Chapter twenty one
The phone call had only lasted a matter of minutes before Steve had hung up. He stormed upstairs to take a shower, completely forgetting about Bucky waiting for him in the gym.
After scrubbing his body and washing his hair, Steve stepped out of the shower, slipping on his fresh pressed shirt and slacks. Opening his sock drawer rifling through it, hoping to find the black and gold pair that went perfectly with his jacket.
“Where the fuck are they?!” He mutters, digging through the drawer. “Puppy! Get your ass up here!”
Nomad’s face turns into a tiny smile when he hears rapid footsteps echo on the oak stairs. “Puddin?” Bucky asks as he walks in the bedroom freezing when he sees Steve’s sock drawer open, immediately thinking he’s discovered the keys that Bucky had taken are now missing. “Shit!” He blurts out
“Socks Bucky, where are they?” Steve asks sharply. Bucky’s not listening, he just zoned out thinking that he was gonna mention the keys. Noticing his vacant expression, Steve snaps his fingers in front of his face. “Bucks, I need my socks. The black and gold pair”
“Huh?” Bucky answers cocking his head to one side, “My goddamn socks you ditzy bitch!” Steve shouts
“Oh” the light finally dings in Bucky’s head, he walks over to the drawer. “You mean these ones?” Bucky dangles the pair in front of Steve’s face. The blond goes to grab them but the pink and blue brunette hid them behind his back, “Nuh uh! You gots ta kiss me first”
“Not a chance, not after it took me half a goddamn day to get a fuckin response outta ya” He makes another grab for the socks but Bucky darts past him. “I ain’t in the mood for your games, Puppy”
Steve’s tone of voice makes Bucky stop in his tracks, he turns around on one foot, noticing Steve dressed in all his finer than usual clothes. Solid gold chains hanging around his neck. “Ya ain’t goin’ ta work again, are ya?”
“Yes and you’re making me late, give me the damn socks!” Steve barks, holding his hand out. “But I’ve barely seen you all day!” Bucky whines.
“Too bad, my works more important than-“ he stops knowing the words that were about to pass his lips would send them off into a land mine of arguments. “Me?” Bucky says, intensifying his gaze on Steve’s face. “Is that What Ya was gon say?” Steve doesn’t answer him, “Don’t stop now, Steve. I wanna heart it”
“Don’t” He warns.
“Don’t What? ARENT couples supposed to finishes each others sentences?”
Steve rubs his temples, “You’re treading on very dangerous ground, Bucky”
“Fine!” Bucky shouts, “Take your fucking socks” Bucky throws them at the larger man, storming off. Steve’s hand grabs him by the wrist, just as he’s about to leave, Slamming him into the wall, his hand around Bucky’s throat.
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that you little brat. I think you’re forgetting who owns your ass” The blond growls in his ear applying more pressure to his throat. “If that’s the case, didn’t your motha ev’a tell ya, ta look atfta ya stuff?” Bucky chokes out, feeling pleased with his comeback. That is before Steve’s right hand connects with his face, an echo sounds through the room at the harsh smack, bouncing off the walls.
Bucky’s ears ring as he cries out, waiting for another smack or punch. It never comes, instead Steve’s hand releases his throat bringing it up to cup the brunettes face. Bucky has unshed tears in his eyes, he didn’t want to cry but it was too late.
“All you had to do was give me my socks” Steve whispers, wiping Bucky’s tears. “Sorry Daddy” Bucky whimpers, his back still pressed flat against the wall. “Apology accepted” His lips softly press into his in a gentle kiss. Tears spilling over the edge of Bucky’s lashes, running down his face.
“Daddy’s gonna be late for his meeting, Bucks” Steve says pulling away, “Okay” is all Bucky says, “Don’t wait up” Steve pecks him on the cheek walking away. “Let me come with you?” He asks, a pleasing look in his eyes. “No Puppy, I need my boy here, just in case there’s an intruder” He snickers, earning a small smile from Bucky.
