i forgive you (y/ns pov)

Chapter 12: Whatever, Barnes

Tony called me in early the next morning. He sat at his desk, his eyes glued to his computer screen when I entered the room. He pointed to the chair across his desk and I sat down. Slowly he turned the screen in my direction, allowing me access to the surveillance footage of Barnes and me on the rooftop from the night before. I didn't say anything right away. I had no idea why Tony called me in, why he would show me the footage or what he wanted to hear. The look on his face was stern.

„So you two talked?", Tony asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

I didn't know what bothered him more. The fact that I was obviously done with everything, that I went up there on my own during his party so that he wouldn't notice or that there was absolutely nothing he could do to protect me from myself.

„And you didn't kill each other", Tony added.

He forced himself to look up, to look at the person I was pretending to be. I knew he was well aware that I was only pretending. And I knew that it killed him. But I kept my act up.

The alcohol let my true self slip for a moment but that wouldn't happen again.

„We didn't kill each other", I confirmed.

Tony let himself fall back in his chair. He laid his eyes on a file on his desk.

„I have a mission", he began. He placed his words carefully.

„It's just a small thing. You'd be back by this evening."

Without really controlling it, my hand went to my neck where Fury had placed his surveillance device.

„I already talked to Fury. If you are willing to do the mission with Barnes, Fury will turn of the electric shock system for the duration of the mission. Of course they would still monitor you."

I didn't react to his offer, sat still and waited for Tony to finish what he had to say.

„Of course it is up to you. If you don't want to take the mission, I will send someone else. But I need you to consider, that Fury might not give you another opportunity if you turn this one down."

„Just the two of us?", I asked.

Tony nodded. I grabbed the file from his desk to read through the orders.

„What did Barnes say?"

„Haven't asked him yet. Not his decision to make", Tony said.

„Ask him", I demanded.

„If he agrees, I agree."

With that I got up from the chair and made my way back to my room.

---

An hour later I found myself in a car, sitting next to Barnes who was driving us to the location Tony sent us. No one of us dared to say something and honestly I was fucking relieved about that. Neither the conversation between Barnes and Sam the other day nor our conversation last night changed anything about the fact that I still hated him. Actually, my whole opinion on not wanting to work with him, hadn't changed.

But at this point I was so fed up with everything at the compound that I was willing to take any chance to escape the madness over there for at least a couple of hours.

Tony sent us to an old, abandoned subway station out of town. Reports stated that there were some suspicious activities at night around the area. With other leads this information led to the assumption that a group of illegal arms smugglers might have established their base down there. Because the area laid quiet during the day, they wanted us to check the place for possible hints to either confirm or deny the theory.