Friends
It's important to me to consider the fact that in Captain America: The winter soldier (set in 2014) that Steve, Bucky, and Natasha are approximately somewhere in their very upper 20s/very early 30s
Also consider in 2014 (according to Google and what I remember off hand):
Sam would have been approx mid/upper ~30s
Tony would have been approx mid/upper ~40s
Bruce would have been approx mid/upper ~40s
Clint would have been approx ~early(?)/mid 40s
Thor is over 1000
Also consider in 2014:
Peter Parker would have been around ~19.
*I tried to remember/find ages for the movies since the ages change depending on what source material you consider, but the ones provided should be close, I think. If not, ignore me and just roll with it.
That's a pretty big age difference. Like, there's a big age break in the original avengers.
Steve and Natasha on one side and Tony, Bruce, Clint, and Thor on the other.
So
Steve, Bucky, and Natasha are closer in age to Peter than they are to Tony/Bruce/Clint/Thor.
Tony/Bruce/Clint/Thor are closer in age to Sam than Steve or Bucky or Natasha.
What does that mean?
I don't know, but I need to discuss it more.
📍Remember kids - This is a greyskyflowers post so that means in this post the avengers worked their shit out like adults and worked together to help unfuck Bucky.
I need more of Steve, Natasha, and Bucky being the babies of the group. I need more of them acting their age.
I've hinted on other posts that I adore the idea of Steve and Bucky falling into love like teenagers.
Cute and wholesome and so sweet it's nauseating.
Because they never got to be teenagers between the depression and the war and hydra and and an-
Innocent and breathless, and listen I was trying to find myself without you before, and I've realized that I was never going to find me without you. I don't know who I am without you. So I figured while we're out looking for you, maybe we can finally find me too.
Not explicit or anything. Way too soon and way more recovery needed. Being touched in even gentle, loving ways can be overwhelming after being starved for it so long.
But soft.
Brushing fingers because holding hands is still too much like a restraint and curling a finger or two together is something they can both break easy.
Not wanting to be in different spaces because what if something happens but also, I don't want to be away from him. I don't ever want to be away from him again.
Curling like parentheses towards each other at night, quiet and just watching each other, braving the same bed but keeping some room because sometimes they both need space to breathe.
Bucky trying to sleep some during the day because the dark is still hard. The nightmares are meaner when they sense the dark. They grow teeth.
Steve sitting on the floor and leaning against the side of the bed, sketching. Bucky curled up n the edge of the bed. Sometimes, he hooks a finger in Steve's shirt or leaves a hand close enough to brush skin and sometimes he doesn't touch at all.
When the nightmares inevitably come for Bucky with the crack of electricity and the bone deep ache of winter or when Steve is sketching Bucky from memory and can't remember something like how his hair used to lay after he fixed it up or how his work clothes hung off him after a long day or any other small thing and falls right into a panic attack because part of him still thinks Bucky is really gone and oh god what if Steve starts to forget things about him or what i-
Bucky wakes quiet and seamlessly between one breath and the next and nudges him. Lets Steve look his fill even though it makes his skin crawl sometimes.
Too many people have stared their fill at him with the same intensity, but Steve's gaze is warm, and theirs never was.
And the others pretend to be disgusted and give them plenty of shit but they'll also destroy anyone who tries to ruin it.
Bruce ducks his head and hides a smile when he sees them together like that. Tony rolls his eyes and makes jokes but the corners of his eyes are crinkled in a smile. Thor is just thrilled, always pleased to see his friends happy, and usually sees it as an excuse to start talking about Jane. Clint grins and makes himself scarce. Some situations don't need an audience.
Sam just shakes his head and looks at Natasha like can you believe this shit?
Because he can't.
Seriously, what even is his life? How did he get here? He just went for his morning run and now he's in Stark Tower watching Captain fucking America and the god damn Winter Solider basically brush noses and gaze into each others eyes.
And while Steve and Bucky are doing that I need Natasha having fun too.
Playful, giggling, happy, and pleased as hell because look at her odd little family. They're so strange and unexpected and she loves them so much.
Painting her nails bright colors and managing to talk the others into it at least once. Thor is intrigued.
Blowing straw wrappers at everyone when they get takeout. Occasionally starting small food fights that escalate because Tony and Clint are incapable of not escalating things.
Sending them all TikToks at all hours of the day, usually funny animal videos, something in russian that only Bucky snorts at, or some reference they don't get which ends in her sending more videos for context.
Calling anytime the avengers have a late night meeting girls night
Making them have an actual girls night where they all wear face masks, eat candy and chips, and watch bad movies
Her and Pepper dressing up and going out to have a fun evening. Long, dangling earrings and a little too much eyeliner, eye-catching dresses, and no intentions other than to just have fun.
Her and Clint getting small so small matching tattoos one day after a misson that was far too close.
An arrow, straight like it was in flight, and a thread looped around the length of it and dangling a little with a spider at the end of it.
* Personally, I love them as best friends but lovers, friends, half of each other, somewhere in between, or however you like to see their relationship, they're soulmates regardless.
Sam flirting his heart out because he's gotta try, right? Natasha's a hell of a woman.
Bringing her flowers and unexpectedly dropping by to take her to lunch.
She's charmed. He might he might be one of the few men alive that she hasn't caught staring at her chest. He stares, alright, but not at her chest. Not in a degrading way.
Practice spars that last minutes and Sam ends up dazed and on his ass, but little hearts float around him because god damn.
Which, to be fair, Steve does the same thing when Bucky knocks him on his ass too. But Bucky could throw a punch and bust Steve's lip and Steve would still try to kiss his knuckles before he pulled away. Tony says it's disgusting and has been trying to get Jarvis to play puking noises anytime they make what he calls "heart eyes" at each other but Pepper continues to override it with an eye roll.
So she can't really compare them because Steve makes that face because he loves Bucky and Sam is just making that face beca-.... oh.
And listen, someone's gotta be the one to give them shit, them being the old men of the group, and since Steve and Bucky are lost in each other's eyes again over in the corner eyeroll, it's up to her.
** I'm also a fan of the idea that cryo actually put Bucky behind Steve a little bit in age, and Steve totally takes advantage of the fact that he's older than Bucky now.
It takes a while to get there though, because anytime Steve thinks about it, it makes his chest go tight and his breathing hitch because you aren't supposed to pass people in age who are alive.
You grow older than people when they're dead. When they no longer age and they're forever *insert number here*.
It's not natural that Steve passed Bucky.
The reason Steve is now older is horrible. It's a permanent reminder of what happened, of what hydra did.
Bucky is never gonna pass Steve up to be oldest again. Unless something really bad happens.
And it's ridiculous because he's barely older, but in combination with everything else, it feels important. It feels like a responsibility. One Steve is ready and willing to take on, but still a responsibility. Heavy.
He wonders if this is how Bucky felt. When Steve was small and weak, just a little younger than Bucky but that small amount of time was important.
The breathtaking feeling to protect someone who needs it. To make sure someone smallerweakeryounger is taken care of.
And Bucky's not small but the serum made Steve big in all ways. Bucky's knockoff was close, but Steve's hands are still a little bigger, his shoulders a little broader.
That feels important.
