A BUNCH OF BONDING
(A/N my sad puppy)
AROUND 3:30AM is when the party fully died down. Cups and balloons all over the floor. The air stenched with alcohol.
Everyone left except for the team. We all are just scattered around the room, talking amongst ourselves. Peter had to go home though. His aunt didn't want him out too late.
"And I was like," Scott pauses to yawn. "Dude, don't do that. And he didn't stop, so I punched him in the face."
"What was the purpose of the story?" Wanda questions the exhausted man.
"I don't really know anymore."
I guide my attention away from the two to locate my father. I see him in a deep conversation with Natasha. I'll talk to him later, it can wait.
"Alright, I'm heading home see you all later!" Clint shouts to everyone, saying his goodbyes.
I give Clint a hug. "I'm serious about my offer earlier, about coming by."
"Sure. I'll have to talk with my
father and work out a day."
"Do you always at like this? Like a... well, grownup? 'Cause I sure ain't one."
"I know, Uncle Clint. We all know," I laugh out.
"It was nice meeting you."
"You too. Bye!" I wave to him as he gets in the elevator.
I sigh before going to my Uncle Tony.
"Hey T, how ya doin'."
He grumbles something I can't understand. "Good talk. Let's get you to bed, how's that sound?" I ask since everyone is either really tired or drunk.
I pull him up, taking an arm and wrapping it around me. We trudge to the now vacant elevator. I let him fall to the ground. The doors are about to when an arm sticks in between them.
"Got room for two more?" Uncle Steve asks, carrying a wasted Sam Wilson over his shoulder.
"Come on in. I don't mind," I wave to all the extra room.
"Are you okay?" He asks out of the blue. I turn to look over at him. He's leaning against the railing, staring at me with careful eyes.
"Fine," I reply simply.
"I'm asking because when your father came home from that place, he wasn't okay. It was rough. It still is rough, but it has gotten so much better ever since you came back into his life. He's happier, brighter than I've seen him in a long time."
"It's just," I try to find a way to word it. "It's hard to put in words. I used to dream that someone would get me out of that place. No one came, so I gave up and let the demons win."
He stays silent through the rest of the ride. The doors open and I go to pick Tony back up.
"Leave him, I got him. You go to your room and go to sleep. It's late. Way past your bed time," he jokes in the last sentence.
"Surprised you're not dead yet, grandpa." I jest.
"Hey, your old man is older than me!"
I was going to respond to that when Sam, who I thought was out, does first.
"It's okay. Barnes is a booty hole! He's all like, 'do this', and 'do that'. I just want to live my life mom!" Sam ends before passing out from the immense alcohol consumption.
Steve and I burst out in laughter. After a few moments, we wipe our tears from our eyes. The doors on elevator still waiting for us to go so they can close. Tony and his tech.
"I'm going to bed. Are you sure you got them? I can help, ya know?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Good night, Vear." He whispers.
"Night, Uncle Steve."
I tiptoe to my room. I don't know why I did, I just felt like it. I open the door, you would expect it to creak. Nothing creaks in this house, not even the stairs.
I plop on my head, groaning. It'd be a good idea to get out of these clothes. But, before I do I'm going to text Petey.
He gave me his number before he left, so we could stay in touch. I think I found a new best friend. Eddie is good and all, but he's never around given the circumstances he's under right now.
Petey The Spider Child
Are you scared of spiders?
Hello to you too.
And yes, deathly terrified
Being Spider-Man you'd think you wouldn't be
How are you even
alive right now?
Wym?
Didn't the party just end?
I left really early, I can function. You've been at it all night
I don't get tired very easy
Oh. Well I'm tired
so good night V
Night, Petey
I shut my phone off, putting it on the nightstand. I look out the window that is beside my bed.
My room is rather simple, not having it for very long. A full sized bed sits against the wall on the far side from the door. My closet is a few feet away from the foot of my bed. The bathroom across the room. A nightstand sits beside my bed. A big window is on the same wall. The room is not terribly big, but it sure isn't small.
The adrenaline from the party slips away as I quickly put on a sweatshirt and pajama shorts.
My head hits the pillow and I'm out.
Bucky's POV:
My head snaps to the sound of a lot of rustling. I wouldn't of been affected by the noise if I was asleep, but me waking up a few minutes ago has me alert. The SuperSoldier hearing letting me hear even if it is a few bedrooms away.
