After the vault, becoming a Thunderbolt, New York, and then being rebranded as a New Avenger, things moved quickly for you.

The team - you, Bucky Barnes, Ava Starr, John Walker, Bob Reynolds, Alexei Shostakov, and Yelena Belova moved into the Watchtower. You'd all bonded, become somewhat of a dysfunctional family after what happened in the Void's shame rooms.

Bob was Bob again, the Sentry and Void both dormant. Bob and John still constantly bickered with each other just like they had that first day in the bunker, where Bob had asked John if he was Captain America and had laughed, telling him he was an asshole. Ava was growing more comfortable with everyone, and so was Bucky, although he did it begrudgingly.

Alexei tried his best to make up for the childhood that Yelena was not given, and acted somewhat like a father figure to the entire group. A very loud, large, Russian, father figure.

And Yelena? Well, Yelena had grown close with Bob. Quite close, ever since the OXE Lab memory void shame room. You'd been close with Bob, too, since the bunker. Defending him against Walker's quips.

The whole team made little jokes about Bob and Yelena. That they should date, that they were "the best couple". You'd started to grow feelings for Bob. Started to, and stewed with jealousy every time Bob and Yelena were mentioned.

You couldn't hate Yelena. She was badass, a great assassin, beautiful - five foot two, blonde, Russian. You could understand why Bob might have feelings for her. So you never told him that you liked him. Let the two lovebirds be.

Left a very, very confused Robert Reynolds on his own. Were civil with Yelena (who was either oblivious or didn't care either way). And let your mind spiral out of control each night, drinking with John on Wednesdays because you thought it would irritate Bob the most. He hated that you were spending time with Walker, of all people.

And the worst part? Neither Bob or Yelena had actually outright said whether they had feelings for each other or were just friends.

It was a Sunday morning when Bob approached you in a little reading nook in the Watchtower's common area. Wearing that navy sweater (you didn't know if it was the only one he had or if he had multiple of the same item), nervously fiddling with his hands.

Bob tilted his head. "Uh. Hi, uh. I wanted to ask. Uh. Are you avoiding me? Did I do something?" Scratching his fluffy brown hair nervously.