#Dante likes to yeet him behind when he bickers too much | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itskateak · 4 years

Text

Oceans and Stars - Chapter 1

(Art by itskateak...do not repost without permission)

Story Summary: A story of how Bucky Barnes falls in love with oceans, stars, and the woman who gave him the reasons to.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Velika Dante King (Fem!OC)

Chapter Summary: Velika Dante King is new to the Avengers team. It takes her time to find her place among them and to learn to trust them. Through many moments, she’s given many reasons to trust the team.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, mentions of PTSD and Anxiety, mentions of nightmares, mentions of past trauma (brainwashing, death, assassinations, physical and psychological torture)

A/N: This is post-Endgame but Tony didn’t die and Steve didn’t yeet himself to the past and Nat was brought back and everything is fine. Not beta read. We die like men in this household.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭, 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂?

Velika Dante King stepped out of the car, hiking her bag up on her shoulder. She stared at the Avengers’ compound with intrigue. The building was large and very much influenced by Tony Stark’s technology. A group of agents was running on a track to the side of the building, a higher-up barking at them to move faster. She smiled and shut the car door.

“We’ll have your stuff taken to your room, ma’am. Captain Rogers will be waiting for you in the foyer.” Happy startled her out of her thoughts and she nodded in approval. Her first impression of Happy Hogan was that his name was ironic. He looked grumpy pretty much the whole car ride from the airport. Maybe he was stressed about something or had a bad morning. He had a good heart, though, and that allowed her to brush off his sour countenance.

“There’s no need to call me ma’am. Miss King or Velika works just fine.” Velika said, giving him what she hoped was a friendly smile. Change was never easy for her, nor were unfamiliar environments. She wouldn’t have accepted this job, anyway, if it hadn’t been for Nick Fury’s incessant nagging. Every couple of months, he would contact her with the same proposition. After many, many years, she finally caved.

“Alright, Miss King. If you would follow me, I’ll take you into the building to meet Captain Rogers.” Happy returned her smile, living up to his name for the first time since they’d met. It was brief, but it proved her theory that he had his heart in the right place.

“Thank you,” Velika said, walking behind him toward the compound. She chewed on the inside of her lip, anxiety fluttering in her chest. The building was nowhere near the compound she’d lived in for so long, but there were enough visual similarities that her jet-lagged brain was beginning to panic. She took a deep breath to steady herself and pulled her bag further up. “What should I call you? Mister Hogan? Mister Happy?”

“Just Happy, Miss King.” Happy responded as he opened the doors for her. She smiled briefly in thanks and entered the building. The air conditioning hit her immediately and she hadn’t realized how warm it had been outside. She felt a little bad for the agents running outside, but then remembered that the weather wouldn’t ever be perfect for a mission. And the fact that she had run in worse weather.

“Ah, Lieutenant King! I’m Steve Rogers.” Steve extended his hand to her once they were close enough, a friendly smile lighting up his expression. He’d grown a beard since the last time she’d seen pictures of him, and it actually really suited him. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“I don’t know what Nick Fury told you, but I’m not a Lieutenant anymore. Just Velika or Miss King works. A pleasure to meet you, too.” Velika took his hand and shook it. His hand was calloused, much like hers, and his grip was strong.

“Thanks, Happy. I’m sure you have other things going on.” Steve said. Happy nodded and left them to attend to his duties as head of security. “So, how was the flight?” He gestured with his head to follow him.

“Smooth, luckily, but very long. I had the chance to stretch after landing.” Velika kept up with him easily, taking in her surroundings.

“I’m glad it went well. We’ve had issues lately with airspace.” Steve shook his head and sighed. “That’s politics for you.”

“Gross.” Velika wrinkled her nose up and Steve barked a short laugh. “I’ve always hated politics.”

“Other people take care of that for us, now, so you don’t have to worry about it.” They started up a staircase to the right of the atrium. “That was the main foyer. It splits the building into two parts. This is our residential wing where only people granted access can visit. The team’s in the common room.”

“How many people are on the team?” Velika asked, glancing out the huge windows. The scenery wasn’t too bad. The compound seemed to be in a wooded area.

“Our unit here is made up of eight people. Including you, that would be nine. We have a few other people who we consider apart of the team that are in other places.” Steve typed in a passcode at a pair of glass doors and opened it for her.

