There was nothing special about the Avengers. She knew this from the first week at their new facility; the Avengers were heroes, sure, but they were only human. That's why she was there: Hannah was monitoring the immune systems of the world's most iconic heroes in order to study sickness prevention.
There was a thesis she came up with in her second year of medical school that she continued to work on until graduation. She'd spent various internships working at hospitals and clinics, but when it came to actually finding a job after graduation she never expected she'd be working for Bruce Banner. The Stark Foundation had posted something about research grants in the medical field, and Hannah applied not thinking that anything would happen, but here she was...taking vitals from The Winter Soldier on an ordinary Tuesday morning.
"How am I looking, doc?" Bucky grinned as Hannah scribbled some notes onto his charts.
"Quite normal, James," she responded without looking up from her clipboard. Bucky had been coming to see Hannah on every Tuesday morning for the last 6 months. On the weeks where they were out on missions, he sorely missed their time together. He craved her presence because she was normal; she was young and gentle and beautiful and she never made him feel like he was an experiment...though he knew she was only doing her job. Bucky never thought that he could feel comfortable around doctors again, but there was something about her that made him feel like he was at home.
"Yeah, but how am I looking?" He asked suggestively with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Hannah laughed a bit as she moved closer to listen to his heartbeat. Tuesdays with Bucky have become more playful the more he trusted her.
"I don't just hand out compliments, James. One would think I was flirting with my client, and that's unprofessional," she responded with a smirk as she held the stethoscope up to his chest. He shuddered at the touch of her hand and watched her move the stethoscope around his body.
"When are you gonna start callin' me Bucky, doll?" he asked freely. Hannah shook her head as she moved back to the counter to grab her clipboard.
"Maybe if we ever hang out outside of work, but while I'm your doctor you're going to be called by the legal name on your file." Bucky grinned at her words as he stood up from the examination table.
"So...you're sayin' you want to see me outside of this room then?" he unapologetically flirted. Hannah felt her heart soar a bit at the thought, but wanted to play it cool.
"I mean, you heroes are so busy all the time and I've got a job to do too. You're mighty healthy, James," she replied as she walked him out of the examination room and towards her office.
"We've been busy prepping for all of the press conferences coming up. It's been a bit...nerve wracking," Bucky said quietly just before they got to the hallway where they would need to split up. She turned to face him, her brown eyes locking with his blue eyes.
"You'll be just fine; just be yourself and the world won't be able to help but adore you, okay James?" Hannah reassured him by grabbing his flesh hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Bucky just nodded slightly with a forced smile.
"So, I'll see you in a few days then. Thanks Hannah," he called out as he walked away.
Later that week, Hannah rushed home from her niece's girl scout meeting to catch the Avengers' first press conference on television. She was exhausted, but wanted to make sure she saw the conference before any of the heroes asked for her opinion the next week. She turned the tv on just in time to hear the reporter questions begin; Tony must have already given his opening statement.
"My question is for Black Widow...how do you think the Avengers have reformed you from a ruthless assassin to the hero we see today?" a woman asked. Hannah cringed at Natasha's forced smile, knowing that whatever she was about to say was going to be a lie.
"Yes, thank you for that thought. The Avengers have always been a family of understanding people, they've completely supported my transition to hero status," she replied with a certain grace that only Natasha Romanov could supply. Hannah plopped down onto her couch with a roll of her eyes.
It was odd to see the team assembled like this. They were sitting on couches and comfortable chairs on a white stage, reporters and the media in a crowd below along with a section of fans who undoubtedly paid thousands of dollars to attend the event. It looked like a ridiculous concert, but Hannah knew that the reconstruction of the Avengers' images was at the utmost importance right now. After the destruction and chaos the public suffered over the past years, the new goal was to convince the world that they needed the Avengers. They would all become the most perfect versions of themselves to make the world believe that they could not do what the Avengers could, and that was saving the world.
"My question is directed at The Winter Soldier; Mr. Barnes, how do you feel about being reunited with your childhood best friend?" a male reporter asked. Hannah watched intently as Bucky shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After a moment though, he poised himself and took hold of his microphone.
"It's truly wonderful. The team has given me a warm welcome as I find my place as a hero," he replied shortly with a smile. Hannah had to give it to him: his smooth voice and his warm smile were perfect for the camera.
"Mr. Barnes, where do you think The Winter Soldier fits into this team of heroes? Women all across the country are falling for the brooding counterpart that you've provided to the radiant Captain America," a female reporter commented with a ridiculously fake smile. Bucky chuckled a bit as his face turned red. His hand came to the back of his neck to rub it nervously.
