Late At Night,
"WELCOME TO THE LUCKY CORP EXPO!" Ricky roared, spreading out his arms as fireworks suddenly flew into the air.
BOOM
BOOM
Colors burst through the skies like electric veins across the night, beams of light carving through the dark clouds in criss-crossed patterns.
The crowd, packed together shoulder to shoulder, couldn't help but stare upward, their awe painted across every upturned face.
They looked up at him, literally, this entire portion of the venue built for that sole purpose.
Engineered so that every gaze had no choice but to rise to Ricky, as if the architecture itself conspired to frame his brilliance.
The man half the majority hated and only the minority adored.
The one they whispered about in boardrooms, cursed out in bars, and idolized in children's games.
Ricky Luciano.
A man people wanted to see soar to impossible heights, then crash just as quickly.
And today, today was the day Lucky Corp promised the world would change.
Today was the day he dangled possibility in front of them like a match over gasoline.
They wanted to see everything.
They wanted to see what kind of miracle he planned to unveil.
They wanted to see if the man who'd clawed his way from the gutter to the glass tower would slip, just this once.
But above all else.
They wanted to see whether Ricky would open those doors and reshape the future, or burn it down before their eyes.
"NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, COME IN!" Ricky bellowed, his voice rolling over the crowd like a commandment written in thunder.
And for a moment, just a moment, he really did look like some twisted Willy Wonka.
Not the whimsical chocolatier with candy in his pockets.
Ricky stood there like the Caesar of a new era, a man inviting the masses into a factory of impossible dreams and dangerous curiosities.
A man whose golden ticket didn't promise sweetness, but power
The crowd surged forward, pulled by excitement, envy, fear, and every emotion he wanted simmering in them.
However, this was the moment the crowd divided.
One half streamed into the venue, crowding in front of the double doors as the guards worked to clear them in groups.
The other remained rooted in place around Ricky.
Reporters in pressed suits pushing in with notepads and flashbulb cameras, mutants watched him with awe and excitement, and suspicious citizens glared as if his very breath offended them.
"WHAT ABOUT THE OLYMPICS!" A reporter finally cracked, the question bursting out like they'd been holding it in all morning.
"Alright, alright, I guess I made ya'll wait-"
"WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY PHYSICAL SPORT!" Another reporter yelled, his voice cracking from the week he had spent chasing every scrap of information.
"I'm talkin' about the events that rely on sheer muscle. You know like throwin' sh*t and liftin' things-"
"BUT ISN'T EVERY EVENT IN THE OLYMPICS A PHYSICAL SPORT?!" A third reporter fired back, desperation and confusion mixing into his tone.
"ARE WE MISSIN' SOME FUNDAMENTAL POINT HERE? PLEASE, CLARIFY!" The previous reporters asked, trying to get any sort of clarification to write him in a bad light.
"Can I at least answer your questions before I'm interrupted?" Ricky joked, spreading his arms toward the crowd of reporters with only the mutants giving him a chuckle.
The reporters, by contrast, didn't dare laugh.
Instead, they nodded before shutting their mouths and lifting their notepads, an intensity burning in every single one of their gazes.
"Alright, to answer your question, the one you've all been dying to know." Ricky laughed, purposely stringing it along as the reporters rolled their eyes.
"The answer to whether or not I'm going to join the Olympics, the very reason you all swarmed here today." Ricky continued, reveling in their impatient expressions.
"Will be answered after I thank someone."
SIGH
At that, a collective sigh drifted out of the crowd, uniting their segregated groups in a single, shared annoyance with his antics.
By now it was almost expected for Ricky to slip in one more pause, one more detour, and one more unnecessary thing just to mess with them.
However, after making these reporters wait long enough, Ricky cleared his throat.
Ahem
In truth, he had an entire speech planned out.
One he had been polishing for weeks, having not only written it himself, but actively sought out Lucky and Merlyn to help rewrite entire sections.
Ricky was ready, he wanted this moment.
So much so that he even practiced in the mirror, perfected his posture, and worked on the cadence to deliver every single line.
"I-"
"IS THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!"
The shout ripped through the crowd, slicing straight across his perfectly rehearsed entry.
Because even Ricky Luciano had his moments spoiled by someone else.
Which, in an ironic way, was karma doing what karma does best: showing up uninvited, loud, and at the worst possible time.
Ricky's toothy smile, the one spread across his face in pure excitement, slowly collapsed into a hateful grin as a limousine with two tiny American flags rolled into view before the red carpet he'd personally ordered to be laid out.
'That motherf*cker.' Ricky thought, his eyes lifting ever so slightly as the two cars flanking the limousine funneled out with Secret Service agents who sprinted to open the doors for their passengers.
It was then that the carefully structured speech he'd prepared was promptly hurled out of his mind, his green eyes glowing faintly as he shifted into the one thing he did better than anyone else, improvising.
