Sunny/Anna/Dandelion

“Morning.” *They smile at him, and then startle a little bit. They were just getting to know each other, but wouldn’t the colors have shown up earlier? What the hell was happening?* “Steve, I’m fucking seeing color right now.”

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

Edward nods shortly. “Yeah, I mean quite a bit. I work for her. And we’re family, she’s just busy, y’know.” He kicks a rock and watches it skip away. “I won’t relapse again…”

“I don’t want you to promise that and then get pissed at yourself for relapsing.” *They kick their own rock, and decidedly don’t look at him.* “Where did you get the drugs, did Valerie bring them?”

Edward reaches out to play with Anna’s hair as they walk. “Okay…” He frowns and looks down. “Uh… no… I had some… in a stash. Um… this is a vacation, we shouldn’t-”

“This is a vacation, but this is also just time for us to be honest with each other without being interrupted.” *They lean into him as he plays with their hair, and then glance up at the last part.* “Did you throw it out when Ari showed up?”

“True…” Edward runs a hand through Anna’s hair. He scrunches his nose. “No… I took bout’ half it with Valerie and the rest is still… stashed.”

“Does it give you comfort to know that you still have some, even if you’re gonna try to not use it?” *They get to the street they need to be at to get a taxi, and look at him.* “Do you want to do it or do you want me to do it?”

“Yeah… it does.” Edward glances down the street and smiles. “I got it.” He quickly waves them down a taxi and gets in.

*The taxi driver was an old man who was from Central America who didn’t speak very much English, but they got through just fine.* “Are you…….just….married?” *They glance at Edward with a smirk.* “No, sir, we’re married to separate people, we’re actually siblings.”

Edward grins at Anna. “Nope, siblings.” He smirks and leans back in the seat, tucking his wings in carefully and humming under his breath.

*They lean against him, showing him a list of things that they should do while they were there. They glance up at the driver.* “How long until we get to the airport?” “Is only 30 minutes.” *They glance up at Edward.* “We left with enough time, right?”

*They had been eyeing the whole situation, and something about it seemed so incredibly off. The older guy staring at him, the women embarrassing themselves to impress him….he seriously seemed like he needed some help. They sigh, taking one last sip of their mocktail for courage and head over to where Tony was. One of the girls laughs loudly and obnoxiously, putting her hand on his chest.* “Oh Tony, you’re so funny!” *They clear their throat, pushing between the two girls and him, slipping their hand into his and giving the girls a poisonous smile.* “Yeah, he is hilarious. I also know for a fact that he’s very off the market.”

The other woman raises an eyebrow. "Tony Stark,off the market? Never!" She protests. Tony immediately wraps an arm around their shoulder. "I'm afraid for one night and one night only it's true, my dears."

*They smirk, looking at the women with fake pity in their eyes and then glance up at Tony.* “You said we could go to a quieter spot, can we do that now?” *They honestly did need a quieter place, they were starting to feel kind of panicked.*

Tony nods. "Of course, gorgeous," he says, leading them away to somewhere quieter and ever so slightly slumping. "Thanks for that. Who are you?"

“Anna. And you’re Tony.” *They smile slightly, holding out their hand to shake his.* “You’re wrong about one thing, I’m definitely not gorgeous. And umm, also I’m not gonna sleep with you. No offense, I just….I’m aroace and-“

"That i am." He shakes their hand. "And you definitely are, but hey, thats no problem either. Why'd you rescue me, then?"

“Because you looked uncomfortable as hell, and there was also another guy eyeing you in a weird way too.” *They said bluntly.* “And I mean, if you really need/want to have sex, I would be willing to make out. But that’s it, I’m not willing to go further than that, plus you are gonna have to teach me how to do it.”

Tony winces a little. They shouldn't have been able to tell that he was uncomfortable. "That's just Obadiah. He's overprotective," he answers, easy and practiced. He shakes his head. "I don't want to make out with you."

“Fucking bullshit.” *They snap, looking at sternly and then looking at Obadiah in disgust.* “And good, because like I said, I don’t know how to kiss, and as nice as you seem, you’re like twice my age..”

Tony frowns. "What's your issue with him?" He asks haughtily. He nods. "Yeah, you're a bit young for me too."

“You want the real answer or the practiced answer?” *They ask him, just as haughty, and then nod.* “Good, glad we cleared that up. Now, what the hell are you doing throwing a party like this?”

"The real one," Tony answers automatically. He frowns, defensive. "It's my birthday. It was a surprise party. I can throw a party if I want to," he says.

“That’s not what I….” *They sigh, trailing off.* “I meant that you just shut down Stark Industries. You aren’t worried afraid that someone might poison your food or drink as revenge? And the real answer is that he’s a creep. He’s a creep that can’t keep his hands to himself, and I can tell what he’s thinking.” *They’re hoping the creepy part will distract him from the thinking part because they realized that was a whole can of worms they weren’t sure they wanted to open at the moment.*

"Please, that's a risk at every single party I attend. I only shut down one department," he says, shaking his head. He does miss the thinking part - or at least doesn't comment. "He's a touchy feely kinda guy," heh deadpans.

“Yeah, but this party is a little more than usual.” *They reply, looking around, and motioning towards a woman who had eaten a piece of cake, and was looking extremely pale and sick.* “And he might be touchy feely, but you know what he’s doing is wrong.”

Tony scoffs. "Who the hell are you to come in here and judge me?" He shakes his head, crosses his arms. "What he does is fine. I dont care about him touching me."

“A concerned person and worker. You obviously don’t care about all your employees like you pretend to.” *It’s their turn to scoff.* “You might not care if he touches you, but if you pretend to care at all, you’ll care about him touching your employees.”

Tony glares. "Excuse me? Of course I care about my employees." He tenses. That, of course, is a line. Tony's never cared for his own safety, but others? "What did he do? Is someone hurt?"

“That’s a fucking lie.” *They laugh humorlessly.* “Is someone hurt.” *They scoff again, turning away from him.* “Why would I tell you what he did, when you don’t actually care about your employees enough to actually know that you yourself hired me seven months ago? Ans I don’t know why I try to be friendly every time I pass you, I should just ignore you like you do to me.”

"You'll have to forgive me, anything that happened prior to three months ago isn't at the forefront of my mind right now," Tony replies haughtily. "And there's a difference between caring and being a part of their lives personally. If one of my employees is hurt, then, yes, I want to know."

*They scoff, glaring at him.* “You know what, fuck you, it’s not like you would believe me anyways. He’s a personal friend, isn’t he? So why would you believe me over him? He’ll just say I lied for attention, and you’ll believe him.” *They turn around, walking away quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears in their eyes.*

Tony looks away, unsure what he's done to make them so completely antagonistic. then again, what hasn't he done? "I'll believe you," he says, his voice dropping to softer but not inaudible. "I would believe you."

*They miraculously hear him and stop, turning around and wiping away some tears.* “Can….can we go somewhere quieter, please? And I’m sorry, I didn’t….I don’t……..I shouldn’t have said ‘fuck you’ to you, a lot of what I said was uncalled for.” *Their voice was quiet as their eyes dart everywhere but his.*

"It's fine," Tony says. "I probably deserved it." He leads them away into a quieter room where other people aren't everywhere, drunk of their asses. "Tell me what you wanted to tell me."

“You didn’t.” *They counter, looking away and closing their eyes.* “Okay, so I have this “friend” who….has been having trouble with him from the beginning of working here. He…..tells her that he’ll get her fired if she doesn’t…..do things for him. And the……things have gotten progressively worse.” *Oh gods, please let him understand so they don’t have to go into more detail, please let him believe them-*

Tony's eyes narrow, disgust curling in his stomach. "When did she start working here?" He asks quietly, eyes flicking towards the door where Obadiah would be outside.

*They sigh, closing their eyes and trying to get more courage to spell it out better.* “7 months ago. Because I’m the “friend” that I said. I just didn’t want to say it was me, so….I said it was a friend.”

"I'm sorry." It's the only thing Tony can think of to say. "He--. God. I believe you, okay? I believe you." He can't believe his Obie would do that, god. "What do you want me to do?"

*They look at him in confusion.* “What do you mean? What do I want you to do? I mean, he’s your friend, what….what would you do? And he’s…..oh gods, he’s gonna know I told you and hurt me, oh my gods, I-“ *Their eyes go wild, panic coursing through them as they get ready to run.*

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," tony replies instantly. "He assaulted you. My friend or not theres not way that I'm going to let him just get away with that."

