#bbspy

“So are you going to do anything?”

Steve chews his lower lip, eyes flicking between the view of the room, and Natasha, who is clearly waiting for his response.

He paws at his jaw when she sighs, nodding towards the scene they’ve both been watching for a good ten minutes.

Bucky is perched on the edge of the couch, anxiously wringing his flesh hand in his metal one, gaze focused intently on the floor.

“Like what?” he asks at last, “He-”

“You’re his friend” she replies, “He’s clearly not doin’ well-”

“so how do I help him, Nat? I’m open to suggestions here”

There’s a strained desperation in his tone. It pairs well with the helpless look on his face.

The woman decides to pity him with a smile before she shrugs.

“I don’t know” she says honestly, “I don’t really know him- but, I can tell you a bit about normal behaviour, Cap’ and that—“

She nods over to where the man remains unnervingly still in the adjacent room,

“-That, isn’t it.”

Steve knows that, so he nods, gritting his teeth as he tries to decide what, if any, action to take.

Barnes struggling is something that everyone has expected. It’s been less than two months since they’d gotten him away from HYDRA, and he’d been there for the better part of a century, so really, him having problems adjusting to a life where he’s not being tortured 24/7 is more than understandable.

That doesn’t make witnessing with it any easier, though.

The former soldier has kept to himself, for the most part. He’s still a fraction too close to being a cornered stray for majority of the towers inhabitants to risk interacting with him too heavily, and with how strained things still are with Tony, even Steve has been staying away from him.

Although, saying that, it had been Tony who had quietly taken Steve aside at lunch, to tell him about the way that his oldest friend was acting strangely in the common room.

“I’m goin’ out for the night anyway” he’d said, disinterested, “but you might want to check in on the kid. He doesn’t look right.”

A quick “Thanks, Tony” had been all he’d offered in response.

“Maybe we should just give him some space” Natasha suggests, “He’s not actually doin’ anything-”

“Exactly, Nat” Steve says, “I don’t think he’s even blinked in the past five minutes.”

She turns back to the small, remotely activated two way mirror they’ve been watching through, leaving the man by her side to stew in his concern.

“Hey, Buck!” a cheery voice says suddenly, making both the viewers heads snap up, “You doin’ alright?”

“Is that Y/N?” Steve asks urgently, as the side door to the room swings shut.“Jesus christ-”

Natasha hushes him, watching the interaction curiously;

“Nat-“ he insists, “She’s great, y’know I think she’s great, but she’s— she’s a little, lively— she’s Tony’s sister, and we both know tact ain’t a Stark trait—“

“Shut up” she hisses, nodding back towards where the young brunette is now pacing round to where Barnes is still staring straight a head, “I’m tryin’ to listen”

He exhales, frustrated, but then, just before he can start talking again, Y/N does something that silences him instantly.

She crouches, a few feet away from Bucky’s legs, and reaches out, placing a tentative hand over both of his.

To Steve’s enormous surprise, all the man does in response, is blink at her.

“Hey” Y/N soothes, tone much softer than it had been before, “You feelin’ okay?”

There’s a beat of silence, where the former solider seems to register her presence for the first time.

He tilts his head, eyes staying trained on her face now, as his vibranium fingers curl into a fist, and his flesh ones, turn over, to hold onto the hand she’s offered him;

“My…my head hurts..” he admits, so quietly that Steve and Natasha both have to strain themselves to hear it, “I was lookin’ for you, I— I didn’t know where you’d be”

Steve’s jaw goes slack as Y/N brings her free palm up, to press it against the other mans brow.

“I was in the labs, sweetheart” she replies, “FRIDAY could’ve told ya’ that, if you’d have asked.”

She brings his knuckles up, pecking a kiss against the skin as she lowers her other hand from his head, to his lap.

“‘m sorry” he replies, “I-I didn’t- I… I guess I forgot..”

The nervous waiver in his tone is enough to make Steve swell protectively. He hasn’t seen the man this vulnerable since they were children, and he doesn’t know enough about Y/N to trust her intentions—

“It’s alright” she soothes, smiling, “just, try and remember next time, okay? if you want to find anybody, you can just ask, she’s real good at that”

He nods in response, although it looks like the action pains him.

Y/N notices that, too. She lowers their tangled fingers back to his legs, releasing him, before reaching up to stroke her thumb across his temple.

The action is so gentle, that Steve feels his eyes flicking over to Natasha, he’s only half surprised to see her still watching, totally unfazed by the affectionate display.

“Is it just your head botherin’ you?”

Bucky looks at her for a moment, before dropping his gaze.

