#it’s strange that this is paired with Steve calling Sharon ‘little girl’ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

duuhrayliegh · 3 years

Text

A Friend of Yours - pt. 2

pairing: bucky x reader

summary: reader meets up with Bucky, Sam and Zemo to figure out this Flag Smasher drama

word count: 6386

warnings: canon lvl violence? SPOILERS FOR TFATWS, (it’s the episodes with yn in it, like rlly) language throughout the whole thing, i think that’s it.

a/n: i’m actually really proud of this guys. there is a part three that has WAY more Bucky x YN content that’ll be posted in a few days <3 i hope y’all love this!!

i just want to remind y’all that this started out as a request from @dramaticwittch it won’t let me tag you for some reasons babes :((

be sure to read A Friend of Yours - pt 1

A Friend of Yours - pt. 3 is up too!!!

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

check out my other writing here!

xoxo ray <3

You had the same contacts as Sharon, so finding the Three Musketeers was no problem. It baffled you that Sharon had access to satellites. Makes you wonder what she was doing during those five years you were gone. When you got to their safehouse, you were impressed to say the least. It was nice, cute little pillars next to the dining area, some couches, just enough to make it livable. One thing that struck you as strange was that it was also empty, they weren’t there.

“Fuck it.” You dropped your bag onto the dining table and walked over to the kitchen area. You opened several cabinets, searching for alcohol that you could drown your frustrations in. You found an unopened wine bottle, releasing a little cheer, you popped the cork and brought the bottle to your nose. A sweet plum scent invaded your senses, grabbing a glass and pouring it full for yourself before re-corking the bottle. You grasped the cup walking to the stained glass windows on the opposite side of the room. You could hear footsteps approaching the doorway, then the door being forced open. Muffled conversations were taking place during their entrance.

“Well, I got nothin’. No one’s talkin’ about Donya.” Bucky said as he waltzed into the room. Sam followed closely behind him, Zemo immediately going to the kitchen.

“Yeah, Karli’s the only one who’s fighting for them.” You said, startling the pair of men who were now lounging on the couches. “Aren’t you supposed to be good at this?” You dropped next to Bucky, offering him a sip of your plum flavored wine.

“She’s not wrong.” Bucky shot Sam a look, questioning his thought process. “Look, for five years these people were welcomed into countries that have kept them out using barbed wire. There were houses and jobs.” Sam sighed, “Folks were happy to have people around to help them rebuild.” You stopped listening halfway through Sam’s speech, thinking of Sharon. You only refocused when Bucky placed his metal hand on your knee, giving you a look, asking if you were okay.

“That little girl. What’d she tell you?” Bucky asked after you nodded at him. His face never left yours, until Zemo approached the three of you on the couch. He was holding a tray with a clear teapot and cups. He placed it on the coffee table, stepping back and clutching a cup for himself.

“The funeral is this afternoon.” Zemo was always one for the dramatics, so you’re sure that he had something else up his sleeve. Bucky squeezed your knee and you knew he was trying to calm himself.

“You know the Dora’s coming for you any minute. In fact, they’re probably lurking outside right now. Keep talking.”

“Leaving you to turn on me once we get to Karli.” He made a noise of acknowledgement, “I prefer to keep my leverage.” Bucky hauled himself off the couch to stand in front of the Baron. You gaze flicked to Sam’s, unsure of what Bucky was going to do. Bucky puffed his chest out, clenching his jaw as he gripped Zemo’s teacup and chunked it at the concrete wall behind him. Zemo flinched as Bucky began talking to him.

“You wanna see what someone can do with leverage?” Sam stood quickly, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated.

“Take it easy, Buck. Don’t engage him.” You were taking a drink of your wine, as you observed Zemo’s actions.

“Watch out, he’s going to extort you and do that idiotic head tilt thing.” Zemo’s eyes darted to your figure on the couch as he straightened his head. Sam left to make a call, you assumed Sharon and Bucky followed closely behind him. Zemo offered you cherry blossom tea to which you declined by holding up your wine glass. As Bucky left the room, the Baron released a sigh of relief causing you to laugh at his actions.

“You’re really scared of him, aren’t you?” You teased the man who was now glaring at you.

“If you have made him as angry as I have then you would be too.” You shrugged your agreement. You hadn’t made Bucky mad, and you definitely hadn’t been a part of reactivating him as the Winter Soldier to reach your goals.

“Yeah, well you’re a dumbass, so.” You got up and walked to where Bucky and Sam were gathered. Sam’s phone was still pressed to his ear, but you could tell you were catching the tail-end of his conversation. You could hear Sharon’s voice over the phone talking about the Power Broker. In all your years of living and conducting business in Madripoor, you never tangled with the Power Broker. That didn’t mean anything, it was just suspicious because of how successful your operation with Sharon was.

“What’s the plan?” You asked, dumping the rest of your wine in the sink, casting a glance at an appalled Zemo. “It was shit wine.”

“Zemo has a contact that can show us where the funeral is, and that’s all we got.” You nodded before looking at Bucky and Sam.

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

**********************************

You were walking down the cobblestone roadway with the Three Musketeers when a voice shouted at you from the stairway before you. “Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!” A scruffy looking man approached you. Both him and his partner were clad in tactical gear, the scruffy one’s resembling a Walmart version of Steve’s Cap suit. Bucky spread his arms out.

“How’d you find us now?” The man’s partner responded to Bucky with equal annoyance.

“Come on, man. You really think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?” As he got closer you could read Hoskins on his vest.

“No more keeping us in the dark.” Scruff said before anyone else could fire back. He stopped walking in front of Zemo, effectively stopping your forward motion. “You can start by telling us why you broke him out of prison.” You were walking just behind Bucky to his right and you watched him cock his head back, his voice taking on a sarcastic tone.

“He did that himself, technically.” Scruff’s face contorted as Bucky talked.

“This better be an unbelievable explana--” Scruff’s voice was cut off by Sam’s hand bumping into his chest.

“Hey, take it easy before it gets weird.” Zemo began talking over the group around him, explaining what was going on. You remained quiet, observing the interaction between Scruff and the Three Musketeers. Clearly, the Three Musketeers did not like him and so you assumed he was the ‘new Cap,’ whatever that means. The group began walking again with Zemo leading the pack.

“Alright good, we’ll move in fast. Take her by surprise.”

“No, I wanna talk to her alone.”

“I’m not losing her again.” Scruff was insistent but so was Sam.

“Look, the person closest to her just died, she’s vulnerable.” The group had stopped walking again, focusing on the conversation. You could see the wheels turning in Hoskin’s head as Sam spoke. Scruff was not having any part of what Sam was suggesting.

“What? No. Wait, no! No. Stop. Hold on. Stop, okay?” Scruff ran ahead in front of the others, stopping the forward motion, once again. “I think we’re way past reasoning with her, unless you forgot the fact that she blew up a building with people still in it.” This was news to you, deciding to stay offline in hopes of remaining under the radar. The back and forth continued until Scruff turned to Bucky.

“You gonna let him do this?” Bucky tilted his head at the man. “Are you gonna let your partner walk into a room with a Super Soldier alone?”

“He’s dealt with worse. And he’s not my partner.” You knew Bucky was referring to himself in Winter Soldier mode. Your heart hurt for him to have to go through this again with some clueless nobody.

“And last I checked, he’s a grown ass man who makes his own decisions, Scruff.” Your arms crossed over your chest. This had been the first time you spoke since Scruff and Hoskin’s had arrived.

“Who the hell is this?” Scruff pointed at you. “You break her out of prison too?” Sam interjected before you could sass back.

“I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay? This is right in my wheelhouse.” Scruff’s gaze hadn’t left your face. He continued staring at you as he countered Sam’s claim.

“Yeah, I know. And I know those soldiers, which is why I know this is a bad idea.” Hoskin’s hand came up to rest on Scruff’s shoulder.

“Wait, John. If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try.” Scruff was not happy with Hoskin's agreement to the situation. Scruff said something to Zemo, who mostly ignored him, acknowledging the little girl waiting under an archway. The group began moving toward her and you focused on Bucky.

“Hey, you okay?” He just nodded at you, denying you the pleasure of a verbal response. You’ll take what you can get. Bringing up the rear of the group, you entered the factory type building last. The little girl pointed up some stairs, and Zemo translated. Sam walked up behind the girl, making him way up the stairs as Scruff handcuffed Zemo to a metal contraption.

“You got ten minutes. Then we’re doing things my way.” Scruff yelled after Sam, who darted his eyes at you and Bucky, a silent instruction to the both of you. Scruff rested his weight against a table, holding Steve’s shield in front of him. His breathing became increasingly worrisome, an ode to how stable he was in the moment.

“You aren’t looking so hot over there, Scruff.” Bucky shot you a warning look, but it didn’t deter you. “The government is really harping on you to get this shit contained, aren’t they?” Scruff pushed off the table, bringing the shield around his back. You were leaning against a pillar near Zemo and Scruff made his way over to you. His face was about six inches from yours as he spoke.

“Do you know who I am?” He was trying to intimidate you, which clearly wasn’t working.

“Do I look like I give a shit?” Scruff’s eyes darted over your frame, a look of recognition washing over his features.

“I know who you are.” He glanced at the clock across the room before looking back at you. “I could arrest you right now. Enemy of the State, standing before me right here.”

“We’re not in that state, dumbass. Technically, you don’t have jurisdiction.” The corner of your mouth raised in a smirk as Bucky called your name. You pushed off the pillar behind you to stand next to Bucky, who was leaning against the railing of the stairs.

“Don’t antagonize him, Y/N.” Bucky berated you, to which you shrugged a shoulder. Scruff began pacing back and forth, frustration getting the better of him.

“It hasn’t been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight.” Hoskin’s tried to calm Scruff down.

“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me.” He shot a look at Hoskins, then the clock, then Bucky, making a decision in his head. “I’m goin’ in.” Bucky rose to his full height, not allowing Scruff to get by him. “This is all really easy for you, isn’t it? All that serum runnin’ through your veins.” You watched Bucky’s jaw clench, you could see the anger bottling up. “Barnes, your partner needs backup in there.” Bucky was an immovable fortress of solitude. “Do you really want his blood on your hands?” Oh shit.

You watched as Bucky’s resolve faded, allowing Scruff to step around him. Bucky was tired of being the cause of other people’s deaths. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust that Sam could take care of himself, he just didn’t want the burden any longer. He was finally free of being a murder machine, finally able to rinse his hands clean. Scruff knew just which buttons to push to get what he wanted.

Scruff busted into the memorial site, guns blazing. You trailed behind Bucky who was fighting against Hoskin’s to try to reach Scruff. Karli and Sam were previously engaged in peaceful conversation, until Scruff announced that Karli was under arrest. Betrayal laced her features as she looked at Sam, defending herself against Scruff advances. She threw Scruff’s weight into Sam, launching them both into the table behind. Bucky took off after her, chasing her through the halls. You crouched next to Sam, making sure he was okay.

Sam recovered quickly, racing down a different corridor leading to another stairway. You followed close behind, allowing Sam to attempt to navigate the area around you. The two of you eventually went down enough of the wrong corridors, that you met up with an equally confused Bucky. You head perked up at the sound of gunshots somewhere in the building. Not sure who the culprit was you turned to Bucky and Sam, who looked just as panicked.

The three of you retraced your steps to find Scruff standing over a knocked-out Zemo with crushed vials wetting the floor. Scruff tossed a glance back at Hoskins and then one to the three of you on the staircase landing. “What did we miss?” Sam directed his question at Scruff, who didn’t dignify him with an answer. Scruff nodded to Hoskins before walking away from the rest of you.

“Thanks for your help, asshole!” You shouted after him.

*******************************

Hauling Zemo’s deadweight back to the safehouse was a job that you and Sam decided Bucky was fit for, being a super soldier and all. Through much complaining and whining on Bucky’s part, he did get him to the safehouse relatively injury free, dumping his body on the couch, jostling Zemo just enough to wake him up. Bucky promptly left the apartment after dropping Zemo off, going to clear his head was the explanation you got as he left.

You huffed, discontent with everything that was going on. You walked to the kitchen, wetting a rag and tossing it at Zemo. “For your head, cover your eyes, it’ll help.” You then popped a few cubes of ice in a glass and poured whiskey over it, handing it to Zemo as well, tapping your temple at him. You went back to the kitchen, jumping onto the counter, letting your legs dangle over the edge. Sam had pulled out a laptop and was typing furiously.

“Were you ever offered it?” You knew Zemo wasn’t talking to you, but to Sam, who hadn’t looked up from the laptop screen. You zoned out of their conversation, trying to decide what Sam was sending Sharon now. “Sam, you can’t hold out hope for Karli.” This made Sam pause and turn to face Zemo, who continued talking. “No matter what you saw in her, she’s gone. And we cannot allow that she and her acolytes become yet another faction of gods amongst real people.” Zemo removed the rag from his eyes, locking gazes with Sam. “Super Soldiers cannot be allowed to exist.”

“Isn’t that how god’s talk?” You interjected, then you asked quietly, “And if that’s how you feel, what about Bucky?” It was a valid concern. “Blood isn’t always the solution.” Bucky waltzed into the apartment, stripping his jacket from his shoulders, giving a perfect view of his two contrasting arms.

“Something’s not right about Walker.”

“You don’t say.” Sam quipped, closing his laptop and facing Bucky.

“Well, I know a crazy when I see one. Because I am crazy.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“Shouldn’t have given him the shield.” Bucky jabbed at Sam, sticking to his guns on this.

“I didn’t give him the shield.” Sam was exasperated in his delivery.

“Well, Steve definitely didn’t.” You turned to Bucky.

“Hey. Back off, Buck.” Bucky was going to say something in reply when the door burst open again. In walked Scruff and Hoskins, all gung-ho about something.

“Alright. That’s it. Let’s go.” He pointed a finger at a now standing Zemo. The whole room began shifting, Sam in front of Scruff, Zemo to the side out of direct view, and Bucky to your other side, glass in hand. “I’m now ordering you to turn him over.” Sam stopped before Scruff, annoyed.

“Let’s be clear, shield or no shield, the only thing you’re runnin’ in here is your mouth.” You added from your spot on the countertop. Scruff pointed his finger at you.

“And I’m taking her too.” Bucky stepped in front of you, blocking Scruff’s view of you. You placed your hand on his left shoulder, letting him know you were still there.

“I had Karli and you overstepped. He’s actually proven himself useful today. We’re gonna need all hands on deck for whatever’s comin’ next.” Scruff puffed out his chest, attempting to intimidate Sam.

“How do you want this conversation to go Sam, huh?” He stepped back slightly, “Should I put down the shield? Make it fair?” Taking on a condescending tone with Sam, making your brows raise. Suddenly a spear lodged itself in the pillar next to Scruff’s face, all eyes darted towards the woman across the room. Two more warriors walked in, holding spears by their sides and Bucky looked resigned. This was new territory for you, who the fuck are these people? One of the women stepped forward near Scruff. She spoke at Bucky in a language that sounded vaguely familiar to you.

“Release him to us now.” Scruff ignored her instruction, deciding to step towards her, holding his hand out for her to shake.

“Hi. John Walker. Captain America.” You scoffed loudly.

“No, you’re not!” You received a look from Sam at your comment.

“Let’s put down the pointy sticks and we can talk through this, huh?” Sam stepped forward, warning Scruff against tangling with the Dora Milaje.

“The Dora Milaje don’t have jurisdiction here.”

“The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be.” Your hand balled into a fist, quickly covering your mouth.

“That’s a burn, Scruff!” You yelled like the little shit you are.

“Y/N! Cut it out.” Sam snapped. Scruff, for some reason, thought it was a good idea to place hands on the Dora he was speaking to. She quickly brought her spear up to force his hand off her shoulder, then bringing it downward into the back of his knee and finally bouncing it off of the front of his helmet. She launched her foot into his chest while he was dazed, sending him backward into the spear behind him and face planting on the ground below. Scruff recovered quickly, sliding his arm into the straps of the shield to protect himself from the spear coming at his body.

The three warriors began fighting with Scruff and Hoskins, much to yours and Bucky’s delight. Sam backed up to stand next to Bucky, who crossed his arms over his chest. Sam looked at Bucky.

“We should do something.” You had just barely heard Sam say it when you and Bucky yelled at the same time.

“Looking strong, John!” “You’re doing great, sweetie!” Bucky gave you a look at your term of endearment, not understanding that it was a patronizing use of the word. The warrior battling Scruff was about to drive her spear into him, until Bucky gripped the handle, stopping her attack.

“Ayo!” Bucky yelled at her. “Ayo! Let’s talk about this!” Ayo had effectively yanked Bucky towards her body, then throwing him backwards. Sam stopped another warriors spear before it drove into a downed Hoskins. The last warrior threw her spear at Scruff, trapping the shield against the table. She began her approach to him and Sam yelled your name to help him.

You got down with a groan, unhappy that you had to save this asshat. All movement was stopped when you heard a metallic thud against the floor. Your head snapped to a now one armed Bucky, his vibranium arm laying on the ground. You released an audible gasp as Ayo walked away from Bucky, his blue eyes wide. Everything around you faded as you watched a broken Bucky, kneel to pick up his metal appendage. Your eyes flicked to Sam, who was just as shocked as you.

“Did you know they could do that?” Sam gestured to Bucky’s immobile arm.

“No.” He swung his arm around once to restart the systems. You heard Hoskins checking on Scruff’s wounded ego, but that didn’t matter to you.

“Bucky. Are you okay?” He avoided your question, grabbing his jacket and telling Sam that Zemo had gotten away. You held your arms out in front of you, what the fuck? Are you the enemy now? You followed after them, not sure where you were going. You got closer to Bucky, grabbing his left arm and yanking him back to you, making his attention be on you for a second or two. “I’m talking to you, dickwad.” His eyes hardened as you continued. “I don’t know what the fuck just happened back there, I’m assuming that has to do with you not being the Soldier anymore. I don’t really care. What I care about is if you’re okay or not.” You stopped walking, still holding his arm.

“What do you want from me, Y/N?” Bucky inquired.

“I want you to fucking talk to me. I’m here for you to unload on.” His brows scrunched and you realized what you said. “Oh my god, not like that, sicko. Well, I mean--”

“Y/N.” Bucky smiled at your humor.

“There, see? How hard was it for you to smile. Just talk to me. I’m making sure you’re okay. Don’t shut down, I hate it when people do that.” Bucky went to say something else when the both of your attentions shifted to a concerned Sam.

“She said what?” A pause, “Right. Hold on, hold on. I know, I know.” He sighed loudly, “Listen, pack an overnight bag and take the boys.” He tried to calm the other person down. You began walking again, Bucky asking quietly.

“What happened?” Sam dropped the phone to his collarbone.

“Karli called Sarah. She threatened my nephews.” Bringing it back up to his ear, he continued. “Go somewhere safe. Only pay cash, alright? Let me know when you get there.” You turned your attention to your surroundings. The bland streets offered little to no security, but they did give too many vantage points to count. “She wants me to come alone.”

“I’m coming with you.” Bucky fired back, not changing his mind about this one.

“Yay, more friends. She’ll love that. Where we going now?”

*********************************************

You’ve never seen Sam as mad as he was when he walked into that building. Although you weren’t sure if it was anger or if it was betrayal that he was displaying as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. “You called my sister? That’s how we’re gonna play this?”

“Sam, I would never hurt her. I just wanted to understand you better.” Her accent shone through with every word. You could tell that she didn’t want to hurt you. Her demeanor was relaxed, her guard was up, but she was being civil, almost like a politician. You were good at analyzing the people around you, so when Karli mentioned Sam and Bucky just being tools she really meant it. She wasn’t interested in hurting people she deemed innocent.

“Hey, Sam, new Cap is moving, looks like he’s found them, or maybe they found him.” Sharon’s voice snapped you back to reality. The two of you hadn’t spoken since you left Madripoor.

“Scruff’s coming, guys and you know it’s not going to be pretty when he does.” Bucky jumped over the ledge and Karli followed suit. Jumping into Bucky, slamming his body into the post. You ran alongside Bucky to the location Sam had sent to your phone. By the time that you had gotten to the building where Scruff was, you had lost Bucky. Taking an entrance that was already knocked open you heard gunshots from a few floors above you. With your gun raised, you scanned the room for any friendlies.

“Y/N, you’re about to come up on Hoskins. He’s not moving, may need an assist.” Your brows furrowed as you entered the room cautiously.

“How the hell do you know that, Shar? How did you get access to satellites?” You questioned as you approached a tied-up Hoskins. “Need some help, Battlestar?”

“I totally had that.” He said as your knife snapped the zip tie around his wrists.

“Yeah, yeah.” You held your hand out, hauling him to his feet. “It’s okay to be the damsel, ya know?” He shook his head at you, not engaging in your hilarious banter. “Jeez, who pissed in your Cheerios.” You shoved your knife back into your thigh holster, leading the way to where the others were.

When you walked in, Bucky had just caught a knife that Scruff had so deflected. He twirled the object in his right hand, ready to defend against the Flag Smasher attacking him. Their fight was quick and ended with the Smasher on their back, the knife Bucky was holding embedded in the floor inches away from their face. You jumped in, helping Sam fend off another Smasher when suddenly Bucky’s fist flew by your face.

“You’re welcome.” He darted off to deal with the others. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Scruff being held by a Smasher and Karli coming with a knife in hand. You started towards her to stop her, until you saw Hoskins attack from her other side. He tackled her to the ground, Karli bounced back quicker than Hoskins, allowing her to throw a punch at Hoskins. Your jaw dropped as you watched his body fly into the concrete mainstay behind him. His whole body slackened and Karli stood in shock.

Scruff was struggling in his captors hold, thrashing about to get to Hoskins. Once he was free, he shook Hoskins and pushed his fingers against his neck, checking for a pulse. “Hey, hey. Hey. Lemar!” You stood silent in between Bucky and Sam, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t until Scruff stood again that you knew what he was going to do. He had a half-second head start, but it was long enough that he was able to reach the Samsher that was holding him back before you could reach Scruff.

You had to push through the crowd to see what was happening. The Smasher had his hands protecting his face against the slam of the Captain America shield that was being hammered into him. You gasped and had to turn your face into Bucky’s shoulder. This is not happening, but it was.

And the whole world saw it too.

***********************************

The next time you saw Scruff was in an abandoned warehouse. He was talking to himself, yelling about different things. If you weren’t sure before, you definitely were now. John Walker had taken the serum and it was enhancing all the wrong things. Scruff was kneeling, resting his hands on the bloodied shield before him. You were on Sam’s right when Scruff walked up to you.

“You guys should see a medic. You don’t look too good.” He paced in front of the three of you. “You saw what happened. You know what I had to do. I killed him because I had to! He killed Lemar!”

“He didn’t kill Lemar, John.” Bucky’s voice remained calm. “Don’t go down that road. Believe me, it doesn’t end well.” Scruff sent Bucky a disgusted look.

“I’m not like you.”

“You convincing yourself or us, Scruff?” You recognize that this probably isn’t the time to pull his strings but he wasn’t thinking clearly anyway.

“Listen, it was the heat of battle. Okay? If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Scruff never stopped pacing, his hand flexing in the shield.

“You gotta give Sam the shield, Scruff.” He stopped pacing and turned to you, getting a little close for comfort.

“Oh, so that’s what this is.” He leaned forward, “You almost got me.” His index finger jabbed into your chest then rested there as he spoke. “You don’t wanna do this.”

“Yeah, we do.” Came Bucky’s reply before all hell broke loose. Bucky and Sam rushed Scruff, fighting for a way to get the shield from him. Scruff sent Sam flying backwards with a swift kick to the stomach. This gave you the room you needed to launch yourself onto his shoulders, attempting to flip him using his own body weight and your momentum. Your move distracted him enough that Bucky got a few decent hits in, but it really just served to piss him off further. He whipped one arm around, gripping the waistband of your jeans and dumping your weight off his shoulders. He threw you into a wooden shipping container, knocking all of the air out of your lungs.

You watch, as you lay there gasping, Bucky get beat to his knees by Scruff and Scruff’s attention is turned by Sam flipping in the air, kicking the shield to the side. You rose to your feet, readying yourself for the opportune moment. Once you found it, you flung yourself at Scruff, sending the both of you to the ground and the shield away from the both of you. You resituated yourself to straddle his stomach, this position didn’t last long because he flipped the both of you. Slamming your back against the ground, he gripped your wrists, yanking them way up high causing you to groan out at the stretch. He released you but not before delivering a swift punch to your cheek.

Your vision blurred, but you could make out Bucky going head to head with Scruff again. Scruff threw the shield at Bucky after kicking him into a lift. Luckily, Bucky was able to catch the shield and shift it to his own arm before Scruff attacked him again. Scruff pressed the shield tight against Bucky’s body, then began speaking to him.

“Why are you making me do this?” You and Sam shared a look then watched as Scruff tossed Bucky clear across the room into an electrical outlet, short circuiting his arm. Sam flew at Scruff, trying to catch him off guard. He was unsuccessful in his efforts, ending with Sam facing Scruff as you crouched in Scruff’s six.

“This isn’t you, John.” Sam began trying to reason with him. He is who is way past reasoning, not Karli. Scruff’s head tilted as he spoke in that condescending tone again.

“We could’ve been a team.” Sam didn’t say anything. He deployed his wings, flying past Scruff and sending a small grappling hook to try and take the shield. Scruff flipped through the air, then braced himself against one of the lifts. You came up from behind him and tackled him off the lift, sending Sam to the ground as well. As you landed, you hit your head on a piece of broken concrete, disorienting you. The shield was out of Scruff’s hands, and he wasn’t happy about that. They both dove for the shield but Scruff managed to get to Sam first, landing on top of Sam.

“I am Captain America.” Scruff grunted out as he ripped Sam’s wings from his suit. You watch in horror as Scruff holds the shield, ready to give Sam a face lift. Bucky knocked Scruff off just before he could land his hit. Scruff had pinned Bucky to the ground after driving Bucky’s head into the side of the shield. You hauled yourself to your feet again, wrapping your arm around Scruff’s neck, hindering his movement. Sam came from the front, delivering a harsh blow to Scruff’s face. You continued to hold your chokehold as Bucky and Sam pried the shield off his arm. You heard a sickening crack as Sam withdrew from the hoe down. Bucky rose to his feet and spit out the blood collecting in his mouth, reaching out his hand for you to take.

You walked over to Sam, you hoped that would be the end of it all. Lo and behold though, Scruff got up yet again. “It’s mine.” He growled possessively, starting towards Bucky again. Bucky ducked lifting Scruff over his shoulder and Sam threw his whole body weight into Scruff who was dangling off to the side of Bucky. The three of them laid on the floor, bloodied and sweaty as you stood over them.

Bucky rose to his knees, the shield in front of him and he used the leverage of it to stand fully. He dropped it next to Sam, pausing for a few seconds and then walking away completely. You stood next to Scruff, in disbelief. “This just got a whole lot more complicated didn’t it, Sam?” He didn’t reply to you, but you watched as he tried to wipe the blood off the outer rings of the shield.

***********************************

You stood outside the building where Donya’s funeral was held, listening to Sam talk to someone else named Torres. Bucky had walked right past you, not a word said. He was shutting down and running away, at least that’s what it looked like. You wouldn’t know because the whore wouldn’t talk to you. You sat down on the stairs, head in your hands frustrated about what was going on. Your phone began buzzing in your pocket, so you took it out ready to deny the call, until you saw who it was.

“Shar.” You sighed into the phone speaker.

“Y/N. How’s it going?” You could hear the smugness lacing her tone.

“Alright, just get it over with. Tell me that you told me so, just make it quick.” She scoffed.

“I mean, I did tell you so, but now I don’t want to tell you that I did.” You laughed at her.

“You realize you just did, though?” You sense that she was smiling.

“What happened?” Her tone switched into a serious one on a dime.

“Walker took the serum, went batshit, killed a Flag Smasher, and then beat the shit out of Sam, Bucky and me in order to keep his precious shield because he ‘is Captain America.’” Your voice morphed to imitate Scruff.

“Well, that was bound to happen sometime. He’s all over the place.” You nodded, pulling the phone away from your ear and switching to speakerphone so you could talk and scroll through Twitter.

“He’s already trending. Captain America Kills Innocent Man, what a great headline. You know the worst part about all of this, Shar?” You switched the speakerphone off, bringing it back to your ear. “I don’t even think that Karli is in the wrong here. She’s doing what she’s doing for good reason, she’s just doing a shit job of getting her point across.”

“Yeah, well she’s becoming a pain in everyone’s asses, so that puts her on everyone’s shit list.” Sharon took a deep breath before continuing. “You need to get out of there. I know you’re not technically in the States, or alive, but you know how the government is. They’ll find a way to get you, if they want you.” She was lecturing you out of love, you knew, but it was frustrating for you still.

“Can you not trust that I know what I’m doing?” A grunt released from her end of the phone. “No, seriously Shar. We grew up the same, went through all the same training, what makes you know so much better than me?” Deep down, you knew that wasn’t what she meant, but you had always felt second best when it came to Sharon.

“It’s not that you don’t know what you’re doing.” She sighed heavily. “It’s that you were gone for five years and things have changed. Governments have become stricter and you don’t understand that they aren’t the same as they were.” You remained quiet, expecting her to say something else. “That’s why it’s good you have me because I know how they work.”

“You know how they work, do you?” You were fed up with her. “Then explain to me how you have access to satellites, Sharon. That’s not something that you just happen upon.” Your tone was accusatory. “Are you working for the Power Broker behind my back?” You heard a sharp intake of air on her end. “I swear to God, Sharon. We promised each other we wouldn’t work for that asswipe. He’s involved in too much bad shit. If the US government were to ever find out that we were working for the Power Broker, they wouldn’t grant us pardons, Shar. Did you fuck this up for us?”

“I didn’t fuck anything up and you need to check your tone when you’re talking to me.” Your brows shot to your hairline.

“The fuck did you just say to me?”

“You heard me. We need to work this shit out. I didn’t fuck anything up and neither will you if you come back to Madripoor right now.” You were shocked, Sharon had never talked like this to you.

“I really don’t think I would be comfortable being somewhere that I’m clearly not welcome anymore, so I’m going to stick with what I know.” Sharon began backtracking as you resigned yourself to being on your own for the first time in forever. “Goodbye, Sharon.” You ended the call and shoved your phone into the pocket of your jeans.

You dropped your head into your hands in defeat. Being on your own was daunting and you weren’t sure how Sharon survived without you well enough to grow your business all on her own. You tried to think of your next move, deciding that sticking with Sam would be your best bet. He’s the easiest to guess where he’s going since Bucky has been mentally MIA towards you.

You recalled Sam mentioning his sister and nephews, thinking he would go there to check on them. You hauled yourself out of your slump and to Zemo’s apartment to collect your things before going. You were going all in if you were going to do this, so why the fuck not?

*************************

@londonalozzy @marvelofwitch @dramaticwittch @hellmoonsin @jn-wolf @youcancallmeishita @iabrokengirl @veroxloki @liveloudwriteloud @lainternettuale @angelofthetrenchcoats @rosiahills22 @peachymichu @sj-ficrecs @learisa @itsyagirl01 @simply-me-xoxo @ghoststudyy @taina-eny @japanrecs @sinfulhun-collapsedheart @isaordora @shutupstevie @sprsoldierfics @beachbabe925

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fireinmoonshot · 3 years

Text

SPIDER | BUCKY BARNES x READER | PART FIVE

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR Summary: Bucky doesn’t know what to make of you when he meets you. You’re friends with Sharon, and you seem pretty easy to read on the surface. But the more time he spends with you, the more he seems to uncover, and the more he becomes tangled in the web you unwittingly weave. Pairing: female!Reader x Bucky Barnes Fandom: Marvel / The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Word Count: 2,501 Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. A/N: I had honestly intended to squeeze the rest of Episode 4 into this part but this one particular scene ended up being longer than I’d expected it to be, so I decided to put it all into one part and I’ll just do the rest in another part. Especially because this particular scene is quite important to the relationship between Bucky and reader. Thank you once again for reading and do let me know your thoughts!

The plan had been simple. The four of you were going to head to Donya’s funeral and try and talk to Karli. Sam had spoken to Sharon – you’d been a little annoyed that you hadn’t been able to talk to her, though you’d pushed that to the side for now – and settled on a plan.

Not too long after your conversation with Bucky, you’d left Zemo’s apartment to head to the location of the funeral. And then you’d turned a corner and spotted the unmistakable suit of blue and red. The wannabe Captain America had found you.

“Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!” Walker calls, heading down a flight of stairs at speed towards you. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen the man in person and honestly, you’re not phased by him. Even when you’d seen Steve Rogers on TV, it was obvious how different he was, how special. To you, John Walker seems like nothing more than someone trying to be something that they aren’t. It irritates you to see him in the suit.

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Ah! How’d you find us now?”

Despite the fact that there were several people on the street, attention hadn’t been on you before. Now that Captain America was here, and yelling at that, every single set of eyes was on you. You shrink a little at the attention, shoving your hands deep into the pockets of your coat and shuffling a little closer to Bucky and Sam.

Bucky notices and moves closer to you unintentionally.

Lemar chuckles. “Come on. You really think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?”

“We were certainly doing fine before now,” you mutter.

“No more keeping us in the dark,” Walker continues. “You could start by telling us why you broke him out of prison. And who the hell this new chick is and why she’s with you. Last I checked, she’s not an Avenger.”

Bucky stands a little taller. “He did that himself, technically. And she’s a friend, not a chick. That’s all you need to know about her.”

“Oh, this better be an unbelievable explanation!”

Sam steps up and holds a hand up to stop Walker as the two groups finally come together. “Hey, take it easy before it gets weird.”

Walker looks pissed off. Honestly, you feel the same way.

“I know where Karli is,” Zemo steps up. He says the words, figures that they’re all he needs to get by and starts to go around Walker, intending to lead the way. Instead, Walker stops him.

“Well, where?”

“All we know is, it’s a memorial. So we’re gonna intercept her there.”

You look past Zemo and spot one of the children he’d been speaking to earlier watching you all anxiously. The sight of her makes you want to throw a punch Zemo’s way, and you hate that he made this innocent child trust him so easily. Bucky can sense the change in you. He nudges your shoulder with his and you snap to look at him. He doesn’t need to say anything for you to understand what he means.

“That means civilians. High risk of casualties,” Lemar adds.

“All right, good, we’ll move in fast. Take her by surprise.”

You roll your eyes. “Good? How is that good?”

Bucky snorts.

Sam ignores both of you. “No, I wanna talk to her alone.”

“I’m not losing her again,” Walker shakes his head.

