It was about two days after Adel and Bucky met Team Red that they ran into an Avenger. Adel had just finished his classes for the day, lamenting how the professors were piling more work on them in, what he thought, was an attempt from keeping the college students from going out on Halloween to cause mayhem among the unsuspecting public.
The only saving grace was that said Avenger did not recognize Bucky whatsoever.
"I am so sorry!" Bruce Banner said as his hands hovered uncertainly in the air, watching with wide eyes as his hour-old coffee seeped into Bucky's denim jacket. "I'm so sorry. I can- I can replace it-"
"It's fine." Bucky soothed because it looked like Bruce's head was going to explode with how red it got. "It was an accident, it's okay." He shed his outer coat to reveal his black hoodie, carefully folding up the dirty jacket. He put it in Adel's backpack when the college student silently turned around. "Can I ask where you're heading off to?"
The doctor pointed to his left down the road. "I was heading to the Egyptian museum a few blocks down. I thought, well, if Thor's real then maybe the other gods are, too."
Adel perked up as much as he could when his face was obscured by his circle sunglasses. "We were just heading there, too!" He didn't turn to look at Bucky's expression, but his lips did twitch slightly in amusement when he felt his best friend poke his side in disbelief. "We just got a little lost."
"Oh!" Bruce's face lit up with surprise. "I can show you where it is. They're doing tours half off right now, so this is the best time to go."
"Lead on, then." Adel gestured and let the doctor was a bit in front of them as he took his phone from his pocket. Immediately, a text lit up the screen.
Big Bitch: what the fuck??? a museum???
Little Bitch: can you imagine captain america's reaction when he realizes we're already friends with one of his teammates?
Big Bitch: but a tour? you just said that you could sleeo for years
Little Bitch: sleeo
Big Bitch: stfu
Little Bitch: make me
Bucky didn't respond to the text, instead sticking his foot out to trip his best friend, who went tumbling down with a startled shout. The super soldier didn't say anything to Bruce when he turned around to look at him, and he ignored Winter's grumbling like a champ.
Adel caught up, muttering under his breath as he brushed some dirt off of his dark red sweater. He glanced over at Bucky and rolled his eyes at the smirk he could see on the soldier's face. "We didn't introduce ourselves, did we?"
Bruce stopped walking at that, his mouth dropping open. "I am so sorry." He sputtered, holding out his hand as his face flushed red in embarrassment. "Bruce."
"James." Bucky smiled, smoothly intercepting the handshake so Adel didn't have to. "This is Adel."
"Apologize a lot, do we?" Adel raised an eyebrow, but his tone was gentle as he regarded the other man. "Did you already book a tour with a guide?"
"Yes." The doctor looked relieved, taking the change of subject as it was. "He didn't have anyone lined up for him, probably because he's new, but I met him for a little bit, and he seems really nice. I hope he doesn't mind me adding two more people."
Adel shrugged, pushing his hair back from his forehead for moment so he could adjust his sunglasses. "We can tip him extra." He held the door to the museum open for the other two and a bit longer for the woman behind him in the wheelchair. She had patted his hand and called him a sweet dear and he was gracious enough to only pull a grimace at the action when she was well ahead of him.
"Hello!" A sweet mild-manner man with fluffy brown hair and tired eyes greeted them after the trio had signed their names on a paper to state they had arrived for the tour. He seemed incredibly happy to be helping them and the three couldn't help but be charmed by him. "My name is Steven With-a-V- Grant and I'll be your tour guide today."
"Nice to meet you." James said because Adel was too distracted looking at the artifacts around him even though the soldier wasn't sure if he could see much with his sunglasses. "I'm James. This is Bruce, and the one wandering off is, unfortunately, my best friend Adel."
Steven smiled warmly, not seeming bothered by Bucky's statement since Adel did end up returning to them. "It's nice to meet you all. Shall we get this tour started?"
x
"Two hours." Bucky grumbled as Steven walked off to the gift shop and Bruce went to use the restroom. "We went on a tour for two hours because you wanted to spite Steve?"
Adel shrugged, moving over to pick up a gummy treat. Raspberry flavored. He wondered what that tasted like. He picked up another, reading it, before he blinked. "Wait, what was the question?"
"You're lying to me." Despite his words, the soldier didn't seem all that upset about it. "Winter says there's something weird about Steven."
"Define weird."
"Suggesting something unnatural. Uncanny."
Adel smacked his arm, rolling his head in lieu of his eyes. "Jackass. I just think that there's more to him than meets the eye. Plus, I think he'd make a good friend. Bruce, too."
Bucky nodded sagely. "Because they're weird, you want to be their friend? How are you going to do that?"
"I don't know, I've never made a friend myself. Everyone else's always found me."
"Aww." The soldier cooed obnoxiously, looking like he was a second away from petting the Latino's hair. "Introvert's first friend."
This time, Adel threw one of the gummy packets at his best friend, giving a satisfied smile when it hit him in the forehead. "Look alive. Bruce is back." He turned to the scientist and grabbed his hand, speaking before he could get a word in. "We're friends now."
