Heartstrings Twisted

Summary:

A minor tragedy brings a new face to the Avenger's Tower. A new face who identifies herself as Tony's sister, though not in name.

Author's Note:

This story is written for fun. This will also be an eventual Bucky/OFC romance, but slow-build. This is a rather typical story line, but I plan on making it different for a reason. The biggest reason: Cas will NOT become an Avenger at any point. She will be familiar with the team as time progresses, but definitely not an Avenger. I'm going off of canon-movie that insinuates Tony is about twenty-seven when the first Iron Man movie takes place, and as the series of movies aren't finished yet, this takes place somewhat in the future (about three years), after all the chaos is over. So, Tony is about thirty-two, which places Cas at twenty-five. I won't be going into any details of the movies, but instead just playing with the characters.

Chapter Two
Stutter and Flush

Waking up is a slow process. The familiar smell of cologne and perfume mixing with oil and grease causes the petite woman to roll over on her side, pulling the blanket with her as she snuggles into the familiar scent. Feeling awareness begin to trickle in, she heaves a slow sigh, eyes fluttering open. Blinking back the fuzzy details, her hand immediately lashes out, groping for the nearby nightstand. Fingers curl around the bold-rimmed, rectangular-framed glasses and Cassie sighs as she pulls herself upright, hand automatically putting the glasses on her face.

With her vision more clear, a yawn slips out as her arms stretch over her head, gaze lazily scanning the bedroom. Spying a nondescript box settled on a desk, Cassie slips out from beneath the warm covers and bare feet pad along the cool floors. Opening the envelope resting on top of the box, she recognizes the familiar, scratchy handwriting.

I managed to replace both your phone and your tablet, though I was unable to retrieve any data from your previous tablet. Phone has all of your contacts and is registered to your previous phone number.

-T

Smiling at her brother's thoughtfulness, she retrieves the items from the box and immediately winces at the numerous missed calls and text messages on her phone. Rolling her eyes as the texts become more and more frantic, she shakes her head before shooting off a reply. Grabbing her bluetooth earpiece, she slips it in her ear and gives the room one more sweep; snagging one of Pepper's hair ties. Exiting the bedroom, she yawns, fingers combing through her mess of curls before sweeping them back and up, effeciently tying them back into a half-assed ponytail. Rubbing at her chest, she allows her feet to lead the way, because damn if she can't think right without her morning tea.

It's quiet as she steps into the kitchen, her growing need for tea belied by the tea kettle already on the stove. Tilting her head, she lets the tip of her fingers ghost along the edge of the kettle; feeling for the temperature. Deeming it warm enough, she finds a mug before she pulls open the cupboard with a collection of tins.

Hmm...Jasmine? No, not in the mood for. Mint? Ew, why would someone want that? English Breakfast? Blah, no thanks. Oh! Earl Grey! Perfect!

Triumphant, she shifts up onto the tip of her toes and reaches for the tin. Her fingers barely coast along the edge of the tin when a choked, sputtering sounds from behind her. Too tired to really react properly, Cassie grasps the tin and drops back to her heels before turning.

Oh. I guess the kitchen wasn't as empty as I thought.

Feeling fuzzy on the details, she eyes the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man as his cheeks turn pink. Her eyes sweep over his flushed cheeks, strong jawline and thinks that the guy is pretty freaking adorable. Like a puppy.

Huh...I didn't think guys knew how to blush.

Beside the blonde is a dark-skinned man with an easy smile and pretty eyes. He's shorter than Jay, but carries more bulk around the shoulders and torso. Her head tilts as she eyes him briefly before she glances at the dark-haired man across from them. Chin-length hair. Another beautiful jawline. Damn, those cheekbones are gorgeous. This one is staring hard at his cup and something tickles the back of her mind, causing her gaze to linger.

An unseen light bulb flicks on and her fingers snap, index finger jabbing in the last man's direction, "You're the dick from the other night." The dark-skinned man chuckles as the blonde stutters and the man in question snaps his gaze in her direction. It's only when she realizes what she said that she winces, "Ugh...I have like...no filter, so seriously, ignore eighty-five percent of what comes out of my mouth." Silence follows her words and she wiggles her fingers at the trio, "Right, well, you guys can go back to whatever the hell yous was doin'. My brain doesn't function before tea."

The silence continues even after she turns back to fix herself a cup. Ignoring the open stool at the breakfast bar beside the dark-haired one, she doesn't even think twice about hoisting herself up on the counter, head resting on the cabinet behind her. Crossing her ankles, she hums with delight as she sips her tea.

A throat clears, "It's Cassie, right?"

Hmm...the dark-skinned man has a voice on him. Pretty. Articulate without being pompous. Her gaze settles on him as she nods, "Yeah. I guess we weren't properly introduced. Um...who is who?"

