Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I know you must be wondering what's all this.”

The team looked around, spotting numerous filming equipment and unknown faces in the briefing room.

“Are we gonna get interviewed or something?” you questioned. “We already told you that Bob's camera-shy.”

“Better than that,” She grinned, cynicism invading her eyes. “Welcome to Days of the New Avengers Lives. A wink to Days of Our Lives, you know? And it's a documentary about your day to day and all that.”

Everyone —except for Alexei— started complaining, refusing the idea of being filmed all the time. Valentina rolled her eyes and looked at Mel, annoyed. The latter nodded and pressed a button that created a strident alarm to silent you.

“Stop complaining,” Valentina said. “It's only gonna be for a few months, they're not coming everyday, and you will get paid for this. Not to mention that it's incredible marketing that will help improve your images, you know? John, people will even forget the incident if you play your cards right.”

“I think it's great. The Red Guardian stories will reach the world!”

Yelena sighed. “Dad, no.”

“You have no choice anyway. You'll thank me one day.”

“It's rolling.”

You pressed your lips in an uncomfortable line. “Uh, my name is Y/N Y/L/N, also known as The Alchemist. My power is to change matter, I guess they call it matter transmutation nowadays. I can make stuff become other things, like… King Midas, Medusa, or Jesus. And I can fight, too. It all started many years ago when I volunteered to be experimented on after my whole family died. Sad, I know. I'm over it now, though. Uh, then I was fighting against the Avengers for a few days before joining them to save the world during the Battle of Sokovia. I became an Avenger later, and then there was a messy divorce; I retired for some time, then I had to come back when a lot of bad things happened. I was blipped and came back again, got into some shady business to cope with the death of my closest friends… And now I'm here.”

The cameraman, who you now know as Chad, gave you a thumbs up. “Cut. That was… alright. Bucky comes next!”

You left and walked to Yelena and Ava.

“I feel like a circus attraction,” you commented.

“Tell me about it,” Ava agreed. “They recorded me going through the walls and said they'd add that shit.”

Yelena chuckled. “That's not so bad, people will think you're awesome. As for me, they said I have to exploit being Natasha's sister so the public will like me.”

“Valentina can go to hell,” John rolled his eyes, joining all of you.

“We're all there already,” You sighed.

“Guys, from one to ten how bad is it that they said I am the mental health representation?”

“Well, I'm the diversity check,” Ava sighed.

“Alexei and Bucky are the anti-ageism propaganda,”

“Y/N is comic relief,”

“I think Bucky is the hot one,” you added.

“What am I, then?”

“You're the asshole, John.” Yelena grinned.

“And you're the AA.”

“I'm gonna kill you.”

From afar, you heard Chad ask. “Bucky, is it true that you killed JFK?”

“No comment,” Bucky stood up and walked to you. “Can you believe this guy?”

“This is gonna be the end of us.” John covered his head with his hands.

“Where's my dad?”

“He's doing the Tower Tour.” you told Yelena.

“You know he's gonna get into our rooms, right?”

Everyone ran to their respective rooms, confusing the camera crew.

“I hope this doesn't backfire,”

Mel shook her head, saying something she doesn't actually believe in. “They'll do great, Val.”

Bucky paced around the kitchen with his decaf coffee in his hands, waiting for you to arrive. He was hoping to finish it before you got there and remarked that the reason he suffers from insomnia is his excessive coffee consumption at ungodly hours.

When he turned around, he saw you walking in with a tired smile. “Is this gonna be our new meeting time? Midnight so the cameras are off?”

“I genuinely think there might be cameras there somewhere,”

“Paranoia isn't good for you, Barnes,” You eyed him, accusatory.

He hummed. “That's what all the war does to a person.”

“I think we need a spiritual retreat or something,”

“Like the ones where people pray?”

“No, the yoga ones to connect with nature,” you replied. “We can take Sam, too.”

“That won't be very relaxing,”

You laughed. “But, honestly, we gotta hang out with Sam because he's acting weird with us. I feel like he hates us.”

“Sam doesn't hate us,” Bucky countered. “He might be going through something, I don't know. This year has been kinda tough on him.”

“I guess so, yeah,” You shrugged. “Let's text him.”

“It's well past midnight,”

“It's not, it's like 12:30. And he'll read it tomorrow anyway,”

Before you took your phone from your pocket, you heard someone sneeze. You and Bucky stood up, defensive, and looked around.

“Sorry, guys. Don't mind me, keep going,” Chad said. “Actually, can you do the last part again? And sit a bit closer to each other? People online ship you, you know? They call you Wintermist.”

You and Bucky looked at each other, a disgusted grin at the thought of being seen as a couple when you were more like siblings to each other.

“Go ahead, Bucky was saying Sam Wilson, slash, Captain America doesn't hate you…”

The both of you ran in opposite directions back to your respective rooms.

“Thoughts?”

Yelena frowned, taking the small stuffed version of Bob as Sentry in her hand. “They're… cute, Dad.”

“Right?!” He chortled. “People will love them! And the me? Best one.”

“Bucky will hate his, so don't show them to him,”

“He will love it.”

She shook her head. “He will throw it from the window.”

Alexei laughed. “Alchemist and Ghost come together.”

“Don't- don't say it like that. Please, don't say it like that,” Yelena looked away in embarrassment and spotted the cameras. “Beep, they won't leave us alone.”

She left, and Alexei approached the cameras to show the New Avengers plushies.

Bob, you, and John sat on the couch in front of the cameras, ready to speak your minds as requested.

Talk about your experience these past few days of filming.

“When I was Captain America, I got used to glory, being seen,”

You looked at the camera with unimpressed incredulity. “For two seconds, yes?”

“You had to say it, it's always the same beep with you and Yelena. Get over it,”

“No crying, Walker-”

He rolled his eyes. “As I was saying, it's not something new per se, but I'm not used to showing all our routines, you know? Training? Understandable; missions? Sure; meetings with Valentina? It's good that the audience knows we're tortured every once in a while; but, man, I draw the line at following me to the bathroom… is it a thirst trap? You think it's a thirst trap?”

“I thought we had already decided that the hot one was Bucky,”

“No, Bucky is the mysterious one. I'm the hot one.”

“Bucky is definitely the hot one,” Bob added, speaking for the first time.

“Yeah, and you're the beep,”

John scoffed. “Then you're the beep.”

You gasped. “How dare you beep, beep, beep, mother beep, beep, beep.”

“Stop fighting, for beep sake,” Bob looked at the camera, unamused. “This happens all the time.”

Ava thought there was going to be peace at 2 am. She swore that going through many walls until she was far enough not to be seen would work.

But no.

There she was, watching Bridgerton on her phone, still astounded by the events of the episode.

“Was I truly that blind?!” a character asked through the screen.

Ava snickered. “Only if you knew, Miss Edwina.”

“Cut,” Chad announced. “That was good, Ava. Showing the public you guys enjoy things like period dramas as well.”

“Oh, seriously?! Can't we have, I don't know… peace?!”

“Guys, this is getting out of hand,” You said.

Bucky nodded. “They stole my clothes from the dressing room to film me shirtless.”

“They're making Alexei tell embarrassing stories of me and Natasha.”

“They asked me to make an OOTD. What even is that?”

“Outfit of the day,” Ava told you. “They opened my Netflix profile to show the public what I'm watching.”

“We need to do something.” Bucky sighed.

“If one thing's for sure, that's that we're not getting rid of them.” you noted.

“So we just have to let them film us?” John asked.

“What if we let them, but make sure for Valentina to not want to air it?”

You smirked. “Bob, you genius, I could kiss your brain! We just have to be the worst version of ourselves!”

“Aren't we already the worst version of ourselves?” Ava frowned.

You all hummed in agreement.

Yelena pressed her lips. “If they dare make us do a PR stunt, I'm gonna kill Walker on Valentina's doorstep.”

“Why is it always me?”

“There's something about you that truly annoys us. I don't think there's anything you can do to fix it,” Ava explained and then paused. “We just know that if they decide to do that, it's gonna be Wintermist here.”

“I'd rather kill myself-” You raised your eyebrows.

“That's too kind of you.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

You smirked. “I think it's gonna be John and Bob.”

Yelena and Ava laughed.

“Very funny,” John rolled his eyes.

“You hate me?” Bob teased John.

“Beep you, Bob.”

All you screamed in annoyance as you noticed the censor sound, meaning you were being recorded.

“How much did you get, Chad?” You asked.

“All of it.”

Bucky took Chad's camera and smashed it on the floor. “Back to square one, I guess.”

Chad shrugged. “Guys, you should know better at this point… We're always ready for your tantrums.”

He took a brand new camera from his bag and picked the broken pieces of the old one.

“Do you never sleep, Chad?” John questioned.

“I don't get paid to sleep.”

In the morning, and after around three hours of sleep, the whole team was training.

John and Alexei were sparring, Yelena and Ava showed Bob some moves for his Non-Sentry Non-Void self, and you and Bucky were stretching together.

“Do you think that if we keep doing this, they'll leave us alone?”

“What? Training together?” You frowned. He nodded. “If you want them to leave us alone, we'll have to beep on camera.”

“You did not just suggest that.”

“I didn't suggest that! I just said it to the wind.”

“But honestly, if they make any of us have a fake relationship, it's probably gonna be us.”

You winked. “That's because you don't know how passionate the public is for enemies to lovers. It's totally gonna be you and John.”

Bucky made a disgusted face and pushed you away. “You're gross, did you know that?”

“Are you homophobic?”

“No!” he exclaimed and looked around. “I'm just saying that I would never, not in a million years, not even while held at gunpoint, kiss Walker. I'd rather kiss Bob, and that says a lot, too.”

“Sam would be so jealous.”

He rolled his eyes. “Would you shut up?”

“Make me, old man.”

“Are you doing this for the audience?”

You shrugged. “I'm a performer above all, princess.”

“You need to stop calling me your princess-”

“Hey, guys!”

Everyone turned around at the sound of the new voice.

“Morning,” You smiled at her.

“Morning,” She smiled back and stood beside you. “So, Val couldn't come…”

“Thank goodness,” Ava muttered.

“So she sent me,” Mel continued. “To talk about how you guys aren't being very welcoming with the documentary team.”

“Let us remind you that we were forced into this,” John mentioned. “I don't know how we're supposed to act. Pleased? Honored?”

She shook her head. “I know that, and I get this is not particularly ideal…, but let's just get this over with, guys. Do you think we enjoy coming to scold you?”

“So you don't like visiting us?” You raised your eyebrow. Bucky stared at you.

“No,” Mel opened her eyes widely. “That's so not what I said- I meant-”

“She's just teasing you, Mel. Relax.” Ava commented.

“Right,” Mel nodded. “Teasing. Joking. Yes. Okay.”

“You were saying?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, I was saying that you guys should please, please help me with this. I'm really busy, and Valentina is always sending me to tell you stuff…”

“You could text next time,” John proposed. “Do you not have our numbers?”

“I do. And will you actually read my texts?”

Everyone shook their heads but you. “I will. Text me.”

“Great,” Mel looked around. “Bye, guys, it was nice seeing you.”

“You, too.”

“Cut! Good one, guys,”

“Thank you, Chad! Kind man.”

Yelena groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Don't be nice to Chad, Dad.”

Chapter Text

Valentina was standing in front of the TV with an unreadable expression in her face, which made you all curious as to what she might be hiding. Her purpose, of course, which was terrible for the most part.

It all seemed simple: an identification mission.

An organization whose name was unknown, only their criminal activities regarding the creation of chemical weapons and human trafficking. Valentina calls them The Syringes, but there was not much concrete information about them.

It wasn't supposed to be anything big; not to stop them but to identify them and how much of a threat they were. Therefore, you weren't particularly needed as your powers would only draw attention and other teammates are kind of better at fighting than you when you don't use your 'super skills'. The same with Bob or Alexei's inability to be low-key.

For the mission, the only suitable members left to go were Bucky, Yelena, John, or Ava.

Then, it was narrowed down: Ava had to go on a mission with you next week and couldn't risk any injuries. Valentina, for some reason, said that Yelena couldn't go because she had a 'special task' for her.

So Bucky and John would go on the mission together.

Everyone was trying not to laugh at the idea and their reluctance to be paired up.

They couldn't even look at each other at the thought.

Why John and Bucky going on a mission together is a bad idea?

“Bucky and I have been friends for a long time,” you began. “After the Avengers divorce in 2016, I volunteered to go to Wakanda with him because, well, everybody basically went separate ways, and King T'Challa said I was welcome to join them. So, I did and it was awesome. The thing is, I was Bucky's friend when he had nothing that reminded him of home. Then, when we came back from being blipped a few years ago, we had a lot in common: we had lost our closest friends, so… we had to be each other's, that's where we are right now. And, yeah, I was there when John was named Captain America. We found that disrespectful, but we were so focused on that feeling that we never considered how it wasn't John's idea but a good opportunity for him, one of those we don't turn down. We resented him a lot back then, so don't tell him that he's growing on me… Still, he's kind of a beep, and it's not easy for us to build a functional relationship with him yet. Especially Bucky, so… this is gonna be very interesting. And a bad idea, yes.”

“I hate John,” Bucky stared directly at the camera. Right there in the quinjet, he was talking to the crew while John checked the path of the vehicle. “I will never not hate John, so this is a nightmare.”

John smiled. “I think this is a great opportunity for Bucky and I to bond, you know? Get over past resentments and stuff… It's important for the team.”

“Hey,” Bob called Yelena. She looked at him and raised her brows. “Which alignment do you personally identify with?”

She frowned. “What the beep is an alignment?”

“Listen,” He looked at his phone. “Chaotic good, neutral good, lawful good, chaotic neutral, neutral evil, lawful neutral, true neutral?”

“Uh… chaotic neutral?”

“Okay,” Bob nodded. You sat beside him and looked at his phone. “What comes most on your FYP? BookTok, thirst edits, travel blogs, cute animals, DYIs, cooking tips, tarot readings?”

Yelena chucked. “Cute animals, I think.”

“Which of these things terrify you the most? Heights, spiders, letting down your friends…” Yelena laughed at the latter. “Small spaces, ending up alone, losing money, the ocean.”

“None of the above.”

“Ending up alone,” you whispered to Bob.

“Sounds about right,” he agreed with you. “Which New Avenger would you rather be handcuffed to for a day? Me, Alchemist, Winter Soldier, you, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent.”

“What kind of question is that?” She grinned, confused. “But I guess that Y/N.”

You smiled. “That's so cute of you. I'd choose you, too. Or Bob.”

“Next. If you could choose other superhero to add to the New Avengers, who would it be? Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, Sam Wilson's Captain America, or Thor?”

“Considering Scarlet Witch is dead, I don't know who the hell Daredevil and Moon Knight are, and I tried to kill Hawkeye, I'd say Thor.”

“I'd love for Thor to be one of us,” you commented. “It would be pretty crazy.”

“Pick an 80s song to add to a playlist: Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen, I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston, Take on Me by A-ha, Material Girl by Madonna, Thriller by Michael Jackson, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship, or The Winner Takes It All by ABBA.”

She hummed. “The Winner Takes It All.”

“Choose a color for your superhero costume: black, blue, green, red, purple, yellow.”

“Black,”

“You're Bucky!” you exclaimed and laughed. “This is so cool, I wanna take it.”

“What is that?”

“It's a personality quiz to know which New Avenger are you,” Bob explained. “Okay, which alignment do you personally identify with?”

You pursed your lips. “I'd say chaotic neutral.”

“Not at all,” Yelena interrupted. “I think true neutral or neutral good.”

“I think true neutral,” Bob said and picked that option. You rolled your eyes, gaze landing at the camera. “Okay, next one.”

“Thirst edits,” you answered. “Losing money. Yelena. Thor, too. Material Girl. Black.”

“You got me!” Bob laughed and so did you.

Yelena smiled, seeing you excited over something so dumb.

“Let's call Bucky and John to see who they get!”

“We're in the middle of the mission. Call later,” Bucky told you.

“I think lawful neutral,” John whispered, looking over the files. “Cooking tips. Is nothing a possibility? No, Bob, it's not ending up alone, skip that one! Uh… myself. Don't pick Alchemist, Bob. Moon Knight would be pretty good. Yes, I know him. Under Pressure.”

“John, don't you think we have priorities here?”

“They're gonna keep calling, Bucky,” he replied. “Blue, of course. Myself? Beep right.”

“Would you leave us the beep alone if I take it? Okay, okay. Uh, lawful neutral…”

They kept working while answering your questions.

“Who did you get?” John asked him once you finally left Bucky alone.

“Y/N,” He rolled his eyes. “At least I didn't get you.”

“Very funny. Ha, ha.”

“Yelena already warned me about you two,” Ava squinted. “I'm not gonna answer your questions.”

“Alright, then we'll answer with the way we perceive you,” You shrugged.

“I think Ava is neutral evil.”

