𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓼 (𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓬) 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓹𝔂

‧̍̊˙˚˙ᵕ꒳ᵕ˙˚˙ i ˙˚˙ᵕ꒳ᵕ˙˚˙‧̍̊

Being an agent of SHIELD is difficult. For everyone. The physical and emotional mark the occupation leaves on a person is not made by a simple pencil. It's more like a marker. A sharpie, actually. One of those big, black thick ones.

And let's not get you started on the marks you received from being Tony Stark's assistant.

It was a cushy job. Sometimes too cushy. The mattress he has you set up on in your bedroom in the Avengers' compound is literally controlled by a remote so it can sometimes malfunction and become too soft for your liking.

But you got to live a life you didn't get when you were younger. The divorce of your parents was carried, unknowingly, by the Avengers. So, when you were old enough to get a job at SHIELD, the only question about it was why not?

Moving up the ranks was hella hard. Like, hella. The only reason you managed to land this job was because Tony got sad when Pepper wasn't around. So, him being himself, he dug through a bunch of SHIELD files of agents he knew he could tolerate and selected yours. And then bingo-bango-bongo, you're living with the people you looked up to during your most weak and cringy time of your life. Though, that's debatable. Toddlers when they're they way they are can be pretty embarrassing too.

You don't like recalling either phases of your life, though they can be fun to laugh at. Times can be simpler when you were oblivious and didn't have to pay taxes.

Still, your life had panned out pretty great.

You started at SHIELD after it fell, so the job wasn't stable. And Ultron wasn't great. But, once the new compound was up and running, things were great. You were one of the first pieces of furniture moving in there. Honestly, you moved in quicker than Hawkeye, who a) doesn't live there all the time and b) has very little things to move in. Or at least, stuff that he chose not to unpack. Most everything in there is hanging out of a box. It's a nice system.

The most recent bombshell was the Sokolvia Accords. That was your most recent headbutting with Tony. And even some of the team. The Accords to you were a good and bad idea. The terms, like Steve pointed out–––yeah, you're on a first name basis with Captain America–––were badly conforming. But, there was a lot of damage and clean up that was neglected by the team.

All of the running around, cleaning up after all of the team, not just Tony was brutal. You didn't sign up to be his assistant, much less one to the team as well. That's what the job evolved into, and that also made your pay a lot more reasonable as you felt it was gigantic to begin with.

And then there was Bucky.

You knew where he was coming from. You loved him before you even met him. Captain America and the Howling Commandos' lore is so cool. But Tony was crushed. You were the one who went in and picked him up after Steve and Bucky were done. Tony didn't say a single word. He didn't blame you, he didn't yell or make any comments about how 'you staying in the middle did more harm than good' because he and you both knew that wasn't true. This was bound to happen even if you weren't there. But he said it himself. He was glad that you were.

It made things better after Steve and the others were gone. Natasha was gone, Clint and Scott were under house arrest, Steve and Bucky went to T'Challa to figure out all the Hydra stuff. And the list went on. The only ones left were Tony and Rhodey. They were tense because of everything and Rhodey's recovery.

And so because of the mass absences, you could only put up with it for so long. A year, actually. That's when you decided therapy was the best way to go.

SHIELD has resources, and good therapists is another one of which they weren't lacking in.

In a waiting room was where you currently sat, getting lost in the sauce of what led up to this point. The room was nice. There was a vanilla candle burning, and it wasn't an overpowering scent. Cream walls had painted trees on them, looking rather seren. Not to mention that the couch you were sitting on was super comfy and had a nice view of the city out of the floor to ceiling windows to your right.

Also to your right was a guy. He was also filling out some basic paperwork. For the therapist, you deduced with your expert SHIELD agent skills.

He wasn't bad to look at, non threatening. That's why you chose to sit on the far end of the long couch versus one of the three, rather sad and not comfy wooden chairs.

When the therapist woman opened her door, she left it open and approached the couch as a whole, not you. Your appointment was in... you glanced at your phone, right then.

"I assume you two are the lucky couple who has my three o'clock?" the therapist asked, crossing her arms. Her tone and actions weren't in a mean or rude way. It just seemed like her average demeanor.

That wasn't what confused you. It was the couple part. You turned to your right to look at the guy. His cropped brown hair was familiar, along with his blue eyes. The dude had on a leather jacket, black shirt, black jeans, combat boots. Not too bad. But you knew that face instantly and he knew yours.

Bucky's face was still and his brows were knotted. You opened your mouth, but no words came out, just a bunch of noises. With that same dumb face, you squinted your eyes and turned your head to the therapist.

"Actually, could I have a word with him, real quick before we head in?" you asked.