*Their eyes search his and they slowly calm down, not quite ready to run anymore.* “I don’t know why I decided to tell you, honestly. We’ve exchanged a total of like, fifty words total in the seven months I’ve been here. That was a lot more than fifty words to explain that shit.” *They laugh humorlessly, wiping a few more tears away.*

Tony shrugs. "I don't care why you told me, but I am glad that you decided to. You shouldn't have had to put up with that shit. I'll do something about it, whatever you want, okay?"

"Then it's a good thing I'm on your side here," Tony tells them. He doesn't know what to do in this situation, but he knows he needs to get Obadiah somewhere far away from Anna. "Don't be. You have reason to be suspicious."

“Yeah, it is.” *They agree, a small smile on their face until it starts to fade.* “You’ve had a shitty last few months, and I’m over here yelling at you for not doing better. When I have no idea what that trauma would feel like.” *All of the sudden, they start to sob, overwhelming amounts of guilt hitting them.*

Tony shifts, uncomfortable with the intense display of emotion. He doesn't exactly know what to do here. "Its uh. It's fine, kid. Please stop crying-"

*They suck in a breath, immediately stopping their crying on reflex.* “Obadiah said that’s one of the things he likes most about me. That and I’m feisty but don’t follow through.”

"Obadiah..." Tony trails off, unsure what to say about that. His head is swirling a little, actually. "D'you want him fired? Cause I'll fire him."

*They stare in complete disbelief and confusion.*…….What? Fire him?? You would actually do that?? But he’s your friend, I-“ *They trail off, how would he actually be okay with that?”

"He assaulted you," Tony repeats. "Which means you decide what happens to him. Frankly, id fire him anyway."

“Would you help me press charges?” *They look at him, a sense of hope finally pressing in before they glance over his shoulder and their face goes paper white as Obadiah clears his throat.*

"..yeah. Yeah, I would." Tony nods and then stiffens, forcing a smile onto his face in an instant. "Obie. How can I help you."

*They force themselves to turn around and face Obadiah as he smirks at them.* “Tony. Sort of surprised to see you with such a young employee, but I won’t judge.”

Tony rolls his eyes. "You know very well im not interested in that right now, Obadiah." "Oh? Is that so? When did that change?" Tony glowers.

*Obadiah peeks around Tony to them.* “Oh miss, I know you must be so disappointed to hear that, that he’s not interested in that.” *They start to shake, grabbing onto Tony’s hand to keep from passing out.*

Tony puts a protective hand in front of them. "Dont talk to them," he snaps at Obbadiah. He raises a brow. "Oh, Tony... what did they say to you?"

*They tucked themselves behind Tony and Obadiah scoffs lightly.* “Whatever they told you, they’re lying, asking for attention, and they wanted it.”

Tony scoffs as well. "I can guarantee you they did not," he tells Obadiah. "Oh? You're so sure?" "Yes. Im sure."

“What did they tell you, hmm, to make you question me, your oldest friend?” *Obadiah lays on the guilt and suspicion of Anna, trying to get Tony back to his side.*

"They told me about you forcing them. Threatening their job." He crosses his arms. "Tony, my boy, you don't believe that... why would i ever do that? I don't want them."

“You just want power.” *This is the first time they had said anything, and they instantly regret it at Obadiah’s absolutely livid expression, which he quickly makes into one of confusion.* “I don’t know what you mean, Miss……?”

Tony squeezes their hand gently. "You heard them, Obie. You want power. ou've always wanted power. You don't get to touch people like that, Stane." "Watch yourself, Tony."

“Don’t threaten him.” *Their voice is loud enough to be heard this time, shaking but glaring at Obadiah.* “You can threaten me, but he’s supposed to be your friend.”

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

Edward nods shortly. “Yeah, I mean quite a bit. I work for her. And we’re family, she’s just busy, y’know.” He kicks a rock and watches it skip away. “I won’t relapse again…”

“I don’t want you to promise that and then get pissed at yourself for relapsing.” *They kick their own rock, and decidedly don’t look at him.* “Where did you get the drugs, did Valerie bring them?”

Edward reaches out to play with Anna’s hair as they walk. “Okay…” He frowns and looks down. “Uh… no… I had some… in a stash. Um… this is a vacation, we shouldn’t-”

“This is a vacation, but this is also just time for us to be honest with each other without being interrupted.” *They lean into him as he plays with their hair, and then glance up at the last part.* “Did you throw it out when Ari showed up?”

“True…” Edward runs a hand through Anna’s hair. He scrunches his nose. “No… I took bout’ half it with Valerie and the rest is still… stashed.”

“Does it give you comfort to know that you still have some, even if you’re gonna try to not use it?” *They get to the street they need to be at to get a taxi, and look at him.* “Do you want to do it or do you want me to do it?”

“Yeah… it does.” Edward glances down the street and smiles. “I got it.” He quickly waves them down a taxi and gets in.

*The taxi driver was an old man who was from Central America who didn’t speak very much English, but they got through just fine.* “Are you…….just….married?” *They glance at Edward with a smirk.* “No, sir, we’re married to separate people, we’re actually siblings.”

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

Edward nods shortly. “Yeah, I mean quite a bit. I work for her. And we’re family, she’s just busy, y’know.” He kicks a rock and watches it skip away. “I won’t relapse again…”

“I don’t want you to promise that and then get pissed at yourself for relapsing.” *They kick their own rock, and decidedly don’t look at him.* “Where did you get the drugs, did Valerie bring them?”

Edward reaches out to play with Anna’s hair as they walk. “Okay…” He frowns and looks down. “Uh… no… I had some… in a stash. Um… this is a vacation, we shouldn’t-”

“This is a vacation, but this is also just time for us to be honest with each other without being interrupted.” *They lean into him as he plays with their hair, and then glance up at the last part.* “Did you throw it out when Ari showed up?”

“True…” Edward runs a hand through Anna’s hair. He scrunches his nose. “No… I took bout’ half it with Valerie and the rest is still… stashed.”

“Does it give you comfort to know that you still have some, even if you’re gonna try to not use it?” *They get to the street they need to be at to get a taxi, and look at him.* “Do you want to do it or do you want me to do it?”

*They had been eyeing the whole situation, and something about it seemed so incredibly off. The older guy staring at him, the women embarrassing themselves to impress him….he seriously seemed like he needed some help. They sigh, taking one last sip of their mocktail for courage and head over to where Tony was. One of the girls laughs loudly and obnoxiously, putting her hand on his chest.* “Oh Tony, you’re so funny!” *They clear their throat, pushing between the two girls and him, slipping their hand into his and giving the girls a poisonous smile.* “Yeah, he is hilarious. I also know for a fact that he’s very off the market.”

The other woman raises an eyebrow. "Tony Stark,off the market? Never!" She protests. Tony immediately wraps an arm around their shoulder. "I'm afraid for one night and one night only it's true, my dears."

*They smirk, looking at the women with fake pity in their eyes and then glance up at Tony.* “You said we could go to a quieter spot, can we do that now?” *They honestly did need a quieter place, they were starting to feel kind of panicked.*

Tony nods. "Of course, gorgeous," he says, leading them away to somewhere quieter and ever so slightly slumping. "Thanks for that. Who are you?"

“Anna. And you’re Tony.” *They smile slightly, holding out their hand to shake his.* “You’re wrong about one thing, I’m definitely not gorgeous. And umm, also I’m not gonna sleep with you. No offense, I just….I’m aroace and-“

"That i am." He shakes their hand. "And you definitely are, but hey, thats no problem either. Why'd you rescue me, then?"

“Because you looked uncomfortable as hell, and there was also another guy eyeing you in a weird way too.” *They said bluntly.* “And I mean, if you really need/want to have sex, I would be willing to make out. But that’s it, I’m not willing to go further than that, plus you are gonna have to teach me how to do it.”

Tony winces a little. They shouldn't have been able to tell that he was uncomfortable. "That's just Obadiah. He's overprotective," he answers, easy and practiced. He shakes his head. "I don't want to make out with you."

“Fucking bullshit.” *They snap, looking at sternly and then looking at Obadiah in disgust.* “And good, because like I said, I don’t know how to kiss, and as nice as you seem, you’re like twice my age..”

Tony frowns. "What's your issue with him?" He asks haughtily. He nods. "Yeah, you're a bit young for me too."

“You want the real answer or the practiced answer?” *They ask him, just as haughty, and then nod.* “Good, glad we cleared that up. Now, what the hell are you doing throwing a party like this?”

