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“Isn’t anybody home?” Ava frowned at John and Yelena as they were forced to waste time entering through the door like a bunch of losers.
The Watchtower was dark save for the sunlight coming in through the windows and the dimly glowing elevator buttons. A sort of heavy silence hung in the air, quite unusual for the place ever since it had been renovated back into a living space and headquarters for the New Avengers. Yelena went and flicked on the lobby lights, one eyebrow arched in Ava’s direction. “Why are you asking us? You got in here first. As per usual.”
At the same time, John spoke up without even looking away from his phone which he’d been monitoring since their drive home. “Bucky left to go join Sam on an off-the-books matter two days after we did. Also the news articles about our latest mission are very positive so far, in case anyone other than me cares.”
“Why am I not surprised you keep such close tabs on Captain America and his guard dog,” Ava scoffed.
“It’s not like that,” John protested indignantly as he shoved his phone into his pocket. It never took much to get him riled up and pouty, which Ava knew perfectly well of course. He undid the straps of his shield with angry, jerky motions and leaned it against the wall, “He told us he’d be gone for an unknown length of time and that he wouldn’t have his phone on until he got back. I merely read between the lines.”
Yelena stared blankly, “When did he say that?”
John stared back. “In the groupchat?”
“We have a groupchat?” Ava furrowed her brow, halfway through shedding the clunkier parts of her combat suit.
Yelena snorted a laugh as she pulled out her phone to check the chat in question. “I have all of you muted, honestly,” she admitted half to herself.
John shook his head and muttered, “Does being a child soldier make you allergic to the internet?”
“Oh, looks like I missed a text from Alexei,” Yelena announced, “He says he’s been inspired by our… Ugh, that’s too embarrassing to read out loud. But long story short he’s meeting up with- my mom? Yikes. That can only go well.”
Ava grimaced, “Walker pays closer attention to texts from Bucky than you do from your dad?” She looked over at John, waiting to see if he had anything to add, but he seemed to have something else on his mind.
“Yelena, how long ago did he send that text?”
“Like four days ago,” Yelena winced, “I should say something.”
John groaned, “I think we might have bigger problems. Do you guys realize what this means?”
Ava froze, suddenly catching on as well. “Bob’s home by himself.” She met eyes with Yelena, “I don’t think he’s been alone that long since…”
“Sentry,” Yelena finished, already bee-lining for the elevator.
“And he’s barely heard from us specifically in weeks,” John swore under his breath, following quickly behind, “I knew we weren’t prepared enough for such a long mission. There should have been a backup plan in place for something like this.”
“Relax,” Ava chided, yet her expression was just as worried as either of the other two, “He’s a grown up, I’m sure he’s fine.” None of them seemed particularly convinced, though it was hard to say whether the risk would be towards Bob himself or those around him.
Yelena tapped the elevator button over and over, as if it would somehow speed things up. The doors dinged open after what felt like an eternity and the three of them crammed themselves in at once, before John slammed the button for the floor that their bedrooms were on.
It was hard to say which of the three was the first to reach the door to Bob’s room, but neither John nor Ava were going to fight Yelena for the right to knock. She banged on the door three times, waited all of five seconds for a response, then pushed open the door. Inside, the lights were off, though the layout of the room meant they couldn’t see most of it from the entrance. “Bob?” Yelena called softly, “Are you in here?”
“Hmm?” A startled noise came from further inside the room, followed by what sounded like the slow shuffle of someone rolling out of bed.
The trio shared a look. “We good to come in, Bobby?” John asked.
“Y-yeah, yes!” Bob called back, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you guys were back already.”
Yelena, John, and Ava rounded the corner to find Bob sitting cross legged on his bed, the harsh light of a tablet screen illuminating the scene. He gave a weak smile and waved, “Welcome home, guys. How was the mission?”
Yelena frowned as she made his way over to him, wading through a thin layer of wrappers, empty chip bags, and takeout containers. “At least you’ve been eating,” she murmured to herself then added, louder, “What is this, Bob? It looks like a food court exploded in here.”
Even though her tone was more concerned than angry, Bob couldn’t help but flinch at the words. He shrank back, shoulders coming up to his ears. “Sorry,” he said again, “I’ll clean it up-”
“Like Hell you will,” Yelena cut him off, plopping down next to him on the bed. “We will clean this,” she insisted, gesturing towards herself and the other two, “More importantly, are you okay?”