Steve looks at the bruise forming on the side of Bucky’s face, his mind wondering back to his arm and knuckles. Steve didn’t want to hit him, but he needed to be reminded of who’s in charge in this relationship. Bucky had seemed to have forgotten who Steve is and what he’s capable of.
“Put some ice on that”
Bucky nods, watching him leave.
Steve had arrived at his club in record time, leaving his car with the valet from earlier. He strode into the club being greeted by one of his longest working and loyal employees.
“Pearl, nice ta see ya” Steve says, shaking the woman’s hand.
Pearl’s in her forties, a very classy woman who had been under Steve’s employ ever since her husband had died. Her husband used to be one of Nomad’s henchman, but one night, he got shot and Pearl widowed. Steve hired Pearl on the basis that she be house mom at the club and manage the gems.
“Mr. Nomad, it’s been far too long. How’ve you been? How’s Bucky?” She asks smiling
“Bucky’s fine, he still has me wrapped around his finger, the little minx” Steve smiles chuckling.
“I’m glad to see you’re still with him, I have to admit, I was..concerned for a moment that he was just a passing attraction” Pearl confesses, patting him on the shoulder. “How long have y’all been together now?”
“About a year now, Honestly feels like twenty,” Steve says “So, I’ve come to the conclusion that Im stuck with the spoiled brat, Forever. No gettin’ rid of him now”
“He’s good for you. You used to go by the rule of, ‘shoot first ask questions, never’. My guess is because you were the only one responsible for yourself. But now, now you’re more tactical, now that there’s someone else to protect.” Pearl always speaks her mind and Steve, Well Steve admires that. She was one of the only people that he could confide in and receive honest advice. “Maybe you should tell Bucky that, he thinks I work just to get away from him, not to protect him”
“Bucky is just like you, he doesn’t think before he speaks. He’s stubborn and completely headstrong” Pearl says, “That’s why you clash sometimes, it’s perfectly normal. God knows me and my husband always had our fights, but it was the making up that made it worth it” She smiles giving him a wink at the end.
“Pearl, never and I mean never, wink at me in regards to Bucks, ev’a again. It’s creepy” Steve smiles.
She laughs, taking him by the arm walking him towards the upstairs conference room. “C’mon your guest is waiting for you”
“Guest is not the word I’d use Pearl, scumbag is more accurate” Steve snaps. They stand outside the conference room door. “Just remember why you’re doing this” She says, patting him on the shoulder.
“How could I forget,” He sighs, “I don’t want any interruptions P, Make sure no one comes upstairs, okay?” Steve says, grasping the door handle.
“You have my word.”
Steve watches Pearl walk down the stairs, turning to one of the waitresses who was headed up the stairs, Nomad smiles, he can always rely on Mrs P.
Steve turns his attention back to the door, he opens it slowly being met with the sight of Wade Wilson, rising out of his chair to greet him. Steve ignores his extended hand, sitting down at the head of the table, Steve throws his legs up on the table, crossing them over each other, his eyes never leaving Wade.
Wade W. Wilson, best hitman for hire. Someone Steve’s been trying to hire for years, always being met with the same answer. ‘I don’t work for no one Nomad, I go where the money’s good’. And every time, Steve raised his offer, raised the pay offer he was still met with the same answer.
Then lo and behold, Rollins tells him he heard word at Shield, that Pierce had hired him on to kill Steve and in turn, Bucky.
Now with word of Sitwell being murdered, quite gruesomely might he add, this afternoon. Seems like Wade is jumping ship, saving his own ass and all.
Wilson withdraws his hand awkwardly, lowly sitting down in his chair, opposite of Steve.
“Nomad, thank you for meeting with me, I-” Wade is instantly interrupted. “Cut the bullshit pleasantries Wilson, What do you want?” Steve snaps.
