Chapter nineteen
Due to Bucky’s incurable boredom, he had arranged to meet Natasha for lunch at Obie’s gentlemens lounge. Dressing in one of Steve’s dark red button downs leaving the top six buttons undone, tucking one side into the waist of skinny black slacks. Paired with two of Steve’s gold chains and some rings on his right hand, he tucked a serrated pocket knife into his pocket sprinting down the stairs. Tasha was sitting in her corvette in the driveway, laying on the horn for Bucky to hurry the fuck up.
“Hurry up, bitch!” She shouted out of the rolled down window
“Alright, alright ‘M comin’!” Bucky hollered back, slipping on his 1460 docs. Running out to the car, he slammed the front door behind him, sprinting over towards the passenger side. “The fuck were you doing in there? Making your outfit from scratch?” Nat joked, gesturing to Bucky to put on his seatbelt.
Bucky glanced over at Nat. “Wow..Now I feel underdressed” He said looking at Tasha, she was wearing a skin tight emerald green dress with her red hair pulled over to one side, falling right below her boobs.
Natasha blushed. “Nonsense, this is how I usually dress when I go out”
“I changed my mind, I don’t want to go out anymore. I look like a four year old in comparison to you..Do I have time to change?” Bucky asked in all seriousness. “No. Now c’mon, I’m hungry as fuck, I don’t wanna miss our reservation” Nat started the car engine, making a beeline for the lounge.
“Since when did Obie do reservations?” Bucky asked. “Since I asked super sweet;y with cherries on top” Tasha winked. “Ew, you’re gross” He cringed
“I didn’t do anything!” Tasha shouted, defending her honor. “I simply suggested it might be a good idea to get us a nice table, with a three course meal on the house”
Bucky’s jaw dropped. “Three courses on the house!? Nat, did ya make some dirty promises to Obie?”
“Not promises..Just ideas. Don’t worry I ain’t gonna deliver on them, I have class” Tasha explained. “Men like to feel like their wanted, even men of Obie’s…Nature”
“I kinda get an asexual vibe from him”
“Yeah me too, he just felt flattered. Hench the free food” Nat smirked. Bucky smiled, pulling out his phone, to make Steve aware of his plans..Just in case he came home early.
Because my ‘lunch’ ran away earlier, I’m gettin’ food with Tasha. Love you!
Bucky fiddled with his phone waiting for a reply that didn’t come. He usually replied to him instantly.
Maybe he’s in a meeting?
Bucky was pulled from his thoughts when the car came to a halt.
“C’mon dolly daydream, we’re here” Nat punches Bucky in the arm, wincing when her knuckles meet metal under the silk fabric. Bucky followed Tasha out of the car, He’d never been to the lounge before, Steve said it was a ‘classless establishment, full of cheap food, booze and girls.’, He couldn’t have been more wrong.
The front of the club had ‘STANE’ written in the most fluent calligraphy. The architecture had a nineteen-twenties vibe, there was a huge queue of people leading up towards the clubs double doors.
Nat grabbed Bucky’s hand, pulling him in front of the line of people, straight towards the front of the queue. “C’mon hun.”
When they reached the front, Nat quickly turned away from the doorman, applying some deep red lipstick.
“Good afternoon, How can I help?” The man asked. “Hello-” Nat glanced at his name tag “Andrew” She smiled. “My friend and I have a reservation booked for this afternoon”
“Reservation? Can I take a name, please?” Andrew asked, producing a clipboard with a list of names on it. “Oh sweetie, our names aren’t on any list” She said giggling.
“Then I’m afraid Madam, I can’t let you in” He said, gesturing towards the back of the line. “I think you may have misheard me, Drew..Can I call you Drew?” Tasha didn’t give him time to answer. “Well Drew, the thing is-” Nat grabbed the man by the collar, pulling his lips to hers. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, it was a necessary one.
Bucky stood there with his mouth hanging open, not believing how much confidence Tasha has. Natalia pulled away and smiled sweetly. “Now about that reservation..” She said tweaking his suit.
Drew stepped aside, stuttering, “P-please come through” He opened the door for them.
Widow grabbed Bucky’s hand, pulling his through the door, once they were inside, Bucky pulled Nat into a corner. “How the fuck did you do that?” he asked
“This little beauty” Nat pulled out a lipstick tube from her clutch. “Can I have some? I’ve been buggin’ Stevie to fix the bathroom door ever since we broke it..That lippie would work wonders!”
“How did you bre-” Tasha looked at Bucky’s face. “Actually I don’t wanna know”
Bucky giggled, after a few moments the receptionist showed them to their seats. They were seated at a mahogany wooden table with a single rose placed in a small vase. “Here you go, a waiter will be over shortly to take your orders. Enjoy” The rather dapper looking man said, setting down two menus.
“Spacibo” Bucky said taking the menu, scanning it over. “Excuse me” Nat said, grabbing the receptionist's arm. “Yes Madam?” He replied.
“Take this-this-” She gestured towards the rose, “-Just take it away. I don’t appreciate a mangled rose corpse staring at me while I eat. It’s disgusting”
The man was petrified as her voice rose from a quiet request to a shouting demand. Bucky touched Nat’s arm lightly. “Red chill, It’s just a rose. He didn’t know you would be upset”
“That ain’t the point Hun! It’s murder. Killing a flower in its prime just to decorate a stupid fu-” She was cut off by Bucky’s hand covering her mouth.
