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Bob Reynolds couldn’t remember the last time he thought of someone as cute.
Through his series of drug-induced mania and traveling all across the world for more drugs and his next high, he figured that part of him had burned out long ago, replaced by hunger and hallucinations. Then, his bipolar disorder, mania and depression, plus all his amplified emotions, were embodied into The Sentry and The Void. The closest he had gotten to thinking a person might fall under that category wasn't even enough to describe Yelena Belova: beautiful, perfect, gorgeous, flawless, untouchable, real, a beacon of hope and light during the darkest time of his miserable life since running away from home.
Yet here he was, staring across the room and feeling a stupid grin tug at his face.
He was finding it very hard to deny that the current, five-year-old version of a lethal and dangerous Black Widow is adorable. She’s humming to herself happily without a care in the world while lying belly flat on the floor, her feet kicking up in the air with curly blonde hair bouncing while she lined up her crayons in perfect rows in the colors of the rainbow.
For someone who could definitely dismantle a regime if she woke up without her usual coffee, she seemed far more concerned about staying inside the lines. It’s disarmingly sweet and more than a little surreal.
And when she smiled?
It felt like the entire room lit up, and the first time it happened, showing off a missing tooth, the whole team didn’t know what to do with themselves. All, except for Alexei, who promptly started bawling when his little Ummichka didn’t recognize him.
Yet according to Dr. Strange—whom Bucky had to look for to request assistance with what the hell happened on a mission gone wrong—it was best to avoid meddling and informing her of who Alexei was until they understood the spell’s full reach.
De-aging wasn’t supposed to be possible, but then again, they’ve seen stranger things like the Fantastic Four universe-hopping and half of the population snapped from existence, so what did they know?
Needless to say, Dr. Strange was already working on reverting it.
Until then, the newest Avenger and Earth’s protector was tasked with babysitting duties as their side hustle.
And after much panic of arriving somewhere without her parents and her beloved sister—something that drew very uncomfortable glances—and a full-blown meltdown that even Thor might not have been able to stop, Walker ended up producing a juice box and a stuffed alpaca from gods know where for her.
That seemed to have done the trick.
Bob supposed it made the most sense since he was a legitimate father and actually knew what he was doing. Somehow, that made her decide he was trustworthy enough to let her color near his boots while he doomscrolled on his phone.
It was bizarre seeing the same woman who once wouldn’t pass up a chance to dunk on the discount Captain America now giggling over coloring books and babbling nonsense to him about who knows what.
However, Bob couldn’t find himself to mind all that much.
At least, that’s what he told him in the beginning.
“Higher! Higher!”
The delighted shrieks filled the Avenger Tower, a sharp contrast to the usually quiet and bleak atmosphere. It’s been close to three years since they all moved in, and for the most part, aside from weekly briefings and Alexei’s yelling, you could’ve heard a pin drop most days.
Probably because everyone knew the entire property was bugged and that Mel constantly watched them before being reported back to Valentina. It made them feel like they’re living in a reality show and they all hated it.
Now it sounded like a playground, mainly because a certain Russian super-soldier is throwing his de-aged daughter high in the air before catching her.
“That high for you, Lena? No, no, you haven’t seen nothin’ yet!”
Bob watched from the couch, his book forgotten, half-smiling into his mug.
The sight was so absurdly normal it almost hurts.
Alexei laughed so hard that Bob swore all of Manhattan could hear, Yelena shrieking with joy as she was thrown back up in the air. The others lingered nearby, pretending not to be watching, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by everyone else that they were.
Bucky was holding onto the tablet, mindlessly scrolling, though his eyes flicked up every few seconds, the same way a soldier would check the horizon. Walker was pretending to scroll on his phone while obviously recording, and Ava was barely holding back a smile while eating her bowl of morning cereal.
“I have to say,” Ava murmured, taking a seat next to Bob with her breakfast in one hand. “It’s rather outlandish to see her so happy.”
“Are you kidding me?” Walker scoffed, pocketing his phone and plopping besides her. “It’s uncanny. It’s hard to imagine this is the same person who grew up to become a child assassin if she were just a year older. I mean, I’m not sure which is better.”
“Walker, are you seriously debating between the two?” she quipped, shaking her head.
“What? I’m being realistic! You can’t possibly say you don’t miss that variant of her a tad.”
As Bob watched Yelena being thrown a rather uncomfortable few feet into the air, he knew that the little girl was still alive inside of the present-day Yelena they knew. It’s there, buried under the years and the Red Room scars.
Time and trauma just taught her to hide it behind sarcasm and precision kills.
Yet she still shone so bright without even trying.
“Alexei, you might want to tone it down,” Bucky cautioned.
With a pout, Alexei settled her back down, and she didn’t even catch her breath before trying to scale the giant bear hiding in human skin. He laughed, helping her up with ease before wrapping her little arms around his neck.
“Red Guardian is the bestest hero in the whole wide world,” she chirped happily. “I love you!”
“Oh, my Lena!”
Alexei practically crumbled on the spot while his booming laugh broke into loud, wet sobs as he clutched her just a little too tight, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer in between hiccups and wails.
