Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day started innocuously enough. The team had emerged from their rooms in the Watchtower at different times in the morning, all trickling into the common space at their own pace. Some days they would make and eat breakfast together, but had elected not to that day. They’d heard from Valentina the day prior and knew to expect her to drop in for a mission briefing. No one wanted to be stuck doing the dishes and miss the briefing, not even Bob. As he had yet to control his Sentry powers without triggering another potential Void event, Bob had not tagged along on any missions yet. However, he still attended briefings as he wanted to know what the rest of the team was heading into.

They–meaning Bucky, Yelena, and John, mostly–had worked on training up the non-Sentry version of Bob in hand-to-hand and marksmanship, but that had…a ways to go, to say the least.

As his eyes swept over those in the common room, John noted that Bob was dressed in black tactical gear. Valentina had instructed the team to suit up in expectation of heading out shortly after the briefing. Given his attire, maybe today would finally be the day Bob was getting his feet wet in the field, a fact which John found at least mildly disturbing.

Only Yelena and Alexei were missing from the living space, an unsurprising fact. Despite his enthusiasm for their team, Alexei was bound to be the last to arrive at any kind of official business (though the first to arrive at any unofficial team gatherings, e.g., his forced movie nights). Yelena was more unpredictable. By design, or so she claimed.

“Morning,” Ava called from her designated spot on the couch where she was curled up with a cup of coffee in hand. The mug was one of the gaudy ones Yelena had taken to buying and filling the kitchen cabinets with. It was hot pink with the words ‘boss babe’ adorning it in flowing, glittery cursive.

Ava’s lips turned up into a smirk as she eyed John. “No taco shield today?”

“Har har,” John snarked, filling his own cheesy mug (black with bold white letters declaring he’d ‘survived another meeting that could have been an email’) with the remainder of the coffee. There had been just enough brewed for each of the team’s resident coffee drinkers to have a cup, judging by the mugs resting near Bucky and Bob. It had been a habit the four of them had grown into after all relocating to the Watchtower.

“Oh, come on, Ava,” chirped Yelena, announcing her presence as she glided past John to join Ava on the couch. She looked back at him with a playful grin. “Maybe he did not want to look as much like a, how do you say—oh!” She snapped her fingers. “Walmart-brand Captain America.”

“Har har,” John repeated emphatically. He paused, mulling over his thoughts. “Valentina sent me a memo telling me not to bring it today.”

Bucky frowned, looking up from the tablet in his hands. “She told you not to bring your shield to a mission?”

”It’s hardly a shield,” Ava muttered. John glared at her but elected to ignore the comment.

”Yep,” John replied to Bucky. “Gotta be a reason for that, huh?”

The two shared a look, and John figured that Bucky had arrived at the same conclusion that he had. When John had first read the memo, he had two assumptions as to the reasoning behind Valentina’s order. The first, less likely, was that she’d finally gotten around to convincing someone to either fix the damn thing or get him a new one. The second, unfortunately likely, was that they could be joined on this mission by a different, shield-bearing hero. Valentina had been harping on them about how they needed good press. She was tired of them being called the ‘B-Vengers,’ or worse, on all the news channels.

A successful joint mission with Captain America could be that good press she was clamoring for.

”What are you two looking at each other all knowingly for? It’s creepy. I do not like it.” Yelena complained. She made a ‘gimme’ gesture. “Share with the class.”

John took a sip of his coffee, motioning for Bucky to explain. He knew Sam Wilson better, after all. Yelena, Ava, and Bob all looked at him expectantly.

Bucky sighed. “There might be a small chance that we’ll be working with Sam on this job.”

“Sam, like Sam Wilson? Like, actual Captain America?” Bob asked excitedly, nearly choking on his coffee. John noted his mug read ‘today I’m going to give it my all’ with the word ‘all’ crossed out and ‘some’ written in small text above it. Bob grimaced apologetically after John rolled his eyes at his comment. “Sorry, Walker.”

“Wait, I thought he hated us?” Ava had set down her coffee cup and uncurled herself, sitting up straight in anticipation. “Why would he agree to work with us?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be very ‘Captain America’ of him not to if whatever this godforsaken mission is is important enough,” John grumbled. He finished his coffee and set the cup on the counter with a touch more super-soldier-strength than necessary.

