Hello!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. I own Addison Carter.

RATED M

ENJOY!

Avengers Tower, Manhattan, December 2014

"I thought it would never end," I whined, falling in the couch. I was spending the night at the Tower and had changed for pajamas instead of the evening gown Pepper made me wear. I was pretty sure Natasha had enjoyed watching me being so uncomfortable.

Steve sat down next to me, his Christmas present in his hands.

"PR is the worst," he whispered.

"We won't be out of the public eye anytime soon," Natasha said as a matter of fact. "Welcome to the team."

"I've been on the team for a year and a half, almost two years!"

"But you're still the baby of the team." Natasha was teasing, I knew that, and I groaned. A Black Widow who thought teasing you was fun was never a good sign.

"Is it good?" I asked Steve, who was drawing. I had gifted him drawing supplies for Christmas.

"It's great, I didn't know you knew about drawing."

"I don't, an old friend of mine does so I asked him." I sat up and narrowed my eyes at him. "Now, what's the meaning of your Christmas gift?" He blinked innocently.

"I thought giving the team a drawing of them was nice."

"Clint doesn't shut up about his left profile," Natasha pipped up.

"It's a great gift but why is mine..."

"You're not here often so Tony gave me a picture." I controlled the anger slowly rising in me.

"And you just accepted this one?"

"It's adorable."

"A future hero," Doc added, sitting down next to Natasha.

"It's...urgh, I didn't even know he had a picture of a four-year-old me dressed up as Captain America!" They all chuckled mockingly. "It's not funny guys, and he doesn't need his ego to be flattered!" I showed Steve with my thumb. He smiled faintly.

"What did I do?"

"Babying me?"

"I don't do that."

"You do, all of you do on some level."

"You're a rookie." I glared weakly at Natasha. "And the first time we saw you you had a panda cardigan with a panda hood on."

"You don't need to remind me I showed you all that night I had a promising future among the Avengers." My phone rang and I picked up. I frowned slightly when I saw Vanessa's name. "Sorry, I have to take that call." I stood up and walked to the hallways. "Hey Vane…"

"Please tell me Wade is with you right now."

"No, I haven't heard from him since that Christmas card he gave me himself, why?"

"He didn't tell you then." Dread pooled in my stomach.

"Told me what? I know for the wedding, congratulations by the way but..."

"He has cancer Addison." I froze. I leaned against the wall slowly.

"What do y..."

"Liver, prostate, lungs, brain, and they're all terminal and...he left. He left in the night and I don't know where!" She was sobbing at this point. Vanessa had always seemed so strong, almost like an unbreakable woman but…

"Wade's gonna die?" I mumbled weakly, tears in my eyes. Steve came at this moment, saying he was going to bed. I wiped my eyes before he could see my tears but I was a second too late. A worried frown was on his face.

"No, no he's not. I'm sure that...he must have something planned, right?" She was unsure herself. Wade did leave her without an explanation.

"He always has something planned," I agreed with a tight throat. "Do you want me to come over?"

"No it's okay. I...I'm going to bed, I just thought you should know."

"Thanks Vanessa," I whispered and she hung up. I took a deep breath.

"Bad news?" Steve asked me, rocking his feet back and forth in fake nonchalance.

"You know that guy I told you about?" He nodded. "He has cancers. He has cancers in four different places, all terminal and he vanished and..." He grabbed my shoulders firmly when I started to breath too fast.

"Hey, calm down, I'm sure he'll reappear soon. He probably needs some time to process on his own."

"There's something else Steve." I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip. "I just know it Steve, there's something else. It's not...he didn't even tell me he was sick! That asshole didn't even..." Steve pulled me in a warm hug.

"From what I gathered, he has been looking after you for years. He probably wanted to protect you." I hugged him back, my fingers almost digging in his back.

"I don't care, he..." The lump in my throat was painful. "He could be dying under a bridge for all we know and..."

"Look, tomorrow you'll talk to Tony. I'm sure he can find your friend quickly." I stayed quiet so he moved me back and forced me to look at him in the eyes. "Addison, is that okay?" I nodded weakly.