Bruce blinked at him, then at their hands, then back. "You don't do this a lot, do you?"
"This is my first time, yes. How'd I do?"
"Alarmingly well." The genius admitted, looking a bit charmed. "Did you try this on Steven yet?"
The Latino shook his head. "Not yet." Right as he said those words, Steven made his way back over to them, and Adel seized his hand before the British man could react. "We're friends now. All of us."
Steven, mechanically shaking the other's hand, nodded. There was something not quite right about the other man's eyes, the way they shift and changed between brown and a deep red. The way they were all too old and yet kind through the years. "Yes." He said, ignoring Marc's quiet murmuring from the mirror on the shelf next to him. "We are friends now. Shall we exchange numbers?"
"If that is alright with you all." Adel smiled, a gentle thing that was very much different than the grins of wry amusement he always seemed to give. He took out his phone, unlocking it quickly, before he handed it over to the older man. Once the number was inputted, he barely glanced at the name on the screen. "The tour was really good, I appreciate it. Think we can stop by again next week, maybe bring some people along with us?"
"The more the merrier!" Steven beamed, his cheeks warming with happiness. "I usually work in the mornings except for Mondays and Tuesdays, so you can find me here if I don't answer my phone."
Adel and Bucky said their goodbyes to the two, making their way out of the museum after Steven handed them both a fair number of gummy candies. The Latino had immediately handed them to his best friend once they were out of sight, and the soldier happily munched on them as they pushed past the typical New York crowd. Bucky used his taller frame to make a path for them as Adel stayed behind him, so he didn't touch any of the strangers around him.
"How come you didn't try that friend tactic with me?" Bucky asked once they finally got inside their home. He seemed a little put out as he dug in the fridge for a juice box, stabbing his straw in it.
Adel glanced at him as he placed his backpack on the ground, pulling out Bucky's coffee-stained jacket. "Because that was different."
"Different, how?"
The Latino deliberately waited until the soldier began drinking his beverage. "Winter and I kissed. Did I ever tell you that?"
Just as he expected, Bucky squeezed the small box in surprise, the juice nearly coming out of his nose as he sputtered. "What? When?!"
"At my parents' place. It was a very touching moment. Wow, wrong choice of words."
"Were you ever going to tell me about this?"
"Probably not." Adel answered honestly, because he actually didn't like lying to Bucky all that much. In fact, he had yet to lie at all to him, which was very concerning for Adel's reputation. "You should be asking why the guy you're sharing a body with didn't say anything. Winter say anything yet?"
"He's being very quiet right now." Bucky grumbled with the voice of someone that had tried demanding answers for quite a while. "Think he's embarrassed."
"I am not embarrassed!" Winter snapped, fronting, before giving a slow blink as if he didn't mean to appear so suddenly. "Bucky is a little bitch." He told Adel, using the new vocabulary he probably learned from Jennifer at the auto shop. The assassin leaned forward and captured Adel's lips in a slow kiss, pulling the shorter man close for a moment. "Он может быть таким слепым."
Adel hummed, leaning forward to kiss him once more. "That's not nice, Cariño. Let me talk to Bucky?"
Winter didn't answer, but the way he leaned his forehead against Adel's and released control said a lot. The gesture was made on purpose, just a little push for James to finally get him moving.
Bucky slowly opened his eyes and blinked. He was suddenly closer to Adel than he was before, and he thought he could see galaxies in his eyes. He licked his lips, watching the other track the movement, and it was like he could taste the kiss that lingered. "I like dancing." He said after a moment, giving the other a slow smirk.
"Oh?" Adel raised an eyebrow. "And I assume you want me to take you out to dinner as well?"
"I prefer to be wooed." The soldier nodded solemnly, mirth dancing in his eyes. "Up to the challenge?"
"Only if it's you, mi vida."
Something about the way Adel said the words, the easy way it fell from his lips, had Bucky feeling like he was a teenager again. He wondered when the last time he felt like that was, when he felt butterflies in his stomach when he looked at another boy only to find him looking back. "What does that mean?"
Adel didn't answer, instead moving past Bucky into the kitchen to grab at Madonna, who had tried to bat at the toaster with her tiny paws. "We really need to come up with Halloween costumes."
Alright, Bucky thought, blinking once. It seemed as though they were done talking about whatever was going on between the three residents of the apartment. "I think Wade posted some ideas in discord."
"Mm, yeah. Insect said he wanted to meet up again, something about paying us back for Denny's?"
"He really doesn't have to do that seeing as we didn't pay for shit." Bucky frowned. "But I guess he could pay you back since you got injured for him."
"It wasn't his fault." Adel snapped for the first time at Bucky, his usual brown eyes looking orange in the harsh sunlight coming in through the windows. "He's just a kid."
The soldier raised his hands, ignoring Winter's grumbles. "I never said it was, but the kid is still most likely blaming himself. I know you don't like people being nice to you, or saying you're kind, but you did a good thing for Peter. You got to let him have this one."