“Do not chip my mug,” Yelena warned him with an accusing finger pointed his way. “And if we are working with Captain America, do not blow this for us. We need him to like us.”

“Think it’s a bit late for that, Yelena.”

“Maybe for you, but he hasn’t met the rest of us besides Bucky yet. He only knows the bad press. We can make a good impression on Captain America.”

“Captain America!” boomed Alexei’s voice from the doorway. “We will be working with the Captain?! YES!”

Yelena grimaced. “Maybe we can not.”

“It’s just speculation,” Bucky explained to Alexei as the Red Guardian bustled into the room. He smelled vaguely of vodka and cigarettes. At eight in the morning.

Alexei boisterously raised his arms into fists and exclaimed, “This is good opportunity! We can show Captain America the strength of our New Avengers!”

Bucky massaged his temple with his non-metal hand as if staving off a headache. His scowl was eerily similar to the grumpy cartoon cat on his coffee mug that only liked ‘cats, coffee, and maybe five people’ according to the cup’s text. His voice was tired as he said, “Sam’s issues with us aren’t going to be fixed after one mission.”

“I thought you were going to talk with him?” Yelena asked.

“I did. It went poorly.”

The team, even Alexei, lapsed into silence, each stewing in their thoughts. John reflected on Bucky’s dilemma. He had, at first, been surprised that Bucky had supported their team after their impromptu formation. He had half expected the other man to abandon them to the wolves and continue his pursuit of Valentina’s impeachment. John had since learned that Bucky was as much a Thunderbolt as the rest of them and had no intention of abandoning them. Still, he had been friends with Sam Wilson first, and John knew that arguing with the current Captain America had to be difficult for Bucky.

“Well, perfect,” Ava said, breaking the tense silence. “A mission with a man who hates us. That’s bound to go well.”

“Especially with your trademark negativity.”

“Oh, piss off, Walker.”

“Look,” Bucky interjected, “Sam isn’t difficult. He may not like us, but he wouldn’t compromise a mission over something as petty as a team name.”

“I think Yelena’s right,” Bob added hesitantly. “Once he meets you guys and works with you, he can’t keep hating you. He’ll see that you guys are heroes.”

“Very touching, Bob.” The sarcasm in John’s tone was nearly palpable. “I’m sure it will be that easy.”

Sam Wilson would never consider him a hero, not after he’d seen him at his absolute worst. There was a part of John that understood that, given all that had happened during his short stint as Captain America. While John would never feel regret for the death of the Flag Smasher that helped bring about Lemar’s death, he could regret how it had happened. He regretted the confrontation with Sam and Bucky afterwards, and that he’d hurt Sam. But he had done what he’d done and had tarnished the shield, Steve Rogers’ shield. There wasn’t any going back. What slim chance there was for John and Sam to be on a semblance of friendly terms had died with the Flag Smashers. Had died with Lemar.

Yelena shot John a look that would have killed a non-super soldier as Bob wilted, looking down and picking nervously at the ends of his sleeves. His voice was quiet. “Sorry.”

Shit. Now, John did feel kind of bad.

Yelena lithely stood from the couch and moved to stand next to Bob, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t apologize, Bob. John is just projecting.” She gave him yet another pointed look.

John scoffed and looked away.

“If you thought we might be working with Captain America, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Ava questioned. Not quite an accusation, but teetering on one.

“Well, maybe I would have, but I only got the memo twenty minutes ago, so–”

“We must think positive,” Alexei interrupted vigorously. “We are the New Avengers!”

“I think that’s half the problem,” John muttered under his breath. He raised his hands in surrender as Yelena, Ava, and even Bucky scowled at him.

Bucky then sighed and stood from his chair. He looked between each of the assembled team members, assessing. “Let’s just treat this as a normal mission, no matter who may or may not be joining us. This is our job, and it’s what we’re good at. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Ava gave a little salute. “Roger, roger.”

“Yes!” Alexei concurred eagerly.

Yelena and Bob both nodded in silent agreement.

“Sure, whatever,” John grumbled. “Go team.”

