A/N: To those who hate long chapters you may want to kill me. To those who LOVE long chapters, hopefully this will make you happy and not make you wanna shun long chapters for the rest of your life b/c this shit is LOOOONG. But i also hope its good. Again, with the content y'all are either gonna hate me or love me, i think lolol. Guess we'll find out.

Also i need to make another shout out!

Becca, you the bomb dot com. She bought me multiple cups of coffee over kofi and not to sound dramatic but i would die for her, cool? cool. (i see you, boo, this update goes out to you b/c without that last caffeine boost id probably just be dead lol)

novasartstudio (that is her insta handle right there pls go check her out) she has drawn me AMAZING pieces of art for this story and i wish i could display them all here. Please look her up on tumblr and insta y'all she is a GIFT from the heavens to me.

Chapter #08:

The One Where The Avengers Go To The Beach

Phoebe Buffay: "Hang in there. It's gonna happen."

Ross Geller: "Wha—? Okay, now how do you know that?"

Phoebe Buffay: "Because she's your lobster!"

Chandler Bing: "Oh, she's going somewhere."

Phoebe Buffay: "Come on you guys, it's a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. And you know what? You can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank, you know, holding claws like…you…you have to picture lobsters."

He had never been in a plane like this before. In the 40's, Bucky had flown in a number of military planes, but he was usually packed side by side with other soldiers while strapped to the interior metal wall. Then the few times he jumped on planes in this timeframe he was always sneaking on and off cargo planes. Tony Stark's private jet was very, very different. The seats were plush and spacious, and it was open enough that he didn't feel constricted or claustrophobic. Bucky could get used to traveling like this.

The interior was decorated in shades of black and beige. There was a small bedroom closed off from the main seating area that had two couches, one two-seater and the other shaped like a large 'C', along with a few recliner styled seats as well. Bucky didn't even know stuff like this existed.

They had been in the air for a couple of hours now. Long enough that bright light from outside now flooded the cabin and nearly everyone was awake. Pietro was in a recliner, passed out to the world, his mouth hanging open as he lightly snored. Clint was sitting on the floor in front of the 'C' shaped couch letting Wanda and Star apply make-up to his face. Tony was doing something on his laptop sitting on the couch behind them and Natasha, a little ways down from him, was reading a fashion magazine. Vison and Sam sat side by side on the two-seat couch pushed against the back wall with Aj and Steve sitting on the floor in front of them. The four played a loud card game. Bucky didn't know what they were playing, but he knew that Sam was losing based on the groaning from his direction.

Bucky took a second, standing outside the bathroom, to take in the calm, happy environment in the enclosed space. Then he walked forward to take his seat on the other side of Natasha on the 'C' shaped couch. The card game and Clint's make-over were in his line of sight. Out of habit, Bucky rolled his shoulders. Ever since Strange worked on him, he found himself constantly moving his shoulder just to move it. There was still a little soreness from the surgery itself, and some burning across his skin because of nerve damage, but it was nothing compared to what the pain used to be.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized he could feel someone's gaze burning a hole in the side of his head. Bucky glanced to the side to see Natasha glaring at him from over the top of her magazine.

"Why do you look like you're about to murder me?" Bucky asked sheepishly.

"Because I'm contemplating it." She replied.

"Oh, okay." Bucky nodded. "Just for fun or is there a specific reason?"

Natasha threw aside her magazine and when it hit Tony in the side he tossed her a light glare before going back to whatever the hell he was doing. The redhead scooted over so she was sitting right beside him, and Bucky tried his best not to stiffen.

"You're an idiot." Natasha said in Russian.

Bucky nodded again, he wasn't about to disagree with the ex-assassin, and replied in the matching language, "I'm sure you're right, but why?"

"You told Steve that Aj wasn't your type." Natasha said and it wasn't a question. His eyes widened in surprise. Had Steve told her? That didn't seem likely since he had been around the blond since the conversation. Unless his friend texted her. She shook her head and continued, "Aj overhead you two and told me, dumbass."

His surprise turned to regret very quickly. Bucky's eyes glanced over at Aj who was making fun of Vision for whatever the android had done in the card game. Steve and Sam laughed, his oldest friend reaching out to set his hand on Aj's shoulder as he did so. Bucky cleared his throat and quickly looked back to the disgruntled redhead beside him.

"Is she…Is she alright?" Bucky asked softly.

"She is your type." Natasha said, ignoring his question entirely. "I am 100% sure of that. Barnes, you obviously have feelings for her."

Bucky's shoulders went tense, and he quickly shook his head, "No, I—" Natasha gave him a deadpanned look and he sighed. "Steve has feelings for her."

"So?"

"So, I'm not going to do that to my best friend." Bucky said firmly, probably a little sharper than he meant to since Tony looked up from his computer again to give them a skeptical glance. "Steve makes Aj happy, Aj makes Steve happy, it's a—a dream couple."

Natasha narrowed her eyes, "You're not happy in this scenario though."

Bucky didn't deserve happiness. It was simple as that. Black and white in his head. The anesthesia induced nightmare he had only reminded him further of the fact that anything he touched was going to wilt. Bucky wasn't meant to be happy. Right now, he was content and honestly that was more than he deserved.

"Steve and Aj have history. They've spent time together, in person, for a lot longer than me. She needs someone like Steve. Someone she deserves." Bucky shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, "I have a dumb crush. It'll pass."

Natasha snorted, "I've seen the way you look at her, Barnes." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. She leaned forward, "Anytime she walks into a room… your entire demeanor changes, and it's only ever for her. You're like a guy stranded on some deserted island staring out at a boat on the horizon."

"Descriptive." Bucky mumbled though he couldn't deny it. He never knew what he looked like outwardly, but he sure as hell knew how he felt internally and Natasha hit the nail on the head.

"Every time you look at her, you look at her like it's the last time you're ever going to see her." Natasha continued. "Like you're memorizing every feature again—"

"Okay, I get it." Bucky said quickly in English. He leaned back in his seat.

Clint cleared his throat and they glanced over at him. Wanda was sitting cross legged with Star sitting in her lap as they giggled and admired their work. Clint's short hair was tied off in random small ponytails, his eyelids were painted with unsymmetrical purple eyeshadow, the red lipstick on him didn't actually follow the outline of his lips, and his eyeliner was jagged.

"Excuse me, if you're going to talk in Russian can you at least talk slower so I can follow what you're saying."

"Sorry, ma'am." Bucky replied with a smirk.

Clint narrowed his colorful eyes at him, but Tony was the one who spoke up, "Yeah, what are you two adorable, little ex-assassins whispering about over there?"

"We're just talking about how old you're gonna be tomorrow, Tony." Natasha grinned.

"Oh God," Tony groaned and set his laptop aside. He pushed his light blue lensed glasses down his nose to look over them, "Tomorrow is my 31st birthday." A loud guffaw from the other couch, easily recognizable to him, made Tony whip around, rip his glasses off, and point at Aj who had a mischievous grin on her lips, "Watch it, sunshine."

Aj rolled her eyes, "If you're gonna lie about your age maybe shoot for something a little more realistic? Say…64?"

"Oh, you little gremlin."

Bucky watched as Tony threw a pillow at Aj's head which knocked her over. She didn't stop laughing the entire time. Even with her hair a mess. She just ran a hand through the dark locks, straightening it, and beamed back at Tony with a smile that seemed to radiate sunlight. She made another snide comment and her nose scrunched cutely.

Natasha hummed and Bucky glanced back at her to see the redhead staring at him with a raised eyebrow and the most 'I told you so' look he had ever seen in his life. He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat, and tried to paste his attention anywhere else.

"The only reason Steve doesn't see how you stare at her," Natasha said in Russian, "—is because he's too busy looking at her to look at you."

Bucky wondered if he could somehow train himself to keep his features neutral anytime he looked at Aj. It wouldn't be too hard. Might take a little time, but he was a dedicated kind of guy. His gaze drifted back over to the card game and just by chance his eyes met hers. Aj's smile turned soft, and she lifted her hand to give him a small wave. Bucky could've sworn he felt his heart actually physically flutter in his chest. Okay. Maybe this would be harder than he thought.

The island was beautiful, quiet, and remote. It didn't take me by surprise that Tony owned such a gorgeous place but being here was incredible. The house itself could hardly be called a house. It looked like a resort. A big main house with a large outdoor patio that faced the ocean. Around it were a couple smaller bungalows and smaller buildings with ocean water separating them and small bridges connecting each part of the home. The jet had landed a couple miles away on the runway and we had to drive to it.

"Wow, this place is rundown as hell, Tony. Do better." Clint joked as he fell into a hammock on the patio to my left. Most people had gone inside to drop off bags and settle, but Tony, Clint, and I stood outside on the patio staring out at the blue-green, calm ocean.

"Yeah, sorry. If it makes you feel better, I think there's a few dumpsters around the back you could inhabit while we're here." Tony snorted. He turned to me, "I had all our supplies delivered earlier and put away, but there's no staff here right now or anything. Pepper and the others are gonna be here tomorrow morning and—"

"Uh, where is the sand?" I asked quickly. This entire time my eyes had been tracing our surroundings looking for some kind of land. The house was literally nestled in the water though. Quite the engineering and architectural feat, but my absolute goddamn nightmare right now. Clint and Tony looked at me curiously, but I kept my arms crossed tightly and didn't let my smile falter. The ocean's water was so gorgeous, but the idea of being surrounded by water just made me nervous.

Tony pointed in some direction, "Main beach is a couple miles or so that way. There's a dock on the other side," He pointed in the opposite direction, "With a tiny beach, but that's just for the dock. We can take a boat to the beach when we go to hangout."

"Right, yeah, cool." I nodded and pointed to the house behind me, "I should go pick a room, huh?"

"You could always share with Steve—" Clint began to speak, but Tony kicked him in the hip hard enough to make the hammock swing out so far that the archer fell out onto the patio ground with a grunt.

I rolled my eyes as they argued and slipped inside the house. Wanda and Pietro were talking excitedly in the kitchen off to the side in Sokovian with bright grins that made me smile. I was so happy that the teens were able to settle in and be happy. That they could have moments like this. In fact, I was excited to make their 18th birthday something special. The kids deserved it after everything they've had to go through.

As I reached the stairs, I could hear the others talking about something. Instead of walking over to join them, I slid into the first room I saw and glanced around. The bedroom's décor had a tropical feel and the back wall had two glass doors that were swung open and led out onto a balcony. There was a bag on the floor by the bed, it looked like Sam's, but rather than leaving to find where someone had dropped my bag off I chose to walk out onto the balcony.

God, the view was incredible.

All I should've felt was awe at how far the ocean sprawled out for, but I couldn't ignore this bundle of nerves in my gut that seemed to radiate anxiety. There was so much water. I didn't think it'd bother me. I really didn't. Looking at it now though, it felt like my skin was crawling. It was like every molecule of my makeup was vibrating and trying to get as far away from this spot as I physically could. I set my hands on the balcony's railing and closed my eyes to try and take in a long, slow, steadying breath.

There was a reason why I didn't go swimming.

There was a reason why I didn't like taking a bath.

There was a reason why I didn't even like looking up and putting my face directly into the spray of a shower head.

