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Chapter Text

"Timer Set.... 30 minutes!" Bucky whispered to himself after placing the large tin of cake batter into the oven. He set the timer, placing it softly on the nearby bench. He sighed, walking farther into the kitchen and glancing over to the cooling racks. On the trays sat a few dozen different cookies; from chocolate chip to peanut butter to m&m. Nearby, sat an army of different teacakes. Behind them sat a few batches of cupcakes, muffins etc, and following those came the fancy stuff. Like croissants, Strudel, pies, and a few different treats from his homeland, Russia. Then came doughnuts. A lot of doughnuts. Dozens of doughnuts. Bucky let a rare smile trace his lips, he'd started this baking fest at 5, and it was at least 9 or maybe even 10 by now. Pros of having three ovens and more ingredients then probably necessary. He knew that he needed to hurry and get all this ready for tomorrow, given it would all sell fast. Especially those doughnuts. He also knew that he had 30 minutes (28 by now) to get this already for tomorrow.

He collected the treats into their individual cells in the display case. It took a while, but by the time he was done 3 minutes remained on the cakes baking time. He walked over to the oven and checked inside, seeing if the cake was going to be ready soon. As expected, the cake was crisp brown, to be ready soon. He smiled lightly again, proud of his handy work. Suddenly, he heard a faint knocking sound, coming from outside. He raised a brow in curiousity. He closed a few hours ago, why would anyone be knocking? Bucky huffed, switching the oven off and walking towards the door. 'I swear... if its Mrs Michelle again demanding I serve her because the lights are on, I'm gonna-" He stopped his train of thought when he reached the bakery's door. The silhouette was too small to be Mrs Michelle, hell, whoever was out there couldn't be any older than 18. The hell was a kid doing out at 10:02 pm?

Bucky slowly unlocked the shop door, pulling it open with a faint ding of bells.

"Sorry, we're closed ma'am-"

Surely enough, there was in fact, a small teenage girl. She was around 5'7 (So only slightly shorter than him), had long, black, mangled hair, and was dressed in clothing that was most definitely not fitting for a 5-degree evening. Explains why she was shivering and covering herself with her arms. There were tear stains on her check, and from what Bucky could see, she was covered in ugly bruises that were fresh, which immediately set off alarms in his brain. She looked to be only 15, and she had a nervous look in her eye. "S-sorry to bother...." She trailed, stuttering due to be shivering, and Bucky felt his heart shatter. This pour girl was a mess, sniffing and holding herself tightly. Bucky had no doubt in his mind that she'd be sick in the morning. "My boyfriend- ex boyfriend kicked me out…. a-and I'm not too familiar with Brooklyn..." She sniffled again as a wave of wind blew through the street. "I-I was wondering if I could have a warm drink or something? These last few places turned me down..." Bucky winced in sympathy. Oh, hell nah. There was no way he's allowing this girl to sleep in the streets. After a pause (In which Bucky was trying to recover from shock), he nodded, gently leading the teen inside a booth nearby the heater, which he rushed to turn on.

He faced her again with a soft but worried smile. She looked back at him, hopeful. "Hey, uh..." He trailed off. She smiled a little, not holding herself as tight as before. "Kate." She responded, and Bucky nodded. "Kate. I'll get you a hot chocolate. Do you want anything to eat?" He tilted his head lightly, as she looked up with bloated eyes. "Oh, thanks, but I don't have the mon-" Bucky raised a hand to silence her, shaking his head lightly. "No worries, it’s on the house. You've been through enough this evening yourself." He turned towards the counter, where he entered and began crafting the hot chocolate. The baker would occasionally look over his shoulder, watching as Kate began to settle. Although she still looked cold, she looked comfortable. He finished her drink, and walked over to the display case and began assessing which treat would best warm up the girl. Eventually, he settled on a ham and cheese croissant. He picked up the French pastry and began frying it on a nearby stove.

Kate felt her arms move away from where they were wrapped around her stomach, which was still sore from where Noah had struck her a few hours prior. After kicking her out, Kate was cold and afraid. He had tempted her to move to Brooklyn a year ago now. At first, everything was fine. He'd only get violent when he was angry, which Kate caused most of the time anyway. But soon, when October rolled around, he started being violent for fun. Occasionally pulling her hair, smacking her across the face, withdrawing food, squishing her wrists or punching her gut. But if he was happy, Kate didn't mind. Sometimes, he'd lock her outside in a few hours, and other times, he wouldn't let her leave the house at all. But it was late January, today, when he'd finally had enough of her. She knew it was late, and barely anywhere would be open. Not to mention she couldn't get a hotel or anything since she only had seven coins on her, all cents. So, she went from cafe to to restaurant, trying to simply grab a warm drink and leave what she had there for pay.

Thankfully, she'd found 'Winter's Haze'. And although they weren't open, she'd been let in by a worker whose nametag read 'Bucky'. Kate had internally chuckled, it was an interesting nickname. But the one-armed man had been kind to her, offering her the drink for free, as well as a snack (Which was quite a surprise.) Soon, when Bucky came over again with the hot chocolate and croissant, he sat across from her. "So, I don't mind to pry..." He started, voice soft and hesitant. It gave Kate a wave of calmness, like he really was worried. "Why are you covered in bruises?" She then stiffened. She wasn't expecting him to ask. And his tone of voice revealed that he really was concerned. Although Noah had told her never to tell anyone or he'd break up with her, they weren't together anymore; were they? She looked up at him, sighing. "Its fine, just promise me you won't tell him I told?" She asked with a whimper. The thought of Noah finding out she'd ratted him out was horrifying to say the least. Bucky's eyebrows shot up in shock, and a hint of worry. "No! No, I won't tell a soul unless granted permission, ok?" Kate nodded in understanding, sighing again before explaining the story of her and Noah.

She explained how her and Noah first meet in a café, halfway between Queens and Brooklyn, and had hit it off almost instantly. She was from Queens whilst he was from Brooklyn. "After a few months of talking he'd convinced me to move in with him." Kate mumbled, sipping her warm drink with a satisfied hum. "I had been excited at first, It was my first relationship, and he seemed perfect." She smiled slightly, the thoughts of what she and Noah started as fondly crossing her mind. Her expression shifted as she continued, however. "In April, the two of us were roommates, and everything seemed great. But soon, it all feels about when Noah started to take out his anger on me."

Bucky's eyes shot up in surprised, but it faded in realisation at the buries lingering on her body. "I wasn't sure what Noah did for work, all I knew is that it was enough to make him have an aura of constant rage whenever he returned home. And almost always, he'd seek me out to relief stress. It hurt, but.... I didn't mind as long as he was satisfied with me." She curled herself into a little ball in the booth, hands curling tighter around her cup. Bucky gave a slow nod, keeping his expression still as to not distress her. "But it was around October where he'd hit me simply because....." Again, Bucky's eyes flared with anger. Who did this jerk this he was? He let Kate continue without a word. "And again, I was ok with it, as long as he was happy. After all, that's all he said mattered." She placed the cup down onto the table but kept staring into the chocolatey liquid as it stared right back at her. "Eventually, he had enough of my 'constant whining' and through me out into the streets, saying we were over. And for a few hours I just... held onto myself, asking different shops for a drink to stay warm..." She concluded, reaching out and gently grasping the croissant off the plate and nibbling it softly.

Bucky's hand clenched the table in anger. Ok. There's no way he's leaving this poor girl on her own. There was a silence that followed, before Bucky spoke up. "Kate." He started softly. Kate raised her hand from where she had started to take much larger bites of the croissant. "Do you have anywhere to go? At all?" He asked, concern radiating in his eyes like a worried older brother. Kate found that calming feeling again. Like here, in inside Winter Haze, was finally a safe place away from Noah's apartment. But there's no way she could stay. This was a bakery. "No." She answered softly, eyes looking anywhere but Bucky.

The veteran sighed, reaching over and grasping Kate's hand softly. Her eyes finally flickered to him., mouth agape. "Kate. If you like, you could move in with me in my apartment until you can find your own?" He tilted his head, something Kate realised the baker did a lot. She gasped lightly, shocked at his offer. "You'd really let me? I wouldn't want to be a bother." Bucky's grip on her hand tightened reassuringly. "You're not a burden, Kate. If anything. That Noah jerk is a burden." He muttered, which caused Kate to giggle softly. "and." He began, signalling the bakery around them. "You could work here, with me. It’s pretty stressful being the only employee here after all." He said with a smile, warm smile. Kate gaped like a goldfish, before nodding fiercely. "I... I would like that, Bucky." She said with an equally warm smile.