John was saved from whatever scorn his reply may have earned him by the buzzing alarm that signaled Valentina’s arrival at the Watchtower. He took advantage of the opportunity to quickly turn toward the elevator. The rest of the team trailed close behind him.

They remained silent in solidarity as they took the elevator up a couple of floors to their mission control, so to speak. The room was fitted with a central table capable of projecting mission details for all to see, and the helipad was only a room and glass pane away for any needed rapid deployments into the field.

The elevator opened with a ding, and Bucky led the way down the hall. It felt as though they all took a collective breath as Bucky placed his hand on the panel that opened the doors to mission control. The doors slid open.

Godamnit. They were right.

“Bucky,” Sam greeted. His voice was flat. He was the picture of standoffish, his arms crossed and lips settled into a frown. Another man hovered nervously at his side. Joaquin Torres, John registered–the new Falcon, now that Sam had been elevated to his role as Captain America.

“Sam,” Bucky replied with a curt nod.

“Brr. That’s cold,” crowed Valentina, looking between the two of them as the rest of the New Avengers filed into the room. “Mel, make a note to work on that before any public appearances.”

Mel, lingering beside Valentina as was customary, gave them all an apologetic look before turning her attention back to the tablet in her hands as she typed away.

“There won’t be any ‘public appearances,’” Sam said. He wasn’t wearing his goggles, so John could track the way he glanced between each member of the New Avengers. “We’re here because we were told the mission was critical, that’s all. No more, no less.”

“Ah, America’s Captain!” Alexei exclaimed, and Yelena couldn’t quite hide a wince. “You are so cool! It is pleasure to work with you.”

“...thanks,” Sam acknowledged slowly.

Joaquin side-eyed him before stepping forward, smiling good-naturedly. “We’re happy to provide some air support for you guys.”

“It’s appreciated,” Yelena said. She quirked a brow at Valentina. “So, we’ll be needing air support on this mission.”

“In a way,” Valentina answered with a wave of her hand.

Valentina then gave a nod to Mel, and two holographic buildings were projected above the center console. One appeared to be some kind of compound, a couple of stories high with two wings. The other was a high-rise building. Not quite a skyscraper, but sleek and modern. A lot of metal and glass, and not unlike their own Watchtower.

“This is your mission, or rather, these are your missions,” Valentina explained. “Part of the reason we requested backup from Mr. Wilson and Mr. Torres here was because we have two buildings to infiltrate. Intel says they’ve been occupied by some Hydra stragglers experimenting with alien technology to make energy weapons and neural implants that can enhance an individual’s natural attributes.”

Bucky had stiffened at the mention of Hydra, and John noted the concerned look Sam sent his way. The concern quickly melted into ire as John input, “So, super soldier implants instead of serum?”

Valentina smiled, all teeth. “Something like that. Word has it they’re more likely to fry the test subject's brain than work, but that’s neither here nor there. We simply can’t allow this inhumanity to continue.”

Each of the New Avengers leveled her with an unimpressed look as Bob fidgeted nervously. Valentina cleared her throat awkwardly. “Anyway, as you might be assuming, we’ll be splitting you into two teams to hit the facilities simultaneously. We can’t risk taking down one base and giving the agents at the other time to pack up and escape with all their dirty secrets.”

“As some of our most experienced members,” she continued, “Bucky and the Captain here will each be leading a team. Bucky, you’ll be taking Joaquin, Yelena, and Alexei to hit the compound. Sam, you’ll lead Ava, John, and Bob to infiltrate the tower.”

John’s stomach dropped for more than one reason.

“Bob?!” four horrified voices rang out, overshadowing Bob’s quiet exclamation of, “Me?” and Alexei’s whoop of excitement.

Sam and Joaquin looked at them quizzically as the New Avengers attempted to rein in their reactions. It was Bucky who stepped forward to represent them.

“Bob isn’t mission-ready yet,” he said. His eyes flicked between Sam and John. “And these team arrangements–”

Valentina cut him off with a raise of her hand, causing Bucky to glower at her. “Don’t be so pessimistic! We’ve been keeping tabs on Bob’s progress, and you all have worked hard to whip him into shape. What better field test than one with both Captain America and our favorite Junior Varsity Captain America backing him up?”

