"i got this thing,
gonna tie your tongue
step in my ring,
you'll be out round one."
- Got It, Marian Hill
☾
Over the next ten hours, we get as much sleep as we can.
In between rests, the boys all bicker here and there, but for the most part, they're civil.
Bucky joins me on the long couch towards the back of the plane, and I end up falling asleep with my head in his lap, while his fingers tenderly stroke my hair.
But as the end of the flight draws closer, we give up on sleep. Sam and Bucky get more and more tense. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.
I have no idea what I've gotten myself into. I feel quite out of my depth, but there's nothing I can do now. As nervous as I am, I'm the safest I've ever felt, being with Bucky. Sam, too.
"Daniel taught you some self defence, right?" Bucky asks me quietly.
"Yep. How-to basics, to keep from getting grabbed, and to break out of hold if I do get grabbed." I tell him.
"What about guns?" he asks.
I swallow, trying to ignore the nerves that stir at his question. "He took me to a range once to shoot. I only know the bare minimum."
"What about disarming?"
"No." I shake my head.
"Okay.. stand up." he tells me.
He offers me his hand and we stand up together.
He grabs the handgun Zemo has on board and removes the bullets from the clip as he comes and stands in front of me, slipping the bullets into his pocket.
"Empty gun, empty clip." he says, sliding the clip back in. "Keep your distance, okay?" he instructs, aiming the gun at me.
I nod and position myself.
"Step number one: you're gonna take the gun offline." Bucky takes my hand and shows me the motions of pushing the gun away by the barrel. "Offline, alright?"
I nod my head.
"Push hard." he says. "Show me."
I push the gun away hard, gripping the barrel with my left hand.
"Good. Alright, step two: go for the wrist, get control."
Keeping my grip on the barrel with my left hand, I grip onto his wrist with my right.
"Underneath, okay? Go for the joint. Joints are the weakest." He grabs my hand and moves it underneath his wrist, pressing the back of my hand against his arm. "Get underneath, use your legs and twist."
Bucky lets me go through the motions slowly, showing me how the gun should end up in my hand.
Then I do it again, harder and at a realistic speed, and I manage to disarm him.
"Look at that." Bucky says, smiling down at me, and I laugh under my breath. "Okay, let's do it a few more times."
We do it again and again, gaining the attention of Sam and Zemo.
I'm aware what I'm learning is a serious thing, but I can't help but enjoy it. Bucky's a great teacher. And the close proximity is favourable.
He smells clean and fresh, a kind of minty freshness, with some other scent that is just pure Bucky. I've missed it.
Finally, Bucky is satisfied with my capability. I smile at him, then look at the gun in my hands.
"Okay. Step three: you just took a gun off somebody who wanted to use it on you. What do you do?" he asks.
My smile slowly fades, the air around us growing thick with seriousness as I look up into Bucky's eyes.
"You use it on them." he answers for me. "You don't hesitate, you pull the trigger. Show me."
I take in a shaky breath, gripping the gun in both hands as I raise it up and aim it at Bucky's chest, while he watches me intently.
My eyelashes flutter as I drop my eyes to the gun, looking down the barrel at his chest. Even though the gun is empty and this is just practice, I feel very uncomfortable aiming it at him.
I hold my breath as my fingers pulls the trigger and the hammer clicks.
His intense gaze softens with a smile. "Good job." he praises quietly. The corners of my mouth lift for a brief moment, the little smile not reaching my eyes.
"It shouldn't come to that. But if it does.. now you know what to do." he says.
I give him a proper smile this time. "Thanks, Buck."
"Oh, so she can call you Buck, but I can't?" Sam's voice interrupts.
Bucky slowly looks over his shoulder at Sam.
Sam makes his way over, patting Bucky on the back. "I get it. She's prettier than me."
"Everyone's prettier than you." Bucky replies, making me chuckle.
"Nah, you're just sweet on her." Sam teases, grabbing and squeezing Bucky's shoulders, giving him a shake.
I can feel the blush creeping into my cheeks.
"Why else you givin' her this little one-on-one training? She doesn't need it, man, she was in the army."
I laugh at Sam and frown. "No, I wasn't."
"What? No, Bucky's therapist is a former soldier." Sam says, looking at me like I'm pulling his leg.
"Dr. Raynor.." I say, realising his mistake. "Bucky's original therapist, Dr. Raynor, is a former soldier."
"Shit.." Sam hands drop off Bucky's shoulders. "Are you serious?"
" 'fraid so."
"Damn.. That's why I thought you should come along.." Sam's voice fades and drops off by the end of his sentence. He looks fretfully at Bucky, who is already scowling at him with deadly eyes.
I look between Sam and Bucky, feeling more useless and out of place than ever.
Zemo moves past our tense little triangle and rummages through the bags he retrieved from his garage. He throws clothes at Sam and Bucky, instructing them to get changed. Then he approaches me.
"For you, my dear." He smiles at me, offering me a small pile of clothes and long black suede boots.
I hesitantly accept the garments and he takes the gun off my hands, before gesturing to the lavatory behind me.
"..Thank you." I say quietly.
He turns around and moves back toward his seat, leaving me with a clear view of Bucky and Sam as they undress.