"Look, I'm just trying to protect the people I love. My duty is to be there when something goes wrong. I will take the bad guys out so that your kids can sleep soundly at night knowing that there are heroes saving their world. It's not as glamorous as you all may think, but it's important and it's what I was meant to do."
And with that short comment, the world was enraptured by the Winter Soldier. The savior that cares about your kids, the man that protects who he loves, and the lopsided smile that women were going crazy over.
Hannah turned the television off after his answer.
Hannah would not see Bucky for the next week; the press conferences were going so well that the team was taking the week to travel to other countries and speak around the world. Hannah watched most of them with her co-workers as they ate lunch in the cafeteria at the compound, or from her bed late at night while they spoke halfway around the world.
It was weird, though. The more the team talked, the more the media grasped onto The Winter Soldier and his relationship with Captain America. The duo would joke about their past and how their friendship is. It was nice to see Bucky having a good time, but Hannah couldn't help but feel annoyed by the end of the week. The press conferences had begun to paint a 1-dimensional version of the heroes she knew. As far as the world was concerned, Bucky didn't have any emotional trauma. Natasha was a reformed assassin. Steve never had to make any tough decisions; he was a one-trick pony carrying the American dream with him.
The fans had gone crazy; every time Hannah saw the crowds outside the press conference halls the fans were decked in Avengers garb. Girls held up signs saying "Steve, will you marry my daughter?" and celebrities were all chatting about how much of a sweetheart Bucky was. Hannah had had enough. The Avengers were no longer real to her.
"Hannah, James is here for your regular checkup," one of Hannah's assistants poked her head into the cluttered office. Hannah jumped when she looked at the clock.
"Thank you, can you put him in the examination room for me? I need to finish up this report quickly," she replied. Having the team gone for the last week was quite nice actually; Hannah was able to continue research without any interruptions. She felt that she had gained immense progress in looking at vaccines for major diseases. Hannah felt that her job was crucial; she was looking for a way use heightened DNA like that of the super soldiers or enhanced heroes to strengthen potential vaccines for looming diseases that were beneath the earth's surface. Tony was fighting global warming to the best ability that he could. Doctors realized early on that there were a multitude of diseases lurking in the earth that had been dormant for hundreds of years. Our bodies would not stand a chance against the bacteria if it got to the point of infecting our immune system. Hannah was fighting to change that.
She walked down the hall, yawning and stretching to combat the 4 hours of sleep she was running on. "Good morning," she mumbled as she walked into the examination room to put on her latex gloves.
"I missed you, Hannah," Bucky replied all too quickly before blushing slightly. Hannah gave a small smile as she began their normal routine.
"So, was it fun?" she asked lazily. She was a little over the media hype of the recent weeks. She hadn't seen Bucky in 3 weeks, so she wasn't really sure how to approach the subject anyways.
"You could say that. It was tiring, but definitely not as tiring as you look right now," he responded as she motioned for him to lay back on the table. Bucky stared up into her eyes, hoping that she would return his gaze, but she continued to examine his body without fault.
"Well, I've been busy with research while you all were gone. I have some reports to present to the council next week, so I've been anxious to get the ball rolling on a few mock vaccines."
It was silent for a few minutes as Hannah listened to his heartbeat and wrote on her clipboard. Bucky felt a large disconnect from her, which hurt him as he was used to their weekly routine of joking around and asking her for advice. "Did you see any of the conferences?" he asked as she looked up at him.
"Yes, James. I saw them all." The look on her face was indescribable: anger, distance, heartbreak, and carelessness. He realized what it was: disappointment. She was never really good at hiding her emotions. "You looked very handsome. The world fell for the Winter Soldier," she continued before turning to the garbage to throw out her gloves.
"Did you?" Bucky asked just above a whisper. Hannah turned to see the man sitting before her. That's what he was, right? He was just a man. He looked scared. He looked like he craved warmth and understanding in the midst of the confusion he was thrown into. His bun was falling apart as he looked up into her soft eyes.
"No, Bucky, I like the guy that I talk to every week. The guy that is trying to be better, the guy that's learning to fit in, the guy that's unafraid to look at life lightly. The Winter Soldier is brutal and hungry and mysterious. That's not you. At least, not anymore. I know you," she stated pointedly.
Unsure of what to do, Bucky pulled his flannel back on over his t-shirt and stood up awkwardly. "There were people wearing shirts with my star symbol on it. It was weird," he spoke as he leaned against the counter on the opposite side of the room.
"Yeah, well, you all wanted to make the world believe they needed you and now they worship you," Hannah quipped as she cleaned up the examination room a bit. Her research had fled into this room as well over the past few weeks.
"It sounds like you don't agree with all of this," Bucky commented. He watched her move about the room, never looking up at him.
