#augh so many tags head in paws

[shiningnightstars]

Victim I made in this whiteboard :D

Hope you enjoy 👍

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[wolftheidioticfan]

THROWS fanfic at Count Lucanor tag before running away in fear of being seen.

I wrote this at like 9-10 am after staying up all night long and I do not know how to write and this is rooted so deep in headcanon that I will die of sheer embarrassment from having interests and writing. Also kinda rushed because I started getting way too self conscious midway through oop. B nice to me ok bye Ahhhh-

Nights without much going on in terms of the trial were nice enough, he supposed. Quiet, calm, and no unnecessary death at the hands of some blasted old man’s curse. Usually, peaceful nights like this were spent in his room, conversing with his closest friend and most trusted castle official, but tonight had been...a little off for the kobold. He was much more lost in his own head, leaned back against the bed as he stared blankly at the ceiling above.

He could hear The Camerlengo speaking, rambling about whatever was on the very strange man’s mind that day, but for the love of it all Patronio could not make out a single word of it, too focused on his own mind. Tonight’s worry was just how much the world had changed since this awful, awful curse had befallen the castle. The jester sighed softly to himself. This was never how he had imagined things would end up, cast aside by the rest of the world and put in-charge of some horrid ‘tests’ that did little more than dismember anyone who would dare take part in them.

It just wasn’t fair. He was in a time period far, far from his own, and completely unable to even take part in a single activity, nor know a single soul outside of the castle. Just how much had passed by? Advanced? While he was here to rot away, forgotten.

The sudden quiet of the room caught his attention, causing Patronio to let out a confused hum in response.

“You are not listening!” The Camerlengo’s loud, boisterous voice sounded out in the small room, “You know one person cannot have a reasonable conversation with themselves!”

The kobold chuckled, keeping his eyes steady at the dusty ceiling, “Sorry...I’m sorry, really. I’m listening now.”

“You are not!” The tall monster of a man snapped back, pointing a finger into the jester’s side, “The Camerlengo would like to know why you are ignoring him!”

Patronio squealed from the clawed jab to his ribs, squirming away, “I’m just- a little lost in thought is all. I’m sorry my dear friend, truly, it was not my intention.”

“Oh!”

And then it was quiet again. Uncomfortably so for the jester, causing him to sit up and see just what exactly his friend was doing. He blinked once or twice when he noticed the other’s eyes directly on him.

“Well! What is it you are thinking about?” The Camerlengo grinned, “That could be a good conversation piece!”

Patronio sighed heavily, pressing his fingers down into the soft paw-like pad in the middle of his palm, waving his other hand dismissively, “No, no, it’s really nothing interesting. What were you trying to tell me again, something about the garden?”

His friend’s eyes narrowed slightly, placing his hands on his hips in a disappointed manner as he spoke, “Well! He thinks you keep far too much to yourself lately! Very unlike you, Jester.”

Rolling his eyes – though with a lack of pupils, the action was mostly pointless- the kobold sighed heavily. He knew how this would go, this was a common pattern the two had gone through many times before. If The Camerlengo was set on something, it was rare for him to ever give up on the subject. Something he could admire in the tall man’s work, but something he’d utterly loathe when it came to things he’d much rather keep to himself.

“I don’t have a choice here, do I?” Patronio half hissed, flopping onto his back once more, resting his hand on his cheek with a puff.

“Not if you are going to be so gloomy and distant, no!”

He groaned in response.

“Besides, it is not a good idea to hide things! You know this. What else would friends be for?”

He hated when the other was right like that.

“...Fine,” the jester huffed, “You win.”

Quiet for a moment. Then two.

“Well?” The Camerlengo prodded, “Are you to talk or not, Jester?”

Nope, no getting out of this. Patronio loathed the serious conversations about emotions and fear...They were never any fun at all and only reminded him of the harshness of the situation the castle had been tossed in. With another annoyed groan, he began with the first thing on his mind.