“Look, the person closest to her died, she’s vulnerable. If there’s any time to reason with her, it’s now,” Sam argues.

The words strike a chord with Walker. He hurries ahead in front of all of you, forcing you to stop. “What? No. Wait, no! No! Stop. Hold on. Stop, okay? I think we’re way past reasoning with her, unless you forgot that she blew up a building with people still in it.”

Lemar agrees. “Sam, you walk in there cold, she could kill you.”

“And if I go in hot and the op goes wrong, more people will die.”

You step forward. “Then I’ll go in. Karli doesn’t know who the hell I am, and maybe it’d help – woman to woman, you know? And hey, if something goes wrong and I die, at least it’s not an Avenger dying at her hands. It’s just me.”

Bucky’s head snaps up at your words. Fear strangely spikes in his veins that you’d even suggest that and he shakes his head instantly. “No. No way are we sending you in there alone.”

“I mean, it’s not a bad idea,” Walker admits with a shrug of his shoulders. “Look at the alternative. You letting your partner walk into a room with a Super Soldier alone. Would you really let him do that?”

“He’s dealt with worse. And he’s not my partner.” He says straight-faced. “And she is not going in there either. It’s a damn bad idea and we all know it is.” He turns to you. “You included.”

Sam sighs and walks past the both of you so he’s face to face with Walker. “I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay? This is right in my wheelhouse.”

“Yeah, I know. And I know those soldiers, which is why I know this is a bad idea. That’s why it’s a better idea to send the girl in there – like she said, it’s better her dying than an Avenger, right?”

You see Bucky take a step forward out of the corner of your eye and twist to stand in front of him before he can get to Walker, a hand going out in front of you and resting on his chest. You push him gently. “Don’t, Bucky.”

“You’re not going in there.”

He feels protective. He doesn’t know why, but Sam has an idea. He watches the two of you, sees something pass between you, and furrows his eyebrows. He hadn’t seen it coming, that’s for sure. Hadn’t seen you to be the one to bring out the ever protective side of Bucky Barnes that Sam really hasn’t seen in a long time. He hadn’t seen Bucky acting this way over anyone. And yet here you were, days after meeting him, making Bucky fear for your life on your behalf. Sam doesn’t know what to think.

Bucky lets out a long, shaky breath and then finally looks at you and meets your eyes, tearing his glare away from Walker. “You’re not going.”

“Okay, fine,” you relent, voice soft. “I won’t go in there.”

He steps back and nods, trying to calm himself down, and you step away from him, not wanting to crowd him too much after your apparently bad idea. You hadn’t expected him to react so much. In fact, you’d expected Sam to be all for the idea, and for Bucky to go along with it. Even if he was starting to trust you, his reaction to your suggestion had been entirely surprising. You stare down at the cobblestoned street beneath your feet and frown. What was he thinking? And why had he reacted that way?

“John,” Lemar starts, once he senses the tension has gone down a little. “If Sam can talk her down, it might be worth a try. And since we’ve just established that she’s not going in there…”

Walker and Sam share a look before Walker finally gives up. He looks over at Zemo. “We’ll deal with you later.”

“I’m sure it will all come to an agreeable conclusion. My associate is just up ahead.” Zemo points to the child and begins the walk towards her again.

You, unwillingly, follow him. Bucky makes sure he stays close to your side, as if he’s afraid that you’re going to run off and do something reckless. You doubt he’d let you get the chance.

A few minutes into the walk, he finally talks to you. But his voice is quiet. You’re walking at the back of the group and he doesn’t want anyone else to hear. “Why would you even suggest going in there to talk to Karli?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” You frown. “It seemed like the best idea.”

He shakes his head. “You dying is not a good idea.”

“What does it matter, anyway? I said it. I’m not an Avenger. It was a good idea. And I think it could have worked if you’d let me. No one would miss me.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, I find that hard to believe.”

“No, it’s true!”

“What about Sharon, huh? She’d miss you.”

You kick at a loose stone on the road. “She hasn’t even spoken to me since I left.”

“What about me, then?”

His question takes you by surprise. “You?”

He nods. “Yeah, what about me?”

“You would miss me?” You could laugh. “Sure. You barely know me.”

Bucky feels weirdly irritated by your words. He knows you, he thinks. He knows that he likes you. That you understand him better than any stranger he’s met recently. He knows that you scare him a little bit. That your way of thinking, of reacting, of simply being sets him on edge and makes him feel right at home all at the same time. He clears his throat, tries to come up with an answer that isn’t conspicuous and settles on: “I think I know enough about you to know that I’d notice when you’re not here.”

“That’s not the same thing as missing, Bucky.”

He opens his mouth to reply just as Zemo announces that you’ve arrived and the two of you are forced to pause your conversation. The child leads you into the back entrance of an old building and then disappears. No one questions the location.

As soon as you’re inside, your conversation with Bucky is long forgotten and the mission takes first place. Sam goes off on his own, heading further in while Walker handcuffs Zemo and claims that Sam has ten minutes before you do this his way.

You sidle up to Bucky. “Can I punch him now, or do you want the honour?” You mutter, only loud enough for him to hear. He smirks at your words, though you can see he’s still obviously on edge by the whole situation.

And not just by the situation. Because of you, too. Though you don’t need to know that, Bucky thinks. That, he can just keep to himself.

After a few minutes of silence, Bucky heads towards the stairs that Sam had gone up and leans on the railing, as if guarding the entrance. You suppose he probably is, not wanting Walker to get past him, and decide to settle down on the steps themselves, adding another barrier between Walker, Sam and Karli despite the fact that you’re honestly probably not much of a barrier compared to Bucky.

It doesn’t take long for Walker to get on your nerves. He’s clearly anxious about Sam wanting to simply reason with Karli instead of kill her on sight. He’s staring at the shield – the very shield that Bucky wants to steal – and you briefly wonder how he’s going to do it. Simply by the way Walker is holding it, you know he’s not going to give it up easily. He holds it tight, like it’s the most important thing in the world to him, and you feel like it probably is.

He starts pacing less than ten minutes after Sam leaves.

“Uh-uh. No, no, no. This is a bad idea,” he mumbles as he walks.

“It hasn’t been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight,” Bucky offers.

Walker speaks with venom in his voice. “Don’t do that. Don’t patronise me.”

“He knows what he’s doing.” Bucky is unaffected.

Tension rises in the air between all of you once again, as it always seems to do when Walker is around. It’s been a constant state of tension ever since he joined you.

He walks towards the end of the room, pauses for a moment, and then you can see the way his face changes. He hoists the shield higher, and then walks at speed towards you and Bucky. “I’m going in.”

Bucky stands up and stops him with a hand to his chest.

Walker, surprisingly, backs up. You think he’s going to listen to Bucky for just a moment before he looks up, staring at Bucky with a look you’ve only ever seen in a few people before, and never good people at that. You sit up straighter.

“This is all really easy for you, isn’t it?” He starts. “All that serum running through your veins. Barnes, your partner needs backup in there. Do you really want his blood on your hands?”

You can’t see the look on Bucky’s face, but you have a feeling you know how he’s looking at Walker. Slowly, you rise to your feet, placing a hand on Bucky’s shoulder.

“Back up, John,” you warn. “If Sam needed our help, we’d know.”

His eyes flicker to you. “Who do you think you are? I don’t even know you. What makes you think I’d listen to you?” He scoffs. “I’m John Walker. Captain America. You’re not an Avenger. You’re no one special, so I think you should be backing up.”

Bucky’s glare hardens. He narrows his eyes and takes a step towards Walker.

“Watch your mouth, John.”

Walker stares between the two of you for a few moments, and then before you know it, he slams the shield into your stomach, knocking you off to the side, and disappears up the stairs and into the building after Sam. You gasp for breath, the wind having been knocked right out of you.

“Asshole,” Bucky hisses, stepping towards you just as Lemar brushes past you.

You shake your head. “I’m fine, go after them.”

He looks worried. You’ve never seen him look at you this way before.

“Bucky, I’m fine. Go.”

He gives you a nod, promises to come back and then hurries out of the room after Walker and Lemar. He’s needed more there, anyway, and you both know it.

You rub a hand over your stomach as you try to breathe again properly.

“You okay?” Zemo calls over to you.

“Yeah, a shield to the stomach is nothing,” you roll your eyes.

It doesn’t take you too much longer to catch your breath, so when you do, you figure Zemo isn’t going anywhere and head out after Bucky, Walker and Lemar, even though you won’t be much – or any – help to them at all, but you can’t stay in that room with Zemo any longer, and truthfully, you’re worried.

Worried about Bucky, even worried about Sam. You don’t have any reason to be worried about them, and you know that, but you are. Bucky especially – he’s confusing you more than anyone has ever confused you in your entire life. You don’t know what to make of him, why he acts the way that he does around you. But whatever the reason is, you want to find out.

***

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starbuckie · 4 years

Text

𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰

challenge: 200 followers challenge by @angrybirdcr

prompt: “there may have been a slight misunderstanding, but nothing we can’t fix.” and locked in the trunk of a car

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

words: 5,504 words

warnings: post-endgame, bucky’s kinda a dick, enemies to friends(?), swearing, angst, mentions of violence, talk about sexual assault, guns, bickering, jealousy

summary: bucky had been adjusting to the new familiarity of having a stable routine, right until she walked in.

a/n: I DON’T NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARVEL. okay, great, done that, but congratulations on 200 followers!! i had so much fun taking part in your writing challenge, so thank you so much. imma be honest, there’s not a lot of romance in this, it’s some enemies to friends type of shit and i genuinely did not think this fic would get so angsty and dark and actually long, but i had an idea and ran with it mid way through the old fic with this prompt. also i had an idea for an epilogue to this, so tell me if you want that part 2 because i am on the verge of writing it. this is not proofread by a beta, but i edited it myself and hope it is okay. anyways, now that we’re done with that, please enjoy this rollercoaster of a fanfic i’ve written.

main masterlist || sebastian stan characters masterlist

Life in the twenty-first century was strange, Bucky concluded. Though he’d been free of HYDRA for around nine years technically, being a fugitive and in another realm didn’t give him much time to learn about the modern world. As soon as he came back, Steve had left him and he had to move on without his childhood best friend. It was hard for him to adjust to this century, with the new rules and the whole scene in general, but he seemed to make it through just fine. He’d come to peace with the fact that there was no escaping the fighting at all, falling into a steady routine that became his holy grail.

In the new Avengers compound in Upstate New York he felt content and more sure of himself than he’d felt in a very long time. Everyone in the tower was quiet and kept to themselves mostly, still dealing with the aftermath of losing so much in so little time. But in that silence Bucky felt like a free man, able to walk around without fear of being hunted down every second and time to really look about this new world.

There were still times when he woke up in a sweaty panic, disoriented and terrified until he realized he was in the safety of his room in the compound. He’d flinch at loud noises in the quiet and his heart would stop, something that went by unnoticed by everyone else, though he didn’t blame them for it. Bucky felt extreme guilt for the horrible things he had done as the Winter Soldier, memories of bloodied and dead bodies, bodies he had made fall to the ground motionless. It wasn’t him, he knew, but his hand still had pulled the trigger. When he found something new a smile would split across his face, ready to tell Steve what he had discovered, until he remembered that the rambunctious blond boy was gone, a wrinkled grey man with a new family in his place. It still hurt him to think that he had left him so easily, with barely a goodbye. Bucky still had days where he felt so incredibly tired, left still on his bed as horrible thoughts ran through his mind, anxious about the future.

But then he found new things everyday, things that seemed to outweigh the bad by a whole lot. He’d found cool ranch Doritos were the best chips and that he really liked the season of fall with the leaves falling around him as he took a serene walk. He found that he really loved Frozen, the songs and Sven the reindeer making him crack a smile every time he watched it. He found that he could sleep in on his days without missions and Wanda liked her pancakes with an unhealthy amount of syrup on the side to dunk them in. He found that Sam was actually really funny, always making the worst puns or the dirtiest jokes at the most inappropriate of times. He found a new sense of respect and warmth in the family they’d built together, learning how to go on without those that they loved. He found that he was really enjoying his new routine and his new sense of peace with himself.

All until she walked in.

Bucky could still remember the exact moment she flipped their world upside down. Sharon had fawned over her, talking about one of her old SHIELD buddies who was finally coming back to the states. After the organization fell in 2014, Y/N L/N fled to Hawaii, running away to the one place she knew no one would find her. She was done fighting, or that’s what she believed until Thanos showed up.

It was shameful, really, that Y/N was aware of all the problems that went on, yet did nothing to help. They needed her help, she knew they did, but she couldn’t bring yourself to go help her friends. Originally she was trying for a settled down life, planning to retire from the constant fighting, but after a few failed relationships Y/N realized that she wasn't cut out for that white picket fence life. Those had just been the dreams of a fourteen year old Y/N L/N, left empty and hollow by the horrors she had seen during her time at SHIELD. There was nothing left waiting for her, no family, no friends, but she was too stubborn to get back into the fight, so she stayed in her humid Oahu apartment and waited for something interesting to happen.

Well, maybe Y/N shouldn’t have wished so hard, that “interesting thing” showing up in the form of being snapped out of existence by a large, purple grape.

When she came back she felt nearly indifferent, knowing that five years had passed by her, and though Y/N felt nothing but emptiness she knew that it was time to go back. It was her duty when she had joined SHIELD to always be there and protect, and she had failed that job. But Y/N was more than ready to make up for it. Nothing like Thanos could ever happen again, so she called Sharon, one of her closest friends and previous commanding supervisor at the organization. She was ecstatic to have Y/N back, probably a bit too much, and before she could have second thoughts the girl was on a plane overlooking JFK, ready to land in New York.

So when Y/N walked in, with a tight-lipped smile and butterflies anxiously fluttering in her stomach, Bucky couldn’t help but despise her. Maybe he had formed his opinion off of Sharon’s explanation of her past, but Y/N got the life of settling down that he didn’t and he was infuriatingly jealous.

“Hey, Bucky, Sam, come meet Y/N!” Sharon said excitedly. Her hair was put back in a headband neatly, two suitcases in hand as she looked at the two tall, muscular men. Of course Y/N recognized both of them, she hadn’t been living under a rock. Keeping up with the news of the Avengers and remaining SHIELD officers had been one of the only things keeping her from coming back, hearing of the terrible fights and destruction done to whole cities. She recognized Sam Wilson, the infamous Falcon being marked down as a “war criminal” in 2016. She never believed that crap, if he and half of the other Avengers were locked up there had to be a good reason behind it.

Then, there was James Buchanan Barnes. Now, she knew him from her eighth grade American history books, reading about the brave Howling Commando who had given up his life for saving the country, but Y/N knew him better as the Winter Soldier from her time at SHIELD. The fight in 2014 had been brutal, hectic in all forms, but she’d caught a few glances at the metal-armed man. He hadn't been in his normal state, with being controlled and tortured by HYDRA at the time, but the kid inside of her freaked out, remembering memories of gossiping with her friends about how hot he was in the textbooks and how much of a hero he was. That man was still in there somewhere, hidden by decades of reprogramming and mind-wiping, and Y/N was finally seeing him in the flesh. She would be working with him daily, living in the same space as him. The thought made her giddy like a middle schooler with her first crush,though his presence was intimidating as well.

“Hi there, I’m Y/N L/N, it’s a pleasure to be working with you.” Sticking out her hand, she gave a bright smile, already growing out of her nervous state.

Sam quickly shook Y/N’s hand, giving a warm greeting in response to her introduction. Then she turned to Bucky. “It’s nice to meet you, Bucky.”

His cold, dead glare locked onto Y/N, staring straight through her soul. It felt like he could see every insecurity and guilty action she had, and she didn’t like it one bit. “That’s Sergeant Barnes to you.” Without another word, he walked out of the room like a petulant child, leaving Sharon, Sam, and Y/N flabbergasted.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, he’s usually more friendly than that, I’ll go check in on him,” Sharon furiously said with a painfully fake smile. Sam grabbed the new girl by the arm, linking it with his own and led her in another direction as he explained the usual training routine and schedule for the week.

And while she was completely enraptured by Sam’s comforting words and the exciting compound, her heart still felt heavy from Sergeant Barnes’ cold greeting.

She had tried to be nice. She really had. But after two months it was pretty clear Sergeant Barnes wasn’t getting any better, and Y/N was beyond pissed off. Childish, is what he was being, fucking childish.

It started off with leaving every room she came into, blatantly ignoring her presence. When she would say hello every morning he’d grunt or even worse, he wouldn’t answer her at all. Y/N had begged Sharon if she knew why the sergeant was acting up, but she didn’t know either and just asked her to ignore him and his “crappy, old-man behaviour”. Sam wasn’t very helpful to Y/N’s cause either, but he was a great mentor and an even better teacher.

Sharon was really the only person Y/N had in her phone, her parents dead and no boyfriend accounted for. The rest of her family had wanted nothing to do with her when she joined SHIELD, but that was okay with her. She knew what she had gotten herself into, and it was an extreme risk to even be acquaintances with her. But now, living with several others in a compound that seemed so large after the great loss, Y/N became part of their family as well.

It was nice to have friends again, as years of solitude on an island where she knew nobody had made her nearly desperate for more human interaction than with the teenagers who worked the cash registers at the grocery store. Y/N became an integral part of the Avengers (she could actually say that aloud now), going on missions and kicking ass just like she used to. Of course, Sergeant Barnes’ behaviour in and out of missions stayed the same, but she usually tried her best to not take it to heart and move on. After all, she couldn’t have everyone like her.

But one day they both snapped.

Y/N was sitting with Sharon and Wanda, eating lunch and talking over their most recent mission with them and Barnes in Cairo. It hadn’t been a necessarily bad mission, per se, but she had run back into the building to get Wanda out from under a fallen pillar, which apparently was “severely dangerous”. Looking back, she could see how it was, putting her entire team’s secrecy and mission in volatile danger, but Wanda was like her sister and in Y/N’s heart she knew that she had to. Bucky had had to grab them both, nearly dragging her back to the jet before the building had collapsed. He’d been beyond angry with Y/N for the stupid decision, but when they landed he just huffed and stomped away. The redhead was grateful for her and so was Sharon, but lunch was just for a simple stern talking about mission protocols.

“Y/N, I know that you’re a fantastic agent and even better friend, but when we’re on missions we need that agent. You can’t let your feelings and outside life get in the way of our objective.” Sharon said in a firm voice. Y/N dropped her head in her hands and rubbed her face tiredly.

“I know, Sharon, I’m sorry, Wanda could’ve probably gotten herself out but I just let my instincts act too fast and ran back in without another thought.” She groaned. “Plus, I just caused more damage than anything else. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Wanda and Sharon nodded in understanding just as the Asshole Supreme walked into the kitchen.

“You talking ‘bout how Y/N fucked up the mission yesterday?” Sergeant Barnes grunted. While Sharon and Wanda gasped in shock, Y/N’s eyes were trained at the plate on the table in front of her, not daring to make a sound. She muttered out a sorry and got up to put her dish in the sink. As long as he was here, he was going to make her life a living hell, and as much as she wanted to lash out, it would be cause for her dismissal from the team. While her old, solitary life was what she had once dreamed of, Y/N now saw her future among these people, this family, somewhere she finally felt a part of despite Barnes’ horrid behaviour. “Sorry?” He scoffed, “Sorry doesn’t make up for the fact that I had to run back in for you. Sorry doesn’t make up for the extreme risks we all pull to save your ass out in the field.”

“Bucky, stop.” Sharon yelled.

But he ignored her words and sauntered over to Y/N with a knowing smirk, leaning down to meet her level. His warm breath hit her face and she could stare into his deep eyes, swirling like a raging storm of blues and greys. “You shouldn’t even be out there, L/N. I mean, you haven’t had training in years, it’s not like you were anything special either. Just another agent, hoping to get to work in the big leagues.”

“Shut up.” Y/N whispered meekly. Tears were just barely being held in, her chest feeling empty and hollow with anger and guilt. Is this what it felt like to want to kill someone with so much vengeance?

“Where were you when Thanos came? Where were you, L/N? We needed all the help we could get, but there you are, in fucking Hawaii, with you little fucking margaritas on the fucking beach-”

“Shut the fuck up!” She screamed. The room went dead silent with her voice. None of the team had seen Y/N look so angry, so sad, so vulnerable, at one time. It was easy for her to hide her emotions and Wanda refrained from trying to toy with her mind, but shame was overwhelming the girl by the second and Sergeant Barnes was right, as much as she didn’t want to say it. She was a coward, thinking she could run away from the “hero life” so easily. They’d caught her, and Barnes was making her face that truth right now. “Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I know, that I was absolutely scared shitless of returning here, facing all of you after what you endured for so long?”

Y/N took a deep breath, laughing mirthlessly as tears ran hot down her cheeks. “I’m sorry that I came back, I really am, but I’m trying my damn best to make up for what I did. Being scared is no excuse for why I ran away, I was fucking terrified of having one more thing to lose. My family is dead, SHIELD fell, and I had no one to lean on so I ran as far as I fucking could. But I’m back now, I’m ready to serve up to what I left behind, and you better fucking deal with it because this,” she jabbed a finger into his broad chest, “is not fucking it. I’m not going to live with your shitty behaviour anymore, Barnes.”

He, Wanda, and Sharon all watched as she slammed the plate into the sink, storming out of the room. They could hear her door slam shut, and the two women glared at Bucky.

“What the hell is your problem, Barnes” Wanda hissed in a scarily low voice. Fuck. He knew he’d messed up then, gone farther than he ever dared to with insulting Y/N, and both of the women were severely overprotective of the new Avenger.

Sharon walked up to Bucky with large strides, delivering a slap to the side of his head. Yeah, he definitely deserved that. It was dead silent in the kitchen, the tension still high strung from the fight seconds before. “You better go apologize, Barnes, I swear to God this has gotten far too out of hand. You two have a mission tomorrow, estimated a month, and wheels are up at 2300 hours. I need you two to go get the intel quietly and undetected and we can’t have both of you arguing the whole damn time, so you better fix things by then.”

The blonde agent walked away, Wanda trailing behind her, but not without the middle finger from both of them. A mission? Tomorrow? With Y/N? This was going to be horrible. Bucky ran a hand over his face and trudged off to his room.

It was going to be a long month.

Y/N stared out of the window as they flew over the clouds above the Mediteranean Sea. Eleven in the morning in Italy gave a clear view of the skies, light blue as far as she could see. They were ready to start their descent into Azzano and the woman glanced to the man beside her, his stormy blue eyes glaring in any direction but hers. The sergeant had avoided her all he could up until they boarded the jet, and even then he only spoke to her when necessary. “Hey, Barnes, we’re starting to descend, go get ready.”

The brunette looked over to Y/N and grunted in response. Oh well, it was better than him yelling at her. His little outburst in the kitchen had her pissed at him more than ever, but the words thrown around still rung true in her head. But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

She paid careful attention to where she was supposed to land, a shaded facility almost five miles south of where they had to get the intel from an old, but rebuilt HYDRA base. The same base where James Buchanan Barnes was once held captive, experimented on and tortured until Steve Rogers came to save him. Y/N didn’t care much for Barnes usually, but she also didn’t know how he’d react to being in a location with such horrible memories attached to it. They had both been at the mission briefing the day before of course, he knew what it entailed and he seemed unfazed, and he was always good at hiding his emotions. As the jet touched down finally, the agent thought back. Well, sometimes he was good at hiding his emotions.

Making sure her comm fit snugly in her ear, Y/N unbuckled herself from the seat, heading back towards the wall of weaponry they kept in the back of the jet. Barnes was already there dressed in hs black kevlar tactical suit, hugging his body nicely and vibranium arm on display. When he was around her he tried to hide it, and she saw him joking around and being comfortable in other’s presence with it out, wondering what made her so different. She personally found it fascinating, the beauty of the gold and black metal with the incredible Wakandan technology, but she respected his privacy and tried to not think too much about it.

Y/N threw a vest on over her own navy blue tac suit, tightening her combat boots before she fully zipped up. Were they finally ready?

Three guns perched in holsters by her waist.

Two taps to her earpiece and Barnes’ breathing in her ear.

One mutual nod with the sergeant himself, and they were off, slowly making their way to grab the intel, not a trace to be left behind.

Getting stuck in the trunk of a car was not in the plan. It definitely wasn’t. Bucky remembered every single inch and cranny of that meticulously planned out schedule, every move, every kill they had to make, but not once was it mentioned that Y/N was to get stuck in Baron Zemo’s car without any weapons on her.

“L/N, what the hell do you mean you’re in the back of Zemo’s car.” He seethed, already searching frantically around the large remains of the building for her. It had gone smoothly, she was just supposed to quickly check inside his car as he searched the base. It’ll be so much quicker if I do it, L/N, is what he had said, but now he regretted it. Like the incompetent fool she was, she was spotted and ended up shooting out half of Zemo’s goonies before dropping all her weapons to the ground and running when she ran out of ammunition.

“There may have been a slight misunderstanding,” Y/N whispered into her comm, “but nothing we can’t fix! Just come find me, Barnes, and all will be well.”

She could hear his angry curses and jostling, which she assumed he was running to come find her. It wasn’t entirely Y/N’s fault she had run out of ammo. Some of it must have fallen from her pockets during the shootout and when she saw the car she thought it’d be the perfect place to hide. Until she realized that no one else was at the partially burned down HYDRA base besides Baron Zemo, the person who Sharon had told her to avoid at all costs, and she was in his damn car. Practically her death note.

“If you had just listened to me you wouldn’t have been caught!” Bucky furiously whispered through the comms.

Y/N rolled her eyes, though he couldn’t even see her, and groaned. “I did listen to you, Barnes, I checked the damn car, but we weren’t expecting his guards to find me so I killed them and hid. Is that actually so bad?”

“Yes it is!’ He explained. “Give me your coordinates.” She checked the small watch on her wrist, pushing a button on the side that gave a small holographic image of the time and her coordinates on a world wide map. Reciting them for him, Bucky followed, continuing to berate her as he did so. “And you’re right, L/N, I asked you to check the car, not fucking jump inside it!”

This time Bucky could envision her rolling her eyes as she groaned even louder in very Y/N L/N fashion. “Would you rather I be dead?” She asked. It had been a few seconds, but she still received no response. “Barnes?” Crackling. “Sergeant?” Absolute nothingness. “Sarge?”

The trunk of the car opened as the woman let out a squeak, the broad frame of James Barnes hovering above her, some dirt smudged around the annoyed expression on his face. “Don’t call me that.” He grumbled.

He reached his hand towards her, grasping her own tightly before pulling her to a sitting position. “Why, you had all the ladies calling you that back in the day?” She mimicked a much higher tone, nearly resembling Snow White if the princess were high on drugs and had a Brooklyn accent. “Hey, Sarge, we goin’ dancing? Sarge, you goin’ to give me some sweet lovin’ tonight? Oh, how I’d just love for you to shove your fat, ugly head up your a-”

A loud beeping from his wristwatch cut her off. With a glare, the man let go of Y/N’s hand, checking to see what the problem was. A small red tracker on the map moved, and both of them knew they were in deep shit. “Crap, Zemo’s coming this way. That’s one of the trackers I set up on the ground and we gotta go quick.”

Faint whistling from Baron Zemo made both of them panic as Bucky tackled her back down and quickly shut the door behind him. Footsteps were approaching, the whistling getting louder and a door opening let the two Avengers know that they couldn’t get out anytime soon. Y/N could feel Bucky’s racing heart against her chest, hers beating just as fast. He turned to face her, a lot closer than both of them expected, lips dangerously close and noses nudging against each other. Ther breaths mixed together, the hot air of the car doing nothing to help her current close quarters with the man.

“Can you bust us out of here?” She whispered hurriedly, rather uncomfortable with the present situation.

“We’ll die if we leave now. He’s much more prepared than we thought and with half his men down he knows something is up. Zemo wasn’t even supposed to know we were here so we’re far too unprepared and you lost your damn weapons. There’s no way we can go out so we’re going to stick in here until he gets out.”

Truth be told, Bucky was terrified and had no clue what to do next. Being stuck in a small confined space with Y/N had to be his worst nightmare, especially after he didn’t apologize for his shitty behavior last night. And the night before.

And the several months before that.

From his view Y/N seemed to be uncomfortable and as the car started moving, she wiggled around, struggling to get as far away from Bucky as she could. He too was extremely uncomfortable, but as her wriggling continued, his already tight fitting pants seemed to get even impossible tighter as she practically grinded on him.

“Would you stop squirming around?” Y/N shot him what would’ve been a questioning glance if not for the pitch blackness of the trunk, and heard his loud sigh, warm breath fanning across her face. “I’m sorry, I’m having a situation, uh, down there and your wiggling isn’t helping it too much.”

Her face heated up, not knowing what to feel after he said that. Was he… flustered? Y/N had never seen Bucky Barnes anything less than grumpy or professional before.

When she said nothing, he assumed the worst and thought she saw him as a disgusting and creepy person. Before that moment he’d never had any particular care about how Y/N felt, but he knew that there were still a lot of perverts, if not more perverts than back in his day. With his four little sisters always getting catcalled and the crude men who thought women were their property, Bucky knew it was definitely terrifying to be assaulted or any situation such as this.

There wasn’t much he could do, but he shifted so they weren’t lying down hip bone to hip bone. “Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, I don’t want you to think I’m a pervert or anything, it’s just been a while since I, well, y’know…”

“I understand, Barnes, but thank you for apologizing.” Y/N said carefully. It was weird to hear the now shy and surprisingly considerate sergeant apologize to her, but she had to admit that her respect for him had gone up.

He cleared his throat in return, trying to turn in any other direction besides hers as they listened to the tires of the car bumping along the road, heart wildly thumping.

It was quiet. Far more quiet than it had ever been when either of them were in the same room. As Y/N stared down at Bucky’s head, almost resting on her stomach, she saw the man she’d read about in middle school. For a moment she was able to look past the last few months of fighting and hatred, and see the noble sergeant she’d admired for so long.

“You can rest your head if you want to, I knew keeping it up like that must be hurting your neck. I promise I’m okay with it.” She reassured him. With a small hesitation, Barnes submitted to his screaming neck muscles and laid his head on her stomach, the vest providing cushion. A few more seconds of silence and gathering courage, and she finally asked him the question she had been wondering since her first day at the compound. “Why do you hate me?”

I’m jealous, he wanted to say, but he wasn’t brave enough to say it. With a small sigh, he managed to get out, “I don’t.”

“Then why are you so cold to me all the time?” Emotions that were borrowed so deep inside Y/N’s chest seemed to come barreling out, seeping into every question that she asked. “Am I really that horrible an agent? Do you not think I’m trying my best? I know I made a mistake, I wasn’t there when you all needed me, but I’m trying so, so damn hard to make up for it. I swear on my life, and every one that comes after it, that I’m-”

“It’s not you, it’s me, God damn it!” Bucky exclaimed angrily. Both of their blood ran cold in fear that Zemo might have heard them, but the radio continued to drone on in the background, nothing seeming to have changed. He took a deep sigh and tried how to best explain it to her. Even though he’d probably never have Y/N’s forgiveness for insulting her so plainly and hurting her so much, he felt as though she deserved as much as his reasoning as to why he “disliked” her so much. It was difficult for him to say, having to also put his pride away for once to just admit it. “I’m jealous of you, Y/N. You got the sweet life for a while, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted. When you look at us who remain, not a single one of us was planning to be an Avenger. You were getting the dream home, the kids, the family that I’ve wanted since I was a boy back in Brooklyn, and all you had to do to get it was run away. It was so simple.”

Y/N’s eyes widened, not at all expecting that. “It wasn’t all too much ‘sweet life’, you know? It was my dream when I was younger, I thought being an agent was temporary and then I’d move into a big, old house with a loving spouse and have millions of little carbon copies of myself to occupy my days. But the truth about what we do is that we can only stay away from it for so long, Barnes. With people like us,” she squeezed her eyes shut, letting the final tears roll down her cheeks, “there’s no running away from the hero's life. It's just who we are. We’ve already done too much to change that part of our lives.”

Y/N felt him nod through the fabric on her skin, sniffles letting her know that he was crying too. They were connected. All the shouting, all the yelling, the pain, the battles, the fore, the blood, the years of torture, all led to this moment. This historic moment in Y/N and Bucky’s relationship where they both waved white flags, wet faces and hearts filled with sorrow for the life they never had.

“I’m so sorry for the way I dealt with my anger and jealousy, Y/N.” Bucky croaked.

“I used to idolize you when I was a kid.” Y/N recalled with a faint smile on her face. “In the eighth grade I wrote a history paper on you, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, American hero and inspiration to all. And you know, I always kinda had a crush on you. Wondered what it would be like if you were still alive, if you would’ve gone home after the war, if you would’ve had a family. No matter what wild thoughts ran through my head, though, you were always my hero.” Bucky took her confession in shock, pure amazement and surprise coursing through his body. Maybe a little bit of sadness, longing for that old life, maybe a bit of bashfulness of her having a crush on his as a schoolgirl. “And then I met you and you were this grumpy, irritable old man who seemed to despise me as soon as I walked in the door. Definitely not what I had expected.” He opened his mouth, ready to apologize again, when her next words cut him off. “I want to start over, don’t you?”

How was she so calming? Her words were exactly what he needed to hear and didn’t need to at the same time. Her voice brought back all the old memories of running around New York with Steve as a kid, reminding him of his wise ma in a way. “There’s nothing I’d like more than that, Y/N.”

Y/N smiled to herself, looking towards the top of the car. “Perfect.”

And with the twinkle in her eye and his head resting on her stomach with a small grin, it really was.

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wiypt-writes · 4 years

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch31: We Fight

Summary: As Bucky comes round he reveals some shocking news to Steve, Katie and Sam which leaves the Captain with no alternative but to take the fight to Siberia in an attempt to prevent the mysterious Doctor from unleashing more Winter Soldiers. But that isn’t the only bombshell he drops and Katie is left grappling internally as she comes to terms with the news.

The 4 rogue operatives enlist the help of some familiar faces, but encounter their old friends who are charged with their own mission- to apprehend Steve’s team. The Avengers are pitted into a Civil War, and the gulf between Steve and Tony grows even wider.

Warnings: Bad language, Smut! (NSFW, Under 18s) Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: Wonderful edits again from @angrybirdcr

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 30

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“It’s strange,” Katie looked over to where Steve was stood next to her, his arms folded. “It’s like he just flipped a switch turning him right back into the Winter Soldier.”

“HYDRA perfected mind control.” Steve sighed as he looked at Bucky who was restrained, his metal arm locked in a vice in the middle of the warehouse.

“Question is, who the hell is he gonna be when he wakes up?” Sam asked, hands in his pockets.