"The real one," Tony answers automatically. He frowns, defensive. "It's my birthday. It was a surprise party. I can throw a party if I want to," he says.

“That’s not what I….” *They sigh, trailing off.* “I meant that you just shut down Stark Industries. You aren’t worried afraid that someone might poison your food or drink as revenge? And the real answer is that he’s a creep. He’s a creep that can’t keep his hands to himself, and I can tell what he’s thinking.” *They’re hoping the creepy part will distract him from the thinking part because they realized that was a whole can of worms they weren’t sure they wanted to open at the moment.*

"Please, that's a risk at every single party I attend. I only shut down one department," he says, shaking his head. He does miss the thinking part - or at least doesn't comment. "He's a touchy feely kinda guy," heh deadpans.

“Yeah, but this party is a little more than usual.” *They reply, looking around, and motioning towards a woman who had eaten a piece of cake, and was looking extremely pale and sick.* “And he might be touchy feely, but you know what he’s doing is wrong.”

Tony scoffs. "Who the hell are you to come in here and judge me?" He shakes his head, crosses his arms. "What he does is fine. I dont care about him touching me."

“A concerned person and worker. You obviously don’t care about all your employees like you pretend to.” *It’s their turn to scoff.* “You might not care if he touches you, but if you pretend to care at all, you’ll care about him touching your employees.”

Tony glares. "Excuse me? Of course I care about my employees." He tenses. That, of course, is a line. Tony's never cared for his own safety, but others? "What did he do? Is someone hurt?"

“That’s a fucking lie.” *They laugh humorlessly.* “Is someone hurt.” *They scoff again, turning away from him.* “Why would I tell you what he did, when you don’t actually care about your employees enough to actually know that you yourself hired me seven months ago? Ans I don’t know why I try to be friendly every time I pass you, I should just ignore you like you do to me.”

"You'll have to forgive me, anything that happened prior to three months ago isn't at the forefront of my mind right now," Tony replies haughtily. "And there's a difference between caring and being a part of their lives personally. If one of my employees is hurt, then, yes, I want to know."

*They scoff, glaring at him.* “You know what, fuck you, it’s not like you would believe me anyways. He’s a personal friend, isn’t he? So why would you believe me over him? He’ll just say I lied for attention, and you’ll believe him.” *They turn around, walking away quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears in their eyes.*

Tony looks away, unsure what he's done to make them so completely antagonistic. then again, what hasn't he done? "I'll believe you," he says, his voice dropping to softer but not inaudible. "I would believe you."

*They miraculously hear him and stop, turning around and wiping away some tears.* “Can….can we go somewhere quieter, please? And I’m sorry, I didn’t….I don’t……..I shouldn’t have said ‘fuck you’ to you, a lot of what I said was uncalled for.” *Their voice was quiet as their eyes dart everywhere but his.*

"It's fine," Tony says. "I probably deserved it." He leads them away into a quieter room where other people aren't everywhere, drunk of their asses. "Tell me what you wanted to tell me."

“You didn’t.” *They counter, looking away and closing their eyes.* “Okay, so I have this “friend” who….has been having trouble with him from the beginning of working here. He…..tells her that he’ll get her fired if she doesn’t…..do things for him. And the……things have gotten progressively worse.” *Oh gods, please let him understand so they don’t have to go into more detail, please let him believe them-*

Tony's eyes narrow, disgust curling in his stomach. "When did she start working here?" He asks quietly, eyes flicking towards the door where Obadiah would be outside.

*They sigh, closing their eyes and trying to get more courage to spell it out better.* “7 months ago. Because I’m the “friend” that I said. I just didn’t want to say it was me, so….I said it was a friend.”

"I'm sorry." It's the only thing Tony can think of to say. "He--. God. I believe you, okay? I believe you." He can't believe his Obie would do that, god. "What do you want me to do?"

*They look at him in confusion.* “What do you mean? What do I want you to do? I mean, he’s your friend, what….what would you do? And he’s…..oh gods, he’s gonna know I told you and hurt me, oh my gods, I-“ *Their eyes go wild, panic coursing through them as they get ready to run.*

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," tony replies instantly. "He assaulted you. My friend or not theres not way that I'm going to let him just get away with that."

*Their eyes search his and they slowly calm down, not quite ready to run anymore.* “I don’t know why I decided to tell you, honestly. We’ve exchanged a total of like, fifty words total in the seven months I’ve been here. That was a lot more than fifty words to explain that shit.” *They laugh humorlessly, wiping a few more tears away.*

Tony shrugs. "I don't care why you told me, but I am glad that you decided to. You shouldn't have had to put up with that shit. I'll do something about it, whatever you want, okay?"

"Then it's a good thing I'm on your side here," Tony tells them. He doesn't know what to do in this situation, but he knows he needs to get Obadiah somewhere far away from Anna. "Don't be. You have reason to be suspicious."

“Yeah, it is.” *They agree, a small smile on their face until it starts to fade.* “You’ve had a shitty last few months, and I’m over here yelling at you for not doing better. When I have no idea what that trauma would feel like.” *All of the sudden, they start to sob, overwhelming amounts of guilt hitting them.*

Tony shifts, uncomfortable with the intense display of emotion. He doesn't exactly know what to do here. "Its uh. It's fine, kid. Please stop crying-"

*They suck in a breath, immediately stopping their crying on reflex.* “Obadiah said that’s one of the things he likes most about me. That and I’m feisty but don’t follow through.”

"Obadiah..." Tony trails off, unsure what to say about that. His head is swirling a little, actually. "D'you want him fired? Cause I'll fire him."

*They stare in complete disbelief and confusion.*…….What? Fire him?? You would actually do that?? But he’s your friend, I-“ *They trail off, how would he actually be okay with that?”

"He assaulted you," Tony repeats. "Which means you decide what happens to him. Frankly, id fire him anyway."

“Would you help me press charges?” *They look at him, a sense of hope finally pressing in before they glance over his shoulder and their face goes paper white as Obadiah clears his throat.*

"..yeah. Yeah, I would." Tony nods and then stiffens, forcing a smile onto his face in an instant. "Obie. How can I help you."

*They force themselves to turn around and face Obadiah as he smirks at them.* “Tony. Sort of surprised to see you with such a young employee, but I won’t judge.”

Tony rolls his eyes. "You know very well im not interested in that right now, Obadiah." "Oh? Is that so? When did that change?" Tony glowers.

*Obadiah peeks around Tony to them.* “Oh miss, I know you must be so disappointed to hear that, that he’s not interested in that.” *They start to shake, grabbing onto Tony’s hand to keep from passing out.*

Tony puts a protective hand in front of them. "Dont talk to them," he snaps at Obbadiah. He raises a brow. "Oh, Tony... what did they say to you?"

*They tucked themselves behind Tony and Obadiah scoffs lightly.* “Whatever they told you, they’re lying, asking for attention, and they wanted it.”

Tony scoffs as well. "I can guarantee you they did not," he tells Obadiah. "Oh? You're so sure?" "Yes. Im sure."

“What did they tell you, hmm, to make you question me, your oldest friend?” *Obadiah lays on the guilt and suspicion of Anna, trying to get Tony back to his side.*

"They told me about you forcing them. Threatening their job." He crosses his arms. "Tony, my boy, you don't believe that... why would i ever do that? I don't want them."

“You just want power.” *This is the first time they had said anything, and they instantly regret it at Obadiah’s absolutely livid expression, which he quickly makes into one of confusion.* “I don’t know what you mean, Miss……?”

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

Edward nods shortly. “Yeah, I mean quite a bit. I work for her. And we’re family, she’s just busy, y’know.” He kicks a rock and watches it skip away. “I won’t relapse again…”

“I don’t want you to promise that and then get pissed at yourself for relapsing.” *They kick their own rock, and decidedly don’t look at him.* “Where did you get the drugs, did Valerie bring them?”

Edward reaches out to play with Anna’s hair as they walk. “Okay…” He frowns and looks down. “Uh… no… I had some… in a stash. Um… this is a vacation, we shouldn’t-”

“This is a vacation, but this is also just time for us to be honest with each other without being interrupted.” *They lean into him as he plays with their hair, and then glance up at the last part.* “Did you throw it out when Ari showed up?”

