LATER THE NIGHT, the super soldier sat on his couch watching the current programming going on. It was a rerun of an episode of Masterchef, which Y/N found himself starting to like. It kinda helped him be savvier in the kitchen, to his family's delight.
Natasha walked into the living room holding a bowl of yogurt. Y/N looked at her and let out a chuckle as he reached for the remote.
"Well, that's enough Masterchef for today." He remarked as he changed the channel to the news instead.
"What?" She asked soft laugh.
"Can't have you checking out Gordon in front of me."
"I said he used to be my crush." The redhead replied and looked down at him. "You won't ever let me live that down, huh?"
He shook his head but smiled.
"I'm starting to nail that accent." He switched to an English accent. "I'll be the only Englishman you're going to want to hear from now on."
That brought a heftier laugh out of his wife. Y/N continued to speak.
"My mum was British. Maybe I can make this permanent. But then again, people might trip out and start calling me Captain Britain."
"You are hilarious." She replied.
Natasha sat down beside Y/N on the couch, laying her head near his shoulder as the man put his arm around her.
"Nice work earlier today." He remarked in his normal speech. "I appreciate you helping me with Pete's situation."
"I wasn't going to just stand pat." She replied. "He's like my spider-son, it hurt hearing all the bad that was said about him."
Y/N nodded. "We make a great team, huh?"
She chuckled. "I'd say."
The man rubbed her shoulder as they continued watching the television.
"Nikolai asleep?" Y/N asked.
"Out cold." She answered taking in a spoonful of yogurt. "That time at the park burned him out."
Y/N nodded. "Played a lot, huh? Made new friends?"
"He's so friendly. Everyone seemed to want to play with him."
"Oh. Cool."
"He did mention this one friend. Franklin." She added. "Didn't get to see his parents though. He left a little while before we did."
The man nodded once again. He picked up the cell phone by his side and held it up for a moment.
"You get Maggie's pics?" He asked.
"Yup."
"It's nice seeing her having fun over there in San Francisco. A kid like her should enjoy the world around her...now that everything seems to be getting back to normal."
"I just hope the extra guest under Scott's roof isn't causing so much trouble." She said, then paused for a moment. "On second thought, I hope he's having the most trouble."
Maggie had been in San Francisco for the last few days as her summer vacation neared an end. Scott Lang, being the kind friend he was, offered her housing and was happy to show her around with his daughter, Cassie.
"Come on." Y/N chuckled at her statement. "Don't manifest negativity toward Scott."
Natasha scoffed and Y/N continued.
"He's cool."
"Just remembering how his miniature ass flipped me onto my back that time in Germany."
"And you got him back pretty good." Y/N replied. "And that's years ago. How about recently when Scott guided Maggie through that awkward moment during the Time Heist?"
"When she ran into our past selves?"
"Exactly."
"Oh, please." She stirred the yogurt around. "My girl would've figured a way out of that without his help."
"Still, Lang deserves some credit."
"Yeah, yeah."
Y/N laughed after the exchange, picking up his phone and looking at the photos again. He singled one out and spoke about it.
"She even got to meet Shaun. Or do I call him Shang? His full name?" Y/N remarked. "I'm gonna have to ask him."
"Ah. So she's learning from him too?" Natasha asked as she took in another spoonful.
"This picture is just them by Golden Gate. Who knows if they sparred before or after this?"
Y/N put his phone back down. The man continued.
"Besides, she can learn from me. I could just...put on some Jackie Chan and take it all in."
Natasha laughed. "I think I'll trust a guy who's been taught almost every form of martial art from an early age than someone who just watched Rush Hour."
"Wow." He nodded as he looked ahead at the television. "That cut deep. Fine, no more Ramsay roleplay for you."
"Shut up." She lightly scoffed and nudged him, causing him to laugh again.
He brought his attention back to the television and watched the news broadcast. After a quick segment, it switched to a Memoriam...about T'Challa.
Y/N's sprightly expression faded and he immediately reached for the remote. He quickly changed it to another channel before putting it back down.
Natasha noticed the act and glanced at him. She understood what he was feeling...ever since that day when he got that call from Shuri of the king's passing. For the last several weeks, there were nonstop tributes and televised programs dedicated to the late Black Panther.
