Fated Marks

Once I finally got Tony to put on his ‘Disguise’ which consisted of a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses on top of his already casual Saturday outfit we headed out.

“So you’re going to hail us a cab or do I just call an uber?” Tony asked.

“Cab? In rush hour traffic, no. You want the real experience we’re taking the subway.” I said walking down the street.

Tony followed me but as we started getting closer to the subway it got more and more crowded.

“Ow, hey… how do you do this every day?” Tony said.

“You get used to it and you learn to dodge.” I said. “Here’s our stop.” I said turning and going down the stairs.

“Why are you walking so fast?” Tony complained.

“Don’t want to miss our train.” I said I quickly got to the ticket machine and bought Tony a day pass. “This is yours. Scan it as we pass the turnstile.” I said

I passed by quickly but when it was Tony’s turn he got stuck.

“Ow, It’s stuck.” Tony said annoyed.

“Scan your pass again.” I said. He did and the turnstile moved. “Scanner doesn’t always get a good read.” I said as the train whirled in.

“Crap run.” I said grabbing Tony’s arm and making a run for it.

“Whoa… what…” He said.

“Don’t want to miss our train.” I said as we made it through the doors before they closed.

“Is it always this… cramped?” Tony said as we were squeezed together.

“Yeah. We do live in one of the most densely populated cities in the world.” I said as we pulled up to the first stop. “Move.”

“What?” Tony asked confused.

“Move.” I said pushing him to the side as the doors opened and people pushed their way out before another crowd pushing in. Of course the car got even more crowded and I was stuck hugging Tony.

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s cramped.”

“Yeah really not understanding why you wouldn’t take the car if this is what you put up with everyday.” Tony said.

“Because not everyone has the privilege of throwing money at their problems.” I said.

“You went to private schools and grew up just as rich and entitled as I did.” Tony said reminded me.

“It wasn’t always like that.” I said as we got to our stop. “Here we are.”

“We’re getting off?” he asked sounding relieved.

“Yeah, we can walk the rest of the way.” I said walking out as the door opened. I pulled out my phone and dialed Will.

“Hello?” Will answered.

“Hey I just got out of the subway and I’m bringing someone over can you ask Josh if he needs me to pick up anything while I’m out?” I asked.

“Cal just get home already you know Josh always make a ton for left overs.” Will said.

“If you’re sure.” I said hanging up.

“You’re not going to tell them you’re bringing your boss home?” Tony asked.

“Nah Josh loves cooking for everyone and Will’s a people person. You two are actually a lot alike.” I said.

“Charming, brilliant, good looking?” Tony said with a smirk.

“I was going to say neurotic and random.” I said walking.

“Morning Cal.” The newspaper stand owner greeted.

“Morning Stu, Notre dame took a big hit last week.” I said.

“We’re not down for the count just yet.” Stu answered.

“We’ll see.” I said.

“Callie you look radiant this fine morning.” Thor greeted.

“Always a charmer Thor.” I said. “You heading out?”

“For now but I’ll be back later for the night shift.” Thor said.

“I’ll see you later then.” I said heading up the stairs.

“Do you know everyone?” Tony asked.

“Not everyone but I’ve lived here for a while and I like getting to know my neighbors.” I said picking up the mail along with Claire’s. “Top floor.”

We walked up and we went down the hall. I headed straight for Cliare’s door and knocked.

“Callie.” She said with a smile.

“Hey Claire, I got your mail.” I said.

“Oh thank you. You feeling alright, you looked a little flushed.” Claire said.

“We may have gotten a little carried away last night.” I said.

“I heard.” She said smirk before she saw Tony. “Hello.”

“Hi.” Tony said.

“Claire this is my boss slash friend Tony, Tony this amazing badass woman is Claire.” I said.

“Nice to meet you.” Tony said shaking her hand.

“You as well dear. Picked up another stray I see.” Claire said.

“Stray?” Tony asked.