*They had been eyeing the whole situation, and something about it seemed so incredibly off. The older guy staring at him, the women embarrassing themselves to impress him….he seriously seemed like he needed some help. They sigh, taking one last sip of their mocktail for courage and head over to where Tony was. One of the girls laughs loudly and obnoxiously, putting her hand on his chest.* “Oh Tony, you’re so funny!” *They clear their throat, pushing between the two girls and him, slipping their hand into his and giving the girls a poisonous smile.* “Yeah, he is hilarious. I also know for a fact that he’s very off the market.”

The other woman raises an eyebrow. "Tony Stark,off the market? Never!" She protests. Tony immediately wraps an arm around their shoulder. "I'm afraid for one night and one night only it's true, my dears."

*They smirk, looking at the women with fake pity in their eyes and then glance up at Tony.* “You said we could go to a quieter spot, can we do that now?” *They honestly did need a quieter place, they were starting to feel kind of panicked.*

Tony nods. "Of course, gorgeous," he says, leading them away to somewhere quieter and ever so slightly slumping. "Thanks for that. Who are you?"

“Anna. And you’re Tony.” *They smile slightly, holding out their hand to shake his.* “You’re wrong about one thing, I’m definitely not gorgeous. And umm, also I’m not gonna sleep with you. No offense, I just….I’m aroace and-“

"That i am." He shakes their hand. "And you definitely are, but hey, thats no problem either. Why'd you rescue me, then?"

“Because you looked uncomfortable as hell, and there was also another guy eyeing you in a weird way too.” *They said bluntly.* “And I mean, if you really need/want to have sex, I would be willing to make out. But that’s it, I’m not willing to go further than that, plus you are gonna have to teach me how to do it.”

Tony winces a little. They shouldn't have been able to tell that he was uncomfortable. "That's just Obadiah. He's overprotective," he answers, easy and practiced. He shakes his head. "I don't want to make out with you."

“Fucking bullshit.” *They snap, looking at sternly and then looking at Obadiah in disgust.* “And good, because like I said, I don’t know how to kiss, and as nice as you seem, you’re like twice my age..”

Tony frowns. "What's your issue with him?" He asks haughtily. He nods. "Yeah, you're a bit young for me too."

“You want the real answer or the practiced answer?” *They ask him, just as haughty, and then nod.* “Good, glad we cleared that up. Now, what the hell are you doing throwing a party like this?”

"The real one," Tony answers automatically. He frowns, defensive. "It's my birthday. It was a surprise party. I can throw a party if I want to," he says.

“That’s not what I….” *They sigh, trailing off.* “I meant that you just shut down Stark Industries. You aren’t worried afraid that someone might poison your food or drink as revenge? And the real answer is that he’s a creep. He’s a creep that can’t keep his hands to himself, and I can tell what he’s thinking.” *They’re hoping the creepy part will distract him from the thinking part because they realized that was a whole can of worms they weren’t sure they wanted to open at the moment.*

"Please, that's a risk at every single party I attend. I only shut down one department," he says, shaking his head. He does miss the thinking part - or at least doesn't comment. "He's a touchy feely kinda guy," heh deadpans.

“Yeah, but this party is a little more than usual.” *They reply, looking around, and motioning towards a woman who had eaten a piece of cake, and was looking extremely pale and sick.* “And he might be touchy feely, but you know what he’s doing is wrong.”

Tony scoffs. "Who the hell are you to come in here and judge me?" He shakes his head, crosses his arms. "What he does is fine. I dont care about him touching me."

“A concerned person and worker. You obviously don’t care about all your employees like you pretend to.” *It’s their turn to scoff.* “You might not care if he touches you, but if you pretend to care at all, you’ll care about him touching your employees.”

Tony glares. "Excuse me? Of course I care about my employees." He tenses. That, of course, is a line. Tony's never cared for his own safety, but others? "What did he do? Is someone hurt?"

“That’s a fucking lie.” *They laugh humorlessly.* “Is someone hurt.” *They scoff again, turning away from him.* “Why would I tell you what he did, when you don’t actually care about your employees enough to actually know that you yourself hired me seven months ago? Ans I don’t know why I try to be friendly every time I pass you, I should just ignore you like you do to me.”

"You'll have to forgive me, anything that happened prior to three months ago isn't at the forefront of my mind right now," Tony replies haughtily. "And there's a difference between caring and being a part of their lives personally. If one of my employees is hurt, then, yes, I want to know."

*They scoff, glaring at him.* “You know what, fuck you, it’s not like you would believe me anyways. He’s a personal friend, isn’t he? So why would you believe me over him? He’ll just say I lied for attention, and you’ll believe him.” *They turn around, walking away quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears in their eyes.*

Tony looks away, unsure what he's done to make them so completely antagonistic. then again, what hasn't he done? "I'll believe you," he says, his voice dropping to softer but not inaudible. "I would believe you."

*They miraculously hear him and stop, turning around and wiping away some tears.* “Can….can we go somewhere quieter, please? And I’m sorry, I didn’t….I don’t……..I shouldn’t have said ‘fuck you’ to you, a lot of what I said was uncalled for.” *Their voice was quiet as their eyes dart everywhere but his.*

"It's fine," Tony says. "I probably deserved it." He leads them away into a quieter room where other people aren't everywhere, drunk of their asses. "Tell me what you wanted to tell me."

“You didn’t.” *They counter, looking away and closing their eyes.* “Okay, so I have this “friend” who….has been having trouble with him from the beginning of working here. He…..tells her that he’ll get her fired if she doesn’t…..do things for him. And the……things have gotten progressively worse.” *Oh gods, please let him understand so they don’t have to go into more detail, please let him believe them-*

Tony's eyes narrow, disgust curling in his stomach. "When did she start working here?" He asks quietly, eyes flicking towards the door where Obadiah would be outside.

*They sigh, closing their eyes and trying to get more courage to spell it out better.* “7 months ago. Because I’m the “friend” that I said. I just didn’t want to say it was me, so….I said it was a friend.”

"I'm sorry." It's the only thing Tony can think of to say. "He--. God. I believe you, okay? I believe you." He can't believe his Obie would do that, god. "What do you want me to do?"

*They look at him in confusion.* “What do you mean? What do I want you to do? I mean, he’s your friend, what….what would you do? And he’s…..oh gods, he’s gonna know I told you and hurt me, oh my gods, I-“ *Their eyes go wild, panic coursing through them as they get ready to run.*

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," tony replies instantly. "He assaulted you. My friend or not theres not way that I'm going to let him just get away with that."

*Their eyes search his and they slowly calm down, not quite ready to run anymore.* “I don’t know why I decided to tell you, honestly. We’ve exchanged a total of like, fifty words total in the seven months I’ve been here. That was a lot more than fifty words to explain that shit.” *They laugh humorlessly, wiping a few more tears away.*

Tony shrugs. "I don't care why you told me, but I am glad that you decided to. You shouldn't have had to put up with that shit. I'll do something about it, whatever you want, okay?"

"Then it's a good thing I'm on your side here," Tony tells them. He doesn't know what to do in this situation, but he knows he needs to get Obadiah somewhere far away from Anna. "Don't be. You have reason to be suspicious."

“Yeah, it is.” *They agree, a small smile on their face until it starts to fade.* “You’ve had a shitty last few months, and I’m over here yelling at you for not doing better. When I have no idea what that trauma would feel like.” *All of the sudden, they start to sob, overwhelming amounts of guilt hitting them.*

Tony shifts, uncomfortable with the intense display of emotion. He doesn't exactly know what to do here. "Its uh. It's fine, kid. Please stop crying-"

*They suck in a breath, immediately stopping their crying on reflex.* “Obadiah said that’s one of the things he likes most about me. That and I’m feisty but don’t follow through.”

"Obadiah..." Tony trails off, unsure what to say about that. His head is swirling a little, actually. "D'you want him fired? Cause I'll fire him."

*They stare in complete disbelief and confusion.*…….What? Fire him?? You would actually do that?? But he’s your friend, I-“ *They trail off, how would he actually be okay with that?”

"He assaulted you," Tony repeats. "Which means you decide what happens to him. Frankly, id fire him anyway."

“Would you help me press charges?” *They look at him, a sense of hope finally pressing in before they glance over his shoulder and their face goes paper white as Obadiah clears his throat.*

"..yeah. Yeah, I would." Tony nods and then stiffens, forcing a smile onto his face in an instant. "Obie. How can I help you."

*They force themselves to turn around and face Obadiah as he smirks at them.* “Tony. Sort of surprised to see you with such a young employee, but I won’t judge.”

