Chapter Text
For once, Bob is alone. Like, fully alone. There’s no one in the Tower for him to talk to, no one for him to simply exist around. Valentina had sent everyone but him on some big, super-secret mission. At least, that’s what she claimed. Bucky and John had been theorizing that it was some sort of reputation booster, and since Bob couldn’t really help on missions without the risk of Sentry coming back out, he wasn’t included.
So, he was left alone. The Tower was a quiet place when no one was yelling across the room or trying to best someone else in some sort of game. He didn’t really like being alone, but he didn’t feel lonely.
Not when he was wearing one of Ava’s sweatshirts, reading one of Yelena’s books, under Bucky’s blanket, listening to John’s music, and nibbling on some food Alexei made. If he really thought about it, Bob was surrounded by everyone he cared about, even if they weren’t physically there. They all cared about him in their own ways, and it always made him feel better.
As he sat there, he slowly started to form an idea. Over the past few months, everyone had taken such good care of him. They’d helped him during his darker nights, helped him get stronger, and supported him when he thought he didn’t deserve any of it. The New Avengers were basically his family now. Heck, he’d been calling Yelena his sister for a while now. No, that did not mean Alexei was his dad.
But the idea kept simmering. Since everyone had taken such good care of him, why couldn’t he take care of them? Even if the mission was some elaborate stunt arranged by Valentina for the sake of their reputation, everyone would surely be exhausted afterwards. The rations on the jets sucked, too, so they’d probably be hungry. And, come to think of it, Bob could see some dust collecting on the cabinet just across from him.
He sprung to his feet. He knew exactly what to do. The fridge was already stocked, there was a closet full of cleaning supplies down the hall, and he had several hours to kill.
First things first, he changed the music he was listening to. At some point, Yelena had put together this playlist that had an amalgamation of the music everyone listened to. It was horrible, in the best way. Bob smiled as music filled the Tower, and he went down the hall to grab a broom, mop, some rags, and a bucket.
The Tower wasn’t necessarily that dirty, but cleaning felt nice. Sweeping up some old crumbs and strands of hair felt calming. Once all the grit was off the ground, he filled the bucket with water and some soap. Mopping was a little less calming, since he kept slipping in the water trails he left. He could only imagine how John would laugh at him, but he knew now it wasn’t a mocking laugh.
As the floor dried, Bob grabbed some rags and dampened them in the sink. With the utmost care he moved all the trinkets that the New Avengers had collected on the cabinet, dusting under them and putting them back.
In what felt like no time at all, Bob had cleaned the common living room. That didn’t feel like enough. Sure, everyone would be pleased, but he wanted to do more. So he moved to the bathroom just down the hall, scrubbing that clean.
An hour into his cleaning streak, Bob’s phone buzzed with a message. Yelena was messaging him to let him know that the rest of the New Avengers would be back in around four hours. That was more than enough time to clean the rest of the Tower, and make something for everyone to eat.
Getting the food done was probably something to do now. Putting the cleaning supplies away for the moment, he looked through the fridge. There were a few blocks of cheese, some milk that needed to be used soon, a bunch of vegetables that needed to be used up soon, and some chicken. A bottle of hot sauce on the fridge door caught his attention, too.
A few weeks ago, Bob had been introduced to buffalo chicken dip by John and Ava. He moved to the cupboard, pulling out several boxes of pasta. Yelena and Alexei had taught him that anything could become mac and cheese. With a bit of internet digging, he found a recipe for buffalo chicken mac and cheese. It would be filling and comforting after a long day away from the Tower.
Slowly, cooking had started to become easier for Bob. Cooking and straining the pasta was plenty simple. Cooking the chicken was less so, but none of it was raw when he removed it from the frying pan. Maybe the cheese sauce was a little weird, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t make anyone sick. The recipe called for breadcrumbs to make a crispy top, and he found a box in a cabinet. They were a little expired, but surely that was fine.
The massive tray of mac and cheese went in the oven on an hour timer as Bob made his way down the hall, picking up the broom again. The next spaces to be cleaned were the common hallways, then a few more bathrooms. They were swept, mopped, dusted and disinfected as needed. He even went so far as to go down to the gym to mop the floor and disinfect all the benches and weights.
After an hour, the oven was set to warm. The cleaning crusade hadn’t yet ended. Bob handled some older loads of laundry as the sun started to dim over the horizon. He’d been cooking and cleaning for almost three hours straight. The couch called to him. He walked over with a yawn, getting settled back under the blanket Bucky left out. He should stay awake until everyone got home, but a little nap wouldn’t hurt him.
Two hours later, an hour beyond when Yelena said they’d get back, everyone returned from their mission. John was grumbling about how late it was, and Ava looked like she was ready to kill the man. Alexei was yawning, Bucky was ready for bed, and Yelena was ready to tell Bob all about what had happened. The moment they stepped into the common area, everyone paused.
“Who made buffalo chicken… something?” John’s voice cut through the silence of the room. Alexei made a beeline for the kitchen, pulling the tray of mac and cheese out of the oven. It was warm, if a little burnt where the breadcrumbs met the edges of the tray, but it was a delicious looking dinner.
“Is it just me, or is everything cleaner?” Ava’s realization had heads turning. She was right. The Tower was cleaner. The kitchen was organized, the floors were practically sparkling, and the windows were open to dissipate the scent of cleaning supplies.
As everyone spoke, Yelena went over to the couches. Bob was sound asleep, curled up under a blanket she recognized as Bucky’s. Her lips curled up as she made the realization.
“Bob did it,” she said, her voice quiet so as not to wake the sleeping man. Bucky grunted in approval. Similar sounds of agreement sounded as everyone peeled off after dinner, ready to pass out.
Yelena stayed sitting on the couch with Bob. Even if he wasn’t the hero he’d dreamt of becoming, he did a lot for them. He’d spent his day cleaning and cooking for the rest of the New Avengers without asking for anything in return.
Bob was doing good, Yelena thought, brushing a hand through his hair. He made the Tower feel less stiff, and more like home. And for a ragtag group like the New Avengers, sometimes little things like that meant everything.