Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

xviii. 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚎𝚛𝚔

FURY WANTED Evelyn to let the world know she was alive, but he wanted to keep Steve and Evelyn apart for a little while longer. Steve was finally beginning to trust Fury, but he knew the second either one finds out about the other, all trust would be gone. He had recruited Evelyn to S.H.I.E.L.D. during their meeting, and he had even gotten Alexander Pierce's hesitant acceptance to allow her clearance for anything and everything due to S.H.I.E.L.D. being hers. She created everything about S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury gave credit where credit was due.

One of the newest problems Evelyn was facing was rather minute compared to the Mandarin terrorist threat and working with the organization she created. She hated the wardrobe of the twenty-first century.

She was used to wearing skirts and dresses, when she was not on missions. She was used to wearing heels all the time. She was used to never leaving the house in pants or looking unprepared for the day. She still wore skirts, dresses, and heels, but people stared at her more. Evelyn had gotten really good at faking confidence since coming from the ice.

As her heels clicked down the streets of Brooklyn, New York, Evelyn felt her eyes tearing up at how everything had changed. She had made it to where she remembered the road of her old apartment being. It had large houses now in its place, except for one apartment building. A breath of relief left her lips at the sight of it.

Speeding up, she walked up the stairs to the second floor. She slowed down as she neared apartment 204. Evelyn smiled softly as she let her hand brush against the plague.

Home of World War II Hero Evelyn V. Stark.

The plaque was old, and she could see the door's lock broken. No doubt people had broken in before, but she did not care so much. Looking up and down the hallway, she decided to push open the door easily.

Her breathing slowed as she felt she was being too loud. She felt like she had to be quiet as she walked through her home—as she walked through what seemed like a memory.

Dust was everywhere. Cobwebs. The home looked like it was robbed. She was not surprised. As she walked in the kitchen, she saw the vase with dead sticks sitting in water—the last bouquet of flowers Bucky had brought her home. Smiling, she walked into the living room where she could see Bucky and Steve arguing over something.

Like the first time they had met. After Evelyn and Bucky had saved Steve from a bully, Evelyn had offered them to go to her home to clean up.

1937

Evelyn leaned her head back on the wall, seeing the blonde man helped up first. "C'mon, Steve. What'd I tell you about this?" the man asked, wiping Steve's face with his baby blue shirt sleeve, no doubt getting blood on it from Steve's bloody lip. "We're not in high school anymore."

Steve gasped slightly. "I-I had him on the ropes, Buck. H-Help her up," Steve said, pointing to Evelyn as she frowned at the tear in her dress.

Buck turned, eyes widening as if he forgot she was there. "Shit, sorry, doll. Sorry, hi. My name's Bucky... Bucky Barnes, er... here," he stammered, extending his hand for her to take. Evelyn smiled tightly, grabbing his hand as he helped her stand.

Letting his hand go, she tried to smooth out her dress. "Evelyn," she greeted a bit less enthusiastic as she stared at the rip before looking over at Steve for a moment with a small smile. "Evelyn Stark. What exactly were you planning to do, Steve?"

Steve and Bucky's eyes widened at her last name. Steve's face flushed as he wiped at his bloody lip. "I-I uh... I don't—I don't think I—" Bucky smiled and hit Steve's back once with his hand. "I don't like bullies," Steve finally managed to get out. "He was being rude to some girls near the park..."

Evelyn smiled a bit more as she walked forward. Opening her clutch, she grabbed her handkerchief and handed it to him. He looked at it confused. "For your lip," she gestured before backing away and looking at the expensive watch on her wrist. "Well, I'm already late, and I cannot be seen like this. Why don't you boys walk me to my apartment and you can clean up?" she offered, motioning to their equally bruised and bloody knuckles.

Bucky placed a smirk on his face. "Whatever you say, doll."

Evelyn turned and began to walk, smiling to herself as the two men spoke in hushed whispers arguing together behind her until she heard frantic footsteps catching up to the woman. She reached in her clutch to find her compact mirror, opening it to see her reflection—frowning at her smeared lipstick.

"I thought you fancy Starks lived out in Manhattan... hell, I thought you didn't stay in one city for too long," Bucky drawled as he caught her eye in the mirror. She scowled his way before snapping it shut.

"For your information, Bucky, Howard is the one who travels anywhere and everywhere. I have to stay put to keep my own image alive. I have a place here in Brooklyn," Evelyn said as Steve gave Bucky a look. Bucky rose his hands in mock-surrender.

Steve frowned. "You s-said, er... you said you were late for something?"

"I'm not normally late," Evelyn promised, looking at him with a gentle smile. "I had a meeting with Howard and a few others on a secret project," she admitted with a wink that caused Steve to flush further.

As they finally made it to her apartment, she unlocked her door with a sigh. She turned the lights on as she gestured down the hall. "Bathroom is right that way. I have a first aid kit under the sink," she said as she walked to her room, locking the door.

After she changed into a different dress, she opened the door and saw Steve shoving Bucky aside as the larger man tried to clean the smaller one's wound. Steve hated being babied, she could already tell. Smirking at the scene, she watched the pair turn to face her with equal distress on their faces.

"Tell this punk I need to finish his knuckles!" Bucky whined as Steve complained, "Tell this jerk I can get by on my own!"

Evelyn smiled at both of them before saying, "The thing is, Steve, you don't have to with a good friend like Bucky."

Bucky whooped happily before shoving Steve's head to the side as he continued to clean his wounds.

Evelyn wiped a tear before she continued walking to get into her old bedroom. She saw the same scene. Her jewelry box was emptied. Her closet was emptied. She walked to her dresser, grabbing the framed black and white photo of Evelyn and Bucky smiling at a beach. He was grinning so wide, his eyes were crinkled. Evelyn let out a laugh at the photo next to it of Bucky, Steve, and Evelyn standing together with Bucky ruffling Steve's hair. The final photo was of Evelyn and Howard, his arm around his little sister as they both looked so carefree.

"Hey," she whispered to the three men. "I miss you guys."

Grabbing a small bag, she shoved the three photos in it along with anything left over. Notes. Books. Bucky's clothing that was left. She even found a box hidden in her closet with a bunch of Howard's old clothes. She hurried and placed them all in the bag. Sniffing once, she decided she had taken enough. She had to find a new apartment. A new home. She had to move on no matter how much it hurt.

Clutching at her necklace, she sighed. "Let's go, Buck."