Out of time

[stephrogers]

She was getting scared. She was supposed to be back at the orphanage hours ago but a weird thunderstorm kicked up. Lightning streaked across the sky as the eight year old girl tried to make a run for it. Rain hadn't come down yet. But the winds were blowing every which way and she heard the rumble. She really hoped she made it back home before it really began to pour.

Comments

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"Aside from the heart defect, I mean. There's doctors for that. And I'd tell the truth if I were in your position too. If they don't want to adopt you because of that, then they're the broken ones," she replied. "Oh, hang on, let me get you soup or something. You must be hungry."

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Cardiac science is in its infancy. There isn't much that can be done. And I don't blame anyone for not wanting a defective kid." He sighed, squirming in his bed. "You don't have to get me soup. You're not my maid or something, Stephanie."

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"I'm not but you seem a little...scared. And soup always makes me not scared. I think it's because they make it like my mom used to make it," she explained.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"I don't suppose they have anything my mom used to make, like halo-halo or sinigang or Bún bò Huế? Wait, let me answer my own question, of course they don't." He facepalmed, the slap audible. "I don't need soup, I need to figure out how I got here. No offense meant, but I'm pretty sure soup isn't going to solve that."

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

She furrowed her brow and bit her lip. "Well, what happened before you ended up here?"

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure." Which is, worryingly, kind of true. There'd been machinery and JARVIS' voice and then light and... all the details are a blur.

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"Well, you can stay here until you figure it out," she offered. "I mean, if the Sisters are okay with it. But they're nice. Mostly. Mother Superior is nice."

Bucky peered from outside the room. "Hey Steph, the guys are gonna go play stickball, you want to come?"

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"What's stickball?" Tony asks, completely seriously.

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"It's like baseball except we don't have bats...or...bases..." Steph explained with a smile. "So we make do with what we have. You wanna play?"

"He's not invited," came Bucky's quick reply accompanied with a glare.

"Bucky," came Steph's warning tone. "Maybe he wants to play. If he does, he can take my place."

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Can I watch?" Tony asked, momentarily acting his age. "Please? I'll be quiet."

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"No," came Bucky's immediate answer.

Steph looked over at him and stuck out her bottom lip. "Please, Bucky?"

"...I hate it when you do that," came his gruff reply. "Okay, he can watch. But he's your responsibility. Like a dog or cat or something."

Steph beamed and waved for Tony to follow them.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Yes! Your boyfriend is awesome," Tony informs Stephanie, gleefully ignoring the pain of his sprained ankle to follow them. "I think I'm more of a ferret than a dog or a cat, though."

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

"He's not my boyfriend. He's...Bucky." She shrugged. The boys all lined up to play and Steph was up to bat.

"MOVE IN! ROGERS IS AT THE BAT!" shouted one of the boys.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Stephanie! Kick his ass!" Tony shouted helpfully. "He'll never know love and die old and alone in a ditch!" This is Tony being encouraging.

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

The pitch.

Steph stepped into the swing and swung with all her might, sending it flying between second and third base (trash can lids.) She started running for first base.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

Tony whistles and claps, yelling out something in his limited Portuguese about 'the revolution', mostly for his own amusement's sake.

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

She rounded second but she started to gasp as she made her way to third and ran as fast as she could toward home. But there's a look of panic on her face. She started coughing violently and fell over. Steph kept trying to get to home base even as her face turned red and she started gasping.

"Aw, not again!" shouted the first baseman.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

Tony shouted something that was probably not G-rated as he immediately moved towards Stephanie, Bucky darting ahead. Looks of panic were on both their faces.

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

Bucky was immediately by her side, helping her up. Steph was still gasping, trying ot breathe. "C'mon, Steph, let's go." The older boy hauled the girl on his back. "Looks like you're gonna take her place, Tony."

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Awesome. This will be a disaster." He shrugged flippantly. "Bucky, are you sure she's going to be okay? I could care less about a game compared to a person."

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

Steph began to cough and gasp violently. Bucky's face showed fear as he just began to run for the hospital.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Oh, screw this game and everyone in it." And he chased after Bucky, terrified suddenly even though he knew logically she should live. "Bucky, if you held her upright instead of over your back her airways would be clearer!"

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

Bucky only stopped to fix her on his back. Except she wasn't moving. She'd become a dead weight on his back. "Shit," Bucky cursed. "Shit, shit, shit." He ran faster until they could get into the emergency room.

[spark-of-power.livejournal.com]

"Fuck. Why did you let her play if she gets like this? For the love of God, man!" Tony snaps, clearly hating every second of this. If only he had his lab...

[msrogers.livejournal.com]

Bucky managed to get Steph to a doctor because she wasn't moving. he was pacing in the waiting room. "You think I like seeing her like this?! I promised her mom that I wouldn't let her get hurt! But no. Stupid girls being stubborn."