Who: Kate Bishop and Bucky Barnes When: Saturday April 15 [Backdated/Kidplot] Where: Kate's Place What: Brother from another Mother & Sister from another Mister Bonding Warnings: Feelings, sadness, tears. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
Bucky was worried about Kate, even with all the distraction of the number of children that had shown up in any number of combinations between them. He wanted to make sure that she was doing okay because he really had come to see her as a sister. The bit of confusion that had gone on back in February had only brought that to light and he was glad that she didn't push him away once they were all back in their right minds. Still, he knew with kids running around that it was more likely than not that she'd gotten wrapped up in what was happening around town.
So, armed with coffee to go from one of the various shops, and a dozen donuts from Hinkles, Bucky knocked on Kate's door, hoping she was home. If she did have kids wandering around, at least he could comfort her that it was only going to last a week or so. Not that it had been much of a comfort to him, but he hoped it would be to her. He was too upset that he'd have to say goodbye to all those children, to know that they would be around long enough to fall in love with them, even though they wouldn't all be his.
"Katie-Kate. Open up. I've got coffee," he called, knocking again.
***
The idea of having a kid was suppose to bring feelings of joy and happiness. Nerves were going to happen. Fear of the unknown of how they would turn out was also normal. That was how Kate should have been feeling when her and Xavinâs kid showed up. Maternal bliss was not what happened, though.
There werenât many things that easily brought Kate Bishop to a breaking point. She had fought hard to build a hard shield to prevent that. You couldnât bend even the slightest when it came to the hero business. Especially when you lacked super powers and abilities. Expecting the unexpected was like waking up in the morning these days. This level of unexpected had been enough. Perhaps it had been a slew of pent up emotions since arriving that pushed Kate to that breaking point. She couldnât explain the hows and whys. Not right now. Perhaps not ever.
Her house was a mess, more so than usual. After being introduced to the kid with Xavin, Kate ran. She ran as far away as she could, but only had one place to go. It wasnât like being in New York or LA. There were escapes there. She could only escape to her house.
The floor was littered with balled up paper, all trying to figure out how this child could have happened. What would Karolina say? What would Eli say? Kate wasnât seeing anyone prior to her arriving here, but it was still jarring. Even when she had been to a timeline in which she and Tommy were expecting twins, Kate had walked away from that.
âGo away!â she called back. She just wanted to sit in the dark living room, curled up and hidden beside the sofa. It would all be over soon. At least she hoped.
***
Bucky's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry at the reply he got. "I think we both know that isn't going to happen," he replied as he carefully juggled everything into his human hand. He couldn't exactly pick a lock, bogged down as he was with coffee and donuts, but his metal arm was more than strong enough to break the locking mechanism if he had to.
"You going to let me in, or do I have to add buying you a new doorknob and installing it to my to do list today?" His metal hand was already wrapped loosely around the knob, testing to see if it was even locked. Whatever was going on, he wasn't going to let it slide or take her word for it that everything was fine. Bucky was accused of being overprotective practically every other day and that was just fine with him. It meant he was doing it right, whether that was being a father to Molly or an older brother to Kate.
***
Despite not wanting to move from the safety of her spot, Kate also didnât want to deal with a broken door at that moment. It was just one more headache to add to her list.
After a few minutes of thuds, shuffles, and a few choice expletives, Kate opened the door. She was glad to see Bucky, but at the same time she just wanted to be alone. Talking about what was happening was just going to make everything worse. Talking about it meant it was really happening. Whether the kid was real or not didnât help either. Both ideas made Kateâs head hurt even more.
She knew, though, he wasnât going to be leaving any time soon. Which, deep down, was a good thing. Kate probably needed to talk to someone, and she couldnât bring herself to face Xavin right now. She wasnât mad at Xavin. Not in the least. Kate was upset with herself; for a lot of things.
Stepping aside, Kate allowed Bucky inside and closed the door behind him.
âSit, stand, slouch, whatever. I donât care,â she said, waving a hand before taking over her spot on the floor at the end of the sofa.
