𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 | 𝐁. 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒 |

thirty four

AS they step into the compound, Madeleine gives Blaine a gentle nudge, flashing him an encouraging smile. "Don't be too scared, alright? Deep down, they're just a bunch of big, fluffy do-gooders."

Blaine scoffs, though his voice wavers just a bit. "I'm fine. But why couldn't I bring my gun? It would've fit right in with the get-up." He mutters, fingers twitching toward his empty holster.

Madeleine rolls her eyes and stifles a laugh. "Just shut up and follow me."

They barely make it into the main room before Wanda spots them, her gaze zeroing in on Madeleine's hand. Wanda gasps, eyes lighting up as she spots the ring. 

"Oh my God, Maddy!" She rushes over, engulfing Madeleine in a tight hug as she squeals with excitement. "You're engaged! You and Bucky are engaged!"

Within seconds, the others are gathering around, everyone either patting Bucky on the back or pulling Madeleine into congratulatory hugs. Steve grins and pulls Bucky into a friendly headlock. "Congratulations, pal! Better take care of her, or it's you and me, alright?"

Bucky smirks, adjusting his collar after Steve lets him go. "Wouldn't expect anything less."

But just as the laughter and warm congratulations are settling in, Tony's eyes land on Blaine, who's standing a few steps back, shifting from foot to foot.

Tony narrows his eyes, giving Blaine a once-over. "Hold up—did you two procreate already? When did this happen?"

Clint raises an eyebrow and nods, pointing a thumb at Blaine. "Yeah, I'm with Tony on this one. Who's the kid? Looks like he just rolled off the set of a western."

Blaine's cheeks flush as he glances around at the towering heroes. Feeling a little insecure, he removes his hat and grips it tight. 

Madeleine steps forward, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Come on, guys. Don't tease him too much. This is Blaine, he's my baby cousin."

 "I'm not a baby, alright?" He dips his head, running a hand through his hair and gripping his hat tighter. "I'm nineteen."

Natasha snorts and crosses her arms, giving him a teasing smirk. "Yeah? Still a baby by our standards."

"He's Bucky's new protégé." Madeleine explains further, and there's a beat of stunned silence before both Bucky and Blaine respond in unison.

"What?" They exclaim, voices overlapping as they exchange incredulous glances.

Bucky's brow furrows, crossing his arms with a frown. "Hang on a minute—I thought you were going to handle him, Maddy."

Madeleine raises an eyebrow, crossing her own arms defiantly. "Excuse me? I never said that. I distinctly remember saying you would whip him into shape."

They exchange pointed stares, their silent standoff slowly turning into an amusing back-and-forth. Wanda chuckles from the sidelines, whispering to Natasha, "They're already bickering like an old married couple."

Blaine clears his throat, cutting in. "Look, I never agreed to be anybody's project. I'm just here because Maddy dragged me here. I'm not about to get 'whipped into shape' by anyone." He glares, the defiance slipping back into his voice.

Madeleine turns to him, brow arched in that familiar, no-nonsense way that Blaine remembers all too well. "Oh, really? Then you're welcome to explain to the sheriff how you were back in Texas breaking more laws. Because if you don't want to go to jail, you're going to do exactly what I say."

Blaine's shoulders slump slightly, the fire in his eyes dimming as he weighs his options. He sighs, throwing his hands up. "Fine. Just... don't expect me to like it here."