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Chapter Text

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THE GREAT WAR
"my hand was the one you reached for all throughout the great war"

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PART ONE
1940s
Captain America: The First Avenger

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When the United States joins World War II, lots of young men are desperate to join the military and fight for their country. STEVEN ROGERS was one of those young men.

But unlike his best friend, STEVEN ROGERS is ineligible for the Army, while JAMES BARNES is drafted right away.

But a several months before he was assigned his orders, JAMES BARNES had made a plan with his other best friend, Y/N L/N, who had been struggling to find a place to live since her brother had been drafted, that would get his parents off his back.

A marriage of convenience was the plan, so JAMES BARNES would be free from his family's pestering and Y/N L/N could have a place to live.

Neither of them minded it. The playful and occasional flirting banter wasn't a change in their relationship, and it was definitely absolutely platonic.

JAMES BARNES and Y/N L/N knew they didn't technically have to share a bed, or act like a couple at all, when nobody was around because their marriage was just for show. But they weren't going to acknowledge that if they didn't have to.

But a science experiment leads to STEVEN ROGERS becoming the world's very first super soldier, and Y/N L/N finally puts that college degree to use.

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THE SOUNDTRACK

THE GREAT WAR; taylor swift
CAPTAIN AMERICA; alan silvestri
EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY; dean martin
TAKE MY BREATH AWAY; berlin
YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL; lana del rey
SOMETHIN' STUPID; frank sinatra, nancy sinatra
WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HAIR; matt maltese
ME AND MY HUSBAND; mitski

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Chapter Text

AFTER YET ANOTHER failed attempt at enlisting to join the war, Steve Rogers went to the movie theater, and he brought you with him.

"I know you think it's the end of the world -" You had begun as you entered the theater.

"It is the end of the world." Steve said back.

"It's not." You told him. "But maybe you should -"

"What, give up?"

"Maybe." You said as the two of you took your seats. Steve just looked at you before turning to face the screen with a sigh. "Steve.."

He just glanced at you as the lights dimmed and the film began to roll.

You knew he just wanted to help out, so did you, and to be a part of this war, but there was nothing neither of you could do.

A newsreel about the war was the first thing that begun to play, images of the soldiers and the frontlines taking up the screen.

"Who cares? Play the movie already!" A man's voice called out from the audience.

"Hey, you wanna show some respect?" Steve spoke quietly.

"Let's go! Get on with it!" The man kept shouting. "Hey, just start the cartoon!"

"Hey, you wanna shut up?" Steve told the man, leaning forward and speaking louder than usual.

The man stood up from his seat in the row in front of you, and you were sure Steve had realized he made a mistake, because this guy was huge.

He towered over Steve and gave him a menacing look.

Which was how you ended up in the alley beside the movie theater, trying to stop this man from beating Steve to a pulp.

He punched Steve to the ground again, and Steve scrambled to use the trash can lid beside him as a shield.

"Come on, leave him alone." You grabbed the man's arm, and he shoved you away. "Hey!"

The man ripped the lid from Steve's hands and hit him again.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" The man said to Steve.

"I could do this all day." Steve said before swinging, a poor attempt as the man grabbed his fist and punched Steve so he fell to the ground.

You turned your head to see a man in uniform grab the man beating up Steve.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size." Bucky threw the man past you and down the alley.

The man swung at Bucky, who dodged and hit the man square in the jaw, making sure to kick him in the ass as he ran away.

Bucky looked to you first, as you stood off to the side.

"You good?" He asked you and you nodded, then he walked over to Steve. "Sometimes I think you like getting punched."

"I had him on the ropes." Steve replied, dabbing the blood leaking from his nose.

"How many times is this?" Bucky asked and you took a few steps closer, brushing the dirt off your skirt, to see he was holding Steve's latest failed enlistment form. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"

"I tried telling him." You said and Bucky turned his head to look at you, a smile tugging on his lips.

"You get your orders?" Steve asked him.

"The 107th. Sargent James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow." Bucky replied and you felt your heart sink a little.

"I should be going." Steve said, staring at the ground.

Bucky then threw an arm around Steve's shoulder, and pulled you in closer by the waist.

"Come on, guys. My last night!" Bucky said, and he let go of Steve first, but let his hand linger around your waist a little longer. "We gotta get you cleaned up."

"Why? Where are we going?" Steve asked.

"The future." Bucky told him, letting go of you and handing Steve the newspaper he held in his hand.

"What's that?" You asked, trying to get a look at the paper.

"'World Exposition of Tomorrow.'" Steve read off the paper. "Right."

"You're coming too." Bucky told you.

"Oh? Won't it be a little awkward if you're off flirting with ladies and your wife is next to you?" You teased, wiggling your ring finger and Bucky rolled his eyes with a grin.

"Wife or not, you're still one of my best friends." He said, arm wrapping around your shoulder.

"What if I wanna stay home?" You asked.

"And do what? Read books and analyze poetry like you do every other night?" Bucky teased and you glared. "This is the kind of science-y stuff you like, anyway. Don't be boring on my last night, Y/N, come on. Steve, tell her not to be boring."

Steve looked over, a little sheepishly, and just shrugged.

"You guys have fun, I'll just see you when you get home, Buck." You told him and he sighed.

Bucky and Steve took you home, to the apartment you had been living in with Bucky since your marriage had begun months earlier.

Before that, when you had been in college, you lived with your younger brother in your parents' home where you had grown up, that was until your brother was drafted and you lost the house.

There Steve cleaned himself up, wiping the blood away from his face and fixing his hair before the boys quickly left again, saying goodbye as Bucky pulled the door closed after them.

AFTER AN HOUR or so reading alone in the silent apartment, you realized that it was lonely, and that you would have plenty of time to be lonely over however long this war would be.

So you decided that you would get dressed up again and go out again, to this 'World Exposition of Tomorrow' Bucky was talking about.

When you arrived, you began searching the crowds for either Bucky or Steve, but couldn't see them anywhere.

That was, until you heard a female voice nearby squeal, "Oh, my God! It's starting!"

You turned your head to see Bucky being pulled along by a pair of young women towards a stage, Steve trailing behind them, so you hurried to catch up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!" A woman announced as you stopped on Bucky's other side.

Bucky looked to you with a grin, happy you had joined them, but you were looking up at the stage where Howard Stark had just entered in a tuxedo and top hat.

He then kissed the woman with the microphone after trading her his top hat for the microphone. That definitely did something to you.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all?"

You raised your eyebrows, he had certainly piqued your interest, and it wasn't just because you found him slightly attractive. He was also charming and, apparently, a genius.

The audience around you gasped as the women on the stage removed the wheels of the car onstage with them.

"Yes. Thanks, Mandy. With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology you'll be able to do just that."

With the press of a button and the slow push of a lever, the car began to hover above the ground.

"Holy cow." Bucky said from beside you and you nodded.

Howard Stark looked to the audience and held an arm out, pointing towards the flying car, but with a few sparks it was quick to crash down to the ground.

While the audience gasped, Bucky chuckled.

"I did say a few years, didn't I?"

You joined the rest of the audience in applauding the man as he chuckled, clearly attempting to recover from the unexpected turn his presentation had taken.

"He's charming." You said and Bucky gave you an incredulous look.

"Seriously? Him?" He asked and you shrugged, a small smile on your face.

He shook his head and turned away.

"Hey, Steve, what do you say we..." Bucky had begun, and you turned your head to see Steve was gone.

Chapter Text

“HEY, SARGE! ARE we going dancing!?" One of the girls from Bucky and Steve's double date, who was just a few steps behind you, called out to Bucky as he spoke to Steve inside the recruitment tent at the expo.

You had gone looking for Steve the moment he had disappeared, and Bucky had found him immediately.

"Yes, we are." Bucky replied, turning away from Steve for a moment.

Bucky started taking a few steps backwards, towards you, while he spoke to Steve.

"Don't do anything stupid until I get back." Bucky told him.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Steve replied and Bucky walked forward again to hug Steve. 

It was short and Bucky was walking towards you again a second later.

"Don't win the war 'til I get there!" Steve called out and Bucky turned to give him a salute.

He came up to you first after that.

"Y'know, this uniform really does it for me." You teased, gesturing to his outfit, and he grinned. "You should just wear this."

He rolled his eyes playfully, then his face turned to a more serious expression.

"Hey, Y/N?" He put a hand on your shoulder and leaned in close, out of an earshot from the girls nearby. "You're gonna keep an eye out for him while I'm gone, right?"

"Of course." You told him sincerely, meeting his eyes before looking over to where Steve was walking back into the recruitment center. "You know what? I'll see you at home, Buck."

He gave you a look with furrowed brows, but nodded and gave you a kiss on the cheek before turning to the girls again.

"Come on, girls, let's get dancing."

You watched as they walked away and hurried to the recruitment center to find Steve.

You met up with him just before he went in and you sat on a chair in the corner of the room as they did their usual examinations.

A nurse then came in and whispered in the doctor's ear.

She left and the doctor went to follow her.

"Wait here." He told Steve.

"Is there a problem?"

"Just wait here."

Steve turned around to look at the sign on the wall behind him that read 'It is illegal to falsify your enlistment form' then looked to you with wide eyes.

You were a little worried too. You had been told to look out for Steve and seconds later he was getting in trouble?

Steve got up and sat on a stool to pull his shoes back on, and you stood up. Then a solider walked in, and you both stared at him before another man, this one in a suit, entered.

"Thank you." The man said, with an accent, and the soldier left. The man in the suit began speaking to Steve. "So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis."

You caught the man's accent was German quickly, and it seemed to catch Steve off guard too.

"Excuse me?"

"Dr. Abraham Erskine." The man introduced himself. "I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve."

"Steve Rogers." They shook hands.

Dr. Erskine turned around to sit where Steve had been moments ago, and he saw you.

"Oh, hello." Erskine looked to Steve. "Your.. girlfriend?"

"No, she's just a friend." 

Dr. Erskine then put the file in his hands down and started flicking through it.

"Where are you from?" Steve asked. 

"Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway." Erskine replied. "Before that, Germany. This troubles you?"

"No."

"Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Hmm? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus?" Erskine asked and turned to you with an amused look before facing Steve again. "Five exams in five different cities."

"That might not be the right file." Steve said.

"No, it's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries." Dr. Erskine reassured Steve, who was clearly worried he was in trouble. "But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?"

Steve looked around the room, meeting your eyes for a second, before asking, "Is this a test?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."

"Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy, huh?" Dr. Erskine said and Steve straightened his posture. "I can offer you a chance. Only a chance."

Erskine pulled open the curtain and started to walk away. Steve quickly jumped up to follow, and you followed after him.

"I'll take it." Steve told him.

"Good." Erskine said and stopped at the desk at the front. "So where is the little guy from? Actually?"

"Brooklyn." Steve answered.

"Congratulations, soldier." Dr. Erskine handed Steve back his folder, which held is freshly stamped enlistment form.

While Steve opened the folder, Erskine turned to look at you and the suspicious expression on your face.

"May I have a word?" He asked and gestured for you to follow him into the corner of the room.

You shot a glance back at Steve, who was still looking down at his file, as he begun wandering towards the doorway.

"You wonder why I accepted your friend, yes?"

"Well, he's failed the last five times because of his asthma alone, so why would you let him join this time?" You asked the question that had been racking your brain immediately. "You have some reason you're not telling him, don't you?"

"You're quite the observer, Miss...?"

"L/N. Well, technically it's Mrs. Barnes- Doesn't matter." You shook your head slightly as you tried to get back on track. "What are you planning to do to Steve?"

"That's something I cannot share with you."

"But you're going to do something to him?"

Dr. Erskine paused.

"How did you come to be here tonight, Mrs. Barnes?"

"Bucky asked me to look out for Steve, like that's not what I do already."

"What do you do?" Dr. Erskine asked, and it caught you off guard.

"What do you mean?" You questioned, narrowing your eyes at the man curiously.

"As a profession." He clarified.

You chuckled coldly. "Nothing, not since I got married. Before that I went to college, but the war put most plans on hold and now..."

"What did you study?" Erskine asked and you furrowed your brows.

"Um, mostly sciences, math, and engineering, but I also did English on the side, reading and writing poetry, that sort of thing." You said. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I'm still not, but now I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to do anything."

You felt stupid, like you had overshared info that didn't really matter. 

Dr. Erskine's name was called by someone down the hallway, and he turned his head and nodded in their direction.

"Perhaps we will continue this conversation another time." He told you and begun walking away.

"When?" You questioned under your breath, a little puzzled at what had just taken place, and then walked back to where Steve was waiting at the entrance.

"What did he want?" He asked you.

"No clue."

Chapter Text

YOU THOUGHT ABOUT that conversation later that night when you were at home in bed.

Dr. Erskine's random questions about your personal life, and you got to wondering why he would let Steve join the army, and what they were planning to do to him.

Then you heard the front door of your apartment open, and you were taken away from your thoughts as you listened to footsteps making their way through the apartment.

You heard the front door lock, and the footsteps approached the bedroom, keys dropping on the counter as he passed the kitchen. 

When the door to your bedroom opened, you didn't move as light suddenly filled the room for a moment.

"Y/N, you awake?" Bucky's voice was a whisper and you nodded slowly before remembering the room itself was dark.

"Yes." You replied, then rolled over to look at him by the door. He looked less energetic than he had been earlier, tired and just flat. "You okay?"

You sat up a little and he took off his hat, sitting it on the dresser next to the door, before he began to unbutton his uniform.

You could read the expression on his face easily. He was worried, nervous, scared.

And while you swore the relationship was purely platonic, Bucky climbed into the bed beside you as he would every night. 

You knew you didn't have to share a bed because nobody was around, but neither of you said anything about it.

Then you both lay there, staring at each other until Bucky began to smile, soft and comforting, but the worry in his eyes was still present.

You often wondered what was in this relationship for Bucky. For you, he was giving you a place to stay so you weren't homeless. 

For him, he said it was to get his parents - who had been pestering him to find a nice girl and get married - off his back, but they had barely even spoken to you since the wedding, and when they did they seemed thrilled.

But, they did get what they wanted, so maybe that wasn't so surprising.

You supposed Bucky was fine with the arrangement because he could go out with however many girls he wanted and you wouldn't care, just like he wouldn't care if you had a date with a guy.

But at this moment, as you lay beside him in bed, hands tucked under your head as you stared into his eyes, you knew a small part of you deep down wouldn't mind if this marriage lasted longer than the war that was raging on in the world.

And it wasn't just because you were comfortable in your situation, you would be lying if you said you didn't find Bucky the least bit attractive, or that sometimes your playful flirting was more than just teasing.

You wondered if Bucky ever had those same thoughts, if he would really want you to be his wife or if there was nothing else there for him.

But, at the same time, you didn't really care. You were sure those feelings had only risen due to your situation, and once the marriage was over you wouldn't care and could go back to being friends.

Maybe your kids would one day be friends and you could laugh about the blip in your past when you had been married.

You looked at the soft smile on Bucky's face, and returned it with a sad one, still noticing the nervousness in his eyes.

"Are you okay, Buck?" You asked again, due to the silence that came after the first time you asked.

"Yeah, I'm just..." He paused for a minute and sighed. "Nervous, I guess. For tomorrow. It's stupid."

"It's not." You told him immediately, completely serious. "You're about to go off to war, I don't blame you for being nervous."

There was a beat of silence, the only sounds in the room being both of you breathing, just out of sync of each other.

"Hey, could you, um, hold onto this for me?" He asked, adjusting himself so he could slip his wedding ring off of his finger.

"Why? You gonna go find a new girl while you're in Europe?" You said it as a joke, but neither of you seemed to be in a joking mood as he handed you the ring.

"No, definitely no other girls. I just don't want to lose it." He spoke honestly. "Plus, you can give it back to me when I get home."

In that moment it felt real. And you smiled as you undid the necklace that hung around your neck, slipping his ring onto the chain next to a heart-shaped locket you had both laughed about when he bought it for you.

"There. Now it's safe." You said once you had done up the necklace and were lying down again. You leaned in and pressed a short kiss to his cheek. "Get some sleep, Buck. Big day tomorrow."

"You gonna come to see me off?" He asked as you rolled over in bed.

"Of course. What kind of a wife would I be if I didn't?"

IN THE DAYS and weeks following Bucky's departure, waking up to a silent apartment was something you weren't used to.

Usually you would wake up to the sound of a record spinning on the player in the living room while Bucky hummed along.

He always somehow ended up waking up before you, even on the days you would try to be up first, it was like he could sense it.

You wondered what he was doing at that moment, and what Steve was doing. Steve had been sent off to a military training camp just days after Bucky left so you had been alone as of late.

You had been thinking about finding something to keep you occupied, a job, maybe even just as a waitress or something.

You wanted a job in your field, with your studies. But you knew, as a woman, you didn't stand a chance. Women were expected to be housewives.

The thing was, you wouldn't necessarily mind that life. Settling down with a husband, having kids, the regular simple life. In fact, you wanted it.

You just wanted to do things for yourself first.

But as you were cleaning your kitchen and thinking over your different choices, there was a knock at the apartment door.

You were confused, because you weren't expecting anyone, nor did you have any reason for visitors.

So you dried off your hands and walked through the apartment to the front door as the person behind it knocked again.

"Yes, I'm coming!"

You kept one hand on the lock as you peered through the peephole, which just made you more confused as you saw the person on the other side.

Howard Stark greeted you with a charming smile once you had opened the door, and you gave him a confused one back.

"Hi?" You greeted, unsure of why on earth Howard Stark of all people was at your front door.

"Hello, I'm looking for a Mrs. Y/N Barnes?" He spoke. "Does she live here?"

"Um, yes, that's me." You said, crossing your arms. "Y/N L/N."

"Oh, perfect!" Stark grinned. He was still attractive up close, that was for sure. "We should get going, then."

"Excuse me?" 

"Didn't Dr. Erskine talk to you?" He seemed puzzled by your own confusion.

"I spoke to him once.. barely." You replied. "And there was certainly no mention of you, Mr. Stark." 

"Howard, please. And, uh..." Howard looked around the empty apartment hall before looking at me. "Can I come in?"

Chapter Text

IT HAD TURNED out, Dr. Erskine had sent for you after Steve had started training, partially due to your conversation at the recruitment center.

You had been taken to an antique shop in Brooklyn, where a secret code had let you into a hidden lab.

Stark then explained to you that Dr. Erskine himself wanted you to work in this lab because Steve had been chosen for the project - which they had barely disclosed to you what was happening.

But you know it involved Steve, and Dr. Erskine, who you hadn't seen since you started working in the lab, wanted you there because he knew Steve would trust you more than anyone.

You were just there for the experience, and to take up the free time you had, and yet you had to sign many government forms agreeing not to talk about the project or anyone involved.

It was a few days in when Howard finally explained what you would be doing in the lab, after he showed you all the controls and how to understand his machine.

You were going to be helping turn Steve Rogers, your best friend, into a super solider. Injecting that skinny kid with a serum that was supposed to make him better in every single way possible.

Apparently Dr. Erskine had so much faith in Steve, that when you were first brought to the lab, Steve hadn't even been officially chosen yet and was just another candidate.

You had learned so much in such a short amount of time, that when the day finally came, you didn't think you could be more prepared.

That morning, after you had arrived, Howard was helping you set up your station.

"So, Y/N..." He spoke casually, and you glanced to where he stood by your side, one hand in the pocket of his pants, clearing his throat and covering his mouth with his other. "How are things with your husband?"

"I'm not sure, considering he's off fighting a war." You replied, barely glancing at Howard.

"I more meant... Why do you use your last name rather than his? Dr. Erskine said you were Mrs. Barnes but you keep saying it's Miss L/N."

"Because if I'm going to be accomplishing things I want it to be with my name and not his. Besides, we're barely even married." You paused for a second. "Pretend I didn't say that last part."

"Alrighty." Howard said, but a grin had formed on his face.

"Back to work, you two." Dr. Erskine's voice came from behind you and you gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, doctor."

It wasn't long after that the doors to the lab swung open and the room went dead silent.

You looked up, as did everyone around you, to see Steve standing there with a woman you knew to be Agent Peggy Carter.

Steve was looking around the lab, at the scientists, at the rebirth machine, and you were worried he was going to explode.

But then he saw you, and you gave him a wave, and while he looked confused as he waved back, he immediately felt better.

Agent Carter began leading Steve down the stairs, and everyone went back to their work.

"Good morning." Dr. Erskine greeted Steve, shaking his hand. A man nearby took a photograph of the interaction, and Dr. Erskine gave him an unimpressed look. "Please, not now."

Steve looked at the rebirth machine beside him, definitely looking worried. You walked over and stopped beside Dr. Erskine.

"You ready?" Dr. Erskine asked and Steve nodded slowly. "Good. Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat."

Dr. Erskine walked away as Steve did so, and you held out your hands so he could hand you his things.

"What are you doing here?" He asked you as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Just something to take up my free time." You shrugged as he handed over his shirt. You then nodded towards the machine. "Get in."

You walked away to put down his shirt, tie and hat on a table nearby. 

"That's your friend? Geez Louise, he looks like he could be crushed by a shoe." Howard said, appearing beside you.

"Well, after this, who knows?" You said, then looked around. "Aren't you supposed to be doing... something?"

"Mr. Stark, how are your levels?" Dr. Erskine asked from nearby.

"Levels at 100%." Howard replied, hurrying over at the sound of his name, and you followed, stopping between himself and Agent Carter.

"Good."

"We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready.. as we'll ever be." He sounded less confident at that last part before turning around and walking away.

"Agent Carter? Don't you think it would be more comfortable in the booth?" Dr. Erskine suggested to her.

"Yes, of course. Sorry." She went to leave, shooting Steve one last look before going upstairs to the booth.

You handed Dr. Erskine the microphone connected to the P.A. so he could talk to the people up in the booth who were watching.

He tapped on it a few times to make sure it was working and to get the attention of the audience.

"Do you hear me? Is this on?" You nodded after Dr. Erskine glanced to you, then he began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace."

You helped hook Steve up to the machine as Dr. Erskine continued his speech.

"We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to simulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays."

As one of the nurses injected Steve with a needle, Dr. Erskine put the microphone down and walked over.

"That wasn't so bad." Steve said.

"That was penicillin." Dr. Erskine replied before speaking loudly to the others in the lab. "Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one."

You stood beside Howard, biting your nails anxiously as Steve was injected with the super solider serum.

"Now, Mr. Stark." Dr. Erskine ordered and Howard pulled a switch beside you.

You watched as the rebirth machine lifted so it was now vertical, and it closed Steve inside. You took a deep breath and Howard pat your shoulder, picking up a pair of goggles and handing them to you.

"Steven? Can you hear me?" Dr. Erskine asked through the metal walls of the machine.

"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" Steve's muffled voice came through from the other side, and Dr. Erskine turned around to face where you and Howard stood. "We will proceed."

Howard took the few steps towards where you had begun checking Steve's vitals and turned a dial before returning to his earlier position wearing glasses of his own.

Then he began turning a wheel, which controlled the Vita-Rays.

"That's ten percent." He called out. "Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent."

"Vital signs are normal." You told Dr. Erskine, looking up for a moment.

"That's fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy."

As the percentage increased, the rebirth machine was growing brighter and brighter with a blinding light.

Then Steve began to scream in pain and your head shot up.

"Steven!" Dr. Erskine shouted and you abandoned your station to hurry over. 

"Shut it down!" Agent Carter's voice echoed from nearby.

"Steve!" You yelled with Dr. Erskine as he banged on the front of the machine.

"Steven!"

"Shut it down!" Carter shouted again.

"Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark!" Erskine ordered and Howard began moving again. "Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!"

"No!" Steve screamed out. "Don't! I can do this!"

"Steve?"

"I can do this!"

"Eighty. Ninety." Howard was turning the wheel again. "That's one hundred percent!"

The controls around Howard started to spark, then the machines all over the room followed, then it all stopped when the rebirth machine began to power down, the lights fading.

You were quick to rip your goggles off and took a few steps away from the machine.

"Mr. Stark?" Dr. Erskine said and Howard opened up the rebirth machine, pushing the switch from before.

The machine opened up and the Steve inside was not the one you remembered.

He was tall now, much taller than you, and he had muscles.

You hurried over with Dr. Erskine, who was trying to get the attention of your clearly exhausted and almost unconscious best friend.

"Steven. Steven."

Steve lifted his head and you helped him out of the machine, giving Howard a wide-eyed look as he hurried over.

"I did it." Steve said.

"Yeah, yeah. I think we did it." Dr. Erskine had a proud look on his face as he looked at the bewildered expression on Howard's face.

"You actually did it." He said.

"How do you feel?" Agent Carter asked as she stopped in front of Steve, who was still leaning against you and breathing heavily.

"Taller."

"Yeah, well, you are, Stevie." You said and he chuckled breathily.

Steve stood up straighter and you let go of him while Agent Carter helped him with his shirt.

Nobody had a chance to say anything else because then there was an explosion, and the booth upstairs blew up.

There were screams and everyone took cover.

"Stop him!" Dr. Erskine shouted and you looked up just as gunshots went off, hitting the doctor several times.

You watched as a man ran for the stairs, Agent Carter shooting at him and hitting him in the arm.

Steve ran to Dr. Erskine, crouching over the man as Agent Carter ran after the bomber.

"Are you alright?" Howard asked you, and you nodded slowly, not taking your eyes off of Steve as he got up and sprinted out of the room, up the stairs and out of the lab.

And that was the same skinny asthmatic kid you had been best friends with since school.

Chapter Text

AFTER STEVE HAD chased down the bomber, who ended up committing suicide with a cyanide pill, you were allowed to stick around with Howard the next day as he examined the attacker's submarine that was used for an attempted escape.

In another room, nurses were taking Steve's blood for any hope of somehow reproducing the program.

"Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers." Senator Brandt spoke as he and other men in suits entered the room.

"Great. Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" Colonel Phillips asked, stopping in front of where you were helping Howard work. "What have we got here?"

"Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don't know what's inside this thing or how it works." Howard explained to the men. "We're not even close to this technology."

"Then who is?" Brandt asked.

"HYDRA." Colonel Phillips replied. "I'm sure you've been reading our briefings."

"I'm on a number of committees, Colonel." Brandt said and you narrowed your eyes at the man.

"HYDRA is the Nazi deep-science division." Agent Carter spoke as she entered the room, followed by Steve. "It's led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions."

"HYDRA is practically a cult." Colonel Phillips said. "They worship Schmidt. They think he's invincible."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" 

"I spoke to the President this morning. As of today, the SSR is being retasked."

"Colonel?"

"We are taking the fight to HYDRA. Pack your bags, Agent Carter." Phillips said, then he turned. "You, too, Stark. You and your friend there. We're flying to London tonight."

You and Howard shared a look, because you didn't even think you were a part of the SSR, and yet you were apparently going with them to London.

You looked over to Steve, just as he started to speak.

"Sir? If you're going after Schmidt, I want in." Steve told him.

"You're an experiment. You're going to Alamogordo."

"The serum worked."

"I asked for an army and all I got was you." Colonel Phillips stated. "You are not enough."

You watched Phillips walk away with a glare. Steve had spent so much of his life being told he wasn't good enough, and now that he was finally something else, they wanted more.

"With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point." Senator Brandt spoke to Steve after Phillips had left. "I've seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country's seen it. Paper."

You took a few steps away from the submarine and closer to the men, meeting Agent Carter's eyes for a moment as you eavesdropped.

"The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands." Brandt explained as a man showed Steve the paper. "You don't take a solider, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?"

"Sir, that's all I want." Steve replied and, this time on purpose, you shared a glance with Agent Carter.

"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted."

STEVE'S PROMOTION WAS that he became U.S. propaganda to sell war bonds.

He was 'Captain America', and he wore tights and carried a shield of the American flag.

They had him going from state to state, reading from a script while women sang and danced around him onstage.

But you didn't say anything, because Steve was happy he was finally doing something to help, and you were proud of him.

But you weren't able to see him onstage giving his performances because you were with the SSR, helping with research and any work you could, and on the side you were actually getting to know Howard and Agent Carter, Peggy, becoming friends with them.

Peggy had even been teaching you how to use a gun and some of her training, insisting that if you were going to be around in this field, you would need to know some of that stuff.

You had been so busy that night time was your only real time to relax, and those nights were the only times you thought about Bucky.

You wondered what he was doing at those moments, if he was okay, if he was trying to sleep too... if he was even alive.

November of 1943, however, you ended up in Italy with Peggy and others in the SSR.

You were unaware of anything going on at the base you were stopped at, spending most of your time working with Peggy or Howard, that you only found out Steve was there minutes before his performance, which you and Peggy stopped by to watch with the troops.

The performance itself was somewhat entertaining, but the crowd was silent, and they even heckled Steve, and it made you sad because you knew Steve was capable of so much more than just this.

After the show it was raining, and you went backstage after everyone had filed off to find Steve sitting down and sketching in a small notebook.

"Whatcha up to?" You asked and he looked up as you sat down beside him.

"Hey." He greeted, lowering his pencil. "I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, well, I only found out you were here 2 hours ago, so..." You said and he nodded, you looked down at his book where he had been drawing a monkey on a unicycle dressed in his Captain America getup.

It was raining heavily around the two of you as thunder cracked.

You sat quietly before another voice spoke from behind you.

"Hello, Steve." Peggy said and Steve turned quickly turned to look at her.

"Hi." He said and you smiled at the interaction, because you were pretty confident the two of them liked each other.

"Hi." Peggy said and you moved away from Steve, just a little bit. 

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked her and you got up so she could sit closer to Steve and you wouldn't get in the way.

You took a few steps back to just eavesdrop on their conversation, and hoped to continue sitting with Steve after.

"Officially, I'm not here at all." Peggy said. "That was quite a performance."

"Yeah. Uh, I had to improvise a little bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more, uh, twelve."

"I understand you're 'America's New Hope.'"

"Bond sales take a 10% bump in every state I visit."

"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?" Peggy asked and you crossed your arms, the rain bringing a cold breeze with it that sent a chill down your spine.

"At least he's got me doing this. Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab." Steve said and Peggy looked to you, a blank expression on her face, before she spoke.

"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey?" Peggy asked. "You were meant for more than this, you know."

Steve went quiet, looking like he wanted to say something, but didn't.

"What?"

"You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country." Steve told Peggy, and you nodded along, knowing Steve's dream very well. "I finally got everything I wanted and I'm wearing tights."

The small smile that grew on your face was wiped away a second later when a car horn blared from behind you, and the three of you spun around to see a medic van pulling up at the medical tent and men began pulling a stretcher from the truck.

"They look like they've been through hell." Steve stated.

"These men more than most." Peggy said and you tore your eyes away from the medic van to look at her. "Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him, and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th. The rest were killed or captured."

Your head shot up, eyes wide and chest sinking as all the breath left your lungs.

Steve looked back at you, the expression on his face mimicking your own, then at Peggy.

"The 107th?" Steve repeated and dread began to fill your body.

Why hadn't you known it was the 107th? Did you really pay that little attention to your surroundings? Or was it just never mentioned around you?

"What?" Peggy questioned, looking between yourself and Steve, who had jumped to his feet while you gripped the locket around your neck that still held Bucky's ring.

Moments later the three of you were running through the rain, shoes splashing in the mud as you followed Steve.

Peggy held her jacket over her head to protect herself from the rain, while you and Steve just ran.

"Come on."

Chapter Text

"COLONEL PHILLIPS." STEVE stopped in front of the man at his desk, you and Peggy right behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan." Colonel Phillips spoke upon seeing Steve, a teasing amusement in his voice. "What is your plan today?"

"I need the casualty list from Azzano." Steve demanded, his eyes flickering to you for a moment as you still gripped your necklace, unsure why you were really doing it.

"You don't get to give me orders, son." Phillips stated.

"I just need one name, Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th."  Steve continued, ignoring Phillips' words.

"You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won't enjoy." Colonel Phillips told Peggy, pointing to her with his pen.

"Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R..." Steve was cut off by Phillips.

"I can spell." There was a moment of silence and you held your breath, bracing for the dreaded answer as Phillips stood up. "I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the same does sound familiar. I'm sorry."

Then Colonel Phillips looked to you, where your hand had dropped down to your side, and your face had fell, leaving an emotionless expression as you refused to let tears form in your eyes.

"Am I right to assume that letter would be going to you, Barnes?" He asked and you nodded slowly, tucking your necklace under your shirt again. "I'm sorry."

"What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?" Steve asked Colonel Phillips.

"Yes. it's called 'winning the war.'" 

"But if you know where they are, why not at least..."

"They're 30 miles behind the lines through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe." Phillips explained. "We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl."

Your heartbreak — no, sadness — was replaced with anger as you watched Phillips treat Steve like he was nothing.

"I think I understand just fine." Steve said.

"Well, then understand it somewhere else." Phillips said. "If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in 30 minutes."

Colonel Phillips walked away and Steve kept his eyes on the map behind his desk for longer than he should have.

"Yes, sir. I do."

Steve left the tent quickly after and you glanced to your side where Peggy was staring at the map Steve had been just seconds before.

"If you have something to say, now's a good time to keep it to yourself." Phillips told Peggy, not looking up from his work, and you left the tent immediately after.

You found Steve as he was packing up his things, like he was planning on going on a rescue mission alone.

"You're not here to stop me, are you?" He asked you. "Because I'm not going to."

"No." You admitted, speaking for the first time since hearing your best-friend-slash-husband was probably dead. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I will be." Steve said, and paused for a moment to look at you. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure." You shrugged. "I will be."

"There's still a chance, Y/N." Steve said as he went back to packing.

Then Peggy appeared in the tent a moment later.

"What do you plan to do, walk to Austria?" She asked Steve.

"If that's what it takes."

"You heard the Colonel. Your friend is most likely dead." Peggy said.

"You don't know that." Steve told her.

"Even so, he's devising a strategy. If he detects..."

"By the time he's done that, it could be too late." Steve stated, cutting Peggy off while pulling on his jacket over his Captain America outfit.

"Steve!" 

Both you and Peggy followed Steve out of the tent as he took his bag and shield to a car outside, where the rain had only just come to a stop.

"You told me you thought I was meant for more than this." Steve said to Peggy, and you felt like you were third wheeling. 

You wondered if Steve had ever felt that way when he hung out with you and Bucky - but then you remembered how ridiculous that would be, considering your relationship with Bucky was fake and there was nothing but platonic friendly feelings between the two of you.

"Did you mean that?" Steve asked.

"Every word." Peggy replied.

"Then you got to let me go." Steve said, nodding a goodbye to you and climbing into the driver's seat of the car.

"I can do more than that." Peggy told him as he started up the car engine.

There was a silent moment between them before Steve turned off the car.

"How?" Steve asked and Peggy walked away from the car and came up to you.

"We're going to need Stark to fly." Peggy told you and you nodded.

"I can get him on board." You told her.

"Thank you."

AND SO, A couple of hours later you were sitting beside Howard Stark in his plane, Steve and Peggy behind you.

"The Hydra camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges." Peggy was explaining to Steve, showing him on a map. "It's a factory of some kind."

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep." Howard called out to them.

"Just get me as close as you can." Steve replied. "You know, you three are gonna be in a lot of trouble when you land."

"And you won't?" Peggy tested.

"Where I'm going, if anybody yells at me, I can just shoot them." Steve said and you chuckled from your seat at the front.

"Yeah, Steve, but they're definitely going to shoot back." You said, turning to look at him.

"Well, let's hope it's good for something." Steve said, tapping his shield beside him.

"Agent Carter? If we're not in too much of a hurry, I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late-night fondue." Howard called back to her, meeting your eyes for a moment with his usual charming smile, amused by himself creating an awkwardness between Peggy and Steve.

"Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen." Peggy then told Steve. "He's mad enough to brave this airspace. We're lucky to have him."

"So, are you two... Do you..." Steve stumbled over his words. "...Fondue?"

Peggy ignored the question and went back to explaining, receiving a quiet snicker from you.

"This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."

"Are you sure this thing works?" Steve asked Howard.

"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard replied and then there was a flash of light, a bang and the plane began to shake.

You gripped onto the wall beside you as the plane was shot at from below.

"Get back here!" Peggy yelled and you spun around in your seat to see Steve had gotten up and headed for the door. "We're taking you all the way in!"

"As soon as I'm clear, you then this thing around and get the hell out of here!" Steve shouted.

"You can't give me orders!" Peggy told him.

"The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!" Steve replied.

"Steve!" You yelled at him, but he was already jumping out the plane.

And the said plane was turning around seconds later.

Chapter Text

AFTER THE PLANE landed, you certainly were in trouble. There was no fondue. The three of you were yelled at by Colonel Phillips, whose whole face went red with rage.

But after that, you were all left to your own devices.

Peggy left first, and you sat down on a bench nearby Stark's plane, and Howard sat beside you.