“And how many am I meeting today?” Velika nodded in thanks and entered the common room. She didn’t know if she could do many people today. Not until she was rested and not jet-lagged to Hell and back.

“Five, counting me. Vis and Wanda are running a mission and Bruce is taking a much-needed stress-relieving vacation.” Steve smiled before sighing in frustration. “They were here. Friday, can you call the team down to the common room again?”

“Yes, Captain Rogers. Right away.” A disembodied voice spoke and she jumped slightly.

“Friday is the artificial intelligence program that keeps things functioning around here. She’s probably the only thing keeping Tony alive when he’s working.” Steve shook his head fondly.

“You were taking ages, Rogers!” A red-headed woman said as she entered the room. “It doesn’t take that long to get downstairs and back up. Are you getting old or something?”

“That would be Natasha Romanoff,” Steve said and Natasha smiled in greeting and waved. “And yes, Nat. I am getting old.”

“Nice to meet you. Bikinis or one piece?” Nat asked with a perfectly arched brow of curiosity.

“Uh, bikinis?” Velika replied in a confused tone, head cocked slightly in thought.

“She can stay.” Nat crossed her arms with a grin and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Come on, old man! Move it, Frosty!” Shouts from down the hall caught their attention. “My grandma could move faster than you and she’s been dead for twenty years.”

“Then go around me, Wilson! And stop yelling. You’ll wake your grandma from the grave.” Another voice followed, sounding very annoyed and gruff.

“Have dumb and dumber arrived to give us all headaches or have I miraculously made it ahead of them?” Tony Stark asked as he walked in, holding a foam cup probably containing coffee.

“They’re down the hall, announcing their arrival through their bickering.” Natasha boosted herself up onto the back of a leather couch and crossed her legs. She had a nice figure, which her tank top and jeans accented. “They’re always that way.” She stage whispered behind her hand.

“Oh, great. I thought I could avoid it.” Tony grimaced and held his hand out to Velika. “Tony Stark. Brains behind the idiots and the tech mastermind.”

“Velika Dante King. Nice to meet you.” Velika smiled. His sense of humor was already incredible and she could already feel herself relaxing around him. Her ability to trust strangers was slim to none and she hadn’t realized how tense she was.

Two men entered the room, one nearly bouncing as he walked. The other ambled in, shaking his head at the other, an expression of pure annoyance on his face.

“Hey, new blood!” The first yelled with a bright smile. She flinched not at his volume but the term. Back in her military days, the recruits being trained were called new blood. It brought up bad memories.

The man behind him muttered something that sounded like ‘no need to shout.’

“Sam Wilson. The team’s best-looking member.”

Velika introduced herself again, shaking his hand. She usually would’ve had some kind of witty comment to shoot back, but the jet-lag (and being rattled from a term she didn’t expect to hear) had her just smiling and nodding.

"I’m James Buchanan Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky.” Bucky, who had his arms folded across his chest, spoke quietly in comparison Sam. “Welcome.”

“Thanks, Bucky.” Velika nodded at him and tightened her hold on her bag. “It’s really been nice to meet all of you, but I’m exhausted and really need some time to adjust. New surroundings and people and all...a lot to take in.”

“Hey, no problem. I’ll show you to your room. You guys are free to go.” Steve touched her shoulder and she started. He pulled his hand away with a quiet apology. The others in the room dispersed as Steve led her down one of the side halls.

She pretended not to notice Bucky Barnes’ gaze boring into her back.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

“Okay, it’s your turn,” Sam said, turning his attention to Velika. “Truth or dare?”

“I’m just here getting a drink. I’m not playing.” Velika grabbed a glass and dug around in the fridge for the bag of limes she’d asked for.

“Aww, come on! You haven’t joined us for our game nights yet. Just one, please?” Sam begged as she pulled a lime out and cut it into slices.

“No, because I’ve heard how you can be. I’m not choosing between a ridiculously personal question and a stupid dare.” Velika dropped the slice of lime in her glass and returned the bag to the fridge.

“If we’re gonna be on a team, we need to get to know each other and all our dirty secrets! How else are you gonna trust us?” Sam’s words made her tense up. Trust was a hard thing for her. She’d already been there for two months and had yet to really forge any connections with anyone. Sure, she’d trained with Natasha on occasion and spent time in Tony’s lab to get gear fitted. Other than that, she kept to herself and stayed very quiet.