RIP
"I WANT TO THANK THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR BEING MY HONORARY GUEST ON THIS SPECIAL NIGHT!" Ricky roared, spreading out his hands just as the door opened and the president stepped out of the car.
Behind him, Shadow Broker dramatically tore a piece of paper in half, selling the illusion perfectly as the reporters' eyes all widened at once.
"BECAUSE HOW COULD I EVER START THIS OCCASION WITHOUT THE MAN WHO SUPPORTS ME IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!" Ricky laughed, gesturing toward Roosevelt, who slowly turned his blue eyes toward him.
RIP
Then, the reporters who had come for a simple yes or no, were immediately floored by this turn of events.
It was almost akin to a revelation, Shadow Broker stirring their minds as they unconsciously began piecing together just how close these two seemed to be.
The crowd seemed to split even further as half of the reporters lunged toward the President, flashes firing as he moved to escort his First Lady.
Ricky, on the other hand, laughed and waved at Roosevelt, clearly underestimating the audacity of the man who led the United States of America.
Slowly, both of them walked down the red carpet, eyes locked on each other, the fakest smiles pasted across their faces.
"Mr. President, it took you long enough!" Ricky laughed, grabbing Roosevelt's outstretched hand before sliding his other hand onto his arm, squeezing tightly.
"Would've been here sooner, but the traffic was unbearable!" Roosevelt laughed back, perfectly matching Ricky's fake enthusiasm.
"MR. LUCIANO! MR. PRESIDENT! OVER HERE!" the reporters screamed at the top of their lungs, practically foaming at the mouth over this sudden, irresistible story.
"PLEASE, JUST ONE GLANCE, JUST ONE!"
"LOOK RIGHT HERE, I'M BEGGING YA!"
To quell the screams, they both turned their fake, toothy smiles toward the sea of cameras, holding their handshake steady so the reporters could fire off as many shots as they needed to cement the illusion.
"It's crazy, 'cause even after doing all of this, I'll still get my merger." Ricky whispered, not moving his lips or teeth, his voice dropping to a perfect murmur only Roosevelt could hear.
"Oh, Ricky, this is my country." Roosevelt replied, slipping in his own threat as he nodded toward a camera that snapped his picture.
"You're just living in it." Roosevelt muttered, turning toward Eleanor and giving her a slight nod.
"I'm gonna-"
"Ricky, this is my lovely First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt!" Roosevelt cut him off on purpose, hijacking the moment and pulling the reporters' attention straight to his wife as he introduced her.
"It's wonderful to meet you, deary." Eleanor chuckled, reaching out for a simple handshake but Ricky, of course, took it a step further.
Taking her aged hand, he bowed slightly and pressed his lips against her palm like a true gentleman as Roosevelt's eyebrow twitched before he could stop it.
DING
As the sound rang in his head, what would usually happen when Ricky looked at a woman he found utterly unattractive, would be an instant no.
Normally, it took less than a second for him to dismiss anyone who wasn't effortless eye-candy.
But before the mission screen could even manifest, Ricky had already made his choice.
'Yes.'
DING
Ricky didn't even care to look at the rewards or anything remotely close to it, he was that petty, he just wanted to sleep with the president's wife just to say he did.
Then, of course, he pushed it further.
'Wet to the touch.'
"Ah-"
AHEM
COUGH
Eleanor coughed abruptly, trying, and failing, to mask her reaction as she snatched her hand back, with a nervous chuckle slipping out.
"It is my pleasure, Mrs. Roosevelt~" Ricky said, his voice a low tease that made Eleanor blush almost instantly under the intensity of his green eyes.
"Y-Yes~" Eleanor mumbled, retreating slightly as she pulled her hand back, Roosevelt's expression stiffening at the sudden, unexpected tension.
"Oh man, that's embarrassing~" Ricky whispered in Roosevelt's ear, purposely fanning the flames while keeping his smile perfectly intact.
"What's embarrassing is when I crush your merger in the house." Roosevelt countered, turning to face Ricky.
To the reporters, it looked like a pleasant exchange with two respectable men sharing a polite conversation.
In reality, they were two snakes baring their fangs, their hissing laced with nothing but poison.
"I mean, for someone so powerful, it sometimes feels like a waste that you can't just do whatever you want, doesn't it?" Roosevelt asked, casually brushing a piece of lint off Ricky's shoulder.
"Doesn't it fill you with rage, knowing that you've done so much, yet you still can't even touch me?" Roosevelt asked, staring directly into Ricky's eyes, which slowly curved into crescent moons.
"Y'know, for someone who keeps failing to get rid of me, you sure have a lot to say." Ricky laughed, patting the president's chest as more flashes exploded around them.
"Especially after hearing that little slip from your wife." Ricky whispered, leaning in closer, his mocking eyes staring directly into Roosevelt's.
"Listen here, you little sh*t-" Roosevelt whispered, leaning in only to be cut off.