“I don’t pick up strays.” I said.

“Sure you don’t, first there was Will, then Clint, Thor… I swear the only thing this one doesn’t bring home is a boyfriend.” Claire said making Tony laugh.

“Claire!” I said.

“Oh hush, I think Will may have brought one home for you.” Claire said.

“Huh?” I said confused.

“I’ll see you later.” Claire said with a smirk before going back inside.

“She’s fun.” Tony said.

“Just wait until you meet Will.” I said walking down the hall. I could already hear the laughs coming from my apartment. I walked down the hall and opened the door. “I’m back.”

“Just in time.” Josh said.

“Will and Josh think they just found their dream home.” Clint said.

“Already?” I said. “Come on in.”

“Hi.” Tony said.

“Oh shit you’re Tony Stark. Tony Stark is in our living room!” Will shouted.

“Guessing you’re Will.” Tony said.

“Uh yeah, sorry Cal Didn’t mention she was inviting you over.” Will said giving me a look.

“It was a bit of a last minute thing.” I said in my defense.

“She was trying to prove a point,” Tony said.

“What point?” Clint asked.

“Doesn’t really matter.” I said “Tony this is Clint.”

“The best friend and neighbor.” Tony said shaking Clint’s hand.

“Yeah, you talk about us?” Clint asked.

“All the time.” Tony said.

“There’s a lot of waiting around while we bounce ideas off of each other in the lab.” I said.

“Okay mini soufflés are out.” Josh said coming out to place a tray down on the table.

“And this is Josh.” I said.

“Nice to meet you.” Josh said.

“Same here. Sunshine here says you make the best… well everything.” Tony said.

“Sunshine?” Will asked trying to hold back his laughter.

“Don’t.” I said sending him a glare.

“This place reminds me of my apartment back in college.” Tony said looking around. “Of course it wasn’t as well decorated. Are those real?”

“Garage sale.” Will and I said at the same time.

“Cal did most of the decorating, she has a good eye.” Will said. “The same can’t be said about her fashion sense.”

“I dress for comfort not for appearance.” I said.

“Which is good because I need you guys to try all of this and tell me what’s good and what’s not.” Josh said.

“I gain like five pounds every time you guys revamp the menu.” I said not complaining at all.

“Yet it never shows you lucky bitch.” Will said.

“One hour run every morning.” I said.

“Speaking of did you get your test results back?” Will said.

“Mhm.” I said taking a sip of water.

“And?” Clint asked.

“All clear.” I said quickly. Clint gave me a concerned look but Will didn’t notice. Unfortunately Tony did and I knew I was going to be hearing about this later.

“That’s great.” Will said hugging me from behind and I chuckled as I patted his arm.

“Told you, you had nothing to worry about.” I said half-heartedly.

“How long have you all known each other?” Tony asked.

“Uh Josh I met back when I was working at my dad’s office a few years back.” I said.

“Cal’s the one that convinced me to follow my dream to Move to New York and become a chef.” Josh said.

“Clint I met when I moved in two years ago.” I said.

“And I’m guessing that’s when you met Will.” Tony said.

“No Will came in six months later after Rebekah moved to London.” Clint said.

“Rebekah?” Tony asked.

“My sister. She and my older brother lived here first. Kol moved to San Francisco when I moved here and she left to London six months later and that’s how Will moved in.” I explained.

“I met Cal through my old roommate Liam and his girlfriend Tess who knew Cal through work.” Will explained.

“When you were a barista.” Tony said.

“You actually read my resume?” I asked.

“Of course I did, I hired you.” Tony said.

“When we first met you said you had a pile of resumes on your desk just like mine that you shred when you get bored.” I said.

“And I do, but you actually gave me a reason to want to read yours.” Tony said.

“That might be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” I said.

“No it’s not I bought you a car.” Tony said.

“What?!” Will, Clint, and Josh shouted.

“Which I declined, multiple times and is also why he’s here. I wanted to prove to Tony that I get by just fine without a car and that me getting mugged Thursday night was a freak incident.” I said.

