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so...he's a pigeon

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"What went wrong this time?" The new man asked, stepping aside to let the large group of nine people into his home.

"There's a new group in town," Nat drawled, "and they're here to kill the twins."

"Sounds wonderful," he said, and turned his attention to Cara. "Who's this?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted defensively. This guy was too confident, too easy-going to be trustworthy.

He smiled. "Sorry." He held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Sam Wilson. And you are?"

She glanced at Steve before answering. "Cara. Just Cara."

"Well, 'Just Cara,'" he grinned, crossing his arms, "how'd you meet the squad?"

Cara scoffed, unimpressed with Sam's sense of humor. "I should've known."

"Should've known what?" He challenged, his biceps bulging out of his sweatshirt as he stepped nearer, towering over the teen who just wouldn't back down.

"Of course. Steve's the grandpa with the don't swear lessons and in the good ol' days memories, while you're his friend, the lonely dad that has too much time on his hands. I mean, come on, you're starting this out with a dad joke?" She shook her head, smirking. "Puh-lease."

Sam cocked an eyebrow at Steve. "She yours?"

Grinning in amusement, he nodded. "Yep."

The newcomer looked Cara up and down, scouring her, as if searching for something bad about her, and then turned back to his friend. "Good choice." Before Cara could blush with his approval, he added, "but isn't she a little young for you?"

"Oh, figure this out later," Pietro snapped, a little annoyed. Just a quick peek around the room told Cara that everyone else had zoned out, not paying attention to the conversation. Obviously, Pietro was a little on edge.

But Wanda was there to comfort him, rubbing his arm to calm him down. "It's okay, Pietro. We are safe with them. Aren't we?" She turned to face everyone else.

"You're as safe as ever," Clint reassured them, "no one will touch you as long as you're with us."

Cara watched as the rest of the group nodded, Peter included, and found herself doing the same. She felt strong, empowered, while she was with them. She felt like she was home.

"He's right," Sam replied, and turned to walk further into his house. "Come in and take a seat, I doubt anyone's expecting you to show up here."

Steve followed his friend, Cara behind him, and the rest of them trailed along in a line. It was silent as they walked, save for the constant swish of Thor's cape against his ankles.

The room they entered looked extremely close to what one would call a "man cave." A few pizza boxes were scattered around the couch, one of them still holding two pieces. Sam had obviously just gotten home, because other than the food, there was nothing to suggest he was a lazy middle-aged man.

And besides, Cara thought to herself, those quads definitely aren't the lovechild of beer and pizza. This guy works out. A lot.

Sam grimaced. "I didn't know you guys were coming, or I would've cleaned." He glanced at the twins, who were eyeing the pizza hungrily, and handed it to them. "Here, have it. I'm full, and you look like you haven't eaten in days."

He'd guessed right; Wanda dove her hand into the box, grabbing out both pieces, and handed one to her brother. As they bit into their food, stifling satisfied noises at the taste of it, Sam cleared the couch, giving more room for people to sit. Steve took the corner seat, Cara sat next to him, and Peter, probably feeling a little awkward around so many adults, took up the remaining spot, his mask held in his hands.

"So, what do you do?" Cara started once the whole dysfunctional family had found their way into the living room and sat down.

Sam smirked. "I do what he does," he pointed at the man sitting next to her, "just slower."

She watched as Steve's lips turned up in amusement, and his grip shifted on his shield that he had propped up against his knees.

"So we've got not one, but two old men on the team. Great," Cara teased them, enjoying the way everyone in the room rolled their eyes at her comment.

"Trust me, when you see what I can do, you'll think otherwise," he grinned confidently. "But first," he addressed the twins, "I need to know what the hell's going on here. Who's on our asses this time?"

He was met with silence, to which Cara took it upon herself to explain. If she was on this team, she had to act like it. "This secret organization that call themselves Skull, they're after Wanda and Pietro. They came from an attack when they showed up on our doorstep. We don't know much about Skull, but the only thing that's cut and dry is that they need soldiers to fight for them." She glanced at Steve, and the word came to her. "Super soldiers."

Sam's eyes widened for a second before he said, "you don't mean--they're looking for--" He pointed at Steve, who had his head down, his fingers rubbing circles on four distinct bullet scuffs. "Your bestie from the '40s?" Sam concluded.

Steve nodded. "Bucky."

Cara expected him to need a few minutes, like she had when learning all about the Avengers, but he just sighed, scratched his head, and answered evenly, "when do we start?"

Bruce stepped into the conversation, adding, "now, if you can. Besides, I have an idea that you're not the only stop we have to make before we go and fight these guys."

"Yeah," Clint nodded, "we're gonna need to make a pit stop in California."

Sam looked ready to roll, a determined set to his mouth. "Alright, just let me suit up."

Cara and the others watched as he left the room, shuffled some things around in the next room over, and then he was stepping out, a heavy backpack-looking armor wrapped around his shoulders and waist.

"Ready?" He said, and when the others followed him out of the house, seeming totally okay with all the current events, Cara just raised an eyebrow, wondering how in the hell that thing was his suit.

But it happened when they were out in the open air, and he pressed a button, causing giant wings to shoot out from the sides of his pack. Cara took a step back.

"So...he's a pigeon," she commented, knitting her eyebrows at Steve, who was grinning at her in amusement.

"Actually," Sam snapped in frustration, "it's a falcon. But okay."

Sam took off into the air, with Tony behind him, ready to go to their next stop, picking up their next ally to help them fight against this new enemy, Skull.

"So, does anyone know where a Baskin Robin's is in California?"