“Easy there, big guy,” Walker called. “She’s five, not indestructible.”
“She is indestructible!” Alexei barked proudly, though his voice wavered with emotion. Yelena only giggled, patting his cheek even though she probably had no idea what was actually happening.
“You remind me of daddy! He’s going to be taking me to my soccer game soon!”
“Oh, your peewee soccer team?” Ava asked.
Yelena gasped, nodding her head so hard that her curls bounced wildly. “Yes! Go Thunderbolts!”
“Right, go Thunderbolts,” Walker echoed, putting a fist in the air. “You should really look out for Mindy, though.”
“Walker,” Bucky warned, and Ava snorted so loudly that she barely held herself back from choking.
“Mindy? Why? How do you know Mindy?"
“Let’s just say she’s going to make the game very memorable for years to come,” Walker supplied, barely suppressing the laughter that was fighting a losing battle while purposefully ignoring the last question. “You know she’s super-fast, real competitive, and, uh… doesn’t exactly believe in bathroom breaks.”
“Wait! Wait, Lena,” Alexei suddenly placed her down, getting down onto one knee and gripping her softly on the shoulders to show how serious he was. “Who was the sponsor of the West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts? Dmitri’s Elite Industrial Lighting and Electronics, yes?”
Bob watched her brows scrunching together, and she shook her head.
“No, it’s Shane’s Tire Shop.”
“Shane? What Shane, what money, eh?”
“No, it was!”
Bob watched as Ava held out her hand, opening and closing it a few times without saying a word. Walker cursed, then reached for his wallet and handed her a twenty. Bob gawked at them.
“You had a bet?” he spluttered.
“I didn’t think we would find out, so it was no harm, no foul,” Walker grumbled, kicking his legs up on the coffee table right before Ava used her leg to kick him off. “Ow, what the H-E-double-hockey sticks was that for?”
“We don’t need your dirty prints on the furniture,” Ava shot back. “And don’t be so whiny.”
“Says the one who complains my boots are dirty but tracked half the mud from last week into the tower.”
“Did you forget I was profusely bleeding out when I got off the helicopter?”
“Right, because you couldn’t hold it for longer than a minute.”
“Oh shut up.”
In the distance, Bob could hear Bucky sigh loudly before murmuring to himself, “Children.”
He only turned when that familiar prickle of being watched crawled up his neck, but it must’ve been his imagination. Yelena was now asking Alexei to be carried, and he obliged without a moment’s hesitation.
Watching them, he couldn’t help but feel something in his chest twist, that uncomfortable warmth returning. Watching the father and daughter reunited in the strangest way possible made him wonder if the universe was offering them a chance of peace.
For once, nobody was fighting, bleeding, or burying another comrade.
They were just… people.
Broken, healing people, orbiting around a child who didn’t yet remember what loss felt like. He overlooks the shadow that seemed to stretch just a little too far behind him as Alexei spins her around again.
It goes without saying that everyone adored five-year-old Yelena.
It made sense because, even before she was de-aged, she was practically the leader the others went to for help, even if they didn’t put it that way. Now, stripped of the cynicism and sarcasm adulthood had taught her, she was all light and laughter—
A sunny reminder of why they’d followed her in the first place.
Needless to say, everyone had a soft spot for her, but she was slowly warming up to everyone else. If she wanted something, she would come tugging on their uniform no matter what they were doing.
Most of the time, they’re more than happy to oblige her every whim.
She’s running to Alexei for hugs, doodling on Bucky’s Vibranium arm—quite humorous for the others to see him completely rigid like he didn’t know what to do with himself—stealing Walker’s taco-shaped shield to play “horsey” and even playing hide and seek with Ava. Every time she’d phase into existence, she’d scream in joy, and now?
Ava has taken up braiding her hair while she babbles endlessly.
Yet, it doesn’t go unnoticed by the team that there was someone she would try to avoid.
Bob, much to his complete bewilderment.
Every time he walked into the room, Yelena would stop whatever she was doing and either duck behind someone or vanish behind furniture. The handful of times he’d tried to speak to her, she answered with the slightest nod but never with words, never eye contact.
Did he somehow do something that made her uncomfortable?
The young man drew a blank.
Children were good at sensing other people, so was it because of “it”?
On the rare occasions he went out, he noticed dogs growling at him, their tails tucked behind their legs. Pigeons would scatter from the rooftops all at once, like they could sense the darkness that had taken residence under his skin.
The only animal that didn’t was little Cucumber.
Though perhaps it was because they were more or less from the same failed medical project.
It only made him feel a tad better that the others were equally baffled by her behavior.
It didn’t make any sense, especially because Yelena had once been closest to him. Before the de-aging spell hit her, she was the only person who saw the man beneath what he and the others saw him as:
A mania-induced god with a penchant for sporadic depressive episodes.
They didn’t need to say it for him to know, but not Yelena.
“We stick together from now on.”
She really did mean it because, since they moved into the tower, he made sure he never felt alone. She set up activities so he could feel like he’s part of the team, even gave him that one spot where the sun hits just right, and made everyone agree it was “his recharge zone.”