Now you were thinking letting Steve go was a bad idea. You had believed in him, but Colonel Phillips' words - his anger - had gotten into your head.

Now you felt like you had lost both of your best friends.

You took off the necklace from around your neck and opened the locket, looking at the smiling picture of Bucky inside of it, and you were unsure of how you felt looking at it.

Everything was a confusing scramble inside of you.

"What've you got there?" Howard asked and you looked over to him.

"Oh, it's..." You chuckled slightly. "It's a locket."

You turned it to show him, holding the chain tight in your hand.

"Is that your husband?" Howard asked.

"That's him. Sargent James Barnes." You replied, both sadness and amusement in your tone.

"He's handsome. Now I see why you haven't been falling for my, dare I say, irresistible charm." Howard said and you laughed.

There was a beat of silence that fell between the two of you before you cleared your throat.

"You know, it's not even real." You confessed to him. "Bucky and I... the marriage isn't real. It was just so his parents would get off his back about it. We're not in love or anything like that. Just friends."

You turned and faced Howard.

"Bucky would go out on dates with girls a lot before he was drafted." You told him, trying to talk about anything that would keep your mind off of the thought that Steve could die on his mission. "He said he wouldn't mind if I did go ever out on dates with guys, but I never did."

"Why not?"

"I just liked spending time on my own. But if I had met a guy I actually liked and he asked me out, I more than likely would've gone on a date with him."

"What if someone asked you now?" Howard questioned.

"Depends on who." You replied. "If I liked him enough, then sure."

"So... what if Rogers asked you?"

"No."

"Colonel Phillips?"

"Absolutely not." You chuckled.

"Me?" Howard asked and you paused.

"Let's see..." You pretended to think for a moment. "You're attractive, very charming, and a genius. So... honestly? I'd probably say yes."

There was a pause of silence as you and Howard stared at each other, then he leaned in and kissed you.

You kissed him back, and it lasted a while before either of you pulled apart.

Howard smiled, a genuine smile, before he cleared his throat and stood up.

"Well, then... maybe when this is over I'll have to take you out on a date." He suggested.

"We'll see." You smiled back.

YOU PRETENDED NOTHING happened the next day. Not because you didn't like it, but because you were starting to second guess yourself more.

The longer Steve was gone, the more likely it was that he was dead, and that meant Bucky most likely was too.

Thinking about that filled you with feelings you couldn't quite explain. Obviously grief, for the possibility that your two best friends were dead, but there was another feeling when you thought of Bucky being gone.

An ache that made you feel sick.

It made you think that maybe your occasional thoughts of a real relationship with Bucky meant something a little bit more, because the longer he was gone, the more you missed him.

While you worked, you did your best to avoid the occasional glances Howard was giving you, meeting his eyes only once or twice.

Then, you looked past Howard, to see a large number of people running through the camp.

You paused for a moment and watched more and more soldiers run.

"What's going on out there?" Howard voiced your thoughts.

"Look who it is!" A voice outside shouted and your heart leapt, hoping it was who you thought it was.

You stopped what you were doing and hurried outside of the tent as you could hear clapping and cheering.

Once you were outside you could see it, the large army of soldiers entering the camp, parting the crowd like the sea, led by Steve Rogers himself. And who was right by his side?

"Bucky." You breathed out his name in relief and started running over.

Soldiers had already begun reuniting with those who Steve had helped escape behind them, so you had no issue with running right for Bucky, who had no time to register that you were even there before you had your arms hugged around his neck.

"Woah." He stumbled back, his left arm finding its way around your middle while his right still held the gun he had walked in with.

One of your hands moved to the back of his head as you held him tighter, kissing his dirt-covered cheek.

"Jesus, Buck, I thought you were dead." You muttered as Steve stopped and faced Colonel Phillips, saluting at the man.

"Some of these men need medical attention." Steve stated and you finally loosened your grip on Bucky to look him up and down. He gave you a tired smile and kept his left arm around you. "I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action."

Your arms were still around Bucky's neck, but you had turned so you could face Steve at the same time.

"That won't be necessary." Colonel Phillips replied, looking anywhere but Steve's eyes.

"Yes, sir."

Colonel Phillips then turned to Peggy. "Faith, huh?"

Peggy stepped forward to talk to Steve, standing a little closer than you'd expect.

"You're late." She said, then Steve pulled out his transponder, which looked like it had been shot through.

"Couldn't call my ride."

"Hey!" Bucky then called out to all the soldiers around you. "Let's hear it for Captain America!"

You let go of Bucky to join in with the clapping from everyone, chuckling at the look Steve gave Bucky as you did so.

Then Bucky stopped clapping, turned to you again, one hand on your hip and the other on your cheek and leaned in to kiss you.

And in that moment you didn't care about what you had said to Howard the night before. In that moment it was real.

Chapter Text

YOU WERE IN London just days later, most of the soldiers celebrating at a bar one night while Steve attempted to put together a team.

"Why are you even here?" Bucky asked you that night after taking a sip of his drink. "Not that I don't want you here, I'm just curious. Y'know, since I thought you were at home."

"Haven't you heard? I'm one of Steve's dancers." You teased and Bucky chuckled. "Yeah, I wear one of those little dresses and everything."

"Really?" He laughed and you nodded. He gave you a look telling you he didn't believe your teasing.

"Yeah, you've really missed out on a lot." You insisted. Then your tone shifted to a softer, more sincere, tone. "I'm glad you're back, though." You told him.

"I am, too." He said, his hand reaching out to brush against the necklace that was hanging out from your shirt, then he met your eyes. "And I'm glad I can see you."

Bucky started to lean in, but pulled away when he saw Steve coming around the corner, smile on his face.

"See? I told you." Bucky said to him and you adjusted in your seat to face forward again, rather than Bucky, as Steve walked over to sit on his other side. "They're all idiots."

"How about you?" Steve asked him. "You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"

"Hell, no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I'm following him." Bucky stated, and turned his head to face Steve with a smile. "But, you're keeping the outfit, right?"

"Please, Steve." You held your hands together as you jokingly pleaded, and Steve turned to look at the cancelled tour poster behind you.

"You know what? It's kind of growing on me." Steve said and the men singing around the corner went quiet. You turned your heads to see Peggy standing in the doorway in a red dress, and both Steve and Bucky stood up.

"Captain." She greeted Steve.

"Agent Carter." Steve returned the gesture and you rolled your eyes at the formalities as she approached him, walking right past Bucky.

"Ma'am." He nodded at her, but she hardly spared him a glance.

"Howard has some equipment for you to try." Peggy said and the mention of Howard's name reminded you of the night you kissed. "Tomorrow morning?" 

"Sounds good."

Peggy looked over into the other room where Steve's team was back to their drinking and singing at a table.

"I see your top squad is prepping for duty." 

"You don't like music?" Bucky asked and she kept her eyes trained on Steve as she answered.

"I do, actually. I might even, when this is all over, go dancing." Peggy said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Bucky said and you sighed before taking another sip of your drink.

"The right partner." Peggy said. "0800, Captain. You too, Y/N."

You turned your head as she walked away.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be there." Steve said and seconds later Peggy was gone.

"I'm invisible." Bucky said. "I'm turning into you. It's like a horrible dream."

"Don't take it so hard." Steve pat his shoulder, then nodded to you. "I would say maybe she's got a friend, but you've already got a girl."

You rolled your eyes and sipped your drink again, and Bucky slipped his arm around you.

"Yeah, she's not bad, I guess." He joked and you gave him a glare, but he just smiled back, kissing your cheek.

YOU HAD ARRIVED at Howard's lab in the SSR base early the next morning, and he caught you up on what he had learned about some of the Hydra technology that had been brought back with Steve and the others.

Then he was showing you the prototype shields he had been working on for Steve to use in battle rather than the one he had been using onstage.

You spent the next 30 minutes or so working until Steve arrived, and you turned your head as Howard brought him in.

"Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend." Howard was explaining to Steve and you wondered what had happened to lead to that conversation.

"Really? I didn't think..." Steve sounded truly stumped as he entered the lab.

"Nor should you, pal. The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked." Howard spoke.

You looked over at that moment to see Howard was already looking your way. You avoided his eyes after that as you made your way towards the men.

"Me, I concentrate on work, which at the moment is about making sure you and your men do not get killed." Howard went on, before showing Steve what the two of you had been working on for his suit. 

"It's made of carbon polymer." You told Steve.

"Right, and it should withstand your typical German bayonet. Although Hydra's not going to attack you with a pocket knife." Howard said and moved on to the shields, knocking on Steve's old one. "Y/N tells me you're kind of attached."

"It's handier than you might think." Steve replied honestly.

"I took the liberty of coming up with some options." Howard said, pointing out what we had laid out. "This one's fun. She's been fitted with electrical relays that allow you to..."

"What about this one?" Steve asked, pulling out a thin, circular shield from the shelf below.

"No, no, that's just a prototype." Howard said.

"What's it made of?"

"Vibranium." You were excited to tell Steve, you had only heard of the metal yourself very recently. "It's stronger than steel, but a third of the weight. And it's completely vibration absorbent. Pretty nice, huh?"

"How come it's not standard issue?" Steve asked, running his fingers along the shield as he tried it on.

"That's the rarest metal on Earth." Howard answered. "What you're holding there, that's all we've got."

"You quite finished, Mr. Stark?" Peggy asked as she entered the room. "I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business.”

Steve turned to face her, showing her the round shield on his arm. "What do you think?"

She picked up a handgun from the table beside her and Steve ducked behind the shield as she shot at it several times, the bullets crumpling to the ground and leaving no trace.

Both you and Howard had ducked out of the way and looked up as she answered before putting the gun down again.

"Yes, I think it works." She said and left the room, Steve and Howard watching as she left with bewildered expressions.

"I had some ideas about the uniform." Steve said, handing Howard a piece of paper.

"Whatever you want, pal." Howard replied, taking it from him, and that was it. Steve left just minutes later and a silence fell over the lab as everyone went back to their work, including you.

Chapter Text

STEVE'S TEAM'S NAME was the Howling Commandos, and they had been slowly taking out the different HYDRA factories around Europe that Steve had seen on a map when he had rescued Bucky.

They would be gone for days on end on different missions, and each time you had no idea if they would return, so you spent your time distracting yourself with work, or with weapons and athletics training.

It wasn't that you wanted to go jumping into battle, but you wanted to be prepared in case anything happened. And you were getting pretty good at it, or at least Peggy said so.

But on the days when the Howling Commandos were back at the SSR base, you spent most of your time with Bucky.

Because you had finally decided that your feelings for Bucky were real, as much as you had wanted them not to be. But you wouldn't tell him about them, you had no reason to.

But then, the night before the Howling Commandos were to leave for another mission, you were sitting outside with Bucky.

It was cooler weather, and you weren't wearing a coat, you just sat close enough so your right arm was pressed against his left.

The two of you hadn't talked about much, mostly just him telling you about the mission, and you telling him about what you had been working on in the lab.

Then there was a comfortable silence between the two of you, and you sat there looking down at the rings on your finger.

Bucky did the same, which then prompted him to clear this throat before he began to speak.

"So, um, you and Stark, huh?" He said. "I mean, I know you said you thought he was charming but..."

"There is no 'me and Stark.'" You replied. "We just work together. I mean, we did kiss, but -"

"You kissed?" Bucky questioned, apparently taken aback.

"Only -"

"You kissed him!?"

"Only once." You told him and Bucky gave you a look, like he was trying to stay upbeat, but it didn't reach his eyes. "And, I don't know. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't... right."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked.

"I mean, if I had to kiss someone for the rest of my life, he wouldn't be my first choice." You stated. That was the best way you could describe it. 

Maybe you could be with Howard, but you didn't know if your feelings for him ran deeper than just a surface level attraction.

But you knew they definitely ran deeper with Bucky, and that's all you needed to know now.

"I don't want it to be fake anymore." Bucky spoke, softly at first, and your heart jumped at those words, beating faster and faster as silence fell between you again.

"Oh." Was all you could muster out.

"I used to think it was nothing, but then... When they had me locked up it was all I could think about," Bucky said. "and I don't want to waste any more time if there's a chance of it being real between us."

You didn't know what to say, because not only was he returning the feelings you had only recently come to terms with, but because it was real.

"How long have you been thinking about it." You asked him. "Before all this? Back home?"

He nodded. "It was only occasionally. Little thoughts at first, but now..." He finally turned his head and the two of you locked eyes. "Now you're the only thing I can think about."

"I hope I'm not the only thing." You told him, cheeks warming as you tried your best to play it cool.

"You are." He stated, leaning closer by just an inch. "The absolute only thing."

You kept looking into his eyes, not saying anything for a minute and just listening to the quiet of the world around you. It was all so quiet.

"I want it to be real, too." You finally said. "My thoughts have been a crazy mess recently, but that's about the one thing I'm sure of."

A smile grew on Bucky's face, and a matching one tugged at your lips.

And Bucky leaned in first, your lips connecting in what would be your first real kiss as a real couple.

Once you pulled away, Bucky pressed his forehead to yours with a breath and a small laugh, his arms around you, and yours around him.

Then you kissed again, and again.

"I love you." Bucky said it first, his lips still pressed to yours, the three words falling from his tongue like a breath.

"I..." You started, but Bucky's lips cut you off. Then they left your lips and moved down to your jaw, then your neck. "I think I love you, too." 

Those three words barely summed up how you felt towards Bucky, but they were close enough.

"That's good enough for me." Bucky whispered then connected your lips again, and you felt like you were floating.

It's just a pity that neither of you knew he wouldn't come back from the next mission.

But nothing else mattered in that moment, because it was finally real.

YOU STILL WORE Bucky's wedding band with the locket around your neck while he was gone, and the day the Howling Commandos came back, this time with one less solider, you were glad you had it.

You looked around the group, all the solemn looks on their faces, then met Steve's eyes.

"Steve, where's Bucky?" You asked slowly, silently praying that it wasn't what you thought it was, and he was just hiding around the corner. "Steve?"

Steve looked down and you felt your breath leave your body. "Oh..."

You didn't know what else to say, how to react.

You spent the next day silent, sitting beside Howard at the table you weren't even sure why you were allowed to, while a debrief meeting took place.

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bughouse." Colonel Phillips said to the group looking at the map on the wall. "He thinks he's a god, and he's willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA."

"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities." Howard said as he returned to his chair beside yours. "He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire Eastern Seaboard in an hour."

"How much time we got?" Gabe Jones, one of the Howling Commandos, asked. 

"According to my new best friend," Colonel Phillips was sarcastically referring to Dr. Arnim Zola, Schmidt's right-hand man who they had managed to capture on the last mission. "under 24 hours."

"Where is he now?" Another asked.

"HYDRA's last base is here." Phillips pointed to an image in his hands. "In the Alps, 500 feet below the surface."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Morita, another Commando, asked as he examined the picture. "I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door."

"Why not?" Steve asked and everyone turned to face him, you looking up from the spot on the table you had been staring at. "That's exactly what we're gonna do."

Chapter Text

"WE'RE IN! ASSAULT team go!" The voice on the other end of the radio crackled.

"Move out!" Colonel Phillips ordered and the soldiers around you all began to run.

You weren't exactly sure how you had ended up running into the HYDRA base with soldiers and people with real training, but you didn't care.

You were going to help, or you would die trying. You didn't care anymore. 

Your aim was decent as you shot at HYDRA soldiers, dodging their crazy weapons that had almost blown up Howard's lab when you had been testing them.

When you first made it into the building, you were surrounded by people, but chasing one person down a hallway and you ended up where you were now. 

You knew Steve and the Howling Commandos were somewhere, as were Peggy and Colonel Phillips, but you had run through so many of those labyrinth-like hallways of the HYDRA base that you had gotten yourself lost.

You could hear noises nearby, footsteps, shooting, so you ran towards it, hoping you would find someone you knew and could get back into the battle.

You ran out into a hallway and immediately heard Steve's voice shout.

"Y/N, move!"

"Steve!?" You called out back. "Where's everyone else?"

You turned your head to the right, where you had heard Steve, which meant you completely missed who was to your left.

Johann Schmidt himself, his blood red skull of a head and all.

"Y/N, you gotta get out of here!"

Now Schmidt had stopped shooting for the moment, and the moment he heard Steve call out to you, he holstered his gun and jumped forward. He knew the best thing to make sure he wasn't hit was to grab onto you.

Steve wouldn't attack him when there was a chance he could hurt you. And when you felt Schmidt's arm reach around you, you yelled out.

"Steve!" You screamed, reaching for your gun again, but Schmidt was quick to take it from you and throw it away as he pulled you down the hallway, using you as a human shield to get away from Steve.

At least with Schmidt grabbing you from behind it meant you didn't have to look at that horrifying skull of his.

You were pulled through the halls of the Hydra base and you could hear footsteps and gunfire after you as Schmidt pulled you out of the halls and out into the air hangar.

"Stop moving or I'll put a bullet into your head." Schmidt hissed and you did. You decided not to risk anything and just kept faith that Steve would be able to find you.

As he forced you up the ladder into his giant plane, you felt ridiculous. Why on earth did you think you could do anything to help on this mission?

You had been there for ten minutes and now you were a hostage kidnapped by a literal Nazi leader.

Schmidt took you all the way to the front of the plane, forcing you to sit in a chair as he closed a container that held a glowing blue Cube.

The Cube. HYDRA's secret weapon.

"Now, you and I are going to have some fun, yes?" Schmidt said, his tone menacing as he sat in the pilots seat, putting the large HYDRA gun down beside it. "Hopefully you're enough to lure your Captain here so we can finally put an end to this nonsense."

You felt sick. And you were almost positive that if Steve didn't get there soon, you would be dead.

The plane's controls began to flicker on and you could feel it moving, squeezing your eyes shut for a moment.

"Oh, don't fret. If your Captain doesn't join us we will still have some fun." Schmidt said and you looked to the control panel where it showed the first target. "Maybe we'll enjoy ourselves even more this way. You can watch as I destroy your country, then I'll kill you."

Your home was the first target. New York City.

As the plane moved further down the runway, there was a second where you felt the ship bump for a moment, just slightly.

You looked out the windows in front of you to see the ship was nearing the edge and you would be flying any second now.

You lost any faith you had that Steve would be able to save you the moment the ship left the ground and decided you were going to die on this ship.

Schmidt tutted, but kept his eyes trained on the window. "Oh, well."

The cockpit stayed silent for the flight. You could hear distant footsteps and crashes, and while you were hopeful, you knew it was likely the number of HYDRA soliders on board the ship.

But then, a minute or two later, what looked like a small plane zipped past the window, and you gained a little more of your faith back.

But of course Schmidt's ship had guns and he started shooting at the mystery plane.

There was a thud at the back of the ship that you could feel from your seat, and Schmidt pressed a few buttons before standing up.

"It seems your Captain has decided to join us after all." Schmidt said, picking up the HYDRA blaster again and walking to the other side of the room, out of sight from the door. "Don't say a word, or I will make quick work of you."

The room went silent for a minute after that. When the door did open, you squeezed your eyes shut and listened to the footsteps.

You slowly turned to look around the back of the chair, praying it was Steve who had just entered the room... and it was.

Steve had almost made it to the pilot's chair when you spun your seat around. He laid eyes on you immediately, and yours were on Schmidt, who had begun making his way out of the shadows behind Steve.

"Y/N!" His voice was quiet, trying not to draw attention to himself, but it was already too late.

As Schmidt raised the blaster behind him, you pointed and shouted, "Steve, look out!"

He spun around quickly and you jumped out of the chair.

Schmidt tried to shoot at Steve, the blast hitting his shield and bouncing off, smashing through the window.

"You don't give up, do you?" Schmidt called out over the new loud sound of the wind blowing through the fresh hole in the glass, and you moved to the corner of the room to stay out of the way the best you could.

"Nope!" Steve said and began running at Schmidt, who shot in retaliation.

Steve managed to knock the blaster out of Schmidt's hands and it went crashing to the ground, and while the two men fought, you ran for the weapon, taking it in your hands.

Schmidt and Steve were both crashing all around the room, banging into different surfaces that made you wince with each punch. But then they crashed into the ship's steering wheel, and you went flying through the air as the ship began to dive.

You gripped onto the wall the best you could and watched as Schmidt kicked Steve and managed to make it back to the front of the plane, rebalancing the ship.

You ducked down behind one of the room's large pillars as Schmidt and his Cube-enhanced pistol began making their way through the room.

"You could have the power of the gods!" Schmidt yelled out to Steve, trying to shoot at him. "Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations!"

As Steve dodged another shot from the pistol, he ended up behind the same pillar as you, meeting your eyes for a split second and you gripped the blaster in your hands tighter, examining it to try and see how it worked.

"I have seen the future, Captain!" Schmidt shouted as Steve moved around the room more. "There are no flags! Not my future!"

Steve took that as an opportunity to run and roll, deflecting another blast from the gun with his shield, and now you were the closer one to Schmidt, still hidden behind your pillar.

Steve threw his shield at Schmidt and sent him flying back into the main energy core where he was storing the Cube, and the Cube fell out.

Chapter Text

"WHAT HAVE YOU done?" Schmidt asked and picked up the Cube, which had been knocked from its place. "No."

You moved out from your spot behind the pillar as the Cube began to glow brighter in Schmidt's hand, and took a step forward, pointing the blaster at him.

Lightning-like blue energy began to crackle from the Cube, and the room began to change. The lightning kept sparking up towards the roof, and you shared a look with Steve.

Then a sky opened above you all, where the ceiling had been, and it was space. You could see the stars and galaxies as you looked up, the cube flickering more and more as it did so.

Neither you nor Steve knew what was happening, and you assumed it was Schmidt doing this on purpose.

But lights began to cover Schmidt's hands, like he was turning into the stars, and he was screaming out.

And you did the only thing you could think of, which was shoot at the Cube in Schmidt's hand with the blaster you held.

That sent out another surge of energy that headed straight towards you.

Watching the burst of blue energy swarm you, hitting your chest, sinking into your skin and literally enveloping your body, Steve was worried, to say the least.

Schmidt was still screaming and he dissolved into the sky above you, and for a moment Steve thought you were going to follow.

But then the sky closed up and there was another burst of energy.

The blue energy in the room all faded, the last of it leaving the Cube and entering you before the Cube fell to the floor, melting through it and falling down into the ocean below.

Now you were unconscious on the ground and Schmidt was gone, and nobody was piloting the plane that was still headed right for New York.

"Y/N?" Steve called out your name and ran over, picking up his shield on the way and dropping down beside you. "Hey, Y/N?"

You didn't move. He reached for your wrist, attempting to check your pulse, but he couldn't tell through his gloves, and there wasn't enough time.

Steve was careful as he lifted your body up, unsure if you were alive or dead, and sat you down in a chair before taking the pilot's chair for himself.

Steve looked to where the ship was going, where he was, and he realized his situation. He realized he only had two options.

So he decided to use the ship's radio to see if he could contact anyone.

"This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?" He asked, and Peggy's voice crackled through just seconds later.

"Steve, is that you? Are you alright?"

"Peggy, Schmidt's dead!" Steve told her, glancing at your unconscious body before looking back to the ship's controls in front of him.

"What about the plane?"

"That's a little bit tougher to explain."

"Give me your coordinates. I'll find you a safe landing site."

"There's not gonna be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do."

"There's not enough time." Steve stated. "This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I got to put her in the water."

"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out." Peggy's voice came through. "Where's Y/N? Is she okay?"

"She's... She's here." Steve looked to you again. He knew it was either the two of you, if you were even still alive, or thousands of people. It broke his heart to have to make that choice. "Look, right now we're in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die."

Steve wished there was another way. 

He had only lost Bucky days earlier, now you, and now himself. 

"Peggy, this is my choice." He looked at you again, and he knew it was what he had to do, even if the guilt ate away at him when he thought of the fact that you could still be alive, despite being unconscious.

Steve looked away from you to pull out his compass, where he kept Peggy's picture, and sat it up where he could see it.

Then he forced the steers forward, the plane going down for a dive again, and fast.

He looked to Peggy's picture again.

"Peggy?"

"I'm here." She responded, and the clouds disappeared, Steve could see the ice and water below.

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance." He told her, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Alright." Peggy had tears streaming down her face on her end, and she sniffled between some words. "A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."

"You got it." Steve replied.

"8:00 on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance." Steve said and the ice grew nearer and nearer.

"I'll show you how. Just be there."

"We'll have the band play something slow." Steve said, and the ice was just meters away now. "I'd hate to step on your -"

Then there was radio static. Nothing.

"Steve?" Peggy asked into the microphone, crying. "Steve? Steve?"

She never got an answer.

HOWARD STARK'S SEARCH team was put together within days of the war ending, and they were on a boat as soon as they could be.

"Sir." 

Howard walked across the room to look at the monitor, where the camera from his underwater drone showed they had found the Cube.

"Take us to the next grid point." Howard told the boat Captain, who hurried back to the front of the room.

"But there's no trace of wreckage." The man at the monitors spoke. "And the energy signature stops here."

"Just keep looking."

Howard wasn't looking for the Cube, or wreckage, or anything else.

He wanted to find that plane. He wanted to find Steve and Y/N, the people he had known for a short time, but called his friends.

But he never would find what he wanted.

Chapter Text

THE FIRST SOUND you heard was the crackle of music, a record spinning on its player, just like how Bucky would always put one on in the early morning.

Your eyes were still closed as you remembered that it couldn't be Bucky playing that music, because Bucky was dead.

You let your eyes open quickly, and noticed the covers pulled over your body.

You were in a bed, not your bed, but it was a bed. Last you had checked you weren't in a bed.

The room you were in was unfamiliar and everything felt wrong. Something was off.

You were trying to work out how you got there, how you ended up in these clothes, in this room.

You started to sit up and tried your best to remember the last thing you could, which was being on the plane with Schmidt.

Steve had come in, there was a fight, the cube had begun to glow, and...

The door to the room opened and your head snapped over to see two people walk in, a bald man with an eyepatch was one of them, the other was Steve.

He looked confused, like he was in shock, but relief crossed his features upon seeing you.

"Y/N." He breathed out, and started taking a step forward.

"Steve." You spoke his name and kept looking around the room. "Steve, where are we?"

"New York City." The man with the eyepatch responded before Steve could, and you paused.

"How'd we get here? Who are you?" You asked.

"My name's Nicholas J. Fury. You can call me Fury." He replied. "I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What's S.H.I.E.L.D.? And how'd we get to New York?" You asked again, looking between this man - Fury - and Steve. "What happened to the plane? To the Cube?"

"Y/N..." Steve started, but then his voice caught in his throat, he still seemed in shock.

"Y/N, we were going to try and break it to you slowly, but seeing how well that worked with your friend here," Fury gestured to Steve, who sat down beside you on the bed. "we've decided we're just gonna have to tell you."

"Tell me what? Steve, what's going on?" 

"You've been asleep." Fury told you.

"Uh, yeah, I gathered that much." You said back, gesturing around the room and to the bed you were sitting on.

"You and Captain Rogers here have both been asleep for almost 70 years."

What.

"What?" Your eyebrows scrunched into confusion, and you chuckled lightly. "You're joking right? That's impossible."

"You've both been frozen in ice since 1945." Fury stated. "We know that the Super Solider Serum is what led Rogers to survive, but we aren't sure why you did."

"Excuse me, what?" You asked, still struggling to wrap your head around the shock as the record playing in the background started to become more noticeable.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Fury said and you felt like you were spiralling. Fury's words faded into white noise, it felt like the whole room was spinning and the music from the record player just sounded louder and louder and louder until-

"Can someone stop that!?" You shouted, meaning to just point at the player, but instead a burst of energy came flying out of your hand and literally went through the record player and the wall.

The record player was completely destroyed, and a small flame began to flicker in the hole of the fake walls of the room.

The three of you fell silent and you stared down at your hand.

You looked to Steve, whose expression was almost identical to your own, and to Fury, whose expression was more emotionless.

"Oh..." You said, your throat feeling dry as you went back to staring at your hand, which looked perfectly normal. 

"What in the hell was that?" Fury asked and you blinked, unsure of how to answer. Your hands shook.

"70 years." You muttered under your breath in disbelief.

"Y/N, I've seen it out there." Steve said, referring to the bustling city outside. "Everything's different."

"Are you alright?" Fury asked as you reached for the necklace that, thankfully, still hung around your neck.

"I don't know." You replied softly.

"Y/N, what was that before?" Steve asked, referring to the giant hole in the wall that someone on the other side was already dealing with.

You looked down at your hands again, then looked up to meet Steve's eyes.

"I don't know. I don't know how I did that. I don't know what's going on." You held your hands to the sides of your head. "I don't know what's happening."

"That's okay, Y/N, just take some deep breaths and calm down." Fury told you and you looked to him.

"How the hell did I do that?" You asked, gesturing to the record player.

"That's something we can find out." Fury said.

Steve stared at you, and when you looked back you could tell he was thinking.

"Steve, what do we do?" You asked, holding your hands away from him, scared you would hurt him.

You weren't sure what was happening, and it all felt like some bad dream.

"We'll work it out." Steve told you, and you could tell by his voice that he meant it. It only gave you the slightest comfort, and Steve didn't hesitate to pull you into a side hug. "I promise."

Chapter Text

——————————————————————

THE GREAT WAR

"flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur"

——————————————————————

PART TWO

2012

The Avengers

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67 years had passed since World War II. Since BUCKY BARNES had fallen to his death. Since STEVE ROGERS and Y/N L/N went in the ice.

Now they were thrown into lives in a world they couldn't recognize. Everything was new. They had missed out on 70 years of history, of pop culture, of life. Everything and everyone they knew was gone.

They weren't given much time to adjust to a new world without war, because a new threat presented itself soon enough.

LOKI LAUFEYSON, the God of Mischief, was that threat. A threat to the whole planet. And with a threat like that, NICHOLAS FURY takes it as a perfect opportunity to introduce the AVENGERS INITIATIVE.

A group of highly-trained and superpowered individuals who would become EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, and now STEVE ROGERS and Y/N L/N were amongst those individuals.

——————————————————————

THE SOUNDTRACK

THE GREAT WAR; taylor swift

THE AVENGERS; alan silvestri 

NO ONE NOTICED; the marías

PROMISE; laufey

TAKE MY HAND; matt berry

RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME; taylor swift

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL; abba

VIVA LA VIDA; coldplay

——————————————————————

Chapter Text

YOU AND STEVE did your best to stick together in your new lives. You both would have trouble sleeping, you weren't sure if it was because you already slept for seven decades, or if it had something to do with your new powers, but whatever it was it meant you were both often up at odd hours of the night.

You knew Steve spent those hours training at a gym, and sometimes you would join him. You would usually be sitting in the corner of the room with a book, or sometimes Steve would train you a little, give you tips for fighting.

But tonight when he had said he was going to the gym, you didn't go.

You were curled up on the couch in the apartment the two of you were sharing, your eyes glued to the tv screen. There was a stack of different DVDs on the tv cabinet that you had gotten from a movie rental place nearby.

You had missed 70 years of music, books, films and television programs, and you wanted to catch up on as much as you possibly could.

While you didn't always understand references, or slang, you still watched on, because how else were you going to learn?

There was a knock at the front door and your eyebrows scrunched in confusion as you looked down at your watch. It was late, so you weren't sure who would be at the door.

You just assumed it was Steve, and he had forgotten his key, so you paused your film and stood up, your bare feet making their way across the cold wooden floor until you reached the front door.

Looking through the peephole, however, you didn't find Steve. It was Nick Fury.

You unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Can I come in?" He asked and you didn't say a word, just walked away from the door and back to the living room couch.

"If you're looking for Steve, he's not here."  You said as you walked.

You could hear Fury closing the door behind him as he followed you.

"Actually, I came here looking for you both." Fury entered the living room, and looked to the tv. "You have a moment?"

"Depends on what for." You replied.

You had seen Fury a lot, he had been helping you learn about your new powers. He told you he had once met someone with abilities similar to yours, but they weren't quite the same.

Over the short time you had these abilities, you had learned that not only could you shoot those energy blasts from your hands, but you could fly too, but that was taking some getting used to.

You had also learned you were stronger than you used to be. Both in strength and durability, which was why you had wanted Steve to help train you sometimes.

"A mission." Fury said, handing you a file. "I want you to help."

You opened the file and on the first page was a picture of the Cube, HYDRA's weapon that gave you your powers in the first place.

The file said it was called the Tesseract.

You stared down at the picture for a moment, thinking back to when you had last seen it.

"Howard Stark found that in the ocean when he was looking for you and Rogers." Fury told you, and you frowned at the mention of Howard's name. 

He was long dead now, having died in a car crash with his wife 20 or so years before you had been found. Most people from your old life were dead.

"Howard thought what we think, that the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy." Fury told you.

"And it was, what, taken from you?" You asked and Fury gave you a nod. "By who?"

"His name's Loki. He's not from around here."

"Here as in Brooklyn?" You asked.

"Here as in Earth." Fury said and your eyes went wide. You handed him back the file on the Tesseract. "There's a lot we would have to catch you and Rogers up on if you're in."

"I'm only in if Steve is." You told him and Fury handed you what he referred to as a debriefing packet, which you left on the kitchen table.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Barnes." Fury said and you frowned.

"L/N." You told him, looking down at the wedding rings that still sat on your finger.

You didn't want to have to hear Bucky's name every day knowing he was dead and you were 70 years in the future.

Your name could be for everyone else. Bucky's was just for you.

"L/N." Fury corrected himself. "Should I just let myself out?"

"Sorry." You stood up and led him to the door, letting him out and closing the door behind him.

You dropped back onto the sofa and sighed, then went searching for the remote for your tv to continue watching your movie.

Steve got home an hour later when you had passed out on the couch, the tv off and apartment silent.

He looked down at you on the couch, dropping his duffle bag on the floor by the table, and walked over to pull your blanket up to your shoulders.

Steve had felt lost in this new world. He didn't know anything, or anyone, and everything had changed.

Except he still had you.

Chapter Text

YOU WERE ON a jet the next day with Steve and Agent Coulson, who worked with Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D.

"We're about 40 minutes out from home base, sir." One of the pilots said.

You had been peeking over Steve's shoulder, where he had been reading over more of the briefing packet on the flight, when Agent Coulson got up from his seat and walked over to you and Steve.

"So, this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Steve asked Coulson.

"A lot of people were." Coulson answered. "You were the world's first superhero."

"Recreating the serum would've been impossible without Erskine." You said. "I hardly understood it, just did whatever he and Howard asked me to."

"Well, Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula." Coulson explained.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve said and you looked down at the screen where a video of a green monster played.

"Not so much." Coulson paused. "When he's not that thing, though, the guy's like a Stephen Hawking."

Both you and Steve looked up at Coulson, confused.

"He's like a smart person." Coulson said and you nodded slowly while Steve looked back down at the screen. "I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you officially."

Steve smiled a little.

"I've sort of met you. I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Coulson said, and Steve looked a little uncomfortable, slowly giving you a look. "I mean, I was present while you were unconscious from the ice."

Steve stood up and started walking to the front of the jet.

"You know, it's really just a huge honor to have you on board this..."

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." 

"Oh, you are. Absolutely." Coulson said and you could feel the amused smile growing on your face at the interaction. "Uh, we made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."

"The uniform?" You and Steve replied in unison.

"Aren't the stars and the stripes a little... old-fashioned?"

"With everything that's happening, and the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old-fashioned."

"Did you bring back the tights, Coulson? Steve loved them." You said and Steve gave you a look while Agent Coulson chuckled. 

"No, no." He replied, then paused for a split second. "Oh, that reminds me. We actually made you a uniform too."

"Oh, fantastic." You said, meeting Steve's eyes with an unenthusiastic look. "I don't have to wear tights do I?"

WHEN THE JET landed, you and Steve followed Coulson off.

Upon exiting the plane, you were met with a woman with short red hair.

"Agent Romanoff, Y/N L/N and Captain Rogers." Coulson introduced you.

"Ma'am." Steve nodded at her.

"Hi." You said, and she repeated the greeting before looking at Coulson.

"They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face-trace."

"See you there." Coulson walked away and left the two of you with Agent Romanoff.

There was a beat of silence where the three of you just stood there before Agent Romanoff began leading you somewhere.

"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice." She said, talking to you both, but you figured she meant Steve. "I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

"Trading cards?" Steve asked, giving you a happy and surprised 'Are you hearing this?' look.

"They're vintage. He's very proud." Agent Romanoff said to Steve, then looked over to you, where you were looking down as you walked. "So how long have you two known each other?"

"Since we were kids... so is that 90 years now?" You said, then paused in realization. "Oh, my God, I'm like 90 years old."

"Well, you look great for your age." Agent Romanoff complimented as you crossed the hangar to where another man was standing awkwardly, almost getting in the way of pilots and agents who passed him.

"Dr. Banner." Steve recognized him and called out his name, and Banner turned to look your way.

