Every part of Avery's body felt heavy when she stirred awake on Sunday morning. There had been worse mornings in her recent history but she still grumbled to herself with regret as she flipped over on the bed. It was empty on either side of her. She stretched her arms out and opened her eyes slowly, hissing quietly at the bright sun streaming in from the far window. A groan escaped her lips.
"Ah, sleeping beauty." Avery rolled her neck and looked towards the voice at the open door. There stood Sam, arms crossed, smirking at Steve who leaned against the door frame.
She groaned in response to Sam's comment. "It's weird to watch people sleep."
"Well, when you're the last one still in bed and we have a bet going on -
Steve swatted Sam's chest to cut him off.
"Fine. All I'm saying is Allie owes me five bucks." Sam laughed and nudged Steve's arm, heading away from the door. Steve headed into the room and sat down beside Avery on the bed.
"Happy to see you're alive," he said with a small smile, gently squeezing her hip. "How are you feeling?"
Avery opened one eye and looked up at him. "I've had worse mornings. Water last night helped I think." She sat up slowly and groaned as a wave of nausea rushed through her. "Or not. What time is it?"
"Half past nine." Steve stood and extended his hand to her. "Plenty of coffee and breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen."
"I didn't mean to sleep so late," Avery said quickly, shoulders slumping. "Sorry."
"Buck and I both thought you needed the rest," Steve replied softly, leaning in and kissing her forehead. "You probably need a shower, too. Maybe brush your teeth." He tussled her hair as he pulled away and she pouted.
"Wow. Okay, Rogers. Sweet to sassy in just one sentence, huh."
"That's the Avery formula, isn't it?" Steve wrapped her into a hug, pressing his lips against her forehead and face again and again and again. She giggled under him, closing her eyes and leaned against his chest.
"When you're done and packed up I can take your stuff to the car," Steve continued, releasing her from his arms and glancing towards her discarded pile of clothes spilling out of her duffle bag.
Avery's smile dropped slightly. Right. They were going back to the city that afternoon. After the anticipation of this weekend finally arriving, she was just as quickly reminded it was coming to an end. She gave Steve another kiss as he departed for the house, leaving her to pack and shower.
The cabin was safe. The lakehouse was a haven. If she could pause time and let them just live in a happy little bubble for the rest of time, everything would feel this content forever. But Avery knew life didn't work that way. She knew tomorrow brought back emails and laundry and groceries and missions and early morning alarm clocks.
But it also brought possibility.
Bucky woke up before Steve and Avery. He crawled out of bed alone, pausing to look back at them both sleeping peacefully. Overlapped with one another. Avery was dead weight - he had seen her sleep off a hangover before - but even with her hair in disarray and flushed face from the sun, God, she looked so lovely. And content. He reveled in the security for a few extra seconds, then quietly got dressed and headed out of the cabin.
The dewy grass was damp under his toes but the morning air felt refreshing deep in his lungs. Weeks ago, when Avery suggested this trip to the lakehouse, he had no idea what to expect. He had been nervous about a lot of it - meeting her family, especially her dad, topping the list of stressful activities. Everything worked out better than he expected and somehow, even with the temporary presence of a certain cretin, he was happy with how the weekend went. Happy. Was that the right word?
He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his zippered hoodie and made his way down towards the dock. The lake was peaceful first thing in the morning. A few birds echoed across the water, a family of ducks floated by. A strange feeling of serenity washed over him.
Peaceful.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, still, staring out across the lake. His head turned and looked back when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. There stood Lou, dressed in a wool cable knit sweater, shorts and ratty old sandals, carrying two mugs. He gave Bucky a small smile as he approached and stood at his side, offering him a mug of coffee.
Bucky happily accepted, murmuring a thank you.
Lou stared out, just as Bucky was. "This is always my favourite time of day. Even when the kids were little, even during any tour across the world. Break of dawn. It's a special silence."
Bucky took a long sip of his coffee, nodding along.
Lou let out a long breath. "I was in Bolivia in the late 80s. Our team was assisting in their War on Drugs. It was a shitshow, to be frank. Bad drug traffickers and evil, evil men complicit in some terrible things. I felt more like a mercenary than an army general."
Bucky nodded again.
Lou seemed to enjoy talking in stories and Bucky didn't mind.
"We were all dressed down one night. Visiting a safe space, this little Americanized pub near our base. It was late. We were ambushed out of nowhere. Me and this young kid on the team, a fresh faced private on his first tour, got swept up into this rickety old truck. Blindfolds, zip ties. We were locked up for two weeks in the darkness before someone rescued us. Two horrible, torturous weeks and I still think about them all the time. It comes back to me without warning, unexpected flashbacks."
Lou paused. "But you. You're standing here beside me. Hundred something years old. You've seen and done shit I can't even imagine, son. Yet you're here now. Years and years ago, I was at this event and one of your old comrades.. Jones, I met him and even after all those years, he spoke so valiantly about Sergeant Barnes and Captain America. That shit you did for the bad guys.. that you can't forget.. that's not your legacy. I want you to know that."
Bucky nearly collapsed to tears when Lou was done talking. It was overwhelming. Even on Bucky's best days, days where the sun shone bright and his past remained safely tucked away in his mind, it still lingered. All of it. Things he couldn't undo, even though he knew he had no control over his actions. But hearing the sentiment from Lou, a stoic military veteran, hit him differently. He wasn't sure he could articulate his gratitude.
Bucky's mouth opened eventually. "Thank you."
Lou's right arm extended out and clamped onto Bucky's left shoulder. "You're welcome, son. Now." He gripped Bucky's bicep. "Who can I talk to about getting a new piece of hardware like this?"
Avery eventually managed to get herself together. After a long shower, fighting off her nausea, she shoved all her clothes back into her bag and threw on a pair of denim shorts and an old tee, finishing her outfit off with one of Bucky's hoodies. Of course both he and Steve had carefully folded and packed their bags perfectly.
You can take the man out of the army..
As she made her way up towards the house, Sienna crossed her path. Avery was surprised when she was pulled into a hug with the girl.
"Hello to you too," Avery stuttered out, shocked by the tight embrace.