“No” he tells her quietly, “I…I feel like shit, doll.”

She laughs at that, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss against the corner of his lips.

“Why don’t you get settled on there?” she suggests, standing, “I’ll make us some drinks, grab a blanket, you look like you could do with a few hours sleep”

Steve notes how Bucky is moving for the first time since he’s been watching. He’s tilting his head up, clearly tracking the way Y/N is moving, pacing around the furniture, towards the small kitchenette that’s nestled in the corner of the suite.

“D-don’t you have to meet your brother, or-”

“Tony’s got a date with some shareholders tonight” she replies, flicking on a machine that starts to fill the two waiting mugs with steaming liquid, “I was supposed to go, too- but he offered to take one for the team, as long as I promised to use my night off wisely.”

She’s ducked out of view, now. And Steve is blinking wildly, pulse racing as he tries to make sense of everything he’s watching unfold.

“I think curlin’ up with a handsome super-soldier definitely counts as wise.”

Bucky even manages a scoff at that. He tries to smile, too, as she reappears in front of him, holding a thick blanket she’s grabbed from a chest that’s disguised as a bench beneath the bay window.

“You don’t look very comfortable” she notes, passing him the cover, “Lie down, sweetheart”

He flushes scarlet, before reaching out for her hand, again.

The action is so hopeful, so innocent and gentle that she can’t help but sigh, ignoring the waiting drinks to refocus all of her attention on the man now clutching her fingers.

“I’ll be right back” she promises, “How longs it been since you’ve gotten any rest, huh?”

When Bucky looks back up, eyes wide behind his hair, Steve thinks he’s looks an awful lot like he did as a child, when they’d both gotten caught doing something wrong and he’d known that he was about to be scolded. It hurts his heart, especially when he thinks about how much time has past between then and now, and how much more scared he looks now, even though he’s a fully grown man.

“I’m not sure” he confesses, “I— I try, doll I- I swear-”

She nods, cutting him off.

“Have you eaten anythin’ today?” she asks next, voice soft and non-judgemental.

He shakes his head a fraction, not bothering to explain his lack of appetite. He knows she already knows.

“That’ll be why you feel so awful” she says, “You’re human, serum or not, you can’t just run off adrenaline indefinitely.”

He doesn’t argue. He stays quiet as she kisses his hand, again, before nodding towards the couch he’s sitting on.

“Lie down, sweetheart” she repeats, “I’ll get the drinks, and then I’ll be right back. I promise.”

It takes him a second, but eventually, he does what she’s asked him to.

As she lets his hand go, Steve finds himself squinting in disbelief.

Natasha looks intrigued, more than anything else, he thinks that’s fair, since spying on people is something he’s sure she’s had more practice at than him.

“Here” they hear Y/N say, “It’s hot, Buck— be careful.”

“It’s good” the other man counters, budging up so that she can slip in against his flank, “Thank you, doll— for- for all this, I— I don’t know what I’d do without ya”

“You don’t have to worry ‘bout that” she replies calmly, “I’m not goin’ anywhere”

There’s a strange weight in her words that takes both Natasha and Steve by surprise. For the first time since Y/N’s arrival in the room, the red-heads expression has shifted from interested to genuinely shocked.

Bucky, on the other hand, doesn’t seem taken aback by the love behind her tone, infact, all they see him do, is snuggle closer into her side, and then, press a kiss against her brow.

Y/N laughs at that, before reaching up with the hand not holding her mug, to guide his face down, so that she can press their lips together.

Steve is blushing then. It strikes him instantly how wrong it is to be watching the pair this way, when they clearly think they’re being given the luxury of privacy.

It feels horrible. Guilt is well and truly settled in his core, he nudges Natasha and mouths out ‘let’s go” so obviously that she roles her eyes at him.

She doesn’t fight though. With one last glance at where the couple are now cuddled up on the couch, between a thick blanket, kissing and laughing like teenagers, she follows him out into the hallway.

“Jesus christ” Steve says, the second they stop, “what was that?”

“I think” The woman chuckles, “That’s proof that even after being brainwashed for the last hundred years, your old pal, still has more game than you-”

“Very funny, Nat” Steve mutters, “I’m being serious-”

“-So am I-” she counters, “-I think it’s pretty obvious what that was”

“But they-”

“-are both consenting adults, Steve” she says, “and since Y/N will probably try and kill us if she finds out we’ve spent the past 10 minutes watching her through this mirror, I’d say we forget all about what we saw”

He gawks at her for a minute, before realising that she’s right. Y/N has a temper to rival her brothers, and, despite the fact that their intentions had been pure, the invasion of privacy isn’t something he’s likely be able to talk his way out of.

