Day: 837 - July 4, 2014
"Go down to the cafe on floor forty-two," Bryn said to the caterer's assistant, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "There's two more cases of root beer and enough Sam Adams to stage another revolution. Take someone with you, bring it all up." The young man gave her a nod, waving to one of the other staff as he headed for the elevator. Bryn paused, clutching her StarkPad to her chest.
The roof deck of Avengers tower was a bustle of activity, the scent of charcoal heavy in the air. She glanced around, taking note of Phil, leaning into Pepper slightly with a conspiratorial smile as they watched Tony and Rhody assemble something that looked suspicious like mechanized lawn darts. Bryn shook her head. That was not her problem.
"Make sure he gets a couple of those burgers well done," she instructed, turning toward the waiter manning the buffet table and waving a hand at the grill chef who was emptying another package of hot dogs onto the grill. "Dr. Banner hates the site of blood."
"Great party," Clint grinned, swooping past her with a beer in one hand, an ice cream bar in the other and a red white and blue party hat sitting, lopsided, on his head.
"It's not my party I'm just the slave driver," Bryn grinned at him. Clint leaned over, brushing a kiss on her cheek and shifting his beer to the same hand as his ice cream so he could snatch a hot dog from the warming tray.
"Row, slaves! Row!" he instructed with a teasing grin.
"And you wonder why no one likes you!" Bryn called after him as he fairly bounced across the roof deck of Avenges tower to where Natasha and Darcy were deciding how best to weigh down a twister mat. The DJ at the far end of the deck was spinning an odd mix of band music and top forty. A warm breeze stirred the air and the summer sun made the cloudless sky a vibrant blue. Bryn gave a satisfied sigh checking over the buffet table.
"Bryn would you mind terribly checking on Sgt. Barnes?" Jarvis' voice asked tentatively in her ear. She swallowed down the deviled egg she'd snuck from the buffet tray, looking around cautiously. She spied the black pair of Converse One Stars and shook her head.
"I've got him," she confirmed, moving off across the deck. "Don't let Jane near the grill."
"Understood," Jarvis agreed as she crept up to the azalea hedge that separated the upper and lower decks.
"What are you doing hiding back here?" she asked, leaning around one of the potted evergreens with a frown.
"I'm not hiding," Bucky snapped gruffly. Bryn stared at him in silence a moment, clutching her StarkPad to her chest. Finally she stepped a little closer, slipping into the cramped space between the decks and sinking down on the planter across from him.
"Nothing's going to happen," she insisted, taking hold of his metal hand and gently turing it so that he was looking at the bracelet he wore. "Jarvis has all the codes, if anything goes wrong he'll shut down your arm and restrain you. You can't hurt anyone."
"It's not that," he shook his head. "I trust him." Bryn smiled, giving his hand a squeeze even though he couldn't actually feel it.
"What is it then?" she asked gently.
"It's… it's the height," he admitted finally. "I got close to the edge and I…" he froze up, his breath arresting in his chest.
"Easy," Bryn soothed, setting her StarkPad aside and taking hold of his other hand as well. "steady breaths, like Sam taught you." he let the air out of his lungs in a whoosh, gulping in oxygen.
"I don't understand," he lamented when he was once more steady, his eyes shining. "I was never afraid of heights! I never."
"You remember falling from the train," Bryn said softly. Bucky stiffened, his jaw working silently as if in protest until finally it snapped shut and he gave her a clipped nod.
"That's a good thing," Bryn insisted firmly. "I know right now it doesn't seem like it, but Bruce said that getting all your memories back was the best thing for you in the long run. Even the bad stuff."
"I don't want to remember," Bucky admitted softly.
"I wouldn't want to either," Bryn nodded. "Why don't you let me take you down to your suite? I'll tell everyone you were tired, it'll be fine." Bucky shook his head.
"I want to stay for the cake," he admitted, his voice cracking. Bryn gave him a smile, leaning back to look round the deck.
"Jarvis, where's Thor?" she asked. As if summoned the Asgardian appeared, his wide shoulders barely fitting into the cramped space. He reached out, grasping Barnes by the shoulder with an understanding smile.
"Come my friend," he declared, drawing Bucky into a one armed hug and forcibly steering him away. "I am told that the Yankees are to take the field of battle against the Gemini."
"Twins," Bucky corrected with a frown. "I hate the Yankees, aren't the Dodgers playing today?"
"Thanks Jarvis," she sighed into her com.
"I'm monitoring him closely," Jarvis assured. "I'm sure he'll be fine."
