Summary: The Thunderbolts visit a Daycare and things get intense.
1.2k words | No warning Applied |
The mission briefing had been vague.
“Community outreach,” Val had said.
Ava blinked behind her sunglasses. “So… we’re babysitting?”
Val shrugged. “Basically. But hey who better to make your biggest fans than the youth who will soon take over?”
Which was how the Thunderbolts found themselves standing in a daycare, watching over a swarm of children.
Yelena and Ava, upon arrival, had immediately joined a group of girls who were in the middle of tea time.
John had gone to care for the littler ones. He almost cried when someone complimented him. “Ah, yeah… I used to be a dad, so…” he trailed off, seeing the babies and deciding he wasn’t good enough. Bob quietly came over and picked up a crying baby instead.
Bob sat cross-legged on a blanket surrounded by babies. He carefully held a bottle for one while another drooled on his sleeve. He looked nervous but determined .
“This is good,” he murmured. “This is manageable. They can’t judge me yet.”
Bucky was being asked a million questions, none of which were anything he expected.
“Do you know how to use a phone?”
“What’syour favirote candy?”
“How old are you? like fifty gasp sixty?”
“That's to old nobody that old”
Bucky almost laughed at how unexpected the questions were and was happy to entertain them.
Alexei was also being asked questions as he delivered dramatic, highly questionable stories about his “heroic” past as Red Guardian.
“And then I wrestled a bear,” he declared.
“With your hands?” a kid whispered in awe.
“With my bear hand,” Alexei corrected proudly, holding up a bear puppet. The kids giggled as Alexei pretended the bear was trying to eat him and then them causing the kids to scream with laughter.
That was when they decided to let the kids out to play a little earlier.
The moment they were on the playground, Yelena crouched immediately in front of a group of wide-eyed kids. “We are elite international operatives,” she said seriously. “Which means we are extremely qualified to dominate hide-and-seek.”
Ava smiled and demonstrated by phasing her hand invisible. The kids went absolutely ballistic.
John Walker was helping push kids on the swings. They were all shocked by how high they could go and how fast John was at catching them if he pushed a little too hard. Of course, the kids kept demanding to go higher.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I might shoot you into the sun,” John joked.
The kids giggled. “Higher!”
He complied, and after he let one kid off, another immediately ran up. Soon Alexei joined him, somehow turning it into a challenge to see who could make the kids scream the loudest from laughter.
One kid grabbed John’s hand and yelled, “RACE ME!”
Five minutes later he was jogging dramatically behind a giggling pack of kids who were convinced they were the fastest people alive. Walker clutched his chest and pretended to collapse whenever they “beat” him which they did every single time.
Bucky had been standing and watching, not really sure what to do but also not panicking just enjoying it. That became his mistake. He didn’t realize one of the kids was trying to climb him until he felt a tug on his leg. When Bucky picked the kid up and asked what was wrong, the kid immediately grabbed onto his metal arm… and the rest was history.
Now he was a jungle gym.
Kids climbed onto his shoulders, dangled from his vibranium arm, and poked at it with curiosity.
“Are you a robot like Iron Man?” one asked.
“No,” Bucky sighed as another kid used his knee as a stepping stool. “I’m… regretting my life choices.” he tried to hide the smile from his face he had no reaosn to hide it other then the fact that the kids thought it was so cool how he showed no emotions and kept calling him a robot. Normally Bucky would hate that but he let it slide because of how they genuinely thought it to be a compliment.
Yelena and Ava were teaching kids how to hide spectacularly. One of them would be the seeker while the other helped the kids hide. Within minutes they were rotating turns, making sure the hiding spots were effective though it was still easy to find kids when someone inevitably started giggling. Sometimes one of the women would intentionally get caught to protect a kid like right now, when Ava allowed herself to be found.
“Okay, now we interrogate her,” Yelena said. The kid cracked his knuckle.
“I’ll never tell,” Ava said.
Yelena nodded, and the kids started tickling Ava.
“Talk,” Yelena demanded, trying not to laugh.
“Never,” Ava insisted. “You will not break me.”
“We will see about that” Yelena had said.
Then one tiny voice yelled, “LET’S PLAY TAG!”
The entire playground froze, and the kids let go of Ava.
“Yeah!” they all shouted, bursting from their hiding spots.
Walker grinned. “Oh, that’s easy—”
A small hand slapped Ava’s back. “You’re it!”
Ava blinked, then looked at John with a mischievous smile.
John ran.
“Whoa, he’s fast!” one of the kids said.
“Yes, but we can get him,” Yelena said, nodding to Ava as they launched into motion. They sprinted after him, climbing over play structures like parkour professionals. Kids shrieked in amazement as Yelena vaulted into a tree like a gymnast. She swung a wire toward Walker’s ankles only for him to leap over her with a cackle.
“Come on, Lena, you aren’t even it,” John teased.
“Yeah, but she is. Girl code,” Yelena shot back.
“What's the girl code? Always mess with Walker?”
“Yes, actually,” she answered as he dodged again.
Ava phased through the ground and reappeared directly in front of him, she started sneezing kicks and punches snd John started blocking using his hand. When john looked up he saw her smirking. “You know blocking my punches still counts as being tagged, right?”
Walker skidded to a stop. “Shi—”
“No tag backs,” she said sweetly, vanishing again.
“Haah!” Yelena let our her signature mocking snort.
Walker spun around.
Yelena was gone.
Completely.
“Where—” he started, squinting at a suspiciously bug bush that wasn't rhere earlier.
He turned and saw Bob.
Bob’s eyes went wide. “John, I am holding a baby,” he repeated as Walker charged closer.
Walker veered at the last second and bolted toward Bucky.
Bucky’s relaxed smile vanished instantly. “No,” he said, already running.
Two super soldiers tore across the playground while children chased them, laughing hysterically.
Bucky stopped suddenly.
Walker lunged and Alexei dove out of nowhere, tackling Walker to the grass.
Bucky straightened, smug. “We had an alliance.”
“When did—” Walker started.
“Details are for losers,” Alexei declared, leaping to his feet. “Now I am it! And the Red Guardian will capture you all!”
Chaos escalated immediately.
The game somehow transformed into freeze tag. Ava and Yelena organized the kids into stealth teams, whispering instructions like tiny covert operatives while they snuck past Alexei. Walker hid behind a plastic dinosaur with three kids. Bucky played decoy, sprinting across the field while pretending he wasn’t having fun.
Bob remained on baby duty abd with the few kids who didn't want to play they would simply sit and draw and Bob would help them complimenting there work. Every one in a while a toddler would tag his shoe and declaring him frozen. He complied every time until another kid “unfroze” him, and he thanked them seriously for saving him.
By the end of the day everyone was out of breath. They were called in for lunch, and kids took turns grabbing their favorite hero and demanding they sit with them.
Omg it's been so long, hi!! I've not been too active on Tumblr for a while but I'm checking more frequently bc bus rides are boring 😅 I was going through my following bc there's so many accounts I don't actually recognize or am interested in anymore, and I came across yours and was "!!!" bc I kept forgetting how to spell it. How have you been?
Hiiii!! It's so great to hear from you again!
I've been doing okay :)) lots has changed since last time. I've been working full time for a year now so that's different. That's why I've been active on and off. Adulting is a pain and very much anxiety inducing but I'm trying my best 😅
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