“And I have to say, kid take the freaking car. Getting felt up by strangers every day on the subway, bumping into people, and having to run and tackle people to catch a train is not something you should have to get used to.” Tony said. Everyone stayed quiet until we all started laughing.

“I’m not taking the car.” I said.

“Why not?” Tony asked again.

“I’ll take it.” Will said.

“Because I don’t need it you rode the subway and walked here without anything bad happening to you. My point has been made.” I said.

“Cal you mind taking this to Claire?” Josh asked.

“Sure.” I said getting up and taking the plate. I quickly walked down the hall and gave Claire her plate before heading back.

“Has she always been like this?” Tony said.

“You mean the stubbornness? Yeah that’s why I had to drag her to see a doctor after she passed out.” Will said.

“It’s just a car.” Tony said.

“It’s not about the car.” Clint said.

“It’s really not. Her dad bought her a Porsche for her sixteenth birthday and she made him return it.” Josh said.

“Yeah, she has a strict twenty dollar price limit for any gift anyone wants to give her. Anything more she won’t take it.” Will said. “Which doesn’t stop her from splurging on gifts for anyone else. Case and point, my Gucci loafers and matching laptop case.”

“Okay if having money is nothing new to her then why is she so against receiving expensive gifts?” Tony asked.

“It all goes back to Allison.” Will said.

“Allison?” Tony asked confused.

“Cal’s…” Will started.

“Claire says thank you and she says that those stuffed figs wrapped in bacon are keepers.” I said.

“They’re real crowd pleasers.” Josh said as I sat down.

“I just want to get into that soufflé.” I said.

After we were all stuffed and Josh had finally sorted out the new menu we all headed up the fire escape to the roof. Someone had finally set up a swing and Clint had brought up a fire pit. I sat down next to him on the swing while

Will and Josh cuddled on a patio chair and Tony said down awkwardly looking around.

“If you all live above a bar, why are we hanging out on the roof?” Tony asked.

“Because Thor’s shift doesn’t start until eight and the bouncer currently working takes his job way too seriously.” Will answered.

“Thor, big tall blonde guy that’s in love with you?” Tony asked.

“Yes!” Will said.

“He is not in love with me. He has a girlfriend.” I emphasized.

“He called you radiant.” Tony said.

“Wow he must be having an off day. He normally calls her something along the lines of ‘a ray of sun after a long dark night.’” Will said.

“Her beauty eclipses the sun like an eclipse.” Clint said.

“Her smile…” Josh started.

“He’s an English Lit major and a flirt.” I said blushing slightly.

“And she loves it even if she won’t admit it” Will said.

“Hm, maybe I should send Pepper one of those in a text.” Tony said and I rolled my eyes at the mention of doing something sweet and corny for the wife he’s cheating on when just a few hours ago he asked me to kick out his one night stand.

“Maybe.” I said as my phone buzzed. I picked it up and my eyes widened in surprise. “Speaking of your wife her flight lands in an hour.”

“Where is she now?” Tony said.

“No Tony her jet lands in an hour.” I said giving him a look. “At Laguardia.”

He looked confused but then it hit him.

“Shit.” He said jumping out of his chair. “Shit! Uh… I need to double check the penthouse make sure it’s clear, then I need some flowers and champagne, chocolate covered strawberries…”

“She’s allergic to strawberries.” I reminded him as I took a sip of my beer as I texted Happy to come pick up Tony.

“Right no strawberries.” Tony said. “I need to get home… and I didn’t bring a car…”

“Happy’s on his way to pick you up.” I said. “Tulips which are your wife’s favorite are going to be dropped off at reception and I had Jarvis start cooling the champagne.”

“Take the car, you’ve earned it.” Tony said.

“Not happening.” I said.

“Caaaallieeeee.” He whined exaggerating the vowels.

