Awesomely Awkward (but in a chill, vibey way)

"You need to wake up!" You said. "Wake up, sweetie." Your mother said. "Wake up, son!" Your father said. Your eyes began to flutter, shifting and moving rapidly.

"Wake up, pay attention!" Valentina said. "Come on, wake up!" Mel said. "Up and at 'em!" Bucky said. "Stop lying around and get up!" John barked. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Yelena said. "You need to wake up, darling!" Ava said. "Rise and shine, little one!" Alexei said. Your eyes began opening and shifting, the world turning from pitch black into a blur of grey and blue.

"Look who's here to see you!" A strange feminine voice greeted, the voice sounded more professional and impersonal than the others. Maybe she was a nurse or doctor? Were you back on land already? "Good morning, love!" Bob said.

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Your eyes opened to find that you were on land, you were warm, dry, inside and most importantly alive. "Doctor, I think our Jane Doe is waking up!" A voice stated. Jane Doe? You thought, your hands immediately moved to your chest and felt breasts protruding from your upper torso and that your entire body felt different from how it usually feels, you immediately shot up from bed and came face to face with the nurse.

The nurse had tanned skin, wavy dark brown hair tied in a neat bob and the most stunning green eyes, you recognised this woman from anywhere, however her usual casual attire was replaced by a nurse's uniform and a very old fashioned one at that, complete with the apron, long puffy sleeves and the headwear that accompanied it. "Ava?" You asked. You rubbed your throat as you were coming to terms with your voice, it wasn't at all like the real you's voice or child you's voice, it was softer and higher in pitch. "Oh, no dearie. My name is Aveline." The woman greeted. You at least had a name for her, instead of just designating her as 'Not Ava' or 'Fake Ava'.

"What happened? Where am I?" You asked. "One of the townsfolk found you out by the lake just outside of town, he said you were passed out but still breathing. As for where you are, that would be Yorktown." Aveline explained. You looked around and found yourself in a large hall filled with beds lining both sides of the hall, each bed containing a patient in various stages of injury or illness. In your shock, you barely registered the warm rags adorned on your chest, limbs and your head; that was until your head rag fell onto your lap with a loud fwop. "How are you feeling?" Aveline quizzed. Your instinct was to be honest as the woman did resemble your friend and comrade, but you had to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't Ava, it was someone else entirely. "I feel fine." You responded plainly. You could see that Aveline wasn't entirely convinced as your skin still felt cold from the exposure, however she did want to trust your judgement.

You both heard the sounds of the aged, wooden door opening and the heavy footsteps of the doctor entering the room. There stood a man with dark brown hair, ocean blue eyes and light skin, your eyes widened at the sight of the doctor as none other than Bucky Barnes. "Doctor Barnes! Your Jane Doe is awake!" Aveline reported. "Good news! Tell me, Ms. Doe, how are you feeling?" Bucky asked. "I feel fine, Bu-- Doctor." You explained, you visibly stumbled over your words. This caused Doctor Barnes to look at you with the same suspicion as Aveline, unlike Aveline he wasn't sure if he could trust your judgement.

"I would like to extend my gratitude to whoever found me out there and I do feel a lot better!" You explained. Doctor Barnes' face twisted in contemplation before loosening into acceptance. "Very well, however I do believe it would be wise for me to check up on you tomorrow." Barnes conceded. "Thank you, Dr. Barnes! I shall!" You agreed. As you were exiting the hospital, you noticed that the place was old, it didn't resemble any modern hospital in the slightest. If anything, it felt more like a cabin or an old fashioned manor; you could discern that you may have travelled back in time somehow.

Am I still hallucinating? Is the real me still out at sea? Am I dying? Were all thoughts that ran throughout your head as you exited the hospital to the village of Yorktown. Your eyes adjusted to the sunlight as you opened the door and saw the village outside, small log cabins with straw roofs lined along the streets of the village, the roads were dirt and only a few amenities existed in this town; down the road to your left was a general store and an inn and down at the end of the road on your right was a chapel, outside of the town limits were small fields with various livestock before a thick barrier of trees bordered the village. Aveline was kind enough to provide the traditional garments that a woman would wear inside the village limits to help avert any strange gazes you might receive from the townspeople, your eyes landed on the inn and you decided to go there first to try and find the man who saved you from the lake.

