Positive Regard

Chapter Seven

Steve said we'd go to Tony's for dinner and meet the rest of the team there. I didn't really like meeting new people. I never had. The only reason I'd met Bucky and Steve was because they and my brother hung out. I guess that had turned out okay. But I didn't really want to meet these people. Did I need to meet them just because they were there in case things with Bucky went bad? I didn't think so. Steve trusted them, so I didn't have to meet them to know that I trusted them. But I was meeting them anyways, since it made Steve happy.
Steve had told me their names and a couple things about each of them several times, but I didn't remember much of it. I remembered there was a woman named Natasha who was Russian. I remembered Tony and Nick  Fury. There was a guy Steve spoke highly of whose name started with an S. Seth, maybe? Stan?
Tony smiled. "Hey. Everybody listen up."
The room got quiet and they all turned to look at him. "Everybody, this is Rose. Rose, this is everybody. You don't need to learn names. I'll be your favorite anyway."
A blonde woman smiled. "You'll have to excuse him. He's a narcissist."
Tony shrugged. "Okay, fine. The mean blonde is my fiancée Pepper. The redhead is Natasha. That's Wanda, Sam, Rhodey. That one's Clint. Not present are Dr. Bruce Banner and Thor. JARVIS, say hey."
"Hello, Ms. Haywood." A non-corporeal voice said. I jumped and looked around.
"Don't worry." Pepper said. "That's weird even for somebody from this century. JARVIS is a computer program who takes care of Tony when I'm not around. Reminding him to eat and sleep and stuff."
"Oh. All right." I nodded. At this point, I'd believe anything. Technology had come a long ass way since the forties. I didn't get how they could send a man to the moon but not make flying cars. I mean, what the hell?
As soon as everyone stopped looking at me, I turned to Steve. "Did he say Thor?"
"He did."
"Like... the Norse god...?"
"That one."
"No."
"Yeah. And he has a brother."
"Loki?"
"Loki. God of Mischief. He's kind of an ass. They're from a different planet."
"What the hell." I said quietly. Apparently earth got really weird, really fast.
After dinner, Tony said he had something to show me, so I followed him out of the room.
"The other day, I came to see Cap because I knew where Bucky was. But when I met you, I figured I should probably tell you first." He said quietly as we walked.
"Why?"
"I dunno. You just kind of treated him like a kid so I figured you were kind of parent-y towards him. But I didn't want to tell you because I'm sure you've had a busy couple days, so I was gonna tell Steve first. And Pepper agreed with that, so I'm telling you."
I laughed. "Okay. Makes sense."
"Plus Cap and I aren't on the best of terms right now so I doubt he'd want to hear it from me."
"About the Accords?"
"Yeah, that. You catch on fast. Did he tell you about that?"
"Kind of. Mostly because I heard you talking at dinner." I smiled. "I told him I thought he should sign, but he doesn't listen to me."
"Who does he listen to?"
"Nobody. He's stubborn. What's that movie about that futuristic intergalactic war?" I asked as we walked into a room full of what I assumed were really, really high-tech computers.
"Star Wars?"
"Yeah." I felt like I was living in that, just without the space part. Or the war part. "Is there really a Norse god on your team?"
"Yeah. He's AWOL right now, though. He has a big ass hammer that not even Cap can pick up." He said casually as he clicked buttons on the computer. "So, your boyfriend's in Romania." He pointed to a little house on the screen. "Wait, this is him, right?" He pulled up a picture of Bucky.
"Yeah, that's him. He needs a hair cut." It suited him, but his mother would have had a cow if she could see that. "Why's he in Romania?"
"I don't know. I tried hacking into HYDRA's system but that didn't work. I assume he's on a mission but I don't know. From my sources, he's been there since about the last time he fought Cap. I'll leave it up to you, if you wanna tell him or not."
"Won't I have to tell Steve if I'm going across the world?"
"No. You can come with us when we go to sign the Accords. We're going to Vienna, so it's not too far from there. We can stop there on the way back."
"Can I go while you're doing your stuff?"
"No. You aren't going alone. I don't really like going behind Cap's back, so I'm definitely not letting anything happen to you."
I didn't want Steve to be upset, but I also didn't really want to lie to him either. Did I really need to protect him still, though? He'd been through a war, lost everybody, frozen in the ocean for seventy something years. He didn't need me protecting him.
"I don't really need to protect him, I guess." I said, kind of wanting Tony to give his opinion.
Tony shrugged. "Your call."
"What would you do?"
"I don't keep secrets from my team."
"I'll tell him tonight, I guess."
I didn't like that Steve wasn't telling Tony the truth about his parents. I'd told him he should tell him, but he wouldn't do it. I couldn't tell him—I barely knew him.
As we were walking back to the group, Tony asked permission to ask a question.
"You don't have to ask." I smiled.
"How did scrawny little Steve make friends with someone like you?"
I laughed. "Well, my older brother was friends with them. I was always with Matt, so I got sucked into befriending Steve and Bucky."
"But weren't you and Bucky a thing?"
"Yeah, but not until after my brother died. He and Bucky were the cool ones." I smiled.
"If you don't mind my asking, why didn't you date until after your brother died?"
I smiled. "Well. Bucky said he didn't wanna hit on me in front of my brother. I said that he better be careful, or my brother would come back and haunt him, so he was like 'I don't believe in ghosts, but we can test it, if you want.' Then he kissed me, and then Steve came in and we pretended nothing happened."
"I don't know if you've been or not, but there's a Smithsonian exhibit dedicated to Cap and the Howling Commandos and some of the letters he wrote you while he was gone are on display."
"Steve's?" I asked.
"No. Bucky's."
My eyes widened. "Oh, shit."
He looked far too amused. "Well, you make it sound as if some of them weren't very PG."
I didn't know what PG meant. But I assumed what he said was right. "No, not at all."
"Don't worry, none of them are like that." He smirked. As I said: far too amused. "I was just gonna comment on him being a romantic. If I had a sister, I'd love for her to date someone like him."
That was a relief. "Oh, yeah. He was definitely a romantic."
He smiled. "I'll get you your letters back."
"Thanks. You know, everyone says you're selfish, but I think you're pretty nice. Also, I think you should tell Steve."
"If you want me to."
"Please."