“...A lot of time has passed, you know,” He blinked at the ceiling. When had he last dusted up there?, “The towns and world we once knew is now….very different. Yet, we are still stuck in the same days as before this wretched curse.”

He expected a quip or two, or something stupid and unrelated to be uttered from his friend, but for once found disappointment when no words were spoken. Great, he was simply listening. Why did he have to be quiet now, of all times? Discussions like this were not the kobold’s favorite! He knew this, right?

Of course he did, Patronio realized. That was exactly why he was silent, knowing the small blue creature would leap at any small opportunity to push this awkward conversation aside and change the subject. Blasted.

He gripped his cloak tight, thumb running across the slightly worn fabric as he continued, “I’m unsure how much has changed, what with being bound to this castle and forest. It is frightening to know that I-...That all of us have been forgotten to time. We have nothing to bind us to this timeline, no one to...remember who we were.”

Balling his fist, he fought back the crack he felt coming in his voice, “Is it not cruel, to be cursed to forever roam in a world that does not need you? Only to exist as a pawn for a game that no one, not even the one ‘in control’ can win? Isn’t it cruel to have caught all the innocents in it as well, forcing them to look to a lonely, foolish court jester for their guidance?”

“Jester-”

“And isn’t it just awful? Awful to know that after being forced into this terrible leadership, that everyone who has died blames you? And that-...if you really think about it, it is all true after all? But what are you supposed to do then, let down everyone else whom wishes not to be apart of this curse? Doom them to an enteral prison because you don’t want to be blamed? Selfish! Selfish to become so cowardly! Perhaps you are deserving of your shame then!” His voice had raised without realizing it, hissing and spitting his self-anger freely, “Yes! Cower away dear fool, cower away and let others die as you lie to their faces about these trials!”

Was he crying? Patronio felt like he was crying. It hurt.

“Jester! Jester...” He simply whined when The Camerlengo’s thumb brushed his face, wiping off the cascade of tears he was now very, very aware of, “What has gotten into you?”

“...I...I never asked for this,” the kobold murmured, shoving the other’s hand off himself, “I never wanted this! I am merely a jester-….How could one ask me to just let others die? I only wanted-...I wanted to bring joy.”

“...He knows, Jester,” It was always strange when the tall man was quiet, soft spoken even, “The Camerlengo knows you are not to blame for this curse.”

“Yes, I know you understand that,” He grumbled, shoving the hand away once more, “Knowing so many people’s blood is on your hands however-...”

“But it is not! You know that. You did not….cause this.”

“But I continue to go along with it.”

“For the sake of the castle, yes? The Jester is no coward, he is only doing what has been forced on him!”

“...Hm,” Patronio sighed in half acknowledgment, “Yes, this is…for everyone...”

“Then why blame yourself so harshly? He...does not see the reason to.”

“I know, I know my friend,” He hummed, “Not much ever makes sense, does it?”

“No, not often.”

“...I’m aware this is no fault of my own. I suppose it’s just morphed into guilt due to well...I am the “face” of this entire operation now, since The Count’s death.”

“Ah...He sees, then.”

Quietness took over again, mixed with the heavy breathing of the previously sobbing kobold. Why had it gotten quiet again? He didn’t like it. Would he just speak already? This-

“Augh!” Patronio hissed, feeling himself quickly lifted from his very comfortable spot, “Let me go!”

The small male thrashed wildly from being so suddenly grabbed, slowly turning into small squirms as he was firmly pressed against his friend’s chest in a hug. A half growl escaped him, dying off in his throat as a hand gently rubbed the back of his head.

“...Do you still want to be let go, Jester?”

He puffed a bit, gripping The Camerlengo’s coat in his hands tightly, “...No. But do warn me before you do that! I don’t appreciate being grabbed like that.”

“Well! You looked like you needed a hug, so The Camerlengo decided to help with that!” The tall man smugly smiled.