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As you neared the inn, you could hear the sounds of clapping, stamping and the words "down, down, down the road! Down the witches’ road!" being sung by a live performer onstage. You opened the door to the inn to see the place was extremely lively, patrons were either at their tables, at the bar or by the stage as a young boy with long brown hair and bright brown eyes was performing. You found yourself bobbing along to the song as you were aware of the song, however you were more familiar with Lorna Wu's version.

In your trance, you didn't notice the gentleman in front of you as you bumped into his back. The man turned towards you, his long blonde hair was tied back, his beard was trimmed and neat, his steely blue eyes looking down towards you. "Watch where you're going, girl!" The man snarled. His attitude was the clincher you needed as you immediately clocked that this was John Walker.

Typically, you'd bite back against John's snide remarks, however you had to catch yourself as this wasn't the John that you knew. "My apologies, I was looking for the man who rescued me from the lake." You apologised. His expression never softened as he spoke, a typical trait of Walker's and with this guy doing the same thing you wondered if being an asshole was hereditary. "Oh, right, you're the Jane Doe! You want Pastor Reynolds down at the chapel. Although I will say this, say what you need to say then leave!" John suggested.

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at him, a natural response you would have whenever John was being a dick. "And I'd suggest you show some respect as well!" He added, clocking your response. "Why should I leave?" You asked, trying your hardest to sound sincere. "Because we don't need anymore outsiders around here. They bring nothing but trouble!" John replied. You bit the inside of your cheek, you were a stranger in a strange land and John seemed to tower over you entirely. "As you wish!" You responded. You turned on your heel and exited the inn, heading up towards the chapel to find Pastor Reynolds.

On your way, you spotted your reflection in one of the cabin windows and saw your new face, your face looked like an amalgamation of your normal face and your mother's face, almost like you were a younger version of your mother. You found yourself touching your face, really pausing and coming to terms that you weren't in your normal body, that was when a strange man approached you. You audibly gasped in surprise as you came face-to-face with the man, he was older, probably the eldest person you've seen since coming here, he lowered his ragged, dirty hood to reveal his shaved head, a dishevelled grey beard and the most haunted blue eyes you've ever seen.

"Have you seen Lena?" The man asked, his voice was as ragged as his clothes, suggesting that he was asking this purely out of habit. "I have not, I apologise but I must leave!" You answered, freeing yourself from his grip and continuing to the chapel. Your head was spiralling from seeing the Thunderbolts in this strange world, it was weird seeing their faces applied to completely different people; it was enough for you to stop at the front of the chapel and sit, gathering your thoughts on the entire situation you found yourself in. You were so lost in your thoughts that you barely registered a hand being placed on your shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you alright?" A voice queried. You recognised the voice, it was soft-spoken but also deep, it was a voice that radiated kindness and warmth, it was... Bob's! Your head turned towards the voice and saw him, dressed in his vestments, long brown hair slicked back and kind blue eyes looking down towards you. "Oh! It's you! You're awake!" The man greeted warmly. "Uh, yes, yes I am. I understand that you were the one who found me out there." You said. Bob, or the man who resembled Bob, sat down next to you on the ground outside his chapel. "I did, I often times find myself wandering by the lake most mornings and a few days ago I noticed you were there." Not Bob began. Even though it wasn't Bob, you still found yourself hanging on every word he said, his kindness and gentle nature shining through as he explained how he found you and brought you back to town. "How are you feeling today, Miss...?" Not Bob began.

You thought for a moment, you were aware that this wasn't the real Bob and that you weren't the real you, however that did make the idea of using a pseudonym kind of deceptive in your mind. "Katherine, you may call me Katherine." You introduced, extending a hand towards Not Bob. "Rupert, most townsfolk refer to me as Pastor Reynolds, but for you, you may call me Rupert." Not Bob... Rupert replied. His hand met yours in a handshake and he still carried Bob's delicate demeanour as he took your hand.

