#y.m.c.a

“Alright gang, new lead on that sex trafficking case.” Tony’s standing at the head of a conference room, plowing through a mountain of various briefing slides.

“Why are you talking like we’re in an episode of Scooby Doo? Alright gang,” you mock. “Next you’ll be saying jinkies.”

You and the rest of the team have been stuck in the conference room long past your lunch time. Needless to say, patience for Tony’s lecturing is wearing thin. He squints at you before returning back to the slides.

“As I was saying… intel has informed us Markus Livingston is planning to attend some big event at one of their satellite hideouts. We’ve been after this guy for months, but he never seems to show his face.”

“Probably afraid you’ll lecture him for hours.” You high five Bucky for the quip.

“Does anyone wanna take this seriously?” Tony asks.

Nat continues analyzing her split ends. Sam is playing a game on his phone. You swear Steve is asleep with his eyes open. Your suspicions are confirmed with Bucky knocks his knee into Steve startling him awake.

“Seriously, Cap!?” Tony pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I was listening Tony. I swear!”

“Tony, next time please schedule the mission briefing before all the boring housekeeping tasks. An email would have sufficed for the first three hours of this meeting,” Nat chimes in.

“None of you read your damn emails!”

“Exactly!” Bucky whispers to you. Tony either doesn’t hear him or chooses to continue regardless.

“Markus Livingston, who kidnaps and traffics children into sex slavery, which apparently is not important to you all…” Everyone shuffles and sits at attention, reminded of the seriousness of the crime. “Thank you. He’s planning to attend some big event at one of their satellite hideouts; a place by the name of The Bop House: Roller Club.”

“A roller rink? How retro,” Sam tuts; no longer engrossed in his phone game.

“Who’s assigned?” Nat asks.

“Yourself, Agent Y/N, Sam, and the Centurions. Wanda, Clint, Bruce and Vision are still wrapping up that job in Cambodia and it’s my day off with Pepper.” He finishes with the most fake smile you’ve seen on him.

Steve’s posture shifts, deciding it's time to play Captain. “Covers?”

“Provided.” Tony slides packets across the table. You skim the mission briefing but are interrupted by a snort from Sam. Flipping a couple pages to the assigned covers you see why. The theme of the event is “Skating Through the Ages.”

“What the ever-living hell is Skating Through the Ages?”

“Roller Skating. Dressed as various historical clichés.” You all stare up at Tony in disbelief. “Ya know, hippies, poodle skirts, 80’s glam, 90’s grunge?”

You no longer have any curiosity why Tony chose to sit out this particular mission. Anything that didn’t allow him to be himself or Iron Man was a hard pass in his book.

“It’s another couples cover,” Sam groans. You continue to read. Looks like Sam and Natasha are posing as a couple along with you and… the space is left blank. You raise your eyebrows a bit in surprise.

“Tony, who’s my partner?”

“Me.” Steve and Bucky answer in unison. You raise a single eyebrow and swivel your chair back to Tony hoping for some help.

“Don’t look at me, Y/N. Let those two figure it out.” You swivel back to your two best friends who are now engaged in a heated whisper argument.

“Buck, come on. You vowed never to do couple covers. In fact, you threw a massive hissy fit the last time Stark tried to assign you one”

“That’s not true, Steven. I have no qualms with the couples cover.”

“I’m the Captain.”

“Now he pulls the Captain Card!”

You look back and forth at the boys. “If you both wanna be a couple so bad, you can always go together?”

They both look at you reclining back in your chair coolly; faces both a vibrant shade of pink. You had no idea what had gotten into the both of them.

“I flipped a coin in my head-” both men stare at Tony waiting for the verdict. “-and realized I don't care.” With that, Tony closes the presentation and exits the conference room.

“Looks like we got a throuple!” Sam cracks.

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Arriving at the rink you’re an excited ball of energy next to a glum accompanying crowd.

“Am I the only one excited about this?”

Sam huffs before responding, “I look like a knock-off Hendrix with my ginger Janis Joplin. So, forgive me I’m not jumping for joy.”

“Excuse me! I did not spend three hours doing my hair for that comparison.” You had to give Nat credit. Despite Sam’s comparison she looked nothing like Joplin; more like a sultry redhead Farrah Fawcett.

Bucky and Steve flank each of your sides pouting. They’re dressed like fifties greasers complete with slicked back hair, white t-shirts, and black leather jackets. You had to admit, it was a good look for the both of them.

“I get Sam and Nat being huffy, but I can’t deal with you guys moping too.”

“Sorry Y/N/N, I feel naked without my suit.”