Croissant eaten; Bucky raised the girl to her feet. "Well, let's get you home, Kate." He gently wrapped the girl under his arm, leading her into the kitchen to wrap up the preparations for tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The soft, faint sound of purring is what first wakes Bucky up. He slowly blinks his eyes awake, realising the purring comes from a small, fluffy ball of white. His kitty, Alpine, in cuddled into the Baker's neck, soaking up what little warmth could be provided. From what Bucky could see, she was still blissfully snoring away. He smirked at her antics, before gently moving his hand up and shaking her awake slowly.

Alpine lets out a meow that might as well be a yawn, slowly reaching out and smacking him across the face with her paw. He huffs a small laugh, continuing to shake the cat off his neck. Eventually, she gives out, instead scrambling to her feet and strutting out of the room. Probably to find Kate. Bucky blinked again, before slowly turning to his left to swing out of bed... only to then fall flat onto the floor, landing right on his stump. Apparently, he'd fallen asleep quite close to the end of the bed, and he'd fallen flat onto the wooden floor. He grumbled softly, trying to sit up. He went to pull his legs up to his chest, but because they were currently tangled in his blankets, they only made it like- a centimetre before refusing to move any further. So, what did the twenty-something-year-old-war-veteran do to escape? He tried to pull his legs out. And did it work? Yes, it did. Did he knee himself in the face because of the momentum, then bang his head onto his bedside table because of it? Yes, he did. And did his phone fall flat on his face because of his head hitting his bedside table where his phone sat? Yes, it did.

"Ради бога..." He muttered sleepily.

Bucky reached his hand to his face, pulling his phone off it and rubbing it to ease the pain. He grumbled, finally standing up with minimal wobbling. He leaned down ad picked up his phone before sitting on his bed for a moment of calm. He turned on the device, opening to his lock screen of him and his sister Becca playing on the trampoline as kids. The time above reading 5:30, since he needed to be up early to make some things from the bakery. He let a small smile loose as he looking at little Becca. Right now, she was currently over in Romania on a business trip. He unlocked the phone, and opened the messenger app. He had 2 missed calls from Becca, and a few other messages. They'd have to wait, she came first.

He pressed the 'call back' button and lifted it to his ear. Bucky slowly stood, heading for the kitchen for breakfast. Whilst waiting for the phone to pick up, he walked past the first guest room (pros of mis clicking and buying an apartment for three. Don't ask how that happened), where Kate was snoring softly. It had been almost a week since the misfit had moved in, and she had started at the bakery yesterday. To start, he had her attempt to make cookies to test her skill. She had almost no issues with making the dough but acquired assistance when it came to the oven and rolling the dough into balls. The cookies themselves however... came out burnt and tasted terrible due to her accidently using salt instead of sugar. So, Kate was resigned to the counter. And Bucky's usual's were pleased that he'd finally hired another employee. (The old lady in the nearby apartment complex, Violet, (who insisted on Bucky calling her Grandma Violet), was so sweet about Kate and her first day that she gave both a kiss on the check after ordering her usual crepes).

Finally, as Bucky arrived in the kitchen, Becca picked up.

"Эй, неудачник!" Becca's voice roared through the speaker, and although Bucky winced at how loud she was, he chuckled slightly. He'd forgotten how loud she could be. "Эй, идиот." He replied fondly, rummaging through the pantry for breakfast. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" He pulls out a few eggs and makes his way to the stove. "Nah, its midday here in Romania. And I've got a meeting in an hour. 'Got time to chat. How's the bakery?" She asked, as Bucky began frying Kate's egg. "It’s been okay. This week has been chaotic." He muttered, returning to the pantry to grab the salt and pepper shakers. Rebecca huffed on the other end of the line, and Bucky could practically feel her eye roll. "Mhm, just as chaotic as my week of meetings, sales and other business junk?" She asked sarcastically, the word "junk' perfectly syncing with him flipping the egg, followed by him sliding a piece of bread (That he had made) in the toaster. "You bet."

"Hey Bucky, did you finally get another employee? I swear, every time I've seen you since you got that bakery you look like a dried-out pufferfish."

"Yeah, actually, I have an employee." The toast popped, he yanked it from the toaster and returned to the stove. "Finally. Jeez, how did you manage the place before with only an arm? I can't even do my job with two." She huffed, and if he strained, Bucky could hear the faint sound of fast-paced movement on Rebecca's end of the line. During his time with the commandoes in Afghanistan, he'd learned to 'stretch' his hearing out as far as possible to listen for threats. After all, the six of them all together were loud enough. There was no way that they'd manage to hear anything outside their own breathing. So, it didn't surprise him that he heard her heels click as she walked through a hallway with tilted floors. "Becca." He began with a fond sigh. "Being a baker is much easier than being a representative for Pepper freaking Potts." He started on his egg, with another piece of bread (That he (again) had made) in the toaster. Becca grumbled. "Still!"

The baker sighed, thinking about Becca for a moment. Although it'd been only seven days since Kate had begun living with him, she'd become like another sister to him so fast. But that begs the question; Should he tell Becca about Kate?

Sure, why not?

"So, about my employee...." He started softly, cleaning up the remains of fabricating breakfast. "Oh, I know that tone." Rebecca, of course, was immediately on his case. "What did you do?" Bucky sighed. Well, no backing out of it now. But fuck, how did he explain this to her? 'Think, Barnes! Think!'

He hesitated, before it finally came to him. "Uh, you know back in fifth grade when you got emotionally attached to that Zebra stuffed animal? What was its name-? Lenny-?" "Kenny." He was quickly corrected; makes sense. That Zebra thingy still sat in her bedroom; he'd seen it himself. "And you kept saying it was you're 'new little brother', because you thought having a younger brother was better the having an older brother or something?" Ok, that last part wasn't relevant, he just felt like putting it in. "Yeah...?" Becca trailed, unsure of what her brother was implying.

"Well, uh, let's assume that Lenny was a teenage girl wondering the streets at like- 10 pm..." He tried (mostly in vain) to summarise Kate's situation to Becks without mentioning anything Kate might not want him to tell. Thankfully, Becca seemed to follow along. He continued to try. "And she came to your bakery asking for a warm drink or something. So yo-"

"Bucky did you adopt a random teenager?" As expected, Becca saw right through him. "Uhm, no?" Bucky found himself reaching behind his head, plucking up his hair and making the motion of tying a ponytail (which yes, he's capable of doing without his left arm. He's just good like that). A nervous habit of his. Becca sighed, digging into him further. "And right now you're fucking with your hair aren't you." Bucky sighed too, of course he couldn’t hid from her. "Yes, yes I am."

Becca suddenly paused, a silence coming over them. Suddenly she began speaking again. This time softer, and fond. "I've got to go Bucky. Meeting. Tell me about your replacement for me soon, ok?" Bucky nodded, despite Becca obviously not seeing it. "Alright Becks. Люблю тебя" "Тоже тебя люблю, Buck."

Just as he heard her hang up, the sound on paws, followed by footsteps entering the kitchen caught his attention. Kate rubbed her eyes, yawning softly before plonking down into a nearby seat. "Morning to you to, Kate." Bucky muttered, placing her eggs on toast in front of her, followed by a glass of water.

"Morning, Bucky." Her voice was hoarse from sleep and her hair looked like she'd been swimming all night. She was slouching in her chair, half asleep still. It was clear as day she wasn't yet used to waking up early. It reminded Bucky of himself when he first opened Winter's Haze.

Alpine jumped onto the table, strutting over to attempt to snag some of Kate's breakfast. And in all honesty, Kate looked as if she could care less. Bucky sighed as he approached the table with his own breakfast, slipping in a seat next to her. "Drink, K. It'll wake you up." Kate reluctantly listened, sipping the cold water slowly. She hummed in content, before turning her attention to her breakfast, that Alpine was eyeing like the predator she is.

"I was watching the news last night..." Kate began, and Bucky looked up from his food. "Yeah? See Anything interesting?" Kate nodded. She seemed to have woken up more, as she was excitedly nodding her head, and almost vibrating in her seat. "The Avengers stopped a huge robbery of the New York bank last night. And there was this cool moment that the news caught where Hawkeye-" Bucky started to tune Kate out. Don't get him wrong, he was glad she was settled enough to talk about her interests, but starting after she'd recovered from being sick, she'd started to ramble nonstop about Hawkeye. And yeah, Bucky got it. He too was a sniper, and Hawkeye was pretty neat. But by the way she described him, he sounded like a character from some kind of epic action movie. "Do you have a favourite Avenger?" She asked, right as Bucky tuned back in. He paused, having not considered it. After a moment, he responded. "Black Widow." Kate raised a brow, beckoning him to explain. "Well, other than both of us being Russian." He began, turning his eggs with his fork. "She's talented in what she does, stealth, combat etc. She's also the scariest in my opinion." He finished, looking at Kate for approval. She nodded, a slight smirk coating her expression. "Yeah, but does she have enhanced eyesight?" Bucky chuckled, as the two continued Breakfast in a peaceful silence.