Water was the quickest way to kick down the door I hid my fear behind. It brought back things I wish I couldn't remember. A part of me didn't understand how I could be so affected by something so uninvolved in my trauma. The ocean did nothing wrong to me. Actually, the ocean had helped heal me once upon a time. Just by association though… the sight of it made me sick.

"Aj?"

I sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and whipped around to see Sam stepping into his room with a raised eyebrow. He glanced around and walked over to me, "What're you doing in here? Are we gonna fist fight for ownership of this room? Because I'm ready for you, girl."

"No, no." I forced a laugh and walked off the balcony into the room. "It's supposed to be a fun weekend. We shouldn't start it off with me kicking your ass."

"Okay, I see how it is." Sam scoffed with a smirk.

I chuckled, "Did you see where Steve set my stuff? He said he'd carry it in, but he never told me where."

"Oh, you're down the hall. Right beside his room. You should've been able to guess that." Sam replied. I gave him a quick thanks and slipped by him, but before I got far he peeked his head out and spoke, "Hey, get a swimsuit on! We're taking Stark's boat out to the beach to hang out 'til dinner."

Sam disappeared again before I could even push out a response. I nodded to myself a few times before finding the room Steve had set my stuff in. This room was a little bigger with a balcony that connected to Steve's room next door, but the style and décor were still similar. Slowly, I unpacked my bag and put things away. All I had to do was put on one of the swimsuits that Natasha had picked out for me and then get on a boat. No big deal. People did that all the time.

Natasha knew me well and the swimsuits she picked out for me was a testament to that. All sets were two-piece, but two of the sets had tops that were styled so it didn't show off much, if any, cleavage. One was a white floral corset styled with spaghetti straps and the other was a pink and orange halter top that went up to my neck. Both would hide the scars on my back, but only the white one would hide the scar at the center of my torso.

A knock at the door made me drop the top in my hands and turn to see Steve in the doorway. I gave him a smile, "Hey!" Steve had on a plain white t-shirt and navy-blue board shorts with a small shield on the corner. I pointed to it, "That's a little ostentatious, don't you think?"

"Take it up with Nat." He chuckled. "You almost ready?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Uh, yeah. Almost."

Steve crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway, and his gaze dropped to his feet, "Hey, I was thinking, uh, we…" He cleared his throat and lifted his eyes to meet mine. "Tony's got that jeep with the top down and the doors off. I know you like that and I thought maybe… maybe me and you could take the jeep to the beach while the others take the boat? Hang out? Just—Just us."

"Oh my god, yes." I blurted. Steve's eyes widened in surprise and I only realized then how quickly and loudly I had replied to him. My brain had just jumped at the chance though. This was my way out. This was my way off that damned boat. I couldn't have planned a better escape plan.

Steve's surprise melted and he gave me a broad smile, "Okay, great. Uh, meet me at the front when you're ready?"

"Sounds perfect." I replied happily and tried not to sound as desperate as I felt. Steve nodded once and closed my door for me. I went back and forth on whether or not I should even put a swimsuit on. At the end of my internal war, I decided to just throw one on. If I didn't and they noticed I'd get asked questions and that was the last thing I wanted. This weekend was about Tony, Wanda, and Pietro. Not Aj and her various mental instabilities.

I put on the pink and orange halter top swimsuit with jean shorts and a sleeveless crop top over it. I grabbed my sunglasses, put on my sandals, and hurried out of the room. The house was empty as I ran through it, the others must have already left, and I jogged outside and over a bridge to get to where the cars were parked outside the gate. Steve was leaning against a black jeep. This one was larger than mine, a four door, but like Steve had said all the doors were pulled off and the top was already down.

"You ready?" Steve asked. He had on a tan ballcap and a pair of aviators.

"Absolutely." I replied with genuine excitement. It had been a long time since I've driven in a car with the top down. I still hadn't had the opportunity to take my own top down back in New York. Steve held out a hand to me and instead of grabbing the jeep's roll cage, I took it and let him help me in. While he went around to get into the driver's side, I grabbed the aux cord and began to pick out a playlist. "I hope you know we're listening to country."

"Really?"

I slid my glasses on as he started the jeep, "It's the only thing you should listen to with top-down weather."

Aj didn't have a care in the world as she loudly sang to the song blasting through the speakers as wind whistled around them. She had one hand buried at the roots of her hair at the top of her head to keep it from flying into her face, but the rest whipped wildly around her. Steve could watch her for hours. The view around them was incredible. One side was thick jungle while the other was the coast, but all he saw was the beaming dame beside him. She looked so carefree and happy. This was the Aj he liked to see.

She unclicked her seat belt to stand up with her hands on the roll cage's bar as she let out a loud cry of excitement as the wind blew by her. Steve slowed just a little, just to be safe, and he reached his right hand out to curl around her waist just in case she lost her balance. After a few more minutes of letting the salt tanged air tangle her hair, Aj dropped back down into her seat with a face splitting grin.

Steve turned off the road they were on, onto a beaten down path into some jungle, and they rode through that for only a couple minutes before the jeep began to drive over packed sand with the ocean only yards ahead of them.

"You know, this is the first time I've been to the beach since I was 14." Aj suddenly spoke up. Steve drove slowly over the sand to give them more time together before they reached where the others were about a mile down the shore. She leaned back in her seat and kept her gaze on the water behind him. "We used to go all the time when I was little. The emerald coast is only an hour away from where we lived. It was my favorite thing in the world. One of my earliest memories is sitting on my dad's shoulders while we walked down the shore in the early morning." There was a flash of something in her eyes behind the tinted glasses she wore. Sadness? Longing? Disappointment? It lingered as she spoke, "We went one time, the three of us, about a year after my mom died. I felt such…peace. There was something about sitting in the sand, staring out over an endless stretch of water that calmed me. It was like nothing else mattered in that moment except the sand between my toes and the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore."

Steve nodded, "You said the last time you went was when you were 14?"

Aj nodded, "It was right after—" Her voice caught in her throat, and Steve reached out to tangle his hand with hers. She squeezed his hand when their fingers laced with one another. "After Aubrey left me… I snuck out of the foster home I was in, stole a car, and drove down until I hit the coast. I just sat in the sand staring out at the water for hours. Nearly an entire day. I only left when the cops came to get me. I just—I just wanted to find that peace."

"Did you find it?"

"Yeah." Aj said softly. "I wish I could find it again. I wish I didn't—"

Steve waited for her to finish her sentence, but Aj ate the words. Her eyes focused back on him and she gave him a bright smile that almost distracted him from the fact that she had interrupted herself. Steve began to ask her if she was alright, but she pointed out the windshield with an excited cheer. Just up ahead the others were moving about the beach.

Maybe he should've drove even slower.

Steve wanted to confess his feelings for her while they were here. It seemed like a perfect time to do it. They were relaxed, the view around them was gorgeous, and nearly everyone she loved was here with her. Sam said the timing was perfect. Peggy had given her blessing when he last visited her. Clint poured the two of them celebratory shots when he asked about it, and then took both himself when he remembered alcohol didn't do much for him. Pietro, who was eavesdropping on his conversation with Clint at the time, agreed that it would be a great idea. He then stole the bottle of vodka and ran off leaving Clint on a manhunt to get it back before the others found out. The only person who didn't seem entirely supportive of it was Natasha, surprisingly, but she eventually agreed that he should try while they were out here.

Plus, Bucky said there were no feelings between the two. No romantic feelings at least. Steve had been skeptical of the answer the first time he asked, still skeptical the second, but he finally chose to take his best friend's words when he asked, for the third time, last night. Bucky was adamant that he didn't see Aj as more than a really good friend, and that he wanted Steve to actually make a move. Hell, Bucky had coached him for this moment.

Not that it had helped.

He had missed every opportunity that arose during their drive to the beach.

Steve still had two full days though. He was fine.

"Took you two long enough!" Clint yelled out loudly as Steve parked the jeep toward the back of the patch of shore they had settled on. They climbed out and the archer yelled again, "Did you guys stop on the way here to make out—" A volleyball bounced off the back of his head, "Ouch!"

Tony raised a hand from a few feet away, "Oops. My hand slipped."

"Hand slipped my ass." Clint grumbled and went back to trying to open and set up the gazebo styled tent to block the sun. From where Steve stood, it looked like the gazebo tent was winning. Luckily, Vision also noticed this and walked over to offer assistance.

Pietro and Sam were already chest deep in the water while Bucky stood ankle deep with his face lifted up toward the sky to soak in the sunlight. Wanda was sitting in the sand building a sandcastle with Star. Tony and Natasha, on the other hand, were fighting an unassembled volleyball net. It was ironic to him that his team was so amazing at saving the world but could be so easily defeated by a few outdoor patio pieces. Vision slid up the side he stood by and it caused the side Clint stood under to collapse onto his head.

The mighty Avengers indeed.

Aj jogged over to Tony and Natasha to offer them assistance. Steve was tempted to follow after her, but he still hadn't apologized to Tony yet and didn't want to piss off the genius any further. Fixing things with Tony was also on his to-do list during this mini vacation. Steve turned and walked over to where Bucky was just enjoying the moment. His friend had tried to come out in jeans, but Steve beat that idea out of him. So now, the man wore black swim shorts and a tank top with his hair pulled back into a messy bun. There was a sling hanging around his neck that wrapped around the end of the prosthetic. The doctors had told him to keep it out of the ocean for now.

"You remember when we went to Rockaway beach?" Steve asked.

Bucky paused in thought, but he lips turned up in a slow, amused smile, "We rode home in the back of a freezer truck."

"That was your fault, I hope you remember." Steve chuckled. "You just had to win that redhead the stuffed bear. Spent three whole dollars on it."

"Dot." Bucky nodded. "Her name was Dot. I remember that. She was cute. Definitely worth the three dollars." Steve laughed again and Bucky glanced over at him. "She's gotta be nearly 100 years old now."

Steve nudged his friend, "Buck, so are we."

In a couple months he'd be turning 97. Bucky had just turned 98. It was a weird path that their lives had taken. Those two scrappy Brooklyn kids back in the day would've never guessed that this is where they'd end up. Steve assumed he'd be dead before he turned 30. He had been surprised that he ever even turned 21. With all the health conditions he had, Steve just figured he'd have a short, kind of miserable life. It was one of the reasons why, when he lost Bucky on that train, that it had hurt so damn much. Steve always assumed he'd go first. That he'd never have to live a day without Bucky because he'd kick the bucket first.

"What the hell are you thinking so hard about, punk?"

Steve snapped back to reality and realized Bucky was looking at him in concern. How many times had Bucky been there to save his day? How many punches did this man take in order to keep him standing? Steve lived in a world where superheroes were a normal occurrence. These days you couldn't throw a rock without hitting some sort of superhuman. Before he settled in this world though, Steve was all too familiar with the concept of a superhero. That's what Bucky had been for him since the moment they met.

Bucky was a selfless hero who had been dragged through the dirt. He had been shoved so far down into the dark that he couldn't see himself for who he really was anymore and that broke Steve's heart. Steve might be Captain America and people around the world might see him as some kind of role model or figure to look up to, but for Steve's entire life he's always been looking up to Bucky.

