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John rode the elevator up to the Watchtower, fresh cuts and bruises on his face, dirt covering the rest of him. What was supposed to be a simple stealth mission turned bad. He inhaled deeply, then winced at his bruised rib. The elevator opened with a ding, bringing him into the shared spaces, which extended into the kitchen. Sunlight was just beginning to stream through the large windows of the Watchtower.
In the kitchen, Bucky and Ava prepare breakfast for the team. Bucky cracked a few eggs and began to scramble them into a small bowl before pouring them into a skillet. Ava prepared a platter of fruit neatly. John approached the two in the kitchen.
“Morning,” John said. The two looked up from their work.
“Jesus,” Ava said. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks, Ava,” John said sarcastically, making his way around the counter, plucking a strawberry from the platter. She slapped his hand.
“You’ve just ruined my whole thing,” Ava said flatly, motioning down to her now imperfect fruit platter. John shrugged, making his way back over to the counter facing the kitchen.
“I thought that Valentina sent you on a stealth mission,” Bucky said.
John pulled a stool from underneath the counter and grunted as he sat down. “It was.”
“What happened?” Bucky asked.
John shrugged again. “You know me,” he said. “I love to put up a fight.”
Ava shook her head. “You’re ridiculous,”
John smiled, then looked around at the Watchtower, noticing the absence of a few people, one in particular.
“Where’s Bob?” John asked. A beat. “And Yelena?” he added.
“In their rooms,” Ava said, refilling the space that the stolen strawberry left on her platter. “Yelena’s asleep and Bob said he wasn’t feeling good.”
John frowned. “Is he sick?”
Bucky shrugged. “We don’t know. He hasn’t really been out of his room much for the past couple of days.”
John stood, almost defensive. “Well, have you guys been making sure he’s okay?”
Bucky nodded. “Yelena’s been checking in on him, John. He’s been eating. She thinks he just wants to be left alone.”
“I’ll go see him.” John said, storming off without another word.
***
John approached Bob’s bedroom as Yelena exited hers, rubbing at her tired eyes. “You’re back,” she said. She studied him for a moment. “And you look like shit.”
John rolled his eyes. “How’s Bob?”
Yelena shrugged. “I don’t know. He won’t tell us anything.”
John bit the inside of his cheek, nodding. He walked over to Bob’s door and knocked softly. No response. “Bob?” A quiet sniffle from inside. “It’s me.” Still nothing. He knocked again. A beat, still no response. “I’m coming in.”
John slowly opened the door to their shared bedroom, finding Bob lying on his back in the bed, arms stretched out over his head, wiping tears from his eyes. John closed the door behind him and made his way over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it beside Bob. He put a hand on his arm, rubbing it softly.
“Hey,” John said softly. “What’s wrong?”
Bob shook his head, turning his head away, a broken stream of tears falling from his eyes. “Nothing,” he said.
“Bobby, come on,” John said. “Something’s clearly bothering you.”
Bob sniffled, wiping away more tears. “It’s stupid.” Bob said.
“If it’s so stupid, then why won’t you tell me?” John asked.
Bob shrugged sadly, then sat up, dropping his head. “I just missed you,” he said. “I was scared you weren’t coming back.”
John lifted Bob’s chin with his hand, looking into his eyes, offering him a warm smile. “Well, I missed you like hell,” John said. “And I’ll always come back, I promise.”
Bob shook his head, rolling his eyes. “You can’t promise that,” he said. “I mean, look at you! It was supposed to be an easy mission and you’re all banged up!”
John bit the inside of his cheek again, dropping his head. After a moment, he looked up again. “As long as you’re here with me, I’ll find a way to come home. I’d crawl if I had to. No matter how broken I am, I will always find my way back to you.” A tear dropped from Bob’s eye. John wiped it from his face, then kissed him softly. After a moment, he pulled away. “I promise, Bob.”
Bob nodded. Then, John stood from the foot of the bed, offering a hand to Bob. “Come on, I need a shower.” Bob smiled, wiping away the final tear, then took his hand. John pulled him off the bed and into a hug. A long moment of tenderness as the two held each other close. “I love you, Bobby.”
Bob kissed him on the cheek, smiling. “I love you too.” John pulled Bob along, leading him into the bathroom.