"It's the first time we've got him outside of Steve's suite," Bryn frowned,sweeping up her StarkPad and heading back toward the bar just as the catering staff returned with a restock of the beverages. "It'd be a good thing if this went well."
"The party itself appears to be flawless," He remarked. "Ms. Potts has asked me to convey her deep appreciation of you sacrificing your holiday in order to coordinate for us."
"You know I don't mind," Bryn chided warmly. "It's actually been kind of fun."
"Apart from the incident with the hamburger buns?" Jarvis inquired teasingly.
"We are never talking about that again," Bryn scowled, straightening the plastic cutlery on the table.
"The birthday cake has arrived," he remarked, his tone amused. "Shall I have it sent up."
"No, have them put it in the fridge," Bryn stated thoughtfully. "It's too warm out here for it to sit out and no one's going to want cake until they've finished scarfing down burgers." She turned, coming face to face with Steve, a hotdog in one hand and half of a distressingly large hamburger in the other.
"Have you seen Bucky?" he asked, his tone more curious than distressed as he scanned the roof deck.
"He's with Thor," Bryn replied, waving a hand in the direction of the outdoor seating area that ringed the weather proof television. Steve's brow furrowed slightly as he gazed across the roof.
"Are they braiding each other's hair?" he asked finally.
"Don't be an old man," Bryn scolded lightly. "It's the 21st century." He watched in silence a moment longer, slowly demolishing the remains of his hamburger. She glanced over at him with a fond smile when she finished rearranging the napkins.
"Steve, you're not wearing your Legacy Pin," She observed with a frown. He turned to her with a perplexed look.
"My what now?"
"Oh my goodness you must have one," She declared with a disapproving frown. "Didn't SHIELD give you a pin with a shield and the Strategic Scientific Reserve logo on it?"
"It was in his effects," Tony Stark informed, reaching around Steve's broad shoulders to snag a hot dog. "I know, I packed it myself when dad died."
"I, remember it," Steve admitted cautiously as Sam half shoved him out of the way to get to the ketchup. "But I didn't give it any thought, the army gave me a whole drawer full of medals after I… died."
"Honestly," Bryn sighed, shaking her head as she fished in her pocket. "All of the members of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, the Howling Commandos, the infantry support services, the men you rescued from that Hydra base, they all share a legacy. You've been going around to Memorial and Veteran's days and July fourth celebrations for three years without your Legacy Pin? It's a wonder you didn't cause a scandal."
"Well it's not like anyone told me what it was," He stated blushing.
"You can wear mine for today," She said, reaching up to fuss with the lapel of his shirt. "But don't forget, I want it back. There, that's better." Steve blinked at her.
"Oh," she shrugged, her cheeks coloring a bright pink. "Granddad was in the 92nd, I got his pin when he died. He used to talk about you all the time. He said you dug a bullet out of his shoulder on your way to Italy."
"I remember that!" Steve insisted, wide eyed. "Rivera, skinny little kid."
"Yeah, he was seventeen," Bryn nodded, ducking her head. "he lied on his enlistment form so he could get in."
"Yeah," Steve nodded. "So did I. Why didn't you ever say anything?" She paused a moment, her lips curling up in a self-depreciating smile.
"They had reunions every five year right up until I started college," she said with a shrug. "I went to every one with my grandparents. You were… family. And then all of a sudden you were here and, I don't know, it just seemed kind of awkward." Steve stared at her in silence for a long moment, utterly speechless.
"So, you were looking after Cousin Steve in the big city so the parents don't worry?" he asked in a teasing tone.
"Dude, you're like, six years older than me!" Bryn rolled her eyes in exasperation. She let out a huff, her fond smile returning. "Thanks, by the way, for Granddad, if you hadn't got him out of that Hydra base, well…"
"My pleasure," Steve nodded, his fingertips straying to the pin on his shirt collar. He swallowed uncomfortably. "I'm going to check on Bucky."
"Son of a Bitch," Sam complained, watching him go.
"What?" Bryn asked cautiously, drawing back slightly under the perturbed looks of Sam and Stark.
"All I got him for his birthday are repulsors for his motorcycle." Tony huffed in irritation.
"Stark, tell me you did not put repulsors on his motorcycle!" Phil demanded. Tony made a face, darting across the deck and ducking out of Coulson's line of sight as Sam shook his head, giving Bryn a cheeky grin as she blushed. She bit her lip to hide her smile, turning instead to inspect the dessert table the caterers were setting up.
"Oh, hell no!" She choked out, wide eyed. The smile sliding off her face. "Those are Strawberries! Who authorized strawberries on the dessert table?" The pastry chef looked up at her owlishly as her eyes narrowed.
