i hate you but

And that’s exactly what they did. The pair got hitched two days after the court date to settle who gets custody of the kids once and for all. They’d come to the agreement that although they were a married couple on paper—they chose to keep their surnames— and that they lived together, they wouldn’t let it force or control whatever it was they had between them; that they would take things at their own pace, not paying attention to any other factors of their overcomplicated relationship.

y/n, Bucky, and Mike sat on one side of the room while the Langdons and their lawyer sat at the table on the opposite of theirs.

The court trial began with the Langdons’ lawyers presenting why the Langdons were a better fit for the kids while at the same time trashing y/n and presenting reasons to why she was unfit to care for the children.

Everything was going smoothly until it just didn’t. The Langdons’ lawyer now brought up the topic of y/n’s job.

“Miss l/n is an Avenger. How can we be sure she’ll be present in the children’s lives?” the man questioned, turning to face y/n.

y/n found herself coughing out “agent l/n” before allowing Mike to make his defense.

“My client has been open to the idea of discussing her new terms and conditions with the head of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. She will not be going on an excessive amount of missions lasting more than two days,” Mike explained, earning a nod from Alice Sourman, the judge in charge of handling the case.

“Your honor, what if Miss l/n were to die on the job? It’s a risk we would need to take into account,” the Langdons’ lawyer explained, pulling an eye roll from y/n.

“And if my client dies on the job, would it sting less for the children if she did so while she isn’t their legal guardian? Yes, my client’s job comes with the risk of serious injury or death, but aren’t we all at risk of dying? Your honor, if I were to slip and split my head open on a rock, would that not be lethal?” Mike turned to y/n and Bucky, giving them a wink as he faced Judge Alice.

“And what if Miss l/n’s professional life begins to interfere with her personal life? Her partner was once a wanted criminal, how do we know nobody’s out there hunting him down? How do we know the kids won’t be put in danger due to this?” the lawyer argued, pulling a scowl from Bucky. Why did he think the court would just let his past go?

y/n noticed the way his fist clenched under the table and took his hand in hers, looking up at him and giving him a reassuring smile, leaning against his shoulder.

“Your honor, Sergeant Barnes was deemed innocent and pardoned for his crimes years ago. He, himself is no longer a threat, but should there be some sort of threat against Sergeant Barnes while the children get involved, I would like to remind you that Agent l/n and Sergeant Barnes are both well-trained in combat; after all, they’re not with Earth’s mightiest heroes for nothing,” Mike chuckled, watching the way the Langdons scowled in their seats, watching as the lawyers began to rapidly fire shots at each other.

“But in the Langdons’ custody, there would not be an underlying threat to worry about at all. The children would not have to face the trauma of knowing there are targets on their backs; that they can be used as pawns against Mister Barnes and Miss l/n,” the lawyer argued.

“Well, your honor, Mr. and Mrs. Langdon are both immensely successful people with their preexisting companies. However, I refuse to believe there will not be a target on the children’s backs should they stay with the Langdons,” Mike shook his head.

“Do you have reason to believe so, Mr. Jonas?” Judge Alice questioned, turning to Mike with a look of curiosity on his face. y/n smirked; she didn’t know what was about to happen but she knew damn well it was going to be good.

“July 22nd, 1989 was the day the Langdons’ only child, Harry Langdon, was kidnapped with his kidnappers requesting two million dollars in return for him,” Mike explained, watching at the Langdons, their lawyer, and the judge’s eyes widened. Bucky gave y/n a look, as though to ask if she knew he was going to pull that trick. y/n shook her head in response, leaning further into her seat in comfort.

“And my clients got their child back. I don’t see how one kidnapping could link to this custody case,” the lawyer scoffed.

“Well, it proves that the children are still at risk of being caught in the crossfire of something should custody of them be granted to the Langdons. At least them living with Agent l/n and Sergeant Barnes, we can rest assured they’re in good hands,” Mike smiled, earning a nod from the judge.

“Yes, we’ve established that the kids are safe with Miss l/n and Mister Barnes, but are the pair well-equipped to care for four children? After all, neither of them have had any children nor have had any preparation to raise children either,” the lawyer smirked, knowing he was making a point.

“I mean no disrespect, but the last child the Langdons raised, Harry Langdon, is currently imprisoned for manslaughter. How can we be sure the children won’t end up the same way? Yes, I’ve been made aware of the fact that people change, but Ethan Langdon, the eldest of the kids, made it known that his grandparents don’t’ necessarily show a caring side; that he feels more cared for when he’s with his aunt,” Mike explained as y/n watched Mrs. Langdon suck air in between her teeth, the bitter taste of defeat already making itself known.

“And a child raised by a war veteran and a SHIELD agent would turn out better? For all we know, they could teach the kids how to create some kind of doomsday device!” the lawyer spat, beginning to get frustrated with the case.

“Objection, your honor! Neither of us know how to make a gun, much less a doomsday device,” y/n yelled out, earning her a look from Mike, telling her to shut up.

“Your honor, I believe what my client was trying to say is that the opposition is grasping at straws; making baseless accusations. Neither Agent l/n’s nor Sergeant Barnes’ careers are not based off creating weapons of mass destruction,” Mike shook his head, dismissing the Langdons’ lawyer’s previous statement.

“Well, what about Miss l/n and Mister Barnes’ relationship? Your honor, the children should live with a married couple just as they did before all this. When we talked to them, they said they would get married. Where’s the follow-through?” the lawyer narrowed his eyes at y/n, pulling a proud smirk from the girl.

“Actually, my clients have been married for two days,” Mike nodded.

