Chapter Text
“How the hell does she keep getting away?!” Tony shouted at no one in particular as he paced the floor. He didn’t like getting bested by anyone, but he really didn’t like that the whole team had had their asses handed to them.
“She’s a professional, Tony,” Steve said before putting two more ice packs on his knees and wincing slightly as he adjusted them.
Tony stopped walking and looked bewildered at the blonde man. “Yeah? And what the hell are we? We’ve only saved the planet a handful of times, but we can’t take down some nimble little assassin?!” His incredulous tone echoed throughout the cavernous lounge of the Avengers compound.
You had been on the team’s radar for months now. As a former mercenary, your skill set was quite impressive; staggering intellect, combat training, proficiency with any number of deadly weapons, and you could charm even the most ruthless and cunning of minds without being emotionally compromised. As far as resumes go, this made you a perfect candidate for Avenger potential, as much as it made you a threat. Fury warned the team that there was no way they would be able to bring you in. That they’d have better luck just calling and asking you over for lunch. Against better judgment, they ignored his advice and set a plan in motion.
First, Sam and Wanda were sent in for surveillance. Nothing confrontational. They took positions at opposite ends of a small cafe you visited often and watched you. Wanda worked to get a read on your thoughts and found that your mind was clear and calm, almost in a meditative state. They knew you were well-trained and disciplined so this hardly seemed surprising, even if it was a little unsettling.
Only ten minutes of uneventful observation passed when Sam noticed that you were getting ready to leave. He signaled for Wanda to stop you without causing a scene, making sure to keep his eyes on you until she worked her magic. But after several seconds, nothing was happening. He was about to call out to his teammate again when you looked him straight in the eye, gave him a sly wink and then nodded behind him.
Sam whipped his head back towards Wanda to see that the brunette was waving her hands in front of her face and making whooshing sounds out loud. He ran to her side and immediately noticed that her pupils were completely blown; she was hallucinating. Wanda started laughing nonsensically, pointing to her coffee cup and shouting, ‘Clue!’ repeatedly. Sam picked up the empty mug from the saucer to reveal a post-it note underneath, simply stating, “Bye Bye, Birdie.” By the time he ran out of the cafe to find you, you were long gone.
“If I had my pack, I would’ve been able to track her. Rookie mistake.” Sam tried to defend his honor, but it made no difference. You gave them the slip and they would just have to try again.
A week later, it was Clint and Natasha’s turn. The two master spies were confident that they could bring you in with no complications or excuses. They spotted you in a crowded park, leisurely reading a book and keeping to yourself. The area was quite large with plenty of ground level obstacles that could be used as cover. Taking extra precaution, Clint stationed himself atop a nearby building so he could communicate your position to his partner in case you ran and a fight were to break out. Which it did the second Nat got a little too close.
Barton watched from above as you fought each other through the area. Expertly avoiding the stunned civilians and deflecting her attacks with such finesse and precision, it barely looked as though you were even trying. He continued to relay your position through the comms whenever you managed to break away long enough to take cover. Then he saw that you had taken out a weapon.
For a split-second, he was worried you were going to shoot Natasha so he didn’t realize that it was pointed in his direction. Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing shot through his ears and he fell back in pain, clutching his head. The ‘gun’ you aimed at him disrupted the frequency in his hearing devices and the feedback sent him reeling. With Barton down, Natasha decided she had had enough. After a few more hits were exchanged, she vaulted towards you with the intention of using her signature technique to take you down once and for all. The next few seconds were a blur as you countered her advance before her legs could make a connection and grabbed hold of her. Using her momentum and your strength, you threw her to ground, hard. The unanticipated brute force knocked the wind out of her and left her writhing in shock, giving you time to run away.
“Honestly Nat, everyone kind of expects that move now. You use it all the time.“ Clint said, immediately regretting his words when he saw the look on his partner’s face.
Another week passed leading up to last night’s encounter with Tony and Steve, where you made even shorter work of them. They trailed you after leaving a fancy gathering, dressed to impress in a floor-length gown and heels that were sure to slip you up if you were to try and run.
They were wrong.
They lost visual on you for only a minute, which was evidently all the time you needed to find a large rifle you had stashed away. Before Tony could lift his gauntlets in defense, you fired a powerful EMP at the armored Avenger, effectively frying his circuits and sending his suit into a frenzy before crash-landing. As for Cap, you went for his legs.
Moral of the story: Never doubt Nick Fury.
“She’s making fools of us, you realize that?” Tony announced.
“Yeah we got that, Tony,” said Natasha. She was more annoyed with Stark than she was with you at this point. She could deal with skilled professionals, not whining billionaires.
“She knew we were coming before we even had eyes on her. How?” Steve was as concerned as he was intrigued.
The entire team sat there wallowing in defeat and embarrassment because of the situation they had put themselves in. All with the exception of one. The only person not tasked with bringing you in yet, who was also failing to contain himself against his crestfallen teammates. They heard his snickers and turned to face the long haired brunette.
