How to Mend a Broken Soul - REHASH

"Same." Steve smiled over at Lydia. "Sorry for taking over your house."

"It'll be wonderful to have a full home again. Robbie would enjoy that and I know I missed it." Lydia smiled as she took a breath. "I'll do part of the grocery shopping today and see where I go from there." She looked at Bucky. "Take extremely good care of her, Sergeant. I'm counting on you."

"I will, Mrs Jones," Buck saluted while Angelina waved at her, "I look forward to the Fourth of July party and grilling for you."

Calla watched as Lydia left, and she tapped her chin, "I was expecting her to stay longer, really. Well, Steve, now that you have them both what are you gunna do now?" she asked with an arched brow.

"You've been running around worrying yourself into the ground. Has it hit you yet you don't have to come up with anymore plans? That you can breathe now?" Dylan put his hands on his hips.

Angelina made a soft happy noise as Bucky continued to pet her hair, melting and closing her eyes. Steve had to admire that, but a the same time could also feel fatigue running through him. Dylan was right, it was all over and he could breathe.

He could breathe. Bucky was here. Angelina was safe in his arms. Everything was okay now. "You okay, Angel?" He asked after a moment.

"Yeah." Angelina said breathlessly, she was fading quick and Steve couldn't blame her in the slightest. She was on such a high string for a long time.

"Sleep kid." He said softly. He didn't get a response and sighed when he looked at his friend and then to Calla. "Can't blame Mrs. Jones. She probably has a lot of things to do before she gets home. Paperwork and what not. Make sure she doesn't fall into the wrong hands anymore. Well...as much as we can keep her from it." Steve amended. "Yet, even though I know I can breathe I feel like I'm just...waiting for Fury's next move."

Bucky was starting to drift as well. It'd been a day since the girl in his arms had broken him out. He'd slept before, but the marshmallow bed made it difficult and Steve's look that morning had been more empathetic than anything else. Aparently he wasn't the only one. Here, however, on this couch, with his Companion in his arms, he rested his head on the back of it and closed his eyes.

"Speaking of Fury...What I wanna know is how are we going to be able to get home or even step foot out of the Tower for that matter without worrying if a black van's going to pop out of nowhere and jack us?" Dylan asked.

"You might as well stay at the tower, least for tonight." Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tomorrow morning you guys can go off and get a change of clothes and what not. I think I should see how Bucky feels about a shopping experience. They're gonna need clothes."

"Because if you're there, we will be safe. It'll /have/ to be tomorrow, before the party. I'm at least writing down a list for Tony for food," Dylan nodded firmly.

"I need to make some calls, let River and Vince know I'm okay and won't be back for a while," Calla sighed softly, pulling her phone from the borrowed clothes she had on, "How strung up are you, Steve? A tour would be nice to pass the time. Of course, if you want to take a nap, too, I can go find something to do."

"I'm fine." Steve said shaking his head. "I can give you the basic tour. You might want to make sure your friends know that you're okay. And let them know that the technology that you used really helped you out before we do that though."

"Okay...mind if I just step into your bedroom to talk to them a minute, then?" Calla asked, phone already to her ear. Dylan had gone over to the kitchen area where he'd spotted a notepad and got to writing.

"Not at all." Steve gestured over towards the room and watched Calla walk into it. His room was needlessly to say sparse, save a few old and worn photographs. He had a few sketchbooks lying around on top of a writing desk, but it was clear that they were meant to be private. His bed was military made and crisp. His shield leaned against the dresser and the blinds were open wide. The traffic was soundless.

Soundproof both ways? Calla wondered but shrugged as River answered and immediately started talking a mile a minute, asking where she's been and how she's doing and what happened. "River, slow down. Stop. Breathe and let me explain," she soothed, "I know you've been worried, but...I had to use Vince's gifts. Things got bad. The urchin ball is in S.H.I.E.L.D's hands now...I'm sorry. The other ones I had to give up to Tony Stark who is probably fiddling with them, too."

"So we're outed." River didn't seem to be too perturbed. "I had a feeling that was going to happen sooner than later." She sighed loudly. "So what happens now? We can't turn ourselves in. How bad are things exactly?"

"Even though...I saved Bucky's life, I'm not sure if I'm going to be considered part of the team or just a side asset," Calla hummed, "Since things aren't confidential anymore...the guppy I was telling you about? Her actual name is Angelina, and she's safe now, too. Somebody found her an adoptive mother to take care of her and as far as I'm aware I'm at least invited to a celebration party on the Fourth, which is the day after tomorrow, and at Lydia Jones' home. Tomorrow, the plan is to go shopping for clothes. You could just bring me some of mine, if you come. We'll probably go to the mall. It's big, open, and crowded. Great cover in case S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to do anything to me and Dylan before we're cleared and able to do as we please freely."

"I'll meet you at the mall." River said promptly. "I want to meet the guppy. I'm still angry that S.H.I.E.L.D decided that was okay. Is she alright now that she's in a safer environment?"

"Bucky and Angelina are out cold on the couch on Steve's floor. Each Avenger has their own floor, can you believe that?" Calla rolled her eyes, "Bring Vince, too. I think Dylan would like to see him. We can stop at Starbucks or something and chat. Vince may be asexual, but he's got the fashion sense of a flamer, and poor Bucky and Angelina have nothing."

"Sure." River said easily enough. "Vince and I can go PokeHunting too. I /just/ caught a Charmander. It was freaking awesome. What time do you want us to be there at the mall?"

"I don't know when we're going ourselves, but I'll text you," Calla promised, "I hope Vince won't be too mad at me. You're not outed quite yet, still, so you have time to prepare, but...yeah. I really am sorry."

"I think Vince knew this was going to happen." River sighed. "Thanks for the update though. Stay safe and I'll see you tomorrow with things."

Calla hung up and took one more glance around Steve's room, enjoying the colors he used even if it was pretty spartan, and walked back out where Steve was helping Dylan with his list. She also noticed a blanket over Bucky and Angelina on the couch and they'd shifted down, Bucky's back to the couch, arm slung over Angelina's middle and her head resting on his other arm. She loved how the girl was basically cocooned by his body. It was protective, but adorably so. "How many pages did you guys fill out on that notebook? Goodness," she teased.

"Enough to feed an army and then some." Steve said as he leaned back up. "I don't think we're quite there yet, but it's good to take a minor break." He looked at Calla curiously. "Are your friends alright?"

"My friends are fine, they were more worried about me, and you basically /have/ an army. I wonder if Lydia will be able to fit all of your friends if the sum of the Avengers are going to be there. I just hope someone doesn't decide to take over the world, because that'd be the most typical time to do it," Calla joked with a grin.

"Oh my God, she's right!" Dylan's jaw dropped, "There's no way. I will kick their ass myself if /any/ of this food is wasted because of their assholery."

"Assholery? Is that even a word?" Calla furrowed her brows at him, amused.

"It is now," Dylan beamed.

()

"There's no way, with my fashion sense, that I would ever be able to look as good as you, Steve," Bucky drawled as he looked the blond over from head to toe while they walked through one of the many stores in the mall, "You look like you belong on the face of a fashion magazine."

"I get that a lot." Steve sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I don't know what it is that's so stylish about it. All I do is toss on a shirt and a pair of jeans and I run away. It's not like I stand in the mirror like you used to do fussing up a storm."

"You just got that clean cut look," Bucky chuckled, patting his back, "I'm more rugged and scruffy. If I was on a magazine it would be for emo goth or something like that. I wake up in the morning and I look like a cat that's been electrocuted and is all poofed out. All you gotta do is open your eyes and you're fabulous."

