HOW IT ALL STARTED
The Bucky thing started about a year after she had first begun working for Tony. In the time she had been Tony's assistant, she'd had the opportunity to get to know each of the Avengers; learning to see past the media portrayal of them for who they actually were – which was surprisingly normal. They had come to see her, not quite as part of the team, but perhaps more accurately as part of the furniture; she was just always around, doing her work, never truly involved in a mission. But she could always be counted on when they needed an objective point of view on something, or someone comfortable to shoot the shit with. After a time she was no longer simply Tony's assistant; she had suddenly found herself an accepted member of the dysfunctional family. It had gotten to the point now where she practically lived at the compound. And that was where she ran into her first problem.
"So I've been 'spoken to' about a little issue we seem to have," Tony announced one morning, as they walked together down one of the compound's long corridors. The wall to their right was floor-to-ceiling glass, and gave a perfect view of the manicured ground and designated training areas outside; the dull gray runway in the distance contrasting with the green lawns.
Nellie glanced up from the stack of papers in her arms, so used to the landscape that the view barely interested her now, finding herself more concerned with this latest news. Tony nodded before she could even ask the question. This walk had become part of their daily routine, occurring at random one day during her first week with him, and continuing every day since. She spent long days (and long nights) researching, or otherwise reading through material he found tedious, and then they spent the morning walk either discussing or sharing what she had found to be of interest. It wasn't often that she actually found too much that could be deemed entirely relevant or interesting, and even rarer still to find something that he might find interesting. But if he had to be honest, these morning walks had become part of his routine – something he might have even looked forward to; but being who he was, it always managed to maintain an appropriate air of business.
"Turns out you're not actually allowed to reside in the compound after work hours," he told her, holding up a finger as she opened her mouth to protest, continuing, "I did argue that in your defense you don't actually have set work hours, but that only seemed to drag up more issues with the council. Employment violations, etcetera, etcetera." These apparent violations didn't seem to faze him.
"I don't 'reside'– So, wait, what is the actual problem, here?" she frowned and refocused on flipping through pages, passing him a few documents that she thought he might find to be of interest. The first time she had tried this, on the morning of their very first walk, the notes had fluttered straight to the ground. They had stopped to look at each other, appearing equally confused by the other's actions. It wasn't until it happened a second time that she finally decided to bring it up with Natasha, since she had once served in a similar position (albeit undercover at the time). She had since learned to work around what Natasha had described as 'Tony's ridiculous habits', and the day he had finally, unceremoniously accepted something from her was still earmarked in her mind as one of the most successful days of her life (at least so far).
"You can't live here anymore," he answered now, taking the pages from her, eyes briefly scanning the highlighted sections. He gave a small shake of his head, as if it wasn't what he was looking for.
"But I-"
"You don't have the clearance."
"You're kidding me? I've been doing this for months. It's only become an issue for them now?"
He handed back the pages without comment, tilting his head from side to side as if weighing up the best answer to give. "They may have only just found out."
"And how did that happen?" She couldn't imagine Tony ratting her out over something so trivial as a technicality. Then it hit her.
"Rogers," they said at the same time. A smile twitched at the corner of Tony's mouth.
"Really?" she asked, eyes narrowing further as she threw in another, "Really?"
"He thinks you're working too hard."
"Isn't he the one who, like, made a whole video series on the benefits of hard work and perseverance?"
"Turns out that might only be for high schoolers. I mean look where hard work and perseverance got me. Dealing with people like Steve Rogers on a near-daily basis."
"Yeah, you're right. I should quit while I'm ahead."
"But, speaking of," he went on, sounding more to the point, "I may have a solution to this problem."
"Kick him off the team?"
He gave a light snort. "Not the problem I'm talking about."
"So you're not going to fight this? Don't you fund the Avengers? Can't you just change the rules?"
"Doesn't work that way. Turns out money can't buy everything after all."
She came to a stop and looked at him, taken aback.
"I know," he told her, sounding just as skeptical.
"Can I get that on the record? Specifically on video? I swear it's not to send to Pepper."
Though Tony and Pepper were still slowly easing back into their relationship after a brief (nearly-twelve month) hiatus, she visited the compound almost weekly, and he now spent every weekend in the city with her. It was a newly-adjusted work-life balance that seemed to work for the pair, and they seemed all the happier for it.
"I really shouldn't have let you two to swap numbers," he said.
"It's just for emergencies," she assured him, forcing back a grin.
"Mm-hm," he replied, not at all convinced.
"Definitely not for sharing pictures or videos of you at your expense."
He threw her a sarcastic smile before they took up their easy pace once again. "And that would be at my literal expense," he reminded her, "Since, like you said, I fund everything. Including your phone bill. But about this solution I came up with. I was thinking to myself 'Gee, Nellie needs somewhere to live. Hm, who else do I know that needs a roomie. And wouldn't you know it, the very same man who got you kicked out in the first place?"
"Cap?" she asked skeptically, her eyebrows shooting up.
Tony reached into his pocket, which gave an audible 'jingle' as he pulled out a small set of keys. He set them down on top of her stack of papers and she looked down at them.
"I've already organized the rest of your stuff to be sent there this afternoon. You get along with Steve, right?"
"Better than you do," she replied eyes still slightly wide. "You could have at least asked."
"I could have, but I didn't. Since I know most of your stuff is in storage, I took the liberty of ordering you some new furniture, too. What kind of mattress do you like? Medium? Plush? I went with medium, just to be safe. Should all be there by the time you get there tonight."
"Tonight?!"
"Is there an echo in here?" he said, looking around.