“I don't wanna be perceived,” she complained. “Just ask your stupid questions.”

John bounced his leg in urgency, almost as if doing that would make time go quickly or the USB take the information from the computer more fastly.

“Stay still, John, you're annoying me,”

He rolled his eyes, scanning some files while talking. “I'm not interfering with your existence at all.”

“You interfere with my existence by existing,” Bucky scoffed. “And you're doing it wrong. Let me do that.”

“You're doing literally the same thing I was doing.”

“No, I'm not, John.”

“Yes, you are-”

“No,”

“Yes, Bucky.”

“No, I'm doing it better,”

“It's literally the same!”

“No, it's not.”

“It is.”

“I don't think so.”

“Well, you're thinking wrong.”

“Your existence is wrong.”

“Shut up, Barnes.”

“You shut up.”

John groaned.

“I think I would be handcuffed to Lena,” Alexei nodded. “And Thor, great addition to New Avengers. Material Girl…”

“You got yourself.” you announced.

Alexei smiled widely. “Who else could I got?”

Talk about your day.

“I think it was a fun day,” Bob noted. “Y/N and I spent some time together, which we don't often do. It was nice.”

He looked around, spotting you laughing at your phone because of some quiz.

“She even sent the quizzes to Mel and Valentina,” He sat cross legged. “Valentina didn't take it, but Mel did and got her. She's excited.” Bob smiled. “Maybe tomorrow we'll even train together. We'll see.”

Bucky and John were surprised that there were no complications in their mission. No getting caught, all the intel needed was in their hands, no fighting —unless all the bickering between each other counted—. They both thought it, but only John had the guts to say it out loud.

“We make a good team.”

“Shut up, John,”

He shook his head, annoyed. “We can never have anything nice, can we?”

“I think not.”

Talk about your day.

Bucky scoffed. “As much as it hurts to admit it, we actually make a good team. It's good this isn't gonna be aired because I will personally kill Chad if this information reaches John.”

“Cut,” Dan, the other cameraman, informed. “I'll have to report you to HR, Bucky.”

“Be my fucking guest, Chad #2.”

Chapter Text

How was your mission with Alchemist?

Ava cleared her throat. “It was… very particular. We've never been paired together for a mission, you know? By ourselves. She's often in a more controlled environment ‘cause Yelena and Bucky tend to ground her better, but… I didn't know that I had to make sure she doesn't go Full-Alchemist.”

How was your mission with Ghost?

“The mission was fun,” You nodded. “I turned some guys to stone and Ava ghosted through them! She was a little mortified at the beginning, but then got over it, I guess.”

Did you get over it?

“Every time I approached someone, she would turn them to stone and destabilize me because I had no idea where she would come from and who would she beep attack next! I hit and phased through dozens of statues, and it hurt. I am not over it and I'm gonna talk to Valentina so she doesn't send us alone on any missions again,” Ava replied. “I never thought I'd say this: but I missed Bucky. Genuinely.”

Ava said she missed Bucky during her last mission.

Yelena chuckled. “Said no one ever.”

“It surprises me, too. I thought she hated me,” Bucky shrugged. “I guess she couldn't stop the Full-Alchemist mode. Maybe we should've warned her.”

“No, I think that the only way to learn about the Full-Alchemist mode is by being a victim of it. You can see it, but you only understand it with the suffering,” she commented. “Well, in my case, we were gonna fall off a bridge and she turned our newly-stolen car into water before it exploded. I was bracing for impact and suddenly I was drowning. Oh, and once King Midas turned me into gold and then she was hit and fell unconscious. It was the worst experience of my beep life. My mind was alive but couldn't do beep because I was metal.”

“We fought once and she turned my metal arm into birds,” Bucky added. “Shuri had to make me a new one because the birds escaped and she couldn't undo it then.”

“What color were the birds?”

“Two gray and one red,” he replied. “But it's also nice when she becomes Jesus and turns water into wine. Well, it's mostly beer.”

“On the Carlson mission, we ended up stuck in the middle of the woods and she turned a rock into cheese bread. I've never loved her more.”

Bucky nodded. “Once you get over your incident, she comes in handy.”

Were you ever victims of the Full-Alchemist mode?

“We weren't on a mission, but one time, She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named turned my food into stone.”

Alexei laughed at John. “She made my water vodka. I only feel gratitude.”

“Yeah?” John rolled her eyes. “How about that time she turned Yelena into gold and we had to carry her to the quinjet while Bucky and Ava looked for her?”

“Oh, that was bad… My poor Lena.” Alexei shook his head in pity.

People are talking about the Full-Alchemist mode.

“If it's about the time I turned Yelena into gold, let me tell you that she was locked in a sauna hot enough to boil water. I did that to avoid her getting fifth degree burns. You're welcome, Belova.”

John woke up the morning of the second Sunday of June with an anxiety he had never known before.

With his phone in his hands and the scrambled eggs with bacon and toasts in front of him, he looked at his wife's face and name shining on the screen.

Olivia Walker. That isn't her last name anymore, but he hasn't had the guts to change it.

He looked at the camera in front of him and nodded at Chad behind it as a greeting. Then, he called.

Ring. Ring. Hang up.

“Morning, John,” Alexei joined him at the dining table. A little too much bread, too much gouda cheese, and a big mug full of black coffee. “Happy Father's Day!”

John curved his lips. “Thanks, Alexei, you too.”

He smiled widely and started eating his breakfast. “Will you eat?”

“Uh, yeah, I'm just making a call,” John replied. “Or trying to.”

“Braveness, John. Most important part of a fighter. Brave punch, braver talk.”

“Braveness. You're right,” He exhaled, then called again with his phone on speaker.

“Hello?”

John cleared his throat. “Uh, hello. Is this Olivia?”

“Yeah, this is she,” Olivia replied. “And this is…?”

“It's, uh… John.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah, sorry for calling just like this, I… just wanna talk.”

She sighed. “Yes, of course.”

“Can we meet? Now?”

“Okay, I'll send you our address.”

Alexei gave John a thumbs up.

“Mooooorniiiiing,” you greeted like a song, getting behind the kitchen island to look for ingredients to cook something. You had arrived from a mission yesterday and needed balanced meals after three days of the bare minimum.

“Good morning!” Alexei exclaimed, a grin on his face that told you he was expecting something from you.

“Morning,” John said after swallowing a bite of toast.

“Walker, I have to attend some lunch with someone that says he's my cousin, but I'm not so sure,” you mentioned. “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me just to look intimidating in case we're not related.”

He raised his brows. “Bucky said no?”

“I didn't ask Bucky, I'm asking you,” You shrugged. “You're more suitable for the job.”

“How come?”

“You'll know,” you answered.

“Well, I wish I could help you, but I have something to do.”

“No, you don't,” You frowned.

“Yeah, I do.”

“And what is it?”

“None of-”

“He will meet his ex-wife,” Alexei replied. John rolled his eyes.

“And you? Can you come to lunch with me?”

“Sorry, I'm sure Lena has plans for today.”

“Okay, thanks anyway,” you pouted. “I hope everything goes well with Olivia, John.”

You picked cereal with milk, water, and a bag of dried cranberries and made your way to your room, a little disappointed for not getting John's help—or Alexei's, as you had expected.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Alexei asked, a smile plastered on his face.

“Uh…” You looked around, confused, and walked to him. Your eyes landed on the camera, as if it could give you an answer as to what you had forgotten. Then, you kissed Alexei's forehead, thinking that maybe he meant you hadn't said goodbye. “Have a nice day…?”

Alexei curved his lips, disappointed. “You, too.”

John laughed when you left. “Sorry, she probably doesn't know it's Father's Day.”

Alexei stayed in the common room for the day, waiting for anybody to do or say something. He saw John leave, wished him good luck; he saw Ava come and go like a kid, said hello; he saw you bribe Bob into going to lunch with you, helped you convince him; he saw Bucky telling you not to go to that lunch, ended up agreeing with him; saw you fight with Bucky, later realizing it was indeed a scammer and not your long lost cousin; but never saw Yelena.

He started to lose hope. After being excited because it would be the first Father's Day he spends with Yelena in the current days, Alexei was sad that his wishes were now ruined.

His face went from hopeful and expectant, to upset and disappointed. He should have known it since you didn't wish him a happy Father's Day that morning. If you, the one who is always looking out for everyone, didn't care about it, nobody else would. Not even his dearest Yelena.

Yelena.

Yelena, instead, was scrolling through TikTok next to you on your bed.

“I just saw a Bucky thirst edit,” She made a disgusted face, Salt-N-Pepa's Whatta Man playing in the background. “Look at this.”

“Wait,” you said, and opened the camera app to record Yelena's face watching a specific clip of Bucky being interviewed back when he was in the Congress. In a suit, a passive-aggressive look on his face, and speaking as if he was forced to, and he did look cute; thing Yelena was repulsed by entirely. “Oh, he looks really handsome. I need to show it to him, he will hate that.

“Ugh, don't say that,” she replied. Soon, there was a clip of Bucky smirking after the Flag Smashers fight, with shorter hair then.

“Oh, beep…” You widened your eyes. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say I wanna have his babies, too, beep.”

“Oh, God, look at the description,” she said, scandalized. “Father's Day? More like Happy Daddy's Day, Sergeant Barnes. Gross.”

“It's Father's Day!” you yelled at her, eyes widening at the reminder. “Oh, my God, that's why Alexei was so weird this morning…”

Yelena hid her face behind her hands. “Beep, I forgot. Why didn't you tell me?!”

“Don't blame me, I don't have a dad! How the beep would I know?!”

“You're his honorary daughter, you should've known,” Yelena groaned. “What are we gonna do?”

You rolled your eyes and looked at the camera, then back at Yelena. “Call Ava. And let me text Mel and ask her to tell Valentina we're blackmailing her for a car.”

“A car? Just ask her to help us with this, maybe she has a dad,” Yelena frowned and peeked at the screen. She noticed you and Mel had been talking up until she interrupted you to show you Bucky's edit and rolled her eyes immediately at the idea.

“In Russia, we say opasen tot vrag, kotoryy nosit lichinu druga,” Alexei began, looking anywhere but the camera so his disappointment isn't seen. “It means that the enemy with a friend costume is the most dangerous… We can never trust our close ones these days, they could be our enemy in disguise. Betrayal is the most common of the sins,”

So, is Yelena your enemy?

“Well, traitors aren't friends, are they?”

Mel opened the door to your room and entered hastily. “Okay, I got this beer glass that says Best dad ever and Belvedere Vodka. He likes that, doesn't he? I also brought decorations, balloons, and stuff.”

“Thanks, Mel,” You smiled and made space for her to sit beside you.

“Bucky asked Alexei to drive him somewhere. Walker is here already, Bob said he'd keep him occupied,” Ava announced. “I ordered the pizzas. One too many.”

“I got the booze,” Yelena noted. “Now, are we gonna use some of that Asgardian stuff you keep hidden?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I'll get some of that.”

“Are we about to see Alexei, John, and Bucky drunk?” Ava asked, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face.

“It takes three shots of these and Bucky forgets what inhibitions are,” You looked at Ava. “Imagine what half a shot is gonna do to Walker.”

Yelena laughed. “This is gonna be amazing.”

“You have to send visual proof to me or it didn't happen.” Mel snorted.

“Oh, are you leaving?” You frowned.

“Don't tell us you got something better to do than counting how many shots it will take to get Bucky to do a lap dance to Yelena.” Ava grinned.

“Don't you dare,” Yelena shook her head, outraged.

“Well, I didn't think I could come. I mean, it's not like…”

“Of course you can come,” You gave her a soft smile, meeting her eyes for a little too long. “We might blackmail through you, making us kind of awful, but not to the degree of asking for your help and then excluding you. You're not our assistant, you're our friend.”

Ava and Yelena looked at each other, the latter mouthing an or more than that to then make it a challenge for both to hold back their laughter.

Mel met your gaze for a little too long as well, but cleared her throat and straightened her position as soon as she regained consciousness. “Uh… Thanks. Really.”

“So…” Ava interrupted. “Are we ready? Because I don't have much faith in Bob and Bucky's stalling abilities.”

“Sure, let's go.”

It was a great first Father's Day for the team.

Alexei was ecstatic, swearing he never doubted any of you. John was also happy, saying he wasn't expecting it but enjoyed it, especially after the success of his meeting with Olivia.

The Asgardian rum did its thing, making Bucky chatty and charming. No staring, no complaining, just genuine laughs and more conversation than ever. Alexei became messier than you expected, louder than thunder, and happier than a kid on Christmas. John, on the other hand, was far too nostalgic; thanked everyone for celebrating with him, for being his family when he needed it the most, and Italians for inventing pizza. He told everyone how it went with his wife, thing he wasn't planning on doing but the liquor changed his mind—he would be able to visit once a week and spend time with his son, and Olivia gave him the opportunity to make amends and to have an amicable relationship now that he was doing better. John said it was perfect timing to celebrate Father's Day since he barely got to before it all went south for him.

Yelena wasn't drunk, only a couple of beers and genuine joy at the sight of her father happy and her friends having a great time. Mel sat beside her on the couch, amazed at how that group of seven people —more known for the trouble they have caused than the good they could have done, all broken and misunderstood— could make a vacant place like the Watchtower enjoyable and homely. Probably only while drunk, but it still counted.

Bob, you, and Ava had a bit of a hard time, but did wonders at hiding it. As none of you had a father—or a family, at that—, you haven't been to celebrations as such for what feels like a lifetime. However, you were all happy for John and Alexei. The three of you sat together for some time, sharing wordlessly the feeling of understanding each other and the comfort that all the dysfunction of your weird new family brought.

You didn't choose it, but you found it.

And that was something all of you knew but were too proud to acknowledge.

Chapter Text

“The worst thing that could have ever happened to me is you deciding to be a good person all of the sudden,” John noted, shooting you a bad look as he peeled the potatoes with you.

You rolled your eyes. “I think you're just jealous that I'm a better person than you are.”

“You're not a better person than me,” he replied. “You're constantly making fun of others, bribing Bob into doing whatever you want-”

“God forbid a girl has hobbies and tries to help Bob find beauty in cotidianity through adventures and experiences.”

John shook his head. “And saying weird things so you distract others to get away with stuff.”

“Stuff like what?”

“Like stuff you do. Then, you avoid being called out at any cost. For example, when I told you to stop making Alexei take you whenever, wherever you want.”

“That's a Shakira song.”

“This is what I'm talking about! What does that even have to do with anything?”

You shrugged. “You're the one who said it.”

“You know what? Peel the potatoes yourself and make that Darinki thing yourself.”

“It's Draniki, and you can do whatever the beep you want, Walker,” You scoffed. “I don't need your negativity and bitching here when I'm trying to do something nice to thank Alexei for taking me to McDonald's for a McFlurry at 2 am, AKA his comfort food according to Yelena.”

He rolled his eyes and left while you stood wondering whether to use sour cream or cream cheese to go with the Draniki and smoked salmon, since the recipe says sour cream but you know Alexei would like cream cheese better.

A small smirk appeared on your lips at the thought of John going to his room and finding what you got him to maintain your kindness streak: buying a US Agent plushie for his son so ‘he could be close to him’.

Maybe you were still kind of awful for wanting him to feel bad.

And, as expected, John returned not too long later with the stuffed version of himself in hands. “Thanks for this. I'm sorry for being a beep to you… Let me help you.”

“I don't need your help, John. Go do your stuff, it's fine,” you gave him a sad look. “You've already done enough.”

When he left the kitchen feeling utterly bad, you chortled and winked at the camera. Yeah, still awful.

As a rare occurrence —you were told to by the camera crew—, the whole team was training at the same time. Yelena and Bucky were sparring, John was exercising his duty of being Alexei's personal trainer by screaming at him as he was on the treadmill, Ava was practicing her phasing by herself, and you and Bob were working on your Sentry+Alchemist dynamics as Bucky had requested.

“Can we take a break?!” Alexei screamed.

John shook his head. “Breaks are for little girls!”

“That was misogynistic, John,” Yelena commented with a smirk. Bucky chuckled beside her. “When I was a little girl, I was in the Red Room being taught to kill people, so, no breaks for me.”

“It happened to me, too, but in S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Ava joined. “How inconsiderate of you to say that, Walker.”

“You're all insufferable,” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, let's take a five minute break, Alexei.”

“I feel like I am in a circus.” Bob said.

You laughed and picked up your phone from the floor. “They're a spectacle, definitely.”

There were a few unread texts. A few from Sam telling you his sister and nephews were alright as you had asked, one from Shuri giving you specific information about a mission you would help the Dora Milaje with that night—independently from the New Avengers, clearly—, and a few from Mel, which you read first.

It was a screenshot of a Tinder profile. There was a picture of Bucky, the one you took of him pretending to drive Sam's boat a few years ago, and it said ‘Bucky, 38’. The description was ‘… feels like. I'm actually 110. Not joking. Avenger. Former Congressman. Feel free to reject me, I won't take it personal’.

