The next week is an up and down for all of them. Tony and Bruce managed to get someone for Y/N so that she can start therapy for her back. More often than not she comes back up from the gym in a foul mood and Steve has his dear trouble to get along with her when she constantly snaps at him.
Bucky comes away with more luck. He gets all the snuggles and forehead kisses that Steve wishes he would get. Still, it's not the right time to tell her. On the third day of her therapy class, just after she comes back up something happens. She fills a glass with cool water to drink and just as she gets it hot her lips, she burns them. She lets out a loud screech and the glass clashes down. She holds a hand to her lips. Loud and silent naked feet come running over to her. "Y/N?"
"Mommy?"
"Don't come in! There is glass everywhere." She motions the two soldiers to stop and looks at them before she carefully steps around the bigger part of glass to come over to them. "What happened?"
"I just wanted to drink a glass of water. I was pretty sure I turned it on cold but I must have mixed it up and turned it on hut. Burned my lips."
"Let me see." Steve reaches up to look at her but Y/N slaps his hand away carefully, her face bright red. "N-no. It's okay." Steve's face turns red as well, and they look at each other a bit awkward until Bucky claps his hands together. "I'm hungry." Both adults smile down at him, and they walk back to the common room. The mess in their kitchen can get cleaned up later.
It happens a few times more that water suddenly is hot when she was sure she had turned it on cold or the other way around. It's just as she sits in the tub one day and soaks in the warm water to get her aching back to stop. It feels better and if she's honest she's glad for the therapy sessions, even if she promised Tony to kill the poor woman if she continues to order her around like a soldier. Y/N feels the water get cold by the passing time. She thinks about getting new hot water in and just reaches for the handle to do so as she feels how the water gets hot around her. At first, she thinks she had lost control over her bladder but then the water gets warmer all around her not only in one section. Carefully she stands up and reaches for the glass on her sink. She throws her toothbrush into the sink and fills the glass with water from the tub and looks at it. Its normal water from the water pipes, mixed with a bit of soap. She looks at it and thinks about a cool glass and soon the steam from the glass vanishes and her fingers turns cold around the now cool glass. She thinks about heating it up again and the steam slowly comes back, her fingers heating together with the glass until it starts to cook. She drops the glass into the tub and stares for a second at the wall. What happens here?
It's only a little past one pm, and she knows Bucky is still taking the nap she forces him to take for this week, just to make sure everything is alright, and he has all the energy he needs. She slips out of the tub and quickly puts on a change of clothes. Her hair is still wet as she walks past the living room. Steve catches her eyes and stands up as he sees her hurrying steps. "Y/N? Where are you going?"
"I, eh... To Bruce."
"Is something wrong?" He comes up to her and looks her up and down to see if he can catch any indication that somethings not right. Y/N quickly shakes her head. "No. I'm alright. But Bruce asked me to tell him if my back gets better. So, I just wanted to tell him that I think it's really getting better." She gives him a smile and curses herself inside her head. She hates it to lie to Steve or Bucky... or to both. Technically it isn't a lie. Bruce really asked her to tell him if she gets better or worse and her back really feels better than on the day she woke up. At least she manages to get up from the couch on her own. She still can't really carry Bucky around or lift heavy things but up until now she knows it's just a matter of time. Still, she's not telling Steve that something is wrong and that gives her a guilty conscience. She claps him on the shoulder. "See you." Then she rushes out and curses herself out loud. "What the hell was that? A clap on the shoulder, really? Totally normal for you, dumb ass."
The ride down to Bruce's lab is filled with anxious thoughts and scared biting on her lower lip. She barely notices as she wanders down the hall and almost walks past Bruce's lab door, if it weren't for the fact that she walked right into him. "Ops. Y/N?"
"Bruce."
"Something wrong? You look worried."
"Actually, I just wanted to come to you. Do you have time? It's, eh, it's important." Bruce eyes her carefully but nods and motions for her to step in his lap. "Sure. I just wanted to get some tea, but that can wait a bit. Come in." She walks in before Bruce and sits down on one of the chairs in the room. She shuffles around on it nervously and looks around to make sure that there isn't any lab assistant or someone else. "What's wrong?"
"So, you told me to come to you if I notice any... changes. Right?"
"I did."
"Yeah well. I was in the tub and, I noticed it before a few times, too, but this was rather strange, and I, eh... You know what. I show you. Do you have a glass of water?"
