Once Upon an Avenger

Chapter 36: Apologies and thank yous

When Hope woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find someone in bed with her. "Tasha!" She beamed, tightly hugging the redhead, before quickly pulling away. "I'm so sorry for what I said yesterday! I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you. It was unfair, and I know I said some unforgivable things, but I was still hoping that maybe you could forgive me. I just, I really don't want to lose you--"

"You haven't."

"—But I'm worried it might already be too late for that, and I completely understa—" She stopped mid-word, cocking an eyebrow at the woman next to her. "I haven't?"

"No, of course you haven't. I forgave you last night, you idiot," Natasha teased, pulling the pirate into a tight embrace. "Steve explained everything."

"Steve explained everything," Hope repeated, as if trying to process the information herself. "What did Steve explain?" She asked, pulling away, but furrowed her brows when she realised there was something wrong with their current sleeping arrangements. "Um, Romanoff..."

"Yes, Swan-Jones?"

"Why are you in my bed? And more importantly," she peered over to the far end of her bed, "why are Tom and Jerry camped out on my bedroom floor?"

The talking had woken Bucky up and he grumbled, "you don't remember?"

"I had an argument with Nat," Hope stated. "She told me not to bother joining you guys for dinner--"

"You did what!?" It turned out Steve was awake too. "You know she hadn't eaten since the night before, right?"

"How was I supposed to know that?" Nat defended. "I was angry, I didn't mean it."

"Wait. How did you know I hadn't..." Hope's voice trailed off as she realised what had happened. "I went into the gym with a bottle of Rum. How much did I drink?"

"Two and a half bottles, give or take a few glasses."

"I let my guard down, didn't I?" Hope mumbled, hiding her face in her hands.

Steve sat up and gave her a sorry look. "It was a little more than that."

"Why aren't you hungover?" Bucky asked, pulling the blanket back off Steve, something that made both women laugh. "I never woke up this early, or this bubbly, after drinking that much."

"Magic..." Hope and Steve said simultaneously.

"I give up." A poof of gold and white magic appeared in front of her, startling Natasha ever so slightly. Once dispersed, it revealed a dreamcatcher. Hope picked it up and sighed. "Anyone else want to watch the mental breakdown I'm guessing that I had last night?"

Nat quirked an eyebrow. "You can rewatch your memories?"

"The wonders of magic." She smiled. "It's also how I keep Wands and Mischief from reading my mind."

"She was wondering why she couldn't do that."

"Well, now you know..."

Bucky sat on the bed next to Hope. Then, he, the former Russian spy, and the pirate-princess watched as her forgotten memories of the previous night filled the dream catcher, playing like a video on a television screen.

"You defended Steve," Bucky said in disbelief once it was over.

"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are," Hope joked.

Nat noticed Hope's gaze go from the magical object in her hands to her waist. "You don't have to be ashamed of it," she said reassuringly. "We all have our scars."