Eventually, he nods.

“Yeah…” he agrees, “Yeah, you’re right, Nat but.. this, this is Bucky, I mean- he, he nearly put himself through a wall when I pat him on the back the other day, and now he’s-”

“Curling up with Tony’s little sister like a lap dog” she says bluntly.

That sounds so ridiculous that Steve finds himself sighing. It only takes him half a heart-beat for Tony to enter his mind.

Suddenly, he’s panicked.

“Oh, oh god, Tony”

Natasha rolls her eyes.

“He tried to kill him— He’s still-”

“-in his defence, Barnes did assassinate his pare-”

“Nat” Steve bursts, not caring for the humour in her tone, “if he finds out-”

“Y/N will deal with it” the red head says calmly, “I for one, am not going to get in-between any family drama those two could cook up”

That sounds fair, it’s not settling his nerves, though.

Eventually the woman takes pity on him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder

“Look” she exhales, “I’ve known Y/N a long time, she’s good, she’s really, good— okay? and from what you say, Barnes is a pretty okay guy, too?”

He nods, barely looking at her.

“So” she says, “I say, we leave them alone. If this becomes anythin’ that Tony finds out about, then we’ll deal with it, but until that happens, there’s no sense in interfering, not when they’re clearly trying to keep things quiet.”

She meets his eyes until he folds, gulping and nodding again.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.”

With another brief exchange, they part ways. Both agreeing to meet up later that night to go through some paper work for a job they’d be working on that weekend.

It’s dark when they both perch themselves at a desk in one of the studies, and it’s even darker when they sign the final document, having gone through every sentence, making sure it lines up with the tactical plans they’d drawn up that morning.

They’re about to split, and turn in for the night, when they hear a door opening down the hall.

Their eyes meet, and Steve knows she’s come to the same, split second conclusion as he has.

“Tony’s back” he says, hoping, praying, that he’s wrong about where the sound has come from.

Instead of a verbal reply, Natasha walks quickly in the direction of the mirror they’d been spying through earlier.

“Maybe they’ve moved?” he says following her, “or maybe that’s not-”

“Shit” she hisses, nodding to where the couple are still curled up together across the couch, “He’s-“

Steve’s about to cut her off in a panic, when they see the billionaire enter the room through the same door that Y/N had used the last time they were watching.

There’s a horrible silence as both of them survey the scene, weighing up what they should do.

It feels awfully like they’re about to see something terrible unfold. Steve is about to launch himself through the hidden entrance, when Tony does something that makes him have to hold onto the wall for support.

The man looks at where his sister, and Barnes are sleeping, before reaching down, to grab the blanket that has slipped to around their waists, and then, he pulls it up, silently tucking it in around both of their bodies.

Natasha is slack-jawed as they watch him leave, without as much as a word to anybody.

Minutes pass, and Steve is still just blinking dumbly.

“Well shit” Nat says, almost laughing, “Guess we don’t have to worry ‘bout Tony.”

The next day, Steve is partially convinced that everything he’d witnessed had been some kind of strange dream.

Infact, if it hadn’t been for Natasha sniggering at his vacant expression from behind her coffee, he’d have sworn it had been a delusion.

They’re both sat at the kitchen bar when Y/N comes in, wearing clean work-out clothes, hair tied back into a pony tail.

She beams at Nat, and then at Steve before making a bee-line for the espresso machine behind them.

“Mornin’ ” Romanoff greets, “Sleep well?”

Steve widens his eyes, as the younger woman nods, making a quiet noise in the base of her throat.

“Well enough” she replies, flicking some switches and arranging her mug, “You?”

Natasha nods pleasantly as Bucky wonders into the room.

He looks good, Steve notes. He looks much better than he has for the rest of the week.

“Coffee, Buck?” Y/N asks, already turning away from him, to grab an extra cup.

“Please, darlin’…” he says, coming to a slow stop by Steve’s side, “..Black -“

“-two sugars” she finishes with a scoff, “It’s the same every day, I think I’ve got it memorised.”

He doesn’t reply, but Steve tilts his head as he catches him grinning at the counter.

“Thank you” he mumbles, as she passes him his mug, before turning to finish making her own.

“You’re quiet today, Cap?” she notes, when she’s done, “you feelin’ alright?”

Steve feels his cheeks burning red as all eyes land on him.

Even Bucky is watching him curiously.

“Fine” he says, aiming for calm, “Just, thinkin’-”

“Don’t do that” Y/N mock scolds, “you might hurt yourself.”