Sam already has his shirt off and Bucky's in the process of removing his. And I'm transfixed.
The fabric of Bucky's shirt glides up his body, seemingly in slow motion. His perfect Greek God-like body..
The shirt clears his head and his eyes find mine. I turn away and hastily retreat into the bathroom.
Smooth.
I look in the mirror, shaking my head at myself. Me and my flushed cheeks.
Jesus Christ. Pull yourself together.
Why is he so captivating?
I can't help but think about the fact that Steve Rogers underwent a drastic physical change from the Super Soldier Serum. Whereas, only Bucky's strength and abilities were enhanced. His physique is his own. And it's beautiful.
My eyes drop down to the clothes that lay in the hands of my reflection, before moving to the real thing. I place the boots on the floor, then hold up my hands, unravelling the garment. There's not much to unravel..
It's a black, glittery, backless dress, with a short skirt and a plunging neckline. Very different from my usual business casual attire and comfy linens. But this is exactly the point.
I change into the dress, slip into the thigh-high, heeled boots and look in the mirror again.
Despite feeling a little like a hooker, I will admit.. I look kind of hot.
I check myself in the mirror, front and back, making sure the fabric's sitting right on my body. Then fold up my own clothes and hesitantly open the door.
"We have to do something about this. I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam complains. He's dressed in a red three piece suit, with yellow patterning, with a purple button-up underneath.
"You look like my pimp.." I mumble, stepping out of the lavatory.
All eyes are on me, as I move past them to drop my clothes on my seat.
"You look exactly like the man you're suppose to be playing." Zemo tells Sam. "The sophisticated, charming African rake, named Conrad Mack. Aka, the Smiling Tiger."
"He even has a bad nickname." Sam grumbles. Zemo shows him a photo on his phone of the real Smiling Tiger. "Hell, he does look like me though.."
I turn and see Bucky staring at me, very unhappily. His jaw tense. He's dressed much the same, gorgeous as ever, just sporting a deep brown leather jacket, instead of black.
"She can't walk the streets of Madripoor like that." Bucky says, pulling his eyes from mine to throw a scowl at Zemo.
"She can on the arm of the Smiling Tiger." Zemo replies.
"What?" Bucky questions flatly.
"She will appear least threatening or suspicious this way, being his girl. They will not question her presence." Zemo explains. "Relax James, and just enjoy the view." he adds with a smirk.
Bucky's scowl darkens.
Zemo hands me a white fur coat to put on and I'm thankful for the extra piece of clothing. He also offers me a bleach blonde wig, styled in a bob. Then he holds up a gold chain.
"May I?" he asks.
I turn around and move my hair out of the way so Zemo can fasten the necklace at my nape. My eyes meet Bucky's as he watches us, jaw still clenched. I offer him a smile and he relaxes a little.
We all put the final touches on our outfits.
Sam adorns himself with multiple gold chains and chunky gold rings. I put on and adjust my blonde wig, while Bucky rips the sleeve off his jacket, to showcase his vibranium arm.
It's the first time I'm seeing it fully exposed. I was too distracted to even notice it as he undressed earlier. His arm is shiny, black and gold, and beautiful. Intrigue has me moving to him, for a closer look.
In these boots, I'm nearly eye to eye with Bucky as I look at him, silently asking for permission. He responds by subtly angling his arm towards me.
I reach out and delicately run my fingers over the sleek metal, feeling all the grooves of its design. I can feel Bucky's eyes on my face while I admire his arm, and when my eyes meet his again, I see worry swirl into the blue.
"I don't want you to see me like this." he whispers.
"Like what?" I whisper back.
"Like the Winter Soldier.."
"Yes, what is the verdict, good doctor?" Zemo interrupts. "Can James do this?"
"Yes." I state firmly, holding eye contact with Bucky. "His mind is his own. He's ready, and he's strong."
"Yet here you are. You have doubts?" Zemo questions, and I send him a hard look.
"The only doubts I have, are with you. I have full faith in Bucky."
"Well.." Zemo says with a smirk, seemingly amused. "Please take your seats, we'll be landing momentarily."
We touch down in Madripoor and disembark the plane, walking our way to an awaiting vehicle.
"No matter what happens, we have to stay in character." Zemo tells us as we approach the car. "Our lives depend on it. There is no margin for error."
I let out a shaky sigh and exchange a glance with Bucky.
"High Town's that way. Not a bad place, if you want to visit." Zemo adds, pointing to a far away section of the big colourful city. "But Low Town's the other way."
"Let me guess. We don't have any friends in High Town." Sam comments.
Zemo shakes his head, opening the front passenger door of the car.
Bucky, Sam and I pile into the back and the car takes off, heading for the Low Town of this hustling, bustling, lawless city.
A/ N
references:
- this chapter includes adapted dialogue from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Episode 3, The Power Broker.
- the 'disarm' scene between Bucky and Audrey is taken from The Punisher. (Season 2, episode 6, Nakazat.)
It's so nice coming back to this Bucky fic each week. It feels so light and fluffy and wholesome compared to the Frank Castle fic I'm also currently working on.
Thanks for reading!
- K