❝And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.❞
━ Bucky Barnes ━
MCU Canon Divergence post Captain America: Civil War
& comic book inspiration
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CICADAS WHINED in the distance and the eyelet curtains fluttered in the midnight breeze. Elizabeth breathed in the fresh air of the countryside. Her skin was still sticky with sweat from the beating rays of the summer sun.
On her third deep exhale, the air changed swiftly, a cold layer settling over the room. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, the tingling sensation spread from her head to her toes. She took another breath and her shoulders softened. A tired smile graced her lips and she inclined her head to the presence.
"You know, front doors were built for a reason," Elizabeth teased. She turned around in the chair.
"It was unlocked."
Elizabeth stood and pulled up her shirt as she turned, revealing her piece tucked into the waistband of her jeans. "I'm always prepared. No reason for locks out here." She embraced the man, pressing her lips just below the black eyepatch. "New eyepatch?"
"Cute."
He shrugged her hands from his shoulder. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and moved past him, turning the lock and shutting the deadbolt pointedly.
"You satisfied?"
She leaned against the door with narrowed, almost accusing, eyes. His usual attire was missing. His long and leather trench coat was replaced with an ill-fitting wool jacket. His own gaze was dark and threatening, an intimidation tactic.
Her eyes flickered in surprise. "You're running."
"I'm dead."
Elizabeth scoffed and cocked her brow. "Dead? Someone alert the authorities, you're a miracle." She moved to the kitchenette, setting a kettle on the stove to boil.
"I'm not here to stay. Consider this a warning."
She turned around sharply. "You're threatening me?"
He pulled a manila folder from his jacket and tossed it onto the table. "Not threatening. Read it."
She opened the folder carefully. Inside was a S.H.I.E.L.D file, she scanned the document, her brows furrowing. "You're showing me James Barnes file?"
"Don't be an idiot."
She huffed, jaw locking. She flipped through the files quickly, this information wasn't new and most of the documents dated back at least forty years.
A different sort of image caught her an eye, a grainy, candid photo of a man. Dressed in all black, he stood tall. His shoulders were broad, and his left arm was covered in polished metal. The eyes and lower-half of his face was covered.
She swallowed hard, biting back a flush of bile in her mouth.
"So, what? James Barnes is a Winter Solider?" Her face was hot. "Good. We've been searching for him...for a long time."
His hands slammed onto the table and she flinched, cowering away from his heated gaze. "Don't play stupid with me! You know who he is."
"Clearly by these files, so did you," she snapped. Elizabeth took a deep breath; her composure was slipping. "We both know what S.H.I.E.L.D really is Nick."
"Rogers and Romanoff are tracking him."
Her eyes flashed with alarm. "Is my brother safe?"
"He was never a target."
A high pitch wailing drew Elizabeth from her thoughts. She poured the boiling water into a mug, not bothering to offer her guest any. "Are you staying?"
"No." As he neared the door, Elizabeth paused, her mouth opening and then closing. The words wouldn't come, and her tongue was heavy in her mouth. As if knowing her question, he spoke quietly, "Irina wasn't with him, hasn't been for years."
The door clicked shut behind him. She sat still for a moment, the cicada buzz filled the silence. She stood and faltered, her legs trembling. Upon reaching the door, she turned the lock and shut the deadbolt before her legs gave out and she sunk against the frame. Hesitantly, she touched the photograph, tracing his face.
