The sunlight streaming through the windows felt too bright, too cheerful for the storm brewing inside you. You rubbed your temples, the dull throb of a headache refusing to relent. A bath. That's what you needed. Something to wash away the chaos of the night before.

But as you padded downstairs, the sight of Bucky and Steve stopped you in your tracks. They stood in the kitchen, their postures stiff, their faces etched with concern. Steve's arms were crossed, his jaw tight, while Bucky leaned against the counter, his metal hand flexing absently.

The air between them crackled with tension, and you instantly knew something was wrong.

"Morning," you said cautiously, your voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

Both men turned to you, their expressions softening slightly, but the worry in their eyes remained.

"Hey," Steve said, his tone careful. "How are you holding up?"

You shrugged, crossing your arms over your chest. "Been better. What's going on? You two look like you've seen a ghost."

Bucky exchanged a glance with Steve before speaking. "We got a lead. On Project Raptor."

Your stomach dropped. "And?"

Steve stepped forward, his blue eyes searching yours. "It's not good. The program wasn't just about creating a predator. It was about control. They implanted something in you—a failsafe."

The words hit you like a punch to the gut. "A failsafe?"

Bucky nodded, his expression grim. "A trigger. Something that could shut you down—or worse, turn you against us."

You sank into a chair, your mind reeling. "So I'm not just a weapon. I'm a ticking time bomb."

Steve knelt in front of you, his voice steady but urgent. "We're going to fix this. Tony and Shuri are already working on a way to disable it. But we need to know everything you can remember. Anything about where you came from, who you were before..."

"Before I was this?" you interrupted, your voice bitter. "I don't remember anything, Steve. Just fragments. Flashes. Nothing concrete."

Bucky's metal hand clenched into a fist. "Then we'll start with what we have. We're not losing you to this."

You looked between them, the weight of their determination pressing against the fear in your chest. They were here. They weren't running.

"Why?" you asked quietly. "Why are you doing this? I'm not even... I'm not even human."

Steve's gaze didn't waver. "You're one of us. That's all that matters."

For the first time since the truth had come crashing down, you felt a flicker of hope. It was small, fragile, but it was there.

"Alright," you said, squaring your shoulders. "Where do we start?"

Steve stood, offering you a hand. "With the truth. No more secrets."

You took his hand, the warmth of his grip grounding you. Bucky fell into step beside you as you headed toward the lab, where Tony and Shuri were already deep in their work.

The road ahead was uncertain, fraught with danger and unanswered questions. But for the first time, you didn't feel alone.

The room fell silent as Tony's words hung in the air. Natasha stood behind him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharp with concern.

"I found Natasha," Tony said, his voice softer than usual, almost apologetic. "And she found something, too."

He tossed a file onto the table, the sound of it hitting the surface like a gunshot in the quiet room. You caught it mid-air, your claws instinctively extending before you forced them to retract. The weight of the folder felt heavier than it should have, as if it carried the weight of your entire existence.

You opened it, your hands trembling slightly, and froze.

There, staring back at you, was a photo of a child. Wild curls framed a face that was unmistakably yours, though younger, softer. But what caught your attention were the faint scales along the cheekbones, the glint of something otherworldly in the eyes.

You.

Underneath the photo was a name tag, the words printed in stark, clinical font:

Y/N L/N
Species: Human-Raptor Hybrid
Age: Unknown
Backstory: Unknown or Unavailable
Notes: Created for an organization banned by Kingpin. Y/N L/N is a dangerous individual and should be terminated on sight.

The words blurred as your vision swam, the room tilting dangerously. You sank into a chair, the file slipping from your hands and scattering its contents across the table.

"Terminated on sight," you whispered, the words tasting like ash.

Natasha stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "This doesn't define you. It's just a piece of the puzzle. We'll figure out the rest."

Tony ran a hand through his hair, his usual bravado replaced by something far more vulnerable. "I didn't know, Y/N. I swear. If I had, I would've told you sooner."

You looked up at him, your voice hollow. "Would you have?"

He flinched, but didn't respond.

Steve picked up one of the scattered papers, his brow furrowed as he read. "Kingpin. Wilson Fisk. If he's involved, this goes deeper than we thought."

Bucky leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "Fisk doesn't mess around. If he wanted you dead, he'd have made sure of it by now. The fact that you're still alive means someone's protecting you."

"Or using me," you said bitterly.

Natasha shook her head. "Not anymore. You're with us now. And we don't abandon our own."

The words should have comforted you, but they only made the ache in your chest sharper. You stared at the photo again, at the child who looked so much like you but felt like a stranger.

"Who am I?" you asked, your voice breaking. "If I'm not this... if I'm not real..."

Steve knelt in front of you, his blue eyes steady. "You're Y/N. You're one of us. And we're going to find out the truth—your truth."

Tony nodded, his usual smirk replaced by a rare sincerity. "We've got your back. No matter what."

You looked around the room, at the faces of the people who had become your family. They were here. They weren't running.

"Alright," you said, your voice steadier now. "Where do we start?"

Natasha picked up the file, her lips curling into a small, determined smile. "With Kingpin. And whoever's pulling his strings."

The road ahead was uncertain, fraught with danger and unanswered questions. But for the first time, you felt a flicker of hope.

You weren't just a weapon. You weren't just a creation.

You were Y/N.

And you were going to find out who that really meant.