"Oh, yeah, hi." Steve held out his hand and Banner shook it. "They told me you would be coming."

You held out your hand and shook his too.

"Y/N L/N." You introduced.

"Dr. Bruce Banner." He said before letting go of your hand.

"Word is, you can find the Cube." Steve said.

"Is that the only word on me?" Banner asked cautiously, referring to his big green friend.

"Only word I care about." Steve stated and you nodded along. You hoped that finding the Cube could possibly help you figure out what the hell it did to you.

"It must be strange for you two, all of this?" Bruce said, an attempt at small talk.

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar." Steve said, referring to the military base.

"Even I can agree with that." You nodded, watching as training soldiers or agents ran past in rows.

"Lady and gentlemen, you might want to step inside a minute." Agent Romanoff spoke and the three of you turned around to look at her. "It's going to get a little hard to breathe." Then she paused and looked to you. "At least for most of us." 

The two men looked around at your surroundings, and you gave Romanoff a confused look.

"Is this a submarine?" Steve questioned, still looking around.

"Really? They want me in a submerged, pressurized, metal container?" Banner scoffed and you shook your head, still holding eye contact with Agent Romanoff.

"I don't think it's a submarine." You said, and began to walk towards the edge of the hangar.

Steve and Bruce followed and the three of you looked over the edge into the water where a large propeller had begun to rise and spin.

"No, no, this is much worse." Bruce stated, sounding and looking uncomfortable.

Then it began to lift out of the water.

You turned around and walked back to Agent Romanoff, leaving Steve and Bruce still looking over the edge.

"What did you mean by 'at least for most of us'?" You asked her. "As if I'm gonna be able to breathe up there."

You gestured up to the sky, and Agent Romanoff gave a short shrug, brushing it off like nothing before calling out to Steve and Bruce. "Come on, boys. Let's get inside."

INSIDE WAS PRETTY awesome. 

You stepped off the elevator behind Agent Romanoff, Steve and Bruce, and it took a moment for you to adjust.

There were rows and rows of agents with earpieces all sitting at computers and different control panels, and right in the center was Director Fury, surrounded by several screens of his own.

While the others moved further into the room, Romanoff inspecting a screen with information on a man named Clint Barton on it, Bruce wandering off towards a table nearby and Steve checking out the room, you stayed back to take it all in.

"All engines operating." A woman spoke loudly, she was standing near some of the computers closer to the front. "S.H.I.E.L.D. Emergency Protocol 193.6 in effect. We're at level, sir."

She was speaking to Director Fury. You started to move away from the elevator and closer to the others.

"Good." He responded. "Let's vanish."

"Engage retro-reflection panels." The female agent ordered and Fury turned around.

"Gentlemen." Fury acknowledged first, taking the attention of Steve and Bruce, then nodded to you. "Ms. L/N."

Steve walked forward and reached into his pocket, pulling out some cash and handing Fury a 10 before walking further into the room, towards the windows at the front.

"Can I sit here?" You asked Fury, gesturing to the table in front of you.

"Go ahead." He said and walked over to Bruce. As you sat down, Fury held out his hand for Banner to shake it. "Doctor, thank you for coming."

"Thanks for asking nicely." Bruce said, shaking his hand. "So, how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind."

"Where are you with that?" Bruce asked and you looked away from them and went back to looking around the room.

You felt awkward and out of place, just as you often had back in the SSR.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet." Agent Coulson told Bruce. "Cell phones, laptops... If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us.

"That's still not gonna find them in time." Agent Romanoff said.

"You have to narrow your field." Bruce explained. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Fury questioned.

"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays." Bruce said, taking off his jacket. "I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

Now you used to think you were smart, but after hearing Dr. Banner talk for less than a minute you realized just how far behind you were.

"Agent Romanoff, could you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?"

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys." Romanoff told him as they left the room.

Chapter Text

"I MEAN, IF it's not too much trouble." Agent Coulson was saying to Steve, and you were standing not far behind them, leaning over some of the railing, very entertained and amused by the conversation.

"No, no, it's fine." Steve said. Agent Coulson had asked if Steve could sign his Captain America trading cards.

You had a feeling Coulson probably would've really fit in with the crowds of 12-year-olds Steve used to perform for.

But while you did find it funny, it did make you smile too. You didn't think anyone else deserved to be honored and admired and appreciated as much as you thought Steve did.

"It's a vintage set." Coulson told Steve, which Agent Romanoff had already mentioned earlier. "It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint. Slight foxing around the edges, but..."

"We got a hit. A 67% match." An agent at one of the computers nearby called out and took everyone's attention, including your own. "Wait. Cross match, 79%."

"Location?" Coulson asked, heading over to get a look at the computer screen.

"Stuttgart, Germany. 28 Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain, you're up." Fury told Steve, who nodded and followed an agent out of the room, to where his new uniform was kept. Once they had left, Fury turned to you. "You wanna give it a shot, too?"

"Could be good practice." You answered quietly and shrugged, unsure of your own words. Your control over the energy blasts from your hands was alright, the flying was causing you some difficulty, though.

"Agent Coulson, show Ms. L/N where her things are." Fury ordered and Agent Coulson nodded.

"The, uh, the suit's completely flame retardant, so the energy blasts from your, um, powers shouldn't affect it." Coulson explained to you as he took you to a room.

The suit's design was basic, a zip-up body suit and a pair of boots, no stars and stripes like Steve's. The colour and style you actually liked.

It already felt like a difficult adjustment, waking up after 70 years with these powers, but knowing you were likely going to be branded a superhero? Yeah, that was something else.

Plus you didn't want to be wearing some ugly uniform you didn't like.

You changed quickly, zipping up your boots as you left the room, and moments later you were on a jet with Steve and Agent Romanoff.

When you reached your location, you found the man, Loki, dressed in a gold horned helmet and holding a scepter. He was standing above everyone, making them kneel for him.

Steve left the plane first, jumping in front of a man Loki had attempted to attack and protecting him with his shield, the energy blast hitting Loki instead.

"Wish me luck." You said to Agent Romanoff and jumped out the jet.

You were falling for only a few seconds, but it made your stomach drop, but then you were flying, the bright lights of cosmic energy surrounding your body as you did.

You were fast and landed on the ground behind Steve seconds later, your feet skidding against the concrete.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else," Steve had started walking towards Loki, who was now on the ground, and you trailed behind him, unsure of what to do. "we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier." Loki acknowledged with a laugh as he stood up again. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Steve said, and you turned your head to see the jet hovering overhead just behind the crowd, a machine gun pointed at Loki.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Agent Romanoff's voice came through a loudspeaker, and Loki pointed his scepter at the jet, which just narrowly avoided being hit by the blue energy he tried shooting.

The blast reminded you of all of HYDRA's enhanced weapons.

The crowd began running, some screaming, and Steve threw his shield at Loki's chest.

You ran around, dodging a few people to get to Loki's side, and sent an energy blast at him, which made him stumble after he was hit.

He looked to you. "I didn't know you had tricks -"

He was cut off by Steve hitting him in the face with his shield. 

Loki hit back and you aimed down, hitting one of his legs with an energy blast, which made him fall.

Steve hit him again, and Loki hit Steve away with his scepter, shooting at you and you scrambled to jump out the way.

Steve threw his shield at Loki, who knocked it away like it was nothing. Loki sent Steve to the ground, then pointed the bottom of his scepter at Steve's head.

"Kneel." He ordered.

"Not today." Steve said and kicked Loki. You ran up behind Loki and sent blasts of energy at his back.

Loki fell forwards, his feet lifting off the ground before he crashed. He jumped up seconds later and spun around to hit you, and you barely flinched as his scepter came in contact with your side. It didn't hurt you.

Loki's eyebrows furrowed, clearly not expecting that to happen, and you took that as an opportunity to punch him in the jaw.

Steve ran at Loki, who threw him away, and you jumped up to kick Loki in the head. While you did so, he just shook it off and shot at you with his scepter, which you dodged by inches, landing on the ground.

Then the P.A. system for the plane began blaring rock music, and both you and Steve looked up as a man in a metal suit came flying over, shooting Loki in the chest before he landed.

Iron Man. And beneath that metal armor was Tony Stark, Howard's son.

Iron Man pointed both his hands at Loki, blasters on the palms and rockets popping out of his arms.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." He said, and you walked up to stop beside him, your own hands beginning to glow. Steve followed, standing on Iron Man's other side.

Loki's helmet and cape disappeared and he held his hands up in surrender. Stark lowered his hands and closed up the rockets.

"Good move." He said and you loosened up your hands, the energy glow fading.

"Mr. Stark." Steve acknowledged the man to your sides, still looking down at Loki.

Iron Man didn't look away from Loki either. "Captain."

Chapter Text

TONY STARK JOINED you all on the jet for the ride back to the Helicarrier.

Loki was silent, his face emotionless, as he sat tied up on the jet.

You sat across from him, watching cautiously, your arms crossed.

The whole jet was pretty quiet. Steve and Tony were both standing just behind Agent Romanoff's chair while she flew.

"I don't like it." Steve said to Tony, and you looked away from Loki, who had just made eye contact with you.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony asked.

"I don't remember it being that easy." Steve said and looked over his shoulder at Loki. “This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony said, and you smiled out of amusement. "What's your thing, pilates?"

"What?" Steve asked, sounding unimpressed and confused.

"It's like calisthenics." Tony replied. "You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

That one got a small snicker out of you, as much as you didn't want to. You concealed yourself quickly, but Tony already looked your way.

"She thinks it's funny." Tony pointed out and Steve gave you a disappointed look, which you returned with an apologetic one. "Say, do I know you? You look familiar."

Tony's question finally made you look at him, but before either of you could say anything, Steve was talking again.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." He said to Tony.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Tony replied and lightning started flashing outside the jet, thunder rumbling after it.

"Where's this coming from?" Agent Romanoff asked, and you looked back at Loki, whose expression was rather anxious.

"What's the matter? Are you scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked him.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki replied with the first words he had spoken since Germany.

There was a thud on the roof of the jet and it shook, which caused you to jump up to your feet.

Tony picked up his Iron Man helmet and put it on again, heading for the back door and opening it up.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked, but before Tony could leave, a man with long blond hair, a red cape and a hammer in his hand came inside the open door.

Tony started charging up his blasters, but one hit with the hammer and he was on the ground. You hit the man in the face with your fist flaming with cosmic energy.

The punch made him stumble back, but he whacked you with the hammer next, and you hit the opposite wall.

The man then grabbed Loki by the throat and took him off the plane, his hammer allowing him to fly.

"Now there's that guy." Tony groaned as you got up.

"Another Asgardian?" Agent Romanoff asked.

"That guy's a friendly?" Steve questioned.

"Doesn't matter." Tony replied. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve insisted.

"I have a plan: attack." Tony replied and flew off the jet after Loki and the other man.

You gave Steve a shrug and followed after Stark, jumping from the jet and flying after him.

When you found them, Tony tackled the man with the hammer and sent him crashing to the ground. You stopped on the cliffside beside Loki.

As the glow that surrounded your body faded away, Loki eyed you suspiciously.

"Your power comes from the Tesseract, doesn't it?" He asked and you turned to look at him.

"What?" You asked and he chuckled.

"Yes, I can tell." Loki said and you just stared blankly, looking down at Tony and the man with the hammer as they both got up off the ground.

"Don't move." You told Loki, who just stared back.

You jumped off the cliff and flew down to land beside Tony.

"Do not touch me again." The man threatened Tony.

"Then don't take my stuff." Tony replied.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Uh... Shakespeare in the Park?" Tony looked around the forest and you crossed your arms as you watched him. "Doth Mother know you wear-eth her drapes?"

"This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice."

"If he just gives up the Cube, he's all yours." You spoke up and the man turned to look at you.

"Yeah, but until then, stay out of the way." Tony said and turned around, beginning to walk away. "Tourist."

The blond man threw his hammer at Tony's back, sending him flying into a tree.

You immediately jumped into your recently acquired fight mode, and hit the attacker with an energy blast to the face.

He summoned his hammer back quickly, but Tony hit him with a large blast to the chest before he could do anything else.

A few back and forth hits and the mystery man raised his hammer above his head, gathering lightning from the sky before sending it all Tony's way.

Tony hit him back with the most powerful blasts you had seen from his suit yet.

A battle broke out between the three of you, each flying around, crashing into trees. Energy blasts and crackling lightning lit up the dark forest.

By the time Tony was lying on his back and the mystery man stood above him, summoning his hammer to attack Tony, you hit the man away with a power blast from each hand.

The man flipped through the air, landing on the dirt while Tony got to his feet.

"I could've handled that myself." Tony grumbled.

"Okay? And I helped you anyway, who cares?"

The mystery man jumped at you with his hammer, but you dodged it and hit him with another energy blast.

Tony powered up his blasters again, while the man raised his hammer, but both were cut off when Steve's shield flew through the air, hitting the mystery man in the head and Stark in the chest before it ricocheted back to Steve, who caught it and slipped it back onto his arm.

"Hey! That's enough." He ordered and jumped off the broken tree he stood on and onto the ground. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here."

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes." The man shouted back.

"Then prove it. Put that hammer down." Steve said.

"Uh, yeah... No." Tony spoke up. "Bad call. He loves his hammer."

The hammer spinning in the man's hand hit Stark in the chest and knocked him back on the ground.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" Yelled the man and he jumped through the air and came down at Steve, who raised his shield just in time to protect himself from the attack.

When the hammer connected with the shield, it echoed so loudly and sent a powerful surge of energy outwards that knocked both you and the mystery man back, taking out a good 50 trees with it.

You picked yourself up off the ground pretty quickly, Steve, Tony and the mystery man following just seconds after and the four of you looked around at the wreckage.

Steve turned to face the mystery man. "Are we done here?"

Chapter Text

LOKI WAS LOCKED away immediately after your return to the Helicarrier. 

You sat at the table in the main room beside Steve, watching Loki in his cell talking to Fury on the screen in front of you.

The man with the hammer, Loki's brother named Thor, stood off to the side as he listened. Agent Romanoff, Natasha, was watching it on her own and Bruce stood just behind one of the table's chairs.

"In case it's unclear, if you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass," There was a whoosh over the audio and you watched Loki peer down out the glass windows of the cell. "it's 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works? Ant, boot."

Loki chuckled. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard." Loki turned and looked straight into the camera where you were all watching from. "A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man."

You glanced away from the screen and at Bruce, who Natasha was already looking up at.

"How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I?" Fury's voice repeated. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooh. It burns you to have come so close." Loki spoke. "To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."

Fury turned around and walked out of frame. "Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

After the screen faded away, Bruce was the first to talk.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" He joked.

"Loki's gonna drag this out." Steve stated. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri." Thor replied immediately and you sat up straighter in your chair. "They're not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army from outer space." Steve said and looked to his right, where you were sitting.

"So, he's building another portal." Bruce said. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor repeated the name.

"He's an astrophysicist." Bruce clarified.

"He's a friend." Thor told your group.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha explained, referring to Clint Barton.

"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Steve said. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him." Bruce said.

"Have care how you speak." Thor said. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."

"He killed 80 people in two days." Natasha stated.

"He's adopted."

"I think it's about the mechanics." Bruce said and you turned your chair to look his way. "Iridium... What do they need the iridium for?

"It's a stabilizing agent." A new voice spoke and you looked over to see Tony walking in with Agent Coulson, who he said a few words to quietly before continuing. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D."

He walked through the room like he owned the place, and gave Thor a pat on the shoulder.

"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open, as long as Loki wants."

Tony pointed to you as he walked past, and you gave him a confused look.

"You really do look so familiar. Where do I know you from?"

Tony stopped in Fury's spot with all his screens circling him.

"Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." Tony gave fake orders and a few agents gave him looks. "That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

Both you and Steve turned to look where Tony was pointing. Tony then covered one eye and looked around at the screens.

"How does Fury even see these?" He asked.

"He turns." Agent Maria Hill answered simply.

"Sounds exhausting." Tony moved over to one of the screens. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube."

At the mention of starting up the Cube, you shared a look with Steve. That was what had happened on the plane all those years ago.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Agent Hill asked.

"Last night." Tony replied. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked.

"He would have to hear the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Bruce said.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Said Tony.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony gestured to Bruce.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked at the same time you responded with a, "Right.."

Tony shook Bruce's hand. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster."

"Thanks." Bruce replied.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube." Fury told Tony as he finally joined you all in the room. "I was hoping you might join him."

"I would start with that stick of his." Steve said. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I was thinking the same thing." You said, nodding along. "Like those big guns they had."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube." Fury said. "And I would like to know how Loki used it to two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

In a modern world where you were seven decades behind on everything, it was nice to actually understand a reference made.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor said and you sat up in your chair.

"I do." Steve said excitedly, pointing at him, then looking to you with a smile. "I understood that reference."

Everyone else paused awkwardly, but you smiled back at Steve.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Tony asked Bruce who then gestured down the hall.

"This way, sir." And the two of them left the room.

Chapter Text

YOU FOLLOWED STEVE into Bruce's lab at the same moment that Tony poked Bruce in his side, which gave a small zap noise.

"Ow!" Bruce exclaimed and turned to look at Tony.

"Hey!" Steve called out and sped up his pace.

"Nothing?" Tony asked Bruce.

"Are you nuts?" Steve questioned Tony, who then looked his way.

"Jury's out." Tony responded, then directed his attention back to Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve asked and Tony pointed to him.

"Funny things are."

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, Doc."

"It's alright, I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things." Bruce said.

"You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut."

"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark." Steve stated.

"Do you think I'm not?" Tony asked. "Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

"You think Fury's hiding something?" You asked Tony.

"He's a spy. I mean, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony said and popped a blueberry into his mouth. "It's bugging him, too. Isn't it?"

"Uh..." Bruce paused. "I just want to finish my work here, and..."

"Doctor?" Steve said and Bruce looked up, taking off his glasses.

"'A warm light for all mankind.' Loki's jab at Fury about the Cube." Bruce said.

"I heard it."

"I think that was meant for you." Bruce told Tony, who then offered Bruce a blueberry. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

"The Stark Tower?" Steve asked, and your eyes darted towards Tony. You knew Steve's dislike for the building. "That big, ugly... building in New York?"

Steve corrected himself after Tony gave him an unimpressed look.

"It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source." Bruce explained. "That building will run itself for, what, a year?"

"It's just the prototype." Tony said as if he were trying to be modest. He wasn't. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at."

"So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Bruce pointed out.

You slowly nodded in understanding, which Tony noticed. 

"Look, she gets it." He said before continuing on with what he was saying. "And I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files."

"Excuse me?" You said.

"I'm sorry? Did you say -" Steve was cut off.

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge." Tony said. "In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?"

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." Steve said, looking towards you.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed." Steve said to Tony, looking around at you and Bruce, too. "We have orders. We should follow them."

"Following's not really my style." Tony said, mouth full as he ate a couple more blueberries.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

"Of the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?" Tony said. You weren't exactly sure how you were 'of use' in this situation, but you didn't say anything. 

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you." Bruce said and Steve was quiet.

"They might actually have a point, Steve." You spoke quietly and he met your eyes before speaking to Tony and Bruce again.

"Just find the Cube." Then he walked out of the lab.

It was silent for a split second before Tony clapped his hands together loudly.

"That's where I know you from." He stated and you turned back to look at him.

"What?"

"My dad had pictures of you in our house." Tony said, popping another blueberry into his mouth. "Yeah, it's weird. There was this one picture of the two of you that he always kept in his office, right on his desk. Funny, right?"

"Yeah, well, we were friends." You said, slipping your hands into your pockets.

"Really good friends, from what I heard." Tony said, and you didn't give him a reaction. "Say, weren't you married back then? What happened to that?"

"Don't. You have no right to mention him." You stated to Tony, staring him dead in the eyes, then you looked between him and Bruce. "Just lay off Steve, okay? You guys don't understand how difficult of a change all this is for us."

Then you left the lab without another word. Steve had already disappeared by the time you got to the hallway.

You paused for a minute, unsure of where you should go, as you had spent most of your time just following Steve around.

In fact, since coming up from the ice, you had barely spent more than a couple of hours apart from Steve.

So you went looking for him.

You headed down the hallway, and you spotted him at the end, he hadn't gone far.

"Steve!" You called out his name and he turned back to look at you. He stopped and waited for you to jog and catch up before he continued walking.

"I thought you were staying with your new best friend, Stark." Steve spoke first and you sighed.

"He's not my friend." You told him. "He's a jerk. A jerk who's probably right, though."

"I know." Steve sighed, then looked to you. "So we're going to do some investigating."

Steve led the way until you reached an emptier area of the Helicarrier, in front of a sealed door marked 'Secure Storage'.

You stood behind Steve as a lookout while he used his enhanced strength to force open the door.

Once he had slid it open, you both walked in, staying as quiet as possible.

Steve jumped up, grabbing onto the railing of the second floor and pulling himself up. He held out his hand for you, but you just flew up there yourself.

"That's gonna take a while for me to get used to." He whispered.

"You and me both." You replied quietly, then both began creeping through the room.

You each opened up different containers, searching their contents, usually finding nothing important, until Steve called your name in a harsh whisper.

"Y/N!"

You turned your head and looked down to the containers in front of him. One held one of the old HYDRA solider masks and a weapon, and the other held one of the large blasters, like the one Schmidt had brought on the plane that you used to shoot the Cube.

Steve grabbed the blaster and turned around immediately. You stopped to close the containers before following after.

Chapter Text

"YEAH, THEN YOU get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss." Tony was saying to Fury as you and Steve reentered the lab. "What is 'Phase 2'?"

"Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons." Steve said after dropping the blaster on the table beside him, and you crossed your arms. Steve looked to Tony. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract." Fury said as he approached the two of you. "This does not mean that we're making..."

"I'm sorry, Nick. What were you lying?" Tony asked, flipping his screen around to reveal blueprints of Cube-enhanced weapons.

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve declared and you looked over to see Thor and Natasha entering the lab.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" She suggested.

"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed." Bruce said with a chuckle.

"Loki is manipulating you." She said as she stepped forward.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce then turned his attention to Fury again. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him." Fury said and you turned to see him pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town." Fury explained. "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor told him.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury pointed out. "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the Cube?" Asked Steve.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies." Thor stated. "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" You asked.

"You forced our hand." Fury said. "We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent." Tony finished Fury's sentence, speaking over him. "Because that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury clapped back.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep..." Steve started saying, and Tony was quick to respond.

"Hold on. How is this now about me?" Tony asked.

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve replied and the two broke out into an argument.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor said to Fury, who spun around to face him.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury retorted.

"You treat your champions with such mistrust."

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha cut in. "S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats."

"Captain America's on threat watch?" Bruce asked incredulously.

"We all are."

"Why do you sound so surprised, Banner?" You questioned him.

"Wait, you're on that list?" Tony pointed at Steve. "Are you above or below angry bees?"

"Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack..."

"Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened." Tony said.

"Oh, shut up." You scoffed and he raised his eyebrows at you. "Show some respect."

"Respect what?"

The sound of seven overlapping voices arguing was enough of a distraction for the group to miss anything else going on in the room, like Loki's scepter glowing brighter and brighter.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor said to Fury.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce said. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a... We're a time bomb."

"Who's we?" You muttered.

"You need to step away." Fury told Bruce.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You know damn well why." Steve hit Tony's hand away. "Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me." 

"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony responded.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you." Steve stated. "I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire." Tony said.

"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"What, like you're so special?" You snapped at Tony. "I'm, quite literally, the only person alive who knew Steve before the serum, hell, I even worked on the project, and I can tell you that's a lie. But the whole time I've been here, I haven't seen one special thing about you. Unless being an arrogant asshole to everyone around you counts."

Tony's head turned to face you and you crossed your arms as Thor started to chuckle.

"You people are so petty, and tiny." He said.

"Yeah, this is a team." Bruce commented sarcastically.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his..." Fury started, but Bruce cut him off.

"Where? You rented my room." Bruce was referring to the cell Loki was locked in.

"The cell was just in case -"

"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't. I know, I tried." The room fell silent. "I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk."

Bruce reached behind him and picked up Loki's scepter.

"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

"Dr. Banner, put down the scepter." Steve ordered, his tone calm, and Bruce looked down at the scepter in his hand.

Then a computer on the other side of the room began to beep and everyone turned.

"Got it." Fury said.

"Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all." Bruce said, putting down the scepter and heading over to the computer.

"You located the Tesseract?" Asked Thor.

"I could get there fastest." Tony decided.

"Wanna bet?" You challenged and he met your eyes.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Thor said.

"You're not going alone." Steve grabbed Tony's arm as he tried leaving the room.

"You're gonna stop me?" Tony asked, pushing his hand away.

"Put on the suit, let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit."

"Oh, my God." Bruce muttered and the moment you went to look his way, there was an explosion and you were all sent flying.

Chapter Text

"PUT ON THE suit." Steve said to Tony, this time not as a challenge, as you pulled yourself up off the floor.

"Yeah." Tony replied, jumping up. Steve helped Tony balance himself, and the three of you rushed down the hallway.

"Hill!" Fury's voice came through the earpiece you were given.

"External detonation." Agent Hill responded. "Number three engine is down."

There was a pause before Hill's voice returned.

"Somebody's got to get outside and patch that engine."

"Stark, you copy that?" Fury asked.

"I'm on it." Tony responded from beside you.

"Y/N, back him up."

"Yes, sir." You replied.

"Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section, then get to the armory. Romanoff?"

"We're okay." She replied with a grunt.

You, Steve and Tony kept running, dodging flying sparks and running agents and soldiers.

"Engine three." Tony said to you two and pointed down the hallway. "I'll meet you there."

He headed for his suit and you and Steve went off running.

You reached the door to the engine room, and Steve pulled it open.

Two agents helped carry a third out into the hall and you looked out to the gaping hole before you.

The wind blew wild and you could see the clouds.

"Stark!" Steve shouted over the wind into the comms. "Stark, we're here!"

"Good." And from around the corner came Iron Man. "Let's see what we've got."

Tony started examining the damage around him and muttering to himself.

"I got to get this superconducting coolant system back online before I can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris." Then he turned his head towards you. "Y/N, gimme a hand up here."

As you jumped up to fly to him, your takeoff still a little awkward, he continued talking to Steve.

"I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position." Then he looked over at you again, nodding towards some lodged debris.

You helped him pull it out, creating a pathway for him to fly through to the turbine.

"What does it look like in there?"  

"It seems to run on some form of electricity." Steve's voice replied.

"Well, you're not wrong."

Tony had to explain to Steve what to do while you blasted at some metal that blocked the way to the turbine.

"Okay, the relays are intact. What's our next move?"

"Even if we clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump." Tony said and turned to you. "I'm going to have to get in there and push."

"If that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded." Steve pointed out.

"That stator control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage the maglev and that could..." Tony rambled.

"Speak English!" Steve demanded.

"You see that red lever? It will slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it. Wait for my word."

Then Tony got to work clearing the debris. You were a lookout, so you began flying laps around the Helicarrier. 

You sometimes got a little turned around, your was flying still hard to get used to.

Not long after you had begun flying, you came across the Hulk as he jumped onto one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fighter planes, hitting at it.

It began to spin and go down, and you chased after it.

The Hulk ripped off one of the wings and threw it at you, which you dodged, punching him in the face with a glowing fist.

The Hulk growled at you, swiping trying to attack.

The pilot inside the jet tried to use the emergency evacuation, the roof of the jet flying away as his chair lifted into the air.

The Hulk attempted to hit you with the pilot, and you kicked him in the chest.

The Hulk threw the pilot away and you watched as his parachute opened up before looking back to the Hulk.

"L/N, is that you out there?" Fury asked over the comms. "We could really use some help in here."

"Yeah, well," You flew around the Hulk to dodge another punch and sent a blast from your fist at him. "I'm a little preoccupied. Give me a minute."

Then the plane blew up and you and the Hulk were both blown away.

You were quick to adjust, brushing yourself off before flying back towards the Helicarrier. As you did so, it began to tilt, another one of the engines shutting down.

"Sir, we've lost all power in engine one." An agent's voice spoke.

"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"

You tried to reach for your ear to respond, but Natasha did so first.

"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."

"Stark, we're losing altitude." Fury said to Tony.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"L/N, head to engine one." Fury ordered. "See if you can keep us up."

"On it." You replied and flew as fast as you could towards the engine.

You grabbed onto the side of the turbine and did what you could to try and push it upwards, just keeping balance until Tony could get the other turbine spinning again.

"Cap, hit the lever." Tony said as the ship started to balance properly again.

"I need a minute here." Steve called back and you let go of the turbine and sped back to engine three with no hesitation.

"Lever, now!"

You found Steve literally hanging onto the ship by a thread, and reached out to grab him by the arm.

There was a soldier shooting your way from the floor below as you helped Steve onto the ground again, and you headed down to them next, shooting back and sending them crashing backwards.

"Uh oh." Tony said and there was a yell through the comms. Steve pulled the lever and you landed on the ground beside him.

Tony came crashing back into the ship, hitting the soldier and knocking them out cold. 

"Agent Coulson is down." Fury's voice came through a moment later and you shared a look with Steve as you both headed down to where Tony was pulling himself up.

"A medical team is on its way to your location." An agent told them.

"They're here." There was a pause. "They called it."

AFTER YOU HAD changed, been checked for any injuries, and cleaned up a bit, you were sitting at the table with Steve and Tony again.

Director Fury stood in front of the table, Agent Hill a few steps behind him.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket." Fury spoke, pulling out a small deck of cards. He looked at Steve. "I guess he never did get you to sign them."

Fury threw the Captain America trading cards onto the table, and you noticed the blood that splattered with them.

Steve picked up one of the cards, its front stained by Coulson's blood.

"We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, the location of the Cube, Banner, Thor... I got nothing for you." Fury sighed. "I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."

You leaned back in your chair, crossing your arms and glancing to Tony's chair, which had its back towards you and Steve.

"Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier." Fury said. "There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative."

You looked away from Stark and up at Fury as he passed you.

"The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more." Fury stopped behind your chair. "To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could."

You looked down, thinking about how you could barely have a civil conversation with each other.

"Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

Tony stood up, stopped for a moment, then left the room.

"Well, it's an old-fashioned notion."

Chapter Text

STEVE WENT AFTER Tony, finding him in the detention level where Loki's cell had been, which was also where Coulson had died.

"Was he married?" Steve asked Tony, who didn't even look back as he replied.

"No. There was a cellist, I think." Tony replied.

"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man." Steve looked down at his feet.

"He was an idiot." Tony said, finally looking up at Steve.

"Why? For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone."

"He was doing his job."

Tony scoffed. "He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony." Steve said, speaking from experience.

"Right, I've heard that before." Tony walked past Steve.

"Is this the first time you lost a soldier?" Steve asked him.

"We are not soldiers." Tony stated. "I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I." Steve replied. "He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now, we've got to put that behind us and get this done. Now, Loki needs a power source. If we can put together a list..."

"He made it personal." Tony said quickly, interrupting Steve.

"That's not the point."

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart." Steve answered.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants." Tony explained. "He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

Tony started walking again, back behind Steve where he had been before.

"Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart." Steve said.

"Yeah, that's just previews. This is- This is opening night. And- And Loki, he's a full-tilt diva, right? He wants flowers, he wants parades. He wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered..." Tony stopped when he realized what he was saying in that moment. Stark tower. "Son of a bitch."

"Y/N, SUIT UP." Steve was at your door moments later, back in his Captain America uniform. "It's time to go."

"Where are we going?" You asked, standing up. 

"Just get ready." He said and you nodded, changing into your uniform as quickly as possible before heading out into the hall where Steve, Natasha, and the recently un-brainwashed Clint Barton stood.

You headed towards one of the jets, that Clint was apparently going to fly, and a technician inside stood up upon seeing you.

"Hey, you guys aren't authorized to be in here." He said.

"Son, just don't." Steve said and the man left the plane quickly.

As Clint started preparing the jet for takeoff, you noticed Tony walking over in his Iron Man suit, which he had to repair after the events with the turbines earlier.

"You taking this, or are you gonna fly yourself?" He asked you, and you smiled.

"I was gonna take the plane. Why, you want to race or something?" You asked and you heard a sarcastic chuckle come from behind Tony's mask.

"Yeah, no. Have a nice flight." He said and the back door of the jet closed up, so you moved to take your seat.

You were taking off moments later, heading for New York.

When you arrived, a while after Tony had, the city was in shambles already.

A huge stream of blue light was shooting from the roof of Stark tower and up into the sky, where a massive portal was opened.

And aliens were coming out of the portal. 

"Stark, we're on your three, headed northeast." Natasha told him over the comms.

"What? Did you stop for drive-through?" He asked sarcastically. "Swing up, Park. I'm gonna lay 'em out for you."

Natasha used the machine gun at the bottom of the jet to shoot at some of the aliens and you stood up.

"Nat?" Clint said as you reached the top of Stark tower, where Loki and Thor were fighting.

"I see him." She began shooting, then Loki pointed his scepter and hit one of the wings.

The jet started to shake and then fall. You and Steve were hanging on for dear life before you crashed to the ground.

The four of you exited the plane quickly.

"We got to get back up there." Steve said as your small group started running towards the tower.

"I could fly some of us up?" You had started suggesting, but slowed your running when you looked up at the portal.

Before it had just been human-sized aliens on small aircrafts coming through the portal, but what came next was nothing like that.

It was huge, bigger than anything you had ever seen, and it practically swam through the air.

The creature let out a roar and your eyes went wide.

"Holy shit." You breathed out as it flew past you, smaller Chitauri aliens jumping off and onto surrounding buildings.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"Seeing. Still working on believing." He replied. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?" 

"Just keep me posted."

You reached the end of the road and crouched behind a taxi.

"We've got civilians still trapped up here." Clint said and a handful of Chitauri came flying past, but flying one of the small aircrafts was Loki.

"Loki." Steve said, noticing him as they shot down at the cars on the road below them, causing people to run all over the place trying to hide. "They're fish in a barrel down there."

Chitauri jumped down in front of your group, and Natasha looked to Steve.

"We got this. It's good. Go."

"Do you think you can hold them off?" Steve asked.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure." Clint replied, then he jumped up and shot one of the Chitauri with an arrow right to the head.

"Y/N, can you get me down there?" Steve asked and you gave him a small two-fingered salute.

"Aye aye, Captain." You said and grabbed onto his hand before jumping off the side of the bridge.

Chitauri shot at you from above and Steve let go of your hand, rolling onto the road below.

He started running and you spun around so you were facing the sky, flying backwards. You were scared that you were going to crash into a building that way, but it made it easier for you to aim at the aliens and start hitting them in the chests and heads with your powers.

Steve ran to the end of the street where the NYPD had blocked off the road and had been attempting to shoot at the Chitauri.

"You need men in these buildings." Steve told two officers, pointing to the buildings around them. "There are people inside and they're going to be running right into the line of fire. You take them to the basements or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th."

"Why the hell should I take orders from you?" One of the cops asked.

"Steve, coming your way!" You shouted into the comms, flying forwards again. You turned a corner and dodged a shot from the Chitauri, that then hit a taxi and caused an explosion.

Two of the Chitauri dropped down onto the cop car Steve was standing on and he fought them while you dealt with what you could from the sky.

After watching Steve take down the two aliens on his own, the officer spun around quickly to give Steve's orders.

"I need men in those buildings. Lead the people down and away from the streets." He then started talking into his radio. "We're going to set up a perimeter all the way down to 39th Street."

"Hey, Y/N, where are you?" Tony's voice came through the comms and you held a finger to your earpiece. "Might need a little backup, here. I got the big one."

"Yeah, coming to find you." You replied and gave Steve one last look before flying further up and heading back down the street.

Chapter Text

"WHAT'S THE STORY upstairs?" Steve asked Thor, who had just found him, Clint and Natasha and helped them take out the last of the Chitauri around them.

"The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable." Thor told him.

"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys." Tony agreed and you hit a Chitauri in the head with a blast, sending it flying off its ship.

"How do we do this?" Natasha asked.

"As a team." Steve answered and you finally found Tony, and the giant Chitauri alien was flying after him.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor said as you tried hitting the creature with your energy blasts, but they did nothing against its skin.

"Yeah? Well, get in line." Clint commented.

"Save it. Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us, and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild." Steve said. "We've got Y/N and Stark up top. They're gonna need us to -"

Steve's voice cut off and you started flying beside Stark.

"Do you need me to do anything!?" You asked him, shouting over the high winds that come from traveling at this speed and explosions in the distance.

"Just follow me. Try and take out as many of those little guys as you can." He replied, pointing down at one of the smaller Chitauri and hitting it in the head with his blasters.

"Oh, so basically what I was already doing?"

"Stark, we got him." Steve's voice spoke through the comms.