He’d laughed then, promised he didn’t need “special treatment” of any sort, but every morning, she’d bring him a cup of tea and sit beside him anyway, soaking up the light as she belonged there too.
She could always tell what he was truly feeling with one look.
Now, she couldn’t even meet his eyes as if he terrified her. He doesn’t now what he’d do with himself if that proved to be true.
He swallowed, trying to keep the ache buried behind his ribs from spilling over. It was easier to pretend it was all in his head because it had to be. It was easier to tell himself that his teammates weren’t giving him pitying looks every time Yelena practically ran from him.
No, he’s not disappointed or sad, not in the slightest.
He didn’t see the way the walls shook around him or the lights flickering overhead as he strode back to his room, but what he did notice was Yelena’s voice suddenly echoing down the hall now that he was gone, cheerful and distant.
For some reason, it made his chest hurt worse than silence ever could.
“Ava, who's your prince charming?”
Ava froze mid-braid, narrowing her eyes at Walker, who was grinning like a kid who just set off fireworks indoors from where he’s lounged and cleaning his long-barreled forty-five. It’s not appreciated in the slightest, but it was either that or Yelena watching them spar in the gym.
What they needed last was for five-year-old Yelena to feel inspired to throw herself into a match against a former SHIELD reject and the dime-store Captain America. Plus, they were certain Alexei and Bucky would kill them both when they got back with debriefing Valentina.
It was the third day, and they were no closer to reverting the former Red Room assassin to her actual age.
“I don’t have one,” she answered, tying off the braid with practiced precision.
Yelena turned to her, eyes larger than dinner plates.
“Why?”
When she was forced against her will to join the new Avengers, babysitting the woman who was sent to kill her wasn’t exactly part of the job description. But fate had a twisted sense of humor, and now she was braiding that same woman’s hair—well, the five-year-old version of her, anyway…much less answering her simple yet weirdly multifaceted questions.
“Fairy-tale endings aren’t really my thing.”
Walker snorted.
“Shocker. Let me guess, your dream date’s a background check and a weapons cache?”
“Depends,” Ava said sweetly. “Does he come with noise-canceling headphones? Because yours clearly don’t work.”
“I knew it!” he exclaimed, pointing at the cameras fixated on the corner of the living room. “Damn, F-U-C-K, I hope this is recording as proof that you have been stealing my S-H-I-T! Were you the one who also took my rifle magazine?”
Ava rolled her eyes at how overly dramatic he was, again.
“Relax, Walker,” she stated dryly. “If I did steal it, you can always put it on Valetina’s card, no harm and no foul.”
“So you’re saying that you did?”
“I said if I did, but of course, you always want to hear what you want to,” she remarked.
Yelena blinked between them, visibly trying to keep up.
“What’s a… cash?” she asked, stumbling over the word.
They paused for a few seconds, and then Walker chuckled, tucking his gun back into its holster.
“Weapons cache, kid, C-A-C-H-E. That’s where Auntie Ava hides all her scary toys.”
“They’re not ‘toys,’” Ava retorted immediately.
“Right, sorry, what do you call ‘em? Tools of emotional repression after being hunted by fifteen countries for as long as you did?” he countered, and Ava threw him a glare sharp enough to cut through Vibranium.
“Careful, Walker. I’ve got one with your name on it.”
“See?” he said, looking at Yelena for backup. “This is why she’s single!”
“And this is why you’re compensating with a shield shaped like a fast-food order.”
“Hey! It’s a great shield!”
“Not a shield,” Ava replied, calm as ever, as she twisted the final braid into place.
Yelena giggled, clearly delighted by the tension. “You two are funny.”
Walker grinned, making his way to grab a drink from the fridge.
“Kid, that’s one way of wording it. You want apple juice?”
“Yes, please,” she beamed happily, jumping up from the sofa to spin for Ava. The young woman thought it would be the end of that. Perhaps she can distract Yelena with another movie. It would only be a matter of time before she fell asleep, but she should have known better. “So…if you don’t have a prince charming…then does that mean Walker is your boyfriend?”
She had to hold back the reflexive urge to gag.
“No, most definitely not.”
“Hey, you’re not exactly my type either,” Walker grumbled. He threw the small pouch of apple juice, and Ava caught it with ease and handed it over to Yelena. Then, he walked over and pressed the sparkling iced tea to her cheek.
She flinched from the suddenness and then scowled, snatching it.
“You ever heard of boundaries, Walker?”
He smirked. “Sure. I just don’t respect yours since it’s more than clear that you don’t respect mine.”
Opening the bottle, she barely took a sip before Yelena decided to interrupt.
“Then…if he’s not your boyfriend, is Alexei your boyfriend?”
They should give Ava and Walker an award for their equally matched disgust. After living with him for over a year, they’d both come to the unanimous conclusion that Alexei was, at best, an overgrown toddler with biceps.
The idea alone was enough to make Ava shudder, and Walker visibly gag.
“No,” they said in unison, shuddering.
Yelena frowned, hands on her hips. “Why not? He’s funny!”
Was Yelena trying to set her up with her parental figure?