“Tonyyyyyyy.” I said imitating his whining. “You haven’t seen your wife in months and she’s going to be home in an hour unannounced.”

“I have to go.” Tony said running out. “Thanks for lunch, Nice meeting you all.”

“Bye.” We said.

“Well he’s… not what I imagined.” Will said.

“You two seem… close.” Clint said.

“We spend a lot of time together.” I said.

“Yeah but no one’s on a first name basis with their boss and banter like you two do.” Josh said.

“Really? Never noticed.” I said.

“And he bought you a car?” Clint said.

“I’m not taking it.” I said.

“I would.” Will said.

“I don’t need a car.” I said.

“He cares about you a lot.” Josh said.

“Yeah, way too much if you ask me.” Clint said.

“Are you… jealous?” I asked.

“Of that guy? What would I have to be jealous about?” Clint asked.

“He’s filthy rich?” Will answered.

“Handsome, a celebrity. He’s Cal’s idol.” Josh finished.

“Appearances can be deceiving.” I said.

“You know the way you and Tony get along kind of reminds me of the way you two do.” Will said.

“You’re right. You two snark at each other and joke around. You have inside jokes and speak in code.” Josh said.

“It’s a job requirement.” I said shrugging it off.

“If you say so, though most bosses wouldn’t buy their employees a car because they’re concerned about their safety and comfort.” Will said.

“Tony’s a good guy, and he cares but he’s stubborn and won’t take no for an answer.” I said.

“Sounds like someone else we know.” Will said.

“Do I know them?” I asked as Josh’s phone started ringing.

“It’s the realtor.” Josh said picking up. “Yes? Uhuh…. That soon? Uh yeah that’s be amazing thank you so much!”

“Well?” Will asked.

“Apparently the owner of the condo wants to move out ASAP and doesn’t want to wait for escrow so our cash offer did it for them. We got the place.” Josh exclaimed.

“We got the place!” Will shouted jumping out of his seat to hug and kiss Josh.

“Congrats guys.” I said happy for my best friends.

“Thank you so much.” Josh said.

“We wouldn’t have gotten it without that money Cal.” Will said tearing up as he hugged me.

“You don’t have to thank me buddy, you guys deserve this and so much more.” I said.

“We need to celebrate.” Will said. “Let’s go out.”

“Guys, I’m happy for you but I’m beat and I think I’m just going to call it an early night.” I said.

“Same here, I have to be up early tomorrow anyway.” Clint said.

“Party poopers.” Will said. “Guess it’s just you and me babe.”

“Mhm.” Josh said kissing him. “You want to go to that new place in Brooklyn?”

“The speakeasy place?” Will asked. “Sounds fun.”

“Let’s go get ready then.” Josh said getting up. “Bye guys.”

“Don’t wait up.” Will said running out with Josh.

“I won’t.” I called after him. “So you up for a movie?”

“I will be after you tell me what came up on your tests.” Clint said.

“You caught that huh?” I said straightening myself up.

“I’m not the only one.” Clint said. “Your boss is a lot more observant than he looks.”

“I didn’t lie, I am perfectly healthy so there’s nothing to worry about there. Chances are I just pushed myself to far that morning.” I said.

“Then what is it?” Clint asked.

“Did I ever tell you how my mom found out she was pregnant with me?” I asked.

“Uh no, you don’t talk about her in general.” Clint said.

“I was a bit of a late life surprise. Mom started having really intense cramps and they ran an ultrasound to get a look inside. Doctors found a tumor in one of her ovaries and me.” I said. “So due to my family history my doctor thought it would be a good idea to do a gene test. I didn’t really think anything of it but as it turns out I came up positive for the BRCA gene.”

“Shit Cal.” Clint said hugging me.

“It’s not the end of the world and it doesn’t mean I’m going to get Cancer it just means I have a bigger chance of getting it and I now have to go get checked out more often than I’d like to.” I said. “And I heard mammograms are really uncomfortable like they squish your boobs until they’re practically pancakes to get a good look. I am not looking forward to that.”

