"So what's Fury's plan for us today?" Matron asks cheerfully in the front seat. Next to her, Steve drives with great concentration. His eyes are set hard on the road ahead, both of his hands are leading the steering wheel. To my amusement, a pink glow still lingers in Steve's cheeks.
Ignoring Matron, Steve throws a quick glance in my direction and averts Bucky's eyes. "Sorry about this morning," the super soldier begins sheepishly, "I really did try to hold her back."
The chemistry between Steve and Matron has changed. That I can tell. But I wonder what has happened. Matron, rolling her eyes openly in her seat, crosses her arms and stretches her legs. Besides me, Bucky has his short hair tied up into a ponytail. He has no idea how gorgeous he looks with his hair tied up, showing off his cutting jawline. "Why are you with us anyway?" Bucky grunts at Matron, his arms are folded before his chest.
"Bucky," Matron pauses dramatically and continues, "you're a dick."
From the corner of my eyes, I catch a glimpse of Steve nervously holding onto the steering wheel. Bucky's face has turned a shade redder, while Matron seems to be rather enjoying herself. Exasperated but bemused, I place a hand on Bucky's arm and sits closer to him. "Matron," I make a face at her. "That was rude."
"He was rude," Matron counters and smirks at Bucky, who is struggling to restrain himself. On a second thought, I frown and quiz Bucky's confusion as well. Exchanging a glance with Steve, Matron pulls herself back and faces front, so our gazes no longer meet. "Fury's going to explain," the girl mutters mischievously, though a note of despair rings through her words.
"Weirdo," Bucky murmurs and sneaks an arm around my waist. I shake my head at him disapprovingly before Steve gives a helpless yelp, for Matron is ready to bounce off her seat for Bucky.
"Say that again, Barnes!" Matron screeches, fumbling with her seatbelt while trying desperately to get a hold of Bucky. I gawk momentarily and move in front of Bucky. Matron growls, "I will destroy your face, frosty!"
She has certainly picked that up from Tony. With his eyes slightly dimmed at the sound of his despited nickname, Bucky snickers when matron fails to reach him. "Seriously?" Steve sighs and to my relief, we have finally pulled into Shield's staff parking lot.
On our way to Fury's office, Steve and I walk between Matron and Bucky just in case the worst happens. To be honest, I have no idea where Matron has gotten the gut to push Bucky's buttons. Because if the truth is to be told, Matron is only an average, citizen, while Bucky, well, he is an ex-Soviet trained assassin.
The elevator ride was kind of awkward, but we made it to Fury's none the less. His office is spacious and neat, as per usual. Though the room is emptied of Fury at first glance, contrary to what we have expected. A certain red headed has laid herself across one of Fury's leather sofas, her legs tangle over the arm as she waves at us lazily.
"Morning," Natasha drawls and winks.
"Natasha?" Steve frowns and glances around like I have done a moment ago. Clearly, he's trying to look for a particular missing figure as well. "Where's Fury?"
"He's gone to deal with something with Hill. Should be back in an hour's time." Turning to me, Natasha wiggles an eyebrow and peeks at Matron. "Have you told her yet?"
Looking at anywhere but me, Matron leans against the wall and has her hand on the door knob. She is ready to run if necessary. Under Natasha's accusing glare, Steve begins a coughing fit. "What's this?" Bucky questions with his brows tightly fused.
None of the gals has responded to Bucky's question. Noting the awkward silence, Natasha jumps onto her feet and heads for the door. "Since Fury won't be back in an hour," the woman remarks suggestively, "shall we go have a few rounds of fun?" Deliberately, the Black Widow places her hand on Steve's shoulder, who backs away gravely while Matron rolls her eyes in amusement.
So turns out when Natasha mentioned 'fun', she meant a hour within the boxing ring. To be fair, I'm not complaining. I haven't stretched my limps in ages. The idea of kicking someone's butt is almost soothing. Since I haven't prepared my work out kit, Natasha has lend me her tank top and loose trousers. The woman is slightly taller than I am, as I have soon realised, for her top is hanging loosely on me. Checking myself in the mirror, I decide I should tie a knot at the corner of the top. I don't want to flash a poor someone while destroying their bottoms now, do I? Matron on the other hand, is way too excited to my taste. In fact, I have been trying desperately to stop her from training with us.
"I really don't think it will be a good idea," I try again when Matron slips off her jacket, revealing a sport hoodie and a fitting tank top underneath. "You're going to hurt yourself."
