We're All a Little Mad Here
Stark Tower - New York City - A Few Hours Earlier
Natasha Romanov knows that she is not a good person, she has done things that she may never atone for, she has hurt people that did not deserve it, hell, she has murdered just for the sake of it - for the thrill of using her skills, for the thrill of feeling powerful. In short, she has many regrets, but doing what was necessary to get the information to bring back Yasha’s love out of the incessant little German man, would never be one of them.
When she walked into the common area of the Avengers tower, wiping blood from her favorite blade, she couldn’t help but smirk at the team assembled before her.
“Let’s go get the girl,”
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Bucky did not have his hopes up. No Siree, not even a little. Sure, the information that the scientist had provided was helpful, and knowing who Darcy was travelling with, and just how one could track their very specific energy signals made things a little easier. But he wasn’t excited. It could turn up nothing, like the last thousand leads that ended in nothing but pain and an empty bottle of vodka.
He was on autopilot as he watched over Tony entering data into a computer at a rate faster than he could comprehend, he was barely aware of anything, and at the same time, hyper-aware of everything. He didn’t flinch when Clint came and stood stoically beside him.
“We’ll get her this time,” he said, and Bucky wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, but appreciated the sentiment anyway.
When Natasha came and stood on his other side, he felt a little stronger at the show of solidarity. This was their way of saying that no matter what happened, he wasn’t alone. He would live to fight another day, to claw his way a little closer to his goal, and he wouldn’t be put away - alone and shivering, at the end of the day. He would have a team, a family.
“He said she kept remembering, and they couldn’t figure out why,” she said suddenly, and the only sign that he gave that he was paying attention was a miniscule eyebrow raise.
“Not big things,” she elaborated, “She would remember your face, or something you’d said. All the love she’s felt in her life, and you’re what stuck,” turning fully to face him she stared hard, “When you meet a person who makes you feel like that? You don’t let go. Trust me,” with her piece said, she marched off to assist Tony with the technical side of things and left Bucky daring to hope, even a little, for the first time in weeks that he would be able to get his girl back.
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It was ten minutes before Tony made a triumphant noise and dramatically pulled up some grainy footage on the hover screen. Typing furiously, it only took him a moment to achieve clarity and clean up the image as he announced a highway patrol camera had captured the exchange.
Bucky's breath caught in his throat as he saw Darcy pull herself out of the window and perch precariously in the speeding car. Client muttered something about sloppy aim as a few rounds went wide, but he could see the exact moment she concentrated, her aim turned deadly as she let off one precise shot to the front tire that flipped the whole vehicle. The last thing he saw before the car sped out of range was her arms raising in victory and a huge, gloating grin gracing her face.
"I think she's gonna be just fine," Clint remarked dryly as Stark began rattling off the current location of the group.
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Minutes later, they were all geared up and heading for the Quintet when Jane grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside.
"Bring her home," she told him quietly, and he saw the rage that he felt dancing under his skin burning in her eyes, he gave her a curt nod before stalking up the ramp and shutting the door. All around him, the team were on the process of assembling their various weapons.
Bruce was reading from a very thin file that contained all they knew about Darcy's dangerous new friends, and Bucky wasn't sure if he was jealous or proud of the way she seemed to attract the most lethal people in her general vicinity at any given time. He wasn't even aware he'd shared the sentiment out loud until Tony snorted loudly and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry tin man, I'm sure you'll get the trophy when you show up and go all Liam Neeson on their collective asses,"
"As I was saying," Bruce interrupted, giving them a meaningful look, "The other one, known as the Gambler,"
"Gambit," Natasha countered quietly, studiously ignoring the way everybody's heads snapped towards her as she arranged her Widow's bites just so on her catsuit.
"...I beg your pardon?" Bruce asked hesitantly.
"His name," she clarified, turning her unnervingly blank stare on him, "Is Gambit, not Gambler. It's only gambling if you don't know you're going to win - and he always does,"
"Not this time he doesn't," Bucky promised, his voice was low with warning as his metal arm whirred into gear. "Not if he tries to keep me from her,"
Thor, who had been solemnly passing his hammer from hand to hand, paused in his, albeit regal, fidgeting to lay a hand on Bucky's shoulder.
"James, you are my shield brother, and a dear friend," he began gravely, "and I do not wish to see you disappointed. We do not yet know the state of mind that the Lady Darcy is in. It could very well be that the only person she will need saving from today is on this aircraft," Shrugging the larger man's hand off of him, he retreated a few steps, wrapping his arms around himself.
