The Gravesen Group Chat chapter was so popular (and fun to write) that I decided to bring it back for this story. Also, for clarification, anything in [brackets like this] is an image description. Enjoy!

Chapter 17: The Avengers Group Chat

Saturday, February 26th 7:53 AM

Bucky: Guess who caught a cold and has to go live with his college roommate for two weeks

Parker: Aw man, that sucks

Bucky: It's all Walker's fault

Bucky: He sneezed on me

Steve: I told you that you didn't have to leave. You can stay in the upstairs bedroom.

Bucky: I'd still have to come down for food and bathroom breaks and stuff. It's too risky

Natasha: Better safe than sorry

Steve: You're right

Steve: I'm still gonna miss you, Bucky

Natasha: Have you two been apart at all since you got married?"

Steve: No

Bucky: Only at work

Parker: I'm so sorry. That sounds hard

Bucky: I'll survive

Steve: Speak for yourself

Steve: This house is big and lonely with just me here

Parker: I would offer to come keep you company, but Ned and I have a lot of work to do on this project

Steve: Thanks Parker, but I'll manage

Bruce: Good luck on your project. And Steve and Bucky, good luck with your forced separation. So sorry it has to happen

Bucky: Thanks Bruce.

Saturday, February 26th 10:32 AM

Tony: Why the fuck were you all up at 8 on a Saturday?

Nick: Because they weren't up until 3 am like you probably were

Tony: It was Friday night and I had work to do

Monica: That's a paradoxical statement

Nick: Unless this so called work was sweet-talking a lovely lady

Tony: Not my area

Nick: Or gentleman

Nick: Or person

Tony: Still not my area

Tony: The only heart I'm wooing is this fake one

Tony: Steve I can come hang out with you tomorrow if you want germ-free company

Steve: I'll be okay. I won't ask you to come all this way

Tony: You're not asking. I'm offering

Steve: I might go visit my parents

Nick: Ouch

Nick: He must really not like you Tony

Steve: That's not true!

Steve: I just don't want him to go to any trouble for me

Tony: What if I want to see you

Monica: Oh my god just agree to hang out tomorrow

Monica: You're friends. I don't see why this is an argument.

Tony: Steve's a stubborn SOB

Steve: Don't disrespect my mother

Tony: Apologies. See you around 1pm tomorrow?

Steve: Do you want to stay for dinner?

Tony: That depends, what are you having?

Steve: Black bean and quinoa tacos

Saturday, February 26th 11:03 AM

Steve: I'll take that as a no

Steve: For the record that's one of Bucky's favorites

Saturday, February 26th 9:51 PM

Bucky: Guys I think I'm rooming with a psychopath

Bucky: I opened the closet to put my suitcase inside and it's full of LEGS

Bucky: [a pile of prosthetic legs of various sizes and designs on the floor of a closet]

Natasha: epic

Natasha: You should steal one

Parker: How many legs does one person need?

Bucky: He doesn't use any of them

Bucky: These are just the ones he had as a kid that he grew out of

Parker: Why does he keep them in the closet of his guest room?

Bucky: No room anywhere else

Bucky: I think I'm gonna put them all over the place while he's asleep

Natasha: Good idea

Sunday, February 27th 2:28 PM

Steve: [two piles of firewood, one significantly larger than the other, in Steve and Bucky's backyard]

Steve: Guess whose pile is whose

Tony: Oh shut up Superman

Natasha: Tony's is small one?

Bucky: Tony why did you let him talk you into this

Bucky: Steve is one flannel shy of being a professional lumberjack

Bucky: At least when I lose to him I have an excuse

Tony: He framed it like I was doing him a favor

Natasha: And you fell for it

Tony: …yeah

Steve: How's your cold, Bucky?

Bucky: Ugh you don't want to know

Bucky: Last night my right nostril kept stuffing up so I had to sleep on my left side just to breathe

Bucky: Now my stump nerves are all hot and bothered and it's giving me awful phantom pain

Tony: I'm so sorry, that sounds rough

Parker: Yeah I hope you feel better soon

Steve: Want me to bring you anything?

