"Chapter Four"

The Avengers didn't see much of Bucky, since he spent most of his time with Sam, attending meetings, volunteering at an animal shelter which had flooded and was fundraising for repairs, and talking over coffee. Evenings were spent in the corner of the common area while the others watched TV. Steve started to join them for coffee sometimes, eventually dragging Clint along.

Clint also managed to drag Steve away for movies and dinner and actual dates, just the two of them. Steve kept apologising; Clint assured him that he'd wait forever if he had to.

"You're worth it, Cap," he said, burrowing into his side while they sat side-by-side on a park bench. They'd just had lunch at The Everything Diner, and Steve was absently rubbing Clint's belly. It tickled a little, but Clint was good at suppressing his tickle reflex, painfully aware of how it could be used for actual torture. He shivered.

"I think I love you," Steve said. His cheeks reddened as Clint gave him a look of amusement. "You know… in that way."

"You're adorkable, you know that?"

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome. And I'm counting on it."

"On…?"

"You loving me." Clint snuggled closer. "I'm counting on it, Steve. I need it." When he noticed Steve eyeing him, he stopped teasing. "Love you, too." He kissed Steve's jaw. "It was a new level of hell, waiting for you to make a move. You can be completely oblivious."

"Not as bad as Sam, with Darcy."

"Yes, as bad as Sam with Darcy."

Steve humphed. Clint smirked.

Phil hadn't even noticed that Captain America and Hawkeye had been there until he heard the others talking about it that night. He was too busy worrying. There'd been no word from James, nothing at all, and the thought that something could've happened to him was petrifying. When he got home, and there was still no sign of James, he made up his mind, and made the call.

"Rosalie?" he said. "This is Phil Coulson."

"Phil! How's the heart going?"

"Pretty well," he said. Well, it was physically functioning. "You?"

"Still run off my feet with the patients here. I was seconded to paediatrics for a couple of months, and only got back to this ward a fortnight ago."

"Miss the kids?"

She chuckled. "Not yet."

"Listen, remember how you offered to do anything for me?"

"You were off your face on painkillers."

"But I remember your promise, so it counts."

Rosalie sighed. "What can I do for you?"

"I made friends with… I got to know this man who I think is homeless, and I haven't heard from him in weeks. I'm worried that something might've happened, and no one would know to contact me."

"What's his name?"

"James."

"James…?"

"That's the only name he gave me."

"Physical description?"

"Would it help if I said that he has a metal arm?" She was silent. "Left arm."

"…Yeah, that helps."

"Dark hair, pale skin, blue eyes… really blue…"

"Uh-oh," she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "I'll see what I can do for you, Phil. Same phone number?" He rattled it off. "Great. I'll call you back."

"I won't be able to sleep until you do."

"Then I'll make it quick. Gotta help you look after that heart, haven't I?"

"Technically no longer your job," he said. "But thank you, Rosalie. I knew there was a reason you were my favourite."

Half an hour later, he got a call back. There'd been no patients matching James's description admitted to any hospitals in the state of New York, either as a patient or an addition to the morgue. Phil thanked Rosalie again, and hung up.

Then he sank onto the sofa, leaving James's space free, and hugged a cushion to his chest. The association with hospitals had left his scar aching again.

"Hey, Leo," Clint said, relaxing back in his chair.

"Did you enjoy your date the other day?"

"Very much," Steve said, cheeks slightly pink.

"You've been sneaking here without us?" Tony said, scowling. "Not cool, guys."

"But they like us here," Clint said, pointing at him. "We know we're safe here. Besides, it's only been a few times. Mostly we stick near the tower."

"In case there's a call to assemble," Steve elaborated.

"And it wouldn't be much of a date if you were with us, Stark."

"Any special drinks?" Leo asked. "I see you've brought two new friends with you."

"Actually, this one's a friend from a long way back," Steve said, beaming at Bucky. "Bucky, this is Leo. Leo, Bucky Barnes."

"Really?" he said, eyes growing wide. "You're alive?"

"Just about," Bucky said.

"Wow. Phil will be glad to hear that."

"H-he will? Why?"

"Because you're Bucky Barnes," Leo said, waving his notepad. "Famous sniper, member of the Howling Commandoes, best friend of Captain America. Considering Phil's a fan of all things Cap… uh." He turned beet red, and grabbed the pencil from behind his ear. "Anyway. Drinks?"