"I won't," Matron grins and tugs at her sleeves, making sure her thumbs are nicely through the holes of her sport hoodie's sleeves.
Walking past us, Natasha nudges my arm and nods towards the door. "She'll be fine, trust me," the woman encourages and leads me to the exit of the changing room, "you will be surprised."
Back in the main training room, a small group of Shield agents are sweating away in the corner. They have all cleared off from the pair of super soldiers, who are currently chatting lowly by the boxing ring. Steve has on an illegally tight top. "He loves his running shirts," Natasha whispers delinquently. Next to her, Matron's eyes glint with excitement as she pulls her hair back into a ponytail. I have mine in a bun instead.
Bucky, unlike Steve, who looks and acts like the American sunny boy, is a symbol of dark mystery. His stubble and dark hair give off a rough aura, and his top did nothing to hide his merciless metal arm. "Hey boys," Matron greets and almost skips over to meet them. She honestly looks too happy in the current situation. Like me, Steve's eyes are clouded with worries while Bucky simply arches his eyebrows in disbelief. "I'm ready," Matron remarks and pulls herself onto the boxing stage.
A few Shield agents glance over in Matron's direction and cackle. "I don't want to hurt you," Bucky mumbles lazily and heads in my direction. Picking up my hands, he gazes down at me with a smile that only belongs to me. "And you look lovely, doll."
I beam through a blush and standing on my tip toes, I peck on the soldier's lips lightly. I can particularly taste Bucky's smile against mine. Then, I am whipped away from Bucky when Natasha begins to drag me away from the glowering Bucky. The woman smirks at the poor soldier and leads me to the boxing ring, where Matron is rocking on her heels. "Matron," Steve attempts weakly," Why don't you start off with some warm-up exercise? We'll do it together."
After a few moments of serious pondering and a meaningful wink from Natasha, Matron hops off the stage and joins Steve at the side. "Shouldn't I do some warm-ups as well?" I ask as I pull myself onto the ring. Natasha laughs and jumps in with me.
"Steve's only worried about Matron. Warming up is the least thing that she'll need. That girl is always ready on her feet."
I have a feeling I am missing something here. Natasha definitely knows something that I don't. Before I can say anything, Natasha is already rolling her neck, prepping herself to pounce on me. Behind her, Bucky nears the stage and beams at me. The boyish expression catches me off guard and has left me staring, providing Natasha perfect opportunity to swipe a foot under my stance. With a thud, I fall onto the ground painfully. Standing above me, Natasha scowls at Bucky in a playful manner.
"You really shouldn't distract her, Barnes."
Grimacing sheepishly, Bucky mouths an apology to me while I pick myself up. Two female agents from aside giggle and peek at Bucky. Annoyance begins to knot in my chest like a devil's claw. Levelling gaze with me, the ghost of a smile plays at Natasha's full lips. Without another word, I launch myself at her. She steps away swiftly but hasn't managed to dodge my fist. Feeling the impact of Natasha's chin on my knuckles, I draw back worriedly, allowing a growling Natasha to headlock me. I gasp.
In front of me, Bucky's eyes flash darkly. In a blink of time, the assassin has pulled himself into the boxing ring. "It's not your go yet," Natasha hisses between her teeth as she tries to keep me in her iron grip. I gag and grab her forearm. "Stay back, Barnes-"
Before she can spill another word, however, I have flipped her over. With me landing on my back on top of her, Natasha groans in pain as my elbow digs into her rib cage. From across the room, Matron has neared the stage and curses at the sight. "Sorry," I gush, pulling myself back and seeing tinges of red in my vision. Blinking desperately, the redness fades from my sight. Relieved, I'm glad that no one has to see me in my horrendous state.
Rubbing the tender spot under her chest, Natasha takes my hand and leaps to her feet.
"Thought you were out of practice," Natasha murmurs. Together, we head off the stage. Bucky's flesh hand brushes against my arm. I glance up at him, a tight expression masks his face.
"Are you alright, doll?"
I reach up and graze his jaw with my fingertips. A soft smile lights up his face when I lean in to kiss his cheek. His stubble tickles. "I'm okay, Buck. Don't worry."
We haven't even hit the ground yet when Matron has already pushed herself up from the edge of the stage. "Who's ready to get beaten up?" my best friend asks with an inviting smile as she steps into the ring. A fellow Shield agent begins to inch towards the boxing stage when Steve walks in his way. His weary expression causes the agent to back off reluctantly. Turning on his heels, Steve glances up at Matron in surrender and hops onto the stage as well.