"Y-you don't know who we are?" the blonde one asks.

Shrugging a shoulder, she wiggles her hand in a 'so-so' manner, "I know vague details of public knowledge, but actual names? Not really. Just as I'm sure Tony has never spoken a word about me to any of you, he doesn't really talk about this..." She waves nonchalantly, "team to me. Keeps things separate. Which I appreciate, because if I had to think about every single time Tony came close to dying, I would have had a heart attack by now."

The blonde seems surprised, yet slightly guilty, even as the dark-skinned one motions to himself, "I'm Sam. This is Steve," He points to the blonde and then to the dark-haired man across from him, "and you've already had the pleasure of meeting Bucky."

"Oh..well..." She gives them a jaunty salute, "I'm Cassie, which you already know."

Sam nods, smiling, "I'm pleased to see you are feeling better. If you're hungry, you are welcome to some of the breakfast we made."

She eyes the mountain of food and her tongue rolls across the front of her teeth, flashing him a sheepish grin, "It looks delicious, but I can't."

"How come?" Steve asks, his head tilting in a manner that makes her want to ruffle his perfectly combed hair.

"I'm on a diet."

"Diet? Doll, I'm pretty damn sure ya don't need to be on a diet."

Sam rolls his eyes just as Steve shoots a glare in Bucky's direction. Cassie's head tilts, eyes sweeping over the confrontational man. She slowly becomes aware of their tension, as if they are waiting for something.

Oh! They're waiting for her response!

Didn't exactly make the best first impression did I?

"Sorry, I was trying to figure out if I that was supposed to be condescending, or if it was a compliment," she quips, taking another sip of her tea, humming with delight as she licks her lips, "And what's wrong with being on a diet?"

"If anything you need to put more meat on your bones," Bucky responds.

Rolling her eyes, Cassie shakes her head, "What is it with this world? Either a woman is too skinny so she needs to eat a burger, or she's got a bit too much curves so feed her a fuckin' salad. I stick to a dietary regiment that keeps me healthy. I could care less about how much I weigh." Cassie eyes him once again, "Besides, a man shouldn't comment on a woman's weight. Really leaves a lot to be desired."

Something flickers in his eyes and she is surprised when those tasteful cheekbones take on a pink hue, "I didn't say there was anything wrong with your weight."

"You implied I am too skinny, which I'm not. I'm just...small. Compact." She shrugs a shoulder and waves a hand absentmindedly, "Fun-sized if you will. I'm naturally built this way."

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with you."

"No, you just thought it was necessary to comment about my personal decision of making healthy choices," she points out, feeling her lips being to twitch as Bucky grows more and more irritated.

Okay, so this one is just too freaking adorable.

"You can eat whatever you want? What do I care?"

She nods, "Well, at least we can agree on something."

Her earpiece chimes and she taps against it, "It is seriously way too fucking early to have you calling me."

"Right, well, the next time I think you kicked the bucket, I'll keep my personal worry on your behalf buried."

Rolling her eyes, she leans her head back against the cabinet, "That would be my preference. What do you want, Cal? I haven't even finished my first cup of tea."

"Tatiana called and told me about the fire. How bad is it?"

Groaning, she leans her head foreward behind allowing her head to fall back with a firm, but not painful thud, "A month's worth, at least. I'll have to put in a few extra hours at the warehouse to make up for it."

"Your drafts were on your tablet."

"Which I sent to the warehouse via sync up."

"Sync up?"

"Yeah, you know, before I got myself the hell out of there? I had just enough time to sync my tablet up to the warehouse. I transferred all of it out and presto, mi amor."

"Are you insane?"

"No. But, then most insane people think they are sane, so really, the question should be, am I sane?"

"This isn't a joke, Cassie!"

"Yeah, I know, Cal, but if all you called for was to bitch about the total clusterfuck of a situation, I would have prefered radio silence."

"Be at the warehouse, tomorrow."

"Dude, fuck you. What part of 'my entire fucking apartment went up in flames' did you not understand? I'm taking at least one additional day to recover and then I will head over to the warehouse."

"Fine."

"Goodbye, Cal."

Hanging up, she groans, fingers moving to rub at her temples. Pouting at the last of her tea, she is about to climb down and fix herself another cup when she see a pair of gloved hands holding a fresh cup. Following the hands, she blinks at Bucky in surprise.

"Here. Two sugars and a splash of milk."

"Is it poisoned?"

"What? No, it's just a cup of tea."

She giggles at the indignant expression on his face, "Sorry, you're a little to easy to mess with." She takes the cup from him and smiles, "Thank you, Bucky."

