘they’re Hydra and they kidnapped you, dumbass’.
“It’s not what you think,” Bucky said.
“Capsicle here-” one of the guys started. Steve gained a confused look at the nickname and also glared at the fake him. He really did look like him, no wonder Bucky got fooled. The suit was wrong but Bucky looked severely out of it, just like in the factory, so of course Bucky would follow him.
“Shut up!” Steve yelled as he stepped in front of Bucky as a human shield. “Explain, now. Why do you look like me?”
“That’s what I’m trying to explain. We’re-” the man said before they all disappeared from thin air. Steve jumped back, as did all the Commandos.
“What the fuck just happened?!” Dugan yelled while Dernier yelled in French so fast that Gabe wouldn’t even be able to understand it.
“What the hell?!” Morita yelled.
“Aw man, I wanted to know what kind of tech existed in the future,” Bucky complained before resting his head on Steve’s shoulder.
“Huh?” Morita asked as they all turned to Bucky. Steve turned towards Bucky and realized he must be really out of it if he’s talking about…wait, huh?
“They were time travelers,” Bucky mumbled.
“I beg your pardon,” Falsworth said.
——
“I don’t believe it,” Steve said as he paced around the room.
Bucky didn’t want to stay in the Hydra base any longer and the Howling Commandos were more than happy to leave there. Bucky had passed out again at some point and they all brought him back to SSR where he was currently laying on a gurney in medical.
“You already said that,” Bucky said before his eyes flashed to the IV in his arm. He was dehydrated and that would help, but that doesn’t mean he likes the IV.
“You said time travelers, that doesn’t make any sense,” Steve argued.
“Future you didn’t argue with me this much. Maybe you should start being more like him,” Bucky said. Steve squeaked and a few of the team members snickered. “I’m just reporting what they told me.”
“But time travel? Come on,” Steve said.
“He was you, Steve. He moved how you moved. The simple stuff too. And he knew things only you knew. He knew the cat story and how you found out you were allergic to cats. I even asked him why you kept the cat and he said that it was because it reminded him of himself,” Bucky said. Steve flinched. He’d never told anyone that. Ever. Only himself and Bucky knew the cat story. And only he knew why he kept the cat that day. “He said that his Ma had just died and the cat looked like him…tiny, scrawny, and sick. So you wanted someone to take care of it, like you had me taking care of you.”
Steve went pale and turned towards the Howling Commandos. They all stared and really noticed his reaction. They knew it was a real reaction. The team knew it was the truth because of how pale Steve was.
“I even asked him more questions since I was doubtful about time travel,” Bucky said. “He knew about the time you woke up in the middle of the night and tripped over the shield and it hit your knee, and you woke all of us up with your yelling. He knew about the time that you tried to trip me and ended up tripping both of us down the stairs. He knew that we met when we were six. He knew everything, Steve. He was you.”
Steve sat in the chair near the gurney and ran his hand through his hair with a shaky hand. As much as the Howling Commandos know about stories between them, there’s so many stories that only the two of them know. And…if Bucky is saying that the fake Steve mentioned all of this…
“Time travel,” Steve said quietly. Bucky nodded.
“What do we do?” Dugan asked.
“Do we report this or…” Falsworth trailed off.
“I doubt the higher ups are gonna believe in time travel,” Morita said.
“He’s got a point,” Gabe said awkwardly. “They won’t believe in time travel.”
“The official story is gonna be that Bucky went missing and that we went out in search of him. And we found him holed up in an abandoned Hydra base. Understand?” Steve said, giving his ‘Captain America’ look.
Everyone nodded.
“So that was future you, huh? He looked grumpy,” Dugan said, causing Bucky to huff out a laugh.
“You’d be grumpy too if you were living through a time you already lived through,” Bucky commented before getting quiet. “I hope he’s okay though. He just seemed…off. He barely talked.”
“Maybe he was just in a bad mood,” Gabe suggested.
“Something seemed…wrong…different.”
“I mean, people change,” Morita said. “How many years do you think it’s been for them? It couldn’t be that many.”
“Maybe five. Steve and I didn’t look that much older,” Bucky said, Falsworth nodding. “How can someone change so much in just a few years?”
“Let’s hope Hydra isn’t to blame for that,” Morita mumbled to himself.