“Poor golden boy doesn’t like being on the other side?” Bucky taunts. He was reveling Steve’s discomfort.

“Hush you two. If we’re gonna be a successful throuple we need to be madly in love and not bickering assholes.” You feel the eyerolls before you see them but promptly smack both of them in the temple. “I’m serious.”

**************************************************************************************************

A handful of hours have passed at the roller rink. Nat and Sam have cozied up to some of the henchman near Livingston trying to figure out if he was gonna show tonight. You and the boys were on recon around the rink hoping to find out more about where they were hiding the children.

The three of you had already scoped out the arcade area and bar. You now skate leisurely around the rink, hand-in-hand with Bucky and Steve. You’d been friends with them long enough the couple act was comfortable. To any onlooker, you would look like a blissful throuple; but you knew better. The boy’s eyes were in mission mode; constantly on a swivel observing the comings and goings, checking patterns, looking for abnormalities.

They had both surprised you with their natural ability skating. Perhaps you shouldn’t have been shocked; it seemed the serum added an unnatural grace and a quickness to learn new tasks you’ve grown fond of. You approach the curve of the rink, preparing to make the turn with your chain of three. Right skate crosses gracefully over left. It’s a sudden mix of limbs and skates. Somehow the three of you manage not to topple into a heap as Steve skids to a halt dragging both you and Bucky along.

“Livingston in the building. Our two. Nat. Sam. Nine o’clock,” he whispers into the communication device.

“Move you, star spangled ass!” Steve’s eyebrows raise at your blatant insubordination once you detangle your skates. Best friends or not, Steve demands a certain level of respect on missions.

“If we’re the only people on the rink not skating, glaring at a mob boss, it may draw some unnecessary attention.” Your voice is firm and annoyed, but your body language says nothing but caring partner. Bucky catches on.

“Yeah, darling Steven. Tripped over your skate there and almost took us down.” Steve is not amused, but knows your both right.

“Okay, sweethearts.” His voice still clearly displaying his desire to tackle Livingston. “Let’s finish this lap and go sit down. I think I twisted my ankle.”

The three of you remake your hand holding chain, Steve now in the middle feigning a hurt ankle, and skate towards the exit on the far side of the rink. Under his breath, Steve is whispering orders to Nat and Sam hopefully directing the capture of Livingston.

Your progress off the rink is slowed by Steve’s fake injury. The three of you make it halfway when the song changes.

Young man, there’s no need to feel down

I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground

I said, young man, ‘cause you’re in a new town

There’s no need to be unhappy

Nearly everyone on the rink has stopped to dance in place, further slowing your passage. You drag your right skate behind you to slow your pace. Bucky does the same.

“Why are we slowing down!” Steve grumbles.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Captain, everyone else has stopped. I don’t feel like crushing small civilians under my super soldier body while we’re under cover.”

Young man, there’s a place you can go

I said, young man, where you’re short and your dough

You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find

Many ways to have a good time

“Sam! Nat!” Steve’s whisper yelling into the com as best he can over the music. “Move on Livingston. We’re stuck on the rink… Sam!? Nat?!”

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

Steve looks around the rink in frustrated horror. Bucky is insanely calm, basking in the destruction of Steve’s type A, leadership. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a flash of red. It’s Nat bringing down Markus Livingston while Sam stealthy covers his mouth with duct tape as to not make a scene. With the mission at completion you decide to enjoy the roller rink while you can.

They have everything for young men to enjoy

You can hang out with all the boys

You shimmy your shoulders, rolling your hips to the beat intentionally knocking into both Bucky and Steve. Bucky seems to have also noticed Nat’s takedown despite the radio silence. He joins you in dancing around Steve. Clearly, he’s never heard the song before as all his moves are off beat.

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

“Why is everyone singing!?” Steve yells. He’s livid with the two of you. You throw your arms up to form the letters; singing in his face.

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

“Would you two focus!” he bellows. His face is tomato red; eyebrows firmly knitted together. You can tell he’s either preparing a massive lecture or he’s gonna blow cover and storm over to handle Livingston himself.

“Captain, sir. Permission to speak?” Bucky’s still dancing to the song in front of Steve. You wonder if perhaps the two of you have gone too far in taunting him. Steve looks ready to land a punch right to the brunette’s face; cover or not. Steve ignores him.

“Permission to continue dancing as Natasha and Sam detained Livingston about sixty seconds ago?” Steve’s features settle into befuddlement.

“Yeah… good catch, Cap.” You bump your hip against his playfully, hoping he’ll let loose and drop his stoic Captain mask. His brows unknit and a smirk curls onto his lips.