"I just wanted to.." Sienna pulled away and took a deep breath, pulling on the sleeves of her draped cardigan. "I told Luke about Charlie last night. Your, uh, attack inspired me to tell the truth."
Avery sighed, a relieved smile on her face. "I'm glad you told him. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. He was really good about it. Said he wished he would have punched him after all that, too." Sienna laughed, crossing her arms. "Men."
Avery's smile grew as she listened to Sienna. "I hate to admit it but I think I get it. I mean, leaping on him was pretty satisfying."
Sienna cut in. "But Captain America punching him in the face?"
Avery laughed in agreement. "Was even better."
"Luke said he's talking to his CO about Charlie tomorrow. I'm sure a broken jaw is going to be the least of his worries now." Sienna pulled her into another hug, then even kissed Avery on the cheek before heading back towards the cabin.
Yesterday, Steve had mentioned something about Avery not feeling guilty about the consequences that Charlie might have to deal with. And she knew she shouldn't feel even an ounce of remorse for him. But there was still a strange lingering feeling that she was the one who had done something wrong.
She bit her lip and headed up towards the house, sweeping past Kasey and Sam who were looking quite snugly on one of the small outdoor couches. Avery met her cousin's eyes for just a few seconds and wiggled her eyebrows. Kasey mouthed a friendly 'shut up' before Avery made it inside.
"Before any of you ask, no, I did not throw up," Avery glanced around the room, specifically pointing across the room to where Bucky and Allie were sitting at the dining table. She caught Bucky's gaze and smirk, then headed towards the kitchen. Steve was already pouring her a cup of coffee. "Thank you."
She took her mug and dropped down onto the chair beside Bucky, dramatically groaning and leaning into his side. He sighed with a smile and extended his arm over her shoulder. Steve sat across from them, beside Allie.
"You gonna live?" Bucky asked, rubbing his thumb against her shoulder.
"I may just sleep the whole way home," she responded, closing her eyes.
"So no annoying commentary from you or Sam on the drive? What a treat." Bucky squeezed her arm, getting a laugh from Steve and Allie.
"What? Is Sam not coming with us?"
"He's driving back with Kasey," Allie answered quickly, wiggling her shoulders excitedly. "She's trying to play it cool but she's totally smitten." Allie turned her head to look out the glass door to the deck, where Sam and Kasey were sitting and talking.
"I'm a matchmaker," Avery mumbled out triumphantly, nodding against Bucky. "Did I really make it out of bed before Lora and Nash?" She turned her head to look around the room. She could hear a shower running upstairs.
"Lora was up puking around four this morning so I let her stay in bed, but sounds like she's finally been reborn," Allie answered, sweeping her hair over her shoulder as she stood. "There's some bacon and potatoes warming in the oven still if you want to eat?" She headed back towards the kitchen area to replenish her coffee.
"Your brother is out in the garage with Luke and your dad," Steve continued, stretching out against the back of his chair. "Looked a bit worse for wear though."
"Dad doesn't let Nash enjoy his hangovers usually." Avery moved from beside Bucky and leaned forward onto her arms as they rested on the table. "I'm not drinking until the wedding now, I swear."
From above them, a pitter patter of steps sounded out. Avery tilted her head to look across the room where her sister was emerging and slowly moving down the wooden staircase. Lora looked pretty rough - her hair was thrown into a bun and she was hiding behind a pair of sweatpants and a plain tank top. Allie greeted her at the bottom of the stairs with a mug of coffee.
Lora groaned out a 'thank you' to her fiancée then paused at the dining table, surveying the group. From the pocket of her sweatpants, she pulled out two small envelopes, dropping them in front of Steve and Bucky.
"You two are both officially wedding guests," Lora said with a smile, taking over Allie's chair beside Steve. "Well, Bucky I already marked down with Avery. Now, I know you have world crises to solve and bad guys to wrangle but you're both on the seating chart so we'd love for you to come."
Avery's face lit up as she pushed up off the table. "Do you travel with extra wedding invitations?"
"She has a whole wedding kit," Allie answered. "It's basically the third person in our relationship." Allie's eyes flicked over to Avery's with a coy smile. Avery returned a raised eyebrow to her.
"Wow, this is so kind of you both," Steve jumped in, grabbing a hold of the white envelope in front of him. He looked across the table to Avery and Bucky, who were looking at Bucky's invitation, too. "I'd love to attend."
Lora clapped her hands together excitedly, leaning back in her chair and glancing up towards Allie. "Great. So, do we start the debate now? Who looks better in a suit - Steve or Bucky?"
"Lo." Avery shot her sister an amused glance across the table. "Really?"
"What? I'm only human, Ave."
"Definitely Steve," Bucky said with a smirk, running his hand against Avery's back. "He's got a real Humphrey Bogart look to him in a suit."
Lora tilted her head. "Isn't Humphrey Bogart a Harry Potter character?"
Their conversation carried on as Avery remained resting on the table. She sipped her coffee and watched, feeling comforted by the fact that her family welcomed both Steve and Bucky in so easily. Not that it came as a surprise to her - they were both polite, respectful and friendly. Maybe Steve was a bit more social but Bucky had come out of his shell as the weekend progressed.
Truthfully, if she thought too hard about it, her blossoming relationship with Bucky and Steve scared her. A lot. As if it was too good to be true. Even having just Bucky as a boyfriend seemed like an unexpected blessing but to have them both? To now have the fear she could lose them, too?
What if they changed their mind? What if she changed her mind? What if this weekend had been an anomaly - a romantic idea that won't work when they get back to the city?
What happens when her anxious brain goes from being an endearing issue they want to help her with to feeling more like an annoying burden?
She knew it was inevitable, right? This couldn't last forever.
God, it always killed her when that little door labeled 'Doubts' opened up in her mind and flooded everything else. But it made sense? The last time she thought she had everything figured out, when she figured her life was on track or something, she disappeared and lost five years of her life. So suddenly, the good feelings she was relishing in seemed to grow smaller and smaller because it couldn't last forever, right?