“If It makes you feel any better just remember that I’m a few years away from routine prostate exams.” Clint offered.

“It’s not like they’re squishing your balls.” I said making Clint groan.

“Let’s leave my balls out of this.” Clint said making me laugh as I sat back. I grabbed his hand and leaned my head against his shoulder. “You want to head inside?”

“In a minute.” I said listening to the sounds of the streets below us.

One Month Later-

“My best friend, my brother from another mother, the robin to my batman, my ride or die.” I teared up.

“My BFF, My sister from another mister, The bonnie to my Clyde, the yin to my yang.” Will teared up.

“This isn’t a good bye, It’s a see you later.” I said.

“You can come by whenever you want. You know I never lock the door.” Will said.

“You know where I hide the key.” I said.

“I picked out your outfits for the next two weeks. They’re hung up in your closet.” Will said.

“I set up automatic bill pay so your utilities won’t be cut off.” I said. “I also created a synched up calendar for the four of us for wedding stuff and to make sure we still hang out.”

“I signed you up for a Saturday morning kick boxing self defense course.” Will said.

“Will!” I whined.

“You got mugged and I’m not going to be here to walk with you to school and back. I need to know you’ll be okay.” Will said.

“Is that the class with the really hot teacher?” I asked.

“No Natasha teaches this one.” Will said.

“If I’m not working I’ll be there.” I said.

“Cal, I left you a lasagna in the fridge for you to heat up tomorrow and all of your favorites premade in the freezer which should hold you over for the next week or so.” Josh said closing up the fridge.

“That’s the last of it.” Clint said.

“Not everything.” I said looking over at the sabers hanging over the fireplace.

“Cal, they’re a set. They’re not supposed to be apart.” Will said.

“I’m not breaking the set.” I said taking them down. I gave Will his and handed mine to Josh. “I’m passing them on.”

“Uh… Thanks?” Josh said confused.

“I know I can be a bit clingy and that I have a hard time letting go but it’s time. A relationship, especially a marriage is for two people not three and it’s time for me to stop being the third wheel in yours.” I said making Josh tear up.

“When I started dating Will I knew you two were a package deal and that dating him meant dating you too. People always complained about in laws being a pain but you welcomed me with open arms and treated me like family.” Josh cried.

“That’s because you are family.” I said hugging him.

“I love you sis.” Josh cried.

“I love you too.” I cried. Josh pulled away first before going to put n arm around Will.

“You two better come over for dinner at least once a week.” Josh said.

“We’ll be there.” Clint said. “If you need anything done or anything breaks down call me.”

“We will.” Josh said.

“Uh… These go to you.” Will said handing me his and Josh’s keys.

“No, you guys should have a spare key in case I ever get locked out or you know become a hermit and need you to drag me out.” I said.

“That’s not going to happen.” Clint said putting an arm around me.

“If you change your mind about getting a new roommate…” Will started.

“Will, I’ll be okay. I’ll have the apartment to myself and Clint will be just down the hall if I get too lonely.” I said. “It’s time to let go buddy.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Will said. “I love you Cal.”

“Love you Will.” I said with a smile.

He smiled before putting his arm around Josh and walking out side by side.

“You okay?” Clint asked.

“Yeah,” I said moving to sit on the couch. “Will and Josh are happy and starting their lives together. I can’t be sad about that.”

A Few Days Later- 

Today was the first day of the Trial. All the participants were going to be coming in for an initial preliminary interview and some initial testing. My job was just to test out their basic muscle reflexes and to take measurements.

I got up for my morning run that morning and went out for a run. By the time I got back Clint was already on his way back. We’d both been working crazy hours and his commute was longer now that he was finishing up a house outside the city.

“Morning.” I said.

“Morning.” He mumbled still half asleep.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” I asked.

“I got in late. The inspector found something else that wasn’t up to code and the clients ordered a rush job so it’s all hands on deck.” Clint said.