"A glass of water? I can't really follow you." Still, the man stands up and grabs the empty mug he had carried just a few second before and fills it with cold water from the sink near the door. "Here you go. And now?"
"You wanted tea, right?"
"Yes? What does that have to do with you?"
"Look." Y/N looks at the mug in her hands and thinks of hot water and, just as the times before, steam starts to rise and the water in her hand gets hot. Bruce suddenly sits up straight and looks at it as if he can't believe it. "I can do it the other way, too." She thinks of cold water but this time she imagines it to freeze just the tiniest bit and soon she has a mug of water with mini ice crystals in it in her hand. "That... That is something... I don't know what it is." Bruce stares at the glass as Y/N heats it up again. She plucks one of his teabags out of the package on his desk and places into the mug before she passes it to Bruce. "That happened a few times since Monday... And just now in the tub I figured out I can control it. At least I think I can. But that means HYDRA did something to me and... And they were successful, right?"
"It seems so. We should tell the others." He stands up and still eyes the mug as Y/N reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder. "NO!" She flinches back a bit before she looks apologetically at him. "Sorry. Please, Bruce. Let's not tell anybody. At least not so soon. I still... I just want to know if it's dangerous and if it is a thing for forever. Maybe it goes away again."
"I'm sorry Y/N, I really don't think that it goes away and I really think we should tell-"
"Please, Bruce. Don't." She shakes her head and throws a pleading look at him. The thought that one of the others, that Steve would know that something changed in her scares her more than everything else. What will happen if they know? Does she have to go out on the field? Do they still want to be around her? What happens if she can't control it like she thinks? What if something bad happens because HYDRA manages to control her?
Bruce studies her a moment longer but then sinks back down on his own chair and nods. "Fine. I won't tell anybody. At least for the time being."
"Thank you." She lets out a breath of relief and sinks back down and deeper in her own chair. "Still, I have to tell it, Tony. One of them needs to know, and he's the best guess I have to discuss this. He might help." Unsatisfied she chews on her lower lip and rocks her head back and forth. "Okay, fine. But just Tony. I really... I really don't want the others to know."
"I understand. It's okay Y/N. Nobody really expected something to happen. If I'm honest both, Tony and I, thought they had failed but that doesn't mean that it gets worse or something. Just have a close eye on it." She nods and both fall silent for a while. Y/N watches Bruce as he cautiously sips on the tea she heated up. His face lights up at the taste and Y/N smiles herself. "So, how about your back? Is it better?"
"It is."
* * *
The next days they all know that something is up but no one really dares to ask Y/N. She knows that they get suspicious, and she knows she doesn't really do a good job in pretending everything okay. She had tried different liquids with Tony and Bruce and each time the result was the same. Everything that counts as liquid can be heated and cooled by her. After the experiments she got really careful around Steve and Bucky. She barely lifts the boy up in her arms when she's tired or upset because she's afraid to hurt him, and she doesn't touch anybody else as well. She's just anxious that something happens which they didn't thought of until now. Bucky is confused by her behavior and she knows it. Each time she declines a cuddle or a kiss the boy looks at her with sad eyes and settles down close to her or goes to earn them from Steve.
"Mommy?"
"Hm?" She looks down at the brunette as she prepares lunch for all three of them. "Do you don't like me anymore?"
"What?" She looks down at him again after she briefly looked at the sauce in the pot. "Who said that?" Bucky shuffles a bit with his feet and looks at the floor with an ashamed expression. Y/N is confused, so she turns the stove on a low setting and crouches down in front of Bucky. A bit reluctant she grabs his hands in hers. "What's up, Bucky?"
"You don't cuddle me anymore. I don't get any kisses from you. Did I do something?"
"No, I still love you. I love so much." She gives him a kiss on each cheek and on the forehead, making him giggle a bit. "But I have some problems at the moment, so I don't like cuddling and kissing so much right now. But soon it will get better, okay? And then you get all the snuggles and kisses you want. I promise."
"Really?" The boys head shoots up and his face lightens up with hope. "Really." She smiles back at him and hugs him shortly to her chest before she pushes the small boy away again. "So, now get your hands washed and get this lazy man named Steve to come over, okay?"
"Yes." Bucky darts away and Y/N hears him shouting. "Steve! Mommy says you should get your lazy ass up!" She stops and frowns. "I didn't say that, Bucky!" And then she grumbles to herself. "He spends too much time with the guys." Seconds later Steve comes in with a giggling Bucky on his arm. He tickles the boy merciless while grumbling something about bad language before he sets him back down on one of the chairs. Just as Y/N places two plate of noodles in front of them, FRIDAY's voice pipes up. "Miss Y/N, Dr. Banner requires you in his lab."