"Banner?" Tony replied.

"Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up. We're bringing the party to you." Tony stated and the two of you rounded the corner, zooming way ahead of the alien chasing after you.

"I don't see how that's a party." Natasha said and you and Tony flew past the group. Tony managed to slow down first, and you almost crashed into the building in front of you before you stopped.

You watched as Banner walked forward, said something to Steve, and faced the alien. Within seconds as he swung his fist, he had transformed into the Hulk and punched the alien right in the face, and it began to flip over.

"Hold on!" Tony said and shot some rockets at a part of the creature's exposed flesh, due to the armor like shell breaking from the collision.

The giant alien blew up into little pieces, the alien's head falling off the bridge and onto the road below.

The Chitauri hanging off the buildings around your team had started screaming, letting out these strange cries.

The Hulk roared back as Clint drew another arrow and Natasha reloaded her gun. You slowly lowered yourself to the ground between Steve and Natasha, Tony dropping down to Steve's other side, as your team formed a circle in the middle of the road, observing your opponents.

Out from the portals came two more of the large aliens, and hundreds upon hundreds of the smaller ones.

"Guys." Natasha drew everyone's attention to the situation.

"Call it, Captain."

"Alright, listen up." Steve took a few steps forward and turned to face the rest of you. "Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays."

Clint looked over at the building Steve pointed to.

"Stark, you got the perimeter." Steve ordered, pointing to him. "Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Can you give me a lift?" Clint asked.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." Tony grabbed onto Clint and took off again.

"Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up."

Thor left and Steve turned to you.

"Y/N, you're in the skies. Make sure they're not. Try and draw as many of the little ones our way as possible, and try to keep the big ones away." He said then looked to Natasha. "You and me, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here. And Hulk... Smash."

You took off again, glancing back as you watched the Hulk jumping from building to building, attacking multiple aliens at once.

As you weaved through the sky, you'd try and hit as many of the Chitauri as you could as you gained a following. A small handful of them chasing you through the air.

You looped around back to Steve and Natasha, then started shooting at the small ships the Chitauri flew on so they'd fall to the ground.

From the top of the Empire State Building, Thor summoned as much lightning as he could and directed it right for the aliens coming through the portal.

"Stark, you got a lot of strays sniffing your tail." Clint warned.

"I'm just trying to keep them off the streets." Tony responded.

"Well, they can't bank worth a damn. So find a tight corner."

"I will roger that."

You found a group of Chitauri climbing up the side of a building and suddenly stopped midair to start shooting at them, letting the aliens that had been chasing you fly forwards and crash into another building.

"Nice call. What else you got?"

"Well, Thor is taking down a squadron down on Sixth."

"And he didn't invite me."

One of the big aliens turned the corner and started flying towards you and you sped down the street so it would chase you.

At the end of the road was an office building, and for a moment you were worried that the creature would crash into the building as you got closer and closer.

But you noticed Hulk crash through the glass on the other side of the building, running across the floor and towards you.

You hit a sharp turn last minute and Hulk smashed through the glass, grabbing into the giant alien and redirecting it with you.

You headed back to where you had last seen Steve and Natasha, sending energy blasts at as many aliens as you could.

Tony flew lower, knocking as many of the Chitauri down before stopping beside Steve, helping him fight for all of two seconds with a laser - taking out a good chunk of the aliens, though - before flying off again.

"Need some help down here, buddy?" You asked as you took out three Chitauri with one blast like they were dominos. "Where'd Natasha go?"

Steve hit another one in the head with his shield. "She's gone for the portal."

You continued to help Steve fight, your energy blasts occasionally ricocheting off his shield and hitting the aliens.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison. They've cornered a lot of civilians in there." Clint's voice came through the comms.

"I'm on it." Steve said and took off running.

"Got anything for me, Barton?" You asked, taking off into the sky again.

"Got a few headed down Broadway."

"That'll do." You shrugged and sped up, taking out any of the Chitauri you came across on the way.

"Hawkeye!"

"Nat, what are you doing?"

"Uh, a little help?"

"I got him."

You finally reached Broadway and four Chitauri were running down the street, shooting at the buildings and people around them.

"Hey!" You lowered yourself to the ground and the Chitauri turned, then they started running at you, weapons drawn.

They were easy to deal with. Only took a few seconds of fighting and they were all on the ground.

The problem started when at least 20 more Chitauri appeared, all flying with guns drawn, and they began shooting at you.

Though, the few times they actually hit you, they barely even hurt.

You scrambled to duck behind a car, trying to catch your breath and just balance yourself before jumping out into battle again.

Then you were in the air again and you flew towards the Chitauri, and ended up flying right through half of them.

"Eugh." You groaned, wiping blue alien blood off of you before you started shooting at the half that remained.

Once they had been dealt with, you headed back to try and find Steve, or any of the others.

"I can close it. Does anybody copy? I can shut the portal down." Natasha's voice came through as you found another cluster of Chitauri.

"Do it!" Steve told her.

"No, wait." Tony said.

"Stark, these things are still coming."

"I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip." Steve said, but Tony didn't reply.

You watched as Tony flew over your head, holding the nuke above his head and he headed right for his tower.

You ran further down the street where you found Steve and Thor also watching as Tony went up... up... up... and through the portal.

Then seconds later all the Chitauri powered down. You could see the explosion through the portal, and you could see Tony falling too, but he was still in space.

You jumped up into the air and headed up.

"Y/N, what are you doing?" Steve asked quickly.

"I'm gonna make sure he doesn't die, Steve." You replied as you flew up the side of Stark tower.

"Can you even breathe up there?" He asked and you didn't reply, because you weren't sure.

You passed the top of the tower and explosion on the other side drew nearer and nearer.

"Close it." Steve told Natasha just seconds before you had made it through the portal.

You grabbed onto Stark with ease and turned around quickly, and you just managed to make it back through the portal before it closed.

You let out a huge sigh of relief as you carried Tony, which was what made you realize that you had been breathing the whole time.

"So, apparently I can breathe in space." You said into the comms and Steve's chuckle came through from the other side.

Once you made it to the ground, you let go of Tony so he fell onto the road and dropped down beside him, catching your breath.

"Tony?" You spoke, and got no reply. He wasn't moving. "Guys, he's not moving!"

Steve and Thor came running over, and Hulk landed behind you with a crash.

"Is he breathing?" Steve asked and Thor ripped off the front of the Iron Man mask, tossing it away.

There was a moment of silence where you genuinely thought he was dead. Then Hulk let out a roar and Tony jolted awake.

"What just happened?" He asked, looking around disoriented. "Please tell me nobody kissed me. I know I look like my dad, Y/N -"

You rolled your eyes and kicked his leg from where you sat.

"We won." Steve said and Tony sighed in relief.

"Alright, yay! Hurray! Good job, guys." Tony said and tried to sit up. "Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

"We're not finished yet." Thor said, looking up at Stark tower, which now only had the giant 'A' on it, the other letters having fallen off during the battle.

"And then shawarma after." Tony decided and you laughed.

The seven members of your team, the Avengers, met up in the tower not long after.

You watched as Loki crawled across the floor, groaning as he dragged his body. Then he rolled over and came face to face with Clint's bow and an arrow.

"If it's all the same to you," Loki started, his eyes on Tony. "I'll have that drink now."

He didn't end up getting a drink. Loki was locked up, then you went out for shawarma, where nobody said a word and you all just ate in a comfortable silence.

Thor took Loki back to Asgard with the Tesseract the next day, and after that the rest of you went your separate ways.

For the meantime.

Chapter Text

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THE GREAT WAR

"i really thought i lost you"

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PART THREE

2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Life had been quiet for Y/N L/N since the Battle of New York. She had moved out into her own apartment in D.C. and was spending her free time catching up on all the things she missed, or as much as she can.

Her best friend, STEVE ROGERS, still works for S.H.I.E.L.D., doing missions for NICHOLAS FURY whenever he's asked.

Y/N L/N is pulled back into it all when a new threat emerges. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by HYDRA, taken over on the inside. And to top it off, there's an assassin known as THE WINTER SOLDIER after them.

But Y/N L/N and STEVE ROGERS once knew THE WINTER SOLDIER by a different name. His real name.

BUCKY BARNES.

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THE SOUNDTRACK

THE GREAT WAR; taylor swift 

THE WINTER SOLDIER; henry jackman

FAKE PLASTIC TREES; radiohead

BACK TO FRIENDS; sombr 

FORGET HER; jeff buckley

IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME; harry james

WILDFLOWER; billie eilish

LIKE HIM?; tyler, the creator, lola young

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Chapter Text

YOU HUMMED ALONG to the record spinning in your living room early in the morning. You were in the kitchen making breakfast.

The situation reminded you of early mornings back in the 1940s. You tried your best to keep that familiarity to your morning routines, even if the music isn't quite the same.

Your routine was simple. You'd wake up, shower, get dressed, put on a record and make breakfast.

The rest of the day was always a mix. You spent a lot of time reading, exploring the internet, still feeling so behind in the world despite having been out of the ice for two whole years.

Today you went out to the grocery store, having to buy a few things for dinner, because Steve was supposed to be coming over.

You pushed the shopping cart down the different aisles, ignoring the occasional side-eyes from people who recognized you.

It was when you were taking your groceries back to your car when your phone received a notification.

You picked it up to find a message from Steve, saying he had a mission so he couldn't come over anymore, and that he would make it up to you soon.

Because you had been taking a break from S.H.I.E.L.D. missions lately, you didn't see Steve much, or anyone for that matter. Everyone else was pretty busy all the time.

You got bored easily, with all the books and music and movies and tv that you had access too, you were just lonely.

You wondered if it was a sign. Maybe you should offer to do missions at S.H.I.E.L.D. with Steve and Natasha, just to have something else to do with all your free time.

After you returned to your apartment and put the groceries you now didn't need away, you sat down on your sofa and took off your necklace.

You opened up the locket and stared down at the old, black and white picture of Bucky smiling inside. You sighed with a frown, closing the locket again.

THE NEXT DAY you visited the Smithsonian, specifically the Captain America exhibit.

"A symbol to the nation." A voiceover played over the speakers in the exhibit as you walked in. You had been there before, but you still liked taking it all in. "A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice."

Sure, it was all about Steve, but it was about your life too. There even was a small part of the exhibit dedicated to you.

You smiled at a picture of Steve, before he was given the Super Solider serum. You read over all the small parts of information, occasionally recognizing names mentioned.

"Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first Super-Soldier."

You walked past it and turned to look at the wall that stood opposite, reading the text.

While on tour in Azzano, Italy, Rogers' heroism saved 163 lives - Including that of his best friend, Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes.*

You missed Bucky more and more each day. The longer time went without him, it just seemed worse and worse.

You moved onto the section where they talked about the Howling Commandos next.

On the wall were images of each of them, including Bucky, whose face you stared at for a little too long.

There were 7 mannequins in front of them, dressed in their uniforms they wore on missions, including Steve's old uniform he had been wearing when you went into the ice.

The clothes on Bucky's mannequin were the ones he had been wearing the night you had your first real kiss with him. The night before the mission he died on.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission: taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division."

You turned away, moving through the crowds of people before you saw it.

Bucky's section was titled 'A Fallen Comrade' and you stared at the photo of your husband's face.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

You looked down to the last passage of text on the glass in front of you.

Bucky Barnes was married to Y/N Barnes (née L/N),* who would later come up from the ice to join the Avengers in the Battle of New York.**

Small video clips played of Steve and Bucky together, footage that was taken for old Captain America films back then.

Your section of the exhibit was directly beside Bucky's, titled 'An Unexpected Hero'. It talked about you growing up with Steve and Bucky, working in the SSR on Project Rebirth, and how you became an Avenger.

But you didn't care for your own. You only really visited for Bucky.

And you found it funny how there were a number of people beside you reading about you, having no idea you were just a few steps to their lefts.

The voiceovers would loop every so often, but you still didn't move away.

Not for a long while, until a voice spoke beside you.

"Fancy seeing you here." The voice was low and quiet, and you turned your head to see Steve wearing a baseball cap, looking ahead at Bucky's picture.

"Hey." You chuckled for a moment and sighed. "I miss him, Steve."

"I do, too." He replied and put an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into a side hug.

"Can you believe that this museum has more of him than I do?" You asked. "All I have is one tiny picture and his ring, and this museum has him."

A few moments later the two of you were sitting in a small room that played interviews from people you had known.

But when Peggy's came up, you pat Steve's leg. The footage was from 1953, only ten years after you had first met her.

"That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line." She explained. "Steve, Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over 1,000 men. Including the man who would... become my husband, as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

You looked down to see Steve was looking at the compass where he kept her picture.

He glanced to you and closed it, slipping it back into his jacket pocket.

"I'm going to go visit her," He said as you left the museum. "Peggy, if you want to join."

"You can go, don't worry." You told him. "But, maybe we can have dinner tonight, since you bailed on me last night."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Sounds good."

Chapter Text

"YOU KNOW, I met this guy yesterday when I was going for my run." Steve said as you both headed up the stairs in his apartment building. He had just finished telling you about how Nat was trying to set him up with literally any woman she knows. "His name's Sam."

"So, you're making friends. That's great." You said.

"Yeah, you could probably do with some more." Steve said to you and you narrowed your eyes at him.

"Watch it, Rogers." You threatened and he held his hands up in surrender as you reached his floor. 

While you walked to his door, a woman was leaving the apartment across the hall, phone to her ear and laundry basket in hand.

"I gotta go through. Okay. Bye." She was saying to the person on the phone, then looked to Steve. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac."

"Hey, if you want... If you want, you're welcome to use my machine." Steve told the woman and you watched from a few steps behind him. "Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?" She asked him.

"A cup of coffee?" Steve suggested, which made you smile.

"Thank you, but I already have a load in downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine." The woman said, and you looked down at your shoes, waiting for the conversation to end. "I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward, so..."

"Ah, well, I'll keep my distance." Steve said.

"Hopefully not too far." She said and turned away.

You took a few steps closer to the door and could hear music playing inside, which confused you.

"Oh, and I think you left your stereo on." The woman told Steve and he looked back at her, pausing where he had been finding his key.

"Oh. Right. Thank you."

The woman walked downstairs and Steve gave you a look that let you know he wasn't the one who put the music on.

Steve held his ear closer to the door and slipped his keys back into his pocket.

"Window." He muttered and you both hurried downstairs, back outside, and took the fire escape up.

Steve opened the window to his apartment and climbed in first. He glanced around and held out a hand for you, helping you inside as the song ended.

Seconds later the same song began playing again. It's Been A Long, Long Time.

You creeped through the house, Steve picking up his shield off the ground where it had been leaning up against the wall as you headed towards the living room.

Steve peered around the corner to where his record player sat, then you noticed his body relax.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said and you poked your head around the corner to see Nick Fury sitting in one of Steve's armchairs.

Fury grunted as he sat up. "You really think I'd need one? I'm not interrupting anything, am I? My wife kicked me out."

"I didn't know you were married." You said.

"A lot of things you don't know about me." He replied, and you and Steve walked into the room properly.

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve said and turned on a lamp, which let you see Fury's face clearer, and it was covered in cuts and bruises.

You went to ask what happened when he held up a hand and turned off the lamp.

He typed on his phone before flipping it towards you and Steve.

EARS EVERYWHERE

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Nick went on as both you and Steve looked around the room.

Nick turned his phone around to face you again.

SHIELD COMPROMISED

If Steve's apartment was bugged, you wondered if yours was too, depending on how long it had been for. The thought of that invasion of privacy made you uncomfortable.

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked and Nick stood up.

"Just my friends." He said, while his phone read THE THREE OF US.

"Is that what we are?" Steve questioned him.

"That's up to you." Nick said and seconds later gunshots sprayed through the wall, hitting Nick.

While Steve held up his shield and looked through the window for the attacker, you grabbed onto Fury's arm and dragged him into the kitchen by one arm.

Steve grabbed onto his other arm and Fury coughed on the ground.

When Steve went to let go, Nick handed him a USB.

"Don't trust anyone." He warned and the apartment door was kicked open.

"Captain Rogers?" A voice called out through the apartment and you looked through the shelving to see Steve's neighbor holding a gun. "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Service."

"Kate?" Steve asked, confused.

"I'm assigned to protect you." She replied as she walked into the kitchen.

"On whose order?" Questioned Steve.

"His." She replied, looking down at Fury.

She put her gun down and immediately hurried to his side.

She pulled out a walkie talkie and began speaking into it.

"Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs." She said.

"Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" The person on the other side of the radio asked and you spun to look out the window again.

"Tell him we're in pursuit." Steve said and gripped his shield before running at the window.

He crashed through the window of the building across from his and you jumped from the window, flying through the air to follow.

The shooter was on the roof, where you landed and chased after him.

He was fast, faster than you'd expect from a regular person, and you had to jump through the air to fly after him.

The shooter jumped from the roof and onto one a floor below. At the same time, Steve crashed through the glass window at that level and immediately threw his shield at the shooter, who was still running with his back to you.

You dropped to the ground the same second the shooter turned and caught Steve's shield with ease, like it were just a frisbee.

The hand the shooter had caught it with was metal. His whole arm was silver, except for a single red star on his shoulder. He wore a mask that covered the bottom half of his face, and the top half had smudged dark eye makeup that was visible behind his long hair.

The shooter threw the shield back at Steve, which came at him with such force that when he caught it, it made his feet slide backwards across the gravel.

You had turned your head with the shield, watching it with such shock that you didn't notice the shooter jump off the roof.

You looked back and ran to the edge with Steve, just to find the man had disappeared without a trace.

That was the first time you saw the Winter Solider, unaware of who the person beneath it all was.

Chapter Text

YOU WATCHED THROUGH a glass window with Steve as surgeons operated on Fury in the hospital not much later.

Natasha came hurrying into the room as soon as she heard, stopping between you and Steve to look at Nick.

"Is he gonna make it?" She asked.

"I don't know." Steve replied.

"It's not looking good." You added, eyes trained on the scene before you.

"Tell me about the shooter." Natasha said.

"He's fast. Strong. Had a metal arm." Steve stated.

"He caught Steve's shield like it was nothing." You added on, your voice wavering and eyes trained on Fury.

Maria Hill came and stopped on your other side.

"Ballistics?" Nat asked.

"Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Maria replied.

"Soviet-made." Natasha said and Maria turned to look at her.

"Yeah."

The surgeons inside began rushing around.

"He's in V-tach."

"Crash cart coming in."

"Nurse, help me with the drape."

"BP's dropping."

"Defibrillator!"

You watched as the doctors in the operating room all started rushing around, grabbing a defibrillator as Nick's heart rate began to drop.

"I want you to charge him at 100."

"Don't do this to me, Nick." Nat muttered as you watched them get no response.

They tried again, charging the defibrillator at 200 instead.

"Three, two, one. Clear!"

Still no pulse.

"Get me epinephrine! Pulse?"

"Negative."

"Don't do this to me, Nick. Don't do this to me." Nat kept whispering under her breath and the doctors called it.

Steve turned around and left the room as the Doctors called the time of death at 1:03 a.m..

Hill walked away next, and you stayed beside Natasha, not saying a word.

NATASHA LOOKED DOWN at Nick's body with tears in her eyes about an hour later.

You and Steve were standing at the back of the room, you watching Nat and Steve looking at his shoes.

"I need to take him." Maria said quietly to Steve as she stopped beside him a moment later, and that was your cue to leave.

Steve walked over to Nat and you met Maria's teary eyes.

"Natasha." Steve spoke softly. Nat reached out to touch Nick's head and then left the room. You followed after her quickly, Steve right behind you. "Natasha!"

Out in the hall, Natasha spun around to face you, looking directly at Steve.

"Why was Fury in your apartment?" She questioned him.

"I don't know." Steve sighed and Natasha looked to you.

"Cap," A voice behind you called out and you turned to see Rumlow, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, walking towards you. "They want you back at S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"Yeah, give me a second." Steve replied.

"They want you now."

"Okay."

"You're a terrible liar." Natasha told Steve and you gave Steve a look before following after her.

"Nat!" You called out but she didn't look back. "Nat, come on. Natasha!"

She didn't look back, so you stopped following her.

You turned around again, but Steve was walking away with Rumlow.

You went home to your apartment, and the moment you closed the door behind you, you didn't feel relaxed or safe. You felt like you were being watched.

It was eerily silent, and the silent made you feel uncomfortable.

You glanced to the clock on the wall, it was just about to hit 3 a.m..

You spent the next two hours searching your apartment top to bottom for bugs. Lucky for you, your apartment wasn't very decorated. Mostly just basic furniture, and shelves for the few belongings you had.

You found a total of 4 tiny little microphones you almost missed completely.

You weren't sure if there were more in your apartment, and you would have no way of knowing.

So you destroyed the microphones, dumped them in the trash, and silently went off to your bedroom again.

Once you showered, changed out of your clothes and lied down in bed it was nearing 5 a.m..

You wanted to sleep, you were exhausted, but instead you thought back to Steve's apartment, to Nick dying, to the shooter.

In such a short amount of time your life had gone from somewhat normal, to not even being close to it.

And the shooter, the mystery man, who vanished without a trace before you or Steve could catch him. It was terrifying.

Maybe not as terrifying as fighting aliens destroying New York, but it was scary.

It was scary not knowing who the assassin was, not knowing why he was after Nick, why he was so strong, and not knowing who to trust.

Well, you knew you could trust Steve. You could always trust him. And you were pretty sure you could trust Nat and Maria, but you never know.

Fury said S.H.I.E.L.D. had been compromised, but he never said how. He said there were ears everywhere, but he never said who put them there.

You sighed and closed your eyes, falling asleep within seconds.

Chapter Text

IT WAS EARLY the next afternoon when you left your apartment. You hadn't gotten much sleep, only an hour or two before you were awake again and couldn't get back to sleep because the sun had risen.

You spent the morning making as little sound as possible, paranoid you were still being listened to.

You locked the door to your apartment and headed down the stairs, pulling your hoodie close to you as you crossed your arms.

As you left the building, you glanced across the street to see a man in a hoodie watching you.

It was unsettling as you began to walk to your car, and the man began crossing the road towards you. You sped up your footsteps, but then the man called out your name.

"Y/N!"

You spun around to see Steve, his head still bowed, but his face clearer than before.

"Shit, Steve. You scared me." You said and Steve checked over his shoulder before hurrying over to you and pulling you closer to your car. "What are you doing?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s looking for me. And if they're looking for me -" He started and you finished his sentence.

"Then they're going to come find me." You said and Steve let go of your arm.

"Exactly." He said and gestured for you to unlock the car. 

"Where are we going?" You asked, climbing into the driver's seat.

"The hospital." He replied. "There's something I've got to get."

YOU HAD WAITED in the car while Steve ducked inside. He said it would only take a moment.

You kept glancing out the windows, waiting for Steve and paranoid someone was going to catch you.

But when Steve came out of the hospital, he seemed unimpressed, and Natasha was with him.

You raised your eyebrows at him and he didn't say anything, just opened the passenger door and sat down.

"Hey, Y/N." Natasha greeted as she slipped into the backseat of your car.

"Uh, hi, Nat." You greeted and glanced to Steve.

"She's good, don't worry." Steve said then nodded to the steering wheel. "We're going to the mall."

"What, you wanna go shopping, Steve?" You asked, half joking.

"Easy access to a computer that'll be harder to track." Natasha said. "But we're going to need disguises, so we can pick those up too."

On the drive to the mall, Natasha caught you up on who she suspected the shooter was. An assassin by the name of the Winter Solider.

The disguises you picked out in the mall were high top sneakers, Steve wore a cap and glasses, you and Natasha wore hoodies, you adding a pair of sunglasses.

"First rule of going on the run is don't run, walk." Natasha told Steve, as he glanced over his shoulder and walked fast.

"If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off." Steve replied as you headed to the closest tech store.

Natasha picked out a laptop and began typing.

"The drive has a Level Six homing program, so as soon as we boot up S.H.I.E.L.D. will know exactly where we are." She explained.

"How much time will we have?" You asked her.

"About nine minutes from now." She replied and plugged the USB drive into the laptop. She was quick to searching the files. "Fury was right about that ship. Somebody's trying to hide something. This drive is protected by some sort of AI. It keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands."

"Can you override it?" Steve asked her.

"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me. Slightly." Natasha was typing away and you kept looking around you and over your shoulder, anxious. "I'm gonna try running a tracer. This is a program that S.H.I.E.L.D. developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from."

You looked to the screen as it zoomed in on a map.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" A man's voice asked, an employee at the store, and you looked away from Nat and Steve and down at the desk in front of you, pretending you didn't know them.

"Oh, no. My fiancé was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations." Natasha said, putting on a smile ans a voice as she grabbed onto Steve.

"Right. We're getting married." Steve spoke, his tone a little unconvincing. You almost wanted to laugh as you glanced over.

"Congratulations. Where are you guys thinking about going?" The man asked.

"New Jersey." Steve read off the laptop screen.

"Oh." The man said then made a surprised face as he looked closer at Steve. For a second you thought maybe he recognized him. "I have the exact same glasses."

"Wow, you two are practically twins." Natasha said and you looked back at the laptop screen.

"Yeah, I wish." The man chuckled and gestured to Steve. "Specimen. Uh, if you guys need anything, I've been Aaron."

"Thank you." Steve spoke and the man walked away, then he turned back to Nat, looking at his watch. "You said nine minutes, come on."

"Relax." She said. "Got it."

The map zoomed in on the location, and Steve leaned in closer.

"You know it?" Nat asked.

"I used to." Steve said and gave you a look. "Let's go."

He unplugged the drive and the three of you headed out the store.

"Standard tac team. Two behind, two across, and two coming straight at us." Steve said, he had been observing your surroundings pretty well. "If they make us, I'll engage, you two hit the south escalator to the metro."

"Shut up and put your arm around me." Nat said, then looked to you. "Both of you laugh at something I said."

"What?" Steve asked.

"Do it."

Steve put his arm around Natasha and you put on a chuckle as you passed the two men.

You made it safely to the escalator, Nat in the front, then Steve, then you in the back.

Natasha suddenly spun around to face Steve.

"Kiss me." She told him and you raised your eyebrows.

"What?" Steve questioned.

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable." Nat explained and you looked past them to see Rumlow was coming up the escalator beside you.

"Yes, they do." Steve agreed, referring to himself. Then Natasha grabbed his face and kissed him.

You were pretty well hidden behind Steve and looked to your right, the opposite direction to Rumlow.

Once you passed him, Nat let go and the three of you headed down the escalator.

"You still uncomfortable?" Natasha asked Steve.

"It's not exactly the word I would use." He replied.

"I'm definitely uncomfortable." You muttered and the three of you made it out of the mall.

You were going to head back to where your car was parked, but then you noticed the man eyeing it from nearby.

You were still far away that you wouldn't be noticed from where you were standing.

You grabbed Nat's arm and nodded towards him.

"We're going to need to find another ride to Jersey." You stated.

"I've got it." Steve stated and headed in the opposite direction. You and Nat glanced at each other before you followed.

Chapter Text

"WHERE DID CAPTAIN America learn how to steal a car?" Natasha asked from her spot in the passenger seat as Steve drove. You took the backseat this time and had your eyes closed, hoping to catch up on just a little bit of the sleep you missed.

"Nazi Germany." Steve answered.

"Mmm."

"And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash." Steve scolded.

"Alright, I have a question for you, which you do not have to answer." Natasha spoke to Steve. "I feel like, if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, y'know." 

"What?"

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

You let out a snort at the question and opened an eye. Steve glanced back at you for a split second, the tiniest glare on his face.

"That bad, huh?" He asked and you chuckled again, closing your eyes.

"I didn't say that." There was a hint of amusement in Nat's voice.

"Well, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying." Steve pointed out.

"No, I didn't. I just wondered how much practice you've had." 

"You don't need practice." 

"He's only saying that because he hasn't had much practice." You cut in, eyes open again.

"Like you're one to talk." Steve scoffed and you gave him a blank stare back. "But no, it was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm 95, not dead."

"Nobody special, though?" Natasha asked him and Steve laughed.

"Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience." Steve said, then paused. "Someone who isn't my best friend."

"Thanks, Stevie." You leaned back in your seat and crossed your arms, closing your eyes once more.

"Well, that's alright. You just make something up." Nat told him.

"What, like you?" He asked her.

"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstance. It's not all things to all people, all the time. Neither am I."

"That's a tough way to live."

"It's a good way not to die, though."

"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't really know who that someone really is."

"Yeah. Who do you want me to be?"

"How about a friend?"

"Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers."

There was a silence in the car after that and you were hoping you could fall asleep.

"What about you, Y/N?" Nat asked and you opened your eyes to look at her.

"Hmm?"

"Been out on any dates recently?"

"No." You replied, your hand instinctively reaching for your locket necklace where Bucky's ring still stayed. "And I haven't kissed anyone since 1945, so nothing interesting going on here."

Nat frowned and then shrugged, turning back to face the front of the car again.

You actually managed to fall asleep. You weren't sure how long it was for, but you woke up when the car pulled to a stop in front of an old fence.

"This is it." Steve said as the three of you left the car.

"The file came from these coordinates." Natasha slipped her phone into her pocket.

"So did I." Steve stated and you looked up at the sign on the fence.

"Camp Lehigh?" You looked to him and then back to the fence. You recognized the name, despite never having been there.

While Steve and Nat climbed, you just flew over the fence.

"I forgot you could do that." Steve said and you shrugged before the three of you walked further into the deserted base.

It grew darker each second as the sun set, and as you walked Nat worked on tracking the file.

"This camp is where I was trained." Steve told Nat.

"Change much?"

"A little." Steve said and stopped while you and Nat walked ahead.

"This is a dead end. Zero heat signatures, zero waves, not even radio." Natasha told you. "Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off.

Steve looked off at a building in the distance, looking confused.

"What is it?" You asked him and he started walking. You glanced to Nat before you both chased after him.

"Army regulations forbid storing munitions within 500 yards of the barracks." Steve explained as you approached the building. "This building is in the wrong place."

He used his shield to break the lock and the three of you walked in and down a set of stairs.

Nat turned a switch and the lights all flickered on, filling the room with a fluorescent yellow tinge.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.." Nat said, and you noticed the old fashioned eagle symbol on the wall.

"Maybe where it started." Steve commented, looking at all the old dusty furniture.

You walked slowly through to another room that had more desks, some shelves, and framed photographs on the wall.

"There's Stark's father." Nat noticed, nodding to one of the frames.

"Howard." You said, staring at the picture. He looked how you remembered him, how you had known him.

To the left of Howard's picture was a photograph was Colonel Phillips, and to the right was Peggy.

"Who's the girl?" Natasha asked and you turned to see Steve's eyes trained on her picture.

Steve didn't reply and just walked away. You stared at Howard's picture a moment longer, an ache in your heart knowing he was dead.

You had wondered before if you would've ended up with Howard if you hadn't gone in the ice. But then you realized that would've meant you could've been Tony's mother, and you hated that idea.

You followed after Steve as he stopped in front of an empty shelf, examining it.

"If you're already working in a secret office," He began pulling the shelves to reveal a passage way behind it. "why do you need to hide the elevator?"

You took the elevator down, Natasha using her phone to find out the code.

When the doors opened again, you were met with a dark empty room.

It was eerily quiet, and once you stepped out of the elevator the doors closed behind you.

When you had walked halfway into the room, the lights all flickered on to reveal old computers and control panels covered in a thick layer of dust.

"This can't be the data point. This technology is ancient." Nat said, looking around the room as you reached the main computer in the middle of the back wall.

Then you noticed the one piece of technology in the room that didn't look like it was 80 years old. A black USB port with blue lights.

"Nat." You turned and she was at your side seconds later. She plugged in the drive and everything in the room turned on within seconds.

On the computer screen in front of you, green text appeared with a little computer voice reading them out.

INITIATE SYSTEM?

Nat moved to the keyboard.

"Y-E-S spells yes." She murmured and the computer began to boot up. "Shall we play a game?"

Natasha chuckled and turned around to face you and Steve.

"It's from a movie that was really..."

"I know, I saw it." Steve told her and you nodded in agreement. One of your many movie nights with Steve had definitely included Wargames.

The computer beeped a few times and a face appeared made out of the green lines on the screen.

"Rogers, Steven, born 1918. Barnes, Y/N, born 1919 as L/N, Y/N." The face on the computer spoke, catching you off guard. The voice had a German accent. "Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna, born 1984."

"It's some kind of recording." Natasha said.

"I am not a recording, Fraeulein." The voice said. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945. But I still am."

You looked to the monitor beside the main screen and your mouth fell open. It was Dr. Zola, Johann Schmidt's doctor friend who Steve captured on the mission Bucky died on.

"You know this thing?" Nat asked him.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull." Steve explained to Nat as he started walking around the room while you thought about how this computer was one of the last people who saw your husband alive. "He's been dead for years."

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive." Zola's computer voice made you uncomfortable. It was all really unsettling. "In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving, on 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain."

"Gross." You frowned.

"How did you get here?" Steve asked Zola, stopping beside you again.

"Invited."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited German scientists with strategic value." Nat said.

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own."

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull." Steve stated.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."

"Prove it."

"Accessing archive." Old footage began playing on the screen. "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist."

"Who would've thought." You commented sarcastically.

"The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited." Zola went on as an image of Howard and Peggy appeared before switching to a newspaper clipping. "The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D.. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

There was a flicker of a frame of the red star on the Winter Solider's metal arm between the footage of wars and battles.

"That's impossible. S.H.I.E.L.D. would have stopped you." Natasha said and a new paper article appeared.

Howard and Maria Stark Die in Car Accident.

"Accidents will happen." Zola said and it switched to an image of Nick Fury, the word 'DECEASED' appearing over his face. "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once a purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise."

Blueprints and images of Helicarriers appeared on screen and you looked to Steve and Nat.

"We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum." Steve punched the computer screen, causing you to jump at the sudden movement. The screen cracked and Zola's face appeared on a different monitor. "As I was saying..."

"What's on this drive?" Steve asked Nat.

"Project Insight requires insight. So, I wrote an algorithm."

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha questioned.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it."

A loud clanking noise behind you stole your attention and the three of you turned to see large metal doors closing over the elevator.

Steve threw his shield, but it didn't make it in time and you were locked in.

"Guys, we got a bogey." Natasha said, checking her phone. "Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops."

"Who fired it?" You asked her.

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Was the answer.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain." Zola said and Nat grabbed the drive. "Admit it. It's better this way. We are, both of us, out of time."

Steve ran for a vent on the floor and ripped it out of the ground.

The three of you jumped down just as the place blew up.

Steve held his shield above his head to do what he could to protect the three of you from the falling rubble.

When the explosion stopped, Nat was out cold. You helped Steve push the rubble away, he used his shield and you used your powers.

The room was now on fire, and filling with smoke fast.

Steve picked up Natasha and you climbed out of the vent.

Right as you left the building, stepping over flaming debris, multiple aircrafts with searchlights came flying by, looking for any trace of the three of you.

So you and Steve ran.

Chapter Text

YOU ALL MADE it back to D.C. by the next morning, and by then Natasha was on her feet again.

But you had nowhere to go. Your apartments were too obvious, and bugged.

Everyone else you knew nearby was with S.H.I.E.L.D., so you couldn't trust anyone.

Steve took you to a house you didn't recognize and, while you helped Nat balance herself, he knocked on the door.

A man came to the door, pulling up the blinds and looking through the glass before opening the door.

"Hey, man." He greeted Steve, looking confused.

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve told him.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat added on.

"Not everyone." The man said and stepped back to let the three of you in.

The man, Sam Wilson, showed you to a spare bedroom and bathroom where you could all clean yourselves up.

You were all covered in dirt, soot from the explosion, sweat from everything else.

Once you had cleaned up your face, and what you could from your arms and legs, you lied down on the bed in the room.

"You okay?" Steve asked Nat, his voice soft as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Yeah." Nat replied.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought I was going straight." Nat explained. "But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."

"There's a chance you might be in the wrong business." Steve told her and she let out a short breathy chuckle.

You didn't know whether to keep trying to sleep, or to keep eavesdropping on their conversation. But you were so exhausted tuning out their conversation was easy.

Until a third voice cut in, Sam.

"I made breakfast." He said and you opened your eyes, sitting up to look at him. "If you guys eat that sort of thing."

"I definitely do." You said, getting up and patting Steve on the shoulder as you passed him and followed Sam out to the kitchen.

You walked towards the table and Sam handed you a plate.

"Thank you." You smiled and Nat and Steve came out moments later.

Steve sat down beside you and Nat stood nearby.

"So, the question is who at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike?" Natasha spoke.

"Pierce." Steve answered.

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." You pointed out.

"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star." Steve said. Some of this info you were only finding out for the first time as you ate, but you supposed that was your fault for taking a break from missions for the last month or so.

