"More bad news, friends. Bucky is serious." The group chat began with this message from Natasha. What followed was everyone discussing Bucky's state of mind and how Natasha should deal with it.
According to Natasha herself, she had learned through a reliable source that this was no misunderstanding. Bucky really intended to pursue her, and she had no plans to say goodbye to single life anytime soon.
Though a little late, Schiller still declared in the group that he had no idea what her source was, and sincerely praised Black Widow's intelligence-gathering skills. The others sent plenty of eye-rolling emojis, but none of them said anything.
Schiller had checked his phone at exactly the right moment. Natasha sent a string of dizzy-face emojis, followed by a screenshot of a chat:
"Are you there, Natasha? — B.B."
"Yes, I'm at work."
"Are you free after work?"
"What is it?"
"I wanted to discuss Steve's birthday party with you. How about Tebulun Seafood Restaurant?"
The screenshot ended there. Schiller sent a message: "How did you reply?"
"I haven't replied yet!" Natasha's messages popped up one after another. "He picked a reason I can't refuse. And that damn seafood restaurant is expensive as hell! He'd better not have already made a reservation!"
"Then it's over. He definitely already made a reservation," Nick said. "I know him. Even though he and Steve are close friends, the two of them aren't alike. Bucky is tough at his core. If he plans to pursue you, he won't take it slow. He'll be extremely aggressive."
"I'm considering another possibility," Natasha said. "I'll go tonight, then the two of us sleep together, and then this will all be over. What do you think?"
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"Forget it."
"No way."
Everyone replied beneath that. Schiller gave a more