Chapter Text
The smell of bacon woke her before she opened her eyes. She heard the familiar sizzling sound and a scape of cast iron against a burner; it was comforting in her drowsy, almost-awake stage. Natasha smiled to herself and rolled over, reaching for what should have been her fluffy, feather-down comforter. Her hand touched a thick, fleece blanket instead.
Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring at the worn leather cushions of a couch. She blinked in confusion. Steve’s couch. What the hell was she doing on Steve’s couch?
She sat up slowly, conscious of the intense pounding behind her eyes. She shoved back her hair and swiped at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes fell to her body—to the FDNY t-shirt and unfamiliar sweatpants she discovered she was wearing under her blanket.
“Oh no…”
“Hey.”
Her eyes snapped to the doorway, surprised to find Bucky standing there, holding two cups of coffee. She swallowed hard and made a vain attempt to pat down any craziness in her hair. “Uh…hi,” she said, her voice hoarse. “What…um…” she glanced around.
Bucky offered a tight smile as he crossed the room and handed her one of the steaming mugs. “You feel okay?”
She took a tentative sip and tried not to grimace as she seared the tip of her tongue. “Like someone parked a Buick on my head,” she admitted and risked a deeper burn for another sip of coffee.
“There’s aspirin,” he said, pointing to the small bottle on the coffee table. “You should probably take a few with your coffee.”
“Yeah,” she winced with the effort it took to focus on the bottle and unscrew the top. “Thanks.” She dropped three pills to the back of her throat and forced them down with another sip of coffee. She waited until the pills had made it all the way down before she cleared her throat. “Can you um…Can you tell me what I’m doing here? And,” she glanced down again, “in what I assume are your clothes?”
He gave her another tight smile and sat in the armchair across the room. “What do you remember from last night?” he asked carefully.
Natasha closed her eyes and willed the foggy memories to swim into focus. “Uh…going out…I was in midtown for most of the night, I think? And then…champagne,” she frowned. “Lots of champagne. And body shots and…” she ran a hand over her face. “I know I was trying to go home at some point.” There was something else at the edge of her mind. Something that she’d wanted to do…Something that had felt equal parts manageable and impossible when she’d dreamed it up last night.
“Your ride brought you here instead,” he informed her helpfully.
She blinked. “Oh. And you...” she glanced down at herself a third time.
“Let you stay because it was two in the morning and fifteen degrees outside.”
“Right.” She frowned in confusion. “And that’s it?”
“That’s it,” he said, taking a sip of his own mug.
“Did I…” she stopped herself and frowned again. “I didn’t…I mean…” she cleared her sticky, dry throat. “I didn’t do anything too stupid, did I?”
“Nope,” Bucky took another drink and got to his feet. “I gave you those clothes and you passed out.”
She let out a brief sigh of relief. “Oh good.”
“I’ve got breakfast going,” he said, over his shoulder as he made his way toward the kitchen. “If you want to join us.”
“Oh, no thanks,” she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I’m not—”
The words died on her lips as her stomach unleashed a mortifying groan to accompany its twist of hunger.
Bucky raised his eyebrows. “You were saying?”
Feeling her cheeks flush, Natasha grimaced. “Okay, so I guess I’m a little hungry.”
He nodded, fighting a smile. “I’ll scramble a few more eggs. Lottie’ll probably be down any minute.”
“I’m gonna hit the bathroom,” she said, throwing off the blanket entirely. “Try to do something with,” she motioned to the likely mess she’d find of old make-up and slept-on curls, “this.”
“Good luck,” Bucky quipped with a half-smile before he returned to the kitchen.
After the early morning light in the living room, the overhead lamp in Steve’s powder room didn’t sting her eyes like she thought it might. It did, however, offer her an unapologetic look at the damage she’d inflicted upon herself the night before. Thick bands of mascara and liquid liner ringed her eyes, her lips were fuller than usual, chapped and chewed on in her sleep, and her hair...
Well.
“Good morning, Vietnam,” she muttered and turned on the water. She grabbed a wad of toilet paper and did her best to scrub away the remnants of last night’s smoky eyes. What remained of her curls were brushed out with a pink plastic brush, its bristles thick with Charlotte’s blonde hair. She borrowed a hair-tie from the pile on the counter and pulled her frizzy red mane up and off her neck in a high, messy bun. “That’s as good as we’re gonna get,” she said under her breath and bent to the running faucet for a final splash of cold water to her face.
Bucky.
His name crashed into her mind before she could remember to distract herself. That’s what she’d been thinking about when she was unsuccessfully navigating a ride home. She’d been thinking about Bucky of all people when she’d been out last night. That much she remembered. Wondering what her night would have been like if he hadn’t offered to babysit Charlotte. Wondering what would have happened if she’d asked him to come to the club with her and her friends. Wondering why it felt like he looked at her just a little differently when he’d come to pick up Charlotte.
