Who: Candy and Bucky. What: Christmas shopping mayhem. When: Friday, 12/20. Where: Shoppingy areas! Rating: PG-13 for almost-violence and mention of dream scars. Status: Complete!
It was Bucky’s day off, and he was walking around downtown Irvine doing a little Christmas shopping. It was California chilly, about 55, and he liked the nice wind. He didn’t have too many presents to buy, but Steve and Jeannie were the last ones he hadn’t done yet. They had to be perfect.
As he neared the main shopping area on Sunset, though, he heard yelling. Raising an eyebrow, he rounded the corner and was confronted with a truly huge throng of people holding signs and shouting ‘Think of the animals!’ and ‘Leave sharks alone!’ as well as the old standby ‘Fur is murder!’
Their target seemed to be an upscale ladies’ shop, and Bucky sighed. There were better ways to get your point across than by bothering innocent people. Whatever happened to letter writing campaigns?
Candy was walking by as well, looking to see if she couldn’t find something really fantastic for Remy. Sure, she’d already gotten him a few things, but why not see if she couldn’t snag another?
As she walked along, she saw a group of people chanting and yelling. She stood next to a guy and sighed. “I don’t even know what store they’re picketing, but I probably wouldn’t have shopped there anyway. Fur’s a bit outside of my pay grade,” she quipped.
Bucky heard the girl’s comment and chuckled. “I think it’s one of those animal rights groups,” he said. “Sharkskin bags are apparently a worse problem than war or famine.”
“Oh, that is sad,” she added. “Some shark species are going extinct, it’ll be bad for the oceans in general.” Candy shrugged, then tried to push her way through. “Excuse me, can I get past? Not for this store, for the ones after it.”
“Yeah, but still.” Bucky shrugged. “All these people need better priorities, I think.”
Between his comment and her pushing through the crowd, though, he started to hear more yelling. It would have made him nervous, but then he found he didn’t have time - someone had thrown an egg at the store window. Bucky was engulfed by the crowd before he could blink.
Candy looked to see the guy swallowed up by an angry mob. She saw a rock hurtling toward an intended target of the store window as well as its poor trajectory in the same moment. Its intention and where it was headed were two different things; the guy’s head likely couldn’t withstand the rock’s force without an injury.
So she didn’t think and acted on reflex. First came her feathersteel spell, murmured quick and quiet. Then invisibility, even as she pushed toward the guy. At the last moment, she stood in front of him, making an invisible wall of light around them both even as she rendered him invisible too. “Just stand here quiet for a moment, I’ll get us out in a second.”
Bucky was expecting pain and maybe a fast knock into unconsciousness, not a savior. But when he opened his eyes, he saw what ought to have been impossible - the crowd parting around them with nary a blink. “How ... ” He began to ask, but then heard her admonition and shut up. He could button it if it meant staying safe.
Whispering the spell for a glyph - a magical craft made of light - , they started to rise, still shielded. Once they were above the crowd, she moved them a block or so to the right before letting them down. “Crazy fuckers,” she muttered.
Bucky’s eyes bugged wide. “What the hell!” He didn’t try to get out or something, but well, this was weird. She had to know it was weird. “What is this?”
“Magic, sorry.” Candy snapped her fingers and the light dissipated back out of view. “You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.” He couldn’t help but laugh, dizzy from adrenaline. “That’s ... incredible. I think you saved my life!” It had been about to get real ugly in there.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if something bad goes down and they’re on the news,” Candy shuddered. “Mobs are never good.”
“I’m for animal rights as much as the next guy, but jeesh.” Bucky still looked spooked, and he knew it. “Thanks, really. It just ... all I wanted to do was find presents for my girl and my best friend. You know?” He laughed, then made a face. “Crap. Sorry. My name’s James, but everyone calls me Bucky.”
“My name’s Candy, and I wish I had a nickname.” Candy laughed and offered Bucky her hand. “I was out to see if I could find anything else for the husband and the dog. Maybe the mall really is better.”
