Chapter Text
The ride back after a mission was always so awkward. Especially if they weren’t exhausted down to the bone. The whole of the Thunderbolts team were crammed together in an armored truck, their designated driver as per Valentina’s orders trying to get to their destination as fast as possible. Ava was sprawled out on the bench with her arms crossed over her chest, desperate to get back and take a really long shower. John and Alexei were busy fiddling with his bent shield to occupy themselves with, making progress little by little every week. It’s been months and he still hadn’t managed to get it unbent, even with the help of the other super soldier. Maybe it would have gone faster if Bucky had joined in their endeavor, but the older man had no interest in getting involved. Besides, Yelena found the Sisyphus task amusing, and who was he to ruin her entertainment?
Speaking of Yelena, she was absently watching the duo struggle with the metal, her head pressed against Bucky’s shoulder to preserve her remaining energy. The mission hadn’t been as difficult as it was tedious, but she felt wiped out and hungry. And the team had learnt the hard way that a hungry Belova was a very, deeply volatile being.
“Did anyone remember to call Bob? Because I swear to god, if there aren’t pizzas when we’re back, I am going to hurt every one of you very, very badly.” Her voice garnered the attention of the team, and they all exchanged brief glances, a sense of unease building in the cramped back of the truck. Ava was the first to bite the bullet, clearing her throat. She reached up to knock on the little window that separated them from the driver. “Hey Colt? What’s the ETA to HQ?” The driver took a second to glance down at his watch. “Uh, fifteen minutes ma’am.”
With that crucial information, she quickly grabbed her phone and hit the speed-dial, the contact named ‘ThunderPrincess’ picking up after the first ring. “Bob, you have fifteen minutes to do a pizza run before Belova kills all of us.” She didn’t wait for the surprised sputtering to form a sentence before she dropped the call, and cleared her throat again, meeting Yelena’s gaze that was staring daggers into her. “Yeah, we called.”
Safe to say, if not for Bucky’s arm holding Yelena down against the seat, the rest of the ride back would have ended in a massacre.
Back at the New Avenger’s tower, the five tumbled out of the elevator, the tense atmosphere bleeding out along with them into the air. Ava was the first to speed walk out of it just in case, but not long after their arrival, the smell of fresh, hot pizza permeated the air, breaking through the shield of sweat and grime that surrounded them. John let his shoulders sag in relief - they get to live another day. Bob was hunched over the counter in the open kitchen, sweat-slicked curls stuck to his face as he fought to get his breath back. The poor guy must have run for it. Next to him, there was a neat stack of pizza boxes steaming with how fresh they were. Alexei cheered upon the sight of them, trudging over first and clapping the lanky guy on the back without calculating his strength, making Bob sputter for a second. “Good job Bob!” He praised and snatched two boxes from the top of the tower. All of them were neatly labelled - two for a supersoldier each, they had big appetites. Two for Yelena, just to keep the team safe from her hangry wrath. And a big one Bob shared with Ava since they didn’t normally finish a whole size pizza on their own.
John passed by next, clapping Bob on the shoulder this time with just as much accidental force, knocking the wind out of him again. “Thanks, Thunderprincess.” He said and grabbed his share, moving to the fridge to grab a six pack of cold beer, leaving it out for everyone after he grabbed his own and went to drop down onto the couch. Yelena followed suit, snatching the boxes and thankfully, nudged their designated delivery guy with her hip with less force than the rest. “Thank you, Bob.” She carried off her share and snatched a beer along the way, dropping down next to John with a grumble at how much space he was taking up. “Stop manspreading, you suck.” She complained and knocked her knee into his to make more space for herself.
John rolled his eyes, shifting just a little bit closer to Alexei, but not really adjusting his position. “I don’t spread nearly as much as you do, Belova.” That earned him a scornful look and a sharp jab on the arm. “Ow! Jesus, just eat your goddamn pizza before you forget your sense of humor completely!”
Yelena scowled further and nearly ripped the box open, tearing out a slice with more force than necessary. “Not my problem your jokes are as dry as your wife. Sorry, ex-wife.” John sputtered around his bite and gave her a scandalized look.