At that point Bucky groaned and all three of them turned their heads to look at him.

“Looks like we’re about to find out” Katie muttered, as the two men instantly closed ranks on either side of her, automatically adopting more defensive stances.

"Steve?” Bucky questioned in a hoarse voice, wincing a little as he tried to straighten up from the stiff sitting position he’d been slumped in. Everything hurt.

“Which Bucky am I talking to?” Steve asked suspiciously and Bucky glanced at him, blinking slowly.

“Your mom’s name is Sarah.” He said slowly. Then he realised that anyone could know that so he searched for a fact he knew would be more personal, and then laughed a little at the memory “You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.” Then Bucky’s eyes turned to Katie and he smiled softly at his friend’s wife. “You had lilies as your wedding flowers. Lilies were Steve’s ma’s favourite. You looked beautiful by the way.” “How do you…” she frowned, before her mouth dropped open and her and Steve exchanged astounded glances.

“You were there?” Steve looked at him.

Bucky smiled again. “Couldn’t miss your punk ass getting married.”

Steve raised a brow, and his face relaxed, “You can’t read about all that in a museum.” He said lightly.

“Just like that, we’re supposed to be cool?” Sam asked, sceptically.

“What did I do?” Bucky interrupted picking up on Sam’s anger easily.

“Enough.” Katie answered flatly.

Bucky sighed, breathing out in horror and disbelief, “Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do is say the god damn words.” He muttered miserably.

“Who was he?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know.” Bucky admitted shrugging as best he could.

“People are dead.” Steve continued in a no nonsense tone. “The bombing. The set up. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. You need to do better than ‘I don’t know’.”

Bucky’s frown deepened, clearly trying to remember.

“He wanted to know about Siberia.” He recalled after a short pause. “Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.”

“Why would he need to know that?” Katie asked, frowning, and Bucky paused.

“Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.” He answered darkly.

“There’s more of you,” Katie blurted out and Bucky nodded glumly. “How many?”

“Five.” He confessed.

Katie looked at Steve who sighed, before looking at Sam and nodding. Sam moved to undo the clamp from Bucky’s metal arm where the pieces of the vice fell to the floor with a clang. The soldier nodded his thanks, shifting his body to a more comfortable position resting both arms on his knees. Katie stepped forward and handed him a bottle of water, before squeezing his shoulder. He smiled and twisted off the top, taking a large gulp as Steve continued.

“How? How did they make more?”

Bucky looked at Steve sadly before he turned to Katie. “Your dad.” He said gently, before he continued “He managed to back engineer the serum or at least a version of it.”

“So that’s why they were killed.” Katie whispered, looking at Steve. “HYDRA couldn’t steal it from under his nose, it would have been too obvious so they set up the crash and-”

She trailed off as a movement in her peripheral caught her attention. She turned slowly to Bucky who had shifted a little, almost drawing in on himself and she watched him until, after a moment or so, he raised his head to meet her gaze, his eyes full of tears and remorse.

Katie felt herself grow cold as realisation flooded her stomach. “It was you, wasn’t it?” She stated rather than asked, swallowing thickly.

“I’m sorry.” Bucky sniffed gently, eyes cast to the floor.

Steve let out a soft groan as Katie scrunched her eyes shut taking a deep breath, turning away from Bucky. Steve stepped toward her but she shook her head, stopping him as she took a step away, swallowing, trying to remain logical.

It wasn’t Bucky, it was the Winter Soldier. It wasn’t Bucky, it was the Winter Soldier…

“So you got the serum.” Steve spoke softly, his hands dropping to his belt as he turned from Katie to his friend “Then what?”

“Four men and a woman from were taken for transformation. They formed the most elite death squad in the world.” Bucky answered quietly. This was amongst the last things he ever wanted to talk about but he knew he had to. "More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum.”

“They all turned out like you?” Sam asked curiously with a hint of sarcasm.

“Worse.” Bucky answered flatly.

“The doctor.” Steve asked next, as Katie turned around, her teary eyes focussing back on Bucky, her expression unreadable. “He could control them?”

Bucky glanced at Katie, then Steve before lowering his head, saying softly. “Enough.”

“He said he wanted to see an empire fall.” Katie cleared her throat as she repeated what the doctor had said.

“With these guys he can do it.” Bucky warned softly “They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, they can infiltrate,assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night and you’d never see them coming.”

Katie pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up as Sam walked closer to her and Steve, speaking lowly.

“This would’ve been a lot easier a week ago.” He sighed.

“If we call Tony-” Steve began in the same hushed tone.

“He won’t believe us.” Katie cut in. “He’s blinded by all this at the moment, and even if he did-“

"Who knows if the Accords will let him.” Sam finished with a straight look.

“We’re on our own.” Steve pointed out the obvious.

Sam nodded then paused before saying slowly. “Maybe not.” Katie looked at him in a mix of surprise and expectancy, and he shrugged. “I know a guy.”

“Who?” she asked.

“Remember that dude that broke our perimeter a few weeks back?” Sam looked at her.

“Ant Man?” she frowned.

Sam nodded. “Worth a shot.”

“We also all know a girl.” Steve suggested. He didn’t need to explain he was talking about Wanda.

“But how we gonna do this?” Sam frowned “We can’t just fly back and go on a recruitment drive?”

“No, but,” Katie spoke as a sudden thought hit her, smiling at the two men who turned to face her. She looked at Steve and locked eyes with him. “There is someone that can.”

*****

After retrieving their gear from Sharon, with many thanks, they headed to a motel for the night. It was old, non-descript, but decent enough for a night’s rest, and more important was far enough away from the CIA base, and within reasonable distance of the airport which was their rendezvous point for tomorrow. If she was honest, Katie was just pleased to be getting away Bucky. She understood, and could reason with herself that Bucky wasn’t in control when he was the Winter Soldier but knowing that he’d killed her parents was a hard thing to simply push out of her mind. And more so because she should have suspected the moment she’d found out they were killed. Who else would HYDRA have sent to do it?

As soon as her and Steve got to their room, she’d withdrawn and retreated to the bathroom. Steve had respected her request that he leave her alone. She’d gently kissed his cheek, her way of assuring him that he wasn’t the issue and then shut the door behind her. She took her time, gathering her emotions, wiping her eyes before she leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She glanced at the mirror, taking in how tired she looked. Her fingers gently traced the scar to the corner of her mouth, and the other one which trailed her left temple and the tears sprung into her eyes. She knew as well as anyone what being stripped of your dignity, being tortured by HYDRA was like.

Fuck, Bucky deserved her sympathy, not her hate.

But Tony….he didn’t even know her parents had been murdered. If he found out about this, then here was no way on Earth he would be as understanding as she was. No way.

What a mess.

Wiping her face with a towel, she took a deep breath and then headed back into the main room. Steve, who was sat on the bed, looked up at her and flashed her a soft smile.

“You alright?” He asked.

“Not really.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Talk about the fact your best friend killed my parents?”

Steve sighed and looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry.”

“No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you.” She sighed, stepping into the space between his legs where he was perched on the edge of the bed. Steve looked up as his hands slid up the outside of her thighs and gently stopped on her hips. “Not like you did it is it?”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not sorry about it.” He shrugged, squeezing her hips. “Sorry it happened, sorry that you found out like this, sorry about this whole damned situation.”

“Did you suspect?” She asked softly. “That he might have done it?”

Steve took a deep breath. Unlike Katie, he wasn’t surprised that Bucky had been the one to execute her parents. He’d pieced it together a while ago. Bucky was HYDRA’s number One asset, it made sense that they would send him in for such an important assassination. Still, the fact Katie had managed to remain civil and friendly to Bucky was a temperament to how strong she was. Faced with the same knowledge, Steve wasn’t sure he’d have the ability to do the same.

“Yeah, I did.” He answered honestly. “Since the time we learned it was HYDRA who killed your parents.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Would it have made a difference?” He blinked and she took a deep breath.

“Suppose not.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” He hung his head. “I really am. I never thought in a million years we’d be here like this.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a mess isn’t it?”

“One way of putting it.” Steve let out a soft chuckle and gently moved his hands so they were round her back, pulling her closer to him. Her hands strayed to his hair as she ran her fingers through it. He smelt like the water of the river that had dried into his blonde spikes and clothes. Before she could tell him to go shower, they heard a noise from the room next door which Bucky and Sam were sharing. As they listened, it became apparent the two men were in the middle of some kind of heated argument.

“They’ll be best friends by morning.” Steve arched his eyebrow.

“You think?”

“No.” He shook his head and Katie laughed again, her hands continuing to brush through his hair.

“Why did you get all pissy before because I was impressed with how Bucky got that bike?” She asked, her hand stopping, before it moved gently down the back of his neck.

Steve dropped his head forward, where it rest just below the line of her breasts as he let out a noise that was half way between a groan and a laugh. “I did not get pissy.”

“Yes, you did” She pulled gently on his hair, tipping his head back so he was looking up at her. In a flash Steve used his arms that were round her waist, and she let out a small shriek as he quickly whipped her round so she was let on the bed underneath him.

“Alright, so maybe just a little. You forget I know what he’s like. And you’re mine.” Steve looked at her as she reached up to brush his hair back slightly. He was still covered in dirt from the day’s activities and once more she got a whiff of dirty river water.

“You need to take a shower.”

“Oh, that’s me?” Steve teased, giving a sniff, and she scoffed, hitting him on his chest.

“Yes, you stink.”

Steve chuckled and gave her a quick kiss before he moved and stood up, heading into the bathroom. Katie watched him go, his broad shoulders rippling through the back of his shirt, and the more she watched, the more she was reminded of him emerging from a lift shaft, grubbily, and wrestling with a helicopter with his bare arms.

It was totally inappropriate, all things considered. But right there and then, she didn’t give a shit. Whilst she was here, in this room, with him, she could lose herself, pretend that nothing else bar them existed.

Steve had barely reached over to turn on the shower before he heard Katie enter the room behind him. He spun to face her, and no sooner had he done so, her hand was behind his neck and she pulled his face down to her, pressing her lips to his. Steve grinned into the kiss as his wife went to work on removing his dirty clothes, as he did the same for her, kneeling down to pull her jeans and underwear all the way down her legs. His eyes scanned her naked body, taking in the various bruises she’d sustained, a particularly nasty on along her right ribcage. He gently kissed her skin, taking care not to place too much pressure where she was hurt, all the time her hands tangling in his hair before he rose to his feet, gently taking her face in his hands and kissed her as he manoeuvred her into the shower.

Neither of them paid the least bit of attention to actually getting cleaned up, instead they kissed and held each other under the spray of the water, tongues dancing together, hands sliding along slippery skin, squeezing and kneading where they saw fit. Eventually the teasing touches weren’t enough and Katie’s hands dropped down in between them to stroke him. Steve let out a choked hiss at her touch, he was more than ready, solid as a rock. Spinning her round so her back was to the wall, one hand lifted her leg and hooked it over his arm and he pushed inside of her, making her groan loudly.

“Oh God, Sweetheart…” Steve breathed out shakily against her lips, hand grasping on the steamy shower wall as he began pumping in and out. He felt her sliding a little, her foot struggling for grip on the slippy bath tub so he lifted her easily onto his hips so that she could wrap her other leg around him and her arms around his neck. She kissed, bit, sucked at any of the skin on his shoulder she could get to, lips skirting over the various bruises that she knew would be faded in a day or so, while he buried his face in her neck, his mouth gently sucking on that spot that drove her mad, as he continued to rut upwards, slowing his trusts and concentrating on driving deeper, harder. At the change of pace, Katie let out a groan and dropped her head back against the tiles.

"Stevie.” She moaned and he slid a hand around into her hair to keep her eyes locked on his.

He wanted to see her, needed to see her.

“You feel so good.” He muttered, groaning as she pushed downwards with her hips, taking him as deep as he could go. “I love you so fucking much.”

"I love you too.” She whimpered, her green eyes shone as he looked straight into them, the pair of them continuing to pant and moan and Steve shuddered as he felt her tighten around him, a sign she was close.

“You’re mine.” He demanded hoarsely into her ear, his thrusts speeding up again. “Say it, please, say it.”

Katie knew where his dumb little insecurity was coming from, and it wasn’t simply about Bucky’s bike trick. He was worried, worried that this whole situation was going to tear them apart because they both understood that a big enough quake could shake even the strongest foundations. But she wasn’t going to let that happen. They’d made vows, promised to love each other for the rest of their lives, and she wasn’t about to let this come between them. She couldn’t.

“TIl the end of the line.” She managed to stutter, her eyes boring deep into his ocean blues which were blown with desire as his hips began to falter their rhythm. “I’ll always be yours, Stevie.”

“Oh, Doll.” His voice was choked as he whispered into her ear and with that she was gone and Steve began to lose his battle against his self-control, shuddering hard as his abs tightened. Her heat gripped him as she groaned loudly, her orgasm leaving her utterly wrecked. He came with a cry of her name, and his thrusts slowed before he stopped, and buried his face into the crook of her neck, his body supporting her against the wall. After a moment he gently moved his head to offer her a kiss, this one soft, as she smiled at him, that satiated, satisfied smile only he ever got to see.

“We’ll be okay.” She whispered again, feeling the need to reassure him.

He kissed her again before setting her gently on her feet. She leaned into his hold as his arms gently wrapped around her. “I know.” He sighed softly, kissing her head. “I know.”

***** Dressing the next day in the same dirty clothes they had discarded the night before grossed Katie out, but to her surprise, Steve not so much. He informed her that he’d often worn the same clothes for days on end when in operations during the war, and she took the opportunity to tease him a great deal, asking him how on earth they managed as many stealth missions as they did when HYDRA could have smelt them coming a mile off.

It was good natured banter, Steve was happy to entertain it, but the moment they all climbed into the stolen, no, borrowed, car to head to the airport parking garage where it was agreed that they’d meet up with the rest of the team, the mood grew sombre once more as the realisation of what they were about to do descended on them.

Steve parked the car a few spaces down from the non-descript van that their man had described and as they climbed out two familiar faces exited the van.

“Hey Nova.” Clint beamed and Katie threw herself at him, Steve smiling at the reunion between the friends. Clint chuckled, lifting her up slightly into his arms before he set her down and she stepped back to look at him.

“Man it’s good to see you!” She smiled. “It’s been far too long! How are the kids, and Laura?”

“Ah, they’re great!” he beamed “Cooper’s starting sixth grade this time round, Lila is giving me back chat at every opportunity and Nathaniel’s walking now.”

Katie smiled releasing him from her hold and as he walked over to greet Steve. She then turned to Wanda wrapping her up in a warm hug.

“You alright?” She pulled back slightly to look the younger woman in the eye. “We’d never have left you if we’d known it would turn out like this, I’m so sorry.”

Wanda merely shrugged as Katie wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You know I wouldn’t have called if I had any other choice.” Steve looked at Clint as he shook his hand.

“Hey man, you’re doing me a favour. Besides,” Clint answered lightly shrugging, before he turned serious as he added nodding over his shoulder slightly, “I owe a debt.” Steve nodded gratefully, looking over at Wanda, Katie’s arm still round her, “Thanks for having my back.”

“It was time to get off my ass.” Wanda answered casually, sharing a meaningful look with Clint.

“How about our new recruit?” Katie nodded towards the van.

“He’s rarin’ to go.” Clint answered moving back over to the van to grab the door handle. “I had to put a little coffee in him, but,” he slid open the van’s side door hard, startling the occupant who was led across the middle seat causing him to give a sudden start, blinking. “He should be good.” Clint finished.

The brown-haired man groaned as he rolled out of his seat stepping down from the van while complaining to Clint. “What timezone is this?”

“Come on.” Clint answered, urging the man to get up, “Come on.” He repeated pushing him towards Steve. Scott stumbled a little before his mouth fell open and he blinked at the super-soldier a few times to make sure that what he was seeing was real. Katie grinned as she stood to the side, watching as he continued to stare at Steve in amazement.

Finally Scott closed his gaping mouth, then opened it up only enough to breathe out. “Captain America.”

“Mr. Lang.” Steve professionally offered his hand to the other man, which he took without hesitation.

“It’s an honour.” Scott answered, as he shook Steve’s hand enthusiastically which continued for quite some time. “I’m shaking your hand too long.”

Steve smiled a little in amusement as Scott finally let go of his hand, but continued staring at Steve in awe, “Wow. This is awesome.”

He turned back to Clint, pointing at Steve. “Captain America,” his words trailed off and his jaw dropped yet again when he caught sight of Katie and Wanda. Katie raised her eyebrows slightly as he looked her up and down

“Hey! Mrs America, again!” He grinned lamely and she smiled at him before catching Clint’s eye as he smirked at her, mouthing Mrs America…whilst saluting. She flipped him off as the Archer laughed.

“I know you too,” Scott pointed to Wanda, “You’re great.” He added making her smile.

Lang turned back around to Steve and reached out and grabbed both his shoulders and felt the muscles there

“Jeez.” He muttered before letting go. Even Steve couldn’t stop the small smile forming on his face as he glanced back at Sam and Bucky who were both watching the exchange stony faced. “Look, I wanted to say. I know you know a lot of super people, so, thanks for thinking of me.” Scott looked to Steve’s side and spotted Sam. His face faltered a little, clearly remembering the last time they encountered one another. “Hey, man.” Scott greeted pointing at him.

“What’s up tic-tac?” Sam replied flatly nodding to him in greeting.

“Good to see you, uh…” Scott answered hesitantly then looked a bit sheepish as he went on, looking from me to Sam “Look. You guys…what happened last time was-”

“It was a great audition, but it’ll never happen again.” Sam cut him off with a chuckle and a shrug.

“Did they tell you what we’re up against?” Steve asked Scott steering the conversation back towards the matter at hand.

“Something about some psycho assassins.” Scott answered unsurely having obviously gotten the abridged version from Clint.

“That’s one way of putting it.” Katie mumbled to Wanda getting a smile out of the younger girl before looking at Scott.

“We’re outside the law on this one.” Steve warned. “So, if you come with us, you’re a wanted man.”

“Yeah, well,” Scott muttered with a light shrug, “what else is new?”

“We should get moving.” Bucky suddenly chimed in from his spot where he had remained silent on the other side of the bug keeping himself separated from everyone else.

“I got a chopper lined up.” Clint informed them standing from where he had been seated just inside the van.

Steve nodded, and opened his mouth to say something but suddenly, an alarm began to blare, and an intercom began to speak in rapid German.

"They’re evacuating the airport.” Bucky informed as the rest of them glanced around uneasily.

“Tony.” Katie sighed when Steve caught her eye.

“Tony… Tony Stark?” Scott repeated in shock.

Steve didn’t answer as he looked round issuing a simple instruction. “Suit up.” Once they were all ready, Katie back in her cat-suit as Clint hadn’t been able to override the system to get her Nova suit, she turned to Steve and looked at him.

“There is one plus to Tony being here. He’ll have brought a Quinjet. That can get us to Siberia faster than any chopper.”

"She’s right,” Clint chimed in with a nod as he flexed his bow, “But Stark’s not stupid he knows that’ll be the first place we’ll go.”

“He’ll be waiting for us.” Sam concluded “And we don’t know who he’s brought with him”

“No, but I can make a fairly educated guess.” Clint crossed his arms.

Steve had been listening to their points intently and nodded a plan formulating in his head. “Alright. Listen up, here’s how we play this…” He explained and gave everyone their positions and they all nodded, except Katie, who shook her head when he told her to stick with Bucky and Sam.

“I’m going to talk to Tony.”

Steve frowned and looked at her. “I think he’s past reasoning with, Sweetheart, and besides, I don’t want you ending up in a position where you have to…” Steve trailed off before sighing unable to bring himself to finish the sentence, adding feebly instead. “He’s your brother.”

“Exactly.” Katie said softly, fully understanding what Steve was saying. If this ended in a fight, he didn’t want her feeling like she had to choose between them. Which was why she had to try to talk Tony round, “If I can’t get through to him, no one will. Let me try, please. ”

Steve looked at her. Whilst he knew that there was no point trying to talk to Tony, he knew that from her point of view she had to try. So with that in mind he nodded. “Alright.”

Once everyone was in position, Steve and Katie strode slowly towards the airport landing area, hidden in the shadows for now, until they spotted the helicopter that Clint had mentioned sitting out in the open just waiting for them. They both broke out into a run, leaving the cover of the airport, Steve keeping pace with Katie, but they were stopped short immediately as a small gadget hit the chopper’s wings, sending up an electric current short-circuiting the entire helicopter.

Just as they had predicted.

They both stopped as Tony flew down towards them, Rhodey by his side before they landed between them and the now useless helicopter.

"Wow.” Tony said sarcastically. “It’s so weird how you run into people at the airport.” His helmet slid back, revealing a black eye which he’d probably received from Bucky at the CIA base, turning to his best friend as he asked lightly. “Isn’t it weird?”

“Definitely weird.” Rhodey replied.

“Hear us out, Tony.” Katie stepped forward.“That doctor, the psychiatrist, he’s behind all of this.”

Steve tensed slightly as someone else landed gently to his side. He turned to see a very familiar black covered figure.

“Captain.” King T'Challa greeted politely. “Mrs Rogers”

“Your highness.” Steve returned in kind nodding. Katie did the same.

“Anyway.” Tony cut in, and Steve turned his attention back to him. “Ross gave me thirty six hours to bring you in. That was twenty four hours ago. Can you help your brother out?”

“Fuck Ross!” Katie shook her head, “Tony, you’re after the wrong guy.”

Tony’s expression hardened. “Your judgment is askew.” He accused quietly looking at her, he then turned to Steve. “Your war buddy killed innocent people yesterday-”

“And there are five more super soldiers just like him.” Steve tried to get Tony to understand.

“That’s a far bigger threat that we’re trying to stop.” Katie pressed

“We can’t let the doctor find them first, Tony.” Steve finished with a sigh “We can’t.”

“Steve, Nova…”

Steve and Katie both stiffened as they heard a familiar woman’s voice. Steve knew he should have expected that Natasha would be here as well, but still, hearing her made his gut twist a little. They both turned to face her, Katie’s eyes narrowing slightly.

“You know, what’s about to happen.” Nat warned with her eyes trained steadily on Steve, then she levelled a look at Katie. “Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?”

Katie turned back to Tony, shaking her head. “You’re not going to listen to us at all, are you?”

“I’ll do you a deal, come in and then I’ll listen” He offered

“It will be too late by then!” Katie’s voice growing urgent “This isn’t about the damned accords or Ross or anything else now. If he gets to those other soldiers first then…”

“Look, I’m tired of listening to your supposition.” Tony’s eyes were cold “So stand down and get out of the way.”

Katie felt her jaw drop slightly before she composed herself, and stared back at him. He was past all reasoning with, Steve had been right.

“No.” She shook her head slightly.

“I mean it Katie, get out of-”

“You forget, I’m a Stark as well.” She interrupted with a hiss. “And I can be equally as obnoxious, pig headed and stubborn as you so no. I won’t move.”

“All right, I’ve run out of patience.” Tony snapped. “Underoos!”

Steve frowned at the seemingly random call, before blinking in shock as something whipped through the air and caught his shield, pulling it out of his grip. At the same time as the shield was pulled up, something came down to bind his wrists together, and then Katie’s. They both glanced down in surprise at the sticky, web-like material before they looked at each other and then both lifted their heads back up to see the figure that had stolen Steve’s shield landing crouched on a nearby truck. He was dressed in a red and blue suit, and Katie recognised him as the enhanced being that had been taking the world by storm recently on the internet.

“Nice job, kid.” Tony called approvingly as Steve and Katie continued to somewhat gawk as the kid and Tony exchanged banter before he looked at Steve and gave him a shy salute

“Cap. Captain.” Steve nodded at him, the amusement of the situation rising on his face despite the circumstances. “Big fan, I’m Spider-Man.”

“Yeah,” Tony interrupted again, looking frustrated, “we’ll talk about it later. Just…good job.” He finished with a sigh.

“You’ve been busy.” Steve commented not bothering to hide his amusement.

“And you’ve been a complete idiot.” Tony snapped the anger in his voice evident “Dragging in Clint. “

“We didn’t drag in anyone-“ Katie started

'Rescuing Wanda’ from a place she doesn’t even want to leave. A safe place. I’m trying to keep-” “Did you even ask her if she wanted to be there before you locked her up?” Katie cut him off.

Tony glared at his sister, taking a deep breath to calm down. “I’m trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.”

All traces of humour from the situation evaporated as Steve answered steadily, unable to bite back the dig that had been bubbling away at him for ages. “You did that when you signed.”

Tony’s eyes turned cold, "Alright, we’re done.” He said quietly before raising his voice sharply once again. "You’re gonna turn Barnes over and you’re gonna come with us. Now! Because it’s us!“ He tossed his hands wildly indicating to his team. "Or a squad of J-SOC, guys with no compunction about being impolite.”

Katie said nothing, instead she moved so that she was stood slightly in front of Steve and levelled her brother with a look. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“Well then, I guess you’ve made your choice.” Tony shot back, somewhat childishly.

“For fucks sake Tony!” She exclaimed as she looked skywards with a groan. “This isn’t about choices, it’s about stopping a bunch of soldiers far more dangerous than anyone can comprehend…”

“We found it.” Sam’s voice rang in their ears as Katie continued to hold eye contact with Tony, watching him intently as she waited for the right moment. “The quinjet’s in hanger five, north runway.”

Quickly Katie and Steve both held their bound hands high above their heads, catching Tony by surprise, as an arrow came flying from out of nowhere and cut through Steve’s bonds, then Katie’s, in single swoop without a problem.

And then it was game on. Lang managed to get Steve his shield back and the two groups began to tussle slightly- one team’s intention focussed solely on getting to the jet and the other’s focussed solely on stopping them.

And they were so close to getting there too. There had been no casualties, neither side fighting to hurt the other, but as Katie and Steve regrouped with Wanda, Scott, Clint, Sam and Bucky, and sprinted across the tarmac, they were all forced to come to a quick stop as a laser fired on the floor right before them.

“Captain Rogers.” Vision called as he began to float down in front of them. “I know you believe what you’re doing is right.”

Steve tensed as his group stood in a loose line on either side of him, staring at Vision. The android was joined by Tony and Natasha, and then Rhodey and T'Challa, and finally Spider-Man as they all stood still on the other side of the jagged line Vision’s beam had created.

“But, for the collective good,” Vision finished as he landed, “you must surrender now.”

“What do we do Cap?” Sam was the one to ask breaking the silence, only it wasn’t Steve that answered, it was Katie.

“We fight.” She answered simply, swallowing, her eyes fixed on her brother.

Steve glanced down at her, he really didn’t want to do this, but he knew there was no choice. They had to get to those soldiers. His hand briefly entwined round hers and she looked at him, giving him a short nod, before he let go and the pair of them started to walk forward, the rest of their team following as they picked up the pace and broke into a run.

Tony and Steve were the first to collide, Tony brining down his metal encased fist onto Steve’s shield which he brought up just in time to deflect the hit. Natasha and Ant-Man went at it for the second time, whilst King T'Challa had eyes for no one else but Bucky pouncing on him immediately and tackling him down to the ground.

Katie felt something hit her back and turned, just in time for her to be launched off the floor and sent flying across the tarmac as Spiderman had caught her in his webbing, dragging her out of the fray.

“Man.” She mumbled, getting up “I hate spiders”

“Heads up!” Clint shouted and Katie ducked as he fired an arrow up at Spiderman, who dodged it easily once more. “This kid is startin’ to piss me off.” Clint muttered, aiming another arrow. This one cut right through the webbing Spider Man had been using to propel himself around and he fell to the floor, a loud crash as he collided with one of the upturned cars.

Clint jogged off towards where he had fallen, and behind Katie something exploded sending her flying into the air, fast and then she began to fall, hard. She braced herself for the impact, as the ground rose to meet her, this was going to hurt. Suddenly a metal arm curved round her waist and Bucky turned them both in mid-air, before crashing into a pile of crates. He took the brunt of the impact, Katie landing on him, back to his chest. She moved to stand up and spotted that T’Challa was leaping through the air but Sam swooped in using both feet to kick him back before flying back up into the sky.

“You alright?” Bucky asked as he got up.

“Yeah, I had a soft landing.” She smiled. “Thanks Buck.”

He gave her a quick nod before he dodged off to his left again, and it was then that Katie saw in the space he had left to her left a flash of red-hair making a sprint to the hangar.

“Damned it Nat.” Katie mumbled as she set off at after her.

Steve found a slight reprieve in the fight and ended up pressed against the side of a set of the airport steps, looking at Bucky who was a few feet away from him.

“We got to go.” Bucky spoke earnestly “That guy’s probably in Siberia by now.”

“We’ve gotta draw out the fliers.” Steve replied, looking up before he glanced back at Bucky “I’ll take Vision, you get to the jet.”

“No, you get to the jet, I’ll take Vision.” Sam countered over the coms “The rest aren’t getting out of here.”

"As much as I hate to admit it,” Clint chimed in, “if we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.”

“Clint’s right, this isn’t the real fight, Steve.” Katie shot urgently, sounding a little out of breath. Instinctively, Steve glanced around for his wife, but couldn’t see her. With a bit of luck she’d found somewhere to hide. He hated this, hated that she was fighting her brother. Hell, he hated that he was fighting her brother, or any of the other Avengers for that matter. But they HAD to get to Siberia. Nothing else mattered but stopping those soldiers being unleashed.

“Alright, Sam, what’s the plan?” Steve asking, looking up.

“We need a diversion. Something big.“

"I got something kind of big,” Scott joined in suddenly. “But I can’t hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don’t come back for me.”

“He’s tearing himself in half?” Bucky frowned as he looked at Steve who shrugged.

“You’re sure about this, Scott?” Steve asked.

“I do it all the time. I mean once, in a lab. And I passed out.” Scott confirmed doing absolutely nothing to ease the Captain’s worries.

And then suddenly Steve felt something huge behind him and he spun round, stopping momentarily, his mouth dropping open. Scott had appeared out of nowhere, only now he was at least a hundred feet tall and he grabbed Rhodes in mid-air as the War Machine flew by after Sam.

“I guess that’s the signal.” Steve looked at Bucky.

“Way to go, tic-tac!” Sam chuckled while Scott laughed.

Across the field, Katie reached the hangar and stepped inside, looking around. It was silent.

“I know you’re here Nat. I saw you come in.” With that Nat stepped out from the shadows at the side of the jet and Katie sighed. “Just listen to me. Please.”

“I never thought Steve would let you all fight us like this.” The red head looked at her. “Not for him.”

“It’s not like that. Tony is wrong.”

“I’ve seen first-hand what the Winter Soldier can do.” And with that Nat aimed a blow at Katie. She dodged it and grabbed Natasha’s arm, using it to flip her over her head. Nat landed on her feet behind Katie, who spun round in time to see her discharge a stinger at her which she narrowly managed to avoid.

The two friends then began to fight. They grappled, dodged, punched, kicked and then by some fluke of fortune, Katie managed to get behind Natasha, wrapping her in a headlock, forearm over her throat.

“I taught you well, too well it seems.” Natasha chuckled and Katie tightened her hold a little.

“Just listen!” She pleaded “The Winter Soldier is every bit as dangerous as you say…”

“Then why are you defending him!?” Natasha yelled, twisting from underneath Katie and pinning her arm up behind her back before kicking her hard, sending her flying forward and to the floor.

“I’m not, I’m defending Bucky, but that isn’t what this is about!” Katie shook her head, as she lay on the floor. “It’s about stopping them!”

“Stopping who- what do you mean them?” Natasha asked, momentarily faltering.

“There are more.�� Katie looked at her, earnestly “More Winter Soldiers. At least five.”

“I don’t believe you.” Nat shook her head, eyes wide.

“Oh come on Nat, look at what it’s caused, why would I lie?” Katie groaned. “Bucky was framed by the Doctor that the UN let in to question him. He needed Bucky to tell him where he could find the others. And now he knows where they are, he has the power to control them. We have to stop him.”

Suddenly there was a loud crash, something had hit the metal tower outside the hangar. Nat turned towards it which was all the distraction Katie needed. She jumped up, and aimed a kick at Natasha’s right knee causing her to stumble forward. At that point Steve and Bucky burst into the hangar, and could do nothing but watch as Natasha spun round, right leg raised but Katie was ready. She grabbed Nat’s foot stopping her, so Natasha then pushed off with her left, swinging it at Katie’s head. But Katie had seen that move thousands of times and was ready. She ducked down and used the foot she had hold of to flip Nat back over. As Nat landed on her feet, Katie leapt into the air and used every inch of momentum she could muster to aim a hard double kick into Nat’s chest which sent her crashing into side of the jet. Katie landed on her back, slightly winded.

“Impressive.” Bucky had a smirk on his face as they crossed towards the women and Steve glared at him, causing Bucky to frown. “What?” “Nothing.” Steve replied, gruffly, not wanting to voice the fact that his mind had, once again, taken him back to being a jealous little punk at the most inopportune moments it could ever have chosen. He strode forward, offering his wife a hand as he pulled her up.

“You ok?” He asked, his hand falling to the side of her neck tenderly. Katie nodded, before she spotted Natasha in the corner of her eye scrambling to her feet, arm raised, stinger aimed.

“Damned it Nat!” Katie yelled, looking at her, pleading with her eyes. “Just trust us on this one, please!”

“You’re not gonna stop are you?”

“You know I can’t Nat.” Steve shook his head..

“I’m gonna regret this.”

She fired a stinger, but not at any of them. Instead it sailed over Katie’s shoulder causing them to spin round and see T’Challa stumbling over.

“Go.” Nat instructed, not looking at them.

Steve glanced around at Bucky, then to Katie and opened his mouth to tell Katie to stay where she was but she cut him off before he could even start. With a shake of her head she looked at him. “I’m not staying here.”

“She’s right.” Nat shot another stinger. “If she does she’s going to jail, you need to go now.”

Steve didn’t argue again, they were going to need all the help they could get, but he wasn’t completely happy about Katie facing off against another five Super Soldiers without her suit. But he’d worry about that when they got there, hopefully he could convince her to stay on the jet.

Without so much as a glance back, they ran up the ramp onto the jet and soon they were airborne and after a tense chase involving Rhodey, Vision and Sam, they were clear, and cruising their way to Siberia.

******

Tony had made a mistake. He knew that as soon as FRIDAY had patched through the update from the Berlin police. Barnes had been telling the truth. Which meant that his sister and brother-in-law were now about to face off with five super assassins. And the thought terrified him, not so much for the two super soldier, but for Kiddo, especially she had no suit.

He had to try and make this right.

Once the helicopter was landed, he climbed out, the rough sea wind whipping his suit jacket up slightly as Ross walked out to meet him.