The laughter he hears at his side makes his jaw drop open.

Bucky’s genuine chuckling is something that is so familiar that it takes him a minute to remember why it’s surprising to him at all.

Y/N just smiles, turning away again as Tony walks in.

He’s apparently ignorant to the way the atmosphere changes when he appears, he paws at his goatie before pressing a kiss against his sister’s head, and nudging her out of the way of the coffee.

“How was dinner?” she asks absentmindedly, “Get the answer you wanted?”

“The answer we wanted”

“The answer we wanted” she agrees.

“Sure I did” Tony chirps, merrily adding milk to his coffee, “What about you, did you have a successful night in?”

Steve feels his breath catching in his throat in the beat it takes Y/N to answer.

“Sure I did” she says, rummaging around by the stove.

“Did you get up to much?” Natasha asks, tone almost smug.

Steve thinks about kicking her under the bar, but he decides that’s probably more noticeable than the line of questioning she’s pursuing.

Plus, she’d definitely break his nose.

“No” Y/N admits, cracking eggs into a bowl, “I said it was successful, not productive.”

Bucky chuckles at that, though the sound is significantly more tempered than it had been before Tony’s entrance.

Natasha turns to stare at him for a moment, and Steve can’t help but clear his throat.

“To be honest” The younger Stark sighs, whisking her mix now, “I turned in pretty early, but I guess I was tireder than I’d thought”

“You’ve been burnin’ yourself out in the labs” Tony agrees, tone softer than before, “I keep tellin’ ya-”

“You can’t say shit about spendin’ too much time in the labs” she cuts in, “Do ya’ll want blueberries in these?”

Steve blinks confused as she gestures to the food she’s preparing.

“Pancakes?” Natasha asks, “Or muffins?”

“ Pancakes, Nat- it’s nine thirty in the morning.”

“Like that matters” Tony mutters dryly, before ducking away from the wooden spoon she goes to swat him with, “Okay-O- Okay!”

“Okay, what?” she laughs, easing up “am I adding the berries or not?”

“Yeah” Nat answers before Tony opens his mouth, “Blueberry sounds good”

Satisfied, Y/N turns her back on the others, and sets about preparing the food.

“You don’t have to do that, y’know” Steve says, “Cook for us, I mean”

“I know” she chirps pleasantly, still not facing him.

“She’s practicing her house wife skills, aren’t ya’, Stark?” Natasha teases, flicking him a glance that he takes to mean she knows exactly what she’s doing.

“I think that’d be called ‘home making’” Y/N replies, cool as ever, arranging a pan, “and, what, would make ya’ think I need practice?”

Her gaze is almost smug as she turns it onto the redhead. Who suddenly looks as though she’s been caught.

“You’re going to burn those, for a start” Tony interjects, nudging her out of the way to fuss over the stove, “why do I even bother, huh? I keep the refrigerator stocked with pre-made, over-processed junk specifically so we don’t need to coo-”

“I don’t think eatin’ the chemicals in that stuff all the time is a good-”

“I don’t think” he chuckles, “that we can say anythin’ about the damage chemicals can do to someone”

She flicks the two super soliders a courteous look, before laughing along with her brother, shaking her head and passing him a spatula.

“We” she says, “had nothin’ to do with that. I for one would’ve drawn the line at human experimentation.”

Tony shrugs.

“I’d have probably drawn the line at the flyin’ car”

She laughs again, and Steve can’t help but notice the way even Bucky is grinning at the siblings interaction.

“Either way” Y/N agrees, “I don’t want to consume something with that many E numbers in more than 8 times per week, thank you very much.”

“8?” Nat asks, “Why draw the line that far down?”

She shrugs, pulling out a bottle of syrup, and grabbing the plates, seemingly pleased with the way that her brother has taken over the responsibility of cooking.

“Because even though it’s bad for me, I can’t pretend I don’t enjoy it.”

Tony snorts, and she tilts her head at the way Steve is watching her.

He suddenly feels the need to get to know her better. He’d never payed her much attention, really, outside of the fact that she was a genius, with an arrogance to rival her brothers, her working for SHEILD as an agent had never filled him with a desire to interact with her much, even though she was nothing but outwardly pleasant towards him.

“He’s thinking” Y/N says, in response to Tony questioning the blonde man’s gawking, “He’s been doin’ a lot of it this mornin’”

“You wanna be careful with that” he says, “You might-”

“Hurt myself.” Steve cuts in, rolling his eyes, “I’ve heard.”

The duo laugh together again, before returning their joint attention to the breakfast they’re preparing.