“Tell me about it. Tony’s wife is coming back to town tonight and we’re also starting the trial today so guess who’s in charge of making sure Tony gets to his date on time while simultaneously interviewing and measuring the muscle reflexes and neural response times of all eleven participants.” I said.

“He’s a grown man, I’m sure he can handle himself for a few hours.” Clint said.

“You’d be surprised.” I answered.

“I have to go.” He said with a groan. “I need a vacation.”

“I’d setting for being able to sleep in for once.” I said.

“Sleep? What is that?” Clint said jokingly.

I walked inside my apartment and was about to worry about how late it was and Will still wasn’t up when I remembered he and Josh moved out. I sighed before going to shower.

I had a presentation for school this morning so I had to dress a bit more formal than normal. I slipped on a navy pencil skirt with a white and thin black squared button down blouse. I slipped on some black heels and headed out.

Without Clint, Will and Josh around to banter with during breakfast eating alone just made me sad. I locked up and went to Clint’s apartment to make sure Lucky had water and food to make it through the day. After that I headed out. I figured I could go to the campus coffee shop and go over my presentation one last time just to make sure everything was good.

I walked in and placed my order. When I turned around I saw Nate walking in and he gave me a small smile and a wave.

I returned the gesture and pointed to the table I was at so he’d join me after he ordered. Nate and I actually had a lot in common. We liked the same books. We could talk for hours about sports. We’d even gone to a student film festival a few weeks ago. We would randomly text each other memes that reminded us of the other. He was a good friend.

“Wow, you look great Cal.” Nate said.

“Thanks, I have a presentation for class so I had to dress up a bit more than usual.” I said. “You’re here early.”

“I had morning practice. We have a big game coming up and Coach is pushing us to our limits.” Nate said. I had noticed Nate was a lot leaner and a lot more buff recently. He still had his soft features they were just a lot more noticeable now.

“It’s showing.” I said.

“What about you? I know you’re in here during your gap but mornings too?” Nate asked.

“Clint had an early morning and the apartment’s kind of lonely without Will and Josh. Having breakfast alone makes me sad.” I said.

“Well I’m here almost every morning, feel free to stop by.” Nate said.

“I may take you up on that.” I said.

“Are you a fan of ballet?” Nate said.

“Uh can’t say that I am.” I answered wondering where he was going with this.

“My family bought up a booth for opening night but everyone got dragged out of town for one of my cousin’s events and I’m stuck going to represent my family.” Nate said.

“Too bad you can’t scalp ballet tickets huh?” I said jokingly.

“Yeah, guess I’ll ask Chuck. Blair’s a fan and they’re doing her favorite.” He said.

“It’s sure to get him some brownie points with her too.” I said.

Later That Day-

I walked into the lab with the usual coffee orders along with all of the files and dray cleaning.

“Hi, morning.” I said rushing in. “Your suit for tonight fresh from the tailors…”

“Cal...” Tony said but I was on a roll.

“I was told to make sure you try it on straight away so if anything need last minute adjustments which he’s doubtful he can have someone pick it up and bring it back later.” I said.

“Chai tea.” I said handing it to Bruce. “Espresso.” I said putting it down next to Tony since he had some weird peeve about being handed things. That’s when I noticed someone standing next to him.

“Hi…” I said awkwardly. I really couldn’t have picked something better to say to my boss’s wife and CEO of the company I work for.

“Hello, who might you be?” She asked.

“Pep this is Callie Gerard, my PA.” Tony answered.

“PA? Since when do you have a PA?” She asked.

“Uh… Cal?” Tony asked.

“Four months next week.” I answered.

“Four Months ago.” Tony said.

“You hired a PA? After I spent months trying to find you the perfect assistant and you said you’d make due with Jarvis you hired someone without telling me?” Pepper asked.

“I’m just gonna…” I said taking a step back.

“It was kind of a surprise to me too.” Tony said. “And Cal isn’t just my PA, she’s my protégé.”

