A/N: I'm so damn sorry this wasn't out on time. I mean, a day late isn't horrible or anything, but I still feel bad. I hope the fluffiness in this chapter makes up for the delay :)

Note: In chapter four, when Beth asked Jarvis what the date was, he said it was Monday the 20th of April. This has been changed to Sunday the 19th of April as it better suits this story.

Chapter 10

Baron von Fucker

Bucky and Steve stared at me with a strange mix of shock and awe, before wide grins spread over their faces and they simultaneously shifted forward and wrapped me in a giant hug. I pushed them away almost instantly. They drew back, alarmed, but relaxed once they saw me smiling.

"Not that I don't want your hugs," I started, staring down at the arms that still clung to my shoulders and waist. "But you two are still sweaty and gross. Please shower so we can pick up where we left off."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Yes, your highness." He pecked my cheek quickly before standing and heading to his room.

"You better bet I'm the motherfucking queen." I called after him.

"Sure you are," Steve laughed, landing a chaste kiss on my forehead. "I'll be right back to cuddle… then maybe eat. But definitely more cuddling."

Of course he was hungry. "Hurry up then."

Figuring I had at least ten minutes to kill while the two sweaty super soldiers showered, I decided to be a nice soulmate and make them a late lunch. Heading over to the kitchen, I peaked in the fridge and pantry for something to cook. There were plenty of groceries, like usual, but I couldn't actually figure out what I could cook.

In the end, I grabbed out some spaghetti, bacon, parmesan, pepper, and eggs, deciding to make about a kilo of carbonara. Pasta probably wasn't the best food to eat right after working out, but in the few days I'd been here, I'd noticed that Steve and Bucky didn't really pay much attention to what they ate, or when they ate it. In fact, Bucky seemed to have a thing for junk food. At least a few times a day I'd notice him snacking on chocolate bars or a packet of chips. He and Steve would also escape to the balcony sometimes, taking soda with them, or beer if was later in the day.

It suddenly occurred to me that during my ignoring and avoiding of them, I did a whole lot of observing from afar. When I wasn't with Pepper or anyone else, I was sitting at the dining table and playing with my phone, as Steve and Bucky didn't seem to actually use it. That way my avoidance wasn't as obvious while they were in the living room or den.

Yesterday morning, they went for a run a little while after I'd woken up for the day. When they got back, they appeared to be more awake and alert than they did other mornings when they slept in or just got up and made a coffee. Mid-morning they would sit in the den and read or listen to music, both new and old. They tended to work out during the middle of the day, then have lunch and watch a movie that was suggested to them. Yesterday they hated the movie enough to stop it halfway through, and simply decided to go work out again. They came back, had a snack, then escaped to the balcony for a little while.

Did they ever leave the tower? Almost everything they needed was in here, but surely they had to go grocery shopping quite regularly. Well, I would find out soon enough. Instead of dwelling on it, I started singing Ashes to Ashes by Bowie to myself as I continued cooking.

Steve came out first, just as I was serving the pasta onto plates. I was giving the super soldiers a giant serve that would hopefully satisfy them. Surely it would, because there was enough here to feed a family of five.

"That smells so damn good," Steve sighed, sliding onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar. I slid one of the plates towards him.

"Dig in," I said, "because the sooner you finish eating, then the sooner we can get back to cuddling."

"Sounds like a great plan to me," Bucky said from the hallway. He quickly made his way over and took the plate I offered.

He dug in straight away and let out a content sound. "Shit, Beth, this is so good."

Steve hummed in agreement. "What is it? I haven't had this type of pasta before."

"Really? You've never had carbonara before?" I raised my eyebrows, before remembering what I learned about bananas the other day. "Wait a sec, let me google this."

They barely acknowledged me, instead too busy eating. And damn, did they eat fast. I went and grabbed my phone from where I'd left it on the table after I'd had my own lunch, and quickly googled carbonara.

"Huh, turns out Italians only started making it after the war." I explained, skimming the Wikipedia page. "But it's a super simple recipe, so I'm kinda shocked someone hasn't made it for you yet."

Steve just shrugged. "Nobody in the tower really cooks. Well, at least not for all of us. There'd be too much to make, which is why we get takeout for family dinner night."

"Okay, that's something I'm not shocked by." I laughed, grabbing them both a beer from the fridge.

"Needing to constantly eat is one of the downsides of having a metabolism as fast as ours," Bucky said, before pulling a face at his beer. "I miss getting drunk as well."

"Wait, if you need to eat that often, does that mean you're constantly hungry?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Bucky confirmed.

Steve nodded, finishing off his pasta. "But we grew up during the depression, so feeling hungry all the time isn't exactly new for us. We're used to it."

