The battle was over.

Exhausted but victorious, the Thunderbolts regrouped amidst the debris, bruised and bloōdied, but standing. You all moved through the aftermath — checking weapons, checking wounds, checking to see if anyone needed to be carried or cursed out.

It was messy. It was chaotic.

It was a win.

Yelena exhaled hard, running a gloved hand through her tangled hair as she looked over at you.

“What’s your type?” she asked casually, like she wasn’t covered in cuts and dust.

You paused, arching a brow. You had a pretty good idea what she was actually asking — maybe trying to kill time, maybe just messing with you — but a spark of mischief lit behind your eyes.

You turned to look at her, completely straight-faced.

“Around six foot,” you began coolly, “dark and brooding, has a metal arm… definitely capable of throwing me around a little.”

Silence.

Ava raised an eyebrow. John blinked and opened his mouth, then closed it again. Bob looked mildly concerned. Alexei stopped mid-sentence, jaw hanging slightly. And Yelena just stared at you, caught off guard for once.

One by one, every head slowly turned… toward James.

He stood there, sweaty, scraped up, arms crossed — and suddenly very, very still.

The expression on his face was a mix of stunned, confused, and something he probably thought he was hiding better than he was.

You let a smug little smirk curl at the edge of your lips, clearly enjoying the tension that had swallowed the group whole.

Yelena slowly pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, clearly trying not to laugh. “I meant your blood type.”

She shook her head and walked off to help someone to their feet, muttering something in Russian under her breath.

The rest of the team remained frozen in place, the air thick with the unspoken what the hell just happened energy.

Finally, Alexei broke the silence.

“Are you serious?” he asked, looking directly at you with wide eyes.

You gave a nonchalant shrug, then turned your gaze to James — who was still unusually quiet — and met his eyes.

Then you winked.

And walked off, proudly leaving a trail of stunned silence (and one very flustered super soldier) in your wake.

⸻

Behind you, no one moved. James shifted slightly… but still said nothing.