An undercover mission, a plan, and some shouting. This was the start to my morning. I came back from taking Chili to day school only to have chaos erupting from one of our conference rooms. What was it over? A gala and pairings to nab the first artifact we needed.
"No, no, no. You can't simply pair off two Avengers and not work with us. We need to be a combined team, not acting as separate teams," I heard Colonel Flag shouting.
"We are working together, but given the short notice, those two would be better suited as a couple. They've been doing this for a while. We can pair up one of us with one you another time. Can he even dance?" Tony snapped. I went to see what – or who – they were arguing over only to be halted by Loki.
"I don't think you should go in there, darling. It's quite intense if you ask me," he told me.
"What if it's important? Who is being paired up?"
"Fine, go in. But don't say I didn't warn you," he said, letting go of my arm. I walked in and all heads swiveled my way.
"Wow. It feels as if I died or something tragic happened with you all staring at me like that. What's the problem? Why are we arguing?" I greeted them.
"We have a gala to attend. Flag is upset I've paired you up with Barnes for a date. It makes the most sense in this current situation," Tony answered.
"I'm not upset about the pairing; except you've left us out of it. Smith can't just stand guard and we're not going to be lookouts for the damn Avengers. You don't get to take over just because it's your territory," Flag snapped back. Tony opened his mouth to retort back something, so I stepped in.
"Hey, take it easy. There's no need to bite each other's heads off. We're supposed to be working as a team. Rick is right. You can't exclude them from participating in the gala altogether. I'll work with Bucky, but you're going to need another couple on the floor to create more of a distraction when Bucky and I replace the artifact. I assume that's what you want right, Tony? The other option would be for the other couple to sneak it out, but Bucky and I have done this for a while,"
"What about Natasha and Flag as the other couple? Or Cleo can work with Steve? We could bring in Zemo too. He would be valuable to get us into the party. What about pairing him up with Harley? Come on, Tony. Work with me here," I offered.
"What if I want to be partnered with you instead, sweetheart?" Chris asked.
"This gala requires dancing. Maybe not fancy dancing, but there will be slow dancing? Are you able to do that?" He shook his head. "That's what Bucky and I specialized in during these kinds of missions. For right now, you can stand guard and block the view of the cameras when we replace the artifact with the replica. We can work on other skills later. When is the gala?"
"Saturday. I think Flag's team is better-,"
"Do not finish that sentence. Let them help in any way they can. The more combined we appear, the less suspicious we will be to our enemies and what we're after. Zemo and Harley, Natasha and Flag, or Steve and Cleo? Make your choice," I pushed back. Tony sighed, giving in.
"Fine. Give Zemo a call. We need to discuss a plan when he gets here,"
"Good choice. Excuse me," I left the room and placed a call to Helmut. He answered after the second ring and agreed to come by in an hour. I relayed the message to the rest of the group and went to the kitchen to eat something. I was joined by Flag a few minutes later.
"Thank you for your help back there. I don't think I've ever met someone that stubborn. Who's this Zemo your friend mentioned?" he said.
"Someone who caused the break-up of our team a few years ago. I made friends with him a year later. The initial reason I paid him a visit was to understand why he chose to do what he did to us. Our friendship sort of bloomed from there. He used to be part of a kill squad back in his home country that's now destroyed thanks to our actions. He's also a baron, so he has connections that come in handy from now and then," I explained.
"Do you trust him to work with us? We can't have this mission go haywire. It's too important,"
"I trust him. I'd trust him with my life. He trusts me, which is why he agreed to come by. He'll come through I promise. He always does, especially if I'm involved," Flag nodded and walked away to help in preparing a plan. An hour later, our doorbell rang, signaling Zemo's arrival.
"Helmut! It's good to see you. How are you?" I greeted him. He kissed my cheeks and pulled me into a tight embrace, before walking in.
"I've been great, my darling. We should get together some time. I've missed our conversations. How are things with the Avengers?" he answered me. He kept his arm around my waist and froze when he saw the rest of my team scowling at him, including Chris. The rest of Flag's team appeared unbothered by his arrival.