“Funny isn’t the same as dateable,” Ava settled with instead.
“Exactly,” Walker agreed. “There’s a reason no one marries stand-up comedians.”
That satisfies Yelena for the moment. She hummed thoughtfully, sipping her juice box, and Ava didn’t like it at all. This was her thinking face, and it appeared that whatever came next would be another landmine disguised as an innocent question. Ava braced herself, fingers tightening around her bottle like it could shield her from whatever was brewing.
God, when is Alexei coming back?
“Then…is Bucky your boyfriend?”
Ava froze, feeling her face flushing red no matter how much she tried to prepare herself.
“What—no! Absolutely not,” she squeaked.
Walker immediately burst out laughing, nearly choking on his drink.
“Oh, this just got good,” he mused, crossing his leg and leaning back comfortably on the sofa.
“Shut up,” Ava snapped, trying to keep her calm while Yelena blinked at her in confusion.
Was it possible to phase out of this very room?
“Why not?” the little girl asked, head tilted. “You talk to him nicely.”
Ava made a strangled sound. “I talk to everyone nicely, sweetheart.”
Walker coughed out a laugh, uncapping his bottle of water and chugging it down.
“That’s a lie and a half,” he conceded, resting his elbows on his knees.
Ava turned to throw daggers at him.
“You’re seriously moving up on the list if you don’t zip it, Captain Discount,” she hissed. She knew she had made a mistake when, a second later, he gave her a shit eating grin and turned his complete attention towards Yelena.
“Hey, kid, you should ask who she likes instead, but I have to make it clear, it isn’t Alexei or me.”
That was it.
She was going to kill him in the middle of the night.
No, she was going to make it long and torturous.
Ava knew how much he loved to check his social media and their public image. She’d need to start a rumor. Something creative. Something that would make him regret ever messing with her. Before she could decide between “Walker’s Weird Foot Collection” or “Captain Discount’s Guide to Mediocrity,” Yelena perked up again.
“Oh.” She paused. “Does that mean you like Bob?”
Both adults froze, and unconsciously, they found themselves looking over to where Bob was—
The same spot in the corner, mindlessly petting Cucumber while watching a documentary on his phone. It didn’t go past them that Bob had been withdrawing and shutting himself from the rest of the team since Yelena’s…incident.
If he did hear, he didn’t make any sign of it.
His expression didn’t waver; his eyes fixed on his screen like the world around him had been reduced to background noise. Cucumber made little squeaks, oblivious to the weight hanging in the air.
Except, if only they knew he was listening.
Intensely.
As a matter of fact, Yelena even knowing his name made his heart soar, and even more so with the acknowledgment of his existence. However, he refused to turn because it might scare her off.
But why did Yelena sound so worked up about it?
He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and put a stop to those lows wanting to grip and drag him through the void. Yelena had always told him that when things got bad, he could always go to her.
How could he do that now, when she's the same person who seems to be avoiding him?
“Bob? No, Yelena, he’s just—” Ava hesitated, the pause dragging, “—Bob.”
Walker snorted. “That’s the best you can come up with? ‘Just Bob’?”
“What, you jealous I didn’t call you ‘Just Walker’ or something?” she snapped.
“Hardly,” he scoffed. “And what’s with you and love, kid?”
“Nat always told me you’d know when you meet your prince charming, so I wanted to ask if you met yours and if you had your true love’s kiss!”
Oh, was that what this was?
“Well, this princess,” Ava remarked, tapping her nose and chuckling the way Yelena scrunched her entire face. “Doesn’t need any saving or finding her prince charming. You’ve seen my powers, haven’t you? I can handle things myself. Now, how about we take a walk around the courtyard? Fresh air might do us both some good.”
Hopefully, it would also tire her out enough that she would take a three-hour nap.
“Okay!”
Hand in hand, they make their way towards the elevator and down first.
Once they were alone, Walker lingered for a beat before moving toward Bob.
He placed a bottle of sparkling water on the table for him, then rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to start. They certainly haven’t gotten all that much closer since the day he accidentally sent New York into a big maze of interconnected shame rooms, but there was an unspoken understanding between them now.
How could there not be when Walker punched his abusive father in his shame room?
“You…you know that Yelena cares about you the most, right?” he started uncomfortably.
God, how messed up was it that he had to be the one comforting him?
He nodded. “Yeah, she…sure has a way of showing it.”
“Maybe she’s just shy. My son was like that as well when it came to any friends or family visiting that he hadn’t seen in a while,” he offered.
“She warmed up to everyone just fine,” he murmured, trying his hardest not to sound like he was whining. It was his fault for even getting jealous in the first place when Yelena had always put him first.
Hell, they were dating for crying out loud.
He wasn’t expecting the tinier version of her to be so cold and indifferent toward him compared to everyone else. It was like he didn’t exist at all, and that hurts more than he would ever admit.
Walker exhaled, rubbing one of his stiff shoulders like he needed to be doing something.
“Look, kids are weird. Doesn't mean the big one's feelings for you changed overnight.”
Bob stared at the sparking water, the label peeling slightly at the edges.
“Feels like it did.”