"Can I remind you of how many women oogled you walking in holding Angelina's hand and thinking you were her dad? A hot dad. Not to mention these women are mothers." Steve gave Bucky a /look/. "I thought I was behind times. You're /really/ behind times. The look you're doing? That's what makes the dames turn now."

"Layer it on any thicker, guys, and if Vince was here he would say get a room," Dylan called behind them.

"What?" Bucky glanced at him with owlish eyes.

"Dude, you two are totally flirting, complimenting each other up the ass like that, and your body language, good god," Dylan put his hands on his hips, the one bag he had dangling on his wrist, "Bucky, you're the worst. At least Steve's more subtle about it."

"I have /no/ idea what you're talking about," Bucky looked between Dylan and Steve, wondering just what Steve thought about what the kid was saying.

Steve rolled his eyes. "He thinks he's funny." Calla did say that they were going meet up with her friends with the weird technology, Vince and a girl named River. He believed that the meet up was supposed to happen at a Starbucks or some sort of coffee center. Though what /time/ was a completely random thing.

Dylan groaned. Either they had no idea themselves or they were denying it. Okay, fine. He'll just pretend nothing happened and later...he spotted a way to get revenge. "Hey /Bucky/, you should try on some skinny jeans. They'd make your legs look killer. Oh man, River would /love/ seeing a guy in these," he hummed as he walked over to the clothing stand, picking up a pair of dark blue ones, "You were /just/ talking about goth and emo. I might tell her that and she can take you to her favorite store. She's a really bright person who wears dark things and it's such an awesome contradiction."

Buck could only turn the corners of his mouth down in horror. "/How/ does one /fit/ in those?" he asked Steve.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Bucky asked and shook his head, but...curiosity got the better of him. Dylan knew more about measurements than he did, and after a bit of himing and hawing he finally threw three pairs at him and told him to try them on in the fitting room, so he did.

"Vince better be proud of me," Dylan harrumphed.

"Are you sure it's not him you're lusting after and putting it on me and Bucky?" Steve asked.
"Oh, no, you two are just in denial. It'll be fun when it finally boils over at some point. I'm Vince's mistress since he and River are play 'married'. Vince is asexual, but it's all fun," Dylan grinned wolfishly, "I can't wait to see them. I think you will both like River, though. She's really sweet and optimistic."

Steve smiled. "Sounds like a dose of something that we can use. What about Vince? Besides that he has more game than anyone on the block and doesn't bother using it?"

"I can't kiss and tell," Dylan cooed, playing coy, and looked over as the sound of a door squeaking reached their ears, "At least he didn't swear, but he might've used plenty of prayer 'cause /damn/, Steve, look at /that/."

"Irish Catholic will do that." Steve looked over at Bucky and raised an eyebrow. The jeans were very well fitting on him. But even Steve could voice the thought inside Bucky's head. "And how long do you think it'll take for that /not/ to rip?"

"He can always go the next size up," Dylan promised, "I picked the one below the one I thought about just in case, and it looks /awesome/, but you're right. With the everyday chance of a fight, the next size would be best. Oh, hey, here comes the colorful lady and Bucky's little minion," he grinned as Angelina and Calla walked through the doors, Calla arching her brow at the sight of Bucky while Angelina just ran towards him unabashed.

"River's going to take him to her favorite shop if he walks out of here wearing those," Calla commented.

Steve cracked a smile. "Because Dylan wants to see Bucky woo a girl he's never met."

"And pants are the way to do that?" Angelina looked skeptic. "You could just give her a flower."

"Teavana's one of her favorite stores, but she does like Hot Topic and Spencer's, too," Dylan's smile went from feral to soft, "A flower? Not a rose...unless it's a dark red for River, or peach or orange for Calla...what kind of flowers do you like, Angie?"

"Don't give away all my secrets," Calla chuckled and looked at Steve, "Do you have a favorite shop in the mall? Or even outside of it?

Bucky ruffled Angelina's hair, "They don't feel so bad, though I might go the next size up. They look uncomfortable, but it's not. At least they'd go in my boots easy."

Angelina had to think about that one. Favorite flower. "I like sunflowers." Angelina mused. "I like orchids and poppies. Carnations. I haven't found a signature flower."

"Michaels. Hobby lobby. Any mom and pop store that sells art supplies and possibly art work." Steve answered looking at Calla. "I'm kind of simple when it comes to that."

"You should stop by my shop with River," Calla smiled at him, "We sell craft stuff, though only a select amount since our main focus is the paintings or stitchery we've made, respectively. You should see the tapestry she's working on, goodness. My favorite is Michaels, though."

"Sunflowers, maybe," Dylan murmured, watching her. He cleared his throat, "So...shall we move on? Neither of you really looked at much here except each other."

"You mentioned a place called Teavana?" Bucky asked, stepping back into the fitting room to change back, but he could still hear.

"Yeah, we can stop by there. I think that's on the way to Starbucks," Dylan agreed, "You like tea?"

"Angelina and I both do," Buck responded, voice raised just enough to account for the wooden door.

"I'll text River and see if they're here yet," Calla said, pulling out her phone. She, on the other hand, was wearing a knee-length teal green dress with a brown belt around the waist to cinch it, ruffles coming from the circle neck. She had on wedge shoes that stayed on her feet via black straps.

"He likes tea with a lot of flavor in it." Angelina explained. "Sweet teas I call them since they're fruits. I like /tea/. But we have our times where we like the same thing."

"Bucky's always had a sweet tooth." Steve murmured. "No surprises he'd like teas that have something rather than bitter and...egh."

"Oolong is so gross!" Bucky complained as he finally managed to step out in his previous clothes, his hoodie he'd stolen from Steve's closet on and the hood up. He was feeling...like there were too many eyes on him. The teasing was fun, but only when it came from the people whom he was slowing thinking might be friends, if they weren't already. The other patrons in the store...they were recognizing him. He knew it. His face both in and out of the mask had been plastered on the news years ago when he took down SHIELD and nearly killed Steve, after all. "Chai tea has become an acquired taste. I used to dislike it. I hope Starbucks has some snacks we can eat...I'm getting a bit hungry."

"Starbucks and then tea." Steve said in agreement. "Then we'll go hunt down River and Vince if they're around somewhere or another. I have a feeling that you and Angel will be stuck in Teavana for a while if we let you wander in there."

"Lots of samples." Angelina agreed.

"You weren't able to find anything with Calla, fetiță?" Buck asked curiously as they exited the store, "Calla has a new outfit but you don't. I wonder if these new people we're going to meet will be able to help you find something cute..." he smiled, taking her hand and getting between her and Steve, not wanting to be noticeable.

Angelina hummed happily. "Calla and I couldn't find anything and so I told her to go find her own things. She thinks that River might be more help. I was looking around at the mannequins and I noticed that they don't have a face! They have indents where a face is supposed to be. I think it's because stores don't want to be haunted by spirits so they make sure that the mannequins don't have eyes. Probably a good thing since I don't want Wanda to get hurt or stuck. It must be more painful for her than a spirit to get stuck. Well...spirits could probably feel pain. Oh oh!"

Angelina tugged on Bucky's arm a little forcefully. "Calla told me that River plays this game called Pokemon Go. It's an app for your phone. She had River send her a screenshot so I could see. She has nothing but water types. I think there's something going on around like that. And I saw a little boy carrying a Captain America Shield on his backpack. Well his backpack was the shape of a Captain America shield. He was adorable! Mini-Steve!"

