Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 8.5--Natasha

"That is way less cool than I ever imagined," Bucky said.

"Says the guy with the metal arm. That is way cooler than an eyepatch," Emery countered.

"So, hold up." Steve took a sip of his soda. "If you two tell each other everything, do you really mean everything?" He dragged out the last word for effect.

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, maybe not everything."

"Yeah, only because if we did share everything, we wouldn't be able to look at you guys the same way," Emery said, dodging the pillow I threw at her.

"Anyway, what's our plan for the casino?" Bucky asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Well, the gala isn't for a couple of days. So we have some time to get to know the area a bit more." I pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the guest list for the gala. We need to divide and conquer, go over each of the names on the list and track any known aliases or other information that might lead us to Alexei or Kristina."

"The ultimate goal here should be to get to one of them so we can learn about the operation." Emery turned to Bucky. "What did you find out about the weapon?"

"It's a decoy," Bucky said and I nodded.

"Unfortunately, Katya's lead on the warehouse was wrong. Or we walked into a trap. Either way, we're back to square one." I held up the key. "We need to figure out what this leads to. I had Tony make a copy before we left, so he has Wanda and Sam checking out Katya's apartment to see if it's a match."

Emery nodded. "We need to use our resources here to see what else we can find. If Alexei really does have a hideout here, we can track down his known associates. I'll call Fury and see if he can give us an update on Katya. It would be nice to have a little bit more to go on,  but if she's still unconscious, there's not much we can do."

Once we were all in agreement, we split off for the night. I showered and changed into my usual oversized tshirt and shorts before climbing into bed with Steve.

"First mission, and we made it, no injuries," I said, laying my head down on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Well, then I think we need to celebrate," Steve replied, kissing my neck.

"Mm, yeah. I could use a distraction tonight." I closed my eyes and kissed him back. Deeply.

We stayed like that for a while before calling it a night and falling asleep to the sound of each other breathing.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The following evening, Steve and I were sitting in bed just reading and enjoying each other's company as we waited for Bucky to come back with dinner.

"This could be a fun vacation destination," Steve mused. He glanced at me. "Under other circumstances."

"Yeah." I leaned over and kissed him. "But honestly, it would be fun to vacation anywhere as long as I'm with you."

Emery burst into our room a few seconds later, jabbing her finger at Steve's chest. "You—out. I need to talk to Natasha." She steered him toward the door.

I laughed. "Em!"

"Sorry," she said. "But what I need to tell you cannot be heard by the prying ears of your boyfriend."

Steve pouted again. "I'll just be in here." He slipped through the adjoining door to the other room.

I turned to Emery with raised eyebrows. "Care to explain why you just kicked my boyfriend out of our room?"

She showed me her phone. On it, was a single text message:

Wanda: Hey, can we talk? Missing you xo

"Oh."

"Yeah. Exactly. What do you think it means?"

"I think it means Wanda wants to talk. I don't think you necessarily need to be freaking out about this." I scanned her face, but she wouldn't meet my eyes. "Wait, are you freaking out about this?"

Emery nodded furiously, her blonde curls bouncing over her shoulders. "Wouldn't you be?"

"Touché. Look, I'm sure everything is fine. She signed it with 'missing you', right?" I handed the phone back to her.

"Well, yeah. But now we have to get ready for this mission in a few days and...I'm not gonna get sympathy here, am I?"

"I'm sympathizing, Em. But I've honestly never been in that situation before."

Emery stuck her tongue out at me. "Lucky."

I laughed. "If you want to call Wanda now, be my guest. I'm sure she just wants to talk because she misses you. You two just got together, right? It's probably hard on her for you to have left so quickly, you know?"

Emery sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Hey, you wanna have a girls' night tonight? Hit a bar or two?"

"After we eat?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Ten minutes later, Bucky had arrived with the food as I finished getting ready and Emery hung up with Wanda.

"Any plans for the evening?" Bucky asked as we set up at one of the tables to eat.

"Nat and I are gonna hit a few bars," Emery replied. "You know, canvas the area, see what trouble we can get into."

I rolled my eyes as I saw Steve's smile waver. "She's kidding—about the trouble, that is. But we were gonna get a few drinks."

Bucky nodded. "Sounds fun." He leaned back in his chair and smirked. "I remember the days when we used to hit up bars. Steve couldn't hold his beer."

Steve laughed and playfully punched Bucky on the arm. "Well, that was before the serum and before the ice. I used to not be able to talk to women and look where I'm at now?" He flashed a smile in my direction.

I smirked. "You had some help getting me, remember? Three years of flirtation and you finally got the hint."

He grinned. "Best leap of faith I've ever taken."