"DOES THIS MEAN, MR. PRESIDENT, THAT RICKY LUCIANO IS OFFICIALLY JOINING THE OLYMPICS AS AN ATHLETE?!" a reporter screamed, unable to contain himself as Roosevelt's insult evaporated in the chaos.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Roosevelt asked sarcastically, turning to Ricky, who chuckled, his grin widening.
"It would be my pleasure~" Ricky said, flashing his sleazy smile at Eleanor briefly and giving her a teasing little wink.
"I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I, RICKY LUCIANO, WILL BE THROWING MY HAT INTO THE RING ALONG WITH THE OTHER ATHLETES TO BRING HOME THE GOLD!" Ricky yelled, the reporters slamming their pens onto paper, desperate to capture the word-for-word quote that would later echo through history.
"AND WHAT ABOUT THE MERGER MR. PRESIDENT!?" Another reporter shouted, scrambling to squeeze a response out before the moment slipped away.
"I'm afraid I cannot discuss this topic any further at this moment, as it is being thoroughly vetted by our great politicians up on Capitol Hill." Roosevelt replied, offering nothing more than a polished, empty non-answer.
"That means yes!" Ricky yelled, laughing, slapping Roosevelt lightly on the back as if to cement a friendly, almost brotherly camaraderie between them that made the president's smile strain just a little too tight.
The reporters went wild at this display, scribbling furiously as they tried to capture every detail..
Roosevelt, usually so distant, so meticulously detached from every civil issue, was here, practically leaning into Ricky Luciano, the notorious mutant of this era.
"You have no manners what-so-ever, do you?" Roosevelt muttered under his breath, but Ricky ignored him completely, to portray them as they were lifelong friends.
"Well, now that everyone's here, who's ready for the special tour!" Ricky laughed heartily, brushing past the insult as Eleanor ducked her head beside Roosevelt. The president's eyes narrowed just slightly at the mobster's audacity.
"Does that mean-"
"That's right!" Ricky cut him off, grinning wide at all the reporters with stars in their eyes.
"All of you get to join me and the President as I drag him around to every single product that's going to change the country he runs!" Ricky laughed again, pulling Roosevelt closer, all the while giving a mocking, playful smile to the guards standing stiffly around them.
"C'mon!" Ricky playfully gestured, turning with the president as an entourage of guards closed in around them and reporters swarmed in waves.
"You wanna come to my expo and try to steal my spotlight?" Ricky muttered under his breath, letting the words drift toward the cameras but deliberately loud enough for Roosevelt to catch.
"Motherf*cker, I am the spotlight," Ricky chuckled, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he flicked his eyes toward Roosvelt briefly before returning his gaze forward at the double doors.
"You're a flash in the pan-"
"Says the most boring f*cking president-"
"At least I have values-"
"For only the f*cking fat-ass guys with nothing special about them-"
Their insults volleyed back and forth, muted under the constant shouted questions and flash hurling around them.
However, as the two most important figures entered the event, there were still three missing pieces that would truly make this night something that no one would ever forget.
"C'mon, Steve, c'mon." Bucky muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on Ricky as he strode into the building.
Bucky checked his watch again, impatience flickering across his face as his eyes swept over the crowd, scanning every corner for his skinny friend.
Originally, Bucky had planned to come purely to support Ricky, to back his friend in what promised to be a chaotic spectacle.
Steve, on the other hand, had only agreed to come after a full week of relentless guilt-tripping from Bucky.
The condition: he would only show up if he was allowed a plus one
"Cindy, CINDY, WAIT!" Steve yelled anxiously, sprinting after the beautiful girl clutching a bouquet of flowers as she tried desperately to escape him.
"It's over, Steve, I'm sorry!" Cindy called back, eyes darting over the crowd to make sure no one was paying attention to this utterly embarrassing scene.
"B-But why?" Steve stammered, his confusion apparent as her words hit him like a punch to the gut.
"Uh oh." Bucky whispered to himself, a knot of discomfort tightening in his chest as he watched Steve grab Cindy's arm.
SIGH
The girl let out a heavy sigh and turned to see Steve staring at her in disbelief.
They had been dating for a month, and yet here she was, having ended things right there on her own front doorstep.
He couldn't believe it, he still couldn't wrap his mind around how something so sudden, so final, could have happened in the span of a week.
"Steve, you're a good guy, a really great guy." Cindy sighed, gently pulling her arm free from his grip as she looked at the completely heartbroken man who used to be her boyfriend.
"I just know, in my heart, that one day you're gonna make some girl feel like she's the only one in the world." Cindy smiled, watching hope immediately flicker to life in this hopeless, lovestruck man's eyes.
Only for her to shake her head softly, stopping it before it could breathe.
"But I-"
SIGH
Another heavy sigh escaped her lips as she turned away from the man before her, unable to meet his gaze as her eyes flicked instead to Bucky, who was standing a few feet away, frowning.
"O-Oh, hi Bucky-"
"Don't mind me, finish your train of thought." Bucky interrupted, cutting clean through her attempt to stall the inevitable heartbreak.