***
He heard movement so he let go of the doorknob and took a half step back so he wouldn't be crowding her when she opened the door. It was clear to him that Kate was upset and even if she didn't want to talk - because he damn well wasn't going to press her - he could at least be there for her in some other way.
Bucky stepped into her apartment and looked around, concerned by what he saw. This wasn't just because of the kids, which meant he really should have stopped by sooner. Damn. "Hungry?" he asked, going for a more casual tone as he settled himself just in front of her. The coffee travel tray got placed between them, her's right in front of her, and he set the bag of donuts beside it.
"So." He took a sip of his own coffee as he looked around once more. "Not gonna make you talk about it, Katie-Kate, but I'm here if you want to. You know that, right?" Bucky wanted to make sure that part was clear before he tried to cajole her into spending Easter with them at the house.
***
âI donât want kids,â she muttered, her face buried in her knees, that were drawn tightly against her chest. âIâm not a mother. Iâm...a super hero. Iâm a private investigator. I do stupid things with good intentions. Iâm not meant to have kids. Iâm not suppose to.â Kate lifted her head finally, wiping at her face with her sleeve. âAnd then some kid shows up named after...after the only guy I thought I could have something normal with. Who I thought could fix me.â
For a moment, Kate considered the offered coffee and donuts, but even that wasnât appealing at that moment. âA kid with Xavin. Not with Eli. Just named after him.â Perhaps that was part of it, Kate reasoned with herself. Shaking her head, Kate wiped at her face again. âI told the poor kid that I wasnât their mother. That I couldnât be. Iâm already off to a great start.â
Kate finally reached for the coffee, cradling it against her. It was an odd comfort.
***
Bucky could understand where she was coming from. He honestly didn't have the first clue what being a dad meant and honestly, some of the kids who'd shown up seemed pretty impossible to him, but they were still his. It seemed particularly complicated for her though, considering this Eli guy, so Bucky did the best he could.
"There's been a lot of confusion going on around here, so I don't think you're the only one who told their potential kid that it wasn't possible to be their parent. And to be fair, you're not their mom now. Doesn't mean you will be or you won't be in the future." Bucky privately wished there was a way to keep all the kids, even though it was beyond weird to think about him and V having a kid together, or him and Mary Crane or him and Maria Hill. But he wouldn't pick and choose between the kids and he wanted them all to stay. Even if it'd mean buying yet another house to feasibly fit them all in. He definitely wasn't looking forward to them leaving.
"You aren't the only one who's feeling a bit left of center on this one, I promise." He reached out to give her foot a squeeze since that was the part of her that was closest to him. "You should bring both the kid and Xavin to the Easter Egg hunt we're doing on Sunday." Because she was going, obviously, and they should come too.
***
âIf Xavin wants to take Caelen, zey can. Iâm not looking for eggs.â Nursing the coffee, Kate knew that wasnât the answer anyone wanted to hear, but she couldnât bring herself to be around them. Them being Xavin and the kid of course. âI donât even like Easter.â The truth was Kate Bishop wasnât keen on a lot of family holidays. Family, in general, was sometimes difficult to see.
Coffee in hand, Kate shifted to sit beside Bucky, leaning against him after she settled. âMy Mom was the one who held my family together. She made sure we talked to each other, and presented ourselves like a family when we had to appear in public.â It wasnât easy to talk about her family or herself for that matter. At least when it came to anything not having to do with who she had made herself to be.
âI just want to stay here until theyâre gone. Even Mitchellâs kid calls me âMama Kateâ, and I didnât want her to. God, what kind of person says that?â
***
Bucky sighed and put his arm around her shoulders, making the leaning a little more comfortable. "Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate," he replied. "Even if you don't like Easter, you should come. Kara and I have a daughter who's four. I've got a kid with Steve who's 8 and he's got a whole host of medical problems that I'm sure Steve's going to feel guilty about for a long time. I've even got a teenage daughter with Veronica, and Steve and Kara have a matching one." Because they were still all close in that world, their significant others were just switched.
