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Bucky is a good team leader, Yelena thinks. She actually trusts him. He has their backs and he's a good confidant. She likes to think they tell each other a lot, that they are friends, even. So it's a surprise to learn that Bucky has been seeing someone and that he won't tell the team who it is.
"Is it Captain America?" Alexei asks Bucky when they are on a plane headed towards a mission.
"Which Captain America?" Ava adds.
Bucky just shakes his head. "As much as I care for Steve and Sam, I don't see myself dating them. Besides, Steve lives on the moon and Sam has another boyfriend who'd be very upset if I got between them."
"The Torres kid?" John asks.
Bucky smiles. "Yeah," he says.
For a moment, Yelena is fooled. She thinks Bucky is just pleased for his friend. But then she sees the way John looks at Bucky. It reminds her of the way she looks at Kate, when given the chance. She wonders how that happened.
She decides to give them an out of the conversation. They clearly aren't ready to share. Yelena respects that. There are secrets she keeps, too. They aren't anybody's business.
"I'm taking Kate on a date on Saturday. I asked Barton to give her time off," Yelena says.
"I'm sure you asked very nicely," Bucky says, winking at her.
"I'm always nice," Yelena says, a faux innocent look on her face.
"The nicest," Bucky says seriously. "Anyway, where are you taking your girl?" he asks.
"World Archery Championship," Yelena says proudly. "And then hotdogs, afterwards. She likes the bad ones."
It sparks a discussion about food and everyone on the team chimes in with their opinions. On moments like these they aren't a group of strangers, they aren't a group of imperfect people who were thrown together, no they are a real team. Friends. Yelena likes that.
They get ready to land, a little while later. It's time to fight, to complete their mission. It's time to prove their team's worth.
Now that Yelena knows, it is so clear. Even in the field. Bucky has all their backs, of course he does, but he worries more about John. To anyone else it might look like Bucky doesn't trust John's judgment, that he doesn't trust John, but to Yelena it's obvious that he cares about this man so much and that losing him would kill Bucky. Yelena fears the same about Kate and she doesn’t see her get hurt. Not often at least. Usually not on the job, not since the whole debacle with Barton.
They fight well. They win. They all go back to the plane. Bucky and John are a little slower than the rest, Yelena notices. When she looks back, she sees Bucky check John for injuries. Then he quickly kisses John and pulls him into a tight hug. She can't hear what they are saying to each other but she imagines the words are sweet and reassuring. That's what she would say to Kate.
She makes her way onto the plane. Those two lovebirds deserve their privacy.
Bucky sits next to Yelena. John sits across from them. They wait until the rest of the team has fallen asleep.
"You saw us," John says. "Are you going to do… anything?"
Yelena shakes her head. "No," she says. "I don't know how you found this love but I know you must protect it. I do the same with Kate. Most people never know about her. Not because I am not proud to be her girlfriend but because I must keep her safe. And people judge. That's why I keep quiet, too."
"It's not that we don't trust the team," Bucky says carefully, "it's just that with John's history and mine… not everyone would understand. Including most of my friends. And we just… we wanna enjoy the honeymoon phase before we get into all that."
"That's a solid plan," Yelena says. "You must cherish what makes you happy."
"Like you cherish Kate," Bucky says knowingly.
"Like I cherish Kate," Yelena confirms with a smile.
The conversation dies down and they all fall asleep. Yelena dreams about Kate, of course.
When they land, she has an idea. She stops Bucky.
"I have extra tickets for that archery thing," she says, "you should come watch. It's advantageous for the team. You could even bring a friend."
She makes sure no one is playing close attention, then winks at Bucky.
"Archery, can't say we learned too much about that in the army," John says casually.
"Or you bring John," Yelena says. "He obviously must learn. What if the next evildoer we fight is into archery?"
"That would be a very wise decision," Bucky says. "For the team, of course."
"Of course," Yelena says. "This Saturday. I will forward you both the details."
"Thank you," Bucky says and Yelena knows he's thanking her for a whole lot more than this.
They get off the plane and on base to go to their locker room.
"That was smart," Antonia says to Yelena after the boys head into their section. "Bucky and John should bond more. I think Bucky stopped to yell at him after the mission."
"Something like that," Yelena says.
Antonia gives her a puzzled look.
"It will become clear eventually," Yelena says.
She opens her locker, changes her outfit into her streetwear, and then turns on her phone. She's got a few missed texts from Kate and decides to call her.
"Hey, baby," she says and then listens to Kate ramble about her day.
Yelena waves goodbye to her teammates and heads into the hallway, still listening to Kate. John and Bucky are standing by the door, their pinkies linked. Adorable.
"How about I come over tonight?" Yelena suggests. "I need to ensure you eat proper food. You can't live on cup noodles."
"You sound like my mom," Kate responds.
"I can live with that," Yelena says.
She says goodbye to Kate, promising that they will see each other soon. Then she turns to Bucky and John. It's so obvious how in love they are now.
"Thanks for the invite," John says.
"It's no big deal," Yelena says. "Just helping a friend. And you give me a chance to show off my girlfriend. It's gonna be fun."
Bucky and John smile at her. As much as Yelena says it's no big deal, she's glad she can do this for them. They deserve a slice of happiness, especially with everything they have to to worry about.