It all seems strangely domestic, especially with the playful bickering and the way that Tony keeps nudging his sisters’ side.

Even Bucky seems relatively settled, even if he does shift uncomfortably in his seat when Y/N passes him a plate.

“I’m eatin’ in the lab” Tony announces, when he clicks onto the man’s reluctance.

Barnes’ cheeks are very red. He looks as though he might object, but before he gets the chance, the older Stark meets his eyes;

“You’re fine.” he says, in a tone that brokers no discussion.

Y/N pecks her brothers cheek, before either he can continue or Bucky could think of a way to respond.

The affectionate act seems to snap the awkwardness of the atmosphere. Tony, paws at his goatie, beaming at the woman, before telling her that he’ll be ready to go over their plans by noon.

She agrees, eagerly, before sitting herself at the bar, opposite the others, directly across from the former solider, who still looks more than a little uncertain.

“Eat” she murmurs, before grabbing her mug, “anyone doin’ anythin’ fun today?”

Her question draws a scoff from Natasha, who reminds her about the briefing she is also supposed to be attending.

“We went over the papers last night.” Steve tells her, “We, uh— didn’t make any tactical changes-”

“Did you get all this done before, or after you decided to spy on us?”

Bucky swallows. Looking at her, before averting his attention very deliberately back on his meal.

When Steve blinks urgently at Natasha, he finds very little comfort in the aghast expression she’s wearing.

Y/N, however, looks smug, more than angry.

“I installed that mirror, assholes.” she says, “This is my house- do you really think you can get away with watchin’ me through the walls without me clockin’ on?”

“It wasn’t you we were watching” Natasha says calmly, “It was-”

“I know” the other woman agrees, taking a drink.

Bucky tilts his head up, realising they’re admitting to spying on him.

Steve feels himself flush even redder than he had the night before.

“Listen, Buck we didn’t mean-

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

He is worried though. He’s very worried.

“We where just-”

“Worried” Y/N finishes on his behalf, “We know.”

“How-“

She rolls her eyes at Natasha.

“Your motives are hardly complex” she replies, “You-” she nods at Steve, “Have been fussing over him” she looks at Bucky, “since long before HYDRA, I’d bet— and you-” she focuses back on the woman, “-are just loyal enough to get roped into that concern.”

The red head blinks, and Steve realises that he’s gawking.

“I’m fine” Bucky inserts then, speaking properly for the first time since the subject has been changed, “I’m.. I’m workin’ on some stuff, but you- you don’t need to get wound up ‘about it. I’m a grown man, I’m fine”

“You were acting strange-” Natasha states bluntly, “- Someone noticed, told us to check in”

“Someone noticed-” Y/N says, “-and they told Steve to check in, as a friend, y’know, the way that you sometimes come and check in on me, when I’ve been on a hard job and someone gets antsy”

Steve feels his brow furrow at that. How long exactly had these two known each other?

“We were concerned that-”

“We know what you were concerned about” she says, rolling her eyes at Natasha, “Do you really think we don’t have somethin’ worked out for that kinda’ situation?”

Steve finds himself swallowing as he looks over at Bucky again.

He’s wearing a tight lipped smiles that he knows means he’s uncomfortable. His eyes are lowered to the plate in front of him, but before he can speak to offer some kind of support, he watches him look up, at Y/N.

“…doll, thinks it’s.. it’s unlikely, anyway” he says, “she, uh— she says it’s…”

“Almost completely impossible for anything short of repeated exposure to proven stimuli to trigger that kind of a total sub-nuero relay inversion when it’s been this long since you’ve last had a wipe.”

“In english, please.” Natasha says dryly.

This time, the roll of Y/N’s eyes isn’t playful. It’s exasperated.

“Because it’s been so long since anyones fiddled around in his head, it would take a whole new, professionally orchestrated set up to get him anywhere close to what you’re talkin’ about.”

Bucky’s leg is shaking now. Steve watches it bouncing on the stool for a moment;

Y/N catches it too, and reaches out under the counter with her foot, brushing it against his calf.

He stills himself at the contact, exhaling shakily as Natasha hums curiously.

“So we don’t have anything to watch out for?”

“I wouldn’t say that” Y/N counters, “You’ve pissed me off, for a start”

“But Winter Solider wise-”

“Bucky is fine.” She says decisively, “But, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a plan in place, in case anything changes on that front.”