"Well, you know. It's the same old routine. Go on missions, go to debriefings, training at 8 a.m. We've been playing host to another team for a few days," I told him.
"I see. How can I be of service?" Zemo said. When no one made to move, I let loose a frustrated breath.
"Don't be rude. He's agreed to offer his help. The least you could do is be civil with one another," I said.
"I hate you two are friends. Also, Helmut? He'll always be Zemo to us," Tony stated. I glared and we entered the living room where there was enough room to sit all of us. I was pulled down onto Zemo's lap, his arms still holding onto me. Chris cleared his throat, still glaring daggers at him. Is that jealousy, I'm sensing? I thought. I didn't mind being in Helmut's lap. It was a regular occurrence for us. It started when I learned he hadn't been touched in some time. No hugs, no light touches and I chose to get him used to it once more. It didn't mean that we slept together, but it brought us closer together.
We discussed a plan of action, who would be where, what the goal was, how we would communicate with each other, et cetera. Zemo, Harley, Bucky, and I would be on the floor, scanning for where they had the artifact. We would browse the art and antiques like most of the patrons would do, creating a distraction by dancing when it was time, slipping off to find it again. We'd need Chris to come in and create a second barrier while I would switch the real one with the fake one, then drop it off with Flag and the others.
We would then return to the party for the rest of the night, making it look as though nothing had happened. The artifact would then be locked in a protective case where no one would be able to access it, so it wouldn't fall into corrupt hands.
"Should we call in Strange for this one? This one can trap people inside of it if it's handled wrong," Wanda said.
"Stephen's assistance won't be necessary. I've handled artifacts like it before. This one looks a bit different to the others, but it works the same way. We should make a visit over the Sanctum beforehand though. We'll need to grab a specific bag with a spell to contain it while it's being transferred to its permanent location," I commented.
"I can get you a chair if you would like. You don't have to sit in his lap if you don't want to," Chris said.
"I'm fine, thanks. Let's talk about dances. We'll need to practice before we go. What are we thinking? Waltz? Swing? Are those too specific? Should we stick to something simple?"
"Simple is perfect. Practicing would be best to get used to each other's movements. I know it's been a while since you and James last did an assignment like this. We should be able to look as we are actual couples and be comfortable with each other. If I may, I'd like to take the four of us out to get the right outfits for this occasion," Zemo said.
"Be my guest. We should discuss a backup plan and an escape plan should things go wrong," Steve said. We spent the next two hours going over those, coming up with rendezvous points as well. I slipped off Zemo's lap getting closer to look at the routes of the plan, leaning over Chris to do so.
"Do you mind not doing that?" he whispered, low enough for only me to hear.
"What? I need to see the entire plan you know,"
"Leaning over me. It's distracting me,"
"What is? Try to ignore it. Focus on what's at stake here,"
"That scent of yours, the press of your body against mine," I leaned back and sniffed my skin, my hair. I leaned back over him, my hair brushing over him again. "It's just my shampoo. It's a rose scent. Don't tell me you like it?" Chris stiffened, his hands clenching into fists.
"I do in fact love it. You're doing this on purpose. Distracting me. I know you are. You can see the plan later,"
"Why later? I can see it perfectly fine from here?" I leaned further into him, Chris letting out a rattled breath. I placed my hands on his shoulders to balance, hearing a hitch in his breath.
"Aubrey? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah, sure. Excuse me," I told him. I slowly moved my hands of Chris, letting my red hair glide over his shoulders and watched as Chris relaxed and released a deep breath.
"Looks like they'll be getting back together," I heard Natasha say before I disappeared into a separate room alone with Bucky. That wouldn't be the case at all.
Later that evening, after most went to bed, I busied myself in the training room, dancing to relieve my tension.
"Why do you let Zemo touch you so much?" Chris's voice startled me. Throughout the day, whenever I was near Helmut, he would have a hand somewhere on my body; the small of back, holding my hand, holding me in his arms, a hand on my knee. It was never anything inappropriate, only pure affection. Even while he was helping Harley practice, he would demonstrate with me sometimes. I'd caught Chris looking at us several times, each time a frown on his lips, his eyes blazing with fire and jealousy.