"As for how I am... can I be candid with you, Rupert?" You proposed. "Of course! Speak your mind, dear Katherine." Rupert answered. You took a breath, the first real breath you've been able to take since entering this strange realm. "I feel like a stranger in a strange place and that I need to get home, but I'm just not sure how. That, plus the blonde man at the inn and the ragged man on the street hasn't helped put my mind at ease." You explained.

"Ahh, I see you met Jonathan and Alexander." Rupert said, you looked at him, signalling for him to elaborate. "Alexander recently lost his daughter, the town treated it as though she departed from us, but I don't think he's come to terms with it. I think he's convinced that she's taking refuge in the woods." Rupert explained, his eyes showing great empathy towards the ragged man, Alexander. "As for Jonathan, he lost his wife and son a while ago. Rumours began spreading around town that it may have been a witch's doing." Rupert elaborated.

The information caused you to take pause but also helped you to formulate a plan, if there was a witch, maybe they can send you home. "That explains why he seems so suspicious of me." You added. "He's like that with every newcomer, whether their souls are wicked or righteous!" Rupert stated. "And these witch rumours... are they true?" You queried. "The townsfolk are convinced that such vile creatures reside in the woods. I, however, dare not entertain such outlandish ideas." Rupert answered.

The gears in your head started turning, if there was a witch in the woods then maybe there was a way home. You looked towards Rupert, his face sternly looking towards the woods, a hint of disdain emanated from him. "I wanted to say thank you for saving me... I'm not sure how one ends these things with priests, do I confess my sins or something?" You rambled to Rupert. Rupert gave a small laugh before placing a comforting hand on yours, your eyes fluttered wider as you looked back towards him. "I don't believe you're wicked at all, Katherine. I hope you're able to find a way back home!" Rupert comforted, he stood and flashed you a warm smile before retreating to the chapel. You could feel your cheeks burning from the blush radiating from your interaction with Rupert, your heart fluttering from your interaction with him; not too dissimilar to how your interactions with Bob left you feeling. But with everything in consideration, you had a lead on how to get back home to him.

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The sun began its descent over the forest, the horizon shifting from its bright blue to a blend of orange and purple; equipped with only a lantern, you slinked away from Yorktown into the neighbouring woods. You followed the path from the town limits through the woods, you weren't sure what you would find. Would it be an overgrown hut? Would it be a bunch of free-spirited women huddled around a fire? Would it be a castle being swallowed by a sinkhole? These thoughts raced through your head as you ventured further and further into the woods.

You waltzed for a while until you found an overgrown hut covered in green vegetation, the base of the hut was bordered by a shrubbery containing red roses, yellow daises and purple lavenders. You crossed over to the aged, moss covered door and knocked on it, the force of your knock opened the door. You crossed the threshold cautiously, hoping that someone was home; the place did look lived in, however there were noticeable cobwebs forming on some of the furniture and an aged leather bound book was perched on the dining table in the middle of the hut.

Your fingers crossed the book's cover, the book felt unusually warm, almost like it was... skin! The book immediately opened to a random page by itself, you jumped back in fear, your heart began beating faster, your hand clutching your lantern tighter as you steeled yourself and crossed back over to the open page. You saw the words sprawled across the page, it was almost like you were in a trance-like state as your fingers stroked the page and you began reading.

"Spiritus sanctus in nomine, deus et dei domino inferno." You recited, something happened in the back of your mind and you found yourself compelled to repeat the phrase. The repetition of the phrase seemed to have an effect as the words on the page began illuminating in a golden light, the illumination spurred you on to repeat the phrase faster and with more intensity. You were lost in your trance to the point where you barely heard footsteps approaching the hut until a voice ripped through the air, breaking your trance and chant in one single word. "WITCH!!" Jonathan shouted. You turned and saw a group of townspeople storming into the hut, Jonathan standing at the hut, finger extended towards you in accusation, face twisted and contorted in a contemptuous scowl. "Stop! Wait! I'm not a witch!" You pleaded to the crowding townspeople. "Silence, witch!" One of the townspeople shouted, he forced a burlap sack over your head, the world around you suddenly turning dark.