“And that means…”

“That means” Y/N hisses impatiently, “That you don’t need to worry about anybodies state of mind, other than mine, because as usual, the Starks have taken care of everything else, and all my brother meant when he asked Rodgers to check in on his friend, was that he might actually want to consider asking if he was doin’ okay, not that he should grab you and spend the next twenty minu-”

“-Doll…”

Bucky’s interruption silences her instantly. She inhales sharply, before sitting back in her seat, irritation flaring, but then, when she looks across, and see’s the way that Barnes is watching her, with nothing but genuine adoration behind his eyes, it evaporates like smoke, leaving her looking as composed as ever in her seat.

“We shouldn’t have watched after you came in” Natasha concedes, looking genuinely remorseful, “I’m sorry”

“Me too, Y/N— Both, Both of you, I- I’m sorry”

Bucky shakes his head.

“You shouldn’t have watched at all” Y/N says, ignoring Steve completely, “Sestra, vy dolzhny verit', chto u nas vse vyyasneno. Yesli by byl shans, chto kto-nibud' mozhet postradat', my by uzhe ispravili eto.” Sister, you have to trust that we have things figured out. If there was a chance that anyone was going to get hurt, we'd have fixed it by now.

Steve’s jaw hangs slack as he hears russian pouring easily from the woman’s lips.

“YA doveryayu tebe.” Natasha replies, “i, yesli vy skazhete, chto vse v poryadke, ya ne budu sporit’.

I trust you, and, if you say everything is okay, then I won't argue.

“Vse v poryadke.”

Everything is okay.

Y/N’s answer has an air of finality too it. Even though he has no idea what she’s actually said.

“So” Natasha says, tone incredibly light, “How long as you two been a thing?”

Steve almost chokes on air at that.

Bucky chuckles quietly beside him, whilst Y/N goes back to eating.

He can barely keep up with the atmospheric shift. It’s so strange that only a few minutes ago the women were close to an argument, where as now, they might as well be best friends.

How, did they meet, again?

He has no idea, he realises, he’d always assumed that Y/N, was a package deal that came with Tony, he’d never given any thought to how she might know anyone else, even the night before, when Romanoff had said that she’d known the woman for a long time, he’d never actually thought about it.

“He’s doin’ that face again” Y/N observes, using her fork to point at Steve, “He really should stop workin’ so hard over breakfast”

Bucky laughs almost silently, as Steve blinks himself back to the moment.

“That’s not an answer” Natasha says.

“I know” Y/N agrees cheerily, “You’re not supposed to know there is a ‘thing’ anyway. Don’t see why I should confirm or deny”

“Confirm” the other woman repeats, with a chuckle of her own, “You spent the whole night curled up together like lap cats-”

“I’ve spent more than one night curled with you, like a lap cat.” Y/N says, “Wanna talk about any things that we might have had going on?”

Steve chokes on a bite of pancake that he doesn’t remember taking.

Natasha shakes her head, taking a drink from Y/N’s mug.

They both catch her throwing a wink at Bucky, who just grins, bashful and sweet down at his own food, as he starts to pick at it again.

“Beregi yeye, Barns.” The red-head says calmly, “

Take good care of her, Barnes.

“YA budu. YA klyanus’.”

I will, I swear.

His reply is calm, it’s composed and that, is what makes Steve tilt his head.

It’s so odd, hearing the Russian words without the fear that laced them before.

Natasha just nods, satisfied, and Y/N, goes back to eating.

Steve thinks he should apologise, again. He feels like he should, like he’s misjudged the whole situation, like, he’s betrayed Bucky and totally under-estimated Y/N.

“I…” he begins, anxiously shifting, “I’m really, I’m really sorry”

To his surprise, it’s Barnes that answers.

“We know, Stevie, it’s alright, just… just, ask me next time… it’s like doll said— if you’re… if you’re worried, you can just talk to me”

“I know” He’s quick to agree, “I know, Buck- I’m sorry-”

“You’ve already apologised” Y/N reminds him cooly, “It’s alright, just don’t let me catch you at it again— last thing we need is you turnin’ into a peepin’ tom. Although Tony would love that-”

“Oh, god” Bucky mutters, “Don’t tell your brother bout it, darlin’, he’ll never let them live it down”

Her face is a light. Steve notices then, for the first time, how beautiful she is. With no make up, hair tied back, genuinely grinning, with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“Maybe that’s exactly why I should tell him, huh?” she teases, “might take the heat off you for a bit-”

“Steve watchin’ ya’ through a mirror is hardly comparable to anythin’ I’ve-”

“I don’t think he’d compare” she says, “he’d probably just take the excuse to be an asshole to someone else for a couple of weeks”

“He’s not an asshole” Bucky counters dryly, “Darlin’, I think he’s been-”

“Your judgement is skewed” Y/N cuts in, eating again, “You wouldn’t say a bad word about him regardless”

Barnes doesn’t argue, he just shrugs, smiling a little as he goes back to picking at the meal before him.