Adel groaned, rolling his eyes, but he nodded. "Fine. Let them know they can come over and watch some movies. We have to find something good with audio descriptions for Matt."
"I think I remember there being an option for that when we watched Legally Blonde together."
"Then that's what we'll watch. Let me know if they agree while I order some pizza. Your usual?"
"Please." Bucky pulled out his phone, already opening the discord app. Wade was online (and when wasn't he?) but Peter and Matt weren't.
Shaggy: movie night. our place. be there or perish
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: what are we watching?
Shaggy: Legally Blonde
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: @egg matty it's perfect for you
spoot: LMAO im dying why is his name egg???
egg: Can I fucking help you?
spoot: im-??
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: *gasp!* cursing at the child?? redthew how could you?
egg: I was talking to you. What do you want, I'm at work.
goog: movie night at mine and bucky's place. show up
spoot: okay no why is your name goog?
goog: long sotry
goog: *story
goog: what do you guys want on ur pizza?
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: matthew's super picky, he's going to judge you
egg: no im not
spoot: yes you are
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: yes you are
Shaggy: we'll figure something out. wade? peter? what about you guys
wade (ง ื▿ ื)ว: meat
spoot: same
spoot: ohhh extra cheese!! i don't like olives and stuff after aunt may tried to make pizza one time with a bunch on top and nearly burned down our kitchen and killed our neighbor's cat Theodore
goog: ..alright. movie night starts at six. bring snacks and shit
egg: I'll bring the alcohol
Shaggy: spidey can have apple juice
spoot: jokes on you i love apple juice
Bucky huffed out a laugh as the discussion in the server got derailed as Wade and Peter began debating which brands of apple juice were the best and worst. Matt said that he had to return to work because Foggy (which he assumed was a person?) was beginning to get suspicious. When Bucky returned to the living room to find Adel's phone tossed on the floor and said man face down on the couch, Madonna purring up a storm on his back.
"I can't believe you willingly invited them over." He said after watching the scene for a moment.
"I can't either." Adel grumbled; voice muffled in the couch cushions. He eventually sat up, pawing around for a bit in search of his glasses before putting them on his face. "We have to go grocery shopping soon."
The soldier nodded, thinking back to what their fridge looked like when he grabbed the juice box. It was looking a bit sparse since they were on vacation and it was really their neighbor Georgia, a teenager with purple hair and a lip piercing, that ate out of it while she was apartment sitting for them. They didn't really need anyone to watch the place, but Georgia was looking to save up for a car and Winter had offered her the job without consulting with Adel or Bucky.
"We have enough until after Halloween. After that, I'll pick us up some stuff. What kind of bread you wanna try next?"
"Sourdough." Adel answered after a moment of thinking. "Heard it's super soft."
"It really is. Alright, I'll add it to the list. What time did you put for the order?"
The Latino opened his phone again, squinting a bit to peer at the screen even though he was already wearing his glasses. "Uh... Few hours from now. I gotta go do some shit, can you give Madonna her treat?" At the word, the kitten began trying to climb his pant leg, meowing insistently at him. He picked her up and playfully tossed her onto the couch, laughing when she came scampering back for him to do it again.
"What're you going to do?"
Adel gave him a smile that was both mischievous and... Sad? "Visit an old friend."
"I thought you didn't have any friends."
The other man made a so-so gesture with his hand. "Different definition."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The Latino hummed as he stooped down to grab Madonna with one hand and his sunglasses with the other. "Circumstances were different. Friends by exposure. I'm sure things would've been different had we actually had a choice."
The soldier frowned at him. "You know that doesn't make sense, right?"
"Yeah, but it's a really long story. I'm sure I'll tell you it one day."
"Will it be the same day you tell me who you really are?"
"What are you talking about?" Adel smirked, setting Madonna down and replacing his glasses with his shades. "I've always been me. I'll be back by the time the pizza arrives. It's already been paid for, so don't worry your pretty little heart about it."
"Okay, well, stay safe out there. Don't run into any more lizards."
"Fuck you."
xx
Adel waited in his old friend's living room, idly flipping through channels on their TV even though it was muted. He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting for, but he knew he was already incredibly bored. It was his fault entirely because he had not informed his friend that he was actually in his home, but he still refused to acknowledge the truth.
About five minutes passed before he heard someone walked down the hall, and his friend came around the corner on the phone. "And I'm telling you- Shit, I'm going to have to call you back." His friend didn't wait for a response as he pocketed his device, and he crossed his arms as he regarded Adel. "I still don't know how you get inside. I've changed the code five times already."
"Hey, this time I was actually let inside." Adel pointed out, pausing the TV even though he wasn't even watching it, and tossed the remote to the side.
"Who would even let your ass in here?" He rolled his whiskey-colored eyes, though they were filled with amusement.
Adel gave a wicked smirk. "Now, now, Stark. I thought we were friends."
---
Translation(s):
"Он может быть таким слепым." - "He can be so blind."
cariño - sweetheart
mi vida - my life