"She remembered me, even when it almost cost her her sanity. That's gotta mean something,"
Thor smiled softly and nodded.
"For your sake, I hope that it does,"
"Enough with the sappy shit, boys," Clint commanded, and his voice was all business as he began setting the Quinjet down in the grass in front of a large mansion, "Let's go to work,"
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James was the first one down the ramp once they'd opened, and seconds later he was kicking the heavy double doors open with weapons in both hands, ready to strike the first thing that came between him and his mission - fuck, no. His girl. The first thing that came between him and his girl. Of the many things he'd expected to see upon entry, a blue woman and a man with a metal bucket on his head were not amongst the list.
"What the fu-" Clint began saying, he never got to finish his sentence however, as the two strange characters jumped into action. Bucket head seemed to do something strange with his hands, and all of a sudden Bucky was pinned to the wall, thrashing like a wild animal. Tony was ever so slowly creeping forwards, and a heavy stream of curse words was tumbling through the Comms as he described a strong force pushing him back. The rest of the team were subdued by their very own guns as they whipped away and hovered in front of them.
"You shall not take who you are here for," Bucket head said calmly, and blue girl rolled her eyes in disgust and snorted. Clint also noticed the hairy man from the file sitting with a glowering black cat on his lap and the flap of a leather coat as someone disappeared down the hall. Knowing who it belonged to, he gave Nat a sympathetic look before turning his full attention to the nut jobs at hand.
"Why do you even give a shit, Eric?" Blue girl demanded haughtily.
"Yeah, Eric, why do you give a shit?" Tony asked, and to his credit, you couldn't actually tell he was fighting a telling physical battle against the weight of his own suit.
"She is a mutant, and we don't abandon our own Raven, you know that," Bucket head chastised, and Bucky let out a feral growl.
"Call her that one more time 'n I'll call you dead," he threatened lowly, the intent in his voice chilled everyone in the room for a moment.
Apparently, Blue Girl didn't appreciate the threat against her male suitor, and immediately set out in an impressive array of acrobatic moves to kick her foot against his throat. Just before she could connect, his metal hand shot up, and he twisted her leg before shoving her back across the room.
"Arm 'snot metal," he informed them impishly before drawing a deadly looking dark knife and advancing on Bucket Head with a murderous glare.
"Now you listen-" his threat was cut off by the sound of a door shutting loudly, and in slow motion, everyone turned to see a newcomer enter.
"Bucky?"
Cerebro - Upstate NY - Moments Earlier
“They’re - They came for me?” Darcy asked, her voice shook as she struggled to stand. “They’re here?” At this, another loud bang sounded upstairs, and somebody cursed loudly.
“What do you think Chere?” Remy asked with a surprisingly grin smile. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go to them,” he encouraged, and in that moment, she felt. It was odd, she mused, how feeling was different from remembering. But it was, and she found herself clutching at her chest, in awe of the warmth that was spreading there. A warmth that she hadn’t realised was missing, not until it was back again. Along with an overwhelming desire to go and kiss the socks off of the man she loved, and hug the crap out of the rest of her legion of misfits. Even Clint. Maybe even especially Clint.
Staggering forwards and waving off Charles aborted attempt to steady her, she half ran, half limped, her exhausted body to the lift that would take her back to them. Although, when she got to the doors, some part of her hesitated.
“What if…” she asked quietly, “What if I’ve changed too much? What if it’s not the same?” she turned her pleading stare to Remy. “I don’t think I can lose them again because of… because of what I’ve become,” Smiling ruefully, he clapped his hand on her shoulder and shoved her lightly through the doors.
“Of course it won’t be the same Chere, but who’s to say it won’t be better?” he asked blithely, and she cocked her head at him.
“Was it better for you? With the woman who broke your heart?” she asked, and perhaps it was petty, or cruel, but she was so fucking afraid of them taking one look into her pale new eyes and backing away.
“Not always,” he said softly before tilting his head to look upwards, “But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t worth it,” At his final words, Darcy nodded and hit the button that would take her back to her family.
When the doors slid open, Darcy was certain she would be able to feel the tension in the room, even without her newfound powers. As she stumbled around the corner, the scene that filled the room took her breath away. Bucky was standing right in the middle, glaring defiantly at a man who had three guns pointed at his head. He had a wicked knife in his hand that Darcy remembered - and wasn’t that a novel experience - and she couldn’t help but speak over him as she let the door shut loudly behind her.