"Fine." Cindy scoffed, turning back to Steve, who immediately straightened up, trying to seem just a little bit taller.
"Steve, we're done." Cindy said gently, patting his shoulder before awkwardly retracting her hand.
"B-But why? W-What did I do? W-What could I have done-....What can I do?" Steven genuinely asked, his voice breaking as he took a step forward toward her.
"We've been going steady for a month now, and then, out of nowhere, it's just over?" Steve asked, clutching his chest as if trying to physically hold himself together, his genuine hurt making Cindy shift uncomfortably.
"Oh, Steve, you work at a soda parlor!" Cindy burst out, unable to contain the sharp edge of her true personality, her words cutting through the tension despite the vulnerability in his eyes.
"I-I just got a promotion-"
"To what?! Manager of the soda parlor!?" Cindy asked, spreading out her arms towards Steve who slowly ducked his head.
"W-Well, yeah."
Sigh
"Steve, you're great." Cindy pinched the bridge of her nose, her patience wearing thin.
"You're a great guy, a good man-" Cindy smiled, taking his hand and gently rubbing it, offering him an affirming look.
"You said that already!" Bucky yelled from behind, clearly frustrated that the scene kept repeating because in real life, conversations never, ever repeated; people just got to the point.
"But I want to be a star-"
"Oh, brother." Bucky scoffed, disgust riddling his face as he guessed what was happening as Cindy shot him a side-eye.
"I wanna be an actress, one that all the little girls look up to, just like I did when I was younger!" Cindy said quickly, turning her gaze toward Steve, who looked as if he might actually cry.
"I wanna influence a generation! I wanna shine so brightly that people are blinded!" she continued, her eyes sparkling like stars as she imagined herself headlining events and inspiring the world.
'Wanna?' Bucky thought to himself, suspicion forming at that particular choice of words.
"And I want to help you-"
"But you're not gonna get me there." Cindy said, slowly letting go of Steve's hand yet he clutched at it desperately, unwilling to let go.
"I-I need someone who can raise me up, to get me to that next step." Cindy whispered, prying her hand free before pulling it back into her own embrace.
"And that somebody isn't you-"
"Yeah, it's some rich douchebag." Bucky spat, throwing his hands into the air as Cindy turned to glare at him.
"Hey!" Cindy snapped, glaring at Bucky while Steve used the moment to quickly rub his eyes when she wasn't looking.
"Who is it?" Bucky pressed, disgust clear in his tone at the girl before him, who immediately froze.
"What guy-"
"Who's the guy!" Bucky yelled, cutting her off and watching her expression suddenly become guilty.
"Is that why you're saying 'wanna' or 'gonna'? Is it some mobster?" Steve asked, having noticed it as well and pressing the sore spot.
"No, Steve." Cindy said, trying to hold back her dreamy smile as she turned to him.
"So, it's some rich prick-"
"It's THE mobster." Cindy's words dropped like a bombshell.
"What?" Steve exhaled sharply, feeling punched in the balls, while Bucky flinched beside him.
"Yeah, what!?" Bucky yelped, stepping closer to Steve, his eyes wide as he tried to gauge just how pale his friend's face had become.
"Ricky promised me he'd make me a star~" Cindy said, clasping her hands together as the flowers in Steve's grip slowly slipped to the floor.
"Ricky?" Steve asked, holding his head, his face twisted with disbelief and distress.
"We made love, Steve, such passionate love that the world seemed to stop just for us~" Cindy murmured, closing her eyes as if she were drifting back into the memory like a daydream.
"F*ck." Bucky whispered under his breath, pressing a hand to his face at how utterly complicated this had become.
It wasn't usual for Steve to be rejected or broken up with since Bucky had seen it happen six times himself.
But never before had a woman come between him and Steve, let alone someone like Ricky.
"He promised that he would take care of me and I have to believe him." Cindy said, taking one step forward before she kissed his cheek.
"I'm sorry but I want to be more." Cindy revealed, ashamed at her own words but already staring towards her bright future.
"Goodbye, Steve."
Steve and Bucky sort of froze in that moment, watching Cindy turn away and walk all the way to the entrance.
Of course, she was stopped by the two made men at the double doors, but when she revealed her golden ticket, they didn't hesitate to let her through.
It only confirmed it for Steve at this point, his sadness deepening and twisting into a rage that made him visibly tremble.
"Steve, listen to me-" Bucky quickly said, placing a hand on his shoulder, only for the grip to be brushed off as Steve shook uncontrollably.
"He did it on purpose!" Steve yelled, jerking away from Bucky only for his friend to grab at his shoulders again.
"I promise you that he didn't do it on purpose-..... at least, I don't think." Bucky said, pausing mid-sentence as he really didn't know whether it was or not since it was hard to tell with Ricky.
"He's just doing it to get back at me!" Steve yelled, shoving Bucky away.
"He can't handle the fact that, unlike everyone else in this city, I can't take his money!" Steve angrily yelled, turning abruptly toward the expo.