Bucky's hand on her back brought her back from the haunting thoughts. He offered to go grab her something to eat but she shook her head, shifting to lean on him again. "You should eat something."
She shook her head again. "I'm okay right here."
They wanted to be on the road just after noon. The traffic would likely be heavier getting back into the city as everyone returned before the work week began again. Avery was really dragging her feet about leaving. Lora, Allie and Nash were staying another night with Lou and Suzanne and she was jealous of their extra time.
Steve had grabbed their bags from the cabin and after Avery went back to do one last look for anything she might have left behind, it was Nash waiting for her out on the lawn. She was dreading the conversation that was about to happen. Nash hadn't spoken to her directly since the Charlie incident the day before, instead distracting himself with the July 4th celebrations and plenty of beer. Admittedly, Avery didn't mind his aversion to the topic. Maybe it was easier to not mention it out loud ever again. Yet, there he stood. For the first time in a while, dressed in plain cargo shorts and an old band tee, Nash looked like her brother, not an active military serviceman. He was guarded, shoulders slumped, arms crossed. He looked human.
Nash didn't say anything as he threw his arm across her shoulders, steering her towards the picnic table down the lawn. She sat on the top of the table, legs dangling as he stood in front of her.
"We don't have to do this, you know," Avery started, tangling her hands together in her lap. "You don't have to-
"Avery, can you just let me.." Nash paused, taking a deep breath. He shuffled his feet for a second. "You should have told me about Charlie."
Avery opened her mouth to argue but Nash raised his hand to stop her before she started. She gripped the edge of the picnic table behind her knees.
"But I know why you didn't." He swallowed hard. "I'm also fucking mad that after everything that happened yesterday, I wasn't even surprised. I know Charlie and I know how he talks about women yet.. I'm just.. I'm disappointed in myself, I guess. Which is stupid, considering you're the one who has been dealing with it after all this time.."
"Hey," Avery reached her hand out to grab his wrist. "Stop. I mean, maybe consider saying something when your friends are assholes to women but.. this isn't your fault, Nash. And I'm fine, really. I mean, I'm angry as hell but that comes and goes." She tugged on his wrist so he'd look at her. "If it gives you peace of mind, Bucky has been teaching me self defense moves so if I ever have a Charlie-like situation again, I can handle it."
Nash let out a huff but turned up a smile as he looked at her. "That does make me feel a bit better, I guess." He stopped as if to consider what he was going to say next but stopped himself.
"What?" Avery narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't think now is the time to hold back whatever you're contemplating."
"He's a good guy.. Bucky." Nash started slow. "And I'm saying this because I love you and you're my sister: I don't think I'll ever be able to trust him around you. Not completely."
Avery pursed her lips and dropped her brother's hand. She took in a sharp breath. "That's..fine. It doesn't really matter to me if you trust him. You need to trust me." Her head shook slightly.
"I don't want to see you get hurt, Avery Ray." Nash didn't have to clarify if he meant hurt emotionally or physically - Avery knew he would be concerned about both.
She didn't need to defend Bucky because it didn't matter. It really didn't. But she still felt a protective hardening of her chest. "Bucky is a good person who had no say in what happened when he was a prisoner. I can understand why you're feeling defensive or whatever, but it's not fair to hold that against him. He already lives with the guilt and the last thing he needs is other people reminding him of it, too." Avery cut herself off and took a deep breath. "I love you, Nash. And I'm grateful to have you looking out for me. But I'm okay and I know for a fact that Bucky would never let anything bad happen to me - at his hands or otherwise."
Both Bucky and Steve had made it very clear they were taking on the role of protectors in her life. She was appreciative but had a feeling it might get suffocating. Between those two and Nash, she felt even stronger desires to prove herself capable of independence and her own safety.
Nash pursed his lips. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'm on your team, Ave." He reached out and pulled her off the table, wrapping her in a hug. "Just be careful, okay?"
Avery nodded as she pulled away. "I will be careful. I promise." She stretched out her arms and bounced on her feet a few times. "Now, I'm still feeling a bit hungover but wanna try and attack me? I'll show you what I've learned."
From up above on the deck, Steve, Bucky, Suzanne and Lou were watching as Avery and Nash spoke on the lawn. Steve was actively trying not to listen as it wasn't his place but some phrases and words were easy to pick up. If he could hear it, Bucky likely could, too, though he was wrapped up in a conversation with Suzanne.
"Hey!" Lou leaned over the deck as he watched Nash pull Avery into a headlock. "Cut that out."
"She was bragging about her self defense lessons," Nash argued for himself, gently pulling Avery down to the ground. "You've got some work to do, Bucky."
Avery pushed on her brother's chest and tried to wiggle away. Her voice was muffled by his arms. "I have regrets."
"Good lord," Lou muttered out, turning and slapping his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "God bless you for dealing with her."
Bucky smirked and moved to the edge of the deck, watching as Avery gave up and laid on her back, conceding to her brother. "I guess we're starting up the lessons again, doll."
Soon enough, everyone seemed to be gathering to depart from the driveway. Luke and Sienna pulled away first, then Sam and Kasey.
Avery hugged her dad more than once, confirming he'd be in the city in a few weeks and that they'd arrange dinner. She surprised even herself by giving Suzanne a hug too, expressing her gratitude to her for looking after their dad.
She'd see everyone else soon enough, either for Lora's bachelorette party or in just over a month at the wedding. It still felt bittersweet - having looked forward to the weekend for so long, what was next? As she climbed into the backseat after Bucky and Steve said their own goodbyes, handshakes and hugs going around, she sunk into the seat. Next? Just the beginning of everything.
Avery did doze off in the backseat for a while as they started their drive back to Brooklyn. She bundled herself in a sweatshirt and curled up against the window, sleeping off her remaining nausea. She only woke when the car slowed down and Bucky's hand was reaching back to squeeze her knee.
"Doll," Bucky smirked at her as she stretched out her arms, glancing out the window. "You hungry?"
They were pulled off at a small rest stop and gas station beside a mountain lookout. The boys figured a late lunch was in order and the taco truck in the parking lot seemed like a good option. And Avery was finally feeling like she could stomach something to eat.