After a loud sigh and a roll of her shoulders she stopped dead in her tracks to say, "the world doesn't need the Avengers, okay?" with a slight bitter tone to it.
"Is everything okay, Hannah?" Bucky asked after a moment of silence. She turned to stare straight into his eyes without any hesitation.
"Look, while you all have been gone convincing the world that they can't go on without you, the rest of us have been breaking our backs doing our own hero work, okay? I didn't spend almost a decade of my life in school becoming a doctor to take vitals on completely healthy patients once a week. I'm here to change the world. I may not have super strength or super money or super aim like the sugar-coated Avengers the world has been fed, but by God I will not stand by and watch this world go into the future unprepared. I'm not here for clean-up; I'm here to set things straight before they can go south. Do you understand? While Captain America danced around on stage with models dressed in red, white, and blue for the past month, I've come up with a theory to prevent the general population from dying of the Bubonic plague if that were ever to uncover from the earth's surface. So forgive me for not exactly needing the Avengers," she ranted.
At the end of her rant, Hannah felt a sudden rush of embarrassment rush over her as she turned to collect her things to leave. The exhaustion was setting in; she could feel her mouth become dry and her stomach tighten at the need for fuel.
"Hannah, I-" Bucky started after her. She shook her head as she kept walking down the hall.
"I can't talk, I'm going to be late for my niece's career day at school where I will be explaining to the kids that my job is just as cool as being an Avenger."
The next week went by in a blur. Hannah's research was being looked over by several boards to determine whether or not they could try her theory. She'd not been into her office while traveling around the country to speak with colleagues. Eventually, Hannah realized that she had not been at the compound in two weeks. Exhausted from another day of presentations, Hannah fell onto her hotel bed with a thud and sighed. The words she said to Bucky had haunted her since the moment she left the building, but she was too proud to call him. She told herself that she would apologize as soon as she returned to work.
As she waited for room service to arrive, Hannah flipped through the tv channels nonchalantly until she came to a halt on an interview with the Winter Soldier. There he was. Bucky was dressed in a nice suit, appearing on a late-night talk show to address his newly acquired fame and iconicism. Hannah almost turned it off, but she couldn't help but watch it; something about Bucky seemed different.
"You know, I think the world really likes how thoughtful and charming you are. You're so down to earth...you're like that guy all the girls want to talk to, but they don't know what to say to a face that dashing," the talk show host joked. "You're just what the Avengers needed!"
Bucky smiled, but the smile never really reached his eyes. Hannah knew he was thinking over his reply intently. "That's the thing though: the Avengers don't need me, really. I'm just another guy. We're all just people that want to do something good for the world. We're not the only heroes around. The world may need us, and we of course need the world to provide us with something to fight. But I think there are a lot of heroes that go unseen in our daily lives that deserve some credit. While we're fighting the bad guys, we've got policemen and firefighters on our tails to support us. Moms and dads teaching kids wrong from right. Teachers educating kids about history and science, all things that are integral to our understanding of each other as humans. And my favorite: doctors. I used to really hate doctors, considering my past, but I've recently come to see just how important our health is. At the end of the day we only have our bodies and we're only given one."
The talk show host looked a bit stunned, but replied smoothly with, "Charming, handsome, and an advocate for the hard working service people we all know. Is there truly anything wrong with you?"
The audience laughed and screamed and fawned over Bucky. Hannah smiled and could feel her heartbeat in her ears and her skin was flushed and after weeks without seeing this man, he could make her feel needed from half a country away. The world would see Bucky as an every man's man with those comments, but she knew that they were meant for her.
As soon as the show ended, she picked up her cell phone to call Bucky. "Hello?" he asked.
"Did you mean what you said?" Hannah asked quietly. Bucky's heart dropped upon realizing who was calling him. He was sitting in a car taking him back to the compound from the city after the show.
"Every word."
It was quiet for a minute. Hannah didn't know what to say. She never called him before. She only had his number for emergencies, and even if this had been an emergency, she wasn't even really sure if she could talk to him then.
"So I realized something the other day," Bucky spoke slowly.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Hannah asked curiously.
"A few weeks ago...at the compound...you called me Bucky."
It was quiet again, Bucky waiting for a response while Hannah tried to think of something clever to say. She was still just in shock that she called him. "Hannah?" he asked.
"Well, I said it because I know you. I know Bucky. I don't know the Winter Soldier. And I don't think I ever really knew James either. But I know you," she said quietly. Bucky could feel himself involuntarily smiling at her response.
"I'd like to know you, Hannah. Can I call you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Sure, I'll see you in a few days?"
"I'll be here."