Chapter Text
“This has to stop. And it stops now,” the woman in the deep blue uniform says firmly, looking right at you. “Look, we’ve got a job to do, and we can’t do it if that boy keeps messing around with us. I know he’s in a tough spot and trying to adapt, but that’s not our problem, it’s yours. Do you know what Miss de Fontaine will do if she finds out?”
“Give him a fake compliment, probably,” you nod.
“She’ll fire us!” The woman says this impatiently, and it takes a lot of restraint not to roll your eyes.
“There’s no way that’s going to happen.”
“He’s been doing the dishes, watering the plants, and last week he changed all the sheets! Not his sheets, the other’s too!” The woman complains, and you can’t help but be impressed by how thoughtful he is. You wonder if Valentina would say something if you brought him to your place instead. “He’ll be cleaning the windows soon, and then the cleaning team will be fired.”
“Okay, listen. I understand your concern, and I’ll talk to him,” you say, standing from your chair and forcing her to do the same. You put your hand on her shoulder and gently guide her towards your office door. “But the tower is huge, so you’ll have a lot of duties. And Alexei and Walker are a mess; they’ll always need you.”
“I want you to talk to him,” she says when you reach the door and you nod your head.
“Of course, I will. I promise. “He won’t be doing your job anymore, trust me,” you say, forcing a smile. The woman stares at you for ten seconds more before turning and hurrying down the corridor.
When she’s out, you rest your forehead against the wall and sigh, closing your eyes. When they offered you a job with the New Avengers, this wasn’t what you were expecting. As the Community Manager, you had to make them look and act like the super team they were supposed to be, and most importantly, make sure people around the world knew how awesome they were. But seriously, these were the Avengers. Everyone respected and admired that name. It was an easy job and well paid. Right?
Wrong. You were their babysitter, and every day, you felt like jumping off the roof. After pushing Walker.
You take a deep breath and head out of the office. It’s 10:30 a.m., and you know everyone but him will be training. So, you head straight for the common lounge.
“Bob!” You yell when the doors open for you.
“Oh no, someone’s in trouble,” Walker says from his spot on the couch. He’s all spread out, one hand on the back of his neck and the other on the remote, scrolling through the TV streaming service.
“What the…?” You look from him to Ava, who’s at the table cleaning her gun, and then to Yelena, who’s playing darts with Bob. “You should be training! Every Sunday I send you the week schedule, and now you should be in the gym!”
“Yeah, I’ll pass. I’m a decorated veteran, so I don’t need it,” John says with a snort.
“Bucky doesn’t mind if I clean my guns instead,” Ava shrugs.
“Wait, those schedules are mandatory? I thought they were just a suggestion,” Yelena adds, and you want to scream.
“Today’s the day I jump,” you say, looking at them like they’re crazy. “Bob!”
“Do I need to train, too?” He says, surprised. He throws his dart and it hits the bullseye. You feel like your eye is twitching.
“Hey, why aren’t you at the gym? I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes. It’s training time. Did you check the schedule?” Bucky’s voice sounds behind you, and it’s clear he’s as fed up with this team as you are. He doesn’t sound as violent, which is an improvement.
“I thought it was just a suggestion!”
“You said I could skip.”
“I don’t need it.”
The excuses start flying, and you pinch the bridge of your nose, taking a deep breath. “Why do you like being so difficult? Bucky, could you please explain to these fools why training is necessary? Hey, Bob, a word, you say, pointing to the attached kitchen. You turn on your heels, but Bucky stops you, standing in your way.
“Bob should listen, too. He needs to train… just in case, and…” He lets out a quiet sigh. “He needs it. The elevators were out of service two days ago, so he had to sleep on the second floor because he was tired.
“Hey! You said- You said you wouldn’t tell her,” Bob complains from behind you and you jump at his sudden proximity.
“Walker sent me a video of you panting. I already knew,” you say, exasperated. Bob glares at John, who smirks at himself.
“I have to keep my girl updated. And I agree with Bucky on this. You need the training, not me.”
“First: not your girl,” you say, counting with your fingers. “Second, training is mandatory and neither of you can skip it. You need it so you can learn how to work together, and… hold on. Where’s Alexei?” You look around, surprised that the man isn’t there yet.
“Oh, he’s at the gym. He’s the only one who showed up,” Bucky says, and you look at them, raising your eyebrows.
“Right now, Alexei is my favorite Avenger. What does that say about you guys, huh?”
“Take that back,” Yelena says, pointing at you with a dart.
“I’m fine,” Ava says, straight-up, making it clear she’s not bothered by what you said.
“I was at the gym too, you know?” Bucky mutters under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Why do you want to talk with me? Did I mess up again? Did I forget your birthday?” Bob starts fidgeting in his spot, looking nervous, and suddenly you feel bad. He hasn’t done anything wrong; he’s just trying to help in the only way he knows how. You take a deep breath and shake your head.
“The cleaning team was impressed with your work. Great job,” you say, smiling. He beams at that.
“I wanted to do my part, and that’s the only thing I can do without... him getting mad,” he says with a low laugh. You put your hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze.
“Good job! But, Bucky’s right. You need the training,” you say. Bob opens his mouth to complain, but you cut him off before he can say a word. “You’re working on your cardio, not your powers yet. And as soon as... he starts complaining or bothering you, you can stop. But I need you to try, Bob. The team needs you. I need you to be an example so these lazy bunch can learn from you.”
“For the third time, I didn’t know it was mandatory!!” Yelena throws the dart and heads for the door, patting Ava in the shoulder and smacking Walker in his head as she goes. “Let’s go train, c’mon!”
“Auch!” John complains.
“Ugh, okay,” Ava sighs, standing up and following Yelena. You mouth a ‘thanks’ to the ex-widow and she winks at you when she links her arm with Bob’s, pulling him with her. Bucky lets out a sigh.
“The cleaning team complained again?”
“Yup. So, be messy. And don’t clean up the gym when you’re done.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I can do this! I can do this for my girl!” John says, rushing out, and you can’t believe this is what makes him move. The chance to be dirty.
“Not your girl!!” You yell, and Bucky chuckles. “He heard me with his super hearing, right?”
“I think Steve heard you from the moon,” he snorts and turns and walks away. You look at his back, impressed.
“That joke comes a few years later, but hey, nice try.”
“Give me a break, will you?” he sighs and you can’t help smiling.
“Be messy!” Bucky waves his hand as if to say he heard you, and the doors close behind him. You go into the kitchen and pick up a jar of water and pour yourself a glass. It glistens in your hand, and as you sniff it, a sweet smell hits you; you look down at the floor and see that it’s spotless, which is odd because the cleaning crew hasn’t reached this floor yet. “Damn, Bob…”
You pick up the phone and call your friend. “Hi Mel! One question: do you think Val would mind if I brought Bob home with me, say… two days a week?”