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After Wanda died, Pietro had been a mess.
Pietro saved Clint and a little boy, but it was close. And even though the Maximoff boy was new and on the other side for most of the battle, no one wanted him dead. He was an important addition to the team, as speed could be very valuable. It was very lucky when it was found out he was only shot in the leg and arm, nothing that couldn't be fixed with Dr. Cho's help.
Everyone besides the flying heroes was on the Helicarrier and away from the danger. All except Wanda Maximoff, she was guarding in the church. And once Sokovia started to fall, she went to go see Ultron. She wanted to get revenge and see him die. He hurt her and Pietro, and she would not allow him to get away with it.
"Wanda, if you stay here, you'll die," Ultron warned her.
"Do you know how it will feel?" Wanda asked Ultron, and before he could respond, her hand jolted forward and pulled his heart out. "Like that."
Ultron groaned and laughed. "You missed," He told her, and she looked down. She didn't grab his heart; she grabbed a bomb that was inside of him; it activated once it was outside of his body.
You would never forget Pietro's scream when he saw an explosion and Vision flying out with Wanda in his arms.
He had lost a piece of himself, his best friend, the person who was always by his side. He didn't know how to cope with it, as it all hurt so much. He would just fight and scream and hit, and he was never able to get her out of his head.
"Hey," Pietro walked up to you on the six-month anniversary of Wanda's death. Besides Wanda, you were the one person he trusted the most, and the person he became friends with.
"Hey, Piet, how are you?" You asked him, carefully asking and trying to make sure he wouldn't break down.
Pietro sat down next to you, tear-stained cheeks and all. "I need your help, and I need you not to tell anyone," He started, and you nodded to let him continue on. "We're going back in time to the Battle of Sokovia. When we go there, there will be two of us. I will be injured, but time travel me will be perfectly okay, and I can run to save Wanda. You will be looking after Sokovians, but time travel, you will make sure no one else knows there's two of you and me. Can you help?" Pietro spit out.
You took a deep breath. "Pietro, time travel isn't real."
"Yes, it is! I ran fast enough and re-lived yesterday. I just have to run faster, longer, and we can save her. Everything would be so much better with her here," Pietro tried to get you on board, and you couldn't say no. Wanda was your friend, too, and you know how much she would help.
"One shot, Maximoff."
---
It was most definitely not six months ago. Time travel is not an exact science, and not having Tony or Bruce helping you also added to the reason why something was wrong. You knew you weren't in the right year, but what year was it?
It was obvious you and Pietro both stood out. Hiding behind buildings, everything looked kind of washed out. You were wearing bright colors, and Pietro had his speed suit on; it wouldn't be hard to pick you two out in the crowd.
"Are you not from around here?" A woman's voice walked up to the two of you.
You turned around and almost gasped at who it was. You had never met her, but you knew millions of stories about her. "Actually, yes, we're from pretty far away," You started, "Do you know a place where we can get extra clothes and fit in more?"
Peggy Carter gave you a small smile. "I do happen to know of a place. Follow me," She led you out of the alley to a store. "Where are you from?"
"Much farther than you've traveled, I'm sure," Pietro answered for you.
Peggy nodded. "I'm (Y/N), this is Pietro," You introduced for both of you. Peggy did the same and told you her name as she helped you find clothes to fit in. You found a newspaper sitting on the counter of the store, and the headline was about the second World War. "Piet," You called him over and pointed at the headline, "We have to get back; we can't change anything."
"So it is possible," Peggy whispered as she listened to your conversation. She had been working with Howard for the past few weeks trying to discover things about time travel, but until earlier today, they had no signs of it ever working. They did, however, pick up an unknown force entering this world. And when she found you and your friend, she knew there was some discovery made. But you were right; you had to get back, and with making as little change as possible. Who knows what could happen if you messed up one event? Germany could win.
"I don't think I have enough energy to get back to the right time. We can't mess up again; we just need to back and not touch anything," Pietro whispered back. It was weird to see him in such old clothes, but it was the best way to ensure that no one asked any questions.
But you had no idea how long it would take for Pietro to speed both of you back; if only you had Tony Stark's help.
You noticed Peggy Carter making notes about you and Pietro, and you knew you needed to leave. You needed to find a place where you and Pietro could hide out and blend in with the crowd where no one would bother you, or you could hurt anything.
