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*Timber by Kesha blasting on the radio*
“Holy shit balls.”
They pull into a spot near the middle of the parking lot and Sam puts the SUV in park. John had rolled down her window awhile ago and was basically sitting on the edge, her upper body outside the vehicle. And as much as Sam and Bucky had begged her to come inside and sit like a normal person, she had insisted she wasn’t normal and refused. Now as they park, she’s gaping at the store in front of them. It’s just a Target.
“Ever the lady. So delicate. So refined.”
Tony’s taunts are mumbled. He always teases John in a softer tone of voice than the rest of them. Sam isn’t sure if it’s because he likes her more than the rest of them or because he’s afraid of her more than the rest of them. Either way as he steps out of the passenger door, John reaches up from where she’s currently still hanging out of the window and slaps him across the back of the neck. Tony yelps, but makes no move to retaliate.
Sam turns off the car and they all pile out. John just slips the rest of the way through the window, and Bucky and Bri slide out the other back door. This has become sort of a weekly therapy session almost, Sam’s trips to Target. He himself had been going once a week to pick up a few things ever since he moved into the tower. Even though Tony always placed a large grocery order every week with as much as their hearts could desire (Sam tried not to think about how much it cost Tony to feed two spies, a ‘powered person’ as Bri insisted on being called, and three serum powered super soldiers. And that wasn’t including Tony, Pepper, Sam, and Bruce. You know, the normal ones.), Sam always liked the relaxation of wandering around a store and choosing a few things for himself. And once people noticed he was doing this on the regular, a few of them would join him from time to time. The most consistent was Bucky. At this point he was going pretty much every week, even if he didn’t get anything. Bri came pretty often too, and she always grabbed way too many things and refused to use a cart. Steve and Bruce never came. And actually neither had Tony, until today.
Today was different. Today was John’s first time at a store bigger than a bodega on the corner. A large, modern, chain grocery store. She hadn’t really expressed any interest in going with Sam, even though he’d asked her before. Yes, unlike the others who tagged along, he’d actually asked her to come. He’d actually asked her several times on the same day, not that long ago. Unfortunately Bucky had been around and teased him the entire ride to the store about it. What? He’s not allowed to enjoy people’s company anymore? But today, she’d decided herself that she wanted to come. She didn’t actually say that though. She just was already in the backseat of the car when the rest of them got in. Her and Tony. So Sam assumed they were along for the ride, and didn’t ask any questions, trying to ignore the smirks and eyebrow raises Bucky and Bri were making at him in the rearview mirror. John didn’t say anything else as they approached the entrance. But Sam could feel the shift in her energy. At least he told himself he could. Honestly it felt kind of dumb to even say that in his own head. She was a master assassin for god’s sake. He was probably only feeling what she wanted him to feel. Still, as she walked about two feet to his left, her hands stuffed in the pocket of the giant sweatshirt she was wearing, he felt like he could sense a nervousness from her. And she really only wore this particular sweatshirt when she needed to calm down. It was soft in a way that kind of made Sam’s skin crawl to touch it, but Bruce had given it to her, telling her he had one and it always helped him to relax when he was feeling a little off. And she seemed to like it.
They walked inside in a mass and Bucky pulled a cart out of the rack. Bri immediately jumped in it.
“Take me for a ride terminator.”
Bucky rolled his eyes heavily.
“You know you don’t have to call me that just because Tony does.”
Bri stood up in the cart and faced him, towering.
“If you ever suggest I do something just because that man,” she pointed at Tony, “does, I will gut you.”
Tony let out an indignant squawk and John cackled.
Bucky tipped his head towards the ceiling and let out a long sigh. Maybe now he knew how Sam usually felt on these trips. “Can you at least sit down. I don’t want to stare at your crotch.”
Bri smirks at him, but sits down. And they’re on the move. These trips always take at least a couple of hours. They’d tried to split up and each person shop individually, but quickly found that part of the therapy - at least for Bri, Sam, and Bucky - was wandering the store, taking their time, and looking at everything. When the three of them went together the first time, all going their separate ways in the store, they ended up being there the entire day. Because each of them wanted to look at everything anyway. So now, they stuck together in a group. A group of three semi-retired, faux domestic avengers, wandering around a Target on a Tuesday afternoon, was a sight all on it’s own. But add to it now a only recently recovered ex-assassin and Iron Man, it was going to be a different kind of trip, Sam could tell. It was also just five fully fledged adults wandering Target, barring all the aforementioned quirks. But that’s why Sam picked Tuesdays and this particular Target. He found that the other shoppers and the employees here, didn’t turn as many heads at his companions as some other places in the city. But it also wasn’t too busy. Now that Bri is sitting, and Tony has picked up a basket which Sam doesn’t know why, they never fill a cart, they’re off.