"Steve, I really don't think Ricky cares-"
"That's exactly what it is!" Steve snapped, ignoring Bucky, too upset for common sense to register.
"Steve!" Bucky yelled, stepping in front of him as Steve to stop his best friend from doing something stupid.
"Bucky-"
"Stop starting fights with Ricky! You always lose!" Bucky shot back, glancing briefly at the made men but quickly ignoring them to focus on Steve.
"I do not-"
"You've never even won a fight, and now you want to go up against Ricky? RICKY!" Bucky exclaimed, his voice a mix of disbelief and genuine concern, trying to make Steve see how insane that sounded.
"The police don't even mess with him, hell, kids play pretend of his life!" Bucky yelled, his voice pounding against the stubborn wall that was Steve.
"You can't, you just can't!" Bucky reiterated, frustration thick in his voice.
"So what? Am I supposed to stand here and let him take my girl-"
"I'm not saying that, not at all." Bucky replied, trying to rein in his own panic while still grounding Steve.
"I'm saying that-geez~" Bucky whispered to himself, facepalming at the clusterf*ck in front of him as he tried to find the words to make sense of the situation.
"I'm saying that if we just talk to Ricky he would explain-"
"I'm done being quiet! Done ducking my head to bullies like him who take everyone's lunch money!" Steve shouted, his fists clenching and finding the resolve to puff out his chest.
"Steve-"
"I'm going to speak my mind-"
"Steve, the president is here-STEVE!" Bucky yelled, running after him as he marched toward the double doors.
"Aye, only those on the list are allowed to enter for free." One mobster said, shoving Steve back the moment he tried to step inside.
"Or you gotta pay a fee." The other mobster added, lifting his coat to reveal he was packing, making Steve flinch.
"How much's the fee?" Steve asked, as Bucky quickly slid to his side, forcing a smile at the mobsters to smooth things over.
The two guards raised an eyebrow, looked at each other, then smiled as they turned back to the two.
"Fifteen dollars-"
"Fifteen?!" Steve yelled, the mobsters snickering at the absurd price while reveling in his reaction.
"Woah, that's a lot of money," Bucky muttered under his breath, watching the two mobsters shrug as if they were proud, not ashamed in the slightest.
It was a scam, a complete robbery, and yet no one complained.
This event had become the talk of the year, from the regular housewives to the highest-ranking business executives.
Everything Ricky had said this past week, from showboating to outright bragging, made it clear: whether this expo failed miserably or exceeded every expectation, it was unforgettable.
The Lucky Expo unknowingly became a once-in-a-lifetime event, one that cost fifteen dollars to enter.
"Is Bucky on the list?" Bucky shamelessly piped up, squeezing out the question with only two dollars to his name.
"You're Bucky?" One mobster asked, watching him gulp nervously.
"Lemme see some I.D." The other mobster demanded, clearly not buying whatever story his partner was buying into.
Bucky immediately fumbled through his wallet, pulling out his I.D. as the mobster swiped it from his hand, eyes scanning it before widening in shock.
"Holy sh*t." The initial mobster muttered under his breath.
"Lemme see, lemme see!" The other demanded, snatching the I.D to confirm that Bucky's exact name was at the top of the list.
"Sh*t, yeah." The mobster mumbled, genuinely surprised, before nodding at Bucky and handing the I.D back.
"Nice to meet ya, a friend of slick is a friend to us." The first mobster said heartily, his mean demeanor softening immediately into something almost friendly.
"You're the mechanic, right?" The other mobster asked, nudging Bucky, who chuckled awkwardly at the recognition.
"U-Uh, yeah-"
"No sh*t, Slick talks about you sometimes-"
"Oh yeah, that's the guy from the orphanage!" The first mobster exclaimed, finally remembering, while the other rolled his eyes at his buddy's antics.
"Is Steve on the list?!" Steve asked quickly, stepping forward, earning raised eyebrows from both mobsters.
"Steve? Steve, what?" The mobster asked, clearly unimpressed by Steve's forwardness, though he still gave a nod of respect to Bucky.
"Steven Rodgers?" Steve asked, a little scared but puffing out his chest to hold firm.
"Nope, no Steven Rodgers." The mobster muttered, shrugging, as Steve immediately frowned in disappointment.
"But I was-"
"Steve, c'mon." Bucky sighed, hitting Steve's shoulder as the stick figure turned over to him.
"Do you really think Ricky would just put your real name?" Bucky chuckled, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"I-Is-" Steve mumbled, his face burning bright red with a mix of embarrassment and rage.
"Is-....Wonder Boy listed on there?"
PFFFFFFFFFT
The mobsters erupted, cackling and snorting like pigs as they laughed at Steve, who shook violently with a mix of rage and embarrassment.
"You're kidding, right?" One wheezed, clutching his stomach.
"Could you just check, please!" Steve hurriedly demanded, glancing around at the empty surroundings as the mobster scrolled through the clipboard.
