#avenger imagines

Bucky wouldn’t allow any of the Wakandans inside his cell, including Shuri. Luckily, Shuri had the technology to be able to still run the needed tests. It took her a few hours to finish running what she needed to before gathering the team into one of the conference rooms. Shuri didn’t put any of the information she gathered on the screens yet. Not wanting any of the team members to read ahead.

“What have you found, Shuri?” Steve asked, unable to wait any longer. He was worried for his best friend.

“As I feared, something has happened to the rewiring that we had done to Barnes and the Winter Soldier was able to return,” she admitted. Steve’s face dropped while the other team members tried to keep their composure. “My team and I are coming up with a plan. We think that we can do the same protocol—“

“The protocol that didn’t work?” Tony questioned with a scoff.

“There are tweaks that can be made. I was hoping to have your help, Stark, as well as Dr. Banner’s.”

“How will you do the protocol when Barnes won’t allow anyone in the cell with him?” Asked Sam.

“With the previous protocol, we put him in cryo until I could—“

“No. No,” Steve interrupted. “Bucky cannot go under again.”

“Let Shuri finish, Steve,” Nat said.

“As I was saying,” Shuri continued, “we put Barnes in cryo and then woke him up to do the protocol. With his resistance to even having people in the same room as him, I believe we need to have him under the whole time and wake him only to test it.”

“He won’t agree to this,” said Sam. “Not at all.”

“He’ll do it for Y/N,” Steve defended. “He’ll do anything for Y/N.”

“He believes that shutting himself away is for Y/N’s sake,” Wanda said. “I don’t know if he will believe that this will actually work after this.”

“Y/N can convince him.”

“Y/N’s not allowed to go anywhere near Barnes,” Tony said. “As per his orders and mine. It’s for the best.”

“She may be the only one able to help Bucky.”

“She’s also seriously injured in the med bay thanks to your friend.”

“He wasn’t—“

“It’s Barnes’ prints and sperm that were found all over her! It was him! I don’t care that you believe him to have two separate personalities, it was still him! He is not going near her and vice versa. End of discussion.”

~~~

You knew that the Team had been pulled into a meeting. This was your chance to sneak away and see Bucky. You knew that Tony would be incredibly pissed at you, but you needed to see Bucky. It was harder to get down to the detention cells than you had originally thought, all due to your injuries. 

Walking as quickly as you could, which wasn’t very fast at all, you searched for the cell that Bucky was in. It broke your heart when you found him in the farthest cell away from the elevator and stairwell. Holding your breathe, you took the final step needed to stand in front of the one-way glass. 

Bucky looked awful. He was in the corner on the floor. His hair was hanging over his face, but failing to hide the dark circles under his sad eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t changed and your blood was still splattered over him. The only thing missing was his metal arm. You ran your eyes over the room to see that his arm had been tossed across the room. It broke your heart to see him like this, yet… there was a tiny voice inside your head telling you to run away. You hate that the Winter Soldier had made you scared of the man you loved. You knew that they were different, but ran now your head was beginning to trick you into thinking otherwise.

With a shaky hand, you went to press the button that would allow you to speak to him. Before you could press the button, you were stopped.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony’s harsh voice made your head snap in his direction. He was bounding down the hall, with Steve, Natasha, and Sam behind him.

“I need to speak with him,” you responded, getting emotional. You backed up against the console, unknowingly pressing the button that would allow Bucky to hear what was going on. “He has to know that it’s not his fault. I have to tell him that it’s not his fault… I have to…” Tears were streaming down your face and you had begun trembling. “I have to make this right… I have to help him… I—“

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Natasha cooed, stepping past Tony to get to you. 

“No! It’s not okay!” You tried to lean away from Natasha’s caring hands. “It’s never going to be okay! I—I have to tell him that it’s not his fault! I have to convince him of that to help me believe it!”

Stunned silence echoed through the hall. The realization of what you had said—what you had admitted—hit you like a freight train.

“Oh my…” You suddenly broke down in tears and collapsed on the floor. “I didn’t mean that!” You cried. “I didn’t mean that!” Natasha followed you and pulled you into her. “I love him! I do!”

“We know, sweetie,” Natasha said as she tried her best to calm you.

“I know it was the Soldier,” you sobbed. “I know it wasn’t Bucky… He would never hurt me like this. But… But…”

Natasha glanced up at the men who were staring at the scene with sad, desperate looks. She turned her focus back to you. “Let’s go back to bed, Y/N. You need more rest.”

You didn’t have the energy to argue with Natasha. You let her help you to your feet and guide you out of there. Tony, Steve, and Sam were frozen in their spots for a moment trying to process what you had said. 

“Shit,” Sam muttered. He quickly went over and pressed the button that turned off the sound for Bucky.

Steve’s eyes widened and he rushed over to the window to check on his friend. Bucky was standing in the center of the room, head down. The men could see the tears trailing down his face and falling onto the floor.

“How do we fix this?” Steve whispered, eyes never leaving his friend.

“I don’t know if there’s a way, Cap,” Sam admitted. 

~~~

Staring at the ceiling became your new thing to do. Members of the Team kept coming up to talk to you, but everything they were saying was fuzzy. You kept replaying the last few days in your head. Every action. Every word. The shift between Bucky and The Winter Soldier. The fact that you had admitted that you were scared. 

“She needs help,” Sam whispered, watching you from outside your room. “Professional help.”

“They both do,” Natasha replied. “Hell, all of us do.”

“Shuri’s planning on forcing Bucky into cryo. I absolutely hate it, but there’s no other way.”

“We have to trust that she knows what she’s doing. She’s the only one who has a chance of ridding him of the Winter Soldier programing permanently.”

“Maybe we take them both to Wakanda. They have technology there that could help both of them in a way none of us are able. Shuri’s probably alright thinking about taking Bucky there anyway.”

“It’s not a terrible idea, though I don’t know how Tony would feel about taking Y/N away from here. You know she’s basically his sister.”

“He needs help, too. He hasn’t fully healed from the fact that The Winter Soldier killed his parents and then this happens… Tony may never let Bucky in the compound again, let alone near Y/N.”

“This is an impossible situation.”

~~~

The team had been called by Shuri into a meeting. Everyone was sitting around the room, the tension thick.

“I’ve placed Sargent Barnes in cryo,” Shuri informed. “I will be moving him to Wakanda for further treatment.”

Steve stood next to Shuri. “I’m going with them and will be supervising everything,” he explained. “I will still be on duty and will do what is necessary from Wakanda, but I need to be there for Bucky.”

“Natasha and I were talking,” Sam spoke up, “and we think that maybe Y/N should go to Wakanda as well.”

“Absolutely not!” Tony immediately argued. “She will never go near Barnes again. Understood? You heard her, she openly admitted to being scared of him.”

“They wouldn’t need to talk. Wakanda just has better resources—“

“That we can bring here if needs be! I’ve already contacted the best therapists that money can buy and are moving them to the compound for the time being. She needs to be home to heal and away from that monster.”

“It’s not a monster, Tony!” Steve shouted. “He’s my friend! He is all of ours friend!”

“Not anymore he’s not. Who ever wants to go with them can go, but Y/N will remain at the compound. End of discussion.”

