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The Avengers only started group therapy because Bucky had come to live at the tower, but most of them agreed it was long overdue. Well, most of their significant others agreed it was long overdue. Tony complained, Thor asked if he should bring the mead, Bruce sighed, and Natasha smirked in a way that reminded them all how good she was at reverse interrogations.

Bucky agreed, because Bucky agreed to everything these days.

Steve went first. Dr. Roen asked him what he thought of the future. Steve kept talking about the things he missed, like Astroland at Coney Island, seeing Casablanca at the Paramount Theater for 24 cents one night, and then hearing Ella Fitzgerald sing there the next. When he realized he was rambling, he got so flustered that he actually said the words, "I like what you've done with the place."

Tony spent the next five minutes laughing, even though they were being charged by the hour. It was his money. For all Tony had complained, he'd been the one to spend a day interviewing therapists. Well, he'd spent an hour interviewing therapists before he tried to make one box with Happy and Pepper had to take over. Natasha had looked vaguely flattered when she found out. Bucky figured if these people thought he was crazy, he must be worse than he thought.

Dr. Roen asked Tony about his father. She asked Thor about Loki. She asked Bruce about the Other Guy. She asked Natasha about... Bucky wasn't sure, but by the end of her turn, he knew Dr. Roen's social security number.

He spent their turns half-listening and half-preparing himself to talk about Hydra.

Dr. Roen finally turned to him. "Bucky, I understand it's been hard for you to adjust to life at the Tower. Do you want to talk about it?"

Bucky didn't want to talk about it, because it was hard. It was hard remembering to eat, and talk, and not assume the position for punishment whenever he did something wrong. It was hard avoiding Natasha, who Bucky was pretty sure knew more about him than he did himself. It was hard avoiding Steve, who Bucky was positive knew more about him than he did himself. It was hard avoiding Tony, with whom things had been awkward ever since their first proper meeting when Bucky had offered to let Tony shoot him. He kind of wished Tony had taken him up on it.

Bucky knew that life shouldn't have seemed easier during a depression, during a war, but it did. Life even seemed easier with Hydra, and that thought made him want to shoot himself. At least Hydra hadn't made him choose between regular or cinnamon oatmeal. At least Hydra hadn't made him talk about his feelings. At least Hydra hadn't made him feel. (The guilt, oh, god, the guilt, I'msosorryStevieHowardMariaMaGod.)

At least he didn't have to see Steve's sad expression whenever Bucky did something wrong, and then see it grow even sadder when Bucky assumed the position for punishment.

He'd prepared himself to talk about Hydra. He hadn't prepared himself for this. He could feel his breath coming faster, and everyone but Natasha looked concerned. Natasha gave him a little nod, and the word came out before he knew what it was going to be.

"No."

Bucky was about to assume the position for punishment when Dr. Roen said, "Okay."

She and Natasha looked pleased. Everyone else still looked a little concerned, except for Tony who looked put out.

"Is that allowed? I didn't know that was allowed. That's not fair. I had to get all emotional about my lost youth."

"If you ever lost your youth, I'm pretty sure you found it again," said Bruce.

"Did you ever say 'no' while you were in captivity?" Dr. Roen asked Bucky.

"No," said Bucky. "Well, sometimes I screamed it."

Everyone winced, except for Steve, who flinched.

"Did they stop when you screamed 'no'?" she asked.

"No," Bucky said again. It was fast becoming his new favorite word. "They never listened to me when I screamed. I said a lot of things that didn't make any sense."

"Like what?"

"Like God," he said. "And some Russian swear words I overheard from the guards. Russian swearing is strange. They call each other Гондон."

"Condom," Natasha translated.

"And what did they call you?" asked Dr. Roen.

"Блядь," said Bucky.

Natasha didn't translate that one. Bucky didn't know if Dr. Roen spoke Russian, but she made a note in her phone. She probably did. That seemed like the kind of detail Pepper wouldn't overlook

"Okay," she said, swiping back to the home screen to check the time. "That just about wraps up our session. Now, Bucky, I usually like to give homework after my sessions. For example, I've asked my patients to write a list of things that make them happy."