“Two days? That would mean their wedding was rushed. Tell me, Mr. Jonas, was the purpose of the marriage just to get custody of the children? If the marriage itself was forced, would that not put a strain on their relationship with the children?” the lawyer smirked as y/n’s face fell. Of course, their marriage would come into question. An air of silence filled the air before Bucky spoke up.

“I care about my wife dearly. Yes, the marriage was a bit rushed, but it was something I wanted in our relationship at some point. Before you bring my marriage into question, your clients’ marriage was arranged by their parents. They haven’t even met each other before they got hitched!” Bucky exclaimed, getting up from his seat as y/n held his hand, pulling him back down to the chair.

The lawyer turned to the Langdons, a look of shock on his face. He sure as hell did not expect to hear what Bucky just said.

“Mr. Barnes, are you basing these accusations off anything?” the judge questioned, turning to face Bucky.

“Yes. Yes, I do. I did my research for the case using resources no normal person has; Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence installed in the Avengers compound,” Bucky shrugged, pulling a weird look from the Langdons.

“Impossible! There were never any traces of that! There was no paperwork to prove it was all just arranged. You shouldn’t know that!” Mrs. Langdon exclaimed, angrily pointing a finger at Bucky.

“A-ha! That was gossip I may have overheard from Sam, who heard it from Happy, who heard it from Pepper, who heard it from Tony and heard it from his parents. I was taking a risk bringing it up, but you clearly just admitted to it, so ha!” Bucky chuckled.

“Damn it, you’re a fucking genius,” y/n mumbled, watching as shock played upon the Langdons’ features.

“Mr. and Mrs. Langdon, are these claims true? That despite your years together, that your marriage was a business agreement?” the judge questioned, turning to Mr. and Mrs. Langdon.

“It was,” Mr. Langdon nodded slowly, watching at the judge’s brow raised at his reaction.

“Well then, is there anything else both parties want to say before I come to a final decision?” the judge questioned, her gaze switching between both tables.

“y/n l/n has been known to have anger issues. It’s right in her SHIELD file. She started a few fires in homes of a few government officials because she didn’t like the way they conducted business,” the lawyer explained, watching y/n suck in a breath.

She slammed her fist onto the table, getting up from her seat.

“Alright, buddy, listen here, I don’t care how much or how little you know about me or my anger issues. SHIELD made me take two months of therapy after the arsonist period, and guess what? Those government issues were working for HYDRA. See? My anger issues revealed their secret hidden vaults full of HYDRA files. It’s not like I attacked a random stranger on the street!” y/n exclaimed, huffing as she stared down the lawyer.

“Agent l/n, how can we be sure these anger issues won’t intervene with your ability to care for the kids?” the judge questioned, turning to face y/n.

“Yeah, y/n. How is it that you can be sure you won’t start any other fires?” Mrs. Langdon narrowed her eyes at y/n, watching contently as she panicked internally.

“Alright, I’ve had it. The kids are staying with me. I have Olivia and Ethan on tape saying that you both are constantly arguing in the kids’ presence! I don’t want that kind of influence on the kids’ lives. Tell me, why do you actually want custody of the kids?” y/n demanded, going over to the Langdons’ table, watching as Mike nervously trailed behind y/n.

“Agent, I don’t think you should be doing that,” Mike shook his head, trying to pull y/n away from the other table.

“Bullshit! They’ve been too determined to get the kids back and I don’t think it’s because they care about them. I’m a human fucking lie detector, Langdon, don’t you dare fucking lie to me,” y/n shook her head.

“Agent l/n, please watch your demeanor,” the judge warned her.

“Bullshit! I have connections to the UN and if I lose this case, there is no fucking way in hell I won’t fight for the kids because I love them and if they do end up with these old bats, I want to know that they’ll care about the kids as much as I do? So, please, tell me, why do you want custody of the kids?” y/n demanded, her eyes filling with tears.

“They want their money! Since their son is in prison, the kids are all inheriting the company otherwise it would all fall apart! They want the company and the money!” the lawyer broke under the pressure of it all. He couldn’t stand what the consequences would be if he pissed off an Avenger.

“And that itself proves why I should have the kids. Despite my misdemeanor, case closed. I’ve proved my point,” y/n huffed, landing right back in her seat. Despite the awkward look on the Judge’s face, she continued on with the case.

“Well, I guess that settles it. Regarding the case of who gets custody of the Langdon children, y/n l/n and Bucky Barnes are keeping custody of the children,” the judge smiled at y/n as the sound of the gavel pounding echoed throughout the room.

In the heat of the moment, y/n pulled Bucky close, slamming her lips against his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as his arms made their way around her waist.

"Agent l/n, we’re still in the courtroom,” Mike poked y/n in the shoulder, awkwardly making y/n pull away from Bucky.

“Right. That,” y/n chuckled nervously.

“Court dismissed,” the judge announced, making y/n drag Bucky out the room excitedly.

“Bucky, we’re keeping custody of them!” y/n cheered excitedly. Bucky smiled, hearing the words slip from her lips. She didn’t just say she was keeping custody of the kids. They as in she and Bucky were in it together.

“Yeah, doll, we are. You know, we’ve been doing all this backwards,” Bucky chuckled.

“What do you mean?” y/n questioned.

“Well, first, we had the kids, then moved in together, then got married. There’s only one step missing,” Bucky chuckled.

“And that is?” y/n’s brows furrowed, watching as a smile found its way to Bucky’s face.

“Will you go out on a date with me?” Bucky questioned, his blue eyes twinkling under the lights.

“Our first date?” y/n questioned, looking up at Bucky with the same twinkle in her e/c eyes.

“Our first date,” Bucky confirmed, “So, y/n l/n, will you go out on a date with me?”