"I got something for you." Steve said suddenly and Bucky raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity. He dug through his board shorts pocket and pulled out the lightweight metal. "Found your dogtags." Bucky's eyes landed on the metal chain hanging from his hand and widened in surprise. Steve shrugged, "Well, found maybe isn't the best word for it. They were part of the 'Captain America and the Howling Commandos' exhibit at the Smithsonian. I sort of borrowed—"

Bucky smirked, "You stole my dogtags?"

"Is it really considering stealing if the item is going back to the original owner?"

"In this case, yeah, I think it is still considered that." Bucky replied and took the dogtags from him. His friend stared down at the thin metal plating in his hands. Steve wasn't going to admit that he stole—borrowed these ages ago. Back when he broke into the Smithsonian to take his suit for the fight against HYDRA. Steve couldn't just walk by them and leave them there. He never admitted that he had them to anyone, but right now they belonged around his friend's neck and not his dresser drawer. Bucky deserved a reminder of who he used to be. He deserved to remember that he was an American soldier who gave his life to help end a war and not a nameless, faceless entity used to destroy.

Bucky was, and still is, a hero.

"You okay?" Steve asked in concern.

Bucky gave him a firm smile and slid the chain around his neck before tucking the end of it into his shirt. Bucky reached out to clasp his shoulder, "Yeah. Just thinking how nice it is to be on the beach again with you, punk."

Steve nodded in agreement then turned in time to watch as Sam suddenly dragged Pietro under the water with a tackle. He glanced over his shoulder to see Tony and Aj arguing over the volleyball net while Natasha stared at the ocean as if she was contemplating drowning herself. Clint and Vision had finished with the tent and now the archer laid in the shade with his arms and legs outstretched like a starfish while Star, Wanda, and Vision worked on burying him.

Steve was real happy with where they ended up.

"I got it!" Clint yelled loudly and I watched as the volleyball soared over the net right to him. The ball hit his arms with just enough to spin to send the ball ricocheting away from the sand court.

"Yeah, you really got it." I snickered.

"Not everyone can be an ex-volleyball star like you." Clint snapped.

I rolled my eyes, calling out that I'd get the ball, and jogged away from the court to where the ball had bounced to. The sand shifted under my toes as I crossed the space to where the volleyball had originally landed. It was still rolling, and I watched as it hit the edge of the water. The waves caught it and the ball now bobbed in the shallow water rocking back and forth with the current.

The water was crystal clear and beautiful. How could anybody be scared of something so pretty? It was foolish right? I smiled to myself and walked into the water. The waves lapped at my ankles, not too cold and not too warm, and I pushed forward so I could reach for the ball. The water rose to my mid-shins, my feet pressing into the sand.

I grabbed the ball and with a grin turned back to face my friends, but they were gone. The shore was gone. All I could see was an endless ocean all around me. There was no land, and I could feel the water slowly rising past my knees.

"Guys? Hey!" I yelled, but there was no answer.

In hopes that I had just somehow misplaced the shoreline, I turned in place looking for something. I managed to complete one full circle before hands grabbed at my shoulders. Startled, I dropped the volleyball as whoever had grabbed me twisted me around harshly. My eyes landed on a pale faced Boss who had blood dribbling from his lips down his cheek. A sharp gasp tore through me as I stared at the bright red blood pouring from the wound on his chest, coating his white shirt.

"No—" I began, but Boss shoved me down. My scream was muted as my head was held under the water. I twisted in his arms, desperately trying to loosen his grip, but my head only went deeper as cold water got sucked into my lungs.

Someone tangled their hand into my hair and yanked me back out of the water. I couldn't even take in a solid breath because I first had to try and hack up all the water in my lungs. I blinked in pain, throat burning, and realized the ocean was nowhere around me. I was kneeling in front of a large tub of water in Boss' office with his henchmen gripping my arms enough to bruise them.

Boss knelt down in front of me with a sickening grin, all his wounds gone, he tilted his head, "Did you actually think you could escape me? I'll never die."

He snapped his fingers, and my head went back under.

More cold water rushing into my lungs.

With a gasp, I sat up in bed tangled in my sheets.

I took in deep breaths as my eyes wildly snapped around the dark room around me looking for a sinister smile. This was a trap. Was this a trap? Where was I? I scrambled to get up and stumbled across the room to an open door. I hit the light and slowly my mind started to connect the dots.

I was on an island. I was on Tony Stark's island. We were celebrating his and the twins' birthdays here. Boss was dead, and I was safe. I had spent the day on the beach with people I loved. Everything was okay. I was okay. Still taking long, deep breaths, I leaned against the bathroom counter. When I lifted my gaze, I took a moment to just stare at myself in the mirror. It seemed like the nightmare version of Boss was right. Even with him dead, I still couldn't get away from him.

Rhodey was a fan of Aj's unusual friend. Him and Pepper had loaded up onto the private jet in Malibu, then flew to New York to pick up someone named Alex. He had heard a few things about them. They had been to the Compound in the past to visit. Tony liked how they poured drinks and apparently, they had gotten along really well with the twins too. They were definitely a loud character. Unique. Their short, cropped hair was dyed gray, they had a star shaped band-aid on their cheek, and a pair of large, mirrored aviators over their eyes.

Alex was also the kind of person to make their presence known.

No wonder they got along with Tony.

Rhodey watched as they kicked the door open with a loud bang and threw their arms out in an exaggerated manner, "I'm here, bitches!"

"Alex?" Aj called out as she stared at them skeptically from the couch. Wanda quickly jumped up from her seat with a squeal to come hug them in excitement. It looked like the two girls and Tony were the only ones in the vicinity currently. Rhodey was surprised to see his friend up at all.

Pepper pushed past Rhodey to walk towards Tony whose eyes had also widened in excitement. There was a yellow paper crown on his head that read 'Birthday Douchebag' on the front of it in bold letters. Tony greeted them happily and pulled Pepper into a kiss without hesitation.

"What are you doing here?" Aj had risen from her seat to walk over.

"I was invited, idiot. Mind your tone." Alex replied, and Aj just rolled her eyes.

Wanda grinned, "I'm happy to see you here, Alex. Let me help you find a room."

Alex pointed to Wanda while slowly walking past Aj, "That's how you greet a good friend. Take notes, Aj." The two began to leave just as Steve and Bucky were coming into the main living space. Alex beamed, "Bucky Barnes! How the hell are ya?" Bucky nodded once casually, and Alex's eyes drifted to the blond and they spoke in a monotone, disinterested voice. "Captain America."

Wanda nudged Alex once before they both went down the hall while the super soldiers came in. Steve shook his head, "Why does she hate me again?"

"They." Aj corrected kindly.

"Fuck." Steve said as he realized his slip up. "I didn't mean to use the wrong pronoun."

Rhodey watched the three of them talk, but his eyes stayed on the dark-haired soldier. Bucky Barnes. As a fellow soldier, Rhodey could understand the kind of trauma the poor guy had to go through. He could probably understand easier than some civilian off the street. Rhodey still couldn't help but be skeptical though. This was the man who had killed Tony's parents. Losing his family like that had been devastating to his best friend. Rhodey could still remember finding Tony black out drunk in his empty home. He remembered sitting by his side through the night in fear that if he walked away then his friend would choke on his own vomit or wake up and drink himself to death a little more.

Rhodey also knew that Tony was a little too self-sacrificing for his own good. Even if the man didn't give two shits about Bucky Barnes himself, Tony would bend over backwards for the guy just for Aj and Steve. Tony saddled up to stand beside him as Pepper left to greet the three others and then continued down the hall to where she'd find her and Tony's room.

"Happy Birthday, Birthday Douchebag."

Tony motioned to his crown, "You like it? Aj made it for me."

"It's fitting." Rhodey chuckled then grinned, "What birthday are we celebrating this year?"

"Oh, I'm turning 31 today."

"That's been your answer for the last 14 years." Rhodey chuckled and pulled his friend into a hug that Tony returned with an excited grin.

Tony slapped his hand on his back, "Here's to hoping it'll be my answer for the next 14 years too."

Rhodey's eyes drifted back over to the super soldiers again. Bucky Barnes caught his eye but was quick to tear his eyes to the floor to look away. He followed after Steve and Aj who wandered into the kitchen off to the side.

"It's a little weird, you staring at Bucky like that." Tony commented. "Are you interested in him? I can get you his number."

Rhodey shook his head, "Tony, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely." Tony replied then followed it up just as fast, "About what?"

"About having Bucky Barnes walking around the Compound and now your beach house." He answered. Rhodey glanced at them again as they moved around the kitchen and wondered if the super soldier hearing let them hear what they were saying right now. "How are you handling this?"

Tony waved off his concern, "I'm fine. Save your breath, Rhodey. Everything is good and I am not in the middle of a mental breakdown so you might as well save whatever lecture you had planned for me." Rhodey rolled his eyes, not fully convinced. Tony shrugged, "I actually kind of like Barnes. As it turns out, the two of us get along really, really well when he's not murdering my parents."

Rhodey's earlier question about their hearing was answered when Bucky, who had been opening a cabinet door for a cup, ripped the door off the hinges on accident while Steve, who had poured himself a cup of orange juice to drink, immediately spat it out in surprise. Apparently, the super soldiers could hear them.

Tony snickered to himself as Aj tried to find out why Steve and Bucky had randomly freaked out. His friend gave him another hug, telling him to go unpack, before leaving to find Pepper again. Rhodey glanced over at Bucky again who was now sheepishly trying to put the cabinet door back where it belonged without any tools. He seemed harmless enough here, and Rhodey knew the guy was trying to make progress by seeing a therapist and trying to heal. Still, his job entailed him to make sure Tony didn't get hurt or hurt himself so he had a feeling it would be a minute and a half before he trusted the dark haired man.

The off-key rendition of 'Happy Birthday' hung in the air mingling with laughter and sea spray. It was still early in the day, barely noon, but Tony requested his birthday cake and mini party be celebrated now rather than later. Something about whisking Pepper away to the opposite side of the island for some alone time away from their kids. The entire group being their metaphorical kids.

I joined in on clapping as Tony blew out all 45 candles on his cake. It had taken ages to stick the individual candles onto the baked good but seeing the look on Tony's face when he brought it out onto the patio lit up made it well worth it.

It was little moments like this, sitting at the large extended table with everyone, that reminded me how blessed I actually was. The little girl hiding in her makeshift bedroom in her temporary foster home while sobbing hysterically for her mother, father, and sister would've never imagined spending a day like this. She didn't think the pain would ever fade, and as years went by it seemed like only more and more weighed her down. A part of me wished I could go back in time and tell little, broken Aimee Jane that the world would become better one day. That there was a light at the end of that long, dark tunnel, and that she'd find a family that loved her unconditionally.

"Happy birthday, Tony." I said warmly as I walked over to where him and Rhodey were talking off to the side. Everyone had wandered away from the table to hang out on the patio in the Caribbean sun while enjoying cake and drinks.

Rhodey leaned forward to hug me briefly before clapping his friend on the back and wandering off himself. Tony pointed at me with a grin. There was pure happiness radiating from his warm, brown eyes that even his red tinted sunglasses couldn't hide.

"That almost sounded sincere."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I joked. "I'm sincere as hell."

Tony pointed to the makeshift crown still on his head, "Really? This says otherwise."

"Hey, you're the one still wearing it."

"I never turn down gifts. It's a subset of my ego."