“So?” Tony looked at him, shifting to try and make himself a little more comfortable, the sling on his arm was already pissing him off. “Did you get the files? Let’s re-route the satellites, and start face scanning for this Zemo guy.”

“You seriously think I’m gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig?” Ross shook his head as he looked at Tony. “You’re luck you’re not in one of these cells.” He added, making Tony raise his eyebrow. He stayed quiet and followed Ross into the depth of the prison. Ross stopped outside a door which was flanked by two guards, before he turned to face him. “Now, let me make one thing clear, Stark. You’re only here because I need you to find out where Rogers has gone. And I don’t give a shit that your sister is with him.” Tony took a deep breath and held Ross’ gaze as the man continued. “But I know that you will, so it’s in your interest to find out and tell us.”

“And then what?”

“Well I got a cell waiting for them too.” Ross shrugged. “Although we might be able to come to some arrangement if they sign the Accords.”

Tony bit back the snort that was threatening to erupt from his throat, as he knew there was more chance of hell freezing over. But, instead, he took a deep breath and nodded.

“I want to know where they are too. I couldn’t give a shit about Rogers or Barnes, but Kiddo….” He trailed off and shrugged.

Ross eyed him suspiciously, before he nodded to the guards who moved to key in the code at the side of the room. “Oh, and just so you don’t get any funny ideas, I’ll be watching and listening.”

Tony saluted him, causing Ross to give a roll of his eyes before he turned and left. Tony watched him go before he nodded to the guard and entered the room, letting out sigh as he looked at each of the cells that lined the round walls. As he glanced up at the cameras, taking in their location, a slow clapping echoed across the room.

“The futurist ladies and gentlemen.” Clint called loudly and Tony turned towards the archer. Clint didn’t even look at him as he continued sarcastically, “The futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what’s best for you, whether you like it or not.”

“Give me a break, Barton.” Tony stood in front of Clint’s cell, staring at him “I had no idea they’d put you in here.”

Clint’s spat on the floor "Yeah, well, you knew they’d put us somewhere, Tony.”

“Yeah, but, not some super max floating ocean pokey.” Tony shook his head. “You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…” He trailed off.

“Criminals?” Clint bit out as he stood and faced Tony. “Criminals, Tony. I think that’s the word you’re looking for. Right? It ain’t used to mean me, or Sam, or Wanda. Yet here we are.”

“'Cause you broke the law.”

Clint snorted turning away from the bars, “Yeah.”

“I didn’t make you.” Tony pressed, even as Clint turned to walk around his small cell while muttering “Blah, blah, blah.”

“You read it,” Tony went on speaking. “You broke it.”

“Blah blah blah.” Clint continued to mutter as he turned his back on Tony

“Alright, you’re a grown up.” Tony bit back. “You’ve got a wife and kids. I don’t understand. Why didn’t you think about them before you chose the wrong side?”

Clint’s shoulders tensed in anger and he stood up but Tony had already left continuing down the cells, “You better watch your back with this guy.” He slammed his hands on the plexiglass covering the front of his cell as he shouted angrily “There’s a chance is he’s going to break it.”

Tony’s jaw ticked as he shot a glare back but he carried on walking past Scott Lang’s cell.

“Hank Pym always said you never can trust a Stark.”

“Who are you?” Tony shrugged as he continued.

“Come on, man.” Scott sighed

“How’s Rhodes?” Sam asked when Tony stopped in front of his cell, not turning around from where he was facing towards the back.

“We’re flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow.” Tony replied. “So, fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?”

Sam turned to him revealing his black eye. “You’re the good cop now?” He asked, smirking sarcastically

“I’m just a guy who needs to know where Steve went.”

“Yeah well you’re gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

“I figured as much.” Tony mumbled as he lifted his wrist in front of his sling and pressed a button on his watch. Sam arched an eyebrow questioningly.

“Oh, I just knocked the 'A’ out of their 'AV’.” He looked at Sam. “We got about thirty seconds before they realise it’s not their equipment.”

Sam glanced up at the camera before Tony spoke again, pressing another button on his watch flashing him her an image of the dead psychiatrist lying in a bathtub,

“Just look…because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly I made a mistake. I was wrong.”

“That’s a first.” Sam muttered

“Look, Cap is definitely off the reservation and he’s about to face off against fuck knows what with my sister by his side. They’re gonna need all the help they can get.” Tony sighed “I messed up alright, I can fix this if you just-”

“Okay.” Sam sighed, “I’ll tell you, but you have to go alone, and as a friend.”

"Easy.” Tony shrugged and Sam quickly gave him the location.

With a nod, Tony headed to the room of the door, banged on it, and it swung open and he strode purposefully back towards his chopper.

“Stark, did they give you anything on Rogers?” Ross followed him.

“Nope, told me to go to hell.” Tony climbed casually into his helicopter as he added, “I’m going back to the compound instead. But, you can call me anytime. I’ll put you on hold, I like to watch the light blink.”

As soon as the prison was out of sight, Tony removed the brace off his arm and loosened his tie and then, with a short moment to contemplate what was about to happen, he took a deep breath and pressed a button on the helicopter controls, laying back as the seat collapsed beneath him while the Iron Man suit unfolded itself and attached onto him.

Chapter 32 Part 1

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers x ofc #Katie Stark #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers smut #the avengers #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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anika-ann · 4 years

Text

Attached: Hurtful Words Pt.3

Type: (mini)-series, Modern-college-professor AU… aka the wrong attachment AU ;)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader Word count: 6420 + 280 (you’ll see)

Summary: Graduation day, yay! Says no one, ever.

Except for Penny, who practically drags you to enjoy one of the most important days of your lives. You go along, just because. Hell, who knows - maybe you’ll like it in the end.

A/N: Attached: Hurtful Words is an addition that loosely followes the Attached series. You don’t necessarily need to read the mini-series as a whole, but you will understand much better.

Warnings: mentions of name calling and humiliation,swearing, some angst and lots of talking and maybe... ;)

Story masterlist

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

You had been through several phases of dealing with what happened and they came and went and came and went, one blending into another, other times changing so sharply and quickly as if you flipped a metaphorical switch.

But what stayed for the majority of the time was that you simply had no idea what should you do.

One moment, you were certain that this was a sign from above telling you to break things off with Steve, because no matter the beautiful moments you had shared, continuing the relationship was an epitome of asking for more trouble and even though you had never met a guy so close to your dream man, you wondered if it was worth it.

The next minute, you mentally yelled at yourself and called yourself a dumb ungrateful bitch, convinced that this was in fact a trial, an ordeal by fire; a test you had to pass so your relationship came out stronger from it. Your faith was rock-solid that Steve was it, because after all, he was the closest guy to your dream man that you had ever met.

Your emotions were bubbling, the order of stages of grief all messed up, a mixture of self-pity, anger, resignation, denial---shame.

And shame seemed to be a theme that stuck, because the longer you were stalling and leaving Steve’s kind supportive and pleading messages without reply, the worse you felt, ashamed to reach out now, after such a long and pointed silence. Because Steve hadn’t relented, keeping in touch and very obviously staying convinced that you two could push through; the stark contrast of your doubts and his unshakable belief was breaking both your heart and mind.

How did you even deserve him? He stood by your side, at least as much as he could… while his name was in the poem too and he was probably dealing with so much shit right now and yet he didn’t cease reaching out while you left him in a lurch and really, you must have been the worst girlfriend ever.

If you even still were a girlfriend… though Steve appeared to still consider you one and it was making you want to tear your hair out, frustrated with your own stupid overthinking ass.

Penny, bless her, was there the whole time, loyal by your side instead of drinking herself into oblivion in a celebration of her bachelor degree. She was there as well when you received a text yesterday morning, followed by longer-than-usual silence.

I know this has little chance of reaching you, but know this: say the word and I will leave you alone to the point of not going to the ceremony at all despite my presence being formally half-required. Or I’ll be there and stay away. Anything you want, anything that helps you to enjoy your special day. You deserve to celebrate such a great success and I’d hate to be the reason for you to miss out on a memory that will last a lifetime. You deserve the world, sweetheart; and if you don’t want to me to be the one who gives it to you, I’ll have to accept it. Congratulation.

The text had to be split into three separate units, but the message was clear and you had a good thorough cry at it, your shaky conviction growing firmer and earning a solid base.

He had hit a nail on the head – you had been considering not going and then definitely going and then not again, back and forth for various reasons, but mostly because of him; too excited, too hopeful and too scared to meet him.

And to think you had been once afraid of facing him after you suspected that he had read your smutty story about him… this was so much more terrifying than that and now you were biting on your lips, slightly redder due to the lipstick you had applied for the ceremony, and you glanced up to meet Penny’s narrowed eyes in the mirror.

“Don’t you bail out on me now. You promised yesterday that you’d go,” she reminded you, half-concerned, half-strict.

You sighed, knowing fully that she spoke the truth.

“I know. It’s just…”

It’s just that I haven’t replied to Steve, AGAIN, and I don’t know if he’s gonna be there. And what I am going to do if he is.

And what I’m going to do if he isn’t.

Penny charmed a supportive grin, walking to you and putting her hand on your shoulder, squeezing it in comfort until you managed to swallow your nerves for a brief second and return the smile weakly.

She squealed and pulled you to her side, a happy twinkle in her chocolate-coloured eyes.

“We did it, girl! We fucking made it to the end of bachelor studies! And we’re gonna enjoy every moment of that mummery that comes with it!”

You couldn’t but snort, amused at her exclaim, while tears burned in your eyes, a mixture of nerves, grief and happiness.

“Yeah. I guess we should.”

“That’s my girl!”

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

For all you wanted to enjoy this day with your friend since your family wouldn’t be able to make it, the first thing your eyes searched for in the crowd getting ready for the ceremony was a broad figure with blond hair, a beard and the most beautiful eyes you couldn’t but fall in love with.

Your stomach, tight from nerves and anticipation, dropped to your feet and you had to focus on keeping the tears at bay.

Steve wasn’t here.

The professors were always seated together, expected to hang out in a group – which somehow provided them safety from both students in the gowns and the few individuals who didn’t understand the dress code and arrived in jeans and sweatshirts – and you couldn’t see Steve among them. You even caught a sight of Bucky; and if Steve wasn’t with him, well, then it was clear that he decided to stay home.

Home. You had felt at home with him too, but that was over now.

What did you expect though? You ignored him for almost a week and even a guy like Steve, so amazing and understanding, would lose his patience with such inconsiderate and downright bratty attitude.

Your heart weighted a ton, heavy in your chest, pounding anxiously at the thought.

Was this how you parted ways? Just… fading away? Two lovers, two people in love – and you had realized over the past few days that Steve must have truly loved you – falling apart for the lack of communication? What a cliché.

But really, how could you have kept your hopes up that he would show up? Because it was sort of expected from the professors? Please. Because he had asked you to let him know if you didn’t want him here… and you hadn’t responded? Again? Right.

Yes, you hadn’t requested that he stayed away – then again, you hadn’t exactly begged him to come either. All that because you let yourself fall into the pit of doubts and allowed them to eat at your soul and ruin your relationship with the best man you had ever met instead of holding onto him for a dear life.

You guessed it served you right, more so now, in this very moment.

Because right now, your resolve and faith that you had been meant to be with Steve felt more solid than ever. By the laws of human nature, by its very essence, you were certain of what you wanted the moment you understood that you lost it.

A tug at your hand snapped you from your gloomy self-depreciating thoughts, your head automatically turning the direction the intrusion came from. Penny’s face came into view and she frowned as she saw you blink away tears.

“Hey! No brooding today! Today is a great win of our lives. You hear me?” she scolded you lightly, her eyes twinkling with true happiness and you gulped, nodding obediently.

“Right. Sorry. You’re right of course.”

“Damn right I am.”

You charmed a pathetic smile for her and looked at the other students in the black gowns to distract yourself from one single thought – Is it a win? Or is it the final prove of my loss?

You desperately tried to believe Pen and forced yourself to focus on the bright side, on what you were supposed to be delighted for; you finished your bachelor studies. Yay!

Yet, despite your best efforts, the ceremony and the speeches from the professors and the officials of your university, all the ‘mummery’ as Penny called it, happened in a strange haze.

Perhaps that was how everyone felt, drunk on euphoria instead? You guessed. You thought you might have smiled at some point, fuelled by a brief moment of true victory.

You stood there among other students, your eyes on the stage where Sharon Carter, a student at the top of your class, walked to the stand to give a speech.

You weren’t exactly friends with Sharon – you talked sometimes, more of a common courtesy exchanged simply because you were classmates. Still, you were mildly curious about what she had to say; she was marked a great student for a reason and she tended to have the ability to catch attention and awake something in others when she talked. An excellent choice for the speech – however, you caught yourself nervously toying with the cap of the case with your diploma, feeling fatigue of the past days catching up with you.

God, you wanted to go back to your whining and misery, not because you revelled in it, but because in the safety of your dorm room, you didn’t have to put up a front of a student excited to graduate. Not that you were any good at the pretence.

“Good morning, everyone. Mr. President, Mr. Dean, Professors… and most importantly, students. For some of us, the journey ends here – we are about to leave the not-so-safe space of the university and try our chances out there, in the open and much more dangerous world,” Carter started, a mild smile on her lips. “That said, it doesn’t mean that our school days were exactly easy.”

“Oh, you had no idea,” you mumbled under your breath, a pang in your ribcage reminding you just how harsh university space could be – not just because of the professors and their impossible tasks.

And they said high-school was the nightmare.

You noticed several people muttering under their breath too, for various reasons. For a brief moment, you felt shame – the pain others had been through could have been even worse, because illness and death had little regard for waiting for when it was more convenient. Who were you to complain?

Then again, you felt like you suffered enough too, your pain just as real as theirs.

Sharon looked around the audience and took a deep breath, her smile turning almost wistful as if she could hear your thoughts.

“While I’m up here, I would like to do something… a bit unconventional. I know this day shouldn’t be dedicated to one person and that is not what I want to do, but I have to speak up. After all, that is what history taught us – that we have to speak up. I want to talk about something everyone who stands here know – sadly, because it was perfectly wide-spread at the university.”

Whispers rose in the crowds along with your pulse skyrocketing.

Fuck. Fuck, she wouldn’t.

Right?! This was something else she was talking about, something you had missed, because you were too busy sulking.

You grabbed Penny’s hand at your side, squeezing harshly and shot her a panicked look, wordlessly pleading her to tell you this was not happening and you were just projecting, imagining this was some nightmare coming to life.

She gave you a side-eye and beckoned her chin to the stage again. Your breathing picked up, your knees feeling weak.

Oh my god, oh fucking shit this was happening.

Why the fuck Sharon wanted to open this can of worms publicly?! Did she hate you?

Granted, you weren’t paying much attention to other people’s faces, but you were hopeful that the mess was slowly dying down and people weren’t necessarily staring at you.

Now, the small circle of people around you who obviously knew where you were, glanced at you pointedly.

Hadn’t your ears been ringing and your panic rising, you might have found it weird that they were smiling at you – and not in a condescending or malicious way.

“Come on. Listen to what she has to say,” Penny whispered to your ear and you eyed her, shocked to find her smiling as well.

A terrible realization hit you like a train.

“Wait, you knew about this?” you hissed angrily, your stomach somersaulting. The actual FUCK?! “You knew she was gonna talk about that? What the hell? Why?!”

Was that why she made you come here?

“Oh honey, you have no idea what was happening these past few days, do you? Just listen.”

Huh?! What the fuck did Penny meant by-

“I just want to remind to the people feeding bad blood that the girl I’m talking about – a smart young woman who had accepted her diploma today, one of us – she earned her degree. In fact, she probably had to work even harder, because that’s the policy, a sort of a reverse favouritism. The records of her exams are much more detailed and she was under scrutiny, she had to prove that she was nothing the self-proclaimed experts were calling her.”

As outside your body as you felt, in this surreal moment where Sharon Carter talked about your dirty laundry during your damn graduation ceremony, the word ‘whore’ still popped in your mind in angry red letters and chased tears into your eyes, the humiliation you had felt when you first spotted the poem overwhelming you again.

“She had to face every evil glare people sent her way, glares she faced for something as simple as being in love. And just so you know, I have it from a reliable source-“ she pretended to cough while saying Penny’s full name, “-her roommate, that for the long months she’s been with her favourite man, it was in fact Professor Phillips whose name she was whispering in her sleep, because we all know he’s a real hard-ass; my condolences to Professor Rogers.”

Chuckles erupted in the crowd and you felt your lips twitch involuntarily. More and more people were turning to you as their colleagues elbowed their ribs to subtly point in your direction.

You lowered your gaze, embarrassed by so much attention – a positive one, it seemed.

When the hell did that happen?

“Also, all kudos to Nelson and Murdock, who accepted our request and are now suing the hell out of the Expert One and Two, possibly Three, for defamation and possible attempted assault.”

Your heart skipped a beat.

A breathy “Wait, what?!” fell from your lips.

“They offered to do it for free, but I think that a small donation never hurt anyone. You’ll find the link on the forum dedicated to our girl. You’ll find the link to that forum in your inbox if you haven’t already.”

There was a forum dedicated to you?! To hate you or to support you? How could you… not know about that?

Probably had something to do with how you shut off the whole world… social media included. Hell, especially those.

And the people who wrote the poem and sent it to everyone on uni could actually… be sued? It was that serious? From the legal side, not yours, you were sufficiently ruined about that you had no doubt-

“Let’s clap for Nelson and Murdock as they wave at us. Thank you, gentlemen!” Sharon called out and everyone’s head turned to a pair of lawyers you couldn’t hope to see – but you really had to in the future, because what?!

However, you did reluctantly join the deafening applause the people present dedicated to them.

Seriously, what was happening?

“Why I’m saying all this… I know she’s here with us today, because she deserves it just like everyone else. I would like to invite her to stand to the very left of the crowd. Please, come on, our brave soul.”

Sharon’s eyes unmistakably found you as if she knew where you were standing the whole time – which she probably could. Because of Penny. And obviously, few others.

Penny nudged you with a grin and you gulped as several onlookers sent you encouraging smiles.

You felt your face burning with all the eyes on you, your head spinning.

Oh god, oh god-

“Go,” Penny whispered to your ear. “You’ll like it, I promise.”

I’ll like what exactly?

“Uh-huh, sure,” you mumbled but gave in, your shaky feet carrying you outside the line of chairs to your left – it was probably no coincidence that you didn’t have to cross the aisle, already standing on the left half.

Everything was planned, that you were starting to understand… but to what end?

“You see, I want her to understand that maybe two or three people in this damn school made a fuss, but there’s quite a lot of people who don’t think any less of her, of people who are in fact happy for her and Professor Rogers. Also, I want her to be easy to find for later purpose,” Sharon explained as you reluctantly approached the aforementioned spot.

For later purpose? Easy to find?

A hunch slowly crept up your back and you couldn’t decide whether you wanted it to be true or not.

What were the chances it was something else though?

Pretty big, in fact. Because you had no clue what a surreal world you had found yourself in and how, but it seemed like everything, even the most absurd thing you wouldn’t even dare to think about, came to life here.

“You know, the best thing about her story is that… it’s a story of all of us. I mean, not in such a great detail, gosh, we wish to own a heart of such fine man, but…” More laughter erupted from the crowd and you choked on the sound ripped from your throat, something between a chuckle and a sob.

Wasn’t that the truth…

”But in the end, there is no great difference. We’re standing here today, because we pushed through. We stand here today, because this is our story of love and passion – for things, for people. It’s a story of working hard and losing sleep for something that truly matters to us. It’s a story of fighting off sticks and stones and overcoming obstacles, of fighting for our future,” Sharon said ceremonially, her voice fuelled by true yet not theatrical passion. One corner of her lips rose in a sad smile as she lightly shook her head, sending her blond hair flying. “And folks, I hate to break it to you, but it ain’t always gonna be easy. But the fact that we’re here today, in these ridiculous outfits we secretly love because they are a testimony to our success… it tells me that the future might not be the worst either.”

Sharon Carter made a pregnant pause, eyes searching in the sea of faces watching her, until her gaze fell at someone near you and her lips spread in an almost cheeky smile, one you hadn’t know she was capable of.

Before you could try and see what was the cause – even if the rapid beats of your heart already seemed to know the answer – she delivered an explanation.

“Isn’t that right, Professor Rogers?”

Hushed voices and shocked exclaims reached your ears, but you couldn’t quite hear them over the pounding of your pulse in your temples.

A tall figure with broad shoulders cladded in an unfamiliar hoodie was making its way to you, the crowd parting like a sea with each step he took. Even though he did, he didn’t have to lose the hood for your benefit – you had inspected his body thoroughly on many occasions, you knew his gait, and until now, you had believed that you were aware of every hoodie he had in his closet, because you had borrowed each and every one of them at least once when staying at his place... often.

Ruffled blond hair appeared first and then everything you had eyes for was his lips, curved in a hesitant smile and the beautiful eyes, so deep you could drown in them.

Your fingertips tingled with anticipation, your chest heaving in quick shallow breaths full of anxiety.

The expression on Steve’s face was unreadable – and yet, just seeing his face after the series of unfortunate events, was enough to chase tears into your eyes and for your feet to twitch with the unstoppable urge to run to him.

It was only the fear of his reaction that prevented you from making the tinniest move.

A pointed clearing of a throat sounded through the microphone, but you couldn’t tell if it worked on people, if they turned their attention to the person on the stage or kept watching your reunion. Reunion with Steve – who naturally hogged all your attention and as he approached you, his presence assaulting nearly all of your senses.

A sight for your sore teary eyes.

The barely audible yet deafening whisper of your name.

His natural scent mixed with his cologne and the detergent he used – even standing two feet away, you would swear you could smell it, perhaps a mirage created by your wishful memories.

The ghost of his skin and hair tickled your fingers as you had been running your hands through his hair and beard and roamed his body so often that you could practically feel it even now.

Half of the things you sensed must have been a figment of your imagination; yet, they felt very real, as did the rapid staccato of your heart hammering in your ribcage, the butterflies both pleasant and unpleasant occupying your stomach.

“Now, let the lovebirds figure it out and listen up, people…”

“Hi,” he greeted you softly, a single caress of his voice encouraging the flipping of metaphorical wings in your stomach.

“Hi,” you replied automatically, unable to think about anything better to say.

What were you supposed to say?

You had already made your peace with him not coming… to a point. You forgone all hope; so now you were desperately unprepared for him showing up, all casual-looking in jeans and a hoodie and so damn gorgeous as always.

An attempt at a smile graced his lips, his hand rising to the back of his neck in his typically bashful gesture as he self-consciously looked around.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea they would make such a fuss. I just followed the instructions and showed up-“

You heart sank to your gut; your body, warming up in his presence alone as he was your personal sun, suddenly felt cold with the metaphorical bucket of icy water his words provided.

He came here because someone told him to – someone who planned this stunt, this ridiculous and utterly stupid show. What was next? Were you supposed to kiss for the audience?

The same nausea you remembered feeling when seeing the poem hit you all over again; Steve didn’t want to be here.

He wasn’t here for you, he wasn’t here because he wanted to set things right.

The pain erupting in your chest was shocking and burned like a flame fed on gasoline. You truly were over and his words-

“No, wait, that came out wrong!” he hurried, crossing the short distance between you in three long steps and you would have taken a step back, hadn’t your feet rooted into the ground. “I came… I’m here because I wanted to see you. I missed you, sweetheart.”

Tears rolled freely down your face, the endearment sending a shiver down your spine, the admission sparking a warm light within you again.

You met his gaze, your knees shaking slightly in weakness, threatening to give out as you feared what exactly you would see in his eyes.

You could melt right there when you were met with the same softness he always observed you with, a blue-green sea of wonder and love, tainted with reluctance and regret.

You pressed your lips together in effort to stop your jaw from quivering.

Regret you were more than familiar with; conflict, sorrow, self-pity, anger, resignation, shame… those were the other emotions which you guessed he could read on your face.

His brows furrowed and he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“I’m not here to guilt trip you. Actually-“ Steve started again and finally, as his hand disappeared in the front pocket of the hoodie, you found your voice, interrupting him.

“I missed you too,” you sobbed, covering your mouth as soon as the pathetic sound left your lips.

Steve’s own lips parted in awe, his gaze somewhat lighting up with a new hearty emotion.

But once you started talking, finally, finally speaking up, the dam broke and the waterfall of words couldn’t be stopped.

“And I’m sorry, Steve, I’m so sorry for shutting you off like that, you didn’t deserve that and you were probably in a small personal hell too, I don’t even know if your job was affected and how are doing and it’s not right, I wasn’t supposed to ignore all your calls and texts, I was supposed to-“

“-reach out when you’re ready,” he finished for you, completely differently than you had intended.

It shut you up effectively.

“Look… I understand. It was tough and it still is and if you want this to be the last time we ever talk-- then it will,” he rasped, his voice breaking towards the end of the sentence, your heart squeezing painfully at both the premise and at hearing him hurting.

God, how much he must have been hurting for the past few days and now he was talking about understanding you and forgiving you for ghosting him and still offering you an out and--- Jesus fucking Christ, you were going to drown in your own tears.

And Steve reached into that damn pocket again and even if you had no idea what was there, you had a hunch it was some kind of a gift – either a parting gift or something for your graduation and you simply couldn’t--- you didn’t care for some materialistic shit right now-

You just needed to feel him again.

Taking one single step at a lightning speed, you let the diploma case fall to the ground and threw your arms around Steve’s neck, burying your face in his chest, drawing a surprised huff from him.

A box dug into your stomach, the content of the front pocket, but you didn’t give a fuck.

Not when Steve’s arms sneaked around your waist and shoulder with no hesitation, engulfing you, his nose burying into your hair—and cursing when the cap got in his way.

You chuckled madly into his hoodie, your fingers clutching the fabric when his daring lips awkwardly found a way to your temple.

You felt like you were touched by an angel, delighted laughter that shook both of your entangled bodies ripping from your throat along with a sob.

“Shit, Steve, I’m so sorry, I missed you so much, please forgive me, please, please, please-“

“No way. Nothing to forgive-“

“Like hell it isn’t-“

“It hurt, but I get it. I truly do,” he whispered frantically, his hands moving to push you away just enough to frame your damp face with his big warm palms. “You just needed time to process what happened.”

You nodded and then lowered your gaze in shame – because you were incredibly embarrassed for your further cowardice, sobbing like a stupid five-year-old. “And then I—I was scared that you wouldn’t care anymore- that it was too late-“

God, now when you said it out loud, it sounded even more pathetic, but that was now, in his arms, when everything made so much more sense-

He shook his head, causing you to look up again just in time to see the flash of hurt in his brilliant irises disappearing. With a brief smile passing his lips, he held your face more firmly in attempt to maintain eye contact.

“No. It would take a whole lot more for me to stop caring and there still would be no guarantee it would work,” he promised, gaze so intense that you couldn’t but believe him, no matter how unreal his words sounded. “You are not what they called you and you are mine, as long as you want, because I love you. Okay? I love you, because yeah, I still think you’re really freaking amazing.”

You chuckled at his choice of words, your heart bursting with their message. The heavy burden resting upon your shoulders dropped at last – and you felt as light as a feather, bound to the man staring into your eyes as if they were the last thing he wanted to see should he turn blind the next second.

He still loved you. Steve still loved you and both your heart and mind were enamoured of him, overwhelmed with his declaration.

You were not good with your words – in fact, in that moment, you were certain you forgot all the words in English language and in every other language you had ever tried to learn too.

There was only one language left to use then; the universal one that could fit thousands of words into one single second.

You let go of Steve’s hoodie, grabbed his face instead and pulled, rising to your tiptoes in hope to reach his lips with yours.

Luckily for you, he got the message before you could pathetically kiss only the patch of skin under his chin and allowed you to move him as much as you wanted.

And by Gods, did you want, finally adding the fifth sense into the play. Taste. You missed how he tasted and how his beard scratched against your sensitive skin-

Your tears spiked your kiss with salt, but neither of your cared as you pushed through the seam of his lips, letting him know what you desired before passing on the lead to him, an open-mouthed kiss full of desire, longing and raw emotions causing you to forget all about your surroundings until a low wolf-whistle sounded on your right, bringing you back to reality.

You parted involuntarily, foreheads resting against each other, warm tears still rolling down your cheeks, but now getting lost in your content smiles.

“I love you, Steve. I love you and if you love me too, then we belong together and whoever thinks otherwise can shove their opinion where the sun doesn’t shine,” you echoed his words from almost a year ago, words that stuck with you, because they were true.

You and Steve, you were the ones who mattered. These were your lives, your relationship, and you had done nothing wrong.

Because you loved each other.

Steve’s mouth caught yours for a short moment, nothing but a nip at your lips – a silent agreement followed by a warm smile, mirroring your own.

“Will you let me give you a little something now?” he whispered, sounding slightly amused as that would be the third attempt that day and the urge to slap his arm for being cheeky felt like a surge of pure life into your veins. The familiarity made your heart sing.

You glanced up at him, retreating and eyed him from head to toe in an appreciative and yet teasing matter. “Haven’t you already? How do I unwrap you, mister?”

Steve chuckled and pulled out a rectangular box, holding it out for you.

“Here. Congratulation to your bachelor degree. And know that if you don’t like it, we can always pick something else.”

You were only human – and curiosity might have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back and the curiosity was killing you now as well. You bit down on your lip, not quite succeeding at masking your excited smile; even if you weren’t exactly deserving of a gift from Steve at the moment, which he would probably argue with, you couldn’t deny that you were touched by the gesture and who were you kidding, you did enjoy receiving a gift. And it was your graduation ceremony, you deserved to celebrate in every way imaginable.

You carefully took the box from Steve, tender fingers caressing the bow stuck on top. Hesitating only a second, enjoying the brief intoxicating anticipation, you lifted the lid.

Your breath got stuck in your throat as you revealed the necklace.

The chain, probably silver, was very delicate, carrying a simply decorated heart with a winding line in the middle, as if the heart was broken. Despite the symbolism, you couldn’t but revel at its beauty.

“Steve,” you breathed out shakily, unable to tear your gaze away from the jewellery, tears, dried at last, threatening to escape your eyes again. “This is… so beautiful. So much-“

You lifted your gaze, only to meet his twinkling eyes. “You like it?”

You nearly choked at the absurdity of the question. Liked it?

“Steve, it’s—like it? It’s breath-taking. You shouldn’t have- that’s-” Shit, this must have been so expensive- but you had seen it now and you loved it and you didn’t want to part with ever. “-but I absolutely want to keep it now.”

Steve chuckled lightly at your antics, but you took no offence since you were being a bit greedy.

You reached out to brush the pendant with the softest of touches – and sucked a breath in fright when it fell apart, causing you to realize for the first time that the heart could be divided in two, each part having its own loop on the chain.

“Oh,” you let out in surprise, your mind racing. Now that definitely was symbolic. Not a broken heart. Two parts of one heart. “That’s… does this mean one half is for you?”

As you asked the question to make sure, you looked up to Steve’s face, only to find a blush creeping up his neck.

“Uhm… I mean-“

“That’s so cute! And cheesy. So sweet though! I guess we do fit…” you mused, a goofy smile from the swirl of emotions today a testimony of how mushy the lovely and meaningful gift turned you. Steve’s blush deepened, but a delighted smile spread on his lips, eyes soft, so you assumed he was simply happy you liked it. “And we do complete each other.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Steve whispered, clasping your free hand in his, caressing tenderly before bringing it to his lips and dropping a barely-there kiss on its back.

“Would you wear it?” you queried, slightly nervous. “One of the halves I mean.”

It might have been his idea, but did you read him correctly?

“If that’s what you want. Give me your half and keep mine,” he offered, one corner of his lips higher in a cheeky and yet tender smile.

“You got a deal, Stevie. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. I was going to give you a key to the apartment officially, kneel on one knee and all that-“

“WHAT?!”

He wanted to do what?!

“-to ask you if you want to move in permanently, but I understand that we’ve been through a lot, you’ve been through a lot, so while the offer stands, I don’t want you to feel pressured or-“

Oh really? Then why did he even tell you about it?

Your heart felt like beating its way out of your chest, the widest grin spreading on your lips. Staring at Steve as he was stuttering, you couldn’t decide whether he was nervous about asking, trying his luck, or was teasing you, knowing all too well what you were about to say.

Oh god, your head was spinning, again-

“Yes!” you blurted out before you could think twice, shocking the stammering mess of Steve into silence.

“Really?!” he shot back in awe, his lips left parted in genuine surprise – and his expression was pure relief.

“Yes. If you mean it – and God help you if you don’t-“ And you were serious, if he was messing with you now— he wouldn’t, right? Steve wouldn’t joke about such important topic, about your life together.

“Of course I mean it-”

You squealed, closing the box you had nearly dropped in shock and hugged Steve as tight as you could, causing him to huff for the second time that day. Oh you were never letting go of him!

The crowd you entirely forgot about cheered and you jumped away from Steve as if burned, horrified that they had been following your reconciliation and displays of love this whole time-

And then you noticed the graduation caps in the air, a tradition celebrating the success of your year. You grinned at the image, catching Steve’s gaze.

“Go on,” he encouraged you, mirroring your grin when you reached for the square cap, swinging and sending it high in the air.

A yelp escaped you as you found yourself in the air as well in a blink of an eye, nestled in Steve’s arms as he laughed madly, pure delight shining from his eyes; and love. So much love.

You barely caught the cap, not really caring for it when in the arms of your man. You dropped a kiss to his lips, earning one in return and a few more, as you couldn’t get enough for each other after such a long time apart and so much unnecessary heartbreak.

You rested your foreheads against each other, tender meetings of lips, brushes of noses-

Steve winced and hissed in pain, causing you to withdraw and frown as you studied his face.

“Sorry, just… my nose…” he mumbled, seemingly embarrassed, “...tender.”

“From…?” you questioned, absolutely baffled. Steve sighed, but just one glare from you told him that you were not letting it go. You didn’t want him in any pain – you both lived through more enough of it in the past few days.

“Bucky punched me.”

“What?!” you blurted out, shocked to the core, and you braced yourself on Steve’s shoulders, your gaze automatically flickering through the crowd to find the culprit.

Why the heck would Bucky-

“Long story, tell you later,” Steve promised with a peck to your lips, signalling that the conversation was over. For now.

You had better things to do after all. So you only smiled in agreement – you couldn’t seem to stop smiling for some reason.

Wonder what that could be? Maybe because it finally feels like today is a win?

“I’m sure you will.”

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦- Bonus: -◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

It was the day after her own graduation when the blond was sitting on a park bench, light summer dress with cherry blossoms gently swirling around her knees, absentmindedly swiping through the apps on her phone, looking up every now and then to smile at the image of families enjoying the weather and freedom of summer.