~~~

Steve sighed as sat on your bed. You were still awake, but staring at the ceiling like you had been since you came back into this room. It was dark outside and the only light coming into the room was from the hallway.

“Bucky and I are leaving in the morning,” Steve whispered, unsure if you could even comprehend his words. “Sam’s going to join us in a few days. He wants to make sure you’re alright. Wanda and Vision said they’ll come, too. We might be able to use their powers to help Bucky finally be free of the programing, so that’s hopeful.” He stared at you for a silent moment. “I’m so sorry about everything, Y/N/N…” Tears collected in his eyes. “I wish that I could fix this more… I know that the two of you love each other. And I have to hope everything will work out. It will.” He stood up and leaned over you. He pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. “I’ll keep you in the loop, no matter what Tony does, I promise.”

Steve turned away and almost missed your quiet, “don’t.”

He spun back around and hurried back to your side. “What?”

“Don’t keep me updated… please,” you rasped, growing emotional. Steve thought his heart couldn’t break any further. “I… I need time… and I… I don’t want the pressure… I’m sorry, Steve.”

“No, no, no, no,” he shook his head. “Please don’t apologize to me. If that’s what you want, then I will respect that.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tears slipped down your cheeks.

“Don’t be. I will be calling to check on you though, okay? Can’t let you think I forgot about you.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll get through this, Y/N, no matter what. And don’t let Tony force you into doing anything you don’t agree with. Alright?”

“Okay.”

“Please let the know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Steve gave your forehead a kiss before he got up and left. You went back to staring at the ceiling, letting yourself drown in the weight of it all.

"Well, 'broke' is a…strong word…" Bucky cleared his throat awkwardly.

Chloe's eyes narrowed on her boyfriend. "You broke my coffee maker."

"I did not 'break it', I…gently tapped it…"

"You gently tapped a hole into it?"

"Maybe not so gently," Bucky mumbled.

"JAMES—"

Bucky sprang into action and dashed around the isle. "Okay, okay, okay!" He took her away from the messy sight. "Why don't we go out and buy a new one, hm? Any one you want, I swear."

"That was my favorite…" Chloe pouted.

"I know, I know," he nodded, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Do you want to go to the store right now? We can make a day out of it, I'll make this morning up to you, I swear."

"Yeah, alright," Chloe shrugged. At this point, nothing else could go wrong.

Bucky sent her back to the room to get changed so they could leave. He promised her that by the time she returned, the mess would be gone.

There is literally nothing else that could go wrong now, Barnes, he thought to himself. He seemed to be screwing things up spectacularly today and it wasn't even 10am yet.

He started hearing the chattering of the others as they neared the kitchen. He groaned internally. He was not ready to deal with the cavalry yet. If they found out he managed to break Chloe's coffee maker, they would never let him live it down.

No way I'm adding that to my day, he thought.

Walker was the first one in and stopped in his tracks at the sight of the coffee maker. "Woah, what the hell happened?"

Yelena came in next and said the same thing. "Somebody's in trouble…" she smirked, already assuming it was Bucky.

Ava, Alexei and Bob trailed in behind and each one made comical 'yikes' expressions. Everyone knew that Chloe without coffee was already bad, but a Chloe without her coffee maker might as well be an Avengers-level threat.

"So…who broke it?" Bucky's words stopped everyone's murmurs and earned him identical stunned faces.

"What?" Yelena said, losing her confidence in the moment. "It wasn't…it wasn't you?"

"Do I look dumb enough to break my girlfriend's coffee maker?" Bucky retorted, flat-faced.

It made Yelena second-guess herself, and the others as well.

"So, who the hell broke it?"

There was a heavy tension in the air, no one during to admit to the fault.

"I did," said Bob suddenly, "I broke—"

"No, no you didn't," Bucky cut him off. He was holding himself so straight that nobody could even think he was playing them all. "Walker?"

"What?" frowned the man. "Don't look at me. Look at Yelena."

"What?" Yelena said in return. "I didn't break it!"

"Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?"

Yelena blinked incredulously at Walker. "Uuh, because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken. Suspicious!"

"If it matters - probably not - but Ava was the last one to use it," Alexei mumbled to Bucky not so much in a 'mumble'.

Ava reacted fast at the accusation. "Liar! I don't even drink that crap!"

"Oh, really? Then what were you doing by the coffee maker earlier?"

"Ok, ok! Let's not fight!" Bob tried speaking over everyone's shouts. "I broke it, let me pay for it, Bucky!"

"No, Bob, we can't do that," Bucky said, half smiling. It was getting harder not to start laughing. "So who broke it? Chloe's going to be here any minute now and she's going to want some answers."

"Bucky, Ava's been awfully quiet…" Alexei said yet again and made Ava snap.

"Oh, really!?" She turned and started to argue with him, which then prompted the rest to start bickering with each other.

And that's how found them when she walked into the kitchen. Bucky was watching the chaos with a massive smirk on his face, clearly very proud of himself.

"Woah, woah, woah, what the hell is going on!?" she shouted over all of them.

"We're trying to figure out who the hell broke your damn coffee maker," Walker said, then immediately reiterated his innocence in the matter.

"Who broke my coffee maker?" Chloe said, confused, then glanced at Bucky. "We don't know who broke it?"

"Nope," he replied, then looked away to cover up his laugh.

I'm gonna kill this guy, she thought and swallowed her own laughter.

"I said it was me," Bob cut in unknowingly, "I broke it, so just let me try and get a new one. There's no need to fight."

"No, Bob, it wasn't you," Chloe said softly, "But maybe you and I can go shopping for another one. You're the only with sensible taste in this whole building."

And suddenly Bucky was done having his own fun. "What?" he looked at Chloe. "I thought you and I—"

"We can train later, sweetheart," Chloe said, like that had been their whole plan for the day. "Bob and I have some shopping to do. I'll see you later, okay? Bob?"

Bob looked around the group and their annoyed faces. Shopping was definitely the easier way to go. "Yup!" He dashed after Chloe who had already taken the lead out.

"And clean that mess up!" she shouted at the rest.

Unbelievable, Bucky shook his head.

He looked at the remaining members after a moment. "You heard her. Clean this mess up." He then too left the kitchen, ignoring the bickering that continued without him.

~0~

It was later at night when Bucky saw Chloe again and it was only because neither she nor Bob could figure out how to set up the new coffee maker. It was like watching children playing with tools.

"You found a new one," he mused at the larger coffee maker now taking space up on the counter.

"Well I had to considering somebody broke my last one," Chloe remarked.

"I still say it's me," Bob said, very much sounding honest.

"No, Bob, it wasn't you," Chloe said, crossing her arms. "It was my dumbass boyfriend."