"Whatever's going on here, it's all just possibilities. None of these kids could ever exist." No matter how much he wanted to keep all of them, he knew it was possible that he and Kara would never be parents. "But Caelen and whoever Mitchell's kid is, they love their Kate Bishop and you wouldn't be in their lives if that version of you didn't want to be. Whoever you become in the future is up to you." He pressed a kiss against her forehead.
"Maybe that person is the kind of person who does the holding together a bit more than you're used to."
***
Bucky was making valid points, and Kate could agree with him. âI just donât want any kid to face some of the things I did growing up. I donât want them to be a victim. I donât want them to feel ashamed.â
Taking a few more sips of her coffee, Kate finally reached for the donuts. Taking one for herself, she offered the bag to Bucky. âIâll think about Sunday, but I canât make any promises. Just know that if Iâm not there, itâs not because I donât want to see the spawns of Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, and co.â She paused, a small grin forming.
âYou and Steve, huh? I could see it.â
***
"Yea yea, I know. Can't say I'm surprised everyone's not surprised by Tim," Bucky replied with a roll of his eyes. It was true though. He loved Steve more than just about everyone else and Kara was right there at the top with him, more tied than winning in that sense. "Becca's adorable though, and apparently the most likely one." He really wasn't so sure how much he liked that, but he honestly loved all of the kids so far. Even the weird ones.
He took a donut and nudged her shoulder. "I fully expect to meet Caelen, and you could do to bring this Xavin around for dinner one week." Because at the very least, they were friends and Bucky wanted to get to know her friends. He kind of hoped that the kids would stick around for longer than a week, but Xavin would be welcome anytime. "Mitchell too." He wasn't stalking because that wasn't what friends did, but he could nudge her gently into sharing.
Or else he'd bribe her with coffee and donuts forever.
***
âIâll think about it. Xavin? Sure. Mitchell is...weâll see.â Because Mitchell didnât seem like the big family dinner sort of guy.
âCaelenâs a Skrull, by the way. Like Xavin, but with some of my features.â Did Bucky know anything about the Skrulls? Probably not, but at least explaining aliens to him wouldnât be something new. âAn alien race who can change their appearance, or have green skin. I had another friend who was a Skrull. And I dated one. Briefly. He was an ass, though. Sort of.â She took a long drink of her coffee. âActually, he was an ass. I know how to pick them, apparently.â
Pulling apart a donut, Kate grinned over at Bucky. âThanks. You know, for making sure I wasnât going insane.â
***
Bucky wasn't too fussed because he'd meet them both one way or another. He just knew it would be better if Kate introduced them herself instead of him just finding the guys. At his blank look in reply to being told her kid was a Skrull, she explained. "Aliens. Right, okay. So this Xavin isn't the same Skrull you dated?" Steve and Natasha had told him about the Chitauri so he knew that alien races existed. Plus there was Thor, who was technically an alien.
"You're a good one, Katie-Kate. I want to make sure you're happy and that definitely requires you not go insane." He gave her a nudge. "I know this place throws a lot at us and some of it is going to suck, but you aren't going to ever be through all of this alone." Bucky wouldn't ever let that happen.
***
âNo, no. Xavin is -- was? -- married to another friend of mine. Karolina Dean. She was part of a group known as the Runaways. Crime-fighting teens, like I use to be with the Young Avengers. During the Civil War of my world, we helped them during some rough times.â Kate was fairly certain she felt that all too familiar chill run down her spine. Finding Billy, Teddy, and the others in the various tortured states had been horrible. Little did Kate know that it would be one of the many times she would find friends in that sort of situation.
âThat whole time still just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Everything that happened. Everyone who lost someone.â She let out a sigh. Another heavy one that was quickly followed by a ravenous inhale of donuts and coffee. Food and caffeine always helped rid her brain of those thoughts; the memories that she didnât like to dig up too often.
Wiping away crumbs with her sleeve, Kate didnât care how unladylike or unattractive it seemed. âI can handle things being thrown at me, and the unknown. But it does help knowing I have some good backup on my side. And at least I donât have to worry too much about you like with Clint.â Although the Clint here didnât seem to be getting into nearly as much trouble as her Clint back home. That was a relief.