Settling further in his friend’s arms, the kobold just let out a soft ‘eugh’ in response, squinting when he was met with a loud laugh. Whatever, this was fine.

“You worry of being forgotten?”

“...We already have been, my friend. There is not a soul left to remember any of us here.”

“Hm, well that certainly can’t be right!”

Patronio arched his eyebrow in confusion, “What do you mean by that? Years- Centuries have passed.”

“We are still here, are we not?”

“...Yes?”

“Simple! We remember eachother, yes? He remembers you, you remember The Camerlengo! We are not forgotten then.”

“Hah...” The kobold snickered once, slowly elevating into a full laugh, “Yes, yes...Of course we remember each other, you strange man! We’re friends, after all.”

“Well then! Someone remembers you, then! And therefore, someone does not blame you either!”

His giggling continued, rubbing his face further against his friend’s coat, realizing perhaps he truly did need this conversation after all. The other’s laughter joining in only heightened the strange joy the silly words had brought the kobold.

“See, you see? The Jester is very good at bringing joy!”

He snorted, squeezing just a little harder, “Stop, you’re going to make me cry again...You goof...”

[mcutrio]

Bar Night [11]

Bar Night [11]

Tags: @buckys-little-monster @imaginesofeverykind​

“You awake,” Thor smiled, standing at the foot of the bed in new clothing as Kat groaned to herself and rubbed her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust before she remembered that they were watching a movie before everything turned to blackness, meaning she must’ve passed out halfway through.

“Augh, good morning,” she greeted, running her fingers through her hair and cracking her neck. “God, I have the worst neck ache.”

“I did try not to disturb you in your slumber,” Thor smiled.

“About that,” Kat sat upright, “I’m so sorry I fell asleep, I totally didn’t mean to--”

“It’s fine,” Thor beamed, “you are quite peaceful when you sleep.”

“As opposed to when I’m awake?” Kat groaned, rubbing her tired eyes before standing up and snatching her phone. “I am starving.”

“As am I. Fortunately they’ve already served breakfast,” Thor announced.

Kat brushed her fingers through her hair, realising she must’ve missed the morning call for breakfast. “Shall we go, then?”

“We shall,” Thor agreed, gesturing for her to leave first.

The two rejoined the rest of the team, and Tony immediately pulled his shades down onto his nose as he paused, staring at the pair with an incredulous, humoured expression.

“And what have you two been up to, then?” He questioned, the lilt in his tone showing that he already had an idea of what he thought they’d been doing.

“Sleeping,” Kat shot back, grabbing a cereal box before he could say anything else. She sat herself down between Tabitha and Steve, who immediately turned to her and smiled.

“A win,” he repeated quietly, and Kat socked him in the shoulder so much so that he dropped the bagel in his hand, though he daresn't say a word to her as he stifled his laugh.

“Is everyone coming out tonight?” Nat suddenly questioned, taking a slug of coffee.

“Out?” Kat asked, confused.

Tabitha swallowed a bite of toast. “Yeah, the other night when you were busy with Thor we all decided that we were going out for drinks tonight.”

“Alright,” Kat said.

“So… as I’m not hearing any screams of protest, I’ll take that as a yes,” Natasha smiled, putting her mug down on the marble counter.

“What’s on the agenda today, bestie?” Court shot at Steve, who seemed unfazed by the nickname she gave him. Though confused at the terminology, the two girls decided not to question Courtenay upon it, just as the super soldier seemed to be doing. What Court says, goes.

“Spar day,” he nodded. “I think it’s time we get some combat training in, especially for the twins. They’re inexperienced.”

“When you’re as fast as I am there’s no need for fancy punches and kicks, Mr Rogers,” Pietro grinned, biting down into a green, shiny apple. “And my sister can move things with her mind. You’d never get a hand on her.”

“It happens, trust me,” Tabitha’s brows shot up as she poured more orange juice into her glass. “It’s better if you’re both prepared. Who knows how effective Strucker’s experiments were, anyway? What if your powers are only temporary?”