"Alright, fine, but if that ain't on here, you better fork up fifteen bucks or beat it." The mobster warned, shaking his head and wiping his eyes as he scanned the list.
Right until his eyes landed at the very bottom as the very last name held the two words: Wonder Boy.
SNORT
"Ha-HA!" The mobster laughed, stumbling backwards in disbelief.
"No way, Alessio, you're pulling my f*cking leg-"
"Swear to god, Pietro, that's what it says!" Alessio howled, pointing at the list, clearly seeing the two words with his own eyes.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The two mobsters doubled over, pointing at Steve, laughing uncontrollably at the absurdity of it all.
Steve stood frozen, cheeks burning, as Bucky tried not to crack a smile, knowing there was no way Ricky hadn't planned this.
"Can I go in now-"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The mobsters laughed even harder, making Steve's face burn all the more.
"C'mon, guys, really?" Bucky sighed, clearly feeling bad for Steve, whose face had turned an even deeper shade of red.
"All right, get in there. Slick's gonna be happy to see you two." Pietro gestured toward the entrance, and Steve immediately charged into the venue.
"Steve, it was a joke-"
"He's a bully, Bucky." Steve yanked his arm free, turning back to him as he marched forward.
"Steve-"
"He's everything that's wrong with this city and I'm just tired of everything going his way-"
"Steve, look out-"
"I'm done!"
BAM
In that instant, Bucky's warning came true but instead of running into Ricky, Steve collided with some random guy who had stepped into his path.
"Woah there, killer." A familiar voice called out, making Steve stumble backward who was caught just in time by Bucky.
"Ease off the gas pedal there, you could've really hurt someone."
As Steve turned toward the figure, he realized it was none other than Howard Stark, glancing down at his cocktail.
Only, instead of being safely consumed, the drink had spilled all over his collared shirt.
"O-Oh, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean too-"
"You didn't mean to spill my cocktail on my expensive suit?" Howard asked sarcastically, reaching to grab a napkin emblazoned with the Lucky Corp logo.
"I-I'm so sorry." Steve stammered, guilt written across his face as he stepped forward to help, only for Howard to swat his hand away.
"Listen I'll pay you back-"
"You're going to pay me back?" Howard interrupted, his judgmental eyes scanning the cheap suit Steve was wearing.
"You have five hundred dollars-"
"Five hundred dollars!?" Steve yelped, his voice squeaking as he clutched his throat in embarrassment.
"N-N-No-.....but could we work out a payment plan?" Steve asked, tapping his fingers together nervously as Bucky facepalmed beside him.
"Did you just ask to pay me back with a payment plan?" Howard asked genuinely, taking a moment to process the audacity of this random kid standing in front of him.
"Howard, please, cut the kid some slack." Henry sighed, stepping forward and handing Howard a fresh cocktail to replace the one Steve had spilled.
"He spilled my own drink-"
"I'm Henry Ford Jr. II, it's nice to meet you both." Henry ignored Howard, smiling at the two and holding out his hands towards them.
Although he wasn't all that aware of Ricky's friend, he was actually made aware of Bucky and in turn, Steve, when Ricky asked a favor of him earlier in the day.
"I-I'm Bucky." Bucky whispered, his breath catching as he stared at Henry for an uncomfortably long moment.
"I'm Steve-"
"I'm sorry, you're THE Henry Ford Jr. II, heir to the Ford Empire, right?" Bucky interrupted Steve, slightly pushing him aside as he stepped forward.
"Well, uh, yes?" Henry laughed, clearly taken aback that Bucky recognized him and seeing the stars in Bucky's eyes only made it more amusing.
"But I am surprised since no one really knows who I am-"
"How?!" Bucky exclaimed, genuinely appalled that someone of Henry's stature wasn't more widely known at this point in time.
"When I read your article in Ford News, about the Model T, I-I agreed with every word." Bucky said, almost breathless, fanboying with the intensity of someone confessing a lifelong devotion.
"I'm glad someone agreed, everyone else thought I was a lunatic-"
"No, NO!" Bucky yelled, shaking his head so fervently that even Steve flinched, surprised at how passionate his friend had become, it was so unlike him.
"How you describe the stagnation in style changed my life forever."
Although he was a mechanic, Bucky didn't just fix cars.
He adored them.
He felt them.
It was his passion, the thing that kept him grounded in a world that rarely offered him anything stable.
And somehow, standing in front of Henry Ford Jr. II, the man who wrote the very article that had once made him believe he wasn't crazy for wanting cars to be beautiful again.
Made him feel like a kid again.
"O-Oh, this is my card." Bucky hurriedly said, reaching into his coat pocket and pushing it toward Henry.
"Ricky said you loved cars, but he clearly failed to underscore how much." Henry chuckled, taking the card as Bucky practically vibrated with excitement.
"Bucky, are you okay-"
"Okay? I can't believe I'm actually here right now!" Bucky exclaimed, literally starting to bounce up and down.