"So was Jasper Sitwell." Nat stated.

"So, the real question is, how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?" Steve looked between you and Nat.

"The answer is, you don't." Sam said and he dropped a file on the table in front of Steve.

"What's this?" Steve asked and you picked up the photo on the top of the file, standing up as you did so.

"Call it a resume." Sam replied.

"Is this Bakhmala?" Natasha asked, looking at the photo over your shoulder. "The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you? You didn't say he was a Pararescue."

You handed the photo to Steve, who looked down at it for a moment before looking back to Sam.

"Is this Riley?" Steve asked Sam.

"Yeah."

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use? A stealth chute?" Nat questioned.

"No." Sam stepped forward again and picked up the file, hanging it to Steve. "These."

The file itself was labeled 'EXO-7 FALCON', and Steve glanced to Sam before he opened it.

"I thought you said you were a pilot." Steve said to him and you looked into the file to see images and blueprints of wings. Huge mechanical wings.

"Holy shit." You looked up at Sam.

"I never said pilot." Sam shook his head, a smile on his face.

"I can't ask you to do this, Sam." Steve said, looking down. "You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." Sam stated, his arms crossed, and you chuckled.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asked, gesturing to the file.

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall." Sam stated and Steve looked to you and Nat.

Nat shrugged it off, and you nodded slowly.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Steve decided and dropped the file back down on the table.

Chapter Text

STEVE THREW SITWELL through the door and onto the roof of a high building. "Tell me about Zola's algorithm."

Sam had done the primarily hard part, calling Sitwell, threatening him, driving him to you.

"Never heard of it." Sitwell lied as he scrambled to his feet, pulling his glasses back on.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve asked as you and Nat followed him out onto the roof, Sitwell was walking backwards and getting dangerously close to the edge.

"I was throwing up. I get seasick." Sitwell tripped and almost fell backwards, but Steve grabbed him by the jacket to balance him. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right, it's not." Steve said, letting go of Sitwell and smoothing out his jacket.

"It's hers." You said, giving Sitwell a smile and Nat kicked him in the chest. Sitwell fell off the building.

He screamed as he fell and Nat turned to look at Steve.

"Oh, wait. What about that girl from Accounting, Laura... Lisa..." She was back to her matchmaking attempts.

"Lillian. Lip-piercing, right?" Steve gestured to his mouth.

"Yeah, she's cute." Nat looked to you nodding. "Right?"

"Yeah. I'm not ready for that." Steve said and Sam came flying up in his Falcon wings, holding Sitwell in his hand.

He threw Sitwell down on the roof again and landed not far behind him.

While the three of you approached Sitwell, he held his hand up, like he was telling you to stop.

"Zola's algorithm is a program for choosing Insight's targets." Sitwell yelled.

"What targets?" Steve asked.

"You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA." Sitwell explained and your eyes widened at Banner's name. "Now, or in the future."

"What do you mean 'in the future'?" You asked. "How would it know?"

"How could it not?" Sitwell laughed. "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it."

You all stared blankly, confused at what he was saying.

"Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores!" Sitwell exclaimed. "Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve asked.

"Oh, my God." Sitwell realized, looking to the ground. "Pierce is gonna kill me."

"What then?" Steve repeated and Sam grabbed him by the jacket again.

"Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list." Sitwell said. "A few million at a time."

YOU WERE SQUASHED into the backseat of Sam's car between Nat and Sitwell not too long later.

"HYDRA doesn't like leaks." Sitwell said.

"Then why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam told him.

"Insight's launching in 16 hours." Nat leaned forward to tell Steve. "We're cutting it a little bit close here."

"I know." Steve said. "We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly."

"What? Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea." Sitwell told him, and then there was a thud.

A thud on the roof of the car.

You had barely any time to register the noise when Sitwell's car window smashed and a metal arm reached in and pulled him out.

"SHIT!" You yelled out as the Winter Soldier's metal arm threw Sitwell into the opposite lane, right as a truck passed.

Then out the smashed window you could see the Winter Soldier pull out a handgun.

Nat looked up and quickly jumped into the front of the car while you scrambled to the far left where Sitwell had been sitting, raising your arms up as a shield as the Winter Solider shot down into the car.

Steve grabbed the car's gear and pushed it into park. The car skidded to a stop and the Winter Soldier went soaring through the air, landing on the road and digging the fingers of his metal arm into the ground to slow him down as he skid.

The Winter Soldier stood up and faced the car. Other vehicles on the bridge passed by while yours didn't move.

That was until you were moving again.

You gripped onto Sam's headrest in front of you and looked back to see a large car was forcing your car forward, pushing you towards the Winter Soldier, who jumped and flipped on top of your car again.

His feet crashed into the back window, smashing it and sending them flying through the car.

Sam tried stepping on the breaks, but they didn't do much with the bigger car forcing you forwards.

The Winter Soldier's metal arm came down through the front windshield and ripped out the steering wheel.

"SHIT!" Sam screamed and Nat started shooting up at the Soldier with her gun, which she had just picked up off the ground.

The Winter Soldier flipped off of your car and onto the one behind you.

The car bumped into the back of yours and you began to swerve, crashing into the side of the bridge.

"Hang on!" Steve yelled, hitting the car door with his shield so when the car flipped, it fell off and he, Nat and Sam fell out with it.

You pushed your body up through the smashed window and flew out as the car slammed onto the road again, rolling and smashing worse than before.

While your friends slid across the road on the broken car door, you raced after them and dropped to the ground next to Sam, who had rolled off the car door first.

The Winter Soldier was handed a large gun - a grenade launcher - and shot one in the direction of Steve and Nat.

While Nat ran out of the way, Steve lifted his shield. The grenade's explosion sent Steve crashing over the side of the bridge, landing in a bus, which then crashed into a truck that caused it to flip.

Back on the bridge, Nat had joined you and Sam hiding behind a car while HYDRA agents shot in your direction.

As they grew nearer, you ran further back to hide behind different cars, avoiding the spraying bullets just grazing your body.

While Sam ran further back, you and Nat shot back at the HYDRA attackers, Nat with a gun and you with your energy blasts.

While your aim in your panicked state was a little better than Nat's, you only managed to knock one of the attackers out before a bullet hit your arm.

You winced and ducked behind the car again. You looked down at your arm, the bullet had barely broken skin, looked like it would leave as much as a small bruise and a tiny cut. It didn't hurt much at all, but maybe that was the adrenaline. It had just grazed.

"Oh." You said and jumped up again as the Winter Soldier shot a grenade at Nat.

She managed to dodge it, jumping over the dividers in the middle of the road.

Half the shooters aimed for her, while the rest shot at me.

The Winter Soldier blew up the car Nat had run behind and she went flying off the side of the bridge.

You shot at the Soldier, hitting him in the side with an energy blast that knocked him back.

He got up and one of the others handed him a gun. He aimed at you and you jumped up, running for the edge Nat had just jumped off.

You followed her down when they started firing at you again, and used your powers to stop you from falling to your death.

You began running with her below the bridge to the other side, but Nat put an arm out and stopped you.

She had noticed the shadow of the Winter Soldier, he was standing and waiting to strike.

So she took a few slow steps, gripping her guns in her hands, and when she was just peeking out from under the bridge, she shot up at the Soldier, then the two of you went running.

Chapter Text

THE WINTER SOLDIER had attempted to shoot back, but by the time he did you had both already moved.

Nat shot at him again, and he shot back. You ran behind Nat, turning around to send an energy blast at the Soldier before ducking behind a car.

The Winter Soldier jumped down from the bridge and landed on a car that dented under his weight.

"Go around." Nat whispered to you, waving you away as she pulled out her phone. "I'll meet you in a second."

You knew Nat would know what she was doing, so you scrambled away, sneaking around cars until you were hiding on the other side of the road, watching the Winter Soldier as he walked.

The other HYDRA men had also come down from the bridge and were shooting at Steve, and failing as he and Sam took them out.

Nat appeared at your side while you watched the Winter Soldier reload his gun.

What did you do? You mouthed to her and she held a finger to her lips, telling you to stay quiet.

People were running away, and you noticed the Winter Soldier had slowed down and begun turning towards the opposite side of the road, where Nat had been before.

You watched as he crouched down and rolled what you assumed was some kind of grenade in the direction of the car Nat was hiding behind moments earlier.

He stood up again, aiming his gun, and Nat stood up too.

The Winter Soldier had his back to the two of you, and you both began moving forward, Nat from one side and you from the other.

The grenade exploded and Nat kicked the Soldier from behind, knocking his gun from his hands. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled out a wire, attempting to choke him.

When he flung her off of him, you started shooting, your first energy blast hitting the shoulder of his metal arm before he ducked and rolled to pick up his gun again, pointing it at you.

Nat threw something at his metal arm that stuck to it like a magnet and you noticed the way it made his arm spark before he ripped it off.

Nat had gone running, and you chased after her.

You both yelled at civilians to get out of the way and take cover. You had your head turned and didn't realize it happened until seconds later, but Nat was then shot in the shoulder.

She stumbled down and you slid down beside her.

"Hey, I got him, you stay." You whispered to her as she pressed her hand to her wound.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the Winter Soldier jump up on the hood of a car and point his gun at you, so you instinctively raised your hand and hit his gun with an energy blast that knocked it from his hands.

While he ran for the gun, you got to your feet again and ran for him. He picked it up, and the moment he did, you swung your fist at his face.

Earlier, when he had been on the bridge, the Winter Soldier had been wearing goggles. But now he wasn't, because they had cracked when Nat shot at him moments later, and you could see the top half of his face, the bottom half still masked.

Steve came sprinting over, running at the Soldier, who went to hit Steve with his left arm.

The metal collided with Steve's shield and created a vibrating echo that caught you off guard.

The Winter Soldier pushed Steve's shield and kicked him away before turning back to you.

He started shooting and you ran past Nat again and in Steve's direction. Steve was doing the opposite and ran to where you had been.

Then you practically tag-teamed the Winter Soldier.

When he faced Steve, who would use his shield for protection, you would hit the Winter Soldier, either physically or with your energy blasts, and when he aimed at you, Steve would hit him with the shield.

But the Soldier caught on quickly. When Steve was avoiding bullets behind his shield, the Winter Soldier quickly spun around and punched you square in the face with his metal fist.

Then he kicked your leg, knocking you to the concrete. You let out a groan, feeling your cheek scrape against the ground.

The Winter Soldier was fighting Steve as you started to get up, shooting at him before grabbing Steve's shield, using it to flip him around and then taking it for himself.

The Winter Soldier used the shield to protect himself from Steve's punches before knocking Steve away all together.

He then threw the shield at Steve, missing his head by inches and you ran at the Soldier, kicking the back of his leg and sliding across the road before jumping up and hitting him in the chest with an energy blast.

The Winter Soldier pulled out a small knife and began swiping at you with it. You kept jumping back to dodge it before attempting to grab his wrist.

Not only was the Soldier a hundred times stronger than you, so he could pull his hand away with ease, but he dropped his knife from the hand you had grabbed and caught it with the other, attempting to stab you before you shot it with an energy blast.

It clattered to the ground and Steve came running over again, taking over punching and hitting the Soldier, who had already picked up his knife again and was trying to stab Steve now.

You hit his non-metal arm with a punch from your energy-powered fist, and he swiveled around, grabbing you by the throat with the metal arm and choking you, pressing your back against an empty car.

Your arms quickly moved to grab onto the metal arm, trying to pull it off of you out of instinct, and you stared into the Winter Soldier's dark eyes.

You meant dark in a more metaphorical sense, because in reality his eyes were blue. A very familiar blue.

Your hands slipped out of shock when you realized why you recognized those eyes, even if it was impossible.

His eyes flickered down, just below his metal hand, to your chest. Your locket had popped open, the photo of Bucky out in the open.

The Winter Soldier looked confused as he stared into your eyes too, and for a split second you saw something flash in them and his grip loosen for just a second, and you let go of his arm with one hand.

Right as you shot at the Soldier with your powers again, Steve had run over and kicked him off of you.

While Steve was able to jump back into battle so quickly, you struggled to catch your breath, coughing violently as you watched the Soldier.

The Winter Soldier had Bucky's eyes.

"Steve..." You coughed out his name, trying to tell him, but he was too distracted fighting.

You watched as he dodged a knife to the head, then pulled his shield out of the van it had lodged itself into when the Winter Soldier had thrown it before.

They kept fighting hand-to-hand, or knife-to-shield, combat and you, though still trying to catch your breath, tried to run over.

Steve's shield got stuck in the Winter Soldier's metal arm, and after another punch, Steve grabbed him by the face and flipped him over his shoulder.

The Winter Soldier went through the air and rolled on the ground upon landing, his back to you and Steve.

While he had been in the air, his mask had fallen off, Steve must've knocked it out of place.

You stopped beside Steve and he looked to you, where you were rubbing your neck you knew was sure to bruise.

"You okay?" He asked, but you just stared at the Winter Soldier, who had stumbled to his feet.

Steve looked too, and the Winter Soldier turned to face you, his face fully uncovered.

It was like all the breath had been stolen from your lungs. Your heart stopped, your stomach dropped.

He looked different, but it was undeniably him.

"Bucky?" Steve asked, shocked as he straightened his posture.

Bucky's eyes flickered from Steve, then to you, then back to Steve before he answered.

"Who the hell is Bucky?"

He faced forward and drew a gun, pointing it at Steve. But before he could fire, he was kicked in the back by Sam, who had flown in to save the day.

Bucky rolled on the ground and you took a step forward as you stared at him, a million and one thoughts flying through your head.

Bucky seemed to be in the same boat, because he seemed even more confused. He stared at you, then looked back to Steve, pointing the gun again.

A grenade flying through the air and blowing up the car beside him was enough to make him miss his shot and disappear.

You turned your head towards Nat, who had used the Winter Soldier's own weapon to cause the explosion, then looked back to the smoke where Bucky had stood seconds before.

The world was still spinning for you, nothing had even registered in your mind when you heard the sirens growing louder and louder.

The four of you were surrounded within mere seconds. S.H.I.E.L.D., or technically HYDRA, agents and soldiers all pointing guns and shouting.

"Put down the shield, Cap! Get on your knees!"

You didn't fight back, too stuck in your own mind to even be aware of what was really happening.

"Get on your knees!"

You dropped down easily, but Steve was still standing after he lowered his shield.

"Get down, get down! Get on your knees!"

Soldiers around you had guns pointed directly at Steve's head and he slowly knelt down beside you.

Your eyes were on the road in front of you while they all warned you not to move.

Not like you could, anyway.

"Put the gun down. Not here." Rumlow told the man beside him, who had a gun pointed to the back of Steve's head, upon noticing the helicopter above you all in the air. "Not here!"

You barely even flinched as they put you in a pair of handcuffs make specifically to block abilities like your own. You didn't even blink when they forced you into the back of a van.

Nothing made sense, because you had just found out Bucky Barnes was alive.

Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier.

Chapter Text

YOU DIDN'T SAY a word for the beginning of the drive. You stared at the floor, zoned out and in shock, still not quite able to comprehend it. While you were quiet, Steve explained who Bucky was to Nat and Sam.

"It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." Steve said and your hand slowly moved to your necklace, you gripped it tight.

"How is that even possible? It was, like, 70 years ago." Sam said and you lifted your eyes from the ground to look at him.

"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43. Zola experimented on him." Steve said and you turned your head away as tears had started to form. If you were going to cry, they weren't going to see. "Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him, and..."

"None of that's your fault, Steve." Nat told him and you took off your necklace to look down at Bucky's picture inside of it.

"You told me he was dead." You choked out and Steve turned his head, looking down at your locket.

"We need to get a doctor in here." Sam said to the two guards in there with you after seeing Nat's wound. "If we don't put pressure on that wound, she's gonna bleed out here in the truck."

The guard closest to Sam seemed to threaten him with an electrical weapon, but then instead they attacked and knocked out the second guard, who crumpled to the ground between you and Steve and Nat and Sam.

The guard took off their helmet and behind it was a familiar face.

"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain." Maria Hill said and you put your necklace back on, making sure Bucky's ring still hung from the chain. Hill then looked to Sam, then to Steve. "Who's this guy?"

MARIA HILL BROKE you all out of the truck by cutting a hole in its floor.

The five of you followed her and she led you to a van, which she drove while the rest of you sat in the back.

She led you all into a building after, Steve helping Nat walk down the long corridor.

"GSW. She's lost at least a pint." Hill called out to a man running your way.

"Maybe two." Sam added.

"Let me take her." The man called out.

"She'll want to see him first."

She continued leading the way until you all reached a room. Agent Hill pulled back a curtain to reveal Nick Fury lying in a bed, alive.

How many people who you thought died were going to turn out to be alive today? Because that's now two.

"About damn time." He said upon seeing your group.

The man from the corridor started tending to Nat's wound while Fury explained his injuries.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone," He listed. "perforated liver, and one hell of a headache."

"Don't forget your collapsed lung." The man beside Nat, who must've been a medic of some kind, reminded Fury.

"Let's not forget that." Fury said. "Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open. Your heart stopped." Nat stated what we all saw.

"Tetrodoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute." Fury explained. "Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve questioned him.

"Any attempt on the Director's life had to look successful." Maria Hill answered.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead." Nick added. "Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust."

ON THE OTHER side of the city, the Winter Soldier - Bucky - was having his metal arm repaired, Steve's shield having damaged it in the battle.

He was zoned out, confused and lost in his scrambled thoughts. Stuck replaying what he couldn't tell if they were memories or not.

He remembered when Zola first found him in the ice and gave him his arm. When he had fallen off the train, the man from the bridge had been there. He had tried reaching for him, yelled his name.

It was all flickering fragments, the snow, the blood, the bright lights in the operating room.

But between those fragments were eyes. Your eyes. Those split second flashes in his mind were softer, accompanied by whispers and small smiles.

Something about it was so familiar, so real. He knew you from somewhere. Both of you.

Bucky ripped his arm away from the scientist who had been repairing it and hit him across the room.

The soldiers in the room all pointed their guns at him, prepared to shoot if he as much as blinked the wrong way.

He sat forward, breathing heavily and staring down at the ground. His brows knitted into confusion.

Then Pierce, Rumlow and about 10 more HYDRA agents entered the room. Pierce got them to lower the guns and he stopped in front of Bucky.

"Mission report." He said. Bucky didn't reply, he just kept staring at the wall. "Mission report now."

Pierce leaned down, and Bucky kept looking past him. He slapped Bucky across the face.

Bucky slowly turned to face him again, the soft confusion that laced his features looking nothing like the usual violent nature of the Winter Soldier.

"The man on the bridge." He spoke, the quiet words harsh on his dry mouth. "Who was he?"

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment." Pierce replied, which wasn't quite a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth.

"What about the woman? She had... had a picture of... me." Bucky muttered, just barely gesturing toward his neck, then met Pierce's eyes again. "I knew them."

"Your work has been a gift to mankind." Pierce told him, and Bucky kept his confused frown on his face. "You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. And tomorrow morning, we're gonna give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

"But I knew them." Bucky's voice croaked out the whisper, tears pricking in the corner of his eyes with his frown. "I knew her. It was real."

"Prep him." Pierce ordered and Bucky's expression got sadder, more scared. He was so confused, but he was so sure he knew them.

"He's been out of cryo freeze too long." One man told Pierce.

"Then wipe him and start over."

The scientists grabbed Bucky by the shoulders and pushed him back in the chair. He didn't fight it, just stared forward.

He opened his mouth for them to put the mouthguard in, now looking and feeling angrier than before as he was locked down to the chair.

He squeezed his eyes shut and his breathing quickened as the machine slowly closed around his head.

Pierce turned around and walked out the room as Bucky began screaming out in pain, not a care in the world.

Chapter Text

"THIS MAN DECLINED the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility." Nick said, looking down at a photo of Pierce. "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch." Nat stated.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Nick said and opened the briefcase that sat next to him on the table.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Once the helicarriers reach 3,000 feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites, becoming fully weaponized." Maria Hill explained, flipping her laptop around for you all to see her screen. 

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own." Fury added.

"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die." Continued Hill.

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA." Fury went on. "We have to get past them, insert these server blades. And maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left -"

"We're not salvaging anything." Steve cut in. "We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick. We're taking down S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing to do with this." Nick argued.

"You gave me this mission. This is how it ends." Steve told him. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been compromised. You said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"How many paid the price before you did?"

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes." Nick said and your head shot up to look at him.

"Even if you had, would you even have told us? Or would you have compartmentalized that, too?" Steve interrogated. "S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, it all goes."

"He's right." Hill backed him up and Fury looked from her, then to Nat, you, and lastly Sam.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower." Sam said.

"Well," Nick looked down at the table then sighed before leaning back in his chair and looking to Steve. "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

YOU SAT OUTSIDE, right on the edge of the bridge above your group's current hideout. Your legs dangled over the side as you looked out to the trees and water.

It all felt different now that you knew Bucky was out there.

You looked at your locket you held in your hands, something you had caught yourself doing too often as of late, and traced your finger around Bucky's wedding band.

"Y/N, honey, I've just had an amazing idea." Bucky stopped in the sidewalk just outside a jewelry store. You quirked an eyebrow at him as his arm slipped off your shoulder.

"Do tell." You said, chuckling at the expression on your best friend's face.

"Give me two seconds." He told you and dashed into the store beside you. You crossed your arms and looked down to the engagement ring on your finger.

At this point in time, you did often wonder what had convinced you to agree to marry your best friend. You knew it was likely the offer for a place to live, or maybe it was just for the hell of it.

Bucky exited the store moments later, his hands clamped over a small box.

"You're not going to propose another fake marriage are you? We haven't even had the wedding yet." You whispered to him, a teasing hint to your voice and Bucky chuckled to himself.

"No, take a look at this." He opened the box and inside was a necklace with a heart shaped locket on the end.

"Oh, wow, Buck. What is that?" You held back a laugh and he handed the box to you, his left arm sliding around your waist.

"You can put my picture in it. All the girls have one, you know." He told you and you met his eyes. Neither of you could keep a straight face for more than a few seconds.

"Oh, Bucky, how thoughtful of you!" You teased with a giggle and he shrugged, his amusement still present on his face.

"I guarantee my mother would think so." He said and cleared his throat. "'James, what a thoughtful gift for your beautiful girl.'"

He mimicked his mother's voice and you laughed before he pretended to be himself again.

"Why, gee, thanks, Ma. I do try." He spoke, then mimicked his mother's voice again. "'Now I know this marriage is absolutely real, such a perfect couple. And Y/N really is just beautiful -"

"Stop it." You hit him on the chest lightly and you both laughed together.

"What?"

"Your mom does not sound like that!" You told him between giggles.

"Rebecca thinks my impression is spot on, thank you very much."

"Of course she does, she practically worships you." You then looked down at the box in your hands. "So, are we going to get a photo of you for me to put in here or not?"

"Yes, ma'am." 

You were taken away from your thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching behind you.

You turned to see Steve and you clipped your necklace back around your neck.

"Be careful there, you don't want to fall off the edge." He warned you.

"I can fly." You stated in response, your face blank as you looked back to the water below.

"Yeah, I know." He stopped beside you, staying standing just behind you. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." You said, and met his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." He answered, but didn't look away. He waited for you to say more. You sighed before you did so.

"Steve, I don't know if I'll be able to fight him." You spoke softly, it hurt to say more than a few words due to the Winter Soldier choking you before. "I mean, it's Bucky. I loved him."

"I know." Steve sighed, then wrapped his arms around you in a hug for a moment.

The two of you stayed in silence for a minute before Sam joined you outside.

"He's gonna be there, you know." Sam said and Steve let go, turning to him.

"We know." Steve replied.

"Look, whoever he used to be and the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop." Sam told you.

You shook your head slowly.

"I don't know if I can do that." Steve said.

"Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn't know you."

That sent an ache through you and you looked down.

"He will." Steve stated, and looked to Sam. "Gear up. It's time."

"You gonna wear that?" Sam asked as Steve started walking away. You swung your legs around and stood up again.

"No." Steve said. "If you're gonna fight a war, you got to wear a uniform."

Chapter Text

GETTING INTO THE Triskelion was easier than you had expected.

You, Steve, Sam and Hill made it into the comms room, being let in by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, who your group had lured to the door by messing with the satellite dish.

"Excuse us." Steve said and the man lifted his hands in surrender, letting you all pass.

Steve headed towards the microphone that led to the building's P.A. system while Maria Hill set it up for him and the S.H.I.E.L.D. workers all scrambled out of the way.

"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Steve Rogers." He spoke into the microphone. "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was."

You shared a look with Sam, who stood to your side, before he looked back at Steve.

"It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader." Steve explained. "The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well."

You were prepared for them to come barging in any minute now.

"I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there." Steve said. "If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them."

Steve looked back at you and you offered him a small smile.

"I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

Steve let go of the microphone and straightened his posture.

"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked him.

Because you had made yourselves known, it didn't take long for the helicarriers to begin takeoff, and you, Steve and Sam were running outside.

"Hey, Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam asked.

"If they're shooting at you, they're bad." Steve answered as you neared the edge.

The ground had been opened up to allow the helicarriers to fly, and while Sam's wings came out and you jumped into the air to fly, Steve jumped down the high distance and landed on the carrier.

You were in the air with Sam, each of you aiming for a different helicarrier.

There were three in total, so you had split them between yourselves in hopes to save time and make the job easier.

As you and Sam flew into the air, the canons on the top began aiming and shooting at the two of you.

"Hey, Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about." Sam shouted as you dodged flying bullets and smoke.

"You okay?" Steve asked and you flew past Sam and over to the third carrier.

"I'm not dead yet." Sam replied. "Y/N?"

"This is nothing." You said, watching the canons shooting after Sam. "Ever fought aliens, Sam?"

Then the guns on your carrier began shooting, and you just narrowly dodged a bullet to the stomach.

"You were saying?" Sam asked and you rolled your eyes, diving down.

You sent energy blasts at the guns, managing to blow up one of the smaller machine guns before you landed on the runway at the top of the helicarrier, holding a hand to your head and feeling slightly dizzy.

"Okay, guys, I'm in." You said and a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers came running over with their guns pointed.

You made quick work of them, just a few energy blasts and they were all crumpled on the ground. Though, using your powers was starting to feel like a struggle, due to your lack of sleep and how little you had eaten. How were you supposed to use energy-based powers with no energy?

"Great." Hill said over the comms. "Falcon, status?"

"Engaging." Sam responded and you started running towards the building on the helicarrier. "Alright, Cap. I'm in. Oh, shit."

"Sam, you good?" You asked, holding your hand to your ear and looking over to his carrier, where he was being chased by a fighter jet.

"What does it look like!?" He yelled back, and before you could go to back him up, more soldiers were shooting at you.

"Eight minutes, Cap." Hill's voice spoke in your ear and you kicked a guard in the chest, knocking them back.

"I'm working on it." Steve's voice replied and you made it into the building.

The sounds of gunfire and explosions outside could still be heard once you had made it inside and started down the route to replace the targeting blade.

"Alpha lock." Steve said and you could hear the door behind you open, you spun around to see more soldiers with guns pointed at you, and you sighed.

"Are you kidding me?" You groaned and they started shooting.

"Falcon, where are you now?" Hill asked and you attempted to gather energy around your hand for a stronger punch, but all you got was a shaky flicker.

"I had to take a detour!" Sam replied and you started with hand-to-hand combat against the soldiers and their guns.

"Well, when you guys are done, I could use some backup!" You yelled over gunfire as you kicked a soldier in the leg. You shot an energy blast at a soldier, but it hit him like a weak slap. "I'm having some performance issues."

"I'm in." Sam said a moment later and you managed to get a hold of one of the soldiers' guns. "Bravo lock."

"Two down, one to go. Y/N, what's your status?"

"Status is, 'working on it!'" You replied, shooting at the guards with the gun and you had finally taken them all out. 

"Charlie carrier is 45 degrees off the port bow." Maria said. "Six minutes."

"Hey, Sam, gonna need a ride." Steve shouted and you went back to running down the halls to find the control panel.

"Roger. Let me know when you're ready." Sam replied.

"I just did!"

You could hear commotion over the comms and you paused at a dead end, turning around and looking back in the direction you had come in.

"Shit. Are you kidding me?" You muttered and began retracing your steps.

"You know, you're a lot heavier than you look." Sam told Steve.

"I had a big breakfast." Steve replied.

"That makes one of us." You said with a frown. "I'm gonna need your help down here, I'm, like, two corners away from being totally lost."

"Steve!" Sam shouted and you froze.

You were sure you had cleared the ship, so the only person who could be attacking them was...

You started running down the halls again, back towards the door.

"Guys, what's going on!?" You shouted.

"Y/N, don't worry! Just focus on the targeting blade." Maria said and you looked between the door and the hallway again.

You ran down the hallway, leaving the door behind you.

You finally found the stairs as Sam's voice came over the comms again.

"Cap! Cap, come in. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Steve replied. "I'm still on the helicarrier. Where are you?"

"I'm grounded. The suit's down. Sorry, Cap."

"Don't worry." Steve replied. "Y/N, where are you?"

"Inside." You replied. "I found the way down."

"I'll meet you there."

Over the comms you could hear Hill giving Sam orders and you ran across the short bridge and to the control panel.

You opened it up, pulling down all the blades and took the original targeting blade out.

As you went to get the replacement from the small pocket on your belt, you could hear footsteps on the metal grates of the bridge behind you.

"Don't worry, Steve, I got this." You said and pulled the small blade out.

The footsteps didn't stop, and you turned your head just in time to dodge a fist to the head from the Winter Soldier.

"Steve, he's here!" You shouted and jumped out of the way as he tried to hit you again. The targeting blade slipped from your hands and went flying across the ground. "Shit."

Bucky drew his gun and tried shooting, which you just dodged.

"Bucky -" You said his name just once, and that earned you a kick to the stomach, knocking you backwards and winding you.

You tried catching your breath before getting up, but he was standing over you a minute later, boot on your chest and gun pointed at your head.

As you looked up at Bucky, you were too shocked to fight back, too winded to even catch your breath.

You had been too busy staring at the gun barrel staring you down that to realize you hadn't been shot in the head yet.

Bucky was staring down at you, your chest, and then your eyes.

Your locket was hanging out again, not open, but it wasn't hidden behind your clothes again.

Bucky's eyes kept flickering between yours and the locket, the confused, almost pained expression on his face returning.

"Bucky..." You spoke softly and his eyes returned to yours.

"That's not... That's not my name." He spoke, shaking his head, and pointed the gun again. The returning sound of footsteps on metal made Bucky look up and he lowered his gun.

You did your best to turn your head to see Steve, and he looked just about ready to attack.

You used Bucky's distraction to your advantage and managed to roll out from under him, causing him to stumble backwards. He fired and you ran towards Steve, groaning as a bullet hit your arm.

You held a hand to your arm while you caught your breath as Bucky stared at you and Steve, blocking the way to the open control panel.

"I'm sorry, Steve." You said with a pant and he pushed you behind him, looking over to Bucky.

"People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve said and Bucky didn't reply. "Please don't make me do this."

You were leaning on the railing behind Steve, watching Bucky simply glare back until Steve threw his shield.

Bucky used his metal arm as a cover and started shooting at Steve.

While they fought you went running forwards, ducking past Steve and Bucky and sliding onto the ground, grabbing the targeting blade before it was stepped on or broken.

Steve kicked Bucky backwards, and Bucky ran back at him with a knife.

As they fought, they slowly rotated around so Bucky's back was to the stairs and Steve's was to the control panel.

You raised a hand and managed to muster up the energy to shoot at Bucky, knocking him back.

"Steve!" You called out and tossed him the targeting blade before jumping up.

Bucky dodged you and ran at Steve, going in for a punch with his metal arm. Steve raised his shield and the vibration echoed around.

They fought for a moment more before Bucky let out a yell and sent himself and Steve over the edge of the railing, and down they fell.

Chapter Text

YOU RAN TO the edge of the railing and looked down at the men as they fought, then you noticed the targeting blade on the ground behind Bucky.

You jumped down to their level, your powers failing halfway and you fell onto the metal ground, and Bucky sent Steve flipping through the air.

Steve slid down and managed to grab the targeting blade. Bucky slid after Steve, and the targeting blade was sent clattering down to the glass dome floor that surrounded you all.

Bucky fell first and Steve jumped down after him, so you followed, sliding down to the edge of the floor you were on.

Steve ran for the targeting blade and you jumped down to the glass level the moment Bucky threw Steve's shield at him.

You grabbed onto Bucky's non-metal arm from behind and jumped up to kick him in the back.

Bucky threw you off and knocked you back onto the glass. He picked up his gun again and started shooting at Steve.

Steve threw his shield and Bucky used his metal arm to knock it away, towards you, before running towards him with his knife.

You pushed yourself to your feet to run after Bucky, picking up Steve's shield on the way, and he fought with Steve for a moment before he managed to stab Steve in the shoulder.

Steve head-butted Bucky a few times before ripping the knife out of his shoulder.

Bucky was crawling on the glass for the targeting blade, and you slid across the glass and kicked him right in the face.

Bucky managed to grab the blade, though, and Steve lifted him up by the throat.

While Steve held Bucky's arm with the blade back, you tried pulling it from his tight grip.

"Drop it!" Steve shouted and Bucky tried to hit Steve with his free arm. "Drop it!"

There was a snap and Bucky let out a pained scream, which hurt you to hear.

You managed to rip the blade from Bucky's hand and Steve pulled Bucky into a chokehold.

"Y/N, take it up there!" Steve ordered to you while Bucky struggled in his arms, trying to pull Steve away.

"I don't know if I can fly right now, Steve!" You told him, heading backwards. 

"What!?" He yelled as Bucky pulled one of his arms away with the metal one, so Steve held it down with his leg and gripped Bucky tighter.

"I told you I was having performance issues!" You shouted, and a moment later Bucky went limp and Steve jumped to his feet.

Steve took the blade and started jumping up the different levels up to where the control panel was, doing flips and all sorts.

There was a loud bang and you ducked down, looking back to see Bucky was on his feet and shooting at Steve.

He managed to hit Steve twice before you tackled him to the ground. Climbing on top of him, you managed to get a punch to his face in before he threw you off.

"30 seconds, guys." Hill's voice warned and you kicked Bucky's gun away before he could reach for it.

"Standby." Steve replied and Bucky scrambled for his gun, pointing it up at Steve and shooting. "Charlie..."

You knocked Bucky down again and looked up to Steve as he collapsed.

"Shit!" You shouted and kicked Bucky down before running as fast as you could and jumping up. While they flickered, and were extremely weak, you managed to make it to the top where Steve was before your powers gave out. "Steve, are you okay?"

He just coughed and handed you the targeting blade.

You lifted yourself to your feet and clicked the blade into place quickly.

"Charlie lock." You stated and you could hear Steve chuckle breathily before wincing.

"Okay, guys, get out of there." Hill told you and Steve met your eyes. You nodded.

"Fire now." He said.

"But, Steve..."

"Do it! I'll get us out." You told her. You weren't quite sure how you would with your powers all out of wack, but you were going to. "Do it now!"

The helicarriers started shooting at each other and you grabbed onto Steve, helping him up as the place started coming down.

But then there was a scream that tore your heart in half.

Steve leaned against the railing and you both looked down to where Bucky was lying with a large piece of metal from the roof on top of him.

"We can't leave him." Steve panted and you sighed.

"I know." The whole helicarrier was shaking around you and Steve started climbing over the edge of the railing. 

"I'll get him, you go."

"No. I'm not leaving you behind." You told him and climbed over too. You glanced down to Bucky, then back to Steve. "I'm not leaving either of you."

You grabbed onto Steve and you both jumped down. Your powers decided it was a perfect time not to work and you both crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Sorry." You apologized and helped Steve up before holding your hand over the gunshot wound on your arm.

The shakiness of the helicarrier caused the two of you to stumble, and Bucky watched as Steve grabbed onto the metal post and tried to lift it. You couldn't do much to help, but still tried as your friends all yelled in your ear.

"Hill! Where're Steve and Y/N?" Nat was yelling. "You got a location on them?"

Their helicopter flew past you at the same time Steve managed to lift the debris off of Bucky and he pulled himself out.

Steve dropped it and you put a hand on his shoulder.

You looked over to Bucky, who was on his hands and knees, lifting himself up.

"You know me." Steve told him.

"No, I don't!" Bucky yelled back and swung at Steve, knocking you back in the process and you slipped, almost falling through a hole in the glass.

"Bucky. You've known us your whole life." Steve told him and you picked yourself up again.

Bucky punched Steve in the face and all of you stumbled. The helicarrier was still going down.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes." You spoke this time, standing in front of Steve.

"Shut up!" Bucky shouted and swung at you. And you just took the punch, falling back on the glass.

Steve had made it to his feet again and Bucky hit him.

