Coulson

The saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" never really struck a chord with Phil. He was rather cynical himself, and he always found himself connecting this trait to the fact that his parents were often not around during his childhood. It hadn't made him hate them or love them, it simply made them less crucial to his already factual mind. They weren't necessary for his development aside from the food, shelter and education they provided, especially since their absence made it hard for him to develop an emotional connection with them.

So when he died and came back, he hadn't been prepared for the reaction he had received. By his stunted social understanding, six months in the metaphorical grave (as far as the Avengers were concerned) should have made them emotionally cut all ties with him.

They shouldn't have cared.

Which was why he was a little shocked when his return had garnered crying, shouting, swearing, laughing, conspiracy theories, and (ironically) death threats. If he was being honest, he was relieved. In this exclusive case, he had dreaded being 'out of sight, out of mind', though he didn't really know why this group of people mattered so much to him. It was a little unnerving.

He was also shocked to find that he hadn't been the only one to come back from the dead. Bucky Barnes was now a part of the Avengers, and had been for close to a week when Phil decided to come clean about the whole 'still being alive' thing he had going on.

Phil was wary of Mr. Barnes, for all he admired the man when he was growing up, because whether they liked it or not, he was now a hardly-rehabilitated weapon of terrorism. The fact that he was living in the Tower made Phil nearly turn down Stark's invitation to move in as well.

Nearly.

The wariness hadn't been enough to make him refuse the pleading eyes of his two assets. Well, one of his assets. Clint was shameless in his puppy-eyed display, nearly whining under his breath to get Phil to agree. Natasha was a lot more subtle, casting a harsh eye over every person in the room, before resting her gaze on Phil with a slight twitch in her left eyebrow. In Natasha-Speak, that meant 'don't leave me alone with these nut-jobs'.

So he had stayed. And he had learnt he had a lot more to relate with Bucky than he'd thought. The man was also, to put it plainly, getting used to his own mind and body.

Phil could relate. He knew what it felt like to feel like his body wasn't his own, that it didn't fit him right, too tight in some places and too loose in others, like a hand-me-down bought at a dime store. To have memories and reactions that just didn't feel like his own. He saw the flailing confusion in himself, and he saw it in Bucky every time he laughed at something he had never laughed at before, or made a smart quip that he wasn't aware he could make, or felt an emotion he had no idea he was capable of feeling. There were days when the frustration got so bad, Bucky would recede into his shell and stay there for hours or days on end. Then there were days when Bucky rolled with the punches and kept going.

He noticed the humming one of those days when everything was going right. Clint and Natasha were sparring, Steve was teaching Tony to grapple while Bruce cheered for both of them from the side line ("It doesn't work like that, Bruce! Choose a side!" Tony wheezed from under Steve's arm). Bucky had just gotten off the weights and had sat next to Phil, who had just gotten off the treadmill.

They were both staring at the squalling group of what could be mistaken for over-sized 5 year olds, when Bucky began humming a tune under his breath. Phil eyed him for a moment, watching the way Bucky's eyes were trained intensely on Steve. Soon the humming turned to very soft singing, getting two lines out, before Bucky stopped short and cleared his throat.

Ah. Phil had been staring. He thought of a way to maybe change the topic, when Bucky cleared his throat carefully and spoke up.

"Steve says you're part of the gang now."

"What gang might that be, exactly?"

"The 'Should've Died But Somehow Didn't And Is Now, Against All Odds, Resurrected' gang." "That's a mouthful."

"It's a very exclusive gang, we needed the specifics."

"Well…glad to be part of the gang, then."

The silence ensued between them, now more comfortable than before with the silent agreement that the other wouldn't mention the humming or the song ever again. Phil was curious, of course, but decided to let the matter slide.

If he found himself humming the song under his breath late that night when Clint was exuberantly detailing how he had creamed Natasha in sparring ("He was there, Clint, there's no point in lying.") that was his own little secret.

And Natasha's, judging from the knowing look she had given him. There are no secrets from

Natasha.