Bucky sighed deeply as the following bickering ensued, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Guys, cut it out.” But his words fell on deaf ears as Yelena and John tore at each other with mouths full of pizza. He shook his head and reached for his boxes, making Bob flinch when he came closer. “D-Don’t pat me please.” He was still trying to recover from the previous super soldier pats of affection, and Bucky felt a flash of empathy for the guy. “I won’t. And thanks, by the way. Eat up yourself, yeah?” Bob let out a relieved breath and gave an enthusiastic nod, pushing the last box aside to sit next to Ava at the counter where the energy was a little less chaotic.
The bickering had died down eventually as more and more pizza got consumed. Bucky had gone on to perch on an armrest by Yelena, silently craving to be close despite the open spot on an armchair just a couple feet away. Yelena wordlessly used his thigh as an armrest instead, chugging down the cold beer like it was water.
Just as the atmosphere started to fall into something more tolerable, the door of the elevator dinged and slid open. Yelena audibly groaned when she saw who it was.
“Good evening. Ah, I see everyone’s bonding. How cute.”
The patronizing voice of Valentina Allegra de Fotaine rang out through the common area, immediately dampening the mood.
“What the hell do you want now, Valentina? We did your dirty little job.” Yelena cut straight to the chase, not interested in being played with and spun in circles. By the expressions of the rest of her team, the feelings were mutual. If there was one place they genuinely united - it was their unanimous hate for their faux handler.
“No need for the attitude, Belova. And you ensured every failed experiment accounted for?”
Yelena felt her eye twitch. “Yes. All thirty-two of your embarrassments were wiped out, along with the defector base. Is that all? You could have just read the report.”
Valentina didn’t stop smiling with that annoying, over the top corporate look on her face, ignoring the steady stream of jabs that always came her way. “I’d rather hear it from you, while it’s fresh. Your reports tend to be… Too colorful for my liking.” That made Yelena suppress a grin. She’d embellished many reports with strong language purely out of spite, and knowing that Valentina actually read them made something sadistic in her chest jump with glee. “But no, that is not all. I’ve come to inform you all that for the upcoming week, your schedule seems to be clear. There’s nothing urgent as of now, but that doesn’t mean you’re off duty. Be ready to respond to a call at any point in time. And for the love of God, please do try not to taint your public image in your free time. Your reputation is fragile enough as is.”
The new information made them all pause for a moment. Did this mean vacation time? Tense vacation? It was hard to label. John muttered something about ‘this could have been an email’, but Yelena paid him no mind in favor of her own agenda spinning in her head.
Valentina didn’t bother with a farewell, turning on her heel to get out of there. She didn’t want to be around them and vice versa. “Val, wait.” Yelena called out and shoved the empty pizza boxes off her lap, dumping them onto the coffee table as she stood up to follow her, beer still clutched in one hand. She caught up with the annoying woman by the elevator, staying out of immediate earshot. “Since you so graciously visited us, I have a request. I want to bring a dog here.”
Valentina stopped in her tracks, looking at Yelena like she had grown a second head. “Absolutely not.”
Yelena frowned, pursing her lips. “Why not? You said nothing about Longbottom.”
The older woman stared at her like she grew a third head. “I’m sorry- who?”
“The guinea pig.”
“The- I thought you got rid of it.”
Yelena let out an offended gasp, propping her hand up on her hip. “What? No! It’s cute.”
Valentina narrowed her eyes, debating how much of it was a serious conversation, before she just gave up and waved her off, pressing the button to open the elevator. “You’re going to do it regardless of my opinion, I don’t see any point in this conversation.” She stepped into the elevator, turning around to give her one last patronizing look. “But do be a dear and clean up after your zoo.”
Yelena flashed her a brief, dry grin, raising her beer bottle and clinking the bottom of it against the closing elevator doors. “Cheers, Fontaine.” She always had to have the last word in.
With Valentina gone and the food devoured, the night started to settle into its final beats, the team slowly dispersing one by one. Bucky had opted to go along with Yelena, shutting themselves up in her room. It had become a constant lately; he probably spent more time in her room than he did anywhere else. Not that she was complaining. Whilst he had gone off to take a shower, Yelena partially stripped out of her gear. Her weapons laid out neatly on her desk, the tactical suit hanging loosely around her waist. He could hear her muffled voice through the running water, curiosity peaked but not enough to eavesdrop on her privacy. If she wanted to tell him, he would know.