"You shouldn't be used to it." I grumbled, gathering up Steve's plate and then Bucky's when he finished. I rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher with my plate from lunch, then turned to them both with a bright smile. No more eating meant we can get back to what we were doing before. "So, wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure," Steve said, while Bucky was already getting up and heading to the lounge room with a grin on his face and the beer in his hand.

"I'm choosing!" I called out.

Steve laughed, but didn't head to the living room just yet. "And I'm gonna make us some popcorn."

Holy shit, he'd just eaten the biggest serving of pasta I'd ever witnessed anyone eat, and now he wanted fucking popcorn as well? I shouldn't be surprised. Bucky shot Steve a quick thank you, and I followed him into the living room.

We scrambled onto the lounge with me in the middle, Bucky to my left handling the remote and pulling up the movie menu. "What'll it be then, your highness?"

"Do you have Little Nicky?" I asked, crossing my fingers that they did.

"Probably," Bucky mused. "I think Clint suggested it to us, but we've never watched it."

"Clint has good taste then," I grinned, snuggling into his side. Bucky glanced down at me with a smirk. "Little Nicky is considered one of Adam Sandler's not-so-good films, but everyone I know loves it. I mean, it's fucking hilarious and has a cameo from Tarantino."

"Tarantino, he's the guy that made the Kill Bill movies right?" Bucky asked, taking a swig of his beer.

I nodded against his arm. "Yeah, and Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained and like a billion other violent films."

"I liked that film he made where they fight Nazis," Steve said, joining us on the couch with a large plastic salad bowl full of popcorn.

"Inglorious Basterds?" I questioned, immediately pulling away from Bucky so I could snuggle against Steve and steal some popcorn. "I didn't think you'd enjoy such a violent movie."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, I think there's no such thing as being too violent to Nazis."

"Damn right!" Bucky leaned over me to get some popcorn as well, but instead of pulling back, he snuggled against me instead.

So we started the movie, with me against Steve's side while his arm wrapped around my shoulders, and with Bucky against my other side, head rested on my shoulder while Steve's hand wound through his hair.

My initial thought was somewhere along the lines of 'This is nice…', but it was more than just nice. After avoiding my soulmates for those few days, being with them like this felt nothing short of perfect. It felt like home.

We weren't too far into the movie - only up to the part where Nicky was asleep in the park - when Jarvis asked for Steve's presence in some meeting room.

"It's probably just an update on the location of the scepter." Steve explained, detangling himself from my embrace.

I had to stop myself from pouting. "Will you be gone long?"

"Not sure," he shrugged.

"Do you want us to pause the movie?"

"No, it's fine," he shook his head, slipping some shoes on. I'd noticed he and Bucky tended to not wear shoes in the apartment, though they did in the rest of the tower. Unless it was morning and they'd just woken up. "Hopefully I won't be too long. And if I am, I can watch the rest of the movie whenever I want."

"If you say so."

"Have fun!" Bucky called as Steve left. When the elevator doors closed, he snuggled back down into my side, his arms snaking around my torso while he buried his face into my neck.

"You're gonna have trouble watching the moving when all you can see is my hair." I pointed out.

"Don't care," Bucky mumbled. "Got no need for a movie when I can just cuddle you."

"What? Don't you like Little Nicky?"

Bucky pulled back and gave me a weird look. "It's not a bad movie, but you're much more worth my time."

"That was so cheesy." I laughed, though inside I was absolutely melting. "How do I trust a single thing you say when I know you were a womanizer back in the day?"

"Did you intentionally rhyme just then?"

"Maybe. Now answer the question."

"Trust me because, with you, I actually mean it." His words were serious, but the cheeky smile on his face said otherwise.

"I'll believe you if you let me braid your hair." I told him, eyeing his long hair. It was slightly longer than it'd been in both The Winter Soldier and Civil War, and I loved it.

Without a word, but with his smirk still in place, Bucky slid off the couch and sat on the ground in front of me, facing the TV. My hands instantly went to his head, and I stroked my fingers through his brunette locks to remove any tangles. But there weren't any, because Bucky's hair was soft and smooth and far too flawless. Honestly, I was feeling a little jealous.

"How the fuck do you keep your hair so soft?" I whined, thinking of my own hair. It was always a mess of blonde waves because brushing it made it puff out. I'd tried so many creams and treatments and whatever, but they made my hair oily, so I usually just threw it up in a ponytail or bun.

Bucky shrugged, humming as my nails scratched lightly at his scalp. "Not sure, but my shampoo is expensive and smells a little spicy, like cinnamon or something. I don't really pay attention to what I buy. As long as it smells good, it's mine."

"Well, if your shampoo and conditioner bottles go missing, it's because I want hair as luscious as yours." I grabbed a section of hair near the side of his face and started braiding it back.