It wasn't until hours later, under the judgemental glare of a full moon that you found yourself standing on a platform over the frozen lake from where you entered this realm, your arms and legs were bound in chains and your legs were tied to a large stone. "Lady Katherine! You find yourself accused of practicing witchcraft, what say you in your defence?" Jonathan spoke, projecting his voice to the crowd. The crowd erupted in various jeers and boos, you looked over the crowd and spotted most of the Thunderbolts in the crowd, Aveline was quiet, Dr. Barnes joined in on the booing and Alexander shouted. "She doesn't deserve to speak!!"

"I was not practicing witchcraft! I was simply trying to find my way home and found the strange tome in an abandoned hut! I was not aware that the tome was connected with such a disgusting practice until I was suddenly accused of an outlandish claim!" You protested. The women in the crowd remained silent, just looking upon you with immense empathy as they knew what laid ahead for you, the men continued their jeers and boos, unfazed by your defence. "Speak with Pastor Reynolds, he will corroborate my story!" You elaborated, hoping to gain some sympathy or at least have some comfort for your final moments. "Very well, bring out the priest!" Jonathan commanded.

You saw him being carried out by two townspeople, hunched over in pain as he was tossed onto the floor of the platform. His hair was ruffled, his vestments were torn and ripped, he looked up towards you with his face battered and bruised. "Rupert!" You instinctively called, your voice gave away your concern. "Katherine!" Rupert called, he stood immediately and approached you. His hand cupped your cheek and traced along your jawline, despite the pain he was in, his eyes only watered when he saw you and the fear you showed when faced with the possibility of death. "Rupert, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this mess! Please forgive me!" You pleaded to the man in front of you. "You don't need to apologise, as I said before, I believe you have no wickedness within you!" Rupert comforted. Jonathan scowled at you two before he spoke. "How touching! I cannot bear the thought of tearing two lovers apart. Maybe he should share your fate!" Jonathan stated, playing into the crowd's lust for justice.

The crowd began cheering, calling for Rupert to share the same fate as you. Your eyes widened in shock, Rupert simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seeming to accept his fate. "I cannot let this happen! Rupert, I swear to God that I will find you again... even if it's in another life!" You said. Rupert's eyes shot open, his face displaying sorrow at your suggestion. "Katherine, no! They'll kill you!" Rupert protested. "I'm already a dead woman, but I can still save you!" You explained. Tears began forming in Rupert's eyes and you began crying as well, you gathered your remaining strength and decided to face your fate. "Pastor Reynolds, I free you from my spell! Your heart is no longer bound to me!" You shouted, your voice carrying strength and confidence. "I'll find you again, this I promise!" Rupert whispered, the townspeople dragging him away from you.

Jonathan crossed over the platform until he was near you, his body facing the crowd. "We will now render judgement, good people of Yorktown, what say you?" Jonathan asked, shouting toward the crowd. A chorus of irate, angered voices erupted from the crowd, you closed your eyes in anticipation. "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" The crowd screamed, you could do nothing but wait for what happened next. "Lady Katherine, you have been found guilty of witchcraft and will be sentenced to trial by water. Have you any last words?" Jonathan stated. You looked towards Jonathan with anger, his smug, punchable face smirking towards you as he was eager to sentence you to the trial. "Come closer!" You signalled to Jonathan. He complied and stood in front of you, face-to-face as your eyes burrowed into his steely blue eyes.

You spat in his face, a devilish smile spread across your face before you spoke. "I'll see you in hell!" You cursed. Jonathan straightened up, wiped your spit from his face as he swung his hand and struck your face with a significant amount of force, the red hot heat radiated from the area he struck. The crowd winced as they heard the smack of his hand on your face echoing through the night sky, Jonathan crossed over to the lever holding the floor beneath your feet up as he pulled the lever with swiftness.

Tense, that was the word you would use to describe the situation right now. Ever since your mission with Walker and your moment with him on the beach, things were tense and weird between you two. In the past you two enjoyed a rivalry of sorts which spurred you two on to perform the best that you can when it came to things like mission prep, debriefings and target practice. Whenever Walker came in now, your mission prep became sloppy, your target practice was off and your input during debriefings was limited. Some of the team started to notice this change and knew that something needed to be done.