I chuckled to myself with a slight nod, "Right. Speaking of gifts…"

Tony beamed at me, "I only asked for one thing and you better have it for me. I mean, the fact that I had to ask at all is a fucking tragedy, but I digress—"

"Oh God, will you please shut up?" I laughed and pulled a small bracelet out of my jean pocket. The braided blue and white item had been easy to make, and I was getting really good at these now. It was funny to me that the billionaire who owned everything would ask for something so simple. I held up my own left wrist that now held a red and yellow braided bracelet alongside the red/black and blue/brown one. "Here you go, birthday boy. Are you sure you wanna sport this kind of accessory? It's not a 100K Rolex."

"Those are overrated." Tony smirked and stuck his right wrist out for me to tie the bracelet around it. "This is the key to a very elusive club. I never thought I'd be looking to join a club with the Black Widow and the Winter Soldier, yet here we are."

I watched as he admired the simple gift, "You know, I love you, right?"

Tony looked back up at me with a curious glance, "Yeah. Of course. I love you too, sunshine." He furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "Is everything okay?"

"It is. Everything is perfect." I answered quickly. I hadn't meant to make him panic. After the nightmare I had last night, it made every good emotion today feel so much better. I wasn't trapped or broken. I was loved. "I'm just really, really glad to be here celebrating you being old as shit."

Tony didn't even reply to my quip at his age. He just smiled and reached forward to pull me into a hug that I eagerly returned. It only lasted seconds, but when we pulled apart we were greeted by Clint who stood right next to us with a glare.

"Shit!"

"Jesus!"

Clint crossed his arms, "So this is what betrayal tastes like."

"I thought your gift to me today was you getting off your usual bullshit?" Tony questioned with a smirk.

"I am very much on my bullshit right now, thank you." Clint replied then turned to me with an expectant look. "Excuse me, little missy."

I nodded, "You're excused."

Tony snickered and leaned forward to press a kiss to the side of my head before slipping away and leaving me to deal with the pouting archer. Clint just shook his head, appalled, "Where is my bracelet?"

"You gotta let these things happen organically." I shrugged.

"How about I organically disown you?" Clint replied and I let out a loud laugh that he pouted further at. He continued to mock lecture me and I listened along good-naturedly. I knew he was mostly joking, but mentally I was already planning on making one for when his birthday rolled around. At this rate, my entire arm would be covered in various colored bracelets, but I didn't even care. Each one reminded me of a connection I now had, and as someone who knew what it felt like to have zero connections, I treasured every single one.

Natasha waited until Steve stepped away from Bucky before walking over to him. The blond was probably going to try and save Aj from whatever rant Clint was currently spitting at her, and this was the redhead's opportunity to pounce. She slid onto his left side with crossed arms and waited for the man to notice her.

Bucky tensed briefly, the only clue that she had startled him, and then he sighed, "Can you stop that?"

"Absolutely not." Natasha replied. "Have you talked to Aj about what you said to Steve?"

"No, and why would I?" He answered. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he leaned his head back to suppress another sigh, "This is the best case scenario. Steve is gonna confess his feelings on this trip and that'll be that."

She shook her head, "And you're okay with that?"

Bucky shrugged, "I love Steve and I lo—" He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and scrunched his nose up briefly. "I want them to be happy. They'll make each other happy. There's nothing more to this, Natasha."

"God, I'm surrounded by idiots." Natasha mumbled in annoyance.

"Are you done insulting me? Because I have a question." Bucky said. The redhead motioned for him to continue. He paused for a second, his eyes tracing over the patio where everyone was talking and laughing as music played in the background. "There is so much going on back home with HYDRA and the inhumans and everything else." She nodded and had a feeling where this was going. "How are you guys able to put everything aside to party like this? I mean, don't get me wrong—" Bucky held his hand out. "I'm not judging or anything I'm just honestly curious. How does the worry not eat you guys alive?"

Natasha nodded, "It takes practice. The world definitely doesn't look on this with approving eyes. All they see are a bunch of superheroes slacking off but…" She paused to try and find a way to explain this. Natasha had similar questions when she first got to know this little, crazy family. It didn't make sense to her at first, but she grew to understand. To learn.

We have to push aside the negative thoughts and worries when we get chances like this. If we only worked and fought, then we'd burn out. We'd be less than human." She let her own eyes take in the scene around them and a small smile grew on her features as she watched her family enjoy the day. "I've lost a number of people before, and I know… I know that with our line of work that the chance I could lose one of them is painfully high. It's why when we get opportunities like today… it's why we're so good at setting aside the drama and danger and to be in the moment. Life moves pretty quick and in the blink of an eye you could lose everything…" Natasha turned back to face him and hoped he took these words to heart. "So, when you get the chance to slow down, to spend time with people you love, to see them laugh and be happy and make memories… you have to appreciate it and take full advantage of the moment because you never know when everything will change."

Bucky nodded, soaking in her words, "Thank you."

"It took me a minute to figure it out too." She replied. Seconds later, Tony strolled up to them with his right hand held up proudly, and Natasha smirked at the sight of the blue and white bracelet. "Aw, you're finally part of the club. How much did you have to pay her off?"

Tony shook his head, "That's so rude. How could you address a fellow club member in such a heartless manner?" He motioned to the two of them. "I think we should also get matching jackets by the way. I already have something in mind."

"Just don't forget, I'm the president and Barnes is the VP." Natasha said and Bucky's eyes widened in surprise. "You're the treasurer if anything."

"And I will wield the position with pride. Am I a little bitter that I was beat out by the Manchurian Candidate and Raggedy Ann? Absolutely. But I did beat out Clint so I guess that's all that really matters."

Bucky cleared his throat, "From what I'm gathering, it's not hard to beat out Clint."

Tony smirked in response and pointed at the man, "Now, you're getting it." He clapped his hands together. "Come on, we have a yacht to board."

"We what?" Natasha questioned.

"It's deep sea fishing time." Tony replied with ease. "And by that, I mean it's time to take my yacht far out onto the ocean and drink like a pirate while I watch other people fish."

The eccentric man back pedaled away from them so he could announce his plans to the rest of the patio. Even on a normal day, Tony tended to get what he wanted, but on his birthday? The man was unstoppable. Natasha could hardly complain though. Sunbathing on the beach was fun, but sunbathing on the deck of an expensive, elite yacht was a whole other ballgame.

On the opposite side of the property, Tony had a large dock that connected to a small portion of the shoreline. With the way the island was shaped, the shore here wasn't long enough to really spread out an enjoy, but it was a perfect location for the dock to connect to. This was where all the boats were located. The smaller one they had used yesterday was tied up where they left it, and at the very end of the dock sat the large yacht. Tony never did anything in halfway measures that's for sure.

"Alright, all aboard, you scallywags. As long as we are on this ship I will only be referred to as 'Captain Stark'." Tony called out as he motioned for people to walk up the ramp onto the yacht. Natasha followed after the twins while Clint walked behind her with Star sitting on his shoulders. She could hear him bickering with Sam as they climbed the ramp. "Hey, I said all aboard, you two. Don't make me make you walk the plank already. We haven't even pushed off."

Natasha stepped onto the deck and turned to see who Tony was talking to. Bucky and Aj were still standing on the dock a few feet from where Tony was ushering people onto the ramp. Everyone else had already boarded.

"Sorry, Captain Stark." Bucky called out with a small, lopsided smile, "I don't think deep sea boating is in the stars for me today. Aj said she'd keep me company on solid land." Aj, who stood beside the man, nodded her head up and down quickly in agreement. "Sam said he'd take our punishments. Feel free to send him over the plank."

Sam barked from the deck, "Listen here, you shit—"

"Hm, I am not pleased, but since I was addressed by my correct seafaring title, I will allow it." Tony replied. Steve looked mildly disappointed from where he stood beside Sam while the birthday boy climbed up the ramp. Natasha wondered if Bucky was actually taking her advice about enjoying moments. She hoped that was why the two were staying behind. Natasha highly doubted either idiot would actually make a move toward one another, but Bucky could at least explain what she had overhead.

I watched the yacht pull away from the deck while waving at the others with a tight smile. The moment they turned away from us I swallowed hard. Just standing on this deck jutting out into the water was painful. I couldn't imagine getting on a boat and going out far enough to where you couldn't see land anymore. Bucky cleared his throat and the two of us turned to walk away from the edge. Bucky had said he wasn't in the mood to boat, and I had offered to stay back with him, but that conversation had very much not happened.

"How did you—" I paused, swallowed again nervously, then continued, "How did you know I'm afraid of the water? Did I tell you before?" I asked softly. Our feet were officially off the deck and back on solid, sandy land. Bucky had acted like a life preserver just now and I couldn't figure out how he knew I was drowning. I was almost 100% positive that I never told him about my fear or the source of it.

Bucky glanced over at me and shook his head, "No. I didn't know you were afraid of the water. I had a hunch though."

"Why'd you lie to them?" I came to a stop. Bucky went a few more steps before stopping himself and turning around to look at me. The man in front of me looked so much healthier than the one I met before. It wasn't just the removal of his HYDRA donated arm either. There was color in his cheeks. His hair always looked healthy and clean. His scruffy beard well kept. Bucky wore the pastel pink Hawaiian shirt I had picked out for him with black board shorts. It was an outfit I never would've pictured on him when we first met. He had a chain around his neck, the end of it tucked under his shirt, that I had never noticed before, and he had a softness about him. I could still see the sadness, the pain, in his stormy eyes sometimes, but he had already come so far. "Why did you tell them that I said I'd stay here with you?"

Bucky shrugged, "You… You were uncomfortable. I could tell. You always get this distant look in your eyes when—" He cut himself off and took in a sharp breath, "Besides, yesterday you were the only one who didn't go into the ocean. You didn't even wade in. All I did was connect the dots."

"I didn't think anybody noticed that." I replied.

"I guess I'm just observant. Probably the training." Bucky replied in an off-handed manner.

I glanced off to the side to where the waves were quietly lapping at the shore. In the distance, I could still faintly see the outline of Tony's yacht. Without looking back to the man in front of me, I spoke, "Do you have a happy place, Bucky?"

"Yeah." He answered. I turned back to face him, and he shook his head, "It's changed over time, but…"

I nodded, "Right. This is supposed to be mine." Again, I looked back at the water and tried to fight the nausea that tumbled in my stomach. Talking about it felt wrong, but Bucky already knew, right? "He ruined it for me like he ruined so many other things. Looking over the ocean used to make me feel…peaceful. Now all I feel is…"

Fear. Gut wrenching fear.

Like if I stared at the water for too long then he would rise up from it to drag me under. The sound of the waves made me think of the splashing from me trying to fight my way out of the depths I had been held under. The sight of it made me think of what it felt like to have that water sitting in my lungs.

I felt a hand slip into mine and I quickly turned to see Bucky had stepped closer and intertwined his hand with mine. He squeezed it once and I felt the nausea begin to settle. The fear began to hide back in the closet in my head.

"Come here, doll." Bucky said softly. He dragged me a few yards along the shore to the very end of it where a patch of the jungle sat. Bucky sat down in the shade, the ocean still clearly on view, and he pulled me down to sit beside him. He leaned back against the palm tree's trunk and kept his hand in mine. "Did I tell you about when my father died?"

I shook my head, "No. No, you didn't."