They ordered tacos and quesadillas and tostadas, taking over a picnic table with a green mountain view. It was quiet and calm. When they got back to the car, Avery stole the passenger seat while Steve drove.
"So." Avery took a deep breath, dropping her oversized cup of soda into the cup holder and turning towards Steve. She tilted her head to get Bucky's attention in the backseat. "I guess now is as good a time as any." She pulled one of her legs up, hugging her knee towards her chest.
Steve's eyes flicked to the rear view mirror and he smiled at Bucky. Avery could hear Bucky laughing in the backseat.
She took a deep breath. "I have no idea how this is going to work. Short of Googling 'how to date two people' this is completely new territory to me. I guess what I'm trying to find the words to say here is I want this to be.. all of us. Not like two or three separate pairings. Does that make sense? Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you separately. Or that you two can't spend time together without me. But when it's the three of us it just feels so right and I don't know. I've just never felt like this before and the idea of explaining this to anyone else but you two is so intimidating and -
"Ave?" Bucky tried to cut her off.
"Not to mention how this will work in the bedroom. I mean, I've had sex with you both now and those experiences were awesome in their own ways. Oh my god, I'm sorry. I don't think awesome is an appropriate descriptor. But what about all three of us? Because I'm thinking if it can be that good with two, maybe with three…" She shook her head and shrugged. "I've never had a threesome before and I would never encourage something you both didn't want to -
"Sweetheart." It was Steve trying to jump in this time.
"Do we tell people we're all dating? Oh my god, does Sam know? Allie definitely figured it out. And if she tells Lora and Lora tells my dad.. not that I'm embarrassed or ashamed of either of you or this but I think it's hard to explain and people may not understand. Is that selfish? I like this happy little bubble we're in and I don't want to lose it." She finally stopped, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Sorry, I just.. have a lot of thoughts." She tangled her hands together and glanced at Bucky then to Steve again. They both had coy smiles on their face.
She sighed and leaned back into the passenger seat. "Oh my god, can one of you please contribute."
Steve nodded. "Ave, you brought up a lot of important things -
Bucky piped in. "A lot -
"But keep in mind Buck and I haven't done this before either. I haven't even dated since Sharon and well, he hasn't had a girlfriend this century until we met you."
Bucky nudged his foot into the seat. "Hey."
"Oh, stop." Steve laughed. He paused and adjusted his hands on the wheel. "Now, I'm not saying we should go shout it from the rooftops to everyone but .. one step at a time. I also think what you said was exactly what I'm feeling: this is about all three of us."
She scrunched her face together for a moment. "I'm just worried there's going to be.. a strange imbalance."
Bucky's eyes flicked to the mirror again and met Steve's. "What do you mean, doll?"
"That! That's what I mean. Sometimes you two talk without saying anything and it mainly doesn't bother me but it also makes me feel like I'm on the outside. Like, of course, you're allowed to have things just between the two of you. I don't want to be selfish here. But what happens when.. okay. Bucky, say you're on a mission and Steve takes me out on a date. Would that bother you?"
"Course not." Bucky leaned forward on the backseat and looked between them. "I'd feel better knowing you have each other while I'm gone. I mean, I'd be jealous I don't get to be there, too."
Avery smiled softly. "Okay. Now what if you weren't away on a mission? What if we're all in the city and Steve wanted to take me to dinner or you two just want to.." She paused, face falling. Her breath picked up as she turned away from them both.
"Avery," Bucky reached his hand between the seats and held onto her shoulder. "The last thing we want is you to get worked up over the logistics of this. I don't want it to be this complicated."
She sucked in a sharp breath, looking straight ahead at the road. "You two have known each other for a lifetime. You've only known me for a few months. I guess I just want to be clear that if you ever want to spend time alone, without me, that it's okay. I don't want this to ever be two on one."
Steve let out a long exhale and glanced over at her for a moment. "I think if we all go into this the same way.. as a team, we'll be able to figure all of this out. And listen, even if I've known Bucky since the 30s, it doesn't mean the relationship we have with you has less value. It's not about longevity or seniority."
"So maybe sometimes you won't wanna join me and Stevie at the Bijou. Or he'll take you out for dinner without me. Or you an' me will watch some dumb TV show Stevie doesn't like. I dunno. I'm not an expert but I don't think that makes this -" Bucky motioned between the three of them. "It doesn't make it any less important." He smiled to himself. "Or special. This is special."
Half a smirk appeared on Steve's face as he looked in the mirror at Bucky again. "And you think I'm the sap.." Bucky reached up and nudged his shoulder. "We're a team."
Avery let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and nodded. She smiled and nudged his arm. "Okay, Cap."
There was a short moment of silence before Bucky spoke up again. "Now, can we talk about the - how did you describe it, doll? - awesome sex Avery has been having?"
Avery rolled her eyes and shifted to turn and look at him. "Bucky."
"Isn't this the next important discussion?"
She narrowed her eyes and he raised an eyebrow. A playful challenge.
"Fine. I'm only having this conversation if you two are completely honest with me right now."
"Honest about what?" Steve asked.
She crossed her arms and broke her eye contact with Bucky, sitting forward again. "I want to know if you were both.. blessed by God or if the serum helped you out. Below the waist."
Steve let out an uncomfortable cough and he knew he was blushing.
Bucky smirked. "Blessed by the good Lord, doll."
Steve laughed. "Oh, bullshit."
Avery's head snapped to the left and she looked at Steve. He wasn't one for curse words very often.
Bucky raised an eyebrow. "What was that, punk?"
Steve shook his head and looked to Avery for a brief moment. "You saw the photos of me before the serum. All of me got about 40% bigger after the fact. That's the truth." Steve paused and looked in the rear view mirror again. "Buck and I were pretty close growing up so I will argue that some of him was a bonus.."
"Couldn't just let me have this, huh, Stevie?"
Avery just laughed at their banter, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Well, have either of you had a threesome before? Because that is uncharted territory for me but may be worth exploring?"
Steve laughed and shook his head. "This is really not the road trip conversation I anticipated." He paused. "I have not."
She turned and looked at Bucky over her shoulder.