They placed their order, which wasn't much different from the other times. Wine, since it was dinner; various sodas and juices; and water, of course, which Lance had already provided. Even without Thor, Jane, and the others, they were still a big crowd. And Fury had joined them for the first time. He ordered a Coke, glaring at anyone who tried to mock him for only drinking soda. It was enough of a reminder that he was the director of a spy organisation, and would need a clear head at all times.

"I've heard a lot about this place," he said as Skye placed his drink in front of him. "I hope it lives up to my expectations."

"I'm sure it will, sir," she said, grinning. "We have the best chefs in New York working here every day. And these guys have become regulars just because of Phil."

"Not just because of him," Pepper said.

"He's a pretty big part of it, though," Natasha muttered. She had stopped hanging out in the kitchen now, trusting the staff not to poison them. And if anyone tried, they wouldn't get very far.

"Can you get Phil to come out here and meet Bucky?" Steve asked. "Please, Skye?"

"I'll see," she said, and she chewed her lower lip. "Except…"

"Except what?"

"He's been kinda depressed for… I guess a couple of months? But it's been worse the last three weeks or so. And he was happier than usual before that. If we didn't all know he was single, I would've said he'd been dumped." She huffed a sigh, and then suddenly smiled. "But I bet he'll be happy to meet the Bucky Barnes."

"I don't know about that," Bucky said, hanging his head.

"Sure he will! I'll go ask him to come out here. It's not too busy at the moment. Oh! Decided on what to eat yet?"

"Give us a minute," Fury said. She swallowed, and quickly nodded.

"Yep," she said. "I'll definitely do that. Be back soon." Then she hurried off. Pepper gave Fury a look.

"Don't intimidate the staff," she said. "They like us. We don't want to find a new place to eat."

"God forbid," he said dryly.

A minute later, Skye returned. They were finally ready to place their orders, and she took them down, frowning all the while.

"So where's Phil?" Happy asked. She averted her eyes.

"He's not coming," she said. "It's not like he's crying into the soup or anything; he wouldn't do that. Well, not literally. But he said he'd just prefer to get on with making food. Despite the fact that Jemma and Trip are plenty capable of dealing with it."

"Ask him again," Fury said. "I'd like to see him."

"…Okay," she squeaked, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, Phil was chopping cucumbers with none of his usual fire. Skye slammed the piece of paper down on the counter beside Jemma, who jumped.

"What?" she said. "Oh. The Avengers' order?"

"Yeah," Skye said, but she wasn't looking at Jemma. "Phil? Seriously, you've gotta come out."

"Skye—"

"There's this scary-looking dude out there with an eye-patch, and I think he could snap Mack like a twig. I don't want to tell him that you're not gonna show your face. Please? I don't wanna die young."

Phil sighed, and hung up his apron. "Okay. I'll go."

"Yes! Thank you, PC."

"Go back to work. I won't be long," he added. Trip and Jemma just nodded and got on with arranging the order.

Phil tried not to trudge along; it wouldn't look very professional. He approached the table, half-smiling at the enthusiastic greetings, and immediately noticed the man Skye had been referring to.

And recognised him at once.

"Sir!" he said, and he nearly saluted. Nick shook his head.

"At ease, Coulson," he said. Phil barely registered everyone else's jaws dropping.

"What're you doing here?" Phil said. Nick raised his eyebrow, and Phil could've kicked himself. "I mean, obviously you're here to eat. But… what are you doing now, I guess is what I'm asking."

"Work," Nick said. "`Fraid I can't disclose any of it to you, Cheese."

"Cheese?" Tony said.

"Never ask," Phil said. "Not if you want to keep coming back to this place." Tony made a zipping motion across his mouth. "It's great to see you again, sir."

"Knew who you were as soon as Hill told me about you."

"That would explain why his file's classified," Clint whispered to Natasha. Phil cleared his throat, and looked down.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," he said. "I'm sure you know where to find me."

"Always," Nick said. "You haven't met Barnes yet, have you?"

"No," Phil said. There was something familiar about the mop of brown hair in front of him, and he stepped to the side to see better.

Sgt. Bucky Barnes looked decidedly sheepish when he finally raised his head.

"James!" Phil blurted out.