"What?" Bob's eyes widened and immediately flickered to Bucky. "You broke it?"

A smirk spread across Bucky's face. "You gonna tell, Bob?"

"Uh, no," Bob shook his head instantly. "N-no, I would — I would never! But then…why did you make it seem like someone else did it? Ava almost beat up Alexei."

"I was bored," answered Bucky, "and annoyed."

"Evil," Chloe rolled her eyes playfully. "We could have had a dead team on our hands all because you wanted to have some fun."

"And I had a lot of fun," Bucky was happy to report. "Bob, why don't you head out and I'll take over here?"

Bob agreed only because he didn't want to get blamed for something too. When he was gone, Chloe took the opportunity to 'reprimand' Bucky for being so childish.

"You gotta admit it was funny, though," Bucky said after the whole lecture. And as much as Chloe wanted to remain serious, the image of the whole team arguing with each other was too funny to pass on.

"You can't do that again…" she warned him through giggles.

"Not with the coffee maker, of course," Bucky said, "It's brand new now." Chloe whacked his arm. "We could do it with something else! It's funny, Chlo."

Chloe leaned up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "You're supposed to be mature here. You are the oldest."

"And therefore with the authority to continue," Bucky shrugged.

"Get to work, Bucky!" Chloe tossed him the coffee maker's manual. "I want coffee tomorrow morning!"

~ 0 ~

Author's Note:

I saw this idea on tiktok and died laughing just thinking about it so here we are :)

Bucky had a hard time even lying to himself. That had become clear as soon as you whirl-whinded into his life. That day was still as crystal clear in his head six months later. It had been an early morning at the SHIELD HQ - the F-train had been delayed an hour and he’d come sprinting into a national security meeting, Starbucks in one hand (he was already late, he figured five minutes more for a frappuccino wouldn’t hurt) and a jumbled apology ready to offer. Then, not two seconds later, you’d come sprinting through the door, smacking into the back of him and launching the iced coffee from his hand, into the air, and straight into the lap of the British prime minister. 

Bucky was late, but you’d been even later. He liked that about you.

You were a whirl-wind in his life; his best friend from that day forward and the reason he could let go of the breath he’d been holding for so many years. Meetings were never boring with you, nor was the paperwork after long missions or the early starts. Every time he was late, he knew you’d take even longer because maybe his commute from Brooklyn was long but you lived three blocks away from work and managed to sleep through every goddamn alarm you’d set. 

It was clear about exactly three seconds after you met that you and Bucky were not destined to just be friends. You knew it and he knew it but neither of you wanted to talk about it. Avoiding the truth wasn’t necessarily lying - Bucky was thankful for that, because he knew that if you asked, everything would come out. He wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t ready for love. 

So, you both left it to rest (and maybe to rot). 

“I hate meetings,” you grumbled. It was eight o’clock on a Monday morning and thanks to a national security threat, you once again found yourself in the SHIELD meeting room earlier than you felt to be natural. “Can’t they just put this in an email?”

“Probably,” Bucky replied. “Hi guys, there’s a terrorist threat. If you see something, say something. Lots of love, the security council.” 

You snorted. “Did you know I have all of their emails sent straight to my spam?”

“I would do the same but I can’t work out how the Facebook app works,” he muttered. “Why are there so many buttons? What are cookies?”

“Buck, why would you have the security council on Facebook?”

“Isn’t that…” he paused, scratching the back of his head. “Isn’t that where emails go?”

You dropped your head in your hands and let out a groan. “I only just got you used to Twitter. I’ll leave it a few weeks before I overwhelm you with any more social media apps.”

“What about TikTok?”

“I am never letting you download TikTok,” you said. 

“Sam said that I should make thirst traps-”

“- please no!” you cut him off. “Never take life advice from Sam.”

Sam was sat across the table from you, a scowl on his face. He was a morning person - hell, the man had already been for a run that morning - but the combination of you and Bucky at any point in the day was enough to drive him up the wall. He glanced between you both, brown eyes calculating for a second, before a grin spread across his face. 

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t,” Sam chirped. “Remember last week when I told you to do that thing, Buck?”

Bucky’s eyes widened. “Shut up, Sam.”

“What thing?” you frowned.

“It’s not mine to share,” Sam shrugged. “But based on the last five minutes’ worth of interactions alone? I think it would be best to listen to me-”

“- I swear to god if you don’t stop talking!” Bucky cut him off; then he glanced at you, blue eyes wavering for a second. “Don’t listen to him.”

Sam knew that he was doing; playing devil’s advocate because a) it meant he could piss off Bucky and b) hopefully get two of his best friends to finally get together after months of pining. It had gotten to the point where him and Steve had literal bets on it. Not necessarily on if you would get together, but more on when. 

“I’m not, but you’re acting weird,” you said. “Want to share with the class?”

“No,” Bucky firmly said.

“Buck,” you warned; it was clear by your voice that you weren’t fucking around. “I don’t know what immature high school bullshit is going on right now but I don’t appreciate it.” 

“I’ll talk to you about it later, okay?” he said. 

“You’re an ass,” you replied.

Picking up your bag and coffee, you shuffled over to the other side of the meeting table where Steve was sat. He hadn’t said a word in any of this; you quite often cursed the lack of boundaries amongst the four of you, but you couldn’t fault Steve that morning. He’d kept to himself, simply watching in awe at the chaos that had just unfolded. 

You stopped in the seat beside him, glancing over at him. “If you say a word, I’ll hit you.”

“I’m not saying anything,” he held up his hands in defense.

The meeting was quick, thankfully. Even worse, it definitely could have been put in an email. You also couldn’t help but notice the British diplomats watching your coffee carefully every time you moved - that was a joke you could have made to Bucky, had he not managed to get himself into your bad books.

You’d barely been out the board room five minutes before you were practically wrestling him by the ear into a quiet corner. The meeting had been quick, thankfully. It hadn’t felt that way for Bucky, who’d been sat opposite you the entire time, barely avoiding your dagger-y gaze. If looks could kill, his vibranium arm would have had a fair few dents in it. 

“So?” you asked. “What was that all about?”

“It’s nothing,” Bucky quickly replied. “I promise-”

“- bullshit!” you cut him off. “Why are you keeping things from me, Buck?”

“I’m not.”

“You are!” you exclaimed. “Look, I don’t even want to know what you and Sam were talking about but at least have the common decency not to keep me out of a conversation that’s about me!”

“Why aren’t you mad at Sam too?!”

“Believe me, I have it out for Sam too but it’s worse when this stuff comes from you!”

Bucky thinned his eyes at you. “Why?”

“You know why.”

He sighed, shifting from one foot to another. Eyes to the ceiling for a second, he took a deep breath. 

“Sam told me last week that I should ask you out,” he said. “Said something about how everyone around us can see what we don’t, and that we’re kidding ourselves, and…”

You sniffed, trying to stay composed. It had been a long time coming, there was no denying that. Bucky had been avoiding the conversation because he wasn’t ready but you’d been avoiding it because you were terrified of the answer. Rejection from literally anyone else in the world would have been fine, but from him? There was no metaphor for that pain, or that fear. 