Bucky: No Steve, I want you to stay as far away from me as possible until I'm no longer contagious

Tony: Don't worry, I'll keep him here

Steve: I don't need to be KEPT anywhere

Bucky: Somebody's got to function as your self preservation instinct

Bucky: If you would just take up the job none of us would have to do anything

Steve: Fine

Steve: Feel better

Bucky: Thanks

Monday, Feb 28th 8:30 AM

Bucky: Lamberg is having the guys practice shooting from a distance today so nobody has to get close to me lol

Bucky: Which is stupid because Walker gave me this cold in the first place

Tony: It's probably for the best

Steve: Has it gotten any better?

Bucky: No. Maybe worse

Steve: Shit

Bucky: Luckily that's not a symptom I'm exhibiting

Bucky: This appears to be an exclusively respiratory virus

Steve: None of us needed to hear that

Tuesday, February 29th 4:09 AM

Steve: I can't believe it's been 8 years

Thor: That's a long time to miss someone

Wanda: 8 years since what?

Steve: Our friend Carol, the one who devised the gauntlet at Gravesen, died on Feb 29

Wanda: Oh I didn't know the anniversary was today

Wanda: I'm so sorry

Steve: It's okay. Not sure we ever told you

Wanda: Are you doing anything special today to remember her?

Steve: Yeah, her brother invited me to visit her grave and then to dinner

Tuesday, February 29th 8:12 AM

Bucky: Oh Steve, you were up with the later time zone folks

Bucky: I wish I could come tonight, but I'm still a danger to you and Monica

Monica: It's okay

Tuesday, February 29th 5:57 PM

Steve: [red, blue, and yellow flowers laid atop Carol's grave]

Wednesday, March 1st 5:29 PM

Steve: One of my patients finally got her heart transplant today

Steve: She's been waiting for almost a year

Parker: Those we love and lost have a way of letting us know they're still here

Steve: Yeah they do

Wednesday, March 1st 7:40 PM

Bucky: Wow, that's amazing

Tony: Unbelievable

Tony: Have you guys seen signs like this before?

Bruce: Thor found an arrow lodged in a tree at his family cabin after Clint died

Bruce: He'd never seen one before

Natasha: That's beautiful

Parker: My dad does these word puzzles every morning before work, and one time on the anniversary of my parents' death his daily puzzle had both Mary and Richard as answers

Bucky: That's crazy

Steve: On the four-year anniversary, the first one to take place on the actual day, I was still waiting on a transplant and I told Carol that if it didn't work out I'd see her soon

Steve: A moment later, my mom turned on the radio and the song on was Come as You Are

Monica: That was one of her favorites

Steve: Yeah, that and the fact it was basically a summons

Natasha: On Clint's last birthday, I got to use my asl for the first time in forever when a deaf person asked for directions

Tony: It's amazing how these things happen

Steve: Makes it a lot easier to believe in something like heaven

Bucky: Agreed

Thursday, March 2nd 6:32 PM

Bucky: GUYS

Bucky: There's this trend going around where people photoshop cats in place of the ball in famous pictures of goalies

Bucky: AND THEY DID ONE FOR ME

Bucky: [Bucky on his right side in front of a soccer goal, arm outstretched. Instead of an approaching soccer ball, there's a black cat fleeing]

Natasha: That is beautiful cat

Parker: That's so cool!

Parker: Ned was showing me some of the other ones, but I hadn't seen yours

Thor: I love this

Bucky: THERES ANOTHER

Bucky: [Bucky on his side, clutching a kitten to his chest]

Tony: That's adorable

Friday, March 3rd 6:46 AM

Bucky: Good news

Bucky: My nose has finally stopped running

Friday, March 3rd 7:54 AM

Steve: That's awesome!

Steve: This means you can come home for your birthday, right?

Bucky: It's a week away, so it'll probably be safe as long as I don't develop any new symptoms

Bucky: It's crazy, even after all these years I'm still amazed that I have an immune system that works

Natasha: Mood

Nick: Mood

Steve: Couldn't be me

Monica: Socially distant chronic illness high five?

Steve: Socially distant chronic illness high five

Monica: [high five emoji]

Steve: Wait I thought that was a person praying

Monica: It's a high five

Tony: What?