“Easy. I don’t and I won’t.” Velika said as she swept out of the common and back to her room.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

“Three on your six, Velika.” Natasha’s voice in her ear made her press against the wall and wait silently, gun drawn. “Make that twelve, wait...fifteen.”

“I don’t see them, yet.” She muttered, drawing another handgun.

“Barnes, help her out,” Tony ordered.

“On it.”

“I can handle this on my own.” Velika hissed, poking around the corner and firing off a shot. She earned three back as she swung back around into cover. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

“We’re a team, Velika. When are you gonna stop thinking we’re your enemies?” Nat asked, a hint of frustration in her voice.

“When you give me a reason.” She fired down the hall again. Thirteen enemies still standing. This was her first mission with the full team. She and Bucky were part of the ground team. Steve and Natasha were across the building.

“How many left?” Bucky called from across the hall.

“I said I can handle this on my own.” She said, stepping out of cover and shooting three times. Velika ducked back behind the corner, holstering her now empty weapon.

“Quit being stubborn.” Bucky shot her a frustrated look and fired twice down the hall. “How many left?”

“Twelve. Happy?” Velika cocked her weapon.

Bucky didn’t respond, shaking his head slightly. “I can get two on the right from here. Can you get the three on the left?”

“Yeah.” Velika shifted and aimed. She fired five times, taking out the assigned targets. “Six left.”

Together, they took out the remaining members in short time.

“You okay?” Bucky asked, looking her over.

“I’m fine.” She snapped crossing the hall to get closer to him. “And I would’ve been fine without your help.”

“We’re on your side, here, Velika,” Bucky argued, brows furrowed gently.

“If you were really on my side, you would’ve let me handle it on my own. Teammates are supposed to-” Velika was cut off as he suddenly grabbed her arms and threw her to the side. She slammed into the wall with a grunt, about to tear him a new one when she looked up.

Bucky was fighting to disarm the agent they’d forgotten to count. The knife in the man’s hand had almost been driven into her back. He twisted the man’s arm and smashed his head into the wall, rendering him unconscious. He panted, tossing the knife away.

“Teammates are supposed to have your back when you need it and help you to make sure you don’t,” Bucky said, extending his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her upright. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay. Thanks.” Velika gave him a small smile. “Seriously, thanks. And...you’re right. You guys are on my side. I’m just...I can’t-”

“Trust doesn’t come easy for you.” Bucky interrupted her. “I get it, I do. When I first joined the team, I didn’t trust anyone but Steve. Now I trust them all with my life.”

“Even Wilson?”

“Even Wilson.” Though his tone was sincere, his expression showed his distaste. She laughed and shook her head. Maybe Bucky wasn’t so bad.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

“I’m going to smother you with a pillow, Velika!” Tony yelled, nearly throwing the table in his rage. She cackled wildly as he added twelve cards to his hand. “Sleep with one eye open.”

“You did that to yourself, Stark.” She giggled, fanning her cards back out. “Not my fault you didn’t count on the rest of us having draw twos.”

“All of you. Sleep with one eye open. I’m killing all of you and it starts with her.” Tony points an accusing finger at Velika with a deadly look in his eye.

Natasha laid down her next card, calling uno. Steve played a reverse, announcing that she certainly didn’t have another green. Nat tossed her green three onto the pile with a broad grin while Tony nearly started another war with Steve. Sam threw his cards onto the table, flipping the ex-assassin off.

Velika caught Bucky staring at her with a small smile as he set his cards down. She cocked her head to say ‘what?’ and he shook his head.

Eight months after she’d joined the team and she was finally sliding into place. Eight months later and she was finally beginning to trust them.

Yeah, they’re not so bad.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Velika watched the stars quietly, breathing in the night air. She’d woken from another nightmare and needed to get away from her room to calm down. They weren’t frequent anymore, but they were still vivid and always got her heart racing. Some nights, she even woke in her room thinking that she was back on her silver chain.

The peace of the night sky always calmed her down and reminded her that she wasn’t there anymore. The stars were always a friendly sight for her sore eyes, twinkling against the black background. She took a deep breath and felt her heart rate finally start to go down.