“And what?” you asked. “What do you think of that?”

He shrugged. “I think it’s…”

You both waited for a second, the tension in the air almost suffocating.

“...dumb.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “Dumb?!”

“Yeah?” Bucky sounded unsure. “We’re best friends, and-”

“- that’s bullshit!” you snapped. “Buck, I know you can be confusing but…if there’s one thing I am certain of, it’s that we are not just best friends and you know it!”

“Do I?”

You took a step back, sniffing. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s dumb. Forget I said anything.”

“Wait, don’t be like that-”

“- it’s fine, James,” you sniffed. “I’ll see you around.”

“Are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

(You weren’t good.)

“Okay, I’m glad. Call me later, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course,” you forced a smile.

(You weren’t going to call him.)

–

Five days.

That’s the longest Bucky had gone without talking to you since he’d met you and also the exact amount of time you’d been ignoring him for. He’d given in calling you after three days, and considered coming around your apartment after four, but then he got a last minute call onto a mission where your name was at the top of the call sheet. Fab. 

Bucky liked to consider himself a good flier, but it certainly would have been easier to co-pilot a jet with someone who was actually willing to talk to him. It was quite amazing, actually, to see the lengths that you were willing to go to all in pursuit of icing him out. 

“This is Barnes to air traffic control on QJ564. We’ll be approaching our destination in about five minutes, currently at 10,000 feet, over.”

“This is ATC to QJ564, you’re cleared for landing in Munich, runway four. Over.”

“This is Barnes to ATC on QJ564. Runway four confirmed, thank you. Could you also tell my co-pilot that I’m sorry and that I miss them? Over.”

“Uh…this is ATC to QJ564. Barnes says he’s sorry and that he misses you. Over.”

“This is Barnes’ co-pilot on QJ564, tell him that I think he’s a cun-”

“- this is Captain Rogers monitoring the channels for suspicious activity from the headquarters. May I remind the pilots aboard QJ564 of the appropriate workplace manners over professional channels? Over.”

After Steve’s voice, the lines went silent. Bucky glanced over at you, eyebrows raised. 

“That was rude.”

You continued to ignore him, attention turned to landing the jet safety. It wasn’t hard - Tony Stark had built a jet that practically landed itself, but it was still a good enough excuse to blank out your best friend for the next five minutes. Still, none of that conversation was worth the absolute castigating you were about to receive from Captain America as soon as you were back in New York. He was no fun sometimes. 

With the jet safely on the runway, you parked up at the airport and made your way down to the tarmac where the agents were waiting. All you had to do now was await instructions from headquarters on what to do next. That gave you more empty time with Bucky, who was stood next to you. So, you moved away and leant against the wheels of the plane, pulling out your phone to play Doodle Jump.

The call came through eventually, but it was to Bucky’s radio instead of yours. 

“Right, agents,” he began, though it was more a sigh than anything. “Coulson is currently ten minutes out on another quinjet to lead the mission. Agent (Name) and I have been removed from this operation for the foreseeable future so that we can sit in the jet, man the communications systems and re-take the online seminar about appropriate workplace language.”

“What?!” you exclaimed. “Nice one, Barnes!”

Bucky forced a smile, trying not to crack up in front of the fifteen junior agents stood in front of you. “Why we have to retake it is a mystery to me.”

“Good luck out there, guys,” you huffed. With that, you spun around and stormed back on board the jet. 

Bucky was hot on your heels, closing up the door behind him as he went. He didn’t really know what to say - somehow he’d made you angrier, now - but apolgoising profusely felt like a pretty good place to start. 

“So you’re talking to me now?” he asked, following you through the fuselage. 

“No!”

“You just did!”

“Fuck off, Bucky!”

“And again!”

“Leave me alone!”

He grabbed your arm, stopping you in your tracks. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“Sorry doesn’t even begin to cut it,” you huffed.

Taking a seat, you curled your legs up in front of you. You didn’t try and swat (or hit) Bucky when he leant down in front of you, which he took as a good sign. It was time to pull out the big guns. 

“Can I talk for just…maybe five seconds, possibly ten, without you interrupting?”

You nodded.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you because you’re the last person in the world I’d ever want to upset but I was put on the spot by what Sam said, and then by what you said, and it freaked me out a little,” he began. “You and I both know that he’s right - but never tell him I said that - and honestly, the silence you’ve given me over the last five days made me realise that more than ever.”

You smiled. “What are you saying, Buck?”

“I love you,” he said. It was plain and simple, completely without hesitation and entirely with conviction. “I’ve known that for a while but I just didn’t want to admit it to myself, but like I said…five days without you made me realise I don’t even want to go five seconds without you.”

“That’s how you apologise,” you gave him a watery grin, poking him in the chest. 

“So?”

“So what?”

“Anything you want to say to that?”

“Oh, yeah!” you exclaimed. “I love you too.”

Bucky pulled you into a kiss; he held you flush against him, one hand holding the back of your neck, metal one gripping the back of your tac-vest. Despite everything, he was warm and you were certain then that you were never going to let him - if not a little ecstatic that you’d found a new way to shut him up. 

You both jumped back when you heard the doors to the jet go, only to turn around and see Phil Coulson on the phone, a glare on his face.

"That's...." Peter trails off before meeting Tony's eyes, "Not comforting."

Peter looked somewhat worried, Tony would go back to his tinkering, but he knows the boy's tendency to keep the conversation going. He waited for Peter to gather his thoughts, he watched Peter straighten his back before leaning his arms against the worktable.

"But, didn't Thor tell us about his sister Hela? Isn't she the goddess of death?"

"Yes, for them and anyone who worships them. But, the death I met, is, let's say, universal. This is the death that is waiting for you, picking you up to take you to the afterlife. Death comes to those who don't believe, half believe and anything in between."

"And you've met him?"

"More than I would like, and he could probably say the same."

"What's he like?"

"You know you're not supposed to be here."

Tony gasped awake and was met with (e/c) eyes. They were inviting but at the same time cold. Tony slowly sits up, his eyes focusing on the figure in front of him, who was crouched next to him

"Who are you?"

"I don't think you'd like the answer."

"Oh, god," Tony shudders, his mind racing and if this is what he is thinking, then it was justified reason to start panicking, "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Yes and no."

"What?" Tony was confused, tilting his head to the side with furrowed eyebrows, "You're death."

"That I am, but you're in limbo as you humans call it - You're dead but not fully if you get me," You say softly, holding a hand out to him, "And call me (y/n), I found that humans feel more at ease being around me when they don't call me death."

"(Y/n)?" Tony was very confused by this whole situation, you drop the hand knowing Tony would not take it, "Also, you look like one of us."