Tony rolls his eyes. "You know very well im not interested in that right now, Obadiah." "Oh? Is that so? When did that change?" Tony glowers.

*Obadiah peeks around Tony to them.* “Oh miss, I know you must be so disappointed to hear that, that he’s not interested in that.” *They start to shake, grabbing onto Tony’s hand to keep from passing out.*

Tony puts a protective hand in front of them. "Dont talk to them," he snaps at Obbadiah. He raises a brow. "Oh, Tony... what did they say to you?"

*They tucked themselves behind Tony and Obadiah scoffs lightly.* “Whatever they told you, they’re lying, asking for attention, and they wanted it.”

Tony scoffs as well. "I can guarantee you they did not," he tells Obadiah. "Oh? You're so sure?" "Yes. Im sure."

“What did they tell you, hmm, to make you question me, your oldest friend?” *Obadiah lays on the guilt and suspicion of Anna, trying to get Tony back to his side.*

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

Edward nods shortly. “Yeah, I mean quite a bit. I work for her. And we’re family, she’s just busy, y’know.” He kicks a rock and watches it skip away. “I won’t relapse again…”

“I don’t want you to promise that and then get pissed at yourself for relapsing.” *They kick their own rock, and decidedly don’t look at him.* “Where did you get the drugs, did Valerie bring them?”

*They’re just wanting the guys that had been pushing them to drink to stop, and they honestly didn’t know a whole lot about him. He just looked intimidating enough that the other assholes would stop.* “I need your help. Those guys over there won’t leave me alone. I can pay you, just….please help me, please.”

The Hunter hums and glances over. “How much?” He asks, glancing at the guys. He gives them a glare and rests his hand on his pistol.

“I don’t have much, I’m sorry.” *They push some coins over to him, and the drunkest of the guys starts calling out that maybe Bucky will have better luck with them not being a prude. They flinch amd then turn red, starting to get up.* “I don’t want to make things more difficult for you, I can just leave now and-“

The Hunter glances at the coins, then rolls his eyes and pushes them back. “Keep it, kid.” He stands up, grabbing their arm. “It’s fine. I don’t got nothin’ better to do tonight.”

*They hurriedly try to gather their coins, and bite back a yelp when he grabs onto their arm.* “Where are we going, how are we-“ *They cut themselves off with a scared squeak as the group of guys stand up as well and start to walk towards them.*

The Hunter shakes his head. “Just play it cool.” He rests his free hand on his pistol as the guys approach. “Gentlemen.”

“How the hell am I supposed to play it chill when-“ *They freeze as the leader of the group saunters over, instinctively grabbing onto Bucky’s other arm.* “Hey Hunter, sorry that she came over and started to bother you. We were buying her drinks and we’ll take her off your hands now.” *They look at the ground, frustrated.* “It’s they/them pronouns, asshole.” *The guy reaches out and grabs their other arm, and shakes them slightly.* “What was that, you little bitch?”

The Hunter scoffs. “I don’t think so. Lay off.” He blinks, tilting his head slightly. “The fuck is a pronoun?”He then shoved the guy away, eyes narrowed. “I could make you disappear. No one would know or care what happened to you.”

*The man scowls at Bucky and then smirks with a disgusting glint in his eyes.* “You just want to get into their pants and have them for yourself. We could always share with you.” *They press themselves closer to Bucky, and he can feel them shudder against him. The man reaches out and grabs them again, yanking them towards him and they finally make a noise above a whisper and yelp.* “NO! No, get off of me, get off-“

The Hunter growls and punches the man hard in the face. “I told you to back off.” He snaps, drawing his pistol with his other hand.

*The man gasps and then copies The Hunter’s growl.* “You fucking broke my nose, you son of a bitch. You…” *He trails off, seeing Bucky draw his pistol, and grabs onto Anna, using them as a human shield.* “You wouldn’t shoot me now, not with the risk of them getting shot.” *The other three men snicker, already getting ready to pack up. They bite back a sob, looking at The Hunter with tears in their eyes.*

The Hunter rolls his eyes. “Christ… you all clearly don’t know me.” He shoots the man in the shoulder. It’s not even that hard, given how small Anna is compared to him.

*They go completely silent and still, as the man screams and all four of the men start to curse him out and threaten that they would find them and be back as they slink off to their horses. But Anna couldn’t hear a thing, they were just as still as a statue, not making eye contact with The Hunter. They were just watching their body from outside of it.*

The Hunter wraps an arm around them, then digs out some extra cash to give the bartender for the inconvenience. “Come on. We’re going to my room to wait until they’re gone, then we’re moving towns.”

*They numbly let him lead them away, still not really hearing or feeling anything. He was saying something about…..a room? And then moving? But how were they going to pay for all of this, or pay for his services? They started to quietly hyperventilate, hoping that he wouldn’t hear them.*

The Hunter gets them up to his room and sits them down on the bed. “Just wait here, alright?” He goes to the window to look, making sure the coast is clear.

*They slump onto the bed, their body almost limp, starting to hyperventilate louder. They couldn’t breathe, they didn’t have enough money to pay him to get them to another town, those men were gonna find them again, how did The Hunter have such good aim, what-*

The Hunter comes over a few minutes later. “They’re gone. You got a horse, kid?”

*He’s asking us something…..something about a horse? They manage to shake their head, and then slowly reach their hands out towards him. They need to feel another human, make sure that they’re still there, that they haven’t turned into something that just floats outside of their body.*

The Soldier frowns and wraps an arm around them. “That’s fine. You can just ride with me.” He starts to guide them down to the stables.

*They lean into him and follow him downstairs towards the stables, and open their mouth ro talk, frowning when they couldn’t. Immediately, they start to scratch their arms, deep scabs on them. Why had their voice completely gone out, what the hell was happening?? They just want to be able to communicate with him, looking at the horse and then up at him.*

The pure white horse looks them over, then huffs at the Hunter. “Christ, Alps, you’ll be fine. They weigh like eighty pounds max.” He gets on Alpine and pulls them up after him, making sure they’re settled behind him before he snaps the reigns.

*They let out a small gasp, the first noise they had really been able to make in a while as he pulls them up after him, and they cling to him, hiding their face against his back. They weren’t sure which town he was taking them to, and they were honestly a little worried still that he would leave them and the men would find them.*

The Hunter starts to ride, checking on them every so often. He sighs, then turns back around, on high alert for any trouble.

*Him checking on them made them feel a little better, maybe he cared a a little. * “Do you see anything, are those men following us?”

The Hunter shakes his head. “No, no one’s following us. We’ll be fine.”

“*They continued to look behind them, still feeling the stress of the men.* “What town are you taking me me to, ans are you just going to leave me?”

The Hunter groans. “Valentine.” He says sharply, then shrugs. “Yeah, unless you got some family I can bring you to.”

*They copy his groan..* “That town is scary as hell for a young, single woman. I have family but I would rather die than go live with them.”

The Hunter scowls. “Yeah, well I don’t exactly have the time to bring you somewhere else.”

“Fine by me.” *They reply and lean towards against him.* “Riding a horse is harder than it looks. And can I ask questions or are you gonna get upset?”

The Hunter sighs, then shrugs. “We’ve got nothing better to do.”

*They think for a second and then the questions just start spilling out.* “When did you start becoming The Hunter? Do you wish you could be called something else? Can you teach me tow to defend myself? Have you ever traveled in a group? Do—“

The Hunter rolls his eyes. “A few years back. I don’t care what I’m called. I don’t have the time. I work alone.”

*They look at his back incredulously.* “But you said that you were gonna take me to Valentine. You can’t take me there and not teach me how to defend myself. And I can help you. I’m good with maps, I’m a quick learner, I know plants really well, so I can take people out without them knowing it was me.”

The Hunter groans. “You point the gun and you shoot. It’s not that fucking hard.” He snaps. “I don’t have time to teach some street urchin how to defend themselves.”

*They glare at his back, wanting to just slide off the horse now.* “Well then why the fuck did you take me with you to the most dangerous part of the area? It’s not like I actually paid you, you helped without getting paid. So why the hell did you help me?” *They didn’t react to the street urchin part, because technically that was true.*

“I don’t fucking know, alright? You remind me of someone.” He growls, then immediately regrets his words. He huffs and snaps the reigns, signaling Alpine to gallop faster.

*They almost scream when he makes Alpine go faster, gripping onto him harder. If that was their punishment for asking him questions, then so be it. They weren’t gonna let him intimidate them to stop asking questions.* “Fucking warn the person behind you, Jesus!”