"Bucky-"
"Steve, Mr. Ford here is the guy I was telling you about! You know, the one who's up next!" Bucky said, laughing to himself, completely uncaring of how crazy he must've looked.
"Really?" Howard asked from the side, placing his empty cocktail glass into the hands of a passing waiter.
"So, you know who Mr. Buzzkill is over here, but the real question is-" Howard paused, stepping forward and gently nudging Henry aside.
"Do you know me?" Howard asked, spreading his arms toward Bucky, who froze.
Howard adjusted himself, smoothing his tie over the cocktail stain, straightening his pencil-thin mustache, and offering a bright, confident smile.
"O-Oh, no, sorry." Bucky immediately stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and side-eyeing Steve, who just shrugged.
CRACK
The sound cut through the air as Howard's ego seemed to splinter, leaving him momentarily frozen in place.
"Tsk, everytime." Howard clicked his tongue, muttering under his breath as if blaming Ricky for the scene.
"But I'm sure you know who Ricky is, right?" Howard asked, Henry shaking hsi head at hte side since that much was obvious.
"Well, yeah-"
"Did you know he stole my idea for this expo?" Howard continued, his bruised ego flaring as he completely ignored Bucky.
"Oh, not this again." Henry scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"He stole something from you too?" Steve asked, suddenly feeling a strange connection with the man whose shirt he had just ruined.
"He didn't steal anything-"
"Yeah, Steve, it's a little different-"
"He stole my idea!"
"He stole my girl!"
Both shouted at the same time.
Howard flinched, staring at Steve, who gazed back as if he'd found a lost comrade, though he inched away slightly, unsure of what to make of the situation.
"Okay, we're a little different-" Howard immediately said, stepping back from Steve, trying to ease the tension.
"I don't know, the way you got rejected by that Roma girl-"
"HEY!" Howard yelled, pointing at Henry, who barely managed to stifle back his snickers.
"I do not slobber!" Howard protested, glaring at Henry, who only then burst into laughter.
Howard, now a little frustrated, turned toward Steve, who had his fists clenched tightly.
"You want some advice, Steve?" Howard asked, reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a cigarette.
"I want-"
"The best way to get back at Ricky is to make it about you." Howard cut him off, revealing it like some ancient wisdom he'd been dying to share as Bucky and Henry both flinched at the words.
"Howard-"
"Steve, don't listen to him-"
"Ricky's like me in that way, the only way to really get under his skin is to, well, be the center of attention." Howard shrugged, tapping the cigarette against his palm and raising it to his lips.
"Y'know what you should do?" Howard said suddenly, perking up as if inspiration had just slapped him across the face.
He nudged Steve with his elbow, then gestured toward the massive crowd gathered in the distance.
"See those reporters over there?" Howard pointed, directing Steve's focus straight toward Ricky who acted as if he were at the center of the universe.
"Howard, stop-"
"You should pretend to be one and ask him the hardest questions imaginable, just to prop up the President beside him." Howard chuckled, his eyes flicking to Steve, who easily fell for it.
"So, I would be helping the president-"
"Sure, why not." Howard replied immediately, planting the idea firmly in Steve's mind, who was too focused on his anger to realize he was being taken advantage of.
"That's a great idea-"
"That is a terrible idea!" Bucky yelled, trying to grab him.
However, Steve immediately shrugged out of his coat and bolted toward Ricky.
"That's where I'll get my answers!" Steve muttered to himself, clenching his fists as he pushed through the crowd.
"Steve, STEVE!"
BAM
"Ow~" Howard winced, rubbing his shoulder where Henry had punched him.
"Are you trying to ruin your relationship with Ricky?" Henry asked, disbelief written across his face.
"You know, I don't really see the big appeal." Howard muttered to himself, lighting his cigarette and taking a small puff.
"Howard, are you serious?" Henry asked again, watching Howard blow the smoke to the side.
"Yes, I am, he's really not the brilliant guy you think he is." Howard replied, clearly annoyed that Henry held Ricky in such high regard.
"Howard."
"Henry."
SIGH
"You really have no idea what Ricky is capable of." Henry sighed, realizing how naive even a genius could be.
"Dont' tell me your talking about him standing in front of a car?" Howard laughed, widening his eyes since he still didn't believe since science proved otherwise.
"It was obviously a show-"
"Howard, do you know who Ruth Steffield is?" Henry asked, his gaze drifting toward the floor, tinged with a hint of regret.
"No, should I?"
"What about John D. Rockefeller?" Henry pressed, clenching his fist tightly.
"Well, yeah-"
"He managed to make her name irrelevant and Rockefeller, the most untouchable man in the country, surrender." Henry said, letting the weight of the statement hang in the air.
"In fact, he paid Ricky as an apology," Henry continued, voicing his perspective of Ricky in how those events transpired.
"Can you just imagine that in your big brain for a second-" Henry paused, holding up a finger and pressing it to the end of his cigarette.