"Not in a long time," he answered with a shrug. "Stevie, help me out here. I remember the cute blonde from the diner on Avenue J.." He paused. "I think she was blonde. She had a red headed friend. They were very friendly." He smiled to himself again.
"Wow, did not ask who the threesome was with." Avery replied with a skeptical glance.
"What can I say, doll? Bucky in his dress uniform was quite the ladies man."
Avery rolled her eyes. "Too bad Bucky from this century lost his touch."
Steve choked on a laugh again. "He won you over somehow."
"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Avery vaulted back at Steve, with a dramatic shrug. "Guess I'm stuck here now."
"He grows on you. Like a lost puppy."
"I don't think I like the two of you ganging up on me like this," Bucky leaned into the backseat again, arms crossed. "I thought we were a team."
Steve felt more content than he had in months. While he would admit he found Avery's anxiety about their new triple relationship to be a bit irrational, he was sharing a lot of the same fears. It was funny - she was worried about feeling like she was on the outside with him and Bucky but Steve was mirroring those concerns himself.
It was Bucky and Avery who hit it off first. Steve was the outsider when it came to the entire romantic relationship and how could he compare? Even if he had been alongside for most of their relationship anyway, the intimacy was different.
When they finally made it to Brooklyn, Steve followed Avery to her apartment while Bucky headed up to check in his own and grab a shower. Avery was rambling on about dinner, complaining that she needed groceries but would debate on the merits of ordering in pizza instead. Steve deposited her bags inside her bedroom doorway while she immediately started reviewing her plants to see how they survived the weekend.
"Frank, you're flourishing!" Steve smiled as she reviewed the small tree in the corner.
Avery paused before Steve fell onto her couch, perching upwards onto her toes to kiss him. "I forgot your birthday card here! It's on the table." She pulled away with a small smile. "I'm just gonna go see if Bea is home." She pointed towards the envelope sitting beside her laptop then skirted towards the door.
Steve smiled as he watched her leave. She was certainly bouncing back from her hangover well enough. He changed his path from the couch to her kitchen table, picking up the blue envelope. Upon opening it, he found a card that was likely designed for children with a leaping photograph of Captain America on the front. The top of the card read Happy 10th Birthday but Avery had squished in a six after the zero.
"Of course," he said to himself quietly, grinning. Inside there was a cute scrawled message from Avery, decorated with hearts and hand drawn smiles. Three pieces of paper fell out next - a set of tickets to an upcoming summer baseball game at Yankee Stadium, against the Red Sox. The sticky note on top of them read 'Date Night?'
His cheeks went a rosy pink. She must have written that before their weekend away but predicted a date night between the three of them anyway. He tucked the tickets back into the card and left the envelope on the table. Before he turned to go sit on the couch, he noticed the stack of file folders sitting on the other side of her laptop.
Steve wasn't sure what pulled him to look closer at them but some part of his mind encouraged his gaze to narrow onto the sticky note on top of the folder. He walked around the table and turned the folder to read it more clearly. There was a small list:
who is Karl Malus?
CDC or FDA approved?
Synthetic vs natural? Tasmania?
That all seemed unusually familiar. Tasmania.. That was where their mystery non-metal metal sleytium originated. Did he know the name Karl Malus? He started to open the folder when he heard Avery at the door again. She came inside with a smile, holding a plate of something.
"Bea made banana bread," Avery explained, placing the plate down on her island. "No chocolate chips though so is it even worth it?" She shrugged and broke off a piece of the baking and met Steve's eyes. She looked to where he was standing beside the table.
Steve ignored the folders and reached for the card again, meeting her at the island. "Thank you for this." He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I wanted to go to a game this summer. Now I'll even get to watch the Red Sox lose, it's a perfect gift."
Avery just smirked. "You wish, punk." She chewed on another piece of banana bread then let out a breath. "Bea said some maintenance guy was trying to get into my apartment this weekend. That's weird right? I mean, I've been reporting issues with my shower for months but for them to follow up on a holiday weekend is strange.." Avery trailed off, crossing her arms and glancing around her apartment.
Steve's shoulders went stiff as he listened to her. "She didn't let him in though?"
"No, she was on her way out and found it odd. He didn't leave a name but she said he was wearing a maintenance jumpsuit so it must have been legitimate." Avery tipped her head back and sighed. "It would be nice to have normal water pressure in the shower again."
Steve just nodded along with her, eyes scanning the room. While he had a handful of questions about the folders on her table, now his brain was buzzing with even more concern. It was possible someone had just come by to try and fix her shower but Steve knew well enough that crew members usually didn't show up without warning or permission from the apartment dweller.
Avery closed in the space between them and rested against Steve's chest. "So what do you think? Should I go get groceries or order us pizza? You know the answer I want to hear."
Steve wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his hands up and down her back. If she was just going to brush this off, he needed to dismiss his feelings for a moment too. He didn't want her to worry. "Pizza sounds great, sweetheart."
Bucky dropped down onto the chair across from Steve's desk, giving a nod to Clint who was occupying the other chair. The archer was visiting the compound to help with some training scenarios for a batch of new agents. Bucky crossed his legs and leaned back, smoothing his hands across his tac pants.
Steve had spent most of his Monday morning playing catch up after the long weekend but was feeling out of sorts.
Last night, Steve, Bucky and Avery had pizza and watched a movie upstairs at Bucky's. It felt like the perfect end to their weekend together, a helpful transition for their safe bubble as they returned to their life in the city. Avery laid against Bucky as he leaned into Steve. Their safe haven moved from the cabin to Bucky's living room and they all felt at ease.
But Steve's mind kept circling back to those folders and notes on Avery's table. He tried to keep it at bay, but the moment the credits of the movie were playing, he was quick to stand and head towards the door. It's not like he could just stay and crash, anyway. He had his own apartment and life was still waiting for him there. But crossing over the threshold of Bucky's door, after another kiss goodbye from Avery, Steve was feeling a bit lost and confused. He tried to hide it, at least from Avery.
He just needed time to think and try to sort through if any of this was connected.