The worst of it began on the shooting range, you were a pretty solid shot, and your form was a perfect balance between loose and firm. Then John walked in, your entire body went stiff and your aim started going way off target. Another teammate of yours, Bucky, came on over to you. "Your form is too stiff." He commented. You tried to blow it off as best as you can, taking another shot. Miss. "I'm fine!" You stated. Your hand gripped the handle so tightly that you could feel the steel digging into your skin, Bucky was now visibly concerned as he lowered your gun with his right hand.

"Take a break, you're not acting like yourself." Bucky suggested. "I said I'm fine, Barnes." You replied. "Did something happen on the mission?" Bucky asked. You shook his hand off and without warning, emptied your clip. Only half of those shots hit the target, the others hit the wall around the target. Your eyes widened, as if you were back in control of your body, you threw the gun onto the bench and exited the range.

Sometime later, you found yourself in the hangar of the New Avengers tower, working hard on the quinjet as you could hear footsteps approaching. They weren't heavy like Walker's or Bucky's, but rather light and breezy. "Working hard?" A gentle, British voice queried. You looked towards the voice, ceasing your maintenance work as you spotted Ava coming by with a packed lunch. "Just routine work. Lunchtime already?" You asked, picking up the pack from Ava. "You got that right, fly boy! So how's your day?" Ava asked. You unravelled the pack and took a bite of the sandwich that was prepared. "My target practice is a bit off, so there's that." You replied, glum.

"Bucky told me about it." Ava commented. She knew not to push it any further than that, but left enough space for you to respond if you wanted to. "Yeah, not my proudest moment... I should probably get back to work." You stated, taking the last bite of your sandwich before standing back up. Ava wanted to push for more information, but she knew better than to force the information out of you. "Alright, don't work yourself too hard! I'll be back down with dinner." Ava stated, exiting the hangar. "Thanks! You're a star!" You called out to her. "I know!" She shouted in response.

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Some more time passed by, your hands were aching from the work you placed into the quinjet. Grease was caked onto your hands and overalls as sweat glistened from your arms and your forehead, you were feeling slightly fatigued from the work and decided to take a break by running simple diagnostics on the flight deck. You took your seat at the flight deck and you began running your tests on the instruments. You could hear footsteps approaching, they were definitely heavier than Ava's... you thought that maybe they were Bucky's.

"Look, Bucky, I don't wanna talk about it." You grumbled. "What?" A familiar voice asked. You swivelled on your chair and immediately stood, you tried to keep casual but you couldn't help but freeze up from seeing John before you. "Um, sorry, I thought you were Bucky." You mumbled. John was in civilian gear, an unfamiliar sight for you as you two never really interact outside of missions and training. He raised an eyebrow at you, confused by your sudden skittish nature. "Can we talk?" John asked, showing some sensitivity for the situation. "I wish I could, but I got some work to do--" You tried to explain, passing by him to get to the rear of the jet. John caught you by one of your hands, pausing your movement and pulling you back towards him. You turned back towards him, his piercing blue eyes looking towards you with a need to reach you.

"Can you stop that?" You asked. John's face showed some confusion. "Stop what?" He queried. "Stop that!" You emphasised, your eyes darting to your interlinked hands. "My hands are dirty!" You explained. John raised your hands between your chests as he began rubbing your hand with both of his hands, the air between you thickening with a deep tension. It wasn't the tension you felt earlier, that tension of pressure and anxiety, but rather a tension of longing and desire that you tried so hard to deny yourself of since that mission.

"My hands are dirty too, what are you afraid of?" John asked, his voice lowering to a near whisper. "Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything!" You remarked. John moved closer, closing the distance between you two. "Maybe you're afraid of getting close to me. Face it, you think I'm alright!" John retorted. "Hmm, sometimes. When you aren't acting like a stuck-up rogue!" You sniped back. John looked back towards you with a mix of shock and amusement. "Rogue... I kinda like that! Maybe you could do with having a rogue in your life." John whispered, the distance now so closed off that nothing but his warm breath stood between the two of you.