"Yes sir..." I pursed my lips. "It's just...if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here today, if he dies then..."

"I know how it feels. Even when I had nothing I still had Bucky." My face grew even somber. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel worst."

"...'s okay..." It wasn't the story but the guilt. James was probably or sleeping, or watching one of these stupid shows he came to love for some reasons.

Steve walked me to my room, his arm on my shoulders.

"It's going to be okay, I promise." I nodded weakly. I took a deep breath when he started to walk away.

"I'm sure he's fine." Steve stopped and looked at me. "Bucky, I mean. I'm sure...I'm sure he's fine. HYDRA would have sent him against us already if he were back to them." He smiled weakly, but his eyes were conflicted.

"I hope you're right. Good night."

"Good night Steve."

I struggled to fall asleep.

"No idea where he is?" James asked me as I was hugging my pillow on my bed.

"No, I tried every place he could have been but...I mean, even that Weasel guy at the mercenary bar Wade often went to didn't know. He just..." I pursed my lips and sat up. "He mentioned Wade talked to a guy wearing a black suit shortly after he discovered the cancer but..."

"Can't you just ask Professor Xavier?" I smirked wryly.

"It's not that simple. Wade...he chose to leave." I looked up at my roommate. "I mean...he left because he wanted to, if I went to the Professor to look for him...I don't even know if he would accept honestly because Wade's not a mutant, but..." I sighed.

"The Avengers have important means, I'm sure they'll find something."

"I hope so."

"Nice dress by the way." I raised a brow. "I watched the TV, nice dress, you looked embarrassed but..." I groaned and he smirked.

"You're such an ass sometimes..." He chuckled at that. He inched closer and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure we'll find him soon enough." I patted his hand.

"I hope so."

I would bug Tony everyday to see if he had any news concerning Wade. There was nothing, only the promise the moment he'd reappear he could have access to the best doctors in the world. Now if only he could reappear…

Two months went by like that. James and I would keep looking for possible facilities and located at least one of them. He was pretty good at this kind of things. I guess there was some pros about him being from HYDRA.

Not that I would tell him that.

"I feel like my brain's gonna explode," I whined, my legs on the back of the couch while my head was dangling from the couch. James was sitting next to me, on the floor and leaning against the couch. "Gimme my..."

"You've been taking way too much medicine recently," he reminded me sternly.

"I have headaches!"

"Medicine doesn't seem to work that much, it's deepe..."

"Mind your own business!" I snapped at him harshly. He looked down at the computer on his lap in indifference, even if he clenched his jaw.

I got up.

"I'm going at the grocery story." He looked up immediately as I started getting ready.

"Addie..." I raised my hand to stop him.

"Please don't, I'm stressed and I might say something I'll regret later." I grabbed my phone and headphone and left the house.

People tended to recognize me now, so I had a baseball cap and sunglasses on my nose. I knew James was right but...telepathy could trigger headaches and of course your emotional state had a role to play. I just didn't want to hear it.

I was in the middle of choosing ramen noodles when someone tapped on my shoulder. I rolled my eyes behind my glasses, Pepper's advice on how to deal with people recognizing in public ringing in my head as I turned around. I was surprised to see the guy who was in Steve's room in D.C though.

"Sam, is it?" I asked him as a greeting. He grinned at me.

"It's me yes. Long time no see Addison." I shrugged.

"I'm not often at the Tower, if you even go there."

"I'm busy with a missing person case." My heart missed a beat.

"You're helping Steve?"

"Yeah, apparently someone noticed a man looking like Barnes in the area but I don't really believe it. Why would he be here?"

"Good question," I replied idly.

"It's the only lead I had, so I checked it. There was nothing though. Maybe he just came once and left."

"Maybe." I pursed my lips. "How do you get lead on a missing person?" Sam's dark brown eyes were curious.

"Why the interest?"

"One of my friend decided to vanish, I just...I can't find him." He nodded in understanding.