"Nah," Walker said, surprising them both with the firmness as he waved off the comment. “Trust me, she’s going to come around, and then we’ll stop existing in her eyes again. Call it parental intuition.”
Not sure what more he could say, he nodded. “Okay.”
The problem was believing it.
A long and awkward silence stretched before Walker asked, “Are you sure you’ll be okay, Bob?”
Bob couldn’t help but give him a small smile in hopes that it would be convincing enough.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered, running his fingers through Cucumber’s long coat.
Maybe if he told himself that enough times, he would start believing it.
“Are you a robot?”
Ava bit down the laugh, but Walker didn’t, while they watched the awkwardness spreading across Bucky’s entire body at Yelena’s innocent question. She just finished doodling enormous flowers on his prosthetic arm and was now poking at the seams between the metal plates, her brow furrowed in fascination.
It seemed it was going to be another long day of keeping a curious child entertained.
What day were they on again?
Five?
Bob was sitting away in his tucked-away corner as usual, listening in without being involved.
He would join, but if it meant Yelena scurrying away and having them all back to square one, then he couldn’t bring himself to risk it. The laughter in the room was fragile, and he wouldn’t be the one to break it.
It’s been almost a week now, far too long.
It didn’t help that the festering feeling in his heart was only worsening.
Bucky cleared his throat. “Uh…”
She doesn’t miss a beat in her next set of questions when he doesn’t answer fast enough.
“Does it tickle when I do this?” she asked, utterly serious as she danced her fingers across it.
Bucky froze, glance darting helplessly to the others as Walker howled with laughter.
Without Alexei here—of course, he was booked for another marketing gig that apparently required him to “look patriotic while holding industrial tools” or whatever that was supposed to mean—Bucky had found himself promoted to the role of designated babysitter for the day to make up for the other day.
Great.
“No,” he answered stiffly, like he was being held against his will for information.
“Does it hurt when you move your hand?” she asked, completely guileless.
“No.”
“How do you tell it to pick things for you?” she inquired, tilting her head to the side. She then ran her small fingers across the golden lines, utterly mesmerized. Bucky went stiff as a board, clearly debating if he should move, speak, or self-destruct on the spot.
“I just do, kid,” he lamely answered because he wasn’t sure how else to explain decades of cybernetic trauma to a kindergartener who he thinks wouldn’t remember any of this once Dr. Strange fixed the problem.
And he certainly hoped it was soon, but not exactly for his sake, but—
“Nice answer, Congressman Barnes,” Walker wheezed after catching his breath.
Yelena immediately shot up from where she was seated, standing up on the sofa.
“Congressman? Does that mean you’re super-duper important?” she asked in a sudden rush, a sprinkling of urgency in her eyes that no one could miss. “Does that mean you know my daddy? He’s an important guy, too!”
“Uh…”
“Does that mean you can ask Daddy to bring my older sister, Natalie?” she asked, seeming to be more desperate now, more pleading now, like maybe he could actually make it happen. Bucky froze, a lump catching in his throat.
He would have, would have gone against Dr. Strange’s instruction if he could, but he couldn’t.
Not because he didn’t want to, but because she wasn’t here any longer.
She sacrificed herself so her sister could even be here today.
“I wish I could, kid,” he murmured, voice rougher than intended. “I’m sorry.”
The spark in her voice dimmed, but only a little. She still looked between Ava, Bucky, and Walker, then started to clench her fist tightly at the front of her pink t-shirt. “Do…do they not…want me anymore?”
Her warbling voice was barely above a whisper.
The air went still, the kind of silence that pressed heavily on everyone’s chest.
“Yelena,” Ava said softly, shaking her head. “No, no, that’s not it. Of course, they still want you.”
She sniffled, blinking and failing to hold back the big, fat tears that started to streak down her face. “Then why haven’t they come get me yet? I miss my mommy, daddy, and Nat. I want to go home.”
“Yelena, kiddo,” Walker tried when Bucky and Ava looked his way, unsure what to say. “Look, they just can’t be here right now and entrusted us to look after you until they can get you themselves.”
“Right,” Bucky lamely tried to chime in.
“Why am I alone then?”
Bob thinks he stopped breathing.
His chest constricted at Yelena’s question, every inhale shallow and uneven. He was this close to breaking every unspoken rule that was established since Yelena was de-aged—to hell with it—he was going to get up, cross the room, and hug her tightly.
Tell her that she’s not alone.
That they stick together from now on meant she will never be alone.
But Ava beat him to it just as he stood up.
She moved quietly, carefully, lowering herself to Yelena’s level as though the wrong motion might shatter the little girl entirely. Her arms opened in silent invitation, and before Bob could blink, Yelena launched herself forward, burying her face in the crook of Ava’s neck.
“You’re not alone, Yelena,” Ava whispered, one hand threading gently through her hair. He watched the small shoulders tremble, watched Ava’s hand steady them again and again as she bounced her gently. “Come on, love. You’ve got all of us. Always.”
Ava then gave Bob a helpless look, and he had no other choice but to walk back to his room.
