Chapter Text
My eyes feel heavy as I wake, rubbing the sleep from my eyes I smile as I see Bucky slumped in the lounge chair against the wall.
His eyes are jittery, his lips moving just slightly as he sleeps, and then he jumps, his head shaking.
I'm on my feet and in front of him in seconds, "Bucky?" I shake him awake and he looks panicked.
"Are you okay?"
I smile, he seems to always be asking me that, "are you?"
He nods, "I am now."
"Why did you sleep here?" "I wanted to be here if you-" he looks down and then back up at me with a half smile.
"If I got upset? You didn't have to do that Bucky!" I can't help myself as I put my hand up to his face.
He places his own hand on mine and pulls it from his face, enclosing it in both of his hands. "I didn't have to, I wanted to."
I give him an awkward smile and stand up, "breakfast?"
"Sounds great!" Bucky stands and smiles back at me.
I head to the door but an idea pops into my head. "I'll meet you there, I just have to do something."
I receive a smile as I head out the door and up the stairs to the floor above me, I reach the door I need and take a deep breath before opening it and creeping in quietly.
Small, adorable snores escape Morgan as she lays curled up sound asleep in her bed. I sit on the edge and she stirs slightly and her eyes open just enough to look at me. "Eden?" Her little face gets more excited as she wakes up further.
"Hi cutie! Do you want to come get breakfast with me? I'm sorry about last night" I give her my biggest sorry eyes and she giggles.
"Can we read my book tonight?" She beams up at me as she climbs out of bed and puts on her little slippers.
"You've just woke up and already you're thinking about going to bed?" I tickle her neck as she walks beside me to the kitchen.
Morgan shrugs, "Daddy said he would read it but I said it has to be you!" She folds her arms and runs a little ahead of me to the top of the stairs.
Despite a slight headache I'm feeling okay this morning, Morgan's giggles as she tells me stories seem to make the day a lot brighter.
When we reach the kitchen, Bucky has made us sausage sandwiches, vegan for me, he picked up on that little detail fairly quickly. He sees Morgan by my side and his eyes widen and look to me, panic evident "I didn't make her anything?"
I crouch down to my sisters eye level, "what do you wanna eat kiddo?"
Morgan looks at me, then Bucky, and back to me. "Coco pops!!" She beams in my direction.
I put my hands up as if in defense, "hey! Don't tell me, tell the chef!" I point at Bucky and he bends down to her level, copying me.
"Coco pops please!" She grins and he smiles back at her. "I think I can manage that, although it might take hourrrrrs to make." He exaggerates to make her laugh and he pokes her little tummy, Morgan squeaks and she leans on me, her little arms around my neck.
"Don't be silly! I can make it in five minutes Bucky!" She grins at me and I mirror it and look at Bucky, I stand and he does the same.
Bucky chuckles to himself as he walks over to the cupboard and prepares Morgan's breakfast quickly and brings both hers and mine to where we've sat at the table, before grabbing his own and sitting opposite me to eat.
We eat in silence, an occasional mumble from Morgan as she says the odd thing between bites.
Eventually we're joined by more people coming down to breakfast, Steve, Peter, Nat and a few other agents I don't know too well, and then my dad and Pepper, who look relieved to see Morgan sat at the table eating.
"Morgan! I wondered where you had run off to!" Pepper strokes the top of her daughters hair as she sits beside her, coffee in hand.
"Eden woke me up and Bucky made me coco pops!" Morgan grins a toothy smile at her mum.
Pepper and my dad both look at me, shock evident on their faces.
"You got her up?" My dad stands against the kitchen counter drinking from a mug that says 'Worlds Best Dad'.
I nod, "yeah I figured I owed the little cutie a breakfast date." I scruff Morgan's hair and she giggles. Pepper gives me a warm, grateful smile. My dad however narrows his eyes on me.
"And we're reading your new book tonight, right?"
"Right!" Morgan finishes the last of her cereal, she's a ridiculously slow eater.
Pepper sips her coffee eyeing my dad over the top of her mug, she raises her eyebrows and he gives her a look I can't place.