You gasped, knowing this was something you wouldn't let him live down. Though, seconds later, you frowned at the idea of Mel being on a dating app.

And matching with Bucky.

“Are you okay?” Bob asked.

Instead of replying, you showed him the screen.

“That's real?”

You shrugged, smirk on. “I guess so. Mel sent it.”

“So, Mel is Bucky's type and Bucky is Mel's,” He snickered.

“That's what you're getting from this?” You raised your eyebrow. “Bucky's on Tinder!”

“Bucky's on Tinder?” Ava chimed in, running to you.

Everyone seemed to have heard her because, in a blink, they were all on you wanting to hear all of it. Except, of course, for Bucky, who was wondering how to get out of that one.

John whistled. “Looking for love, Barnes?”

“Shut up, beep,” He groaned, walking to you and taking your phone in his hands. “We matched? No, someone sent this to you.”

“You're saying I'm not your type?” you questioned him, faking offense.

“I'm just saying I don't think I'm your type, you know? I thought it was like… brown eyes, long, wavy hair, late twenties…?”

Yelena and Ava hid a chuckle, though Bob, Alexei, and John didn't read much into it.

“Oh, shut it,” You smacked his arm, the one he would feel the impact on.

“Ouch, okay,” He rubbed where you hit him. “Alright, so what? Are you gonna shame me for being on a dating app? Really, guys?”

“We're not judging, we're… opining,” Ava replied.

“And we have some questions,” you announced. “Firstly, how long have you been on Tinder? Secondly, how many of the times you've ditched me were you on a date with someone from Tinder? Thirdly, are you dating to marry or are you going the casual route? Fourthly, when were you planning to tell me? Before proposing? Does Sam know? Is he your best best friend? Am I number two? What does he have that I don't? Is it because I'm a woman?”

Bucky shook his head. “First, you're overwhelming. And, to answer: on and off for a few years, stopped when I got into the whole Congress thing, resumed a few weeks ago. Three times but it went well so you should know it wasn't in vain. Casual route but once I met someone I thought I could have a future with; didn't go very well, no further comments on that. I wasn't planning on telling you ever because of the fuss you're making right now. Sam doesn't know. You're both my closest friends. He has a shield. And, finally, being a woman makes you better if anything. Also, before finishing here, have you realized that you're making this a thing just because of who I matched with?”

“Who would that lucky lady be?” Alexei asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Or gentleman.”

“Mel,” Bob said. “If you're worrying about the work environment, I think it'll be alright. And Mel is awesome, they'd be a great couple.”

“You know what, Bob? You're right. I'm gonna match with her too, unless a certain someone has anything to say about it.”

You shrugged, pretending it didn't bother you as much as it did. “The only thing I have to say is that I'm happy for you, princess. Actually, I think we all should follow your example and download Tinder. Lord knows getting beep would help a lot with your anger issues.”

“Leave me out of that,” Yelena wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I don't need getting beep to feel better, that's what insulting John is for.”

He gave her a fake laugh. “I think getting beep would help you a lot.”

“Team, I fear I will not join you in this quest,” Alexei commented. “I have my eye on someone already.”

“Melina?” Yelena asked and grinned in disgust when her father nodded proudly. “Best of luck with that, Dad.”

“Thank you, Lena,” He smiled, ignoring the irony in his daughter's words.

“What if we match with each other?” Bob wondered, almost to the air.

“We'll see what happens,” You smirked. “Oh, my God, John, you should use the picture Bob took of you when we were making lava cakes.”

“It was a good look,” Bob nodded.

“You think so?” He frowned, searching for it in the Unsolicited dick pics group chat, which you use to send pictures of each other taken randomly. “I think that picture of you Yelena sent when you were in Turks and Caicos would make numbers on Tinder.”

Yelena nodded in excitement. “Yeah, you look hot in that one.”

“I need to see that,” Ava said, scrolling through her phone. “Well, beep, I'd match with that.”

“And I'd match with you, baby,” You winked at her and chose it. “Bob, I think you should use the one I took at the zoo with the giraffe.”

“He looks cute there!” Yelena agreed. “Ava, you must use the one from the gala when you wore the red dress.”

“Yeah!” you exclaimed. “I'd match with you looking like that.”

“I would too if I didn't know you,” John teased her.

Surprisingly, Ava didn't insult him, only laughed.

“I can't believe you,” Bucky rolled his eyes and attempted to leave.

“Don't you dare leave, James, we're bonding.”

Bob sighed. “I should leave out the whole void thing, right?”

“If I were you, I'd wait a few dates to get there.” John commented, patting his back.

“We'll have a tough time, guys,” you whispered. “Lena, create the account, okay? You'll just un-match everyone or whatever and delete the account later.”

She rolled her eyes. “What am I getting in exchange for this?”

“Uh, I'll owe you one…?”

“Fair enough,” Yelena told you. “Anything?”

You pressed your lips, hesitant. Was it worth it?

Absolutely. “Anything.”

Yelena let out an evil laugh and started.

In all honesty, you just created the account in search of two things: seeing if you could match with Mel to find out if you were her type —regarding gender, mostly— or maybe meeting someone that could help you forget about that silly little crush you had on her.

“I just beep matched with Bucky,” Yelena chortled, making everyone laugh as she showed the screen.

“Let me see,” Bucky demanded. She showed him, and he rolled his eyes. “No way.”

“Do you guys know that there's one called Raya and it's for celebrities?”

“I've heard about that,” Ava said to you. “What? Are you gonna get there and try your luck?”

“Maybe I can pull some net worth. Sorry, someone who's worth it, sorry.” you joked.

When you started looking through your matches and pressing X on each of them, you received a text from Mel. It was a screenshot of your profile.

She wondered whether it was a joke now because the same friend who sent her Bucky's profile just sent her yours.

And you were embarrassed to admit how relieved you were at that. Then, you confessed you had thought it was her on Tinder. Mel said she didn't use dating apps because she was scared of getting potentially killed by someone she matched with.

You erased your profile, deleted the app right away, and told her it was indeed a joke after finding out about Bucky's.

“I used to be rejected by everyone I liked in high school. And later, even,” Bob began, showing the camera how many chats he had on Tinder. “I can't believe there's so many people out there who think I'm cool after reading my bio admitting my biggest accomplishment is doing the dishes.”

Bucky nodded beside him. “You'd be surprised what people are into nowadays. Enjoy it, Bob.”

Chapter Text

It was seven of you in front of seven gala outfits and the only ones who seemed excited were you and Alexei.

The boys, of course, would look awesome in their suits like always. They think they look like penguins, but, deep down, know they look good. John, Bucky, and Bob's suits were all jet black with white shirts and a black bow tie, and Alexei's was a merlot red, white shirt, and tie the same color of the suit—Valentina has learnt to entertain him and his interest towards shining brighter. Yelena's dress was white, long sleeved, and absolutely beautiful. Ava's dress was in satin, an olive green and a deep neckline to attract all the gazes. You, on the other hand, had a black strapless dress with flowers in burgundy red sequins that hugged you nicely in all the right places. You all would look great, at least.

“I feel like a penguin,” Bob commented to the camera. “And I don't wanna go to that gala. None of us wants to.”

“Speak for yourself,” you shrugged. “And everyone but me and Alexei.”

Bob sighed. “We have to talk to people and all that.”

“You can talk to me,” You patted his back. “Valentina said we had to talk to people to seem approachable. Apparently, we're "intimidating" or something.” You made quotation marks with your fingers.

“Well, you are. I don't think I am.”

“You're not intimidating, but not approachable either,” you replied. “Whenever someone tries to talk with you, you push them away. And I get that because you're not comfortable talking with strangers and all that. These people always expect you to want them, so, to succeed, we'll find you someone who seems out of place here. That someone won't be like the others and maybe you'd feel more comfortable. Is that okay?”

“You know you're awesome, right?”

You smiled and locked your arms with him. “Let's go, Bobby.”

Yelena's strategy to survive the night was to spend the whole evening with someone who handles social situations exceptionally well. That's you.

People approached you as if you were the prize and you handled them as if you were made for it. With friends, you are fun and eloquent, and with strangers, you tend to be assertive and polite. Always with a look on your face that said ‘you might want to be on the table, but you aren't good enough to earn a seat’; always attracting the attention of egomaniacs who think they can get to you. That makes you intimidating, unapproachable, appealing to the public eye and always has.

Being by your side guaranteed having people around to create the illusion of conversation while not having to speak at all. It was simple: she just had to stay on your good side because any faux pas could annoy or upset you, and you would just leave. Then, her savior would be gone, and God only knows how she would survive the rest of the evening.

And there you were, frowning at the sight of Yelena, John, and Bucky following you around like ducklings. Your arm was locked to Bob's, and the thought of overwhelming him with all of them around was enough to frustrate Yelena's plan.

“What are you all doing?” you questioned. “You’re gonna upset Bob.”

John cleared his throat. “We just want to show… solidarity to Bob now that he has to face his social anxiety.”

“You don't have to say he has social anxiety all the time,” you told him. “Why are you all following me?”

“Because you're our friend,” Bucky said with a hesitant smile, knowing you probably wouldn't believe him. “And we love spending time with you.”

“Cut the beep,” you stated bluntly. “What do you guys want?”

Yelena rolled her eyes. “We don't want to talk to people, so we're making you do it for us.”

“So, you want me to assign you a new friend? Would that work?”

“Actually, we don’t want new friends at all,”

“You want me to tell you that you're special and to accommodate you? This is the real world, guys. Just… ugh. I'll find you someone to talk with.”

First, you found Heather Glenn, the Commissioner of Mental Health in New York, and left her with the most fascinating individual for her to deal with: John Walker. Local asshole, in great need of therapy, and a personality any therapist would kill to explore. Next, you told Yelena to look around for Kate Bishop, since you invited her and her mother Eleanor. Yelena complained, but later thanked you as she saw her somewhat of a friend. From afar, you noticed Ava talking to two women and approached them with Bob and Bucky, which resulted in Bucky and Ava having each one of the ladies to talk to. At the end, you and Bob walked to Bruce Banner, whom you had practically begged to attend the gala. Your purpose was for him to bring someone you could talk to, so he showed up with a man you now know as Wong, a sorcerer like Doctor Strange but apparently better than him.

You believed him blindly.

Ava, Shana, Bucky, and Amy were having a nice conversation.

In all honesty, nowadays, Bucky doesn't really differentiate genuineness and diplomacy when speaking with strangers. He doesn't know for sure whether he is actively in a conversation or if it's the diplomat in him taking the wheel, so he only talks to Amy in almost automatic while Ava focuses entirely on Shana now that Bucky is with her friend.

As for Heather and John, she was absolutely astounded by the idea of him ever seeking help. What from outside seemed like stoicism was discovered to be closer to narcissism, and Heather found herself exposed closely to a key aspect that separates heroes —like how John was portrayed to be to the public eye now, though she found it inaccurate— and vigilantes —her current hyperfixation that created irony in the whole ‘I'm a therapist, I know better’ agenda her face showed with her not realizing how sickening it all had turned into.

And John? He just tried to maintain the conversation, following her cues, and hoping it all would end from the moment he realized he was being psychoanalyzed. But he knows he could be in worse hands as he spotted Alexei speaking with a couple from afar. The man, dressed all in white, and the woman, all in black, gave the illusion of elegance and something he couldn't really place. John was too far to identify faces, but, deep down, he found himself concerned enough to ask later about the people he met.

Yelena and Kate were having one too many glasses of champagne and, seemingly, catching up. In reality, Kate was interrogating Yelena and questioning why on Earth she was ignoring her texts. The answer, honest as ever, was that she had been going through a rough patch and then focused all her energies on her new life, not really socializing with anybody outside her team. Yelena promised to try. Kate asked her if she could find her a spot in the New Avengers. Yelena said she lacked a touch of messed up that was a requirement to fit in the team. Kate, as expected, told her every single messed up thing that ever happened to her, and Yelena pretended to indulge her. She was having a good time and considering thanking you later for inviting Kate, someone she actually felt comfortable talking with.

Bob was nicely chatting with Bruce, feeling seen and understood by the latter's characteristic battle between human and Hulk, and how he had managed to find balance between both parts of himself. It was a nice conversation that put him at ease, which was your purpose all along. You smiled as you noticed.

You and Wong were getting along well. A few drinks in and talking about each other's powers, you became friends and even exchanged numbers to make sure to hang out later. As he was wearing a nice suit and could pass as a common person, neither Val nor Mel noticed it was people you were supposed to entertain, not know from before.

Except for Bob, but they knew very well that him attending without much reluctance was a win already.

“I had so much fun with the new friends I made,” Alexei mentioned to the camera. “Nice couple, clearly love each other. Influential. Loved my stories.”

“Who were they?” Yelena asked him.

“He gave me his card,” he replied, giving it to her.

Yelena frowned. “Sounds familiar.”

“Maybe Chad knows,” he noted. “Chad, do-”

“Dad, no,” she elbowed him. “Stop telling Chad things, he'll start using stuff against us. Your new friend isn't that important, we won't talk to these people anymore.”

“Maybe I'll talk to them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Beep you, Chad.”

You stood in the balcony, looking at the stars and trying to count them to distract yourself from your thoughts. It had been a successful gala, or at least you found it successful at the idea of your teammates—friends enjoying it. Or tolerating it while also completing that horrendous task of socializing.

Wong, your new friend, made the evening decent. He was fun and you shared a cause once. You had arranged a visit to the Sanctum for him to show you the wonders of the Mystic Arts, which you were endeared by. Still, you knew there was something missing that evening, something you didn't want to name. Something you feared to name.

So, you looked at the stars and began counting again as you had lost focus for a moment. Then, something else made you lose your concentration—it wasn't John's laughter as he recounted the conversation and how he realized he was being treated without his consent; nor Bucky's complaints about Ava leaving him to socialize with Shana instead of supporting each other. Nope, it wasn't that.

Instead, it was Mel offering you one of the hors-d'œuvre she noticed you were devouring earlier, at the beginning of the gala. You smiled.

“How was tonight?”

She sighed. “Boring. I had to convince Val that Yelena didn't know Kate Bishop.”

“Thanks for that one,” You laughed and bit your now considered midnight snack. “Other than that? Did you make any friends?”

“Well,” She hummed. “You know the neurologist, right? Doctor Grey?”

“Yeah,” You nodded. “She's nice.”

“I knew her, but we hadn't talked before,” Mel shrugged. “She was fun.”

You pressed your lips in a fine line. “That's nice.”

She was confused by your reaction, but said nothing.

“But I'm here before I leave because I didn't get to say hi tonight,” she mentioned, a hesitant look in her eyes.

“Hi, then,” You chuckled.

“Hi,” she replied. “Bye.”

You nodded with a small smile. “Bye, Mel. Sleep tight.”

Ava gave the camera a tired, annoyed look. “Yeah, the gala was nice, we all made new friends, I'm going to sleep.”

“She didn't look like she had a good time,” Bob commented, seeing Ava leave. “I did. My assigned friend was Bruce Banner. The Incredible Hulk. He's always been my favorite Avenger.”

John stared at the camera. “The Commissioner of Mental Health for me… I think this was some good old retaliation from She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”

You appeared behind him. “Beep, I already know that's what you call me.”

He flinched as you startled him. “How are you everywhere, Miss Voldemort?”

“If you're gonna give me a nickname, at least make it someone who has a nose,” you commented. “Didn't you guys once call me Queen Midas for a whole month? If you're going there, call me like a goddess or someone historically and culturally and religiously relevant.”

“I'll call you She-Hades. You're diabolical,” John answered.

“I read once that, back then, people feared saying his name,” Bob mentioned

You smirked. “Did you know that, John? That's why you said it? You read, John F. Walker?”

“Beep.”

“He loves me,” you told the camera once John was out of sight.

“He does,” Bob confirmed with a grin.

“I never know what to make out of your interactions,” Bucky commented after being silent while you and John bickered.

“Stop thinking about other people's interactions and focus on yourself for once, Barnes,” you complained. “Let's go so you can do your skincare routine. Come on, Bob.”

“Beep.”

“Cut,” Chad announced. “Good one, guys. See you next week.”

“You have no idea how much we're looking forward to hearing you say ‘see you never again’,” Bucky rolled his eyes. “So I can finally find out where you live and get revenge for all those private conversations you have filmed, Chad. You best sleep with one eye open”

“You're aware of the ginormous file HR has on you threatening the crew, right?”

Bucky scoffed. “Feel free to add this.”

“Sorry for that, Chad. He has anger issues,” Bob apologized in the name of Bucky once he was gone.

“Bob, don't apologize to Chad.”

“Oh, you know there's a file on you, too.”

You shrugged. “You may leak it for all I care.”

“Is there a file on me?”

“Not yet.”

Bob frowned, and then you dragged him away from the crew.

Chapter Text

In the briefing room, the entire team sat as Valentina detailed the upcoming mission.