"It's one of those memories that came back to me quick. Like even HYDRA ruining me couldn't get rid of it." Bucky replied. He kept his eyes on the horizon while I stared only at him. "There was this diner back in my time. Steve and I would go after school or work. I'd take Rebecca there for milkshakes when we had the money to spare. It was… I guess it was my happy place." A small smile warmed his features. "I wish I could show it to you. It was this old, dinky place. Could barely seat more than a dozen people at once. Jukebox was broke so it only played one song over and over again. It was 'Happy Days are Here Again' by Ben Selvin. On paper, I couldn't tell you why that place made me so happy, but… it did. Something about it just felt…"

I nodded, "It felt like home."

Bucky turned to look at me with a sad smile and nod, "Yeah. That's what it was." He glanced away again and squeezed my hand. "My father was my hero growing up. I know that's probably a cliché, but I thought that man was everything. He was who I wanted to be, you know? Pops was a military man. He fought in World War I. He came home to my Ma a war hero." He paused in thought and I just watched as various emotions flashed across his features. "This was before the war I got drafted in. I was only 18. Pops was out at Camp Leigh helping out with basic training. It was supposed to be a short trip. He was just doing an old war buddy a favor."

I could hear the pain in his voice, and I was the one to squeeze his hand this time, "You don't have to talk about this, Bucky."

"No, I want to." He replied with a reassuring smile. "I was 18. I was on a date actually. I'd take dames to that diner because it felt like I had a home field advantage there." Bucky chuckled once. His smile faded to something softer, something strained. "Steve came running in. This was back when he couldn't walk five feet without having an asthma attack, but he just comes barreling into the diner all red faced and panting. I jumped up, I was worried someone was chasing him, and I—" Bucky chuckled. "I knocked my drink over. It spilled all over my date's dress. I remember that. Anyways, Steve drags me off to the side by the jukebox so no one can overhear us, and he tells me… he tells me I need to go home. Ma got a call and Pops was—he was gone."

I shook my head, feeling my throat tighten, "Bucky, I'm… I'm so sorry."

"It was an accident. Could've happened to anyone. Happened so quick that Pops probably didn't even know it—" Bucky stopped for a moment. "I couldn't go into the diner after that. Not for years. Every time I even tried, even though the diner did nothing wrong to me, just looking at it reminded me of that moment. Hearing Steve say he was gone. It was like… It was like my entire world just came to a crashing stop. It was like a bomb had gone off. My ears were ringing, and I was dizzy and it felt like…like…"

"Like you couldn't breathe. Like someone had sucked all the air out of the room." I added and Bucky pressed his lips together tightly in agreement. I had been in the room when my mom slipped away and despite my young age I had known exactly what was happening. Nothing compared to having the world fall out from under you.

It was dying without dying.

Bucky rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand slowly, "The year before I got drafted, I went back to the diner. I didn't want to, but Rebecca wanted a milkshake like old times. I knew she only said that because she wanted me to go in, and she knew I'd move the world for her." His smile returned and I couldn't help but smile myself at the sight of it. "It felt awful to begin with but… we just sat there and talked about him. Talking about our favorite memories of him. We sat there for hours laughing and remembering him." Bucky pulled his eyes away from my hand to look at me. "Now when I think about that place, I think of her and that day. Sometimes that's all you need, doll. A new memory."

Maybe that's what I needed too.

"Can we stay here for a while?" I asked quietly.

Bucky tugged my hand lightly and I moved closer to him. He let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him, "We can stay here forever, doll."

Sitting here, staring out at the ocean, with my head nestled against his chest there was no room for fear. How could I be when I knew Bucky would never let me get hurt? My vision lost focus as I just sunk into this moment. For the first time in a very long time, I felt the kind of peace that the ocean used to bring me. Bucky said I needed a new memory. Being here with his arm around me, the smell of salt in the air mixing with his body wash, seemed like the perfect kind of replacement memory.

Tony couldn't have asked for a better birthday. He was surrounded by people he loved, Alex the bartender had made him the perfect old fashioned, and right now he was watching Clint wrestle with the fishing line he had somehow gotten himself tangled in. The world was good.

"She's so precious." Pepper cooed from beside him. Tony followed her gaze towards where Star was coloring on the deck with Rhodey who had stopped by her to check in on her. "Have you guys still not heard from Thor? Some poor parents are out there missing her, I just know it."

Tony shook his head, "Point break is still MIA. We're actually starting to get a little concerned." He shrugged. "Thor's good at taking care of himself though. I'm sure he'll be back any day now with an intricate story on how he defeated some alien monster."

Pepper stood up from her lounge chair, "I'm going to get a drink."

Tony lifted his glass, "Ask Alex to make you something. Don't tell them what, let them choose. They're magic."

Pepper leaned over to give him a brief kiss, but Tony cupped the back of her neck and held her in place to deepen the kiss. He felt her smile against his lips, and she leaned back just far enough to speak, "Later."

Tony grinned at her and watched her walk into the interior of the yacht. He pushed up from his own lounge chair and walked down the stairs off to the side to the deck below where he had been. This was the larger deck where nearly everyone was right now. He walked to the front of his ship to look out over the water.

"Happy birthday, Tony."

He turned to see Steve saddle up beside him with a tense smile. Tony's jaw clenched involuntarily, "Rogers."

Steve sighed, "Look Tony—"

"It's my birthday." He interrupted. "I'm really not looking for a fight."

"That's not what this is." Steve replied quickly. "Just give me a couple seconds to talk."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "You're supposed to be giving me things today, but whatever." He took a long pull of his drink then motioned to him, "You have 60 seconds."

"I want to apologize, Tony." Steve began and he had to physically resist the urge to roll his eyes. How many times had he heard this song and dance? Tony wasn't in the mood for this. Every time the Captain apologized, he just couldn't bring himself to accept the words. The sting of betrayal was still so sharp. He couldn't help it. The last time he had been betrayed by someone he thought cared for him it had been Obadiah. Granted, Tony doubted that Steve was about to attempt to murder him, but the two memories still twisted together in his head. "I know I've said that before about… about not telling you what actually happened to your parents, and I am sorry for that but this—" Steve cleared his throat. "Tony, you're one of the most important people in my life."

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. This wasn't what he expected the man to say.

"When I came out of the ice, it felt like my life was in shambles." Steve chuckled. "I found purpose in fighting Loki, but as soon as that battle ended I felt… I felt lost. Sure, I could say you were important to me because you put a roof over my head, and gave me a constant supply of food and knowledge on this century but it was more than that." The blond gave him a firm nod. "You took the time to be my friend. I know your history with your dad, and I know the amount he talked about me put a bad taste in your mouth, but you put that aside to get to know me. Steve Rogers. Not Captain America."

Tony had never told Steve how hard it was to ignore his initial instinct, but apparently the man had figured it out on his own. Howard Stark never shut up about Captain America and how perfect he had been. When Tony finally met the man out of time they hadn't gotten along. Hell, the entire team had been a ticking time bomb in the beginning, but with Steve it had been personal. Tony wanted to hate him. After the battle of New York though, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Sure, maybe he had forced himself to be nice in the beginning but that had turned into a sincere friendship very quickly. Then that sincere friendship turned into what it was today.

Family.

It was why it felt so brutal when Steve had brushed him off to the side for Bucky.

"I had convinced myself that it was a way to help you too but the truth is…" Steve shook his head and crossed his arms. "I was scared of you hating Bucky. You had every right to, but the—the thought of members of my family hating one another made me sick. And that's what you are." He chuckled. "Tony, I love you. I'd do anything for you and I'm sorry I ever made you doubt that."

Tony took another sip of his drink then nodded, "Pretty good 60 seconds, Rogers." And it had been. He hadn't been entirely sure what he needed to hear, but apparently it was that. Was it pathetic of him to need that kind of reassurance? Probably. Still, hearing it softened the blow. "I get it, you know. I'd do anything to protect Rhodey, but that doesn't make me care any less for your self-righteous ass." Steve laughed and Tony couldn't help but smile. He scoffed jokingly, "God, I can't believe you're making me process complex emotions on my birthday."

"Yeah, that's a dick move for me." Steve replied and Tony smirked in amusement. "So…Are we good?"

Not entirely. Things weren't perfect and Tony knew they'd be fighting again about something or another, but that was just the kind of friendship they had. They were both stubborn and steadfast in their own beliefs. Steve challenged him to try and think from a different point of view and he did the same for the soldier.

"We are." Tony held a hand out for him to shake. Steve chuckled and pulled him into a hug. Tony returned it, but he also scoffed, "God, you're in a chick flick mood today." Steve pulled back and Tony motioned to him with his glass, "I'm surprised you didn't drag Aj onto this boat for your big feelings reveal."

Steve's eyes widened, "You—You know that I—?"

"Everyone knows." Tony scoffed.

"I meant you knew that I planned on telling her how I feel on this trip?"

"Duh." Tony shrugged. "Just because I wasn't talking to you doesn't mean I wasn't talking to everyone else."

Tony knew, but he didn't approve. In fact, he had already made the mental decision that Aj and Bucky Barnes were absolutely perfect for each other unfortunately. Tony wasn't ecstatic at the thought that his pseudo sister's better half was a half-brainwashed head case, but he couldn't deny that the man cared and would take care of her. Hell, Barnes stared at her like she was a goddess walking the Earth and he seemed ready to throw himself in front of a bullet for her in a moment's notice. If that didn't pan out, then he could always introduce her to some movie star still.

Since they had just made up though, Tony decided not to share this line of thought with the blond in front of him. Plus, he was kind of curious as to how Aj would react to this kind of admission.

"I'm glad she's helping Bucky right now, but it is a shame they both didn't join us."

"Oh, Aj was 100% not getting on this boat."

Both men snapped their heads to the side to see Alex lounging on a deck chair in a one piece swimsuit with their hands resting behind their head, and a pair of obnoxiously large sunglasses on their face.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Tony pressed.

"Long enough to see your entire sob scene of an apology." They replied.

Steve shook his head, "What did you say about Aj?"

"Aj wasn't gonna come on the boat." Alex shook their head. "She hates water."

There was a pause where their words rolled around in the heads of everyone in the vicinity. Clint and Natasha who had been on the other side of the deck walked over curiously. Tony took a step toward the bartender, "I'm sorry, run that by me again?"

Alex sat up and spoke slowly, "Aj hates water."

"She told me the ocean brought her peace." Steve argued. He blinked once then his eyes widened, "She told me she wanted to find that peace again like she…like she couldn't anymore."

Clint cursed, "Oh fuck, we're idiots."

Tony looked over at him, but he was looking at Natasha who seemed tense. He let out a low whistle, "Hey, do any of you wanna bring us into this loop?"

"Remember when Aj was having nightmares?" Natasha asked. Tony bit back a scoff. There was no chance any of them were ever going to forget any of that. "We noticed… Some of the dreams she had reminded me of nightmares Clint used to have."

Steve shrugged, "So?"

Clint pressed his lips together briefly before speaking, "I was water boarded. Half drowned."

That was all he needed to say. If Tony had super strength like the man standing beside him then the glass in his hand would be shattered. Eugene was fucking dead and yet he still managed to cause pain. What kind of monster does that to another human being? Does that to someone like Aj?