“...Bucky?”
When she spoke, everyone in the room seemed to freeze, and with a flick of her wrist, Eric’s control over her friends, her family, was broken. And she spoke mechanically, without ever breaking eye contact with the man who had inspired her to live, even when she couldn’t remember who he was.
“Eric, I thought I told you to play nice,” At that, Luke Skywalker leapt out of Logan’s arms, and made the hasty run to his favourite spot on her shoulder, glowering angrily at everyone who had even thought of interrupting the reunion between the two who were slowly gravitating towards each other. Darcy was dimly aware of Bucky carelessly dropping the knife, and of the energy swirling around the room in her emotional state.
“See you’ve replaced me, doll,” he said quietly, eyes flickering to Luke quickly before returning to her face. He was intently searching desperately for something Darcy really fucking hoped he’d find. She was prepared for him to flinch away from her, to avert his gaze from her eerie stare. But he didn’t.
“Never,” she replied sincerely, and then she kissed him. She didn’t even notice Luke Skywalker’s indignant yowl as he abandoned ship, or Tony’s noise of over-exaggerated disgust. All she noticed was the feeling of Bucky’s arms as he wrapped them so tightly around her that she couldn’t even tell where he ended and she began as he lifted her clear off the ground. When he finally broke away, she buried her face in his neck, and studiously ignored the tears streaming from her eyes.
“I thought I’d lost you for good,” he whispered brokenly into her hair, and she shook her head vigorously.
“Nah,” she replied lightly, choking a little on the rusty chuckle that came out, “Y’ can’t get rid of me that easy,” she teased lightly, and the crooked smile that he gave her in that moment would comfort her in difficult times for years to come.
“Good,” he said with finality, before Clint cleared his throat loudly from behind her, and raised an imperious eyebrow when she shifted in Bucky’s unrelenting grip.
He looked like he was about to bust out a witty one liner, but before he could, Darcy flung herself at him and pulled him into the fiercest hug she could muster. When asked in the future, Clint would insist that the choked off noise that came from the back of his throat was the air leaving his lungs at the vicious attack from the pain in his ass known most commonly as Lewis, and not - not a sob of relief at having his best friend back.
“I missed you,” she confessed into his purple kevlar vest, and he smiled into her hair and nodded.
“Prank wars ain’t the same when you’re not around,” he told her, and flinched violently when she shocked him lightly, putting her hands on her hips and mock glaring at him.
“Aw hell, Darce, I missed you too,”
As Charles moved forwards to introduce himself to the rest of the group and hopefully neutralize Eric and Raven, who were standing in the corner and regarding their reunion with expressions of distaste, Darcy turned back to Bucky. She could practically see his energy. It was dancing with relief, and happiness and a whole bunch of other things that Darcy couldn’t name, but could definately feel.
“So,” she said, a little breathlessly as he took another step towards her, so that they were toe to toe, their breaths mingling together. “I don’t know if you can reasonably be labelled the most messed up one in this relationship anymore,” Shaking his head slowly, he reached a hand up and cupped her jaw, stroking lightly along her pulse. She reached her hand up and covered his before he could respond, looking down at her feet before flicking her gaze back to him. “I don’t know if anyone told you, but they kind of-” she had to stop speaking to breathe noisily for a moment, “They kind of broke me,” her voice cracked and he immediately cradled her closer to him, shaking his head and making soothing nonsense noises at her. “And I’ll understand if you want to - I mean if it’s easier to just-”
“Let me stop you right there,” he said firmly, leaning his forehead against hers, “While you were- gone - I was, I wasn’t whole. And I know that it’s not fair to put that on you, but - Jesus Darcy. When you’re gone, I feel like I can’t breathe. When I didn’t know if you were-” Taking a deep breath, he shook his head lightly, “I can’t lose you again. Not because of them. Don’t let them have that,” he pleaded, and she looked up at him hesitantly.
“It doesn’t bother you?” she asked, “What they - made me into?” Huffing out a dry laugh, he cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Doll, don’t cha think that’d be awfully hypocritical of me?”
“Soldier #2’s got a point,” Stark pointed out breezily from where he was standing with Luke Skywalker in his arms, “I mean, we’re all a little mad here,”