She began to speak. "The world lost a great leader in T'Challa. And...we lost a great friend."
"He—he was the best." He simply responded.
Natasha stayed quiet for a moment before she continued.
"I wish I was able to get to know him more. There was just so much fighting...wars...that it took away that chance. But I'm grateful that you were able to have such a strong bond with him. I'm grateful that he even treated Maggie and Nikolai well whenever he saw them."
Y/N remembered the few times he'd taken his family to Wakanda after the battle against Thanos. The first time they saw the kingdom...they were amazed. In Nikolai's words, it was like something out of a storybook.
"My relationship with Wakanda was so unlikely. They were willing to help me and Bucky without question. In a way...they saved me. T'Challa did, because without his word...we would've been turned away."
The soldier inhaled as he kept thinking about him. He reached for the panther claw pendant on his neck and touched it.
"You know...there was a time when T'Challa asked what it takes to be a good father." He said. "I joked around saying that I'll tell him all the secrets...only if he promised that I'd be the godfather to his child when he has one."
Natasha let out a soft chuckle, and so did Y/N. Her husband continued as he smiled at the memory.
"I remember that grin he had afterward and his laugh. He said that it'd be up to Nakia, but that he'd make sure to put a good word in."
Y/N's smile slowly faded. He started to realize that T'Challa died without being able to experience fatherhood. He let out a sigh as he kept touching his pendant.
"I feel like I shouldn't be this hurt. He was just a very close friend to me...but the queen...Shuri...they lost another family member. That's horrible."
Natasha gave him a somber look and rubbed the back of his neck. There was a momentary pause before he spoke again.
"Even...even Erik was affected."
The redhead remembered the cousin of T'Challa from stories Y/N told. From his failed takeover of Wakanda and battle against her husband those years ago.
"I'm kinda surprised, to be honest." She remarked.
Y/N understood her statement. The thought of Killmonger mourning his cousin, the one he once tried to kill, was appalling.
"These last ten months since Erik woke up from his coma have been...beneficial to his mental state, to say the least." He explained, then let out a chuckle. "To put it simply...he's not adamant on taking over the world anymore. At least I hope not."
That was the straightforward explanation. When Erik woke up from his coma he was told that T'Challa had saved him. He was also briefed about how he was dusted during his slumber and lost five years along with half of the world.
From then on, he stayed in Wakanda not as a prisoner but as a sort of parolee under the watch of the Dora Milaje. He worked with T'Challa and other Wakandans throughout the kingdom...a kingdom he finally got to get a good look at.
He remembered the stories his father, N'Jobu, told about the country. The people in it. His family that resided within. It was such a beautiful place, and once he found out that T'Challa learned from his ancestors' mistakes and decided to open up Wakanda to the world...N'Jadaka had an epiphany.
He had the right heart and mind now as a resident of Wakanda. He was on a real path of redemption. He had started getting close to his cousins...to T'Challa...but it all came to a halt when he died.
A/N: We will see more of what Killmonger went through in flashbacks during the Wakanda Forever arc.
Y/N rubbed his face after a moment of thought. His wife kept offering her reassuring touch as he kept massaging the back of his head. He continued.
"With Pietro...Tony...my father, I already mourned them. Now I have to go through all that again."
Natasha looked at him. "And I'm here to help you through that. We all are."
Y/N smiled, remembering how he told the prosecutor his family was always there to comfort him in times like these. He grabbed her other hand and kissed the top of it.
"I know."
• • •
SEVERAL WEEKS HAD passed since Peter Parker's case was dismissed. While the teenager was safe from conviction he still had to worry about the public opinion of everyone in the city. Although Y/N and Nat helped expose Mysterio and his crew, they couldn't change the minds of those who still didn't like Spider-Man or believed William was coerced in a way.
Y/N spent that Thursday afternoon in Manhattan. Natasha and Nikolai were back home in Jersey City while Maggie attended an after-school extracurricular activity.
He walked through the sidewalk holding a takeout bag, having picked up some food to bring back. Strolling through was met with gazes from passerbys and even requests for photo opportunities. The soldier didn't mind though.
He stopped at an intersection and looked up at a large billboard. It was of Rogers: The Musical, which was going to premiere on Broadway in a couple of weeks.