The Hunter scoffs. “What? You never ridden a horse before or what?”

“Not behind someone, no! I’m the one in control the whole time!” *They suddenly stiffen, feeling a little worried.* “We’ve been riding for a long time, is your horse okay with the extra weight? Is she gonna be okay until we get to Valentine? We should probably stop-“

The Hunter scoffs. “I know my horse’s limits, kid. Why don’t you worry about yourself instead?”

“I am worried about myself, I’m really fucking thirsty and I feel like I’m overheating.” *They grump, their throat feeling as dry as chalk.*

The Hunter groans and shoves a canteen back to them. “There. That’s cold.”

*They take it from him, taking a long sip of water and are just handing it back to him when their hand slips and they drop the canteen. Their split second decision decides that it would hurt less to jump down after it than risk him hitting them, so they do. They land hard, instantly knowing their wrist is fucked up, but push themselves to their feet to run/hobble back to the canteen.*

The Hunter turns around, rearing Alpine to stop. “What the fuck are you doing?” He gets off the horse and walks over.

*Shit. Fuck. Their brain goes into fight or flight, and they fucking bolted. Never mind the stories about how he would catch grown men easily, it could run for what seemed like forever. They just didn’t want to be hit again, not like he had hit them.*

The Hunter watches them go, grabbing his canteen from the ground. “What the fuck…” he mumbles, just… watching them run.

*They don’t make it far at all, and collapse. If he hadn’t caught them yet, maybe he wasn’t gonna chase them down and hurt them? They slowly turn around and lock eyes with him, violently flinching and both obviously wanting to be held and not wanting to be hurt.* “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to drop it, and……I mean….you saved me from those men earlier but I had no idea if you were gonna hurt me because I fucked up like that.” *As they were talking, their breathing got faster and faster until they were convinced they were gonna die.*

The Hunter waves a hand dismissively. “Can we get going now? Or are you gonna piss and moan all night?” He doesn’t have time for this.

Alpine bucks them off a moment later. The Hunter rushes to Alpine’s side, making sure she’s okay over Anna. “I’m sorry, sweetheart… you’re okay…”

*They glare up at him, standing up and brushing themselves off.* “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a fucking asshole?”

The Hunter shrugs as he gives Alpine a sugar cube. “It’s not news, if I’m being honest.”

*They look at Alpine, wanting to give her a sugar cube in apology but not sure how to ask.* “Okay, well, are we gonna go? And I’m small enough to ride in front of you, it’s hard to hold onto your back.”

The Hunter tilts his head. “Are you going to throw yourself off a galloping horse again?” He pats Alpine’s head, then climbs onto the saddle. “She doesn’t like anyone but me in front.”

“Jesus Christ, she’s as stubborn as you.” *They huff and then look at him blankly.* “If I drop shit, are you gonna hit me? And how do I get up now? I just flung my whole body on the saddle by myself. But that’s obviously not gonna work now.”

The Hunter scoffs, and Alpine neighs, almost giving an eye roll. He offers a hand. “I’m not going to hit you. I’ll lift you up.”

*They reach up and take his hand tightly.* “You’re a strange man that I don’t know, of course I’m gonna be suspicious and nervous when you yourself just admitted that you’re an asshole.”

*They had been eyeing the whole situation, and something about it seemed so incredibly off. The older guy staring at him, the women embarrassing themselves to impress him….he seriously seemed like he needed some help. They sigh, taking one last sip of their mocktail for courage and head over to where Tony was. One of the girls laughs loudly and obnoxiously, putting her hand on his chest.* “Oh Tony, you’re so funny!” *They clear their throat, pushing between the two girls and him, slipping their hand into his and giving the girls a poisonous smile.* “Yeah, he is hilarious. I also know for a fact that he’s very off the market.”

The other woman raises an eyebrow. "Tony Stark,off the market? Never!" She protests. Tony immediately wraps an arm around their shoulder. "I'm afraid for one night and one night only it's true, my dears."

*They smirk, looking at the women with fake pity in their eyes and then glance up at Tony.* “You said we could go to a quieter spot, can we do that now?” *They honestly did need a quieter place, they were starting to feel kind of panicked.*

Tony nods. "Of course, gorgeous," he says, leading them away to somewhere quieter and ever so slightly slumping. "Thanks for that. Who are you?"

“Anna. And you’re Tony.” *They smile slightly, holding out their hand to shake his.* “You’re wrong about one thing, I’m definitely not gorgeous. And umm, also I’m not gonna sleep with you. No offense, I just….I’m aroace and-“

"That i am." He shakes their hand. "And you definitely are, but hey, thats no problem either. Why'd you rescue me, then?"

“Because you looked uncomfortable as hell, and there was also another guy eyeing you in a weird way too.” *They said bluntly.* “And I mean, if you really need/want to have sex, I would be willing to make out. But that’s it, I’m not willing to go further than that, plus you are gonna have to teach me how to do it.”

Tony winces a little. They shouldn't have been able to tell that he was uncomfortable. "That's just Obadiah. He's overprotective," he answers, easy and practiced. He shakes his head. "I don't want to make out with you."

“Fucking bullshit.” *They snap, looking at sternly and then looking at Obadiah in disgust.* “And good, because like I said, I don’t know how to kiss, and as nice as you seem, you’re like twice my age..”

Tony frowns. "What's your issue with him?" He asks haughtily. He nods. "Yeah, you're a bit young for me too."

“You want the real answer or the practiced answer?” *They ask him, just as haughty, and then nod.* “Good, glad we cleared that up. Now, what the hell are you doing throwing a party like this?”

"The real one," Tony answers automatically. He frowns, defensive. "It's my birthday. It was a surprise party. I can throw a party if I want to," he says.

“That’s not what I….” *They sigh, trailing off.* “I meant that you just shut down Stark Industries. You aren’t worried afraid that someone might poison your food or drink as revenge? And the real answer is that he’s a creep. He’s a creep that can’t keep his hands to himself, and I can tell what he’s thinking.” *They’re hoping the creepy part will distract him from the thinking part because they realized that was a whole can of worms they weren’t sure they wanted to open at the moment.*

"Please, that's a risk at every single party I attend. I only shut down one department," he says, shaking his head. He does miss the thinking part - or at least doesn't comment. "He's a touchy feely kinda guy," heh deadpans.

“Yeah, but this party is a little more than usual.” *They reply, looking around, and motioning towards a woman who had eaten a piece of cake, and was looking extremely pale and sick.* “And he might be touchy feely, but you know what he’s doing is wrong.”

Tony scoffs. "Who the hell are you to come in here and judge me?" He shakes his head, crosses his arms. "What he does is fine. I dont care about him touching me."

“A concerned person and worker. You obviously don’t care about all your employees like you pretend to.” *It’s their turn to scoff.* “You might not care if he touches you, but if you pretend to care at all, you’ll care about him touching your employees.”

Tony glares. "Excuse me? Of course I care about my employees." He tenses. That, of course, is a line. Tony's never cared for his own safety, but others? "What did he do? Is someone hurt?"

“That’s a fucking lie.” *They laugh humorlessly.* “Is someone hurt.” *They scoff again, turning away from him.* “Why would I tell you what he did, when you don’t actually care about your employees enough to actually know that you yourself hired me seven months ago? Ans I don’t know why I try to be friendly every time I pass you, I should just ignore you like you do to me.”

"You'll have to forgive me, anything that happened prior to three months ago isn't at the forefront of my mind right now," Tony replies haughtily. "And there's a difference between caring and being a part of their lives personally. If one of my employees is hurt, then, yes, I want to know."

*They scoff, glaring at him.* “You know what, fuck you, it’s not like you would believe me anyways. He’s a personal friend, isn’t he? So why would you believe me over him? He’ll just say I lied for attention, and you’ll believe him.” *They turn around, walking away quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears in their eyes.*

Tony looks away, unsure what he's done to make them so completely antagonistic. then again, what hasn't he done? "I'll believe you," he says, his voice dropping to softer but not inaudible. "I would believe you."

*They miraculously hear him and stop, turning around and wiping away some tears.* “Can….can we go somewhere quieter, please? And I’m sorry, I didn’t….I don’t……..I shouldn’t have said ‘fuck you’ to you, a lot of what I said was uncalled for.” *Their voice was quiet as their eyes dart everywhere but his.*

"It's fine," Tony says. "I probably deserved it." He leads them away into a quieter room where other people aren't everywhere, drunk of their asses. "Tell me what you wanted to tell me."