She merely paused in her idly actions when the redhead woman she was waiting for seated herself next to her on the other end, sliding an envelope with a promised reward her way.

“As promised,” the redhead said disinterestedly, barely on a lower volume than a normal conversation would be and tugged a loose strand of her hair behind her sunglasses. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

The blond smiled softly, reaching for the envelope and subtly hid it in her purse. “Same. It was rather fun, actually.”

This time, a smile broke on the redhead’s lips as well, cocky, satisfied, but by any means false.

“Well, I heard you’re staying for your master’s. You contact Danvers if you want any more of that fun, da?”

“You better count on that, Rushman.”

“It’s Romanoff, actually,” the redhead smirked, side-eyeing the blond as she rose to her feet again, ready to go where her orders would take her. She spent one more glance at the other woman though; she had carried out her task perfectly, in a way that seem very natural. She’d make a good addition to their growing team and since Natasha was anything but unpolite… “Looking forward to working with you in the future, Carter.”

Sharon Carter felt a surge of pride and couldn’t but return the courtesy before the woman would walk away from her life for god knew how long.

“Feeling’s mutual.”

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

Attached masterlist

Attached: Words Lost in Translation

S.R.masterlist

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

Thank you for reading ♥ We’re over 40k into the series, so thank you if you stuck around :-*

Lemme know your thoughts?

You might have noticed a to-be link for another addition to the Attached series called Words Lost in Translation. It’s more of an idea in my head, very little of the actual story written, but it will hopefully involve a bit jealousy… and smut. Just FYI.

Stay happy and safe!

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cali-holland · 4 years

Text

Mixed Up in Time- Peter Parker One Shot

Pairing: Peter Parker X Rogers/Carter!Reader

Prompt: When Peter accidentally time travels back to 1960, he meets you and a few familiar faces, including your mother Peggy Carter.

Word Count: 4500

Warnings: probably swearing; bad usage of 60’s slang

Important to note: The blip happened, but we’re ignoring Steve going back to Peggy and Tony dying and the Russos’ dumb time travel rules; we’re also ignoring that Sharon and Steve were ever romantically involved

A/N: i was watching back to the future and thought of this sooo yeah

~~~

The room was pale white, and nothing looked familiar to Peter. The wooden bed frame looked new yet dated, and the mattress was incredibly uncomfortable for him to lay on. He slowly tried to sit up, but stopped as he realized his hand was locked to the nearby nightstand with a handcuff. He could easily break the handcuff- and the nightstand, but his mind was so filled with confusion, he didn’t know if that was the right thing to do. He was locked up in a foreign bedroom, he needed to play this smart.

He heard voices from behind the closed door before it opened. A man stepped inside, leaning on a crutch for support. He looked at Peter critically, like he was trying to figure out why Peter was here- and frankly, the teen was trying to figure that part out too.

The man asked, almost hesitantly, “Who sent you?”

“What?” Peter replied.

“Who sent you? Was it Hydra?”

“Hydra? No, why would Hydra send me?” He asked.

“So you are working for Hydra!” He accused, and a woman stepped into the room.

“Daniel! You’re scaring the poor boy.” She said, her brown eyes glancing over at Peter momentarily.

“Poor boy? He demolished your car when he fell out of the sky!” The man, Daniel, stated. The woman stepped in further to the room as Daniel took a step back. She smiled kindly at Peter; something about her red lips and English accent made her seem familiar to him, but it wasn’t until she spoke again that he recognized her.

“What’s your name, son? My name is Agent Carter.”

Agent Carter. The Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter.

Peter looked at her in disbelief, his eyes growing wide at her words. He slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning in frustration. He rambled helplessly, “Oh my god. Mr. Stark’s going to kill me, but I can’t believe it- he was right, it actually worked.”

“Slow down. Mr. Stark?” Peggy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “How do you know Howard?”

“Um, what year is it?” Peter replied, stress still flooding in his body.

“1960.” Daniel answered. His skeptical eyes never left Peter as Peggy stepped closer to him.

“You’re not from here, are you?” She spoke softly.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m Peter Parker and I’m from 2023. Well, actually I was born in 2001, but then in 2018, I died for five years, and I just came back to life and now I’m here in 1960, with you two. And the Mr. Stark I was talking about is Howard’s son actually.” He rambled nervously, “I have to say, Miss Agent Carter, it is an honor to meet you.”

Peggy looked at him in disbelief, “You- you know who I am?”

“Yeah, Mr. Rogers told me-” He paused, seeing the look of heartbreak flash across her face. “Oh, right, you don’t know.”

“Steve’s alive?” She breathed out. Peter looked behind her, spotting Daniel standing in his own discomfort now.

“I’m so messing up the space time equilibrium right now. Oh my god, did Back to the Future teach me nothing?” Peter mumbled to himself, and Peggy stepped forward, cautiously undoing the handcuff and freeing him from the restraint.

“Am I the only one who’s lost here?” Daniel asked, looking between Peggy and Peter.

“Call Howard, Daniel. Peter’s in the wrong time, and he needs to get home.” She said before making her way out of the room. “Peter, stay here until we can get Howard to sort this all out.” She paused in the doorway, “And do not mention Steve. No one can know.”

Daniel rushed out after her, leaving Peter alone. He let out a sigh, leaning back against the headboard. Well, maybe that’s why everything seemed strange- he was now living several decades before his time.

“Mr. Stark said-” Peter started, but Happy cut him off.

“You wanted to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, remember? Tony invited you to join the Avengers and you refused. He will be back from his mission soon, but until then, don’t do anything or else I’ll get blamed.”

“Happy, come on. He could use my help.” He insisted, trailing after Happy in the compound, “Can you at least tell me what the mission is?”

“Rogers is looking for someone, and Stark is helping him.”

“Kid! What are you doing here?” Tony’s voice boomed as he stepped into the compound, a sullen Steve following in behind in, just to quickly duck down the hall towards his room. Bucky and Sam sent Peter a sad glance before both following their friend. Peter couldn’t help but recognize the own grief present on Tony’s face.

“What happened? Did someone die?” Peter asked quietly, and Tony bit his lip unsure.

“Look, kid, there’s something I should tell you about Steve.” Tony sat down on the couch and Happy slowly left the room, giving it to Tony and Peter. “You know Agent Peggy Carter?”

“The SSR agent that Steve,” Peter paused, “that Steve loves?”

“Yes. When Steve and I went to 1970, he saw a file on Agent Carter. She had a daughter back in the 40’s, and Steve asked me to help him find her. Besides Sharon, this girl is the closest thing to Peggy he has.”

“Did you?”

“She disappeared in the 60’s. No sign of struggle, she just vanished one day. Her case was so buried that Romanoff was the only one who could find it, but even then, it was all dead ends. This was our last shot at finding her or anything that traced back to her. But Steve found a letter from Peggy that says-“

He was cut off by a loud crash from the basement, making both of them stand up immediately. They ran down the stairs to see Sam and Bucky holding back a distraught Steve in the hallway.

“What the hell is going on?” Tony questioned.

“The time machine.” Sam replied. In awe of the flickering white light coming from the time machine, Peter stepped forward, eyeing it curiously.

“Tony, please, I need to go back.” Steve said, his voice hoarse.

“No. You’re not going back there, Steve. You know it’d mess with the timeline too much if you went back.” Tony stated.

“Kid, get back!” Bucky called out. Peter turned to look at the four older men across the room.

“Peter, no!” Tony shouted, but it was too late. The time machine erupted, and the last thing Peter remembered was the blinding light overcoming him before he succumbed to darkness.

“Peter, wake up.” A soft voice pulled him out of his sleep. He jumped back instinctively before he registered that you weren’t a threat, holding a plate of cookies and a retro blue can of Pepsi, one that Peter hardly even recognized as the classic soda.

“Who- who are you?” He questioned, uneasily.

“My name’s Y/N. I thought you might be hungry.” You said, offering him the plate and he took it warily. You set the mug on the nightstand beside him. “So, you’re from the future.”

With a mouthful of cookies, Peter nodded, before he swallowed, “Yes. And, these are really good by the way.” He replied, eating another cookie.

“Thank you. It’s my mum’s recipe.” You answered, and he paused, looking at you quizzically.

“Mum?” He questioned. Considering you had a clearly American accent, he was confused by your British word choice.

“Peggy.” You explained, laughing a little in embarrassment. “She’s my mum, but we’ve lived in New York my whole life, so I’ve got the American accent. I just can’t call her mom- it doesn’t sit right.”

“Agent Carter is your mother?” He asked in disbelief, “That’s so awesome.”

“Right. She told me you knew about her. What’s the future like? Pretty neato, I bet.” You sat down on the opposite side of the bed from him, smiling softly.

“I don’t know how much I can tell you. I don’t want to-”

“Ruin the space-time continuum, as my mum said.” You finished his sentence for him, “It’s pretty far out that you’re from the future. This completely changes how we should perceive the space-time continuum. We’re so focused on getting to the moon that we haven’t even thought about the future yet. Has a woman time traveled yet? I’d love to be the first one to- or maybe the first woman on the moon. Has a woman been to space yet?”

Peter blushed at your ramblings, finding it adorable that you’d be so interested in it. He wanted to tell you that you’d be the first at all of it, but then he remembered Tony’s words. Peggy Carter’s daughter disappeared without a trace. You didn’t exist in the history books at all; you were just Agent Carter’s lost daughter.

“Y/N,” Peggy started, stepping into the room again. “I was going to ask you to keep Peter company, but I see you’re already doing that.”

“Mum, we were just talking about-”

“The moon. You’ll get there, love.” She placed a hand on your shoulder, before turning to Peter.

“Howard won’t be here for several hours. When he arrives, could you help him create a time machine to get you home?” Peggy asked, and Peter nodded.

“Yeah, but we need Hank Pym as well.” He replied. “He has a particle- the Pym particle, and we need some. Just a little bit.”

“I’ll make some calls.” She stated, making her way out of the room again, “And, Y/N, when I say keep him company, I mean he is not allowed to leave this house.”

“Yes, mum.” You called back to her, hearing her walk down the hall to her office, closing the door behind her. “Right. Let’s go.”

“Wait, but Peggy said-” Peter looked at you like you were crazy as you stood up from the bed and held your hand out to him.

“Peter, come on, when else are you going to explore 1960? Besides, you could use some new threads.” You smiled encouragingly, and he timidly stood up from his spot on the bed. He took your hand and you quietly snuck him out of the house, easily slipping past your mother.

As you walked down the street with Peter, he felt like he was transported into an old film. Everyone was wearing strange clothes (appropriately though from the decade), and the cars- they were all so old, but cool nonetheless.

“I’m going to get a slug bug like that when I can drive.” You told him, pointing to a VW Beetle as it passed by.

“Those look so-” He paused, “old.”

“You are in the 60s, remember?” You teased, tugging him into a small clothing shop. He froze when he looked at all the odd clothes. He wouldn’t usually wear anything besides jeans and a dorky t-shirt or casual sweater, but something about seeing you smile as you looked over the clothes made him at least want to try to enjoy his time in this unfamiliar decade.

You had barely in the store for five minutes before you were shoving a handful of clothes into Peter’s arms, pushing him towards the dressing rooms. “You have to try these on.”

“Y/N, I don’t know,” He trailed off, eyeing the colored plaid pants in the pile.

“1960, Peter.” You reminded him, and he nodded. Peter closed the dressing room door and you continued to mindlessly browse around while you waited for him.

“So you never answered me about space.” You called out to him. He laughed behind the door as he changed.

“Yes, we make it to space.”

“Have we found other life yet?” You asked excitedly.

“Well,” He sighed, “they technically found us, but we fought them off several times.” Dressed in green plaid pants and a brown sweater, he opened the door, “I’ve actually been to space- been to another planet in another solar system even.”

“Oh, no, that’s hideous.” You shook your head, and he laughed, closing the door to try on more clothes. “Another planet, though? What was it like?”

“Um, it was awful. It was destroyed, and I kind of died there.” Peter replied, shaking his head as he didn’t want to relive the memory.

“Died? You 21st century people have an unreal way of speaking.”

It was then he realized that between your slang and his that you had no clue he was serious. “Actually, I did die. This alien killed off half the universe and I died, but then my team traveled back in time five years later and saved us- all of us.” He looked at himself in the mirror at his newest outfit, deciding he thought he looked good enough to show you.

“That must have been awful. I’m sorry, Peter.” You answered, feeling guilty for asking.

“It’s alright. I was readjusting to being home, or well in 2023, when I traveled back here.” He explained, opening the door again, but you had your back to him as you looked at some sunglasses. “How’s this?”

You turned back around to face him and a smile lit up your face at the slimming white trousers and bright blue polo. Under your intense stare, Peter felt himself growing self-conscious. “It’s twitchin’.”

“Is that a good thing?” He asked with a laugh, and you nodded.

“It means it looks great.” You laughed. “Now you don’t stick out as much.”

“As much?”

“You still look like a future guy to me.”

After buying Peter his new look, you took him to your favorite little diner, one with the best milkshakes. Although Peter had only known you for a few short hours, you were captivating to him. He’d never met someone so fascinated by the world and so incredibly brilliant for your age. If you were anything like your mother, Peter could understand why Steve was still in love with her; Peter would still be dreaming of you in seventy years.

“Have you ever been to Times Square?” You asked him as the two of you left the quaint diner.

“Not in 1960.” He joked, making you smile at him.

“Well, then we definitely need to go.” You stated, “We should also go see a movie. There’s this new Hitchcock film coming out called Psycho-”

“Psycho gave me nightmares.” Peter shuddered at the memory, laughing lightly, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen it in the future.”

“Then you can hold me when the scary parts come up.” You joked, catching the blush that hit his cheeks. Before he could respond, a car pulled to a stop next to you two on the sidewalk.

“What did I say about leaving?” Peggy questioned with the window rolled down from her spot in the passenger seat.

“Sorry, mum.” You sighed, opening the back door. You let Peter climb in first and then you followed after him. Peter looked around the fancy interior of the car in confusion, until he saw the S emblem on the steering wheel. This was the car of Howard Stark.

“Did you get me a milkshake?” The driver asked you with a cheeky smile, and you shook your head.

“Had I known my mother would hire a chauffeur then maybe I would have gotten you one.” You stated, crossing your arms as she rolled her eyes at you. You turned to Peter, “This is Jarvis by the way. He’s Mr. Stark’s driver.”

“You’re the Jarvis?” Peter questioned.

“The Jarvis? Am I famous in the future too?” He asked, starting to drive the four of you away.

“No, but Mr. Stark has mentioned you before.”

“Peter.” Peggy said, calling his attention back to her, “I don’t know much about time travel and the space-time continuum that you and Howard keep mentioning, but I know every second you spend here could be detrimental to our world. Please, keep talks of the future to a minimum, especially since we are going to see Howard right now. Do not discuss his son or any details of the future.”

“Yes, Miss Carter.” He nodded, and you reached over, placing a hand on his leg to reassure him.

“Y/N, when we get to Howard’s lab, I want you to go home with Daniel. Jarvis and I will need to oversee this operation.” She stated.

“I’m not leaving.” You replied defiantly, and Peter held his breath, feeling the sudden tension in the air. “And especially not with Daniel.”

“Y/N Carter, you will treat Daniel with respect. You’re like a daughter to him.”

“Daniel is not my father though, and he will never be.” You said.

“Fine.” Peggy huffed. “You can stay, but only because you could help Howard build this machine.”

“Thank you.” You muttered.

The four of you arrived at a large warehouse on the edge of the city. Peter, suddenly feeling nervous about meeting Mr Stark Sr., followed behind you, Peggy, and Jarvis. He’d heard enough bad things about Howard from Tony, and now he was going to meet the monster firsthand. When they stepped inside the warehouse, Peter spotted a woman and a man standing beside each other, overlooking parts spread on a table.

“Howard,” Peggy called out, getting their attention. When Howard turned around, Peter immediately recognized him; his resemblance to Tony was uncanny. The woman, though- he had no clue who she was, but her kind smile made him feel welcome.

“You must be Peter from the future.” Howard stepped forward, outstretching a hand to him. Peter hesitantly shook his head. “Tell me, what’s my legacy in the future?”

“Miss Carter said I shouldn’t discuss details.” Peter replied, nervously clearing his throat. Howard laughed before turning back to the table.

“Did you get the Pym particle?” Peggy asked Howard. Before he could respond, the door opened once more and in walked another man and a woman.

“If you think I’d let Howard Stark use my particle without my presence,” The man trailed off, and Peter froze, recognizing the man.

“Oh my god.” He breathed out, eyes trained on the young Hank Pym who he’d met through Scott once- the Hank Pym that he studied in school, the Hank Pym he did a project on in middle school.

“Peter, this is Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, and Ana Jarvis.” You said, clearing up the strangers’ names for him.

“Why’s he looking at us like that?” Hank asked.

“I- I know you from the future; both of you.” Peter replied, looking between him and Janet.

“No details, remember?” Peggy spoke up, “Now, let’s get this time machine running.”

For the next few days, Peter worked tirelessly with this new team to get the time machine built and running. He was happy that Tony had gone over the specs of the machine with him after the battle, and he was also grateful that he had an impressive memory that allowed him to remember all of it. If anything was off in the slightest, Peter wouldn’t be sent back to 2023; he’d be lost to the quantum realm forever. And, even though your mother wanted you as far removed as possible from this, you stayed by Peter’s side through it all.

“It’s done.” Peter said, proudly, as all of you overlooked the machine.

“We built a time machine.” Hank stated in disbelief, still not fully believing his particle was the key to all of it.

“And this.” Howard stepped forward with a small machine in his hands. Peggy looked at it curiously.

“What is that?” She asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“We just built a time machine with technology we shouldn’t know about. This will make us forget this week.” Howard explained.

“But we’ll forget Peter.” You said softly, looking over to Peter with a new found sadness on your face. He wanted to tell you it’ll all be fine, that he’d see you in the future, that you had been the first woman to space so he read about you in his history textbook- but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to lie to you. He didn’t want you to know that Peggy dies of old age, Janet spends decades in the quantum realm, Howard becomes an abusive father before he’s assassinated by Bucky Barnes (who you definitely knew about), and that you of all people disappear sometime this year without any trace of your whereabouts.

Before anyone could say anything, you hurried out of the warehouse. Peter looked to Peggy, silently asking if he could go after you, and she nodded in approval. He ran off after you, finding you sitting on a nearby bench, overlooking the city. You held tightly to a compass in your hands, and Peter hesitantly sat beside you.

“I know it’s only been a week, but I don’t- I don’t want to forget you.” Your voice was unsteady as you spoke. “What happens to me in the future?”

“I don’t know.” Peter replied quietly.

“I want the truth, Peter. I know I’m not in any of your textbooks, but you know something about my future. I can see it in how you reacted to who I am.��

Peter looked at you, unsure of what to say. His eyes flickered down to the compass in your hand. A picture of Steve sat in the small compass, just like how Steve had that compass of Peggy. He felt his heart stop as he processed the small object’s meaning, “You’re- you’re Steve’s daughter.”

You closed the compass instinctively, your own hands starting to shake, “I’m sure you know the story of Captain America. He died before my mother could tell him.”

“He didn’t.” Peter began, “He didn’t die. Steve’s frozen in ice, and he comes out of it in the future. He’s the reason I’m here. He knew Peggy had a daughter, and he was trying to come see you.”

“My father’s alive?” You asked, feeling tears well up in your eyes.

“Yeah, but, Y/N,” He sighed, “You disappear. At some time during this decade, you disappear from existence. No one knows what happens to you.”

You were silent for a moment, processing his words, “What if I went with you?”

“What? To the future?” He asked, and you nodded, “No, Y/N, you can’t. That’d be breaking so many-”

“Think about it. I disappear from existence, and no one knows, but what if no one remembers? I could go with you and meet my father.”

“But your mother-” Peter started, but a voice cut him off.

“Would want you to go.” Peggy said, and you turned to face her. “Peter told me when he got here that Steve was alive, but I didn’t know how to tell you. If you want to go to the future, then I won’t hold you back.”

“But, mum, I’d never see you again, unless,” You trailed off, looking to Peter, who shook his head sadly, confirming Peggy’s fate by 2023.

“Take the compass and go see your father, Y/N.” She spoke softly, “I won’t erase my memories, but I’ll make sure your disappearance remains a mystery. The future will be safe.”

Speechless, you stood up and hugged your mother tightly, a few tears slipping. After a few solemn moments of goodbye, the three of you returned to the warehouse. Peter bid everyone farewell, thanking them for all of the assistance. You wordlessly hugged Daniel.

“Take care of my mum for me.” You told him. Before anyone could say anything, you gave your mother one last hug goodbye. With your compass in one hand, you held onto Peter’s hand with the other. Howard pressed a couple buttons and you two were met with a blinding light, saying goodbye to 1960.

~~~

“Steve, what were you thinking? It’s broken!” Tony shouted, pressing some buttons in an attempt to somehow bring Peter back even though he knew the machine was past fixing.

“If you found out you had a daughter seventy years ago, you’d want to go see her too!” Steve exclaimed, coming to Tony’s side. Bucky and Sam stayed back, looking at their friend sorrowfully. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“You can’t go back there. I know what it’s like to miss out on your life, too, but she’s gone. Peggy’s gone, your daughter’s gone.” Bucky said in his best attempt to console his friend.

“And now the kid’s gone again. The kid that I risked my life to save is gone because you couldn’t handle your own kid being gone, your kid that you didn’t even know existed!” Tony fought back. As Tony and Steve began to argue, Sam and Bucky heard a small crash behind them.

“Are you two done arguing because the spider boy’s back.” Sam stated, and the bickering between the other two men immediately stopped.

“Kid, why are you dressed like you belong on the cover of Abbey Road?” Tony asked immediately, taking in Peter’s white suit. Peter opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out as he saw Steve’s eyes fix on you, an unreadable expression on his face.

You fidgeted with the compass between your fingers, nervously breathing out, “Mum says hi.”

Wordlessly, Steve enveloped you in a tight hug. Bucky looked at Peter questioningly and Sam poked at Peter’s suit’s collar, as if to ask why the hell he was wearing something so out of the ordinary.

“I needed some new threads.” Peter joked, making you let out a small laugh.