Apparently, this one would need everyone to participate due to how important it was to get it right. A once in a lifetime kind of opportunity to capture the heads and scientists of The Syringes—a name that stuck because they didn't have one.

According to the information Bucky and John had gotten on their mission, there would be what you all call an evil convention in Skiathos this weekend.

You were ecstatic to go to Greece on the first ever mission of the whole team. On Bob's first ever mission after how much he has been working on managing his powers and balancing his personas.

“First, Bucky and John will be co-leading the mission for obvious reasons,” Valentina began, referencing that they were already familiar with the organization. “Alexei, Yelena, Ava, and Bob must be there, especially Bob as Sentry. This is an important one, so we need the big guns… Now, thanks to Y/N’s efforts into training Bob, he is finally ready to go with you guys. Still, Yelena, you’ll be in charge of keeping him sane in case something happens. Which won’t.”

You cleared your throat. “What am I gonna do?”

“Stay, I guess,” she replied. Your expression fell completely. “Unless you have plans. In that case, I encourage you to go out there and live life.”

“Wait, so you mean that the only person who is qualified to stabilize Bob isn’t coming, why?” Ava frowned.

“If all that you care about is having someone to take care of him, I’ve heard Yelena did a great job during the incident. Also, he has to learn how to live independently.”

“Why do you hate me?” you asked, mockingly.

“You know she has FOMO,” John reminded everyone as if you weren’t there. “She’s gonna spiral, Valentina.”

Valentina sighed. “Okay, she’s not going because there are scientists there who would quite literally kill to get their hands on someone with her abilities. You’re outnumbered, and, as much as her powers would be an ace for the team, we can’t risk her being taken. She’s too valuable of an asset, not to mention dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“You care about me? That’s sweet,” you teased her. Valentina rolled her eyes. “If I was taken and died, Bucky would probably die from heartbreak, so you’ll lose your leader.”

He shook his head. “I’ll live from relief, doll.”

“Anyway, guys,” Mel interrupted. “You’ll, uh… do great. You can always bring souvenirs, right?”

“Valentina, is this because I went to Las Vegas with the Dora Milaje and didn’t formally notify you beforehand?” you questioned, not paying particular attention to Mel’s comment. “Is this your revenge?”

“When the beep did you go to Vegas with the Wakandans?” she made a confused grin.

“Did you guys know I married Bucky in Vegas once?” You changed the topic abruptly to avoid Val’s scolding.

Everyone —even Valentina— turned to look at you and him, completely astounded.

“She does this all the time, Val, you get used to it eventually,” John noted, amused.

“I told you not to call me that on multiple occasions, Walker-”

“Look at little CIA Director Val. Gonna cry?” John smirked. Valentina got ready to answer, but Bucky was quick to speak about the secret you had just spilt instead.

“Before anybody dares to ask, we got an annulment.”

“Wait, is it actually true?” John frowned.

“Sure it is,” you confirmed.

Yelena snorted. “How the beep did that happen?!”

“We were undercover,” Bucky replied, staring as if his eyes could throw knives at you and twist them at will. “And you were supposed to take that information to the grave, woman.”

“Did you kiss?” Ava asked with a wide, bright, and teasing smile plastered on her face, making Bucky blush.

“Obviously. In front of a minister dressed as Thor,” You shrugged. “If anyone was wondering, Bucky’s a great kisser.”

“Can you all stop talking?”

“You told me you hated every second of it,” He rolled his eyes, ignoring Val.

“Gotta love those two,” Yelena smirked. “Live, laugh, love Wintermist.”

“A formidable couple,” Alexei chimed in with a smirk. “We must celebrate their union.”

Mel cleared her throat and tried to turn the attention back to the mission. “Guys, I think we’re losing focus here.”

Alexei smiled. “And your children? Solid fighters.”

“I said we got an annulment.” Bucky repeated, annoyed.

Bob smirked. “I’m a child of divorce.”

“Remember: we got the annulment. It was as soon as we returned to New York,” you confirmed and then made a disgusted face. “Do you guys think I could stay married to that man? Maybe if I didn’t have insurance, but I do now.”

“And do you think I could stay married to that woman? Maybe if I needed reasons to kill myself.”

You gasped. “That was mean, James.”

“You started it.” He shrugged and frowned, careless.

“Shut up…” Valentina spoke again, losing patience.

“Okay, but seriously, can you guys imagine their kids?” Ava grinned.

Valentina just took a seat, covering her face with her hand, and motioned Mel to press the infamous silence button. The alarm, loud enough to be heard in China, invaded the room, making everyone cover their ears and groan in pain to later shut up.

“Whoever that’s up there, what did I do to deserve this?” Valentina looked up at the ceiling.

Yelena hummed, massaging her temples. “Uh, let’s see… You yelled at three of the guards because they didn’t guess what floor you’d be going to, you hushed Bucky’s new cat, you tricked John into threatening someone for you, you decided to exclude Y/N from a mission where she’s clearly needed, by Bob mostly, you made Tina’s son cry five minutes before entering the briefing room, existed near us, and that’s only what’s happened today. If I go back to the past couple years, I’m sure we’ll find at least a million things you’ve done to deserve this and more.”

“It’s what she deserves,” Yelena smirked, self-sufficient.

Valentina exhaled tiredly. “Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and their kids can keep the beep cat.”

“We got an annulment!” you and Bucky exclaimed in unison, making the team hide their laughs.

“I’m not gonna lie, it really offends me that I won’t get to go to Greece with the team,” you commented. “I’ve always wanted to go to Greece! And Skiathos? That’s where they filmed Mamma Mia. I just wanted to beg Ava to perform Lay All Your Love On Me on the beach with me.” Then, you made a fist and showed it to the camera. “Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will rue this day she’ll rue it!”

What does to rue mean?

“It means to regret. To wish that something had never been done.”

“Cut,” Chad said. “Dan, can you go report this to HR?”

Ava and John were walking next to each other on their way to the hotel hall where the convention would take place when they got your call.

John sighed and took his phone from his pocket. “Hello?”

“Hi, John,” you said. “Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing?”

“Uh, in the hotel with Ava and on our way to the convention. Why? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to know what you were doing,” you replied. “How’s the hotel?”

He rolled his eyes and hung up the call.

“She-” Ava began, but was interrupted by another of your calls. “What?”

“John accidentally hung up the call,”

“That wasn’t on accident, baby.”

Bob and Yelena were hiding in a hallway with their sight on Hunter Hunt—yes, his name is actually that— when Bob’s phone rang, startling them.

Yelena took the phone and answered the call. “What’s going on?”

“Hi, Lena. I just wanted to know how Bob’s doing.”

“Stop calling, you almost made us get caught.”

“Okay, but is Bob alright?”

“Bob, are you alright?” Yelena asked in a whisper. He nodded. “He just nodded.”

“And-”

She hung up the call and turned off the phones.

Bucky was on a balcony that gave him a perfect view of the whole room. Everyone was seemingly having the time of their lives, and, from there, he could see John and Ava pretending to be waiters and handing the modified beverages to everyone needed.

He had a rifle with him in case it would be needed—which was most likely—. Rifle that almost shot when your call startled him.

“Beep, no,” He hung up and activated his earbuds. “Can anyone call Valentina to tell her to keep Y/N busy or something?”

“I already did,” Yelena replied. “She has called us three times now.”

“She’s calling again,” Ava groaned. “Stop calling!”

Alexei, covering Bucky, heard his phone ring. “It’s her.”

“Oh, God.”

You were in the common room, reading Bucky’s copy of Sunrise of the Reaping you had gifted him for his birthday and petting Alpine, his new cat he rescued a week ago who was smaller than your hand and playing in the pocket of your hoodie, when you heard a new voice join you.

“A little bird told me you’ve been insufferable today,”

“Your little bird is most likely a viper called Valentina.”

Mel smiled. “Can I take a seat?”

“Sure,” you replied, closing the book. “What brings you here?”

“Well, you’ve called everyone and interrupted the mission the whole day,” she sat cross legged, looking at you. “So, Valentina sent me to keep you busy. And confiscate your phone.”

You smirked, giving it to her. “I can’t believe I’m missing out on this.”

“It’s for your own good as far as I understand,” she reminded you. “What would I do if they took you and used you as a lab rat or something? Do you really wanna go back to those days?”

“I don’t know what you would do,” You shrugged. “And I certainly don’t wanna go back to those days. There are no Wanda and Pietro to have lunch with the only days we were allowed to leave our cells anymore.”

“I would go insane, probably, and take a plane to Greece,” Mel elbowed you softly. “I had forgotten about the Maximoff twins being there with you.”

“Yeah, they were,” You looked at her, vulnerability getting the best of you. “My family moved to Sokovia when I was little because my parents were doing humanitarian work there with the victims of a terrorist attack. For that, I ended up being the only one left in my family… being a victim as well. I grew lonely and resentful, and when someone approached me with the opportunity to be part of something big, I knew I couldn’t just say no. That’s how I ended up there and why I was on the wrong side for so long. When Pietro died, I was there for Wanda, and when she died… the only one by my side was Bucky.”

“I didn’t realize you two were that close,”

“It’s been me and Bucky since we moved to Wakanda, it’s been us since Steve left him, since Wanda left me. It’s been us through nightmares and grieving, and no matter how much we fight and whatever we say, he’s my person. All we have is each other, and that’s probably the only thing in this life that either of us knows for sure.”

“You really love him, huh?” Mel mentioned, not meeting your eyes.

You nodded. “He’s my best friend. I would literally die for that guy.”

Mel hesitated, but knew she had to ask. “Would you be with him? Romantically, I mean.”

“What?” You were taken aback by her question, mind blank for a hot minute.

“Yeah, just… You make it sound like you are soulmates or something,”

“I love him, just not like that. And, trust me, he doesn’t either. This is not some sort of ‘ew, I would never!’ friends-to-lovers kinda beep, it’s just that the idea of being romantically involved with him makes me wanna vomit.”

Mel snorted. “But he’s cute. More than cute.”

“What? Do you want me to play matchmaker here?”

“No, no!” She shook her head. “I was curious, that’s all.”

“I think you’re taking your job to distract me way too seriously,” you noted, taking Alpine from your pocket. “Look, this is Alpine… Not to be dramatic, but I would burn the world just to bring heat to her on cold winter nights.”

Mel held the cat in her hands. “She’s like a little cotton ball.”

“Wait,” You picked your phone from the coffee table where she put it before. “Smile. Say cheese.”

She laughed, bringing Alpine to her face and smiling widely. You took their picture, then showed it to her.

“Aw, my pretty girls,” You curved your lips softly, and then your eyes met hers. Mel was frozen in her place, almost dropping the cat at how off base your comment took her.

Your face lit up, looking at her playing with Alpine from afar. “Yeah, maybe not going to Greece wasn’t so bad.”

Chapter Text

Yelena and you had started a new tradition: movie night.

Your newest idea was to watch French movies. Thus far, you have seen Les Misérables, Persepolis, and Benedetta. Your difficulty to understand it well enough was stealing the magic from it, so you considered something.

Something that would require blackmailing and dedication.

As nobody else ever joined you —in all honesty, you wouldn’t want it any other way— you could put your plan in practice without much trouble. That way, you could also watch sad movies, cry in French, and not worry about John's mocking looks.

Because John is kind of an asshole and he finds your emotions funny.

“Can you imagine if John was there when we watched La La Land?” Yelena laughed.

“I think he would’ve cried, too,” you replied. “Unless he and Olivia are doing well.”

“Wait, they're talking like that?”

You looked at her, amused. “Are they talking like that? You bet things have been happening in John F. Walker's routine.”

“Things?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Things indeed,” You gave her a knowing look.

“Wait, what does she even know about my routines? I only go pick up my son!”

“Which son?” Ava asked with a smirk. “Your second-born in the making?”

“Shut up, Starr,”

“If it's a girl, call her Ava. If it's a boy, Bucky.”

“Beep off.”

Yelena and you grinned at each other as you worked on your conversation exercise to introduce yourselves. The greetings, deciding whether to be formal or informal when talking, wondering how it would be to make up new names were probably the most fun you've had in months.

The French lesson lasted two hours, and Thérèse, your teacher, even left you homework for the next class. You two were getting ready to do it when the elevator rang to announce Alexei's arrival from a mystery shopping session.

“Team!” he yelled, almost distressed, catching your attention immediately. “I brought gifts!”

“Dad, you scared the beep out of me!” she complained and stood up, looking at the ungodly amount of pets he was carrying. “What's all that?!”

“I brought pets!” Alexei exclaimed, putting the tanks and cages on the floor. “You take the yezh.”

He encouraged you to walk towards it and pointed at the hedgehog in its cage. “What?”

“This is Josh,” he said. You looked at the camera in awe. “I named her Josh because it sounds like yezh. But it's female.”

“Yezh is hedgehog in Russian,” Yelena explained.

“I know that,” you replied. “I meant what the beep.”

“Dad, why did you bring animals here?”

“For you to learn responsibility,” he said.

“I already have Sweet Cheeks and I'm very responsible, mind you.”

“And I basically co-parent Sweet Cheeks and Alpine,” You shrugged. “I- I can't-”

He smiled and put his hand on your shoulder. “You will be an excellent hedge mother. Where are the others?”

Soon enough, Bucky, Bob, Ava, and John were in the common room.

“I don't think this is a good idea, you know?” Bucky mentioned.

“Bob will have the lizard,” Alexei instructed, pointing at the very small leopard gecko in its tank. Bob approached it on the table and started looking at it carefully. “And Ava will have the fish.”

Ava made a disgusted face at the half a dozen of cardinal tetras, but accepted her unfortunate fate.

“John, the hamster will be yours,”

“Beep no, Alexei!”

He frowned. “Do you prefer the dog?”

“We will be returning those, Alexei,” Bucky said. “We can't have so many animals here. There's enough work with Yelena's guinea pig and Alpine when we go on missions.”

“No problem, we'll have them for a week only unless you decide to adopt them,” He grinned. “And I keep the dog. The pet person said this gets along with cats.”

Ava frowned. “I'm sorry, how did you manage to get that dog? I'm pretty sure that's a ridiculously expensive Charles Spaniel here.”

“I got a credit card from Valentina.”

“Uh, can you take care of a dog, Dad?” 

“We'll find out,”

You shook your head. “No, we won't. I take the dog. John takes Josh. You take the hamster.”

“What are you doing? Why are we entertaining this beep?” John questioned.

“I'll name them Maple,” You smiled and took the puppy in your hands. “Is it a girl or a boy?”

“Female.”

“C’mere, my baby,” you whispered to the puppy and then left her on your lap. “I think I'm keeping her, though.”

Bucky shook his head. “We're not keeping any of them.”

“Beep off, Bucky. I literally fought for Alpine to stay,” you reminded him. “And, calm down, you won't have to be Maple's uncle.”

He rolled his eyes.

“The gecko's name is gonna be Syrup,” Bob commented with a smile. “Like maple syrup.”

Your face lit up. “That's so cute! You are Maple's favorite uncle.”

Bucky huffed and stood up, leaving the common room.

“It's okay, baby, Uncle Bucky is just super grumpy. He'll get over it. Let's find Alpine before he takes her to his room!”

“See? The pets were an amazing idea.”

John, Ava, and Yelena groaned in annoyance.

“That beep hedgehog is nocturnal.”

Ava snorted, smiling amusedly at the camera. “Sorry for that, Walker.”

“At least we aren't She-Hades and her dog. She's the one who'll have it hard.”

“Totally,” she agreed. “And I'm not particularly planning on taking care of those fish. If we go on a mission, the only person willing to take care of them is most likely to be on said mission with me or in charge of her own torment. Or worse, of all the pets: Maple, Syrup, Alpine, Sweet Cheeks… I can't add to the reason she goes insane, that's what John is here for.”

“We can never have a civil conversation, can we?”

“If you want one of those, you're looking at the wrong place to have one.”

“Yeah, I should know better at this point,” John rolled his eyes. “Anyway, let's go now. Alexei wakes up at ten.”

“Me and John are going to return our pets,” Ava announced, pointing at the tank and cage John was carrying. “Don't you snitch on us, Chad.”

Bucky, John, and Alexei believed that your lack of presence in the training room meant they could work with Bob themselves.

Since the mission had been very smooth and Bob had been great, they thought he was ready for ruthless fighting techniques. To teach him moves so he could later apply his brute force into them. To improve.

However, they were failing miserably.

“I beep told you that it would be too much!” John yelled at Bucky. “How many soldiers have you trained, huh? Huh?!”

Bucky groaned in annoyance. “Oh, and how many did you train?”

“Like, dozens!”

“Were any of them enhanced, Walker?!”

“What difference does it even make?! We're not training Sentry right now, this is Bob! You want him to turn into Sentry suddenly and use enough strength to kill us in one punch? No, right? Then stop pushing too much!”

“You are acting like he's Hulk.” Alexei said.