"So, how was your birthday weekend, grandpa?" Clint smirked at Steve, stretching his arms out past the chair. He was already wearing his old tactical gear. "I heard you two and Sammy went upstate."
Steve returned a small smirk, shifting to roll up the sleeves of his button up. "It was relaxing." His eyes darted over to Bucky. "Are you two ready for today?"
The Avengers initiative was still doing recruitment to build their ground team and the latest batch of new team members were going to be training for the week before any real mission work may start. The ground team would be responsible for small tactical jobs or research and projects based out of the Manhattan office. Both Bucky and Clint were taking the lead on running drills and tests in the training facility throughout the week.
Clint took the lead and explained their schedule to Steve, adjusting as he suggested. Bucky remained quiet, watching Steve carefully.
Bucky leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked across the desk. As their conversation trailed off, he couldn't stop himself from speaking up. "So, what happened to you last night?"
"Buck." Steve let out a long breath, scrubbing a hand over his jaw.
"What? You left so quickly. I know something is wrong so don't make me go get my boxing gloves again." Bucky sighed. "Dunno. Avery thought she did something wrong but I think I managed to talk her down."
Clint watched as the two of them talked. "Wait. Who's Avery?"
Bucky held his breath for a second, as if to ask Steve how they should handle this. Bucky had gotten ahead of himself approaching Steve about the topic in front of Clint. Maybe it should have stayed between them.
Steve's eyes were honest as he looked at Bucky. What was it that he had said about not shouting from the rooftops about their relationship? He couldn't fault Bucky for speaking so freely, especially with the concern in his voice. Steve knew well enough Bucky's filter tended to disappear when his emotions were involved. Clint was part of their inner circle, anyway. In enough time, the entire team would likely know about their relationship with Avery.
"Uh. Avery is my.. our girlfriend." Bucky nodded confidently as he spoke. His stress seemed to pause for a brief moment at the use of the phrase our girlfriend.
She was theirs. The thought made his heart thump faster.
Clint let out a quiet laugh, leaning forward in his chair to look between them both. "Our?" He met Steve's hard gaze. "Wow. Okay. I mean, kudos to finding someone willing to put up with you both." A smirk grew on his face. "I can meet you downstairs if you two need to talk about your girlfriend privately."
Steve held up his hand to stop him from standing. "No, actually.. maybe an outside opinion could help."
Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve. "What?"
Steve sighed. "I saw something in Avery's apartment and.." Steve paused then started at the beginning, giving Clint a summarized version of Avery's possible connection to their Osborn research. Her place of employment, the break in at her apartment, S.H.O.T, her close work with Will Simon, the bullet points on the sticky note he saw the day before. At the end of it all, there just seemed to be a lot of gaps in information and they were lacking the answers they needed.
"Last week, she had been going through some stuff on her laptop. She said it was just research for work. My brain wasn't really in the best place so I didn't ask her any questions about it.." Bucky stretched out his hands on the arms of the chair, anxious.
Clint nodded along, bringing his hand up to massage his neck. "Listen, I'm going to be unbiased here for a second."
Steve leaned back in his chair. "Okay."
"Now, keep that metal arm where I can see it," Clint shifted to look between them both, giving Bucky a warning glance. "How long have you known this girl?"
"A few months," Bucky replied quietly with a nod.
"You're doing research about this weird compound that keeps popping up, connected to illegal weapons - she's potentially got notes about it, too. She's also got a close working relationship with the guy who does business with the evil guys." Clint paused. "Assumed evil guys. You see one dumb acronym and you can only come to one conclusion, anyway.."
Bucky clenched his jaw. "What are you trying to say, Barton?"
"All I'm saying is until you figure out how she's really involved.. maybe the blind trust you've developed is based on this new relationship but there's more going on beyond it."
Steve looked taken aback. "You think she's involved? In all of this?"
Clint shrugged. "Maybe not by choice but we've all been blindsided by mistrust before."
Bucky gripped the arms of the chair tensely. "No, fuck that. I don't think so." He pushed himself up and walked away from the desk. "Bullshit."
"Bucky," Steve was steady in his response. "He's not saying -
"I'm just giving you another perspective. I don't know the chick." Clint raised his hands up innocently. "Just consider all the options. I'm gonna go get ready downstairs." Clint paused as he stood, watching between the two soldiers then he sighed as he left.
Bucky was grumbling to himself on the other side of the room. Clint was an idiot. His opinion was idiotic. The more and more Bucky went over the situation, the more frustrated he grew.
"Stevie, there is no way -
"Buck, I know."
"We just spent the entire weekend with her family. It's Avery. We know her." He shook his head. "Whatever is going on here, she's innocent in it. Hell, she likely has no clue about anything we're doing overlapping with something she might be connected to."
"I agree. I just think we need to -
Bucky let out a loud groan. His mind was racing faster than he could control but Avery's sweet smile kept flashing in front of his eyes. "Augh. Stevie. I did something stupid." Bucky shook his head again and came back towards the desk. He pulled out his phone and tapped a few icons on the screen.
"What are you showing me?" Steve's eyes narrowed on the screen. "Wait is that a -
Bucky scrunched up his face. "I put a tracker on Avery's phone."
Steve groaned quietly. "Buck."
"You remember that day I was telling you she came home from a work thing all agitated? She said it was nothing but.. I don't know, it didn't sit well with me. So I figured, as a precaution.." Bucky sighed and looked down at the beacon on the screen. "Just in case something happened. I just grabbed her phone one night when she was asleep and.."
Steve pursed his lips together again and fell back into his chair. The last ten minutes had been a lot to take in. "She's going to be pissed when she finds out about that."
Bucky sat again, too. "It's not much different from those little programs phones have to see where your friends are or whatever."
"Except you opt into those knowingly. If you weren't dating her and you had a tracker on her phone, you'd be a stalker, Buck. Even if it's a safety precaution - she deserves to know."
Bucky mumbled to himself. "I guess you're right." He sighed. "This whole thing just feels messy, Steve. If something happens to her -
"You're getting ahead of yourself. She's not in any sort of danger just working for this construction company. She said her job is mainly just data entry but those folders make me think she's doing more than that. Until we can get more information, we can't worry her about any of it. Okay?"