“Something funny, Barnes?” Tony all but growled through his teeth.
Bucky chuckled and leaned back in his seat. “Do I really have to say it?”
“Oh, I wish you would,” Sam challenged.
“Well…you sent in the rest, now it’s time to send in the best,” Bucky declared with a smug grin. His hands gestured up and down the length of his body, earning him a collective groan of disapproval from the others.
Bucky Barnes had been in recovery for nearly two years. Improving steadily with the aid of his best friend Steve and the rest of the team supporting him. It had taken some time for Tony to finally accept that Barnes wasn’t in control during all those years in service to the true enemy. Hydra was responsible for everyone’s suffering, not just his own or his team’s. So for the sake of recovery, Tony decided to help the former assassin. Whether he would live to regret that decision or not remained to be seen.
With the development of B.A.R.F., Stark was capable of hijacking the hippocampus of Bucky’s brain to help him recover from the traumatic events and painful memories of his past. Most importantly, they had managed to erase any lingering threat of the Winter Soldier being activated ever again by ridding his mind of the trigger words. It wasn’t an easy or quick process, but it had proved successful and lead to The Stark Relief Foundation beginning their work towards helping other victims of PTSD.
With that chapter of his life finally ending, Bucky was able to move forward and discover who he was now. He wasn’t the same Sergeant James Barnes of the Howling Commandos, nor was he the mindless Hydra assassin. But there were qualities from each of those men that helped make Bucky who he was today. He was charming, sweet, and loyal to a fault, signaling that 40′s influence. He also showed great discipline and confidence, with an intensity that could stop anyone dead in their tracks; a nod to his days as the Soldier. He knew his skills in hand-to-hand combat and his efficiency with weapons were unmatched and he wasn’t above flaunting it these days. Basically, Bucky Barnes had a bit of an ego, much to the team’s displeasure and annoyance.
“You’re an idiot,” Natasha scolded.
“No, he’s a jackass,” corrected Sam.
Steve just mumbled, "Jerk."
“Alright alright, enough.” Tony halted the parade of names, feeling his blood pressure rising. “We can think of colorful words to describe Barnes all the live long day. Right now we have a bigger issue that nee—”
“Sir, we have a situation at the main entrance of the compound.” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice interrupted. The group looked around at each other, more confused than alarmed. Meanwhile, Tony was ready to explode.
“Why must there always be a problem!? Alright, me and Rogers head to the gate. The rest of you, check the perimeter and the lower levels.” He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves but then…
“The breach isn’t at the gate, boss. It’s the main entrance inside the compound.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed them.
“WHAT?!” Tony screamed.
Everyone jumped into action instantly. Steve rushed for his shield and was shouting out orders. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., red alert. Lockdo—”
“That won’t be necessary, people.” Your voice came over the intercom throughout the entire compound. “I was under the impression that you wanted to get a hold of me so I figured I’d just stop by.”
“Holy shit. That’s her,” Bucky mumbled to himself, unable to hide the admiration in his voice. Your elusiveness with his team had impressed him over the last few weeks. A flood of excitement rushed through him now that he would be meeting you face to face. Even if he was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get the chance to bring you in himself.
The group bolted towards the main lobby only to see you standing alone by the large windows overlooking the grounds, casual as can be with your hands in your pockets and a pleasant smile on your face. Moments passed as you surveyed the stunned heroes, each one more shocked and dumbfounded than the last. Except for one. You noticed the brunette super soldier staring at you in awe, prompting you to treat him with a playful wink.
“How did you get past the defenses?” Steve’s tone was serious, but you just shrugged it off.
“You guys wouldn’t be so interested in me if I wasn’t capable of doing something like this, now would you?”
Steve considered your answer, but he still wasn’t satisfied. "Why are you here? You spent weeks slipping away from us and now all of a sudden, you show up at our front door.“ His jaw was beginning to tick with tension and you raised your hands in defense.
"Hey, you guys started this whole thing. Trying to get close to me with your undercover creeping and stalking. I don’t appreciate being watched and I definitely don’t like being backed into a corner.” You crossed your arms firmly over your chest and glared at them.
At least they had the decency to look almost sheepish as they stood before you, knowing that they didn’t even bother to try and get in contact with you officially before setting on their little quest.
“We needed to see what you were capable of,” Steve said, trying to recover the situation and make it seem as though everything was done consciously. He knew you didn’t buy it, but you decided to be gracious.
“Well then, did I pass your expectations?” You grinned at the Captain as he finally lowered his shield.
“Exceeded them actually,” Steve said, easing the tension in his shoulders and giving you a small smile. The team took their cue from the Cap and relaxed as well.
Except one.
“But h-how?” Tony’s voice cracked when he finally spoke, clearly still struggling with the situation. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. You thought it would be best to try and console him before the man completely lost it.
“I’ll explain everything over lunch, Stark. Actually, you should invite Fury too. He’s been having way too much fun watching from the sidelines.”