“Actually, emotion does trigger transformation,” Bob noted. “Y/N and I found out the bad way.”

“The bad way?” John frowned.

“Yeah, you don't wanna know,” he replied, trying to look unphased.

“What? You punch her?” Alexei asked.

Bob shook his head. “I wish it was something like that,” and he sighed. All three looked at him in acknowledgement and wondered how you had the guts to leave the training room without giving away the fact that you spent hours in the Void only to help Bob, as if it was nothing. 

But Bucky knew. He knew why you did it: because you cared. Because you had been where Bob was: taking that ‘chance’ to be part of something bigger, maybe to help in a way that mattered, not in control, having something anyone would call a gift being closer to Hell on Earth, on the wrong side before earning a choice, redeeming yourself as if you could make up for everything you've done one day. And, if you could do something to help ease Bob and support him in his journey, you would. You would go to lengths beyond you if you knew it would help him. Bucky knows that too well because you've done the same for him.

The connection you and Bucky share goes way beyond the people and spaces that link you. It goes beyond Steve and beyond Wakanda. It is there in key moments: being HYDRA's favorite toys to break, you leaving everything behind so you could be there for him despite not knowing him—not really at least, realizing that the only thing keeping you from solitude and insanity was having each other, facing the loss of the people you loved the most together, crossing the line of morality to protect each other… the things you have done for him and he for you, the things you are still willing to do without hesitation; that is what connects you.

“You guys don't have to do any of this, you know? Just because I felt like training today doesn't mean I had to.”

So, maybe it was the Bucky that loves you and wishes to protect you above all, or maybe the Bucky that was jealous at the thought of his best friend going through all that trouble for someone else. Like, is he not the special one anymore? 

He doesn't know which option was more embarrassing for him.

“Yeah, I honestly think we have to be heavily trained first,” John noted. “But I'll talk to Y/N.”

“I'll help,” Bucky said. “We can do this, Bob.”

“Are you sure? I know you knew what I meant when I said I hurt her worse than physically. I don't want to do that to you.”

Bucky raised the corner of his lips in a kind, small smile. “You won't hurt me, Bob. I'm not scared of you, I trust you.”

Chad congratulated them for the meaningful shot and left.

“He totally shouldn't have trusted me,” Bob said with embarrassment. He looked anywhere else to avoid the camera, eyes landing on Syrup.

He sighed.

“I guess I should learn to be in control.”

“Shit, fucking shit,” you murmured to yourself, running into the training room and closing the door behind you in hopes for Bob's relapse not being bad enough to spread much further to the point it could exist or be seen outside the room. “Fuck…”

You threw your bag anywhere and ran into the shadows, getting ready to spend the possible worst couple hours of your month there.

Once you were inside, you appeared in your room. The one you got used to by now.

And you knew the drill: ignoring your family's bodies, turning the man crouched and about to find you under the bed to stone before he saw you—before he took you, getting under the bed and in front of a smaller yourself, wiping your ten-year-old version's tears, and kissing your own forehead. “Vse budet khorosho, detka.”

Telling yourself that ‘everything will be alright, little one’.

It hurt, but not enough to harm all that much.

When you opened your eyes again, you were in your old room at the Avengers Compound. This one? It was new, and you already hated seeing Tony that last time and sensing the disappointment in his voice he tried to hide as he said goodbye.

“I heard it's too hot in Wakanda,” He shook his head. “And that there's not much to do.”

An eighteen year-old you grinned. “Actually, I think there's a lot for me there, you know? Like… too much happens in this fuckass city. A little peace will do no harm. And you can call me, you know? I can always come visit if I'm welcome.”

“Are you one call away?” Tony asked, a bittersweet smile on his lips.

“As long as nobody throws my ass in jail,” You saw yourself shrug. “I'm sorry for… leaving. I feel like staying out of it was choosing the side of indifference, but I never wanted to be against anyone. I was never sure what was the right thing, I don't think I'll ever be, I just know I never wanted to hurt my family. That includes you and Steve too.”

“And Wanda.”

You pressed your lips tightly. “She got dragged into another war. When she was gaining as much normalcy as an Avenger can get, Lagos happened. This happened. I don't blame her, even if you do.”

“But it hurts,” Tony pointed out the thing you knew too well.

“She got away,” you murmured. “I thought we had had enough war for a hundred lifetimes, that we could just leave and start over. She thought otherwise, so… now she's gone and overthinking it is of no use.”

“I'm sorry about this. I shouldn't have let this happen, let it come this far.”

You sighed. “We are all at fault, Tony. I'm sorry about it, too. I'm sorry for leaving.”

“But you're still a kid. You don't have to be sorry for choosing yourself for once.”

That was the problem. You weren't choosing yourself—you were choosing Bucky.

You were choosing the man who killed his parents over him and he knew it better than he would've wanted to. He knew why. He knew you saw in Bucky the darkness left by the light HYDRA stole from both of you. He knew you enough to catch it from the moment you backed off and decided to leave them to fend for themselves instead of signing the Sokovia Accords or choosing teams.

Tony felt your betrayal, you knew he did. And he saw that silent awareness in your eyes as you let him live in your lie. He knew how it killed you to leave it all behind, so he chose someone other than himself for once and just went with it to spare you.

And, if he knew that would be the last time you saw each other, he would have hugged you before closing that door without looking back. You, however, knew that it was probably the last time, but didn't have the guts to stop him.

You just cried without realizing it before blinking and appearing in Westview that day, when Wanda's hex was finally lifted and she chose to leave instead of picking you. She rejected your love like you knew she would, because you meant little compared to the grief Vision left behind. That day haunted you because you could have done more. You could have insisted she stays instead of blaming her for leaving you. You could have offered comfort instead of telling her she would lose the one person who loved her through everything, that not even Vision knew her like you did, that nobody would love her like you always have, that she was making a mistake. You could have had some dignity and respect instead of making her feel guilty for trying to find her own path. If you hadn't been so hard on her, you know she would have stayed.

Because she loved you, too; maybe not like that anymore. But she loved you. And your words were what pushed her to the edge that one day, what caused the detrimental solitude that drove her mad.

And now she is gone, and you have made peace with it despite who you turned into the moment she walked away from you, but you could never forget her or the mark she left on you.

So you turned around and, when you did, you saw Bucky breaking down. You saw him look at himself as the Winter Soldier, telling Steve he was his mission, hitting him as if he were a punching bag in a rage room, hearing his best friend say he would never hurt him back because he was with him ‘til the end of the line, whatever that meant. So you ran to Bucky like you have learnt to do by force of habit.

“Buck, Bucky, look at me,” You got in front of him, interrupting his view. “I'm here. I'm right here. I'm…”

Suddenly, the void perished. Bucky was still on his knees, crying in silence, a vacant stare you hadn't seen in a while.

You didn't look away, you didn't care for it.

“Bucky,” you whispered, meeting his eyes. “It's over. You are here, you are safe, you are safe with me.”

His breathing was ragged, soon turning into desperate gasps for air. You only held him, driving his head to your chest so he could mimick your breathing and his ear could catch your heartbeat.

Steady, alive, there.

You hushed him and caressed his hair. Gently, softly, careful, with a fondness that grounds him, especially when he has felt it for long enough to remember he is too privileged.

Just then, he held you tightly as if you could slip away any second. As if the moment he let go of you, you would go somewhere more important. As if he was just lucky that you stumbled onto him first.

But it wasn't like that, because Bob was at ease already. Mel, appearing like God himself had summoned her, was standing beside him and staring at the whole thing.

And when you looked up and noticed it, you caught no one other than Chad there filming the scene of you and Bucky.

“Chad,” you called him. He cut immediately and showed you a thumbs up, like congratulating you for the show. “Listen to me very carefully because I will not repeat myself: if you don't delete that video right this fucking second, I will kill you. I am not saying this just to say it, I am not joking, and this is not a warning. This is a threat, and you might as well report this to HR or even the police, because I am dead serious.”

“Delete it, Chad,” Mel ordered. “The views or whatever you want, they're not important. This is.”

Once Chad had shown her that he did indeed delete the footage of you calming Bucky down, Bob escorted him out of the training room.

But Mel stayed for some reason she ignored and witnessed first hand how deep your connection with Bucky was. She realized that you couldn't live without each other, and that whatever she was feeling and whatever you might feel too, if anything at all, would never be anywhere as great.

“I'll be heading out,” she informed, taking a step back.

“Mel,” you called her and, against her better judgment, she stayed. “Thank you.”

Mel didn't know for sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't you thanking her. Maybe the delusional in herself wanted you to tell her that it wasn't what it looked like, asking if she could wait for you and talk. But it wasn't that, which only meant that you saw her as her actions, not as her.

All she ever wanted was for anybody to see her. The Mel she is outside of Val's assistant, the Mel she might be.

She thought you didn't.

But you certainly did, just not right this moment where the only person who had never left you, who had always accepted you, needed you the most.

Mel also valued that. Seeing you being so caring made her like you even more, made her wish so bad she could get that version of you for herself.

But does she have to be a broken thing to get your attention? Or would just Mel be interesting enough?

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, everyone was excited for halloween day.

John would spend the day with his son and take him trick or treating dressed as Spider-Man because that was his toddler's favorite superhero. Not him. Spider-Man.

Also, you spend a good portion of the week convincing Bucky to dress with you as Gomez and Morticia Addams, but he chose not to. Which you should have expected to happen.

However, his change of heart wasn't because he didn't want to dress up with you anymore, it was because he had a date for the night.

You were a little sad about it, but didn't do or say anything, of course. Well, not sad at him having a date, but because he had promised last month you would wear matching costumes.

In the end, you dressed as a vampire and carried cherry lemonade as blood everywhere, Bob dressed as human Shrek from Shrek 2, Alexei dressed up as the Red Guardian—as expected, Yelena as you, and Ava as Bucky.

Mel dressed up as a vampire, too, and the funniest part of it was that it wasn't even planned to match with you. Finally, Valentina dressed up as Cat-Woman.

And everyone had fun.

Oh, and Bucky? His date didn't go and he ended up dressing as a vampire, too.

“That's what happens when you choose a girl you met last week over your best friend who has quite literally killed for you,”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Would you just not rub it on my face?”

“I had promised,” Bucky shrugged. “And she was sad. I canceled the date.”

Once the celebration was over, Yelena, Ava, Bucky, Bob, Mel, you, and John —who had just gotten to the Watchtower— were sitting in the common room.

“How much of this Asgardian rum you have left?” John questioned, playing random chords on the guitar he bad brought from his old place. “You just bring it out whenever you want us wasted.”

“You say it as if I forced you to drink it,” you accused him. “And I have loads left. When Thor left to go to space with the Guardians, he asked who wanted to take some of his things he'd leave behind. I volunteered to take his liquor, of course, because I loved seeing Steve getting drunk and needed to know what Bucky would look like drunk. I wasn't expecting to end up with three super soldiers to intoxicate.”

Mel chuckled. “So you guys normally drink because of peer pressure or because you enjoy the taste of alcohol? You don't even get drunk unless it's Asgardian rum?”

“Basically,” Bucky replied.

“That's Eternal Flame!” Ava exclaimed, sudden, listening to John's surprisingly good guitar playing. “Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling.”

You snorted at Ava singing, then seeing how John continued.

“Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?”

Bob cleared his throat. “I believe it's meant to be, darling! I watch you when you're sleeping, you belong with me…”

“Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame?!” you continued with exaggerating singing, turning to look at Mel.

“Say my name, sun shines through the rain, a whole life so lonely, and then come and ease the pain,” she followed with a wide smile dedicated at you.

“I don't wanna lose this feeling!” Yelena sang loudly, turning to look at Bucky. “Say my name, sun shines through the rain! Bucky!”

You nodded at Bucky. “Come on, Buck! A whole life so lonely, and then come and ease the pain!”

He laughed and, thanks to the literally god-sent Asgardian rum, continued the song. “I don't wanna lose this feeling! Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling! Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming, or is this burning an eternal flame!”

Bucky kept singing the high note, making everyone laugh and follow with the background chorus together.

“Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling…”

Once the song ended, everyone laughed, noticing how the alcohol had definitely had an effect on each and every one of you.

“Hey, we never asked if you guys liked our matching costumes,” Ava mentioned and looked at you and Bucky.

“What are you guys even dressed as?”

“We're dressed as Wintermist,” Yelena smirked. “I'm you and Ava is Bucky.”

Bucky frowned. “What do you mean by "Wintermist" and "matching costumes"?”

“A matching costume is what you and Y/N did by using the same costumes as vampires.”

“So now vampires can't be best friends?” you questioned Ava. “Like, Dracula can't have a best friend?”

“We never said it was anything other than friends,” she replied. “If that was the case, it would mean Yelena and I are together, too.”

“Nice hard launch, girls,” Bob nodded.

“We aren't together,” Ava and Yelena said in unison.

“Sure you aren't,”

“Don't forget that Mel is also dressed as a vampire,” John shrugged. “Does that make her, like, their love-child? Or third wheel?”

“I think the third wheel is someone else,” Yelena teased you. You rolled your eyes, looking at Mel right beside you from the corner of your eye.

Bucky chuckled. “Right?”

“Y/N is. Remember Bucky and Mel matched on Tinder?” Bob commented, none the wiser.

“That wasn't me, by the way. It was a friend.” Mel cleared up.

“Either way, Y/N is constantly friendzoning Bucky, you know?” John noted. “Very much so.”

“That's because we're just friends and that's what we've always been,”

“Good luck telling that to yourself after everything we've witnessed!”

You and Bucky looked at each other, surprised.

“What do you mean, Bob?” Ava asked.

“She ran into the Void for Bucky. Mel and I saw her,”

Mel nodded, not as enthusiastic as Bob. “Yeah, we saw her.”

“The only romantic thing going on between her and Bucky is that they'll get married if they are both single by 2028.”

Everyone but you and Mel laughed.

“Do I get to be the maid of honor?” Yelena raised her brows mockingly.

Bucky scoffed. “Ava, how did you know that?”

She winked. “I heard you. I heard that entire conversation, and, let me tell you, there's a lot going on. Shall I get started?”

“No! Shut it, Ava!” You shook your head and threw yourself to the part of the sofa she was sitting on to cover her mouth with your hands. Sure you had a conversation with Bucky about liking Mel and being scared of the story repeating itself, one you really didn't want Mel to hear about. “Don't you dare or I'll fill your bedroom with Maple's shit!”

Ava laughed and wrestled you so she could be free. She had to phase through you until she was finally out of your reach.

“Okay, I won't!” She grinned.

“Will you fight me? I know, too,”

“Yelena, I will kill someone in your bedroom!”

She shook her head, amused. “I'm not afraid of that. I will-”

“Yelena!”

Before you could try to use force to keep Yelena quiet, Mel cleared her throat and interrupted the interaction, clearly not wanting to hear anyone say anything about you and Bucky being a thing. Clearly jealous.

She's had enough of your inside jokes, insistence to be paired up for missions, the wedding thing, you calming him down after his panic attack so intimately, and the getting married next year if you are both single by then.

“So…, it's late. I should get going,”

“Oh, I thought you would stay over,” Bob mentioned.

“I'm just tired and I wanna go home,”

You pressed your lips together. “But-”

“I'm going home.” she repeated.

“Okay, let me go with you to the lobby,” you replied, taking your phone from the sofa where you were seated.

“Don't worry, I know my way out.”

Everyone said goodbye and was silent after that.

“Shit, did we fuck up? I'm so sorry,” Ava stood up and stayed beside you, basically sobering up in an instant. “We weren't meaning to- you know. It was just a joke.”

You shrugged, giving her a passive-aggressive look. “Yeah, tell that to her.”

“Okay, what did I miss?” John frowned, more confused than he had expected to be that day.

“Alright, I guess I have no other choice,” You threw yourself on the sofa and looked at the team. “I understand this will come as a shock to you, guys, but… I like Mel.”

Yelena snorted. “Everybody knows that!”

“I didn't!” John exclaimed.

“Could you just shut up and let me be?” You rolled your eyes. “I know that nobody would expect a concept as complex as me to be leveled down to the denigrating experience of human emotion, but, unfortunately, it's true: I like someone. And in a deranged way.”

“Wait, this makes so much sense!” Bob laughed. “I've always suspected the way you look at each other, but this confirmation has done it for me.”

“Hey, how long has this been going on? Under my own roof? And I didn't know?”

“Well, if you weren't so busy trying to get on with your ex-wife, Johnson…”

“That's not my name, and you have to stop saying that. I'm just trying to be there for my son,”

You scoffed. “Okay, liar. And it's not like I care anyway.”

“Hey, don't get all defensive about this,” Bucky frowned. “It's not our fault that you won't make it work.”

“Wow, Bucky, that was kind of you,” you replied, sarcastic. “You think this is easy, but it's not. I don't even know if she likes girls, and whatever Bob says about how she looks at me or whatever, I could never know for sure. And I can't ask her, it would ruin everything. I've flirted and sent signs, but she thinks I'm joking and doesn't really reciprocate or anything, so maybe I should just back off and accept that I'm not made for this whole thing.”