"Let's do this then," Steve exhales heavily. It isn't hard to see that Steve really doesn't want to hurt Matron in any way possible. Bucky and Natasha watch in silence by my side. Romanoff's lips curl up curiously while Bucky frowns at his best friend and mine.
"Is she going to be okay?" I whisper quietly. Bucky's hand fall from his hip to hold onto mine.
A few hoots and cheers are sounded from the fellow agents. I set my jaw in annoyance and focus on the boxing ring instead. Matron and Steve are circling each other now. My best friend is looking way too relaxed. Steve, on the other hand, seems so anxious that I kind of feel sympathetic for him.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Matron questions, a hint of concern plays between her words. On the other side of the ring, Steve heaves a sigh and flexes his arms.
"Mat, you can't hurt me that much-"
Then, to my greatest astonishment, Matron surges towards the soldier. Steve avoids it with ease, but that isn't the end of the show. Whipping around abruptly, Matron sends a foot towards the back of Steve's knee. Startled, the super soldier recovers in a brief fraction of a second and grabs her leg. Without thinking twice, Steve shoves Matron's leg away instinctively. The muscles in his arms pulse with his super human's force. I slap a hand over my mouth in fear that my best friend is going to hurt herself, as the rest of us watch while Matron is being thrown back from Steve's forceful shove.
Elegantly, Matron back flips in the process and lands perfectly on four. "What on earth is happening?" Bucky mutters next to me, voicing my thought out loud. With a playful grin, Matron seems to live on the thrill and high from fighting within the boxing ring.
Clint has just arrived in the training room when Matron has bounced off the floor once more. She throws a punch at Steve with unexpected force. The soldier blocks her attacks rapidly as the girl slashes on. I can tell Steve is going to have bruises on his forearms afterwards. "Come on, Rogers!" Clint calls, a smirk plays at his lips, "are you going to get beaten up by someone half your size?"
Steve grunts and pushes back, only to miss Matron as she dodges. With an agent whistling from across the room, Matron falls back deliberately on her hands and sends both of her feet to Steve's stomach, kicking him back and re-bouncing onto her feet. Clint barks out a laughter and applauds.
Steve stumbled and gazes at Matron. As the rest of the small crowd cheers and whistles, the pair within the boxing ring never glance away from each other. They each have a small smile on their lips, both panting slightly from the little round of power struggle. Before I can say anything else, an agent approaches me.
"Aren't you Charlotte Black? The new recruited Avenger?"
I meet eyes with this dark haired agent, his fresh face and determined grin catches me off guard. "I wasn't told that I'm part of the team," I deny politely. Next to me, Bucky has placed all of his attention on Matron and Steve.
"Do you mind having a few rounds with me? I swear I'll go easy on you," he jokes light-heartedly, but his words have left a spike in my chest. Behind him, Natasha raises an eyebrow at the approacher curiously and takes a sip of her water.
"Why not?" I shrug and begin to head towards the stage without looking at the agent. Spotting us, Matron moves out of the boxing ring with Steve behind her. She waves apologetically at me. She clearly has some explaining to do afterwards. Steve's eyes barely meet mine as he steps off the stage. He really is the worst liar I have ever met.
"The name is Jack, by the way," the agent introduces breezily once we have stepped into the middle of the boxing ring. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Bucky frowning at the unfamiliar agent.
"Let's get this over with, then," I remark, feeling the air around us thickens with strange tension. The sunny grin on Jack's face dims, and for a heartbeat, I swear I can see redness seeping into his eyes.
My heart jumps at the sight, but I'm not allowed the luxury of staring when Jack throws himself on me. I rolls out of his way quickly, my senses heighten when I realise how quick he is moving. Jack's eyes turn vicious. Then, he sprints towards me. The stage almost trembles under his firm, powerful steps, a glimpse of silver exposes itself in my sight.
Someone gasps and the silence in the room has broken into chaos. I can hear Bucky's voice and Matron's too. But I can't make out their words as I focus on Jack. Ruthlessly, he grips onto his dagger and stabs. I block away his other fist, but the impact has sent me stumbling back. Without waiting, he advances and slashes. I duck and attempt to send a roundhouse kick at his side. But he has managed to jerk my leg away, smacking me onto the elastic bands of the boxing ring.