Yet, somehow, you ended up at a presentation for a new invention that would change the world entirely. It didn't, as you had never heard of what was being presented.
"And now, for the main attraction, Howard Stark!" The presenter introduced, music played, and girls came out dancing. You gave Pietro a quick look, impressed that you were seeing Tony's father back in his glory days.
You would not have expected for there to be prototypes of flying cars back in the 1940s. But this was Howard Stark; he went above and beyond just like Tony did. You knew you couldn't stick around for much longer; what would happen if he saw you?
So you grabbed Pietro and started to walk away to get to someplace with a lot less crowd. But instead of making it out unnoticed, you ran into a man. "I'm so sorry!" You yelped at the man who was shorter than you. You almost gasped when you saw his face- but forced yourself to stay quiet. How was it that your luck was causing you to run into everyone that could affect your life in the future?
"It's okay, just watch where you're going. You know how people are," The small man with Steve Rogers' face nodded towards you.
You apologized again, and Pietro didn't stop staring. "Uh, is he okay?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just sick," Pietro spoke with his accent.
"Sick in the head," You rolled your eyes. "We should really be going. I'm sorry again-"
"Hey, punk, who's your lady friend?" A taller man, who you also recognized, grabbed onto Steve's shoulders, smiling at you.
Steve rolled his eyes. "She's not my lady friend. Don't you have girls meeting you here?" Steve asked, and you looked to Pietro for a way to escape.
Bucky Barnes shrugged. "They bailed last second," He turned to you, "So, looks like I'm free for the evening. Would you like to go dancing with me, miss..." He paused, not knowing your name.
You supplied your name for him, offering a smile. "But I can't tonight. I'm sorry, I have to work a few things out. I'm really busy," You lied, trying to get out of this conversation as quickly as you could. Bucky was now a part of the Avengers, and everything could change by just a few hours together. But when you thought about it, maybe it wouldn't affect anything. Steve had told you about this night before, the night Howard presented the Hover Car. Bucky went off with girls to go dancing, and Steve found himself trying to get in the war again. But if Bucky was here with no girls, would that affect the future?
Bucky frowned. "Awe, come on, doll. One night won't hurt you!" He grabbed your hand, his eyes pleading.
"I don't know..." You whispered and turned your head away.
You could almost hear Pietro telling you to go with him. When Bucky looked to say a few things to Steve, Pietro talked to you. "I have an idea, but I can do it alone. You know how this night goes: Bucky goes out with the girls; there aren't girls here. You need to go with him; then Steve will break off and go to the war again. I have my energy and time problems covered. Just be careful."
Bucky grabbed your hand, stealing your attention, and placed a kiss on your knuckles. You silently rolled your eyes. "Fine, I'll go dancing with you," You gave in.
"Great," Bucky smiled and swiftly pulled you closer, his arm now resting on your shoulder. The four of you watched the rest of Howard's presentation, and you could tell Bucky was trying to hit on you. But you knew what would happen, and it was very hard to keep quiet about the events. He was one of your close friends on your correct timeline; you couldn't let anything change that.
Pietro snuck off after the presentation, and no matter how hard Bucky tried to get Steve to go dancing with you, Steve refused. At least one thing would go right; Steve was safe now.
You reluctantly followed Bucky to where he was taking you to go dancing. He seemed excited, and this was a side of Bucky you had never seen before. He seemed genuinely happy and without a care in the world. He had both of his arms, and nothing seemed to phase him. He was also a total flirt, and he knew he was good-looking.
While you admired Bucky and his old ways, Pietro was approached by one of the biggest names around. "Peggy Carter told me she met you. Can we have a talk? I want to help," Howard Stark had said when he found the silver-haired boy.
"Uh, well, I couldn't say no to you, Mr. Stark!" Pietro stammered out, not sure how to interact with him and keep everything the same. He followed Howard to his car, and they were taken to a large building and went downstairs, leading into a lab filled with advanced technology. Pietro was scared things would change, but if he didn't go with him, it could make matters worse.
"So, Mr. Maximoff," Howard started, "I'm interested in where you're from."
"It's really not that inter-"
"My team and I have been trying to figure out this type of science for years. We have a program set up to tell us when there are unknown forces nearby, and when an interruption came in this morning, we tried to find out where it came from. It said it was from the year 2017," Howard talked on.