Bucky nodded. "Okay."
Steve reached his hand across the desk to grab Bucky's. "Now, go and take all that pent up anxiety out on the new agents. I'm going to do some digging about whoever the hell Karl Malus is."
Bucky paused as he headed to the door. "Maybe text our girlfriend something nice, huh?"
It was only Monday, one day back at work after her long weekend, and Avery was exhausted. She had slept poorly - brain running wild about Steve suddenly leaving after their movie. Bucky tried to calm her down and it helped but all her silly doubts had rushed in as she tried to sleep.
She had been looking forward to a slow desk day to play catch up, but barely an hour into her morning, Will came and collected her for a new task. He spouted off about getting her preliminary project management training and suddenly she was handed off to one of their head contractors to learn about supervising concrete pours at job sites.
She didn't even have the chance to protest. Admittedly, her day had gone by quickly but the more her job grew, the less interested she felt. She didn't give a damn about proper vibrations and environmental standards for concrete. Yet there she stood all afternoon, taking notes on the proper procedures and reporting for materials testing after the wet stone mixture was setting.
Avery supposed she should be grateful for the learning experience and opportunity to grow in her job but she didn't ask for it. She preferred having a say. When she finally got back to the office, she demanded some time from Will to cover all the info about his mysterious file folders. He didn't have much to say as he listened to her, but was profusely thanking her for the details.
"Can you do this for me one more time?" Will sighed and reached into his desk drawer. He handed her a small drive with an Oscorp logo on it. "I think these files are less restricted but I just need a reference for all the science-y terms. Like, consider me an idiot here, Avery. I just called them science-y terms."
She was uncertain about his ask.
"Will," Avery pursed her lips together as she looked at the thumb drive in his hand. "I don't know."
"It's just lab data. Please, Avery. Me and my dad have invested a lot more money than we thought in this.. project. And I need to understand it if I want a seat at the table. You're doing me a huge favour. All this stuff so far has been such a help.."
"You know, a lot of clinical trials are unclassified or not approved by the CDC or FDA. That's not uncommon. But some of that stuff seemed a bit.. ethically vague." She folded her hands in her lap.
Will leaned forward in his chair, brows furrowed. "How so?"
"Well, animal testing is horrible so I suppose if the humans they're testing on are consenting, it's understandable. But if they're early on in their trials, no one knows the real long term side effects of what they're producing. I would just tread carefully. Chemical experiments are delicate."
And dangerous.
"See, this is why I need your brain." Will extended his hand again, practically shoving the drive in her face. "Please."
Avery reached out and let him drop it into her palm.
"I'm out of town the rest of the week so let's talk early next, okay?" Will's eyes flicked back to his computer for a moment then to Avery again. He smiled, big. "Oh. And.." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small envelope. "Between you and me."
When Avery let him hand over the envelope of cash, she felt her stomach twist.
As she walked back to her desk, specks of concrete falling off her boots, she tried to ease her mind.
It was just reading some files. Will was paying her in kind. This was just like.. freelance science research. It wasn't all that strange, right?
She forgot all about the money and thumb drive when her cousin called on her subway ride home. Kasey was still in the city apartment hunting and her AirBnB had cancelled. Avery teased her for just a few minutes about sleeping at Sam's then confirmed that, yes, Kasey could crash on her couch.
It was a nice distraction after her last 24 hours at least. Steve had texted her earlier too, apologizing for his quick exit the night before, followed by a series of sugary sweet messages and the promise of a date night later in the week. It made her feel a lot better and pushed her doubts aside. They were all just adjusting to real life again.
It wasn't long before she was sitting on her living room floor, shorts on, hair in a bun, one leg pulled up towards her as she brushed nail polish on her toes. Kasey was sitting cross legged on the couch across from her, dressed just as casually, going on and on about the different apartment units she had checked out and her plan to move in August. In between them was a tray of snack food and the screen across from them was playing some movie they weren't paying attention to. It was nice to just catch up after their weekend.
"So, you and Sam?" Avery paused and rested her chin on her propped up knee, eyes wide as she stared at her cousin.
"I'm only talking about Sam if you're gonna talk about your boyfriend," Kasey countered, pushing her red locks back and leaning forward. "Sorry.. boyfriends."
Avery's jaw dropped open at her cousin's bold response. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Kasey laughed and leaned back again. "Oh, come on, Ave. I'm not blind. I mean, Sam does not agree with my theory but after this weekend.. you're all dating now, aren't you? I'm not judging. I would just love the juicy details."
Avery pursed her lips together and she knew her cheeks with red.
"Oh my god. I sort of thought you might have had sex in the cabin.." Kasey bounced on the couch, sitting on her knees. "Did you and Steve have sex in the cabin?!"
"Kasey!" Avery just laughed hard. "I am.. not confirming or denying that."
"After the Charlie thing you were gone for a little bit so.." Kasey nodded to herself, like she had solved a mystery. "Wow. Good for you, Ave."
"Thank you?"
"So how does this work with all three of you?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I guess we're just figuring it out as we go along." Avery shook her head. "Now, your turn. Why aren't you staying with Sam tonight?"
Kasey sighed dramatically. "He offered but it's too much too soon. I like the chase, you know?" She paused, tracing an anxious circle over her knees. "Sam is really nice. And smooth. And hot? I'm not used to it. If I don't go slow, I'm bound to talk myself out of it."
"I get it," Avery replied. "If it helps at all, he's in and out of town a lot so.. you're bound to have time apart if you start to date."
"Then we just find a third to cover the gap while he's gone? Is that how it works?" Kasey laughed as she dodged the pillow Avery was sending her way.
Avery was so grateful to just laugh with a girlfriend. She was over the moon excited that Kasey was moving to the city just to have girl time again. Heidi was great but sometimes working together meant all they did outside of work was bitch about, well, work. Avery had missed the opportunities to just gossip. She hadn't done such a thing since she was dating Seth and used Crystal as a sounding board.
She missed her old friend but at times like this, it was nice to have someone else to fill that void.