"Mini-me?" Steve questioned, not understanding /anything/ Angelina was trying to get at, but at least catching something about Pokemon and Captain America backpack.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, the cutest boots." Angelina gushed. "He looked like a tiny pup. Three possibly so can't be torn away from the mum yet. Which is good." She nodded.

"We'll see about a smart phone so you can play it,. Probably something Stark-made for endurance..." Bucky told her gently, "Water-types only? That's weird. I don't know much, but I know people choose between water, fire, and plant at the beginning...starter types or something..." he shrugged, squeezing her hand, "They probably don't have faces for that reason, you're right. The ones that don't have heads at all are creepy...and the rare kinds that are full-body and face? Like the ones at Old Navy? I wonder if they have spirits stuck in them. That'd be sad, wouldn't it? You can't go try and get them out, don't get any funny ideas."

Steve watched as Angelina pouted. "Poor spirits." She lamented. "Maybe they're Hydra spirits."
Steve snorted out a laugh.

"One can only hope, right?" Bucky smiled tenderly, finally putting down his hood, but kept the hoodie on.

"Talk about a Companion..." Dylan murmured behind them.

Steve blinked and looked over at Dylan curiously. Angelina perked up. "Is that a good thing, bad thing or doesn't matter?" She asked looking over at Dylan.

"Good, very good," Dylan smiled at her, a look of...admiration on his face, "Vince knows what it's like to be therapy for someone so they don't actually have to go to therapy. It's nice. I understand now."

"I can't do therapy." Angelina sang lightly. "Cuz I don't want to do therapy. It makes Bucky sad and I don't like making him sad. So I don't do it. I also like being me. He worries 'cause normal people don't like that. Dr. Rivera didn't like that I didn't wanna go and that Bucky shut her down on it. I guess people worry that my head isn't screwed on right. But what's the fun of having a tight head? It'll fall off faster!"

"That's not what I meant, but I getcha," Dylan chuckled and and reached out, patting her head and smiling as she smiled. He hadn't done it before, only touching her hands even though she said it was okay.

"I see Starbucks, and River and Vince are trying to navigate the mall, but they're almost here!" Calla beamed, putting her phone back in her purse. The lot of them got inside and after looking at the menu they got in line. It didn't take long, maybe two minutes, before a man's voice shouted and Calla felt her hand being squeezed.

"I wonder if Calla and the group are here already." The man had dark brown hair and hispter like glasses that were falling down his nose. He wore the skinniest jeans that ever could be made and his shirt was untucked and wrinkled. He looked over and blinked when he noticed who it was. "Oh hey Calla. You're standing in Riv's spot."

"I'm behind you sweetie." A girl with dark purple hair, blood-red lipstick and wearing a miniskirt barely showing her thighs was standing behind them, flicking through her phone. She was grinning mischievously.

Vince nodded his head a few times. "I'm gonna stick with Calla. I might be apart of the pack now. You know, by osmosis."

"I'm not paying for your drink, Vince," Calla pressed her lips together, trying not to smile and failing miserably.

"What? Traitor." Vince pouted. "Fine, I'll go back to River."

"After ditching me to have an group affair?" River asked incredulously. "What kind of flake do you take me for?"

"At least I'm not cheating on you with a rock." Vince stuck his tongue out at her.

"Take my hand, baby, I gotchu. I'll buy you anything you want," Dylan cooed, having been in front of Calla but behind Angelina.

"MY SAVOIR!" Vince shouted as he let go of Calla's hand and wrapped his arm around Dylan's neck. "I knew I was loved by /someone/."

"God are you desperate." River raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"These...are your friends?" Bucky asked Calla, sounding skeptical as he eyed Vince critically. He looked at the purple haired woman who was supposed to be River, "Cheating on him with a rock?" he blinked in confusion.

Vince cracked up. "It's a long story and a running joke." He waved it aside. "So you must be the people Calla broke out from S.H.I.E.L.D." He looked at Angelina and gave her a wink. "It's nice to meet you finally."

Bucky furrowed his brows, and reached over Angelina to hold out his flesh hand, "It's nice to meet you, too. Calla talks a lot about you and River, but never...any /details/. Mainly just 'oh River does that, too' if something comes up in conversation."

Vince shook his hand and smiled as they broke apart. Angelina was watching them curiously. "S.H.I.E.L.D's not the best place to let anything out or in." He said with a shrug.

"Everything is corrupt. Fury wants things the way they used to be," Buck shook his head and he nudged Steve, who hadn't budged, "Are you stuck deciding or what?"

Steve blinked and shook his head. "No. Person in front is almost done." He explained and just as he said that, the person walked away so that Steve could go up and order an Americano. He could hear Bucky snort at that and he turned to stick his tongue out. He moved to the side to give Bucky and Angelina room to order.

A caramel mocha frappachino with extra caramel, hazelnut and protein powder, Bucky headed to the end of the counter to watch as other drinks were made. He was glad when he found out one day that custom drinks were possible. His new position put him opposite River, and he tilted his head at her, his eyes drawn to her phone as she was throwing a half white and half red orb at a tiny creature with wings, "I though you mostly had water types? Or do you just catch them for points and then toss them like fish?"

River startled and pouted when the pokemon decided it had enough of having balls being thrown at it's head and ran away. She placed it in her pocket, since she had eggs to hatch and they needed to be walked. "You're talking about the screenshot I sent Calla right? Those were my top combat power types." River grinned. "The majority of my types happen to be a fire/water mix. I sometimes care for plant ones, but only the cute ones. Like Bulbasaur. I'm very fond of the original starter pokemon. Like I told her last night, I /just/ caught a Chamander. Like hell I'm letting that go."

"My Com...Angelina," Bucky had to correct himself. It was /okay/ to call her by her real name. "Was excited about it. Once we find a place where we can all sit in relative peace, would you show it to her?"

River's eyes lit up. "I'll totally do that! She's the young one with the white hair isn't she?" She looked to see that Angelina decided to stick with Dylan and was watching Vince. Though apparently her voice was loud, because her attention was momentarily caught by her. "I've been wanting to talk to her. I felt so /awful/ when Calla told me that the poor gup was stuck in a prison. I hoped my patterns made her smile, or at least made her feel a little better. I have her owl with me in case she wanted to finish it." She patted her small backpack that /looked/ like it had an angry orange cat face on it.

Buck arched a brow at the backpack, but he chuckled anyway and smiled, "Thank you. Dylan was able to grab the rest of our things from our cells, like my suncatcher, her watercolors, and her doll, Maria. I think it would be good for her to have the cross stitching supplies readily available to her, give her something to do."

"Calla already has students in the way of painting." River nodded and grinned when she watched Calla go up to the counter to get her drink order next and wait for it. Steve was already getting his, as well as Dylan and Vince. Angelina's was probably coming up soon too and Bucky's. "Let me order my drink and I'll come to you." She promised as Calla moved away and she ordered hers. A french vanilla macchito with whole milk and whipped cream.

Buck followed everyone towards the back where they brought tables and chairs together so they could all sit together, Bucky's back to the booth corner, eyes on the exit. Sipping on his cold drink, he enjoyed the sweetness of the caramel across his tongue.

"I got Buck to buy a pair of skinny jeans," Dylan told Vince proudly.

Vince beamed. "I bet they make his legs look killer." He looked at Bucky. "You'll probably have to follow River around for shirts to go with those pants though. She's our resident gothologist. The study of everything dark and gloomy."

River raised an eyebrow up. "I don't mind helping out if it's something that's needed." She assured. "But gothologist? Really Vince?"