He didn’t even care that every single furniture had spontaneously exploded into a million pieces the last few days, or the state of the room, or the silent voices in his head only seemed to be getting louder and louder.
The very next day, it seemed there was finally good news.
“Dr. Strange will be coming by this evening and will be able to reverse the spell,” Bucky announced as soon as everyone was in the common room. Bob’s heart was practically sore that he had to glance down to ensure he wasn’t accidentally flying.
“Fucking finally?” Walker groaned, his shoulders sagging in pure relief. “Thank fuck.”
“No, so soon?” Alexei whined.
Ava whipped her head towards the bulky man. “Are you actually enjoying this?”
“Well, yeah, can’t blame him. How could he not be trying to right everything wrong from almost three decades ago? No offense,” Walker added, holding up his hands like he hadn’t just lit the fuse. “The guy’s been stuck in a time loop of his own bad decisions. Anyone in his shoes would want a do-over, too.”
“Hey, mistakes make a man who he is today,” Alexei bellowed, thumping his chest.
He ignored the look everyone was giving him, and Bucky powered on, both hands resting on his hips. “Strange said it’ll take an hour, tops. She won’t remember any of this after she’s brought back to what transpired last week.”
“What? So you mean to tell us we’d remember the trauma, and she won’t? How would that be any fair?” Walker accused. At first, it was kind of cute and fun. He even took a few photos and videos as blackmail material.
Then, the logical side of him remembered that she was a former Red Room child assassin.
And now, she wouldn’t remember it. She wouldn’t even remember the way she’d started calling him “Uncle Walker” as of yesterday, or how she’d trusted him enough to fall asleep on his shoulder.
Okay, yeah, maybe that stung more than he’d admit, sue him.
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Bucky argued. “It wasn’t like we had anything else to do.”
Walker slanted his chin to his arm. “Dude, your arm—a one-of-a-kind piece of technology that the US government would have killed to get—is still covered in stickers and Sharpie pens in case you haven’t noticed.”
Bucky flexed his arm and cocked a brow.
“And I can probably still kick your ass with it while looking pretty.”
“Are you inviting me to spar first thing in the morning?” Walker asked, cracking his neck.
“No, no, we’re not having a pissing contest this early in the morning,” Ava hissed.
“Ah, yes, piss,” Alexei started with a hearty laugh. “You know, there was a time, back when I was tiny and living in a village in Russia, that I got my foot stuck in ice. Can’t remember why now. The only reason I’m still alive today is because of—”
“Nope,” came the immediate, synchronized chorus from everyone else in the room.
Alexei blinked, mid-gesture, looking genuinely wounded.
Bob, who had been quietly listening and observing, finally decided to speak up.
“So…Yelena will be back to her old self after this? There won’t be any setbacks or issues?”
The entire team refocused on his worried expression, and then everyone faced Bucky, who crossed his arms and leaned back onto the kitchen counter. “Maybe slight disorientation since she didn’t realize a week had gone by, but other than that? Nothing.”
“So until then, we just need to survive this morning and afternoon,” Ava reiterated, nodding. “Okay, that should be a breeze, especially the morning shift.”
Walker shot her a bewildered look. “Yeah? And why do you sound so confident about it?”
She pleasantly smiled back at him.
“Because I have to get my suit checked today, so I won’t be around much of the morning.”
“Wait, what?” Walker uttered.
“I see you missed that I’m the only one in my suit. I’m not surprised,” she prompted, and that’s when Walker finally blinked the sleep in his eyes to realize that she was the only one not in her sleepwear. “All right, keep me updated on how she handled you all breaking the news to her. I'm sure you will all be amazing.”
“What, you can’t—”
She tapped the button, and once the white mask slipped down, she was gone before Walker could finish.
“I still have a few things to touch base with Mel. Who’s on breakfast duty?” Bucky asked.
“That would be me,” Walker grumbled.
“Okay. Alexei, keep an eye out for Yelena. And Bob?”
He perked his head up and looked at Bucky curiously.
“Hang on tight until then, okay?”
Right.
Yeah, he could do that.
There were only a few more hours to go until then; how hard could it be?
As it turned out, it was much more challenging than Bob had anticipated.
He’d like to point out that in the beginning, he was doing quite well for himself.
Breakfast was served, and he took his plate after thanking Walker for it before making his way to his little safe space, observing from a distance as Alexei brought little Yelena down for breakfast.
She was adorable in her New Avenger pajamas that Alexei had express-shipped because no one else wanted to match him, bright red with their “A” logo plastered everywhere, complete with a cape that tangled around her tiny legs as she toddled in.
She’s rubbing her eyes sleepily and clutching the stuffed alpaca with the other while Alexei helps her into her booster seat, proudly declaring, “Little Guardian ready for mission: pancakes!”
Yelena blinked blearily at the stack in front of her, syrup already dripping everywhere, then lit up with a sleepy grin. She’s already reaching for her fork and glancing over at Walker. “Can I get spicy mac and cheese later, please, Uncle Walker?”
“Of course, kiddo,” he chuckled, couldn’t help himself from walking over after washing his hands to ruffle her hair. “Actually, we have a very special mission for you after lunch! Do you think you’re ready?”