The clock reads 5:30. I only got thirty minutes of sleep. The rustling continues and I quickly get annoyed. I finally heave myself off the bed with a sigh.
I investigate who or what is making all this noise. I end up in front of my daughter's closed bedroom door.
I open it slightly to see her tossing in her bed, sweat drenched all over her body. She pants and whimpers as it looks as though she is having a nightmare.
I quickly go to the side of the bed to wake her. I shake her arm a few times, calling her name as well.
Finally she springs up, just not giving the reaction I was expecting.
She grabs me by the throat, pinning me to the wall. Her eyes are stony, unrecognizable.
"Vera, doll, it's me. It's Papa. You're okay. You're in the Avengers facility. No one is here to hurt you."
She doesn't react to the words I speak. She says her own words, "who are you?" She growls out.
"I'm Bucky. I'm your Papa," I say, desperation in my voice. She punches me in the face, a bruise already forming around my eye.
I don't resist as she slams me once again against the wall.
I only groan. I put my left arm, the metal one, against her arm. The cool metal seems to register in her. The sense of familiarity going through her.
Her eyes melt as she whispers, "Papa?"
"Yeah Baby Doll. It's me," I reassure. She immediately releases her grip on my throat.
"What did I do?" She asks mortified with herself.
"It's okay. You didn't mean to. I know that," I speak clearly. She starts to fall, but I catch her and cradle her to my chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," she whispers over and over again.
"It's okay doll. I understand, it's happened to me multiple times. I should've known better than to wake you up like that," I justify.
She just continues rambling. I look down at my daughter. My baby. It's my fault she has a life like this. If me and Athena were more responsible, Vera wouldn't have to go through this.
I just stroke her hair, kissing her forehead every so often, for half an hour.
After that time, she finally speaks up. "I wasn't always like this. Back in HYDRA these nightmares would never happen. But, when I got out reality kind of settles in. I was tortured to kill for fifty eight. Fifty-eight. Started the age they took me away from you. Ten years old and being trained to assassinate. You know how messed up that is?! How messed up I am?"
She leaves me speechless.
When Vera's words register in my mind, I hold her tighter. A tear slips down my own face. My baby girl had to go through all of what I did. She didn't have a choice. Neither did I, but I lived before HYDRA happened.
"Have you had nightmares before?" I ask her gently, like she'll break down again if I speak too loud.
"Not as bad as the one I just had."
"Want to talk about it?" I suggest.
"Not really, but I guess I need to. Some crap about if you talk about them, they become better,"
"I was back there, in HYDRA," She clarifies. "They had a man in front of me, he had a bag over his head. A gun was in my hand. It was either kill him or they put a bullet in my head. I refused. So, they started to say my trigger words. I'm guessing that's why I woke up trying to kill you,"
"They made me into the ShadowHunter again. I killed him. After I did so, they pulled the bag off his head." She pauses before sobbing out, "I killed you!"
"Shhh, shhh. It's okay. I'm here. You, Vera, would never willingly kill someone. You're better than that," I console her.
She quiets down a few minutes later. I tread lightly, well as lightly as I can given the subject.
"I love you, you know that right?"
She freezes, before looking up at me. "You've never said those words before," she states the obvious.
"Have I not? Well then, I love you a million times over again!" I exclaim.
She giggles, making my face immediately form a wide smile.
"I love you too." She responds. If my smile could get wider, it just did.
"It's already 6:15. Might as well get up to start the day," I suggest.
"What?! It's way too early!" She whisper-shouts, to not wake up the other residents in the building. "Besides I want to talk to you," she says in a quiet, sweet little voice.
"Alright then, scoot over." I push her to a side of the bed, sitting on the side that is left open. Our backs are against the headboard, feet extended in-front of us. "Whatcha wanna talk about?" I say, Brooklyn accent becoming more apparent.
"What about what's going on between you and Natasha," she hints, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"Nothing is going on between Nat and I!"
"Sure, sure. You like her?" She questions more than state.
"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for dating yet, even if I was I don't think she's interested."
"Have you seen the way she looks at you? It's the way Sam looks at food, Tony with Pepper."
I laugh at her analogies. "Samuel sure does love his food, doesn't he?"
Author's Note: Can we all agree and say aww! A tear or two was shed writing this stuff. I know it's not that sad, I just wanted to tease my cousin(who is a reader). Hey Hallie! Happy readings!
- J.S.
11.9.2020
1914 words