"Everything else that I thought of was really lame." Vince admitted.

"And that was your saving grace? Vince, I love you...but no more making up words." River grinned. "You kinda suck at that."

"Well, Dylan made up 'asshatery'," Calla laughed.

"I like gothologist," Dylan agreed by defending Vince's made-up word.

Angelina and Steve both looked at each other. Mostly because they both felt like they were observing things from a sit-com point of view. Bucky was kind of left out, but he was pushing his way back into the conversation, which made Steve proud as hell. But he noticed how Angelina would stare intently at Vince or River, depending on who was speaking.

"The skinny jeans didn't suffocate me as bad as I though they would," Bucky confirmed for Dylan, "I haven't found very many shirts. I like solid colors, and most stores had some sort of logo or graphic print on them and I just...don't care for it. What are Hot Topic and...Spencer's like?"

"Different kinds of logos, at least this time from fandoms instead of brand names," Dylan explained.

"Also there's some plain ones I know I can find." River snapped her fingers. "You know, we could probably do thrift shopping if you want solid. I know a bunch of stores that you buy shirts for, that's only around five or so dollars. Goodwill you have the cheapest option there. There's others." She looked over at Angelina and smiled brightly. "I'm sorry. I left you out. Have you found anything that you liked so far?"

Angelina was a bit taken a back that River was speaking to her. Kindly too. "Not yet. Calla found an outfit."

"Let's explore Hot Topic and Spencers since you didn't like her bubblegum style." River concluded. "We might find a path for you yet. I'm River, by the way. Calla told me a lot about you."

"Everyone, Vince and River. River, Vince...Steve, Bucky, and Angelina," Calla threw out the introduction quick-like, "I did the goth thing. I think my hair's black enough for me," she grinned.

"Like your soul?" Vince couldn't help but to ask.

"I'll never be as black as you," Calla sucked on her drink, eyeballing him.

"I like Goodwill and I found a shop one time called Savers. Thrift shopping and cheep clothes is what I prefer, really," Buck admitted to River, not entirely sure what was going on with Calla and Vince.

Vince merely raised an eyebrow. "Honey any blacker and I think the devil might as well have asked me to marry him. Which I would. Have you /seen/ him? Lucifer is so fucking hot that I'd want him as my cuddle-buddy."

"And that's why you're asexual. You're only gay for the supernatural," Calla rolled her eyes.

"At least my supernatural knows how sex /actually/ works." Vince shuddered. "I fear for this society and everything in it."

Angelina watched the back and forth for a long time before speaking up. "But aren't you guys supernatural?"

River and Vince just froze like deer in headlights.

Dylan just facepalmed.

"Wait what?" Steve blinked, looking between River and Vince.

Vince looked at Angelina again. This time, Angelina noticed that he was /really/ looking at her. Not just a pass-off glance. "S.H.I.E.L.D has no idea who they let go, do they?" He said, not threateningly. Angelina knew that.

"Don't scare her." River hissed, looking at Vince. "She's just a guppy. She doesn't understand. Leave her alone."

"She's actually twenty-two, according to her brother before," Bucky defended.

"My growth's all messed up. Bucky said that the bad guys stunted it." Angelina explained. "S.H.I.E.L.D don't know. Dylan knows. Dylan and I started learning how to /talk/ to each other! It was hard practice."

"Mind reader." Vince mused. "So, what kind of supernatural are we?" He asked placing a hand on his chin.

"I don't know. You don't think in the same language." Angelina pouted. "River sounds like a song muffled in water. You on the other hand....I don't know."

"I'm glad S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have you and that the Avengers do." Vince said honestly. "Because you would be the Queen on the chessboard. A wild card and hard to take out."
Angelina beamed proudly.

"Aw, that's sweet," Calla smiled at Vince, "We can use that to protect her. We're the pawns, aren't we? I'm not all that familiar with chess. Bucky would be the supporting Knight, I believe."

"Didn't you mention River liked mermaids?" Bucky asked Calla, "Is River a mermaid? Is that what those balls were?"

"The balls were from Vince, but yeah, I called the purple one the Urchin Ball," Calla agreed.

"Alien technology." Vince agreed. "If I can: Something out of this world!"

"You are so cheesy!" Dylan smacked Vince's shoulder.

"I am a mermaid." River admitted, shifting a little. "From a whole other planet from Vince."
Bucky leaned forward, forearms on the table and he squinted his eyes at River, "Is your hair /natural/?"

"Oh god, don't ask to see below the belt to prove it!" Dylan groaned.

Bucky stared at Dylan, "I'd never!"

River's cheeks bloomed a bright red. She cleared her throat. "Anyway. Yes. It's natural." She tugged on her hair. "I'm thankful that your world has something called hair dye. Otherwise, I'm not certain how I could pass this off. I have many people come up to me and ask who did my hair. I always lie and said I do it myself. It's simpler than to give a name."

It wasn't lost on Calla how Bucky just stared at River with eyes full of wonder and amazement. She wandered her eyes over to Steve who was watching Bucky more than anybody else, "We've kept this secret for ten years," she told them both, "If there's anyway to keep them safe, now that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony have the balls, we'd love to know."

"The party tomorrow!" Bucky looked at Steve, pleading, "Do you think Lydia might be able to squeeze two more? We can think of what to do."

Steve blinked a little. Angelina was also a bit surprised. "I think so." He looked at Angelina. "She's your mom, kid. Do you think you could ask her for us? I think she'd love hearing it from you that you found more friends."

Angelina nodded. "I could ask. But how do we keep them safe." She looked at Bucky worriedly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can hurt them."

"SHIELD doesn't have what Tony does in terms of tech, so I think we're safe for a little while," Buck hummed in thought, "Even if they found out what those balls were or where they were from, it'd be hard to track them down. Just as long as we keep everything quiet, we should be alright. Miss Potts is working on trying to put me in a good light, and by association you as well. After that, we can walk freely without an entourage."

"You're going so far for those you just met," Calla blinked.

"Says the woman who saved my life when we hardly know each other ourselves," Bucky shot back.

"He thinks River's fascinating." Angelina whispered to Steve and Dylan. "Real life SCI-FI. But not like...real fascination. Not fascination for gain."

"It's kinda written on his face too." Steve murmured quietly. "I haven't seen his eyes light up since he got you in his arms."

"We'll figure something out," Dylan assured, "We have the Avengers to back us up."

~*~

"Oh try this." River said as she pulled out a dark deep burgundy red shirt. She tossed it into the pile that was steadily climbing in Bucky's arms as they wandered through the shirts and pants. The store was surprisingly yet comfortingly empty. Which meant Bucky wasn't holding so much tension in his shoulders, and looked a little easy around the eyes. Still filled with ghosts, but River wasn't about to blame him for it. S.H.I.E.L.D didn't lessen any burdens.

"Haha, I think the fitting rooms are only six at a time, so how about we head over there and I can give you a show?" Buck asked with a smile, looking at the hefty pile, "I can hold a lot, but soon I won't be able to see where I'm going. We should've grabbed a basket.”

"I can grab that on the way to the changing rooms." River nodded her head as she looked at the clothes critically. "Sorry about that. I went a little overboard. It's been a while since I was able to help someone chose clothes that /wasn't/ Vince pretending to need help.”

Buck smiled and they headed over there, "Vince sounds like a lot of fun. I like him so far. The outfits you've picked out for me are good, just what I asked for. I'll get about ten shirts for the price of maybe two or three at the other stores. Living on the run, and having to buy cheep clothes anyway...I like this. It makes me feel better. The other shops...were so suffocating. Buying those jeans...the price made me cringe."