"Hi, Phil," James – well, Bucky – said. "Uh, surprise?"

He fished for words. "Well… well, it's good to know you're still alive! I had a friend checking hospital records to find out if you'd been admitted or something. I nearly went to the police to file you missing. You can't disappear like that and not expect me to worry."

"…Sorry."

"Wait, you knew each other already?" Steve asked, looking from Phil to Bucky and back again.

"Is this the guy who was giving you food?" Sam said. Bucky nodded, and gave Phil a small smile. He couldn't help but smile back, so much his cheeks ached.

"I am glad you're okay," he said earnestly. "And I knew you'd clean up good…" Then he heard a clatter in the kitchen, and remembered his duties. "Sorry, I have to get back to the kitchen. Bye."

He waved at Fury, and made eye contact with Bucky one last time before returning to his work.

"Phil, I've never seen you smile like that," Jemma said, staring at him while he washed his hands.

"Seen something you like out there?" Trip asked, eyes crinkled at the edges in not-so-hidden amusement.

"Back to work," Phil said instead, and he checked the slip as he tied his apron on. "Three orders of spaghetti carbonara with extra cheese and hot sauce? Well, I can guess who one of those is for." Nick had always liked his food with a kick. Steve was possibly one of the orders; he liked trying new things, and as far as Phil was aware he hadn't had any of their spaghetti before. If so, then Clint might have been the third order. Phil enjoyed guessing what his regulars chose to eat. It kept his skills sharp.

Nick Fury was out there. Nick 'Marcus' Fury. And he worked with the Avengers.

Small world.

And James… was Bucky Barnes. Phil had had no idea. He worked, half in a daze, relying on muscle memory to avoid lopping off his fingers. James… Bucky was out there, with the rest of Phil's best customers. Sitting there, healthier than the last time Phil had seen him… and he'd never sent word that he was okay. Phil had been worried sick, and all the time J— Bucky was fine. Absolutely fine.

It was like those months of friendship meant nothing to him.

That hurt.

With a heartfelt sigh, Phil put that out of his mind, and concentrated on making the best damn spaghetti carbonara of his life. Anything for an old friend, who'd saved Phil's life nearly as many times as Phil had saved his. But then Phil had always been a self-sacrificing, masochistic fool. See: helping Bucky Barnes, and possibly developing a crush on him.

Tony had that speculative look on his face. Bruce had kept quiet, as usual, preferring just to savour the all-organic meals. On this occasion, he felt obliged to intervene in case his science buddy was planning something stupid, since Rhodey was busy debating over something with Happy, and Pepper was talking to someone on her phone.

"What are you planning?" Bruce asked. "Tony?"

"Hmm?" Tony snapped out of it. "What?"

"Don't play dumb. What were you thinking about?"

Tony grinned widely. Another dangerous sign. "Why, what makes you think—"

"Tony."

The grin faded into something less sinister. "Skye told us that Phil's single."

"…You're in a stable relationship—"

"Not thinking about me, Brucey. Just thinking about Phil."

"Uh-huh? It can't be anything innocent."

"Of course not. This is me."

"…My silence is your cue."

"Okay, well, I've got it all figured out," Tony said, leaning forward in his chair and lowering his voice. He seemed to have forgotten that Fury was there, but Bruce noticed that they'd had his attention since Phil was mentioned.

"What've you got figured out?" Bruce said.

"We all love this place, right?"

"Yes."

"I figure that if Phil starts dating one of you, we'll get this stuff for free!"

Fury cleared his throat significantly. "No, Stark. That won't happen. Coulson's too professional for that."

"Well, we'll at least get a discount."

"By all accounts, you already get star treatment, and you don't need a discount. You can more than afford it alone, Stark, never mind when all of you chip in."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Okay, but it'd still be convenient to hook Phil up with one – or two – of us. Nope." He held up a hand. "My mind's made up. It's my duty, as a friend, to un-single Phil."

Bruce buried his head in his hands, and really hoped that Fury wasn't so close to Phil that he'd duel Tony to defend Phil's honour.

Starting to return to the original point of the prompt. *Face-palm*

Because we know that Phil's ex-military, and his file is classified thanks to SHIELD. So of course he knows Nick Fury.

And Bruce watches 'Supernatural'. Apparently.

Anyway. Please to be reviewing!