She left me
Tony, as always, came prepared. On the jet, there was food for at least a week. Steve and Natasha were put in charge of dinner and at down they called everyone to join the table. It was definitely not something fancy, even if Tony brought only for himself a whole steak. In just a few moments everyone joined the table, everyone except her.
“Why does he have a steak?” Bucky pointed out, annoyed, as he sat down.
“Because I pay for everything,” Tony responded.
Natasha leaned closer to Steve, pointing at the empty spot on his left, questioning why the new girl wasn’t there, or better, questioning why Steve was here and not knocking on her door.
“I’ll go call her,” Steve said, standing up. There was a small scoff from Bucky, who sat right in front of him.
Steve knocked twice on her door but there was no response. “Come to eat,”
“Nope,” came the reply.
“You can’t starve yourself, come on,” Steve responded.
As the door opened, she stood there. Her veil and hood were gone, revealing her long, blonde braid cascading down her back. She wore a black t-shirt and a pair of tight black pants, revealing what was previously hidden.
“Eyes up here, Rogers,”
“So you can call me by my name and yet I still remain in the dark about yours?” he asked with a playful hint of sarcasm in his voice “You’ve got no choice but to stay here with us for a minimum of thirty-six hours. So, whether you choose to share your name right now, or I’ll press you until you can’t get a wink of sleep, you will eventually have to spill.” He chuckled a light-hearted sound that filled the air.
She looked at him and smiled. It was a fragile smile, a fleeting moment of vulnerability that seemed so out of character for her. It was a stark contrast to the strong, independent woman he had known until now.
Before he realized it, she had moved towards him, gently closing the door behind her with a soft click. She was tall, yet she was still a bit shorter. Their eyes met, hers locking with his in a gaze that held his attention. “My name is Iris,” she announced, her voice barely above a whisper.
He was quick to respond, “Nice to formally meet you, Iris,” he said, extending his hand towards her in a friendly gesture. At first, he thought he had caught her off guard. But to his surprise, she graciously accepted the handshake, her grip firm and confident.
Entering the common room, Steve realized from everyone’s faces that they had never seen her without her face covered. Tony, of course, was scanning her from head to toe. As they took their seats, he noticed Bucky, frozen in place, staring at her.
“So, so very nice to see you in your full splendour,” Tony said.
“Stark,” she scoffed and she poured herself some water. “Why does he get a steak?”
“Because I pay for everything,” Tony repeated.
The meal was tolerable, and thankfully, Natasha took over the conversation with Iris before Tony could cause any further damage.
“So, Iris,” Nat began, emphasizing the name and skillfully avoiding any topics related to Hydra, the government, or Iiris’s past. “Just a technical question, where do you find the money for everything?”
“People I save,”
“Weren’t you saving people in need?” Clint chimed in.
“Yeah, and there’s always someone who put those people in that situation and needs to keep their name out of it,” she replied, leaning back in her chair and pushing her empty plate away from her.
“So, you sell your silence?”
“I just help people survive one more day on this earth, I don’t care about justice.”
“Why not?” Steve asked.
“Because justice is for the fools.”
“It’s not, it’s what people need,” Steve argued.
“It’s what you make people believe in,” she countered, locking eyes with Bucky, who had been staring at her as if he had seen a ghost. “Justice never did anything for me. The fact that he’s sitting there proves how subjective justice truly is.”
Steve was left in silence, his gaze lingering on the empty seat Bucky had abruptly vacated. Iris’s words echoed in his mind, a stark contrast to the belief system that had guided him. He turned to her, his usually warm eyes hardening slightly.
“Iris,” he began. “Justice isn’t subjective. It’s about being fair and impartial. And it’s also about giving everyone a chance to redeem themselves, to make amends for their past mistakes.”
She met his gaze steadily, her own eyes reflecting a hardness borne out of experiences.
“Is that so, Rogers?” she retorted, a bitter edge to her voice. “Where is the second chance for the countless people who’ve been killed and their families never saw anyone brought to justice? Tell that bullshit to the innocent lives that were ruined, to the families that were torn apart.”
The intensity of her words was like a punch in the gut. But he stood his ground.
Iris scoffed, pushing herself away from the table. “Even if you fight outside your house, what about what’s behind the curtains? What about Bucky, Steve? Was justice served?”
Suddenly, Bucky stood up, pushing his chair away not so gently and walked off.
Steve was silent, the weight of her words pressing down on him. The room was filled with silence, the tension between them as palpable.
Their discussion was far from over, but for now, Steve had to find Bucky, to check on the wounds that Iris’s words had clearly reopened. As he left the room, Iris’s words continued to echo in his mind. He knew Bucky was not that man, and everything he did wasn’t because he wanted to, but somehow he understood her point of view. She just needed to understand his story.
In Bucky’s room, Steve found him leaning against the window, ignoring his presence.
“Buck?” Steve called, but Bucky remained silent. “Buck, talk to me. Did you remember her?” Bucky still didn’t respond.
“She left me,” Bucky finally said.
“What?” Steve was confused.
“She left me there.”
“Where?”
“In Siberia.”
“She was there with you? So, what Zemo said was true?”
“Get out, please,” Bucky pleaded.
“Buck…”
“I said please.”
Steve took a step back with a heavy sigh, slowly closing the door behind him. He knew that Bucky needed time to process. He decided to get some sleep, giving himself a mental break from the day’s events. As he made his way back to his room, he noticed a light flickering in the common room, a sign that someone was still awake.
“What has he told you?” Iris asked, lying on the sofa, in her hand, she clutched a glass filled with a dark liquid, whisky, Steve guessed, likely stolen from Tony’s room. As he approached her, his gaze landed on the lounge chair opposite her and he sat there.
The room was dimly lit, the only light emanating from the soft glow of the control room monitors casting a subtle glow on her features. It added an ethereal quality to her, making her look almost untouchably dangerous. Her legs were crossed, the thin fabric of her pants clinging to her form, outlining the strength of her muscles. Steve couldn’t help but admire.
His gaze moved upwards, catching sight of the knife concealed on the upper part of her right thigh. It was a stark reminder that she was not a friend, yet, there was an odd sense of comfort.
His eyes then landed on her black t-shirt, hugging her form and accentuating her figure. He couldn’t help but appreciate the way it highlighted her curves, the way it moved with each breath she took. It was a stark contrast to the woman he saw on the battlefield, revealing a softer, more feminine side to her.
His thoughts abruptly returned to her question.
Steve responded without hesitation, his voice steady, “You left him in Siberia.”
Iris scoffed dismissively at his words, her expression hardened. “He was a killer.”
Steve retaliated, his tone firm, “He was brainwashed.”
She countered, her voice bitter with memories, “There wasn’t one single person in there who wasn’t put through hell.”
“He was made into a project,” Steve asserted, trying to make her see the predicament from his perspective.
Iris finished her drink in one swift motion, placing the empty glass on the table as she stood up. Her movements were quick, mirroring her intention to end the conversation and retreat back to her room. “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she said, her voice resolute. With those parting words, she turned and left.