“So, does he know?” Natasha asks, brow quirked, “Bout this ‘not a thing’ you’ve got goin’ on?”

Steve blinks, unsure of why she’s pressing the issue.

“Does that matter?” Y/N counters, like she’s genuinely interested in the other woman’s answer, “He’s my brother, it’s my relationship, surely it’s my business-”

“Your brother has a bad temper” Nat answers calmly, “I’d like to know if we need to be ready for-”

“Awww, Red” Y/N inserts, grinning, “are ya’ sayin’ that I don’t have a bad temper?”

Steve is gobsmacked, absorbed in the exchange and almost as fascinated by the way that Bucky is ignoring it completely;

“No” Natasha says, “I’m saying that if there is some kind of fight, then I’m with you-”

“’til the end of the line, right?” Y/N finishes, clear teasing in her tone.

Steve opens his mouth to object to the jab, but Bucky is laughing before he gets chance;

“You’re bein’ a jackass, doll” he chuckles, “she’s tryin’ to be nice”

“I’m a Stark” the woman says calmly, “some might say that jackass is a genetic trait”

When he rolls his eyes, Steve realises that he’s gawking; He hasn’t seen Barnes talking this much since… well, since the forties, really.

“Whatever” Y/N snorts, attention back on Natasha, “I love you too, Nat, you don’t have to declare sides on a war that isn’t ever goin’ to start”

“But-”

“Even if it did” she continues, “I trust you, I know you’ve got my back, alright?”

Natasha looks like she wants to say something more, but, eventually, after a strained look at Steve, she just nods, picking at her pancakes.

“You all worry way too much” Y/N declares after a moment, taking a sip from her coffee, “I swear it’s a wonder you haven’t gone grey”

“He tried to kill-” Natasha begins,

The other woman cuts her off with a pointed glare. Steve finds himself blinking at the look, and the way it’s worked at silencing the spy so quickly.

“Three years ago” she says, seemingly calm, “my brother came up with the mark 58 suit…”

The trio blink at her a little blankly. Even Bucky looks confused.

“You wouldn’t remember” Y/N allows, “It was red, like the others, gold like the others— brilliant like the others”

Steve opens his mouth to question her train of thought, but quickly decides against it, when he notes how she’s clearly not finished speaking.

“But” she says, taking a drink of her coffee, “It was the first model to have auto-aiming energy conducers.”

Nobody responds, so she shrugs.

“It wasn’t actually that big of a deal, since his previous models had all had the same long range damage capability, and JARVIS used to be pretty good at setting targets up, but it was time saving, y’know? It meant that if he wanted to take down a jet he didn’t even have to be able to see the thing, just scan for it, lock on, and boom, no amount of evasive manoeuvres or counter attacks would make any difference-“

“What does that have to do with-” Natasha tries to cut in

“-He was on mark, what? back when ya’ll had that fight?” Y/N continues, ignoring the woman’s attempt, “102? 103? I mean, I think we’re on 121 now.”

“Y/N” the red head insists, “What does that-”

“Even forgetting about all the significant upgrades he’s made over the years…” she drawls, locking eyes with her friend, “he definitely had the ability to take out military grade weaponry- even moving missiles with the push of a button- without even having to stop and lock on himself.”

She looks at Steve, and then, at Bucky.

“If he wanted to kill anybody they’d be dead” she finishes, gaze back on Natasha, “it was a glorified fist-fight, Red, and considerin’ the video he’d just seen, I’d say a brawl was the least you could expect.”

The mention of the video as brief as it was, has had an instant effect on Bucky. He’s stiff now. Eyes firmly on his plate even though his cutlery is discarded, hands both hidden on his lap beneath the counter.

Natasha looks contrite. Everything Y/N is saying makes total sense, she supposes, there was never another way Tony was going to react- and he didn’t actually hurt either of the men that are sitting around the table with them.

“Have you seen it?” Steve asks suddenly, eyes meeting Y/N’s again—

His question shocks everyone, including him. He hadn’t meant to speak, or at least, he hadn’t meant to ask that, not with Bucky sitting at his side.

“More times than you.”

Her answer surprises him even more.

Natasha watches with the same look of fascination that she’d worn the night before as Y/N takes another bite of her breakfast;

“Y/N, I-”

Her head shakes before Steve can even finish his sentence.