“She is?” Pepper asked.

“I am?” I asked. This was the first I was hearing of this.

“Kid’s a genius. She passed the test.” Tony said.

“Test? You mean that game you make all the interns try every year and they all fail every year?” Pepper asked in disbelief.

“That’s the one. Someone finally passed it.” Tony said.

“You did?” Pepper said turning to me.

“I did.” I confirmed.

“That explains the lack of complaints I’ve gotten about you the past few months.” Pepper said.

“She’s good at her job.” Tony said.

“I can see that.” Pepper said eying me suspiciously. “I hope you don’t mind me asking but how old are you?”

“Eighteen.” I answered.

“Huh.” Pepper said. “Well I should get going. I know you all have a big day ahead of you. See you tonight.”

“I’ll be the tall dark and handsome one.” Tony said kissing his wife before she left. I didn’t move and stood awkwardly as she walked away. “Kid you okay?”

“I feel like I did something wrong.” I said.

“What? Why?” Tony asked.

“Nothing just a feeling.” I said. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that your wife was silently judging me.

“Why are you so dressed up?” Tony asked.

“I had a presentation for class.” I said. “Speaking of I wanted to go over the specifics of what you need me to do today.”

“Oh it’s pretty straight forward. I need you to get their basic medical history and ask if they’ve undergone any procedures since the amputation and test out their reflexes the way I showed you yesterday.” Bruce said.

“Okay, I already have a preliminary medical history but it’s always good to go over it again.” I said.

“Nervous?” Bruce asked.

“No I’m actually excited about this.” I answered.

Hours Later-

After ten interviews the excitement was gone. I was tired, the morning coffee high was gone and the interviews were getting repetitive.

But finally I was on my last one.

“This is a horrible idea.” I heard someone say as I was walking to the exam room.

“Bucky you promised…” Someone said.

“What’s the point Steve, it’s not going to make any difference. My arm’s gone and nothing’s going to change that not even some shiny high tech prosthetic limb.” Another one answered.

“We’ve got to at least try.” One of them said.

“We’re wasting our time.” He said before I decided to walk in before he changed his mind.

“Knock knock.” I said walking in. “Sergeant Barnes.” I said reading the file and smiling.

“It’s you.” One of them said. I looked up and immediately recognized the blonde man from the park who helped me.

“Hi Steve. Small world.” I said shaking his hand.

“I never thought I’d see you here.” Steve said.

“I actually got hired here that day.” I said.

“Ehem.” Sergeant Barnes cleared his throat to get our attention.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Callie. I work with Doctor Banner and Mister Stark. It’s a pleasure to meet you Sergeant Barnes.” I said offering my hand. He seemed a bit uncomfortable but took my hand anyway.

“Just Bucky.” he said with a small cute smile. He was handsome. High cheek bones. Sharp jawline. Chin length brown hair and piercing steel blue eyes. Damn it’s like hot guys flocked together.

“So you were called in here for a preliminary interview for the cybernetic prosthetic trial. We just want to double check your medical history, see if you’ve undergone any recent medical procedures and after that we’ll just do some basic tests to test your reflexes and take some measurements.” I said.

“My last major procedure on my arm was over three years ago. It was a skin graft to help with the scarring.” Bucky said.

“Were there any complications?” I asked.

“No.” Steve answered. I looked to Bucky and he nodded in confirmation.

“It says here that at the time of the first surgery on your arm was performed you had a staph infection, have there been any reoccurrences?” I asked.

“No.” Steve answered and Bucky frowned and was tense.

“Okay, have you had any other surgeries in the past four months since you filled out your application?” I asked.

“Just a routine check up.” Steve answered again. “Everything came up clear.”

“That’s good.” I said smiling. “That’s everything for the medical history. Next up would be the reflex test. Steve I’m gonna have to ask you to step out for this part. It’s procedure.”

“Oh uh… Bucky?” Steve asked checking on him.