"I'm not gonna fight you." Steve said and dropped his shield, which fell through a hole in the glass and down to the water below. "You're my friend."

Bucky stood and stared for a moment, and you struggled to get your footing as the floor shook.

With a roar, Bucky ran at Steve and pushed him back and to the ground.

"You're my mission." Bucky said and you started crawling across the glass, small shards definitely digging into your palms as you did so.

One of your legs slipped down through a gap in the glass and you started to fall as Bucky punched Steve in the face with his metal fist.

"YOU'RE. MY. MISSION!" He shouted and your attempts to pull yourself up failed, your arm still bleeding heavily from the gunshot aching too much to properly lift your body weight.

Bucky pulled his fist back again and you brought your leg back up onto the ship so you could awkwardly crawl towards them.

"Then finish it." Steve told him. "Because I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

Bucky didn't hit Steve again, but the control panel from the middle of the room fell and landed on the ground beside you all.

You were still holding on to the metal you were crawling on, and Bucky had managed to grip onto some too, but Steve fell with the rest of the glass and other debris.

"STEVE!" You screamed and Bucky's head turned towards you.

You met his eyes and Bucky let go of the metal to fall after Steve.

The helicarrier fell more, and you knew if you didn't let go, you were bound to be crushed.

So you jumped after the men, your two best friends, and landed in the water as well.

When you came up for air, you noticed Bucky swimming away, pulling Steve along with him.

The swim through the debris-filled water was tough with only one good arm, but you made it to shallow water before you passed out from total exhaustion.

Ahead of you, Bucky had dragged Steve out of the water and onto the shore. He was staring down at Steve who, luckily, was moving.

You practically collapsed onto the sand beside Steve upon making it out of the water, and looked to Bucky as you caught your breath.

He met your eyes, those electric blue eyes staring so deeply into you, and he didn't fight.

He had this unreadable expression on his face and he started moving backwards.

"Bucky..." You managed to say his name between your heavy breaths, and his eyes looked sad. "Buck..."

Steve coughed below you, water spilling from his mouth and you held your wrist up to your mouth.

"Hey, is this thing working?"

"Y/N!" Nat's voice came through, a little crackly, but it still came through.

"Steve's hurt pretty bad here, guys." You said and Bucky stared for a moment before he slowly turned away.

And while you knew you probably shouldn't, you let him go.

Chapter Text

YOU HAD TO have surgery to remove the bullet from your arm. It had been lodged in the bone so you literally needed a cast and everything.

You returned home with your new cast. Steve was still in the hospital, but he was alive. You would've stayed with him, but you were so drained, physically and mentally, that you were just glad to get some sleep.

In fact you slept for the entire day after your surgery, genuinely over 24 hours. Your bed had never felt so soft.

They didn't even give you any drugs or anything, your body just needed it.

When you woke up, you were starving.

You hadn't been home in days, since you had tore the place up searching for bugs, and you had no idea what food you had in the house.

It was when you were making yourself food that you were told Steve was awake, and after you ate, took a bath, got dressed, you decided to test your powers and fly to the hospital.

"Of course it works now." You muttered to yourself, midair as you flew over Washington.

You landed right at the front doors of the building and walked in, ignoring the few glances from the people who had seen you literally drop out of the sky.

The woman at the front desk let you go in as a visitor and you entered Steve's room to see Sam sitting on the chair beside his bed.

"Hey." You greeted and both of them turned to look at you.

"Hey." Steve smiled and winced as he pulled himself up, leaning back on his pillows.

"Stevie, you look like shit." You told him and he chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I feel like I was hit by a truck." He replied and you smiled, looking over to the chair next to him. 

"Hi, Sam." 

"Hey."

It took a while for Steve to heal properly, but not as long as you would expect. The perks of being a super soldier, you supposed.

By the time you, Steve and Sam were standing at Nick Fury's empty grave, Steve's face wasn't swollen anymore, not even the smallest trace of a fight.

The scars beneath his shirt would say otherwise.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before." Fury's voice spoke and you turned to see him stopping beside you.

"You get used to it." Steve replied and you nodded.

Fury was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses rather than his usual coat and eyepatch.

"We've been data mining HYDRA's files." Fury said. "Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you'd come."

"There's something I gotta do first." Steve told him, and Fury looked to you. You nodded towards Steve, so he faced Sam. "How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities."

"I'm more of a soldier than a spy." Sam answered.

"Alright, then." Nick looked back down at his gravestone before shaking Sam's hand, then yours, then Steve's. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here."

"Will do." You said and Nick walked away.

"You should be honored. That's about as close as he gets to saying thank you." Nat's voice came from your right and you all turned to look at her as she approached.

"Not going with him?" Steve asked.

"No." She replied with a shake of her head.

"Not staying here." Steve said.

"Nah. I blew all my covers. I got to go find a new one." Natasha said and you glanced to Sam, like you were asking him if he was getting the same vibes you were.

"That might take a while."

"I'm counting on it." Then Nat lifted a small file in her hands. "That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev."

You started walking over as Steve took the file into his hands.

"Will you do me a favor?" Nat asked and Steve looked up from the file you were now stating down at. "Call that nurse."

"She's not a nurse." Steve said with a smile.

"And you're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

"What was her name again?" Steve asked and you slowly took the folder from his hands.

"Sharon. She's nice." Nat said and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek.

You looked up and she stepped forward, pulling you into a half hug before walking away.

"Be careful, guys." She turned back and nodded towards the folder in your hands. "You might not want to pull on that thread."

You opened the folder and the photograph that took up the whole left side made you frown.

It was taken through the small glass window of a cryo freeze chamber, and inside was Bucky, his eyes closed like he was sleeping.

But below that was a much smaller photo and you picked it up as Steve took the folder into his own hands again.

That photo was the Bucky you had remembered. He was smiling and was wearing his uniform. It would've been taken the night before he was shipped out.

The night you went to the Stark Expo, first saw Howard, met Dr. Erskine.

It made you sad thinking back to that night and knowing everything that would come after.

"You're going after him." Sam said and you glanced over at him. You hadn't heard him walk over.

"You don't have to come with us." Steve told him.

"I know." Sam replied. There was only a small second of a pause as you handed the photograph back to Steve. "When do we start?"

Chapter Text

——————————————————————

THE GREAT WAR

"but diesel is desire, you were playing with fire"

——————————————————————

PART FOUR

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron

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THE AVENGERS are back, now staying in the new and refurbished Avengers Tower and working to take down what's left of HYDRA.

In her free time, between all the missions and parties, Y/N L/N spends her free time doing whatever she can to try and find BUCKY BARNES, who had disappeared since she last saw him after the helicarriers fell.

However, everything's doomed when TONY STARK unwittingly creates ULTRON, an A.I. who is hellbent on destroying the planet in the name of world peace.

On ULTRON's side is a pair of twins, WANDA MAXIMOFF and PIETRO MAXIMOFF, whose enhanced abilities give THE AVENGERS more of a challenge.

It's up to THE AVENGERS to take down ULTRON before the end of the world as they know it. And they don't know if they can do it.

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THE SOUNDTRACK

THE GREAT WAR; taylor swift

HEROES; danny elfman 

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE; the police

LITTLE DARK AGE; mgmt

DO I WANNA KNOW?; hozier

FULL MACHINE; gracie abrams

SEE YOU AGAIN; tyler, the creator, kali uchis

NOW THAT WE DON'T TALK; taylor swift

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Chapter Text

THE SNOWY FOREST was swarmed with HYDRA soldiers, who you shot at as you flew between the trees.

Tony was by your side before he flew down to be level with the car Nat was driving herself and Clint in.

Steve was on his motorbike and Thor was using his hammer to propel himself through the air.

Bruce, as the Hulk, was charging through the forest and destroying anything in his way.

You did a spin to dodge a tank he had thrown until you reached their blockade.

Nat swerved the car so her and Clint could jump out and all seven of you crossed over to the soldiers' side.

While the others stayed back to deal with the soldiers and tanks and trucks, you followed Tony through the air as he headed for the castle.

Guns on the buildings shot at you, causing you to swerve and dodge as you shot back at them.

Tony made it to the building, but instead of flying through the window, he bounced off of a forcefield.

"Shit!" Tony cursed.

"Language!" Steve warned over the comms. "Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield." The robotic voice of Jarvis replied. "Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken."

"Loki's scepter must be here." Thor stated. "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it."

"Makes sense." You said with a grunt, hitting another one of the large guns with your own energy blasts. "These weapons are super advanced."

"At long last." Thor said.

"'At long last' is lasting a little long." Natasha said.

"Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise." Clint's voice spoke as you dove down to shoot at soldiers on the ground around the building.

"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'Language'?" Tony asked as the two of you flew past each other, and you chuckled.

"I know." Steve sighed. "It just slipped out."

"Don't worry, Stevie. We'll make sure to watch our language." You teased and you could practically hear the eye roll over the comms. Then you were hit by a blast and knocked to the ground. "Fuck!"

"Smooth, Y/N." Tony commented.

You groaned as you landed on the hard ground, and looked up to see soldiers swarming you.

You raised your fists and quickly aimed, firing at as many of them as quickly as you could.

"We have an Enhanced in the field." Steve's voice said soon after.

"Clint's hit!" Natasha exclaimed and you were in the air. "Somebody want to deal with that bunker? ...Thank you."

"Stark, we really need to get inside." Steve said as you started flying back towards the forest.

"I'm closing in." Tony said. "Jarvis, am I closing in? Do you see a power source for that shield?"

"There's a particle wave below the north tower."

"Great, I want to poke it with something." There was a pause of silence from the team and you landed in the snow again beside a pair of soldiers, kicking one into the other and knocking them both down. "The drawbridge is down, people."

"Steve, where's the Enhanced?" You asked, jumping up and flying through the trees.

"He's a blur." Steve replied and you found him beside Thor, dropping down next to them. "All the new players we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac." Nat spoke.

"I can get Barton to the jet." Thor said as a tank and many more soldiers approached. "The sooner we're gone, the better. You two and Stark secure the scepter."

"Copy that." Steve said as the soldiers began to shoot.

"Looks like they're lining up." Thor observed and Steve looked over.

"Well, they're excited." Steve said and raised his shield.

You stepped behind Steve as Thor brought his hammer down on the vibranium shield, which sent a vibrating echo that caused them all to go flying through the air and crashing to the ground.

"Find the scepter." Thor said and took off again.

"And for gosh sake, watch your language!" Tony teased and you started to laugh at the disappointment on Steve's face.

"That's not going away any time soon." He said then looked to you, nodding towards the castle.

"I'm not carrying you." You told him and lifted yourself into the air. "You're too heavy."

"Come on." He frowned and you shrugged.

"You'll break my arms." You said and he rolled his eyes before he started running.

You flew after him, catching up easily, and you both reached the large building in mere minutes.

"We're locked down out here." Nat said as Steve took off his helmet.

"Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby." Steve told her and you headed inside the building Tony had cleared easily on his own.

Well, mostly.

The two of you came across a handful of soldiers and other HYDRA agents trying to escape, but you dealt with them quickly and easily.

Steve kicked a soldier into another room and you walked in to see Strucker had just come up the stairs.

"Baron Strucker." Steve acknowledged and you crossed your arms. "HYDRA's number one thug."

"Technically I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D." Strucker said.

"Well, then technically you're unemployed." You cut in and Strucker gave you a glance.

"Where's Loki's scepter?" Steve questioned.

"Don't worry, I know when I'm beat." Strucker said and you walked around to stand beside Steve, facing Strucker. "You'll mention how I cooperated, I hope."

"I'll put it right under 'illegal human experimentation.'" Steve said. "How many are there?"

Just as he asked, a girl came out of the shadows and hit him with a red burst of something from her hands, knocking Steve down the stairs.

You went to hit her back with your own powers, but she was out of the room within seconds.

"We have a second Enhanced. Female. Do not engage." Steve told the others as he came back up the stairs.

"You'll have to be faster than -" Strucker's words were cut off by Steve stepping on the edge of his shield on the ground, flipping it into the air. He kicked it into Strucker's face and it returned to his arm.

"Nice one." You said, watching Strucker groan as he fell unconscious.

"Guys, I got Strucker." Steve said into the comms.

"Yeah, I got something bigger." Tony told you and you shared a look with Steve. "Thor, I got eyes on the prize."

There was a long, quiet pause from Tony and Steve pat your shoulder, telling you to follow him, and you headed back to the ship.

Then Tony's voice returned. "I've got the scepter."

Chapter Text

TONY FLEW THE Quinjet back while the rest of you quietly sat or walked around the jet.

Clint was lying down and Nat kept checking his wounds. You sat in the corner, watching Bruce who had headphones clamped over his ears and a blanket pulled around him.

You turned your head and noticed Steve was already looking your way. You offered him a small smile, and he gave you a similar one in return.

Nat crouched down in front of Bruce and they talked quietly together, and you stood up as Steve approached you.

"Hey." You greeted.

"You alright?" He asked softly and you nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" You said and he shrugged, bumping your arm with his.

"Just wanted to make sure." He said.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?" Nat asked and you both turned to look towards him.

"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims." Thor said proudly and Steve let out an exhale, giving you a look. Bruce groaned and Steve looked down at his feet as Thor scrambled to correct himself. "But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, wounded screams. Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and gout."

You slowly met Steve's eyes, and the amused look on his face was enough to get a quiet laugh out of you that you were thankful Bruce and Nat didn't see.

"Hey, Banner, Dr. Cho is on her way in from Seoul." Tony called out from the front. "Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?"

"Uh, yeah, she knows her way around." Bruce replied.

"Thanks." Tony said and then said something to Jarvis you couldn't hear.

"Very good, sir." Jarvis replied.

"Jarvis, take the wheel." Tony said.

"Yes, sir. Approach vector is locked."

Then Tony stood up and walked across the ship towards Thor, patting him on the shoulder and the two walked over to where you were keeping Loki's scepter.

You and Steve followed.

"Feels good, yeah? I mean, you've been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed." Tony said to Thor. "Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."

"No, but this... This brings it to a close." Thor nodded.

"As soon as we find out what else this has been used for. I don't just mean weapons." Steve stated. "Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"

"Banner and I will give it the once over before it goes back to Asgard." Tony told you. "Is that cool with you? Just a few days 'til the farewell party. You're staying, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course. A victory should be honored with revels." Thor said.

"Yeah, who doesn't love revels? Captain?" Tony said and your mouth twitched into a smile.

"Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA. So, yes, revels." Steve said and you chuckled.

"Y/N, you're not going to go disappear are you?" Tony questioned, his attention turning to you. "Come on, revels!"

"Fine." You told him, fighting your amusement that threatened to show itself on your face. "But only because you asked nicely."

WHEN THE JET landed, Clint was rushed off immediately, Nat hurrying by his side.

Thor left the ship, carrying Loki's scepter, and Maria Hill came onboard.

"Lab's all set up, boss." She told Tony.

"Oh, actually, he's the boss." Tony said, pointing to Steve. "I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked, standing up.

"NATO's got him." Hill answered.

"The two Enhanced?"

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building."

Maria and Steve walked off the ship as she continued explaining, showing him footage on the tablet in her hands.

You sighed as you stood up.

"I'm going to my room." You stated. "See you later, Tony."

"Mhm." Tony nodded.

You followed Steve and Hill to the elevator, not listening to their conversation and just wanting to take a shower, have some food and take a nap.

"File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments." Hill said as you entered the elevator after Steve. "It's nuts."

"Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" Steve said, pointing out the parallels between the Maximoff twins and himself.

"We're not at war, Captain." Hill said and you leaned back in the elevator as the doors closed.

"They are." Steve said and the two of you were alone.

It was silent for the moment, you looked down at your dirty fingernails and the small scratches on your palms from the battle.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Steve asked and you looked up with a nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine." You told him and the elevator stopped at your floor. "I promise."

You were lying.

You always felt fine in the battles, but once the aftermath hit and you were alone with your thoughts, you got to thinking about Bucky.

You and Steve had spent months and months searching for the tiniest lead to his whereabouts, but came up with nothing. It was like he had disappeared without a trace again.

A part of you regretted letting him leave on that beach, but you knew he wouldn't have stayed if you had tried keeping him.

You headed into your room and peeled your uniform off, the material feeling like it was sticking to your skin due to all the sweat and the freezing temperatures in the snowy battle.

Once you had showered, scrubbing your skin clean and staring at the scar on your arm from when the Winter Soldier had shot you the previous year, you felt ten times more refreshed.

When you headed up to the kitchen, Tony was there with drinks.

"You want one?" He asked, putting them on trays as you opened the fridge. "If you do, you're gonna have to come socialize with the rest of us."

You gave him a look, but then followed him upstairs towards his lab.

"Don't you have a blender up in your lab?" You asked him and Tony gave you a stare.

"Well, yes, but how else was I supposed to get you to come and hang out with the team?" He said and you rolled your eyes, but smiled.

"If you brought him to my lab, the Regeneration Cradle could do this in 20 minutes." Dr. Cho was saying as you entered Bruce's lab.

"Oh, he's flat-lining. Call it. Time?" Tony joked, placing the tray of drinks down on one of the many surfaces in the lab.

"No, no, no, I'm gonna live forever." Clint said with a chuckle from where he was lying down. "I'm gonna be made of plastic."

"Here's your beverage." Tony handed him a drink and you took one for yourself.

"You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton. Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference." Dr. Cho stated.

"I don't have a girlfriend." Clint said.

"That I can't fix." Dr. Cho said and you looked down at Clint's wound where Dr. Cho's machine was creating new tissue. "This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are gonna be left in the dust."

"That is exactly the plan." Tony said and Nat grabbed herself a drink. "And, Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."

"Unlike you, I don't have time for parties." Dr. Cho told him, then paused. "Will Thor be there?"

Chapter Text

SATURDAY NIGHT ROLLED around and the party was in full swing.

Bruce wandered around aimlessly, Nat sat on the couch talking with Rhodey, Thor told stories to some older men, Clint talked with Dr. Cho, Steve and Sam played pool together, and you sat alone by the window, staring out at the city.

Later Rhodey was at the bar with Tony, Thor, and Maria Hill, telling them a story.

"So I take the tank, fly it right up to the general's palace, drop it at his feet. I'm like, 'Boom. You looking for this?'" Rhodey looked to the two other men expectantly, and they looked back with blank stares. "'Boom. Are you looking for...' Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else, that story kills."

"That's the whole story?" Thor asked.

"Yeah, it's a War Machine story."

"Oh, it is very good, then." Thor said with a laugh. "It's impressive."

"Quality save." Rhodey looked to Tony. "So, no Pepper? She's not coming?"

"No." Tony answered.

"What about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?" Hill questioned.

"Oh, Ms. Potts has a company to run." Tony said.

"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in." Said Thor. "Her work on the Convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer."

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It's pretty exciting."

"There's even talk of Jane getting a, um, Nobel Prize."

"Yeah, they must be busy, because they would hate missing you guys get together." Hill pretended to cough. "Testosterone."

"Oh, my goodness." Rhodey said.

"Excuse me." Maria said.

"Want a lozenge?" Rhodey asked as he guided her away.

"But Jane's better." Thor said to Tony, still smiling.

On the other side of the room, Steve had been explaining an earlier battle to Sam, who he was walking with.

"Sounds like a hell of a fight. Sorry I missed it." Sam said to Steve as they started going up the stairs. 

"If I had known it was going to be a firefight, I absolutely would have called." Steve told him.

"No, no. I'm not actually sorry." Sam chuckled. "I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy."

"Be it ever so humble." Steve commented.

"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?" Sam asked.

"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn." Steve replied.

"Well, home is home, you know?" Sam said, then paused. "Why not ask Y/N to share an apartment with you again? Hey, where is she? I wanna say hi."

Steve pointed to the windows nearby, where you were sitting. A drink in one hand, laptop in front of you and eyes out on the city.

"Is she okay?" Sam asked.

"No." Steve replied, looking over at you. "She thinks I don't notice, but I do. She's been different since D.C.."

The party was going on around you, but your focus was elsewhere. You looked out to the city and wondered where in the world Bucky was. If he was nearby, if he was in the country.

You looked back to your laptop, where you had been doing your routine scouring of the internet hoping to come up with something, even the tiniest bit of a clue.

"Hey, Y/N." A voice to your side spoke and you looked up to see Sam approaching, followed by Steve. You put on a smile and stood up, closing the laptop.

"Hi, Sam!" You greeted and hugged him. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." He said, then gestured to the laptop. "What are you doing there?"

"Oh, it's nothing." You lied. Well, it felt like a lie, but it wasn't like you were finding anything.

"Then come join the party, Y/N." Sam said, arm around your shoulder and pulling you towards Steve. "Have some fun. Whatever you're doing can wait."

YOU DID END up having some fun. You spent the rest of the night with Sam, then with Tony, Clint and Thor when he left.

When the party had died down and all the guests, except Rhodey, left, you and your friends were all sitting around on the couches and talking.

You were squashed between Steve and Thor, leaning your head against Steve's shoulder.

"But it's a trick." Clint was insisting. You had all been talking about Mjølnir, Thor's hammer, and laughing about being able to lift it.

"No, no, it's much more than that." Thor said and you handed Steve his drink 

"'Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power.'" Clint mocked and you laughed. "Whatever, man! It's a trick."

"Well, please, be my guest." Thor told him, gesturing to the hammer that sat on the table in the middle of the couches.

"Come on." Tony added, looking at Clint.

"Really?" Clint asked.

"Yeah." Tony said and Clint stood up.

"Oh, this is going to be beautiful." Rhodey commented, earning a few short laughs.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony teased and everyone laughed more.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint said to Thor, who gave him a nod. Clint grabbed onto the handle of the hammer and tried to pull, but it didn't budge. "I still don't know how you do it!"

"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony asked.

"Please, Stark, by all means." Clint gestured to Tony and you sat up straighter in your seat. Tony stood up and started walking towards the hammer.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics." Tony put his hand through the strap at the bottom of the hammer and grabbed the handle.

"Physics." Bruce repeated, sounding incredulous.

"Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asked.

"Yes, of course." Thor replied confidently and you snickered.

"I will be reinstating prima nocta." Tony joked and you made a face. He then tried to lift the hammer with both hands. He failed. "I'll be right back."

He left the room and came in with the hand of his Iron Man suit and attempted to lift the hammer again.

"Rhodes, give me a hand." He waved him over and Rhodey grabbed the hand of his War Machine suit, attempting to help.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked Tony amongst their struggling.

"Are you on my team?"

"Just represent. Pull."

"Alright, let's go."

The hammer still didn't budge.

"Banner, you try." Tony ordered, pointing to him.

"I don't know if I want to." Bruce said, looking between Tony and Nat.

Bruce ended up trying, though. He had both hands on the handle and both feet on the table, letting out a yell as he tried to lift it.

He let go with his fists raised, like he was trying to Hulk out, and you all stared blankly. Steve had an amused expression on his face, hiding his smile behind his hand, and you hit him on the arm lightly.

"Why don't you put those super soldier muscles to use?" You suggested and Steve chuckled. Bruce sat down and Steve handed you his drink, rolling up his sleeves.

"Go ahead, Steve. No pressure." Tony said.

"Come on, Cap." Clint cheered him on and Steve grabbed onto the handle of the hammer.

You could've sworn that when Steve started pulling, the hammer moved just slightly.

You turned towards Thor, who shook his head at you despite having a worried expression on his face.

Steve sighed and let go of the hammer and shrugged, and Thor chuckled.

"Nothing." Thor laughed, confidently taking a sip from his glass and Steve sat down again.

"And, ladies?" Tony looked between you and Nat.

"Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered." Nat said and Tony turned to you. You shook your head.

"Come on!" Steve laughed, nudging you.

"No!" You said with a chuckle. "I'm with Nat."

"All defense to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged." Tony said.

"You bet your ass." Clint said, patting Tony on the back.

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Hill pointed to Clint and you burst out laughing at the look Steve gave Tony.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" He asked him.

"The handle's imprinted, right?" Tony asked Thor. "Like a security code. 'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation."

"Yes. It's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one." Thor said as he stood up, taking the few steps to the hammer. He then lifted it with ease, flipping it in his hand. "You're all not worthy."

Your group groaned. "Oh, come on."

But then a high-pitched ringing filled the room and your hands instinctively went to cover your ears.

That ringing was the sign of the night taking a darker turn.

Chapter Text

"WORTHY." A DISEMBODIED voice spoke and you all turned in your seats to see where it was coming from.

One of the damaged Iron Legion suits was slowly limping its way over. You looked to Tony, whose expression was one of confusion, before you looked back to the robot.

"No." The gravelly robot voice said, then stopped in front of the elevator. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark." Steve said, not taking his eyes off of the Iron Legionnaire in front of you all.

"Jarvis." Tony was pulling his phone out.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or I was a-dream." The robot said, making whirring sounds whenever it turned. 

"Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit." Tony tried telling Jarvis, but didn't get a response.

"There was this terrible noise." The robot's broken hand reached up to touch its broken head. "And I was tangled in...  in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve questioned the robot.

"Wouldn't have been my first call." The robot replied, almost casually. "But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor asked as you wondered what the hell a robot would know about 'the real world.'

"'I see a suit of armor around the world.'" Tony's voice played from the robot and you turned your attention to him.

"Ultron." Bruce said, looking to Tony.

"In the flesh." The Legionnaire, Ultron, replied. "Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready."

You noticed Thor gripped his hammer tighter. Behind your back, you began charging your powers, your hands beginning to glow.

"I'm on mission."

"What mission?" Nat asked as Maria Hill stood up, gun in hand.

"Peace in our time." Ultron replied and multiple Iron Legion bots came bursting into the room through the walls.

Steve kicked the coffee table up and used it as a shield that sent the two of you falling backwards when one of the robots crashed into it.

Gunshots and sounds of clanging metal filled the room quickly as the team attempted to fight off the robots.

Tony was knocked to the ground and Thor whacked a robot in the side with his hammer.

Ultron stood off to the side, watching it all unfold.

Rhodey shot at one of the robots with his blaster, and was thrown backwards through glass towards the hangar.

"Rhodey!" Hill called out and you shot at a robot who was chasing after Clint.

Clint slid across the ground, beneath a table, and Nat and Bruce dove behind the bar. 

One of the Legionnaires grabbed onto Loki's scepter and flew away, out the window, but you were too busy shooting at the one Steve had jumped on top of to notice.

The robot launched itself backwards to avoid being shot and crashed into the wall, knocking Steve off and dropping him to the ground.

You sent a few more energy blasts at it, the strongest of which left a hole right in the robot's chest.

"Stark!" Steve shouted. Tony had jumped on top of one of the Iron Legion bots.

"One sec. One sec, I got this." Tony insisted.

Half of a Legionnaire lifted itself up and started aiming its blaster hand at Helen Cho, who was crouching behind the piano.

Steve jumped in to help, grabbing the robot and throwing it. "Thor!"

Thor crushed the robot's head with his hammer when it landed in front of him.

Tony lodged a long piece of metal into the Iron Legion's neck and they fell to the ground.

"Hey, Cap!" Clint yelled and threw Steve's shield through the air.

Steve jumped up, caught it with a spin before launching it at the last remaining Iron Legionnaire that was shooting at you all, slicing it in half.

"That was dramatic." Ultron commented and Tony sat down. You were standing beside Thor, catching your breath as you watched the robot pace. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change."

Steve took a few steps forward, closer to Ultron. 

"How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron picked up one of the broken robots off the floor by the head. "With these? These puppets."

He squeezed and the robot's face popped off before he tossed it to the ground.

"There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction." Ultron said and Thor threw his hammer. It knocked Ultron back into the wall and he fell to pieces.

You looked down at the broken robot on the ground as its broken voice began to sing.

"I had strings, but now I'm free."

Then the lights in his eyes flickered off.

"ALL OUR WORK is gone." Bruce said to Tony, who was looking down at the destroyed Iron Legion that had hosted Ultron not much earlier. "Ultron cleared out. He used the Internet as an escape hatch."

"Ultron." Steve repeated the name in a whisper and you glanced to him.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance." Nat discovered and turned to the rest of the group. "Probably knows more about us than we know about each other."

"He's in your files, he's in the Internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey pointed out, holding his injured arm. 

"Nuclear codes." Maria said, using a pair of tweezers to pull glass out from the bottom of her foot.

"Nuclear codes." Rhodey nodded. "Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can."

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead." Nat stated. 

"He didn't say 'dead.' He said 'extinct.'" Steve corrected her.

"He also said he killed somebody." Clint added.

"But there wasn't anyone else in the building." You said, looking around.

"Yes, there was." Tony said, walking into the middle of the room. Then the usual hologram of Jarvis appeared, except he was destroyed. Ripped apart, torn to pieces.

"What?" Bruce was shocked as he walked closer. "This is insane."

"Jarvis was the first line of defense. He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense." Said Steve.

"No. Ultron could have assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy." Bruce observed. "This is rage."

Thor came charging into the room, dressed in full battle gear. He grabbed Tony by the throat and lifted him up.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Rhodey warned.

"It's going around." Clint said.

"Come on, use your words, buddy." Tony choked out.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark."

"Thor." Steve stepped forward. "The Legionnaire."

"Trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed north." Thor told you all. "And it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again."

"Genie's out of that bottle." Nat said. "Clear and present is Ultron."

"I don't understand." Helen Cho said and you all turned your heads towards her. She looked to Tony. "You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

Then Tony started to laugh. Bruce shook his head at him, telling him to stop, but he didn't.

"You think this is funny?" Thor questioned him.

"No." Tony said. "It's probably not, right? This is very terrible. Is it so... Is it so... It is. It's so terrible."

"This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand." Thor said.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny." Tony got up close to Thor, right in his face. "It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this."

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time." Bruce spoke up.

"Really? That's it?" Tony faced him. "You just roll over, show your belly every time somebody snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murder bot." Bruce said back.

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Tony asked and Bruce gave him a half-nod-half-shrug look.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here." Steve stated. "The Avengers were supposed to be different than S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony asked around, pointing up to the sky.

"No, it's never come up." Rhodey replied, very sarcastically.

"Saved New York?"

"Never heard that."

"Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing 300 feet below it." Tony continued. "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but that up there, that's..." Tony pointed up again. "That's the endgame. How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Steve told him.

"We'll lose." Tony said, taking a step forward.

"Then we'll do that together, too."

There was a moment of silence and Tony just stared. You watched him, wondering if he would say something, or argue.

He didn't.

"Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out." Steve said. "And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

Chapter Text

"WHAT'S THIS?" TONY asked as Steve entered the room with a tablet in his hand.

He handed it to Thor and you began walking over to look at the screen.

"A message." Steve said. "Ultron killed Strucker."

Thor handed Tony the tablet with force so it smacked against his chest.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Tony joked and you looked over his shoulder to see the image of Strucker's body and the word 'peace' written on the wall in his blood.

"This is a smoke screen." Nat stated. "Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." Steve said. 

"Yeah, I bet he... Yeah." Nat looked to the computer in front of her. "Everything we had on Strucker's been erased."

"Not everything." Steve said and you looked up from the computer monitor and to him.

Your group then spent the next hour digging through boxes and boxes of files and documents.

"Known associates... Baron Strucker had a lot of friends." Steve said looking at another file.

"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce said.

"Wait. I know that guy." Tony said, pointing to the folder in Bruce's hands and taking it from him. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast. Black market arms."

Steve gave Tony an unimpressed look and you lowered the file on your hands to look at the paper Thor was holding, which included pictures of the man.

"There are conventions. Alright? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything." Tony explained, slightly defensive. "He was talking about finding something new, a game-changer. It was all very Ahab."

"This?" Thor pointed to a symbol on the man's neck.

"Ah, it's a tattoo, I don't think he had it." Tony said.

"Those are tattoos," Thor pointed to other points on the man's body. "This is a brand."

Bruce was already searching the symbol through your databases.

"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief.'" Bruce read then turned to you all. "In a much less friendly way."

"What dialect?" You wondered aloud, looking to Bruce.

"Wakanada. Wa-" Bruce stammered over the pronunciation. "Wakanda."

Your head whipped in Steve's direction the same second Tony's did.

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." Tony started.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it." Steve said to Tony.

"Maybe he just thought he did." You suggested.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce questioned.

"The strongest metal on Earth." Tony stated and you looked down to Steve's shield.

"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked.

"STARK IS... HE'S a sickness!" Ultron exclaimed, now in a new robotic body compared to the last time you had seen him.

You were at a salvage yard off the African Coast, the Quinjet was parked outside, which was where Bruce was sitting and waiting for the rest of you.

You had only just made it onto the ship when Ulysses Klaue, the man with the brand on his neck, compared Ultron to Tony.

You only saw the aftermath, where Ultron cut off Klaue's arm and kicked him down some stairs.

"Ah, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart." Tony said, landing in front of Ultron.

"If I have to." Ultron told him.

"Nobody has to break anything." Thor stated from your right. You were standing between him and Steve, Tony just ahead of the three of you while Nat and Clint waited nearby, out of view.

"Clearly you've never made an omelet." Ultron said.

"He beat me by one second." Tony said to Thor.

"Ah, yes. He's funny." Pietro Maximoff, the male Enhanced twin, said as he began to step forward. "Mr. Stark. It's what? Comfortable? Like old times?"

He was referring to the illegal missiles and weapons that filled the ship.

"This was never my life." Tony told him.

"You two can still walk away from this." Steve added, taking a step forward.

"Oh, we will." Pietro's sister, Wanda, spoke.

"I know you've suffered." Steve started, and Ultron scoffed loudly.

"Captain America." He laughed. "God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war."

You grabbed Steve's wrist and pulled him back the few steps he had taken.

"I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..." Ultron went on, and Thor cut him off.

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." He said.

"I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet.'" Ultron stated.

"Yuh-huh." Tony agreed sarcastically. "What's the vibranium for?"

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron used a magnet in his hand to yank Tony forward while multiple other robots jumped down to ambush you, Steve and Thor.

Tony was then shot backwards by a laser to the chest and he got up and ran at Ultron, the two of them ending up battling in the air.

"Steve, duck!" You shouted and he did so, and you hit the robot he was fighting in the face with an energy blast that blew off its head.

You felt something hit you in the side and you stumbled down, looking back to see nothing was there.

While you fought the last remaining robot, Steve ran forward towards Wanda, who sent him flying backwards with a flick of her hand.

Gunfire began filling the ship, Klaue's henchmen shooting at anything that moved.

Nat and Clint dealt with them quickly and easily and you returned to robot fighting.

Steve tossed his shield, then a second later he was falling backwards and gripping his face. Pietro had punched him with his super speed.

There was a blue and silver blur as he ran past you and Thor threw his hammer in its direction.

You then watched as Pietro practically appeared from thin air as he grabbed onto the hammer and flew through the air with it, crashing to the ground.

You gave Steve a hand and helped him up as Tony and Ultron flew up through the roof and into the air.

Steve jumped onto the last robot's back and held his shield to its neck. Thor smacked its head with his hammer and destroyed it.

You went down the stairs to the lower level and started shooting energy blasts at the men with guns running your way.

Steve hit Pietro to the ground again with his shield when the boy attempted to stand up.

"Stay down, kid." Steve told him and more robots had jumped down to fight you.

"Steve!" You called out, getting his attention, and he ran over to help fight the robots and men with you.

"Thor, status?" He asked, looking at the level above you where Thor stood.

"The girl tried to warp my mind." Thor's voice replied. "Take special care. I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty."

You rolled your eyes as you took down several of the men at once, and a sudden rush of air behind you let you know that Pietro was on his feet again.

Steve had been thrown backwards across the room, crashing into some metal beside the stairs.

"Hey!" You shouted and Pietro turned in time to get an energy blast to the chest, knocking him back.

But when you looked back to Steve, Wanda was at his side, her hand next to his head and she was doing something to it with her powers.

"Steve?" You started, but the distraction was your downfall because Pietro knocked you down next and seconds later, before you could get up again, Wanda was in your head.

"Guys, is this a code green?" Bruce asked through the comms, but he didn't get an answer.

Chapter Text

YOU STRUGGLED TO adjust your eyes for the moment. You held a hand to the side of your head, it was throbbing as you sat up slowly.

You looked around, you weren't in the ship anymore, you were back in your old Brooklyn apartment, it looked the same as you remembered it.

You slowly stood up, the blankets of the bed soft beneath your hands. Your hands, which you looked at a moment later, looked different. Less calloused, less worked.

You could hear the usual faint sound of music playing through the bedroom door. You walked to it, opening it up and stepping out into the hallway.

Everything was shaky, it felt like the walls were moving around you as you headed further down the hallway, towards the living room and kitchen where the music was playing.

"There she is!" A man's voice chuckled when you stumbled into the living area, and you looked up to see Bucky in the kitchen. "My beautiful wife."