"Depending on what I'm going for, I switch around. I can't wear pants that are thrift shop because I have to try on so many different sizes, nothing's the same." River sighed. "But shirts I can totally do thrift with." She snagged a basket from an end-cap since someone just left an empty one lying there. "I have to buy new bathing suits though. Those are you can't find in thrift stores."

"I believe it. The padding in the breasts is all twisted up if it's used, which is why they toss it, a lot of the time," Buck said softly as he dumped the clothes in the basket and once they got to the fitting rooms he picked out his six items, just three shirts and three pants, and disappeared behind a door.

"It's a shame that my phone doesn't have the apps for spotify and what not. I'd totally start the music for a runway." River said, projecting her voice so that he could hear her from behind the door. "Vince and Dylan have the better music."

"You don't need to shout, I can hear you just fine, River," Bucky responded easily enough, "I'm sure whatever music you have would be nice. What do you listen to, anyway?"

"Everything to anything." River replied as she started looking through her music file. "I'm mostly pop though. Anything pop I can do. Rock is sometimes on here. All depends on my mood and what music would go for it. For a while there I was on a Disney kick so a lot of my music was Disney. I think I had a /bunch/ of people look at me funny. Calla and Vince thought it was hysterical as hell when they changed my ring tone to Under The Sea for April's fools. Didn't know until someone called me a few weeks later."

"That is.../really/ ironic, considering," Buck hummed. There was a pause while he looked himself in the mirror, a few grumping sounds and then more shuffling. Another minute went by and he finally stepped out to show a paid of jeans and shirt to her, "I prefer instrumental...no words to focus on. Easier to let it fade away if I need to focus and hear it later when it cycles back around than to go back because you missed the chorus."

"I can do classical." River looked up and whistled as he looked at him. "I like those." She said appreciatively. "While I do like Dylan managed to squeeze you into skinny jeans, I like how these hang on you. Not too lose, not too tight. The shirt color is amazing too." She grinned. "How do you like them though? It's always important for you to like it first."

"Is it?" He shifted, "The color may be nice, but...it's loose. It's hard to find shirts that fit right with the broad shoulders and thinner waist like Steve. I feel like I'm wearing a sack. Jeans are comfortable."

"Okay. Then that means we'll put that in the "no-go" zone and I'll put it back later. Let's keep the jeans. It's hard to find good jeans that are comfortable, even for guys." River said with a nod and then frowned a little. "And by the way. Whoever told you it isn't important to find things you like are a bag of dicks I want drowned." She told him seriously. "You are important. Clothes define you and your personality. If you don't like something, you won't feel confident and you'll try to hide or you'll feel bad about yourself. While your shopping with me that's the number one rule: Find things that you like. Second is comfort. Second is always comfort."

"I remember...events, and even then, it's sketchy. I don't remember my favorite food, if I had one. I don't remember my favorite color back then, either. I don't remember what my style was before. I just know...I had to buy what fit for the mission if it wasn't given to me, or what was more suitable for survival. Was it durable? Would it rip after a week? Can I crush it with my flesh hand, let alone my metal one? Is it warm?" Bucky listed off as he retreated back into the changing room, "I'm slowly starting...to find out what I like now. I like knowing things about my past, and I know it's irrational but sometimes with the small things like color...I don't. I don't want to know, because then I'll wonder if...something's wrong with me. Did I wear more blue back then? Should I wear more blue now?"

"Okay so let's list those in the factors too. Durable and being able to handle your arm." River said soothingly. "Warmth is important too." She paused for a long time and then decided to switch topics only slightly. "I used to wear pink. Every kind of pink with an accent of purple. I even wore pink lipstick and eye shadow. For the longest time pink was my go-to color. My favorite food used to be pizza. I never had a bad combination of pizza." She rubbed her lips together. "But my color now is black with all colors as accents. My favorite food now happens to be clam chowder, but that's because of Calla's mom. She makes the best soups in the world." She paused. "There's nothing wrong with you if your style and color changes. What makes you feel good now, probably didn't way back then and probably the same thing now. Maybe those colors you're thinking of in the past don't fit. And that's okay. That's why there's something called "seasons" when it comes to fashion. One minute you have a color that's the color to go hands on bars none it's going to be the next god...the next minute it's the worst color in the world, the style's all bad. Nothing wrong with it."

"I've noticed that. I'm glad I'm not one of those people," Buck agreed. Then a noise of approval before he stepped out. He was in the third pair of jeans since the very first he tried didn't fit. The plain white shirt he was in fit a lot better, "I think this is the size we're going for. I don't like tucking my shirts in, really, unless it's meant to be a dress shirt. I hate how it bunches in the pants. I should find a couple of those and just nicer shirts in general to wear, like that silky fabric. I saw a few with stripes on the chest. I don't mind design things like that, as long as they aren't pictures."

He tilted his head at her and looked her over again, maybe the third time since he's seen her, but he was observing her clothes more, "I do like your style. It compliments your hair without being overwhelming."

River blinked and smiled warmly. "Thanks." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the shirt. "When you take off that shirt remember what size it is so we can go searching for more of them. How many shirts and jeans are you thinking about getting? You might want to think about getting some slacks if you're going to go with some nice shirts. Or something stylish. I'd suggest a suit but...." She winced a little. "I think you'd feel A) really uncomfortable in that and B) really uncomfortable with the amount of stares you'll get from wearing said suit."

"If I were to get a suit I would allow Steve to take me to a tailor and have Stark pay for it," Bucky grunted, but he smiled at her, "Okay, more slacks...I'd actually spend the money for good, durable shoes and boots, too. That's different. Three pants at the least, maybe five since they're cheep. Varying colors. Two slacks, since I wouldn't wear them much. Lots of shirts. No idea how many. You can wear the same pair of jeans and jacket all week and no one blinks but you'd be /damned/ if you're caught in the same shirt two days in a row."

River nodded. "Good shoes cost good money." She agreed. "High heels especially. Let's continue our clothes search and I can take you to a fairly good place to get good shoes and see what you might think. The range is about 50-70. The boots about 80 or so. They last me a good two years before they fall apart from over use. Sometimes I can make it to three years if I don't out grow or don't do something stupid with them."

"With how hard I am with shoes, something that will last you two will last me one," Buck smiled lopsidedly, then went back into the fitting room to get back in his normal clothes. Once he came back out, he sorted through the clothes they'd grabbed and kept the ones similar to the ones he tried on that fit and he liked. "Okay...we have a little more shopping to do here then we can go to the shoe store. Thank you again, River. I appreciate this a lot, especially since it's such short notice and I really didn't have anything."

"You're welcome." River smiled bright. "I like new people and the company's not all that bad today. Let's continue with search! Onwards!"

~*~

"So...when you look at people when it comes to the clothes they wear, what do you like? What do you want to try and see if it looks good on you? Colorful didn't seem your thing, from your trip with Calla...but...I don't see you in goth like River," Dylan admitted as they walked the main halls of the mall, window shopping more or less. "Sparkly? Plain? Denim...I think you'd like denim jackets and such."

"Hmmmm....." Angelina thought about it for a moment. "I liked what Matt wore in Death Note. The red and black striped shirt and jeans with a fur vest. But I also really liked the outfit that Hatsuharu was wearing in Fruits Basket. River had some cool clothes, but I wanted it to be more...neon." She thought about it. "I like that her hair's a different color. I like white, but maybe I should change it up. I don't know." She frowned deeply. "Denim might be fun to try."

