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The street isn’t too torn up, despite the battle they just fought. The few civilians that were out when the aliens attacked Jersey City, wisely fled the scene rather than attempt to film the fight. Bucky isn’t going to risk leaving anyone behind, though, so he starts towards the twisted mess that was once a delivery van, a motorcycle, and a mailbox.
He can hear the labored breathing of someone in distress before he reaches the wreck.
”Hey, I’m here, I’ll get you out of there,” he calls as he evaluates how to safely maneuver to them. “Just hang on a moment.”
“I’m okay,” a voice responds. “I’m not injured, just a little stuck.”
Bucky pauses, then asks, “How stuck is ‘a little’?”
“Uh…there’s a van on top of me?”
Bucky snorts. “Yeah, okay. Hang in there.” He takes a breath, bends his knees, and shoves at the van, tilting it upwards.
A figure clad in a familiar black suit with a streak of blue across the chest scrambles out, calling out when he’s clear. Bucky steps back, letting the van fall back to the ground.
”Thanks, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be stuck there until-Bucky?”
Bucky smiles. “Hey, Nightwing. I didn't realize you got called in for this.”
“It's New Jersey, of course we're here,” Dick tells him. “Do you have working comms? My gear got knocked out, and I should check in before they assume the worst has happened.”
Bucky nods and taps his earpiece. “Iron Man, this is Revolution. I've got eyes on Nightwing, can you relay to his team that he's alive and in one piece?”
Tony's voice comes back over the line. “Will do. How soon can you make it to firehouse fifteen?”
Bucky checks the cross streets and consults his mental map of Jersey City. “We're about seven minutes out, on foot.”
There's a pause before Tony answers. “Okay, that's good. If you can cut that time down any, there's a bat here about to go feral with worry. I'd fly over to get you but I'm not sure it will make a difference to him.”
“Bats can't go feral, Tony. They’re not domesticated.” Bucky starts to roll his eyes, but refrains when he sees the way Dick has tensed up.
“Well, rabid then, anyway the faster you can get here the better.” Tony sounds irritated.
“We're on our way,” Bucky tells him, then disconnects. “Let's go, your people are waiting for you.”
Dick nods, then grins at him. “You got yourself a cape!”
Bucky laughs. “Yeah, someone told me they look cool.”
“Well, the real test is how well it twirls. Come on, let me see!” Dick takes a step back and gestures for Bucky to spin in place.
This time, Bucky doesn’t suppress his eye roll, but he indulges his friend anyway. He knows how the cape looks, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t keep it at least partly for its dramatic effect.
Dick lets out a low whistle. “Nice,” he says, then clears his throat. “Where are we headed?”
“Firehouse fifteen,” Bucky tells him, heading towards the intersection. “So. I get that this is New Jersey, but Bludhaven isn’t exactly next door. How’d you get here so quickly?”
“Batplane,” Nightwing answers with a shrug. “What are Revolution and Iron Man doing here? I thought you’d stick to protecting Manhattan.”
It’s Bucky’s turn to shrug. “Ms. Marvel called, we were nearby, so we responded.” It’s the truth as far as it goes; he’d been visiting Tony at Tony’s garage, when the aliens attacked. “These things didn’t seem too interested in New York, though.”
Dick hums in agreement, before asking whether Bucky is still following hockey. He hasn’t been; taking down the Outer Circle has occupied most of his time for the past few months. He and Dick haven’t exchanged more than their monthly still alive, just busy texts in even longer. And they definitely do not have time to catch each other up, because the firehouse is just around the next corner.
The first person he notices is Tony, of course. The armor is impossible to miss, especially with the late afternoon sun reflecting off the red and gold panels. The second is Ms. Marvel, who is chatting animatedly with Robin. And then, somehow looming over Tony despite the height difference, is Batman.
“Hi, B,” Nightwing greets him. “My comms took a critical hit. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
No one misses the way Batman’s shoulders slump in relief. “Next time, take an extra set,” he growls.
“Nightwing,” Ms. Marvel interjects, “Can you settle a debate? We’re trying to determine where to eat, but someone thinks shawarma isn’t good enough.”
“I explained this already, I’m vegetarian. And besides, Nightwing will agree with me. Bat Burger is the better choice.” Robin exchanges a glare with Ms. Marvel. “They have vegan options.”
Bucky suppresses a laugh as Dick sighs. “Yeah, about that. Revolution and I just passed Bat Burger, and it’s definitely not going to open any time today. Neither are any of the other restaurants on that street.”
Kamala groans at this news. “How far out is the damage?”
“Do you mean, how far are we going to have to travel to find a restaurant that a, is open and b, isn’t going to flip out at a few Avengers and the Bat Fam showing up?” Tony asks.
“Don’t call us that,” Batman grunts.
Tony scoffs. “Oh, I’m sorry, is that not accurate? Have any of your kids not joined your vigilante business?”
Despite being hidden by the cowl, Batman’s expression darkens.
Dick and Bucky exchange a glance before jumping in between the two men.
“Hey, B, how much paperwork are we looking at for this one? Maybe we should head back to Gotham, get a head start on the reports,” Nightwing suggests.
Bucky grabs Tony’s gauntleted hand and tugs gently. “Maybe we should head back to the garage, then take Kamala back home. Let the bats go home. We can compare reports tomorrow.”
Tony looks over Bucky’s shoulder, eyes narrowed, but eventually nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Hey, Ms. Marvel, you need a lift back home?”
Kamala looks up from where she and Robin are hovered over her cell phone. “Um, yeah, that’s…yeah, good idea.” She offers a small wave to Robin before jogging over to Tony and Bucky, calling over her shoulder, “See you at the next invasion!”
Tony waits until Batman, Robin, and Nightwing are out of sight before swearing softly. “I know what you’re going to say, Bucky.”
Bucky snorts. “I’m not saying anything, Tony.” It’s the worst-kept secret in the superhero community that Iron Man and Batman are incapable of remaining civil for longer than five minutes. There are more important things to address. “Kamala, do you need to change clothes before you go home, or-” “I can totally sneak in,” Kamala assures him. “But seriously, if there’s an open restaurant between here and there?”
“We can stop,” Bucky tells her. “Right, Tony?”
Tony nods. “Yeah, no problem,” he says, keeping his steps deliberately slow to allow Bucky and Kamala to keep pace with him. When they reach the garage, he turns to Kamala. “Hey, kiddo, I know it’s really not my business, but you and Robin weren’t exchanging numbers, were you?”
Kamala looks at him in confusion, then bursts into laughter. “Oh, no way, not like that! He heard I write fanfiction, and wanted to know the best sites to read on. I showed him some of the more popular ones.”
Tony sighs. “Somehow, that’s worse. Bucky?”
“Yeah, I’m on it,” Bucky says, already tapping a message to Dick.
~~
On board the Batplane, Dick retrieves his cell phone from the compartment he left it in for safekeeping. He unlocks it, and is halfway through his notifications when a new message from Bucky appears. He opens the message thread, then reaches out to snatch Damian’s phone from his hands.
“Grayson! Give it back!”
“Nuh-uh. Trust me, you do not want to read any fanfic about us.” Dick tucks the phone away, knowing it’s a temporary measure at best. He’s not about to unleash that reaction while the three of them are locked in a cockpit together, though.
“Thank you,” Bruce murmurs from the pilot seat.
Dick huffs quietly. “It’s as much for my own sanity as yours. I’ve seen what they write about you and Cla-” He cuts himself off, coughing to cover the near-slip. “Anyway, you’re welcome.”