"You scared me. I didn't hear you come in. How long have you been standing there?" I greeted him.
"A few minutes. You didn't answer my question,"
"Huh? Oh. Zemo had been touch-starved when he went away to prison a few years ago. I paid a visit to him after the team broke up, made friends, and when he made a deal to be released, our friendship blossomed. I wanted to get him used to being hugged or held, even holding hands with someone. To show him affection. It became somewhat of a routine for us. He used to flinch when someone brushed up against him, now he doesn't. I think it soothes him," I noticed a look from Chris I'd get from the others when they first saw how Zemo touched me.
"It doesn't mean we ever slept together. I don't want to. We're friends, that's it. There's not been anything more with him. I don't have feelings for him, and he doesn't view me that way either," I continued. He nodded and came closer to me.
"What did you and Bucky talk about? Are you getting back together with him?"
"That's none of your business,"
"It might be. You know how I feel about you. I don't think your boyfriend would like it if I continued to pursue you,"
"He's not my boyfriend. Don't concern yourself with things you don't need to know about. In fact, it has nothing to do with you or us or even Bucky and me. Drop your curiosity," I said, firmly. We stared each other down, none of us moving an inch, breathing heavily. He surprised me by taking one of my hands in his, his gaze softening.
"Would you teach me to slow dance? I'd like to be prepared for next time. I'd love to dance with you," he said.
"Certainly. Let me change the music to something more attuned to what you're asking me," I told him. I pulled out of his grip, changing the song to a playlist of slower songs, both with lyrics and instrumental songs. Something I knew would be playing at the gala in a few days. Coming back to Chris, I held out a hand, which he took and slid my other hand over his torso to his shoulder.
"Relax," I told him when he tensed as my fingers scoped out the planes of his tone chest before reaching his shoulder. I brushed my fingers over his arm to place it around my waist, moving to his shoulder again. We moved to the rhythm as I counted out the steps, correcting him when he stumbled a few times. Nothing else mattered as we danced, our bodies syncing together as we continued turning about the room. We must have lost track of time and I noticed the time on the clock over the entrance. It read 3 a.m.
"We should go to bed," I whispered, stopping our movements.
"Yeah, we should. It's late," he whispered back. We were breathing hard, our bodies pressed close. He leaned down, bringing his lips closer to mine. I almost let him close the distance, almost let him kiss me, but got cold feet. Pulling back, I stepped closer to the doors of the training room.
"Good night, Chris," I said and fled the room, leaving him alone.
Saturday
"Everyone in position," Flag ordered. Helmut, Harley, Bucky, and I entered the museum where the gala was being held and browsed among the other patrons. We didn't linger too close to each other to avoid suspicion we were together and working a mission. When Bucky and I passed by the artifact, we made a subtle note to everyone that it was out on display and accessible to our hands.
"What do you think I should do?" Bucky asked me. He was asking advice about how to ask out a girl he had met a few weeks ago.
"Whatever you want. What did you do when you were dating in the 40's?"
"Typically bought flowers, wrote love notes, that sort of thing. I don't know, though. It's a little old-fashioned to do those things these days,"
"The flowers are a nice touch. Maybe the wise thing to do is hang out before you go on an official date. That way you can get to know her a little bit. Find out what she likes and dislikes. Go from there. If things seem to click, then ask her out,"
"She's already let things out that she likes to do. I guess I could take her ice skating or out to sushi. Maybe go out to get a drink. I know she likes beer. I'm nervous. It's been a while since I've been in the dating game. Not since you,"
"You shouldn't have much of a problem then. Look, Bucky, just be who you are. You're a wonderful man and I'm sure she'll adore you," I told him. Bucky pulled me to the dance floor and held me close as we danced.
"What about you? Are you ready to jump back in?" he asked me.