The man drops back out of her space and nods in a jerky fashion. Inhaling deeply, Cassie feels the remaining sleep tension slide from her body before she takes a sip. An easy exhale releases through her nostrils as she swallows, a soft hum erupting from her throat.

"Cas!"

Her eyes pop open at the familiar voice and spying the tall, dark-skinned Colonel standing at the entrance of the kitchen, her eyes light up and her smile broadens, "Jay!"

Absently she feels Bucky move away just as Colonel James Rhodes saunters across the distance. Embraced in familiar arms, Cassie lets out a giggle and returns the hug. For the longest time, Jay had been the only person that knew the truth, and much like he adopted her brother, Jay seemed to have taken her into his tight inner circle.

"Glad you're awake, Gorgeous," Cassie's gaze drops at the familiar nickname, feeling a faint abashed heat trickle along the back of her neck, "and I'm saying this because I love you, but you might want to go put on some clothes."

Clothes?

Cassie blinks in confusion before glancing down at herself. Oh damn. Now she gets the avoiding looks. Tony's simple white, long-sleeved button-down dress shirt doesn't cover much. Shows way too much leg for her comfort. Cringing internally, Cassie lifts her gaze and flashes her friend a sheepish grin.

"Last time I checked, my clothes were ash."

"Which is why Pepper went out yesterday while you were sleeping and bought you a few things."

"Pepper bought me clothes?!"

She can't even bother hiding her excitement as she drains the last of her tea and carefully slides down from the counter. Patting Jay on the arm, she gives the trio a jaunty salute before rushing off.

"They're in the room Friday set up for you!"

"She seems like she's doing better."

Sam Wilson's voice pulls Bucky's attention away from the empty entrance way. Colonel James Rhodes, who prefers to be known as Rhodey, nods his head, a soft smile on his face. The ex-assassin is still trying to wrap his head around the difference between Cassie's arrival the other night and the Cassie that had perched herself on the counter and grinned with the excitement most see in children.

Still has quite the foul-mouth on her.

"Tony never told her about us," Steve states, slowly, as if unsure of how he is supposed to proceed.

Bucky really isn't interested in the conversation. While he agrees with Steve (an omission of the truth is a lie), Bucky can also see where Tony is coming from (he wouldn't have put anything before his sister). If Tony felt the need to separate Iron Man from whatever Stark Family issues he has, the man has every right in Bucky's eyes.

Besides, he hadn't been kidding when he said she was small. Out of the male members of the team, Tony is effectively one of the smallest in size (even if his personality dictates otherwise). Natasha has a couple of inches on Cassie. So, Bucky can easily understand why Tony would be so protective. Especially if she's the type to wander around in nothing more than a dress shirt.

It's a wonder that Steve hadn't burst a blood vessel with the amount of blushing his buddy did.

"Morning everyone," Pepper greets as the strawberry-blonde sweeps into the kitchen, immediately seeking out the fresh pot of coffee. "Cassie is already awake I see."

Rhodey nods as he begins pulling ingredients from the fridge, "Yeah. She just went to put on more than just Tony's dress shirt."

Pepper snorts, not the least bit surprised, "Neither of them have much shame, do they?"

No. Bucky doesn't agree with that. He recalls the way her eyes flickered with distaste as she peered down at the creamy expanse of her thighs. The relaxed posture shifting with discomfort. Bucky would put money on it that Cassie had no idea she wasn't dressed properly.

Her brain truly doesn't function before a cup of tea.

"Pepper! What fresh hell is this?!"

Lifting his gaze, Bucky swallows thickly at the tight-fitting deep-green dress. It's the type of dress he's seen Pepper wear frequently. Despite the off-the-shoulder neck line exposing the top of her shoulders and chest, the cut is modest. The long sleeves come to a stop along the back of her hands. The fabric is some form of cotton, woven tightly over the swell of her bust, the full, but flat of her stomach, the wide curve of her hips and tight along the expanse of thigh before stopping a few inched above her knees.

Her bare toes wiggle with discomfort.

Bucky feels his head tilt before he can stop himself. He really doesn't get the point of her being on a diet. Sure, she isn't the ideal size, and from the look of her hips she will never amount to a size 0. Definitely not what people would consider 'skinny'.

But, damn.

"You look gorgeous, Gorgeous."

Bucky catches the subtle twitch of her eyebrow at Rhodey's words, and her posture shifts, "I feel naked. Can I go back to wearing Tony's shirt?"

"No!" Pepper and Rhodey chime together. Pepper shakes her head, "You're showing less now than what you were wearing the shirt."

Cassie glances down, distaste in her expression, "It's very constricting."

"Constricting? Cassie, Gorgeous, you do remember what you wear on a daily basis, right?"