And now, she reminded herself, Bucky was on the other side of that door, making her breakfast, and acting like it was no big deal that she was wearing his clothes and being much nice than she probably deserved.
She groaned and reached blindly for a towel to dry her face. She popped the latch on the door and hit the switch on her way out.
“Auntie Nat, I didn’t know you were here!”
Charlotte had never quite learned the difference between indoor and outdoor voices and her words slammed into Natasha’s aching head, almost knocking her off her feet. She braced herself against kitchen doorway and summoned a bright smile to her face. She opened her mouth to respond when it occurred to her that she hadn’t quite figured out to explain her presence to herself, let alone a little girl.
“I invited her,” Bucky said quickly, not turning around from where he was portioning out thick slices of bacon onto three plates.
Natasha closed her mouth and raised her eyebrows in surprise before she recovered.
“You did?” Charlotte asked, taking the question right out of her mouth.
“Yup,” he said cheerfully and moved onto the pile of scrambled eggs in the skillet. “Asked her to come over after her run."
Charlotte’s blue eyes moved from Bucky back to Nat before she scrunched up her face in confusion. “But why did he call you?”
A croak of uncertainty escaped the back of her throat for a second before she found another smile. “He needed me to kill a spider.”
After all, if he could fib, so could she.
Charlotte snorted and covered her mouth to hide her giggles. “Really?” she asked, giving them both a skeptical look.
For his part, Bucky did a decent job of feigning embarrassment as he turned away and set down two plates at the table. “To be fair,” he said, pulling out two of the three chairs, “it was a really big spider.”
Nat and Charlotte took their seats at the same time. Charlotte giggled again and looked up with a sweet smile. “I’m not afraid of spiders, Uncle Bucky,” she reminded. “I probably could’ve killed it for you.” She turned her grin back to Natasha. “But I’m glad you’re here for breakfast, Auntie Nat.”
“Speaking of,” Bucky said and pointed to the table. “Eat up, ladies.”
Her stomach rumbled again. The savory aroma of the herbs and spices Bucky had used, mixed with the salt in the bacon almost had her mouth watering. Charlotte dove in with fervor as Nat forced herself to exercise some restraint and not do the same. She took a measured bite of eggs before she broke off a piece of bacon. Bucky grabbed his own plate and joined them, checking expressions before he dug into his own food.
“So,” he said, glancing from one to the other. “What’d I burn?”
Charlotte smiled around a mouthful of eggs. She shook her head. “Nothing,” she said after she swallowed. “It’s perfect.”
When Natasha looked up from her plate, Bucky was still looking at her expectantly. She cleared her throat and patted her lips with her napkin. “No, she’s right,” she said, spearing another piece on her fork. “This is really good.”
He flashed a quick smile. “I figured you’d be hungry after a fierce battle with that spider.”
She rolled her eyes and stuffed more food in her mouth before turning her attention to Charlotte. “So how was the big sleepover, Weasel? Did you have fun?”
The little girl nodded enthusiastically. “We had so much fun,” she said, in between bites. “The pizza was kind of cold,” she said as an afterthought, “but I guess they were really busy so it took them a long time to get here.” She shrugged. “Anyway, we heated it up and it was really yummy oh,” she brightened again and held out the hand not clutching her fork, “and look at my nails!”
Nat smiled again and took a closer look at Charlotte’s fingernails. Bucky had painted them pink and purple, alternating colors on each nail. “Beautiful,” she said sincerely before she glanced over in Bucky’s direction. “You know, if you ever get bored with your current career path, you’ve got a strong backup plan.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he got up to refill his coffee cup.
“Did you have fun at your party, Auntie Nat?” Charlotte asked politely, crunching down on her second piece of bacon.
“Mmhmm,” Nat hummed the words into her coffee.
“Did you kiss anyone at midnight?” Charlotte asked with a devilish smile.
“Ew, gross,” Bucky scoffed, pulling the child’s attention away. “Why would she do that?”
Charlotte giggled again as the sounds of the front door opening drew their conversation to a close.
“Hello?” Steve called from the front of the house. “Anybody home?”
Charlotte was off her chair in an instant. “Daddy!” she exclaimed as she darted toward the foyer.
Natasha felt her eyes widen as she inhaled her mouthful of eggs too sharply. Bucky rolled his eyes as she choked back a cough. “Relax,” he said quietly. “It’s fine.”
Steve appeared in the doorway a minute later, bringing a rush of cold morning air with him and holding Charlotte on his hip. He stopped short and greeted Nat with a look of surprise. “Hey,” he said with a smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Didn’t expect to see who—” The short, curvy brunette who had recently started cropping up all over Steve’s limited social media presence bumped into his shoulder and offered a brief, confused smile before her expression brightened with realization.