"Eh, I picked it out from the handful of human names and animal names I've encountered and thought it suited me. Trust me, I've been through so wild names, but I like (Y/n)," You shrugged your shoulders then continue to answer his questions, "Also, human form puts you, funny little humans, at ease. I'm not completely heartless. But, if you prefer my other form-"

"No!" Tony exclaimed, you raised an eyebrow at him, "No, this is somewhat....comforting?"

"Well, that's good."

There was silence between the two of you. Tony looks at you, and you looked back expectantly and again, a hand stretched out, waiting for more questions - after all, you are one of the only beings who had answers.

"So, what do you mean I'm not fully dead?"

You sighed, knowing Tony wouldn't take your hand as you stand up, stretching your back - as if it did anything for you. Tony stayed on the floor, his eyes staying on you.

"I mean that you're not to supposed to die yet," You explained, giving him a pointed look, "It's not your time yet, you have a few more years to go."

"A few!?"

"Poor choice of words, few can be ten, fifteen, twenty years from now."

"Right."

"So, I'm sending you back, no hard feelings alright? I'll see you in a few."

"Did you miss me?"

Once again, Tony gasped awake, this time looking around him, last time he was here he didn't take notice of his surrounding. He noticed that he could see his body, and-

"Don't pay attention to that," You say, drawing his attention to you, "You've made quite a mess in New York, haven't you?"

"You speak to me as if I'm a child."

"Well, in comparison, you are."

Tony huffs, taking his eyes away from you. He swears this is his fourth, maybe fifth time meeting you. After almost dying to his godfather and a palladium poisoning. He doesn't really want to acknowledge you yet as he can see Thor, Steve and Hulk towering over him. He sees the wreckage that Loki had brought upon New York.

"Did it work?"

"Huh? Oh, flying the missile up to the wormhole, yeah, it worked."

"So, I'm dead."

You chuckled, crossing your arms over your chest, "No."

"But-" You give him a pointed look, "Right, limbo, not my time yet, gotcha."

You nodded before placing a hand on his shoulder, "You're an interesting being I do have to say, Tony."

"I think I should be flattered?"

"I see too many people walk through limbo, ready to accept their fate in their afterlife. It's rare to see someone come here and not be accepted by the afterlife, not once but multiple times."

"Perhaps, there's a reason."

"It's not ready for you, Tony," You softly soothe him, even in your presence he seemed to relax, "Trust in me, Tony, for I am death and I know when I will be taking you. You still have to show the world that you're Tony Stark, you still have a lot of growing to do before you come to me."

"Are you sending me back?"

"I can't hold you here any longer, so yeah."

"Uh, I think I'm ready, I wasn't ready last time."

You smirked at him, placing your fingers on his forehead. Pushing it back to the land of the living.

"I'm starting to think you like me."

"I promise you I am not doing it on purpose."

You chuckled, this time upon meeting, you had your scythe. It was exactly what he imagined it to be and more. It stood up by itself, and he could see black smoke swirling up the scythe. He looks at you, and you stared at him sincerely, your arms crossed over your chest and leaning against your scythe.

"I'm starting not to believe you."

"Well, I guess I have to visit a friend every so often," Tony shrugs as you rolled your eyes, "We are friends right?"

"I guess, you've seen me more than I like."

"So, what's my cause of death this time?"

"You're horrible, you know that?" You say in amusement before standing straight and grabbing your scythe, "You really need to learn who to trust, Tony."

"Steve?"

"Used your father's shield and smashed it into your arc reactor," You say in distaste, it was the first Tony heard you talk like that, even your facial expression was showing disgust.

"Are you allowed to have an opinion?"

"Hey, I'm death, I can be as caring or terrifying as I want to be. I know everyone's life history. Trust me, having an opinion makes this transition easy."

"So, I'm done now?"

You laughed, a little more than Tony would have liked, "I think you know the answer to that."

Tony sighed, "I don't like this, coming back to life really takes it out on the human body."

"I figured as much, maybe make a better decision?"

"You're hilarious," Tony replied dryly.

You grinned, tilting your head to the side, "Tony, from the greatness of my unexisting heart - your time will come and you will know when. I will always be there to greet you like an old friend."

"I guess that's comforting."

"I guess it is comforting to know that my parents and uncle Ben got to the afterlife safely," Peter hums before looking back down at his homework, "Thanks, Tony!"

"No worries, kid."

Tony did miss you, even though each interaction was a few minutes long. There was something about you that was so welcoming to him, but then he thinks to himself - you are death, after all. You are supposed to be caring for those who deserve it.

Perhaps, it was his reason to keep going on in life, you have shown him nothing but kindness and care, deep down he knows that he's a good person to receive such treatment. He tries not to think about death, but he can't help but find comfort.

Knowing you're on the other side with a smile on your face.

He had no fear of dying anymore, the fear of the unknown after this life was non-existent. He was sucked back into reality when Peter threw a paper aeroplane at his head. He looked at the teenager and smiled, Tony relaxed his shoulders - life was looking up now.

"Hello, old friend."

Tony, for the first time, did not gasp awake. He felt peaceful and he could lie in his spot all day. He slowly opens his eyes and is met with the sight of a clear blue sky. He slowly sat up and saw he was in a field of flowers, a fresh scent of grass and off to the distance, he could see trees.

"So, this is it?"

"I don't think you'll like the answer."

Tony hummed, looking over at you. Your scythe standing next to you as you were crouched down next to him with your cloak draped over you, the hood resting nicely on your head.

"You're awfully quiet, Tony," You pointed out, poking his cheek, "You know most people beg to go back once they know they're dead."

"I've prepared myself."

"No doubt about that," You mumbled, before clearing your throat, "Welcome to the afterlife!"

"It's not much."

"I can't seem to please you can I?" You teased, before sighing as Tony seemed fixated on something else, "Tony, this is your afterlife, you're little paradise. I am not supposed to tell you things that happen here because it's yours, and in a few years your family will return to you."

"Like Pepper?" Tony questioned, hopefulness in his voice, "Happy? Rhodey?"

"And Peter and Morgan," You finished, tilting your head to the side as your gentle stare bore into Tony's eyes, "It'll be a few years for them, but, for you? It'll be like yesterday you just died."

"Will they be okay? You know, without me?"

You softly smile at him, "They will struggle with their grief, but they'll be okay."

"You know, (y/n), thank you. You've made coming to terms with this so easy."

"It's not common I find someone returning to me before their time, multiple times if I must add. But, I treasure friends and they will receive the best from what death can offer.

You stand up, giving a hand out to him.

"Hi! I'm y/n." You stuck your hand out to shake but he simply looked at your hand, back to your face, back to your hand, and then rolled his eyes away from you. You felt your heart drop a bit. You hadn't seen or met Loki before this and he was one of the most attractive people you had ever seen. Of course, he was, he was a god. But he seemed so sad. Even if he was trying to seem aloof, you could tell he was lonely.

But he rejected you. He didn't acknowledge any of the words that you said or try to interact with you.

That continued for months.

You had thought that maybe he had just been tired when you first met him but no. He just didn't like you. He had even seemed to warm up to some of the team. Natasha and he had a similar habit of judging people from the corners of rooms. Wanda and Loki would compare magic. Thor had grown close again with his brother.