They carried on, laughing and discussing Kasey's housing options. Avery didn't even realize she had a series of missed messages from Bucky that he was heading home with dinner and wanted to talk about something. She was pleasantly surprised when she heard her door unlocking and he entered carrying a bag of takeout containers.
"Hey Buck!" Avery pulled herself up off the couch, tearing her eyes away from Kasey's laptop that was sitting across from them and looked at her phone screen. "Kasey's crashing here tonight."
Bucky returned a wave to Kasey on the couch. Avery met him near her kitchen island and leaned up to greet him with a kiss. "Sorry I missed all your texts."
"S'okay doll," Bucky replied with a smile. "Just wanted to make sure you had dinner since you clearly skipped grocery shopping again."
"If by dinner you mean a variety of stale snacks we found in her cupboards, then yes," Kasey jumped in.
"There's plenty of food here," Bucky said, unpacking the boxes in front of him. He waved for Kasey to come over.
Avery pulled him aside and kissed him again. "Thank you for thinking of me." Bucky wrapped her into his arms and kissed her head. "What did you want to talk about?"
Bucky shook his head. Clearly now wasn't the time to unload a ton of heavy questions about her job and boss and the curious circumstances of their Oscorp research. He was feeling more level-headed about it, especially after exhausting himself with the training group all day.
It probably wasn't the time to admit he had secretly installed tracking software on her phone, either. That was an argument he was trying to prepare for.
Part of him just wanted to get home and see Avery, hold her in his arms even if just for a moment. He couldn't stop running all the worst case scenarios of his mind. But now, looking down at her and her cheeky smile, he felt better. Everything else could wait.
"Doesn't really matter now," Bucky replied softly, squeezing her close once more.
"What's Steve doing tonight?"
Kasey coughed as she dropped down to sit at the table. "Yeah, where is the other boyfriend?"
Bucky narrowed his eyes for a moment, looking from Avery to Kasey.
"Yeah, she knows," Avery said sheepishly.
Bucky just nodded with a smirk, pressing his hand on Avery's lower back as he directed her back towards the food. "Well, he's still out at the compound. Probably going for a drink with Barton after."
Avery just nodded. It almost felt weird to just be spending time with Bucky. Not that she didn't enjoy his company but after so much time with both of them, Steve's absence was evident. Bucky squeezed her hip gently, as if agreeing with her racing thoughts.
"So, how was work?" Bucky asked as they joined Kasey at the table.
"Auuugh," Avery groaned and pointed his fork at him. "You're looking at a Project Manager in training or something. I don't know. I spent all day learning about concrete for some reason." Avery rambled on about her day and Bucky nodded along, listening intently.
His biggest takeaway as she talked was the lack of passion in her voice. Maybe it had just been a long day but her lack of interest in all of it was telling. Regardless of how this situation was turning out with S.H.O.T, he had to remind himself there as a conversation to be had here on what Avery could do next. His mind kept flipping back to what Lou had mentioned to him about how Avery got into medical school. What had changed for her that she wasn't fighting for anything beyond her desk job? Time and time again she would make comments about feeling lost and angry after she unvanished but when was the right time to start that discussion?
Definitely not when her cousin was there, too. Bucky figured maybe he needed to have Steve on board and ready to support her, too.
Bucky eventually started to head upstairs and Avery walked him to his door.
"We've come full circle if I'm walking you home now, huh," she said playfully, hands clutching onto Bucky's waist as they stood in his doorway.
He brought both his hands up and he cradled her face for a moment, then leaned in to press a heavy kiss against her lips. She gave in immediately, moaning quietly as he caught her lower lip between his teeth. She pulled herself closer, meeting his hips with hers.
Bucky kept his hands on her cheeks, looking downwards at her as he pulled away.
Avery met his eyes - there was something off. She wasn't sure what exactly, some hint of sadness seemed to be fighting through the steely blue fog. "Bucky, is everything okay?" She chewed on her lip. "Did I do something wrong here?"
He shook his head, lips turning up into a small smile to try and dismiss her concerns. "No, no. Just.. lots on my mind with the training this week. Don't worry, doll."
Avery let out a sharp exhale. She didn't believe him. But, if he didn't want to tell her, she didn't think she should press.
"I can stay here tonight," Avery continued. "Kasey definitely wouldn't mind."
"No, that's okay. I know you're enjoying your girl time." Bucky brushed his thumb against her cheek and pulled his hands down. "Tomorrow night though: me an' you an' Stevie. I'll cook."
Avery released her hands from his waist and wrapped at them around his back.
Bucky held her tight, as if she might disappear right in front of him. The weekend at the lake had really been a dream for their new trio - it was safe, free of any unknown variables. They didn't need to worry about questionable places of employment or evil corporations. Now, one day back and all Bucky could think about was the steps he could be taking to ensure he could protect the people he loved: Steve and Avery.
It was love, he was sure of it. The warm bursts of energy that kept trying to escape from his chest, from his heart. Why was that such a frightening concept?
"Okay. You cook, Stevie will clean, I'll provide commentary." She tilted her head up. "We never really finished that threesome conversation anyway, did we?"
Bucky just laughed and rocked her into the hug, pressing kisses against the top of her head. "G'night, doll." He stopped himself before his tongue slipped out exactly what he wanted to say next: I love you.
A/N: hello readers! Sorry for the delay between these last chapters - real life hit me hard (between work and family and a friend's wedding, I've been wiped) but I'm happy to be back into a bit of a writing groove. We're moving towards some exciting things for our new trio - it's going to be a whirlwind so buckle up.
Thank you to each and every one of you out there reading along. This story has become my precious little child and your feedback and support has been so so so appreciated. I know you see this in notes all the time, but writers are always so grateful to the audience.
Big thank yous to my most recent reviewers: SomebodyWhoCares, Filippa1994, just courtney, Everqueen and akagami hime chan!
Broken record alert: are ya'll reading my friend EirlysLavellan's fic As The Sky May Fall! Join me in the Alice/Bucky fan club, please.
Next up: there will be a date night. And there will be some unexpected danger leading to.. unexpected tensions. But hey, when your boyfriends mean well...