A Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing
Snuggling further into the pillow beneath you, you wrapped your arm around the soft material, allowing yourself to relax: a welcome change from the usual unease that clouded your mind. The comfortable shape of the cushion fit perfectly against your face. A smile crept over your lips. That was probably the best night's sleep you'd had since leaving the Avengers compound. Reluctant to wake up properly, you kept your eyelids closed and revelled in the post-sleep haze: sometimes life just needed to slow down. You didn't know how long you'd been asleep, but a few more minutes couldn't hurt, right? No. A few minutes would be fine. The warmth of the morning sun on your face added to the overall cosiness you were experiencing. You must have worn extra layers to bed last night.
Whilst you lay drowsily, your mind wandered back to the first morning you had woken up in Tony's bed. Feeling two arms wrapped around your waist, you nuzzled into the solid wall of warmth behind you. Tony's torso pressed gently into your back, both engaging and protecting you as if someone was going to kidnap you at any moment. After months of mutual pining, you had ended up in his bedroom following one of his infamous parties. You'd mused whether he had planned this all along - all it took was him showing up in his gorgeous black suit with a shot of vodka for confidence and you had been putty in his hands. Small touches and caresses turned to full-on groping and making out once you'd reached his room, conscious that anyone could be watching. Steve had been particularly irritated by Avengers hooking up with each other. Probably because Natasha had rejected him. Anyway, you and Tony weren't just hooking up. You shared a deep and personal connection with him, bonding over your anxiety and love of horror films. An interesting combination, but the constant fear for the characters somehow overcame your real-life fears. You felt his arms tighten around you as his beard tickled your ear. He placed a small kiss on your ear. Basking in the comfort of his embrace, you turned round to peck his nose. A small laugh left his throat. You expected him to mock you, but instead, he returned the gesture by locking his lips with yours.
"Well, I could get used to this sweetheart," the term of endearment rolled off his tongue, awakening the romantic side of you. Pulling him closer, you shifted to lean on his chest, covering his torso with yours. His hand came to rest on your hip as he dragged your leg over his own so you would be straddling him if you sat up. Placing a final kiss on your head, he rubbed his palm against your thigh, lulling you back to sleep with his serene nature.
A sudden shift beneath you interrupted your daydreaming. Wait. Pillows shouldn't move by themselves. Snapping your eyes open, slightly annoyed that something had terminated the peacefulness associated with the memories, you felt the calm of the room dissipate. Fear and dread were quick to replace the tranquillity. A body lay beneath you. No, not a body. It was Barnes' body. The Winter Soldier's body. Alarm bells began ringing in your mind - the realisation that you had allowed a stranger to sleep beside you was an overwhelming thought. Hastily trying to remove yourself from his chest, his arm tightened around your waist. Distress joined the flurry of emotions swirling around your brain. You couldn't move. You couldn't leave. You couldn't escape. Untangling yourself from Barnes was the only thing your mind could focus on.
Unable to remove his firm grip, you tried to roll out instead, hoping that the sudden motion would reduce the strength of his arm. Thankfully it did. It also resulted in both of you tumbling onto the hard, wooden floor of his apartment. Turns out you weren't in his bed. You had just been sleeping on his sofa. As you braced yourself for the impact, you heard a thump and a loud groan. Shit. He would realise that you had practically pushed him off of the couch in your frantic escape. Turning to look at him, a small laugh pierced the silence of the room.
"You could have woken me with a kiss," Barnes chuckled, "I would have preferred that to this." An almost youthful grin was etched across his face. Clambering to his knees, he offered you his right hand, which you noticed was still gloved and hauled you both off of the ground. You joined in his laughter, finding it more tolerable than the endless anxiety racing around your consciousness. His hair was a little messy and his red henley had risen slightly to reveal his broad hips and waist. Wow. He had definitely grown since the 40s. You remembered the pictures of him in the Smithsonian; his figure was slimmer and less muscular than the man in front of you. Darting your eyes away, they landed on the still full cups of coffee beside the loveseat. You must have drifted off to sleep before you'd finished them.
"I can warm those up if you want," you offered, desperate to distance yourself from the soldier, "wouldn't want to waste good coffee." Barnes began laughing again, obviously amused by your suggestion.
"I'd like that gorgeous," he answered, "though aren't I supposed to look after the girl who wakes me up?" Hurridly grasping the cups, you rushed towards the kitchen. The microwave looked as if he'd picked it out of a skip. You pondered whether he had. It's not like he could earn any money legally. He probably had to pickpocket and steal most of his possessions. Placing both mugs inside, you turned the dial to one minute. That's how long you would have to avoid him. You never thought completing phase two of your mission would be this hard. Mentally checking it off your list, you recounted the plan in your head.