"I'll be there shortly. Thank you." She looks back to Steve with an apologetic smile. Steve is tense and frowns at here. He stands up and takes her hands in his before he pulls her close and into his chest for a hug. "Why are you spending so much time down there? Why won't you talk to me?"
"Steve." Her voice is silent and a bit sad just like Steve had been as he spoke. "I promise. Everything is fine. Bruce just runs some test with me. He probably has the results by now. Okay?" She waits for Steve to nod before she smiles at him. "Ok." She wants to leave but Steve has still a tight grip on her. "You would tell me if something is wrong, right?" Y/N opens her mouth to respond that she would do it, of course she would. But then she stops. That would be the second lie in less than two minutes. "When it's something serious, then I will tell you."
"Something serious? Does that mean something is wrong? Y/N, why didn't you tell me any-" She places a hand on his lips and slices him with it while throwing a look to Bucky who watches them with growing curiosity. "Not here Steve. I promise I tell you when we know what it actually is. But until then you have to wait like everyone else has to ok? I don't want to worry you all more with something we don't even know how long it will remain. I'm good. I feel great. I just... I just want to be careful until this is figured out. Can you understand that?" Steve's shoulders lump down, and she sees the still worried and sad look in his eyes, so she places each of her hands on his cheeks and stands on the tip of her toes and kisses his forehead. "It will be alright." And with that she makes a quick leave before Steve manages to hold her back a second time.
In a matter of minutes, she's down in the lab together with Bruce and Tony. Tony stands leaning on one of the tables, his arms crossed in front of him, but he smiles at her as she steps in. Bruce doesn't really register her while he goes over some paper in his hands. Just as Tony clears his throat does, he looks up. "Bruce, my man. Come on. Your guest has arrived."
"Oh, Y/N. Sorry, sorry. Come on, sit down." Y/N cocks her head to the side and looks at Tony with a curious gaze. He shrugs his shoulders but comes over to her and places both hands on her shoulders and massages them as she sits down. She sighs a bit as the tension leaves the muscles and closes her eyes for a moment. She's a hundred percent sure that Tony wears his satisfied smirk right now. "So? Something new?"
"Yeah." Bruce looks up and frowns at Tony. "Tony, stop distracting her." And all to soon his hands leave her shoulder. She looks back and sees the smirk she thought of earlier. Her gaze wanders back to Bruce as she hears how he takes the glasses of and continuous talking. "Tony and I analyzed the blood we took from you a few days ago. It's seems that the manipulation starts to die down with each passing day."
"It... dies? How?"
"Yeah well..."
"Think of it as an infection. Some kind of bacteria. They travel as mini robots with your blood but day after day the energy gets less and less until there is no energy at all. The robots can't hold on to their life. They have no possibility to recharge, so they..." Tony clasps his hand together and makes a splash sound. "So, they die." She finishes his sentence and looks at Bruce who nods. She chews on the inside of her cheek and processes the news for a moment. "How sure are you two about it?"
"Pretty sure. I mean, the test shows it clearly." She nods again. "What do you think how long it will take?"
"A few weeks, probably."
"But, Y/N." She feels Tony's hands again on her shoulder, and she looks up at him. "I don't think it's necessary for you to be so cautious around everyone. They just get suspicious and I think you noticed Bucky getting anxious. And our dear Capsicle is close to a breakdown if I watch him in the gym like this."
"What do you mean?"
"He worries, Y/N." Bruce comes up to her from behind his desk. "Yeah, he's punching bag after bag. I already have ordered new ones twice this week. And the look in his eyes when he sees you, tells me that he doesn't really believe you when you say your fine."
"Actually, Y/N. I think we should tell them."
"No." Y/N feels herself tense as Bruce says it. "Why? Y/N, honestly. This is not as serious as you think it is. You're not going to hulk out and you have more control over it as Wanda has over her power some times. Nobody would be angry with you."
"No, please. I still..." She takes a deep breath before she stands up and paces through the room thinking. "Can we wait just a bit longer? At least till the end of the week?"
"That's another two days." Tony looks at her with raised eyebrows and she nods. "I just want to settle my mind. Two days. Yes?"
"Okay." Bruce shrugs and Tony does too. Y/N smiles at them then. And shameless as Tony is, he lets her heat up his cold coffee again.