Bucky sighed. “I'm not saying it's easy, I just wanna remind you that it's not our fault, so you shouldn't treat us like-”

“I am always nice to you, so I should be allowed to flip when any of you poke a nerve. All of you do it. You're all mean to me and to each other whenever you feel like it, so why do I have to always be the bigger person?”

“Hey, it's not like that-”

“It's exactly like that,” you protested. “This is important for me, guys. And you're just… I don't even know what you're doing. I get that it might not be your purpose to make me feel bad, but you're doing it. The last time I loved someone, it ended as badly as it could've… I truly like Mel, but I don't think she likes me back, and I'm scared it will work in the beginning and then I fuck up, she'll find someone she likes more, and then she'll leave me. It's not fair, but that's how it's been for me.”

“What even happened to you?” Bob held your hand. “Of course, if you feel comfortable talking with us.”

You sighed. “It was Wanda Maximoff. You guys should know her. We were together when we were younger, even while she was hiding in Stockholm and I was in Birnin Zana with Bucky. We… The distance started when I asked her not to sign the Sokovia Accords or fight. I asked her to leave the Avengers behind and come live with me somewhere as far away from wars as possible, but she didn't. She thought I was weak and betraying her, and that's where we started drifting apart. Even when she was a fugitive, I would risk everything to go visit until she told me not to. She liked Vision better because he fought, even when it was against her. Wanda didn't like that I left everyone to fend for themselves, that's why she never let me stay with her in Stockholm and why she didn't talk to me after we returned from the Blip. And… she did things, she… left me when I tried to be there for her, and I was awful. The last time I saw her, I was an absolute bitch, and… now she's dead. I didn't know about her for years, and then they tell me she's gone as if it was in the last page of the New York Times. And it haunts me that I hurt her. Maybe it's in her to do what she did, you know? To see the wrong in my attempts to find a nice future for us, to choose Vision over me, to have me there only to push me away when she got tired of me, to leave me just like that—maybe we just weren't compatible anymore without me noticing until it was too late, and I guess that's the way life goes, but treating her the way I did can't be who I am. It scares me to… get there again: to love someone like that only for her to leave me, to let resentment and heartbreak turn me into a person who hurt the one she loves the most; I can't do that to myself or to Mel. That's why I can't tell her.”

The team was silent, and Yelena sat next to you.

“I don't really know much about relationships, and I'm pretty sure none of us is qualified to give you any good advice,” Bob started, suddenly, the alcohol in your veins helping you ignore the comical situation: Bob in medieval attire with a unicorn stuffed animal to resemble Donkey as Shrek's noble steed. “But I think that fear isn't gonna take you anywhere. You need to remember that you're not the same person who once fucked up things with Wanda anymore. You have proven to everyone that you're better than someone who hurts those she loves, and you're here today, feeling things, because you are capable and deserving of love. You once told me that the only way out is through, and that's what has helped me wake up every day. You are what has helped me, you give all of us so much and you deserve all that back. So you shouldn't punish yourself anymore. It's not fair.”

“And, look, I am aware I'm only known for having ruined my family, but I'm trying today,” John, in the upper side of a Spider-Man suit on with blue jeans and a leather jacket, gave you a small smile. “I've loved Olivia since we were in high school, and she supported me and loved me through every fight and every mistake while I took it all for granted. Maybe I don't deserve her forgiveness, but she's giving it to me, and I'm trying. God knows I'm trying, and you have tried, too. Every day since I met you, you've shown me you're good; we might've started off with the wrong foot, but we're more than that today. We're family, and I'm sorry that I'm an asshole with you sometimes. I still have a lot to learn about not taking others for granted and not really appreciating those around me because that's what I have done with you since we became somewhat friends. If I'm getting another chance here, you sure as hell deserve one, too.”

“Y/N, I understand what it feels like to lose the person you love the most, and I know how grief gets the worst of you. Maybe I haven't gone through any romantic heartbreak or loved anyone in that way, but I've known what happens when you let your misery do the talking and the acting,” Yelena laid her head on your shoulder. The suit, identical as the one you've worn on missions since your Avenger days, made it look as if another version of you was giving advice to yourself. “I'm sorry if I was ever mean to you. You mean so much to me, you have no idea. You have never used my past against me, and you constantly help me feel closer to my sister. You're awesome, and you really deserve love and peace from those you love. I don't understand it all that much, but if there's something I know, it is that beautiful things can come out of what you feel for Mel because your feelings are beautiful. Trust me, I'm pretty sure she feels the same. And, if that's not the case, we're all here for you.”

“Yeah,” Ava smiled. She was in a black t-shirt and Bucky's vibranium arm painted on her skin, now noticeable as she took off her leather jacket. “I'm sorry if I pushed you too far tonight. I thought Mel would be jealous and do something because I can tell how much you've tried to show her that you like her and I think that she kinda likes you, too. I really hope it works out. There's not much experience from me either because I've spent my whole life locked and being experimented on, and my condition makes everything all the more difficult, but… I know how much love there is in you, and your past shouldn't take it away from you and make it go to waste.”

“Thanks, guys. I'm sorry for being rude to you. Your words really mean a lot to me,” you exhaled tiredly, finally taking off the vampire fangs, though not cleaning the dried fake blood on your face. “I guess I should go to sleep now.”

“Wait. Barnes! Aren't you gonna say something of use?” Yelena demanded.

He shook his head. “I'm not very good with words.”

“Sure you are,” Ava smirked. “I've heard you. Why don't you open that pretty mouth and spill.”

“Aw, you think I'm pretty?”

“I'm drunk. And don't deviate,”

Bucky pursed his lips. He was dressed as he often does, though his t-shirt was white and sprinkled in fake blood, and his fake fangs were looking too good for everyone's own good. “I wish I had fallen asleep on the kitchen island like Alexei… Okay. Everybody knows what happened to me, but you're the only one who gets it; the only one who has stayed with me no matter what. You have saved me many more times than I can count, and you have done things beyond what's right just for me. You're my best friend and you know me and understand me better than anyone, and the other way around. That's why I'm so sure about how much you deserve happiness. I remember how much it hurt to see you broken; it made me want to punch multiple people in the face. I can also tell how excited you get at the smallest and dumbest moments with Mel. I really would like to see you happy like that all the time because you manage to make me happy, too. And that's... that's a lot to say.”

You pouted on the verge of crying. “I love you, Bucky. I love you, guys. Please, never go bald.”

“Thank you,” John said, pulling his own hair. “I hope I never go bald.”

“Would I look good bald?” Yelena questioned, a thoughtful look on her eyes.

“I think yes,” Bob replied. “Would I look good bald?”

“Let's just hope you never go bald, Bob,” Ava raised her brows. “Would I look good bald?”

“You'd look good bald, without eyebrows, and wearing a garbage bag, baby,” You winked.

“Oh, leave that charm for Mel,” Bucky taunted.

You scoffed. “Barnes, beep off.”

Everyone flinched at the censor sound.

“I thought we were free tonight!” John yelled. “Chad, you better not air this and watch your beep back!”

“It's Dan,” the cameraman corrected him. “And this is going to HR, Mr. Walker.”

Bob stood up, always peaceful, and smiled at Dan. Before he could say anything, he used his powers to throw the camera away without even touching it, later grinning with fake innocence. “Oops, Dan.”

Dan shook his head. “You do know that everything we shoot goes straight to the cloud in real time, right?”

“Thanks for the info, Daniel,” Bob kept on grinning, taking the phone from his hands and throwing it to Yelena so she deletes the videos. “What's your password? Better say it before the other guy takes over and you end up giving it to us the in bad way.”

“03101917,” Dan scoffed.

“That's my birthday,” Bucky noted. “March 10th, 1917.”

Everyone looked at Dan, completely confused.

“What, Dan? Do you have a crush on Bucky?” Bob asked him with a cocky grin.

“I don't- what?!”

Bucky snorted. “How did this even happen?”

“Little Dan has a little crush on Bucky?” Bob continued teasing him. “That's really cute…”

“Very cute, Daniel. Why Bucky? What does he have that we don't?” John questioned.

“He just has a flavor to his whiteness that no other white man can pull,” He replied after a pause, not looking at anyone in the eye.

“I agree,” You nodded.

“Well, Dan, have you ever heard about consent? It's an important thing that says that you use the magic words before doing something, and, if the other person says no, it's no,” Bob clicked his tongue. “And you better start practicing consent or else I have a friend here who can turn you into 24K gold and have you end up as someone's earrings, or into stone and take you to the Smithsonian.”

Everyone looked at each other in surprise at Bob's attitude.

“Guys,” Ava called for everyone's attention. “Is Bob sexy?”

Chapter Text

Bob sighed. “Okay, so… after that time I trapped Bucky and Y/N in the void, Valentina decided that I needed relaxation and to work on my inner peace, so I was sent here… to Nepal. By myself.”

Were you supposed to come by yourself?

“No, that's the problem,” He shook his head. “Y/N was supposed to come with me but she has chickenpox. No one in the team has gotten it before except for me, and I'm here, and Bucky, who's been in Moscow for a week, so she's basically by herself. I don't even know what a Dalai Lama is.”

Bucky didn't want to admit it, but being in Russia after all this time wasn't very easy. The only one who seemed unfazed about it was Alexei, who would walk around and ask random people on the streets if they knew the Red Guardian. Surprisingly, some did.

“The Syringes are some HYDRA wannabes,” Bucky told the camera. “In Skiatos, we successfully took Hunt and most of the members, but, clearly, there were more left standing, especially for the head scientist: Willa Petrova. That's how we ended up here.”

“We got intel about people disappearing, all between the ages 15 and 25. Someone who escaped said she heard they mentioned explicitly not looking for volunteers to avoid unnecessary spotlight, so… human trafficking intensifies,” Yelena added.

“I visited prison, saw old friends,” Alexei said. “One of them, Vladimir, helped find information about base. It was Soviet, then abandoned. Now, theirs.”

“Who would've thought Alexei's jail time would be useful?” Yelena hummed.

“Nobody.” Bucky agreed.

“I left your lunch outside your door!”

You groaned. “Just hold your breath! I miss seeing faces! I will forget what you look like!”

“I won't waste my time FaceTiming if you have nothing to say to me,” Ava replied. “You know I hate small talk.”

“Okay, you hate me,”

“I'm leaving, Sponge.”

You gasped at the nickname and took your phone.

You: John!!!!!! Ava called me a sponge

Ken: And she's right

Ken: Do you need anything?

You: I'm bored

Ken: I bet

Ken: Sorry for that

Ken: At least you're safe of Chad in your room :))

You: YES I miss you guys :(

Ken: I'm not going to your room

You: You know you're a super soldier who CAN'T get sick, right?!?!?!?!?!

You: Steve couldn't get sick

Ken: I wasn't given the same serum as him, I can't be too sure

You: Potato potahto 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

Ken: Not gonna risk it

You: That's why you were Captain America only for a day

You: You can't even save someone from boredom

You: And don't you think that getting chickenpox NOW will be helpful in THE FUTURE? That way, you won't have it again

Ken: Ok so I'm gonna ignore you now

You: :(

You: I'll forget what your face looks like!!

Ken: Your lockscreen is literally a pic of the whole team

Ken: Get some sleep and stop bitching

You: You're a dick 😟

A small scoff left your lips and you looked for your laptop to watch something, anything, and settled for Cunk on Earth.

The elevator opened, letting Mel into the common room.

She saw Ava watching TV and went to say hello.

“Where are the others?”

“Bucky, Yelena, and Alexei are still in Russia, Bob is in his spiritual retreat, John's in his room, and Y/N is quarantined,”

Mel frowned. “Quarantined? Is she alright?”

“She has chickenpox,” Ava replied. “No one here has had it before, so we just make the food and leave it on her door. She's been annoying us, though.”

“That's too bad,” She nodded. “Chickenpox sucks.”

Ava's eyes shone in enlightenment. “You've had chickenpox before?”

“Yeah, I was eight,” Mel puckered, hoping to avoid the possible request of visiting you. “Uh, can you call John? As you two are basically the only ones here, I guess I can tell you and you'll notify the team.”

“John!” she screamed. “Come here!”

“Okay!”

“How is Y/N doing?”

“She's had a fever twice today and her appetite is awful,” Ava informed. “And she keeps trying to convince us to go see her because she'll ‘forget what we look like’.”

Mel chuckled, but stopped as soon as she realized she was doing so. She cannot keep smiling about you and liking you. This has to end, she told herself.

“Hello, hello,” John arrived and sat on the couch next to Ava’s. “To what do we owe the pleasure? Did you come to visit Hades?”

“Hades?” She frowned.

Ava hummed. “That’s what he calls Y/N.”

“Oh,” Mel suppressed an amused grin and looked at both Avengers. “So, uh… I won't waste time: Val has decided to start making you guys pay for the floor's utilities, you know? Water, energy, gas?”

“What?!”

“She can't possibly do that! Our paycheck already sucks beep!” Ava exclaimed. “How are we gonna afford bills?”

“This is unbelievable. How did she even come up with this idea?”

Mel shrugged. “Hey, don't kill the messenger. She said something about you wasting energy like crazy, so…”

“If we promise not to waste that much, what? Is she gonna rethink this whole thing?”

“I don’t know, I already tried to convince her not to, and she accused me of siding with you guys,”

John rolled his eyes. “Nice. Now who's gonna tell Hades she'll have to pay for all her streaming platforms? She can't live without Disney+, did you know that? And now that she has chickenpox, having her rewatch Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the only thing keeping her relatively sane, if we can even use that word when talking about her.”

“She's already begging us to go visit her. She'll call any moment now,” Ava muttered.

“Bob is supposed to come back tomorrow, and he hasn't had chickenpox before,”

“Aren't you immune to diseases and stuff?”

“The only person who would take care of us has it, therefore, she won't be able to do so. We can't risk it,”

“Maybe you should just start practicing solidarity, you know? And taking care of each other,”

“A hard pass,” John replied. “I have a child I can only see every other weekend, so it should be Ava.”

“Oh, so you mean my life matters less because I don't conform to society's hetero-normative, child-centric ideals?” Ava questioned, sarcastic.

“Are you for real, Starr?”

“Yes, Walker. Go play buffoon for the only person in this building who would risk catching chickenpox for you,”

“I walk her dog, what do you do?”

“I make her meals,”

Mel sighed. “Okay, I'll go see her.”

John and Ava smirked, looking at each other like they just won the lottery.

Three epidodes in, and someone knocked on your door.

“Yes! Come in! Whoever it is!” you exclaimed, happy that either John or Ava decided it was worth the risk and missed you, too. Or, maybe, that Bob, Bucky, Yelena, or Alexei were back. “Ava! John! My beloveds!”

The door opened, and you saw Mel walk in. Maple, your dog, took the opportunity to leave before she closed the door.

Thank God you had showered.

“Hey,” She smiled softly. “I heard you're sick.”

“Mel,” You paused the show and sat up, tidying your hair a little. “Hi!”

“Chickenpox is awful. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I'm- uh… better now that I saw you. Well, now that I saw someone in general. Uhm, but you, too. You, uh… I'm glad I'm seeing your face. Face in general. Yeah,”

She raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback by your uncharacteristic nerves. “It's nice knowing I’m helping.”

“You are,” You let out a shaky breath. “It's been a while.”

“Yeah,” Mel hummed. “I heard no one wanted to take care of you.”

“I can't believe I live with three super soldiers and the only one who wouldn't mind if he got chickenpox, not to mention that the serum makes them immune to diseases, is in Moscow,”

“Bucky?”

“Alexei!”

She laughed. “Would Alexei take care of you?”

“Would? Yes. Could? That's the question,”

“Maybe we should have some faith in him,” Mel smiled.

And you felt your face completely soften at the sight of her, smiling, beautiful as ever.

“Uh, I came to check on you. You're fine, so I should get going,”

“Wait,” You held her wrist carefully. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“What?” She chuckled nervously and looked anywhere but into your eyes. “I'm- I'm not avoiding you.”

“Then what is this? What kind of endless hide-and-seek game are you playing?”

“I don't- I've just been busy,” She pressed her lips together. “It's nothing personal, I haven't even come to the Watchtower since the Halloween party.”

“That's bullshit, Mel. It's your job to come here with Valentina every time, but you've only come when I'm on missions. I asked Val both times I saw her here without you, and she said you were on your way but never made it in the end,”

“I had to get her coffee, and you know how traffic gets here,”

You sighed, tired. “Look, I just want to know what I did to upset you so I can fix it. Let me fix this, Mel.”

“There's nothing to fix, Y/N, it's alright,”

“It's not,” You countered. “You were going to stay that night, but you left, and you haven't come back or answered my texts, and I can't help but think that maybe I fucked this up.”