"I like your hair," Bucky told me. "Back in the day, women spent so much time fussing over their hair, and I swear they all had the same style. The fact you don't do that is a refreshing change."

I let out a very unladylike snort at that. "Not for lack of trying, I've just given up."

"It's not like you need to try anyway." Bucky sounded far too casual. "You could be bald and you'd still be gorgeous."

"I doubt that," I laughed, starting on a second braid next to the first.

There was a pause, before, "Should I prove it?"

"Is this your way of asking if you can shave my head?" I asked, tugging on the braid. "Because the answer is no."

"You're no fun."

"Sorry to be such a wet blanket." I finished on the second braid quickly and was just starting on a third when Steve came back. "That was fast."

"Yeah, I've got to suit up." He said, striding quickly through the apartment towards his room. "Tony and Bruce located the scepter in a building like the one you described. Baron von Strucker, a Hydra agent that worked for SHIELD, stole the scepter."

"Took them long enough to find the place!"

Bucky peaked over his shoulder to see me. "Didn't you give them the info only a few days ago?"

"Yeah," I nodded, a grin pulling at my lips. "But I was expecting them to find it faster than they did."

"You have too much faith in us!" Steve called out from his room.

"That's because you guys always win in the movies!" I called back, before continuing to braid Bucky's hair. I stopped once the third braid was finished.

Steve came out a minute later, buckling the belt around his waist, his mask in hand and shield on his back. It was the first time I'd seen him in his Captain America getup, and holy fucking hell it was sexy. My fingers stilled on Bucky's head from where I'd been running my fingers through the hair that wasn't braided, and I'm pretty sure my jaw had actually dropped.

It took me a few moments to compose myself.

"Do your enemies ever get too turned on to fight you?" I said, aiming for casual but the slight crack in my voice gave me away. "Because that outfit makes me wanna take it off you."

Steve, predictably, blushed beet red but somehow managed to smirk at the same time. "I presume you like it, then?"

"It's definitely much better in person, that's for sure."

"I'm glad you're enjoying the view," Steve grinned, making his way towards the lounge. "The team and I have to get going now, and we're not sure what time we'll be back, so you two be good."

"Not promising anything."

Steve smiled fondly and leaned over the back of the lounge to kiss my forehead. Not a moment later, Bucky scrambled up next to me and gave Steve and goofy smile. Steve rolled his eyes kissed Bucky's forehead as well.

"Seriously, be good. I don't want to come home to a trashed apartment again."

Bucky's smile was suddenly far too innocent. "Aye aye, captain."

Steve muttered something under his breath as he left, but it was too low for me to hear. Not too low for Bucky, though, because he laughed softly at whatever it was.

"So why aren't you going as well?" I asked, leaning into his side when he threw his arm over my shoulder. Little Nicky was still playing.

"I'm not an Avenger," Bucky stated simply, rubbing his thumb in circles on my skin. "Besides, I wasn't joking when I told you I was retired. I've done enough missions and fighting to last me a lifetime."

"It kinda has been a lifetime," I said, realising it to myself. Shit, Bucky had spent most of his life shooting and killing people. That's not an ideal existence. I snuggled closer into his side. "Wanna keep watching this or something else?"

"Something else." Bucky paused for a moment. "Got any more serious movies you think I should watch?"

"If you have A.I. Artificial Intelligence on this thing, then we're watching that. It's a Spielberg and it makes me cry every time."

"Why's that?"

"If I tell you, I'll start crying."

Bucky laughed. "Okay, we're definitely watching it."

So we did. And when it got to the end, AKA the part of the movie that made me a sobbing mess without fail every damn time I watched it, I became a sobbing mess. I'd seen it, what, seven or eight times now? And it always got to me. Bucky held me tighter the more I cried, which kinda made me wanna cry even more.

And I was pretty sure I saw Bucky tear up as well.

A/N: We're finally getting into the Age of Ultron storyline! Kind of… I mean, Beth has already changed a lot. Who knows what might happen?

Before you ask: Steve says 'damn' a lot in the movies, while Bucky says 'hell', though in this story they'll swear a bit more. No 'fucks' or whatever from Steve (maybe), but expect Bucky to have a bit of a potty mouth.

I wanna warn you that from now on, this story won't be very canon-compliant. The events of Ant-Man will still happen, but none of it will affect Beth and the others until after the events of the movie. Which mean, yes, I will be adding Scott Lang to this story eventually!

Elizabeth: No, definitely not! This fic is too fluffy for me to have her been in an abusive relationship in the past. In chapter one it's explained that all of the guys Beth's dated would run off. She blames this on the fact that she's clingy and weird, when really it was her future soulbond not giving her a chance to form steady relationships. Soulbonds do this to prevent people who have them from getting engaged or married, only to find out their soulmate was someone else.