Finishing up with cleaning himself off for the day, he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist, feeling much lighter and more relaxed. He stepped out of the bathroom to see Yelena already down to her underwear, her own towel slung over her shoulder waiting for her turn. He didn’t bother tearing his eyes away, enjoying the view before he moved over to his side of the bed, dumping his folded clothes and gear on top onto an empty chair. “What was that about?” He asked casually, sorting through his stuff to find his phone.
Yelena wandered into the bathroom meanwhile, leaving the door open so they could keep talking.
“My dog. I’m flying out to Russia tomorrow to go get her.”
Bucky paused as he found his device, setting it on top of the pile of belongings. His brows drew together in confusion at the casual drop of information like she could see him through the wall.
“...You have a dog?”
“I also have a mother.”
Bucky felt like he was experiencing whiplash. He had no prior knowledge of this. Sure, he heard Alexei rambling on sometimes about some woman he had run with, but nobody took his blabbering seriously, and Yelena never corroborated the stories. Nor did she really talk about her past much, just like him. He sat down for a moment, the bed creaking under his weight. The silence that followed was a tell he was struggling to process the information, and Yelena caught on that quickly.
“You’re coming with me, by the way. I already got tickets.”
That didn’t help.
“What made you so sure I would be willing?”
Yelena scoffed from the shower, the water soon switching off.
“You’ve got something better to do, big guy?”
When no answer came, she knew she had him.
“That’s what I thought.”
Yelena wrapped herself up into a towel as well, stepping out and powering down the lights, but when her eyes landed on Bucky, he looked like he’d been actively shot. She tilted her head, puzzled, and closed the distance between them. “What’s the matter? You don’t actually want to go?” She asked with a hint of concern, reaching out to lightly scratch under his chin, using the movement to tilt his head up.
Bucky slowly shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I’d go anywhere with you.” He replied and then swallowed the discomfort in his throat. “It’s more the uh… Meeting your mother part?”
Because to Bucky, this wasn’t just a casual interaction. He came from a time where meeting your girl’s mother meant something significant in the relationship, and he was terrified. Especially if Yelena’s mother was anything like her.
Yelena stared down at him silently, the cogs turning in her head. She really didn’t want to dismiss his feelings, but she couldn’t help when a snort slipped out. She snapped a hand to her mouth, the amusement flowing like a free river now that the dam had broken. “Sorry, sorry. You’re worried about my mother? Bucky, you are so funny sometimes.”
Bucky grumbled, feeling a pang of embarrassment and defensiveness creeping up his back. He wrangled his face away from her hand, letting out a small huff. “I do not see how this is funny. It is a monumental moment.”
Yelena couldn’t help herself and let out another laugh, undeterred by his huffing act. “Come on, милый, it is a little funny.” She said and climbed onto the bed, straddling his lap. “She is just a woman. You’ve faced worse.” She tried to work at reassuring him, though the grin on her face wasn’t helping her case. She leaned herself into him with continuous pressure until they tumbled back onto the mattress, Bucky’s back taking the soft brunt of it. He sprawled his arms out wide against the sheets, letting out a sigh. “Sure, she is, but what if she does not approve?”
Yelena’s amused expression softened a fraction as she hovered above him, her wet hair framing her face. She could partially understand where he was coming from, and that alone made her dip down to press a little reassuring kiss to his lips. “You worry too much about things that are little importance.” She murmured, slowly moving her lips down the stubbled line of his jaw. She could feel him relaxing a little under her, growing more pliant with every affectionate press. “She was not in my life enough for me to care about her opinion on my boyfriend.” Every word spoken, every breath caressing his skin caused his skin to prickle, a little shudder traveling up his spine. Yelena felt it, and delivered a little nip to his throat to punctuate her point before drawing back just a little. There was a small, interested smile on her face that spelt nothing but trouble.
“Set your overthinking aside and lose the towel.”
Bucky’s pulse hammered stronger at the implication, the rhythmic thumping successfully beating the overwhelming thoughts away. By the time their towels were discarded across the room and their mouths reunited, he forgot why he was apprehensive in the first place.