Bob looked away, “Fine,” he said. “Just been a bit tired.”
The bed shifted as Ava sat down on the other side of him. Her hand came up to smooth over the wrinkled sleeve of his pyjamas, then rose to lift a weft of his hair before letting it fall back down against his face. “Might be a bit of an understatement there,” she pursed her lips, “Have you been in your room since we were gone?” She raised a finger as he opened his mouth to protest, “Before you say it, getting food doesn’t count. You clearly came right back to eat in here.”
“It wasn’t right away,” Bob tucked his legs up to his chest and rested his chin against his knees, “But then once I was alone, my thoughts sort of… got away from me.”
John gave him a wary look, “There weren’t any incidents, were there? With-” he hesitated, “Yunno.”
Bob’s face twisted into a sort of miserable expression, prompting Yelena and Ava to shoot John dirty looks over his head. “No,” Bob reassured them, “Sentry’s been quiet. It’s just, well, the usual kind of thoughts.”
John surveyed the scene in front of him, then sighed and shoved his way into the mix. “Alright, I’m sorry I asked. Now come on,” he scooped Bob up into his arms, barely straining thanks to his super soldier strength. “You need a bath and a change of clothes.”
Bob yelped and flung his arms around John’s neck, settling into a sort of awkward bridal carry. “I can walk by myself, John,” he protested, even as he buried his face against John’s chest.
For the first time since their reunion, John gave him a soft smile and waited for Bob to lift his head and see it. “Yeah,” he tilted his head, “But isn’t it nice not to have to?”
Bob groaned but didn’t protest any further.
“Will you need help?” Yelena asked, having gotten to her feet the moment Bob was lifted off the bed.
“Nah, I’ve got this,” John reassured them, “Besides, even the main bathroom won’t fit all four of us at once. We’ll just get in each other’s way.” He gestured around them with his chin, “Why don’t you guys clean the room like you said, while I clean our boy up. Then we’ll reconvene in, say, my room? How’s that sound?”
Ava nodded and stood as well, “Works for me.” She tilted her head towards Yelena, “Something hot to eat might be nice too though. I can tidy up here if you can handle food?”
“As long as you guys don’t mind boxed mac and cheese,” Yelena shrugged. She followed John out the room, turning the lights on for Ava on her way out, before peeling away towards the kitchen while John headed towards the bathroom.
Once inside, John set Bob down on the counter and moved to run a bath. Bob leaned back and turned his face to press his cheek against the cool glass of the mirror. He closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh. “Sorry,” he said yet again, “This probably wasn’t the warm welcome you guys were hoping for.”
John glanced towards Bob and hesitated for the right thing to say. “I’ve had worse,” he settled on with a shrug.
“I guess I didn’t realize how much I’d gotten used to having you all around,” Bob mumbled, fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves. “At first it was just boring. Then it quickly got, umm, dull? Nothing to distract me.” He huffed in frustration, his breath leaving a foggy patch on the mirror, “That’s stupid, isn’t it? You guys aren’t my babysitters. I should be able to take care of myself.”
“No, we’re not your babysitters,” John grunted in agreement as he watched the tub fill with water. “But we are…” he trailed off for a moment, unsure of what word to use. They hadn’t exactly put a label on things, and John would sooner have his arm broken again than be the first to ask what they were. “We’re your friends,” he said at last. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He shut the tap off, satisfied with the state of the bath. Then he marched over to where Bob was sitting and crossed his arms. “Bobby, look at me,” he said sternly, holding steady until Bob did as requested.
When Bob did finally turn his head to face him properly, John relaxed his stance ever so slightly. His voice turned softer. “It really hasn’t been that long since we all met,” he said gently, “And from what I remember seeing in your brain, you weren’t exactly the model of self care before you got kidnapped for Val’s little science experiment. So don’t be so hard on yourself, alright?” He reached out a hand, which hovered for a moment before landing to clap Bob on the shoulder. “The rest of us only seem put together because our past lives involved a shit ton of combat training and rigorous discipline. It’s not your fault that your past is more…”
“Hard drugs and ugly mascot costumes?” Bob finished, cracking a smile.
John chuckled, “Exactly. Now lift your arms.” Bob obeyed and John helped peel him out of his sweaty pyjama top. He tossed it unceremoniously on the floor to be sent to the laundry later. Though when he reached back for the waistband of Bob’s sweatpants, Bob slid off the counter and moved towards the tub, away from John’s hands.