At six, the two had opened the bakery for the day, and at seven people started pouring in slowly. It was a relatively quiet day, given it was Sunday. Most people were at home or church at this time. Kate was enjoying her new position at the counter. Everyone was kind, and the usuals were overjoyed to see her again.

"Thank you, come again!" She waved off a customer, before turning to the que again. "Next pl-" She stopped dead in her tracks, because right in front of her was her biggest idol himself. Clint. Hawkeye. Barton. It felt as though all her functions stopped. She couldn't talk, walk, hear or even breathe. All she could muster was a faint squeak, followed by- "Oh my goodness your Hawkeye-" The archer looked a bit surprised, like he hadn't expected to be recognised. But he quickly played it off with a chill vibe.

"Yeah, you got that right kid. You want an autograph or something-?" It sounded like a genuine question, like he had no idea how to interact with fans. Kate didn't think, just nodded vigorously, and ripped a page out of the special-order handbook and practically threw a pen at him. Hawkeye giggled softly at her excitement, writing down his signature with a little arrow next to it.

But as he wrote, he noticed the little line of text at the bottom of the page. It read 'Personalized requested orders' with a little red star next to it, the bakery's logo. He paused to think. 'Tony mentioned wanting personalized cookies for Cap's birthday...' He snapped out of it when he remembered the girl in front of him, who was still looking at him like he was Beyoncé herself. It was so weird. Normally, people only looked at Steve, Thor or Tony like that. Never was the look directed at him or Natasha. It warmed his heart slightly; to know he had fans. 'They do custom orders... a fan of mine works here.... Ok, I know what I need to do.'

After Clint ordered his coffee, he got a cupcake to go along with it- just to see if this place was any good. He also got one with purple icing, just to make the teen smile further. Clint couldn't put his finger on it, but although she was smiling and looked to be over the moon, something about her seemed dull. Like she'd been through something harsh. It hurt his heart.

So after practically melting into that cupcake, and drinking probably the best expresso he'd ever drank, he knew that this was the place Stark was looking for.

When Clint had left, and the rest of the que was dealt with, Kate pushed the little bell out for any new customers and dashed to the back, where she found Bucky making scones.

“Bucky! You'll NEVER guess who just ordered a cupcake!"

Chapter Text

Clint dashed to the tower, still sipping his expresso like it was a lifeline. He scanned his key card eagerly before making his way to the lift. No one bothered to wave or greet him. Everyone in the building knew that when he had an expression like THAT on his face, he was to be left to whatever mission he was on.

"Avengers floor, Friday." He basically screeched, tapping his feet on the floor as he vibrated with excitement. He could almost feel Friday rolling her eyes with amusement as she spoke. "Right away, Agent Barton." With that, he began sky rocketing to the Avengers floor.

When he arrived, the sight before him was one that he'd seen many times before. Tony was sitting on the corner of the couch, looking at something on a StarkPad. Pepper was sat on his side, reading through some paperwork and sipping on a cup of coffee. Natasha was reading on the same couch a few feet away. Clint didn't want to know what. When Nat was reading, it wasn't something normal. Bruce and Thor were on the other couch; talking rapidly about something Clint didn't really care for. It probably had something to do with New Asguard or Loki. And finally, the twins were sat on the floor, reading through local job listings. The two of them wanted to start working to make their own money, but were struggling to find places that hired teenagers. Let alone former HYDRA experiments. Steve however, was nowhere to found. Good.

"Guys!" He announced excitedly, placing his empty expresso on the counter. Everyone (Except Nat) turned to face him with confused looks. "What is it, Clint?" Bruce asked, a brow raised. Clint grinned. "Remember how Tony wanted cookies for Cap's birthday?" The Avengers nodded, waiting for him to continue. Clint picked up the cup from the counter and handed it to Tony. "i like to think I've found the place."

Tony took the white cardboard cup, glazing a thumb over the bright red star on the front with a apprehensive look. He gazed back up at Clint.
"Winter's Haze?" He smirked. "That's a new one."
Pepper looked up from the documents, taking to the cup out of Tony's hand. She lifted it her face, giving it a sniff and hummed in approval. "Certainly smells high quality."
This had grabbed Nat's attention. She looked over at Clint with an amused smile and placed her book down. Pepper got the memo and handed her the cup. She inspected it, and a look of familiarity crossed her eyes. "Winter's Haze. I've seen them." Now, everyone looked at Nat puzzled. She sighed, before explaining. "Steve lives in Brooklyn. I pass Winter's Haze whenever I visit him."

Oh.

Yeah that makes sense.

"Do you know if Cap'll like it?" Bruce asks, turning to face Natasha, with Thor peaking over from above his head. Natasha pauses in thought. "Not sure." She placed her book on the table, before a light smirk found their way to her lips. "Perhaps we should send a taste tester?" The question lingered for a moment. Suddenly, Thor stood proud; drawing everyone's attention.

"I, Thor, shall go investigate the... 'Winter's Haze' baker place, to test if it is worthy of the captain!" He boosted, catching all the avengers off guard. The heroes all sighed fondly, nodding in approval for Thor's mission.

It was settled, Thor would test run Winter's Haze... or something like that.

It was around 5:31 that morning when Thor wandered down to Brooklyn. His mission was to grab a loaf of bread (Suggested by Lady Pepper), a custard tart (The Captain's favourite), a Russian teacake for Lady Natasha, because she enjoyed them, and a few other little snacks for the avengers. He had found the bakery, but there was an issue. Not only were all the lights off inside and the blinds were shut, but the door was locked and not a single Midgardian appeared to be inside. Thor placed a hand to his chin, trying to come up with some sort of explanation to the lack of life to the bakery.

Suddenly, there was a tap to his shoulder.

Thor turned, a brow raised.

There was a small Midgardian behind him, with a confused look of his own. He (again) was quite small, had shoulder length brown hair tied behind him and appeared to be missing his left arm. Scars littered his face, and Thor could tell he was looking at a warrior. At least, a retired one.

"Can I help you...?" The man asked, blinking at the Asguardian in confusion. But, Thor didn't mind, he'd found someone to help him!

"Ah! Yes, you can Midgardian!" He beamed, and the man blinked again. Thor continued. "I am Thor-" He paused. This was suppose to be a secret mission, therefore, he should say a different name- or a different place, right?

"-of... Michigan." He continued. Yes, that worked. "Ok then..." The Midgardian nodded, still catching up to speed. "Call me Bucky." He said softly, giving Thor a firm nod. "What's up with you,
Michigan?" Thor beamed. This kind warrior was going to help him!

"Yes." Thor began again, looking up at the sign for Winter's Haze. "I was attempting to make a visit to this here bakery. But, it seems as though it is not available at this moment..." Thor trailed off, as the confusion returned. Bucky suddenly looked as if the puzzle pieces fell into place. "Oh. You wanted to go to the bakery?" He tilted his head as he spoke, and had slight amusement played into his tone. Thor nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes!"

"Well, hurry up then." With that, he man turned towards the door. Before Thor could respond, Bucky pulled out a key and unlocked the bakery. Practically forgetting Bucky was there (and almost knocking him over), Thor dashed into the bakery. He yelped in surprise, before quickly hurrying inside behind the Norse god.

Thor stood inside the bakery, feeling the wave of excitement he felt before be washed away and replaced by a sudden feeling of warmth, as well as a pleasant smell in his nose. He opened his eyes, and gazed upon the (almost) fully operational bakery. Scattered around were chairs and tables, all the same shapes and sizes, and some warm, comfy looking booths near windows with closed blinds. Ah, the bakery just wasn't open yet, but they were opening now. Suddenly, Thor felt terrible. He'd just intruded on a business that wasn't even open!

As he turned to apologise, he found Bucky standing behind him. He gave Thor an exasperated look, raising a brow. It reminded Thor of Stark. Oh. Right. The mission.

"As you can probably tell," Bucky started, walking towards the counter with Thor in his heels. "We're just opening. But, we don't mind the early arrival." Thor's feelings of self-pity suddenly vanished, thankfully. "So, what were you looking for?"

