"Don't be such a jerk, Buck!" Sam yelled, stumbling across the grass covered backyard trying to steal the football from him. Bucky was laughing at his attempts, and ended up throwing it across the entire yard. "I give up!" Sam threw his hands up and walked back towards the porch.
"oh, don't be such a sore loser Sam!" Bucky teased.
Sam responded by giving him the finger as he walked away.
Steve had already opted out of the game 20 minutes ago when Sam and Bucky had gotten into a bet about who could score the most tackles. He had realized then that the two weren't interested in playing football, but rather just beating each other up for fun.
"Feel accomplished?" Steve joked, handing Sam a glass of lemonade.
It was early June heat, which meant the days were sticky hot but the nights were still chilly.
"Man, he's annoyingly competitive," Sam pointed out.
"I don't know why that still surprises you, Sam" Steve laughed at his observation, which had been made way too often throughout the 10+ years that they had all been friends.
The porch door creaked and Rebecca, Bruce and Valerie's mother, peeked her head out.
"Boys! I think your fourth band member has arrived!" her voice contained a smidgen of mischief.
The guys all looked at each other before bolting around the large house. Bucky took the lead, jumping through the tall grass and being very careful not to stomp on any of the rose bushes. Steve was right behind him, and lastly Sam.
As they turned the corner of the house they were met with the large Cadillac escalade that had just pulled into the driveway. Although they were all grown, mature, and some may even say sophisticated, men; they never failed to act like feral boys when they were all gathered.
Bruce jumped out of the car and they all joined in a huge huddle, jumping around in a circle and screaming.
Once their ceremonial jack-assery was done, Bucky grabbed Bruce by the neck and shook him lovingly. "There he is! Our man of the hour! Who'd you bring?" Bucky turned to the car and spotted Aunt Jen. Being his charming self, he opened the door for her and respectfully shook her hand as he addressed her as Ms. Banner.
"Oh please, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jen!" She pulled him in for a hug, and then greeted the other boys.
Bucky peered through the open door to find the person sitting in the back seat, and saw Valerie.
Their eyes met in a quick glance before they both looked away. Bucky stepped back and Valerie fidgeted with the door handle to step outside as quickly as possible.
"Baby Banner!" She heard a familiar voice belt out, and immediately knew it was directed at her. Her name had been "Baby Banner" all throughout High School.
"Sam-tastrophe!" She responded joyfully, trying to stretch out the amount of time before she would inevitably have to say hi to Bucky.
Sam wrapped her in a big hug that lifted her off the ground, twirling her around. "Look at you!" He grinned when he put her down. Next was Steve.
"Bring it in, Val!" He opened his arms and Valerie jumped right in. "Oh, Stevie! I missed you guys!" she whispered as they embraced.
"It's been, what? 2-3 years?" Steve exclaimed, almost as if he was yelling at her for having been gone for so long.
"Actually I think it's more like four" She giggled as she took off her sunglasses and hung them on her tank top.
"Either way, it's been way too long!" Sam concluded "How about we move this reunion into an air conditioned space" He urged.
They all laughed as they broke off into smaller groups, chatting incessantly as they made their way to the stairs.
Valerie decided to fall behind, reaching into the car to open the trunk so she could grab her things. She knew she was only staying for two months, but had stuffed a third of her closet into a total of 3 bags.
She reached in the large trunk space and started to tug on one of the bags when his voice peeked out from the side of the car.
"Uhm, You need help with that?" Bucky asked.
"No, I'm good. Thanks" Valerie answered quickly. A little too quickly.
"You sure?" He pressed.
"I'm good" She responded quickly again.
Bucky reached over her arm and grabbed the bag, the heat from his body lingered behind her, and his arm softly brushed against hers as he pulled her bag from the trunk.
"Thanks" She said, trying her hardest not to look up at him as she pulled out the smaller bag and threw it over her shoulder.
"My pleasure," His polite and formal response made her wanna roll her eyes, but she quickly remembered her sunglasses were off. Bucky grabbed the last bag and lifted his hand to pull down the trunk. When Valerie took a couple of steps back she ended up doing exactly what she had been trying to avoid the entire time, looking at him.
Their eyes met, and everything froze. The two of them were looking at each other for what felt like an eternity. He looked good. Too good. So fucking good. His shirt fully unbuttoned with a white tank resting against his his toned body and thin gold chain resting on his chest. His hair had grown since she saw him last, currently looking like he had been running in the sun, all fluffy from the wind. His skin was tanned and shiny, a slight stubble covering his jaw and cheeks.