“Okay seriously now,” Bob shook his head with a look of amusement. “I can do this bit myself.”
“If you say so,” John shrugged and switched to removing his own clothes. Methodically unclipping his dirt-covered U.S.Agent costume, which he placed next to the sink with much more care than Bob’s shirt.
Bob watched him with a confused expression. “I can bathe myself, John,” he repeated.
“Are you kicking me out?” John asked, “Cause if I’m being honest, I called dibs on this job since I could also seriously do with a bath. And you know Yelena. She has no shame about claiming the nicest bathroom for herself then spending ages on hair care.” He grinned, “This room might not be big enough for all of us, but that tub can at least fit two. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it sometimes, right?”
Bob considered this for a moment. “Alright then,” he said, a slight blush spreading across his face. He silently prayed John wouldn’t make some snarky comment about his embarrassment. It wasn’t as if John hadn’t seen him naked before, or either of the girls for that matter, but something about this moment felt much more intimate than their usual spur-of-the-moment activities. Almost too tender to linger on.
Luckily for him, behind all of John’s bravado and cavalier attitude, he was just as unsure about the leap he was taking. The moment Bob agreed, he let out a breath of relief and pulled his undershirt off. His boots were kicked off next and his pants pulled off easily, but he hesitated at his boxers. Flushing red, he turned his back on Bob, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
Bob glanced over to find John looking away and took the opportunity to finish stripping down as well. He stepped into the water, found it the perfect temperature, and sat down with a slight splash.
The sound of the water followed by a contented sigh from Bob had John looking over his shoulder to find Bob sitting with his eyes closed. His legs were once again tucked in so that he only took up half the tub. Satisfied, John ditched his underwear too and climbed in behind Bob, grabbing the showerhead on his way down.
Bob tilted his head back to look at John, who stretched his legs out on either side of Bob.
John braced himself against the side of the tub for a moment as he settled into a comfortable position. Then he poked Bob playfully in the forehead. “Quit looking at me,” he chided lightly, “Face forward and close your eyes so I can wash your hair.”
Once again, Bob did as he was told. He couldn’t help but tense a little as John turned on the showerhead, waiting for the moment of awkwardness as they felt their way through this new interaction. Yet that moment never came. The instant John’s hands tangled in Bob’s hair, he found himself melting into the touch. John’s fingers trailed through each and every strand, pausing now and then to detangle a particularly pesky knot. The warm water splashed soothingly down Bob’s back and he soon found himself lost in the methodical repetition of John’s ministrations.
Naturally, John couldn’t bring himself to let them just sit in the silence. “You know,” he spoke up as he switched off the showerhead and reached for a bottle of shampoo. “If things are going to be this bad when we’re away, maybe you should think about getting on some meds or something.” He worked the shampoo into a lather between his hands before applying it. “I’m sure we could weasel some insurance coverage out of Val,” he joked, “Lord knows she can afford it.”
Bob hummed thoughtfully, caught between the feeling of John massaging his scalp and his less than enthusiastic attitude towards John’s suggestion. “It would probably help,” he admitted, “But given that the last time I went to see a doctor my inner demons got turned into a literal demon and I almost wiped New York off the map…” He sighed and added, before John could say anything, “I know it wouldn’t be the same thing, but the thought makes me nervous. Plus, with my history, the idea of taking pills is just,” Bob made a strained noise the he hoped conveyed his hesitation.
“Makes sense, I guess,” John said while he switched over to rinsing off the shampoo. “Can’t say I blame you either. I’ve met a lot of old war vets and, well, brains are weird man. You never really know what’ll end up setting you off, right? Nothing to be ashamed of.” He sounded like he was reassuring himself as much as Bob.
John finished with Bob’s hair and sank into the water to get started on his own. “Maybe you could try talking to Bucky about it instead,” he suggested while Bob grabbed a bar of soap to deal with cleaning the rest of himself. “He had a shrink for a while that seemed to work well enough for him.”
“I’ll think about it.”
John groaned inwardly as he felt Bob retreating again. “Okay, come here,” he said and grabbed Bob by the shoulders to pull him into a hug.
Bob startled for a moment, but as John sank further into the tub, the warmth of the water around them and his bare skin against Bob’s settled him down quickly. “What brought this on?” he joked as John slid his hands down his arms, caressing him gently.
“You seemed like you could use it,” John murmured into Bob’s hair.