Yelena, who had not twenty minutes ago called John a ‘Walmart-brand Captain America,’ bristled at Valentina’s words. “Watch what you’re calling people, Val. And it should be Bob’s decision whether or not he is ready to come on missions.”

Valentina rolled her eyes. “Oh, everyone, calm down. We’re not expecting him to go full Winter Soldier yet. Bob is the getaway driver for the tower team. He’ll be out of the line of fire, safe in a van across the street the entire time.”

The New Avengers seemed to collectively relax at her words. Bob himself gave a small shake of his head. “I—I can do that. I’m a good driver.”

”Yes, a very good driver,” Yelena affirmed with a nod. She then gestured at the scattered heroes in the room and looked back at Valentina. “Why these team arrangements?”

Valentina went on to explain, showing various holographic images as she did, that they needed two strong teams of two, meaning both led by a super soldier, to infiltrate the wings of the compound. John wanted to argue that he could easily do that in place of Alexei, sparing them all from something inevitably going wrong by placing him on the same team as Sam, but Valentina talked over him before he could. She explained the facility team would be working more as individuals: Bob would man the getaway car and monitor the comms, Ava would access the server room to hack the tower’s defenses, Sam would infiltrate the tower from the top floors using his wings, and John would clear the labs on the lower floors.

John felt his shoulders lose some of their tension as she explained the plan. He could do his job and pretend Sam wasn't even in the building. He was far more likely to meet up with Ava after she took out the servers than to make it to the top of the building before Sam finished his part. Even as prickly as their relationship could be, working with Sam would be made better with Ava tagging along.

John felt eyes on him and glanced to his left. He found Bucky looking at him, and the former Winter Soldier quirked a brow at him in a silent question. John shrugged in response. Bucky paused, brows furrowing, before finally inclining his head in acknowledgement.

John chose to ignore the way Sam’s eyes narrowed as he noted their silent exchange through the holographic tower separating them. He shouldn’t have looked for a reaction in the first place, not when it was only bound to make him angry.

“Those are your assignments. Any further questions? No?” Valentina clapped her hands together. “Then it’s wheels up in ten. You have some long flights ahead of you.”

Her heels tapped against the floor as she maneuvered past them to exit the room. Mel cast a wan smile their way before slipping out after Valentina.

Silence permeated the room for several tense moments before Bucky asked, “Sam, can I speak with you? Privately.”

“You don’t have to ask, Buck.”

“I guess we’ll take that as our cue to leave,” Ava input awkwardly before promptly phasing through the wall. John envied her ability to make a fast exit.

Joaquin blinked at the spot that Ava used to occupy. “Woah, that’s freaky. Cool, but freaky.”

Alexei clapped a hand on his back, causing Joaquin to stumble a step forward before catching himself. In his boisterous tone, Alexei proclaimed, “You have seen nothing yet! Red Guardian will show you true might of New Avengers during our mission!”

Joaquin chuckled and headed out with Alexei, engaging him in conversation. The man must be some kind of saint. Yelena shook her head as she watched them before grabbing Bob’s arms and peppering him with assurances that he would do great as the getaway driver as she guided him out of the room. Bob nodded along, looking only slightly like a ghost.

John lingered for a moment longer, thinking he should say something to Sam and Bucky, but in the end, he had no words. He pivoted on his heel and left the room, the doors sliding closed with a hiss behind him.

Outside the door and alone in the hallway, John took a moment to collect himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply.

“How are you holding up?” inquired a voice from behind him.

John startled and whipped around, accusatory. “Jesus, Ava! Warn a guy!” She merely grinned at him smugly, happy with herself for scaring him, no doubt. But behind the bravado, there was something genuine in her eyes. John sighed. “I’m fine.”

Ava pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against. “Great. Keep it that way, will you? I don’t want to babysit both you and Bob on this mission.”

“Right, Bob.”

“Bob,” Ava agreed, chewing worriedly at her bottom lip.

John mulled over their situation. Valentina would choose to spring Bob joining them on the one field mission that had Captain America tagging along. After all, what could go wrong?