“Might be a better idea, yeah.” Bucky made a face, shaking her hand. “Your name’s Candy, really. Don’t hear that one much anymore.” He thought about how to go on. “I’m guessing by the magic that you have weird dreams ... I do, too, and for at least the first part, I’ve been living World War II. Saw a lot of girls named Candy in that time.”
“Yeah, my mom’s stupid that way.” Candy wrinkled her nose. “You dream you’re that far back? That’s ... that’s got to be a rude awakening,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. I always feel bad when I meet another dreamer. The husband, he’s one too.”
“Is he really.” Bucky grimaced. “At least you two understand each other? My girl’s a dreamer, but I don’t think she’s dreamed a lot. It kind of helps both of us that we dream of similar time periods, though.” He chuckled. “Her dreams are in the early ‘50s. So sometimes we say stuff like, she calls me her fella, and I say she’s a swell dame. Cause she is.”
“That’s ... fantastic, actually.” Candy grinned. “And yeah, Remy dreams he’s a superhero, of course.” Candy rolled her eyes. “Dashing, handsome, and a superhero? It’s like the universe just keeps feeding his ego.” She sounded pleased because she was, and the teasing was meant lovingly.
“Yeah?” Bucky laughed. “You ever heard of anyone called Captain America?”
Candy’s eyebrow arched. “Of course.”
“He’s my best friend. In the dreams.” Who knew what this life had in store for Steve, honestly. “I’m his sidekick, and we go around trying to help the war effort.”
“Holy shit,” Candy laughed. “That’s awesome. I love my dreams, but I don’t think anyone from them will show up. And if they do, I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.” Malingo the human would dream he was a fishperson, and she’d just have to avoid anyone named Kaspar or with the last name Motley.
“Oh? Why? The husband get mad?” Bucky had to smile. “I’m sure he’d understand. It isn’t like we’re these people.” At least, he didn’t think so. He didn’t have too much in common with the fresh-faced kid who followed Weird!Steve around.
“Nah, just ... you know how Alice in Wonderland was messed up? My dreams are like that - I go to this magic place of weird things. It’s awesome, but I don’t know how to tell people in my dreams what they are if they’d ask, you know?”
“Yeah, I can understand that.” Bucky stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well. We’re near the mall. Want to go walk around and Christmas shop?”
“Sure. Are you saying you want me to come protect you?” She said it teasingly, knowing he could take care of himself. He had nice arms.
“Hey, I can handle myself.” Bucky made a face, but knew she was teasing. “I can try and help you find something for your husband or something. And I could use a female eye looking for Jeannie’s gift.”
“Of course.” Candy shook her head. “You’d be fine in a fistfight, you just can’t punch rocks. Don’t worry, it’s cool.” She put her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket, pushing open the door.
“Thanks for saving my hide, though. I couldn’t take care of myself there.” Bucky grinned. He fell into step beside her, able to breathe a little easier. “So, how long you been hitched?”
“Since September,” Candy smiled. “Still in the honeymoon phase, but I doubt we’ll ever leave it much. He’s ... “ She shook her head, trying to think of how to describe Remy. “I’ve yet to meet a person who wasn’t nuts about Remy LeBeau.”
“Remy LeBeau? Do people mistake him for Gambit?” Bucky laughed. “Congratulations.”
Candy blinked. “Do you know him?”
“Gambit?” Bucky blinked right back. “He isn’t ... real?”
“That’s what he goes by in his dreams,” Candy murmured. This was weird. “Why?”
“Miss Candy, there’s comic book about Gambit and his friends. The X-Men?” Bucky looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “Are you telling me you’re married to Gambit?”
“What color are his eyes in the dreams?” Candy’s eyes went wide and then she brought up a picture of herself and Remy on her phone. His eyes were visible - red on black - and happy, as were her own blue and browns.