Thor began listing off everything the avengers had told him to obtain, as Bucky followed along with curt nods and occasional clarifications for things he couldn't name. After Thor was done, the baker retreated to the back of the store to fetch Thor's items.

While he waited however, he noticed a young girl walk out of the back and towards the door to the bakery. She had long back hair in a ponytail, and was wearing a black apron with a little red star on the front... the same apron Bucky was wearing. It suddenly clicked as she flipped the sign on the door to 'open'. This was an employee. A teenage employee. 'Weren't the twins looking for a job?
Would they be accepted here?'

"Here, sir." Oh, it was Bucky. He had a few mini white cardboard boxes with the treats inside, as well as Stark and Lady Pepper's coffee. Thor's grinned. These looked perfect!
With that, Thor dashes out of the bakery. Excitement for not only Steve, but the twins also running through him.

Chapter Text

She'd never considered herself a saint, but even Yelena knew that being thrown out onto the streets was excessive; even for those придурки that she called her parents. Then again, she knew it would happen. They'd pushed her so hard to succeed, and she had. Physically at least. She knew all kinds of fighting styles, took girl guides, sports and ballet. But for some reason, she just couldn't learn. No matter what her parents tried. Tutors, special classes, none if it worked. They hated her for it. Yelena resented them for it. 

And thus, here she was. 24 years old, no home, no job, in debt and angry. Angry at her teachers, angry at her parents, angry at the world. Yelena huffed, walking through the streets of New York slowly. It'd been three days. No food, no bed, no family, and hell, only 3 dollars to her name. It was a cold night. Not exactly raining, but not exactly tropical weather. Their was no snow or wind, but the air nipped at her fingers, and made her nose turn red. 

Suddenly, a faint, warm smell entered her nose. It smelt rich, hot and fancy. Like freshly fried chicken or perfectly cut stake.  It was hypnotising. She reached into her pocket and clutched her 3 dollars, and followed the smell. 

It led  the Russian to a large, fancy restaurant. One that she could only dream of eating at. One she could've eaten at if she wasn't such... such a massive failure. She approached the restaurant doors, running a hand over the door's handle. From the inside, two employees looked towards the window and saw her peaking inside. An older woman and a young man. The woman, followed nervously by the kid approached the front door. She ripped it open with a sneer, causing Yelena to take a step back in surprise. She was short, shorter then Yelena, with long, greying blonde hair. She was wrinkled, pale skin drooping down her face. The boy behind her was taller, thin and as pale as her.  His hair was a chestnut brown, eyes hazel with a childlike innocence Yelena had yet to see in someone in a long time. 

The woman glared, malice flaring in her eyes. "The hell is a homeless freak doing here?" She asks. Yelena pauses, eyes wide in shock. She was expecting many things, but definitely not that. 

"Mrs bedeuten..." The boy muttered sheepishly, before spotting himself. The woman turned her glare to him for a moment before going back to Yelena. "Well?" She spat, glaring into Yelena's very soul.

"I..." Yelena stammered, struggling to find grounding. The woman huffed, reaching to a nearby table and grabbing something off of it. The boy seemed to try to stop her, but seemed to hesitate to late. She reached out, and threw a fork straight at Yelena's face, before slamming the door shut. Yelena panicked for a spilt second, as the fork hit her face.

"ебать..." She sighs, picking up the fork and tossing it into a nearby rubbish bin. She keeps walking, shivering after each step. Yelena thought about the encounter. Maybe she really didn't have anywhere to go. Maybe she really didn't belong anywhere. 

She kept walking, trying to find a good alleyway to rest in. One that was somewhat closed off, or one that she wouldn't get mugged in. As she travelled, she came across an open bakery. Bingo! If a bakery is still open at 9 pm, it means that their throwing out old baked goods that can't be sold anymore. Spirits slightly renewed, Yelena dashed into the alley to shift through the bins. She found a few half eaten pieces of cake, the remains purple iced cupcake and... that was it? Hasn't this bakery closed yet? Curious, she waltzed over to the bakery window, but was unable to see anything inside. 

Grumbling in annoyance, she was about to settle for the cakes when the bakery's back door opened. She flinched, stepping back to see who had opened the door. It was a man. He had long brunette hair tied back into a poorly done bun, and had sky blue eyes. His face was soft but scarred, and he was missing his arm. He smelt of bread, and had an aura of warmth to him. He spoke with a seemingly Brooklyn accent, but any Russian like herself could tell that he was from her homeland. He also spoke gently. Not like she was a kicked puppy, but like he was a concerned parent.  "You ok, kid?" 

"Uh..." Yelena stuttered, resisting the urge to tap her fingers together as her face lit up. "Nothing, it is fine." Fuck. Yelena knew he knew she was lying. She'd spoken far to quickly and her blushing cheeks weren't helping her at all. The main raised a brow, a playful look crossing his face. "Really, you sure? I've got a few hot chocolates sitting here, and I'd hate for them to go to waste." Yelena blinked, stepping forward hesitantly. But then she stopped herself. No. She didn't deserve a warm drink, she was a failure. "Спасибо, but I don't know if I..." The man walked out, approaching her slowly with concern shining in his eyes. "...I can't accept. I don't des-" She was cut of by the baker shushing her. "No, you do deserve it, ребенок." He spoke softly, reaching out an holding her hand. 

Yelena blinked. 

"Bu-"

"Sh."

"But I-"

"Shh."

"But I'm a-"

"Shhhhh."

He poked her cheek, getting her to stop talking. "No. You deserve warmth, kid. You deserve a place to sleep, and you deserve a hot chocolate." The man said, holding her shoulder reassuringly. Yelena's eyes widen, before she breaks out into a smile. "Спасибо... uh...."

"James. But friends and adopted kids call me Bucky." 

Yelena snorted. "You've got more adopted homeless kids?" Bucky wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sharing his warmth with her.

"Yeah. And something tells me you won't be the last, маленький."

Chapter Text

"Damn it!" Yelena slammed her hands onto the bench, growling in frustration. Her area in the kitchen was a mess. Little bits of cake batter scattered all over the stove and her face, packets of sugar and flower on the floor and empty bowls stacked in the sink. She grinded her hands against the tray she was holding, anger folding through her veins. The apron she was wearing, with the bakery signature red star was messy, and her sleeves that were once rolled up were now rolling down her arms. 

"Everything ok?" She heard Bucky entering the kitchen, with Kate behind him. both of them looked concerned, rather then angry like she expected. 

It had been two weeks since the baker had taken her off the streets, and yesterday she decided to start working at Winter' s Haze. Bucky was kind. That was her first observation. He didn't care about her weaknesses. Didn't see her as pathetic for not being better. He offered, didn't force, offered, to let her live with him. She was hesitant at first, but his kind way with words, his predictable and calm movements and his demeanour all told her he could be trusted. But then again, anywhere was better then the streets. 

She had met Kate later that night when they got back the apartment. She, like her, was also another stray off the streets. Dumped by a shitty boyfriend. That didn't surprise Yelena that much. From she knew of love, it led to pain. Kate was like Bucky in many ways, warm nature, chill behaviour and kindness. But she was also very different. She was a lot more impatient, childish, funny and seemed to be quiet optimistic. 

She turned to the two of them, bits of batter stuck in her hair still. Her lip trembled slightly. Were they disappointed in her? She'd failed at such a simple task. How could they not be disappointed? Y

Yelena's vision became fuzzy. Her breathing becoming unsteady. She reached out to the bench, holding it tightly to ground herself. Regardless, she felt her legs begin to shake. She blinked to try to clear her vision, but she only felt a tear in her eye. her bottom lip began to tremble, breathing coming hot and sharp. Yelena's ears began ringing. She couldn't see Kate or Bucky. She could tell they were trying to reach her but she couldn't hear them. 

A hand grabbed her arm. It was her mother's hand. She felt phantom pain shot through her arm as she tried to rip herself away from her grip. 

'-liure.' She heard. Her father's voice. 'Failure.' He repeated, harsher, colder. 

'Failure' 

Yelena let go of the bench and stumbled back, holding onto her head as she stumbled on her feet. 

'Failure!

her breathing was frantic. 

'FAILURE!'

She saw black spots in her vision. 

"Yelena!"

That wasn't her father's voice. That was... she didn't know. It sounded soft, worried. For her. 

"Yelena, пожалуйста, breathe." 

She knew the voice. He knew her language. 

" Я не могу... Я не могу, я не могу дышать..."