“Oh, I didn’t...Sorry, I’ll go.” Bucky’s voice startled her and she whipped around to see him standing awkwardly by the rood access door. He wasn’t wearing shoes (well, she wasn’t either) and his sweatpants were loose and his sweatshirt looked like he’d just picked it up off the floor. His hair was a wreck, though she assumed hers looked that way, too.

“No, it’s okay. I wouldn’t mind some company.” She said, turning back to look at the sky. “Other than the stars, of course.”

Bucky was quiet as he joined her, keeping a safe distance between them. He’d even walked to her other side to stand on her left. She assumed it was because of his arm.

“Nightmare?” Velika asked, leaning against the railing.

“Yeah. You?”

“Yep.” They fell silent again, both just watching the world around them. Crickets chirped to fill the space and an owl called in the distance. The trees rustled with the soft breeze drifting by.

“Wanna talk about it?” He offered, turning to face her.

“Do you?” She countered, glancing at him. His eyes were puffy. Her heart hurt for him.

“I...don't know if it would help,” Bucky admitted, sounding defeated. “Steve lets me talk about them sometimes but I can tell it bothers him. He blames himself for what happened, still, and I don’t want to add to his burden. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“James Buchanan Barnes, you’re not a burden,” Velika said, fixing him with a softly stern look. “Come on. Lay it on me. Dream for a dream. Then I’ll tell you a story.”

Bucky rubbed his right hand over his face, then ran it through his hair. “What kind of story?”

“A story about the stars.” Velika smiled. “Any constellation. Whatever you want. I know them all.”

“I...don’t know the constellations anymore.” He sheepishly ducked his head. “One of the things I lost when Hydra brainwashed me.”

“Luckily, when they brainwashed me, I didn’t forget them.” Velika sighed and shot a disdainful look upwards. “So, what happened in your dream?”

“It started normally. Didn’t think it was a nightmare at first. Just sitting in the common room, watching something stupid with the team. Next thing I know, I’ve got my hands restrained and someone...someone was talking to me.” Bucky drew in a shuddering breath, gripping the railing with his right hand. “Saying things that I can’t remember now, but...then I was being shoved back in that chair having my memory wiped. I blinked and I was approaching Steve with a knife. He greeted me kindly and I just slit his throat. One by one, I killed every single one of you and then just walked out.”

“Sounds like Hell.” Velika wrinkled her nose up. He’d been through a lot as the Winter Soldier and being under Hydra’s control, and it sucked that he couldn’t even get a break during the night when he was sleeping. “Have you seen a therapist for everything that happened?”

Bucky looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “What?��

“You went through a lot and without proper measures to cope and process, it’s only going to sit there and fester. It won’t get rid of your nightmares entirely, but it would maybe help decrease them.” Velika explained. “I got into therapy shortly after I got out. Saved my life, honestly. Got me back to a functioning person.”

“I...hadn’t considered that. I might have to look into that.” Bucky’s shoulders sank like the tension had been released. “Your turn.”

“That is the deal I made.” Velika sighed. “The dream started out of nowhere. I was dreamless until it suddenly popped up. I’ll spare you the gory details, but...it was back when I was under the control of my birth city. I think, at least. I couldn’t control my movements but I could see everything. They...they made me kill someone.”

“Who?”

“My brother,” Velika whispered, eyes falling closed as she swallowed thickly. “He was pleading for his life and I just couldn’t stop as I drove the knife into his chest over and over and over. Then as he was dying, I was back to myself and held him as he died.”

“Jesus.” Bucky’s eyes were wide. “Sounds like we’re both a mess.”

Velika laughed sadly and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, yeah...we kinda are. But we can at least be messes together.”

“You trust me enough for that?” Bucky asked with an arched brow.

“I do.” She admitted with a smile. “I trust you, Bucky. I trust the others, too.”

“Even Wilson?”

“Even Wilson.” Velika giggled and grabbed his arm. “Come on. Lay down. I promised to tell you about a constellation.”

She dragged him to a wider space of the roof and moved to his left side. She laid down with her arm behind her head. He cautiously laid next to her, giving her some space between them.

“Okay, so we can see a few constellations from this position. There’s one there, there, and there.” Velika pointed them out. “Which would you like?”

“How about...the third one?” Bucky suggested.

“Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene...” Velika launched into the story, staring up at the sky as the stars twinkled back at them. Nine months with the team and she’d finally settled in.

𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓮𝓮?

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Taglist-

2 notes · View notes