Y/N recalled when the production company came to him with the idea. He thought it was a cool concept and wanted people to see an entertaining reenactment of his father's life. So he gave them his blessing...if only a percentage of the sales went to the local veterans' charity and F.E.A.S.T. They gladly accepted the terms.
As he kept looking up at the billboard, something caught his eye and he chuckled. The silhouette of Hawkeye was so small compared to the rest of the Avengers.
"Great. Clint's gonna think I made them do that on purpose."
The soldier crossed the street once the signal allowed him to. When he made a left and walked down the sidewalk, he suddenly witnessed some commotion ahead.
A young man, looking as if in his early to mid 20's, had bumped into someone. He had an oversized hoodie and sweatpants and had his hands tucked under his armpits.
"Hey. Watch it." The passerby snapped.
"I need your help." The young man got closer. "Please can you tell me—"
The man didn't appreciate his invasion of space. He shoved him away.
"Get back, asshole!"
The man's fidgety and nervous demeanor seemed to immediately change. He glared and shoved the man back, the passerby landing a few feet down the sidewalk.
The man's friend chose to fight back and shoved him as well. Y/N, being the man he was, decided to step in. He didn't want them to hurt a possibly mentally ill homeless man.
"I'll break your face, dawg!" The friend shouted at the young man. Nosy civilians stopped walking and watched.
"Whoa!" Y/N ran up and got in between them.
The friend immediately stopped at the sight of the Avenger and stepped back. But the young man tried lunging at the friend.
"I'll be the one to break you!" He exclaimed, but couldn't get closer as Y/N was in his way.
Y/N turned around and held him back. He thought it'd be easy, but the man used just enough force to shove the soldier out of the way. The man then lunged at the friend and pinned him to the floor.
For a second, the soldier was bewildered that a seemingly normal human was able to push him away. He wasn't able to dwell on it further as he needed to break up the squabble.
"Stop! Stop!" Y/N exclaimed and pulled the man off of the other.
It took some force, but he was able to get him off. The friend gasped for air after escaping the man's chokehold and got back to his feet.
"Call the police on this crazy piece of shit!" The man from before exclaimed as he went up to his friend.
Before someone could, Y/N spoke up. He reached his hand out at the people who had stopped to watch.
"I got this. There's no need." He told them. "I'll...I'll get this guy the help he needs."
They all stood there for a moment, some glancing at their colleagues. The civilians decided to trust his word since he was Captain America after all.
"Yes, sir." One randomly said.
The people began to disperse. The man from before and his friend looked at the young guy, the latter flipping him the bird before walking off.
Y/N turned to face the young man, who seemed to have calmed down. The glare he had on his face wasn't there anymore and he looked nervous yet again.
"Are you okay?" He asked the man.
He frantically nodded, looking around before gazing back at Y/N.
"I need your help. I need to find my friends." He quickly said. "I've—I've been walking around but—"
Y/N put a halt to his rambling. "I'll help you, I just have a few questions for you too."
The man nodded. Y/N was going to help him with whatever he needed but wanted to know more about his strength. He figured maybe he was another super-soldier who was tested on.
He recalled the day he first woke up from stasis and was questioned by Nick Fury. He also asked for his friends and parents. In Y/N's mind...there was a flying chance this man was going through the same thing he was.
"Let's get out of here." Y/N told him and picked up his takeout bag. "Care to join me? We can talk a bit on the way."
"On the way where?"
Y/N shrugged. "My place. Feels like you could use some distance from the big city."
The man stood silent for a moment before nodding. Y/N nodded in return and started walking with him.
"I'm Y/N." He finally introduced himself.
The man turned to him.
"Harry."
• • •
HARRY OSBORN SAT at the dining room table of the Romanoff-Carter home. He took a sip of the coffee he was given, the caffeine giving him a well-needed boost.
Y/N stood by the entrance of the dining room. Before he went inside he spoke to Natasha, who was rather wary that her husband invited a stranger.
"You fished him out of an alleyway or something?" She asked in a whisper.
"No, I did not." He replied. "Fished him out of 6th and 39th by the Marriot."
Natasha shook her head and peeked into the room. The man took another sip of his drink and looked around. She was about to speak to Y/N again but he beat her to it.