“I don’t get you,” Bob laughed. “But while you’re here,” he reached over with his bar of soap and ran it up John’s arm, making him squirm. “Hold still!” Bob joked, “I’m trying to stay on task.”
“That tickles, you jerk,” John protested, water splashing onto the floor as they struggled in the tub. “Just- Give me the soap!” They slid against the porcelain, a tangle of limbs and mayhem.
A pointed cough interrupted them and they froze to find Ava glaring down at them with her arms crossed. “Should have known you two couldn’t be left unsupervised.” She reached behind herself and unlocked the door without breaking eye contact.
The moment the lock clicked open, Yelena tumbled into the room, having clearly been leaning against the door just a moment ago. “Ah!” she yelped, taking a couple steps to regain her footing. She straightened, trying to play off the moment when her eyes landed on John and Bob in the bath together. “See!” she pointed triumphantly, “Told you John had ulterior motives.” She chuckled, “Ava thought maybe you drowned in here.”
Ava shrugged, “Wouldn’t put it past them.” She frowned at the boys and took a step closer, “Did you even bother trying to wash up or was this just an excuse to get out of helping?”
“Hey, I did his hair!” John said indignantly, trying and failing to push Bob off himself so he could stand up.
“It’s true, he did,” Bob agreed meekly as he tried to find purchase against the edge of the tub so he could get out of John’s way.
“And let me guess,” Ava dead-panned, “Your precious super suit is dry clean only so you had no choice but to take it off.”
John scoffed, “You know my suit can weather a little water. What kind of poor excuse for tactical gear would it be otherwise?”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Well dinner’s ready and the room’s in much better shape. So wrap up here alright? Yelena and I are gonna go shower in the other bathroom.” She turned to leave then added, "Separately!" accurately interrupting John’s quip. She phased stubbornly through the wall, rather than using the open door, and was gone.
Yelena watched her leave then gave a stern nod back at Bob and John. “What she said,” she agreed. “If you two get out before us, mac and cheese is on the stove. And don’t worry,” she grinned at John, “I haven’t added the hot sauce yet. I know you have weak little baby palette.”
“Just because I’m not a spice-loving freak like the rest of you,” John grunted but said nothing more as Yelena left the room as well and closed the door behind her. He sighed heavily. “Well, you heard the ladies. Up and at ‘em.”
Bob managed to slide away from John so he could stand and mount the showerhead back onto the wall. Meanwhile, Bob let the tub drain out, before getting up as well. The two of them rinsed off properly as quickly as they could, then wrapped themselves in towels and headed out. “Leave the clothes,” John said when Bob moved to grab them, “We’ll get them later. Go get dressed and come over to my room.”
“Yes sir,” Bob gave a mock salute with a teasing smile and padded lightly back to his bedroom. He found the place much tidier than before, as promised. The trash had been cleared off the floor, allowing him to walk freely to the closet. He pulled out a clean pair of sweatpants and a plain sweater, but dropped them on the bed without putting them on right away.
He sat himself down next to them, towel still wrapped tightly around himself, and just took in his surroundings for a moment. The sheets and blanket had both been swapped for new ones — something he'd been neglecting even before this latest episode. His bed felt clean again for the first time in a long time. He leaned back on his hands and let them slide over the smooth fabric. His eyes fell half-closed. He caught a hint of air-freshener Ava must have sprayed while cleaning.
“You alright?”
Bob jumped at the sudden noise, though relaxed quickly when he recognized Yelena next to him. “Yeah, sorry,” he smiled, “Am I holding everyone up? You guys can start eating without me if you’re hungry.”
“Are you not?” Yelena asked, sitting down next to him.
“A little,” Bob shrugged, “But I’m also not in much of a rush.”
Yelena gave him a long look. “Still staring into the void?” she asked, nudging him gently with her shoulder.
Bob smiled, “Hey, I’m just happy it’s not staring back anymore.”
“Anything you want to get off your chest?” Yelena chuckled. “You know I’m always happy to listen.”
“Nah it’s fine,” Bob shook his head. Then he paused. “Actually, I guess I’m sorry for being such a burden. But hey, what else is new.” He traced a finger over the bedsheets in loopy, spiral patterns. “You guys are out there saving the world, meanwhile I’ve got actual superpowers but I can’t turn them on without losing my mind.”