Momentarily, I can see the small crowd of Shield agents revealing their true intention, like Jack. They have surrounded the Avengers, and their eyes are glinting bloodily, like my own. "You're not so differently from any of us," Jack drawls as he approaches. When I try to push myself up, he crushes his foot onto my chest with inhumane strength. I choke. "But you see, they have improved us. We are stronger, faster, and better. Unlike you."
"Lottie!" Bucky shouts, but his voice is cut off when three former Shield agents have thrown themselves onto him. My heart is pulsing with horror and nerves when I have failed to catch a glimpse of Bucky.
"Why are you doing this?" I spit and regret it immediately. Jack, heartless as he has seemed, drives his foot further down my chest. Tears well in my eyes and accompany the redness that I'm seeing.
Jack throws his head back and laughs. Jabbing his dagger at the scene, he kneels on my chest and grabs my throat with his other free hand. My lungs are burning in seek of air. I blink away the stars when I feel the cool metal on my chin. "Look at your friends," Jack cooes and I do as he says numbly. I can feel my veins threatening to burst under the pressure of his fingertips.
Matron is working alongside Steve. She is leaping around like a cat. Thick, white strings keep shooting out from her hands as she take down the attackers. Steve is covering her as my best friend continues to perform her wicked tricks. Clint and Natasha are dealing with several other agents.Their faces glint with sweat and disbelief as they try to knock out the agents without hurting them. They have no idea who or what they are dealing with. They won't want to hurt innocent people if they are only being mind-controlled, like I had been.
Fear dawns on me as I recall what has happened to me and the team only a few days ago. Then, snapping me out of my thoughts, I feel the tip of Jack's dagger cut into my chin. I gag under his straggling hold and whimper as he grins widely, pushing the dagger slowly as if he wants to test the limit. "Look at them," he leans in and whispers in my ear. Wanly, I try to push away but it only leads the dagger further down my skin. "This is what you get for betraying Hydra. Hail Hydra."
In my thrashing struggle, I catch Bucky's eyes. His once soft blue eyes are almost black with despair and pure rage. With one look at me, he throws a punch at his attacker so hard that he has fallen onto the ground with a dull thud. My chin is jerked back as Jack forces me to look him in the eyes. With a whistle, he pulls the dagger out of my chin and guides it to the spot above my left eye. My whole body is alit with dreads as he tightens his hand around my throat. "Farewell, puppet," Jack chuckles and draws his dagger back.
Then, his weight is lifted off me. My hands fly up to my throat at once. A coughing fit engages me as I struggle to see straight. Standing tall, Bucky has Jack in his arms. His flesh one has Jack in a headlock. The former agent's eyes are gleaming with sadistic laughter when Bucky's metal hand has grabbed a fistful of his hair. Then with a sickening crack, Bucky has broken Jack's neck with one single twist.
Tears stream down my face as I try to even out my breathes. The memories of the horrid night are rushing back to me. My mother's accusation of me betraying Hydra; the voice in my head; my friends almost dying because of me-
My chest begins to tighten into panic mode. Tossing the limp body aside, Bucky rushes to me and attempts to help me up. But all I can think of is the way he has broken Jack. The way he just snapped Jack's neck like he was made out of plastic.
I begin to scream, even though I have no idea what is happening around me. Are my friends safe now? Are the Hydra spies still up and fighting? Am I going to become like one them red eyed spies, with a voice in my head telling me what to do?
Bucky's expression is trembling as he tries to keep me in place. But I kick and struggle, pushing him further and further away from me. My eyes are locked on the still face of Jack, who is only lying a feet away from us.
A hand lies gently on my shoulder and I feel Matron's arms around me. In her assuring embrace, I let the tears out and cry, allowing the demons in me sing and dance in triumphant. Between the blurry vision that is still stained with redness, I see Bucky's broken gaze on me.
Like me, the soldier is damaged again.
----------------------------------------------------
Wow. This is a super doper long chapter y'all. And it's pretty intense too. I can't wait to write the next chapter but man, I've spent like two hours on this and it's a total of 3400 words for a chapter alone! How awesome is that? Anyway, please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Oh, and please vote if you've enjoyed the story so far!
*As you can probably see, 'Winter Sun' is set after 'Dear Matron' ;) If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out:) It's a cute/fluff/feels story of Matron and Steve. Okay I'll stop this lengthy author note now! Until then:) x