"There's only one thing the CEO of Stark Industries is allergic to!" She informed.
"Bryn?" The sound of Pepper's voice brought her up short and she spun on her toes to look up at the older woman with a cringing expression.
"I will deal with this," Bryn promised apologetically.
"It's fine," Pepper assured. "Strawberry short cake is Steve's favorite. I ordered it myself. I wasn't planning on touching any of the deserts beyond the birthday cake I should have mentioned it." Bryn let out a relieved sigh before turning to the pastry chef with a contrite expression.
"Sorry about that," she winced, but he waved her off with a disinterested expression, his attention already focused on torching the crème brûlée.
"I wanted to thank you personally," Pepper continued with a warm smile. "It was generous of you to agree to oversee the barbecue for us."
"Its all right, I didn't have plans for today," Bryn insisted. "And even if I am working, I'm still spending the day with friends."
"It's funny you should say that," Pepper acknowledged, linking her arm with Bryn's and leading her away. "An upbeat attitude like that is invaluable in this line of work."
"Tony Stark's personal party planner?" Bryn asked, her eyes dancing with amusement. Pepper let out a laugh.
"Heavens, no," Pepper shook her head.
"That's a relief," Bryn admitted.
"No, having seen you in action, I'd never let Tony have you," Pepper stated decisively. "No I was thinking about making you my personal assistant."
The sunny smile slid off of Bryn's face and she stared at the older woman with a stunned expression.
"This was a test?" she asked.
"Everything's a test, dear," Pepper informed practically, stopping when they'd reached a corner of the roof well out of ear shot. "You were aware that you were up for a promotion."
"For logistics," Bryn protested. "Or, I don't know, I was hoping maybe project supervision for R&D. Anyway, I sat that interview months ago and HR never called me back, I thought…"
"You came highly recommended by your department head," Pepper stated with a conspiratorial smile. "You have all the necessary qualifications. You were also the only candidate who'd actually defended Stark Industries' interests at risk to your own safety."
"But that was just," Bryn stared up at her wide eyed. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"For one thing, it tells me that you're extremely unlikely to betray the company," Pepper replied seriously. "And for another, Tony feels better when he knows my entourage will actively defend me in a crisis situation."
"No offense, Ms. Potts," Bryn shook her head. "But I'm pretty sure you don't need me to protect you."
"I'd certainly feel better with someone who would never endanger me," Pepper pointed out. "You'd be coordinating my schedule, handling my personal affairs, accompanying me to business meetings and PR events. I'd also be relying on you to assist in management of the business end of the Initiative."
"You… want me to keep track of your life and organize the Avengers?" Bryn asked in disbelief.
"Jarvis handles most of the scheduling and administrative tasks," Pepper explained. "The fact that you already work well with him was certainly a mark in your favor. None of my three secretaries seem comfortable with him. I need someone less managerial and more hands on."
"I… I don't know what to say," Bryn admitted with a hint of breathlessness.
"Of course, it's not the most relaxing job," Pepper allowed, her expression turning serious. "You'd be traveling a good deal, the hours are awful." There was a sharp yelp of surprise and they both looked up to see Clint gliding across the roof deck, doing a handstand on a skateboard.
"The, extended family are a bit problematic," Pepper added drolly, ignoring the crashing sound a moment later that made Bryn cringe. "However the compensation is nearly 40% over what you're making now." Bryn choked.
"Still, I certainly understand that you'll want to consider it carefully before you decide," she mused.
"I'd be stupid to turn you down," Bryn stated dazedly.
"No," Pepper shook her head. "I want you to listen to what I'm about to say carefully, because I think as a woman you need another, more experienced woman to tell you the truth. No choice you make for your own happiness or well being is stupid. I'm very keen to have you, and make no mistake, I'll go to great lengths to convince you to agree. But ultimately it is your life to live and if you make your choices based on money or the expectations of others you'll have missed out on all of the most important things. Truthfully, I think you might enjoy it. You're already used to the, colorful personalities that come with the job. "
"I'll… think about it," Bryn nodded slowly.
"Good," Pepper agreed, patting her arm. "I'd like an answer by the end of next week."
"Of course," She agreed, looking up at the redhead. "Ms. Potts? Thank you."
"Whatever you decide, I want you to know what an asset you are to us," Pepper stated firmly. "We're very lucky to have you in whatever capacity you choose." Bryn blushed, ducking her head as Pepper slipped away.
"Tony!" She snapped with an authoritative air. "Put that down! Why do you have a blowtorch at a barbecue?" Bryn drew in an unsteady breath, letting it out slowly.