You would think about it often. What had made Loki hate you so much? You tried to be kind to him. You would offer him breakfast when you were making it, you made him coffee in the mornings which he took without a glace your way, he refused to spar with you. it made you sad.

You had grown to have a crush on the god. He was quiet and brooding and you thought you could tell that he was softer than he let on. But maybe you were wrong. As you watched him laugh with his brother from across the room, your heart was in your stomach. You had cried a few times about it since you'd met him.

You had also talked to Nat about it. She knew you were in love with him before you did, and she knew Loki fairly well so she had insight on the situation. She tried to convince you that he didn't actually hate you but it was getting to be impossible to believe her. You would just have to get over it. You cried that night again. You just wanted Loki to like you. To be friends with you. You just wanted to know that he didn't hate you.

3 months into him being at the compound, it came under attack. It was a Hyrda fringe group. There had been, however, a protocol in place. Whenever the compound were to come under attack, it had been set up that Loki would be held in a cell. While he seemed to have been acclimated, he was not yet trusted and while you were all distracted, you were weaker.

So when the alarms went off, Loki was taken to a cell. You all fought hard but the attack was well planned and damage was dramatic. You had been stabbed and bruised but Bruce patched you up a bit before moving on to people with more severe injuries. Some of the other people around you gave you judgemental glares. You hadn't performed your best. You had been distracted, your concern for Loki in the cells underground making you a poorer fighter. That’s how you had gotten stabbed and it was also how you managed to trip up another member of the team. You knew that they would forgive you and understand eventually but at that moment, you hated being around them. You were disappointed in yourself. Tony had told you that the power and automation was down so he advised taking stairs and not to get locked anywhere. You agreed and wandered the halls. You found an upper floor, one you'd never stepped onto. There were clean white walls and you were headed toward a secluded corner before you could think about it.

You fell against the wall and slid so you were sitting against it, head between your knees and shoulders shaking. How could you have been so stupid? You were worried for a man that hated you. You hated yourself. Your breaths were uneven and you shook as you felt like the world was crushing your chest, preventing air from entering your lungs.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice grumbled and your head shot up. Loki was in a cell across and down the hall. You looked around and it dawned on you that this was the floor made to hold overly powerful beings. Supposedly it could hold Bruce, Thor, even Wanda. It made sense that this was where Loki would go. He looked at you curiously though he would never have shown you that he had genuine concern for you and your wellbeing.

"Why are you still in there?" You avoided his question for a moment.

"Power is out and I can’t exactly magic myself out, now can I?" He grumbled and your heart dropped. How much worse could this day get. "Now can you leave this floor before you flood it with tears?" You held your breath for a moment while you processed his words. Officially everyone in the building hated you. You couldn't breathe.

"'m sorry." You whispered and stood on shaky legs. You didn't make it more than a foot before you collapsed. There was pain in your side where your wound was and when you looked at it, you could see why. There was red bleeding through your shirt. You must have ripped some stitches while you were hyperventilating.

"Y/N?" His voice sounded more concerned than you'd ever heard it.

"Sorry, I think I ripped my stitches." You whispered, disappointed that you couldn't fulfill his request. The blood coming out of your side seemed more severe than it had been when you'd gotten the injury. You got slightly lightheaded and Loki could tell that you would likely pass out soon.

"Call someone!" He barked and you shook your head. Loki remembered that power was out. He cursed.

You knew that you wouldn't be able to make it on the stairs. Your best bet was to not upset the bleeding and wait for someone to come get Loki out of his cell. You tried to army crawl back to the corner you'd left so you could still try to respect Loki's wishes and get out of his way. To take up as little space as possible. There was a trail of blood that followed you.

"What are you doing?!" You wished he would stop yelling at you. Instead of responding, you leaned your head against the wall and squeezed your eyes shut. You could barely feel the pain in your side, the crushing pressure in your chest much worse. "Y/N?!" He was shouting again. God could he not stop yelling at you even when you might be dying?

"Please stop." You whispered it with the intent of only yourself hearing it. You didn't want him to get even more upset at you but you couldn't help the quiet sob that left your chest. You pressed your hand into your side, it would be fine. It would be uncomfortable and you might even pass out but you didn't think you would die. Probably. You were willing to risk it in order to try to not draw attention to yourself.

Loki was silent. He watched in horror as you quietly sobbed in a corner, bleeding out and trying to remain small. And he had made you cry. Well maybe not originally but he definitely was making it worse. His heart was pounding so loud in his chest that he could hear the dull roar of his blood in his ears. He knew he had been awful to you since you had tried to introduce yourself to him.

He hated you.

or maybe, he hated how he felt about you.

When he had met you on that first day his heart hardly worked anymore. You had been so beautiful and you looked so kind. Why then, could he not be kind in return? You didn't deserve to be treated poorly but every time he was around you he could hear himself being mean or not even responding at all.

He watched you interact with others. You were strong and sweet and took care of everyone on the team, including him despite how he knew he treated you. He had started to talk to Natasha as a way to learn more about you. To know what you liked and how he could make you smile without you knowing it was him. He tried to make sure that your favorite cereal was always in the cupboard. He always had flowers on the countertop of the table you ate lunch at. He always recorded that show you liked on the tv because he knew you forgot. He tried so hard to make your life better while he knew that he was making it worse whenever he was around you. He thought you must have hated him at this point. That you had to have grown to resent him but that wasn't the case. You never snapped at him. You always respected what he said and made him coffee in the morning.

And now here you were in the corner of the floor you were on, trying to give Loki space because you thought he didn't like you. You were bleeding out and you were still being kind to him. He took a breath, trying to soften his voice. He knew this was going to be hard.

"Y/N, love, will you please come over here?" He asked and it took a moment for you to process that he was talking to you. When you figured it out you looked at him. Your eyes were wide and your eyebrows furrowed with confusion. He took a breath in. "Please come here."

You had never heard him say please since you'd met him, least of all to you.

"I don't understand." It was still coming out in a whisper.

"This floor can’t dull my magic entirely, I may be able to stop the bleeding." He clarified but that didn't help too much with your inability to understand.

"Its okay, Loki. You don't have to do that. I'm sure it will be fine." You assured. You even smiled at him despite the tears in your eyes from the pain you were in. He didn't know if the tears were from physical or emotional distress. Perhaps both.

"Y/N, I'm begging you to come over here. Please, dove." His eyes were watery and greener than ever. Your skin tingled at the pet name but you still couldn't comprehend what was happening. Either way, you figured it wouldn't hurt to try to go over to where he was now kneeling against the large bars of the cell. You removed your hand for a moment and the blood resumed coming out of your side. You winced and Loki winced as well.

You managed to stumble over toward the cell and Loki extended his hand to help you to the floor. When your hand held his for stability, you realized that this was the first time Loki was touching you. Your heart hammered harder in your chest.

