elaine awoke on her bed with natasha practically on top of her, eyes bright as she shook her shoulders.
"what's happening?" elaine asked, vision still cloudy from sleep. natasha smiled. "i overheard sam talking to bucky. he mentioned something about zemo and prison." nat said.
elaine shot upright. "seriously?" nat nodded. "you better get up there." she smirked. "you're not coming?" elaine asked. nat shook her head. "after my near death experience with the infinity stones, i think i've had enough missions to last a lifetime. i'll be here." she jumped onto elaine's bed. "housesitting." she smiled.
"you're the best, nat." elaine gave the redhead a hug before rushing out the door, hair a mess and pajamas still on.
"sam wilson!" elaine shouted, voice echoing through the avengers tower as people gave her side glances from where they stood on the main floor.
elaine caught sight of sam's retreating figure, and immediately ran after him. "i see you sam!" she shouted, voice raised in anger. sam increased his pace, racing down the halls as elaine stormed after him.
"you can't outrun me, fucker!" she shouted, hauling ass across the floor when she suddenly crashed into someone's chest. bucky was holding her shoulders, lips pulled into a line when he realized who it was.
"nice hair." he said. "i need to stop crashing into you." she said before she shoved past him to get to sam. "what are you plotting, sam?" she shouted, and the man finally stopped. he turned around to give her an irritated look.
"we're plotting nothing." he said, eyes shooting to where bucky stood behind her. "you're breaking zemo out of jail to try to get answers, aren't you?" sam's eyes widened.
"how the hell did you hear that?" he whisper shouted. elaine shrugged. "i have my sources." she smiled, shouldering past him. "i'm in."
sam and elaine were standing outside the cell bucky was currently in, persuading zemo to get onboard with their plan. after about twenty minutes, bucky emerged from the door with a faraway look in his eyes.
he sent them a quick nod. bucky's eyes fell on elaine's. she sent him a look of understanding. she knew what it was like to be forced to face your demons head on. she couldn't begin imagine what had happened in there.
he looked at her for a minute longer, before tearing his eyes away and looking to sam. "five minutes. let's go." he said, and they were off to the car.
they sat in the car waiting, bucky was staring ahead as sam sat in the driver's seat drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. lights started flashing and sirens rang throughout the prison, as guards and prisoners filed out by the hundreds.
"that was the plan?" elaine asked, laughing through her nose. bucky shrugged. soon enough zemo emerged, a ridiculous guard outfit on as he strutted out the door with purpose. bucky straightened in his seat, the action not going unnoticed by elaine.
zemo opened the front car door and slid in, turning around to look at bucky and elaine. "greetings." he said, accent thick as his brown eyes flicked to bucky, then to elaine, his gaze remaining for a minute longer than normal on elaine.
"samuel." zemo said, looking at sam. sam simply rolled his eyes and started the car.
the car ride was short, filled with sam arguing with bucky and zemo taunting the pair; bucky more so than sam. elaine sat in silence, staring out the window and watching the buildings pass as sam sped along the highway.
"elaine." zemo said, turning around to face her once more. she looked at him carefully. "i believe we haven't officially met." he said, eyes sharp and smile cat-like.
"there's a reason for that." she said, sending him a tight smile. he let out a small breath of air. "elaine price. first female super soldier. fought alongside steve rogers." he smiled. she didn't let him see the surprise she felt at the information he knew about her.
"how'd you know all that?" she asked impassively. he shrugged. "i know all super soldiers." he said. "so you know about this new group?" she asked. another shrug. "if i were to tell you too much, i'd lose my leverage."
the car slowed as they neared a small airport, nothing more than a runway and small storage building. "we're here." he smiled.
they all got out, bucky quiet and brooding whilst sam sent him multiple looks of concern. zemo walked up to an older gentlemen, and exchanged what she assumed to be a few pleasantries in russian.
"please." the older man smiled, gesturing to the steps leading up to the open jet. elaine sent him a smile, walking past him and onto the plane. bucky followed closely behind her, then sam, then zemo.
"make yourselves comfortable." zemo said, sitting down on a chair as bucky, sam and elaine crowded onto a leather couch. the old man boarded behind them, closing the door and retreating to the back of the plane.
zemo said a few words to the man, and he emerged with multiple flutes of champagne, serving each of them a glass.
"so you're rich?" sam asked, confusion clear on his features as he took a hesitant sip from the champagne. zemo shrugged.
"how does one stay rich in prison?" elaine asked. he shrugged once more; a signature of his. "i have my ways, dearest." he sipped from his own glass of wine, while bucky tensed from beside her.
"we will arrive in madripoor in exactly." he paused and looked at his watch. "six hours." his gaze remained on elaine before drifting out towards the window.
bucky sat stiff beside her as he watched zemo, gaze unrelenting as it remained on the man. "can i help you with something, soldier?" zemo grinned. bucky said nothing as zemo pulled a small book from his pocket.
elaine watched as bucky's expression changed from impassive to deadly in mere seconds. bucky stood, crossing the short distance to zemo and wrapping his metal arm around his throat, pressing him back into the leather seat as zemo spluttered for air.
bucky snatched the book back and whispered something in zemos ear, before shoving the book back into his leather jacket and sitting beside elaine, shoulders shaking in fury. sam was watching apprehensively, clearly unsure of what to do.
elaine gently placed her hand on bucky's muscled thigh, watching out the corner of her eye as he stiffened, then finally relaxed back onto the couch as if her touch was an outlet for his rage.
after awhile she went to remove her hand, but felt the calloused skin of bucky's palm upon her own as he held her hand back down on his thigh. she looked over at him, but he wasn't looking at her. she moved her thumb back and forth across his leg, watching the way his features softened ever so slightly.
he finally looked at her, blue eyes heated as his gaze flitted across her face. looking across from him elaine realized sam had fallen asleep, and zemo was in a sort of trance-like state as he stared out the plane window intently, never once looking towards them.
bucky removed his hand from atop of hers, placing it back down on her own thigh. elaine immediately stiffened, removing her hand and placing it down on the couch cushion and squeezing tightly.
she sent him a hard look, but the smile he sent her was borderline flirtatious, reminding her a lot of the bucky from the forties who flirted with any woman in sight.
"what are you doing?" she whispered, intending the question to sound firm when it really came out breathy. his thumb started gently stroking the inside of her thigh, much like she had done. he leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear.
"i don't like the way he was looking at you." bucky's hand travelled farther up, still remaining a safe distance from the apex of her thighs, but stroking the clothed skin with his thumb. elaine could feel everything through the thin material of the leggings she wore.
"b-bucky." she whispered, resting her head back on the couch. "i h-hate you." she was breathless, and turned her head to watch the fire alight in his blue eyes. "i know." he smirked, hand travelling up further.
she could feel warmth pooling into her core, making her feel hot all over as his rough hands attacked her. she lifted her hips slightly, attempting to get his fingers to land where she wanted them to, but he pulled back making a tsking sound.
"not so fast, love." he whispered in her ear. "has it really been so long that even a little touch," he paused, resting his hand right outside her core and rubbing his thumb right over her clit, sending a hot shiver down her spine and making her hips buck slightly. "makes you this mad?" he asked, watching her body respond to his every move with calculated eyes.
"please." she whispered, looking at him desperately. she spread her legs wider, allowing him more access. before she could ask again, he removed his hand and faced forward, leaving elaine frustrated and confused. when she looked forward, she realized why he'd stopped. zemo was watching bucky, sipping his champagne with an interested look.
elaine didn't know how long he'd been watching, nor did she know if bucky had wanted it to happen, but what she did know was that she was frustrated both sexually and generally.