twenty-one

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"I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I keep the ends out for the tie that binds."
-Halsey; I Walk the Line

Bucharest-2016
(Vera)

"How are they? Are they good?" James asked the vendor at the fruit stand. The lady responded quickly in Romanian.
"Give me six, thank you." He told the lady.
"Have a nice day." I told her before we left.
"Need anything?" He asked me.
"No, I have everything I need right here." I replied with a smile.
His metal fingers wrapped around mine as we got ready to cross the busy street. He was wearing two jackets in an effort to blend in. I had my Black Widow suit on under my street clothes. I was also wearing two jackets and jeans. We were being extra cautious, but also prepared for the worst.
I noticed he was scanning the area, an old habit we had from our Hydra days. He suddenly dropped his hand and slipped his metal arm around me in a protective manner instead. He bent his head down so he could whisper in my ear.
"That man is watching us."
I looked up as a taxi sped by, but as soon as it was gone I saw a man at the news stand who was studying our faces intently. Suddenly he got up and ran.
"Have you killed anyone lately?" He asked.
"Not lately, you?" I replied.
"No."
"Then why would he run?" I wondered aloud.
"Let's find out."
James grabbed my hand again and we crossed the street to the news stand. On the front page was a picture of James.
"You didn't happen to bomb the United Nations recently did you?" I asked.
"That's not me. I didn't do it."
"I know. Come on let's go home." I suggested. He looked around for a second before beginning to walk.
"Steve will try and find you." I commented.
"I just wish he'd leave me alone." James quickened his pace.
"Don't you remember him?" I asked, confused.
"Yes and no. The Steve I remember was short and skinny and he had enough health problems that he probably never shouldn't of even been out of the house! It used to be my job to protect him, keep him outta trouble. I don't remember how he got to be the way he is now but we've both changed. He doesn't need protecting now. I do. It's just different. He's different. He's changed and so have I."
When we got back to the apartment it was obvious that we'd have to grab our backpacks and go.
"Maybe we could go to Paris?" I suggested.
He shrugged and opened the door for me. Inside the apartment was Steve, just as I'd predicted. He was flipping though James' current notebook. He must've heard us come in because he slowly began to turn around. I felt James' flesh hand grab mine.
"Do you know me?" Steve asked.
"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum." He replied.
I rolled my eyes.
"That's an awful lie. You talked to him in Canada!" I whispered in Russian. He shrugged in response.
"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be, but you're lying."
I wanted to scream at both of them.
"We need to go!" I hissed.
"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." He told Steve.
"Well the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive." Steve replied.
"That's smart. Good strategy."
"You better not mean that. James Buchanan Barnes if you get yourself killed I will never ever forgive you!" I whispered angrily in Russian.
"I'm won't. Get ready to get the bag." He told me. I could hear the police running upstairs.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight." Steve tried.
"It always ends in a fight." James retorted.
"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve was yelling now. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins ready to burst.
"I don't know!" James cried.
"You spoke with me in Canada!" Steve insisted.
"I don't know!" James had let go of my hand and was flexing his metal fingers.
"Yes you do!" Steve cried.
Before James could protest a grenade flew through the window. James kicked it to Steve who threw his shield over it.
"They're shooting the door!" I yelled, reverting back to English so Steve could understand.
"Vera!" James grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the mattress as another grenade came in through the window.
"Table!" He shouted desperately. I nodded and threw it towards the door. The soldiers outside used cables and began to come in through the window. James slammed one into the wall and I readied my handguns.
"Buck, Vera stop. You're gonna kill someone!" Steve shouted. I shrugged.
"Grab your bag." James told me in Russian. I ran to the fridge and hugged my backpack to my chest. I saw James slam Steve to the floor and punch a hole in the floor. I ran to the window.
"We're not gonna kill anyone." He muttered.
"Speak for yourself. I'm pissed off and tired. We shall see." I snapped. James flashed me a grin but I could see Steve's disapproving glare.
James grabbed his bag from under the floorboards and threw it to me. I threw both bags out the window.
"Vera, let's go!" He shouted over the gunfire. I ran beside him and we all stood behind Steve's shield.
"Ready?" He asks.
I nod and he shoved Steve who knocked a soldier over. James held up his metal hand up to repel the bullets and I stayed directly behind him. When he got close enough he slammed a soldier into a shelf and I shot one in the kneecap.
"What? I didn't kill him!" I cried when I saw James' disapproving look. "If he bleeds out it's his own fault." James rolled his eyes with a small smile and shrugged before smashing a cement block into someone. "Yeah and that's any better?!"
He punched the door open and we were met with a whole new round of soldiers. James punched the one nearest to him and I shot two in the legs. One soldier came through a sky light in the ceiling. He punched me in face giving me a bloody lip so I shot him in the shoulder. James grabbed onto the soldier's cable line and then grabbed my waist. He jumped off the stairs swinging us down a level.
"Damn, these guys just keep coming." I exclaimed as I shot two more. James was in the process of punching another.
"You got any ideas?" He asked as he threw a soldier over the hand railing only to have Steve catch him.
"Yah, actually I do. Swing down using these railings!" I shouted.
"Hold on." James told me and I wrapped my arms around his waist. He grabbed onto the metal hand railing and used it to swing us down another level. He landed slightly more gracefully than I. I was getting up from the floor while James was already punching people. I had ran out of bullets so my guns were useless. I resorted to hand to hand combat. I heard a gunshot and looked up from the man I was bashing into the wall to see Steve's shield knock away a bullet meant for James. He stood and stared for a second before grabbing my hand. Together we leapt off the stairwell. James caught a railing and hoisted me up first. When he had pulled himself up we ran down a hallway that led to a balcony and jumped. He landed on his arm while I landed mostly on my side.
"Ow. Let's not do that again." I moaned.
"Really? I thought it was kinda fun." He joked.
I rolled my eyes. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Come on, we gotta keep going."
We took off in a sprint and reached down to swipe up our backpacks on our way. Suddenly a shadow came out of nowhere and someone dressed in black landed on top of James knocking him to the ground who in turn knocked me to the ground. My head hit a concert block and I could feel the warm blood seeping down my neck. The strange figure stood. It was a man in a panther suit. He extended his claws in a sort of "fight me" expression.
"Who the hell are you? You weren't invited!"

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"Because you're mine, I walk the line."
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