"We could go to the hair salon?" Dylan tilted his head at her, "Both Hatsu's and Matt's clothes are easy enough to come by...except for the fur this time a year. We'll see what we can find. Bright. Stands out," he noted with a nod, his focus shifting as he looked at the shops. Boys clothes more than women's it seemed. Comfortable. Easy to move in. Casual, very casual. "What do you think of my style? I'm pretty chill and plain compared to Vince's hipster style."

"I like it." Angelina looked at Dylan's attire with a critical look. "You look comfortable. I like that. Do I wear dresses or no? Should I get them?"

"Do you /want/ to wear dresses?" was Dylan's only question back.

Angelina blinked a little and thought about it. "I...don't know."

The moment she said that, Angelina touched the bottom of her lip and started rubbing on it. "I don't get to ask that question a lot. "Want" is a luxury and it's hard to get. We can't do luxuries. Money's tight." She said slowly. "What's cheap. What's fast. What can get us through the next month?"

"There are such things as cheep dresses. Tight and loose dresses. Short and long dresses. River did just take Buck to a thrift shop. So, I'll ask again...because luxury or not we're finding your style. What do you /want/, Angie?" Dylan smiled. He guided her into Hot Topic. He had several shirts from here, and they had dresses available in fandom flair. There was a clearance sale due to overstock, and buy one get one half off sales. "What do you /like/?"

Angelina's eyes wnadered as she looked at the store. What did she like. A lot of it was too much River and not enough her...but then she noticed the pants and she walked over to it. They were raver's pants. More pockets than a cargo and had neon stripes running down the seam. They were tight on the waist and loose on the legs, spreading out wide at the bottom. "I like that." She said, pointing at the pants. "I think I'd do wigs." She said slowly. "Of different colors. Cosplay here and there if I find costumes for it..and wigs. But what kind of shirts would go with this? Anything I want?"

"Well, you should at least /try/ to make things match, but basically. I dunno. I'm the type where I can't wear miss-matched socks," Dylan laughed softly, "Blue or purple wigs. Green wigs would be too anime, where they make the eyes and hair the same color, unless you're going for that sort of thing."

"Blue for starter." Angelina said after a moment as she took a couple of pairs of pants to try them on and see what would fit. "Maybe pink or whatever random color I feel. I like green, but I'd do dark green, not neon or bright." She nodded her head after a moment. "I don't want to do purple. Purple's River's color. She's pretty."

"You like River and Vince?" Dylan asked, "The /only/ person who knows what Vince is and what he really looks like is Calla. River doesn't count in that for obvious reasons."

"Bucky likes River." Angelina pointed out. "She's kind to him. She's kind to me. She gave me patterns to make me smile. She helps Bucky with the clothes, too."

"She has a bleeding heart, wears it on her sleeve and smiles no matter how much people hurt her. Bucky sees that," Dylan nodded, "River doesn't have to question Buck and his intentions, either. He's quite blunt. He doesn't have a /reason/ to lie. Withhold information, sure, but not lie."

"I know." Angelina's shoulders slumped. "She's a good person. I don't think she ever questioned his intentions." She looked at Dylan sadly. "She sees someone that needs help and it doesn't matter what that person is up to. She's like Steve. But she's hurt. She's hurt right here." She tapped her own heart. "Someone made her really, really sad and scared."

"I know a bit about that. They've both...River and Calla I mean...were in bad relationships. River's boyfriend had a buddy that Calla got with and they were abusers. River's was very physical and controlling. Dehydrated her to the point of hospitalization, made her so depressed she wouldn't eat or sleep. Didn't want kids so when she'd go into heat he'd basically make fun of her and bully her. Calla's was more mental. She can't take compliments very well. Not that she doesn't appreciate it, deep down, but she immediately ties to downplay it," Dylan frowned. "If she gets injured, too, she makes it sound like it's not so bad when it's really nasty. When Calla saved River from her boyfriend, he broke her rib with a kick and she was beaten so bad that she was almost hospitalized...but she let them patch her head where he knocked her down and she cracked open her temple, and wrap her ribs, but then she went home with Vince."

Angelina frowned as she listened to the story. "I'd kill them if I could. If I thought that they wanted me to. No one should do that."

"From what I heard, Vince scared them both off once he was able to follow the signal he gave Calla for emergencies. They never came back, and Vince helped them pack and move all the way across the American map to New York. The girls recovered, founded a craft shop together, and Calla became a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. after I suggested it to her," Dylan shrugged and he started filtering through the racks of shirts buy one get one.

"I think it was wrong." Angelina said with a frown. "Neither one of you belong in S.H.I.E.L.D and you're not Hydra either." She started looking around the area. She liked the fandom shirts, but they weren't something she would just wear...not yet. She needed to immerse herself more into the anime world before she started displaying badges of honor. She did, however, find a Captain America summer dress. It was really cute. It was red and white decorate with very small shields that weren't noticeable at first glance.

She wondered if Steve ever noticed people wearing his merchandise. She wondered how that made him feel. She thought about what her symbol would be and how people would take it. She didn't feel all that great about them displaying it.

Did they know anything about her? No. So, did they know anything about Steve? Probably not. Everything about his persona. "It must really suck being an Avenger too. Not trapped in a real cage. But trapped in another way."

"All of those expectations...and the destruction caused. It's no wonder people hate and love them. They stop the bad guys, but...there's tragedy all around. People losing homes and jobs. They feel it, too, I imagine. I don't know...I've only just met them myself, really. I should be honored, but I get the feeling Calla and I are stepping into another world a lot bigger than ourselves and we're not sure how the others will take us. Sure, Calla saved Bucky. Then I took care of you. Yet...we've barely scratched the surface of just how many people are /in/ the Avengers that we've even talked to. I don't know if I'm entirely welcome...but I'm not welcome at S.H.I.E.L.D., either. If I went back, I'd get so many stares and glares. I don't know what else to do. Calla can go back home to River and Vince and they'll take care of her while she finds a new job or focuses on the shop." He didn't want to say out out loud, but he knew she could read minds, too.

He was alone.

Angelina walked over to Dylan and leaned against him. "You have me." She said softly. "Us outcasts gotta stick together. Somehow someway."

Dylan smiled down at her and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder for a hug, "You're right. That we do. So, how about we find you some more clothes to try on like those pants? Hmm? Then I'll round up an employee to open the fitting room." At her nod, he grinned and they started up their hunt again.

~*~

"Would you find it funny if I asked you 'penny for your thoughts'?" Calla asked the man beside her as they took a long stroll around the mall. No destination, no grand treasure hunt for clothing as River'd given her clothes to wear for the third night at the Tower and the cookout tomorrow. It was just them, lost in their own heads, and Calla didn't mind the white noise of the hustle and bustle around them, but...she was curious.

Steve's lips curved into a smile. "You must think that my thoughts are pretty cheap then if you can buy them for a penny. Used to be worth a nickle."

"Is that so?" Calla fished around in her bag and produced a quarter, "I better be getting my money's worth."

Steve laughed and snatched the quarter away. "Thanks for the free cents. I wonder if they still sell suckers that are just a quarter."

"Gumball machines," Calla pointed at them down across the hall, "I betcha you've never had one filled with nerds before, Mr. Fossil."

"Nerds are not my thing." Steve wrinkled his nose. "Gumballs. Hm." He shrugged. "Not too much of a fossil. Bucky would tell you that in order to be a fossil you have to be dead for thousands of years. Thankfully I didn't make it that far. Though I'm sure Tony would say the opposite."