“What do you mean ‘this’?”

Well, shit.

“Uh… This, us, you know?”

“I don't know, actually. What do you mean ‘us’?”

“What does it even matter what I mean? We were talking about you avoiding me,”

Mel shook her head. “And I said I'm not avoiding you.”

“Then what do you call coming only when you know for sure I won't be here and ignoring all my texts? Do you need a break from me or something?”

“It's not that, it's nothing,”

“It is something, Mel, and I don't have bad intentions when I ask you,”

“Can you just leave it alone?”

“What?”

“Yeah, I'll reply to your texts, it's whatever!” She stood up from your bed, speaking loudly, frantically.

“Why are you acting like this? I don't-”

“God, I said I'd reply, what else do you want from me?!”

You frowned, standing up, too. “The hell does that even mean?! I just wanted to make it up to you!”

“Why does it matter? It's not like you need me or anything! You have your friends, you have Bucky! He answers your calls even when he's being held at gunpoint in a foreign city!”

“What does Bucky even have to do with anything?! He's literally in Moscow right now!”

“Because he's in everything you! His room is next door, you are together all the time, you were married, you wear matching costumes, you have all these pacts and jokes, and you're wearing his t-shirt!”

“That's the problem? Bucky?” you questioned. “Why is this bothering you?”

“You're really gonna make me say it?” she asked in a lower volume, not being able to face you.

Your expression softened. “Say what?”

She sighed. “Just… let this go. I'm sorry for ignoring you, everything's been kinda crazy lately.”

“Come on, Mel,” You exhaled, looking down in surrender. “You don't have to lie to me.”

“Stop pressing, Y/N,”

“Why can't I ask? It's not like I'm doing this to annoy you or for the hell of it, Mel,”

“Why do you even care?!”

“Why do you care?! Why can't you be straightforward and talk to me?!”

“Because there's nothing to talk about or be straightforward about!”

“Nothing?! God, be serious for a second!”

“Do you see me laughing or something? Because I don't find this funny. I don't like confrontation and yet I’m here entertaining whatever this is!”

“Whatever this is? Mel, this is…” You closed your eyes shut and groaned. “God, Mel, I fucking like you, okay?! This isn't just whatever, this is me being head over heels for you and you pushing me away! There's nothing going on between Bucky and I! I told you that before, you know that we are best friends who are used to only having each other, we're family! We are like two kids who found each other in the park and befriended instantly so everyday they go to the park to play and fight other kids for the slide. I could never feel for him what I feel for y-”

And she kissed you to shut you up.

And suddenly, everything in life made sense for you.

Every time you imagined your first kiss with Mel, it was maybe on the rooftop of the Watchtower, drinking something and stargazing; or, perhaps, right when you arrive from a mission where you almost died and Mel kisses you because she's scared that you could be gone any moment and she never had the chance to do it.

What all of those scenarios had in common was that you had a heartfelt confession before, where you both spilled your beans about the way you felt, and shared a soft kiss. But this? A nail file would be ten times softer than that kiss.

And you were cherishing every single little thing: the way her hands went to your neck to pull you closer, the immaculate sweetness of her cherry-flavored lip balm, how her hair tickled your cheeks, that soft gasp joining the kiss when your hands went to her waist to hold onto her, and your heartbeats syncing bare seconds after your chests first collided with each other.

Thank God for chickenpox.

“If we gather all of our intel on Val, send an envelope with everything to her office, maybe with some flowers just to make it cinematic, and write in the last page that we'll publish one part for each utility invoice we get? We can say Bucky has a friend in the FBI and Y/N knows someone who knows someone who works in the New York Bulletin,” Ava proposed.

“I like how you think,” John nodded. “We can do that. There's a lot in Yelena's and Bucky's rooms, but how are we gonna get in?”

“I phase through the walls,”

“Right,”

“Does Y/N have anything?”

“She gave Bucky everything she had on Valentina when he started asking around about her,” John answered. “And the files she got from OXE, too.”

“How do you even know that?”

“She literally said it that time Bucky had all of us but her tied, remember?”

Ava frowned. “I guess…?”

“Whatever, let's go to Bucky's room.”

The two walked to the room, starting off with Bucky's. However, a commotion in yours caught their attention before they could get to their actual destination.

“... being head over heels for you and you pushing me away! There's nothing going on between Bucky and I! I told you that before, you know that we are best friends who are used to only having each other, we're family! We are like two kids who found each other in the park and befriended instantly so everyday they go to the park to play and fight other kids for the slide. I could never feel for him what I feel for y-”

They looked at each other, surprised.

“Could they be making out?” Ava asked.

John wrinkled his nose. “This doesn't feel okay.”

“Are you homophobic?” she teased him.

“I support your community, but, above that, I am scared of what Hades will do if she realizes we're eavesdropping,”

“You're right about that,” Ava nodded. “Let's go to Bucky's room.”

By the third day, Bob had mastered the Urdhva Padmasana position and learnt to enjoy the beauty of dew on the grass each morning. Breathing never felt better, and he was considering it a blessing that you didn't go with him.

Bob knows too well that you would talk through the whole yoga classes and make him laugh so he falls when doing the harder positions.

He would never tell you for any reason whatsoever, though.

“I never thought I would say I missed someone,” Bob curved his lips. “All my life, I had a rough relationship with those around me, you know? My family was beep, I never really made friends, and that made me believe I wasn't made for all of it. Missing all those beep these past few days has shown me otherwise. John's cooking, Alexei's marketing nonsense, Yelena's pep-talks, Bucky's annoying stare, training with Y/N, and Ava's bullying. The retreat helped me realize that, and it… helped fill the void a little.”

Alexei and Bucky looked at each other with satisfaction when they saw Yelena press the button to trigger the explosion of the whole base.

“Yeshche odna uspeshnaya missiya dlya Thunderbolts!” Alexei screamed that there was another successful mission for the Thunderbolts.

Yelena and Bucky huffed softly.

“Now we just have to convince Val to send Y/N to Birnin Zana and Novi Grad instead of me. She speaks Sokovian and Xhosa, and I can't go to Wakanda anymore,” Bucky said. “I'll carry those two, Alexei these three. Yelena, you drive. And you can drag this one, he was the worst.”

The three of them got to work and soon were on the quinjet on their way back to New York.

Once they arrived, agents of the CIA were waiting for them to take and put away the scientists they had caught in Moscow.

“I'll take longest bath known to men,” Alexei commented when the doors of the elevator opened to the apartment's floor.

“Hey, guys!” Bob greeted everyone. “I got here a couple hours ago. How was the mission?”

“Exhausting,” Yelena exhaled, feeling like she was still breathing out some cold, smokey Russian carbon dioxide. “I just wanna take a shower and sleep until next week.”

“That will have to wait,” Bob said. “Valentina is waiting for us in the conference room for some announcement.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “God, mission debriefs used to be the next day. What the beep did we do to deserve this?”

“If it makes you feel better, it wasn't you,” He shrugged. “Apparently, John, Y/N, and Ava ‘crossed a line’.”

“Rebels,” Alexei shook his head.

When they joined the rest of the team in the conference room, they weren't expecting what they found. Well, more like the way they found who they later realized was you.

Not to mention the absence of the camera crew.

John and Ava were sitting there, looking at Val and her severe expression. She was, of course, convinced that the blackmailing and bribing was finally over because you had stopped complaining about the documentary and asking her for stuff. That's why she thought she could demand things from the team now, but she was dead wrong.

On the table rested the open envelope that contained things she didn't even know existed, but that could ruin her in a second. It could also demote all of you from your Avenger titles, but she was certain you didn't even care.

What was more astounding was seeing you in a pink hazmat suit.

“The hell is that?” Bucky made a panicked grin.

“That, Bucky, is your beloved Y/N,” Val replied. “I can't get chickenpox. I have a plane ticket to Cancun tomorrow and I won't risk it.”

“Hi, guys,” you greeted them, voice muffled by the suit.

They took their respective seats, not being able to concentrate on Val's scolding at the sight of you in that suit like a Barbie astronaut.

“So, I won't be too long,” Val spoke, taking the files from the table. “I see you have a lot of leverage over me and plan to keep using it to your advantage. I respect that, really, but it also offends me a little. I thought our relationship was improving and we were well past that,”

“You thought wrong, Val,” John smirked.

“How many times do I have to remind you not to call me that?”

“I'm undecided,” He shrugged, cocky.

“Anyways, as you guys have betrayed me once again, I decided to get some dirt on you so we're even,” she smiled, faking the happiness in a way you usually see in children forced by their parents to thank for a gift they didn't like. “Yelena, your body count exceeds two hundred that we know of. I got full names. Alexei, turns out you sent your daughters to the Red Room. That sucks. Bucky, Winter Soldier, the people don't know half of it. Y/N, who would've thought that a former Avenger as admired as yourself got a job as a paid-per-kill assassin after being dumped? John, I don't think your wife wants to know everything you've done since she left you. Ava, your side hustle in S.H.I.E.L.D was way worse than what we know; and your beef with Ant-Man? I have all of it. Bob, I am more than capable of telling everybody who was responsible for the Void incident. And I also have a friend who works in the New York Bulletin, Y/N, you're not special. Next time you all want something, let's just try to compromise instead of getting here. I would hate being the bad guy for much longer, I truly believed our relationship was improving.”

“How did we get here, again?” Bucky questioned.

“Apparently, you guys don't know how unnecessary it is to waste so much money on utilities and Spotify Premium. You refuse to learn by paying utilities and try to protest by sending all of this intel on me with some messenger nobody knows that could've lost this, or opened it, or something. Too risky for your own good.”

“You know we weren't involved in any of that? And that Bob never asks you for anything?”

“Yelena, I don't really care. You're a team, so you face consequences like one,” Valentina finished. “Keep up with the good work, team! I expect the mission report on the cloud by the time I'm back from Cancun.”

You frowned as soon as she left. “When the fuck did this happen?”

“When you were quarantined in your room,” Mel replied. “I'm sorry for her, guys! I'll help as much as I can.”

“I don't know anybody who works in the Bulletin, so I have never been particularly special,” You pursed your lips.

John and Ava stared at each other knowingly.

“Mel! Stop socializing with them and come here!” Valentina yelled from outside.

“Bye, sorry!”

Everybody was too busy arguing to notice how she winked at you before leaving the room.

The hazmat suit helped conceal the enamored expression on your face as Mel left.

Chapter Text

“Okay, you walk her twice a day,” you told Mel. “5 AM and 5 PM. Feed her half an hour later. In the morning, boil turkey and serve it minced with the dog food and broccoli. For dinner, make her a carrot purée with boiled eggs and blueberries. She's tiny, so she shouldn't eat much, but she'll eat everything you put on her plate. Here are these labeled containers with the size of everything she eats so you don't give her too much. For the broccoli, one mini tree, and the blueberries should be three.”

She frowned. “Is this a routine?”

“Maple is very particular about her day,” You shrugged. “So she has these things she does throughout the day. Always keep her water bowl full. Also, if you won't be home by 5 PM, you can move the schedule a bit. Maybe walk her at 6 and 6, 6 and 7, but never keep her without eating for longer than fourteen hours. Thus, if you're gonna take a bit longer, leave some treats close to her food but not in the same bowl as the main meals. She'll eat them when she's hungry meanwhile. Uh, move her bed to your room so she doesn't feel lonely since you'll be gone all day and she doesn't like being alone, and I just bathed her so she shouldn't need to anytime soon, but I clean her with wipes everyday. Oh, and before I forget: remember she walks in Central Park, you know the path. And she's trained so she won't make any messes or pee or poop anywhere that's not outside.”

“Is that all?” Mel asked, almost sarcastically.

You shook your head. “Finally, I'll need you to send me pics of you and Maple twice a day so I can see the two loves of my life. That would be all.”

“Okay, thank you for your instructions,” She chuckled, blushing slightly at your comment, one you made as if it was nothing.

“Thank you for taking care of my baby,” You gave her a short peck on the lips. “As weird as it sounds, I can only trust John with Maple, but we're fighting.”

“And me. You trust me, right?”

You let out a heavy, hesitant exhale. “Yes…?”

“You can trust me! I'll be a devoted temporary mother to Maple,”

“Well, you're basically her other mom,” you noted and looked at the puppy in your arms. “You're staying with your mom while mommy is working far away.”

“Stepmother, I guess,” Mel proposed.

“Nope, you're the mother who stepped up,”

She snorted. “Yeah?”

“Yep,” You winked. “So-”

Your phone started ringing, and a picture in 0.5x of you and Ava shone on the screen. You showed it to Mel, who just grinned and told you to answer.

“Hi, Av-”

“Get your ass here, Y/N, we're leaving now,” she said. “The dog nanny can't be taking so much of your time.”

You scoffed. “Ava, you know this is the first time I leave Maple with someone that's not John. I can't just not give instructions!”

“Make haste!”

“Bridgerton-ass thing to say,” you commented and hung up the call. Then, your annoyed tone turned into an affectionate one to keep talking to Mel. “And I'll try to FaceTime every night to see my baby because I'll miss that pretty little face so much…”

“I'll miss you, too,” she curved her lips. You, on the other hand, were beginning to hug Maple closer as a goodbye, making Mel realize you weren't talking about her. “Of course you meant the dog. “

“Of course I meant Maple,” You smirked and walked closer to her, leaving a small kiss on her lips. She pouted. “I'll more than miss you. I'll think of you the entire day and try hard not to die so you don't become a widow or something.”

Mel shook her head in fake disbelief and took the Charles Spaniel from your arms to put her on the floor. Then, she cupped your face and brought you closer so she could kiss you. It was a long and deep kiss that made you consider quitting and staying with her for always. You smiled into it, and she kissed your cheek before taking a step back.

“Go before Bucky or Ava come upstairs and find out who's your dog's real nanny.”

You sighed.

“Took you long enough,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, Maple has separation anxiety,”

“The beep is that?” Ava frowned.

“When you get anxious about separation, obviously,” You scoffed, walking between them to the casually-parked-on-the-street quinjet. “Her breed likes being around people and all that, but more specifically her mother. Me.”

“What's the name of her breed, again?” Bucky asked.

“Cavalier Queen Hades Spaniel,” Ava mocked you. “Can't you see she looks like Maple?”

“I so don't look like Maple,”

“All dogs look like their owners,” Bucky spoke, pressing the button to open the jet's gate.

“What does Maple even have that is similar to me?”

“You're a beep, so that's all we needed to say,”

You gasped, offended. “You better thank it's your beep birthday today.”

“You're the only person who cares about that,” She shook her head.

“You don't know many people, do you?” Bucky teased her, referring to the idea most people have about honoring the birthday person by treating them well, accommodating them, and tolerating them more then normally.

“Ava's birthday is today, so I've been working on her gift for, like, months,” you mentioned to the camera. “So, remember how I said in the pilot that-”

We titled it ‘driver’

Bucky squinted. “Driver?”

“From pilot to driver? That's stupid, Chad,” You shook your head. “As I was saying, I told you I had retired for some time after the divorce in 2016. Well, I was in Wakanda with Bucky. I was a spy and I hung out with Shuri all the time because she loved studying my powers. So, we're close. Now, long story short, she called last year saying she was interested in learning about quantum stuff, so I made a few calls and put her in contact with Hank Pym. You guys know I'm the queen of networking, right? Anyway, she said she owed me one and now she's making me a new suit for Ava! I gave her all the files on Ava I stole from Valentina's records on us, I blackmailed someone from S.H.I.E.L.D., and all that. Tonight, when we land in the Golden City, we'll go to dinner with T'Challa, Ayo, Okoye, Shuri, and Nakia. We'll later go to Shuri's lab to see Ava's gift. I've also been working hard on getting Bucky to reconcile with Ayo because there's still some bad blood between him and the rest after he freed our nemesis Zemo for some beep he never explained.”

“I did explain it to you multiple times, it's not my fault you wouldn't listen,”

“Are you aware that Sam called me to complain about you when I was going through something because you were being idiotic about it?” you questioned. “Thankfully, this won't be aired, but I had to shoot the guy.”

“You'd always wanted to do that. You said it multiple times,”

“I always wanted to kill him, but I did not,”

“Well, considering your bullet placement, I'd say you tried very hard,”

“A little FYI: Natasha taught me how to shoot and I'm pretty good at it,” you informed him, matter-of-fact. “And I have a pellet gun in my closet and she's considering a new target named Bucky Barnes’ kneecaps. I could shoot you even if I had my back on you.”

“Weren't you talking about Ava's gift? How did you manage to turn it into a threat?”

You clicked your tongue. “Right, we were talking about Ava. So, Ava's suit. It will make her phasing easier and, according to Shuri, eliminate the pain. It will be the best thing ever.”

“Did this start when you decided to be a good person?”

“Uh, a little bit earlier.”

Bucky nodded, giving the camera an annoyed look until he saw you smile while checking in your phone something he couldn't quite figure out. Just then, he raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

“I made breakfast!”

