The Fall - Book 1

159. You're in no position to make demands.

⚠️ TW: death ⚠️

NOVEMBER 11, 2019 — AVENGERS COMPOUND  — RÉA

All of us—Tony, Pepper, the Avengers, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and I—are sitting out by the fire pit in the back yard, listening to Bruce and Scott once again debating whether time travel is possible.

"I mean, technically anyone can time travel. Take a flight from the East Coast to the West Coast and you've gone three hours back in time," Scott says.

"That's...that's not...no," Bruce says, shaking his head. "That's just because of time zones. You're not jumping back or ahead multiple years."

"Again, like I said on Halloween, the Quantum Realm could theoretically be used for time travel. Time moves differently there. By my calculations, one second there is one minute here. But I also know that it changes because time doesn't really move linearly there like it does here. So my calculations really don't mean anything." Scott pauses. "But my point is that five years here could be only five hours there."

I tune them out when Bucky shifts, pulling my full attention back to him.

"Do I need to get out of your lap?" I ask.

"No," he says, shaking his head as his arms tighten around my waist.

Since we woke up this morning, he's insisted on touching me in some fashion all day: placing his hand on the small of my back as we walk around; holding my hand at meals; draping his arm across my shoulders or having me in his lap when we're just sitting around relaxing; other moments of contact like that. I understand why; I know he's feeling raw and vulnerable, and needs comfort and reassurance—which I am more than willing to give.

His behaviour isn't so far out of the norm for most of the team to question it, but Steve and Nat have definitely noticed something is up. When Bucky and I joined the others out here by the fire, Steve clasped Bucky's shoulder—which he has done loads of times before—and Bucky tensed. He didn't flinch...he just got very, very still...and it was only for a split second, but Steve and Nat both noticed. That, combined with Bucky's constant physical contact with me has had both Steve and Nat giving me questioning looks since Bucky and I sat down.

I tune back in to the debate between Bruce and Scott just in time to hear Clint comment.

"I'd like to time travel...to the end of this conversation," he mutters.

I can't help the faint chuckle that slips from me at his remark; Bucky also chuckles, as do the others.

"Okay, okay, we'll change the subject," Bruce says.

"Hey, Tony, do you have any more of those pellets that make the fire change colors?" Wanda asks, fully embracing the subject change.

"Little Witch, you're literally magical. You can change the color of the fire," Tony says. "But yeah, I do. They're inside."

"Will you be alright if I go grab them? I need to grab more water anyway," I whisper to Bucky, gesturing to my almost-empty cup on the coffee table. "I won't be gone long."