“Me?” she asked, eyes glittering. “Like…like as an Avengers?!”
God, could she be any cuter?
Alexei’s thunderous laugh reverberates through the entire floor.
“Do you want to be one, little one?”
“Yes! Everyone is so cool, and I want to be the one that everyone can rely on if they make a mistake,” she radiated, jumping up on her chair. “And, and, even if I’m small, I’ll be super strong so that no one will doubt me!”
“That’s my girl!” Alexei laughed, clapping his hand like a fat baby seal learning to applaud for the first time. Yelena beamed, and she started to jump right before Walker sat her back down with a pointed look at Alexei’s way.
“Well, mission briefing after you conquer those pancakes, Agent Bel—Rowley,” he quickly corrected when he remembered she still thought she was a regular, everyday civilian rather than an undercover spy at her age.
“Okay!”
She dove in right away, and Bob watched from his perch, the warmth in his chest warring with the quiet dread of evening about her first and last mission as a five-year-old version of her—one more sticky smile.
Then poof—back to the Yelena who stared at him like he was the love of her life again.
Was it selfish of him that he missed that version of her?
Even if that means having the version of her who's pessimistic from the Red Room scars, who carries the weight of too many missions too young, who always sees the bad first, who gets sad and lonely in the quiet hours, knowing all the horrible things the world holds, but still fights through it anyway?
Bob exhaled slowly, watching her chatter with Walker and Alexei while completely ignoring him.
Swallowing, he focuses his attention on eating his much-too-sweet breakfast.
“So…how did she take the news?” Ava whispered as soon as she was back.
The fact that Yelena was drawing while Alexei was sprawled on the couch and snorting loudly was a good sign. Ava looked around and realized Bob was now hanging right next to Alexei, looking up from his book with the tiniest of waves.
Huh.
Okay, seemed to be going better than predicted that Yelena didn’t try bolting.
“Honestly? Pretty good, but also because we said her first mission would be following a man to see her family and keep it a secret about everything until she’s old enough to be an Avenger,” Walker remarked casually from beside her.
She instantly raised a brow. “Is that appropriate?”
“Does it matter? Not like she’d remember it,” he retorted, a bit of heat in his voice.
Grinning, she elbowed him playfully. “Aw, are you upset about that still?”
His scowl deepened. “Shut up.”
“You shut it,” she threw back and then looked around the room rather unsubtly. “Where’s Bucky?”
“Wouldn’t you like to—oof,” he wheezed, clutching his side when she elbowed him again, harder this time, right in the ribs. She walked over to where Yelena was, and that’s when she broke her concentration, smiling up at her.
“Ava! You’re back!”
“Hi, sweetheart. Whatcha doing?” she asked, sitting on the floor and staring at the colorful and equally messy drawing. She found herself squinting, staring at what appeared to be five people holding hands and standing next to each other.
Is that…?
“I’m drawing everyone in the Avengers,” she declared proudly, holding up the paper like it was a masterpiece destined for the Louvre. “See? That’s Alexei with his Santa costume, Uncle Walker with his taco shield, Bucky with the shiny arm, and you with the sparkles! I’m here in the corner!”
“Oh, this is lovely,” Ava pronounced, trying not to chuckle at the description she had given each of them. However, there seemed to be one very important person missing. “Why don’t you also draw Bob? You know he’s also a part of our team.”
“He is?”
“Yeah, he helps do the dishes,” Walker joked, and one glare from Ava immediately straightened him back up. “But he also does other stuff, like handle communication control and… guinea pig cage clean-up. He’s basically the guy who keeps everything running so we can focus on the real hero stuff.”
“Walker,” Ava hissed. “Really?”
“What?” he shot back. “I mean it’s true, right Bob?”
Bob, who was more than happy being invisible—even though his heart was crumpling, he hadn’t actually included himself in the drawing despite expecting it, practically shrank himself inwards. “Oh, uh, it’s f-fine.”
“See?” Walker concluded.
Ava rolled her eyes, focusing on Yelena as she thoughtfully and instead cautiously looked over at Bob for the first time since she was de-aged. The slight pout on her face was deepening now alongside her furrowed brow.
Genuinely, what was it like with her when it came to him as a child?
“How about we draw Bob into the team as well?” Ava offered.
“Yeah, it’ll be easy. Just stick him into the background next to you,” Walker proposed and then chuckled at his own joke.
Yelena quietly turned the drawing back to herself, staring rather intensely at the drawing and then glancing up at Bob once more. His heart ascended to his throat, and he meekly waved at her with a small smile. He was barely able to tick it upwards when she glowered back down at her drawing and shook her head.
“No.”
Bob wanted nothing more than to disappear.
“No?” Ava echoed. “Do you mind telling us why, Yelena?”
She slowly slumped back down onto her stomach, snatching another blank paper and sighing.
“Not sure if I can and he…he makes me feel…strange,” she murmured.
“Strange,” Walker parroted, his brows furrowing at her answer. “Like…strange…where? In your stomach?”
Yelena shook her head almost as if she was frustrated, but didn’t elaborate further.