“Then you will not need us,” Pietro argued, causing Tabitha to roll her eyes.

“All I’m saying is that learning how to punch your way out of a situation is a good idea instead of just relying on your… powers,” Tabitha explained.

“She’s right,” Steve agreed. “Be ready. Training starts in twenty minutes,” he finished, dumping his plate into the sink before leaving the room.

Kat rolled her eyes before looking at Thor, who had his usual plate of pop tarts in front of him. “Did you hear? You’re partnering with me for sparring.”

“Oh, yes. It was my idea,” Thor told her nonchalantly.

Kat was taken aback. “Oh, okay then.”

Tabitha stood to her feet after slamming her empty cup of juice down. “Right. Better get ready then. You coming?”

Court, Kat and Bucky followed close behind, the rest of the team finishing off their meals. They separated into their designated rooms whilst getting ready, though Buck followed Tabitha.

“What are you doing?” She questioned, noticing he had followed her inside as she rummaged through her drawer for workout clothes.

He came up behind her, wrapping his hands around her torso as he lay his head on her shoulder. “Nothin’… keep doing what you’re doing.”

“It’s hard when you’re holding me like this,” she smiled, plucking his arms from her waist and turning to face him,  pressing a kiss against his lips immediately. “Save it for later, gosh.”

He smiled against her cheek, placing a kiss there quickly before stepping back from her. He cleared his throat after flushing from the close proximity, then promising that he would see her later as he left to go change.

“Hurry up, Tabs,” Court said, knocking her door a few minutes later. Tabitha tied her hair up into a ponytail before bounding out, grinning, being greeted by her two friends.

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” she breathed, cracking her fingers. “Let’s go.”

Kat tucked away her mobile as the three of them walked, turning up last to the gym as per usual. Steve, waiting for them somewhat impatiently, clapped his hands together to grab everyone's attention as he started the session.

“Grab your partners,” he said, watching as everyone shuffled to their designated partners. Courtenay was teamed with Tabitha, the twins with one another and Kat with Thor. “Now follow me,”

Steve demonstrated the jab-jab block grapple pattern he wanted them to follow and then would allow for free-form sparring to see what everyone was capable of. The experienced ones in the team were able to execute the simple task easily, while Pietro and Wanda lagged behind before perfecting their form.

Afterwards, the partners were ordered to ‘take down’ one another, and whoever was first successful would be the ‘winner’ despite that there was no real reward other than pride, perhaps.

Thor stood over Kat, having knocked her on her back.

“I think we’ve proven who’s stronger,” Thor teased.

Kat then twisted her legs around his feet so that he fell to the ground, too.

“Call it a tie.” She smirked.

Meanwhile, Tabitha and Courtenay stood solid, locked arms, unable to move the other. With their equal training, they found it difficult to outsmart their opponent, though eventually, Courtenay twisted her elbows until the pain caused Tabitha to fall to her knees, though she disabled Courtenay’s locked knees until they were both on that mat, too.

“Good session today, guys,” Steve said after another hour of sparring, “I expect you to be better tomorrow.”

They all filtered out of the gym, immediately running for a shower. As soon as the trio had showered, they ordered themselves a few pizzas for lunch, so that if they decided to drink lots later that night, they had a full stomach to do it on.

“Do you ever think about the others?” Tabitha wondered out loud, her eyes dragging over to Courtenay as they dug into their mozzarella pizza.

Kat’s expression deadpanned as she realised what her friend was hinting at before she nodded. “All the time. You?”

“Yeah, it’s hard not to,” Tabitha agreed, placing her slice down back onto her plate and rubbing her hands on her jeans. “How are we the only ones that survived?”

“They weren’t as friendly with the ones who didn’t cooperate,” Courtenay said.

