Chapter 10
"Come on, I'm not doing that dare. Everyone knows that Cyborg and I don't like each other, why would I make it wor-" Sam was suddenly interrupted by Friday.
"Mr. Stark, I think you need to see this,"
Tony had been trying to get more information about your past. He'd had Friday working around the clock. He'd even enlisted the help of Natasha, seeing if any documents were leaked in 2014, during the downfall of Hydra. Up until now, he hadn't found anything other than some inactive social media accounts, your job history, and several articles published by a newspaper called "The Derwood Star" which showcased some of your high school achievements.
Tony had been planning to meet with you directly and ask you more about your life before New York, but duty called, and every time he would ask Friday to call you into his office, news about otherworldly evils would steal his attention.
Just then Friday had displayed a hologram of Hydra reports, documents, images, and even some old security camera footage dated from the early 2000s in the large lounge area. The rest of the team quickly gathered around to see what she had found. After thanking Friday, Tony had started swiping through and thoroughly looking at all the AI had suddenly acquired. He was taking in the pictures of a girl that he instantly recognized as a younger version of you. It wasn't hard to tell that you were malnourished in every picture. Some documents were even gracious enough to provide details about your weight before and during your time in the hands of Hydra. The first video the team viewed was of you in some sort of dark cage surrounded by a mix of dirt and blood. Everything looked dingy on the tiny and low-resolution video. Soon enough, a dark and broody figure walked into the frame. Before the video could go on Friday announced a disturbance in Bucky's room.
Tony asked Friday to pin the information and take note of the video the team was watching before he and Steve hurried to his room. The rest of the team became cautious and stayed on high alert. When Friday announced that you had entered Bucky's room, both men started sprinting faster down the hallway. Both rushed to the staircase while Tony quickly hollered at Steve.
"You know what happens if either one of them is injured,"
Since Bucky had shown up from the compound after Tony and Steve's disagreement surrounding the accords, Tony had promised every government official that any violence that taken place between any members of the team would be reported back. Bucky was already considered a threat, and unbeknownst to you, Tony was attempting to keep your powers in the dark and protect you.
As Tony and Steve reached Bucky's apartment they took it as a good sign that he didn't hear any noises. Though when they rounded the corner and saw into the open door showing into his apartment, more specifically, him with his hand around your neck speaking another language, they weren't so sure.
Both men ran to Bucky and quickly pulled him off of you. Then, Steve using his super-strength was able to keep Bucky away from you long enough to help him regain some form of consciousness while Tony pulled you away. It didn't look good. Besides the forming purple bruise on your neck, you looked fine. You weren't in distress, you were just numb.
Tony and Steve exchanged glances while you stood up. Suddenly, the internal rage built up inside of you again and your eyes started glowing as you looked at Bucky. The relaxed hands on your sides quickly turned to fists as your mind told you to fight back. Tony saw this and rushed to your side trying to talk you down.
It took a moment for your mind to catch up on what was happening, and that's when the dam broke. Even though you weren't close to Tony, you desperately needed someone to ground you, so you turned and hugged him. He was stiff at first, but relaxed and looked back up at Steve, who was looking down at the other super-soldier who was still processing what had happened.
"Steve, we need to get her out of here," he looked down at you and then back up at Steve, gesturing for him to take over. "I need to send a report to the government ASAP and get both sides of the story here,"
Tony wasn't directly telling Steve to choose between you or Bucky for who to comfort, but Tony also knew that Steve was one of your closest friends here and that he could help you more than anyone at the moment.
"I can't leave him here by himself. He's suffering just as much as she is," he sighed. "Just take her to her room, I'll be up there soon enough. Go ahead and call Adrian. He can help her, plus we need to inform SHIELD of the information Friday found,"
Tony hesitated, but nodded and left the apartment with you. Meanwhile, Steve had to settle Bucky down. This was a common occurrence since Bucky suffered from nightmares plaguing his mind almost every night. After calming down, Bucky finally looked at Steve with a concerning look.
"Di- Did I hurt her?" Bucky stuttered, afraid of hearing the answer.
"Terrify, sure. But you didn't hurt her. We're lucky that Friday notified us though," Steve squatted down beside Bucky who was sitting with his knees held to his chest in the middle of the wrecked apartment. "She's gonna be okay Bucky. You are both strong. And I hate to pry, but I need to know exactly what you were saying to her. Why was she even in here in the first place?"
"I- I don't know. I only remember waking up after seeing that someone had entered my apartment. I know that I was having flashbacks because, well..." he gestured to the broken lamp on the floor. "But after that is blurry, I remember that I was speaking Russian to her."
"Yeah, my super-hearing picked up on that Buck, but I don't know Russian. Could you try and recall what you said?"
"Uh, Friday. Could you playback what I said to Y/N?"
"Yes, Mr. Barnes."
She then played back the audio.
"Кто ты? (Who are you?)" he said.
"На кого вы работаете? (Who do you work for?)" he spoke again.
"B- Bucky, it's me. Y/N,"
"Ты был моей миссией, aureate (You were my mission, aureate)"
"She was my mission, Steve. I told her she was my mission." Bucky said.
"What? You also called her Aureate, who and what is that?"
"I'm just as clueless as you. Although I do recall reading that name when I was going through my files one day." Bucky got up and started walking to the hallway closet where he kept all his valuables expertly organized. "I think we'll be able to find more information if we look through here," he opened the box and started going through it with Steve.
***
You had finally stopped crying. Tony had carried you to your room and laid you down on your couch before grabbing some tissues from your side table. Not long after you'd settled down, someone was knocking on your door. Tony got up and opened the door, knowing full well who it was. When you recognized the voice thanking Tony, you looked up. You were surprised that Adrian had come.
He came up at sat on the opposite side of the room in an armchair. You flashed him a small and slightly fake smile. You still had the adrenaline from the previous events in your mind, the kiss shared between you and Steve just hours earlier was long forgotten. What was Bucky saying to you? What language was he speaking? You still didn't fully understand what led you to wander into his room in the first place. Sure, at first you wanted to be kind and comfort him, but the draw you felt when you heard him scream. Part of your mind was screaming at the familiarity. No, no, no. It was just nosiness. Even if curiosity had led you to his room, you didn't expect to walk out with a bruise on your neck.
You quickly snapped out of your thoughts and looked up when you heard Adrian softly say your name, trying to get your attention without startling you.
"Y/N, this probably isn't the best time, but we're gonna need you to tell us what happened in there," Adrian said.
"Why the hell were you in Barnes' room in the first place? You know he only allows certain people in. I didn't think you two were that close," Tony smirked.
"I honestly don't know," You sighed. "I asked Friday and she let me in,"
"Okay, but why did you ask her to enter? Y/N you aren't in trouble. I just need to know so that I make sure this doesn't happen again," Tony said.