We had returned inside by the time the others got back. There was the roar of the Quinjet, so I figured Tony had either sent it or flown it to pick them up. Trident being dead and the weapon secured, they didn't have to worry about being stealthy. Tony led the four of them inside to find me and Bucky putting the finishing touches on a meal we had planned. Bucky had figured we should make an apology meal for the Avengers we had left behind and I agreed.
Bucky had prepared burgers while I made a homemade queso and triple-berry crisp, definitely not to be used together, but they were delicious apart. I showed them over to the counter while Bucky checked the oven. "This needs a few more minutes but otherwise it's done."
They came around the corner just in time to see Bucky stand up straight. "Whoa, Buck, you feeling like your old self again?" Steve asked, sounding both wary and excited. Apparently, he had noticed Bucky's new change of style. Personally, I had mostly forgotten that he didn't have long hair anymore. Bucky was Bucky, it didn't matter if he was the Bucky from seventy years ago, the Winter Soldier, or this new conglomeration of the two, he would always just be my Bucky to me.
Mine? Since when did I start getting all possessive? He wasn't an animal or a toy. But it did have a nice ring to it. My Bucky. As much as I liked the sound of it, my constituted ownership, and both myself and Bucky had been under the ownership of someone else long enough. We should at least try being free before we chain ourselves together. Who was I kidding? My heart was already starting to accept Bucky as its new owner, and I wasn't particularly keen on stopping it.
"What is . . . all this?" Tony gestured vaguely at the kitchen that we had effectively commandeered.
Bucky looked to me to explain as he used the counter to limp to a stool. "An apology lunch." I said as I moved to help Bucky. "I admit that I was not in . . . the right frame of mind last night, I apologize for leaving you there." I was purposefully vague on what mindset I had been in but from Bucky's expression, I knew he had understood. He always understood, it's one of the things I loved about him, there was never any explanation necessary.
Sam shrugged, "free food," and moved to make his burger from the ingredients we had provided. Similarly, Tony was quick to accept the gift. Clint and Natasha shrugged and did the same, but Steve was more hesitant.
He had been the object of my hostility, it only made sense that he would hesitate to accept my apology. "I could see that something wasn't right," Steve started, eyeing our intertwined hands and the nearly invisible smiles on our faces from being in such proximity to each other, "I get it now, no apology necessary." His eyes filled with something akin to melancholy and maybe longing. It made me wonder if Steve had ever been in love. Not that Bucky and I were, but he had that look of loss that only came after carrying a torch for someone special.
Steve eyed our hands once more before joining the line to get himself a burger. The timer dinged on the oven and I quickly pulled the pan out with my metal hands. The delectable aroma of baked goods filled the air, drawing the noses of everyone present. I waved my hands over the pan to cool it slightly before I cut into it, grabbing both myself and Bucky a slice before letting anyone else near it.
I set the pastry plate next to Bucky's burger and settled into the stool next to him to eat my own. Natasha spoke up while she was cutting her burger in half with a knife, "despite the mishaps, the mission was a success. In no small part due to the both of you," she was looking at us while she said that.
"Team effort." Bucky supplied.
Natasha shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. "Yes, I would say the two of you are a good team." Bucky and I glanced at each other, smiling to ourselves. The others might have their suspicions but only we knew exactly how deep our relationship went and already we trusted each other with our lives, and we were slowly starting to open up our hearts as well.
I leaned against Bucky's shoulder, making myself comfortable as we finished off our meal together in comfortable silence while the others made light discussion. Bucky wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in closer so I was more leaning against his torso than his shoulder. "Team, huh?" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough that he could pick it up.
"I thought so," his response left a smile on my face.
"Me too. We should do it more often." I suggested, but wouldn't go through with it unless he agreed.
Bucky whispered, "you wanna be an Avenger? Long term?"
I paused for a moment, considering. I'd been fighting for more of my life, from what I could remember, but had never really had a choice on when to fight or on which side. "I'd consider it, but only if you joined with me."
Bucky paused for a long time as he considered his own thoughts, before finally responding, "I've had a lifetime of war, most of it on the wrong side, it'd be nice to be on the right side for once."
"Agreed, it felt nice fighting for the good guys." I couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping my lips, "are we really doing this?" Bucky considered the question before nodding resolutely. I laughed, just like that we had made a life-changing decision. "Hey Steve!" I called, inadvertently interrupting his conversation. He hummed in response. "How would you feel if we joined the Avengers more permanently?"
"Are you two considering it?" Steve asked, sounding curious. It was funny that they had already realized that we were a package deal. I wonder what the significance of that was? Had he realized that we were . . . whatever we were? What did it matter? We weren't exactly hiding, but then again, we weren't exactly forthcoming either.
"We already decided." The other Avengers paused their conversations, eager to hear the verdict. "If you still want a couple of hundred year old nutcases, we're in."
"In that case," Tony raised his glass, "welcome to the Avengers!"