Tony: You're telling me that's not a prayer emoji?

Monica: No, it's a high five

Steve: This is news to me

Steve: Bucky did you know this?

Bucky: I don't pay attention to emojis with two hands

Bucky: I just assume they don't apply to me

Bucky: But if that really is a high five then I guess I can use it

Bucky: [ten high five emojis]

Friday, March 3rd 11:17 AM

Parker: I knew you guys were older than me

Parker: But not that much older

Steve: As I've said

Steve: 23 is about 60 in CF years

Parker: Ok boomer

Saturday, March 4th 12:58 PM

Wanda: [selfie of Wanda and Victor in front of the Tower of London]

Natasha: Adorable

Parker: You guys are the cutest

Sunday, March 5th 9:05 PM

Steve: My parents sent me home with a Scrabble board

Bucky: When I get home we are so playing

Bucky: And I'm gonna win

Steve: I think they're worried about me getting bored without Bucky around

Tony: How is Scrabble going to help that? It's a multiplayer game

Steve: I have no idea

Monday, March 6th 10:34 AM

Steve: A new hire just started at the hospital today

Steve: She asked me if I was a widower

Steve: Because she saw my ring on my right hand

Parker: I'm so sorry that happened

Steve: I suppose it was inevitable

Steve: That is traditionally what wearing it on your right hand means

Steve: It just really rattled me, especially since I haven't seen Bucky in over a week

Parker: That's a completely valid reaction

Parker: What did you tell her?

Steve: That my husband doesn't have a left hand so we both wear them on our right

Steve: She was very apologetic

Steve: It was an unconventional first interaction, to say the least

Nick: I'll say

Monday, March 6th 7:59 PM

Bucky: I warned you people might assume that

Bucky: For me there's an obvious explanation just by looking at me

Bucky: But I never thought someone would say that their first time meeting you

Natasha: Yeah that seems rude

Steve: I doubt she meant any harm by it

Steve: Plus it gave me an excuse to show her a picture of us

Natasha: And what was her reaction to that?

Steve: She recognized him from the one time she accidentally ended up in the adaptive section while online shopping for leggings at Under Armour

Bucky: Haha

Tuesday, March 7th 8:46 PM

Steve: [Scrabble board on the kitchen table, and propped up behind a rack of letters sits the shadowbox with Bucky's Sports Illustrated magazine]

Steve: The worst part is, he's winning

Nick: Now that's just sad

Tony: I'm sorry Steve, but…how exactly is the magazine winning?

Steve: I'm playing for both of us

Steve: But every time I play as the magazine I draw way better letters

Bucky: Told you I'd beat you

Wednesday, March 8th 6:22 PM

Parker: How's your cold Bucky?

Bucky: I've felt fine since Friday

Steve: Good

Steve: So can you come home early?

Bucky: Not taking any chances

Bucky: I've been sick with no immune system before. I'm not running the risk of putting you through that

Steve: Fine

Parker: Just a few more days

Steve: Sounds shorter than it actually is

Bucky: You'll make it

Tony: You guys aren't normally this active in the chat

Parker: Normally they can talk to each other in person

Tony: Good point

Tony: You guys got this!

Steve: Thanks Tony

Thursday, March 9th 5:00 PM

Thor: I'll be off the grid all day tomorrow, so I will wish Bucky happy birthday today!

Tony: Oooh, what are you doing?

Thor: Leading a cross county ski group

Thor: We're doing a trail that takes from sunrise to sundown to finish

Steve: Wow. Can Valkyrie keep up with that?

Thor: Oh yeah she's great

Thor: I'm convinced she's got malamute in her

Parker: Fun fact, no form of animal transport will get you farther faster than a dog sled

Steve: No way, that's so cool

Thor: Makes sense

Friday, March 10th 4:15 PM

Steve: [selfie of him and Bucky reunited]

Parker: Awww

Parker: You guys are adorable

Parker: And happy birthday Bucky!

Monica: Happy birthday!

Tony: Are you doing anything special tonight?

Tony: Or are the big birthday bashes reserved for Steve only because he was born on a national holiday?

Bucky: We have plans

Nick: He's not going to say any more than that, is he

Tony: No I don't think so