“I want to work for you” Wade says bluntly
Steve bursts out laughing, “Since when did you get a sense of humor, Wade”
“Nomad, I’m being serious, let me work for you. I know how long you’ve wanted to recruit me.” Wade says.
Steve stops laughing, his face taking on a dark expression. “How can I take a rat like you seriously? How can I take someone who works for Pierce seriously?” He pulls his legs off the table leaning forward. “You expect me to believe that this isn’t just a ploy for you to get into my ranks and feed Pierce information? I know you, Wade, I know your motives. I know your lack of loyalty is notorious”
“My ‘lack of loyalty’ as you put it, is the reason I’m sitting in front of you offering my services. You and I both know that I’m the best in the business” Wade retorts.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill right now” Nomad counters, his right hand resting on his holster.
Wade’s hand wanders down to his own holster, ready to make a move on the king of crime. “Because I can protect Bucky and your empire”
Steve moves his hand away from his holster slightly. “I said one reason, not two”
“Both one of the same” Wade shrugs, noticing Steve’s hand make it’s way back to the table. Steve laces his hands together, trying to read Wade’s body language, to see if he’s lying. “How do I know that you’re not going to go all ‘double agent’ on me?”
“I’ll be a ‘double agent’ just not on you, for you. If you hire me, I’ll disclose all the information I have on Pierce.”
“Fine, you wanna work for me? Then we do this properly” Steve sits up straight in his seat, gesturing for Wade to do the same. Steve clears his throat, “So, Mr. Wilson, why do you want to work for me and my..company?” Nomad asks, in a professional manner.
Wade catches onto Steve’s game quickly, playing along. “Well sir, I would rather work for a self confessed psychopath, than a delusional one. I can bring a unique set of skills to your business, and increase your profit by a considerable eighty nine percent”
“You’re very confident in that fact that I see, but looking at your resume, you don’t have any good references or even a good track record with commitment to your employers. Why would I employ someone who has commitment issues?” Steve raises a brow. “If you’re reading my file then you would have noticed that no job of mine has been left half done. I work for unofficial men of business, hence the lack of a good reference, but a criminal mastermind such as yourself, knows that already” Wade answers, giving Steve a satisfying smirk.
Steve nods, “Where do you see yourself in five years time, Mr. Wilson?”
“I see myself, dragging my ass outta a whore’s bed, answering a call from my long term boss, putting my drawers on, probably backwards because I don’t wanna be late” Wade chuckles. Realizing how true that would be. “Plus, In five years time, I imagine myself rollin in hard, well earned cash, nursing hangovers on a monday morning, after playing poker with my boss and beatin’ him hands down”
“Well that’s where you’re wrong Wade, one you will never beat me at poker, and two, if we do play poker it will be on a friday night not on a sunday night” He scoffs.
Wade laughs, the atmosphere lighter, more calm.
“I still don’t trust you” Steve says, breaking the light echo of laughter, “What would make you trust me?” Wade asks
“Tell me what Pierce’s plan is, where’s he hiding? And why he's not rotting under the rubble of his lab”
Wade doesn’t hesitate in telling him everything he knows, by the end of the conversation, Steve knows the whereabouts of Pierce and his plans. As Wade speaks more in depth about Pierce, Steve is already concocting his plan for revenge. He needs to act sooner rather then later, before his henchmen got picked off one by one and before they came for Bucky and eventually, himself.
“But, none of that will happen now, because you’ve got me” Wade explains.
“You haven’t got the job yet, Wilson” He snaps, Steve rubs his forehead, trying to make sense of all the information he’s just been given. “We need to move quickly, he may be a coward and incredibly delusional, if he thinks he can take down my empire, But he’ll know you’ve switched sides”
Noticing Steve using the word ‘we’ Wade smiles, “I thought you said I didn’t have the job yet”
Steve sets his cloudly eyes on Wade. “Careful Wilson, You’re on a probationary contract only, It can easily be terminated if I see fit” Nomad taps his holster.
When do I start?”