There's mindless chatter at the table and my attention is all on Morgan as she tells me all about the trip to the zoo she's going on with school next week.
I'm being educated on the monkeys when I look in the direction of the person who's not took their eyes off me, if suspicion could kill I'd be dead.
I give my father a curt, apologetic smile but I get nothing in return. I guess it's his turn to be mad at me.
My gaze goes to Bucky who is discussing floating cars with Peter, although I'm pretty sure Bucky brought it up, it's Peter who has gone off on a tangent about the science behind it.
I look around to the others on the table and listen in to their conversations, all the agents have left to do their jobs and we've been joined by a hesitant Banner.
When he enters the room I notice Bucky noticeably stills, but as Bruce walks past he pats Bucky on the shoulder and I assume they've spoke about the issues between them.
Steve smiles at me as I catch his eye and he motions to the door with a slight head jolt. I nod and stand, waiting against the wall down the corridor I see Steve walking towards me a minute later.
"Yknow, it's been a while since we've done this." Steve grins at me and wiggles his eyebrows and I shove his arm, "we don't do that anymore, old man."
He laughs and opens the door for me as we get to the back exit of the building, we walk along the grass and out along the perimeter.
"I really like sneaking you out for milkshakes when you're in trouble though!" Steve pretends to be upset and I giggle, "my dad told you off! Imagine! He's even grounded me now!"
Steve looks at me gone out but then starts to laugh, "like that will keep you here."
I go quiet at this, because I think maybe this time it actually will. I bite my lip and Steve nudges into me, "hey! What's on your mind?"
I think for a second before answering, it can't hurt to talk to Steve, hell he's one of my closest friends since I've been here, and I actually value what he has to say.
"Do you think-" I pause, wondering how to say the words swimming in my head. I go with the Peter Parker basics, "do you think I'm a grown up?" I scrunch up my face and Steve let's out a laughing breath through his nose.
"You're 26? I'd say that's a grown up?"
I think further on what Peter said.
"Okay, do you think I'm being difficult? How I behave? Like I should be doing better?" My eyes go to the ground, I don't want to see the look on Steve's face.
He stops walking and turns to me and I finally look at him the best I can with the morning sun glaring down into my eyes.
"I think that you suffered a great loss, and you behave how you feel you can cope with that." He takes a deep breath, "there's no set time on how long you can grieve. But maybe- maybe take into consideration that you aren't alone, there's plenty of people here who care about you."
Steve gives me a small, reassuring smile and we carry on walking, slowly and in silence.
We've done a full lap of the compound before Steve speaks again.
"I've actually noticed, you've been a lot less reckless the last few days, until last night. Normally it's all guns blazing on the hunt for where you are." He laughs to himself and I think of Frankie.
"You always know I'm safe though, don't you?" I smirk at him but he gives me a confused expression.
"Frankie works for you Steve."
He stays quiet a minute and I just know he's trying to think of a lie to cover himself, but then he looks genuinely confused. "She doesn't work for me? She doesn't work for any of us."
What? How is that possible?
I'm so confused.
"Then how do you always know where I am?"
Steve raises his eyebrows, "Eden, we're the avengers, and for the daughter of a genius, when it comes to not trying to be found, you're a dumbass!"
"Language!"
Steve and I both laugh, but my mind can't shake what he said about Frankie, I was so sure of it.
"You and Buck are getting along well.." Steve starts but I shake my head at him, "don't start."
He raises his hands in defense, "I'm just saying it's nice that you've become friends. It means it's less trouble for you both."
Less trouble?
We head back towards the compound and my mind feels more full than when we got out here.
"Buckys no trouble, Steve?"
He pulls the door open for me to enter the building. "So every other person watching you was a pain in the butt, but you don't mind Bucky?" He gives me the slyest smirk.
"Maybe there's something about a super soldier I just like." I exaggerate looking Steve up and down and raise my eyebrows, he jokingly pushes my shoulder back "but really Steve, you let Bucky know he can watch me any time he likes." I wink as I head off down the corridor back to the kitchen, I hear Steve's laugh echo down the hall after me.