It was horrifying, really. Though the girls worked together, there were many times in their life that they were separate. They were teamed together when they were ten years old, and they honestly had no idea how they would work in the world without one another. Before that, they were trained in physical combat, where the strongest out of the bunch were plucked from the academy and used for experimentation. It was exciting for them at the time because it was seen as an honour and taken with great gratitude, but now they see that they were mere puppets in a far bigger show than they’d ever thought could’ve been booked.

Courtenay was one of the few who was taken from her family. Usually, you were born into the business or taken as a first-born from a family who required protection or weapons in exchange. Both Kat and Tabitha were part of this ordeal; they had no idea who their parents were, but they knew that they were of importance. But Courtenay’s parents owed a debt, and because of her situation, she was one of the few who did resist, which resulted in a far more inhumane form of training.

“I wish I knew my parents,” Kat sighed, where a solemn Tabitha agreed with a quiet nod as she took another bite of pizza.

“I wish I didn’t, sometimes,” Courtenay added quietly. “It’s hard to think about.”

“There has to be a reason that they let us live, don’t you think?” Tabitha wondered suddenly. “Surely they know where we are, and what we’re doing. I can’t ever imagine that escaping their grip would be as easy as it was, yet here we are; unscathed. How does SHIELD not even notice? Hydra was compromised.”

“Well, with Rumlow dead, there’s not much that they have on us,” Kat nodded, “we were kept off of the files, right? He’s basically the information bank.”

“Yeah, so SHIELD couldn’t get their paws on us,” Courtenay said. “It’s funny; we worked under their noses for so long. What if they find out?”

“I don’t think they will, honestly,” Tabitha shrugged. “Hydra is dead. That’s not our life anymore.”

“But it was,” Kat pulled her knees to her chest. “I mean, it’s a big ordeal. We used to work on the opposite end of the stick and preach that freedom was the world's ‘greatest lie’. That’s everything that SHIELD fights for.”

“But as soon as we got a taste of that freedom, our opinion switched,” Courtenay finished. “Surely our decision speaks louder volumes than where we came from, who we worked for. Right?”

And while it was mundane and somewhat melancholic to think about their past, where they had come from, and their rash decision to help the Avenger’s rather than kill them, they knew that better things were to come. You can only go up after human experimentation, after all.

“Right, instead of all this talk, how about we get dressed for tonight?” Tabitha finally added.

Kat, through a mouthful of pizza, agreed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Time to get fucking wasted,” Courtenay whooped, standing to her feet. “I don’t know about you guys but I was a little underwhelmed with the alcohol from that party the other week.”

“Unlike you, we don’t intend to get absolutely fucked every time we have a drink,” Kat grinned.

Courtenay put her hand on her hip. “It helps drown out the voices, love.”

“You sure that’s not just you talking to yourself again?” Tabitha smirked.

“Shut up and get dressed,” Court shock back, shooing the two girls out of her room so that they could all change.

When the three of them were ready, they walked out to the main entrance of the headquarters where they found their vehicle waiting. They’d be driving with Bucky and Steve whilst everybody else carpooled with either Tony or Nat. Tony had reserved a few tables in a bar for them to hand out in; it was a private, secluded and somewhat extravagant, but it would do for a social outing.

“This place is fancy,” Kat commented, digging her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. Tony took them all to their private booth, where they had their own bar, own servers, own privacy. It seemed a little much, but nobody was about to complain.

“First round's on me, kids,” Tony smiled, pulling out his wallet.

“Are you doing this out of the kindness of your heart or just taking another opportunity to flash how rich you are, Stark?” Kat teased, taking a seat in one of the booths, besides Thor and leaving a seat beside her for Tony to take after he ordered the drinks. Soon, he returned, a waitress close behind him with a serving of shots. “Oh boy.”

“Down the hatch, team,” Tony said, just as everyone scooped up their shot glass, clinked them together and took them back with a grimace. Thor and Steve shared an Asgardian concoction, considering there was nothing else that would get the pair drunk.

“Eugh, gross,” Tabitha complained, wiping her mouth. “At least get something that tastes nice, Stark.”