“Sorry about her, she’s just very sensitive. If you could be so kind as to remove the rose, I’d be most grateful” Bucky tried to defuse the tension.
The man picked the vase off the table, leaving rather quickly.
“Natalia, you need to calm down, that was so embarrassing” Bucky removed his hand, “Sorry Bucks but seriously? How is that appropriate? It’s just as bad, if not worse, as displaying at rotting human head in the middle of the table! I mean honestly?” She argued
“I understand, but can you just cool it? We’re here to have a nice meal”
“Fine, whatever. I’m over it.” Tasha snapped, sulking into her menu.
Moments later, a waiter came to the table taking their orders. There was no surprise when Bucky ordered a mountain of food and Nat went for a light meal.
“So I’ve got half the equipment, my training is coming along well. But the thing I’m concerned about is the actual plan, y’know? How we gon’ do this?” Bucky asked, shoveling a huge piece of steak in his mouth.
“Well, that’s why I brought you here Bucks..The lounge is apparently where Pierce is hiding out. So we can case the joint and decide out best plan of attack when the time comes.”
“So you’re tellin’ me Alexander Pierce is in this building right now? Like, Right now?”
“Maybe Hun, don’t worry for now. I mean there’s still plenty of time. We need to figure out an escape route incase Cap shows up” Nat explained. Bucky calmed down, taking a sip of his wine, “You right. Okay, but the longer we leave it the more chance he has of moving location. He may not be the sharpest knife in the box but he ain’t dumb”
“Bucky this isn’t my first job, I know what I’m doing. Can you just trust me?”
“Of course I- Oh. My. God.” Bucky gasped, his eyes fixed onto something in the distance. “Yasha What’s wrong?”
“Sitwell” Bucky nodded in the direction over Nat’s shoulder. She whipped her around catching a glance of the notorious be it by name only, Jasper Sitwell. He was standing a few tables away, laughing and joking with the waiter behind the bar.
“That’s Jasper Sitwell?” Nat asked in disbelief. “Yes, it is” Bucky muttered, his eyes still fixed on Sitwell. Natasha noticed his lack of movement.
“Bucky…Yasha?” Nat snapped her fingers in front of his face. Bucky didn’t move, but Nat could see a light fog covering his eyes.
“Bucky?” She asked again, still nothing. Tasha could see the gears turning in the brunette’s head. Before she could blink, Bucky darted out of his seat.
“No!” Nar shouted, springing to her feet as she watched Bucky storm towards Sitwell. “You son of a bitch!” Bucky shouted in his direction. Sitwell swung his head around to face the angry Brooklyn accent.
“Woah sweetheart” Sitwell said, raising his hands in defense. He looked confused and scared, his eyes focused on the two toned brunette standing in front of him. He began laughing quietly then it grew louder. “Pink and Blue hair with an annoying accent..Must be little miss Bucky Barnes”
Bucky drew back his right hand, tensing it into a fist, using all his strength, he threw his fist forward, his bruised half healed knuckles smashed into his nose. “That’s Dr. Barnes to you”
Pulling his hand back he winced at the pain shooting through his knuckles, it was nothing compared to the pain that Sitwell was now experiencing..Broken cheek and disjointed jaw.
Okay we gotta use our new abilities more often
HIT EM! HIT EM AGAIN!
He clutched his face. “What the fuck was that for!?” he shouted painfully, drawing his hands away to hold his swollen cheek and jaw into place. “You’re lucky I only broke your jaw, you fascist bitch”
Sitwell gritted his teeth, scanning the room. Everyone was staring at them, his face flushed with humiliation. “Listen Bitch, I don’t know what the fuck your problem is-” Sitwell choked on his next words getting metal fisted punch to the throat.
“You know perfectly well asshole. The amount of times Nomad has tried to wipe you and your entire bloodline off the map, should’ve stayed out off the map. Then again I’d expect nothing less from a nazi” Bucky snapped
Sitwell grabbed his wrist pulling him into the nearby coatroom. Nat followed closely behind, keeping her distance. She wanted to see what Bucky’s capable of.
Sitwell narrowed his eyes at Widow, slamming the door in her face. Leaving him and Bucky in the coatroom alone.
He turned his attention back to the brunette, “What the fu-” He was cut off when another metal handed punch was administered to his face. “Can you stop fucking punching me, for one goddamn second!” Sitwell shouted, spitting blood on the floor.
Bucky smacked him across the face, sending him flying to the ground, “Tell me what Pierce’s plan is!”
Sitwell reacted quickly grabbing Bucky’s flesh arm, spinning him around, twisting it behind his back. It was weak, Bucky guessed being and being beat on by a super soldier had its perks.
“Listen to me, I don’t work for no one. I do jobs for money not loyalty”
“Money? That’s your motive?” Bucky asked, playing up struggling against Sitwell’s hold.
“Money, and a good time” With his free hand, he brushed Bucky’s hair over one shoulder exposing the back of his neck. “I can show you a good time” Bucky whispered.
Bucky stomped his foot down on Sitwell’s, turning around kneeing him in the crotch. Sitwell doubled over crying out.
“Good enough for ya?” He mocked leaning over his body, Sitwell grabbed his left ankle pulling his foot out from him. Bucky fell, landing on his back with a ‘thump’
Bucky sprung back up off the ground, when he turned to face him, Sitwell had his gun trained on his head.
“I don’t kill people for free, but if you play with the big boys, you’ll get treated like one”