"Shit." Alex mumbled. "I knew she hated water, but I never knew the reason why. Geez, I bet that bastard did it when Kyle bailed."

Steve was the one to speak up, "Kyle Osbourne? The one she beat up at the brunch place?"

"I didn't know she beat him up at a brunch place, but yeah him." Alex nodded. They pulled their sunglasses off and took in a slow breath. Their eyes glanced at each person standing around them and Tony could tell that whatever they were about to say wasn't going to be good. "I don't know how much she told you about him…"

"He introduced her to the ring." Tony answered for them all.

Alex nodded again, "Right. They were friends until Kyle stole from Boss. See, Boss would give out these loans for the fighters to bet on themselves. He gave Kyle $25,000 to put on the line for a fight, but Kyle took off with the money. He pinned the whole thing on Aj though." Tony felt his jaw clench. "Aj was gone for a week. When she showed back up she looked…off. Aj told me what Kyle did but she never talked about what Boss did as retaliation."

Every time they thought Aj's history couldn't get any worse it seemed like a new story would surface just to prove them wrong. Tony tried not to let himself imagine Aj trapped in basement office being drowned for money she didn't even have. It took every ounce of self-control to not have FRIDAY reroute the autopilot and take them back to the island. Hell, it took every molecule of his being to not activate his emergency suit and just fly back himself right now. It wouldn't help though. Aj obviously didn't want to talk about it and the unspoken rule they had all agreed to was that they would let her come to them with the trauma. The Avengers weren't supposed to push.

As the others continued to speak, his eyes drifted to the blue and white bracelet wrapped around his wrist. Tony always forgot what the girl was going through. Sunshine had a grin bright enough to distract anyone from anything, but deep down she was still healing. She was still growing.

Bucky used the towel to dry his damp hair. There was nothing better than taking a shower after a long day out on the beach. Getting the salt and sand off of you was a whole new level of comfort. He tossed the white towel over the rack so it could dry and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. It had taken a couple days for him to get used to doing things with one hand and he was still bad at doing most of them. You didn't realize how detrimental this handicap actually was until you had to do little things like trying to tie the drawstring of sweatpants or putting toothpaste on a toothbrush or trying to pour a glass of juice without fucking it up.

Still, he'd choose living the rest of his life like this over putting that HYDRA monstrosity he used to call an arm back on. Bucky stepped out of his bathroom to find a t-shirt to pull on so he could go back downstairs, but instead he found Aj sitting on the edge of his bed. She was freshly washed, just like him, with damp hair braided back, an oversized t-shirt, and a pair of Hulk themed fuzzy socks. She looked nervous though. When he had stepped in she had been rocking her leg up and down rhythmically. Aj pushed herself up to stand, facing him, but she still wrung her hands together.

Had something happened?

They had just been relaxing on the beach in the shade with one another and she had been perfectly fine when they walked back to the house and went separate ways to clean up. In fact, they were supposed to be meeting down in the living room to watch some movie she had told him about.

"Aj?" Bucky questioned in concern.

She slowly crossed the room toward him, worry in her eyes, and he watched as they traced his torso. Bucky didn't feel exposed. Aj had already seen him at his worst. This was nothing. She stopped in front of him and reached out toward him. Bucky thought she was reaching out to touch his chest, but instead she wrapped her small hand around his dogtags.

Aj held them in her hand, reading his name, and she slowly closed her fingers around it. Her eyes snapped back to his and Bucky felt the air get punched out of his lungs. He still didn't understand the power she had. He wondered if she even knew. A single look from her could bring him down to his knees. The electric blue of her eyes was piercing. Bucky was convinced she could see straight into his scarred soul.

Bucky hadn't been nervous when she first stood up, but as she began to pull on his dogtags he swallowed hard. All her movements were slow. It was like she was giving him every single opportunity to stop her or step away. With her eyes locked with his though, Bucky didn't think anything could move him from this spot. Aj kept pulling down on his dogtags until his nose brushed against hers. Just that small amount of contact had his stomach clenching in anticipation.

This wasn't right. He needed to pull back. This was Steve's gal. Bucky's jaw clenched as he tried to find the strength to push her away, to draw the line in the ground and explain to her that this couldn't happen. They couldn't cross it.

Aj's lips parted as she whispered his name and suddenly nothing else existed. Her soft, warm lips pressed against his lightly and Bucky lost all semblance of honor and loyalty. The only thing that mattered anymore was getting her closer, feeling her body pressed against his. Bucky wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her flush against his front and she responded in kind by pushing herself up onto her toes so she could wrap one arm around his neck and bury her other hand into his hair.

She ran her tongue against the curve of his lower lip, and he felt himself physically shudder at the motion. He parted his lips further to let her set the pace and take control of the kiss. While her hot tongue explored and pressed against his, Bucky tightened his arm around her to lift her up from the ground. He walked them forward until the back of her legs hit the side of his bed. Bucky set one of his knees onto the mattress as he carefully lowered her down as his own body pressed her into his comforter.

Aj pulled back just enough to suck in a breath of air, and he took that opportunity to slip his hand under her neck, lifting it up just a bit, and coming down to suck on her own lower lip. Aj groaned into his mouth and he swore that he'd sell his soul just to hear this gorgeous woman make that noise for him again.

Bucky tore his lips away from hers to place open mouthed kisses up her jawline to her ear and then down the length of her neck until his lips found her pulse. He thought hearing the sound of her heart had been special but feeling that beat of life against his lips was a religious experience. He moved further down until he found the crook of her neck and lightly bit down on it before rubbing his tongue over his own teeth marks. Aj moaned his name into his ear with every swipe of his tongue and Bucky was suddenly convinced that he had died, and this was heaven. It was the only explanation he had for how he felt.

Her hands, both tangled in his hair, pulled back and dragged his lips back to hers. Bucky ran his hand down her side until it found the thickness of her strong thigh. All he had to do was squeeze once and Aj automatically wrapped that leg around him. Her heel dug into the crease where his ass met his own thigh. Bucky sunk down so his hips ground against hers and she sucked in a sharp intake of breath at the motion.

Desperate to hear that sound again, Bucky brought his left hand to her other thigh and she wrapped that leg around him as well so he could grind against her even harder. Both his elbows rested on either side of her as he pressed against her. Aj pleaded for more in a wispy breath and Bucky let his eyes flutter open so he could memorize every detail of her face as she begged. Aj looked absolutely sinful, but what had actually caught his attention were his hands.

His hands.

Two of them.

Both made of flesh, blood, and bone.

Bucky pushed up off the bed, Aj's legs falling from around him, and he stood to stare at his hands. He made both of them open and close again and again. Bucky glanced up to see that he was standing in his old Brooklyn bedroom and when his eyes landed on the mirror sitting in the corner of his room, he saw who he used to be. Two strong arms, short hair, and not a single scar on him.

Two hands gripped at the waistline of his pants, and when he looked back down he saw Aj sitting at the edge of his bed staring up at him softly. She smirked at him, "I'm not done with you, Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky shot up in bed panting.

The cool, dark room around him absolutely quiet as the rest of the house slept in peace. He ran his right hand through his long hair and swallowed the lump he had in his throat. With a muted groan, he fell backwards onto his bed and covered his face with his hands. He'd be lying if he said this wasn't the first time Aj had slipped into one of his dreams. When he was awake he was conscious enough to never let his mind go there…mostly—well, he was good at stopping it quick. Asleep though? He never stood a chance.

He gave himself two minutes to just lie there and get lost in what his dream had been. Once upon a time he could've at least pretended that he deserved Aj. Even back then who he used to be would've felt like Aj deserved more. Look at him now. Broken, lost, and ruined.

Bucky shoved himself off the bed to move toward the bathroom. It was pathetic, but he was getting really used to cold showers these days.

Steve couldn't help but pause to grin at the scene at the dining room table where some of the group was lingering after breakfast. Wanda and Pietro were beaming, ear to ear, as Alex and Aj jokingly argued as they made birthday crowns for the twins. Aj tried to write something on the blue crown when Pietro briefly blinked out of existence. He went from sitting there laughing to sitting there writing on his own crown. Aj barked out a complaint as the others laugh and she jumped up to try and grab the crown back.

"Come on, come on." Clint passed through the room clapping his hands, "Everybody let's go! Pack it up, we're meeting Stark for a beach picnic and you guys are slacking." Clint clapped his hands right by Aj's head and she whipped around to sucker punch him in the gut. He groaned and stumbled over to them, "You—"

Steve pointed the bottle of mayo in his hand at the archer, "If you start bossing me around, I will sucker punch you too."

"Well, a couple that bullies an innocent man together, stay together, huh?" Clint replied. Steve narrowed his eyes at him, and the man gave him a pair of finger guns before back pedaling away, "I'm gonna go check on Star and Tasha. Please don't hurt me."

As he turned on his heel, Bucky had come in silently and the archer was caught off guard by him and yelped in surprise. Bucky gave him a skeptical look of confusion before walking into the kitchen. Steve greeted him and his friend grunted out his own greeting.

"What're you doing?" Bucky questioned.

Steve pointed to the large cooler sitting on the island counter that was half filled with a ridiculous number of sandwiches already. Sam and Natasha had been making them after breakfast and when they slipped away to get ready, he had taken up the mantle. They had way more sandwiches than probably necessary, but whatever the others didn't eat then him and Bucky would put down.

"Packing for the beach." He replied. Steve's eyes snapped back over to the large table when he heard Pietro let out a random cry of frustration. He wasn't sure how they came about this, but now Aj and Pietro were arm wrestling across the table while Wanda and Alex cheered on.

Steve had been really worried about Aj after the news broke on the yacht, but when they had gotten back to shore all of them were surprised to see Aj standing in ankle deep water with Bucky standing close beside her. The sight of her grinning beside him had brought them all enough comfort to not bring up what they discovered about her on the boat. Why bring up something painful when she seemed to being doing alright now? Sam had been adamant about them all keeping their mouths shut.

"Need some help?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, can you start tossing drinks and fruit into the other cooler?" Steve pointed to one sitting on the floor by the fridge already filled some ice. Bucky pulled the fridge open and began to pack the cooler up. They worked in silence for a minute before Steve called out, "Oh yeah, hey, make sure you grab the hard ciders from the back of the fridge. Those are for Aj. She hates those hard seltzers that Nat drinks."

"Mhmm." Bucky hummed.

Steve finished the sandwich in front of him and wrapped it up before setting it into the cooler with the others. He started on the next one and listened to Pietro rant in Sokovian meaning he probably lost the arm wrestle.

"Hey," Steve glanced over his shoulder, "Do we still have the normal oranges and not just the tangerines?"

Bucky was bent over placing the drinks into the ice so more would fit, "Yeah, we got both."

"It's not as convenient as the tangerines but toss a few oranges in there." Steve chuckled. "Did you know Aj loves oranges but will not eat tangerines? I swear they taste the exact same. Oh, and—"

"God, will you stop?" Bucky turned and gave him a hard look.

"Stop what?" Steve replied in real confusion. He glanced around to see if he had accidentally done something different or unusual.

Bucky shook his head, "Just—Stop telling me what to grab for Aj like I don't know her."

"Sorry." Steve furrowed his brows and knew his apology was more skeptical than sincere. He scoffed, "I didn't think you'd be so sensitive over me just trying to help. I mean, I know you know her, Buck, but it's..."