“Right on.” You smiled.

~~~

“Wait, wait, so you’re Captain America and Agent Carter’s daughter?” Ned asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” You nodded.

“But wouldn’t that make you like 80 now?”

“Ned!” Peter groaned at his friend’s question, and you laughed at his secondhand embarrassment.

“Yes, Ned, I technically would’ve just turned 80.” You replied, and both boys looked at you in confusion. “I was born in ‘43.”

“Dating an older woman. Nice.” Ned teased his friend, nudging Peter’s elbow.

“We time traveled. It doesn’t count. Can we please stop talking about my girlfriend’s age?” Peter let out a sigh. He’d already explained the whole time travel situation to Ned, so when he invited his friend to a Stark party a few months down the road, he didn’t expect Ned to be so invasive about your age.

“So is 2023 better than 1960?” Ned asked you, and you smiled looking over at Peter beside you.

“I’d say so.”

Seeing the intense, yet cutesy eye contact between you and Peter, Ned mumbled something about getting more soda before leaving. Peter placed a hand on your cheek, caressing it lightly, “I’m glad you came to the future with me.”

“I’m glad I did, too.” You smiled. Peter leaned in to kiss you, but paused as he saw Steve, Bucky, and Sam watching the two of you from across the crowded room. You turned to follow his eyes, scoffing a little as you looked back at Peter, “They’re such drags.”

“Absolute downers.” He laughed lightly- he picked up on some of your 60’s slang just like you’d picked up on his modern terminology.

“Just tune them out.” You joked, before leaning in to kiss your boyfriend. Who knew all it took was a little accidental time travel for you two to find each other?

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @Hellomoveonby @heyitsshrez @harrisonosterfieldhazmyheart @joyleenl @t-o-m-holland @lonikje @sleepybesson @sunkisseddreamer @hollandsamor

Peter Tag List: @quaksonhehe

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker fic #peter parker imagine #peter parker one shot

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trillian-anders · 4 years

Text

chambers - xix

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

warnings: violence, angst, slow burn

word count: 3.7k

description: post-endgame. Steve Rogers has passed away from old age. The one remarkable thing is that no one knew his heart would be in the condition it was. He was able to save one more life. After receiving his heart, strange things start happening. Including something that would change your life forever. (Inspired by the Netflix series of the same name.)

Your heart was still racing, the adrenaline and fear not quite worn off. Bucky’s fingers in your hair, his forehead against yours. You took a breath after stealing each other’s. A minute to calm down, remember where you were. Your body trembling. You sit against him, arms wrapped around him you bury your face in his neck.

He’s here.

He’s real.

He’s not the Winter Solider.

He’s Bucky.

It’s okay.

You hear metal warping, and both abruptly pull back, Bucky gripping you tight and dragging you across the floor scooting back and away from the side of the open train. But you’re soothed when red tendrils seep in around the edges. Wanda slips in from the top of the train, shutting the metal bit behind her. Bucky rises to jam a metal pipe in between the handles on the side to keep the side of the train closed.

“You guys really took your time.” He scoffs. Wanda breathes heavily, shaking snow out of her hair and turns to you, rushing forward to her knees and hugging you, still on the floor.

“Are you okay?” She pulls back, brushing your hair out of your face. You nod, emotions still high.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She smiles, looking over at Eric, dead on the floor. Her smile falls.

“I checked his mind.” Wanda stands, “He was the mole?” You nod, Bucky walks over to help you from the floor.

“He was trying to get me on a jet,” You swallow, “He told me himself he was working for Zemo.” Wanda stares at him for a moment more before shaking her head, confusion clear on her face.

“We’ve got to go help Sam.” Sam was on the train. Okay. Which means he made it. He’s okay.

But being okay was subjective. Yeah Sam was able to fight, take down the control room with the help from Sharon and a couple other agents, but he was badly bruised. Wheezing. They both were.

A sigh of relief shared as Sam turned to you, he stepped to Bucky and pulled him into a hug.

“Are you guys okay?” Sharon had a cut running down her forehead, blood on her face. You could only imagine the bruising on your own.

“Yeah,” Bucky pulled back from Sam, “You guys look like shit though.”

“You’re one to talk.” Truthfully you were all a little worse for wear. You look to Zemo’s unconscious body.

“Did you get the girls out?” The trafficking victims, you look at Sam who had one swollen eye and blood coming out of his right ear. He nods, that gap-toothed smile less enthusiastic than normal, but relieved, nonetheless. You step over to him and pull him into your chest, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.”

“We’ve called for an evac,” Sharon started. The train beginning to slow. “They’ll airlift us out of here and take the train to the next stop before taking the contents for evidence.” The relief. The relief of it being over. It was overpowering.

Bucky’s hand found yours, pulling you over to his side. You felt so dizzy. Your hand coming to grab your head.

“Are you okay?” He asked. You look over at him and see double, unable to focus. Unable to…

“She’s going to faint.” Wanda said in a panic. It was the last thing you heard before you sunk under.

The love a parent has for their child is unparalleled.

The place was a a vast wasteland of rock lit up by an eclipsed sun. Vormir. The two tall stone towers high in the air, the rocky climb. He stood at the edge of the water. The daunting task ahead of him sitting wrong in his gut. The hammer weighed heavy in his palm, when he asked Clint what to expect he wasn’t soothed.

“It’s like a graveyard.” He said, “It just reeks of death and despair.”

He wasn’t wrong. How many sacrifices were made on this rock for power? How many threw the one person they loved more than anyone else to their death for the advancement of their own life.

It was depraved.

“Death is there.” Clint said. And as Steve made his way to the top of the mountain, the fog thick around his ankles, he stopped in his tracks.

“Schmidt?” His stomach churned with the sight. The grim reaper, in the flesh, or perhaps lack thereof. Red Skull. Johann Schmidt.

“Captain America… Steve Rogers… son of Sarah Rogers.” An airy haunted voice, “I couldn’t possibly believe that you are here seeking infinite power that I, myself, once sought. Nor would you have the ability to lose the thing you love the most, so I’m asking you now… why are you here?”

“How is this possible?” Steve asked, stepping back. “How are you here?”

“I sought the stones for myself… I was banished to this place to lead those who seek it to the prize I will never, myself, be able to gain.” His eyes drifting to the case in Steve’s hand. “Stones it seems you already have.”

Steve’s jaw clenched; anger bubbled in his stomach. “I’ve come to return the soul stone.” Red Skull nods,

“And so quickly after it had been taken.” His back turned to Steve, the drift up the mountain. Steve followed warily.

“So what are you supposed to be?” Steve asked, “Death?” The figure stopped, hovering over a flat platform with a steep drop. This is where she fell, Nat. This is where she died. Steve’s throat felt tight. Eyes watery.

“Very astute… drop the stone into the cavern below.” Red Skull spoke to him, “And I will grant you one favor for returning it.” Steve’s eyes flit from the far drop to the figure of the man he’d thought he killed a long time ago.

The villain that took everything away from him. “A favor?” He asked.

“You were always so noble.” The figure spoke evenly, and devoid of emotion, “For this act of service, re-balancing the scales of power, you get a favor from death.”

The case open, the glowing amber stone glaring back at him. “One favor?”

“Just the one.”

“And it could be anything?” Steve asked. The stone grasped, ready to fall back into its rightful place.

“Anything.”

It was strange. This whole thing was strange. It looked like a sunset. A vast emptiness in front of you. Where are you? It’s quiet here. So quiet. A tree to your right, you turn to face a house.

A house you only remember from your memories of it. From Steve’s memories of it. The home he shared with your Mother. Your heart begins to race as the front door opens, and there he is. As if time had been frozen the minute, he left Bucky. The second he left you. His hair perfectly combed, a button down, slacks… a smile.

“Dad?” Your voice echoes in this space.

“My sweet girl.” Shaky and watery. His eyes pooled with tears he takes three long strides to you before pulling you into his chest. Solid. Real. You gasp in shock. Your arms wrapping around him, trembling. “You did such a good job.” A mumble into your hair. He pulls back, hands on your shoulders, looking at you. “Your Mother and I are so proud of you.” A tear rolling down his cheek. “You look so strong, so healthy…”

“Dad, I… what is this?” He looks taken aback for a moment, fingers brushing your hair out of your face, before his jaw clenches and he nods.

“I made a deal,” He swallows. “When taking back the stones…” His eyes move out on the horizon. “Selfish of me… Strange told me I would be giving you away and I just… I couldn’t let go of you entirely.”

“Where are we?” You ask. “How are you here?”

“This is how I’ve been talking to you… or at least trying to.” He takes your hand, bringing you to the porch. “I made a deal with death… my exchange for returning the soul stone… I could…” He shakes his head. “You know, I didn’t even know if Strange had been telling me the truth. I didn’t believe him until I had to physically give you away, like it was the only option left.” His hands clasped in yours as you both sat on the bench. “When I returned the stone,” Looking at you in your eyes, “I took a leap of faith, trusting Strange, I stayed with your Mom. I had you, but when I returned the stones…”

“You asked to be able to talk to me?” You sat back from him, eyes shifting rapidly over the horizon, trying to process. “Did you know Bucky was going to fall? This whole time?” His eyes glaze over almost, like thinking back on a bad memory, a demon of his past. And you know it. That guilt. The soreness that still is with him, even in death. A regret.

“I knew you would be able to save him.” He admits, “When I couldn’t.”

“So you told me where to go?” You’re putting it together. “You told me what to do… You pushed us together.” It all made sense. Bucky triggered the memories not from his presence on their own, but because that’s how Steve designed it. Steve triggered the memories around Bucky to grow his attention.

“Bucky always loved a damsel in distress.” Steve mused with sorrow. You shake your head, looking down on your joined hands.

“You knew how he would react to me?” The way he’d been so torn. The rough, calloused, way he treated you before. Yet your lips were still tingling from his kiss.

“I knew he would love you.” Steve gave you a little half smile. “You’re so much better than I could have ever imagined you to be, Y/N. I want you to know that.” Your throat was tight, “If I had to make the choice to go back again I would do it in a heartbeat… watching you grow up, giving you my heart, all of it. I would do it all again.” You let out a shaky breath.

“But you didn’t get to stay with him.” It’s more watery than you wanted it to be.

“I didn’t… I didn’t deserve him.” Steve shrugs, “I lived a good life with Peggy. We had a happy life and for a short time we had you. I don’t know if I would have ever taken the leap to…”

“To actually be with him.” He nods. “I… I really love him.” It felt strange coming out of your mouth, it felt strange to say to your father, but it felt right to admit it. He smiles softly at you, hand coming to cup your cheek. His hand real and warm. His thumb brushing a tear off your cheek.

“You’re allowed to love him… I don’t want you to feel guilty for that.”

“I don’t know what to say.” You sniffle. “This whole time I’ve had so many questions for you and this whole mystery and I just…” Your head meets the siding of the house, looking out on that horizon, stretching wide and endless, you look to him. He’s patient. You knew that. He’s waiting for you to gather your thoughts and talk to him in whatever limited time you had left. “What did you want for me? I was nothing before this.”

He sighs, crossing his legs and giving you a strange look. “You weren’t nothing before this.” He shakes his head, “I want you to be happy… everything I’d ever done in my life was for you, you had been and always will be my child.” He smirks, “If you wanna go back to the brewery after this and bartend again then go for it, if you—”

“Want to join the team.” You cut in. “What if I want to join the team?” His eyes soften.

“It’s a difficult job.” He says, “A very self-sacrificing job.”

“I’m fairly good at it.” He laughs.

“You are… and if that’s something you want to do, nothing is stopping you, but it’s difficult and there’s going to be times where you make mistakes that can’t be undone.” And everyone is looking at you. You assume he’s thinking about Tony. The accords. Wanda. “But I don’t doubt that you have what it takes.”

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually found purpose.” You sigh, “I didn’t think I would ever live this long…”

“Don’t lose yourself in it.” A warning, from experience, “Don’t lose yourself in being the person everyone expects you to be.” His fingers brushing your cheek lovingly. “You’re a little too much like me if I’m going to be honest… I didn’t think I would have lived as long as I did either… and I lost myself in that job. I killed myself more than once for it…” His hand cups your cheek once more, “Learn from the mistakes I’ve made and don’t be afraid to take a step back, do you understand?” You nod, leaning into his hand, sinking into his side and letting him pull you into a hug.

“Thank you.” You mumble into his chest. “For everything.”

“I love you so much,” He kisses your hair, “I would have given you more if I could have.”

And then he was gone.

For good this time.

And you’re warm.

So very warm. Tucked into Bucky’s chest on a private plane. The window cover lifted. It was dark outside, you could see the little flashing lights on the wing of the plane. How long had you been out? He was snoring softly, left arm thrown over his eyes in the dim lights of the plane. Your bladder was screaming, and you hadn’t yet processed what you’d just gone through.

All of it.

The kiss.

Zemo.

Eric.

Steve.

You needed to pee.

You shift slightly, Bucky’s arm tightening around you, his gentle snore stopping. His eyes meet yours, sleepy. “Are you okay?” His raspy voice whispers. You nod, his fingers cupping your chin and a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I’m just gonna go pee.” He nods, releasing you. The little pod seating he helped you out of, pressing a button to open the little side door and you walked to the back of the plane. The flight attendant sitting in a chair on her phone. You gave her a soft smile before entering the bathroom.

You sat in there for a moment, not even just to use the bathroom but just a moment to process. You zoned out a little, being pulled out by a soft knock a few minutes later. “Just a sec.” You wash your hands quickly and step from the bathroom.

Bucky was standing outside the door, concern on his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be okay,” You reply. The flight attendant now gone from behind him, “I’m a little hungry though.” It had been almost two days now since you’ve eaten, you realize. He nods,

“Go lay back down, I’ll grab you some food.” You slipped back into the pod, curling up with your back against the wall of the plane, pulling the blanket over you and getting comfortable before Bucky returned with a couple packets of pretzels and shortbread cookies, in his other hand two mini bottles of water. “Small sips.” He cautioned, and you listened even though your mouth was dry. He adjusted the seat so you weren’t laying down and tugged you into his side. “You scared the shit out of me back there.”

“I know…” You popped a pretzel into your mouth, “I was scared for a minute there.”

“Wanda told us that you were having another memory…” His fingers brushed up and down your side. The quiet hum of the engines in the background, “And that you were okay.”

“It wasn’t another memory.” Your cheek pressed against his shoulder; you look up at him. “I talked to Steve.” He takes a moment to process, mouth opening and closing again.

“What do you mean?”

You shake your head, “I wasn’t being completely honest before… I didn’t want to seem crazy, but he used to appear to me.” A small sip of water, “Like a ghost, he was like…”

“Like haunting you?” He asked. You shrug,

“Kind of… like showing me where to go.” You take another small sip. “He made a deal when he returned the stones… he wanted to talk to me.”

“What did he say?” You crunch on another pretzel, burying yourself into his side.

“That he was proud of me… among other things.” Bucky nods, letting out a deep breath. His arms pulling you in close a tight hug against his body. “Are you okay?”

He’d gone through a lot today. It wasn’t just you. You couldn’t get his screams out of your head. They rang between your ears and made you uneasy. He took a sip from your water bottle before speaking, “I’ll be okay.” You look at him expectantly a moment longer and he continues, “When I was in the chair all I could think about was how to get you out of there.” He sighed, “I couldn’t let myself go… I couldn’t… not when I needed to get you out of there, I passed out… woke up on the train. I thought—”

“He wasn’t going to kill me,” You reason. “At least not yet…”

“He hurt you though,” The bruising on your face, “Eric did too.” You groan, squeezing your eyes shut.

“How could I have been so stupid?”

“We didn’t know he was the mole,” Bucky reasoned, “Not at first.”

“I should have listened when you said you had a bad feeling.” The guilt of that, the feeling of stupidity from being tricked.

“No…” He shakes his head, “I think my bad feeling originally was jealousy maybe… protectiveness? I don’t know… You were so helpless back then. I felt like I needed to protect you.” It was quiet for a moment, you felt tired again. His eyes drooping.

“Thank you.” You mumble into his chest. The water bottle lay empty between you, his fingers fumbling with the button to recline you back down your spine cracks as you stretch yourself out.

“For what?” His sleepy voice, low and soft.

“For everything.”

…

“Doctor Strange!” You smile, entering the lab. The brilliant surgeon turned ‘wizard’ as Peter called him was talking with Bruce. “Can I steal you for a minute?” You’d been waiting to talk to him since you’d gotten back to the compound, but he’d been busy up until this point. It appears you guys weren’t the only ones dealing with a big bad villain recently. A scratch above his eyebrow stitched and covered in a butterfly bandage showed that.

“Of course,” He turns to Bruce, “It was nice talking to you old friend.” A gentle handshake and he was moving on, stepping out onto the grass with you, following the well-worn track.

“I think you owe me an explanation.” You say, “Being as though you seem to know how things happen, before they actually happen.”

He laughs, “What would you like me to explain?” It was implied as more of a, where would you like me to start?

“Well you can start with… Did you know that Bucky would fall from the train again?” He looked at you seriously and answered almost as quickly as you asked the question.

“I did.”

“And you knew I would save him?”

“I did.”

“But Steve couldn’t?”

“No.” You look at him incredulously.

“Okay so explain… I was getting memories from a timeline where—”

“Where Steve didn’t go back.” Strange finished, “Steve wasn’t there when Bucky was being tortured, he was in Tanzania, fighting with Sam. Bucky had nothing to focus on to keep him from going back under, so he did.” His hands clasped behind his back. “In every timeline where Steve stayed, where he didn’t go back to have you… Bucky dies on the train. Steve was married to the job first, so it seemed, and it was always his downfall.”

Don’t lose yourself in it.

That’s what he told you.

Don’t lose yourself in it. Not like he did.

“You knew about the soul stone?” Strange nods.

“The problem with being the person who is keeping time, is that I can look into futures, I can see what’s going to happen a million different ways, but in the end if I say anything about them then they won’t happen.” It’s not a risk he can take.

With Thanos.

With Tony.

With Steve.

Now with you.

“And Eric?” You shake your head. “He tricked me… the entire time, just…”

“Not entirely,” Strange started, “His wife did die during the blip, he was blipped away, but when everyone blipped back he sought revenge.”

“So he sought out Zemo… but Wanda didn’t find anything when she searched his mind.”

“It would be safe to say maybe they used some of the same techniques as they did with James on Eric, possibly blocking his memory and making him a little less susceptible to mental interrogation.” You look at him incredulously,

“You have an answer for everything.” He laughs,

“Not everything…”

“So where do we even go from here?” You ask. “What am I supposed to do?” He pats you on the shoulder and you stop yards away from where Bucky and Sam were training. Running an obstacle course in the grass. The warmth of the sun on your skin. Bucky meets your eye and winks before being tripped by Sam on the last leg. An endearing glare. A laugh between competitive friends.

“What are you supposed to do now that no one is giving you direction? That no one is making a path out in front of you?” A trail to follow. You look over at him and he gives you a knowing smirk that made you scoff.

“You make a path of your own.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #sebastian stan #sam wilson #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #bucky barnes x you #captain america #steve rogers

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ofstarsandvibranium · 5 years

Text

Good Business: Part 15

Fandom: Marvel (Mob AU)

Pairing: Chubby!Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky Barnes is a ruthless mobster. He’s also referred to as Big Buck due to his towering strong frame as well as his round stomach. You’re the owner of a small diner, a place that Big Buck decides to visit. Based off this drabble.

It felt weird not having Bucky being part of your everyday life. Everytime the door to your diner opened around his usual time, your heart would skip a beat only for it to fall to the pit of your stomach. You missed him. Terribly so.

It felt like how your life was before him, except worse. Everything seemed so dull and boring now. When you had Bucky, he brought out a fire within you. He brought excitement and challenges and ease and love.

It’s been two weeks since you last saw him. You’re wondering how he’s fairing.

________

Bucky looked like a mess, Steve thought. He had bags under his eyes, his usual neatly trimmed beard has grown a lot more. His eyes look red and tired.

“Any news?” Bucky asked.

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair, “We sent in a false tip through the vine. Said you were in Jersey, so Rumlow’s sent some of his men out there.”

“My family?”

“Currently enjoying their time at Disneyland,” he replies with an amused smile.

Bucky chuckles, “Good,” then he swallows down, “And Y/N?”

With another sigh, Steve responds, “Not good. I mean, I hear she looks okay, but really isn’t. She’s hiding it real good, but Sharon says she’s completely heartbroken, Buck.”

“Has anyone talked to her about me?”

Steve shakes his head, “Not that I’ve seen or heard. Which is good, right? She’s not being pulled into any of this.”

“Yeah. I suppose. Well, thanks for the updates.”

“What about you, Buck? How are you doing?”

“As best as I can be. Just trying to live my life and be safe. All that shit. I still hate that Sam came with me instead of you. That little shit just won’t stop fucking with me and I’m very close to putting a bullet through his brain.”

Steve snorted, “No, you won’t. Act all Big Buck you want, but you care about the guy.”

Bucky hummed, “Maybe, but he doesn’t have to know that.”

The two brothers chuckled with each other. Feeling a sense of ease and familiarity in the moment. But as quickly as it appeared, it faded.

“Just a few more weeks, Buck. We’ll finally get him and he’ll be gone for good. Then you can come back home and propose.”

“Now wait a minute-”

“Bye!” Steve quickly ended the video call, causing Bucky to snort.

“Punk.” he set his phone back onto his desk and looked back on the papers spread before him.

There were papers pertaining to some of his legal businesses and some for his not so legal businesses. But the papers he was currently paying attention to were the letters he’d been writing to you since he broke up with you and went into hiding.

Dear Sweet Cheeks,

Going into hiding fucking sucks. I can’t go out without security detail, I have limited contact with people, and worst of all, I can’t see you.

I fucking miss you so much. I’ve probably said this twenty times now with all the letters I’ve written before, but it’s true.

I’ve never met anyone that’s made me feel so alive and loved.

I know this must suck, not knowing if I’m alive or dead, but I promise you, sweet cheeks, I’ll make it back to you. You’ve brought so much light to my dark and dangerous life, I don’t know how I could go on without you.

Just a few more weeks and I’ll be back in your arms.

Forever yours,

Bucky.

________________

Rumlow fucking hates how he’s been going on some dumb ass scavenger hunt. He knows Big Buck is hiding somewhere and he’s doing his fucking best sending out his men and spies to try to get word of where Big Buck really is.

“Sir, we may have a lead.”

“This better be fucking good, Rollins,” the mobster sneered.

“People around has seen Barnes with a girl. She owns a diner. Want us to make a visit?”

“Were they serious?”

Rollins nodded, “Seems so. Heard they’ve been together for months.”

Rumlow hummed, stroking his stubbled chin, “Send in our guys from the NYPD. They owe me a favor.”

“On it,” Rollins mumbled and saw himself out of the office.

Rumlow grabbed his letter opener from his desk and flung it towards the hung up picture of Barnes hung on the wall, “You’re dead, Barnes.”

_____________

You’re serving up a table’s orders when Sharon rushes up to your side, “There’s some PD guys asking for you,” she whispers in your ear.

Your heart stops for a moment. They were here to ask you about Bucky. You nodded, finishing with handing out the orders and walked away with Sharon at your side, “Look after my tables for me?”

“Of course.” she takes your pad and pen and then scurries off to check on tables.

You take a deep breath and slowly walk over to the two officers waiting for you by the counter, “Hello, officers. How can I help you?”

One asked, “Y/N L/N?”

You nod, “Yes?”

The officer stepped forward, “Will you come with us to the station?”

Your brows furrowed, “Am I in trouble?”

He shook his head, “No, ma’am. We just need to question you about some information pertaining to James Barnes.”

You sighed, “I don’t really have any information.”

“You two were dating, yes?”

“Yeah, but only for a few months. We broke up two weeks ago. Haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

The officers look at each other and then to you, “Regardless, we still have some other things we’d like to talk to you about. We can even give you a ride to the station if it’s more convenient for you.”

“Alright. Lemme just grab my things.” You turn around and head to the back where you grab your purse, jacket, and phone. You feel like there’s something wrong. You don’t know why, but the officers are giving off a strange vibe to you.

Before you head back out, you message Steve with one word: SOS.

Good Business Taglist (CLOSED): @cametobuyplums @sergeantrosabellaswan @asadmarveltrashbag @youcanhaveyourspacecowboy @reniescarlett @j-the-smol-otter @buckysknifecollection @lowkeysebby @rinthehufflepuff @134340-cm @snoot-snoot-toot @seabassali1328 @bluebellhairpin @emzy106 @viarogers @feelmyroarrrr @vxidnik @jasura @jade-cheshire3303 @yknott81 @baliebay19 @jessieray98 @fandommemporiumm @iluvsumbucky @bucksandroses @lecoindenox @ylva-stark @booktease21 @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @cheyenne222222 @momobaby227

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #chubby!bucky #marvel #au #marvel au #mob au #mob boss au #mobster au

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libsterslobsters · 4 years

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The Battle of Evermore

A Bucky Barnes fanfic

Summary: Set during the events of Captain America: Civil War. Bucky and the reader's worst nightmare has come true: they're captured, and there's nothing even Steve Rogers can do... or is there?

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x fem! enhanced! reader

(reader sees shards of the future, can understand every language, and processes information quickly)

Warnings: Violence, angst, fluff, self-loathing, Civil War spoilers, language

Author's note: The female character's name is never given so that this can be read as a self-insert, but at this point, I've written so much about her and Bucky that I've named her Violet. Still working on a last name. If you have any suggestions, comment below.

*************************************************

It’s not exactly unexpected, them having to fight their way out. Steve always hopes for the best, but prepares for the worst, especially when it involves The Winter Soldier, or as he knows him, Bucky Barnes. But still, the last thing he’s expecting when his best friend crashes through the door of an apartment several storeys below is to barely catch (and if it weren’t for his enhanced hearing, it’s guaranteed he would’ve missed it altogether) a woman hiss,

“Buck, what the hell-”

“Get out of here. Now.”

Again, he’s known the guy for years, had him bust up enough back-alley fights in their day, so he knows Bucky tends to have a flare for the dramatic when it comes to any sort of altercation, but it still seems a little overboard, the moves he’s pulling out to kick these hostile’s sorry tails. That is, until he’s out of the building and sees a hooded figure, small enough that his first guess would be female, waiting in a dark corner. That’s when it clicks: a diversion. But how did she manage- She takes off running, cutting his internal questioning short, and when her sweatshirt rides up, he sees a harness around her waist, carabiner still attached, and rope burns on her hands. That answers that.

All thoughts of whoever the strange woman was are pushed aside in the pursuit that follows. In fact, Steve’s almost forgotten about her until they’re being loaded into armored cars like criminals (which, he supposes, they are now), and as they’re leading Bucky away, he freezes on the spot, not budging for a full ten seconds despite his guards doing their best to get him moving again. Steve follows his line of sight to yet another car window, and then he realizes why Bucky suddenly looked so defeated. They got her too.

On the ride back to base, Bucky’s separated from the rest of them, but the woman is thrown in with him, Sam, and T’Challa, since apparently, Rhodey’s decided she’s not a threat. Either that, or he’s hoping being stuck with the men she was trying to escape will rattle her enough that, once they’ve landed, she’ll talk. If Steve had to venture a guess, he’d say that won’t work; if the way she keeps her eyes down and ignores anyone speaking to her wasn’t enough to indicate that she’s not playing ball, his knowledge that her escaping the building wasn’t a matter of chance (no, his bet’s on both of them having prepared for something like this in advance, how else can you account for the diversion and her rappelling down the side of the building) would do the trick. Just before they’re led into the building, he slides past her, and murmurs, “Steve Rogers. Don’t answer their questions. I’ll find you later.” It’s brief, but her eyes flick up to study him, then back down again, and he takes that as acknowledgment.

It’s a lot of hassle, a lot of questions, and a lot of paperwork. He’s half-way expecting to be put in a cell, but after a good two hours, he’s remanded to a room to wait. About an hour later, Sam is escorted in as well. After the routine questions (are you okay, what did you say to them, what did they say to you), Sam finally lands on the immediate issue at hand.

“Cap, who the hell’s the girl?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

That’s not entirely true. He’s had a good amount of time to think it over, and he’s narrowed the possibilities down. The first thing he considered was, as unlikely as it seems at first blush, the girl is Bucky’s daughter. Who knows if they’ve sent out the Winter Soldier for things other than assassinations. He could’ve been asked to extract information in ways that don’t include the use of excessive force. Steve almost immediately rules that one out. She doesn’t look enough like him for that possibility. Age wouldn’t necessarily be a factor considering Bucky’s been on and off ice for the past seventy years. Still, the dynamic felt… off, somehow. His bet’s on not related at all.

His second thought is a partner. Someone else who’s escaped Hydra and is now hiding out. Well, considering that she got caught (and if the rope burns are anything to judge from, she’s no expert at quick escapes), that seems unlikely as well. They get along, obviously, and she has to be important, or else he wouldn’t have risked so much to give her time to get away, so possibly a friend. Still, that level of devastation upon seeing her captured? That seems a little more intense than an average acquaintanceship.

That leaves only one possibility; a romantic entanglement. A part of Steve is happy for Bucky. He’s had a whole lot of miserable in his life so far. He deserves to find some joy. Another part of him is rolling it’s eyes at the fact that, even in hiding when he really should be keeping to himself, his best friend managed to find himself in the company of a pretty girl. The biggest part, however, is scared. If this is serious (and all things considered, it’d be foolish to think otherwise), this girl is yet another liability, another complication in vindicating Bucky.

As he’s discussing things with Sharon, he realizes that he can see the feed from the girl’s cell as well as Bucky’s. The volume is turned down low, but if he concentrates, he can hear her.

“Please, if anyone is listening, you have to stop that doctor. He’s not who he says he is!” Steve brushes it off as hysterics. That is, until it dawns on him that she’d have no way of knowing about the doctor interviewing Bucky.

“God! You people! I’ve been hiding from this fucking government since I was eighteen years old! Now that you’ve got me behind bars, the least you could do is listen! I’m telling you, he’s not who he says he is! Don’t let him in the room with Barnes! It’s a mistake! People are going to die!” That makes him wonder…

“Sharon, do you have a file on the girl?”

She shakes her head.

“Not that I know of, but I also haven’t looked. She’s just some random Romanian woman, right?” That’s what he thought, but now he’s not so sure. Her accent… she sounds American. “Couldn’t even get her name out of her. My guess would be that she’s insane. All she’d tell us is that we’re making a big mistake and people are going to die because of it.”

He’s about to say something more, but that’s when the lights are cut.

The battle that follows leaves little time to think of anything other than capturing Bucky before the other side does (oh, and trying to survive themselves), but in the brief lull after they come out of the river, he manages to tell Sam,

“Spring the girl.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it. I have a hunch.” One that admittedly doesn’t make much sense, but then again, that seems to be the way his life works.

___________________________________________________________________________________

“It was a mistake. I told them so.” Sam’s inclined to believe the same as Sharon when he approaches the high-security cell with a pacing woman inside. “A fucking mistake. And now there’s a bunch of dead people topside and Barnes is who knows where, probably either with a couple bullet holes in him or else a couple bullet holes in the other guys.” She has to be crazy. She’s talking to herself. But how does she know- “I see the damn future, for fuck’s sake!” Well, that explains that.

It seems like she’s worn herself out because, her back against the wall, she slides down slowly to the floor as if her legs have given out from under her.

“I see the future, and I still couldn’t save him.” Great. He’s been sent to extract a homicidal maniac’s fortune-telling girlfriend. Awesome.

“Yeah, well-” She startles, cracking her head on the glass wall. “-unless you want a really bad headache, I’d get against the back wall right now if I were you, because I’m about to bust you out of here.”

“Who are you?” If he blasts the control panel… as a last resort, he could quite literally blow out the wall.

“A friend of Steve Rogers.” Sent to collect her crazy ass. The least she could do is stop glaring at him. “And I meant what I said about that headache. Get back and cover your ears.”

Finally, she moves, but not before shooting back,

“If you’re lying, just be aware that I won’t hesitate to kick you in the family jewels so hard, you’ll sing soprano.” Well, that’s comforting.

For a high-security facility, the locks go down fairly easily. Still, he hesitates before opening the door. “I’ll let you out so long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself and your crazy away from me, deal?”

She snorts.

“Can’t promise anything about the crazy because it comes and goes, but I won’t touch you. Good enough?” Can he really say no?

“Yeah. Whatever.” He allows the door to open, jumping out of the way just in case.

Now that she’s out of her cage, she looks considerably less nuts. Still, he’s not taking any chances.

“Rogers told me to spring you while he rounded up your boyfriend. He’s gone psycho, by the way.” If he was expecting a reaction, he’s disappointed. She just sighs.

“I was afraid of that. They turned a good man into a weapon.” Alright, ignoring the fact that he wouldn’t exactly call Barnes a good man…

“What’s your name?” She just raises an eyebrow.

“I’ll tell you mine when you tell me yours.” Sam doesn’t have time for this.

“Well, whatever your name is, stick close. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to shut up, you shut up. Got it?” Not waiting for an answer, he starts making his way out of the building.

He’s halfway expecting her to make a break for it the second his back is turned but, five sharp turns and a handful of sudden stops later, she’s still right behind him. Well, at the very least, her crazy hasn’t affected her ability to follow directions.

Trouble finally finds them when they attempt to sneak out the proverbial back door. Sam doesn’t even have a chance to shout at her to hide or run between incapacitating various guards, and by the time he remembers he’s supposed to be looking out for Barnes’ girlfriend, there’s an unconscious man laying by her side and she’s got the business end of a gun turned on another, who’s kneeling in front of her with his hands up.

“Don’t shoot him!” As he says it, her foot makes contact with the man’s chin, and he drops.

“Wasn’t gonna.”

She still hasn’t let go of the weapon. Alright, he needs to defuse this situation as fast as possible (oh, and without getting himself killed).

“You wanna put the gun down, What’s-your-face?”

“Nope. I’m hanging onto it.” As she says it, she checks the bullets. “Don’t worry. I know how to use it.” How is that supposed to keep him from worrying?

“Yeah well, keep it pointed away from me.” Is she rolling her eyes? Great. He’s dealing with an overgrown teenager.

“Safety’s on anyway.” He’s starting to think that between the knocked out cold super soldier and the awake and definitely dangerous crazy lady, he’s wishing he had Steve’s job.

“Come on.”

He only manages to run a few more steps before she asks,

“Where are we going?”

He’s not entirely sure, but he goes with what he’s almost certain will bring her along.

“To Barnes.” Sure enough, she doesn’t say anything else.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Once she arrives at… wherever the hell they are… she’s instructed to wait where she is and keep her mouth shut. Normally she’d inform whoever’s telling her that to stick it directly up their ass, but Bucky warned her time and again about what he could inadvertently do to her if he was activated, and considering Steve Rogers has the same capabilities, she’s not going to chance it. That, and Mr. “Keep your crazy away from me” seems a little testy, even if she does still have her gun (the fact that they haven’t taken it from her says more than enough about how secure they both feel in their ability to overpower her). No, she’ll bide her time. For now, it’s enough that she knows where Barnes is and that he’s mostly okay, if having a long snooze.

Eventually he does come around, and the conversation that follows both chills her to the bone and breaks her heart. He’s matter-of-fact about everything, calmly explaining to Steve and Sam (she finally overhears his name) what they’re up against, what those terrible people have made of him and so many others, but the guilt he feels is clear, at least to her. Alright, that’s it. She’s not going to sit still and be quiet any longer. She’ll just have to be smart about it.

Once Sam steps out to call whoever it is he knows that can help him, she starts to creep forward, slowly, deliberately, careful to avoid making noise. She’s almost there, about to leave the refuge of hiding behind a piece of broken down heavy machinery, when she hears something that makes her stop short.

“Who’s the girl, Buck?” This ought to be interesting. It was necessary to have a conversation about what they would do if one or the other of them was captured at any point in time, have a plan in place, but since this is Steve Rogers, she has no idea what the answer will be.

“Call her a personal attachment.” It’s a good answer. Vague, not giving too much away.

“Yeah, I figured that much out myself. Wanna give me a little more information?”

There’s a long pause, then-

“She’s important. The same way Peggy’s important to you.” That makes no sense to her, but it must appease Steve.

“I’m glad. You deserve that.” She’s definitely missing something here. “What’s her name?” That’s when she chooses to step forward.

They both turn towards her as she gives her name. “You should also know that I only give people one opportunity to tell me what to do. You and Sam already used yours.”

Steve glances back at Bucky, who shrugs, smirking.

“Don’t look at me. I used mine up two years ago.” A wave of relief courses through her. His sense of humor is still there, at least.

Steve nods. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I still have a question, though.” She indicates that it’s okay. “Are you gonna be as much of a pain in the neck as he is?” A joke, or at least she thinks it is.

“Only if I can’t be a bigger one.” If the laugh is any indication, she was right.

“I have a question too.” This time Bucky’s the one asking as Steve sets about freeing his arm. “Doll, where’d you get the gun?”

She decides to go with the truth, but a lighter version of it.

“A nice guard gave it to me.”

“Oh, he gave it to you, huh?”

She nods, slowly approaching him.

“Yes. It’s amazing how accommodating people can be once you’ve elbowed them in the ribs and kneed them in the groin.”

With a groan of metal, he’s free. As Steve helps him to his feet, he asks,

“What exactly did you teach her?”

“A few things. The rest she’d learned before me.” Yeah, well, you don’t spend your life running and hiding without learning how to defend yourself. Although, from the look of things, the company she’s fallen into could crush her without breaking a sweat.

After exchanging a few more words, Steve excuses himself, leaving her alone with the man she’s been so worried about. The atmosphere immediately changes, all attempts on both of their parts to seem unaffected, strong, gone to the wayside as he opens his arms and she folds herself into them.

“Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

She shakes her head, not lifting it from where it’s buried in his chest.

“No. I was locked up the whole time. Sam sprang me loose.” She can feel some of the tension leak out of him as he heaves a sigh of relief.

“I shouldn’t have gotten you involved. If you’d stayed-” Not waiting for him to finish his thought, she reaches up and taps the back of his head.

“Shut up. If you’d left without me, you know I’d just have gone to find you and gotten myself into even more trouble.”

He chuckles.

“You do have a way of doing that.”

Neither of them say much for the next few minutes, just concentrating on, in this brief moment, being together. Finally, with a sigh, Bucky separates himself from her and holds her at arm’s length.

“Look at me.”

It’s an abrupt segue, and she frowns.

“I need to make sure this is getting through that pretty and incredibly hard head of yours, because it’s important.” Swallowing down a lump in her throat, she meets his eyes. “If they activate me again, drop any weapons you have, get on your knees, and put your hands up.”

“What-”

