The Calm Before the Storm
"Oh fuck Y/N," Tony moaned as he pushed you further into the freezer room, "your lips taste even better than I remember."
"Tony... Everyone can hear us," you protested, weary that only one door separated you from the compound kitchen where all the avengers were relaxing after their latest mission.
"Let them hear us. I want everyone to know you're mine. Mine and mine alone." His lips grazed across your neck, nipping and sucking passionately. His hands brushed your waist, caressing and skimming intimately. His chest pressed against your own, protecting and confining tenderly. The almost forbidden nature of your little rendezvous was what kept you pursuing him. If any of the others found out, the mocking and teasing would have been too intense. But his skilled touch ensured those thoughts never overwhelmed you.
"Tony," you moaned almost erotically.
"Yes, sweetheart. Tell me what you want. Let me help you."
"Tony I..."
"Agent L/N." Wait, Tony would never call you that.
"Agent L/N. You need to wake up. We're nearly there."
Oh. It was just a dream.
Opening your eyes slowly - the bright lights of the quinjet clouding your vision, Maria stood patiently in front of you, a SHIELD file clutched in her hands. Apart from the pilot, it was just the two of you flying out to complete the mission. You trusted everyone on board to keep your whereabouts (and the fact that you were alive) a secret. SHIELD didn't really interact with the avengers that much anyway. Sipping on the now lukewarm coffee beside you, you beckoned for Maria to sit down next to you.
"I need to brief you Y/N, you know SHIELD loves formalities."
"Alright walk me through it, Maria," you instructed placidly - you had always loved that you just had to follow the orders of those higher than you. There was less room for error that way.
"The quinjet will land just outside Afumați, about 17km away from Barnes' last known location. You'll need to walk towards Bucharest and track down Barnes. You then need to convince him to come back to the States using whatever means necessary. He cannot remain in Europe. We'll then pick you both up from the rendevous point," she paused to flick through the file, "which will be in the Fenland District of England."
"So find Barnes and take him to England without getting caught by any governments. Sounds easy," you joked.
"Just call us on this burner phone," she handed you a small phone no larger than your palm, "do not turn it on until you reach the Fenlands. Otherwise, anyone will be able to track you, and obviously, we do not want that." Placing the file in your lap, she gave you an apprehensive smile. "Just don't do anything stupid. I want you back in one piece Y/N."
"I'll be fine сестра (sister)," you grinned back at her.
"I see you've been practising your Russian, мой друг (my friend)," she recited back to you.
"Thought it might come in handy, especially if anything goes wrong."
"You'll be okay Y/N, we've been monitoring him for some time now. He hasn't had an episode in months."
"I know but just to be safe."
"Everything will be fine. You're one of our best agents Y/N, we wouldn't have chosen you for this mission if we didn't think you could handle it."
"Thank you, Maria," her kind words soothing your nervousness.
"Rest up now сестра. We'll be arriving in about ten minutes." Watching as she strolled confidently to the cockpit, your eyes darted down to the file in your lap; the words Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) sprawled across the top of the document. Curiosity dictated your movement as you cautiously opened the folder. A large photo of the soldier lay on top of the mission reports - his features warped by his long hair and further obscured by the icy confinements HYDRA had placed him in. So this was how he survived for seventy years - they had cryogenically frozen him after every mission: they had probably wiped his memory every time as well. Your eyes darted towards the bottom of the photograph. A significantly smaller image of the man was paperclipped to the file. Wow. You barely recognised the soldier. He certainly looked like a soldier in this photo. The black and white portrait clearly highlighted his beaming expression. An army uniform clothed his shoulders - his cap slightly tipped on his head. He appeared content, almost excited, as his photo was taken. You turned the image around - "Sargent James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th Infantry Regiment" was scribbled on the back. Securing the smaller portrait in your coat pocket, you placed the file into your bergen and tightened the straps around your shoulders.
You could feel the plane's descent before Maria informed you that you had arrived. Stepping calmly out of the aircraft, you waved towards the cockpit, aware that this might be the last time you interacted with Agent Hill. She gave you a thumbs-up as the quinjet began its ascent and journey out of Romania. Now you were on your own.
Almost enthusiastically, you quickly strolled south-west towards the city of Bucharest, as you spotted a sign for București. It couldn't be that far, right?