"It's what?"

"It's different." Steve answered with a shrug. Bucky shook his head, his shoulders stiff with annoyance, and Steve continued, "You only spoke to her over the phone. I was with her every day."

Bucky rolled his eyes, and his voice was sharp when he spoke, "That doesn't mean shit." Steve blinked in surprise. This seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere and Steve didn't understand why his friend was so upset over something so little. Bucky's jaw clenched once before his features softened, "Sorry. I didn't mean to blow up on you, I… I had a rough night."

"Another nightmare?" Steve asked softly. It made sense now. It always took Bucky a little longer to come back to his baseline of normal after a rough night.

"Yeah." Bucky answered quickly. "Something like that."

"Geez I'm—I'm sorry, man." Steve said quickly. He set down what he had in his hands to step closer to Bucky who was staring at a spot over his shoulder rather than meeting his eyes. Steve reached out and set his hand on his shoulder, Bucky finally met his eyes, "I had no idea. Are you alright?"

Bucky gave him a tight smile, "I'm fine. Let's get all this stuff packed before Clint comes back to bitch at us."

He went back to packing things into the cooler and Steve went back to where he was making the sandwiches before. Steve knew how badly Bucky's nightmares could shake him. A part of him worried that giving him the dogtags had maybe sparked something terrible, but Steve could still see the chain peeking out from under the collar of his shirt.

"You can stop staring at me. I'm fine." Bucky said without looking over his shoulder.

Steve chuckled to himself and focused back on the task at hand. This was probably why Bucky was so zoned out during breakfast. He was sure that by time they got out onto the beach he'd feel a little bit better. That's all it took. A little time.

Besides, tomorrow they went back to New York which meant today was the day that he had to confess to Aj. There was no more beating around the bush. Steve did want to wait until the perfect moment today, it was why he didn't stand at the breakfast table and make a toast declaring his love—that and his caring family would never stop making fun of him for it—but he was not leaving this island without having the talk with Aj.

The last time Pietro saw his sister smiling so broadly, so carefree, it had been eight years ago to the day. Their tenth birthday had been special. Maybe he only saw it as special because it was one of the last happy memories he had of his parents, but regardless it stood out in his mind. This day would stand out in his mind as well.

Wanda laughed freely, her hands clasping at her chest, and the pink birthday crown slipping from her head. Alex, Aj, and Clint stood around her chugging their beers in competition. Wanda was supposed to be the referee and judge, but the way her eyes were shut tightly as she laughed told him she wouldn't be much help to the three.

Pietro thought that the shock of living with the Avengers would one day wear off or that they would wake up one morning and chase them from the Compound for the things they regret, but they were still welcome. More than that. The Avengers called them family and it wasn't just talk. Every single day they showed it.

Just being here was proof of that.

Tony's birthday yesterday had been busy and fun, but it was like they had stepped it up just for the twins. An entire day hanging out on the beach, and now they were back in the house for a game night of epic proportions. The only thing the Avengers cared more about than winning game night was maybe saving the world. Maybe.

Aj finished her drink first and threw the beer can onto the patio floor before throwing her hands up in celebration, "Winner!"

"Bullshit." Clint barked back, dropping his own.

"This wasn't fucking fair. You're basically a functional alcoholic with a wooden leg." Alex threw their own empty can at Aj. The fact that the group had even brought Alex along on the trip for them was incredible. The bartender didn't get to come to the Compound often, but Wanda and him had grown close with them. Besides Vision, Alex was probably the person Wanda spoke to most often.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's hollow leg, you idiot!"

"Wanda, call it!"

Aj scoffed, "What do you mean call it? I threw my can down thirty years before you fuckers did." It was probably a good thing Star was on the other side of the patio right now. When the alcohol began to flow the verbal filters began to fall down. Wanda stopped laughing long enough to look among them, and Aj pointed at her, "Watch what you say next. If you don't declare me the winner I'm gonna rip off my 'wooden leg' and beat these two morons to death with it."

"Beat us to death?!" Clint cried out.

"She's the birthday girl, and I love her. Of course, I'm not gonna hit her with my wooden leg." Aj scoffed.

Alex blinked, "Uh, ex-fucking-cuse me? Where's my love!?"

"I already knew she didn't love me." Clint crossed his arms with a pout, "Look at my bare wrists!" He threw his hands out into their faces. "No bracelet! No love!"

Pietro watched in amazement as Wanda joined in on the growing argument. The outdoor lights dimmed and he noticed Steve slowly walking out of the house with a large, eccentric cake with eighteen red candles on one side and eighteen blue candles on the other. Pietro ran from where he was, picked his sister up with ease, and then dragged her to the end of the table and away from Aj, Alex, and Clint who still looked half a second away from wrestling one another.

Wanda bounced in place beside him as the crowd began to sing the familiar song of the night. The glow from the cake as Steve set it down in front of them wasn't nearly as bright as his sister's beaming smile. When the song came to an end they both leaned down to blow out the candles as everyone cheered loudly. Wanda quickly turned to him, grasping his upper arm, then spoke in their native language, "What did you wish for, brother?"

"Absolutely nothing." Pietro replied. There wasn't a thing he could image wanting more right now.

"I don't give a damn what today is! I will put you in the grave at 18, you speedy little shit." I yelled while pointing across the table at Pietro who was just grinning like the little shit he was.

Pietro smirked at me, "You'd have to catch me first." He pointed back, "And you won't be able to because you will be too busy fighting your partner for causing you to lose."

I whipped around to glare at Sam who immediately shrugged and had the gall to look appalled, "I am representing!"

"Barely!" I yelled back. "Of the eight cups out of the game, you only shot two!"

Games always got very intense with the Avengers. We were all way too competitive for it to not end that way. Beer pong especially. The issue with beer pong was that in order for the game to be fair then there needed to be a lot of handicaps and rules in place.

For this birthday beer pong tournament, I was paired with Sam. The two of us had no sort of advantage which meant we had no handicaps. Pietro was partnered with Clint. Pietro needed no handicap, but Clint needed a major one. So, he was currently standing with his back to the table with his left, dominant hand handcuffed to Pietro's own hand. Steve and Bucky weren't allowed to be on the same team, too much dynamic, so Steve was partnered with Alex and Bucky was with Natasha. Bucky was new to the game, so we hoped that put him at a handicap, and Steve's special rule was that he had to stand further away from the table and bounce his ball off his shield before landing it into a cup. Plus, Alex kind of hated him so that didn't help. Wanda and Vision were a team, though they were probably the least competitive in the room, and unfortunately that left Rhodey and Tony as partners which boded well for no one except them. I had thought Tony wasn't going to play at all, but Pepper had to head back for some emergency company thing which brought him back into the competition. People around the room did various things while the two beer pong tables were run.

"If I lose to them, Sam…" I warned.

"We ain't gonna lose!" Sam argued. Clint, without speaking a word, tossed a ping pong ball over his shoulder and it landed in a cup. Sam nodded and twisted his lips before looking at me, "We, uh, we might lose."

We went back and forth for a while longer until we had two more cups to hit, and they had three. At the table on the other side of the room, Tony and Rhodey cheered after knocking Wanda and Vision out of the tournament.

I focused back on my table, hitting the first cup, then whipped around to Sam, "Hit the same cup. Hit the same cup and they don't get a chance at redemption."

"Sam couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Clint yelled without turning around. Sam shot his shot, hit the same cup as me, and we exploded in excitement. "Fuck!"

Sam scooped me up from the ground, holding me on his shoulder, and we bounced up and down in celebration while Clint struggled to claw his way out of the handcuff so he could properly bitch at us. Pietro didn't make it easy on him as he tried to tug him away from the table.

Steve and Alex had started their match against Bucky and Natasha a few minutes ago so I wandered over to their table to watch. Steve grinned at me and lifted his shield just a bit in greeting, "Come to cheer me and Alex on?"

Natasha and Bucky both stopped their turn to give Steve a skeptical look and then as if on cue they raised their arms to show off their matching bracelets. I laughed at the motion, Steve rolled his eyes, and then Alex snickered right in Steve's face smugly.

Bucky threw his ball and it landed in a cup with ease, "This is a weird game."

"Yeah, and it's one you're too fucking good at." Alex complained. "He needs a handicap!"

"I have one arm." Bucky replied without missing a beat. "What more do you want from me?"

Natasha held her own ball up towards me, "Celebrity shot? I need another drink."

I bounced in excitement and jogged forward to take the ping pong ball from her. She grinned at me before slinking away and I settled beside Bucky. He seemed to tense, and I glanced over at him curiously. Bucky's gaze met mine briefly before he cleared his throat and looked away. I let my eyes trace his profile and the messy, falling apart bun holding back some of his hair.

I turned back to the table and winked at Alex and Steve with a smirk, "You bitches, ready for this?" They opened their mouths to retaliate, but without hesitation I bounced the ball across the table. Alex lunged forward to stop it, Steve was way to far back to stop it, but they missed, and it landed in the same cup Bucky had hit. "Let's see… that's two for the bounce and then two more for hitting the same cup?" Bucky chuckled from beside me while Alex flipped me off. "Oh, and it's also balls back."

"Who made the rules for this game?" Bucky leaned toward me to ask.

"Only the best and brightest of America's frat boys." I replied jokingly.

Natasha came back with a drink and whistled at the table, "Wow. Not bad."

I handed her the ping pong ball they had rolled back to me and stepped away from that side of the table. Alex held their hand out to me, "Hey, do I get a celebrity shot now?"

"Hm, that seems like a conflict of interest since I just scored for them."

"More like you're just trying to get back at me because I kicked your ass at this last time we played." Steve said. I flipped him off with a smirk and he just laughed in response. While they played, I stuck around to watch and make fun of them as the game went on. Bucky and Natasha ended up winning, unsurprisingly, and when it ended I jogged back to the other table to play against the MIT boys. The winner of this game would go head-to-head with team ex-assassins.

Midway through the game, I pulled my phone out to look for a text. I had texted Granny a picture of the beach earlier today and had never gotten a reply. That wasn't unusual for her, the older woman was a whirlwind of errands. She was always out and about doing something or another. Especially now that she had to look out for Aubrey's kids on top of it all. That line of thought made me wonder what the hell my sister was up to. With every passing day, it got weirder and weirder that she wasn't coming home. I wondered, very briefly, if she knew about HYDRA being after her, but I waved that thought away quickly. There was no way Aubrey would know anything about that.

Tony's loud cheer made me glance up in surprise. Sam, who had apparently failed to stop a bounced ball, looked back to glare at me. I slowly slid my phone back into my pocket while giving my partner a sheepish, apologetic grin.

"I need your head in the game." Sam held his hands out to me in a 'focus' motion. "I have to go against Barnes, and I have to kick his ass, Aj. I have to."

"Okay, that was my bad, I'm back in the game." I grabbed his arms. "I'm all yours."

The lesson I learned early on around here was to enjoy what I had when I had it. My problems would still exist in the morning, regardless of whether or not I worried about it tonight, so I might as well tuck it away for later and kick ass at beer pong.

Bucky still wasn't entirely sure how he felt on the game of beer pong, but he had always been a competitive guy and that definitely came through. Natasha was a good partner to have, but it hadn't been enough. Losing to Sam Wilson was awful and he hated that a lot but seeing how excited Aj got at being the 'champion' of the house almost made it worth it. Not counting his loss, the night had been a success. Wanda and Pietro seemed to have a great birthday and that was all that really mattered.