You managed to tumble to a sitting position on the floor pressed against the bars of the cell as Loki tried to make you comfortable from the other side. He cringed when he saw the blood on his hand from you taking his but he knew that it wasn't going away. It just scared him.

He pressed his hand into your side over your injury and you both winced.

"Im sorry, dove." He whispered and you thought you might have died, that this was some sort of weird fever dream or maybe you were in a coma, but the pain in your side was very real. Loki must have been real as well. Your side very slowly stopped bleeding and you were finding it easier to stay awake. As you started to feel it become easier to keep your eyes open and you could focus on the things around you, you took in your surroundings.

You were splayed on the ground, your upper body leaned against the bars while loki supported part of it. He had a gentle hand on your side which was becoming less and less painful. You looked closer and he actually seemed to have tears in his eyes. he was muttering under his breath.

"What are you saying?" You sounded groggy.

"Nothing." He grumbled and your heart sank. He was back to being cold with you. You started to wiggle and when you found that your side only mildly ached, you started to get up. "Where are you going?" He was quiet.

"I just thought..." You trailed off. "I know you don't like me, I just didn't want to stay in your space and make you uncomfortable." You mumbled. You both knew that he hated you, you didn't much care if he was aware.

"You don't make me uncomfortable." He stated and you sighed very quietly. He hadn't denied that he didn't like you

"Its okay, Loki. You don't have to be comfortable around everyone and I've taken the hint. It doesn’t hurt my feelings." You both knew you were lying.

"Y/N, I dont-" He paused and suddenly there was a whirring around you. The power was back on. You stumbled to the pad next to Loki's cell and unlocked it. Before he could even step out, you were already rushing to the stairwell. Loki let out a defeated sigh.

You made it back to your room and managed to avoid everyone for the most part. Those who did run into you only glared a bit and walked by. You were exhausted. You didn't want to eat or go into the common area for any reason so you just decided you would spend the rest of the day in your room. Nobody else seemed to mind.

Night came without a disturbance and you were slightly hurt. You wished that you knew that the team cared. You were starting to wonder. When it was sufficiently late, about 3AM, you headed out of your room. Bucky was normally resigned to his room by 3 and Sam didn't wake up for his run until 5 so you had a bit to try to grab some food and water and maybe some tea to calm your nerves.

You tip-toed to the kitchen and you were right, it was empty. You let out a breath and emotion waved over you. You didn't know where it was coming from, why it was coming out now, but it was an overwhelming sadness and anxiety.

You figured by now that FRIDAY had alerted them to the near death experience you'd had on the 5th floor and yet none of the team had come to check on you. Or had even said a word to you. You didn't know if they cared. You also felt awful knowing that Loki didn't like you. That it took you almost dying for him to even touch you. You were, of course, thankful that he had helped. You couldn't be upset with him. You were upset with yourself for being like this, for not being a better person and friend and fighter so that everyone would at least be okay with you being around.

You felt a tear leave your eye and you fell to your knees in the middle of the kitchen. Your hands wrapped around your stomach and your body curled into itself, trying to be as small as possible. Your tears were hitting the floor and your breath was becoming uneven.

You were so pathetic. Why did you need constant validation. Why couldn't you have just gotten over yourself. Over Loki. Be a better fighter and be a stronger person with less emotions and not make everyone so disappointed all the goddamn time. It felt like everyone was against you. They should be. They were right. You were incompetent, clingy, emotional. You couldn't fight without getting distracted. You screamed at yourself in your head.

You were so consumed by your emotions that you were startled when you felt a hand on your shoulder. You flinched and quickly turned around. Loki stood above you, crouched to reach you. He had a concerned look on his face.

"Are you in pain still?" He was checking to see if you were still inured. You took a breath quickly and wiped the tears from your face hastily. You stood up so fast that spots danced across your vision. Loki's look of concern didn't fade.

"What are you doing up?" You avoided the question.

"Y/N, are you still hurt. I could fix it."

"No I am not hurt still. Here look." You assured with a small voice and lifted your shirt. The previous stab wound was now reduced to a freshly covered scar that ran across about 5 inches on your side. You tried no to show that it was painful. It didn’t feel healed. It felt better, of course, but it ached and was tender when you touched it.

"I could fix it all the way." He offered and you quickly shook your head.

"No, thank you. It’ll be fine. You should be in bed." You offered, even though you knew it wasn't really relevant.

"I asked Friday to let me know when you came out of your room." He mumbled and you tilted your head.

"Why would you do that?" You weren't mad, just curious.

"I wanted to talk to you." You paused. Why? Was he upset at you about something? You took a shaky breath in.

"Okay, what did you need to talk to me about?" You were preparing for the worst.

"I cant-" He couldn't form the words in his head. "I don't dislike you, Y/N."

You looked at him from across the kitchen. You had a look on your face that revealed that you didn’t believe him.

"Okay." You whispered. Was that really what he had come here to do? Lie to you?

"You scare me." He admitted quietly and your eyebrows scrunched up at his revelation.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean t-"

"No, it’s not your fault." You waited for him to continue. "When I met you, you were so outgoing and happy and everything that I wasn't. And it scared me. And then I got acclimated but you still intimidated me. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met and you are mortal and I didnt know how to cope with my feelings. I still don't." He sighed, "I just want you to know that you never did anything wrong. There isn't anything wrong with you, I just can’t express my feelings, especially romantic."

"Romantic?" You were whispering. You were worried that he might take back what he was saying.

"Im afraid I'm in love with you. And I am so bad at communicating emotions that I have convinced you of the opposite. For that, I wanted to apologize." He had just admitted that he was in love with you and you had no idea how to respond. "You do not owe me a response or reciprocated feelings, I just hadn't realized until earlier how dramatic my actions were affecting you and that was never my intention."

"What if I do have reciprocated feelings?" You could feel your breath shaking from nerves. He could barely believe what he was hearing.

"Then I would feel very fortunate. But also slightly worried." He admitted. "I haven't been as kind to you as I should have been and I don't want you to think that is who you would be getting involved with or that that is what you deserve. If you felt at all the same, which I hope that you do, I would like to perhaps take things quite slow. You should not rush into something you may not understand the full scope of and I would like to prove that I can treat you as well as you should be treated."

Before Tony could answer with a snide comment about the man in question Steve spoke up. “An old friend of mine.”

“Is it that guy- uh- Barnes? Wasn’t it?” Y/n snapped her fingers trying to remember.

“Yeah. How’d you know?” Steve asked with a confused expression about how she could have known that.

Y/n pointed towards the redheaded woman. “Nat took me to the museum about you and your team back then.”

“When did she take you there?” Steve asked slightly embarrassed. Of course, Natasha would take her to that museum.

“Nat shrugged her shoulders unaffected by caps stare, taking a sip of her drink. “Last time she was here.”

Y/n waved her hand towards Steve to get his attention. “So where is this Barnes? If I remember correctly he was pretty handsome.” She asked curiously.

