Chapter 02: First Meeting

As Steve looks around for the mysterious woman, the girls squealed, urging Bucky to Stark Stage. A crowd gathers by the stage. Steve gave up finding the woman in the crowd and thought she probably already have a lover. So he just decided to buy peanuts and followed the two girls and Bucky as they get close to the stage.

On the stage, a dashing Howard Stark stands with a 1942 Cadillac. The girls giggle, smitten. While Howard Stark started speaking, Steve offers Bonnie a peanut. She looks at them with scorn. He slowly took back his arm, defeated. He scans the crowd again and when his head turned to his right, he was pleasantly surprised to see the woman in white before beside him. When the woman felt someone staring at her, she slowly turned her head at her left side and saw the frail-looking man before at the entrance.

"You know, it's rude to stare." The woman said, amused.

Steve was snapped back to reality, realizing that he was staring for far too long. A blush crept up to his cheeks and stuttered an apology. "I-I ap-apologize. Um...pe-peanut?"

"You're cute." The woman giggled. "Don't worry, it's ok." Then she looked at her watch. Seeing that it's almost time for her appointment. "I'm sorry, but I have to go and attend an important meeting. My name's Yumhee Sakura and you are?" She extends her right hand to Steve.

After a few seconds, Steve shook his shock away and introduced himself to the first ever girl he actually talked to. "I'm Steve. Steven Grant Rogers." Then he shaked her hand.

"Well, it's nice meeting you Mr. Rogers. I hope to see you around." Yumhee leaned forward and kissed Steve on his right cheek. After that she walks away.

Steven was shocked frozen in place. He slowly lifted his right hand to his right cheek while his blush spread from his face to his neck, a small smile forming in his lips. He was again snapped back from zoning out when a pop and an explosion was heard from the stage and then the car slams to the floor.

"I did say a few years, didn't I?" Stark nervously laughed. The audience clapped. As Bonnie swoons over Howard, Steve looks around, sheepish. Then he spots something in the distance and started to make his way over there.

Bucky wraps his arm around Connie and said "Hey, Steve. What do you say we treat these ladies—" He stopped talking when he saw that Steve was gone.

While Bucky is looking for his friend, Steve already arrived at the recruitment center. While roaming around, he saw a burly man stand in front of a mirror. He looks big and heroic in a uniform. When the man left, Steve also stepped up. In the mirror, he now wears a G.I. uniform but his dissapointed eyes barely see over the collar. Just then, Bucky clamps a hand on his shoulder.

"You're kind of missing the point of a "double date". Come on, we're gonna get a chocolate soda." Bucky said.

Steve replied, unenthusiastic, "You go ahead."

Nearby, a tired-looking man in his mid-50s together with Yumhee, were listening in on the argument.

Bucky eyes the recruitment signs and exasperatedly asked "You're really gonna do this now?"

"It's a fair. I'm gonna try my luck." Steve replied.

"As who? "Steve from Ohio"? They'll catch you. Or worse, they'll actually take you." Bucky is starting to get annoyed at Steve's stubbornness.

Steve looks at Bucky with a grim smile of dissapointment. "You don't think I can do it."

"This isn't some back alley, Steve. It's a war. Why are you so keen to fight? There're lots of other important jobs—" Bucky started to say but Steve cut him off.

"You want me to sit in a factory? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon while the men are laying down their lives? I can do as well as them and I got no right to do any less." Steve said seriously and determinedly. "That's the thing you don't get, Bucky. It's not about me."

Bucky sarcastically replied "Right. 'Cause you've got nothing to prove." He admits that he doesn't really understand what Steve's point is. Yes, he's worried for his bestfriend. His already a part of his family, a brother. But that's not his reason at all for discouraging him in becoming a soldier. I know that it is important that everyone helps in the war against Hitler but that doesn't mean that the only thing everyone can do is to lay down their lives for the war. I'm not against him helping with the war but he needs to use his brain and think carefully about how he can actually help in the best way possible while considering all his capabilities. He needs to start being realistic.

A tense beat passes between them until they heard Connie "Hey Sarge! We getting sodas?"

"Yeah. We are." Bucky shouted back. Annoyed, he started walking back to Connie. Then he stops, torn. Finally, he turns back to Steve. "Promise me you won't do anything too stupid before I get back."

Steve saw the genuine concern from his friend and replied "I can't. You're taking all the stupid with you."

Bucky smiled a little and shouted while leaving "You're a punk!"

Steve shouted back "You're a jerk!" Bucky turns and waves for the last time. Steve shouted back again to him "Don't win the war till I get there!"

Inside, where the two eavesdroppers were hiding, the man looked at Yumhee meaningfully.

"Do you like my choice Abraham?" Yumhee said while giggling.

Dr. Erskine raised an eyebrow then asked "How do you find these people?" Yumhee just smiled at him. "Anyway, I'm actually curious how he was able to try a lot of times without—" Dr. Erskine stopped and then stared at Yumhee for a while. "You didn't?" Dr. Erskine asked, deadpan. Yumhee only smiled again at him.