"It's a lot of asking around and collecting information in places they have been," Sam explained to me. That I knew. "Having relations help as well, but with Stark you already have good ones. If he didn't find anything..." I grabbed his arm, my nails digging in his sleeve.

"Then what?" He removed my hand and rubbed the spot.

"Don't claw my arm!" he complained quietly. I blinked.

"Right, sorry, it's just..." His gaze became more compassionate.

"I'm sorry for your friend." I pursed my lips.

"Thanks, but he's not dead." He clearly didn't believe that. I huffed and grabbed a cup of noodles, reading his mind.

I was not in denial, Wade was alive!

"Why are you here?"

"I...have a friend who lives around here."

"Did you see something strange then?"

"Not really, it's a quiet part of town. However, if he went up north and in Canada, good luck to find the guy." I pointed a finger at him. "Especially if he doesn't want to be found."

"Well knowing where he is would still be reassuring you know, so that he doesn't kill people." I pursed my lips, anger bubbling inside of me.

Sam didn't mean anything bad about it, he only had had a glimpse of James. The one I knew and had been living with for almost a year now would not hurt a fly if he had no reason to.

"If you see something, call Steve. I have to go, see you around." I nodded and watched him go to pay his sandwiches.

I was paranoid the entire way home, afraid he might had not believed me and followed me. On the other hand, I was an Avenger so maybe he believed me.

I dropped on my knees next to James with wide eyes once I was home. He was concerned almost immediately.

"Do you remember Sam?" I asked him with a toneless voice. He frowned. "He helped Steve in D.C. He's black, quite buff and...yeah, he used wings."

"The wing guy. Yeah, I remember."

"He was in town. I saw him. Someone said there was a weird man and he followed the lead." He widened his eyes slightly.

"I'm not...I don't look weird, do I?"

"Maybe slightly awkward but as long the metal arm is hidden..." I got up and closed all of the curtains. "You should stay inside for a few days."

"Addison..."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure the lead is..." James had gotten up and stopped me from walking around, his hands firm yet gentle on my shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay, calm down."

"How are you so calm!?"

"Someone has to be," he retaliated and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Anyway, that facility we saw? It was on fire."

"Huh?"

"I saw it on the internet. We should check it out tonight." I nodded numbly, staring at him with wide eyes. Without notice, I hugged him. He hugged me back almost immediately.

"I never thanked you for helping me out with this, did I?"

"It's not..."

"It's not nothing," I cut him off sharply, raising daring his eyes him. He took in a sharp breath. "You wanted nothing to do with violence anymore, yet you're here." He gulped and placed a hand behind my head to press me against him.

"It's...for a good cause. I'm okay with fighting if it's for something right. I know that's what you want." I buried my face in his shoulder, taking a deep breath of his scent. Cheap cologne and a chocolaty smell, probably because he had eaten some candy bars again.

By now, I had assimilated this scent as home and safe.

I widened my eyes at that. It could not be good.

"Urgh...I'll get ready for tonight," I told him, running up the stairs.

The Workshop, New York, March 2015

The whole place was burned to the ground. I adjusted my earpiece and listened to any person who may still be here.

I was met by silence only.

"Nothing," I muttered under my breath, adjusting my device. James had a hand on the gun on his hip, even if he looked like your regular guy.

"Don't let your guard down."

"It's like a freaking desert."

"Hey." James grabbed his gun and aimed it at the guy behind us. I touched his metal arm and grabbed my katana, ready to strike as well.

The man, awfully burned, was naked and holding a piece of concrete to cover his privates as if it weighted nothing. I narrowed my eyes.

"Okay, I know I've been a dick by leaving without telling anyone, but please drop the weapons. I don't think you'll kill me anyway Addidi." I widened my eyes.

"Wade?" I almost screamed. The cloud hiding the moon moved, allowing us to see his face. He was burned, he was bald but it was Wade. "What the fuck?"

"Yeah I know, what a shock. Can we move now?"

"I'll drive," James decided and I gave him the keys wordlessly.

I gave Wade the blanket I kept in the trunk of the car and he accepted it silently. The ride home was silent.