"What you had to be in order to make the most influential man stand down, at just the age of sixteen years old." Henry hissed, his rage spiking at how he couldn't understand this simple fact.
"Let me guess, blackmail?" Howard joked, but his face quickly shifted into a serious stare as Henry ignored the jab.
"Howard, I've seen Ricky ruin someone's life, literally tear it to shreds, and not even blink." Henry recalled, his expression becoming ashen at that fateful meeting.
"He just one day said to me that he was going to ruin someone's life, then turned around and did exactly that." Henry said, still a little scared as he recalled the moment Ricky had told him he was going to knock up Ruth.
"Do you know how many lives Ricky Luciano has ruined? Henry genuinely asked Howard, watching the genius innovator roll his eyes.
"Countless?" Howard replied, holding a stiff smile at how serious Henry was making this moment.
"He has crushed entire ethnic groups, by accident," Henry laughed incredulously, shaking his head.
"Imagine what he can do on purpose," Henry said, taking another step closer, his eyes narrowing as he let the weight of his words hang in the air.
"Listen to me very carefully Howard." Howard continued, forcing Howard's attention entirely on him.
"You are brilliant." Henry said, pausing for a beat to let the compliment settle.
"It is the reason I brought you here, and it is the reason I have vouched for you up until now." Henry added, almost reverent of his ability and appreciating it in the light it deserved. a
"You told me that you wanted to be the most brilliant inventor of our generation." Henry chuckled softly, gesturing behind him toward the past when he first met Howard.
"I am telling you right now that Ricky Luciano will make you the most brilliant inventor of the century." Henry continued, his eyes locking onto Howard as if he believed every word of his sentence.
"He's a devil-"
"And if you take his hand, all your dreams will come true," Henry interrupted, laughing lightly as he shook his head.
"Henry, no matter how much you believe in him, do you really think they'll help you push out your own grandfather-"
"Lucky Legacy Bank has already obtained a ten percent stake in the Ford Motor company." Henry cut him off, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Your kidding, that-...your kidding." Howard started, his voice trailing off in disbelief
"And now, Lucky's pushing for a board seat." Henry added, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he observed Howard's frown deepen.
"He's gonna get it too." Henry said deliberately, letting the word hang in the air, watching Howard's expression darken further.
"Howard, the second Lucky sits in that seat, it begins." Henry revealed, his tone heavy with a dark implication.
"Ford is choking on the mediocrity of past glory," Henry chuckled, his eyes momentarily hollowing, a sharp edge of heartlessness gleaming in them.
"What my company, what this world needs, is fresh blood." Henry continued, a cold smile curling his lips as Howard recoiled slightly, unnerved by the ruthlessness emanating from someone who never showed it before.
"Now, we are at the moment in time where we define the mark we make on the world." Henry's voice carried a gravity that made the statement feel like a warning.
"This expo, it's not just a flashy show, it's the beginning." Henry paused, letting the weight of the words settle.
"It is the start of the golden year of our lives. Don't waste this golden opportunity, don't waste the golden ticket!" Henry's tone rose with fervor, every word designed to ignite ambition.
SIGH
In that moment, Howard let out a slow sigh, his shoulders relaxing just slightly as his gaze followed Ricky weaving through the venue with the president in tow.
"Part of me thinks you're right." Howard admitted, almost reluctant to even say these words.
"But I need to trust my gut." Howard added, carefully handing the used napkin to Henry and straightening himself.
"Howard-"
"I'm leaving the club and dropping out of Yale, I didn't really know how to tell you so I just thought I'd come out and say it." Howard said, his eyes locking on Henry, who returned nothing but an ugly frown.
"I'm going to start my own company, I filed the paperwork a couple days ago." Howard continued, making direct eye contact with Ricky, almost trying to challenge him.
"I'm going to call it Stark Industries." Howard sighed, turning back to Henry with an arrogant smile.
"But I need someone at my side-"
"You're a fool." Henry said, shaking his head in disappointment at Howard.
"And you're hanging onto Ricky's coattails!" Howard yelled, clearly upset at the insult.
"At least I can be my own man-"
"A dead man." Henry snapped, his tone sharp as he shook his head, pivoting and striding purposefully toward Ricky.
"Inventor, scientist, engineer, businessman, and movie director!" Howard laughed, almost manically, shouting out everything he planned on becoming.
"You just can't beat that-"
"Look around, Howard." Henry interrupted, stopping and slowly spreading his arms.
There had to be thousands of people crammed into this single building, each shoulder brushing against the next.
The cacophony of voices, flashes from cameras, and the hum of anticipation created a continuous quake beneath their feet.
Yet as Howard's eyes scanned the crowd, he realized something unsettling, no one paid attention to him.
Not a single gaze met his, not even a flicker.
Every eye, every whisper, every ounce of energy was drawn to one man, as if the rest of the world existed only to orbit around him.
"You don't have to beat someone who no one pays attention to."