TW: Thank you.
Avengers Compound
Morning
In Steve's room, he and Natasha's laid in bed, dressed only in sheets as Natasha rested her head on his bare chest. It was silent for several moments (although not uncomfortably so) until Natasha lifted her head.
"So, I have a question, you don't have to answer it though. Although I feel like if you don't answer it, you're kind of answering it," Natasha quipped and Steve rolled his eyes and laughed, remembering a similar conversation two years earlier.
"Yes, that was my first time. That bad, huh?" Steve half joked.
"Not the word I would use," Natasha said with a grin and they pair laughed at the inside joke. "So how was it…for you?"
"It was the best night of my life," Steve said honestly and Natasha smiled.
"Charmer," she joked before leaning up and kissing him lightly. "So, now what?"
"Now, we have to get dressed, I need to pack and head to Asgard," Steve said with a sigh, the light atmosphere ending. "Although part of me wishes I could just stay in this bed."
"Sounds like a good idea, but the sooner you get to Thor, we can start planning a way to deal with Thanos," Natasha said and the mood plummeted.
"I hate it when you're right," Steve said with a sigh before glancing over at where his bag had been tossed carelessly last night onto the floor. "Well, I guess we should get dressed. I still need to pack."
In the kitchen, Wanda walked in but stopped short, seeing Bucky making eggs.
"How do you like your eggs? Scrabbled or fried?" Bucky asked, not looking up from his work.
"Uh, fried," Wanda said as she overcame her surprise. "I didn't know you cooked."
"I was on the run for two years; you think I survived on pre made food?" Bucky asked and Wanda shrugged, never having really thought about it. "I learned from my mom. It was…one of the first memories that came back to me after I remembered who I was."
Wanda nodded silently, understanding. The memories with her parents and brother were inarguably the most precious to her.
"How is it? Being here, awake?" Wanda asked gently and Bucky paused, seeming to consider his answer before he spoke.
"Not bad. It's still a bit weird but…I'm glad to help out, especially knowing what's coming," Bucky said.
"We're glad you're here too. Or at least Steve is. And so am I," Wanda said, flushing a little as Bucky looked over and flashed her a grin.
"Thanks," Bucky said and it was quiet for a moment, the two of them oblivious to the outside world as they merely stared at each other.
But, unnoticed by them, Vision lingered at the edge of the room, an unreadable look on his face as he watched the scene. He wasn't very well versed in human emotions or interactions, but he thought he knew Wanda well enough to know what it looked like when she liked someone. And she liked Sargent Barnes.
Safe house, unspecified location
Same time
Clint walked up to the front door of the safe house (which was more or less just a cabin in the woods, far from anyone that might find them) and knocked three times on the front door, the code for 'It's safe, I'm a friend'. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a relieved Laura standing on the other side.
"Thank God you're okay," Laura said before throwing her arms around him.
"Hey, Honey," Clint said warmly as he returned the embrace, taking a moment to breathe his wife's scent in. "Sorry it took a while, but it's safe. Everything's safe. We can go home."
Avenger's Compound
Late morning
On the front lawn of the Compound, Steve stood before Natasha, Sam, and Bucky.
"I shouldn't be gone for more than a few days, just to come up with a plan of attack with Thor," Steve assured them.
"We can handle things until you get back, Steve. Important thing is to come up with a game plan," Sam pointed out and Steve nodded before glancing at Bucky.
"Try not to do anything stupid until I get back," Steve said and Bucky chuckled.
"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," Bucky quipped and Steve grinned.
"Punk."
"Jerk," Bucky joked as the two embraced.
"You two need a minute?" Natasha asked as they let go.
"Cute, Nat. Try to keep everyone out of trouble," Steve said as he walked over to her.
"Knowing Tony? I'll do my best," Natasha said as they all shared a laugh.
"I'll be back soon," Steve promised, kissing her briefly before stepping back. "You all might want to take a few steps back."