"h-hi" he managed, after taking her in the same way she had been doing with him.
"hey" She smiled.
"I-" Bucky began but was interrupted by a loud screeching noise coming from the house.
"VAL!!!!" The two girls screamed in unison as they stomped down the stairs, running towards her at top speed. Both MJ and Wanda had made it there before her.
Valerie forcefully ripped her gaze from Bucky and turned to the girls, "aah, my girls!" she responded with the same enthusiasm as they almost tackled her in the driveway.
"Oh my god! Look at you!!" Wanda screamed, the excitement in her voice was enough to last them all a lifetime. "You look SO hot!" She held Valerie at an arm's length as she stared her up and down with a gaping mouth.
Valerie just rolled her head back and laughed, hugging them both again before going inside.
The large front door was decorated with pillars on each side, a wrap around porch, and three stories. When she entered the den, the familiar smell hit her. Her mother had baked cookies, of course. Valerie took a second to gather herself, put on her best smile and entered further into the house, joining everyone else in the kitchen.
She could see Steve and Sam leaning over the counter, eating the cookies. Her aunt Jen was chatting it up with her mother, and in the corner her brother sat, arm wrapped around the beautiful red head that couldn't be anyone else but Sophie.
When Valerie stepped into the kitchen, the room fell silent for a moment, but Bruce immediately stood to his feet and waved her over.
"Valerie, this is my fiancé, Sophie. Sophie, my sister" he gestured between the two women.
Valerie leaned over and gave Sophie a tight hug. "Hey Sophie, so nice to finally meet you!" She smiled as her greeting was reciprocated with the same enthusiasm.
They chatted for a bit, about the wedding, the house and their hopes for their honeymoon.
Valerie tried her hardest to excuse herself but was caught in her mothers grasp before she could escape.
"Vallie my dear" Valerie's relationship with her mother was complicated to say the least. Firstly, Valerie hated the nickname Vallie, yet her mother insisted on calling her that every time they met.
"Mom!" She tried to sound happy at their reunion, but she would rather be buried in her bed in her old bedroom, stuffing her face with cheetos. Yes, her mother stressed her out something so horrendously. To the point where one time she had finished an entire box of animal crackers in 2 minutes (she had counted), waiting for her mother to arrive at her apartment in the city.
"You look...tired" Her mother used that condescending voice. The one that was meant to sound like concern but only came off as criticism.
"Yeah, I had an early morning," Valerie responded calmly.
"Well, why don't you go and freshen up, meet us down here for lunch? I'm making your favorite. Garlic shrimp!" She smiled and tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear.
Valerie smiled back at her, as a way to stop herself from spewing anything out of her mouth before thinking. She turned around to find MJ, Peter and Wanda deep in debate with Sam and Steve over something, and felt safe to sneak off for a little bit.
She skipped up the stairs, made her way down the hallway and peeked her head into her fathers study.
And just as she expected, there he was. His nose in a book, scribbling away in silence, until he noticed the creaking of the floor boards.
"Val!" he exclaimed and waved her into the room impatiently. Valerie ran towards him, almost jumping into his arms.
"Hey, Dad!" they swayed for a few seconds, tightly embraced in their hug. He smelled just like he always had, the smell of paper, books and wood. The scent brought her back to her childhood, it made her feel safe.
"How was the drive, did you meet Sophie?" He stepped back, grabbing her hands and lifting them. "Look at you! You look beautiful!" He continued.
"It was good, we picked up Aunt Jen on the way. Yes, yes I met Sophie; she's...well we haven't had the chance to talk much, but she's beautiful!" She decided to not be overly honest, she didn't have to explain to her dad that she was protective of Bruce, that Bruce had always been too much of a nerd to see past people's intentions, and that the last name Banner came with certain perks, to say the least".
"Good, good! Did you say hi to your Mother?" He raised his eyebrows playfully.
"mhmm" Valerie responded, dragging her finger across the mess on the desk, papers upon papers.
"Come on, I'll take you to your room" He put his arm around her.
"Wait? I'm not staying in my own room?" Valerie responded surprised.
"well...It's your room, but it's a bit different" Her dad tried to avoid the question.
Valerie's old bedroom was at the top floor, it was a large space with its own bathroom and a nook with a window seat. The window opened out onto the roof, where Valerie had spent many nights looking out at the stars and over to the lake on the Barnes Estate across from them.