" She replied. The ringing in her ears was settling, enough were she could hear her reply, and she hated how weak she sounded. 

" Да, ты можешь."

He insisted, and Yelena found he was right. her breathing began to slow, and her heart's rapid beats began to settle. Her vision slowly began to clear up, revealing she was sat on the floor, with Bucky kneeling in front of her with a worried smile. "We got you back?" He asked, raising a brow. 

Yelena looked to him and nodded, turning over and noticing Kate was no wear to be seen. Had she scared Kate off? 

"I'm sorry." Yelena mumbled, grabbing Bucky's outstretched arm for stability. "I can't even make cake. I'm useless- I'm sorry." She mumbled, looking up at him at him with desperation. The same desperation that she'd look at with at her parents. But instead of scoffing and telling her stop being weak, Bucky's furrows furrowed and he looked sympathetic. "You are not useless/" He said firmly, like their was no room for discussion. 

Yelena went to say something against that, but Bucky shock his head and signalled for her to remain quiet. "No. You aren't useless. Your tried your best, and that's what counts. Now coem on. Kate's set you up a shower. You've got cake batter in your hair." He said, gently holding her by the shoulders and hoisting her up. 

Chapter Text

"You're fired, Parker." Mrs. Bedeuten said harshly, glaring at Peter with a look that he only ever saw in Flash’s eyes. 

Peter's were glazed, and he could barely hear a word that she was saying. He was too focused on her earlier words. Fired. After only working at this diner for a month. He'd gotten the job in early January for multiple reasons, and thankfully, money wasn't really one of them. Sure, the money he'd gotten had been nice enough, and it seemed to make Aunt May's days easier. But that wasn't why he'd began working. He'd actually started for the experience. After all, Aunt May had told him that nowadays, that's all companies wanted. 

But ow, he was fired. 

Parker luck strikes again. 

When he tuned Mrs Bedeuten again, she was rambling about him... being nice to the homeless?

 Peter internally scoffed. That's why he was fired? Mrs Bedeuten's toxicity? The restaurant owner wasn't even talking about him being fired anymore, now she was just screaming about how 'useless' and 'lazy' the homeless were.

If she thought this, why the hell was she living in New York?

"Anyway." Oh, she finally realized what she's supposed to be talking about. Good for her. 

Now, Peter may dislike his (former) boss, but he also disliked many of his teachers. And many of his classmates. And the president. Ok, he disliked a lot of people. But that was no reason for him to treat them all with disrespect or be rude to them. So, he listened to her still, trying his best to keep his expression cooled. After all, Ben and May had raised him on being polite to people, especially adults. 

"You're fired, Peter. So, put my apron down, and get out of my diner." Peter did nothing but nod, turn on his heel and walk out. 

Ok, scratch that, he could handle being a little bit disrespectful to one adult. 

He marched over to the rack where all the aprons hung and gently began taking off his. 

He hung it among the rest of them, grabbed his backpack and began making his way out of the diner. Faintly, he could hear the snickering of his (former) co-workers. They all shared the belief that Mrs Bedeuten had, that the homeless were a waste of space. It made Peter sick to his stomach at the thought. He walked out of the restaurant doors and headed into the New York streets. It was late in the afternoon, roughly six pm, and he had only just finished his shift when he was fired. Peter trudged home, the cold air of the city nipping at his cheek. But not in an unpleasant way. No, it was quite calming. Eased his nerves on telling Aunt May about him being fired. 

Peter took a deep breath and looked up at the sky scrappers. Now that he was out, and he had his Spiderman suit in his bag, Peter considered going out as the web slinger for a bit. Well, it did sound nice. He and Aunt May had discussed Spidermaning a few months prior and she had told him that on weekdays (like today) he could be Spiderman until eleven o’clock but could be out until two on weekends. So, he had the time, and he was in the mood for it, but he hadn't convinced himself just yet. 'It might make me feel better if I can help the people they despise.’ He thought.  

That was the last push he needed before he began making his way into the nearest alleyway. Peter took his Spiderman suit out of his bag and got into it as quickly as he could. He placed his bag behind a garbage bin nearby. Spiderman turned and faced the business next to him. Some bakery. Should be easy to remember. 

Peter launched a web and began swinging throughout the city. He stopped a few robberies, stopped one or two assault attempts, and even saved a stray cat out of a tree. 

By 10, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be in his bed; after eating something, of course. 

But as he entered the alleyway looking for his bag, when he realized, to his horror, that it wasn't there. 

Peter began panicking, eyes wide and breathing heavy, when suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. Thankfully, his Spider-sense wasn't going off, but he was still on guard. 

"This your bag, spider-kid?" 

Spiderman turned and looked at the man behind him. Long brown hair, kind blue eyes, missing arm, and wearing an apron. Oh, he worked at that bakery. Peter gasped, reaching forward a snatching the bag out of the man's hands. He made no attempt to stop Peter, and he gave the impression that he did not care about Spiderman standing in an alleyway with him at all. 

Peter rummaged through his bag, making sure that everything was still in there before turning to face the man again. He was about to start thanking him the way that Peter thanks people, but then he remembered that 'Oh, I'm Spiderman' 

"Uh, thank you, kind citizen, for uh, looking after this."

For fucks sake.

The man smiled softly, watch was oddly comforting, before he looked at Peter with a knowing look. 

"I know, kid. I saw you change." 

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

Peter sputtered, attempting to look confused and unsure. "W-what? Good sir, I doubt you saw anything whatsoever. Nothing at all." 

But the man wasn't convinced, and Peter could tell. 

He sighed, "Do you want money or something?” Peter asked nervously, fiddling with the fabric on his suit.

The man blinked, confused, before he smiled again. “No, kid. Don’t worry. I’m just letting you know. I mean, if I saw you, that means that there’s a high chance that someone else will as well.”

Peter blinked. “Oh.” He said softly, still dazed. Ok. This man wasn’t going to spill his identity. But that didn’t change the fact that the man knew.

“Are… you gonna reveal my identity to anyone?” He knew he sounded pathetic, but he was desperate. He couldn’t risk anyone finding out. Does he bribe this dude? Threaten him?

“Nah. I couldn’t care less.”

Peter blinked.

Huh.

“So you won’t tell anyone?”

“Nope.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Come to me if you need anything, kid.”

Peter enthusiastically nodded, before swinging out of the alleyway.

Chapter Text

It was a warm sunny Friday, 11 am, two days since he encountered the spider-kid . And the bakery was bustling with life. Kate and Yelena were at the counter, but Kate was doing most of the actual serving, and Yelena had just decided to make drinks. Bucky was at the back, stirring a bowl of cake batter for an order. There was an unspoken peace surrounding the bakery today, as the smell of pastries and happy customers lifted everyone’s mood.

“Bucky?” Kate walked into the kitchen, a nervous look on her face. Bucky turned from where he was stirring the bowl, with small bits of cake batter covering his face and sleeves.

“Yeah?” He asked, placing the wooden spoon back into the bowl and reaching for a paper towel to clean up. Normally whenever Kate asked for him, it involved someone asking for a manager or supervisor. Which then led to him needing to get cake batter of his face.

“Do we do walk in interviews? Cause there’s this kid and his mum…” Bucky blinked, walking past Kate and peaking out into the main area.

Surely enough, a tall woman with long brown hair, pale skin and glasses simultaneously looked annoyed, excited and a bit scared at the same time. She had a kid next to him. Familiar brown hair, brown eyes…

Oh it was the spider kid.

And his mum?

The woman was attempting to make small talk with Yelena, thankfully in a polite way. But Yelena looked in be silently panicking. Oh, right. Yelena hated small talk.

Guess he should probably rescue her.

He wiped down his apron, giving a nervous Kate a comforting nod. (She’d been rambling for days about encountering a ‘Karen’, whatever the hell that was.)

Bucky approached where the kid and her mum was on the opposite side of the counter. Her eyes seemed to light up when he came out, and she held her son by the shoulder. The kid gave him an apologetic look, and for a second Bucky was worried that this was a Karen.

“Hello, are you the manager?” She asked with a sing-song voice. Bucky nodded, choosing his words carefully. “Can I help you, Ma’am?”

The woman nodded, before a bit of a nervous look crossed her face. “You remember my nephew, right?” There was a strain in her voice, as if she knew damn well what happened that night. Which given this woman was his aunt, that made sense.

Bucky also instantly knew where this conversation would go.

“Can we come in the back?”