For some reason, Steve looked at Sam and smiled. Bucky felt unreasonably jealous until both of them looked at him and smiled. Then he just felt confused.

"I was planning on giving you homework, but you've already completed it," Dr. Roen was saying.

"I have?"

"I was going to have you say 'no' to something."

"Oh," said Bucky. He was actually a little disappointed that he didn't have homework. He remembered that he had actually liked school, but he'd guarded that secret closer than he'd ever guarded intel during the war.

"Do you want extra credit?" asked Dr. Roen.

Bucky almost said 'no' again, just because he could. He also didn't want to give up his secret. He was pretty sure grown men were allowed to admit that they had liked school, but he had so few secrets these days that he was loathe to lose any.

Dr. Roen looked between him and Steve. "Did you have extra credit in the thirties?"

"Yeah, we had extra credit," said Steve. "Thank god, or I would never have passed Ms. Fleischman's class."

Bucky frowned. He remembered how embarrassed Steve had been to ask Ms. Fleischman for the extra credit. Steve had not liked school very much.

"You required extra credit because you were absent due to illness, not due to mental defect." Steve looked sad, and Bucky realized he was talking like the Soldier again. He forced his frown into a smile. "Even someone as dumb as you coulda' passed Ms. Fleischman's class."

"Well, sure," said Steve. "You did."

Then Bucky's smile wasn't forced. "Hey, I'm not the one who needed all the extra credit."

"Jerk."

"Punk."

Dr. Roen looked surprised.

"He's different with Steve," Bruce explained.

"No," said Bucky. "Not different. Not a different person. Not anymore. Just a more comfortable person."

"Well, why don't we make that your extra credit?" said Dr. Roen. "You can write a list of anything that would make you more comfortable during our next session, if you decide to come back."

"If I decided to come back?"

"It's your choice."

Bucky's already thinking of things, like holding the sessions in a less sterile setting, and not having to call her 'doctor,' and getting warned about what she's going to ask him.

"Anything?" he asks.

"Anything," said Dr. Roen.

"What if the only thing that makes me comfortable is the song from It's a Small World?"

Steve let out a surprised laugh. It was nice to know Bucky could make him feel something other than sad.

"We could accommodate that," said Dr. Roen.

"I was just-" The word failed him. Sometimes English did. "шутят."

"Joking," Natasha translated.

It wasn't like Hydra had ever sent Bucky to Disneyland, but they had sent him to kill an ironworker (he still wasn't sure why) named James Hynes who was preparing the It's a Small World pavilion for the 1964 World Fair, and not even the chair had been able to get that damn song out of his head afterwards.

"I want each of you to complete the homework as well."

"Saying 'no'?" Tony looked hopeful.

"I don't think you have any trouble with that," said Bruce.

"Listing anything that would make our sessions more comfortable for you," Dr. Roen clarified. "You've all had some very difficult experiences, and it shouldn't have taken what is literally the worst case of PTSD in the history of the world to make you seek therapy. So I want you to come back. Tell me what I need to do to make that happen. Class dismissed."

The Avengers all looked suitably chastised, except for Thor who had taken out a notebook. Bucky looked over his shoulder.

HOMEWORK

1. MEAD

Steve stood and headed to the door so that he could hold it open for Dr. Roen. Bucky snorted and followed him.

After they'd walked the doctor out of the tower, Steve turned to Bucky. "So what do you think, buddy? You want to go back? It's like the Doc said. It's your choice."

"Hey." Bucky shrugged. "If that's what it takes to get you crazy lugs into therapy."

Behind them someone started singing softly, "Какой же маленький этот мир."

"Oh, god, please stop," said Bucky. "It's bad enough in English."

"Гондон," Natasha called him, but she was obviously шутят, and suddenly it didn't seem so hard anymore.

Гондон Condom

шутят Joking

Блядь Whore

Какой же маленький этот мир It's a small world after all