4.4 | Trigger ✓

08 | печь

"I'm not shaking hands with him," Bucky said flatly.

Tony smirked. "Yeah, me neither. I don't want to get cooties."

"Cooties? You kids still use that word?"

"I know you're trying to assert your superiority, but can I remind you that you're the hundred-year old cradle-robber making moony-eyes at Summers here when you think she isn't looking? Even Romeo was less of a lovesick puppy compared to you."

"Still better than a man who can't get up without a suit supporting him."

"No, I don't think anything's worse than a hundred-year old cradle-robber, McLoveMuffin."

Rhodes exchanged an amused look with Dakota. She smiled and leaned her head on Bucky's shoulder, listening to his and Tony's snippy exchange for the rest of the ride.

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"So where is this place?" Dakota asked Rhodes, who strolled beside her with Bucky on her other side. They'd landed on the roof of a building that, while new and well-furnished, seemed empty.

"Avengers facility," Rhodes told her.

"Doesn't look like it," remarked Bucky, holding the door open for Dakota to step through first, and then Rhodes, before letting it swing shut behind him. Tony was leading the way, proudly flinging doors open like he owned the place. Dakota figured that he probably did.

"It's a little old and rusted," Tony said, even though the building seemed anything but. "This place hasn't been in use ever since – well, no point maintaining the Avengers facility when the Avengers no longer exist, right?" His voice was a false upbeat that Dakota saw through immediately. He was still smiling, but he looked tired, somehow.

"No one comes here anymore," Rhodes added. "So it'll be safe for the time being until we find a way to get out of this mess."

Tony made a vague noise of agreement and led them down another corridor, before tapping a code on the keypad of the last room. The doors slid open, and Tony stepped in, waving his hands with an exaggerated flourish. "State of the art security, state of the art décor, courtesy of yours truly, and – oh, what fresh hell is this?"

He stopped short at the sight of the two people on the couch. Dakota looked at them curiously, her eyes widening when she saw a man who looked strangely cybernetic, his skin a dark shade of purple and blue, and his arms wrapped around a brunette who sat on his lap.

Rhodes laughed, but Tony looked at the couple in disgust before lifting his eyes skywards in a pained expression. "Friday, please tell me the Wicked Witch of the West didn't ride the broomstick of my pet Android on my couch."

"No, sir, they didn't." The voice came out of nowhere and Bucky stiffened, clenching his fists involuntarily as he scanned the room for its source. "But Ms Maximoff did try surfing the internet for information about sexual organs in an – "

"Thank you, Friday." The woman's cheeks flamed a bright red as she hastily got up, smoothing her skirt down self-consciously, before looking over at Dakota and Bucky. "Hi," She stepped towards them. "I'm Wanda," She grasped the hand that Dakota offered gently and smiled, before pointing to the man getting to his feet behind her. "That's Vision. We've been wanting to meet you ever since Steve told us what happened."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Yes, let's get all the introductions out of the way," Tony clapped his hands briskly. "That's Dakota, keeper of the wayward Avengers; Capsicle and Co. call her Dot, apparently. And the both of you already know the cause of all our trouble – the Grinch who killed Christmas over here," He rolled his eyes at Bucky, who was still trying to look around the place for Friday. "Oh, lighten up, that's a programme; it's not going to eat you and your metal arm alive."