Chapter Text
Bucky watched the summer evening sky. The open space was huddled with reporters. Yelena rocked on her heels as Val stepped through a big red curtain. Val pointed at Bucky with her bony fingers, “Where is he? Those rats out there are getting restless.”
Yelena adjusted the black bow holding her yellow dress to her waist. “And here I thought you were a media darling.”
Val stomped over and fixed Yelena’s flower, “Cute. How about a practice smile?”
“Oh, like this?” Yelena flipped off Val while smirking.
Val clicked her tongue, “It’s not a very good public face as we’ve practiced.” Her voice dripping with mock.
Bucky sighed, “He’ll be here, I told him five.”
“Bucky, it’s quarter past.” Val turns to him, reaching to smooth his hair. “And we can’t afford any more bad looks by canceling.”
Bucky dodges her claws and fixes his own hair. A figure swings through the sky, landing on the roof of the NYC public library before flipping down to them. Spider-Man huffs out, “Sorry.”
Val folds her arms, “What, saving a cat from a tree?”
“Stopped a mugging, actually.” Spider-Man stretches, “Anyone got water?”
“If you wanted water then-”
“Val,” Bucky coolly suggests, “Maybe go warm up the crowd before we head out?” There’s enough of a warning tone in Bucky’s voice for Val to take the hint. Val leaves, her mic cracking as she speaks to the crowd with a false bravo.
Yelena hands Peter a cup of water, “It’s not even that big of a deal. We just smile, answer the right questions, and boom, we go home and watch a movie.”
Bucky shrugs, “Don’t forget about those mini-speeches.”
Peter rolls up his mask slightly, gulping down the water. “Shit.” He pats down his costume before hanging his head, “I lost my card.”
Yelena peeks through the curtain, “Not like they were much help anyway. It was all general niceties.”
Bucky nods while listening for their cue to enter, “I’m sure the rest of the team will laugh when they watch us on TV anyway.”
Peter pulls down his mask, “Yeah. Any clue why it’s just the three of us and not the whole team? Like, I know we’re all individuals, but I thought Val was still on the team unity thing.”
It warms Bucky’s heart a bit that Peter said ‘we’ and not ‘you guys.’ It’s a stark difference from their first couple of weeks of acclimating when he first joined. But Peter’s right, Val was being evasive about the specifics of this public event. Bucky exhales while adjusting his bow tie, “Whatever it is, we’ll be ok. We’ve just gotta keep a cool head.”
Yelena nods as she stumbles slightly in her heels. “I planned to let you do most of the talking. I mean, you were a Representative after all.”
“I was a Senator, and I was a shitty Senator. Besides, you’ll have to hold your own soon -”
Peter shakes his hand like he is losing his nerve, “Our cue.”
The three push past the curtain as Val calls them. She points towards Peter, “Spider-Man,” She shifts towards Yelena, “Black Widow,” finally, Val shifts towards Bucky, “And the Winter Soldier are all joining me in expressing gratitude to this amazing city.”
Bucky bites the inside of his lip upon being called the Winter Soldier. I’ve healed, I’m not the Winter Soldier anymore. He’s repeatedly asked Val not to call him that in public. Apparently, I’ll have to say something again. There’s a huge circular curtain around what used to be a massive fountain…that was destroyed during the robotic alien invasion a little while ago.
Bucky swallows his frustration about being called the wrong code name as he approaches the mic. Some vague niceties approach his lips as a few reporters push against the barrier.
Val extends her hands, “Oh, don’t worry, you eager beavers, the Legacies of the New Avengers will answer questions soon enough. I'm sure they are excited about what we have coming up. But before we go forward,” the massive circle curtain drops. Showing larger-than-life statues of Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers. The audience claps loudly as Val continues, “We can’t forget where we came from.”
So that’s why Val was being so cagey and why it’s just them. This isn’t just about public approval; it’s about legacy.
A microphone is pushed into Bucky’s hand. Bucky is burning up inside; he’s no replacement for Steve, and he shouldn’t be advertised as such. I’m the odd man out. Peter is so smart, hell, most people thought he was Tony’s kid for a long time. And Yelena is a sunny, if not a bit more sarcastic, version of Natasha. But Bucky Barnes is not Steve Rogers.
Val’s devilish smile is visible only to them. “Each of my friends here had a strong, personal connection with three of the mightiest Avengers. So let’s start with the questions, everyone gets three.”
A herd of reporters stands up as camera flashes and voices scream over each other.
Bucky taps the mic while pointing vaguely in the crowd, “Let’s start with you in the black jacket.”
The reporter leans forward, “Eddie Brock, Daily Bugle. Thank you, Mr. Barnes. Why didn’t you become Captain America after Steve passed?”
What is Sam not enough for you? He’s far better for the mantle than me. “Simply put, I wouldn’t have done a good job. When you’ve got that shield, you’ve got a lot to live up to. And I think that Sam Wilson is nailing it.” Val probably won’t approve, but she could go kick rocks right now.
Eddie nods, “Next question, Yelena Belove. Even though you are also a Widow, will it be hard to replace your sister in terms of effectiveness?”
Yelena swallows as the mic squicks, “Let’s just leave it at this: I still have a lot to learn to be half as good as my sister was.”
Eddie writes something down. “Last question. Spider-Man, do you think that you’ve lived up to Tony Stark’s expectations of you in regards to world protection?”
Peter hides a shaking fist behind his back, “Well, Mr. Stark had high expectations, but all I can do is try my best with the New Avengers' help.”
Most of the night keeps up like this. Every other question is one of comparison to ‘their’ original Avenger. Bucky’s trying to keep his anger bottled down, but Yelena and Peter seem to be in a similar headspace. How is Bucky supposed to be something that is so far out of his reach? What a cruel start to the summer this is.