"Bathroom, now," I told Wade sternly. "James, give him some clothes." Once this was done, James came back in the living-room. I was sitting in the couch, my face in my hands. He sat down next to me.

"He's alive."

"Not for long. I'm going to punch him so hard that..." I started before sighing deeply. "He was at that place."

"Yes. He survived it."

"At what cost?" I raised my head and looked at my roommate. "You've seen him, right?"

"Torture," he whispered, finishing my trail of thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, Wade came down the stairs.

"It's the moment I explain?" he asked us, even if it was more directed to me. I jumped on my feet and punched him in the face.

I bit the inside of my cheek at the pain in my fist as he didn't bat an eye.

"Thanks Addison."

"Shut up asshole! You didn't even tell me you had cancer and when Vanessa called me it was to ask me if I had seen you!? The hell happened!?"

"Cancer is a shit show Addison, that's what happened!" he snapped back at me. I inhaled sharply. "Nobody wants to see that!"

"Then why did you go to that..."

"The Workshop? I got screwed." I frowned. "Some Agent Smith guy said his work place could heal me and turn me into a superhero, but he said I would be cured. I went. It was torture nonstop to activate that freaking mutant gene but that..." He pointed at his disfigured face. "That's what I got in return! The cancer is gone, that's for sure but…" He punched a wall and actually made a hole in it. "I got the cure for fucking everything! That Ajax asshole impaled through the chest and I have nothing!" He raised his shirt. Scars were absolutely everywhere, but nothing showing he was impaled a few hours ago.

I vaguely heard James standing up to give Wade a closer look.

"Don't be shy," Wade told him. I tried to read his mind but couldn't.

"I can't read your mind," I whispered softly. "I didn't notice you earlier either."

"Yeah well, with what they did it's a good thing you can't read my mind Addie, it's more fucked up than before. It's kind of mandatory to break the fourth wall you know."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Although I wonder how long I was naked for in the movie." I shared a confused look with James. "Never mind guys!" He grabbed my left foot and took the knife hidden in my boot. I reached out to James to keep me balanced.

Wade used the knife across his right hand, bright red blood pouring down. I pulled kitchen towels in my hand before the floor was ruined.

"What the..." I stopped mid-sentence as the wound was already healing.

"Cure for everything." He went to the fridge and grabbed some food. "I'm starving. What's the date by the way?"

"March 2nd, 2015," the soldier told him.

"Two months then..."

"Right Vanessa!" I almost yelled, taking my phone. Wade, in the blink of an eye, jumped over the table and stole my phone.

"No, I'll see her in a few days but don't call her," he forbid me with a pointed look. I was still shocked of what he just did.

"Can you train with James for a few minutes?" I turned to my roommate. "Don't hold back at all."

"You want to see what changed apart from healing?" I nodded at Wade.

"You were good before but you were not that fast."

Needless to say, I recorded the whole thing and winced when Wade would land hits on James. Wade's shoulder pop back in place a minute after the titanium arm dislocated it.

"You can stop."

"What do you think?" I smiled faintly at Wade.

"You'd give anyone a run for their money, even more than before." Without any notice, I hugged him tightly. "But don't ever disappear again, especially for clandestine experimentation that turned you into a rotten avocado." He embraced me back and the strength he used told me he wanted some comfort himself.

"Promised." I released him and inhaled deeply.

"But you know, it's a lot of stress. I can't tell your girlfriend I know where you are." I pointed at James. "I can't tell his boyfriend where he is. It's a lot!"

"I'm not gay," James denied with wide eyes.

"Tell that to the fandom," Wade muttered to himself.

It was worrying but...if it did not make him hurt himself or lose track of reality...I should let it go? It was not as if I could convince him to go to a therapy anyway.

We would all be in a PTSD group one day, talking about past traumas and such.

Bedford's Funfair, April 2015

"You okay there?" I asked James as I gave him some churros. He was holding pictures of us in the photo booth we took earlier. We were at a funfair in town and with the baseball cap and dim lights around, it was nighttime, he wasn't using the image-inducer. It was around his wrist though.