"Jarvis?" she questioned hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"You… You knew all of this, didn't you?"
"I am privy to information that would not normally be available to most of the rank and file of Stark Industries," he admitted. She looked back over the roof deck for a moment before turning the handful of paces and slipping down the stairs that led from the deck to the launch balcony.
"We need to talk," she admitted, stepping out onto the deck, her hands curling gently around the rail.
"You do understand I was not able to divulge," Jarvis began worriedly.
"This isn't about that," Bryn shook her head. "Not entirely. Did you… call in favors to Ms. Potts to get me this job?" Jarvis didn't answer for a moment
"Our relationship does not function in that way," he said finally. "I was still very young when Ms. Potts began her tenure as Mr. Stark's personal assistant. One could say we learned a great deal from each other. She trusts my judgment and I made no secret of my confidence and admiration in you." Bryn bit her lip, the faintest smile tugging at her lips.
"I'm really not that qualified," she confessed.
"What you need to know is not available as a course of study in any university I am aware of," Jarvis supplied with a hint of amusement. "If you're unsure of your performance, do not be. I have no doubts you will do well."
"Are you sure you're not blinded by bias a little bit?" she asked hesitantly.
"You can hardly blame me if I was biased in favor of a friend and colleague over people I do not know," he chided. Bryn shook her head in frustration.
"You're going to make me spell this out, aren't you?" she demanded with a hint of anger. "Jarvis, did Ms. Potts offer me this job because of the way you feel about me?"
"Of course," he answered in surprise. "I'm sure our friendship played no small part in Ms. Potts assurance that you would be a trustworthy candidate. And that qualification alone is perhaps the most important."
"No," Bryn snapped, her lips pressing together in a hard line as her eyes misted. "Don't do that. You know, for the longest time I thought it was just me. I thought if you could feel that way you'd say something, because you've never had a problem with self expression. But you won't will you?"
"Bryn, I'm not entirely sure what you mean," he admitted hesitantly. She brushed at her eyes with a heavy sigh.
"I'm saying I love you, I have for a long time," she confessed. "And I can't… pretend any more that all these things you do are because we're friends. Because friends don't steal super suits to rescue you off a roof. And they don't pull out all the stops to get you an executive tier position at a fortune 500 company."
"I'm not," His voice trailed off and Bryn couldn't help but smile sadly, Jarvis flustered was probably the most painful and amusing thing she'd ever seen. "I, I could never be… intimate."
"I'm asexual," Bryn interrupted, her brow furrowing.
"Excuse me?" Jarvis prompted hesitantly.
"I'm in my twenties and in the whole time you've know me I've never had a boyfriend," Bryn pointed out. "I've only been on a handful of dates and most of them involved ice cream with Captain America. I thought you'd ask eventually. I'd have told you if you'd asked. But that's the one thing you won't pry into. So I have to wonder why."
"Bryn, I'm not foolish," Jarvis declared, hurt in his tone. "I can never hold your hand, or put an arm around you at the end of a bad day. I could never take you out or spend time with your family. I could never even be a topic of discussion among your friends."
"For being the smartest guy in the world you are such an idiot sometimes!" Bryn said, brushing at the tears that trailed down her cheeks. "Do you honestly think I don't know any of that? It hasn't mattered so far."
"It should," he insisted. "I'm your friend, I would never want to see you hurt if I could prevent it."
"Then tell me I'm wrong," she coaxed gently. "Tell me you don't feel the same way about me. Tell me that I read too much into our friendship, and I swear to you I will never bring it up again. You've done some things that made me want to tear my hair out, but you're not a liar. So you tell me the truth and I promise it'll be alright between us."
She could hear the party up on the roof and she closed her eyes, listening to the wind and the distant sound of traffic on Park avenue. She heard Clint laugh and the DJ spin a blues version of Star Spangled Man. She turned her face into the breeze and opened her eyes, watching the sun set between the skyscrapers. Jarvis didn't answer.
"That's the real Turing Test," She declared, turning to where she knew he was watching through the camera. "It's not about how well you can lie and fake and pretend to be something you're not. That isn't what life is, for any of us. It's about finding something inside to give away to someone else. And it doesn't matter if you ever admit it to me, you need to know that about yourself. It's what we feel that makes us alive." She drew in a long, slow breath, letting it out with a sigh.
"Bryn?" Jarvis began cautiously.
"Don't tell me," She let out a huff. "Darcy spiked Betty with tequila again."
"And Col. Rhodes," he added apologetically.
"I'm on it," she frowned, squaring her shoulders and turning toward the stairs.
"We're not done, you know," she added, ten steps up.
"I know."