They always start in the Toys. It’s in the middle of the store, sure. But it’s always the first thing they all want to look at. They don’t really go up and down every aisle but they always peruse the games first. Some of the best nights Sam can remember since coming to the tower have been the result of trying some new games as a group that he’d picked up from his weekly Target runs. So far the winner consistently was Cards Against Humanity. They’d picked up every single extension pack in the weeks following, and had many nights staying up way too late trying to see who would get the ‘genetically engineered super-soldiers’ card. After the games they moved on to the action figures. Not that Sam and Bucky hadn’t looked at them before, but really the consistency of visiting them as the second stop was Bri. Bri just wanted to check and see if she’d gotten an action figure added to the shelf yet. She maintained that after two years being an Avenger, she should have one. Today’s trip was no different.
“Are you fucking kidding me.”
Bri is standing in the cart again. Bucky had parked her right in front of the ‘Marvel’ section. They still hadn’t figured out what that meant, but it’s where all of the toys in their likenesses sat. Bucky had gotten past the point of arguing with Bri about it and just let her stand and examine the racks. Although today she did seem a little extra annoyed.
“Are you all seeing this? I don’t fucking believe this.”
Sam stepped a little closer to the cart and leaned to examine what she was gesturing at. There, with a shiny ‘new’ sign stuck to the hanging rack it was on, was a tiny plastic likeness of John. ‘Medsestra’ printed in neon purple letters across the box. She’s in her stealth suit, with a long rifle slung across her back and a tiny handgun in her right hand. Sam’s eyebrows go up into his hairline. Bucky chuckles.
“Honestly kind of impressive how accurate the suit is considering the public has seen it for all of 8 hours at this point.” Bucky is gesturing to the tiny figure encased in the plastic box. He’s not wrong. It really does look like John. All the toys swing a little on their hooks as a soft whoosh of wind ripples down the aisle. Sam can practically hear Bri grinding her teeth.
“Hey hey!” Tony approaches the cart and gestures to Bri with an outstretched hand. “Can it twister. I don’t wanna have to hold a press conference about action figures.”
Bri rolls her eyes and sits down in the cart, arms crossing over her chest. She’s grumbling something about the media and what sells, as Bucky takes his cue to grab the cart again and keep moving down the aisle. Tony shakes his head but strides alongside her and makes comments about how they probably can’t get her suit just right to release the toy and that’s why it’s not out yet. Or maybe the company wants to make a figure with movement abilities to simulate her powers (ignoring the fact that the Wanda toy does no such thing). Bri isn’t really pacified but she always appreciates Tony trying. Sam watches them walk for a smile before turning to John. She’s made it over to the toys now and is planted in front of her action figure, just staring at it. Sam watches her for a minute, wondering if he needs to say something before she narrows her eyes at the toy.
“That’s not my gun.”
Sam just arches an eyebrow at her and says nothing. She turns to him, shrugs, and continues.
“The rifle. I never carry a rifle that’s not compact. Too bulky for fighting. Besides, I'm not a sniper. Do they just assume that all of us one hundred year old ex-Russian assassins are snipers?”
Sam can’t help but laugh out loud. Here he was worried that maybe seeing herself in toy form would feel violating or triggering, and she’s just pissed they think she’s a sniper.
“You could have Tony call the company and ask them to change it.” He suggests.
Now she narrows her eyes at him. She turns back to the dangling toy and cocks her head at it for a moment before grabbing one off the shelf.
“Nah. Probably not a bad thing if people think I’m a sniper. Keep them on their toes.”