"I'm good." He would look around, scan the crowd with harsh blue eyes every few minutes or so. I had a hat and sun glasses as well to limit the number of people who would recognize me.

"You look like you're scared your ex girlfriend might surprise you on a date," I teased him with a smirk. He chuckled for a second at that.

"A date with who?" I stuck my tongue at him.

"Lady, do you want to donate to a charity!?" I looked to my right where a guy was grinning at me. I went to him, curious. "Welcome to my kissing booth lady!"

"A kiss against money that goes to a charity?"

"Best job on Earth." I chuckled and gave him a dollar. "I mean, I get to kiss cute ladies like you."

"You sure do." I leaned over and let him peck me on the lips. His face fell quickly though and I looked behind me.

James looked terrifying.

"Keep up the good work." I hugged James' arm and walked away. "Don't scare people."

"Why would you kiss him?"

"You know what a kissing booth is?"

"Of course I know," he replied with a snarl.

"Well I thought I'd do a good action! It's not as if there was any tongue involved anyways." He still looked angry. "What, you're jealous another guy had my attention for a few seconds?"

"I have no reason to be jealous of a guy like him."

"Like hi..." He shut me up by putting a churro in my mouth. "You're a brat sometimes." He scoffed.

"You're the one who refuse to eat Brussel Sprouts as if they were the devil." I was about to shot back at him but brought him behind a stand instead.

"The Winter Soldier was spotted," I mumbled to him, my legs starting to shake. There were too many people. "They're close, it's..." He moved to stand in front of me, hiding me from anyone's sight. "James?"

"We must blend in." I raised my brows.

"Have an idea?" He nodded with a smirk, his hands grabbing my hips. I looked down. "Huh...you don't seem to be freaking out."

"I have an idea." He inched closer to me with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"What idea?" I asked him quietly, feeling trapped between him and the wire fence. He didn't reply, just looked at me with a spark in his eyes I could not identify.

His metal hand gripped my hip tighter to keep me in place while his human hand cupped my cheek, his mouth meeting mine gently. I widened my eyes and he gave my hip a squeeze, telling me to play along.

The thing was...I had close to no experience in this field.

I closed my eyes when I heard a HYDRA agent close to us and reciprocated the kiss, not knowing what to do. He seemed to noticed because his metal arm circled my waist and pressed me flush against him. I instinctively pressed my hands on his solid chest. He broke the kiss.

"Still there?" he whispered hotly against my lips. I was too stunned at first to answer, but nodded when I located them about to walk in front of us. "Okay." The hand on my cheek buried itself in my hair and he pulled on it, making me tilt my head back. His lips, surprisingly soft by the way, were firmly pressed against mine once more.

I wrapped my arms around his neck this time, my fingers running through his hair as I tiptoed. His tongue poked my lips and I opened them without thinking. The moment his tongue touched mine, I pulled him more against me, my body getting hotter by the second.

He smirked in the kiss, probably knowing how I was affected right now. I tugged harshly on his hair and he just smirked more.

I pulled back once I was sure we could leave the fair easily, breathing and blushing hard. James wiped off his lips and I pinched his ribs at the teasing spark in his eyes.

"It was efficient," he said as I turned on his image-inducer.

"Sure," I said idly, fighting the blush on my cheeks. "Let's go home." He grabbed my hand and although I wanted five meters between us, he managed to keep our shoulders against each other as we walked. "Bastard." He laughed.

"You didn't seem to mind earlier." I led us through the crowd without a word.

"You can be such an ass sometimes."

"PDA works to blend in, it makes people uncomfortable," he justified his actions and I raised my chin.

"Sure." He squeezed my hand once we were alone in the street.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I looked up at him. He seemed genuinely concerned about this. I sighed.

"No, of course not. It worked, it's all that mattered."

I'd just forget how good I felt when he was kissing the shit out of me.

Quinjet, April 2015

"It hurts..." I whined, my clammy hand squeezing Steve's forearm as hard as I could. It didn't make him budge.