"I think he's a super soldier." He abruptly said.
Natasha arched a brow. "You think so?"
"I'm like...98% percent sure. He got in a scuffle on the street and when I tried breaking it apart, he was able to overpower me. It caught me by surprise."
"Great. So you brought a belligerent super-powered homeless guy into the house our kids sleep in." He said rather nonchalantly. "Might as well invite John Walker over to dinner next time."
Y/N exhaled as he peeked into the room. He looked back at Natasha.
"He asked for his friends. He also seems pretty shaken about something." He began. "It—It reminds me of...me...thirteen years ago."
Natasha immediately remembered that day...the day she first met Y/N when he was questioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. The young man-out-of-time was also shocked at his situation and had many questions...especially about his parents.
"So you think he maybe was experimented on?" Natasha offered a theory. "Maybe a test subject of the Power Broker? A Flag-Smasher deserter? In hiding like Bradley?"
"All possible." Y/N replied. "I just have to find out."
Y/N finally entered the dining room. Harry eyed the soldier as he sat on the seat beside him, then looked at Natasha who decided to stand by the entrance.
"Um..." Harry fidgeted with his hands. "This is a nice place you have here."
"Thank you. Prices for property weren't too high the time I bought it."
Harry simply nodded. Y/N continued.
"Where are you from, Harry?"
The man tried to gather his thoughts, but it pained him to think about the past. He tried answering.
"I'm from here. New York. I lived with my father before he..." Harry stopped and looked down.
Y/N studied his body language, seeing that his demeanor was of bewilderment and woe.
"Do you remember anything from the last...few days?"
Harry thought back. "I don't know...I was angry about something. I can recall leaving my house and then...I was here."
Y/N took in his words. Harry touched his chest and ran his hands over the fabric of his hoodie. He could feel the material of the suit beneath it.
"Harry...do you know that...you're really strong?" Y/N asked.
Immediately, the man got a flash in his mind of him inside a chamber with green mist. He swallowed, not knowing what it meant.
"I—uh—I don't know. Am I?"
Before they can dwell on it further, Harry looked over a calendar nearby. He pointed at it.
"I—I noticed that earlier."
"What?" Y/N asked.
"Why do you have it in 2024? That's—that isn't right."
Y/N arched a brow and turned to Natasha, who was also confused. Harry kept looking at it.
"What year is it supposed to be?" Y/N asked him.
"2004." Harry answered.
The super soldier took in the revelation that Harry believed it was 2004. He figured maybe he was first experimented on twenty years ago and just now resurfaced.
"Harry." Y/N began. "I'll try to help as much as I can. We'll find your friends."
Harry nodded. Natasha decided to speak up as well.
"I'll do what I can to track them down once you give me the details I need."
"Thank you." He replied. "You guys are so nice. Everyone out there just...ignored and pushed me away."
"Well, not us." Y/N said. "It looks like you could benefit from a couple of friendly faces."
Suddenly, they heard incoming footsteps. Nikolai came running in and to his mother.
"Mom! I know how I want to do my Thanksgiving turkey art." He told her. "Can we make him big and green like Uncle Bruce?"
Natasha chuckled and rubbed his head. The boy looked toward the table and saw his dad with Harry. The stranger gave an awkward smile back.
"Make that a few friendly faces." Y/N told Harry, mentioning his son. "That's my son, Nikolai. His sister should be home from her club in about an hour."
Natasha turned to Nik. "Dad will help you with your project in the living room. Mom has to talk with our guest."
He nodded and looked at Y/N. The soldier smiled and got up from his seat, allowing Natasha to sit with Harry.
Y/N walked into the living room with his son. The little boy ran to his room to get materials for the project, leaving the adult by the coffee table with the television on.
He looked at the muted broadcast, detailing an incident that happened at Alexander Hamilton Bridge. It said that Spider-Man saved a family and fought off a tentacled cyborg. The assailant was still at large.
Y/N was relieved that Peter came out all right and was able to save people in the process. But he still thought about how that man was still out there.
"Jesus. First a guy with metal wings, then a fraudulent illusionist." Y/N remarked. "Why do the weirdest folk always go after Spider-Man?"