"Maybe..." was all you could respond with before nothing stood between you two and your lips finally met. The kiss didn't last long as the rear hatch closed behind you and John, you broke apart from John as you tried to open the hatch. The hatch was firmly shut, even when you pushed the button to open it, you turned back towards John. "Did you have something to do with this?" You asked, unamused by the antic. John was just as confused as you were, simply shaking his head no. You pushed on a telecom near the hatch release button. "If anyone's in the hangar, we need some assistance. The hatch to the quinjet has malfunctioned." You exposited.

"I wouldn't say it malfunctioned, it seems to work fine on our end!" Ava responded. Your eyes widened, the hatch closing was no accident but completely intentional! "Ava! Hey Ava, can you let us out?" You requested. "No can do, not until you and Walker talk out whatever this thing is!" Another voice interjected. "Bucky? Bucky, hey c'mon! This isn't cool! Let us out!" You replied, now frustrated. "Not until you two talk this out!" Bucky replied. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Let us out!" You barked back. No response. You huffed and stomped back towards the passenger seating, John took his spot on one row of the seats as you sat opposite him.

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"I think I can get us out of here!" You blurted. John just sat in the passenger seat, resigned to play along with Bucky and Ava's game. "I think we should talk." John suggested. You were too busy fiddling with buttons and dials, hoping to take off from the hangar and find someone who can pry the rear hatch open. "Talk? Talk about what?" You sputtered. John walked up beside you and placed a firm hand over one of yours, you paused and looked up to him. Your eyes met and suddenly your panic subsided as you joined him on the passenger's seats, sitting across from him.

There was a lengthy silence from you two, an emotional cold war as you both waited for the other to initiate the conversation. "So, what happened on the beach, what did it mean to you?" You asked, breaking the unbearable silence. John sat with the question, twiddling his thumbs as he searched for the right words. "So it's all on me?" He mumbled. "Should it all be on me?" You responded. You gave a small breath before starting. "If the moment meant nothing or if it was just a 'spur of the moment' decision after hearing my story then I need to know now before I..." You began, your voice started to waiver at the end. You knew that as soon as you finished your thoughts that your insecurities would become reality, you knew that you cared deeply for John and that any sign of rejection from him would hurt you deeply. "Before you what?" John asked, leaning forward.

You could feel your eyes starting to water, your greased covered hands were trembling and your throat started to go dry. The words felt harder and harder to get out, but you knew you had to fight it. "Before I get attached. Before I fall... for... you." You croaked, the final words feeling like you were trying to regurgitate a razor blade lodged deep in your oesophagus. Another beat of silence befell you two, you were tensing up from the absence of sound and you were just hoping for some sort of response.

Your eyes darted around the quinjet and they landed on Walker for only a split second to try and gauge his reaction, from what you saw he was just taking it all in, not even noticing your tense state for what felt like an eternity. "Umm, so, yeah. That's about where I'm at." You said, trying to regain any sort of composure and just wanting desperately to get out of this situation. You jumped up from the seat and started moving towards the rear of the quinjet before Walker suddenly cut in. "Hey, wait! Just... wait!" Walker blurted, pausing you from reaching the intercom.

You turned back around to meet his gaze, his shock was still visible and even he was showing his nervousness slightly. "Look, a lot of shit went down for me since becoming an Avenger. A lot of relationship stuff came to an end and it hasn't been an easy time for me." John began. Your tense stance began to ease into a more relaxed, natural stance as he started to form his thoughts. "It's been hard for me to feel something towards someone ever since Olivia left... until now. That moment on the beach was the first time I felt that way towards someone else." John confessed. You eased and walked over to John, taking a seat next to him and placing a hand on top of his. Your eyes locked and you can tell just from a glance that he was being honest and baring everything for you.

"So what do we do now? What if we mess this up?" You asked. John gave your hand a squeeze, shedding his stoic demeanour to show complete sympathy for your doubts. "You're a good man who deserves good things. You shouldn't have to deny yourself, you shouldn't have to carry your guilt, your shame, your fears and your doubts." John comforted. "So, I say we should stop denying ourselves the chance for something good. Why don't we start seeing each other as more than just co-workers?" John offered.