It all started with Ultron. The team had just boarded the jet after Wakanda and their first meeting with the Maximoff twins, and Clint was the only one spared from Wanda's manipulations. Natasha and Bruce wanted to be left alone, so you took a seat next to Steve, hoping that maybe he would want to talk and that you could help him in some way.

"Cap, you okay?"

His eyes were closed and didn't open, even to your voice. He slowly shook his head, leaning over to rest his arms on his thighs, holding his head in his hands. As he let out a quiet, shaky sigh, you put your hand on his back to try to support him. Feeling your touch, he sat up and turned to you, his eyes now open and sad. He leaned forward into you, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You startled for a second, but quickly hugged him in return. "It's okay, Steve. Everything is gonna be okay." His body was shaking, his breaths catching as he quietly cried into your shoulder, soft enough so that only you could hear. You held him tighter for several minutes until his body finally relaxed and he began to pull back.

"Wow." He wiped his eyes and sniffled as he straightened his uniform. "I feel so much better. That was the best hug I've ever had. Thank you, (Y/N)."

"Anytime, Steve. Anytime."

~~~

In the months to come, it became your special skill on the team; your fellow Avengers quickly sought you out when they were feeling down, if they had a bad day, if a mission went poorly, or if they just wanted a hug. You joked that it was your super power, but in reality it kind of was. Never once did you fail to lift the spirits of a teammate, despite not really knowing how your hugs were better than anyone else's.

Bruce found your skill particularly helpful. It wouldn't be unheard of for a late night hug for your favorite scientist, calming him after a nightmare or relaxing him if he felt a risk of the 'other guy' making an appearance.

"(Y/N), you know you can tell me to leave you alone, right?" The doctor's face was buried in your shoulder, his fingers laced together behind your back as he relaxed into your embrace.

"Never. I'm happy to help, Bruce, really."

"But you were asleep." He released his grip and stepped back, rubbing his eyes. "You should be pissed."

A knock on your door interrupted your reply. You gave Bruce a quick kiss on his cheek as he walked with you towards the exit, ready to take his leave. When you opened the door, Tony was leaning against the frame, his hand running quickly thru his hair.

"Oh, hey, Bruce." He straightened his stance when he saw his friend with you. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Banner's eyes nervously darted back and forth from you to Tony. "What? No! No, nothing's going on...we didn't...there's nothing..."

"Doctor," you put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him. "I don't think that's what he meant. Go get some sleep, alright?" As Bruce walked away, you yawned and stretched, turning to Tony. "So, what's up, Stark?

Tony put on his best pout and held out his hands. "I'm sad."

"Go to bed, Tony." You started to push your door closed, but he put his foot in front to stop it. "Really? What are you doing?"

"Ok, seriously. I'm having a really shitty day, and I could just use one. Even just a really quick one. Promise."

"Fine," you sighed, "come here."

~~~

When Steve and Sam brought Bucky back to the tower, it took a long time for him to adjust and to consider it as his home. Building relationships with each member of the team was slow and sometimes painful, but as the months went by it was clear that he was where he belonged. Your interactions with him had been mostly on missions, working together but never really talking much; he usually stayed close to Steve, which was to be expected.

But then the day came that you never really thought would happen. Bucky's room was next to yours, and as you were approaching your door to turn in for the night, you heard him in the middle of a nightmare. You knocked on his door, but he didn't reply; you only heard him crying. Steve wasn't home, so you were on your own to help him.

"FRIDAY, please open Mr. Barnes' door, it's urgent."

The door opened, but you felt like you were intruding despite your altruistic intentions. Moving slowly and carefully, you followed the sounds of Bucky's voice until you finally saw him. He was sitting on the floor next to the window, curled up and holding his knees to his chest.

"Bucky?"

He startled a bit, but recognized you after a few tense seconds. "(Y/N)..." He was shaking, his eyes still filled with fear. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you okay? Can I help you?" You took a small step towards him, not yet certain about how he might react to you. "May I?" You reached your arms out towards him, offering yourself as a comfort.

He just stared at you, uncertain of how to respond. "I don't think...that will help."

"Come on, you know you want to." Trying to lighten the situation and get his mind off of the nightmare that had him cowering on the floor, your voice changed to a more lighthearted tone, but not so much as to make him think you were making light of his feelings.

Very slowly and very cautiously, Bucky stood and moved towards you, reaching out to wrap his arms around you. Once there, he sucked in a deep breath and squeezed you, almost hard enough to take your breath away. His face was turned into your neck, his tears moistening your skin. You stood like this for several minutes, allowing him to take all the time he needed. When he eventually released you, he stepped back and looked at you with awe and gratitude.

"(Y/N), that was...that was incredible. How do you...how did you...how do you do that? I owe you."

You chuckled a bit at this, looking down at your feet. "I don't really know. It just seems to help everyone. I'm glad to do it." Stepping towards the door, you bid him a goodnight, feeling thankful for this connection with your newest teammate. "Anytime, Bucky."

~~~

A few days later, Bucky walked into the common room to see you curled up on the couch, covered in blankets, crying quietly to yourself. You had just returned from a particularly difficult mission, seeing the loss of civilians that you were powerless to stop. It had taken its toll on you, even causing you to reconsider your position on team. It all began to feel like too much.

"(Y/N), what's wrong?" He knelt down next to you, concerned, but careful to not touch you until he knew you would allow it. "Oh, are you okay? What happened?"

Unable to talk about it without fully sobbing, you just shook your head and shut your eyes, trying to get the sights from the mission out of your head. You felt arms slowly wrap around you, pulling you tightly into a hug, this time meant for you. As you put your arms around Bucky, you felt another set of arms join in. And then another, and another, and another. Finally opening your eyes, you saw your entire team, joined together to comfort you, repaying you for all the times that you were there for them.

"Jeez, you guys, I thought I'd never get a turn."