“It’s Auntie Nat!” Charlotte said, like this was a surprise she’d planned all along.
She got to her feet and offered a smile to match Darcy’s. “Hi,” she said, shaking the hand that was extended to her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she glanced down at Bucky’s sleep-rumpled clothes. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess—”
“Oh, please,” Darcy laughed. “I spend almost a hundred percent of my days covered in butter and flour so it takes a lot more than sweatpants to make me judge.” She abruptly dropped Natasha’s hand and exchanged it for a quick hug. “I’m so glad I can finally put a face with a name,” she said when she let her go. “You’re one of Charlotte’s favorite subjects.”
Despite her embarrassment and the unexpected pace this new year had adopted, Natasha felt herself smile. “Likewise,” she admitted. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
“Hey, there’s plenty of eggs,” Bucky added motioning between the stove and the table. “If you guys want.”
Darcy shook her head. “We ate already,” she assured him. “But thanks. It smells great.”
“Yeah, sorry if we interrupted breakfast,” Steve cut in, setting Charlotte down so she could finish her meal. His coat was open and Nat could see he was wearing his clothes from the night before, though his collar was loose and his tie was missing. Darcy, on the other hand, looked a little more refreshed, like she’d showered at her place and employed a more effective method for getting rid of last night’s eyeliner. “But I need to grab something a little warmer for the boardwalk.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You guys are going to the boardwalk?” she asked, dubiously.
“Polar Bear Dive!” Charlotte cried with excitement.
From the corner of her eye, Nat caught Bucky shaking his head. “I can’t believe there are enough idiots in New York to make that into a thing every year,” he said with a sigh.
She quirked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t there a year that you were one of those idiots?” she asked, fighting the smirk that wanted to curl her lips.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “And I almost got pneumonia and I almost died,” he reminded with a sarcastic laugh. “It’s gotta be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.”
“Oh, don’t sell yourself short, Buck,” Steve joked, reaching over to steal a piece of bacon from Charlotte’s plate. “You’ve done plenty of things dumber than running into the ocean in January.”
“Plus,” Darcy added around a laugh, “I committed myself months ago. One of my employees is doing it for her favorite charity and I told her I’d be there to cheer her on.”
Charlotte brightened. “Is it Alysha?” Darcy nodded. “She showed me the picture of her costume last time I was at the shop.” The little girl turned back to Nat and added, with glittering eyes, “She’s gonna look just like Elsa. She even has a blonde wig and everything.”
“And if we’re gonna get a spot to watch,” Steve said, giving Charlotte’s shoulder a squeeze. “You and I both need to get moving.” Without another word, Charlotte jumped up again from the table and bolted for the stairs. “Double layers, please!” Steve called after her. “And you need to find your inhaler before we leave!”
Steve dropped a quick kiss to Darcy’s forehead before he excused himself to take a quick shower. Still in her heavy wool coat, Darcy sat down at Charlotte’s empty seat and watched while Bucky helped himself to her abandoned scrambled eggs.
“So did you and Steve do anything fun last night?” Natasha asked, wanting to at least appear friendly and pleasant.
Even though it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet and she was wearing someone else’s clothes and her head was hurting way too much to be genuinely either of those things.
But Darcy accepted her attempt and nodded. “Nothing crazy,” she said, her hands falling to her sides. “Just out dancing and then back to my place after midnight.” Her brow furrowed in confusion as she reached her hand into the pocket of her coat. She laughed as she pulled out a handful of folded white pieces of paper and deposited them in the center of the table.
“Were you playing charades?” Bucky asked after swallowing a bite of scrambled eggs.
Darcy laughed easily and shook her head. “No, the club we went to,” she explained. “At midnight, when they set off those glitter canons, they set off another one that was all printed fortunes for the new year.” She shrugged and looked at her pile. “I guess I grabbed a few more than I realized.” Absently, she reached for one and unfolded it. “Hmm,” she said with a thoughtful frown.
“Care to enlighten us?” Bucky asked, glancing from her pensive expression to Nat and back again.
Darcy cleared her throat. “Don’t be afraid to let the first few hours of 2018 set the tone for the rest of the year.” She glanced up and met Bucky’s eyes first. “What do you think, Mr. Barnes?” she asked, folding the paper again and dropping it back onto the pile. “If you had to label how the rest of the year was going to go, based on the first few hours, what would you think?”
Natasha looked down at her—his—clothes again and bit her lip. If she was judging the rest of the year based on what Bucky had told her about what had happened last night—
“I’d say it looks pretty good,” Bucky said, interrupting her thoughts. When she glanced up, she could have sworn he shot her a quick grin before he turned back to Darcy. “Weird,” he added, his blue eyes sparkling. “But definitely good.”
Natasha took another bite of her breakfast.
He wasn’t wrong.