Taking all of this in, Nellie found herself surprised that he would have given Steve, of all people, a second thought; especially after everything that she had heard about their fallout surrounding the Sokovia Accords. But then, that was exactly why Steve lived off-site. He had distanced himself a little from those he had hurt, whether emotionally or otherwise. Though those relationships were still being mended even to this day – that trust still being restored – Steve was now at the compound pretty much every day. He had even been invited to one of Tony's most recent parties (though Nellie attributed that to Pepper's subtle diplomacy more than Tony's ability to set aside his pettiness).
"Can I assume that he at least knows about this arrangement?"
"You can."
"Tony."
"Yeah, he's been told. Now, how'd you go with the rest of those documents?"
She didn't know what was worse: being thrown headfirst into a new living arrangement with one of the last team members she would have ever pictured being roomies with, or the awkward car trip with him on the way to said living arrangement. As helpful as he had been in arranging the transport for the handful of belongings she had been keeping at the compound, Tony was blatantly absent when it came to her own transport. And so she had found herself in the front passenger seat of the navy blue P10 Plymouth, struggling to decide between keeping silent or attempting to make bad conversation. It didn't help that he kept shooting friendly but equally-awkward smiles in her direction as the silence grew more and more conspicuous; uncertainty marking his handsome face.
"Thanks for this," she finally said, breaking the silence.
He smiled at her again, this one coming across far more comfortable; almost relieved. "Well, as Tony was so helpful to remind me, numerous times I might add, it was my fault in the first place that your current set up was ruined. Sorry about that."
She frowned in his direction – not out of contempt, but in surprise at his sincerity. Not that Tony wasn't just as honest, but his brand of honesty was a finely-honed blend of bluntness and sarcasm. Steve Rogers was the politest person she had ever met (only just overtaking a certain young teen from Queens that she had recently been introduced to). This latest reminder provided a sudden boost in her confidence over their new arrangement. Maybe this would be okay after all.
She took her phone from out of her pocket as it began to buzz with incoming messages.
TONY: How's the trip going? Is the geezer hitting above 20 miles an hour yet?
Smirking, she replied: 30, actually. He likes to live dangerously.
"How do you find working with Tony?" Steve asked, and she almost jumped to hide the teasing texts.
"I enjoy it."
"He seems to work you pretty hard. I've always admired the effort you put in."
"Thanks?" she responded, thrown by the unexpected compliment.
He laughed.
"I mean, it mainly just reading," she added modestly, "Not exactly beating up bad guys and saving the world."
With a smile, Steve replied, "I've heard about some of the ideas you've come up, and I can tell you they help just as much."
Nellie smiled back. It was nice receiving compliments from someone so humble. She didn't get a lot of direct praise from Tony, but she had grown to recognize his ways of showing appreciation. Where Steve seemed to be more direct about it, Tony tended to weave it into sarcastic remarks or pass it on indirectly through other people. He was the kind to criticize you to your face and compliment you behind your back.
The conversation came more easily for the rest of the trip, and she found they talked mostly about her. He seemed interested in her background: where she had come from, what she had studied, what she had wanted to be when she finished school. He asked about her folks, how they felt about her working for Tony Stark; how she felt about working with the Avengers. Though she hadn't experienced a lot of one-on-one time with the national icon, she found him easy to talk to. The contrast in personalities between him and Tony was glaring, and though she was comfortable around them both, she found she settled into that sense of ease a lot faster with Steve. Tony Stark had been far more intimidating at first, before she had gotten to know his eccentricities. And though both had reputations to uphold, Steve Rogers had less to prove.
By the time they pulled up in front of the old, brick-style apartment building, the sun was beginning to set. Nellie moved to undo her seatbelt, but paused when she noticed Steve wasn't doing the same. He was staring at the dashboard, deep in thought, hands still resting on top of the steering wheel. He turned slowly to look at her.
"Before we go in, I need to tell you something. I probably should have mentioned it earlier. I'm not the only person you'll be sharing the apartment with."
The answer to her unspoken question struck her almost instantly. "Oh."
Steve nodded, studying her expression for any signs of alarm. "I don't know if Tony knows. He's surprised me before with that kind of thing. But I also get the feeling, all things considered, that he wouldn't have allowed you to come here if he did know. I was kind of surprised he came to me to begin with. You know how hard his trust has been to come by after, well, after everything that happened." She nodded as she listened. He was frowning lightly. "I just need to make sure you're okay with it. No doubt you're aware of what happened."
"I've heard bits and pieces," she replied, but she was distracted as she considered her actual feelings surrounding the man in question. She wasn't sure she had enough to go by to make a proper judgment call.
"Bucky's doing better. He hasn't had any episodes in a long time. He's managing. I think all this time away from everything – away from everyone – has really helped."
"I can imagine."
Steve looked at her as he noticed her absent tone.
"It should be fine," she finally told him.
"I wouldn't have agreed to bring you here if I thought you were in any danger. It might just take a little getting used to."
She wondered if he meant for her or for the man the world had once known as 'the Winter Soldier'.
"I think the best way to go about this is to take it slow," Steve went on. "Gradual introductions. That kind of thing."
"Sure. Sounds good," she nodded. That deep end suddenly felt a little deeper.
"And I'm sure, with time, you two will get along real well. He's a good man. He's just, well, you know."
"Been through a lot," she voiced for him, and he nodded. "Yeah, I heard."
He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, as if considering his next words very carefully. "I don't approve of choosing sides, not after what happened. But I can understand that your loyalty lies with Tony. All the same, I'd be grateful if you gave Buck a chance first. And…maybe don't tell Tony? At least not right away."
She chuckled softly. "That seems wise."