Bucky’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know him in the dreams. I’ve read the comics here.” He took out his phone and went to the comic publisher’s website. Front and center there was an ad for a new issue of the same comic.
Nearly dropping her phone, Candy laughed. “Dear god. His ego will get such boosting.” She shook her head and put her phone back into her pocket. “I don’t know if I should even tell him.”
“Is he some kind of shy guy here?” The idea was laughable, but apparently weirder things had happened.
“Oh, god no, he’s got a good enough ego, but come on, it’s Remy. It can always get bigger,” Candy teased. “I love him so much, though. I think he’d be flattered.”
“I bet. I mean, hell, I would be. But if there’s a comic about Captain America, it doesn’t mention me.” Bucky shrugged. It didn’t matter much to him. “Still. That’s so cool. But what the hell do you get Gambit for Christmas?”
“I got him a rod and some lures - he’s always wanted a boring hobby, and the boy’s Cajun, so you know he’ll be good at fishing. Oooh, maybe some waders? And I was gonna make etouffee for Christmas dinner, that’ll be a gift in and of itself. He almost cried when I deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving.” Candy was a huge fan of lots of little gestures that meant a lot, it was part of how she told Remy she loved him.
Bucky laughed. “Maybe I should find out what Jeannie’s favorite foods are and do that. I don’t know what to get her otherwise. But I’m glad you got your husband taken care of.” Though he wondered what etouffee was.
“Do you have a photo of her? What’s she into?” Candy tucked her hair behind her ears, suddenly taking her job of Helping Out A Friend way more seriously.
“I do have a photo of her.” Bucky went into his phone again and pulled up the picture that Renee had taken of him and Jean at the club. “She’s a really retro type of girl. She dresses for drama - she likes kind of all American stuff, though. Like, our first date was at that diner in the valley.”
“Maybe get her something vintagey? A book about old California or something?” Candy smiled at how happy the two looked and gently cuffed Bucky on the arm. “You’re a sweet guy, I doubt you’ll be able to do too much wrong.”
“It’s not about doing not wrong, though; it’s about doing right.” He wanted to knock Jeannie’s socks off. Really impress her. “A book about old California might be interesting. She likes that kind of vintage, specifically.”
“There’s a lot of them out now, it’s kind of having a revival. I wonder if there’s an actual bookstore here.” Then Candy snapped her fingers. “I got a book at an antique bookseller, let me call and see if he has anything.” She found the number for Ariel’s bookshop on her phone then called.
Bucky watched as she chatted with whomever. “Does he have anything like that? She’s a dancer; she might like stories about actresses, or that kind of thing.”
Candy nodded, hanging up. “He’s got a books from that time period, or you could look for books about actresses that you think she’d like.” She liked that Bucky knew a lot about his girl; it was obvious he was smitten.
“Something actually from that time period would be very good.” Bucky grinned. “I think she’d just love that. You’re great at this, you know!”
“Hey, I never really got Christmas presents as a kid, so I spent time thinking about what people would want.” She gave Bucky a mock salute. “Least I can do for you.”
“You either? I was an orphan.” It wasn’t hard to say; he’d long since made his peace with it. “I was adopted along with my sister when I was seven, so when I was small I didn’t have too many presents to give.”
“I wish I’d been. Let me put it this way - my dad just got put in jail for trying to bring me back home with a gun. I’m twenty. So he’s ... yeah.” Candy laughed, feeling bad that she’d brought up her shit with a guy who didn’t deserve it. “Does your sister live around here?”
“Jesus.” Bucky stared. “I’m glad he’s in jail. And my sister lives up in Frisco, so not too far.” He’d probably go back up for the holiday, if only for a while.
“You should see her!” Candy smiled brightly, liking the idea of people being happy at the holidays with their family. That’s what she had Remy for.
“I just might. Hey, maybe I could bring Jeannie. But I don’t know, that isn’t much of a present, is it. ‘Hey, meet your fella’s family, never mind the nerves!’” Bucky shook his head.