"How does this work exactly?" Sam asked as the three of them stepped away from Steve, who pulled out what looked like a high tech remote.
"The way Thor explained it; this is like a radio signal. I just point at the sky and press this button," Steve said, raising the remote over his head and pressing the button.
Less than a heartbeat later, a beam of Bifrost came down, striking the spot where Steve stood. Bucky and Sam jumped back in surprise but Natasha was unfazed, having seen this twice by now. After a moment, the beam faded, revealing the burned symbol on the ground with no sign of Steve.
Asgard
Seconds later
Steve appeared on Asgard, looking around in interest as Heimdall turned the sword in its spot.
"Captain Rogers. It is an honor to meet someone Thor holds in such high regard," Heimdall said humbly and Steve looked over at him.
"And you must be Heimdall," Steve noted as the Asgardian nodded.
"Yes. But you knew that already," Heimdall said knowingly and Steve didn't deny it. "Come. Thor wanted you brought to the throne room upon your arrival."
Not after, Heimdall escorted Steve to the palace. Steve looked around, in a bit of awe. It was one thing to see Asgard in the recordings, another to see it in person. If anything, the recordings hadn't done it justice. It was even more impressive in person.
Heimdall led Steve into the throne room, where Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three were waiting for them.
"Welcome to Asgard, my friend," Thor said as he got to his feet, walking over to greet his fellow Avenger. "So what do you think, Cap?"
"It's impressive," Steve admitted and Thor smirked.
"Come, there are some people I want you to meet," Thor said before leading Steve over to the Warrior Three. "These are the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Fandrel, and Hogun. Some of the finest warriors Asgard has to offer."
"It is an honor to meet you," Steve said with a slight bow.
"The honor is ours, Captain. Thor has told us much of your exploits. You are truly the equal of any Asgardian," Hogun said and Steve smiled, slightly uncomfortable.
He had never really liked all the hero worship that had come with being Captain America.
"Thank you, Hogun. Sif, good to see you again," Steve said with a glance at the female Asgardian.
"Captain. I trust this Ross has been dealt with," Sif said in greeting and Steve nodded.
"He's currently awaiting trial in a prison he's unlikely to ever get out of," Steve said confidently.
"It does not surprise me that Ross was Hydra. How do you feel about that, my friend?" Thor inquired and Steve grimaced.
"Every time I feel like I'm rid of them, they seem to pop back up in some way. But that's neither here or now. Where are we on Thanos?" Steve asked.
Not long after, the Asgardians and Steve stood in a room with a holographic projection if the universe. Steve stared at it for a moment, feeling for the first time just how small he was in this vast universe.
"I've been having Heimdall watch Thanos's movements since I returned to Asgard. Heimdall saw him last on these three planets," Thor said, pointing to three planets near each other.
"What's he been doing?" Steve inquired.
"He seems to be searching for something. What, I do not know," Heimdall said.
Steve and Thor exchanged a silent glance, both of them knowing what he was likely looking for. Thanos was on the trail of the Infinity Stones.
"Asgard's armies stand ready, but it will take more than an army to defeat Thanos," Thor nodded and Steve nodded his agreement.
"We'll need more than Asgard if we're going to take Thanos down. We'll need someone who knows Thanos, knows he thinks, knows his strategies," Steve said and Thor nodded, having come to the same conclusion.
"Heimdall, I need you to find something. I need you to find a ship called the Benatar. There's a woman named Gamora who can help us," Thor ordered.
Not quite filler, but definitely some important developments.
Before anyone says anything, yes, I know Not-She-Hulk claims Steve lost his virginity to a show girl in The First Avenger. To paraphrase Nick Fury, I'm aware that Marvel has made a decision. But given that it's a stupid decision, I've elected to ignore it.
And the Guardians of the Galaxy are finally going to enter the story next chapter. Wouldn't feel right to get to Thanos without including them.