“If it tastes nice, it's not strong enough,” Tony cheered.

“True that,” Courtenay agreed, standing to her feet. “More.”

Tony spun his finger around in the air, gesturing for another round. Within the next twenty minutes, the team had drunk about three or four shots each, giving them all a decent amount of intoxication to be slurring incoherent yet hilarious nonsense to one another.

“So, can you like, take control of animals and stuff?” Bucky questioned, his eyes slightly lazy looking.

Tabitha pondered over this for a moment, clinging to his arm. “You know, I had never thought of that. That’s such a great idea, let me do it right now--”

“Hey, take it easy,” Kat hiccuped, pressing a hand to Tabitha’s shoulder to ensure that she stayed seated and didn’t take control of any stray cats.

“Shhhhh,” Tabitha swatted Kat’s hand away. “You can’t tell me what to do anymore,” she slurred.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Thor grinned. Smiling seemed to be his go-to expression, even when he was particularly confused.

“Let me tell you, buddy,” Tabitha began, slapping her hand on the table. “Back when we used to get trained by--”

Courtenay suddenly leaned forwards, feigning that she had accidentally knocked over her drink that went sloshing over onto Tabitha’s jacket, who yelped in surprise.

“Oh, gosh, oh… no, I’m so sorry,” Courtenay spluttered, humorous expression lingering underneath the fake, apologetic one.

“Gross, Courtenay. It’s everywhere, why did you do that?” Tabitha pouted peeling off her jacket after dabbing it down with tissue.

“You’re getting a few stares, Lady Courtenay,” Thor announced, lifting his glass and gesturing towards a prestige looking bundle of people who kept shooting stares at the rather loud Courtenay, who was laughing away to herself.

“Who’s staring?” She snapped, turning around and locking eyes with the people across the room. They must have recognised her, or at least someone in their group, as they cleared their throats and looked away, feigning a smile. “Oh, no. They’re not getting away with this. Thor! Back me up.”

“What--” Kat began, though she was cut off as Thor and Courtenay stood to their feet, going over and starting a row with the other table. Tony immediately put his face in his hands, shaking his head.

“Why do I ever try and do something nice for the team?” Tony questioned with a groan. “You’re an embarrassment to my dignity.”

Courtenay and Thor, across the room, over flipped a table and caused the slurry of rich people to jump from their seats with a yelp. Thor laughed in appreciation and the pair high-fived, but it wasn’t long before the disturbed bar members from outside of the secluded area sauntered in, unimpressed. Thor and Courtenay nodded at one another, grabbing chairs.

“Oh my God, are we seriously just going to let them do this?” Kat stumbled, her brain a little fuzzy as she faded to and fro with sobriety, trying to focus on the duelling pair.

Tabitha raised her hands, shooting purple flashes of energy towards a glass that came flying towards the team, stopping an inch or two from Steve’s face. Tabitha then twisted her hands and pushed them outwards, flinging the drink back over towards the bar fight.

Suddenly, someone pulled out a gun, causing Courtenay to back up with her hands raised. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of red and her over-the-top demeanour melted and she broke out into a grin.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” Spider-Man asked, crawling in from the skylight after webbing aside the man's gun. “Get outta here, guys. Scoot.”

The man who had pulled out his gun snarled towards Spider-Man, smashing his glass down on the ground before he turned to leave, the rest of his group following. Spider-Man lingered on the ceiling for a few moments, ensuring that they had left before he gently dropped to his feet and waved at the team.

“Hey, guys,” he said, his voice instantly familiar to the team. Tony looked at him, eyebrow raised, and a smug grin on his face. Spider-Man instantly coughed into his hands, his voice changing. “I mean, uh, hey. Sorry about the trouble.”

“It’s okay,” Courtenay beamed, almost swooning at the sight of him. Peter might not even try and keep his identity hidden at this point because it became aware to most of the team-- minus the confused, air-heads of Steve and Bucky --just who this masked figure was.

