Argent ♝ Bucky Barnes

04

xv. Cry Baby → Melanie Martinez
"You seem to replace
Your brain with your heart
You take things so hard
And then you fall apart."

***

After retreating to her room, Allison manages to avoid everyone for the entire day, only coming out for food and water. And to borrow shampoo and conditioner from Natasha for her shower, but not much else. Afterward, she puts on the gray dress and tries not to deliberate if she was buried in it.

So she spends the day discovering new music and new artists. She's pleasantly surprised at the big step forward the world has taken, as far as social movements at least, and how much art contributed to it.

She missed her mom. They had both loved art.

At 6:00pm, she leaves her room to go to the kitchen. Her stomach was growling after missing lunch and she was not about to miss dinner. So, quietly, she makes her way to the kitchen from the elevator.

"Miss Argent, Sir would like you to come to the living room and join the rest of the Avengers for dinner," says a British voice from nowhere.

Immediately, she screams and grabs a conveniently placed lamp. She hears footsteps behind her and swings it wildly, nearly hitting someone in the process. They caught it right before it hit the side of their head.

James' eyes were wide and he quickly takes the lamp away, putting it back down. "Sweetheart, you've gotta stop with the lamps," he says, chuckling quietly. "Don't worry, it's just J.A.R.V.I.S. He's Tony's AI. Artificial intelligence."

The British voice, JARVIS, speaks again. "My apologies, Miss Argent. I had no intention to frighten you."

Allison breathes a sigh of relief and tries to calm her pounding heart. "Oh, um, it's alright," she says and clears her throat in embarrassment. "Sorry, James."

Looking bemused, James motions for her to follow him and she complies. The Avengers are all seated around the couches in the living room. There's only one vacant couch and she sits down, nervously smoothing her dress over her thighs.

By the time they entered the room, the humor had fell from James' face, leaving a cool glare of indifference as he collapses down next to her.

A carton is practically shoved in her face and she takes a pair of chopsticks and looks at it in disgust. "Do you want some of mine? I have sweet and sour chicken," James whispers in her ear and she hides a shiver at the warm breath on her skin.

"Yes, please," she whispers back. Sweet and sour is the only Chinese food she really likes.

He angles the box towards her and she picks one up, almost dropping it. James quickly caught it with his chopsticks so it didn't fall on her gray dress. She opened her mouth and he drops it in casually, before handing her the sweet and sour chicken, and going to town on her now abandoned sesame chicken.

Both Allison and James pretended not to notice Natasha subtly sneaking glances at them as they eat.

Thor, Steve, and Clint were talking loudly about various battles they were in. Bruce and Tony were discussing something they're working on, all complicated scientific jargon and excited faces.

A pang of longing hit her. Lydia would have loved this.

The sound of something hitting the roof snaps her out of her thoughts. Nobody pays attention to it and continues talking.

But, as Nick Fury comes out of the elevator, trench coat billowing and a permanent scowl on his face, the Avengers immediately stand to attention.