Pietro was playing a two person card game that involved slapping the table a lot with Rhodey while Tony mocked him. Bucky couldn't imagine why the man would challenge a kid with super speed at a game that seemed to revolve around being quick, but alcohol probably had something to do with it. Wanda, on the other hand, had fallen asleep on the couch still wearing the pink crown that had been made for her this morning.

It seemed like the night was drawing to a close. Clint and Natasha were walking around the room throwing trash away and straightening things up. Bucky began to help them when Sam wandered over to him with a grin, "Listen, no hard feelings about me kicking your ass, right?"

"You got lucky." Bucky replied. It was more like he couldn't stop getting distracted throughout the entire game, but Bucky wasn't about to admit that. Sam continued to ramble on jokingly, but his attention drifted away when he noticed that Steve and Aj walked over to where Wanda was passed out.

"I don't wanna wake her, but this couch is gonna put a kink in her neck." Aj said.

Steve set his hand on her hip, "I'll just pick her up. Take her up to her room. After though…" His blond friend gave her a soft smile. "Can we talk for a minute? We can meet on the balcony by our rooms?"

"Yeah, of course." Aj shrugged. "I was heading up there to change anyways. See you soon?"

Steve nodded and turned to scoop Wanda up off the couch while Aj disappeared up the stairs. Sam was still talking, he knew that, but he couldn't stop staring at the stairs. It was happening. Bucky knew it was supposed to happen. Hell, he coached Steve again not even 24 hours ago. This was good. This was great. They'd both be so happy together.

"Barnes."

He turned in surprise as Sam raised an eyebrow at him, "Huh?"

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bucky replied quickly and glanced back across the room in time to see Steve walk up the same stairs with Wanda in his arms. He wanted to be excited for his friend. If he were a good friend then he'd be supportive and happy and excited that his life-long friend found a dame he liked. It broke Bucky's heart to hear how Steve's story with Peggy had ended. He knew how much she had meant to him. The fact that he found someone else was fantastic. Bucky repeated those sentences in his head over and over and over again. He hoped the repetition would convince him of it, but no matter how many times he thought it… he still had that gut-wrenching feeling at his core. "I'll be back."

Sam called out to him, but Bucky didn't hesitate. He hurried across the room and jogged up the stairs. His feet were moving without thought. Bucky wasn't thinking at all. He was just moving. Following his gut. The only thing that forced him to a stop was when Steve quietly snuck out of Wanda's room closing the door behind him. The blonde looked surprised to see him.

"Buck? You okay?" Steve asked.

"No." Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't explain it. It was like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop being selfish. Bucky was about to hurt his absolute best friend, the person who had done nothing but care for him, protect him, and stick by his side. He was going to just ruin everything. Bucky shook his head once, shame filling every ounce of him, "You can't confess to Aj tonight."

Steve's face fell and the fact that there was no surprise there hurt even more, "Why?"

Bucky had a sense that his friend knew exactly why, but it needed to be said. Steve needed to hear it from him, and Bucky needed to hear it be said out loud. He dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to look him in the eyes as he spoke, "Because I have feelings for her too."

Kate leaped over an air duct on the roof top and grunted with her landing. It was weird to be running around without Lucky on her heels, but it didn't make sense to bring the dog on this mission. It would only put him in danger. Speaking of missions, she was still upset that she was even here. The Avengers got to chill on the beach with a margarita in hand and she was chasing down an asshole, HYDRA piece of shit. Still, this was better than sitting in a farm house alone twiddling her fingers.

"When this is over, I say we all go on vacation and make the Avengers baby-sit the world." Kate said over the comm line as she settled in her perch.

"They're the Avengers." Yo-yo replied simply, her Hispanic accent coming through clearly, "Aren't they always baby-sitting the world?"

Kate mumbled back a response that was lost over the line, but she still heard Yo-yo laugh at her. Yo-yo, whose real name was actually not Yo-yo but Kate couldn't remember the actual name to save her damn life, had joined the team about a week and a half ago. They had met in Bogotá while the team was down there trying to settle an inhuman dispute. She had been an inhuman dismantling various seedy Colombian cartels in the area. That was still her primary objective, but they needed her help and she let them recruit her.

Yo-Yo was quick, but she was limited. She could speed out, lightning quick, but she always had to come back to the place she started. It was limited compared to the other quickster Kate was friends with. It was Pietro and Wanda's birthday, she had taken the time to text them earlier, but Kate was still bummed that she couldn't spend the day with them. Coulson was gonna give her and Daisy the time off to do so, but then fucking Rumlow had to go and escape the Fridge.

"I'm in place." Kate grabbed her bow, notched an arrow, and let her eyes trace the streets she could see. Twelve hours ago, the Fridge had been attacked by a group of inhumans. It was worrisome for more reasons than Rumlow being out in the open. For one, how did these inhumans know the location of the Fridge? Two, why would inhumans break out Rumlow of all people? Did this mean HYDRA had inhumans on their side? Officially? How did this play in the big picture of Strucker wanting the Bradshaw sisters too? All they had these days were questions on questions on questions. Not a single answer in sight.

However, she did have Rumlow in her sights now.

"I got eyes on shithead. I repeat, I got eyes on shithead." Kate let the tip of her arrow follow the small figure of the man. "He's at the corner by the white creepy van. He's alone though." Kate narrowed her eyes in confusion and tapped the earpiece she had on to her wrist. A lens popped out and let her see closer. Rumlow was alone. He was talking on the phone, hiding his head under a dark hoodie. Kate shook her head, "I don't see any inhumans though. He—wait."

The van's door slid open, and a redheaded teen stepped out of it. One of the inhumans in the attack were described as a redhead. Something about this inhuman seemed off though. She was swaying on her feet, like she couldn't properly stand, and her limbs hung limply by her side. Rumlow turned and barked something at her, but the teen didn't even flinch.

"Something weird is going on." Kate said slowly.

"Weird how, Kate?" Coulson pressed over the line.

Rather than answering, Kate tried to focus in and see more. She was so focused that she nearly missed the obvious movement coming down symmetrically on either side of the street, converging on Rumlow's location.

"Fuck, move now!"

Daisy heard the panic in Kate's voice. She was running from her hidden location before her friend even finished cursing. Yo-yo was only a step behind her as they raced to Rumlow's location. She knew May and Mac were coming in from the other side, but they beat them there. Rumlow spun to face them, gun raised, but in a blink it was gone from his hand and now Yo-yo stood behind her with the gun in her own hands.

Rumlow let out a roar of frustration and turned, "Kill them!"

The man took off and Daisy raised her hand to knock him off his feet, but a piercing scream blew her and Yo-yo back onto the ground. Daisy grunted in pain, calling out over the comms that Rumlow was on the run, and sat up to find the inhuman that hurt them. The redheaded teen stood in front of them but rather than having a threatening stance, she stood in front of them like a rag doll. That wasn't the most off-setting thing though.

The inhuman's eyes were glowing blue and all the veins going up her neck and down her arms was glowing that same electric color. Daisy narrowed her eyes in confusion. Something was wrong. Something told her that this wasn't just some part of the inhuman's transformation.

Daisy threw her hand out in a punch and a wave of vibrations knocked the teen back into the van hard enough to make the entire thing rock. Yo-yo zoomed forward, slamming the van's door, then was back. A second passed before an earth shattering scream erupted from the van and blew the door off entirely.

The teen fell out, limbs still held limply as if they were heavy, but before she could turn to attack a round of icer bullets rained down on her. Daisy glanced to the side as the ten crumpled unconscious and had never been so happy to see Mac in her entire life. There was no time for appreciation. All three were on the move again to try and catch up with May who was on Rumlow's tail. They got out onto the street, could see May kicking Rumlow's ass, but before they could a black ball of hot energy blew past them and slammed into both Rumlow and May sending them both to the ground.

On pure instinct, Daisy spun on her heel and threw her hand out. She didn't even see who she hit. A glowing, black figure and a redheaded woman flew back at the vibrations. Something hot clipped her side, a flash of red, and Daisy hit the ground hard with a groan of pain. Mac knelt down beside her, gun raised, but before he could fire on the newest guy on the scene and arrow hit the guy in the thigh and he collapsed to the ground.

"Where did he go!?" Coulson yelled over the comm line.

Daisy sat up to see May was still on the street, unconscious, but Rumlow was gone. She slammed her hand onto the street in frustration. She jumped up to her feet, wavering from the wound on her side, and Mac hooked an arm around her to keep her steady. Daisy raised both arms, ready to fight regardless of the wound, but a woman's voice screamed in her head to stop. She flinched at the same time as Mac and Yo-yo.

"Please stop!" The same female voice pleaded, but it was no longer in her head. Daisy turned to see the redhead from before standing on her feet. Her long hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she wore a black leather suit with yellow accents.

Actually, her eyes darted to the two men, they all did.

"Who the hell are you people!?" Mac barked. The gun in his hand still ready to fire. Daisy took in these strangers. Besides the woman, was a man who glowed and radiated black energy. Where his eyes were supposed to be just sat narrowed, glowing white lights. The black energy began to dissipate and tan skin replaced it. When all the glow was gone, all that remained was a large, Brazilian man with dark eyes and a well-groomed goatee. The third stranger, the one that shot her, cautiously walked to join his friends. This man was less broad than the other, lighter skin with longer brown hair, but his most noticeable feature was the single, red lens binoculars that sat over his eyes.

"You let him get away!" The Brazilian man yelled in anger.

"We let him get away!?" Yo-yo scoffed. "You did!"

"Roberto, stop." The woman said firmly then took a step forward with hands raised in surrender. "Please let us explain."

A grunt from behind her made Daisy glance over her shoulder to see Kate and Coulson help an angry May to her feet. They all walked over and suddenly the two groups were staring at one other in tension. The sound of police sirens in the distance was only getting closer.

Coulson tilted his head slightly, "Explain fast."

The woman sighed, "My name is Jean Gray. These are my friends, Scott Summers and Roberto da Costa." Her features were drawn in tight regret and concern. "The man we were after kidnapped our people. Right from under our noses. We needed to catch him and get him to tell us where they are."

Daisy narrowed her eyes, glanced at Coulson who met her gaze, then spoke, "Are you the people who broke him out of the Fridge or are you the ones who interrogated him in Greece?"

"Neither." Scott Summers replied. "This is the first we've seen of him."

Coulson glanced around and motioned for them to follow him off the street. There was still a lot that needed to be discussed, and the police showing up to interrupt them wasn't going to help at all. He called for the back-up agents to pick up the teen they had rendered unconscious.

As they hurried down an alley to get to the hidden quinjet, Kate turned to speak to them as they ran, "So, you're just a bunch of angry inhumans in some kickass leather outfits hunting down those who wronged you?"

"Inhumans?" Roberto scoffed. The ramp lowered and they all began to file onto the plane. The three unknowns stood together, protective of one another, as they faced off the rest. Roberto's lips twisted up into a smirk as he motioned to himself and the others, "We are not inhumans. We are of this Earth. We're mutants."

Daisy heard Kate mumble an annoyed curse from beside her.

They really needed a vacation.