Yelena appeared in the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and carrying Sweet Cheeks, her guinea pig, in the pocket of her hoodie. “Morning.”

“Morning, Lena!” Alexei greeted her happily as he served the food he had made in four plates. “Bob! John! Breakfast!”

“What did you make?”

John joined them in the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Pancakes with chocolate chips, blueberries, raspberries, and dried cranberries,” he replied. “There's maple syrup, too.”

“Y/N left Maple? And Bob's lizard?”

Yelena turned around. “Maple syrup. That thing that comes from trees and you put on pancakes and waffles?”

“It's not my fault you guys choose the stupidest names for your pets,”

“Not our fault you couldn't take care of a hedgehog,”

“Not like Alexei could take care of his hamster,” John shrugged.

“No talking of Draniki,” Alexei pointed at John.

“Alexei sat on his hamster,” John informed, looking at the camera. “And killed it.”

You stood up, dragged Bucky to stand up as well, and clinked the wine glass with your fork. “Hello, friends.”

Everyone stared at you expectantly, starting with Ava, who had no clue of what would happen but knew well enough that it couldn't be something simple knowing you and Bucky.

“Firstly, I would like to thank our King T'Challa for this dinner. I've always wanted to come to this place,” You smiled and winked at him. T'Challa raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Now, I know there's some… tension between you guys and Bucky, and I understand it completely because I know this guy and I know how frustrating he can be. However, Bucky promises that the reason why he broke Zemo out of jail was for the greater good and that he also gave him back to you. A little injured, yes, and that's on me, but he gave him back. That being said, Bucky is extremely grateful for everything you did for him and apologizes profusely for his faults. Don't you, Barnes?”

He nodded. “I do. I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, we'll also never be able to pay you back for everything you've done for us, especially Ayo.”

“You paid,” Okoye commented, and you turned slowly to look at her. “Do you really think royal spies make so little?”

“What do you mean that was little? I lived comfortably, I never denied myself a little treat, and I could afford an interior designer.”

Shuri nodded. “You know basic things are affordable here, right? What? You never wondered why you didn't have to pay for utilities? That's free here.”

“You mean Bucky is fine thanks to me?”

“Basically.”

“Bucky, you beep,” You chuckled. “I hope you feel that debt within you.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Can we undo the last two minutes?”

“But, yes, we forgive you,” T'Challa replied. “Will you talk about tomorrow's mission already?”

“Hey, I didn't know you wanted to join us when I told you last week we'd come here,” you excused yourself. “But Bucky is gonna explain everything.”

You sat down and let Bucky talk.

“I thought Nakia would come,” you whispered to Shuri.

“She's with Toussaint tonight, he's sick,”

“Who's Toussaint?” you asked, taking a sip of your wine.

“Their son,” she replied

You turned to Bucky and spit the wine on him, making him flinch and look at you, upset.

“What the beep?!” he yelled, taking the napkin to clean himself as much as he could.

“Their what?!”

“Their son,” Shuri blinked twice.

“Oh, you told her,”

“I follow you guys on Instagram and reply to your stories, I thought we were solid enough to inform each other about children.”

T'Challa laughed. “Do you wanna see him?”

“Oh, totally,” You stood up and crouched between him and Okoye to see the pictures. “He's so freaking cute! He looks just like you! Not to be dramatic, but I would die for him.”

“Technically, all of us would,” Ayo commented.

“But I wouldn't do it for the duty, I would do it because those dimples need to be passed on,”

“He is the cutest,”

“And you had to spit all your wine on me, why?!”

“Shut up, Bucky, I paid for your therapy!”

“That was a joke, by the way,” Ayo smirked. “We did that because we're kind and generous.”

“You almost gave her leverage to ruin my life,”

Ava frowned. “Is it always like this when it's the two of them?”

“They bicker like little kids all the time,” Okoye replied.

“Congratulations on your kid,” Bucky nodded. “He's got the best father a child could get. Cheers.”

T'Challa smiled. “Thanks, Buck.”

“Bob! John! Dad!” Yelena screamed.

It was a rather urgent scream, a little agonizing if anything, one you wouldn't really expect to hear coming from her on a random Friday.

The three of them appeared in the hallway to their rooms, worried.

“Lena! What happened?” Alexei questioned, concern on his face.

“Yeah, what is it?” John frowned.

“I can't find Sweet Cheeks,”

They let out a relieved sigh, thankful that it was something they didn't consider as upsetting as she did.

“Why are you relieved? This is important! Have you seen him?!” She turned to face the wall and pressed her forehead against it. They shook their heads.

“We help find it,” Alexei proposed.

“‘We’ sounds a little like a pack, so get me out of it,”

“You're a beep, John, seriously,” Bob scoffed. “This is important to Yelena.”

“When has she ever cared about what's important to us, huh?”

“Man, just look for him in the rooms or the bathroom,” He rolled his eyes. “You don't have to be a beep beep about it.”

Alexei nodded. “An beep he is.”

“Okay,” John groaned. “When was the last time you saw it?”

“I was in the common room, put him on the couch to play with Alpine, and then went to get water in the kitchen,” she started. “And when I went back, neither of them was there. Alpine appeared in Bucky's room but Sweet Cheeks is nowhere to be found.”

“Maybe Yelena can stay in her room and see if Sweet Cheeks appears there since it's his safe place and also check the security cameras,” Bob suggested. “John will go to the other rooms and the bathrooms, Alexei can search for him in the common room and kitchen, and I'll go check in any small place he can get to. And hope to God he didn't go in the elevator when Alexei left for the supermarket.”

“Sound good,” Alexei nodded. “Let's go, team!”

“Just look at her! She's crying!”

Bucky smiled softly and left his arm on your shoulders. “That was a sweet thing to do.”

“I'm always sweet, James,”

“Not that sweet,” he cleared. “I mean, I wouldn't have expected you to do something like that for me, and we're supposed to be closer than you and Ava.”

“Buck, I would turn vibranium to flesh and bone if you wanted me to,” you commented, looking at Ava phasing more easily and for longer than before, no shows pain in her eyes at all. “But I don't think that's something you'd truly want. The vibranium arm is kinda hot. It gives you character.”

He chuckled. “If you could just not annoy me from time to time, that'd be enough.”

“That would be like changing our bond completely,” you pointed out. “The necklace is similar to King T'Challa's. She activates it at will, and the suit appears to cover her like magic. The vibranium and Shuri's modifications contain the rearrangement of her cells in the delimited space of the suit, making her phasing stable, therefore, absorbing her pain; and, thanks to the vibranium, which is way lighter than the leather and tech of the old one, she'll be able to move more smoothly and comfortably. Also, thanks to the fact that the necklace by itself helps with the pain, she'll be able to just be in peace and fight better without it hurting so much, not to mention that the vibranium can basically protect her from anything.”

“So kind and generous. That's why we're getting married next year,” He laughed.

You nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Buck, ask me to tell you,”

“Tell me what?” He frowned.

“I can't keep this secret from you anymore, I need to talk about it with someone!”

“Knowing you, this so-called secret can be about mass murder or turning John's shield to water,” Bucky pursed his lips. “So, please, do tell.”

“Mel and I are kinda dating,”

“Oh, beep finally!”

You laughed, feeling warmth going to your cheeks. “Shut up.”

“When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?”

“When I got chickenpox, I asked her why she was avoiding me. You remember I told you she was. Turns out, she was jealous of us-”

“Of us?” Bucky made a confused grin. “We're closer to killing each other than to dating.”

“Our wedding was gonna be purple as lavender,” you agreed. He stared confused but said nothing. “Anyway, it was like in the movies, Bucky! We were yelling at each other and then I told her I liked her and then she kissed me. Oh, my God! It was so romantic. I wanna marry her right this instant.”

He smiled slightly. “I'm happy for you, you know that, right? You deserve to be happy with whoever you love. I mean that.”

“You're too cute,” you gave him a soft, playful punch on his bicep. “And I'm sorry we aren't getting married.”

“Hey, if you get a divorce, I'm here,” He shrugged.

“Yeah, I'm not getting a divorce from Mel ever, I already got divorced once, and that's more than enough,”

“It was an annulment, I don't think it counts as divorce,”

“One can never be too sure, you know?”

Bucky shook his head. “I'm surprised you haven't gotten on the rooftop of the Watchtower with a microphone and a hundred speakers and yelled that you're together.”

“We haven't told anyone because we don't want Val to find out, at least not until we're… official and solid,”

“And why can't Valentina find out?”

“Because she told Mel not to get involved with any of us in any manner whatsoever: we can't be friends. So, we're waiting a little to then blame her for being homophobic or something.”

“You accuse people of being homophobic very often, don't you?”

You thought about it. “I think so, yeah. And-”

“Did I do something in particular to deserve this?” Ava asked, interrupting your conversation with Bucky.

“Uh, being a Scorpio?”

She smirked and went to hug you.

Ava. Hugged. You.

Ava. Hugs.

“Thank you so much,” She held you tighter. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

You held her back. “If I have the opportunity to help you feel better, trust that I'll do it. That's what friends are for.”

“This isn't a friends thing, Y/N, this is… something nobody would ever do for me,”

“Well, it's not only something I would do, but also something I did because I care about you and I don't like seeing you in pain,”

“She's always been like this?” Ava asked Bucky.

He looked at you and then at her. “She gets worse the more she cares. Not to brag, but she's committed several crimes for me.”

“Like what?” She frowned.

“Like arson, manslaughter, treason, and prison break,”

“You shouldn't say that just like that, you know?”

“Yeah, I shouldn't have.” Bucky nodded in agreement, pressing his lips together, looking at the camera.

Ava sighed, trying to give the camera a casual smile when, in reality, she was more than happy. “I can't believe I'm going to say that, but… we're a family, are we not? One doesn't do things like this for people they don't care about like family. We could just ignore each other all the time, even move somewhere else and meet only for missions, but that's not us. We chose to be a family because no one understands the broken like another broken. That's us, a group of broken people making something nice out of all our broken pieces. And she? She turns the glue to gold like those ceramic things. What's the name?”

Kintsugi

“What?” She made a confused grin. Chad repeated it. “That, we're that. It's nice to have a family when all your life you've known nothing but the lack of it, right? It is the best birthday present.”

“Yeah, no need to be a beep beep about it! If you're not gonna take this seriously, just leave!”

“How much more seriously and I am supposed to take the disappearance of a literal rat bunny?! Thank the lord I'm even looking for it!”

“He's not a rat bunny! His name is Sweet Cheeks and he's a guinea pig,”

Bob sighed. “Could you guys just… not?”

“See? Now you're upsetting Bob.”

John groaned and threw his hands in the air, now making his way to his room.

“Beep,” Bob scoffed.

“Will I see Sweet Cheeks again?” She sat on the sofa beside Bob. “I can't lose him.”

“We've looked for him everywhere,” He sighed. “I'm afraid we should start considering that option.”

“See? I can't even take care of a guinea pig,” Yelena laid her head on Bob's shoulder. “I had a dog: Fanny. And I had to give her away because, you know, I had that job where I would be out of home all that time and I couldn't take care of her. So, when I took Sweet Cheeks, I thought it would be easier and also that I was gonna have a better job, then. Which, admittedly, I got, right? But I also thought that I could take care of him and I could have people I trust to care of him whenever I'm gone. And with people, I mean Y/N, Ava, and you. They're gone for a day and suddenly I'm not made for being a guinea mom.”

Bob frowned. “I can't help but feel like you're… displacing.”

“Displacing?” She stared at him, confused.

“Yeah, it's like mirroring negative emotions on other stuff to avoid the real problem or the consequences of facing it,” he explained. “It comes in many forms, like snapping at each other when we're stressed or upset about a mission; watching La La Land a hundred times and grieving Mia and Seb's relationship as if it was our own because ours ended just like theirs; and putting all your insecurities on losing Sweet Cheeks instead of facing them yourself.”

“Two things:” Yelena sighed. “First, you might be onto something. Second, where did you even learn that?”

“Y/N and I go to couple's therapy once a week. You didn't know?”

“Couple's therapy?”

“Yeah, since it's just us who work on Mr. God Complex, Mr. Inferiority Complex, and just Bob, we explore everything as a unit,” He shrugged. “It's going really well, actually. We talk about finding balance between all of it, internalizing positive reassurance, and managing to let the idea develop when we can't fight it and learn to let it go. For her, we explore her past and how it's reflected in the Void. Each time she overcomes one, another room makes it worse, and it's also on me to understand her feelings and use that to fight the Void together.”

“I'm sure that's not what they call Sentry and the Void,” Yelena chuckled softly. “I'm glad it's been working for you, though. One day, we should pretend to be a trouple and have trouple's therapy.”

“Dr. Derrick will go insane,” He smirked. “I'm also going to the psychiatrist, by the way.”

“That's nice, Bob. We'll have you in your peak soon.”

Bob laughed. “The doctors said we have a long way to go, but that we're on the right path if we aren't afraid of asking for help. Which we're doing.”

“Right.”

“Hey,” They heard John join them in the room. “So, I found Sweet Cheeks.”

Yelena's eyes widened and her face beamed happily as she stood up to reach John. “Sweet Cheeks, you're back!”

“He was having an adventure in my room with Alpine,” John replied, nonchalantly. “In my closet. I was working out and… gonna take a shower. I opened my closet and saw them playing.

Bob looked at the hall, spotting John's room's door opened at the end of it as his bedroom was the last one and in plain sight. It looked terribly messy, just like his hair and how sweaty he was. Clearly, he looked for Sweet Cheeks incessantly. Alpine sat in front of it, oblivious to the problem.

“So, you didn't look for him,” Bob spoke, knowing he would lie to seem unbothered and indifferent to Yelena's fear of losing Sweet Cheeks.

“Nah, he just appeared,”

“Thanks anyway, John,” Yelena curved her lips softly and went to her room so she could leave the guinea pig in his cage. “I'm gonna get that collar tracker on Temu, Sweet Cheeks.”

“You know that showing that you care won't make you look weak or something, right?” Bob commented, giving him an almost sheepish look when both of them knew more than well what his real intentions were. “Every single one of us is going through something, and every single one of us can help. Maybe you struggle with it… with letting others know they have the power to hurt you because you've given it to them. But you see it, too. We're family. We're safe with each other. This isn't weakness or a punishment, this is us being human, seeing that we have the power to grow and be better, and that we're together in that process. Always there for each other. Deep down, you know that. Just embrace it instead of working on losing it before being able to enjoy it, Walker.”

“Therapy is doing wonders, isn't it?” John pressed his lips together, trying to keep the satisfaction of his realization from reaching Bob's ego.

He chuckled. “Yeah, life is cool and I have the power to fix everything, or whatever beep I'm supposed to gaslight myself into believing.”

“Don't say it for my sake,”

“Sometimes, that's what family is for.”

“What should I do? Just… talk to the camera?”

You nodded. “Yeah, Your Majesty, tell the camera how you felt working with the Avengers today.”

“Okay,” T'Challa laughed. “Y/N managed to blend really well in our team's synergy when she first came to Wakanda. Not having her anymore wasn't an easy transition, but, thankfully, we could still count on her sometimes. A part of her will always be here, she'll always be one of us. Working together with her again, with Bucky, who used to join us from time to time, and even with Ava, felt like the old times. It wasn't an easy mission, but it was… nice to be back at it.”

“I'm gonna cry,” You pouted. He smiled. “I'm already struggling with having to leave, you can't just say that to me.”

“Hey, it's worth the try,”

You cleared your throat. “Okay, the mission. It turned out to be a bigger issue than what we were expecting. It was almost successful because we were supposed to end all the operations in Wakanda, or at least in Birnin Zana, but… we got intel! Yay!” You gave a fake celebration.

“Ever since we exposed our resources to the world, people have wanted to come here to find a better life, to work, or to learn. We knew this would happen, so we thought that the best way to compromise was by offering scholarships. We wanted to trust, but we shouldn't have. In this mission, we experienced first hand the way foreigners have taken advantage of our knowledge, development, and resources.”

“For evil! See, we knew that the Syringes were working on chemical and biological weapons, but we didn't have many details because they were here. They got subjects from marginalized communities in Russia, Sokovia, Brazil, and Morocco, places that aren't really monitored unless something drives the attention there like now. If that woman hadn't escaped, we wouldn't have found out about it yet. We couldn't get enough to locate their bases in the other countries, but we have it narrowed down to four. Except that Bucky, Yelena, and Alexei already took care of Russia. We have to find out now where the actual big guys are hiding, because the Syringes are just a branch of something bigger: an organization called ONYX with too much stuff left to find out.”

“They're using our endemic flora and fauna, the result of the collision of the meteorite that brought the vibranium, to develop biological weapons and a serum to create some sort of ‘super humans’,” he added. “The only thing left to figure out is… everything.”

You sighed. “Thanks for saying it like that, it makes me feel a lot better.”

T'Challa smirked. “You're very welcome.”