"I'm not sure," Noting my hesitancy to answer, he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, turning off the comm and turned his off as well.
"What are you doing? We should be-,"
"The team can wait a few more minutes before we report back to them. I don't want them to hear this conversation anyway. What about that Peacemaker guy?"
"Chris," I corrected.
"Fine, Chris, whatever. The point is I've seen the way he looks at you. I've also noticed the way you've looked at him when no one else sees you. Are you going to make him work to earn his way to your heart? I think I know why you're pushing him away," he said. I avoided his blue eyes.
"Has Yelena said something to you about this?"
"No. I haven't even asked her about what's going on between you and Chris. It's obvious what you feel for each other. Even if you want to deny it. I know the others haven't picked up on it, not if they keep trying to push us back together. You worry about what the others will think about it," I flicked my eyes back up at him.
"I…I don't know, Bucky. I don't want to get hurt. I keep thinking back to what happened between me and you. What if he doesn't want the same things I do? Yes, I worry about what everyone else will think. Yelena, however, wants me to say yes to him. She's the only one, besides you, that likes him with me," Bucky cupped my jaw, running his thumb along my cheek.
"Do me a favor will you? Don't make him wait. He's good for you. I've not seen you two interact too much alone together, but I believe he's good for you. I think he's going to balance you out and I think you're going to bring out the good in him. Say yes, before he decides to give up on loving you," Bucky turned on the comms again and we were soon joined by Helmut and Harley, allowing us to make our move. The other patrons didn't notice our disappearance and we met Chris by the artifact, the two men, creating a barrier, while I made the switch. Sealing the real artifact up, we went outside to drop it off to the others, sneaking back in to finish up the night.
The next morning, I completed my normal routine, coming back to a pleasant smell coming from the kitchen. When I went to investigate, I found Chris cooking something.
"Good morning, Aubrey. I made waffles. Would you like to join me?" Chris greeted me. I nodded and sat down at the counter. He served me a plate sitting down beside me with a plate of his own.
"Any plans today? I noticed you didn't take Chili to day school. Are you going to spend time with him today?" Chris asked me.
"Maybe. I'm not sure yet. What about you?" He shrugged.
"I might go down by the pool. We've got nothing to do with work today given last night's mission went according to plan. Nothing to do, but relax,"
"We don't either. Tomorrow, I'm to meet with Stephen to train some more. He's all about working on perfecting my powers, so I've got to indulge him into some practice,"
"Mind if I come? I've never seen how your powers work. I'd love to watch you work,"
"Sure. We can get some more research done afterwards. If we can't find anything, then I'll have to leave New York for a few days to pay visit to Kamar-Taj, see if it has anything on our entities. Oh, hey. You've got a little something…here," I told him. I swiped my finger across his lips, whipped cream coating my finger. I licked it off, noticing Chris's eyes darken slightly.
"Aubrey, please give me a chance. I promise I won't hurt you. I think we'll be great together. One date and if it doesn't work, I'll leave you alone," he said. I opened my mouth to say something. To possibly say yes, thinking back on Bucky's words, the favor he asked of me. Maybe I would have, if Tony and Steve hadn't walked into the kitchen a few seconds later.
"No. I can't. Thank you for the waffles. Excuse me," I answered instead. Tony and Steve watched me leave, confusion etched onto their features. I had to get outside to get some air, so I grabbed Chili and went to the back yard of the compound. I stayed outside for the remainder of the day, avoiding Chris as best I could. Why was I so afraid of accepting him?
"Aubrey! Are you okay? The guys were worried about you," Yelena asked me, running outside at one point.
"I think I'm making a mistake. I don't know how much longer I can refuse him. I'm scared Yelena. I'm scared of how he makes me feel. I think I'm starting to fall hard for him. I don't want the relationship to end like it did with Bucky," I admitted.
"Then stop resisting. Give into him. It won't. He's captivated by you. I don't he'll leave you even if he wanted to. Let yourself fall in love again," she told me, pulling me into a hug. Perhaps I should listen to her. Perhaps I should give into Chris and my feelings for him.