Soft Robotics ✧ Bucky Barnes

(boolean[2.26]);

"I told you I'm giving it up! I'm way less nosy lately."

I snorted. "But no, no therapist. She's almost never left the house in the past two years. But even when she did and she was working, she didn't see a therapist. Said it was just one more thing she'd have to go do that would stress her out."

"She doesn't work?"

"She's on disability benefits. She was shot in a hunting accident when she was younger, and she still has health problems because of it. It's getting worse as she gets older."

"Grace, are you hearing yourself?" Wanda asked, sounding tired. "A hunting accident?"

"What, you think she lied about that?"

Neither of them answered for a moment, shifting their eyes away from me when I looked at them in turn. Vision took a breath. "I really believe you should call your mother."

"Yeah, okay. And I should ask her about this stuff?"

They each nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, okay, cool, awesome."

I pulled my phone out and scrolled to her contact. My finger hovered over the "call" button for a moment too long while I dreaded it, but I pressed it in the end.

"Gracie!" Mom answered, sounding falsely chipper.

"Hey, Mom. How are you?"

"I've been a lot worse. How are you? Aren't you at work right now?"

She still thought I worked at the university. "Um," I paused. I needed to tell her where I was, but I knew it would distress her. No, I couldn't do it over the phone, I decided. "I have a day off. I was actually wondering if I could come by and see you this afternoon. No pressure if not, though."

"Oh! Um, yes. Of course you can. Late this afternoon. Don't leave yet."

"Would 4 be okay?"

"Yes! Yes, perfect. Great. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too. Love you."

"Love you."

That was about as long as our conversations ever were.

"So...any chance you two want to go see my mom with me?" I asked.

"Don't tell Bucky. Not until after you're back safe, at least," Wanda warned. "He'd freak out if he knew you were leaving the building."

"He'd get over it. This is important," I said. "I mean, it might not be connected, but you're still right. I deserve to know who my dad is."

"He'd get over it? Do we know the same Bucky?" Wanda asked. "I think yours might be an imposter."

"He's a big softie."

"If you say so."

"Did you know he loves cats? And cats love him? He's always sending me pictures of the ones he sees when he's out, and he acts like it's coincidental, but I just know he crouches down and calls them over. He's moving in with me when everything is safe, and I think I want to ask him to adopt a cat with me. He'll love it so much."

"Excuse me? You're moving in together—"

"Wanda, Grace, I'm so sorry to interrupt," Vision said suddenly. "But I've just had a thought. Tony made this discovery yesterday, yes? After viewing the file from the prison hacker?"

"Yes," Wanda confirmed.

"Well, that file was meant for Grace. I don't believe it would be a breach of trust for her to view what was meant for her."

My eyes widened, and I took off toward the lab, the other two following behind. I went straight over to Tony's computer when we got there. Vision was right; if it was meant for me, then I should get to see it. I went straight to the file from Colin, careful not to snoop anywhere else.

There were two items inside. One was the video from the elevator. I clicked on the other.

It was a picture of me. Except I didn't remember taking it. And I'd never had bangs before, like in the picture. It wasn't my shirt, either, and the quality of the picture looked dated, from the 90's, maybe. The most jarring was the expression—serious, straight faced. I almost always smiled in pictures. But I knew someone else who never did. Come to think of it, I had seen that expression before.

There was a line typed across the bottom of the picture:

HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU THAT YOU LOOK JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER?

A/N: omg