“I should-- I should go,” Spider-Man suddenly said, appearing particularly awkward as he rubbed his hands together before backing away slowly, making his way to the door. “I’ll uh-- I’ll send a friend in!”

Not five minutes later, Peter appeared. It was embarrassingly obvious that he was Spider-Man, and just how he had remained to keep his identity hidden this entire time was incredible. Courtenay slung her arms around him immediately, burying her reddened face into his neck as he patted her back.

“I can take care of her,” Peter announced with a soppy grin, nodding towards Kat and Tabitha who eyed their drunken friend warily. “I’ll make sure she’s back later on. Come on, Court. Let’s get you sobered up.”

“What a sweetheart,” Kat sighed, watching as he practically dragged her out of the bar as she clung onto him. “What was all that about, anyway?” She questioned, turning to Thor who looked particularly dazed, an intoxicated glint to his eye.

“A night of drinking is not a night of drinking without a good fight,” he beamed.

“Alright, sure,” Kat shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Bucky suddenly nudged Tabitha in the side and leaned to whisper as soon as she sprung to his attention. “How’s about we get out of here?”

“Sure,” Tabitha agreed, downing the rest of her vodka and coke before shimmying out of the booth and following him. At this point, the team didn’t think to question them, far more focused on the damage that they had-- or, more specifically, that Thor and Court --had caused.

“I’m sorry about that,” Tabitha rubbed her nose, the night air of New York particularly cold. “She tends to get a little over excited when she’s drunk.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he laughed, throwing his arm over his shoulder as the pair aimlessly wandered through the streets. Any other day, Tabitha would probably feel particularly anxious to be walking around the streets at this time of night. However, with Bucky by her side, she felt confident. “She’s got a good heart, though.”

Tabitha hummed at this. “Yeah.”

“Peter seems to bring out the best in her,” Bucky thought. “It’s funny. He’s the timidest, most awkward boy I’ve met in my life. And she’s just… she's..."

“A lot?” Tabitha suggested with a laugh.

“For lack of better word, yeah. She’s very loud,” he shrugged.

“Well, she turns to mush whenever she’s with Peter,” Tabitha thought over the times in Hydra, how her friends had been treated. “He’s one of the few things that have ever loved her, you know? It’s the same with all of us. Before, we…” Tabitha took a deep breath. “Never mind.”

Bucky froze, having stopped under the dim, flickering light of a lamppost. He pressed his hands to Tabitha’s shoulders.

“You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?” He encouraged.

Tabitha looked away, anxious. Was she really about to do this? Was she really about to tell him everything?

“Where we came from wasn’t a very nice place,” Tabitha finally said. “They didn’t treat us all that well.”

Bucky frowned, thinking back to his own time at Hydra. He suddenly thought back to his conversation in the farm house, remembering how she seemed to forget a huge portion of her life. Perhaps it was for the best.

“I’m sorry.”

Tabitha looked at her hands that became alight with purple flames before she clenched her fists. “It’s okay. It doesn’t seem to affect me as much. There’s this big, empty hole where all of the pain should be.”

Bucky frowned. “Coping mechanism?”

“Yeah,” Tabitha scoffed. “Almost like my brain programmed itself to forget everything that happened.”

“Is that a good thing?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t know if I’d rather remember or if I’d rather never know,” Tabitha sighed, running her fingers through her hair. It pained Bucky to hear her talking like this, to be sharing the same feelings that swarmed his own mind. “Sometimes I hear them… Kathryn and Courtenay. They cry in their sleep, or they don’t sleep at all. What happened to them that seemingly flew right over my head? Am I wrong for not feeling the same way?”

Bucky could feel his throat swelling with emotion and he swallowed, pulling her into a strong hug as he felt a supernova of emotions explode in his chest as he let out a mere, ragged breath, holding Tabitha close.