Cassie glares at Rhodey, "Yeah, but there's something to be said about layers, Rhodey. Besides, it's dull, boring. I might actually skip out early and swing by the warehouse. Save myself from this...monotony. Honestly, Pep, you're beautiful and bodacious, but how can you do this to yourself on a daily basis?"

Bucky can't help the small mental laugh as he sees her visibly shudder, even as Rhodey uses the spatula to point in her direction, "You aren't doing anything until you recover."

"Oh my God! You do know it was my loft that caught on fire and not actually myself, right? I'm not an invalid."

"Maybe not, but you are the one that stayed in a burning building in order to transfer your electronic files."

Tony's sudden addition to the argument causes many people to fall silent. Cassie's shoulders drop, her head immediately bowing as she groans, "Seriously, Tony?"

"You really think I wouldn't have found out? Cas, what the hell?"

Cassie whirls around on her brother, "Oh fuck you Iron Man. If I didn't sync up the data transfer I would be completely screwed."

"That isn't more important than your life, Cassandra."

Bucky notes the shift in her disposition, her shoulders square off, her jaw clenches and she takes a step toward her brother, "I could say the same for you, Anthony. You think I enjoy watching with the world while you throw yourself into whatever mayhem might be happening?" Cassie shakes her head, waving her hand at Tony in a dismissive manner, "No. It's totally okay for you to throw yourself into harm's way for people that would normally spit in your direction on any given day, but for me to do it to save my own desires, now the world is falling apart. A bit of a double-standard."

"I could have retrieved those files for you, Cas."

Cassie's stance relaxes at Tony's voice, "I know, but I hate relying on anyone else. You know that. I'll be surprised if I can last a month living under your roof. Makes me all...twitchy just thinking about it."

Rolling his eyes, Tony gently pokes her in the forehead, "I don't care. Serious, Cas. You ever pull a stunt like that again, I will burst right through our agreement and I won't give a damn who finds out."

"Whatever," Cassie scoffs, "Oh, and tell your woman to get better taste in clothes."

Tony's gaze finally sweeps over her and immediately his eyes widen, "Pep! I said buy her clothes! That isn't clothes!"

"It's a dress, Tony."

"No! If you were wearing it, I'd call it a dress. Good God, Cas, please tell me you'll go pick up your own clothing."

Cassie gives him an affronted look, "Of course I am. I was just telling Pep that it's too tight, it's tasteless and boring."

"And it makes your ass look fat."

"Anthony Edward Stark! I know you didn't call your sister fat!"

"What?! No. I said her ass is fat."

"I can't believe-"

"Hey, I'll have you know that I like my fat ass."

"Yeah, well the rest of the world can just not look at it."

Bucky can hear Sam and Steve fighting down their laughter at the ironic sight of infamous ex-playboy Tony Stark frantic and looking about one step away from throwing a blanket over his sister. It is kind of funny. Bucky only feels the slightest hint of discomfort at Cassie's easy acceptance of Tony's rude commentary.

"Are they always like this?" Steve asks, looking over at Rhodey as the man places a plate of scrambled egg whites, honey-wheat toast and a small bowl with yogurt and blueberries.

"Definitely," Rhodey replies, smiling, "It gets amusing when Tony ends up digging himself into a hole and has both Pepper and Cassie mad at him. This is mild though." He shakes his head before calling over, "Gorgeous, come eat your breakfast. A person can't live on tea alone."

Cassie climbs onto the stool next to Bucky, "Maybe you can't live on tea alone." She retorts before flashing Bucky a small smile, "Can you pass the pepper?"

Handing her the small, pepper mil, Bucky bites back any possible comments. So far, anything he's said has come out wrong. Maybe once his fingers stop twitching with the mild desire to cover her as well. Not that there's anything wrong with the dress.

Except that she isn't comfortable in it.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Author Note: Oh wow. I honestly wasn't expecting so many fav/follows. Really, I am flattered.

Reviewers:

Abstract0118: Thank you so much for your review. I plan on giving them a solid foundation before building upon it. Despite the initial acceptance that both characters do find the other attractive in some manner, that won't change the fact that the romance will take awhile to show up.

Guest: Thank you and I am trying to make Cassie a realistic person. She has a quirks, her likes and her dislikes and yes, in case you haven't noticed by now, she is obsessed over clothes.

pikacoregirl: Thank you very much and I hope this new chapter pleases you.

Mai: Thanks! And yes, I am falling more in love with Cassie the more I write.

Author Note:

EVERYTHING HAS A POINT! I promise, Cassie's reactions, her quirks, everything has a reason, but like most people in this world, you aren't going to know her entire story just as you meet her.

Thanks again, and leave a review.