So, that’s how Bucky found himself listen to May Parker rambling to him about Peter (the kid)’s secret identity and how if he ever revealed it to anyone, she would be really, really mad. She had actually threatened violence, but she quickly dropped that upon the realization that Bucky was literally a war veteran with a missing arm. That, and Peter convinced her to calm down.

After that, May had made a proposal.

Apparently, that same day the kid had been fired from his previous job as a waiter, and over these couple days, he’d been working a resume to work at Winter’s Haze.

Here.

Spiderman working at his bakery.

Bucky had internally groaned but gave the two a serious look. May returned the look just as serious. With a sigh, Bucky told May and Peter that he’d look over it and would call if a position opened. The two seemed happy with that, and went on their merry way.

After that. Bucky returned to his cake. Kate and Yelena gave him a confused look.

“Who was that?” Yelena asked, Kate standing nearby. “Some kid's aunt want him get a new job.”

Yelena and Kate blinked, before Kate grinned.

“So we’ll get a brother?”

Chapter Text

A few weeks later, March 6^th.  

“Hey, Thor? What was that bakery that you said the twins could work at?”  Steve asked, walking into the kitchen where Thor was making pop-tarts.

“Oh! It was the little one in Brooklyn. The one with the star!” Thor said enthusiastically as he placed the pop-tart into the toaster.

Steve knew about Wanda and Pietro wanting to work and had even offered to organize and take them to the interview. Of course, he still had no idea about the cookies, but the rest of the team was doing an ok job of not telling him (barely).

“Why?” Thor asked, watching as Steve walked over the fridge and pulled out a bottle of pear juice. “Well, I want to actually know where I’m calling.” Steve replied with a hint of sarcasm as he poured his juice.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Thor shrugged but then gasped in delight as his pop-tarts popped. “What was it called?” Steve already had his phone open and was googling bakeries in Brooklyn. Obviously, many came up.

“Is it Kirkland’s tea and crumpets?”

“No?”  Thor responded, munching on a pop-tart.

“What about Mos Eisley?”

“Nope.” Thor said with a mouth full of food. “It was Winter’s Haze.”

“Ah.”

Steve took a sip of pear juice as he searched for Winter’s Haze. Thor finished his second pop-tart and walked over to look over Steve’s shoulder. “There it is!” He pointed at the screen where the Bakery’s name and logo appeared, and Steve clicked on the link.

With a pleased smile, he turned to Thor. “Thanks, I’ll call them after I finish my drink.” He took a sip, placing his StarkPhone on the bench. “Do you want a pop-tart?” Thor asked and Steve smiled. “After I’ve had a pop-tart, then."

“Peter, I know you’re like- spider sticky ‘n stuff, but how the ебать did you get your hand stuck to the spoon?” Bucky asked, as he attempted to rip his hand off the wooden mixing spoon.

“I don’t know, Mr Bucky, I’m really sorry.” Peter said softly, as he also tried to remove his hand.

Peter had been working at Winter’s Haze for some time now and had grown to love it. His co-workers were all the best, he had a safe place to return to after being Spiderman and Bucky was a million times better then his old boss. Plus, free churros.

However, there were times like these, when Peter realized that bakeries tend to be… messy places. Which caused his Spider stickiness to get stronger. How? He couldn’t figure out. Something to with needing to stick anywhere or something. 

Kate entered the kitchen, followed by Yelena, both giving a confused look.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Kate asked, as she tied her apron around her waist. Bucky stood straight with a sigh, leaving Peter to figure out his spoon situation himself.

“A spoon tug of war?” Yelena suggested, making Kate chuckle.

The bakery was relatively quiet today, given it was the middle of the day on a Friday. But occasionally someone would enter. Usually just ordering a coffee and a treat before leaving.

“Peter had been making a jelly slice, but his hand is now stick to a spoon.” Bucky explained, and Kate and Yelena blinked in confusion. “You don’t need a spoon for Jelly slice though?”

“I know!” Peter gasped, slamming his hand on the bench and whining. “It was in the way, so I tried to move it, and then it got stuck.”

“Oh, let me get rid of it you большой ребенок.” Yelena muttered.

“I don’t know what that means but it was probably an insult!”

"Are we not going to attempt to figure out how this even happened?" 

Suddenly, the bakery’s phone started ringing. All eyes snapped to it. Kate walked forward, picked up the phone and answered.

“Hello, this is Winter’s Haze. This is Kate Bishop speaking, how may I help you?” She said cheerfully, expecting an order.

“Uh, hi. Is it alright if I can speak to a manager or a supervisor?” A Brooklyn accent called from the other end of the line, somewhat hesitant. Kate blinked, before handing the phone to Bucky. ‘It’s for you.’ She whispered.

Bucky sighed and took the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hi.” The voice said nervously, and Bucky blinked. The voice was quite familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on where it came from. “Uh, are you hiring?”

Bucky blinked again. Didn’t he get a new employee a few weeks prior? Does every teen in this city suddenly want to be hired?

But then again, it would make his job easier.

“Yes, do you want to request one?” Steve could feel his slowly growing red face, as he held he phone tight. Something about the voice on the other side was making his feel dizzy. The voice was warm, but worn, a man who had been through a lot. There was also the hint of a Russian accent, which was even more appealing. Why would Captain America find Russians attractive?

“Two.” Steve corrected, finding himself getting anxious. What if this mysterious man that he was weird for requesting two? No, no, why would he think that?

“Two? Alright, I guess you want them at different times?” Bucky was most definitely panicking right now. Whoever was on the other end spoke with the kind of authority that made Bucky internally scream yet somehow sounded soft and alluring. It was frustrating, and Bucky was internally crying: ‘Дерьмо…’

 “Alright, what time and date will work for you?” Bucky asked, leaning on the bench to ground himself. He could hear Kate and Yelena in the back, trying to get Peter’s hand off the spoon still. “March 9^th? Next Wednesday?” Steve asked. He knew there was a SHEILD mission scheduled for next Thursday, so it’d be best to get it over with sooner. The man on the other end of the line gave him some times, and the call should end now.  But both men found that they didn’t want to.

“A-anything sir?”

That was adorable.

Steve held the phone gently in his hands, unsure for a moment. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out.

“And a hot chocolate for pick up, please.”

Chapter Text

It was a regular Wednesday, so Winter’s Haze suspected. They were opening earlier, later than usual, to make room for the two interviews that were scheduled. They had never had two interviews in one day- scratch that, they’d only had one interview before this.

“The first is at eleven, the second at twelve. We’ll open around 5:30 instead of 6 so we can make the same number of pastries, ok?” Bucky explained and the girls nodded. Peter’s shift started just after 4 on Wednesdays, which left Kate and Yelena to sort out everything by themselves whilst Bucky prepared for the interview. After all, they had no idea what the bakeries’ standards were when it came to hiring. After all, May had kind of forced Bucky to hire Peter, and Kate and Yelena sort of teleported into the bakery one day.

So, despite Yelena still being half asleep (unlike Kate, she was taking significantly longer to adjust to waking up early) they got to work.

Hours passed, and soon, customers were slowly pouring in. Eventually, their interviewees, as well as the adult who had made the call came in. And…

“Kate…” Yelena mumbled, poking Kate’s side. “Yeah, Lena? What the-“ As Kate turned, she also saw who had just entered and was making their way to the counter.

Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, followed by Steve Rogers.

Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver and Captain America.

“черт возьми” Yelena muttered, as Cap walked towards the counter. Yelena slowly put her hand to Kate’s back, pushing her towards the counter. Although she sure didn’t want to, Kate knew there was no way she could ever argue with Yelena about this, especially not with Captain Fucking America standing at the checkout.

“Uh, hello. Can I help you sir?” Kate muttered nervously, but Steve just smiled politely before he started. “I scheduled two interviewers. One at eleven, the other at twelve?”

Did that mean…?

“Uh, right. I’m guessing they are for those two?” Kate signaled to the Maximoff twins, who were staring starry eyed at the pastries in the casings.

“Yes. I have Wanda scheduled first?” The girl turned, walking towards Kate and Steve with three stapled pieces of paper. A resume.

“Yeah, uh, because of how this process works, a parent can’t be there for the actual interview. But you can meet out manager.” Kate repeated all the information that Bucky told her to say, and Steve’s eyes suddenly stilled, cheeks becoming a light red. “Ok.” He said with silently less confidence than before.

Kate begins to lead Steve and Wanda through to the mini meeting room, leaving Pietro and Yelena to their own devices. They stared at each other for a moment, before Pietro nervously smiled. “Can I have a grilled cheese?”