“It doesn’t matter” she says firmly, “I knew way before I it, it was never a shock for me like it was Tony-”

“You knew before?” Natasha asks, curiosity spiking

“That my dad didn’t die in a random car accident on the one night he decided to transport his top-secret super serum across country without any security?” she mocks, “Yeah, Nat, I figured that one out all on my own.”

Her brown eyes roll in her head, and Steve notices how she’s deliberately not looking at anyone, anymore;

“How long had you known for?” the red-head presses, tone more careful, now.

“A while” Y/N replies, “I knew I was right when Peg wouldn’t let me and Tony get an autopsy, she said it was because he was probably drunk, didn’t want to ruin his legacy, or something’… Tony bought it but-” she shrugs, “-I was younger, I didn’t have a company to take over, guess I had more time to dwell on things”

“But you would’ve been 12 years old back then-” Nat says, “You’re saying you’ve known since then-”

“-It wasn’t an accident-” Y/N cuts in, “I didn’t figure out the details right away, and it took me awhile to dig around enough to find that tape-”

“So you knew before we did?” the red haired woman continues “that Barnes-”

“No” Y/N replies quickly, “Not exactly.”

Her eyes flicker to Bucky, she offers him a calm smile, and then, she looks back at her friend, altering her expression to something a little more forgiving.

“I knew that something had happened— That it hadn’t been a crash— and when I got older, I figured that HYDRA had probably been involved, that was enough for a while, when we were workin’ y’know?” she stops to see that the woman is following her, “when I had some more time, I… I found the footage, and then when I’d managed to decode it all, including the audio… I heard him saying ‘Sargent Barnes’—”

“Please” Bucky gulps, looking desperately at his lover, “Please don’t-”

Don’t talk about this, right now, he thinks, please, I can’t handle it.

Whatever words Y/N was about to say die in her throat. Her entire face softens as she gives the man a nod.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway” she tells Natasha, realising that she’d gotten a little caught up, “I know what happened now— Tony knows enough, and everything-”

“You know what happened” Natasha repeats, “and Tony knows… enough?”

Steve raises his brow when he catches the implication behind the woman’s words, but Bucky’s breathing is noticeably shallow, now, so he daren’t push any further.

“Yes.” Y/N says firmly, suddenly standing, “That’s exactly what I said.”

There’s a beat of silence, and he finds himself expecting Natasha to challenge Y/N further. He’s never seen her back down before- he’s formulating a way of getting Bucky to follow him out of the room, should the women start some kind of argument, he’s been warned about Y/N’s temper, after all, but, to his surprise, the red-head just…nods.

“yesli ty tak govorish’”If you say so, she says, attention returning to her food-

“Da, Nat … Obeshchayu, vse v poryadke, prosto … slozhno”

I do, Nat… I promise, everything's fine, it's just… complicated.

Y/N’s words are emphasised by the way she comes to stand, pacing around until she’s by Bucky’s side.

He doesn’t move to look at her. He’s fallen back into silence, now, and Steve finds himself watching him with poorly disguised concern.

“Do you want to come for a walk with me?” Y/N asks, tone calm and unassuming.

Almost instantly, the man nods. Eyes aimed at the floor as he gets off his stool in one swift movement;

“C’mon then” she says, taking his hand in her own— “We’ll see you guys later.”

“Wait!-” Steve exclaims, reaching out to grab the other man’s shoulder, “-Buck are you-”

The second his fingers makes contact with Bucky’s shirt, the man flinches away, jolting back and almost stumbling into the wall.

It’s Y/N that stops him, by adjusting her position instantly, correcting her footing and shifting so that she’s in front of him.

Steve looks horrified. Bucky’s face has morphed into something so terror-stricken that he feels absurdly guilty for the way he’s tried to touch him without permission.

Both men blurt out a ‘Sorry’ at exactly the same time, and Y/N can’t help but roll her eyes, despite the way that Bucky’s apology is one that’s clearly motivated by some kind of fear induced reflex.

She squeezes his palm, and offers him a calm smile as he tries to calm himself down.

Nobodies coming to hurt you, he thinks, It’s just Steve— He’s not going to hurt you—

“-Buck, I- I didn’t mean to-“ Steve tries to explain, “-I just wanted to apologise, again…”

He looks so intensely embarrassed, that even she can’t help but take pity on him, even though he’s not her first priority at the moment.

Bucky’s fingers are clinging to hers, now. She can feel his pulse hammering through his palm.

“I think you’ve covered that base” Natasha inserts, from where she’s watching the interaction unfold, “We won’t do it again”

“No” Y/N agrees, smiling, “You won’t.”