Pietro coughed, not sure how to respond. "O-oh, really? That's interesting-"
"How did you do it?" Peggy walked up behind Pietro, a big smile on her face.
Pietro kept his mouth shut. "I can't tell you guys. You need to stop researching it, please. I need to make sure nothing else changes, so when I do go back, it stays the same way. I know after a while, you guys did give up on it. Please, just focus on the war; everything would be so much better that way."
Peggy's jaw dropped, and Howard nodded slightly. "You're a smart boy," Howard complimented. "Do you need any parts or something to help get you and your friend back? It's probably best if you leave, just to keep everything safe."
The speedster looked around the room and back to the two standing in front of him. "I need food to regain my energy and a place where we can work it out tonight."
Howard turned to the stunned Peggy, and they exchanged a nod. "I think we can do that."
---
You were having a better time dancing than you ever imagined you could. You thought it would be hard for you to keep quiet around Bucky, but he was so different than how you knew him that it was like he was an entirely new person, which made it easier.
It was interesting for you to see this side of Bucky. His flirting was smooth and cute, his moves were swift, and his voice didn't sound broken.
Time quickly passed, and you had to say goodbye to 1940s Bucky Barnes. "Will I see you again?" Bucky asked as he walked you out.
You shrugged. "Hopefully."
"Then I bid you goodbye, Miss," Bucky said quietly and leaned in to press a soft kiss to your lips.
You shook the kiss off and said your last goodbye to him until seventy years passed. Pietro had managed to get a message to you, so you knew where to meet him.
You were only stuck in the past for a day, but it felt much longer. Being scared not to change anything definitely made everything harder, but it wasn't the hardest task once everyone was set on their original path. You just wanted to get back to the future to see if somehow the things you did today affected the life of Wanda Maximoff, or anyone else you met.
Getting to Pietro was the easy part. What was difficult was believing that Pietro had everything under control and he knew what he was doing. You had to put faith in him, and you needed to get back home. So, you grabbed Pietro's hand, and he ran back and forth around the spot he was given to conduct this experiment.
You closed your eyes as tight as you could, worried about what the outcome could be. Pietro swore to you he had figured it all out, and he promised he would be able to get the two of you back to the right time and spot if he did everything he tested. He was confident in himself, and without letting him know, you were still worried.
You felt Pietro stop, and you slowly opened your eyes. You also let go of his hand when you saw that you were in the room the two of you left. "Y-You did it!" You hugged Pietro.
"I wonder if anything changed..." Pietro let go of you and looked around. There was barely any time for another word as your names were being shouted down the hallway.
"I forgot that was today!" You heard Steve's voice. At least he was still here, and he was safe. And a second later, Steve and Tony were standing at the door. "Welcome back," Steve offered a smile to both of you.
"I-is Wanda back?" Pietro stuttered out.
"Wanda?" Tony asked, looking at Steve, "Who's Wanda?"
Pietro gasped, tears in his eyes. "My sister?"
Steve put a hand on Pietro's shoulder. "Pietro, you're an only child. You don't have a sister."
Pietro fell to the floor, and there was no stopping him. "Instead of saving her, I made it so she never existed? Why did I think that would work?" Pietro shouted, and before he could say another word, he ran out of the room. Tony ran after him. In this timeline, you found out he and Tony are best friends.
"I wonder if anything else is-" Before you could even finish your sentence, you heard your name being called from down the hall.
You jumped when Bucky entered the door. You quickly noticed the differences; he had both arms, his hair was cut short, and there was a big smile taking over his face. Bucky walked up to you and grabbed your hand, placing a kiss on your knuckles, and he pulled you into a tight hug. "I forgot today was the day we met, doll! I'm glad you made it back okay, and that everything seems to be all right!" Bucky told you. "I don't think I could survive without you."
You stopped moving, not sure how to react to this Bucky that was so like the one you danced with just previously. "Are you alright, love?"
In this timeline, you and Bucky were a couple. It was something you had thought about before, and he seemed really happy about it. He was smiling, and he sounded and looked like he did when you two went dancing; it was almost as if HYDRA didn't happen. (Of course, it did, that's how he's here, but it was like he forgot about it and didn't let it affect him.)
"Oh, yes, I probably just need some rest," You told Bucky, and he nodded, understanding. You needed some sleep after all that time traveling. You needed to rest up, and think about all the different things that could affect your life; you needed to sleep on it.