“I don’t know much about how all of it works, but I do know that when I’m like that, I’ll ignore you if you don’t present a threat. It’s a shitty solution, but it’s the only way I can think of to half-way make sure you’re safe.” She’s about to protest (he’s with Steve now, whoever that not-a-doctor was is gone, no one’s going to activate him, and even though she knows what he can do, she refuses to be afraid of him), but it’s an old argument, and he cuts her off before she can even get started. “Promise me, Doll. Please.” He’s pleading with her, she realizes. As much as she hates it, the only thing she can do is agree.

“I will, but only if you promise to come back in one piece.” She begs her mind to memorize that smile, every single detail of it, just in case this is their last goodbye.

“It’s a deal.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

He’s drained, utterly and completely. That’s not a way Bucky is used to feeling, but after the past few days and all they’ve held (not to mention going in and out of being the Winter Soldier, never knowing who he’s hurt this time), he has to admit that he’s beat, even if it’s just to himself.

It’s all a blur: captured, activated, back to normal, battle, another battle, and now on a hellicarrier, waiting to go to a small African country he’d never heard of a week ago. If he examines each event closely, he can remember it in full, but why in the hell would he want to do that, especially after the encounter with Stark?

The one bright spot in the maze is that he knows she’s safe, holed up in what used to be a SHIELD safe house (he balked at the idea, as did she, but Steve assured them both that it was abandoned, completely safe), waiting for the all-clear to return to Romania. He’d wondered, with everyone except Steve and himself locked up who would tell her it’s safe to leave, but when Natasha helped them escape, she looked him dead in the eyes and informed him, “I’ll look after her, too.”. He still wonders how she knew where Steve chose as a location, but his best friend told him it’s best not to question how the spy gets her information.

The doors open once again, but he doesn’t look up.

“You look a little worse for wear.”

Even with the super serum, it’s a wonder he doesn’t get whiplash, turning his head towards the familiar voice.

“I thought I told you to come back in one piece.”

No, he’s not kidding himself. His senses aren’t fooling him. It’s her. She’s here.

“I did.” She chuckles as she settles into the seat next to him. “More or less.”

Completely ignoring the fact that he’s filthy, covered in at least ten different kinds of muck, she takes his hand in hers. He allows himself the comfort of having her next to him, enjoying the warmth, not just of her body but her presence, before asking,

“Doll, what are you doing here?”

“What I’m usually doing.” She stretches out her legs in front of her as far as they’ll go, then toes off her shoes. “Following you around like a lost puppy.” No, that’s definitely him. Can’t bring himself to stay away even though she’d be safer if he left and never came back. Once upon a time, he fooled himself into believing that so long as he stayed hidden, nobody said those key words, he wouldn’t hurt her. She’d be safer with him to protect her (she can defend herself, sure, but there’s far nastier things out there than just common criminals) than on her own, and besides, she wants him to stay. Now he knows the truth: it doesn’t matter that the Winter Soldier never laid a finger on her. He’s hurt her just from being who he is, sure as he left bruises in the shape of his fingerprints the first night they ever spent together doing something more than sleeping. Well, that ends now. He has to be strong, for her sake.

“I’m not going back to Romania.”

“I know.” She nods. “We’re going to Wakanda.” Here comes the hard part. He can do it. He has to.

“Not “we”. Just me.” It takes a moment, but recognition dawns on her face.

“Are you telling me to leave?”

She says it calmly, but he can tell that inside, she’s already starting to crumble. He should say yes. He’s absolutely telling her to leave. He loves her, god, does he ever, and you don’t hurt the people you love. You protect them, even if that means keeping them away from you. But, even as he prepares to tell her that, he knows the truth.

“Would it do any good if I did?”

“If it was because you truly didn’t want me around, then yes. If it was some self-sacrificing bullshit, then no.”

And there’s the crux of it. He can never tell her to go and truly mean it, just as he could never leave her side without her telling him she wants him gone. He’s simply not that strong, not that noble. Still, he has to try.

“You saw what I did.”

“Yeah, I did.” He feels her sag against his shoulder. “And my opinion hasn’t changed. I’m not afraid of you, Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier? Okay, he’s a scary guy, and I’ll be cautious around him, but I trust you.” Her fingers tighten around his. “I love you. That stays the same.”

He swallows hard, trying to get control of himself. There will be a time to put down all his armor, show her how damn tired he is, how if he’s being honest with himself, he just wants to let her take care of him, but not while they’re having this conversation.

“I’m going on ice as soon as we reach Wakanda.”

“Figured as much. I’ll be standing by, pestering them to make sure they do a good job getting what Hydra put in your head back out again.” She tugs gently at his hair. “For now, just relax. It’s only the two of us here. You’ve had a hard couple of days, so just rest.”

He starts to protest that he’s fine, she’s the one who should be decompressing, but then her fingers start working through the hair at his scalp. “You’re safe, Buck. It’s all going to work out.”

“Did you have a vision?” The last thing he sees as he closes his eyes and lets his head fall into her lap is her smile.

“No. Some things you don’t need to see the future to know.”

#marvel #fanfiction #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #steve rogers #captain america #the winter soldier #avengers #self insert

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themculibrary · 1 year

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier Masterlist 3

part one, part two

Ache For You (ao3) - tavana_lee sam/bucky G, 5k

Summary: "Sam. There's things I feel for you, things I cannot even begin to explain and I- I get nervous around you. I can't concentrate, I lose my train of thought and I ach- I ache for you." _

Bucky & Sam get stuck inside, and the tension is too much to bare.

Adjusted to Fit (ao3) - EternallyEcho steve/sam T, 3k

Summary: With a moment to himself for a little while, Sam Wilson reflects on his relationship and his feelings with his mentor, his idol, and his crush, who all happen to be the same person: Steve Rogers. Things were a bit...complicated, at least on his end.

baby you're the wave and I'm ready for the crash (ao3) - napricot sam/bucky E, 6k

Summary: Sam and Bucky have some unorthodox methods of going undercover in a club.

Beads on a String (ao3) - Sholio T, 14k

Summary: When Wakanda pulls Zemo out of the Raft and sends him on a mission, Ayo is tasked with being his handler. But there is more to it than either of them knows.

Bird Man, Metal Arm, & the Girl (ao3) - mynameisrae bucky/sharon, past sharon/steve, peggy/steve M, 105k

Summary: After returning from the blip, Sharon Carter is finding her place in the world again. She never expected to find Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes on her doorstep with a proposition for her. A proposition that leads her to moving in with the boys and becoming a part of the new Cap Trio. Now she's stuck with the bickering pair while they fight to keep Captain America's shield and navigate their new dynamic. A new dynamic that is becoming more and more complicated as Sharon becomes increasingly more curious what it would be like to kiss that damn scowl off Bucky Barnes' mouth.

Black and Blue (ao3) - concupiscence66 sam/bucky M, 86k

Summary: Sam and Bucky are a couple of guys. A couple of guys who have been battered and bruised down to their souls, and who are in need of some serious rest and relaxation. Bucky would be happy to crawl back into his isolation, but Sam coaxes him into another visit to Delcroix. With no impending doom hanging over their heads, Sam and Bucky have a chance to really get to know one another and see if the spark between them might turn into something more.

come with me to somewhere new (ao3) - huojuvuus sam/bucky G, 1k

Summary: “Are you and uncle Sam married?” It’s AJ who asks, with his mouth full of food and pointing at Bucky with his fork. Sarah chokes on her water and Bucky’s eyes divert to Sam, who looks back with wide eyes. There is a small smile playing on his lips, though, and Bucky feels his face heat up.

Well, he has packed enough to stay.

(or, bucky and sam really need to stop acting like an old married couple, until they don't.)

Constellations (ao3) - Vetiver bucky/darcy E, 56k

Summary; Bucky and Sam are called to assist SWORD with a strange object from space that's landed in Louisiana, where they meet Dr. Darcy Lewis. After the situation takes an even weirder turn for Darcy and Bucky, they reconnect in New York to figure out the mysterious cube - and their mutual attraction.

This will hang out in 'teen' rating territory for a while before eventually earning its 'explicit' rating. I usually wait till a work is complete before posting, but this one is still in progress; I will aim to update a minimum of twice a week. More tags to be added as events unfold.

devil's in the details (but you got a friend in me) (ao3) - lovecamedown sam/bucky T, 12k

Summary: TFATWS Sambucky falling in love. That's it that's the fic

For Science (ao3) - CluckU, Mumble_Bee bucky/hydra agents, sam/bucky E, 69k

Summary: In which Bucky is medically tortured in front of Sam, and then they cuddle, and then the authors accidently wrote a whole-ass novel.

Help Me Hold Onto You (ao3) - dash_of_darkness sam/bucky E, 202k

Summary: Six months after the fall of SHIELD and HYDRA, Sam is no closer to finding Bucky and he is growing more desperate by the day. Bucky feels like he's stuck in a free-fall, not able to trust anyone including himself. When he shows up to Sam's house unannounced one night, Sam scrambles to catch him and bring him home before it's too late.

keep the ashes from my heart (and walk away) (ao3) - coffeeinallcaps sam/bucky E, 4k

Summary: (In which Sam starts dating someone who is not Bucky, and Bucky pines, gets seriously injured, and proves himself wrong.)

#notmycap (ao3) - missgoalie75 T, 4k

Summary: In which Bucky fully embraces the 21st century and is a salty bitch on Twitter.

Scorpion Games (ao3) - Sholio T, 12k

Summary: Sam's nephews have been taken by HYDRA. Zemo is getting them back. No matter what.

sounds like an angel (he might be a demon) (ao3) - wikiangela sam/bucky M, 150k

Summary: When Sam agreed to help Steve find the Winter Soldier, he’d never expected what would happen and how fucked he'd be. And it all started with a phone call.

Or, Sam and Bucky's story through the years 2015-2024.

To Every Heart in Every Season (ao3) - Sholio T, 9k

Summary: It turns out there are videos of the Winter Soldier for sale. The kind of videos that shouldn't be seen by anyone.

When Sam finds out Zemo's been buying them on the black market, there's hell to pay.

unburn the ashes (ao3) - OmegaSamWilson sam/bucky E, 70k

Summary: In August 2006, Sam Wilson was captured by HYDRA and forced to mate with Bucky Barnes in order to produce a new generation of super soldiers. He was the sole test subject and was rescued seven months after his capture.

In 2024, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are now dealing with a "new" Captain America, a global rebel group, protecting their superpowered son, and navigating whatever the hell they're supposed to be to each other.

Follows the plot of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier with a twist.

You bring me closer to God (ao3) - Late_to_party_81 bucky/joaquin E, 8k

Summary: Bucky’s pissed off, his blood boiling, but all he can think about is taking out his frustrations on a certain, newly-minted Falcon.

#themculibrary #marvel #mcu #masterlists #tfatws #tfatws masterlist

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mushyjellybeans · 5 years

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Unrequited Part 2 (Bucky Barnes)

Pairings: Bucky x reader, Steve x reader, Thor x reader, Clark Kent x reader, Avengers x reader, DC x reader Summary: You had a major crush on Bucky Barnes, his feelings were unreturned, you try to move on but he has other plans. Warnings: Language, ANGST (I’M SO SORRY), Bucky is an asshole, bad editing, butchered carry on. Word Count: 3,014 A/N: Here’s part 2 that everyone requested. I’ve absolutely butchered this. Some wanted Y/N to move on with Steve and some wanted a DC cross over and I’m not one to disappoint my friends so you have ALL. Please give me feedback, I’m not confident with this at all. A/N #2: I don’t know squat about Superman, I’ve watched Justice League once this past week so it’s based off of that awesome battle at the end. :| Read Unrequited Part 1: Here Taglists are open // Requests are open

Masterlist

Bucky's glare seemed to follow you around everywhere you went in the tower. His behavior became even more strange after your little talk in your room a few weeks ago, considering his last words he said to you were "I hope we can still be friends." But as the time passed the more you believed he didn't mean it.

You actually did try to make conversation with him a few times in the common room when he was there alone, he would either ignore your existence as usual or storm out of the room.

You just didn't know what to do, you didn't know why he was treating you like this as you couldn't recall actually doing anything wrong. It wasn't against the law to have a crush on someone, right?

He hasn't said a word to you or even made any attempts to fix your friendship which leads you to believe your intuition was right and he just said it to keep you happy.

Happy. Far from what you were feeling, that much you knew.

Wanda told you who his girlfriend was, and you probably shouldn't have been so surprised considering they had a long history and everything, but it didn't stop your heart from wrenching when it was Natasha's name that spilled out during a private conversation you were having at the time.

You made a point in avoiding both of them, recalling all the intimate moments between them when they didn't sense people were looking at them, the glance he spared to her when you were sat next to him on the couch complimenting his gorgeous outfit at the beginning, but it all made sense now.

You had grown closer to Steve over a couple of weeks, you had ended up spilling all your feelings out about Bucky and your tears along with it.

Steve was really disappointed in his friend, told you the Bucky he knew in the 40s was a playboy but he was never a jerk towards a woman.

You spent all of your time together to the point both of your feelings were reciprocated and it was a mutual agreement to try and have a go at things.

But Steve had to go away on a mission with Bucky for 2 months. It was when they came back you knew something was wrong.

Much to your anger, it was Bucky who broke your relationship apart, barely a month in. According to Steve when he sat regrettably on your chair in your room Bucky had talked some sense into him about the whole dating thing and how perfect he would be for Sharon and how you and Steve don't fit together. Steve admitted he wasn't ready and wanted to remain friends instead. Deja vu. You tried to believe Steve, but you knew it was Bucky's sinister plan to make sure you couldn't be happy with Steve.

Your anger overrode your senses and before you knew what you were doing, you were storming down the hallway towards his door, not even bothering to knock.

"What's your fucking problem Barnes?" You yelled as loud as you could, slamming the door open so hard it left a dent in the wall from the doorknob.

Bucky was sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers, rubbing his tired eyes when you barged in. You would have swooned over the sight if you weren’t so riled up. It took him a minute to realize what was happening.

"What? Cat got your tongue now?" You stalked towards him bravely. His eyes turning dark from your yelling and posture.

"You’re real brave little girl but who do you think you are barging into my room like that?" He yelled back, standing up and puffed his chest out slightly.

"I just wanna know why you hate me so goddamn much. Hate me to the point where you make your personal mission and break me and Steve up." You put your hands firmly on your hips.

"Y/N I don't hate you." He said, calmly?

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Then what, are you jealous or something?" You scoffed, knowing the answer already, of course, he wasn't jealous.

"Or something, yes."

It wasn't a lie either. Bucky had to go away on a mission for two months with Steve, the conversation came up one night about you and Steve being together and Bucky's heart clenched so tightly he was scared he would go into cardiac arrest. Jealously consumed him, the thought of you two in bed together, being intimate and cuddling Bucky hated it, he only realized then he did have feelings for you after all.

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline. You didn't understand and you didn't want to. It was him after all who spent most of his time pretending you didn't exist, who brushed off your compliments and didn't even want to be friends. He had no right to be jealous and he certainly had no authority to decide who you can date and who you can't. He was with Natasha, so why the hell should he care so much about it.

"You know what James." Venom in your voice as he noticeably winced at the use of his real name. "I'm fucking done here. I don't want anything to do with you, I don't want missions with you, I don't want to talk to you, I don't even want to sit at the same dining table and eat my dinner with you. You have NO right interfering in MY life. Why don't you just go and mind your own goddamn business!" You used long strides to exit his room, slamming the door so hard behind you it shook the doorframe and you knew Tony would lecture you about the disturbance on the floor.

6 months after your confrontation with Bucky, you did exactly as you promised and avoided him like the death plague.

You even cut off all ties with Natasha, just because you would be sick to death hearing about her lovesick romance with the weasel. A subject you had absolutely no interest in hearing about and it was just easier this way.

You grew very close to Wanda if that was even possible. You were practically sisters and you were close to the rest of the guys, distancing a little from Steve but of course, he understood the reasons why.

You went even further and moved onto a new floor, Thor's floor which you were very happy about.

You and Thor became good friends, he was so polite and talked to you in a tone of how a man should talk to a lady, with respect. He kept calling you Lady Y/N, which you absolutely loved and his filthy hammer jokes made you roll on the floor clutching your stomach as you laughed.

He taught you all about Asgard, his brother. He talked a lot about his mother and how much she would have loved you if she was still alive.

Your relationship grew steady, he was aware of the drama that unfolded with Bucky.

You and Thor were relaxing in the common room after a day of showing him around the city and taking pictures with children who recognized the beautiful blond God.

He was wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans and his hair tied back in a bun. Your perfect God and better hair than Bucky, dare you to say.

Some sitcom was running in the background, Thor's arm was around your shoulder and your hand entwined with his. The elevator dinged and usually, you would pull away from Thor but his grip only tightened.

"Thor!" You whispered in a panic state hearing multiple footsteps approaching. He rolled his head towards you and smiled.

"I'm not ashamed of you lady Y/N. Let them see." He whispered back.

"But it could be Bucky."

"All the better." He smirked, watching as Bucky and Nat strolled in, frozen in their spot at the scene in front of them and Bucky's arm wrapped around Natasha's waist made your stomach flip, you really hated the effect he had on you.

Thor noticing your discomfort leaned his head down and grabbed your lips with his own, running his tongue along your bottom lip causing you to gasp audibly.

Thor's eyes watching over your shoulder intently as the seething jealousy evidently on Bucky's face giving him more encouragement to continue, pulling little whimpers from you until Tony's voice called out, "uhh Y/N? You seem to have a God down your throat." A blush rising from your neck to your cheeks. This was the first time you and Thor have been affectionate in front of them.

"Ah hello, team!" Thor greeted with a smirk, standing up and pulling all the guys beside Bucky into a tight hug and roughly patting them on the back.

He turned to Tony and chuckled. "Yes, the man of iron, you are correct sir. I showed her a few tricks with my hammer earlier." He laughed bellowed, earning disgusted groans from everyone while Wanda winked at you.

It wasn't true, you haven't done anything besides kissing and cuddling but you knew he was trying to rile Bucky up and by the quick glance you threw at him, it was working.

"So how long has this been going on for?" Wanda asked, sitting next to you. You just playfully roll your eyes and shift in your seat, well aware of Bucky's eyes on you from across the room.

The avengers were sent on a mission to help another team in a small village in Russia.

Thor had to return to Asgard to help repair the damage that was caused, with a promise he would be back. But it's been 3 years since you've seen him and his return was looking very unlikely.

Much changed in those 3 years. Wanda and Vision were married, Tony and Pepper had a daughter and named her Morgan, Steve and Sharon had just moved in together and you were happy for them, genuinely this time and Bucky and Nat were engaged, and you weren't happy for them. In fact, you prayed to the Asgardian gods that it would rain heavily on their wedding day, or for something to go wrong. Was it mean? Absolutely. Did you care? Absolutely not.

Bucky has hurt you enough, sure he was the victim of Hydra, used to carry out assassinations and did deserve happiness. But the way he treated you was no excuse. If he knew about your crush why didn't he just say something at the beginning instead of making you look and feel like an idiot? Maybe it was a mind game he enjoyed playing so well. He was very manipulative, you knew that much when he had persuaded Steve to break things off and stay as friends. So in your mind and line of thinking you had every right to be pissed off.

You were reading through the case file on the quinjet when you felt the seat next to you occupy itself. From your peripheral vision, you saw the shine from a metal arm and you rolled your eyes.

What does this moron want?

"Can I help you, Sergeant Barnes?" You asked still keeping your head down.

"Just wanna know if you're planning on dating anyone from the new team?" He asked casually, resting his metal arm on his thigh and leaning forward slightly.

Your mouth gaped open and your head shot towards the fossil.

"Why is that your business?"

"I don't want you to date anyone but me." He whispered you were aware Natasha, his fiancée was only a few seats away adjusting her suit.

"What the fu-"

"Look Y/N. Listen to me for a moment. Doll, when I found out about your crush I was with Nat but the more distant we got the more I actually missed you and when Steve told me about you two and I realized something..." he whispered loud enough for only you to hear.

"What's that? You finally grew a pair?"

He shakes his head but keeping eye contact with you.

"I want you Y/N. I wanna be the guy you go to bed with every night. The guy who has you in his arms. I made a mistake. I love you." His eyes glisten and for a moment your mind is blank and you don't fucking understand his demeanor.

He's messing around, your intuition is telling you that much. You're not close enough for him to have feelings for you, he's testing your reaction you're sure of it.

"Now is not the time." You whispered back, he looks pained and you're confused.

He did not mean any of that. He treated me like absolute shit.

"Doll, pleas-"

"Alright team. Suit up let's go. The other team is waiting for us." Steve orders adjusting his shield on his back and everyone on the quinjet nods in understanding.

Stepping off the quinjet, your eyes opened in awe at the beauty of this cute little village, just a couple of shacks around and so much land.

The Avengers were called in to help another team on a mission. You were pretty psyched about meeting them and they were just like the avengers only they were lucky because they didn't have a Bucky.

The sun was just rising behind the trees, the other team was waiting on the desolate field. The first person to greet your team was Bruce Wayne. Another Tony Stark with his money.

"Welcome to Russia." Bruce shook Steve's hand and nodded towards the rest of you.

“Thanks for having us," Steve replied going into details about the mission. Your eyes locked on to a sweet-looking guy in a shirt and jeans with a pair of dark-framed spectacles, you smiled curtly and he returned it melting your heart.

You felt a sharp jab on your right side, Bucky's eyes were burning holes in the side of your head.

"He's no good for you Y/N." He whisper-shouted. Earning a glare from Sam who was on your left.

"Don't you have a fiancée to worry about? Worry about her and leave me alone!" You gritted through your teeth.

Before Bucky could reply, Steve stood in front of you and got everyone's attention. His hands resting on his belt.

"Alright, avengers. Our mission here is to distract Steppenwolf's army while the other guys work on breaking apart the three mother boxes. We're a strong team, hopefully, once those boxes are apart we can defeat Steppenwolf and his army. Tony, I want you and Bruce helping Cyborg with the boxes. Y/N, Bucky, Nat, Wanda, Sam, Clint and myself will be on the ground doing the distracting with Diana and Aquaman. Are we clear?" “Yes, boss.” Tony quipped back sarcastically, earning a few laughs.

Everyone nods understanding the mission key points. Kick-ass but stay alive, easy enough. You wanted to throw up when Nat spontaneously threw her arms around Bucky's neck and kissed him.

Girl, you don't know where that mouth has been.

The mission goes according to plan. Steppenwolf is distracted on the ground just like Steve had planned out. Tony, Bruce, and Cyborg were busy separating the mother boxes above you. His army was never-ending, but it was definitely a mission you couldn't forget anytime soon.

The cute man you smiled at earlier joined near the end, you later recognized him without his spectacles as superman. And after the fight, he had shyly introduced himself as Clark.

The mother boxes were separated and Steppenwolf was defeated by everyone's hand and the boxes were put back where they belonged, both teams flew back to Kansas for the night. The avengers would leave for New York tomorrow after a good night's rest.

"Thank you, avengers, for helping us. We couldn't have done it without you." Bruce stood proudly, patting everyone on the back. "Anytime you need us please don't hesitate to call us." He walked out with his newly established team, Clark stayed behind and motioned to talk to you in private.

"I'm grateful for the avengers coming to help." He said as you two walked behind a closed door.

"Well, it's kinda our job."

He thinks for a moment.

"When do you go back to New York?"

"Tomorrow." You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and shifted between your feet involuntarily biting and licking your lips.

"Then may I request your presence to join me for a date?" He was charming, you would admit that much.

"Yes, I would like that."

You actually had a great time with Clark. He was sweet, funny and charming and you don't recall laughing as hard on any other date.

Not to mention Kansas was absolutely gorgeous and full of friendly locals.

It was a little after 11pm when you got back to your rented room.

"How was your date?" A voice asked in the darkness when you opened your door and walked in.

Turning the lights on and clutching your chest from fright, you glared at the brooding man in front of you sitting on your bed.

"God, you don't take a hint do you?" You threw your keys on the chest next to the door. "And it was great. He was great."

"Yeah? What's so special about him anyway? A big fucking deal he can fly and all that bullshit." He tutted obviously jealous.

"Well for starters, he's not conceited like you. Secondly, he doesn't tell me he loves me even when he has a fiancée. And thirdly, he didn't treat me like a dog." You lifted your hand, fingers raising as you listed your points.

"I meant what I said Y/N. I'm gonna make you believe it." He stalked towards you, "stop fucking around with other guys." He whispered close to your ear, "me and Nat are only a pawn. It's you I want and I always get what I want and don't think for even a single there isn't a damn thing I won't do to get you. That's a promise sweetheart." He kisses your cheek and you pull away, shocked by what he just told you.

How far would Bucky Barnes go to get what he wants? You were afraid to find out.

Permanent Taglist: @morsmordrethings @sebbbystaaan @stuckonjbbarnes @infj-slytherclaw @lovvliies @livylou3333 @zeilenkrieg @iheartsebastianstan @veganfangirl5

And tagging some of the awesome fam: @chloerinebarnes @captain-kelli @valkyriesryde @ficsxreaderr @sandyclaws @dark-night-sky-99 @seb-be-holding-these-tatas (Part 3 is coming soon)

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escapingreality1992 · 4 years

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Satisfaction Needed

Loki X OC - Mina has always finished herself off after meeting up with her fuck buddy. Her secret is revealed to Natasha and Wanda while walking. To make matters worse, she is told she needs to bring a date to an Avengers party. With her options limited, she chooses to go with Loki. She meets up with Emmett, her fuck buddy, before the party and again he denies her another orgasm putting an end to their relationship. Left with no time to masturbate, she changes and goes down to the party horny as hell. Once she lands on Loki’s thigh wrong, it does nothing to help her arousal. Loki pulls her aside and helps her deal with the situation.

Warnings: use of the word ‘slut’. Thigh Riding. Explicit Sex.

Wanda, Natasha and I were taking a walk around the block, talking about life. We were best friends, enjoying each other’s company whenever we could. Somehow the subject changed from details of a future girls’ night to our love life; a secret of my own coming to life.

“I thought I heard you masturbating the other night, Mina. Is Mr. Irish Eyes not doing it for you?” Natasha said.

“Wow. Cut to chase Natasha. Don’t ease into the subject,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought I’d ask. I wanted make sure you’re being satisfied,” she countered. I rolled my eyes, avoiding the question.

“Out with it. Does he keep you entertained? Or does he bore you?” Wanda demanded. I could always count on my friends to be bold with me. They didn’t care who was around or how private the subject might be. Both women nudged their elbows into my side, attempting to get me to talk.

“Stop. Stop. Fine. If you must know, Emmett doesn’t exactly let me…you know,”

“Hah! He has a name. He doesn’t let you what? Spill!” Natasha pressed.

“Finish. He won’t finish me off. He gets off, sure. When it comes to my orgasm, though, he doesn’t care. Just pulls out, leaving me throbbing. By the way, he’s not Irish. He’s purely American like me. With emerald eyes,” I confessed. Heat flooded my cheeks, traveling down to my neck. Wanda and Natasha stopped walking and traded looks with each other. Shock was evident on their features and I almost regretted telling them. Almost.

“I’m sorry. Did you say he won’t let you orgasm? Is this every time or on occasion?” Wanda asked. The heat intensified, only answering her question further. Another exchange of a look.

“Why are you still with him? I mean, that’s downright awful. What kind of a man doesn’t let a woman finish? How can he call himself a great boyfriend?” Wanda continued.

“Ah. Well, he’s not my boyfriend. Technically speaking. We’re only fuck buddies. I don’t mind, really. I manage to take care of my issue when I get back to the compound. Before anyone notices. Except for Natasha, apparently,” I replied. I linked my arms through theirs, pulling them along to finish our walk.

“Don’t feel bad, Mina. Nothing tends to get past me anyway. You should remedy this problem. Get rid of Emmett and date a real man,” Natasha commented. I laughed, grateful to have her as friend. I truly admired her honesty.

“No time. Hence the fuck buddy,” I commented.

“You could always date one of the boys. I hear Steve and Bucky are single. So are Sam, Thor and Loki,” Wanda suggested.

“Too complicated, I think,”

“It’s not that complicated. We’re all in the same field of work and we all live together. I think it might be easier with one of them,” Wanda argued.

“Unless we break up. Then it’s just awkward. And I wouldn’t dare be fuck buddies with one of them. Natasha would only spy on us,” I quipped. She burst out laughing, knowing I was right. “Seriously, though. I’m okay with it. I don’t need to be set up with anyone. I’m not ready right now,”

“Not ready for what?” Tony asked as we entered the compound. He followed us to the kitchen while we got water, continuing the conversation.

“A relationship. Not that it’s any of your business, Stark,” I said. I shot him a snarky grin, skirting past him to the fridge.

“Okay, ouch, Mina. I only asked a simple question. I wasn’t trying to get all up in your business. Speaking of relationships or in this case a date, who are you bringing to the party next week?” he shot back. He feigned being injured in his chest, which set us off laughing again.

“No one. I kind of wanted to go alone. No attachments,”

“You might want to rethink your decision. Bringing a date is mandatory. We’re all supposed to be paired up with someone, regardless of being in a relationship with someone,” he informed me. I groaned in frustration, my nose scrunching up in disgust.

“Why? I can bet you 10 dollars Strange isn’t bringing anyone. He never brings anyone anyway. Why do we have to?” I complained.

“One, he’s too busy to meet anyone to bring a date and two, he’s not coming this time. He got called off to another universe, which interferes with the date of the party,” Tony stated.

“I doubt it’s the real reason he’s not coming. He probably heard a date was mandatory and opted out of it because he can’t find one. I’d be willing to bet no one in their right mind wants to date a second-rate sorcerer like him,” a new person said, joining the conversation. We all turned our attention to the source of the voice; Loki, God of Mischief. He chose not to dress in his usual Asgardian garb. The leather suit with his signature green and gold were gone replaced by a black tailored shirt – two buttons opened to show off a portion of his chest – and black pants. His raven black hair curled around his shoulders, those green eyes sparkling with a sort of malice as he spoke.

“Brother, I don’t know why you have an issue with the wizard, but you should be a little nicer when talking about him. Try to be a little more polite,” Thor’s booming voice chimed.

“Do you ever wear a shirt? Or is that just for public outings and not in the compound?” Nat asked. She gestured to the half-dressed God of Thunder. He only beamed a smile of confidence, showing of his muscles more.

“Enjoying the sight, Natasha?” he said. She rolled her eyes and I snickered at her.

“What about Steve? Bucky? Sam? Are they bringing someone?” I asked, turning the conversation back to the original topic.

“Steve is bringing Sharon Carter, I believe. Bucky is going with Natasha. Sam has a reporter friend he’s planning on bringing. You know Wanda is going with Vision,” Tony answered.

“Bruce?”

“Sitting this one out,”

“Clint?”

“He’s bringing his wife. I’ve got Pepper before you ask. Which now leaves you, Thor and…Loki without a date,” he replied. Loki, without a date, I thought, weighing my options.

“Mina, you could accompany me to the party. No one could ignore the God of Thunder and his beautiful siren,” Thor offered. He still beamed with confidence, but my mind was still caught on taking Loki to the party.

“It’s probably too late to ask some civilian right?” I asked, drumming my nails on the counter, deciding whether or not to commit to my decision.

“What about Emmett?” Wanda suggested. I waved it away with the flick of my wrist.

“No, he doesn’t like events like these,”

“Who’s Emmett?” Tony and I spoke at the same time.

“Someone who I like to call around to fuck. He’s not important,” I answered his question. Silence filled the room as Tony, Thor, and Loki stared at me. Tony’s mouth had dropped open, his eyes had widened while processing the information. Loki arched an eyebrow, a smirk stretching his lips. Thor looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“You have fuck buddy?”

“I think I’ll go with Loki,” Again, Tony and I said at the same time.

“One more time, Tony and we’ll have to play jinx,” I warned. He gulped, putting his hands up in surrender.

“Did you say you’re taking Loki? Why on Earth would you do that?” Wanda asked. Thor’s smile had dropped once I had picked Loki. I think he would have preferred for me to take him.

“He looks good in a suit. Plus, no one ever invites him to formal events, and I’d hate to allow him to sit alone in his room,” I replied, deliberately walking up to Loki. I let my hand rest against his chest, stroking his skin with my thumb.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” he commented, flashing a mischievous grin. I think it meant to intimidate me, but I flashed one of my own at him.

“Looking forward to it,” I retorted. I winked, squeezing his bicep as I passed by. A mistake. I’d be eating those words at the party when I found myself in a sticky situation during the party itself.

1 Week Later

“Keep going. Yes. Just like that. Oh, god,” Emmett grunted, riding his orgasm high. He pulled out of me, rolling over to dispose of the condom. What was I thinking hooking back up with him? He called a few hours ago, begging to have a little fun.

I said, ‘Why not?’ I still had a few hours before the Avengers’ party. We were celebrating another anniversary of the team. Part of the reason why we needed dates for the evening. The other part was it was more of a formal event and those who were visiting preferred us paired up with someone. Thor had managed to call Jane Foster, a former flame of his, and invited her to join him; no romance required. We were also the highlight of the party, which made it very important to have a date.

Emmett and I picked a time, a little close to the time of the party for my liking. I thought maybe he’d be able to finish before I had to return to the compound to get ready. Emmett, however, had other plans. A longer foreplay, a little tying up to lead up to us fucking our brains out. More aptly put, it was up to me to fuck his brain out. Like always, he didn’t allow me to finish, my pussy throbbing for more.

“Thanks, sweetheart. I needed that,” Emmett said. I sighed and checked my phone. 5:50 p.m. Shit. I bolted up and dressed quickly to head back home.

“Hey, hey, hey. Where are you headed off to? I thought we could have dinner. Do this again,” he complained.

“I can’t. I’ve got a party to go to. I’m going to be late. It starts at 6:30,” I explained, pulling on my boots.

“Party? Need a date? We could fool around in your beloved compound if you like,”

“You wouldn’t like it. Too formal. Besides, I already asked someone else. Uh, I don’t think we should do this anymore,”

“Wait, what? Why not?” Emmett asked, sitting up.

“For starters, you won’t let me orgasm. Ever. Not since we started this relationship, which isn’t really a relationship. I’m sorry but you’re not doing it for me anymore,” I replied.

“Is this because of your date? Who is he, Mina? Are you interested in him?”

“It’s not any of your business. We’re not friends and we’re certainly not dating. I don’t need to tell you everything that goes on in my life,”

“It’s one of your Avengers friends isn’t it? Which one? Thor? Captain America? Everyone says they’re both dreamy. It must be one of them,”

“No. Not one of them. It’s not as if you care. For your information, it happens to be Loki,”

“I’d like to know who else you’re fucking. I didn’t know you were such a slut. Is he good in bed? Is he the real reason you’re ending this?” Emmett snapped. My blood was boiling during this argument.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, get over yourself. And your tiny cock. I’m not sleeping with him. To be honest, I’d rather fuck him than be with you anyway. Goodbye, Emmett,” I growled. I left, slamming the apartment door behind me.

Arriving back at the compound, I rushed to get ready. I had no time to masturbate, knowing I’d be extremely horny while at the party. I wiped down, getting rid of the sweat covering my body and changed into the dress planned for this evening. The dress in question was a floor length, dark green one, which had straps that crossed over each other to show off my back. It had an intricate gold design on it and would catch anyone’s attention.

I chose it specifically to please Loki, a nod to his signature choice of colors. I matched my makeup to the dress but kept it subtle so as to not hoard the gazes of the guests. I had just finished strapping on my heels when a knock sounded at my door.

“It’s unlocked. Come in,” I called out, standing up. Loki walked in, wearing an all-black suit, his hair slicked back from his face. It still curled slightly around his shoulders but in a nicer way, increasing my attraction to him. My body responded and I mentally cursed myself for not being able to satisfy my cravings.

“Ready to go?” he asked, offering me his arm. I nodded, taking it and he led us downstairs to the party.

It was a mistake meeting Emmett for sex, I thought. I was struggling to keep it together, I had to admit. The throbbing had intensified, and I had to fight showing any sign of my sexual frustration on my face. It had grown to the point where I was now fidgeting with my hands. Anywhere. Talking to people, waiting in line for dinner. Everywhere.

“Everything alright, Mina?” Loki asked me, as we waited for tonight’s dessert; Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate shavings.

“I’m fine,” I lied, hoping he wouldn’t see through it.

“Stop fidgeting. You’re making people nervous,” he whispered. His breath was cold against my skin and I shoved down the urge to push him down on the table and taking him in front of everyone. He placed a hand on the small of my back, I guess as a form of comfort. It did nothing for my arousal. Fuck, this is not good, I thought. It was now my turn to get a slice of cake and I quickly found a place to sit down, preferably away from him.

I found a spot next to Natasha, focusing on eating the cake in front of me. I clenched my legs together to stop the throbbing between my thighs.

“Something wrong?” Nat whispered in my ear. Damn, nothing ever gets by her, I thought. I leaned in as if to hug her.

“I met up with Emmett. As usual, he didn’t let me finish. I didn’t have a chance to rub one out,” I told her, low enough for her ears only.

“Ah. Please tell me you ended things with him,”

“I did. I’m trying to make it through the party,” Natasha squeezed me, releasing my body to throw away her plate. I did the same, wanting another drink to distract myself. Tossing it back, I went to sit back down; Loki had already stolen my seat.

“Why don’t you sit on my lap, darling?” he asked, flashing a smile. I hesitated, looking around to find a different spot. All the other seats were filled, leaving me no choice but to accept.

“Relax. I promise I won’t do anything inappropriate,” he told me. His arms coiled around my waist, pulling me down onto his lap. Instead of landing on my ass, I landed on his thigh; It hit me right between my thighs and I really regretted not dealing with my arousal sooner. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. This wasn’t normal circumstances.

As I landed on his thigh, I had to bite back a moan as the friction jolted through me. I hid my face against his neck, my breath fanning on his skin.

“Darling? Is something the matter?” Loki asked.

“N-Nothing. Landed on your lap wrong, I think. That’s all,” I managed. I shifted to sit better on his lap; another mistake. My nails dug into his shoulder and a hushed ‘fuck’ escaped my lips.

“Mina look at me,” Loki demanded. He lifted my chin with a finger, examining me. I knew what he might have seen. Pupils blown with lust, shallow breathing as if I was panting, flushed cheeks.

“Will you excuse us? I believe Mina needs some air,” Loki addressed the group. They nodded and he helped me up, leading me to the third-floor balcony.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Is it me? Do I get you all hot and bothered?” Loki asked. He shut the sliding glass door, shutting out any eavesdroppers.

“It’s not you. Not really,” I responded.

“Then, who? Oh. Don’t tell me. It’s the one you’re sleeping with isn’t it? Did you two not finish?”

“He did. I didn’t have time to finish myself off,”

“Finish yourself off? He left you unsatisfied. Is this the first time he didn’t get you off?” he asked. He pressed closer, pinning my body against the concrete wall. I laughed, pressing my legs tight together.

“He never let me. I always took care of my own orgasm. In the privacy of my room,” I confessed. Thank god, I was already burning up. My face was already flushed from my arousal.

“He…why did you continue meeting if he denied you orgasms? You should always be allowed to cum my dear. Unless you’ve been super naughty. Honestly, you should have come to me. I would’ve let you cum over and over again,”