“You didn’t.” *They counter, looking away and closing their eyes.* “Okay, so I have this “friend” who….has been having trouble with him from the beginning of working here. He…..tells her that he’ll get her fired if she doesn’t…..do things for him. And the……things have gotten progressively worse.” *Oh gods, please let him understand so they don’t have to go into more detail, please let him believe them-*

Tony's eyes narrow, disgust curling in his stomach. "When did she start working here?" He asks quietly, eyes flicking towards the door where Obadiah would be outside.

*They sigh, closing their eyes and trying to get more courage to spell it out better.* “7 months ago. Because I’m the “friend” that I said. I just didn’t want to say it was me, so….I said it was a friend.”

"I'm sorry." It's the only thing Tony can think of to say. "He--. God. I believe you, okay? I believe you." He can't believe his Obie would do that, god. "What do you want me to do?"

*They look at him in confusion.* “What do you mean? What do I want you to do? I mean, he’s your friend, what….what would you do? And he’s…..oh gods, he’s gonna know I told you and hurt me, oh my gods, I-“ *Their eyes go wild, panic coursing through them as they get ready to run.*

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," tony replies instantly. "He assaulted you. My friend or not theres not way that I'm going to let him just get away with that."

*Their eyes search his and they slowly calm down, not quite ready to run anymore.* “I don’t know why I decided to tell you, honestly. We’ve exchanged a total of like, fifty words total in the seven months I’ve been here. That was a lot more than fifty words to explain that shit.” *They laugh humorlessly, wiping a few more tears away.*

Tony shrugs. "I don't care why you told me, but I am glad that you decided to. You shouldn't have had to put up with that shit. I'll do something about it, whatever you want, okay?"

"Then it's a good thing I'm on your side here," Tony tells them. He doesn't know what to do in this situation, but he knows he needs to get Obadiah somewhere far away from Anna. "Don't be. You have reason to be suspicious."

“Yeah, it is.” *They agree, a small smile on their face until it starts to fade.* “You’ve had a shitty last few months, and I’m over here yelling at you for not doing better. When I have no idea what that trauma would feel like.” *All of the sudden, they start to sob, overwhelming amounts of guilt hitting them.*

Tony shifts, uncomfortable with the intense display of emotion. He doesn't exactly know what to do here. "Its uh. It's fine, kid. Please stop crying-"

*They suck in a breath, immediately stopping their crying on reflex.* “Obadiah said that’s one of the things he likes most about me. That and I’m feisty but don’t follow through.”

"Obadiah..." Tony trails off, unsure what to say about that. His head is swirling a little, actually. "D'you want him fired? Cause I'll fire him."

*They stare in complete disbelief and confusion.*…….What? Fire him?? You would actually do that?? But he’s your friend, I-“ *They trail off, how would he actually be okay with that?”

"He assaulted you," Tony repeats. "Which means you decide what happens to him. Frankly, id fire him anyway."

“Would you help me press charges?” *They look at him, a sense of hope finally pressing in before they glance over his shoulder and their face goes paper white as Obadiah clears his throat.*

"..yeah. Yeah, I would." Tony nods and then stiffens, forcing a smile onto his face in an instant. "Obie. How can I help you."

*They force themselves to turn around and face Obadiah as he smirks at them.* “Tony. Sort of surprised to see you with such a young employee, but I won’t judge.”

Tony rolls his eyes. "You know very well im not interested in that right now, Obadiah." "Oh? Is that so? When did that change?" Tony glowers.

*Obadiah peeks around Tony to them.* “Oh miss, I know you must be so disappointed to hear that, that he’s not interested in that.” *They start to shake, grabbing onto Tony’s hand to keep from passing out.*

Tony puts a protective hand in front of them. "Dont talk to them," he snaps at Obbadiah. He raises a brow. "Oh, Tony... what did they say to you?"

*They tucked themselves behind Tony and Obadiah scoffs lightly.* “Whatever they told you, they’re lying, asking for attention, and they wanted it.”

Edward walks into the room and laughs, he reaches out and plucks the glasses of their head, holding them out to Anna. “These glasses?” He grins at them.

“Ummm, yes. Those ones.” *They put the couch and cushions back on the couch, their back still facing away from him.* “Go ahead and make your comments, it’s inevitable anyways.”

“Ya silly.” Edward mumbles and bumps his wing against their should. “C’mon, let’s go yeah?” He grins and shoves his curls back.

“Yeah.” *They smile at him, nudging him back.* “This is gonna be so fun. I’m so excited. I have a watering system set up, so my plants won’t die, and system for Phoenix too.”

“Perfect.” Edward smiles and tucks his curls back. “April and the kids are good, Tony and Steve are gonna take the kids half the days when Aprils not around, then Sienna and Bucky have em’ the other days.”

“Good. I have our boarding passes on my phone, I’ll send you yours when we get into the taxi. You remembered your passport, right?” *They tuck a few things into their backpack and nod at him.* “I’m ready. Are we gonna keep a tally of what people think we are, like siblings versus a couple? And whoever chooses the one with the most tallies gets to choose where we go for dinner the last night and the other person pays?”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t got a passport but happily we don’t need em’ to go to Hawaii. I googled it to make sure cause I realized I don’t got a passport.” Edward grins and gestures for them to follow him to the taxi. “we should definitely play that game, m’betting people are gonna think we’re a couple.”

“If it gets us free drinks and shit, I’m totally playing into it. And hey, we both have wedding rings, so it’s even more believable.” *They laugh, following him and grumbling when their luggage gets stuck on a crack in the sidewalk.* “You stupid piece of-“ *They yank with their whole body weight, closing their eyes as they fall backwards but already certain that he was gonna catch them.*

Edward giggles and catches them, setting Anna on their feet and taking the suitcase from them. “Mm, it’s not really vacation if ya ain’t trippin’.” He grins at them as they walk.

“Jerk.” *They laugh, shaking their head.* “You didn’t have to take my suitcase, but thank you.” *They continue to walk, and look at him curiously.* “Do you make Valerie walk on the inside of the sidewalk too like you make me?”

Edward rolls the suitecase along, he glances to Anna. “Um yeah, but we don’t hang out very often… I dunno, I think we’re gettin’ closer. She came… by.”

“‘She came by’? What does that mean?” *They cross their arms across their chest, looking over at him in confusion.*

“Uh… she was a little sorta kinda high, and I sorta got high too…” Edward shakes his head. “We don’t gotta talk bout’ this, we’re on vacation.” He smiles.

“When was this? Why didn’t you come to me?” *They whisper, looking over at him, not disappointed, just hurt that he hadn’t told them or come to them.*

“Cause I wasn’t thinkin’… then Ari randomly showed up so she was there and I just…” Edward shrugs his wings before slowly wrapping it around them. “I didn’t really open that door with ya again.”

“Okay.” *They nod, keeping their voice and face neutral.* “Oh, Ari was there? I haven’t seen her in forever. Do you guys hang out together often?”

“Oof!” *They fall onto their ass, looking up at him and their shoulders immediately tense as they search his eyes.* “Dad? Dad, what’s going on?”

Bucky just shakes his head, not acknowledging that he knocked them over. “I’m fine. I’m just— I’m fine.”

“No you aren’t.” *They wince slightly as they stand up, their wrist hurting from catching themselves.* “Are……wait a minute, Winter? Are you Winter right now?”

Bucky growls and steps back. “No! No I’m Bucky!”

*They step back as well, the growl reawakening a sense of panic from their old dad. And Bucky knew that, even Winter did, so what….* “I….you’re not sure. And honestly, neither am I.”

Bucky shakes his head. “I’m fine! Im Bucky!” But they can feel both of them. When they’re like this they usually say we…

“You’re not though, I can feel both of you!” *Their voice rises in frustration for a second before they inhale sharply and look away.* “You’re dad and Winter right now, but I don’t understand how you’re both at the same time. I’ve felt this before, but not like this.”

Bucky shakes his head, frustrated as well. “Winter’s not real!”

*They stare at him in utter confusion.* “What the hell do you mean, ‘Winter isn’t real’? He is real, he’s part of you, how could he not be real?!”

Buck shakes his head quickly. “No… no they said he’s just a trauma response—“

“Do you agree with that?” *They search his eyes and face, trying to gauge what he was thinking and feeling about being told that.*

Bucky just whines in response. His mind is a mess. Winter’s confused and scared, Bucky seems a bit more accepting of this for some reason.