“I’ll be fine.” Bucky reassured him.

“I’ll be outside then.” Steve said squeezing Bucky’s arm reassuringly before walking out. I waited a minute before continuing. I took out the rubber hammer.

“I’m gonna start out easy. Just relax your legs.” I said before gently tapping the hammer on his knee making it jerk up instantly. I moved on to the next knee and the same thing happened. “Normal monosynaptic response.”

“That’s good right?” Bucky asked.

“That’s really good. There are certain body movements that our brains control automatically like breathing and heartbeats. Others we control but here are some reflexes that are both. The knee jerk is one of them.” I said. “This next one is where it gets a bit more intense. I need to test your response time my invoking a response by poking you with a needle. I’m not taking out blood, it’s small you’ll just feel a pinch.”

“I’m used to needles.” Bucky said making me frown. “No blood right?”

“No and if I accidentally do, I’ll buy you and Steve dinner.” I said.

“You sure about that Doll? Steve’s a bottomless pit.” Bucky said with a smirk.

“I’m sure Steve’s not the only one.” I said smiling at the nickname. “Hand please.” He slowly put his hand in mine with the palm up. “Don’t try to stop yourself from flinching or trying to pull away if you need to.”

I quickly poked on of his fingers and he flinched. I moved to his palm and again. Then I slowly moved up his arm and he responded accordingly.

“That’s really good.” I said.

“Aw no blood,” Bucky joked.

“That’s a good thing Bucky. Now for the last part I need to see your other arm.” I said and Bucky tensed. “But before that I wanted to ask if you have any questions about anything.”

“Uh are you going to use that…” He said looking at the needle I was still holding.

“Oh no.” I said putting it down. “I just need to check for any signs of infection of muscle atrophy. The sensitivity test on that arm is done with these gels. Ones cooling the other’s hot. I pick one randomly without you seeing and see what you feel.”

“Okay.” He said visibly relieved.

“So you and Steve are close.” I said.

“Yeah we’ve known each other since we were kids in grade school. We grew up together.” He said. “Why you interested?”

“Oh no no.” I said quickly blushing making him laugh. “He seemed to know your medical history really well and is really eager. Which is good, it means you have a good support system but it just seemed like you were on the fence about all of this.”

Bucky sighed. “I didn’t fill out the application for the trial. Steve heard about it from a friend of ours at the VA and he sent it in without telling me because he knew I would have said no.”

“So you don’t want to be a part of the trial?” I asked.

“I don’t know. After I got home I was a mess. Everyone kept telling me a was a hero and that I should be proud but all I felt was shame. Half of the men in my squadron died. Then as time went on I thought things would get better but they didn’t. I couldn’t leave the house without the neighborhood kids who I used to coach in little league run away because they were afraid of me. Then there were the looks people gave me. I couldn’t deal with it all so I didn’t. I stayed inside. Of course that didn’t sit well with Steve and here we are. He thinks if I get a new arm that everything will be the way to was before but I don’t think it will.” Bucky asked.

“Can I be honest with you?” I asked.

“Go ahead Doll.” Bucky said.

“No matter what results we get from this trial, things will never be the same. You went through unimaginable trauma and came out the other side a different man. Things are different and its going to take a while to figure out how to adapt to those changes. The arm isn’t going to make it all go away. Nothing will you just have to take it by the day and work at it. The arm is just a tool. It’s up to you to figure out what you’re going to use it for.” I said. “That being said Steve cares about you and wants to do what’s best for you but you’re the one that’s going to have to go through all the testing and all the procedures not him. You do have a choice about what you want to do.”

“Do you think this is going to work?” Bucky asked.

“There’s no way to know, it’s a gamble.” I answered.

“Can we do the last test?” Bucky asked.

“Of course.” I said. “But I’m gonna need you to take your shirt off.”

“Already trying to see me naked Doll? At least ask me out first.” Bucky joked.

“You’re incorrigible.” I said.