Phase one: Leave the Avengers and fake your own death - Completed
Phase two: Arrive in Europe and locate Barnes - Completed
Phase three: Escort Barnes across Europe to England - To Be Completed
Phase four: Fly Barnes back to the US - To Be Completed
Phase five: Deliver Barnes to the Avengers Compound - To Be Completed
It had seemed so easy when Hill explained it to you. Maybe she had higher expectations of your ability. No. You needed to stop doubting yourself. The cold laminate countertop brushed against your fingertips. Its coolness was a distinct contrast to the rising warmth of your palm. You placed both hands onto the smooth surface, praying it would provide some stability to your slowly tumbling mental state. The ping of the microwave permeated the silence. You stood transfixed by your thoughts.
"You gonna bring those over here sweetheart?" his husky voice filled the apartment. Shit. Now you had to rejoin him on the sofa. Why did you suggest making him coffee? Now you would have to drink the whole cup next to him. You should have never followed him to his lodgings. You should have just stalked him for a few days, instead of being stupid and entering the home of this stranger. Reluctantly clasping the mugs, you shuffled towards the loveseat where Barnes was sitting. Handing him the warm beverage, his left hand brushed against yours. It was firmer than you expected. He had been so careful the previous night, only touching you with his right arm and keeping his metal one tucked behind his back, away from you. It must have been the post-sleep daze that dropped his guard. Mistaking the surprise for discontent, he quickly retracted his palm.
"Um," he hesitated, "didn't think I'd have to explain this now." You slowly sat down next to him. "Yeah, so this is a prosthetic arm," his gaze lifted to meet yours, "I understand if you want to leave." He obviously felt self-conscious about the metal contraption fuzed to his shoulder. Placing your hand on his forearm, he visibly flinched from your touch.
"It's okay Barnes," you responded. His eyes narrowed. Shit. Standing up, he shoved you towards the wall, his synthetic limb constricting around your throat.
"I never told you my name," he spat, glaring frenziedly at your profile as if he was studying your reaction, "and I definitely would not have told you the name: Barnes." His powerful grip restricted your breathing as he forced your back against the bathroom door. The sturdy wood creaked from your combined weight - highlighting his strength and control over your fate. Your life was literally in his hands.
"So tell me обманщик (deceiver), how do you know who I am?" his voice now gruff and authoritative. Struggling to respond, he pushed his arm further into your throat. Desperately trying to open your mouth, you cursed yourself for allowing him to overpower you. You had been trained for this. Hell. You had defeated opponents more threatening than him. Just as the final breath left your lips, he released your neck from his grasp, instead, he pinned you in place with an arm over your chest and shoulders.
"Answer the question самозванец (imposter)," anger rising in his movement.
"I'm not a threat to you," you managed to whimper.
"I'll be the judge of that маленькая сучка (little bitch)."
"Barnes..." you began.
"Don't call me that," aggression influenced his immediate retort.
"I have been sent by SHIELD to escort you back to the US." Extricating you from his clutch, he scoffed.
"I knew you lot would come for me eventually. What are you gonna do? Ship me off to some asylum? Put me back in that damn cryofreeze for all eternity? Ha. I bet you've got your whole STRIKE team outside ready to shoot me down." His words were laced with bitterness and resentment.
"That was HYDRA, not SHIELD," you corrected him.
"Potayto, potathto. They're both organisations who view me as a weapon of mass destruction."
"That is not true, SHIELD has evolved since removing HYDRA from the organisation."
"Bullshit. I bet they'll lock me up the moment they get their hands on me."
"Again, not true. On your arrival to the US, you will be granted a full pardon and arrangements will be made to reintroduce you to the modern world. As I said, I have been assigned to escort you and make sure you do not remain in Europe. I believe you currently have arrest warrants from seven different European nations, all of which would be more than happy to imprison you indefinitely."
"I've lasted this long агент (agent)," he boasted, not at all worried by your threat.
"In three months, the European nation will be meeting to discuss the increase in terrorism and international threats. We have been informed that your name will come up and the verdict does not look promising. They plan to utilise the Eastern Partnership to convict you in Belarus and therefore sentence you to death. If you step foot in any European country after this conference, you will be immediately arrested as they will assign a specific military regiment from each country to search for you. Therefore, we need to get you to the US before this can happen."
"And so SHIELD thinks I need protecting. Well агент, why don't you run along back to them and tell them to shove their offer where the sun doesn't shine," he answered. Irritation was painted across his expression.
"I have been instructed to deliver you by whatever means necessary. So we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Let's just say SHIELD knows how to activate the зимний солдат (winter soldier)," you threatened. Praying that it wouldn't come to that, you decided to shift the conversation back to your mission.
"My name is Agent Y/N L/N and I will escort you from Bucharest to the Fenland District of England, where SHIELD will extract and transport us back to the US," you re-explained, "you will then be taken to the Avengers Compound where you will be introduced to the wonders of the 21st century. We will leave tomorrow morning and hopefully arrive in just over two months."
"I guess I better start packing then, L/N."