*They could feel how Bucky was okay with this and Winter was a lot more stressed, so they think for a second and then ask.* “Winter, can I take some of the confusion and stress from you, so you can think about this a little more clearly with Dad?”

Winter recoils slightly, whining as he takes control. “No! No I’m real! I want to be real!”

*They nod quickly, trying to give him space but not backing themselves into the wall.* “I know you do. I know. What has the therapist said about this, about you maybe being something that happened/were created from trauma for dad?”

Winter whines. “They said split personalities don’t develop like that… that I’m just Bucky.”

“What do you think? What does Bucky think?” *They think for a second, and then look at him.* “Bucky is more okay with this than you are, isn’t he.”

Winter whines quietly. “I don’t know… they might be right… bucky’s still figuring things out.”

“Okay. Okay. Well, what can I do to help?” *They look at him, feeling their body start to shake a little.* “Can you hold me, please?”

Winter nods and scoops them up. “I don’t know. Just you being here helps…”

*They immediately put their head on his shoulder, and started to hum a familiar fourties’ song that calmed both of them down.* “Dad? I mean Winter? Can I ask you something?”

Winter relaxes slightly, then nods. “What is it?”

“Since you have Bucky’s memories amd things, do you remember my triggers and stuff?” *They pull back slowly, looking at him so be knew how serious they were.*

Winter frowns. “I don’t have his memories… I have a vague impression of them.”

“Who do you remember?” *They look at him, their body body going a little tense as he held them.*

Winter turns away. “I don’t… remember names. Just… just that some people hurt you.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that. But you can only hurt people that I say, you can’t just go around hurting anyone.” *They had a plan, they just needed him him to him to put them down and distract him.*

Winter blinks, then nods quickly. Right… he’s just… he’s only good for hurting people. His eyes go a little hazy.

*They quickly sense the hurt and confusion, and cup his face gently, a little surprised he hasn’t put them down.* “Hey. That’s not what I meant. I just mean that we have to have some ground rules is all.”

Winter leans into their hand, frowning slightly. “I just… I don’t understand where you’re going with this…”

“I mean you can’t go around hurting everyone that’s hurt me. There are some people that are my friends or acquaintances that have hurt me, verbally. And I want to be able to process with you threatening to go after them and kill them. I just need you to listen.” *Can I talk to Bucky for a minute, please?”

Winter frowns, then shakes his head quickly. “No! I don’t want him around right now!”

“Why not?” *Had Bucky and Winter had a fight, and that’s why Winter seemed so pissed when Bucky was mentioned at all?* “Please? I have an important question i meed to ask just him.”

“He wants to believe I’m not real!” He snaps, pulling back. “I’m real! I’m— I have to be—“

*He can’t pull back very far, since he was still holding onto them.* “I think you’re real, I just need to talk to him. I need to know why you shoved him way deep down.”

“No!” He lets go of them and backs off, eyes narrowed.

“Winter, please. You don’t have the memories I’m looking for.” *That was 95% true. Also, they just wanted to talk to Bucky. As much as they like Winter, he wasn’t quite their dad like Bucky was.*

“I don’t care!” He gets up and starts to pace. “You can get them later!”

“Are you going to let him out later?” *They ask, not sure who to go to if Winter wouldn’t listen to them. Tony? Steve? Maybe Steve was the best person……*

“I don’t know”! Winter growls and storms off, slamming his door.

*They go to the hiding spot in the house that they hadn’t told him about, hadn’t told Bucky about. They just lay there, feeling too much, too overwhelmed by everything, so they shut their feelings off, just trying to breathe for a second. If Winter didn’t remember slamming doors was something that terrified them, what would he forget next time? Would it be even worse next time?*

Alpine finds them about an hour later, her ears pinned back. “… Anna…? Do you know what’s wrong with Dad…?”

“He’s Winter right now. He buried Bucky because he thinks that Bucky agrees that Winter isn’t real, that he’s just a trauma response.” *They look at her, their eyes duller than they normally are.*

Alpine climbs into their lap. “… that’s not true… they’re different people.”

“Alpine, I’ve never seen him like this, I have no idea what the fuck we’re gonna do if…..if he can’t…..if he buried Bucky so deep that he can’t come out.” *They hold her tighter, trying to breathe, even with their head feeling a little lighter, a little more fuzzy.*

Alpine whines softly. “I think he’s just scared… he wants to be real but Bucky is believing the therapist…”

“You’re supposed to be able to believe your fucking therapist, Alpine!” *Their voice cracks with tears that they won’t let out, shaking their head and slumping back.* “Does he know where my hiding spot is?”

Alpine shakes her head quickly. “No, no he doesn’t. I… I want to help him…”

“Okay. Let’s go. We just gotta be careful, okay?” *They lower themselves to the ground, reaching up for her so she could jump down to them.*

Alpine nods and carefully pokes her head out of the hiding spot. “It’s clear.” She slips out, waiting for Anna to follow.

*They scrub their tear tear stained face,ANS look towards Alpine.* “Are you sure-“ *They duck behind a table, panicking a little bit.*

Alpine nods. “I’m sure. Dad’s still in his room. His scent out here is stale.”

“Where the hell would he be then?”*They tip toe around the house, trying to look around for him.*

“His room, I think.” Alpine stretches and looks around, a little nervous.

“Should we go check on him?” *They look at her, equally as nervous.*

*They’re just wanting the guys that had been pushing them to drink to stop, and they honestly didn’t know a whole lot about him. He just looked intimidating enough that the other assholes would stop.* “I need your help. Those guys over there won’t leave me alone. I can pay you, just….please help me, please.”

The Hunter hums and glances over. “How much?” He asks, glancing at the guys. He gives them a glare and rests his hand on his pistol.

“I don’t have much, I’m sorry.” *They push some coins over to him, and the drunkest of the guys starts calling out that maybe Bucky will have better luck with them not being a prude. They flinch amd then turn red, starting to get up.* “I don’t want to make things more difficult for you, I can just leave now and-“

The Hunter glances at the coins, then rolls his eyes and pushes them back. “Keep it, kid.” He stands up, grabbing their arm. “It’s fine. I don’t got nothin’ better to do tonight.”

*They hurriedly try to gather their coins, and bite back a yelp when he grabs onto their arm.* “Where are we going, how are we-“ *They cut themselves off with a scared squeak as the group of guys stand up as well and start to walk towards them.*

The Hunter shakes his head. “Just play it cool.” He rests his free hand on his pistol as the guys approach. “Gentlemen.”

“How the hell am I supposed to play it chill when-“ *They freeze as the leader of the group saunters over, instinctively grabbing onto Bucky’s other arm.* “Hey Hunter, sorry that she came over and started to bother you. We were buying her drinks and we’ll take her off your hands now.” *They look at the ground, frustrated.* “It’s they/them pronouns, asshole.” *The guy reaches out and grabs their other arm, and shakes them slightly.* “What was that, you little bitch?”

The Hunter scoffs. “I don’t think so. Lay off.” He blinks, tilting his head slightly. “The fuck is a pronoun?”He then shoved the guy away, eyes narrowed. “I could make you disappear. No one would know or care what happened to you.”

*The man scowls at Bucky and then smirks with a disgusting glint in his eyes.* “You just want to get into their pants and have them for yourself. We could always share with you.” *They press themselves closer to Bucky, and he can feel them shudder against him. The man reaches out and grabs them again, yanking them towards him and they finally make a noise above a whisper and yelp.* “NO! No, get off of me, get off-“

The Hunter growls and punches the man hard in the face. “I told you to back off.” He snaps, drawing his pistol with his other hand.

*The man gasps and then copies The Hunter’s growl.* “You fucking broke my nose, you son of a bitch. You…” *He trails off, seeing Bucky draw his pistol, and grabs onto Anna, using them as a human shield.* “You wouldn’t shoot me now, not with the risk of them getting shot.” *The other three men snicker, already getting ready to pack up. They bite back a sob, looking at The Hunter with tears in their eyes.*

The Hunter rolls his eyes. “Christ… you all clearly don’t know me.” He shoots the man in the shoulder. It’s not even that hard, given how small Anna is compared to him.

*They go completely silent and still, as the man screams and all four of the men start to curse him out and threaten that they would find them and be back as they slink off to their horses. But Anna couldn’t hear a thing, they were just as still as a statue, not making eye contact with The Hunter. They were just watching their body from outside of it.*