Calla wrinkled her nose at him, "Not sure 'retro' is the right word for you, though. Fine, no gumballs. You could get a handful of reecees pieces or something. There's several options. Whatever that quarter would get you. They don't give out single suckers in those machines. What flavor would you hope for if they did?"

"Good question." Steve mused as he looked at the vending machine. He popped the quarter into the gumball machine, and he could hear Calla smack herself in the head. "The flavors are kind of weird nowadays." He watched in amusement as the gumballs went down the spiral and landed down at the very bottom. He bent down and grabbed the four that came out and popped one in his mouth, giving Calla a random flavor.

Calla just smiled at him and took the green one from his palm, ignoring the yellow he offered in the other hand, "Lemon's gross. Watermellon's better," she popped it in her mouth and shrugged, "I do like the cherry suckers, but orange are second best."

Steve smiled as he placed his lemon in a pocket. "I'll give it to someone that like's lemon. Do you think Angelina would like sweets? Should I save her the blue one?" He asked curiously.

"Save both, see what she wants. That's the big thing with her and Bucky right now, isn't it?" Calla asked him, trying to hit the right note to get Steve to talk to her, their sassing aside, "What they /want/. Discovering what they want if they don't know themselves. Bucky didn't want fancy clothing, and was perfectly happy with River suggesting a thrift shop run. Angelina is still slowly poking her head out of Bucky's shadow."

"She's getting more and more confident." Steve agreed as he placed the gumballs into his pocket. He thought for a moment and he placed his hands slowly into his pockets. "I still can't believe it. Even though I got to see them...and getting them out. I still can't believe that he's here and he wants to be here. I'm both saddened and happy that he found Angelina. I can't help but to wonder about her. I know her from Bucky's point of view. I know he sees her as a little sister, practically his own daughter by the way he talks to her and the way she responds to him. But her, herself? Those scares weren't self-inflicted. Not all of them."

Steve nodded his head, "I shouldn't bring it up. Not when he's out in the sunlight and not when Angelina's beginning to find herself. But at the same time, if I don't say anything, when will we?" He sighed. "It's none of my business. He'll be fearful that I even know."

"It is, Steve. He's your brother." Calla said firmly. Not 'best friend', but brother. "You can find a way of asking without it being strange...he heals quickly, like you do, but if he has any sort of scars that means they either got infected, they were repetitive, or he kept them open and let them heal slowly. Trace one...ask 'was it them?' and see what he says. Darkness...I think the best time to get him to talk about anything like that is at night, if you don't want to take him from the sunshine."

Steve nodded. "Probably a good idea. He'll probably talk more in the dark about anything if I ask." He took a breath and let it out. "Thanks."

"For now, just think...he's home. He's here, with you. Those wounds you've spent trying to nurse and heal got ripped open, but sometimes that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes...on the rare occasion...they heal better the second time around. Today, it's about them. Tomorrow...Tomorrow is your birthday, big guy. You're allowed all those things that you think is too selfish. Hug him. Hold him. Stick to him like glue. Shove a piece of cake in his face," She grinned at him, "That'll get him riled up for sure."

Steve laughed. "That sounds like really good idea." He grinned. "But you're right. I should stop dwelling on things. At least for right now."

"Yes! For right now..." she blew a gum bubble at him, and once it popped she giggled, "River and Vince! What do you think of them? Guppies makes a lot more sense now, doesn't it?"

"It does. I like Vince. I feel like he can get along with just about anybody so long as they have a sense of humor." Steve said as he popped his own bubble. He chewed thoughtfully. "River...she's the first person Bucky's actually taken an interest in. I mean, he's a little stiff around you though he's relaxed because you were able to get Angelina out. But with River...she says thrift shopping and he's all over that like a dog with a bone."

"The prices here scare tourists all the time. I'm not too surprised it scared Bucky," Calla furrowed her brows, "I feel like they have a connection because they don't think they belong in our world. Like Angelina keeps saying."

Steve thought about it. Bucky was always on the run. Angelina following without question. They both suffered psychologically. Scarred themselves from improper care and hands that never knew kind touch. Bucky was torn between a man out of time, much like Steve, and a weapon who was used when he was pulled out of storage. In kindness, a machine. Angelina...who knew what happened to her. The many scares and her split personality. The way she spoke about death and ghosts and how she calmed Bucky down. He wondered about River. About Vince. They were ailens sure, but what made them leave their planet? What made River chose earth? What made Vince?

"You're thinking too hard again. We're supposed to be having fun. I didn't mean to make a comment that gives you a headache," Calla grunted.

"Not a headache." Steve said with a small smile. "You bring up some good points. It makes me want to get to know them. Especially River and Vince. Mostly I just want to know what it is that made them chose here. Did they think the earth was beautiful? Did they think the people were kind?" He thought about it for a moment. "I didn't mean to get depressing on you."

"Perhaps...you should do that. Maybe not today, because you'll no doubt end up getting all philosophical on them, but later. You need to come check out the shop, after all," Calla grinned, "Vince works a little nook bookstore. If you can get him to tell you hints on where it is, like some sort of game of hide and seek, I'm sure he'll talk to you during a break or something."

"I'll be happy to swing by both." Steve smiled. "It'll be fun."

~*~

"Burgers! Steve, just /look/ at that double cheeseburger over there," Bucky pointed out the sign, "I want three of them."

"You go and eat three burgers then. I want chicken and fries," Calla reached into her purse for her wallet, "Vince, what are you after?"

"You since you decided to ditch me at the coffee shop." Vince replied. "Dylan's going after Angel and River's taken."

"I get this odd feeling that food wasn't in that sentence." River gave Vince a look.

"Now why on earth would you think that?" Vince grinned at her teasingly.

"I dunno, Vince, you might have a little competition now," Calla smirked at the brunette hipster, "Steve and I got gumballs together and then got a little philosophical. Oh, Steve! You were gunna offer Angelina and Bucky one of them."

"You dastardly fiend," Buck gaped at Steve, "Gumballs and a heart to heart?"

"Bucky did a fashion show for River." Angelina offered immediately.

"Now whose the fiend?" Steve grinned wide like Christmas came early.

"The one who's wearing one of those new shirts, thanks," Bucky puffed up. Indeed, after paying he'd gone back to the fitting room to switch out clothes and was in the skinny jeans Dylan offered and the burgundy shirt River'd spotted, along with the brand new boots she'd helped him find at that shoe store that weren't even rubbing blisters which was per normal for new shoes. The hoodie he'd stolen from Steve was around his waist, tied by the sleeves.

"Well, glad to know my hard work went unnoticed," Dylan pouted, "Angelina did a fashion show for me, too. Isn't she adorable, guys?"

"It's okay. I noticed." Angelina patted Dylan on the shoulder. Angelina did look cute. Her hair was tied back, showing more of her face and she was wearing an adorable neon pink shirt with a black cat's face on it. She also wore a pair of dark blue jean raver pants that had neon blue bubbles surrounding a blue mushroom head on it. Clearly a testament to a Mario game. On her sides was a belt attached to either loop that looked like a racer's checker flag.

"I think you're adorable." River grinned brightly. "Hey Angelina, do you want to come with me?"
"Come with you?" Angelina blinked in surprise.

River nodded. "Ice cream. Don't worry about paying, it's my treat. Come on. Have you ever had it?"

"I've never given her ice cream, though I don't know if she's had it before then," Bucky told River, happy she was offering his Companion something, "I think she'd enjoy it. C'mon, Steve, let's get those burgers."

"Vince! To fries!" Calla chirped, hand in the air as she turned in another direction.

