More than a gift

What's next for us?

It'd been three months since her birthday and she'd never been happier in her whole life. Which wasn't really hard since all but the last almost three years were literal hell for her. As for the three of them?

It seemed like Steve moving in was all that was missing from their lives. They did have to get a bigger bed though. After the second time of Bucky falling out of bed and the fourth time for Steve, Elena came home to find that a California king had replaced the Queen sized bed they used to have.

That night they had christened the bed multiple times much to Tony's displeasure. Apparently they needed to get an update on the sound proofing.

Everyone on the team had been accepting of their relationship. The only one who had a hard time understanding what all the fuss everyone was making had been Bruce, but not in a negative way. After Natasha explained to him the mechanics of their situation he'd just said that he thought that's what they had been doing the whole time and was being discreet about it.

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Elena finally found out that Tony and Nat's bet had been in place since Bucky first arrived. The Russian has seen the sexual tension between Steve and her the moment Elena had arrived. Then adding Bucky to the mix had cinched it. Their chemistry had been seen by everyone, but themselves apparently.

N

atasha had told Elena she was shocked to find out nothing had happened between Steve and her until now. As for the bet with Tony. The Russian had bet that they had been secretly together the whole time. He bet that they were just friends. Her bringing up their deepest fantasies had been Natasha's way to try and win the bet.

They had both technically lost, but had come up with a happy medium after renegotiating their terms and they refused to tell anyone what the prize was much to Elena's frustration.

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The three of them sat down with Tony, Pepper and Fury to figure out when and how they would tell the world about their relationship. They didn't want to come out publicly yet, but they didn't want Steve and Elena going out on a date outside the Compound and the public thinking she was cheating on Bucky. Or the public thinking she was playing the best friends off of each other.

It was decided a month after they came out to the team that Pepper would set up an exclusive interview with someone to get their story out there. To get ahead of a potential leak.

That someone turned out to be Oprah. The three of them sat down with her and explained everything to her and the public. That they were a real thruple and that they actually loved each other and weren't just sex crazed maniacs.

The three of them actually got a ton of support from the public from here and around the world. Of course there were people who didn't approve or didn't understand, but they wouldn't let them get to them. Their friends and family loved and supported them and that was all that mattered. Even their neighbors at the Cottage supported them.

When Elena, Bucky and Steve had gone to spend a quiet fourth of July to celebrate Steve's birthday their neighbors had invited them to the block party they were throwing. Several of them told Elena, Bucky and Steve that they had seen the interview. They told them how happy they were that the three of them were living in their town and that they supported their right to love who they wanted. Defending the three of them to the naysayers. Even helping by keeping an eye on the house from people who tried to vandalize their property or try to get a peek inside their home.

Life went back to normal for them once the next big public scandal came out making it so they could go out and about without being mobbed by paparazzi and protesters. Once people saw that there wasn't anything scandalizing going on they just let them be.

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5 months since coming out

The women of the team found themselves out for a much needed girls night in the city. Once the drinks were flowing the conversation of course came around to the men in their lives. "Nat, how are you and Bruce doing?" Wanda asks the older woman, taking a large sip of her dirty martini. Natasha grins at them.

"It's good. We're coming up on our two year anniversary. I'm, um, actually thinking of asking him to marry me." Wanda and Elena both gasped in excitement.

"Oh my god, Tasha, I'm so happy for you guys. You'll have to tell us everything when you do." Elena tells her, grasping her hand across the small table. Natasha scrunches her face.

"You don't think it's too much for me to ask him do you?" She asks them unsure about it. This was a rare moment indeed, Natasha Romanoff was nervous.

Wanda and Elena both shake their heads. The youngest of the three tells her reassuringly with a smile, "I think it's very twenty-first century of you."

Elena nods. "Why should the woman be the only one who gets all of the big romantic gestures? Besides, we all know Bruce isn't the best at picking up on your hints. I mean it took him over two years of blatant flirting and you still had to basically strip naked for him to finally get it." She tells her shooting back her shot of tequila, licking the salt on her hand and biting the lime wedge.

Nat nods her head as she takes in Elena's sentiments coming back to a firm conclusion of what she wanted. "You guys are right. I'm gonna propose to him. I just have to find out how I'm gonna do it."

That settled both of them to turn their heads to look at Elena who was bobbing her head along to the music.

"What?" She says defensively even though neither of them have said anything.

"How are things with Bucky and Steve?"

Elena knows she has a dopey smile on her face, but she can't help it. "We're great actually."

Nat and Wanda share a look and a grin. "Any wedding bells in your future?"

Elena held her hands up to pause their train of thought. "Whoa ladies, pump the brakes. We've only been together for five months. That's a little early to be talking about marriage."

Wanda pipes up. "That's true of the three of you, but you've been with Bucky for almost three years now. Haven't you guys talked about marriage and kids before?"

Biting her lip to keep in her thoughts for a moment, Elena rolled her empty shot glass between her hands. Of course she wanted all of that with Bucky, but now that they had Steve in the picture things would have to be reevaluated. "Well, yeah Buck and I've talked about all of that before and we both want it, but now with Steve.." She trails off.

Natasha and Wanda nod understanding what she means. "Well, I've never seen any of you look so happy. Especially Steve." She would know seeing as she's known Steve the longest out to the three of them. "I know he wants marriage and kids. I don't see why he wouldn't want that with you, Elena."

"You can't marry more than one person Nat and I wouldn't want to marry one and not the other." She tells her friend. It had honestly been on her mind since they became official. Their relationship had made her begin to think about everything that she's ever wanted in the deepest part of her heart and it made her a little sad to know that she might not be able to have it all.

"Why don't you just do a commitment ceremony? As for all the legal stuff that comes with marriage you can have the legal team write up something for the three of you so you're all covered." Wanda says, shrugging casually like she hadn't just blown their liquor soaked minds.

"What? I've been thinking about this since you guys told us you were all together." The young woman says with a smile.

Could they do that?

Would the guys go for that?

And as for kids, how would that work?

It looked like they will be having a very deep conversation soon because her friends got her mind racing with the possibilities of a permanent future with both of her men.

Many drinks and lots of dancing over the next few hours had Elena able to put aside her more serious thoughts and just enjoy the evening with her girls. Tomorrow she could think about all of these things which honestly made her a little giddy.