But she couldn't even recognize it when she stepped in. The dark and rich colors had all been switched for pink and blue pastels.
"Is this....supposed to be beach themed?" her eyebrows pinched together in disgust.
"Well.. your mother wanted to do something different, it's a guest room now. She wanted something that matched the.." her dad continued but she zoned him out.
Everything that had pointed to this room belonging to her was gone.
"Like there aren't enough guest rooms in this castle of a house...I bet Bruce's room is still intact" She spat sarcastically.
"Val.." her dad tried.
"I'll take that as a yes," She chuckled. "It's fine, it's not like I'm staying here forever. This is fine" she crossed her arms.
"Well, your stuff is over there. I'll see you at lunch, sweetie" He winked at her and stepped out.
Valerie turned around to find her bags neatly placed by the dresser that rested right next to the door. She caught herself wondering if Bucky had brought her things up, but forced herself to rip him out of her mind in the same instant.
She went into the bathroom, tossed her hair into a low pony, and splashed some water on her face. As she was walking out of the bathroom she spotted Peter, standing in the middle of her room, smiling from ear to ear.
"Petey!" she exclaimed and attacked him. Before MJ, before Wanda, before Nat; there was Peter. Their friendship had started off as a strange business contract where she would pay him to do her chemistry homework. When Peter arrived at their middle school on a scholarship, he was like an alien. Most of the kids had never left the upstate, much less Bladesville; and here came this kid from Queens who got a full scholarship and was an absolute genius.
"Val. I'm so happy you're finally here" He sounded jittery and nervous.
"Are you okay?" Valerie looked him up and down. "You look pale, here sit down". She pulled out a pastel pink ottoman from the corner.
"w-what happened to your room?" Peter looked at the ottoman confused.
"My mother" Valerie rolled her eyes and sat down criss crossed on the floor in front of Peter.
"So..I-I was gonna ask you what you thought, because I don't want to be rude, and also I'm really nervous and- your dad, well you know how your dad scares me- and Bucky being here, and I know you and your mother have a hard time, and I-" Peter was stumbling over his words, spitting them out at top speed, hindering anything from making sense.
"spit it out, Parker" Valerie crossed her arms and gave him a stern look.
"well...I wanted to propose to MJ. Here. At some point." His mouth formed into a straight line as soon as the words left him.
Valerie's eyes widened, and she raised her hand to cover her gaping mouth. "Yes! Yes of course! oh, Peter that would be so perfect! You have to do it!" Her enthusiastic reaction reassured Peter, and he reached for his pocket, pulling out a small box.
Valerie rose to her knees and snatched it from him, slowly opening the box to reveal a beautiful square cut 4 carat ring. "Peter, it's absolutely stunning! And no, as long as you don't do it at the wedding it's totally okay, I think you'll be able to find the perfect time. I mean, this place is really beautiful in the summer. It's perfect. Really." She gazed up at him, almost teary-eyed. "I'm so happy for you guys" She launched herself into a hug.
Peter let out a giggle of relief. "How about you though, are you gonna be okay? I know you didn't expect Bucky to be here for the entire summer. I told MJ that we should tell you, but she thought you might not come for the full 2 months if we did. Her and Wanda really miss you. So do I. I feel like we never see you anymore." Peter's saddened voice made the knot in her stomach grow.
"I miss you guys too. But you know this place really isn't for me. I was never happy here, Petey. And you guys can come visit in the city anytime" She smiled at him, trying to bring some lightness to the situation.
"What, in that shoebox?" He teased, kicking her lightly with his foot.
"Ugh, not you too! It's not a shoebox...it's more like a...air fryer box or something" she joked back. They both shared a laugh. "But really though, are you gonna be okay?" Peter dug deeper with his gaze this time, trying to find any cracks in her armor.
"I'll be fine" She smiled and waved him away. "let's go downstairs, before my mother pops a blood vessel about me being late for lunch!".
They both headed back down, only to find that the party had moved to the backyard, and a long table had been set up for lunch.
Bruce and Sophie had already taken their places at the head of the table. Valerie found her girls laying out on a blanket in the grass, kicking their feet in the air and giggling. She snuck up on them quietly and jumped on top of both of them. "You guys talking shit without me?" she yelled as they all laughed and screamed in a pile, rolling out into the grass to escape Valerie's tickling. The loud laughter brought everyone's eyes on them quickly, and Valerie caught Bucky taking a quick peek at her again while he and Steve were throwing the football back and forth. She was determined not to make it awkward, and be as friendly and civil as possible.