Bucky. The Bucky you remembered from before the war. Short hair styled neatly, clean shaven, two arms and his usual charming smile.

You didn't say anything as you stared at him with surprise.

He shook his head, laughing again as he started walking towards you.

"You alright, honey?" He asked you, holding his left hand to your forehead, and you could feel the warm flesh of his skin. "Steve's gonna be here soon."

You just nodded, your mouth dry. You were still just shocked to see him standing in front of you.

There was the ring of the doorbell and your head snapped in its direction.

"I'll get it." Bucky said, giving you a short kiss, and he went around the corner to the front door.

You heard the front door open, some footsteps, then gunshots.

Your eyes went wide and you took a step forward.

You could hear the sounds of struggle, of fighting, a yell, more gunshots.

Taking a deep breath, your eyes squeezed shut, you turned the corner.

When your eyes opened, you weren't in your apartment anymore. You were back on helicarrier from the year before.

You looked down and your arm was dripping blood again, from where Bucky had shot you that day.

You looked up and to the opposite side of the bridge you stood on. Steve was on the ground, dressed in his Captain America uniform, shield discarded on the ground beside him, and he wasn't moving.

You could see his suit had blood on it and it was leaking out everywhere.

Standing above him was the Winter Soldier, gun in his hand as his silver metal arm shone in the sunlight coming through the glass around you.

The helicarrier was going down and the Winter Soldier had his back to you.

You started moving forward. Steve's eyes were closed and his face was covered in blood just like his uniform. He looked worse than he had when it happened.

"Steve -" You called out his name and the Winter Soldier's heavy breathing paused. You froze when his posture straightened, and his head slowly turned.

His blue eyes were dark and cold, unlike how they had been before in the apartment. You noticed his grip on his gun tightened as he turned to face you entirely.

He lifted the gun, aimed it right at you, and you couldn't move before he fired.

You looked down, holding a hand to your belly where your blood was already seeping out.

The Winter Soldier began charging right at you, dropping his gun and grabbing you by the throat with his metal arm.

He lifted you up and you started to choke, looking down at him and trying to push or hit his arm away the best you could.

You stared down into his eyes and his grip tightened, no emotion and no feeling behind his eyes.

You were growing lightheaded, he wasn't going to let go.

He was going to kill you.

Steve was dead on the ground behind the Winter Soldier, and you were going to join him any second.

"Bucky..." You choked out his name, but there was no realization, no recognition. He just kept squeezing your neck harder and harder.

Then you heard a voice call your name.

YOU BLINKED A couple times and you were on the ground again, back inside the cargo ship.

"Y/N." The voice groaned out again and you turned your head to see Steve leaning against the wall.

You had barely readjusted to your surroundings, but you let out a sigh of relief when you saw him.

You pulled yourself up slightly, holding your head as you slowly crawled the short distance to lean against the wall beside Steve.

"You're okay." You said to him, more as a comfort to yourself, looking him up and down and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Are you?" He asked and you nodded.

"I will be." You replied and he chuckled, reaching over and hugging his arms around you.

There was no sign of anyone.

No Maximoffs, no Ultron, no robots or men with guns. You couldn't even see the other Avengers until Thor came stumbling towards the stairs.

"We're returning to the ship." He told you and you saw Clint helping Natasha walk towards the door.

Steve got up first, helping you to your feet and you all made the walk to the Quinjet. Tony and Bruce were nowhere to be seen, but you couldn't think about that as you took your usual seat on the jet.

Tony brought Bruce onto the jet not long later, and he curled up in a blanket on the floor as Tony walked closer to the front, where Clint had taken the pilot's seat.

Wanda had messed with Bruce's mind too, and unleashed the Hulk on a nearby city.

The sun had gone down by the time the jet was in the air and Maria Hill was giving you all an update over the comms.

You all seemed shaken up in your seats, zoned out or upset.

"The news is loving you guys." Maria said through the radio. "Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest but it's in the air."

"The Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asked and you brought your knees up to your chest, hiding your face behind your arms that were wrapped around them.

"Already on the scene. How's the team?" Maria's voice echoed through the silent ship.

"Everyone's..." Tony started, then paused. "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode and stay away from here."

"So, run and hide?" Tony questioned, leaning closer to the screen.

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer." Hill said.

"Neither do we." Tony sighed then ended the call. He walked over to Clint, who was still flying the jet. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"

"No, I'm good." Clint told him. "If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time because we're still a few hours out."

"Few hours from where?" Tony asked quietly.

"A safe house."

Chapter Text

THE JET LANDED sometime early in the morning. The sun was still rising, the sun a mix of blue and orange, and birds chirped around the trees when you walked off the plane.

Clint led the way, Natasha leaning on him as you headed down a path toward a farmhouse.

It was quiet, you glanced behind yourself to Steve and Bruce, who were both looking around the property too.

"What is this place?" Thor asked as you all followed Clint up the steps to the house's porch.

"Safe house." Tony replied and Clint opened the front door.

"Let's hope." He said and faced forward as he walked through the doorway. "Honey? I'm home."

An expression of confusion was quick to take your features as you walked further into the house. From around the corner came a woman with dark brown hair, and she was pregnant.

"Hi." Clint greeted and started walking towards her. "Company. Sorry, didn't call ahead."

"Hey." The woman grabbed the sides of Clint's face and kissed him, then the two of them hugged.

"This is an agent of some kind." Tony told Thor.

"Gentlemen, - and Y/N - this is Laura." Clint introduced and Laura smiled.

"I know all of your names." She said and Tony gave her a small wave.

The sound of quick footsteps approached from the stairs and Clint's face lit up. "Ooh. Incoming."

"Dad!" A little girl exclaimed as she and an older boy came running towards Clint.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Clint lifted her up into his arms and pulled the boy into a hug. "Hey, buddy. How are you guys doing?"

Steve's expression of complete shock and confusion at the scene before you made you chuckle, but you understood because you were sure your own face looked the same.

"These are smaller agents." Tony said to Thor quietly.

"Look at your face! Oh, my goodness." Clint kissed his daughter's head and put her down.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" His daughter asked and you turned your head towards Natasha as Clint gasped.

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Nat asked and the little girl ran up to her. Nat picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Sorry for barging in on you." Steve apologized.

"Yeah, we would've called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed." Tony said.

"Yeah, well, Fury helped me set this up when I joined." Clint explained, one arm around his wife and the other around his son. "He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files. I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low."

"Honey." Laura started, talking to Nat, and there was a crunch beside you. 

"I missed you. How's little Natasha, huh?" Nat asked Laura, holding her hands to her baby bump and you looked down to see Thor had stood on a toy Lego house.

Thor kicked the Legos under a chair and gave you and Steve a look.

"She's... Nathaniel." Laura told Nat, whose smile faded.

You looked around the living room, and a small part of you was actually jealous of Clint.

The little girl walked over and looked up at Thor, and you looked down at her. It made you frown.

The toaster in the kitchen popped up and she skipped back to her mother. Thor headed for the front door again and Steve followed after him quickly.

"Thor?"

Nat, Clint and Laura were all talking, Tony and Bruce were whispering in the corner, and now you awkwardly stood off to the side alone.

Your mind started to wander, back to when Wanda had gotten into your head. You didn't think you had ever felt so vulnerable.

She had gotten into your memories, your fears, everything in your head, and she used it against you.

She used Bucky against you.

"Y/N." Clint said your name and you looked up. "Come meet my kids."

LATER IN THE afternoon, you were helping Laura with dinner in the kitchen. You were looking towards the front windows where outside Steve and Tony were outside chopping wood.

"It must still be pretty weird for you, huh?" Laura asked and you turned your head towards her, going back to cutting carrots.

"What do you mean?" You asked.

"I mean, being in this time, it's gotta be really different to the 1940s." She said and you smiled slightly.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it's still a lot." You answered. "We've been here three years and there's still so much I don't fully understand."

Laura nodded. "It's a confusing time."

A silence fell over the kitchen as Lila, Clint and Laura's daughter, came skipping in to put a drawing on the fridge.

"What did you draw?" Laura asked and Lila stuck the drawing on with a magnet.

"Dad and his friends." She replied, then looked towards you. "You're there next to Captain America."

Then she ran out of the kitchen and to the stairs.

"I used to want kids." You told Laura. "I just wanted some time for me first, to work, to make a name for myself. I thought, you know, after I worked and after the war I would actually get the calmer family life. Then Bucky died, and I ended up in the ice..."

You realized you were oversharing and sighed to yourself.

"Sorry."

"No, don't apologize." Laura said to you and walked over. "And you still have time. You're only, what, 100 years old?"

"I'm 96."

"Still so young." She said and you both laughed softly. "I'm being serious. You don't have to give up on that. I mean, you're a superhero! Who knows how things might end up?"

You gave a small smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." You said, shaking your head. "Thanks, Laura."

"Besides, you've definitely made a name for yourself now." She said and you chuckled.

"That's true." You nodded, then shrugged. "Who knows?"

Then Laura looked to the clock on the wall. 

"This just has to simmer for a bit. You can take a break if you want." Laura said then started to walk out of the kitchen. "I've just got to ask Stark about our tractor."

You followed Laura out the front, passing Clint and his kids on the porch.

You watched Steve rip a log in half with his bare hands, seemingly arguing with Tony as Laura approached them.

"I'm sorry." She interrupted softly. "Mr. Stark... Clint said you wouldn't mind, but our tractor doesn't seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might..."

"Yeah, I'll give her a kick." Tony replied and turned around to head to the barn while you sat at the picnic table beside where they were chopping wood. "Don't take from my pile."

You looked to the pile Tony pointed to and snorted, his pile was significantly smaller than Steve's and there was no way Steve would need to take from the pile.

When Tony wandered off and Laura headed back inside, Steve turned to face you, holding a hand up to cover his eyes from the sun.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah." You nodded with a smile, then pointed to the wood. "Get back to chopping, Captain."

He shook his head at you, amused, and picked up another wood log to cut.

"Yes, ma'am."

"ULTRON TOOK YOU folks out of play to buy himself time." Nick Fury, who had decided to make a surprise appearance that afternoon in Clint's barn, said to your team that evening as you all gathered around the kitchen. "My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve questioned.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere." Nick answered. "The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans, though."

"Is he still going after launch codes?" Asked Tony, playing darts with Clint.

"Yes, he is." Nick replied. "But he's not making any headway."

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony stated, pointing out how easily Ultron could do the same.

"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that."

"Nexus?" You asked.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo." Bruce explained. "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."

"So, what did they say?" Clint asked.

"He's fixated on the missiles. But the codes are constantly being changed." Fury said.

"By whom?" Tony queried and all three of Clint's darts hit the bullseye at once.

"Parties unknown." Nick said.

"Do we have an ally?" Nat asked.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."

"I might need to visit Oslo." Tony said. "Find our unknown."

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Nat told Nick.

"I do. I have you." Nick replied. "Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere. Ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world."

Nobody tried to cut in and interrupt Nick. Your team was silent.

"Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction." Nick said and gestured around. "All this, laid in a grave. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Nat teased and you snickered.

"You know what, Romanoff?" Steve crossed his arms and gave her a look, she smirked back.

"So, what does he want?" Nick asked.

"To become better. Better than us." Steve looked around the room. "He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies." Tony added on. "The human form is inefficient. Biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

Bruce was looking down at the painting Lila had made for Nat that was sitting on the table.

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed." Nat commented.

"They don't need to be protected." Bruce said. "They need to evolve. Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" Nick asked.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"

Chapter Text

"WE'LL TAKE NATASHA and Clint." Steve said, picking up his shield and putting it on his back. By 'we' he was referring to you and himself.

You were all dressed in your uniforms again and preparing to head out.

"Alright. Strictly recon. I'll hit the Nexus." Tony said. "I'll join you as soon as I can."

You were finishing up with your shoes at the bottom of the stairs when the two men stopped beside you.

"If Ultron's really building a body..." Steve started.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us." Tony finished. "Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot."

"Yay for us!" You said sarcastically with a frown.

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." Steve said.

"I'll drop Banner off at the tower." Nick said, pulling on his jacket as he walked over and stopped near you. "You mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?"

"She's all yours. Apparently." Tony said and Nick gave him a look.

"What are you gonna do?" You asked him.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." Nick answered and you smiled.

CLINT DROPPED YOU and Steve off when you were two minutes out from Helen Cho's lab.

Reaching the building, you both ran inside to find the place in shambles.

You ran down the empty hallways until you eventually found Helen's destroyed lab.

She was lying on the ground against the wall, blood seeping through her white coat from a cut that went right along her chest.

"Dr. Cho!" Steve exclaimed and you both ran over, dropping down beside her while she breathed heavily.

You picked up a small towel on the table beside her and held it to the wound on her shoulder.

"He's uploading himself into the body." Helen said and you looked to Steve.

"Where?" Steve asked then started getting up, but Helen grabbed his arm.

"The real power is inside the Cradle." Helen explained, her breathing heavy and sweat coating her face. "The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark."

"First, we have to find it." Steve said.

"Go." Helen told him and I nodded at Steve to go.

He started heading down the hallway again and you kept the towel to Helen's shoulder.

"We gotta get you some help." You told her and she winced in pain.

"Did you guys copy that?" Steve's voice asked Nat and Clint through the comms.

"We did." Clint replied.

"I got a private jet taking off across town." Nat said next and Helen started shaking her head at you, pushing your hands away. "No manifest. That could be him."

"You go." She told you. "I'll be okay."

You hesitated, but stood up once Helen was holding the towel to her wound herself.

"There. It's a truck from the lab." Clint said and you sprinted through the building to catch up to Steve. "Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. You got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver."

"Negative. That truck crashes, the gem could level the city." Steve said and you made it outside of the building. Steve was climbing a ladder up towards the loop and you flew through the air to catch up. "We need to draw out Ultron."

You landed on the ground beside Steve while he looked over the edge, where the truck was about to drive under your bridge.

"Come on." He said and ran to the other side of the bridge, jumping off and landing on top of the truck. You copied his movements quickly and Steve dropped down to the doors of the back of the truck.

You could hear muffled voices from inside and a laser shot the door and made it swing open, Steve moving with it.

When the door swung back, it was hit again and knocked off its hinges so Steve was only just hanging on to the truck as the door dragged along the road.

"Well he's definitely unhappy!" Steve yelled. "We're gonna try and keep him that way."

"You're not a match for him, Cap." Clint warned.

"Thanks, Barton." Steve then gave you a nod, a signal and you jumped down onto the door with him, charging your powers around your fist.

Ultron stood up and ripped some cords from the back of his head, disconnecting himself from the Cradle.

You hit Ultron once and he stumbled back, giving you a look of anger before curling his own fist and sending the door you were both standing on backwards with the magnetic power he held.

While you were able to catch yourself midair, Steve crashed into the windshield on the car behind you.

You grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up, throwing him up to the top of the truck again.

"You know what's in that Cradle?" Ultron flew up to his level and tried shooting another laser at Steve, who managed to deflect it with his shield. "The power to make real change. And that terrifies you."

"I wouldn't call it a comfort." Steve said and threw his shield at Ultron. You lifted your hands and started shooting at Ultron, who was quick to fire back at both you and Steve.

"Stop it." He demanded and ripped Steve's shield from out of his chest and threw it down onto the road.

You were quick to drop down in front of Steve, raising your hands, and take the blow when Ultron shot a laser at him. When it hit you, you were caught off guard when you didn't get knocked back, but had begun absorbing the energy into your own powers.

You sent the blast back at Ultron, who just managed do dodge it with the slightest hit to his arm.

Over the comms you could hear Clint giving Nat directions to where you, Steve, Ultron and the truck were.

She had dropped from the Quinjet on her motorbike and was trailing after you, grabbing Steve's shield from the road on her way.

You were obviously distracted, shooting energy blasts at Ultron as Steve held him in a chokehold.

Ultron managed to push Steve off and grabbed him by the throat. The sight before you made you stumble back, the thought of your hallucination before coming back to you.

You were brought back to reality by the sounds of squealing tires sliding beneath the truck.

Nat had slid from one side of the truck to the other on her bike and threw Steve up his shield, which he used to hit Ultron in the head.

Ultron lifted a chunk of concrete from the road up to slow Nat down, and you were already back to fighting Ultron, firing at him and hitting his hard metal body.

Ultron shot another laser at Steve and sent him flying off the truck and onto the car driving behind it.

You ran forward to attack Ultron again and he knocked you back before flipping three whole cars to try and hit Steve.

A laser to the chest isn't exactly comfortable. You discovered that when Ultron turned to face you again and soon you were crash landing on the road in front of the truck.

You lifted your arms as a shield and the truck drove over you. You were lucky enough to be between the wheels so you weren't hit, just left behind.

Steve had jumped back up onto the truck and was fighting Ultron, and you jumped into the air again, the guards in the back of the truck shooting at you already.

"Clint, can you draw out the guards?" Nat asked over the comms.

"You just read my mind, Natasha." You spoke with a grunt as you were hit by a blast to the shoulder, which singed some exposed skin by your neck.

"Let's find out." Clint said and you landed on the truck again just in time for the Quinjet to start firing at Ultron.

The guards from the back of the truck flew out after Clint and you went to jump down to the Cradle, only to be yanked back by Ultron.

"You're not going anywhere." Ultron said and punched you in the gut.

Steve was quick to hit Ultron with his shield again before he finally managed to knock the robot off the truck and into a pillar.

Ultron came flying back at Steve and forcing him into a passing train. You flew after them through the hole they left in the side of the train car.

"They're heading back towards you. So whatever you're gonna do, do it now." Clint told Nat over the comms and Steve picked his shield up off the ground before throwing it at Ultron.

You charged up energy on your fist and sent the blast at Ultron. He retaliated by flying right at the two of you.

You jumped to the side and Steve flipped over the robot.

A laser knocked Steve back and you kicked Ultron in the head.

"I'm going in." Nat's voice crackled in your ear. "Cap, Y/N, can you keep him occupied?"

"What do you think we've been doing?" Steve panted and you continued with fist-to-fist combat against Ultron, some of your punches being a little more charged than others.

"It feels like we've been having a tea party." You commented sarcastically holding your hand to your jaw after receiving a punch to the face.

Steve was on his feet again, hitting Ultron, and you both fought him at once.

"Okay, package is airborne." Clint said. "I have a clean shot."

"Negative. I am still in the truck." Nat said.

"What the hell are you..."

"Just be ready. I'm sending the package to you."

"How do you want me to take it?"

"Uh, you might wish you hadn't asked that."

"Steve!" You shouted, managing to hold back Ultron's arms for a moment and giving him a clean shot of the robot's chest.

He hit Ultron in the chest with his shield and Ultron flipped you over his head so you crash landed on top of Steve, knocking you both down.

Steve groaned and you started lifting yourself up.

"Sorry." You winced, then there was a clang of something hitting metal.

You looked up to see Pietro Maximoff was now in the train. Two chunks of metal laced in red energy stopped Ultron from going after him. You picked yourself up off of Steve and turned to see Wanda was on the train too.

And they were both against Ultron.

"Please, don't do this." Ultron said to Wanda.

"What choice do we have?" She responded and Ultron turned to shoot a laser at Pietro, who dodged and the laser went through to the front of the train.

Ultron flew out the side of the train and you stumbled to your feet, finding it hard to balance at the speed the train was moving.

You jumped out the train and flew after Ultron.

"We lost him!" Steve's voice said in your ear as you chased down Ultron. "Y/N's after him, but he's headed your way."

"Nat, we gotta go." Clint said and you lifted a hand to fire at Ultron.

Nat and the Cradle came out of the back of the truck. The Cradle landed in the Quinjet, but Nat was pulled back by Ultron.

"Nat!" Clint exclaimed and you immediately fired at Ultron, who fired back, hitting you with a laser to the head.

Then you started to fall towards the water below.

Chapter Text

YOU CAME TO when you were coughing up water on the rocky shore of the river, struggling to breathe.

"Hey, hey, Y/N, can you hear me?" A man's voice spoke and you blinked a few times before you saw it was Steve. "Y/N? Come on."

"Steve." You croaked out and smiled, eyes squinting at the sun in your eyes as you looked up at him. "Hi."

Steve let out a sigh of relief and dropped down beside you.

"Jesus Christ, I thought you were dead." He breathed out and you slowly sat up, holding your hand to the side of your head.

"From a laser to the head? I'm not that pathetic." You groaned then looked down to see his uniform was as soaked as yours was. "Aw, Stevie, did you jump in the water to save me?"

"We need to get back to the tower." Steve said, standing up and ignoring your question. He held his hand out for you to take and pulled you to your feet.

"You totally did." You said and Steve gave you a moment's glance, shrugging.

That was when you noticed Wanda and Pietro standing off to the side, watching from afar.

You gave Steve an unsure glance and he pat your shoulder.

"We need to get back to the tower." He repeated and you slowly started walking towards the twins, the searing pain in your head still throbbing as you did so.

"I'M GONNA SAY this once." Steve stated when you all walked into the lab where Tony and Bruce were doing something with the Cradle.

"How about 'none-ce'?" Tony suggested and you sat down, still holding your hand to your head. The pain had barely stopped, just kept throbbing.

"Shut it down!" Steve ordered.

"Nope, not gonna happen." Tony said.

"Tony, stop it." You groaned.

"You don't know what you're doing." Steve told them.

"And you do?" Bruce asked. "She's not in your head?"

Bruce pointed to Wanda as he said that, and she took a few steps forward.

"I know you're angry..." She started.

"Oh, we're way past that." He said. "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

"Bruce." You gave him a warning look, and he gave you a challenging one back.

"Banner, after everything that's happened..." Steve was cut off by Tony.

"It's nothing compared to what's coming!" He raised his voice.

"You don't know what's in there." Wanda insisted.

"This isn't a game!" Steve shouted and in a second a blue blur passed through the room and everything began to beep, the Cradle shutting down.

Pietro dropped the last cord he had pulled and looked around the room. "No, no. Go on. You were saying?"

There was a gunshot and the glass below Pietro shattered and he fell down.

"Pietro!" Wanda went to run for her brother.

"What?" Clint stood on one of Pietro's legs. "You didn't see that coming?"

"I'm rerouting the upload!" Tony said as he headed to his computers again.

Steve threw his shield in an attempt to break some of the machines around you all and within seconds Tony had a blaster on his hand and hit Steve in the chest, launching him backwards.

Wanda's hands began to glow red but Bruce grabbed her from behind.

"Go ahead, piss me off." Bruce threatened her and you lifted your hand, pointing it at Bruce.

"Back off, Banner." You warned and Clint came running up to your level, you quickly pointed your other hand to him.

"Please, Y/N, you barely look like you can sit upright." Tony said to you as his chest armor took its usual place.

Steve jumped at him and the two fought. Wanda hit Bruce with her powers and knocked him back.

Then Thor burst into the room and jumped on top of the Cradle.

You lowered your hands in shock as he raised his hammer and began summoning lighting, the crackling electricity suddenly filling the lab.

"Wait!" Bruce exclaimed and Thor didn't, bringing his hammer down on the Cradle, giving it the last of the energy it needed.

The Cradle burst open and Thor was thrown back.

You looked up at what had come out of the Cradle to see a red man, pieces of vibranium in places of his body, one in particular holding a glowing yellow gem in place on his forehead.

The android looked around at each of you before he jumped at Thor. Thor threw him off, through the glass wall of the lab and out into the floor's main room.

He stopped midair right in front of the window and looked out to the city, like you had the night of the party.

Thor was the first to follow after the body, then Steve and Tony.

You were a little slower, pulling yourself up from where you were sitting to follow Bruce and Wanda out of the lab, glancing to Clint as you did so.

Pietro came to a stop beside Wanda once you all reached the bottom of the stairs, watching Thor put his hammer down and approach the android slowly.

The android lowered himself down across from Thor, now wearing clothes he created for himself, then spoke.

"I am sorry. That was odd." He sounded like Jarvis. He turned to Thor. "Thank you."

Thor didn't respond and the android created a yellow cape for himself, mimicking Thor's red one.

"Thor." Steve spoke. "You helped create this?"

"I've had a vision." Thor said. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that."

Thor pointed to the gem in the android's head.

"What? The gem?" Bruce questioned.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones." Thor explained. "The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

"Then why would you bring..." Steve started, and Thor quickly cut him off.

"Because Stark is right."

"Oh, it's definitely the end times." Bruce commented and you nodded in agreement.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron." Thor said.

"Not alone." The Vision spoke.

"Why does your Vision sound like Jarvis?" Steve asked.

"We reconfigured Jarvis's matrix to create something new." Tony explained as he approached the Vision.

"I think I've had my fill of new." Steve said.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron." The Vision said to Steve.

"You're not?" Questioned Steve.

"I'm not Ultron. I am not Jarvis. I am... I am." The Vision said.

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation." Wanda stated and you slowly moved forward to join the rest of the group, your head still spinning.

"Look again." The Vision said to her and Clint scoffed. You stopped beside Steve, who gave you a look that asked if you were alright.

"Her seal of approval means jack to me." Clint said and you nodded to Steve with a short dismissive wave.

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone." Thor went on. "And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side..."

"Is it?" Steve asked then turned to the Vision. "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple." The Vision said.

"Well, it better get real simple real soon." Clint crossed his arms.

"I am on the side of life." The Vision told you all. "Ultron isn't. He will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked.

"You." The Vision replied.

"Where?" Bruce asked next.

"Sokovia." Clint answered. "He's got Nat there, too."

Bruce slowly approached the Vision before he spoke again.

"If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be..."

"What will you do?" The Vision questioned him. Bruce couldn't answer. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain."

So am I. You thought to yourself, holding a hand to your head again.

"But that pain will roll over the Earth." The Vision continued as he walked around the room. "So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others."

The Vision turned around to face you all again then looked down to his hands.

"Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended." Then you all watched as The Vision picked up Thor's hammer with ease from the same table your friends couldn't just days earlier. "So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go."

The Vision held the hammer out to Thor and you all stared in shock and confusion as Thor took the hammer and looked to you all.

Your mouth had fallen open as you turned to look at Steve, then to Bruce and Clint, as if you were wondering if they saw the same thing.

"Right." Thor spoke awkwardly, clearly caught off guard by the interaction, then walked past Tony, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Well done."

"Three minutes." Steve told the rest of you. "Get what you need."

Chapter Text

WITH YOUR THREE minutes, because you were already in your uniform, you headed to the kitchen.

All the flying and other power use, plus the laser to the head and literally drowning, was enough to drain most of your energy.

You needed water for your headache, and something to eat. You just hoped you'd be able to sleep for at least a few minutes on the jet.

You sat on the kitchen counter with a packet of chips and a bottle of water as you watched the others walk back and forth around from room to room, changing clothes, gathering gear, etcetera.

"Y/N, come here." Tony said to you, waving you over as he passed the kitchen. You grabbed your chips and water and walked towards him, eyebrow raised. "Come on, we gotta clean up your head."

"What do you mean?" You asked as he led you over to the couches.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Tony asked you, then pointed to your head. "I mean, we need to clean up the giant bloody mess on your head."

You raised your hand and tapped your head with a finger, which sent a stinging pain that just added to your headache.

"I didn't realize it actually broke skin." You said and Tony chuckled as he pressed a damp cloth to your head. "Have I been bleeding this whole time?"

"What? Rogers didn't tell you?" He asked and you shrugged.

"Maybe he did, I was a little too busy recovering from drowning to notice." You muttered and Tony took one of your chips. "Hey."

"I paid for them." He stated, full seriousness, then started patching up the wound on your head. "We've probably got some painkillers on the jet, don't we?"

"If we didn't give them all to Clint, we should." You replied and Tony nodded.

"Good. You better take some." He told you and stood up. "That headache doesn't seem like it's going away any time soon."

"How the hell did you know about that?" You asked him and he stared blankly.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the constant winces and gripping of your head nowhere near the giant bloody gash might've given me some idea." He replied, then started heading towards the Quinjet.

You rolled up the packet of chips and left them on the kitchen counter before turning around again and taking your bottle of water to the jet, where you headed straight for the first-aid kit.

You took some of the painkillers and dropped down into your seat, where Steve handed you a new earpiece for the comms, your last one being fried by the laser, then the water.

"No way we all get through this." Tony said to Steve and Bruce by the jet's doors and you closed your eyes, waiting for the others. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. There's gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans tomorrow night." Steve shrugged.

"I get first crack at the big guy." Tony decided. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true. He hates you the most." The Vision agreed as he boarded the ship.

Within the next few minutes Pietro, Wanda, Clint and Thor joined, and Steve, Tony and Bruce walked properly into the jet to close the back door.

Once everyone was seated and the jet had just taken off, Steve stood up to give a speech, like he did every mission.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire." He said. "And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done."

Steve looked around at all of you before he went on.

"We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us." Then he looked down. "Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

You spent the rest of the flight with your eyes closed and occasionally sipping your water.

You dropped Thor and Bruce off at Strucker's castle to look for Nat and the rest of you headed towards the city.

Your job of clearing civilians was working, you and Steve ushering cars across the bridge while Pietro, Wanda and Clint were somewhere further in the city.

But it wasn't long before Ultron's robot friends appeared and began firing on the city.

"Go!" Steve was shouting to the cars when one of the robots landed on a hood of a car behind him.

Steve ducked, avoiding the shot, and you charged your powers to send the robot crumpling to the ground with a hole in the chest.

You and Steve continued to fight the robots on the bridge while still attempting to usher civilians out of the way.

"Quickly! Go, go, go!" You waved them past as you held a robot down on the hood of a car.

Then the ground began to shake, too much to be an earthquake, and you ran down the bridge just as it snapped.

The city was being lifted into the sky.

Buildings collapsed and roads tore. You shared a look with Steve and Ultron's voice began to project from every one of his robots.

"Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise, only to fall." His robotic voice echoed. "You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Moments later, while you and Steve were still standing at the edge of the broken bridge, the edge of the floating city, more of Ultron's robots came flying up, one practically tackling Steve to the ground while you jumped into the air to chase after the others flying into the city.

"Cap, Y/N, you got incoming." Tony warned, a little too late.

"Incoming already came in." Steve groaned. "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed, walk it off."

"Yeah, hilarious, Steve." You commented and about 15 robots came flying up after you in the air. Half shot at you, the rest rained fire on the civilians still in the city.

You started fighting the robots, shooting at some, punching and kicking others, just doing your best with the swarming mass of robots that didn't seem like they wanted to stop coming.

A roar from below caught your attention and you looked down to see the Hulk ripping a robot in half.

"Guys, the Hulk is on the field." You said into the comms, holding your fingers to your earpiece for a moment before shooting at the robots again.

"Can you see Nat anywhere?" Steve asked.

"Uh, negative." You replied, flying over the city and shooting at more robots. "I see a shit ton of robots, though. Sorry, Steve. 'A ton.'"

"Ha-ha." Steve forced a sarcastic laugh and you went back to fighting.

You lowered yourself down to the ground to help protect the civilians from the number of Ultron robots on the ground who were shooting at them and putting them in danger.

"Out of the way!" You called out to the people, who were screaming, and you jumped in front of them to shield them from a laser blast.

It hit you in the chest and you sighed, looking to the robots in front of you and your hands began to glow.

"Well, at least it wasn't the head this time." You said before running at the robots and punching them in the heads with your energy-charged fists, which hit them hard enough to wipe their heads clean off.

Once you had dealt with them all and the robots crumpled to the ground, you offered the civilians a smile.

"Hey, Barton, you need any help?" You asked through the comms, glancing around for the moment.

"Uh..." There was a moment's pause. "No, we're all clear here."

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve's voice exclaimed and you were in the air a second later.

"Alright, coming to you." Clint said, his tone much calmer than Steve's.

Steve was quite literally swarmed and you dropped down beside him, kicking away a robot that was attempting to attack him from behind.

Steve turned to look at it, then looked to you. "Thanks."

"Any time." You said and kicked another robot in the head.

"Hold your fire!" A police officer nearby shouted and you sent a blast right through the chests of four robots at once.

"Romanoff!" Steve shouted and you glanced over to see him throw his shield in her direction. You hadn't even noticed Nat was there before that.

"Thanks!" She called back and you slid past a robot that attempted to hit you in the head. You kicked its leg so it fell down and stomped on its head with your foot glowing with energy.

Behind you, Wanda and Pietro were fighting the last robot, and you, Steve and Nat were done with yours.

"The next wave is gonna hit any minute." Steve said as you all helped civilians into a nearby building for safety. "What do you got, Stark?"

"Huh? Nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city." Tony replied. "That'll keep it from impacting the surface, if you guys can get clear."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan." Steve stated.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second." Tony went on as you guided more civilians through the smoke and ash. "We're gonna have to make a choice."

"Cap, these people are going nowhere." Nat said from Steve's side as you stopped beside them again. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..."

"Not 'til everyone's safe." Steve told her.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there." Nat said.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." Steve stated.

"I didn't say we should leave." Nat said and then shrugged. "There's worse ways to go."

You looked away from her and from Steve, and out over to the edge of the floating rock. You were at cloud level now.

You knew you would be able to fly away from it, save yourself, if it really came down to it. But you didn't want to do that.

"Where else am I gonna get a view like this?" Nat asked, and a second later a new voice came through the comms.

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff." Nick Fury spoke and the three of you glanced around. "It's about to get better."

And from the clouds in front of you rose a helicarrier, the one you had been on three years earlier when the Avengers first formed.

It reminded you a lot of the one you fell from the year before.

"Nice, right? Pulled out of mothballs with a couple of old friends." Nick said. "She's dusty, but she'll do."

"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve shook his head.

"Ooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Pietro had come running over, stopping a few steps ahead of you as he looked out to the Helicarrier.

From inside, several flying lifeboats came from the Helicarrier and headed towards the rock your group was on.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Pietro asked.

"This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to be." Steve answered.

"This is not so bad." Pietro smiled.

The lifeboats came to a slow right at the edge of the rock, and Steve looked to you.

"Let's load them up."

Chapter Text

THE LIFEBOATS FILLED quickly with the civilians on the rock, but that wasn't your priority for the moment.

While you had started helping Steve, Natasha and the others, you soon found yourself in the air, trying to stop the robots from reaching the Helicarrier.

A few bullets and an explosion in the air behind you stole your attention and you turned to see Rhodey in his War Machine suit taking out Ultron robots of his own.

"Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story." He said and you chuckled as you kicked a robot in the head.

"Better than your last one, definitely." You told him and he scoffed.

"Yup. If he lives to tell it." Tony's voice spoke and you looked over to see him flying beside Rhodey.

"You think I can't hold my own?" Rhodey asked him.

"We get through this, I'll hold your own."

"You had to make it weird."

The three of you made quick work of the robots in the sky while the other Avengers filled up the lifeboats on the rock.

Though, you couldn't see Thor anywhere on the ground.

The robots just kept coming. You could take out 20, and it was like 50 more would take their place.

Some of them managed to get a few good hits in, one even hitting your head and ripping the gauze that was protecting your last wound.

"Are you kidding me?" You groaned and punched the robot in the head with a super-charged punch. "It's still fresh."

An explosion below you caught your eye and you noticed one of the lifeboats was hit.

You dove down, but it was being lifted by Tony by the time you reached it. So you just stopped any more robots from hitting it instead.

"Thor, I got a plan." Tony spoke.

"We're out of time. They're coming for the core." Thor replied and you were already racing back down towards the rock.

"Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier."

"On it."

"Avengers, time to work for a living." Tony said and he was flying after you a moment later.

You landed beside Thor and the Vision at the core while they fought off the robots. You joined in, blasting away a different robot with each of your hands.

Pietro and Tony arrived at the same second as each other, and you grabbed a robot by the head, bashing it into the stone brick wall.

Steve jumped over a robot and crushed its head with his shield as Clint and Wanda walked in.

"Are you good?" Pietro asked his sister, appearing in front of her.

"Yeah."

"Romanoff." Tony said into the comms. Nat and the Hulk were the only of your team who weren't at the broken church, defending the core. "You and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini.'"

"Relax, shellhead." Nat's voice replied a moment later. "Not all of us can fly."

A large truck ran over a number of robots before stopping in front of the building. Nat jumped out of it and came running in.

"What's the drill?" She asked.

"This is the drill." Tony pointed to the core and you watched Wanda literally use her powers to rip a robot in half. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

The Hulk jumped down in front of you all and destroyed the last two robots before he joined the rest of you.

Ultron came floating down from behind him.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Thor yelled out, challenging him, and Ultron raised a hand.

What looked like hundreds of robots came charging your way a second later.

"You had to ask." Steve gave Thor a glare.

"This is the best I can do." Ultron stated, holding his arms out like he was presenting them all to you. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well, like the old man said..." Tony looked to Steve. "Together."

The Hulk roared out and the Ultron robots all came running towards your team at full speed.

You tried shooting at as many as you could from afar, but they swarmed you all very quickly.

