The Avengers just had another mission fighting terrorists in the middle east. Prevention operations SHIELD called them. Although Cap wasn't all too happy about the agreement, he was grateful to be able to help people in need, and as it turned out, the terrorist cell they were sent to disable, had been wrecking havoc among the civilians in that area.
They are just cleaning up the remains of the fight, when Hawkeye hears an odd noise coming from one of the cupboards. Falcon and Widow secure the site, and Hawks throws open the doors, expecting either some rats, or another fighter hiding in it. Instead, the three are met with two pairs of small brown eyes, staring fearfully at them out of dirty little faces. A girl, hardly big enough to have to crouch in the cramped space, and an even smaller boy, pressed against the girls chest, shivering, while she has her arms wrapped tightly around his frail body. “Oh my God.”, Falcon breaths shocked, when the two children suddenly make a dash for it, running past Widow into the hall. “Oh shit!”, Hawkeye yells, “Don't shoot, guys!” “Don't shoot, there are kids here!”, Widow adds in a haste, as all three make a run after them, but stop in the door of the next room.
A weird scene plays out before them: the White Wolf is sitting on a chest, one of his boots untied, the AK placed behind him, and Cap is leaning towards him, one hand still on his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. Both stare at the kids, standing in the middle of the room between the adults, looking rather shaken. Suddenly the girl pushes the boy towards Cap, and starts yelling something in Dari. The kid almost falls, but then starts staggering towards Steve, right past his shield leaning against a table, and grabs onto his legs, crying. “Oh my.”, Steve hums, before clearing his throat and leaning down to pick up the kid with a reassuring smile, cooing: “Hey little guy! Hey, it's gonna be alright! Shshsh.”
The girl is still yelling something, with a firm voice, as if trying to make sure the boy hears it. Bucky stares at her, so Widow asks: “What is she saying?” “She's telling the boy: the star man won't hurt you, he likes the man with long hair!”, he translates a little confused. “Huh? Wait, how does she know?”, Falcon asks curious, just as the boy clutches Steve's neck tight, crying over his shoulder, and startling the supersoldier a bit. “Uh...”, he tries to explain, but Bucks beats him to it: “Steve just gave me a kiss when the two burst in. Maybe that's all the proof you need around here.”
Just then the girl yells some more, which ends with something that sounds like 'adder', and the little boy starts crying: “Adda, Dada, Adada...” “Ne! Daddy!”, the girl presses, and the boy cries: “Daddy, daddy, daddy...”, into Steve's ear, making his eyes widen in shock. Bucky meanwhile just looks sad, and when Steve turns to him, he translates: “She said: Call him Daddy, they like that!” “Oh lord. What happened to these kids?”, Hawks asks horrified. Meanwhile Stark signals over radio: “If you guys are finished in there, we can wrap it up. Scanners show there are no other forms of life around, this area is clear. And what's that about kids you found?”
Cap is still helplessly holding the little boy that's grabbing onto him for dear life, when the White Wolf leans closer to the girl and in a low tone starts speaking Dari to her. First she flinches, but then she starts answering very quickly in a pleading voice, putting emphasis on some words, so that Bucks has to calm her down a few times. But she repeats herself, so that Hawkeye asks: “What did you ask her? What is she saying?” “I asked about her family.”, Bucky replies, keeping his eyes on the girl, “She said, they are dead, her parents, her uncles and aunts, and her big siblings. She said her sister tried to protect them, but now she's gone too. So she needs to protect her brother. And she's begging us to take him away from here.” “Poor thing.”, Nat states, before adding: “Still, don't get too attached to them. The region is full of kids like these. We'll have to hand them over to the authorities.” Sam looks at her with a frown, but Clint defends her: “Nat's right. This isn't the first time her and I have come across some orphans during a mission. SHIELD can't take care of them, they just make sure they get to one of the organizations that handle these things.”
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Steve looks down at the girl with a sad face, and she starts to cry, shouting more, and then throwing herself at Bucky's feet, begging. The White Wolf tries to calm her down, and starts translating again: “She wants us to take care of him... she says he's a good boy, he's quiet, he doesn't eat much...”, then his voice gets a bit shaky as he realizes: “She doesn't even ask for herself. She just wants to make sure her brother is safe.” “Damn.”, Falcon hums. Then there's a small bang, and clanking noises, as Iron Man walks onto the scene, asking in his metallic bass: “What's taking so long, are you having a party here?”
The girl shrieks as she sees him and scampers to press herself against Bucky's chest, mumbling something in a desperate voice. Hawkeye sighs: “Yeah, we should get going. Getting to know them isn't going to make it any easier.” “Shit.”, Sam mutters, but admits: “I guess you can't save them all. Too bad.” Bucks takes a long look at Steve, then turns to Tony, saying: “Maybe not all, but... Stark, can you do us a favor?” Iron Man opens his helmet to answer curious: “Sure, what do you want?” “Can you provide some bribes for us, to get these kids out of the country?”, the White Wolf demands. The other Avengers stare at him, and Hawks wants to butt it, when Bucks explains: “If we go the official way with paperwork, it could take months for the adoption process to be ratified, and who knows what could happen to them in that time!”
“You wanna adopt them?”, Falcon asks back surprised. “What about their home, their family...”, Hawkeye tries to argue, but Bucks replies: “Their home was bombed, they have no family left! What, you think like some distant cousin of their mom will be thrilled to take in two more hungry mouths that aren't his in these times?”, and he wraps an arm around the girl that has stopped pleading with him, and instead carefully watches the adults argue over her fate. Tony scratches his chin, as he ponders: “It's probably not gonna be cheap...” “We'll pay you back!”, Bucks immediately ensures, but Tony waves it off, saying: “Nah, forget it! I just don't have much cash on me right now. Maybe I can trade in my Rolex...” Natasha presses: “Are you sure, you wanna do this?!” Bucks is about to nod at her, when she clarifies: “I'm talking to you, Steve!”
The White Wolf looks over at his partner, who hasn't said a word since the debate started, and just keeps supporting the little boy in his arms, who seems to have fallen asleep from exhaustion. Cap tries to straighten himself up without waking him, and hums unsure, looking at his soul mate for answers, who just gives back with a smile: “Come on Stevie! Don't act like you haven't decided already!” And when he smiles back, Bucks adds: “Just look at you!”
Steve pets over the kids scalp, brushing off some dust. He can smell the boys fear, the dirt in his clothes, the sand from outside mixed with the sweat on his skin. He feels his tired weight, so light in his strong arms, and the damp on his neck and shoulder, where he had been crying. And he realizes that Bucky is right. He would fight with his body and soul, to keep this child safe from harms way. Him and his sister. Two little lives that desperately need someone to protect them. And so with a grin he turns to his friends to state: “To be honest, Bucky and me have been talking about adopting for quiet a while now. Guess this is the perfect time!”
At first they look back at him baffled, but then they start to smile, although Natasha still seems skeptical when she says: “Alright then, good luck! It's a big step, I hope you guys know what you're getting yourself into!” However, Clint shrugs: “Well, with kids you never really know. But hey, if you two ever need advice, you can come to me.” “Okay, now that that's settled,” Tony urges, “let's get a move on! We'll still be in some hassle with this new situation, and I've been hoping to make it to this gala tonight!” And with that, he turns to exit, leading the way for Hawks and Widow, Falcon following after giving the two supersoldiers another reassuring smile. Bucky then reaches down to re-tie his boot, the way he meant before the children interrupted, and explains to the girl that they will be taking her and her brother with them, away from this war.