"I'm going to get something else. My turn to be the seventh wheel," Dylan laughed as he waved and wandered off towards the Chinese food place for some orange chicken.

River watched everyone leave to their respective places before she gently pushed Angelina towards a DQ stand. They both ordered blizzards, even though Angelina had no idea what they were or what they were going to do with them, and found a table near by so that they could grab the ice cream once it was done.

“Why ice cream?” Angelina looked at River curiously.

“Was it a bad idea?” River looked a little alarmed at the thought and Angelina shook her head. She relaxed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just want you to have something sweet.”

Angelina nodded. She supposed that it made sense only to River. Maybe it was a mermaid thing, or maybe River was just trying to be nice. She watched curiously as River suddenly pulled out her phone and pulled up the Pokemon Go app.

“So I’m Team Mystic and Vince is Team Valor. That’s why my avatar’s all blue.” River explained as she showed the girl the gist.

She allowed Angelina free-reign of her phone while she grabbed the ice creams that were done. Angelina looked through the pokemon that River had caught. A lot of it was fire and water, a few plants too. When River came back, Angelina slid the phone back to her. River smiled warmly as she pocketed the phone and Angelina felt…

She felt like she was safe. Even though there was a crowd, even though she was separated from Bucky by someone who she didn’t know. She felt really safe and warm. She knew River wouldn’t hurt her, knew that River had her best interests at heart. “Are you a mom?”

River froze, about to put the spoon full of m&ms and vanilla ice cream in her mouth. “No. Not a mom.” She placed the spoon down. “There’s times where that’s all I want to be. Then there’s times that I’m so thankful that I’m not.”

Angelina nodded slowly. “You made Bucky smile.”

River smiled warmly. “That’s good. He deserves a smile. Just like you do.” She pushed the cup a little closer to Angelina, reminding her to try it.

She dipped her spoon into the vanilla and cookie dough. She sniffed at it, and found it didn’t really hold a scent. She placed it in her mouth and her eyes widened. River’s smile went wide. “You like it?”

“It’s good.” Angelina agreed. “It’s soft. It tastes really good.”

“That’s good. I’m glad I was able to help you see something new.” River looked pleased as peaches and Angelina felt her heart pang.

“You do a lot for me. Why?” Angelina looked up at River.

“What do you mean?” River blinked.

“Ice cream. Patterns. Small messages. You do a lot. You went with Bucky to thrift shop. Why?”

River stirred the m&ms in her blizzard as she thought about it. “At first, I thought you were really a guppy.” She admitted. “Calla told me that you were in the hospital type thing and you were hurting really badly. I know what it’s like to be in a prison. I know what it’s like to be hunted down like you’re nothing more than an animal for a slaughter.” She took a bite and looked at Angelina. “I never wanted you to feel like you didn’t have someone rooting for you. I never wanted you to think that everyone outside those walls saw you as what they saw you. When Calla explained more in depth about what happened to you and Bucky, I was angry and sad. You don’t deserve it.”

“We…don’t?”

“I don’t know much about the Winter Solider. I don’t know much about you. What I know is that Bucky likes dark clothes and he likes to feel confident. He’s ready with a quip or he’s ready to listen. What I know about you, Angelina, is that you’re a mind-reader and a good person. My god Dylan looks at you like the sun is rising.” River watched as Angelina blinked. “I know that you and Bucky are practically father and daughter, maybe brother and sister. I know that if there’s ever a decision, you’d both chose the other so fast and so quick…” She shook her head.

“I know you like Pokemon go and a mermaid and you do and don’t like guppies.” Angelina offered.

“So how about we take our cups of ice cream and play a game?” River smiled slightly.

“A game?”

“It’ll be fun. Two truths and a lie.”

“I want to play!” Angelina beamed.

“Cool. Let’s grab the others and see what we can do.”

()

A week, a party, an interview, and then mundane things done around the Tower. It was...relaxing and yet aggravating at the same time. He was worried about the interview and what Pepper would use on it. He hadn't wanted her to interview Angelina at all, answering her questions instead. Then Steve took a bunch of pictures during the party and all he told him was it was for Pepper, for good things.

It wasn't until he was sitting on the couch on one of the many free reign levels watching TV and the news that he understood what the hell was going on.

A picture of him grilling, looking very intense and focused, but his posture was otherwise relaxed, one hand using the skillet to flip a patty and the other hand stuffed into his jeans pockets. He'd been wearing normal flare jeans, but they...shaped his ass a lot more than he would like to admit, clinging to his thunder thighs like crazy.

Another was of him holding his arm up to block a water balloon being thrown at him by Angelina, Steve's timing fantastic just as it broke apart, getting water /all/ over him. What...startled him the most was his bright, laughing expression, one eye closed, shock and amusement written all over his face. His companion looked pleased as all could be that she managed to hit him, her grin a little feral, eyes wild, but very clear and just as bright as his own.

A bunch more pictures slide-showed through, one with each of the members of the Avengers. Chugging a vodka bottle with Natalia. Bean-bag toss with Clint and Angelina. One with him /wagging his finger/ at Tony while he was turning a piece of chicken over, Tony's eyes wide and his own face upset but it was more comical then terrifying. Sam, who had been quite the character to hang around with when he wasn't being knocked out of the sky, was clinking beers with him as they lounged by the firepit in the fading daylight. Smores at the same pit with Wanda and Vision during the nighttime, the red-orange glow looking ethereal if it wasn't for Wanda and him cracking up when Vision lit his marshmallow on fire and he was blowing at it, trying to put it out.

The very last picture that flicked on the screen, was of him and Steve...Steve with his hand on his shoulder, the /look/ he was giving him completely at ease and /happy/. His own expression was tender, even a little shy, but the barest hint of a smile showing. Beside that, was a picture of them back in World War 2 and he barely realized the people in the news room were talking.

"Steve said that the pictures are going to help people understand you." Angelina sat down on the floor by his legs, leaning against his knee as she watched the newsroom. She could feel him start to pet her hair and she closed her eyes.

Those pictures were beautiful and people's opinions were tainting them. There were protests that were starting to gather. On one side of the spectrum they called for the Winter Soldier's execution. But the other side, the loudest side, were screaming that Bucky Barnes and the Winter Solider not only weren't the same person, but that Bucky Barnes clearly was trying to live.

"He was careful not to photograph River, Vince, Calla and Dylan." Angelina said softly, opening her eyes just slightly. "He told your story. The way it was supposed to be. The way you need it to be. People are always mad about something. No one's ever satisfied, but this? Good start. You're going to be safe now. We can breathe." There was a pause. "You know I don't think I ever taken a breath." She mused. "I don't think I know how to. Breathe I mean. It's a thing. Breathing. But we don't do that, you and I. But now we can. Isn't it weird? I think it's weird. Maybe I just think breathing's weird. It's a weird word. It's a weird concept."

Bucky twisted a strand around a metal finger, "I don't know if you saw, but there were a couple with you at the beginning. I didn't even catch what they were all saying, too wrapped up in the pictures. I'm sure it's going to go viral and be replayed tonight on the six o'clock news, anyway. I think it would be best not to go out anywhere until it blows over, if only for a few days."

Angelina hummed softly. "Slate's not gonna be happy. He tried to keep me in the Jones. Well. So long as I keep my name A.J, I don't think the other family's gonna know." She pursed her lips together. "At least these walls don't chat nor see. Well. They /do/. F.R.I.D.A.Y is good company. I like her. Even if she's an AI. Maria sometimes still chats with me too. Wanda randomly gets stuck in her sometimes. It's a little scary."