You were all standing around the core, forming a circle as you all worked to ward off the hundreds of robots.

Tony had started flying laps around you all on the ground, shooting at anything made of metal, and you joined him, taking down as many as you could of the robots who were attempting to climb up the walls of the building.

Metal crashed, lighting flashed and the sounds of crunching, clanging and explosions filled the space between the heavy breaths and grunts from your teammates.

Then Ultron himself flew down towards the Vision, fighting him in the air above you.

Ultron threw the Vision into the wall, and the Vision retaliated by shooting a golden laser from the Mind Stone in his head at Ultron. He sent Ultron out of the building and quite far away.

Thor channeled lightning through his hammer and pointed it at Ultron, then Tony dropped beside him and hit Ultron with two laser beams, one from each of his hands.

Now, you couldn't create a solid beam of energy with your powers. Or, you didn't think you could.

You pointed one fist at Ultron and fired at him, and you tried your best to keep it going as long as you could, and it actually worked. A beam of cosmic energy that stretched from your hand to Ultron's chest, where his metal body had slowly begun to break away.

When the other three stopped attacking Ultron, you did too. You could tell you had done considerable damage, and it actually gave you a flicker of hope.

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight..." Ultron began, but the Hulk stepped in and punched the robot up into the air.

Ultron flew through the air before he crashed down towards the ground, far, far away from you all and the core.

The Hulk turned to face a small herd of robots nearby and they all started running from him. With a growl, Hulk chased after them all.

"They'll try to leave the city." Thor said as you watched the robots run to the edge of the rock and begin to fly away.

"We can't let them, not even one." Tony stated. "Rhodey."

"I'm on it." Rhodey started shooting at the robots. "Oh, no. I didn't say you could leave. War Machine coming at you! Right..."

He cut himself off when he watched the Vision fly over and destroy three of the robots within seconds.

"Okay, what?"

"We gotta move out." Steve spoke and you turned your head towards him. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin."

"It is?" You glanced back to the edge of the rock for a moment.

"You guys head to the boats. Y/N and I'll sweep for stragglers." Steve looked to you, and you very badly wanted to sigh, but fought the urge by nodding. "Be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it." Wanda volunteered. "It's my job."

"Nat." Clint nodded to her. "This way."

The two of them ran off, and you gave Wanda one last look before running away with Steve.

"You know, Steve. I can do this alone." You told him. "I can breathe up here, you can't."

"I'm not leaving you." He stated then looked around. "That being said... You check East, I'll head West."

"Yeah, yeah." You chuckled and the two of you left in opposite directions, checking buildings, cars and debris for any civilians left behind.

You only found two people who had been trapped in a building behind a chunk of fallen concrete that blocked the door.

"Hey, you guys are gonna be alright." You told them, destroying the debris and helping them out the door. "This way, come on."

You led them back to the lifeboats where you saw Steve and Thor ushering a small group towards the boat.

The civilians you helped ran off towards the boat and you stopped next to Thor.

"Thor, I'm gonna need you back in the church." Tony's voice said in the comms.

"Is this the last of them?" Thor asked you and Steve. You nodded in response.

"Yeah. Everyone else is on the carrier." Steve answered.

"You know, this works, we maybe don't walk away." Tony said.

"Maybe not." Thor agreed.

A moment later gunfire was sprayed down on you all. You, Steve and Thor jumped out of the way as the Quinjet, which was what shot at you, passed, heading towards where Clint was carrying a kid.

You watched as Clint turned his back to Ultron and the jet, using himself as a shield to protect the kid.

You started to run forward, but a blue blur beat you to it.

When the gunfire and smoke cleared, Pietro was standing in front of Clint, his chest now covered in bloody bullet wounds.

He said something to Clint, the faint words of, "You didn't see that coming?" reaching your ears before Pietro collapsed to the ground.

Thor jumped into the air, using Mjølnir to propel himself to the church while you and Steve booked it running towards Clint.

Clint had put the kid down and was checking on Pietro before he slowly looked up at the two of you with a look that told you Pietro was dead.

Steve lifted Pietro's body while Clint lifted the kid. While you headed towards the lifeboat, you watched the Hulk jump from the Helicarrier, up into the air and into the Quinjet.

Steve lowered Pietro down onto the floor while Clint helped the kid onto the boat.

While the last of the civilians were ushered onto the lifeboat, Steve ran off it to look around, make sure there was no one else.

Then there was a whirring noise and Steve spun quickly running towards the boat as the rock began to fall.

You ran forward, holding out your hand for Steve to grab and you caught him.

He had one hand in yours and the other only just gripping the side of the lifeboat, his legs and his torso hanging off the edge.

You helped pull him up and struggled to catch your breath as you watched the rock fall down.

"Shit." You groaned, gasping for breath and holding a hand to your head, which you had a feeling was bleeding again.

"Thor, on my mark." Tony's voice said in your ear and you exchanged a nervous look with Steve.

You couldn't see the rock anymore, just the blue light you assumed was from Thor.

"Now!"

You could see the explosion pretty clearly and Steve dropped to his back as he let out a sigh of relief.

The rock was blown to bits, all the debris chunks heading for the water below.

You had actually done it. Your team had defeated Ultron, and managed to stop Sokovia from blowing up the planet in the process.

You turned to Steve with a smile as he sat up again and pulled him into a hug, still catching your breath as you did so.

You won.

Chapter Text

THE NEW AVENGERS facility was in Upstate New York, and you didn't exactly mind it.

Being an Avenger actually made you feel important, it gave your days more of a purpose. Made you do more, even if it was nowhere near what you had imagined your life would be like.

But hey, you were only 96 years old, who knows what would come next?

Your locket still hung around your neck as you walked through the halls, pausing your usual search for leads on Bucky's whereabouts to find Steve and Thor.

"Hey, see you around." Tony pat you on the shoulder as he passed you in the hall.

"You're leaving now?" You asked him and he shrugged.

"Yeah, well." He gave you a short smile. "I know you're gonna miss me."

"You wish." You scoffed, but smiled back.

"You seen Rogers anywhere?" Tony then asked you.

"Upstairs with Thor, who I believe is leaving now, too." You replied. "That's where I'm headed."

And somehow, 20 minutes later, you were walking down a hallway with Steve, Tony and Thor as the first two debated about Thor's hammer.

"The rules have changed." Steve said.

"We're dealing with something new." Tony agreed.

"Oh, the Vision is artificial intelligence." Steve pointed out.

"A machine."

"So, it doesn't count?"

"No, it's not like a person lifting the hammer." Tony stated.

"Right, different rules for us." Steve said and you rolled your eyes.

"Nice guy. Artificial."

"Thank you."

"You two cannot be serious." You said, looking between them.

"He can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone." Thor finally said, going back to the original topic at hand. "It's safe with the Vision. And these days, safe is in short supply."

"But if you put the hammer in an elevator..." Steve started, clearly not thinking about what Thor had said.

"It would still go up." Tony decided.

"Elevator's not worthy." Steve pointed out.

"I'm gonna miss these little talks of ours." Thor said, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Not if you don't leave." Tony told him.

"I have no choice." Thor said before he started walking again. "The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. It's not a coincidence."

The four of you turned the corner and headed outside as Thor continued.

"Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. And once all these pieces are in position..."

"Triple Yahtzee." Tony said and you stared at him blankly, confused.

"You think you can find out what's coming?" Steve asked Thor.

"I do." He answered and walked forwards, patting Tony on the chest. "Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained."

Thor turned to face you all before lifting his hammer.

Bright rainbow lights enveloped him and a moment later it disappeared with him, leaving nothing but a giant mark on the grass.

"That man has no regard for lawn maintenance." Tony said as he and Steve started walking towards his car. "I'm gonna miss him, though. And you're gonna miss me. There's gonna be a lot of manful tears."

You, on the other hand, had started walking back to the door where you waited for Steve while he and Tony talked.

First Banner was nowhere to be seen since he threw Ultron out of the Quinjet. Then Clint had retired right after Sokovia. Now both Thor and Tony were leaving.

The team wasn't just going to consist of you, Steve and Nat, however. You were going to be putting together a new team.

You watched Steve and Tony, facing each other, practically staring into each other's souls as they talked.

Tony turned back to give you a wave when he finished his conversation with Steve. You returned the gesture and he got in his car and drove away.

Steve met you at the door and you walked in together.

Down the hall you made it to one of the empty rooms where Nat was just staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

"You wanna keep staring at the wall, or do you wanna go to work?" Steve asked and she turned to face the two of you. "I mean, it's a pretty interesting wall."

"I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes." Nat commented and you chuckled.

"I was thinking the same thing." You said and she smiled.

"How do we look?" Nat asked and Steve handed her the tablet in his hand which held the info on your new team.

"Well, we're not the '27 Yankees." Steve told her as you all began walking through the compound.

"We got some hitters."

"They're good. They're not a team."

"Let's beat them into shape."

Upon entering the training room, the four people waiting in the room turned to look at you, Sam and Wanda lowering themselves to the ground.

Rhodey and the Vision both looked up at Steve and you shared a glance with Nat as Steve stepped forward and addressed them.

"Avengers..."

Chapter Text

——————————————————————

THE GREAT WAR
"somewhere in the haze, got a sense i'd been betrayed"

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PART FIVE
2016
Captain America: Civil War

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While half the original team might not be around lately, THE AVENGERS were still working a year after the events in Sokovia.

But when an AVENGERS mission in Lagos goes wrong, an explosion resulting in too much collateral damage, the U.S. government wants to introduce the Sokovia Accords, which would mean THE AVENGERS would no longer be a private institution and would be led by government.

TONY STARK agrees with the Accords, while STEVE ROGERS does not, and the team is split into two.

To make matters worse, a bombing at the signing of the Accords kills the king of Wakanda, and the bomber is believed to be none other than BUCKY BARNES, the man Y/N L/N had been searching for since she had last seen him two years earlier.

Her husband who, deep down, despite everything that had happened over the four years since she had come up from the ice, she still loved.

——————————————————————

THE SOUNDTRACK

THE GREAT WAR; taylor swift
CIVIL WAR; henry jackman
FAVORITE CRIME; olivia rodrigo
SILVER SPRINGS; fleetwood mac
NOT ALONE; wallows
MAN OF WAR; radiohead
ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?; tyler, the creator
FRESH OUT THE SLAMMER; taylor swift

——————————————————————

Chapter Text

"ALRIGHT, WHAT DO you see?" Steve asked. You were on the rooftop of a building, Steve was inside it, a floor or two below you and looking out the window.

"Standard beat cops." Wanda's voice replied. She and Nat were sitting down at a nearby café at separate tables wearing clothes that wouldn't draw any attention towards them. "Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target."

"There's an ATM on the south corner, which means?" Steve was testing Wanda. Being on missions was still new to her, unlike the rest of your team.

"Cameras." She answered.

"Both cross streets are one-way."

"So, compromised escape routes."

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen." Steve said. "He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?"

You sat up to peek over the edge of the roof.

"Yeah, the red one? It's cute." Wanda responded.

"It's also bulletproof," Natasha's voice chimed in. "which means private security... which means more guns... which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us."

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?"

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature."

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam asked.

"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" Nat replied and you laughed quietly.

"Eyes on target, folks." Steve reminded the team. "This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

Sam scoffed. "If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us."

"Well, he always was a bit of an asshole." You said, then could hear some indistinct shouting and car horns blaring.

"Sam... You see that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve ordered and you went back to watching nothing and everything from your rooftop.

You watched as Sam's small drone, whom he named Redwing, flew beneath the garbage truck as it drove down the street.

"That truck's loaded for max weight." Sam told you. "And the driver's armed."

"It's a battering ram." Nat realized.

"Go now." Steve said and you jumped to your feet.

"What?" Wanda asked.

"He's not hitting the police." Steve stated.

He came up to your roof a moment later and ran to the edge before jumping off.

You dove after him, caught him and flew him in the direction the garbage truck had gone, right to the Institute For Infectious Diseases.

The battering ram had already hit and two more trucks had pulled up, soldiers filing out and shooting at anyone in the vicinity.

You dropped Steve down and he was quick to start fighting the four or so soldiers who were still outside.

"Body armor. AR-15s." Steve said a moment later, you and Sam were both flying above. "I make seven hostiles."

Sam landed on the roof and took out the two men up there.

"I make five." Sam stated and you landed beside Steve.

Wanda and Sam took out another a second later.

"Four."

Sam and Wanda came walking over.

"Rumlow's on the third floor." Sam told Steve, who immediately headed for the building.

"Wanda, just like we practiced." Steve told her.

"What about the gas?" She asked. Rumlow and his men had gassed out the whole building.

"Get it out." Steve replied and jumped up, Wanda propelled him through the air and so he crashed through a window.

While Steve was inside and Wanda dealt with the gas, it was your shared job with Sam to deal with the rest of the soldiers outside as they shot at you.

"Y/N." Sam nodded to you and you jumped behind him. He spun around to face you and his wings made a shield. He pressed a few buttons on the controls on his arm and two small rockets came flying out and hit the guards behind the cars, taking them out.

You looked up as Wanda lifted the gas into the air like a tornado above you all.

"Rumlow has a biological weapon." Steve spoke and you held a finger to your earpiece to listen closer.

"I'm on it." Natasha's voice spoke.

You could hear explosions from the other side of the building and you turned your head.

A moment later, Steve was groaning over the comms.

"Y/N, Sam. He's in an AFV heading north." Steve said and Sam took off.

"Need a lift?" You asked Steve.

"Is that an offer?" He asked and you flew into the air to find Steve.

"I've got four, they're splitting up." Sam said through the comms and you were lifting Steve through the air again.

"One of these days I'm going to break my back carrying you." You told Steve as you approached where Sam and the abandoned truck were.

Steve had you drop him by an empty part of the road before the crowd and you flew ahead.

"I've got the two on the left." Nat said, taking off running and both you and Sam went after the two on the right.

"They ditched their gear." Steve stated. "It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload."

Sam kicked one down, and you hit the other with a power-charged fist to the head.

You dug through the bag of the now unconscious man.

"He doesn't have it." You told everyone.

"We're empty." Sam said and you turned to him.

"Find Nat, I'll get to Steve." You said and took off.

Sam didn't move, he instead put Redwing on the job.

While you flew back to the centre where Steve had been before, you could hear the others talking over the comms.

"Payload secure." Nat said soon and you exhaled in relief. "Thanks, Sam."

"Don't thank me."

"I'm not thanking that thing."

"His name is Redwing."

"I'm still not thanking it."

"He's cute. Go ahead, pet him."

"Steve, I'm coming to you!" You exclaimed.

You found Rumlow had Steve against a wall, and you kicked him from behind.

Steve jumped out of the way as Rumlow crashed face-forwards into the wall.

Steve hit Rumlow a few more times and kicked him away.

You landed on the ground beside Steve as he started walking towards Rumlow, who was panting on his knees as he removed his mask.

Steve grabbed him by the collar and you stood off to the side, looking out for Sam, Nat or Wanda.

"I think I look pretty good, all things considered." Rumlow said and you glanced over to him. His face was horribly scarred and disfigured.

"Who's your buyer?" Steve interrogated him. Rumlow ignored the question.

"You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." Your head whipped around to look at Rumlow.

"What did you say?" Steve asked, glancing at you.

"He remembered you." Rumlow then turned to look at you. "He definitely remembered her. I was there. He got all weepy about it. 'It was real. It was real.'" He mocked and your breath caught in your throat. "'Til they put his brain back in a blender."

You had stopped looking around for anyone else and kept your eyes on Rumlow. Bucky had remembered you.

"He wanted you to know something." Rumlow said to Steve. "He said to me... 'Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go... you gotta go.' And you're coming with me."

You barely had a moment to register what was happening when Rumlow pressed a small button, detonating a bomb.

The explosion was contained, however, by Wanda, who kept the flames compressed around Rumlow, who was screaming in pain.

She lifted Rumlow into the air, but didn't get him high enough before the explosion got out, this time right next to a building, the blow destroying several floors.

Wanda gasped and held a hand to her mouth while you looked up at the flames and smoke billowing from the building's destruction.

"Oh, my..." Steve panted out. "Sam... we need Fire and Rescue on the south side of the building. We gotta get up there."

Chapter Text

"ELEVEN WAKANDANS WERE among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month." You stared at the tv in your room playing the news with a sigh. "The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred."

The tv screen changed from the news anchor and to King T'Chaka of Wakanda giving a speech.

"Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil... not only because of the actions of criminals... but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them." He spoke. "Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all."

You turned the tv off and sighed, pulling on your shirt and walking out into the compound's main room.

There you saw Steve walking towards Wanda's room. You continued your walk to the kitchen and listened to their quiet voices carry through the silent house.

Steve stood in Wanda's doorway and turned off her tv.

"It's my fault." You heard Wanda say.

"That's not true." Steve told her and you opened the fridge.

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific." Wanda said.

"I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it." Steve said and you watched as he left Wanda's doorway and walked further into the room. "Rumlow said 'Bucky' and... all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died."

You put the bowl and spoon you held in your hands down on the kitchen counter and sighed, sliding to the kitchen floor.

While you had told yourself you were good with your new life, with your new friends, it was still like a massive part of you was missing without Bucky.

And that had been your issue. Rumlow mentioned Bucky, told you he remembered you, and you just stood there like an idiot when he almost killed Steve and yourself.

You blamed yourself for that part. You could've easily dealt with Rumlow, but you were distracted. And all he had to do was say Bucky's name.

You heard Vision's voice, mentioning how Tony had arrived, and you jumped to your feet to act like nothing had happened as Vision came walking towards Wanda's door, leaving the room.

"Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest." Vision told them and you glanced over as he turned to face Steve and Wanda again.

"We know who it is?" Steve asked.

"The Secretary of State."

"FIVE YEARS AGO, I had a heart attack... and dropped right in the middle of my backswing." Secretary Ross said to you all from the front of the room, pretending he was swinging a golf club.

You sat on the same side of the table as Steve, Nat and Rhodey, Tony sitting on a chair in the corner behind you, and Wanda, Sam and Vision sitting across from you.

"Turned out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass... I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective." Ross went on. "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes there are some who would prefer the word 'vigilantes.'"

You scoffed quietly and looked over at Sam as Nat spoke up.

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" She asked him.

"How about 'dangerous'?" Ross replied. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

Then he stepped out of the way and a screen with a world map appeared, little yellow dots in certain locations.

"New York." Ross named first and it began playing footage from 2012, when the Avengers first formed to fight Loki and the Chitauri.

People were screaming, debris was falling all over the place, aliens were everywhere.

"Washington, D.C." Ross named next and your breath caught in your throat upon seeing the helicarriers falling. You looked down from the screen and at your hands on the table. "Sokovia."

The rising city on the flying rock, buildings collapsing, civilians running.

"Lagos." Footage from the month before played and Wanda looked away from the screen.

"Okay. That's enough." Steve told Ross.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision." You slowly crossed your arms as you leaned back in your seat, listening to what Ross was saying. "That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution."

The man who had come in with Ross handed him a large document, which Ross then slid on the table towards Wanda.

"The Sokovia Accords." Ross said and Wanda picked up the document. "Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization."

Wanda slid the document to Rhodey, who looked down to it.

"Instead they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary." Ross explained as he walked around the table, stopping between Steve and Nat.

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place." Steve spoke up. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross asked and Steve looked up at him. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences."

You made a face at that comment as Ross returned to the front of the room.

"Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works." Ross continued. "Believe me, this is the middle ground."

Rhodey put a hand on the document in front of him. "So, there are contingencies."

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." Ross explained and Steve looked back at Tony. "Talk it over."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat questioned. Ross stopped walking and glanced back at her.

"Then you retire."

Chapter Text

"SECRETARY ROSS HAS a Congressional Medal of Honor which is one more than you have." Rhodey argued with Sam.

Steve was reading through the document on the Accords and Tony was lying in a chair nearby with a hand over his face.

"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam shot back.

"117 countries want to sign this." Rhodey pointed out. "117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it.'"

"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asked him and you looked to Nat.

"I have an equation." Vision called out and you turned to face him at the couch he sat on with Wanda.

"Oh. Oh, this will clear it up." Sam spoke sarcastically and Steve looked tired as he looked up.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially." Vision said. "And during the same period the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked and you narrowed your eyes at Vision.

"I'm saying there may be a causality." Vision said. "Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom." Rhodey turned to Sam.

"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal." Nat said to Tony, who lowered his hand away from his face.

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve stated.

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony commented sarcastically before standing up. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort."

Tony walked over to the kitchen sink after grabbing a mug.

"Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" Tony asked. He then projected a holographic image of a boy from his phone into the air, which he looked away from at first before pretending he just saw it. "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall."

Tony didn't look your way, or in the direction of any of your teammates, as he talked. He just poured himself a coffee.

"But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service." Tony looked over to your group now. "Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun."

You had a feeling you knew where Tony was leading to.

"He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia." Tony stated and you took a deep breath. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."

The room was silent and Tony sipped his coded from his mug.

"There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check!" Tony stated and crossed his arms. "Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

You looked away from Tony and towards Steve.

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." He said.

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asked.

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions." Steve replied. "This document just shifts the blame."

"I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant." Rhodey spoke up. "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not HYDRA."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Steve said.

"That's good. That's why I'm here." Tony said and he came walking towards you again. "When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that." Steve pointed out. "If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later." Tony told him. "That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda said.

"We would protect you." Vision told her and the two shared a look.

"Maybe Tony's right." Nat said and you frowned. Even Tony looked taken aback at her siding with him. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off..."

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asked her.

"I'm just... I'm reading the terrain." Nat was looking right at Steve as she spoke and you bit at the nail of your thumb. "We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

"Focus up. I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony asked Nat.

"Oh, I want to take it back now." She responded.

"No, no, no, you can't retract it." Tony told her and for a split second it felt normal. "Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay. Case closed. I win."

Steve's phone buzzed and you glanced over as he checked the notification. You could read Steve like a book, in fact you prided yourself on it, and his face as he read over that text message was something you hadn't seen in a long time.

"Steve, what's wrong?" You asked him, genuine concern lacing your voice and he stood up, not sparing anyone a glance.

"I have to go." Steve dropped the Accords document on the table and left the room within a second.

While everyone else turned and just stared at the door after he left, you stood up quickly.

You followed Steve out of the room only to find him at the bottom of the stairs a moment later.

He still held his phone in one hand, but his other hand covered his eyes.

He was shaking slightly, and you took a few steps closer.

"Steve, what's happened?" You asked and he looked up at you.

His eyes were red, tears brimming in the corner as he handed you his phone.

You slowly opened it, putting in his passcode, and you read over the text message.

She's gone. In her sleep.

You knew the message meant Peggy.

"Oh." You breathed the word out and looked back to Steve as he started to really cry, a small sob escaping his mouth that reminded you that even though he was Captain America, a superhero, a symbol and a super soldier, he was also still the same Steve you had grown up with.

He leaned towards you and you wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulder, pulling him into a hug.

You just held him and let him cry.

Chapter Text

YOU, STEVE AND Sam were in London for Peggy's funeral just days later.

You watched Steve carrying her casket down the aisle, his eyes red as he had clearly been crying.

When Steve returned to his seat between you and Sam, you pat his arm and he gave you a sad, thankful smile.

The service went on and you often found yourself looking at the framed photograph of Peggy at the front. It was old, from when you had known her. You only visited her one time after coming up from the ice, and now you regretted not seeing her at least one other time.

"And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words."

Steve was looking down at his lap, so he didn't see Sharon as she stood at the front.

Sharon Carter was the same Sharon as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had lived across the hall from Steve in D.C.

Sam recognized her, elbowing Steve lightly, who looked up and recognition flashed in his eyes as Sharon met them with her own before speaking.

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D... but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy." Sharon said and you raised your eyebrows in surprise, turning to Steve who had an expression of bewilderment on his face. "She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related."

You narrowed your eyes at her as she went on.

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either." Sharon went on and your eyes softened. That part hit a little close to home.

Peggy always had your back during the war. The two of you were the only women in the SSR, and over the two years you were there together, the men were always underestimating your abilities, even Howard.

"And she said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say 'No, you move.'"

"I'M NOT SIGNING the Accords." Steve told you later that day, after the funeral. You turned to look at him as he spoke. "I can't do it."

You nodded. "I know."

He looked to you. "Are you going to sign it?"

You sighed and didn't reply for the moment, thinking over your words.

"I think the others have some good points, and I understand why Tony and Nat and whoever else want to sign it..." You started.

"But?" Steve asked and you looked to him.

"But I think you're right." You said. "About it being us sacrificing our decision to choose, and I think that's important if we're going to continue to be a team as we are."

Steve smiled and you returned the gesture before bumping his arm with your own.

"Plus, I'm always going to be on your side." You told him.

"Oh, so you're just following blindly."

"No, you punk. You know what I mean."

Steve chuckled lightly, then looked across the room, where he saw Sharon.

YOUR EYES WERE glued to the TV screen in front of you as the news played.

Steve and Sam were watching too while Sharon paced the room talking on her phone.

The United Nations building in Vienna where the Sokovia Accords were being signed was bombed.

Sam had been the one to find out and the two of you had to go find Steve after he walked Sharon back from the funeral.

"A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna." The newscaster was saying and you started biting at the nail of your thumb, a nervous habit you had acquired more recently. "More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka."

You were worried for Natasha. You knew she had been there, and as you watched the footage of the fiery wreckage, you felt sick to your stomach.

"Officials have released a video of a suspect..." The new video played and your breath caught in your throat as it zoomed in on the man's face. "who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

You had to sit down after that. You held one hand to your head and had to force yourself to take some deep breaths before you totally lost your mind.

"I have to go to work." Sharon said after hanging up her phone call and you looked back to the TV.

YOU ALL WENT with Sharon to Vienna, wearing hats and sunglasses as you sat at a café right nearby the UN building.

While you and Sam stayed inside, Steve went outside to call Nat, who he could see down the road from the café.

You sipped your drink as Sam ate beside you, both of you silent and keeping your heads down until Steve returned.

"She tell you to stay out of it?" Sam asked and Steve didn't reply. "Might have a point."

"He'd do it for me." Steve stated.

"1945, maybe."

"Sam." You gave him a look that you knew still made its point through your sunglasses.

"I just want to make sure we consider all our options." Sam said. "The people that shoot at you guys usually wind up shooting at me."

Then a new voice spoke, Sharon had come in and was standing beside Steve.

"Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym." She said. "Most of it's noise. Except for this."

You looked over as she slid a folder to Steve.

"My boss expects a briefing, pretty much now so that's all the head start you're gonna get."

"Thank you." Steve said, still looking forward.

"And you're gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight." Sharon said before leaving and you drew in another breath.

You weren't sure if when you found him you would be finding Bucky, or the Winter Soldier. But you hoped with every fiber of your being that it would be Bucky.

Chapter Text

WHEN YOU AND Steve walked into the apartment, it almost made you want to cry.

You were in Bucharest, Romania. That's where Sharon's tip on Bucky led you to.

It was a shitty apartment. That was your first thought about it.

All the windows had been covered up with newspaper, the walls were yellow and peeling, and there was little to no signs of life.

You and Steve both stayed quiet as you walked around the one room.

Steve walked towards the kitchen, where one plate and an empty glass sat on the counter.

You looked over to the mattress on the floor. It had one single pillow and a thin blanket on top. That was where he had been sleeping.

Your fingers lingered at your locket around your neck as you crouched down beside the mattress.

Peeking out from beneath the pillow you could see a small clipping of newspaper.

You slowly reached out and unfolded the paper.

It was a photo of you, not one you found flattering either, that he had clearly taken from a newspaper article about Sokovia.

And he kept it under his pillow.

You stood up with the picture in your hands and walked over to Steve, your eyes not leaving the photo.

He was standing in front of the fridge, looking down at a notebook in his hands and flicking through the pages.

"Heads up, guys. German Special Forces, approaching from the south." Sam's voice came through your earpiece.

"Understood." Steve said and your eyes went wide when you glanced back.

You tapped Steve's shoulder and he turned.

Bucky was standing on the other side of the room, beside the mattress you had been at moments earlier.

He had facial hair grown out a little, and wore a cap that covered the hair on his head, which didn't look too different from the last time you had seen him.

"Do you know me?" Steve asked him, Bucky just stared, his eyes flickering between the two of you.

"You're Steve." He answered.

"What about her?" Steve gestured to you and Bucky's eyes settled on you.

"Y/N." His voice was practically a whisper as he stared at you. Then he looked back at Steve. "I read about you both in a museum."

"They've set the perimeter." Sam's voice spoke.

"I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reasons to be." Steve said as he set the notebook down on the counter beside him and took a few steps forward. "But you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky said, his eyes drifting to you again.

"They're entering the building." Sam said.

"Well, the people who think you did it are coming here right now, Bucky." You told him, also taking a few steps forward. "And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky spoke, his voice shaky, and you could hear footsteps all around you.

"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve said and Bucky sat the small plastic bag he was holding down.

He sighed, and you could hear the hurt in his voice. "It always ends in a fight."

"Five seconds." Sam warned.

"You pulled me from the river." Steve stated, raising his voice, and Bucky pulled off a glove from his left hand, letting you see his metal hand. "Why?"

"I don't know." Bucky replied, his eyes landing on you again. He glanced to the newspaper clipping that you still held in your hand.

"Three seconds."

"Yes, you do." Steve said.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!" Sam started yelling and you turned your head towards the window to Steve's right where a flash-bang smashed through the window.

Steve hit it away with his shield and another one came through the window beside Bucky.

Bucky kicked the grenade and Steve covered it with his shield as it went off.

There was a loud banging on the apartment door and Bucky lifted the mattress off the ground. It blocked a grenade that tried crashing through the window and Bucky threw the mattress against the wall.

He flipped his small table across the room and several soldiers came crashing into the apartment through the windows.

The three of you were thrown into fight mode as gunfire and yelling filled the room.

Behind you, the door to the balcony opened and you turned to fight the solider, but before you had a chance, Bucky kicked the soldier in the chest, hard, and sent them back out the door.

"Buck, stop!" Steve grabbed onto the hood of Bucky's jacket, and he tried to pull away. "You're gonna kill someone."

Bucky flipped Steve onto the ground and raised his fist.

"Bucky!" You shouted and he punched into the wooden floor next to Steve's head.

"I'm not gonna kill anyone." He said and pulled a backpack out from beneath the floorboards. Before he stood up again, he picked up your newspaper clipping from the ground and stuffed it into one of the backpack's pockets.

He then tossed it off the balcony and stared you in the eyes.

He looked behind you and then grabbed onto you, spinning around and lifting his left arm as a shield as another soldier started to shoot.

Steve pulled both of you behind him with his shield raised.

Another soldier came through the window and you charged up your powers on your hands.

Bucky threw Steve at one of the soldiers and they both crashed through the window and onto the balcony outside.

While the other soldier shot at Bucky, he raised his metal hand as a shield. Before Bucky could attack the soldier, you hit the soldier in the chest with a powerful energy blast that forced him against the wall.

He crumpled to the ground and Bucky turned to look at you.

Gunshots against the door stole your attention and Bucky tore his eyes away from yours to stick his hand through the front door before kicking it off its hinges and at the soldiers outside.

While you were sure Bucky could handle the 10 or so armed soldiers on his own, you ran out after him and fought them too. You weren't letting Bucky out of your sight.

A soldier came down from the skylight above and you flew up to hit him with a cosmically charged fist to the face.

As you landed on the ground again, you kicked another soldier in the head before they could attack Bucky from behind.

Bucky jumped onto the unconscious body of the soldier who was still suspended in the air as a shortcut to the soldiers coming up the stairs on the floor below, and Steve came running out into the hallway.

One of the officers was shouting into his radio and Steve snatched it from him, crushing it in one hand.

Bucky was going through the soldiers on the stairs easily and you chased after him while he fought.

Bucky managed to knock an officer over the edge of the stair railing and Steve caught him by the collar.

"Come on, man." Steve gave him a look, and Bucky just hit another soldier in the face.

A few more moments of rushed and cramped fighting on the stairs and Bucky jumped down the middle of the stairs.

Steve nodded to you and as he finished up with the soldiers on the stairs you jumped down after Bucky.

Bucky had caught himself on the railing a few floors down and climbed over it. By the time you got there he was running down a corridor, right towards the edge of the balcony.

You chased after him as fast as you could and he leapt off the building.

When you reached the edge, Bucky was running along the roof of the building beside the apartment building you were in, his backpack in his hand again.

You climbed over the small wall, but before you could go after him, someone else beat you to it, kicking Bucky to the ground.

This new person, dressed in a black, cat-looking outfit, was certainly nobody you recognized and they started to attack Bucky.

"Uh, Steve?!" You called out to him as you watched the fight.

This new person, as they fought Bucky, seemed like they were really going for the kill. They had claws they kept swiping at Bucky's face and chest, which Bucky just managed to dodge.

You jumped off the edge of the building and flew down, kicking the new person away from Bucky. The Black Panther rolled away, looked at you, but then went back to attacking Bucky.

"Sam, southwest rooftop." Steve said into the comms and you started firing energy blasts at the Black Panther.

"Who the hell's the other guy?" Sam asked and Bucky grabbed onto the wrists of the Black Panther to stop his claws from hitting either of you.

"About to find out." Steve said and you punched the Black Panther in the head with a charged fist.

Steve landed on the rooftop too and you shot him a panicked glance as a helicopter began shooting at Bucky, you and the mystery attacker.

"Sam." You called out, jumping out of the way of the gunfire.

"Got him." Sam replied and took out the helicopter.

Bucky managed to get away from his attacker and picked up his backpack again before running to the other end of the roof and jumping down, his attacker right on his tail.

You and Steve both jumped off the roof after them, Steve landing on the road below and you staying in the air.

A helicopter shot at Bucky from above, and you at it, hitting its tail and causing it to spin.

Bucky jumped down into a tunnel below, followed by the mystery attacker and Sam, and you flew above the tunnel, hoping to get ahead.

You weren't sure of what chaos was going on below you, only hearing sirens, the occasional squealing tires or a crashing sound.

"Y/N, Sam, I can't shake this guy." Steve said into the comms.

"Right behind you." Sam replied and you glanced back. You could barely make out Sam flying behind you, pretty far back.

"I'm just up ahead, Steve." You told him and you reached a break in the tunnel. You slowed down and hovered above the tunnel's opening as the sirens and squealing tires grew closer.

A few police cars drove into the tunnel from the end you were waiting at, and on the opposite lane Bucky came running out.

He grabbed a motorbike out from under whoever was riding it, and spun it around in the air, landing on the seat and driving it away on the wrong side of the road.

You blinked for a second, registering what you just saw in your head, and another car came chasing after him. Steve was driving it, and Bucky's mystery attacker was hanging off the back.

You quickly dove down and chased after them. Sam flew down into the tunnel after you, and a moment later you were side by side.

Steve managed to shake off the mystery attacker, who turned around and started running towards you, pushing off of a car and leaping through the air.

You rolled in the air to dodge him and the attacker grabbed onto Sam's leg.

Bucky threw a small bomb up at the tunnel's roof and when it blew up you had to pause midair to make sure you didn't fly into falling rubble.

Sam did the same, throwing the attacker off in the process.

The masked man flew forwards, towards Bucky, and Steve jumped out of the car he was driving, which was now rolling through the rubble.

You dove down, dodging the rubble, smoke and rolling car to tackle the attacker and push them away from Bucky and Steve.

You flew around and landed on the ground beside Steve, Bucky lying on the road next to you and police cars came at you from both directions of the tunnel, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

You looked up to see another helicopter in the air above you and you stared down Bucky's attacker, holding an arm out to shield him.

Then War Machine landed on the road between you all, one hand pointed at Bucky and the other at his attacker.

"Stand down, now." Rhodey ordered, and he sounded really pissed off.

You kept your arm up in front of Bucky, taking a step closer to him as you noticed how many of the police officers around you had guns pointed in your direction. Steve put his shield onto his back as he too took in your surroundings, raising his hands in surrender.

"Congratulations, Cap, Y/N." Rhodey said, looking between you both and you lowered your arm from in front of Bucky. "You're criminals."

Your heart was racing as you inhaled deeply, raising your arms with Steve.

Soldiers came running over and detained Bucky, pushing him to the ground and holding his arms behind his back.

Sam came stumbling out from the tunnel, looking around at the cops and soldiers as he raised his arms too, and you tried turning back to see if he was okay, only to be forced to face forward as your arms were pulled behind your back.

In front of you, Bucky's mystery attacker raised his own arms up and put away his claws. He reached for the back of his head and took off the Panther mask.

Beneath it was Prince T'Challa, the son of the now deceased Wakandan king who everyone believed Bucky had killed.

"Your Highness." Rhodey acknowledged and you watched as T'Challa glanced down to Bucky on the ground before looking up at you and Steve with an expression that was enough to tell you that he was not happy.