Kate told Wanda to wait inside the waiting room, whilst Steve went to talk to the manager. The room was wide with white walls, fake plants and large glass windows.

Elsewhere, Steve headed towards where the employee told him the manager would be, nervous. If he remembered correctly, this was the man he’d spoken to on the phone. And Steve couldn’t hep but blush at the thought of meeting him in real life. As he turned to walk down the hallway, he came face to face with who he had to assume was the manager. Steve sputtered, face becoming redder than before as he saw him.

Shorter than Steve, but not tiny, lean build, long, fluffy hair and bright blue eyes. An arm missing and wearing a slightly messy apron.  He smiled up at Steve, before holding out a hand to shake. “Hello. You must be Wanda and Pietro’s guardian?” That confirmed it. That same, soft voice Steve had heard over the phone. Steve nodded his head, trying to school his blushing face as he took Bucky’s hand. “Yes… I’m Steve.” Their hands held onto each other’s for a moment extra, before they both pulled back and looked away.

‘Why the hell am I so nervous?’ Steve asked himself. ‘He’s so calm… I bet he’s not interested at all.’  Steve’s mind was screaming, as he tried to sort out his thoughts. ‘No... what the hell am I thinking? I’m not falling for him I just met him!’

Whilst they made their way down the hall towards where they knew Wanda was waiting, Bucky shared a similar mindset. The mindset of internally screaming at himself. 

Safe to say, both Pietro and Wanda were hired after Steve said he’d take them to and from the bakery.

Chapter Text

“Pietro, you suck at baking.” Yelena scolded, as they stood over a bowl of overmixed pudding batter.

“It was not my fault!” The speedster insisted, crossing his arms and looking anywhere but the messy bench. Yelena sighed. “This is why your limited to customer service only.” Pietro scoffed at that. “I hate customer service.” Kate, who was across the room eating a leftover sugar cookie and scrolling on her phone chuckled. “Real.”

“Lena, what was the English word for that one fruit?” Bucky asked, wandering into the kitchen. His apron was covered in floor, and his hair was tied back in a braid. “Wanda and I are going to make a pie, and I forget the name of the fruit.”

“Apple?” Kate asked, but Bucky shook his head. “It’s a черника.”

Kate and Pietro blinked, but Yelena le out a soft ‘oh’.

“Blueberry. The English word is blueberry.”

“That’s the one!” Bucky cried, waltzing out of the room and walking over to where Wanda seemingly was.

Pietro groaned again, eyeing the clock. He and Wanda were to be picked up at 4:30, but right now it was 4:20.

“It’s been a week, and no progress has been made.” Peter made himself known, coming into the kitchen from where he was closing the counter. In his hands he held a tray of left over sweets, sweets which the employees usually divided among themselves. After all, Bucky hated food waste and wouldn’t even think about throwing out all the unbought food like other bakeries did.

“Oh! I want that yellow doughnut!” Pietro quite literally dashed forward, taking the doughnut off the tray and reappearing where he stood before in an instant. Yelena rolled her eyes, before taking a yo-yo off the tray, and biting into it, and getting frosting all over her cheek.

“I swear, the whole reason Pietro and Wanda were hired is because those two are clearly in love but are in denial.” Kate rambled, as Peter placed the tray on the bench. He picked up a cinnamon roll, chewing softly as the others nodded. “Does Bucky even know that he’s Captain America?” Peter asked, as the group turned to him. “First of all, cannibal. Pietro started, referring to what Peter was eating. “No, he probably doesn’t. Secondly, do we want him to know?”

Silence.

“No. Makes it less interesting.” Yelena reasoned, and everyone nodded. Pietro turned to face the treats on the tray, and the cogs in his head seemed to turn as he gave the rest of the group a sly look. “I have an idea.”

Steve entered the bakery’s door, despite the ‘closed’ sign out front. He and the bakery owner, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, and fallen into a rhythm. He’d drop Pietro and Wanda off at 11:00, they’d catch up, Steve would leave, go to Natasha to talk about Bucky, go pick the twins up at 4:30, talk to Bucky some more, go home. Simple.

He walked to the front and dinged the bell on the counter softly. A young girl, Kate Bishop as he’d learnt, peaked her head out of the window and smiled. She disappeared again, to get Wanda and Pietro it seemed.

“He’s here.” She signaled to them, and everyone ecstatically nodded. Pietro dashed to where Bucky was, Yelena grabbed one of their fancy bakery boxes, Kate grabbed a ribbon and Peter grabbed as many of the baked goods as possible into Yelena’s box.

“Bucky! I need your help with something.” Pietro said, practically vibrating as he suddenly stood before his boss. Bucky and Wanda blinked at him, confused. “Uh… what is it?”

Without answering, Pietro grabbed Bucky’s wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen. Wanda looked confused, but didn’t react outside of following along curiously.

Taking the little box wrapped in a ribbon, Pietro placed the box in Bucky’s hands and moved him to stand in front of the captain.

Both Steve and Bucky blinked in confusion, attempting to process what just happened. The small pink box of sweets in Bucky’s hand gently tapped Steve’s chest, and they looked at each other with surprised and bashful eyes. “Uh…” Steve muttered. He could clearly tell that Pietro had moved Bucky in front of him, given the blue light and how he, as well as every other employee, stood nearby nodding excitedly.

Bucky blinked again, trying to school his red face as he and Steve stared at each other.

Faintly, Bucky could hear the kids, slightly whispering for him to do something, instead of stare. Quickly noticing the box in his hands, he looked back up at Steve.

He looked just as dazed as Bucky, staring down at the box that was gently poking his chest. “Is that for me?” Steve asked in a soft voice, and Bucky gasped lightly in surprise. “Um, I guess so?” The baker nervously replied, as Steve gently reached out and took the box. He cleared his throat, but held his hand to his face as he muttered; “What do I owe you?” Bucky blinked in surprise. “Uh! Nothing, its all good.”

Steve nodded, smiling softly as he looked up at Pietro and Wanda. Pietro smirked in satisfaction, and Wanda simply smiled encouragingly. “Ok, guys. Let’s go.”

Steve left the bakery with the twins, smiling at the little box in his hand.

Was this the start of something?

Chapter Text

“How much longer ‘til Steve’s birthday now?” Clint asked, from where he was laying across the couch. Natasha sighed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate before she counted the days in her head. ‘Two weeks,’ she signed, as the archer was too lazy to put his hearing aids on; they sat on the couch nearby. Clint groaned. “That’s so long though! I want to go back to the bakery already!”

Nat blinked. ‘Why?’ She signed, as Clint sat up straight on the couch. “Fan. Remember?” He made motions with his hands, making similar hand gestures to what the girl had made when they first met. Nat’s brows knitted in confusion, placing her mug on the coffee table. Clint reached over to where his hearing aids sat, placing them in, leaning back on the couch again. “Why would a fan matter?” Nat asked him, as Clint sighed dramatically. “She asked for my autograph. Nat. Mine!” Clint explained, placing his hands on his chest. “Almost never do you or I get attention from anyone. They’re always more focused on Thor, Tony or Steve. Never us.” Clint brought his knees up, curling into himself as his voice softened. “I guess it just felt nice to be recognized for once.”

Natasha’s confused gaze became softer as she realized what Clint meant. If you were to look up Thor, Ironman or Captain America on the internet, you’d find so many articles, content, commentary and more on them. But for her or Hawkeye, you’d only find their SHEILD profiles and some old footage from New York. She had always been ok with this, but it had really bore into Clint. Natasha knew that it wasn’t because he wanted fame, but it was because the lack of acknowledgment. The two of them worked their asses off in their positions, yet not once did they receive the proper credit like the rest of the team did. She knew Bruce felt similar, as no one paid attention to the scientist; rather the big green monster instead.

“Why don’t we go together, Clint?” She asked, and like a dog, Clint’s head snapped to her. Nat could almost imagine a dog tail wagging behind him. “Yes! We could bring Bruce too! He hasn’t gone to the bakery yet.” He jumped up, dashing over to lift to ask Friday to take him to wherever Bruce was.

Natasha smiled to herself. Perhaps they could drag Steve there to. It was only valid, given how he never shut up about a certain manager.

Chapter Text

“And make that three hot chocolates,” Clint said, with a roll of Natasha’s eyes. Peter nodded, enthusiastically nodding as he placed the order. With brief thanks, the excited archer dragged the assassin and the scientist to a nearby table.

“Not that I mind the outing, Clint, but is there an actual reason we’re here?” Bruce asked, and Natasha sighed.

