Chapter Text
Bob Reynolds hadn’t seen a point in breathing since his mom died. He was the one to find her, the face that once pressed kisses to his booboos from his daddy now was blue from the rope wrapped around her neck.
It was nights like this that made everything 10 times worse. It was a new cast but the same issues.
Alexei Shostakov and Yelena Belova arguing during dinner, oblivious to anybody else except for them. Ava Starr had been extra irritable after Scott Lang appeared on a late night show alongside Hank Pym, the latter of whom looked pretty shabby.
She had started ranting at the TV about how mad she was that Hank Pym had first off stolen many ideas held by Elihas Starr—Ava’s dad—and then had the nerve to shit on her parents’ reputation until it was almost unrecognizable. Then left her in this glitching body she was now in charge of piloting.
Bob had left before Bucky had the chance to get mad. The younger man didn't enjoy it when the ex-assassin was annoyed—because he could snap the other man’s neck without even breaking a sweat.
‘That’s why you need me’ Void growled somewhere inside Bob’s head where it resided most days.
“I don’t need you.” Bob replied, scowling internally. He really didn’t wanna deal with this shit right now.
He looked up towards the sky and saw what looked almost like something falling from the sky.
“Meteor…” The man theorized. It had a trail like a comet, that was true. But it didn’t look like one. It was way too smooth, even from all this distance from the ship and the former Sentry.
Bob swore he saw that ship somewhere, but he couldn’t remember for sure. It almost seemed as if he had a childhood memory of the ship. But no way that was possible. No way a spaceship orbited around in Space some five years and didn’t come back home yet—or burnt up. Not to mention, he couldn’t really remember anything from his childhood, until he didn’t wanna, then suddenly he could recall everything like a twisted VHS tape playing on loop.
Shrugging off the weird incident he looked up and saw, Bob walked himself towards his original destination of the local 7-11. He wanted a slushie, and he had the funds to do so. Plus it fed the inner child of Bob that wanted to beg Bucky for McDonald’s every time they drove past because he knew the Thunderbolts wouldn’t get too mad at him for asking.
Bob had almost blocked the strange ship of his brain entirely because of enjoying the people watching he was capable of doing while walking the streets of New York.
Or that’s what he’d tell his therapist and the Thunderbolts. Really the only voice he could recall was Void. Not the fruit salesman who was trying to convince a kid to spend his three dollars there. Nor did he notice the girl crying that her ice cream had fallen on the cement.
He couldn’t even tell you the color of the shirt of the person he ran into while Void was telling him he didn’t deserve anything he was getting.
Home.
Therapy.
Love? He thought that’s what the Thunderbolts had towards him but he may be delusional.
He forgot what was going on, until he made it back up the elevator to where the Thunderbolts spent their days.
“Bob!” Yelena ran over to the man, who looked a bit confused.
But that was always his facial expression.
“Yeah?” The younger asked, as his eyebrows cocked higher than normal.
“How did you even get here?” She asked.
“Uh…I walked. Yelena. I walked.”
“I mean—look out the window.” Ava remarked, from where she was standing with her forehead pressed to the glass of the impressive tower.
“Hold up, Bob,” Bucky asked, from where he was standing beside the couch, “did you get shot?”
“Oh…yeah.” The second youngest Thunderbolt chuckled, sticking his finger in the healing wound.
“Robert!” Alexei cheered, walking over to the much smaller man. “You are strong. Like a big bull.”
‘The only bull you’re like is bullshit.’ Void remarked with the same tired insults Bob had heard too much.
“At least get creative insults.” Bob remarked to Void.
The Thunderbolts stared for a moment.
“Bob…what—what’s burning?” The metal-armed ex-assassin asked as his body began going into fight mode.
“It’s coming from Bob’s room.” Alexei determined, his nose tilted up into the air like some kind of drug sniffing dog.
“I’ll check.” The ex-sentry replied, running off towards his bedroom.
It didn’t smell like a house fire. Bob knew what the smell of that was like. Plus, everyone knows that Tony Stark wouldn’t let a place he lived in not be bomb proof or fire proof.
He heard a squeaky voice, it sounded like a teenage boy
“This isn’t good Sue—“
“Nobody’s lived here for years, Johnny. They’re not gonna notice.”
“I don’t think so…”
This caught Bob’s attention, and he slowed his approach.
“The Avengers have been disbanded for years. Who else would be in here?”
“The Thunderbolts.” Bob said as he finally peaked his head into his room.
Inside there was two people dressed like they were gonna star in a realistic version of Star Wars. Thick glass helmets and white gloves, alongside the white and blue suits, adorned with a single American flag over the left side of the chest.
The younger of the two who had been hiding in the room screamed and hid behind the other.
The silence seemed to ring.
There was a man—probably Bob’s age but it was hard to tell from the brief glimpse he got of the other’s face—and a woman, slightly older. Probably closer to Yelena’s age.
“I told you Sue—“
Bucky waltzed in at that moment, clearly having heard something.
The woman—who Bob assumed was Sue—tensed when she saw that her assumption that this place was deserted was in fact incorrect.
“Johnathan, keep your trap shut.” Sue mumbled to the scared boy behind her.
The faces seemed almost familiar, as if Bob had seen them whenever he was much younger. Especially the man’s, his face reminds him of someone he had seen.
Maybe on TV? Like a doppelgänger?
“Okay Sue.” Replied the younger.
“So. Whatcha doing here?” Bucky asked, surprisingly casual.
“There’s a police blockade.” Sue responded as if that was a reasonable answer to that question.
“Okay. Why are you in our home?”
Bob licked the blue ice off his thumb, his eyes glued onto the shorter guy, who was now slowly peeking out from the blonde woman.
Bob stopped paying attention to the woman, instead hyper focusing on the guy. He was breathing slightly shakily and his eyes were glued onto the metal armed assassin.
Bucky leaned back, the artificial arm caught the light just right to shine onto the white walls..
“We will leave—“
“Where are you from?”
“…look. This is gonna sound weird. We just crash landed. From the rocket ship.”
“Oh…really?”
“What happened?”
“I’m sorry—“ Johnny stumbled backwards and nearly fell out the window, before his sister grabbed ahold of his wrist.
“Johnathan.” Sue grumbled and yanked her brother back upright.
“Sorry—“ The woman grabbed his hands tighter.
“Johnny. Relax. Breathe bud.”
“This is weird.” Bob remarked, chewing up the slushie’s dregs before throwing it in the trash can alongside the large quantities of other food related wrappings.
“Just leave. We’re not gonna do anything. How did you get in though?” Bucky asked.
“Through the window.”
At that, the super soldier blinked repeatedly.
“We’re on the top floor. Of a skyscraper.” Bucky looked at them, more confused than concerned really.
“…we went through the window.”
“Okay. We got our home invaded by galactic space cadets. Guess that’s how our Wednesday is going.” Bob chuckled before tying up the trash bag from his mini-can and walking out. “Yelena I’m taking out my trash out. Be back in five minutes.”
“Okay Bob. Who’s Bucky talking to?” The woman asked.
“Oh. You know the spaceship crew. Well two of them are in my room.”
“…Wait what—“
Bob went down in the elevator, no longer hearing Yelena’s questions.