Steve smiled at the goddess, he couldn’t help but think maybe someone else will be on Bucky’s side. “You’ll meet him later today.”

“You know what I’m also excited for? Last time I was here I heard of a holiday called Valentine’s day. That’s today right?” Y/n smiled bouncing in her seat. Wanda and Natasha nodded to answer her question, they had been the ones that told Y/n all about the holiday they celebrate on earth. Needless to say, it intrigued the young woman.

“What’s this Valentine's day?” Loki asked from his spot leaning against the far wall of the living room.

“Oh, brother it’s this lovely holiday here where people find love and get together if you know what I’m saying.” Thor smiled widely at their brother. He had celebrated a few Valentines day’s with Jane before while on Earth. Of course, the others jumped in to tell Lokie it wasn’t just about what Thor was implying.

While everyone was talking about Valentine’s day which did in fact happen to be today Steve went to go tell Bucky that he’ll be meeting someone new later in the day.

“Hey.” Steve spoke standing with his hands in his pockets in Bucky’s doorway.

“Hey, Punk.” BUcky greeted looking up from where he sat on his bed tying his boots. “What's up?”

“Well Thor and Loki are back and they brought their sister. You haven’t met her before but you will later. Just wanted to warn you.” Steve told him. He thought Bucky should know that there was someone he hadn’t met in the compound.

Bucky nodded appreciating the heads up. “Does she have any powers like them?”

Steve nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, she controls elements. Mainly one’s that involve heat. Fire, Lave, etc.”

Bucky nodded acknowledging that he heard him and in thanks for the information. It wasn’t but an hour or two later that Bucky and Steve joined the group back in the common room.

It didn’t take but one long look for Bucky to notice the new face in the room. “Who is that?”

Steve looked in the direction Bucky was looking in. “That’s who I was telling you about. Y/n Odionson.”

“That’s Thor and Loki’s sister?” Bucky raised his brows looking at her.

“That's the one.” Steve nodded

“She is. . . “

“What Buck?” Steve asked turning his head in his friend's direction.

“She’s gorgeous.” Bucky stated gulping. He hadn’t felt this way since before everything.

“She is very beautiful.” Steve had to agree, the girl is a literal goddess. He turned his head in a quick snap towards his friend with a shocked expression. “Wait a minute. Bucky, are you-”

Bucky nodded with his mouth still agape. “Punk, I think I-”

“Hey! You must be Barnes. I’m y/n.” Y/n introduced herself holding out her hand. Even though she cut off the super soldiers' conversation she hadn’t heard any of it. Which gave Bucky some sense of relief.

“It’s uh, nice to meet you. You can call me Bucky.” Bucky reached out to shake her hand as he looked at her more closely. He didn’t think it to be possible but she was even more beautiful up close.

“Bucky. That's from your middle name, right?” she smiled repeating his name before asking about it.

“Yeah, it is.” he nodded answering her question even though he was pleasantly shocked about her having known that.

Steve looked between the two and could read that they didn’t need him. So he patted Bucky on his shoulder and gave Y/n a smile and left the two alone.

“So my sister and your friend with the metal arm?” Thor hummed as Steve came to stand next to him and Loki. Thor had watched the whole exchange between James and his sister before Steve left them.

“It seems so.” Steve answered as he as well as Thor glanced over to watch Y/n and Bucky move over to the couch to sit.

“I like him. He seems like an honorable man.” Thor smiled taking a gulp of his drink.

“He is.” Steve nodded.

Loki rolled his eyes at his brother and the star spangled man. “He’s a trained killed. Is that who you want our baby sister to be with?”

Steve let out a sigh and had an annoyed look in his eyes. Turning to face the long black haired trickster. “Loki, he’s changed. Wakanda fixed what HYDRA did to him. Besides he didn’t have a choice when he killed all those people. Unlike you.”

With that, Steve gave Thor a tight smile before heading over to chat with Nat and Clint. Leaving the brothers to chat amongst themselves.

“The stars and striped man is right brother. Besides, look how happy they both seem.” Thor stated as they both glanced over to their sister.

Loki scoffs. “Yeah, till she realizes who he was and what he’s done.”

At least that's what Loki would like to happen but even he knew that was not likely. Y/n didn’t care about things like that, she wouldn’t care about Bucky’s past. She cared about who he is on the inside.

“Brother at least he could protect her better than any other mortal.” Thor countered.

“A single redeeming factor.” Loki grumbled shaking his head. No one was ever going to be good enough for his little sister.

“Strong, kind, protective, handsome- not as handsome as me but that’s to be expected.” Thor smiled shrugging his shoulders.

“Ever the modest one.” Loki rolled his eyes as he said his ever so sarcastic comment.

“Oh always.” Thor smiled oblivious to the fact it wasn’t a compliment.

“So I take it your onboard with the metal arm as well? He’s attached to a piece of machinery. And an exassaisn.” Loki turned his head to face Thor instead of watching his sister, closely.

“An you wear horns. Besides from what my friend Rabbit says that arm is cable of extraordinary things.” Thor smiled at Loki giving him an amused look.

“Oh I’m sure.” Loki spoke completely annoyed at the conversation and situation.

Thor nudged Loki, a little to hard. “Lighten up brother. He could be good for her after everything they both have been through. Besides, it’s Valentine's day.”

Loki had to admit he hadn’t seen Y/n that happy in years. She really did look really really happy. Maybe he could be good for her.

Later that day, well it was night now. Most of the Avengers were out at dinner with their wives or dates. Some were still at the compound. Y/n and Bucky had talked practically all day. Nothing could separate the two of them. Not till they both got hungry and Bucky suggested that they should pick up some take out. Y/n nodded and went to talk to her brothers before they leave, having sensed them watching.

Which gave Steve a moment to talk to Bucky. So he moved to sit across from Buck, trying to hold back his smile. “So, you and Y/n?”

“Punk.” Bucky grumbled but couldn’t keep his face neutral all he could do was let the smile break out across his face.

“Oh, come on tell me.” Steve let out a light laugh. He hadn’t seen Bucky like this since the ’40s. It gave him some relief.

Bucky shook his head laughing happily with a huge smile on his face. Looking Steve in the eye’s he stated. “I think I’m in love.”

“That's great, Buck.” Steve smiled at his best friend. He was happy that Bucky seemed to have found someone. An on Valentine's day of all days.

“So you and Bucky-” Thor started, wiggling his eyebrows ready to tease his little sis but Y/n cut him off.

“Thor-” Y/n whined knowing he was gonna tease her.

“More like her and a trained killer.” Loki cut in. He would tease her to right along with Thor. But Loki was always more protective of Y/n than anyone else. He won’t stop till he’s long dead. For real dead.

“Guys!” Y/n spoke up louder than before stopping both of them before they could say anymore. Looking at both her brothers with love in her eyes and pleading with them. “Please give him a chance. I think I might love him.”

Thor and Loki were silent for a moment before Thor clapped his hands together happily before pulling her into his side. “We will. Won’t we Loki?”