"The bullet went through at least," Clint told me, bent over me. Natasha was busy with Doc, who had headphones on his ears. "Tony already contacted Doctor Cho." Thor was at the front with Tony, watching the clouds.

Natasha was in Sudan and got something big. She asked for backup. It was the first time in more than a year the Avengers were all assembled for a mission. The mission went well, I was shot just bellow my right collar bone though.

I was glad to wear a black body underneath my official Avenger suit, because Steve needed to have a clear look at the gun wound to try to limit the bleeding. I had my right arm out of my attire. Steve was applying pressure on both side of the wound and it hurt.

"You're aware Banner can't die from a bullet right?" Clint asked me with a raised brow. I rolled my eyes.

"I forgot..." Then the Hulk appeared and was not happy. He grabbed me in his hand and brought me back to the quinjet before going off to deal with other HYDRA agents.

"You have our backs, we can't blame you for that," Steve said, now praising the reason I acted.

"We knew that already Cap, but there's having someone's back and putting yourself in useless danger." Gosh he sounded like James.

"Sometimes you're confronted to situations that make you act before thinking." I shot Natasha a desperate look. She smirked faintly at me.

"Mom, Dad and Dad are fighting," I whined at her.

"They'll both sleep on the couch tonight darling." I snickered at the sheepish looks on their faces.

I glared weakly at Steve, who pretended to be completely innocent, when he pressed harder on my wound.

"It's to stop the bleeding!"

"Of course it is," I replied, my voice laced with skepticism.

When we were back to the Tower, Doctor Cho immediately led me in the medical bay, Doc following us. She was good at her job. She invented something called a 'Regeneration Cradle'. I didn't understand all of the details, but it was very useful and efficient to heal flesh wound, and probably deeper ones as well. I just was not sure about broken bones.

"How's the dying one?"

"Not dying," I replied wryly to my godfather.

"I was ready to make you a new arm you know." I rolled my eyes.

"It is as good as new Miss Carter."

"Thank you Doctor Cho." I rolled my shoulder and accepted the shirt Doc had in his hand. "Now..."

"You're staying here for a few days," Tony announced and I started at him, dumbfounded.

"Sorry what?"

"You heard me right Addie, you're staying here for a few days."

"But I'm fine!"

"I don't care, you're staying where I can see you. Call that roommate of yours and tell them they're on their own for a few days." I rolled my eyes once again.

"Come on!"

"And that's final!" he said, raising his voice a little. I puffed my cheeks like a kid and stood up, grabbing my phone on the way out.

I dialed James' number when I was sure to be alone, in a corner of the hallway.

"Hey, everything's alright?"

"Yeah, I just...Tony wants me to stay a few more days so that's what I'm gonna do." I could hear the TV in the background.

"Why, did something happen?"

"I...don't get angry." He muted the TV. "I was shot during the mission."

"You were shot?" he repeated grimly.

"Yeah but I'm good, it went through. I'll call you back once I know when I can go home." I could almost feel his frustration. "You know I have a dangerous lifestyle and even if you want to protect me, you can't always."

"Depends if I decide to kidnap you in your sleep." I smiled fondly.

"Careful, I might believe it."

"Hey, I duck-tape your hands so you can't use them, tie you up and put some tape on your mouth and it's very easy."

"You know, the fact you actually thought about it is a little bit scary."

"I wouldn't do it."

"Good."

"Not if you suspected something." I laughed and noticed Steve observing me, his arms folded.

"I have to go, see you in a few days."

"Make sure bullets don't enter your body."

"Got it." I hung up.

"Boyfriend?" I widened my eyes.

"It was my roommate."

"Oh, it's a girl right?" I nodded, knowing that was what I told Tony. "So...girlfriend?" I shook my head with a smile.

"No, friend."

"But you seem overly fond of that person."

I waved him off, but it remained in a part of my mind.

James was my friend, nothing more. Right?

Thank you all for reading! Don't hesitate to leave a review! Thanks to AshleyMarieD for the review!

Bye!