Leaning in, Kate pressed a kiss against his cheek before settling once more with her empty coffee cup. âDonât let it go to your head.â
***
Civil War. They'd sort of had one of those, didn't they? The Avengers had fractured because of him, because of who he was and what he'd done. "I think you'll find that there's a good number of folks around here that have made a bad situation into something good, and I'm not just talking about the kids," Bucky replied. He wanted her to feel a little more at home in Madison Valley while they were stuck here and that was why he tried so hard to make sure she came around for family dinner at least once a week, although she was always welcome.
"Hey, it's part of being the big brother, Katie-Kate," he teased. "Means I get to worry about you, not the other way around." Bucky did smile at the kiss though, because it just went to show how far they'd come in a short period of time. So many people had come into his life that had become important to him so quickly. Kara, Kate, Becca. Only Becca wasn't likely to stick around for very long and he was trying not to think about that too much.
"I promise not to let it if you promise to come to the Easter Egg Hunt."
***
âIf only to make sure your head doesnât get any bigger,â she teased. Truthfully, it was going to be good for her. She would make sure to contact Xavin as well. Ze could bring Caelen, and Kate could try and handle this Mom thing better than she had when everything first happened. Maybe she could actually be the role model that her mother had been for her when she was growing up.
No. That was impossible, but at least she could follow by example. She had had one good parent in her life. That was better than none.
âYou should probably get back to your rat pack. I bet theyâve wrecked the place playing Monopoly or something.â
***
Bucky grinned and reached over to muss up her hair. "Well it won't if I've got you looking out for me," he replied. Kate reminded him a lot of his sisters, so he was glad he had the opportunity to be a part of her life. Even though he wasn't trying to replace his sisters, or take over the relationship she had with Clint, he would always be grateful for the town for tossing them together more.
"As if I'd let them play Monopoly without me," he mock scoffed. "Rookie mistake." The kids were honestly pretty well behaved despite how many of them were holed up in close quarters. He, Steve, V and Kara had plenty of kids just between the four of them and their various combinations.
"I was going to stop at the store though and pick out a wide variety of nerf guns. Want to tag along now that you're sufficiently caffeinated and sugared up?"
***
âAs much as I would love to school all of you in the art of nerf gun battles, Iâm going to sit this one out. I think Iâm going to try and call Xavin, or something.â Or sit and stew because those were the two ends of the spectrum Kate was looking to reach at that moment. âBut the donuts are staying with me.â Whatever was left of them of course. She didnât think Bucky would argue too much.
âAnd Iâll be there on Sunday. In some way, shape, or form. Who knows? Maybe the Easter Bunny will show up, but in reality it will be me. Youâll never know until itâs too late.â That was part of being an aunt, right? Terrorizing small children out of love?
âBut you go and wrangle your spawn. Give Kara my best and stuff.â
***
That got her a look at first, because since when would Kate turn down nerf guns, but when she said she'd try talking to Xavin, Bucky nodded. "Give it a shot. It can't hurt anything, no matter what you're telling yourself." He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Please do not show up in an Easter Bunny costume. Or a bunny costume in general." Specificity was his best friend with pranksters. He knew that from experience. "Love you, Katie-Kate." Bucky was a bit more free with Kate about that kind of thing because he sensed that she needed the reminder. Plus, she was a damn good kid sister. Rebecca - his sister - would've loved Kate. The world might've shook in fear had they had a chance to get to know one another.
***
âNo promises on the bunny thing.â Fortunately for everyone, Kate did not quite live up to Clintâs level of pranking. Her sense of humor, in Kateâs opinion, sat more on the cynical side. âBut I can promise that I will give it that old college try.â
Though she wasnât completely back to herself, her mood had lifted considerably. âIf they are playing Monopoly? Make sure one of your spawns has a good hold on Boardwalk and Park Place. Marvin Gardens and the rest of the yellow properties as well.â Those were important properties, and if they didnât agree? Kate was going to have teach them the ropes.
Kate gave his shoulder a playful punch. âSee ya Sunday, old man.â She would be there, as promised, in hopes that it would make it all better.