Instead, she gathered all her art supplies and ran back to the guest room she’s staying in without another word. Bob worked on swallowing the large lump in his throat, trying to ignore the sympathetic look and averting his eyes.
Just a few more hours.
He could handle that.
Tears of relief almost appeared in Bob's vision as the familiar golden loop of Dr. Strange's portal flickered into existence before him. The entire team was already prepared to see their Yelena back, even if they were somewhat going to miss this much-cuter version of her.
“Hey. You must be Yelena,” Dr. Strange greeted, getting down on one knee to not seem as intimidating. Yelena only nodded docilely, clutching onto Alexei’s pants and trying to hide behind his legs. “I’ve heard so much about you from your parents, especially Natalie.”
Instantly, she peered out.
“Really? You…know Natalie and…my Mommy and Daddy?” she asked, still guarded. The sorcerer smiled gently, holding out a small number of fireflies conjured from sparks. “Forest stars! Those are forest stars. Did mommy tell you about them?”
“They did,” he agreed, standing back up. If only Yelena knew it was because of Bob. He had spoken to Strange, brainstormed the best way to make sure she wouldn’t be scared when the time come. He was the only one who knew everything about her childhood and now, he wanted to make sure she left happy by using it.
”And how they’re glowing because of….of bi…” she trailed off, looking frustrated in the way she scrunched her entire face. “Bio….”
“Bioluminescence?” Dr. Strange offered and she nodded. “Yes, she did. Now are you ready to go home?”
She nodded and let go instantly once he gained her trust, giving each of them a big hug, starting with Alexei.
One that caused Alexei to start sobbing his eyes out once Yelena was done hugging him and Bucky, leaving Bucky no choice but to try comforting him. And one in which the former Winter Soldiers soon regretted it because Alexei wrapped his arms around him, snot and all, and pulled him into a crushing bear hug that smelled faintly of vodka and misery.
Bucky froze, metal arm hovering uncertainly.
“Easy, big guy. She's coming back in literally less than an hour, not leaving forever.”
Alexei wailed louder, oblivious.
“My little solnyshko! How will I survive without her plucking my beard?” he cried.
Bob watched while Yelena pulled away from Walker to give Ava a tight hug, who placed a soft kiss on her temple before drawing back. He had long come to terms with no acknowledgement of any sort, so he was taken aback when she slowly walked so that she was standing right in front of him.
She stared at the floor and tugged at the front of her shirt.
He awkwardly looked at the others for help, but they seemed just as interested and confused. All except for Dr. Strange, who was fighting back a grin like he knew something the once antisocial tragedy in human forms didn’t understand.
When he stared back down, he realized that Yelena was nibbling her lips, seeming frustrated.
“Um…” she trailed off and let out a loud huff that was so similar to his Yelena he couldn’t help but smile. “I…can you…” she struggled for the right words, and Bob gradually slid down onto one knee so they were the same height. He couldn’t help but notice the way her breath hitched.
“Yes, Yelena?” he asked, wondering what was so important she had to say it before leaving.
It must be rather vital for her to be flushed red like so.
He tilted his head as she motioned for him to come closer to her, and obediently, he did so.
In the next instance, she grasped onto the front of his shirt to keep him still and then pressed her lips against the side of his cheek.
He was barely able to comprehend what had just happened when she quickly jerked away and into Dr. Strange’s arms, burying herself in his neck without looking back.
He cupped that side of his cheek while the rest of his teammates’ jaws dropped. All except Alexei, who looked murderous even though he knew they were seeing each other.
Oh.
Oh.
So that was why Yelena had been so avoidant of him.
The first time this week, a goofy smile appeared on his face, and he couldn’t help but fall onto his ass in response. They all watched as Dr. Strange made a portal with his free hand, stepping in with Yelena still refusing to look at him or anyone for that matter and then the gateway closed right behind him.
“Well, look at that, it seemed Yelena actually had a crush on her Prince Charming and was just shy about it, who would have thought?” Walker mused, walking over to hold out his hand for Bob. “What did I tell you? My parental intuitions are never wrong.”
Bob took his hand and got up, that same hand still pressed to where Yelena had kissed him on the cheek.
Bucky gave a half-hearted shrug, handing Alexei a bottle of whiskey to drown his sorrows.
“I thought it was quite obvious,” he said and Walker whipped his head towards him, huffing out a laugh.
“You are the last person to say—fuck!” Walker wheezed when Ava suddenly phased over to punch him right in the gut and then disappeared without another word. “Damn it, she did not hold back her punches.”
Bucky could only stare in utter bewilderment.
Less than an hour later, adult Yelena walked through the same sparkling portal in a loose long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants that had given to Dr. Strange prior. She was rubbing her temples in dismay, scowling at all her teammates, but softened the instant her eyes fell onto Bob, who ran to hug her tightly.
“It looks like I have a lot to catch up on, huh?” she chuckled, cupping Bob’s face and gently brushing her thumbs across his cheek. “Dr. Strange gave me a brief of what happened. I hope I wasn’t too difficult when I was five years old?”
He shook his head, kissing her nose playfully.
“You were so damn cute.”