“I ended it today. I can’t stop the throbbing. It’s only gotten more intense as the night went on,” I said.

“Allow me to help you,” Loki suggested. I nodded and he pressed his lips against mine. They were cool to the touch, yet soft. I kissed him back, wanting more of him. My hands clung to his waist and he nipped my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I let him slip past my barriers, his tongue dominating mine. I groaned, arching into his body, losing control. Never breaking our kiss, Loki bunched up my dress, draping it over his pants. He nudged my thighs apart with his knee, pulling me forward; his thigh brushed up against my folds and I moaned at the feel of it.

“Loki…”

“Ride it, sweetheart. Get yourself off on my thigh. I know you want to,” he ordered. He pressed down on my hips, the pressure eliciting another moan out of me.

“But…your pants...will get soaked,” I panted.

“Nothing magic can’t fix. Don’t worry about anyone seeing. No one ever comes up here,” he said. He rubbed against my aching core, coaxing me more. Caving, I ground against his thigh, creating enough friction to increase my pleasure. I gripped his shoulders to keep steady, moaning as I rode his thigh.

“That’s it, my love. Keep going. I love the sound you’re making,” I rocked against him faster and faster until my orgasm rushed over me. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing hard, my fluids soaking his pants.

“Feel better?” he asked. I hummed my approval and he dropped his thigh, lifting my chin to devour my mouth with his own.

“Let me show you how it’s really done,” he growled. He unbuckled his belt, unzipping his pants. He shoved them down along with his underwear, an item I had decided not to wear this evening. Loki lifted me up on his hips, slamming his cock into me. He held me against the wall, pounding into me. He would switch paces, making sure to pleasure me as long as possible. He worked me to my climax until it flooded over me. Loki kept thrusting, reaching his a few minutes later, while I reached my third orgasm of the night. We were both breathing hard, staying in place until we came down from our high. He put me down on the ground, redressing while I fixed the angle of my dress; he brought forth a new pair of pants to cover the evidence we did anything.

“Anytime you feel the need to fuck, come find me,” Loki told me, kissing my lips again.

“I might take you up on that,” I said, taking his arm to rejoin the party downstairs.

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what-is-your-plan-today · 5 years

Text

Stark Spangled Banner Ch31: We Fight

Summary: As Bucky comes round he reveals some shocking news to Steve, Katie and Sam which leaves the Captain with no alternative but to take the fight to Siberia in an attempt to prevent the mystery Doctor from unleashing more Winter Soldiers. The 4 rogue operatives enlist the help of some familiar faces, but encounter their old friends who are charged with their own mission- to apprehend Steve’s team.

The Avengers are pitted into a Civil War, and the gulf between Steve and Tony grows even wider.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW or Under 18s)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist

"It's strange," Katie said, looking over to where Steve was stood next to her, his arms folded. "It's like he just flipped a switch turning him right back into the Winter Soldier."

"Hydra perfected mind control.” Steve sighed as he looked at Bucky who was restrained, his metal arm locked in a vice in the middle of the warehouse.

“Question is, who the hell is he gonna be when he wakes up?” Sam asked, hands in his pockets.

Bucky groaned.

“Looks like we’re about to find out” Katie muttered, as the two men instantly closed ranks on either side of her, all three of them adopting more defensive stances.

"Steve?" Bucky questioned in a hoarse voice, wincing a little as he tried to straighten up from the stiff sitting position he'd been slumped in. Everything hurt.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve asked suspiciously and Bucky glanced at him, blinking slowly.

"Your mom's name is Sarah." He said slowly. Then he realised that anyone could know that so he searched for a fact he knew would be more personal, and then laughed a little at the memory "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes." then Bucky’s eyes turned to Katie and he smiled softly at his friend’s wife. “You had lilies as your wedding flowers. Lilies were Steve’s ma’s favourite. You looked beautiful by the way.” “How do you…” she frowned, before her mouth dropped open and her and Steve exchanged astounded glances.

“You were there?” Steve looked at him.

Bucky smiled again “Couldn’t miss your punk ass getting married.”

Steve raised a brow, and his face relaxed, "You can't read about all that in a museum." He said lightly.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked, sceptically.

"What did I do?" Bucky interrupted picking up on Sam's anger easily.

"Enough." Katie answered flatly.

Bucky sighed, breathing out in horror and disbelief, "Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do is say the god damn words." He muttered miserably.

"Who was he?" Steve asked.

"I don't know." Bucky admitted shrugging as best he could.

"People are dead." Steve said in a no nonsense tone. "The bombing. The set up. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. You need to do better than 'I don't know'."

Bucky's frown deepened, clearly trying to remember.

"He wanted to know about Siberia.” he said after a short pause. “Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where…" he said slowly.

"Why would he need to know that?" Katie asked, frowning, and Bucky paused.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier." He answered darkly.

"There's more of you," Katie blurted out and Bucky nodded glumly. "How many?"

"Five." He confessed.

She looked at Steve who sighed, before looking at Sam and nodding. Sam moved to undo the clamp from Bucky’s metal arm where the pieces of the vice fell to the floor with a clang. The soldier nodded his thanks, shifting his body to a more comfortable position resting both arms on his knees. Katie stepped forward and handed him a bottle of water, before squeezing his shoulder. He smiled his thanks as Steve continued.

“How? How did they make more?”

Bucky looked at Steve sadly before he turned to Katie “Your dad.” he said gently, before he continued “He managed to back engineer the serum or at least a version of it”

“So that’s why they were killed?” Katie whispered, looking at Steve. “Hydra couldn’t steal it from under his nose, not whilst he was alive…”

She stood stock still for a moment, before her eyes met Bucky’s and she found them full of tears and remorse. She felt herself grow cold as realisation flooded her stomach that the suspicion she had held since that day they had encountered Zola’s memories at Camp Lehigh was correct. But she needed to hear it, have it confirmed.

“It was you, wasn’t it.” she stated rather than asked, swallowing thickly.

“I’m sorry.” he said gently, eyes cast to the floor.

Steve let out a soft groan as Katie scrunched her eyes shut taking a deep breath, turning to away from Bucky. Steve stepped toward her but she shook her head, stopping him. Hearing it confirmed had shaken her, and she swallowed, trying to remain logical.

It wasn’t Bucky, it was the Winter Soldier. It wasn’t Bucky, it was the Winter Soldier…

“So you got the serum…” Steve said, his arms dropping to his belt as he turned from Katie to his friend “Then what?”

“Four men and a woman from the Red Room were transformed. The most elite death squad." Bucky answered quietly. This was amongst the last things he ever wanted to talk about but he knew he had to "More kills than anyone in the HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turned out like you?" Sam asked curiously with a hint of sarcasm.

"Worse." Bucky answered flatly.

"The doctor," Steve asked next, as Katie turned around, her teary eyes focussing on Bucky "he could control them?"

Bucky glanced at Katie, then Steve before lowering his head, saying softly, "Enough."

"He said he wanted to see an empire fall." Katie said, clearing her throat as she repeated what the doctor had said.

"With these guys he can do it.” Bucky warned softly “They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, they can infiltrate assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night and you'd never see them coming."

Katie pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up as Sam walked closer to her and Steve, speaking lowly.

"This would've been a lot easier a week ago." He sighed.

"If we call Tony-" Steve began in the same hushed tone.

"He won't believe us." Katie cut in, “He’s blinded by all this at the moment, and even if he did-"

"Who knows if the Accords will let him." Sam finished with a straight look.

"We're on our own." Steve said pointing out the obvious.

Sam nodded then paused before saying slowly. "Maybe not."

Katie looked at him in a mix of surprise and expectancy, and Sam shrugged. "I know a guy."

“Who?” she asked.

“Remember that dude that broke our perimeter a few weeks back?” Sam said “Scott Lang.”

“Ant Man?” she frowned.

Sam nodded. “Worth a shot…”

“We also all know a girl.” Steve suggested. He didn’t need to explain he was talking about Wanda.

“But how we gonna do this?” Sam frowned “We can’t just fly back and go on a recruitment drive?”

“No, but…” Katie spoke as a sudden thought hit her, grinning at the two men who turned to face her. She looked at Steve and locked eyes with him “We know someone that can.”

*****

After retrieving their gear from Sharon, with many thanks, they headed to a motel for the night. It was old, non-descript, but decent enough for a night's rest, and more important was far enough away from the CIA base, and within reasonable distance of the airport which was their rendezvous point for tomorrow. Katie was just pleased to be getting away from Sam and Bucky, the two men had bickered all the way to the hotel causing her to lose her shit and tell them they were sharing a room so they would learn to get along. After much growling and arguing and childish behaviour they’d realised there was no point arguing with her and reluctantly took they key they were offered and headed to their room which was next door to Katie and Steve’s. Steve, however, had found the whole thing highly amusing, watching his two best friends quiver in out and out fear as Katie had unleashed her infamous Stark temper on them. His wife was scary at times. And Steve loved it.

But the minute they had found themselves alone she’d withdrawn and retreated to the bathroom. Steve had respected her request that he leave her alone. She’d gently kissed his cheek, her way of assuring him that he wasn’t the issue. But he knew what was. The problem is, Steve wasn’t surprised. He’d pieced it together a while ago. Bucky was Hydra’s number 1 asset, it made sense that they would send him in for such an important assassination. Still, the fact she had managed to remain civil and friendly to Bucky was a temperament to how strong she was. Faced with the same knowledge, Steve wasn’t sure he’d have the ability to do the same.

Katie leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her face, before drying herself with a towel. She knew that Bucky wasn’t in control when he was the Winter Soldier. She knew as well as anyone what being stripped of your dignity, being tortured by Hydra was like. Still, it didn’t make it any easier to hear or know. And then there was Tony. Tony didn’t even know her parents had been murdered. If he found out it was Bucky that did it then there was no way on Earth he would be as understanding as she was. No way.

What a mess.

With a sigh she opened the bathroom door and looked at Steve who was sat on the bed. He looked up at her, and flashed her a soft smile.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Not really.” she sighed, honestly.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Talk about the fact your best friend killed my parents?”

Steve sighed and looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry.”

“No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you.” she sighed, stepping into the space between his legs where he was perched on the edge of the bed. Steve looked up as his hands slid up the outside of her thighs and gently stopped on her hips. “Not like you did it is it?”

“No but…” he sighed, squeezing her hips “Doesn’t mean I’m not sorry about it. Sorry it happened, that you found out like this, sorry about this whole damned situation.”

“Did you suspect?” she asked softly. “That he might have done it?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I did. Since the time we learned it was HYDRA who killed your parents. He was their deadliest assassin, stands to reason they would have sent him to take out your father.”

“What a mess.” she said.

“You can say that again.” he shrugged.

“What a mess…” Steve chuckled and gently moved his hands so they were round her back, pulling her closer to him. Her hands strayed to his hair as she ran her hands through it. He smelt like the water of the river that had dried into his blonde spikes and clothes. Before she could tell him to go shower they heard a noise from the room next door, which sounded suspiciously like an argument, and then for some reason Katie started to laugh.

Steve looked up at her, his blue eyes darkening. “What?”

“Just you getting all pissy before because I was impressed with how Bucky got that bike.” she said, her finger on her right hand lightly trailing up Steve’s bicep.

He dropped his head to her chest, letting out a noise that was half way between a groan and a laugh. “I did not get pissy.”

“Yes, you did” she laughed, pulling gently on his hair, tipping his head back so he was looking up at her. In a flash Steve used his arms that were round her waist and she let out a small shriek as he quickly whipped her round to his side, so she was let on the bed underneath him.

“Alright, so maybe just a little…you forget I know what he’s like. And you’re mine.” Steve said as she reached up to brush his hair back slightly. He was still covered in dirt from the day’s activities and once more she got a whiff of dirty river water. But the more she smelt him, the more she was reminded of him emerging from a lift shaft, grubbily, and wrestling with a helicopter with his bare arms.

“You know, seeing you before…” she said, her hands lightly trailing up his t-shirt and she gently scratched her nails down his back, making him shudder “Climbing up from the lift shaft, holding back a helicopter… it was quite distracting Mr Rogers.”

“Sorry. I’ll try to make it less of a turn on in future…” he rolled his eyes.

“Hmmm know what is getting turned on now?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

“What?”

“The shower, you smell of river!”

He let out a sigh as she untangled herself from him and headed into the bathroom but she had barely reached over to turn on the shower before Steve spun her round, his lips pressing against hers hungrily. Katie grinned into the kiss, and went to work on removing his dirty clothes, as he did the same for her, kneeling down to pull her jeans and underwear all the way down her legs. His eyes were constantly on hers as he rose to his feet, gently took her face in his hands and kissed her as he manoeuvred her into the shower.

Neither of them paid the least bit of attention to actually getting cleaned up, instead they kissed and held each other under the spray of the water, tongues dancing together and hands sliding along slippery skin, squeezing and kneading where they saw fit. Eventually the teasing touches weren't enough and Katie’s hands dropped down and in between them to stroke him. He let out a hiss at her touch, he was more than ready, solid as a rock. Spinning her round so her back was to the wall, one hand lifted her leg and hooked it over his arm and he pushed inside of her, making her groan loudly.

"Oh God, sweetheart…” Steve breathed out shakily against her lips, hand grasping on the steamy shower wall as he began pumping in and out. He lifted her onto his hips so that she could wrap her other leg around him and her arms around his neck. She kissed, bit, sucked at any of the skin on his shoulder she could get to, lips skirting over the various bruises that she knew would be faded in a day or so, while he buried his face in her neck, his mouth gently sucking on that spot that drove her mad, as he continued to rut upwards, slowing his trusts and concentrating on driving deeper, harder. At the change of pace she let out a groan and dropped her head back against the tiles.

"Stevie," she moaned and he slid a hand around into her hair to keep her eyes locked on his. He wanted to see her, needed to see her.

"You feel so good." he muttered, groaning as she pushed downwards with her hips, taking him as deep as he could go. “I love you so fucking much."

"I love you too." she whimpered, her green eyes shone as he looked straight into them, the pair of them continuing to pant and moan and Steve shuddered as he felt her tighten around him, a sign she was close.

"You’re mine." he demanded hoarsely into her ear, his thrusts speeding up again. “Say it…please, say it…”

"Always," she moaned, her eyes boring deep into his ocean blues which were blown with desire as his hips began to falter their rhythm. "Always yours."

"Oh doll," he whispered into her ear and with that she was gone as Steve began to lose his battle against his self-control and shuddered hard as his abs tightened. Her heat gripped him as she groaned loudly, her orgasm leaving her utterly wrecked. He came with a cry of her name, and his thrusts slowed before he stopped, and buried his face into the crook of her neck, his body supporting her against the wall. After a moment he gently moved his head to offer her a kiss, this one soft, as she smiled at him, that satiated, satisfied smile only he ever got to see.

“I’m yours you know.” she whispered again, feeling the need to reassure him. “Only ever yours Stevie.”

He kissed her again before setting her gently on her feet. She leaned into his hold as his arms gently wrapped around her. “I know.” he said softly, kissing her head. “I know.”

***** The next day Steve drove the stolen, no, borrowed, car to the airport parking garage where it was agreed that they'd meet up with the rest of the team. Steve parked the car a few spaces down from the non-descript van that their man had described and as they climbed out 2 familiar faces exited the van.

“Man it’s good to see you!” she said, smiling. “It’s been far too long! How are the kids, and Laura?”

“Ah, they’re great!” he beamed “Cooper’s started 6th grade, Lila is giving me back chat at every opportunity and Nathaniel’s walking now...”

Katie smiled releasing him from her hold and as he walked over to greet Steve. She turned to Wanda wrapping her up in a warm hug.

"You alright?" she asked pulling back slightly to look Wanda in the eye. “We’d never have left you if we’d known it would turn out like this, I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged as Katie wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice." Steve said to Clint as he shook his hand.

"Hey man, you're doing me a favour. Besides," Clint answered lightly shrugging, before he turned serious as he added nodding over his shoulder slightly, "I owe a debt."

Steve nodded once gratefully, looking over at Wanda, Katie’s arm still round her, "Thanks for having my back."

"It was time to get off my ass." Wanda answered casually, sharing a meaningful look with Clint.

"How about our new recruit?" Katie asked, nodding towards the van.

"He's rarin' to go." Clint answered moving back over to the van to grab the handle. "I had to put a little coffee in him, but," he slid open the van's side door hard, startling the occupant who was led across the middle seat and gave a start, blinking. "He should be good." Clint finished.

The brown-haired man groaned as he rolled out of his seat stepping down from the van while complaining to Clint, "What timezone is this?"

"Come on." Clint answered, urging the man to get up, "Come on." He repeated pushing the man out of the van and towards Steve. Scott stumbled a little, before he found himself staring up at Steve. His mouth fell open a little, and he blinked at the super-soldier a few times to make sure that what he was seeing was real. Katie grinned as she stood to the side of Scott watching as he continued to stare at Steve in amazement.

Finally Scott closed his gaping mouth, then opened it up only enough to breathe out. "Captain America."

"Mr. Lang." Steve said professionally offering his hand to the other man, which he took without hesitation.

"It's an honour." Scott answered, as he shook Steve's hand enthusiastically which continued for quite some time. "I'm shaking your hand too long."

Steve smiled a little in amusement as Scott finally let go of his hand, but was staring at Steve in awe, "Wow. This is awesome."

He turned back to Clint, pointing at Steve. "Captain America," his words trailed off and his jaw dropped yet again when he caught sight of Katie and Wanda. Katie raised her eyebrows slightly as he looked her up and down

"Hey! Mrs America, again!" He said lamely and she smiled at him before catching Clint’s eye as he grinned at her, mouthing Mrs America...whilst saluting. She flipped him off as the Archer laughed.

"I know you too," Scott added pointing to Wanda, "You're great." He added making her smile.

Lang turned back around to Steve and reached out and grabbed both his shoulders and felt the muscles there

"Jeez." he muttered before letting go. Even Steve couldn't stop the small smile forming on his face as he glanced back at Sam and Bucky who were both watching the exchange stony faced. Bucky locked eyes with Katie who was biting her lip to try and stop the laugh brewing and he felt himself smirking slightly at her expression.

"Look, I wanted to say. I know you know a lot of super people, so, thanks for thinking of me."

Scott looked to Steve’s side and spotted Sam. His face faltered a little, clearly remembering the last time they encountered one another.

"Hey, man." Scott greeted pointing at him.

"What's up tic-tac?" Sam said flatly nodding to him in greeting.

"Good to see you, uh" Scott answered hesitantly then looked a bit sheepish as he went on, looking from me to Sam "Look. You guys…what happened last time was-"

"It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again." Sam cut him off with a chuckle and a shrug.

"Did they tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked Scott steering the conversation back towards the matter at hand.

"Something about some psycho assassins." Scott answered unsurely having obviously gotten the abridged version from Clint.

"That's one way of putting it." Katie mumbled to Wanda getting a smile out of the younger girl before looking at Scott.

"We're outside the law on this one." Steve warned. "So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man."

"Yeah, well," he muttered with a light shrug, "what else is new?"

"We should get moving." Bucky suddenly chimed in from his spot where he had remained silent on the other side of the bug keeping himself separated from everyone else.

“I got a chopper lined up." Clint informed them standing from where he had been seated just inside the van.

Steve nodded, and opened his mouth to say something but suddenly, an alarm began to blare, and an intercom began to speak in rapid German.

"They're evacuating the airport." Bucky informed as the rest of them glanced around uneasily.

"Tony." Katie said when Steve caught her eye and he nodded.

"Tony… Tony Stark?" Scott repeated in shock.

Steve looked round. “Suit up.” Once they were all ready, Katie back in her Nova suit thanks to Clint retrieving it from the compound, she turned to Steve and looked at him.

“There is one plus to Tony being here.” she said “He will have brought a quinjet. That could get us to Siberia faster than any chopper."

"She's right," Clint chimed in with a nod as he flexed his bow, "But Stark's not stupid he knows that'll be the first place we'll go."

"He'll be waiting for us." Sam concluded "And we don't know who he's brought with him”

“No, but I can make a fairly educated guess…" Clint said, crossing his arms.

Steve had been listening to their points intently and nodded a plan formulating in his head. "Alright. Listen up, here’s how we play this…” He explained and gave everyone their positions and they all nodded, except Katie, who shook her head when he told her to stick with Bucky and Sam.

“I’m going to talk to Tony. He might listen to me, let me try to get him to see our side.”

Steve frowned and looked at her

“I think he’s past that point sweetheart, and besides, I don’t want you ending up in a position where you have to...” Steve looked at her, trailing off before sighing unable to bring himself to finish the sentence, adding feebly instead “He’s your brother.”

Steve looked at her. Whilst he knew that there was no point trying to talk to Tony, he knew that from her point of view she had to try. So with that in mind he nodded “Alright.”

Once everyone was in position, Steve and Katie strode slowly towards the airport landing area, hidden in the shadows for now, until they spotted the helicopter that Clint had mentioned sitting out in the open just waiting for them. Steve broke out into a run leaving the cover of the airport as Katie flew alongside him, but they were stopped short immediately as a small gadget hit the chopper's wings, sending up an electric current short-circuiting the entire helicopter.

Katie landed besides Steve as Tony flew down towards them, Rhodey by his side both of them covered in their suits as they landed between them and the now useless helicopter.

"Wow," Tony said sarcastically, "it's so weird how you run into people at the airport." His helmet slid back, revealing a black eye he'd probably received from Bucky at the CIA base, turning to his best friend as he asked lightly. "Isn't it weird?"

"Definitely weird." Rhodey replied.

"Hear us out, Tony.” Katie said, stepping forward, her faceplate sliding down. “That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this."

Steve tensed slightly as someone else landed gently to his side. He turned to see a very familiar black covered figure.

"Captain." King T'Challa greeted politely. “Mrs Rogers”

"Your highness." Steve returned in kind nodding. Katie did the same.

"Anyway." Tony cut in, and Steve turned his attention back to him. "Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help your brother out?"

"You're after the wrong guy." Katie answered simply, as Tony's expression hardened.

"Your judgment is askew." Tony accused quietly looking at her, he then turned to Steve. "Your war buddy killed innocent people yesterday-"

"And there are 5 more super soldiers just like him." Steve said, trying to get Tony to understand.

“That’s a far bigger threat that we’re trying to stop.” Katie pressed

"We can't let the doctor find them first, Tony.” Steve finished with a sigh “We can't."

"Steve, Nova…"

Steve and Katie both stiffened as they heard a familiar woman’s voice. Steve knew he should have expected that Natasha would be here as well. They both turned to face her, Katie’s eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know, what's about to happen." She warned with her eyes trained steadily on Steve, then she levelled a look at Katie. "Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?"

Katie turned back to Tony, shaking her head. “You’re not going to listen to us at all, are you?”

“I’ll do you a deal, come in and then I’ll listen” he offered

“It will be too late by then!” she said, her voice growing urgent “This isn’t about the damned accords or Ross or anything else now. If he gets to those other soldiers first then…”

“Look, I’m tired of listening to your supposition…” Tony’s eyes were cold “So stand down and get out of the way.”

Katie felt her jaw drop slightly before she composed herself, and stared back at him. He was past all reasoning with, Steve had been right.

“No.” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“I mean it Katie, get out of-”

“You forget…I’m a Stark as well” she interrupted with a hiss. “And I can be equally as obnoxious, pig headed and stubborn as you so no. I won’t move.”

"All right, I've run out of patience.” Tony snapped, “FRIDAY kill her suit.”

Steve’s head snapped round to look at his wife, her face was full of anger.

“Don’t you dare FRIDAY…” she said loudly.

“Sorry Mrs R, boss’s orders…” Her face plate snapped back into place before the entire suit flew into darkness and it suddenly fell away from around her, leaving her in her catsuit. Katie glanced at the pieces on the floor and glared up at her brother.

“Ass hole…” she said, reaching into her belt for the portable coms device she had stashed there.

“Looks like you came prepared anyway…” he nodded at her utility belt. She looked up at Tony, a smirk playing across her face.

“Yeah well, I had a feeling you’d pull a stunt like that, you forget I know you…” she shrugged. “Whatever.” he said, curling his gauntlet clad hands around his mouth and shouting “Underoos!"

Steve frowned at the seemingly random call, before blinking in shock as something whipped through the air and caught his shield, pulling it out of his grip. At the same time as the shield was pulled up, something came down to bind his wrists together, and then Katie’s. They both glanced down in surprise at the sticky, web-like material before they looked at each other and then both lifted their heads back up to see the figure that had stolen Steve’s shield landing crouched on a nearby truck. He was dressed in a red and blue suit, and Katie recognised him as the enhanced that had been taking the world by storm recently on the internet.

"Nice job, kid." Tony called approvingly as Steve and Katie continued to somewhat gawk as the kid and Tony exchanged banter before he looked at Steve and gave him a shy salute

"Cap. Captain." Steve nodded at him, the amusement of the situation rising on his face despite the circumstances. "Big fan, I'm Spider-Man."

"Yeah," Tony interrupted again, looking frustrated, "we'll talk about it later. Just...good job." Tony finished with a sigh.

"You've been busy." Steve commented not bothering to hide his amusement.

"And you've been a complete idiot." Tony snapped the anger in his voice evident "Dragging in Clint. “

“We didn’t drag in anyone-�� Katie started

'Rescuing Wanda' from a place she doesn't even want to leave. A safe place. I'm trying to keep-" “Did you even ask her if she wanted to be there before you locked her up?” Katie cut him off.

Tony looked at her, taking a deep breath to calm down before he turned back to them both, locking eyes with Steve and then her, "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

All traces of humour from the situation evaporated as Steve answered steadily, unable to bite back the dig that had been bubbling away at him for ages. “You did that when you signed."

Tony's eyes turned cold, "Alright, we're done." He said quietly before raising his voice sharply once again. "You're gonna turn Barnes over and you're gonna come with us. Now! Because it's us!" he tossed his hands wildly indicating to his team. "Or a squad of J-SOC, guys with no compunction about being impolite."

Katie said nothing, instead she moved so that she was stood slightly in front of Steve and levelled her brother with a look.

“I guess you’ve made your choice.” Tony said somewhat childishly.

“For fucks sake Tony!” she exclaimed as she looked skywards with a groan. “This isn’t about choices, it’s about stopping a bunch of soldiers far more dangerous than any one can comprehend…”

"We found it."

Sam’s voice rang in their ears as they continued to hold eye contact with Tony, watching intently as they waited for the right moment.

"The quinjet's in hanger five, north runway."

Quickly Katie and Steve both held their bound hands high above their heads, catching Tony by surprise as an arrow came flying from out of nowhere and cut through them in single swoop without a problem.

And they were so close to getting there too, but as Katie and Steve regrouped with Wanda, Scott, Clint, Sam and Bucky as they sprinted across the tarmac, they were all forced to come to a quick stop as a laser fired on the floor right before them.

"Captain Rogers." Vision called as he began to float down. "I know you believe what you're doing is right."

Steve tensed as his group stood in a loose line on either side of him, staring at Vision. He was joined by Tony and Natasha, and then Rhodey and T'Challa, and finally Spider-Man as they all appeared on the other side of the jagged line Vision's beam had created.

"But, for the collective good," Vision finished as he landed, "you must surrender now."

"What do we do Cap?" Sam was the one to ask breaking the silence, only it wasn’t Steve that answered, it was Katie.

“We fight” she answered simply, swallowing, her eyes fixed on her brother. Steve looked at her, he really didn’t want to do this, but he knew there was no choice. They had to get to those soldiers. His hand briefly entwined round hers and she looked at him, giving him a short nod, before he let go and the pair of them started to walk forward, the rest of their team following as they picked up the pace and broke into a run.

Tony and Steve were the first to collide, Tony brining down his metal encased fist onto Steve's shield which he brought up just in time to deflect the hit. Natasha and Ant-Man went at it for the second time that day whilst King T'Challa had eyes for no one else but Bucky pouncing on him immediately and tackling him down to the ground.

“Man…” she mumbled, getting up “I hate spiders”

“Heads up!” Clint shouted and she ducked as he fired an arrow up at Spiderman, who dodged it easily once more.

“This kid is startin’ to piss me off.” Clint muttered, aiming another arrow. This one cut right through the webbing Spider Man had been using to propel himself around and he fell to the floor, a loud crash as he collided with one of the upturned cars.

Clint jogged off towards where he had fallen and behind Katie something exploded sending her flying into the air, fast and then she began to fall, hard. She braced herself for the impact, as the ground rose to meet her, this was going to hurt. Suddenly a metal arm curved round her waist and Bucky turned them both in mid-air, before crashing into a pile of crates. He took the brunt of the impact, Katie landing on him, back to his chest. She moved to stand up and spotted that T’Challa was leaping through the air but Sam swooped in using both feet to kick The Black Panther back before flying back up into the sky.

“You alright?” Bucky asked as he got up.

“Yeah, I had a soft landing.” She smiled. “Thanks Buck…”

He shot her a lopsided grin before he dodged off to his left again, and it was then that Katie saw in the space he had left to her left a flash of red-hair making a sprint to the hangar.

“Damned it Nat.” Katie mumbled as she set off at a sprint after her.

Steve found a slight reprieve in the fight and ended up pressed against the side of a set of the airport steps, looking at Bucky who was a few feet away from him.

“We got to go." Bucky spoke earnestly “That guy's probably in Siberia by now."

"We've gotta draw out the fliers." Steve replied, looking up before he glanced back at Bucky "I'll take Vision, you get to the jet."

"No, you get to the jet, I'll take Vision." Sam countered over the coms “The rest aren’t getting out of here."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Clint chimed in "if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it."

"Clint’s right, this isn't the real fight, Steve." Katie shot urgently. Steve glanced around for his wife, but couldn’t see her. With a bit of luck she’d found somewhere to hide. He hated this, hated that she was fighting her brother. Hell, he hated that he was fighting her brother, or any of the other avengers for that matter. But they HAD to get to Siberia. Nothing else mattered but stopping those soldiers being unleashed.

"Alright, Sam, what's the plan?" Steve asking, looking up.

"We need a diversion." Sam said, “Something big."

"I got something kind of big," Scott joined in suddenly, "but I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don't come back for me."

"He's tearing himself in half?" Bucky frowned as he looked at Steve who shrugged.

"You're sure about this, Scott?" Steve asked.

"I do it all the time. I mean once... in a lab. And I passed out." Scott confirmed doing absolutely nothing to ease the Captain’s worries.

And then suddenly Steve felt something huge behind him and he spun round, stopping momentarily, his mouth dropping open. Scott had appeared out of nowhere, at least a hundred feet tall and he grabbed Rhodes in mid-air as the War Machine flew by after Sam.

"I guess that's the signal." Steve said, looking at Bucky.

"Way to go, tic-tac!" Sam chuckled while Scott laughed.

Across the field, Katie reached the hangar and stepped inside, looking around. It was silent.

“I know you’re here Nat.” she spoke softly “I saw you come in.”

With that Nat stepped out from the shadows at the side of the jet.

“Just listen to me. Please.”

“I never thought Steve would let you all fight for his friend, like this.” the red head looked at her.

“It’s not like that.” Katie sighed, “Tony is wrong.”

“I’ve seen first-hand what The Winter Soldier can do.” and with that Nat aimed a blow at Katie. She dodged it and grabbed Natasha’s arm, using it to flip her over her head. Nat landed on her feet behind Katie, who spun round in time to see her discharge a stinger at her which she narrowly managed to avoid.

The two friends then began to fight. They grappled, dodged, punched, kicked and then by some fluke of fortune Katie managed to get behind Natasha, wrapping her in a headlock, forearm over her throat.

“Just listen!” Katie pleaded “The Winter Soldier is every bit as dangerous as you say…”

“Then why are you defending him!?” She yelled, twisting from underneath her and pinning Katie’s arm up behind her back before kicking her hard, sending her flying forward and to the floor.

“I’m not, I’m defending Bucky, but that isn’t what this is about!” Katie said, as she lay on the floor. “It’s about stopping them!”

“Stopping who- what do you mean them?” she asked, momentarily dropping her arm.

“There are more.” Katie said, earnestly “More Winter Soldiers. At least 5”

“I don’t believe you.” Nat shook her head, eyes wide.

Suddenly there was a loud crash, something had hit the metal tower outside the hangar. Nat turned towards it which was all the distraction Katie needed. She jumped up, and aimed a kick at Natasha’s right knee causing her to stumble forward. At that point Steve and Bucky burst into the hangar, and could do nothing but watch as Natasha spun round, right leg raised but Katie was ready. She grabbed her foot stopping her, so Natasha then pushed off with her left, swinging it at Katie’s head. She ducked down and used the foot she had hold of to flip Nat back over. As she landed on her feet Katie leapt into the air and used every inch of momentum she could muster to aim a double kick into her chest which sent her crashing into the aircraft stairs at the side of the jet. Katie landed on her back, slightly winded.

“Impressive.” Bucky had a smirk on his face as they crossed towards the women and Steve looked at him, shooting him a look. “What?” “Nothing.” Steve sighed, offering his wife a hand as he pulled her up.

“You ok?” he asked. Katie nodded before she spotted Natasha in the corner of her eye scrambling to her feet arm raised, stinger aimed.

“Damned it Nat!” Katie groaned, looking at her, pleading with her eyes. “Just trust us on this one, please!”

“You’re not gonna stop are you?”

“You know I can’t Nat.” Steve said, pleading with her.

“I’m gonna regret this.”

She fired a stinger, but not at any of them. Instead it sailed over their shoulder causing them to spin round and see T’Challa stumbling over.

“Go.” she said, not looking at them.

Steve looked around at Bucky, then to Katie and opened his mouth to tell Katie to stay where she was but she cut him off before he could even start. With a shake of her head she looked at him “I’m not staying here.”

“She’s right.” Nat shot another stinger “If she does she’s going to jail, you need to go now.”

Steve didn’t argue again, they were going to need all the help they could get but he wasn’t completely happy about her facing off against another 5 Super Soldiers, but he’d worry about that when they got there. Soon they were airborne and after a tense chase were clear, and cruising their way to Siberia.

******

Tony had made a mistake. He knew that as soon as FRIDAY had patched through the update from the Berlin police. Bucky had been telling the truth. Which meant that his sister and brother-in-law were now about to face off with 5 super assassins. And the thought terrified him, not so much for the men but for Kiddo, especially as he’d disabled her suit. He had to try and make this right.

He climbed out of his helicopter, the rough sea wind whipping his suit jacket up slightly as Ross walked out to meet him.

"So?" Tony looked at him. "Did you get the files? Let's re-route the satellites, and start face scanning for this Zemo guy."

"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you even after that fiasco in Leipzig?" Ross shook his head as he looked at Tony. "You're luck you're not in one of these cells." He added, making Tony raise his eyebrow. He stayed quiet and followed Ross into the depth of the prison. He let out a sigh as he walked into the circular room, looking at each of the cells that lined the round walls. As he glanced at the cameras, a slow clapping echoed across the room.

"The futurist ladies and gentlemen." Clint called loudly and Tony turned towards the archer. Clint didn’t even look at him as he continued sarcastically, "The futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not."

"Give me a break, Barton." Tony stood in front of Clint's cell, staring at him "I had no idea they'd put you in here.”

Clint's spat on the floor "Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony."

"Yeah, but, not some super max floating ocean pokey." Tony shook his head. "You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…" He trailed off.

"Criminals?" Clint bit out as he stood and faced Tony. "Criminals, Tony. I think that's the word you're looking for. Right? It ain't used to mean me, or Sam, or Wanda. Yet here we are."

"'Cause you broke the law."

Clint snorted turning away from the bars, "Yeah."

"I didn't make you." Tony pressed, even as Clint turned to walk around his small cell while muttering "Blah, blah, blah."

"You read it," Tony went on speaking "you broke it."

"Blah blah blah." Clint continued to mutter as he turned his back on Tony

"Alright, you're a grown up." Tony bit back. "You've got a wife and kids. I don't understand. Why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?"

Clint's shoulders tensed in anger and he stood up but Tony had already left continuing down the cells, "You better watch your back with this guy." He slammed his hands on the plexiglass covering the front of his cell as he shouted angrily "There's a chance is he's going to break it."

Tony's jaw ticked as shot a glare back but he carried on walking past Scott Lang's cell.

"Hank Pym always said you never can trust a Stark."

"Who are you?" Tony shrugged as he continued.

"Come on, man." Scott sighed

"How's Rhodes?" Sam asked when Tony stopped in front of his cell, not turning around from where he was facing the sealed the back of the cell.

"We're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow." Tony replied. "So, fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?"

Sam turned to him revealing his black eye "You're the good cop now?" he asked smirking sarcastically

"I'm just a guy who needs to know where Steve went."

"Yeah well you’re gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass." Sam said crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"I figured as much." Tony mumbled as he lifted his wrist in front of his sling and pressed a button on his watch. Sam arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'." He looked at Sam. "We got about 30 seconds before they realise it's not their equipment."

Sam glanced up at the camera before Tony spoke again, pressing another button on his watch flashing him her an image of the dead psychiatrist lying in a bathtub,

"Just look…because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly I made a mistake. I was wrong."

"That's a first." Sam muttered

"Look, Cap is definitely off the reservation and he's about to face off against fuck knows what with my sister by his side. They’re gonna need all the help they can get." Tony sighed "Look I messed up alright, I can fix this if you just-"

"Ok." Sam sighed, “I'll tell you, but you have to go alone, and as a friend."

"Easy." Tony shrugged and Sam quickly gave him the location.

With a nod, Tony headed to the room of the door, banged on it, and it swung open and he strode purposefully back towards his chopper.

"Stark, did they give you anything on Rogers?" Ross followed him.

"Nope, told me to go to hell." Tony said, climbing casually into his helicopter as he added, "I'm going back to the compound instead. But, you can call me anytime. I'll put you on hold, I like to watch the line blink."

Tony grinned as Ross shot him a furious look as the helicopter door slid shut and he took off into the air once more. Katie would enjoy him annoying the man. As soon as the prison was out of sight, Tony removed the brace off his arm and loosened his tie and then, with a short moment to contemplate what was about to happen, he took a deep breath and pressed a button on the helicopter controls, laying back as the seat collapsed beneath him while the Iron Man suit unfolded itself and attached onto him.