“This has become a meeting spot of sorts, Bruce. Clint wants everyone to know that this is some kind of safe space, given the twins work here. The owner is lovely,” she explained, and Bruce nodded slowly. “You’ve met the owner?” Clint asked and Nat chuckled lightly. “He’s the one Steve always talks about.”

“Ohhhhh. Anyway”

“You’ll love the cupcakes, Bruce. They’re really fuckin’ fluffy.”

“I’m more of a cookie person, but alright.”

The bakery wasn’t very busy, but it wasn’t empty either. A group of three kids in different coloured hoodies sat near the window. A journalist type, and a man in a fancy suit sat at the bakery’s window nearby, talking about how movies should have ended.

The food came, delivered by the boy who served them. He placed the plates onto the table along with the hot chocolates with an excited smile before dashing off again.

“Hey Nat?” Clint asked, and Natsha raised a brow. “Does that kid sound familiar too you?” Nat turned and looked over at the boy, who was now excitedly talking to a blonde girl. And from what she could pick up, his voice was pretty familiar. “I suppose. But its faint.” Clint turned to Bruce, who had pink icing all over his face and held a patty pan in hand. “Yeah?”

“Does the kid who served us sound familiar to you?”

“Not really?”  

“Oh. Anyway.”

The three of them were in there for what felt like hours. They talked about missions, teammates and how fucking good the cupcakes were. Bruce felt a warm feeling bubbling in his chest throughout. It was nice, nice to be out in public without people being terrified of him or fascinated by him. It was a new feeling, a welcoming one.

Chapter Text

“Kids, you have three seconds to explain what the fuck is going on here.”

“Aw, Buck. Can’t you make it four?”

“Pietro, you’re testing my patience.”  

A simple sleepover, it was supposed to be. May Parker had a night shift, and the Avengers had allowed Wanda and Pietro to stay over to. All made easier by Kate and Yelena living with Bucky. But now…

The kitchen was coated in grime. Flour all over the floors, eggshells in Kate’s hair, sugar on Peter’s cheeks, Wanda’s apron littered with specks of milk, cinnamon on Yelena’s pants. A stray bowl lay on the bench, with so much left-over cake batter, Bucky was internally crying. But the worst of it? A cake tin sitting on the stove top, with a black, gooey monster inside. Somehow, while making this monstrosity of a cake, they’d managed to burn it and undercook it at the same time.

How does one manage that?

“We’re so sorry Mr. Barnes! Really! So sorry!” Peter began to spiral, and Bucky just sighed. “I leave for five minutes and this is what happens?” He wondered, talking a deep breath. “What am I going to do with you нарушители спокойствия?”

Yelena scoffed. “Oh, please. We’re not that bad!”

Everyone paused and glanced around the room.

“Ok so maybe we are.”

Bucky sighed again, rubbing his temples. “Cle-” he was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

After 6:00, the bakery was closed, but also open. Open for superheros. After neighbourhood vigilantes noticed their dear Spiderman clocking in for shifts, they paid a fair few visits to Winter’s Haze.

Bucky swears to Tony Stark himself if one more vigilante threatens his safety he will close the entire establishment.

Given this, Peter’s identity was common knowledge among all of them. Afterall, things like these stopped becoming strange when a blue light dashed by every five minutes, followed by an item being thrown across the room with Wanda’s mind.

Just another day.

“паук, do you know if anyone’s coming?” Bucky asked, looking at his employee. Used to the name, Peter shook his head. “Nope. It could be red though. He was here this time last week,” Bucky nodded, approaching the main area and looking for their visitor.

Today was busier than usual for Bruce. He’d gone to the so-called Avengers Café’ (nickname declared by Tony once he went there for the first time, despite it being a bakery and not a café) that morning and the Hulk had trained with Thor a fair bit. Then, he spent the rest of the day in the lab. But outside of all of that, Bruce had tried to feel calm almost all day.

But as the scientist was wrapping up in the lab, something was bothering him. It wasn’t the Hulk. He had his fun today. Instead, it was his human anger and frustration. Maybe it was the number of things that had happened today? Maybe it was the work he was doing?

With every millisecond. His annoyance grew. He could hardly focus on his work. So, he stood abruptly, took a deep breath and looked to the roof. He needed someone. “Friday, is there anyone at the tower currently?”

“No, Doctor Banner.” The AI spoke, and Bruce sighed. “However, ‘Avenger’s Café’ is currently open to heroes, if you wish for human contact.”

Bruce paused for a moment. Did he really want to visit the bakery? To fair to Clint, those cupcakes were nice. “Alright Friday.”

The doctor began walking down the hazy streets of Brooklyn, one location in mind. It’d be the first time that he’d be alone there, but he doubted anything else would be open. Soon, he could see the faint glow of the store window and began to approach the bakery.

But then he paused. What if they didn’t recognize him? What if they made him Hulk out to prove it?

Pushing his negative thoughts aside, Banner pushed the bakery’s ‘closed’ door open.

“Dr Banner?” Bucky asked, raising a brow at the state of the doctor.

His hair was knotty, his shirt crumpled and eyes distant, as if he had sleepwalked here. “Uh, Bucky, was it?” He asked, slowly making his way to the counter were Bucky stood. “Yeah… are you alright?”

Bruce sighed, giving the baker a tired look. “I don’t know,” he couldn’t say it out loud. He really couldn’t. But strangely, Bucky seemed to catch on quickly. “Banner, ya like cleaning?”

Bruce blinked in slight surprise. “Uh, I guess?”

“Great,” Bucky smirked. “You can help my kids clean up their mess. I gotta warn you though, its bad.”

Bucky opened the counter and let Bruce in. The doctor followed the baker, feeling himself soften as the sounds of people approached. He could hear Wanda and Pietro, another vaguely familiar voice, and two other ones he didn’t recognize.

“Alright, you гремлины. Doctor Banner here is going to help you deal with your crap.”

As Bruce looked around the room, giving same waves, a small brunette boy run up to him.

“Doctor Banner! Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to meet you! One of the most renowned scientists of the generation ohmygoshonmygoshohmygosh-” As the boy began to ramble, Bruce gaped like a fish. Someone recognized him, for his talent.

A warm, fuzzy, feeling overtook him as he smiled at Peter warmly.

He was going to like this more than he thought.

Chapter Text

It’d been months.

Peaceful months.

Winter’s Haze had grown so much over the past year, Bucky could barely believe it.

He’d always thought that he would be his only employee. Then Kate showed up. Then Yelena. Then the twins, then Peter. And with his new army of mini bakers, came many others as well.

Aunt May, and her undying love for her niece. Some days, Bucky was convinced that May was actually Peter’s mother, not just his auntie. It was one of the sweetest things he’d ever seen.

With the spider gremlin, came the neighbourhood. DareDevil occasionally popped in, always ordering a cinnamon roll and a flat white with two sugars. Deadpool’s order changed every time, but the hot chocolate with extra marshmallow’s was always the same.

With the twins came the avengers.

Tony would strut in during hero hours (Sometimes in the iron-man suit), stride up to the counter, and order two chocolate chips muffins, and whatever Pepper Potts’ fancied. Pepper herself hadn’t come in at all, but Bucky wouldn’t be surprised if his sister’s boss didn’t even know the bakery existed outside of Stark’s orders for her.

Bruce and Thor were always good to see. Bruce’s order was usually the same, hot chocolates and chocolate chip cookies, while Thor wanted a little bit of everything. He’d leave with boxes of doughnuts, bread, pretty much everything they sold.

Natasha stopped by everything second night, at eleven o’clock. She’d order a large flat white with no sugars, a Russian teacake, and a brand-new conversation. Every time she came by she and Bucky would converse in Russian for hours. Yelena, when she was there, would sometimes join in.

Clint on the other hand, was completely random. Sometimes he’d show up at 2:30 on the dot, other days he’d show up at ungodly hours of the morning. His orders were random too. Sometimes it was a cookie and a milkshake. Some days a cupcake and a can of coke.

Then there was Steve.

Steve.

It seemed that every time the super soldier came by, he’d go out of his way to talk with Bucky. And it seemed that every single one of Bucky’s employees made It their mission to make them interact, if the left-over pastry incident from all those months ago said anything.

And Bucky didn’t mind it at all.

Try as he might, he couldn’t deny that he was falling for the star-spangled potato, which sucked. His kids knew, the avengers knew, if she was here, Becca’d figure it out rather quickly.

But hey, as long as he ignored the way his face heated up whenever Steve entered and ignored how Steve seemed to light up whenever he saw Bucky, he’d be fine.

Nothing would go wrong.

Right?