A soft smile spread across Katia's lips as the familiar sound of her boots crunching against gravel filled the air. Shoving the car door firmly closed, she took a hesitant step forward, realising instantly that her cane was tucked into her backpack somewhere she didn't have the time or effort to find. Knowing this, she was suddenly thankful that she had gone for her boots rather than the pair of heels she had been considering. Admittedly, the heels would have been impractical for where they were going anyway, but Katia much preferred to wear them, and they made it a lot easier to hold onto people's arms when she needed to, speaking of which...
"Bucky, I may need some assistance," Katia announced, flinging her arms wide and completely missing the way Bucky had to duck to avoid being hit in the face.
Bucky muttered something under his breath in response, too quiet for Katia to hear - though she suspected from the sound of it that it may have been in a language she couldn't speak anyway - but he tucked Katia's arm through his own before she could actually injure anyone with her flailing.
Natalia couldn't help letting out a snort of laughter when she spotted the way Bucky had secured Katia's arm firmly in his own, ensuring she couldn't move. The red-head hadn't missed the way her friend had nearly hit Bucky in the face, but she could just imagine what expression Barton would pull when he saw the two of them walking like that.
Sure enough, Clint's face went a curious shade of red when he saw the way Katia was clinging to Bucky's arm, and it was only the hand Natasha placed on his arm which stopped him from going into total overprotective dad mode. If he had had his way, Bucky probably would've been hiding in the vents for the next two or three weeks at least, but Natasha wasn't about to let that happen.
"We haven't got time to maim anyone," she muttered to him as she dragged him back towards the Compound, not bothering to turn to check if the other two were following. "We need to get a move on before Laura starts to worry."
Clint looked rather doubtful of her first statement, but he couldn't deny that he was looking forward to seeing his family again, and they really would have to leave soon if they were going to get there before midnight.
"C'mon then," he replied as they walked through the doors into the Compound, immediately greeted by a cheerful voice and a flash of red as a teenager came sprinting across the lobby towards them.
"KAT!" He threw his arms around the woman before she could even register her surprise, confusion clouding her expression for a moment before she embraced him tightly.
"Hello, Pete, I didn't know you were going to be here."
"Mr Stark wanted to upgrade my suit and I was busy last week with the Decathlon, so he said it had to be today."
The kid was practically bouncing up and down on the spot as he continued to ramble on about anything and everything that popped into his mind, mind clearly racing as he tried to fill her in on everything she had missed. If it had been anyone else, Barton would probably have already insisted that they move on, but it was very difficult for anyone to say no to Peter, not when he was bouncing around like an enthusiastic puppy with such a broad grin on his face.
The only person who didn't look happy was Bucky, who had backed away from Katia and ducked into the shadows before he could resist his instincts, his expression darkening as he watched. Natasha had never realised that he wouldn't have met the kid, which seemed bizarre considering how often Stark invited him around - usually under the pretence of having some crucial suit upgrade - and yet in a way it made sense. Stark had probably made an effort to keep the kid out of his way in the knowledge of how the incident at the airport haunted them all, and the kid was a bit difficult to handle if you weren't used to teenagers.
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The Coffee Shop Girl ~ Bucky Barnes
FanfictionBucky Barnes is sick of Steve trying to convince him to go to all sorts of support groups, so when Natasha takes him to visit a little café run by people with disabilities and war veterans, he is surprised by the sense of community he finds there. K...