avengers x male reader (requests are open)

RED GUARDIAN

The heavy steel doors of the Thunderbolts compound groaned open like a wounded beast.

Inside, the air was tense. Weapons bristled. Ghost kept one hand near her phase device. Bucky stood like a sentinel, arms crossed. Taskmaster leaned against the wall, unreadable behind the mask.

But it was Alexei Shostakov—the Red Guardian—who stood at the front of the room. He hadn’t moved in the last hour. His jaw was locked, muscles taut. He was waiting.

For you.

“Who thought this was a good idea?” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“He’s the only one who’s fought Commander Serpent and lived,” Valentina Allegra de Fontaine snapped from the side. “And unless any of you have an army stashed somewhere, we’re going to need him.”

The sound of boots echoed against the metal floor.

And there you were.

Cool, confident, dressed in matte-black tactical gear and a long coat, flanked by two armed agents of your own. You looked untouched by time, a stark contrast to the last time they saw you—five years ago, when you’d nearly brought the Thunderbolts to their knees during a covert war in Belarus.

Your eyes met Alexei’s.

He didn’t move.

You gave him a smile. “Miss me?”

Conference Room – Ten Minutes Later

“I still say this is a trap,” Ghost hissed.

“It’s not,” Alexei said, finally speaking. His deep Russian accent wrapped around each word like a vise. “If he wanted us dead, we’d be dead. He’s not the type to bluff.”

You were leaning back in the seat across from him, boots propped up on the table like it was your living room. “Glad someone remembers.”

Val cleared her throat. “Y/N, here’s the situation. Commander Serpent has taken over the Hydra cell in Kirovograd. We need access to the underground facility—something only you know how to breach.”

You raised a brow. “Let me guess. You want me to hand over the schematics, smile, and disappear again?”

“No,” Alexei said, stepping forward. “I want you to come with us.”

You turned to him, your voice cooler now. “Funny. Last time we were in the same room, you tried to kill me.”

“You almost killed me first,” he shot back, eyes narrowing. “And my team.”

You smiled bitterly. “You were chasing me across Europe like a bloodhound on steroids. I was defending myself.”

“You blew up a bridge in Budapest.”

You shrugged. “Strategically.”

Alexei stepped closer, leaning his hands on the table. “You’re still the same arrogant bastard.”

“And you’re still the delusional Soviet muscle-head.”

Silence fell.

Then... a soft, genuine chuckle rumbled from Alexei’s chest.

“I missed this,” he muttered.

And something in your expression softened—barely.

Private Quarters – Later That Night

You stared out the window of the guest wing, watching snowfall blanket the compound.

The door opened behind you.

“I was told you requested vodka,” Alexei said.

You turned, eyebrow raised. “And they let you bring it to me? Must’ve grown soft.”

He stepped inside and set the bottle and two glasses down. “Maybe. Or maybe I remember what you like.”

You approached cautiously, sitting across from him on the couch. “So… why the sudden truce?”

Alexei poured the drinks. “Because Hydra’s not playing games anymore. And because despite what happened between us... I trust your mind. Your instincts.”

You took the glass, swirling it. “Even after Minsk?”

His eyes dropped. “Especially after Minsk.”

You stared at him. “Why?”

“Because you were right,” he said quietly. “I didn’t want to see it then. But you saw the corruption festering in those units before we did. If we’d listened, we might’ve stopped this Hydra resurgence before it started.”

There was a long pause.

Then your voice, low: “That’s not why you came.”

He met your gaze.

“No,” he admitted. “It’s not.”

You both sat in silence, the vodka burning its way down your throat like shared guilt.

“I thought about you,” Alexei said suddenly. “More than I should’ve.”

Your heart twisted. You hadn’t expected that. Not from him.

“You had orders,” you said.

“And regrets,” he added. “I let the world make me think you were just another threat. But you were more. You challenged me. Saw through me. That scared the hell out of me.”

You set your drink down. “We were on opposite sides of a war.”

He leaned in, voice gravelly and soft. “But maybe now... we’re not.”

You didn’t answer right away. You looked at his face—older, wearier, but still carved from stone and fire.

“Help me stop Serpent,” he said. “And after that… we figure out who we are now.”

You stared at him.

Then, finally, you nodded.

“One mission,” you said. “And I get to punch Val if she tries to double-cross me.”

Alexei grinned. “Deal.”

You stood.

“So... we sharing a room, too?”

His eyes widened slightly, then crinkled in amusement. “You haven’t changed.”

You stepped closer, just a breath away.

“Neither have you,” you whispered. “Still big, loud, and impossible to forget.”

He didn’t kiss you. Not yet.

But you both knew it was only a matter of time.