Meanwhile, Kat had repositioned herself to sit on one of Thor’s legs as the team laughed away, the spirits having been lifted as Sam took it upon himself to do some Karaoke. Of course, being the fanboy that he was, decided to sing some Marvin Gaye, ‘Let’s Get It On’.

Kat pulled out her phone, laughing away as she filmed the entire fiasco, drunk Sam still managing to hit every note and lyric, if not with a little extra passion. The team, heavily intoxicated at this point, all joined in on the song, and though Steve and Thor stumbled over the words, they managed to pick it up after Sam’s third round.

“Alright, I’m pooped,” Natasha yawned, her eyes bloodshot. “I think it’s time we get home, huh?”

Kat, although thoroughly enjoying herself, agreed. She had to make sure that Tabitha and Courtenay got home safe. Tony slapped down the money he owed for the drinks, and everybody shuffled out of the booth. Happy chauffeured everyone home (requiring multiple trips back and forth from the bar and back to the HeadQuarters) but he didn’t complain.

As soon as Kat got through the doors, she just about tripped over before she was caught by Thor, who smiled at her drunken form. She wasn’t particularly sure if she’d tripped on purpose or if she was genuinely clumsy, as her subconscious was screaming for her to throw herself at Thor anyway.

“Are you alright?” Thor questioned, holding her as she remained mid-fall, gazing up at him with reddened cheeks. She broke out into a smile, her mind fuzzy with the remaining buzz of alcohol before she cleared her throat and nodded, standing up straight.

“Get her to bed, Thor,” Tony grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “And leave her there.”

“I had no other intentions, my friend,” Thor rolled his eyes.

“Will you make sure Court and Tabs get home safe?” Kat whispered, worrisome although exhausted at the same time.

“Of course,” Thor reassured her, which instantly made her relax.

Eventually, Thor managed to coax Kat into bed, where she almost immediately fell asleep. He flipped off the light and retired to his own quarters, tip-toeing as to not wake anyone else. He checked quickly in Courtenay’s room, who was already there, asleep. About forty minutes later, Tabitha and Bucky crept back into the HeadQuarters, giggling and shushing one another, evidence that they’d had a few more drinks after their emotional conversation.

“Shhhh!” Tabitha ushered, clasping a hand over her mouth as Bucky knocked over a lamp before snatching it quickly, stopping it from hitting the ground. “You’re sooooo clumsy.” She laughed, holding onto his arms.

“I don’t know why you’re holding onto me then,” Bucky hiccuped. “If I fall we both  fall.”

The moment he said that his foot caught on a stool in the living room and himself and Tabitha fell into a heap on the floor, laughing their asses off, though they froze and lay flat-down, side-by-side as they heard somebody walking past.

“Hello?” Happy called out.

Tabitha breathed out in relief, peeking out over the sofa with a grin on her face.

“Freeze!” Happy yelled at the sight of her.

“Calm down, Happy! It's just me!” Tabitha reassured, waving her arms before pulling Bucky up beside her. “And Buck!”

Happy grimaced. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t make a mess.”

Tabitha opened her mouth in shock as Bucky doubled over laughing. “We weren’t doing anything! We tripped!” Tabitha denied.

Hogan rolled his eyes. “Get to bed, children.”

“Okay Happy,” Tabitha hummed, a childish, smug smile on her face. “You heard the guy. Get to bed!”

“That’s where I was trying to go until this stool got in my way,” Bucky exclaimed, pointing at the stool. “I don’t even know where it came from. Tackled me out of nowhere!”

“Well let’s go before he gets his stool friends to back him up, ‘cause then we’d be in big trouble,” Tabitha said seriously. The pair then stumbled to bed, parting ways, though not without a kiss on the cheek first.

Finally, Tabitha collapsed onto her bed with a content sigh to be actually wrapped in the bed covers. However, her mind continued to race as she thought back to her conversation with Bucky earlier. Her heart jumped with happiness at how understanding and comforting he was with her, though she remained feeling emotional giving the topic they’d stumbled upon. Drained, she eventually found herself falling asleep.