Yelena slid her hand over to bump up against Bob’s and she hooked her pinky over his finger to hold it in place. “Yeah,” she agreed, “Thank goodness you’re so normal.” She laughed when Bob’s expression turned to confusion. “I mean, you can tell us to back off if you don’t want it,” she explained, “But we like taking care of you. We like being around you, being around each other. Out there it’s all…” She waved her free hand around, miming explosions, “Go, go, go. You know? It’s so much, all the time. High stakes. With you, it’s like we can just be-” she hesitated, “A family?” She looked away for a moment, then cracked a smile. “I assume, I don’t know. What is a normal family like?”
Bob smiled too, “I guess I wouldn’t know either.” He laughed, “Maybe we can ask John.”
“Oh yeah, he probably grew up okay, huh?” Yelena agreed jokingly. “You don’t think he’d find the question too sad?”
“Maybe not over macaroni,” Bob conceded. “We’ll just have to find out some other time.”
Yelena shuffled closer and threw an arm around his shoulders. “Whatever. Normal is overrated. Better to say things are simpler with you. It’s easy to be around you, Bob. It’s why I like you so much.”
Bob raised an eyebrow, “You call this easy?”
“You make it easy,” Yelena insisted, “Now come on.” She leaned in and brushed a kiss against his cheek, “Let’s go before they get into any trouble without us.”
“Right,” Bob laughed and grabbed at his clothes. “Give me a second.”
Yelena waited for him to get dressed, then the two walked over to John’s room together. Yelena led the way in without bothering to knock and they entered on their teammates in the midst of making out. Their food left untouched on the bedside table.
They pulled apart, startled and somewhat breathless when Yelena laughed. “What I tell you?” she winked at Bob, “Trouble. I’m always right about these things.”
Ava rolled off of John’s lap and shrugged, pushing her hair out of her face. “He said he wouldn’t kiss us after the hot sauce. Figured I’d get my fill now.”
“You just wanted an excuse,” John rolled his eyes. He gestured for Bob and Yelena to join them on the bed and pointed towards the bowls and cutlery. “There, should be enough for everyone. Don’t spill anything or you’re changing my sheets.”
“Sit down,” Bob felt himself pushed towards the bed by Yelena, then caught by Ava who pulled him towards herself until he was settled comfortable in the middle of the bed.
John propped himself up onto his knees to reach over Bob’s head. “Pass the bowls here,” he told Ava, then handed one of the bowls down to Bob without looking.
“Thank-” Bob started to say, but was interrupted almost immediately by Yelena plopping down next to him, making the mattress jostle.
“Hot sauce?” She asked, holding the bottle out to him, her own mac and cheese already bright red.
Bob took the bottle and adjusted his legs so he could free up the hand holding the bowl. “Than-” he said again but Yelena had already moved her attention away.
Metal clinked against ceramic as Ava slid forks into everyone’s bowls. “Cuttlery,” she announced as she did so.
“Pull the blanket over here,” Yelena called.
“Absolutely not,” John shot back.
Yelena pouted, “It’s cold,” she whined, then elbowed Bob conspiratorially, “Don’t you think so?”
John scoffed, “Shut up, no it’s not.” He reached over to push Yelena playfully, “I thought Russians were good with the cold.”
“Let’s watch a movie,” Ava suggested, ignoring the squabbling altogether. She leaned away to riffle through John’s drawers. “Where do you keep the remote?”
“Hey, don’t go through my stuff,” John groaned.
“Oh, what,” Yelena teased, “You keep secrets from us? Your teammates? I’m hurt.”
Ava held the remote up and tossed it to Yelena, “Found it!”
“This is bullying,” John huffed, intercepting the throw and snatching the remote out of the air. “It’s my TV. I get to pick what we’re watching.”
Bob watched all this unfold wordlessly, with a growing smile on his face. A feeling of warmth filled his chest, and along with it, a sense of belonging. “Hey,” he spoke up and the other three froze at once, turning to look at him.
“What’s up?” Ava asked.
Bob chuckled and shook his head, “Nothing it’s just… I love you guys.” His smile only grew wider as he watched all three of them go red almost simultaneously. A chorus of flustered muttering and mumbled words of agreement sounded from the three battle-hardened superheroes and Bob couldn’t help but laugh. A room full of the most highly trained individuals he’d ever met and all it took was three simple words to take them down.
Yet Bob was surprised to find it didn’t scare him. Somehow, he understood their awkwardness wasn’t because they didn’t feel the same way. Just that he wasn’t the only one with baggage to overcome. “We’ll work on that,” he teased, which seemed to calm their nerves. “For now, how about that movie?”