“You don’t know girls that well. Taking a girl home to meet the family means she’s not a fly by night thing, and that she’s in, so to speak. She’d like it.” Candy smiled broadly. “Trust me. I cried when Remy introduced me to the nuns who raised him.”
“Well, I’d just take her to meet my sister,” Bucky demurred. “My parents, that’s maybe a little early yet. Even if I’m just adopted.”
“See? Considerate.” Candy beamed and cuffed him gently on the arm. “She’s lucky she’s got you.”
Candy beamed. “C’mon, want to go to that bookshop?”
“Yeah, okay.” Bucky smiled, trying to shake it off. “Thanks. Really. A lot. And um. Could you maybe. Tell your husband he has a fan? If it isn’t ... like. Stupid?”
“That’s not stupid, and he’ll be thrilled to bits. Come on, I’ll fly us over.” Candy chuckled, tying her hair back.
“Same way we came here, unless you have a car or something.” Candy had stopped driving a while ago.
“Oh. Okay.” Coming here had been a blur, frankly, but he wasn’t dead yet, so he might just risk it.
Leading him back outside the mall, Candy made them invisible once more, summoning another glyph underneath them shortly after. “It’s weird, it’s like I was always able to do this. It’s like tying my shoes at this point.”
“Really?” Bucky sounded interested, which he was. He did his best to act natural; he didn’t want to be a wimp. She was doing him a favor.
“Yeah, in my dreams it’s like that too. Do you do anything interesting in your dreams, besides being a soldier, which is already awesome?” She tried not to go too high, so he wouldn’t be upset.
“Not yet, unfortunately.” Bucky smiled, and for the most part, he was actually okay, though he clung on to the door handle for dear life. “But I don’t know, there’s good and bad about being a soldier. Last dream I had, Cap and me are hauling ass out of a German prison.”
“Jesus fuck,” Candy muttered. She didn’t like that idea at all, and she shook her head. “Of course, the last dream I had I was hauling ass off of an island with a few thousand other people marked for death.” Mater Motley was just rounding them up and letting long-slumbering gods devour them.
“Oh, nice.” Bucky laughed, not entirely amused. “Sounds like your dreams have a dark side.”
“Yeah, they do, but I’m there too. I like that I keep fighting, no matter what.” In any universe, Candy Francesca Quackenbush was a scrapper, hard to keep down.
“It’s a good quality. I hope I keep fighting.” Bucky wasn’t sure what he’d do if he died or something in his dreams. He had to ask. “Have you ever gotten hurt in your dreams? I’m starting to wonder what’ll happen if I buy the farm or get shot.”
“That’s all you can do, right?” Candy heard his question and sighed, shrugging off her jacket. “Yeah. Someone tried to kill me with magic, woke up with these.” She showed him the scars that wound over her clavicle and down her arms like hungry snakes, twining around her wrists. “You might wake up with scars, or some people get the wound. Either way, it’s ... shitty.”
“Yeah?” Bucky looked worried now. “But you don’t bite it? Or at least, you never heard of anybody biting it?” He obviously didn’t want to die. He had a whole lot to live for.
“I’ve heard of a lot of people dying in their dreams, but nobody dying in their waking life because of it. You’ll be fine.” She squeezed his arm reassuringly. It also helped to distract him from their descent.
He did notice it, but he wasn’t quite as freaked out as he could have been. He was too busy being relieved. “I’m glad for that. If only because I think Jeannie might be upset.” Especially around the holidays. How dare he die at that time.
“Not to mention you,” Candy chuckled. “Nope, I haven’t heard of anyone dying in real life from their dreams. Lots of people wouldn’t be here then. You’ll be fine.” She stood up, letting the glyph dissipate once Bucky was out as well. “Come on, less sad. You’ve got a really hot girlfriend to shop for.”
“Ain’t it the truth.” Bucky smiled, offering her his arm as they headed for the main street and the entrance.