*
They always do food last. It’s usually the only place that anyone consistently buys anything. Usually Sam, Bri, and Bucky each have a list for themselves, and then a list from at least one other person. Bucky obviously picks things up for Steve, but he also has a list from Nat. Always written in Russian like it’s some secret, even though she knows they all use the same cart and can see what he’s getting. Sam is pretty sure she just likes to piss Tony off by having a ‘secret’ list that she won’t give to FRIDAY, even though it’s never anything exciting. Today it’s shampoo and tampons. Sam always has a list from Clint. It’s always just candy, and he’s pretty sure Clint does it because he thinks he’s keeping it a secret from Nat. But she definitely knows. And Bri gets stuff for Peter. Honestly Sam can’t fathom why. Peter doesn’t live in the tower with them and he does all his own shopping for his own apartment. Bri usually goes with him on those trips anyways, and when he does come to the tower he’s usually bearing snacks. But Bri always has some kind of list for him and it is usually food. Sam has just decided not to ask.
They wander up and down the aisles, starting in the freezer section and working their way up towards produce. The regular trip is normally silent. This trip is exactly the opposite.
“The fuck is this?”
“It’s coffee, John.”
“Why are there so many kinds? Isn’t coffee just coffee?”
“There are different flavors. You know like french vanilla or caramel.”
“Tony if you ever say the word ‘caramel’ when you’re talking about coffee again I will be forced to kill you.”
Two minutes later.
“What the fuck are cheetos?”
“They’re like little cheesy chips. Usually crunchy. Sometimes with other flavors.”
“You know I’m really starting to sense an obsession with cheese in this century that I just don’t get.”
Sam sighs. Tony and John have been going back and forth for a while now with no signs of letting up. And honestly he was pretty sure that John was just messing with Tony with most of her questions. Not that she was familiar with things like Cheetos and Warheads, but Sam was pretty damn sure that she also didn’t care. Tony was just too easy for her to poke at. And she did grab a few things for herself to try. Takis, that was Tony’s idea. Yoohoo, that was Bri’s idea. Cheddar jack Cheez Its, a favorite of Sam’s. And…. Twizzler Nibs. Bucky’s idea. They stayed in the candy aisle the longest. Clint was very specific about the types of candy he wanted. Today’s list was Chiclets, Cookies and Creme Hershey's Drops, and Whoppers. The Whoppers were easy but damn if Sam was having a hard time finding Chiclets. Meanwhile the cart was being loaded up with random snacks. Buck was snagging multiple types of Pringles, seeming all of the strange flavors like chicken and waffles and pizza. Bri had grabbed one of every brand of gum in classic bubble gum flavor. And Tony was trying to explain to John the hierarchy of different types of M&M’s. They settled on the crispy and original. Sam finally finds the Chiclets and tosses them into the cart. Tony has started arguing with Bri that she doesn’t need that much gum, and she’s standing in the cart again, much to Bucky’s dismay. Sam is on one side of the cart when he catches John’s eye where she’s standing on the other side. Despite the argument happening between them, her eyes are soft. She smiles at him, something knowing in it that he doesn’t really understand, but he wants to. He clears his throat and tears his eyes from hers before he can blush. That would be just his luck with the three stooges standing between them, he’d never live it down. Not that they don’t tease him already but he doesn’t need to give them any fodder.
“Tony, why do you care how much gum she buys? As long as she’s not sticking the remains under the tables at the tower who cares?”
“Oh I am absolutely gonna do that now.”
“And you,” Sam points at Bri, directly in the face. “Sit down.”
*
Bri smirks but sits. Tony huffs something about having FRIDAY install cameras under all the tables and John is laughing. God it’s a good sound. One they don’t get to hear all that much. Sam counts today as a win, despite the ungodly amount of snacks in the cart. At least three of the people eating all this shit have the metabolism for it.
Checking out really isn’t much of a procedure. It never is. They always shop with a tower credit card. The only thing they all accepted from Tony without question was his generosity. Sam had tried to calculate how much money Tony probably had, all things considered, and decided it wasn’t worth fighting with him about paying for their groceries. As they’re piling back into the car, Bri is fighting over Tony for a shotgun, saying the aux cord doesn’t reach to the back seat. Bucky is the one to load most of the groceries into the trunk. He always is, not because Bri and Sam won’t help, but he’s just faster than them and they never get enough stuff to require that many hands. John offers to take the cart back to the corral, her face looking calmer than Sam thinks he’s ever seen it. He slides behind the wheel and looks through the rearview at John, bracketed by a quiet and content Bucky, and a grumbling but in a happy way Tony. They share that same knowing look again, and Sam feels something warm spike in his chest. His eyes linger just a little too long.
“Sam and John, sitting in a tree…”