~~~~~~~~~~
A few months passed since you joined the team and you were happy to be getting along so well with your new teammates. Although the early weeks were mostly spent apologizing. They were still a little sour about your first interactions and the fact that Fury had been assisting you with figuring out their next moves. Though, it did help to reassure them that you had spent weeks studying and preparing to face off against them rather than just besting them before they even had a chance. Besides, they read your files so they knew what you were capable of too.
You were a child prodigy, forced to start training and fighting at a young age with a group of notorious mercenaries led by your parents. You were lethal by your teenage years and they started hiring you out to anyone that needed your services. Being starved of love and affection kept you in a state of basic emotional sterilization and numbness that made your job easier and your abilities deadlier. You were always regarded as one of the best so that helped to inflate your ego just enough to keep you off a path of self-loathing, but not quite enough to silence your conscience or morality completely. S.H.I.E.L.D. was the last agency to ‘hire’ you with the intention of converting and recruiting you. They managed to knock some sense into you and in return, you helped them take down the mercenaries that raised you. No love lost there obviously.
You were surprised to find that you got along so well with Bucky in particular. Somehow feeling comfortable enough to open up to him more so than the rest. Neither of you showed pity towards the others hardships. Instead choosing on your strengths and perseverance towards survival. Initial attractions aside, Bucky had definitely peaked your interests and vice versa so it didn’t take long for you to start getting at each other. Both cocky and confident, with skill sets to back it up, you were constantly challenging him and he was always more than willing to accept.
Today was just like any other day that you trained alongside him. He was stronger than you, of course, but you made up for it with your speed and agility. You each got hits in, but you would just spend most of your time avoiding Bucky’s frisky advances. He was always so bold and eager to touch you when you fought against him. After nearly an hour and still no one’s back hitting the mat long enough for a count, Steve declared a stalemate.
“You barely touched me this round, doll. That ain’t much of a fight.” Bucky said as you both exited the ring and reached for your gym bags.
“That’s because you’re an ape, Barnes. If you spent less time trying to grab my ass and more time actually trying to hit me or pin me, maybe Steve wouldn’t have called it." You peeled off your sweaty tank top so you were left in just your sports bra and workout tights. For a second, you thought about throwing your shirt at Bucky’s face, but knowing him he probably wouldn’t mind that.
“Now why would I want to hit that beautiful body?” He eyed your sweat-slick body hungrily before taking a long pull from his water bottle.
You watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he drank. A small stream of water escaped his lips and trailed down his chin, disappearing under the collar of his Under Armor top. The tight material was damp with sweat and clinging to his body, threatening to tear anytime he flexed. Instinctively, your eyes wanted to travel lower, but you avoided the temptation. He always smiled so wide when he caught you staring. Not that you ever bothered to hide it so you just smiled right back.
“That didn’t stop me from landing a right hook on that pretty face of yours,” you said, noting the light bruising on his cheek.
Once you finished gathering your gear, you headed towards the exit with Bucky following close behind like he usually did.
“You’re too good to me, darlin'. Always leaving me a little something to remember you by.” He touched your arm lightly, making you stop and turn to swat his hand away.
“Watch it, Bucky. Unless we’re in the ring, you keep your hands off me or I’ll make you regret it,” you warned him. He would always just raise his hands in surrender, but that cocky grin was a permanent fixture on his face.
When you turned to leave again, he made the poor decision to test your threat just like you knew he would. As soon as he extended his right hand just enough, you grabbed it and pulled him towards you, using it as leverage so you could step onto his leg and climb over him. Hooking your thigh around his head, you twisted your body to throw him off balance. Before his back hit the floor, you had your hand wrapped around his windpipe as you straddled his chest.
He wasn’t sure whether he was more stunned or aroused and judging from his position, he was closer to the latter. From this angle, he was only inches away from your clothed core and having your thighs so close to his face was exciting him. Your grip on his neck was firm, but he could still speak.
“You thought I’d regret this?! Oh doll, this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!” He was beaming from ear to ear and you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling at how ridiculous he was. Reasons like this were why you avoided using these techniques with him.
With your free hand, you pat his unbruised cheek and got up to walk away. He rolled to his side and silently watched as you left, looking disappointed when you were out of sight. During that entire interaction, he had somehow forgotten that Sam and Steve were still in the room until he heard them laughing. Steve had his hands on his hips, smiling and nodding his head while Sam was giving him a goofy grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“I think you’ve met your match, Buck.”
“Yeah, real smooth, Barnes.”
Bucky ignored them and turned to lay flat on his back again. Resting his hands beneath his head, he shut his eyes and pictured you on top of him again. Looking down with an innocent smile and that devilish glint in your eyes. The things he would do to you given half the chance. Then there were the things he couldn't even fathom you were capable of, but was more than willing and eager to find out.
“You okay there, Bucky?” Steve asked, humor evident in his tone.
“I think I’m in love.” Bucky sighed whimsically and the three men laughed together.