Chapter 11
Looking around with feigned disinterest, Barnes couldn't help but wonder just how much this kind of place must cost – not that he had any use for money. Tony eyed the pair before offering them a seat as Steve shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Sitting down, both men realised Barnes was still standing unnaturally still, "Barnes, sit here" Steve instructed quietly. Tony frowned as he watched the third man move suddenly to sit next to Steve, eyes staring straight back at him in a silent challenge. Clearing his throat, Steve briefly explained the situation they found themselves in. when he had finished, Tony let out a low whistle. "Way to bring the fight to my door, ice man" was Tony's only response before he called out to JARVIS. "Secure the perimeter, JARVIS. We made it onto a new hitlist today" – JARVIS responded immediately, "Yes sir, is there anything else you would like me to do?" Barnes froze in place as that same voice from the elevator filled the room, he didn't like the sound of 'secure the perimeter', he felt that he might have heard those words spoken before, in another time, by people less than friendly. Steve watched his friend's reaction and noticed a fleeting look of unease, lowering his voice gently, he explained that JARVIS was just an AI. Barnes frowned in response, "what the hell is an AI?" he questioned. Tony, who had been silently watching the exchange before him, replied with relish. "JARVIS is my creation, artificial intelligence. He is smart, fast, and exists to serve me. He is activated on all floors, only responsive to my voice. Better send all unnecessary personnel home whilst I think of it, JARVIS", he added quickly.
Barnes didn't know what to think of this, the unease within him only growing in response. He didn't know what to think of this AI and wondered if it was a threat to himself and Steve, but Steve appeared unconcerned by the disembodied presence. Assessing the room for ways out, Barnes let a small sigh escape as he realised that the AI presence seemed to be everywhere. Steve shifted slightly to his side, taking in Barnes' fleeting expression of discontent. Feeling uneasy himself, but for very different reasons, Steve looked back to Tony and jerked his head slightly. Nodding, Tony stood up, extending his hand out towards the corridor as Steve followed. "Stay here, Barnes – I will be back", Steve briefly explained before leading Tony out into the corridor and turning to his left. Quietly speaking, he filled in Tony on his situation with Barnes, thinking it would be politer to do so away from his friend.
Barnes shifted in his seat, taking his surroundings in. He did not like this room and he did not think he trusted Tony, the man seemed too easy going and unaware of his surroundings which spelt trouble in Barnes' eyes. Steve seemed to trust Tony enough to bring them here, but Barnes couldn't help but think that this was not his idea of a safehouse. He found he could not hear anything beyond his own steady breathing which made him feel uncomfortable, he liked to be always aware of his surroundings. Before he could focus too closely on that, however, Tony & Steve strolled casually back into the room, Tony offered Barnes a tight smile and a nod and stated that he would show the others to their rooms, Barnes reluctantly nodded, feeling like a fish out of water as he turned his attention back to Steve. Steve looked unconcerned, as he beckoned Barnes to follow them. As they moved through the building, Barnes desperately took in everything he could in case he'd have to make a quick exit. He noted that there were a lot of empty offices and spaces filled with computers dotted throughout the building, idly he wondered what they were used for. Barnes also noticed how light and airy the space around him seemed to be, it wasn't cold and suffocating like the clinical HYDRA base he had recently been contained inside. He felt it was a relief, he didn't need to be on high alert as such and nobody had made a grab for him yet. Climbing some stairs to an upper level, they wandered down another corridor before they came to a stop, Steve turned to Barnes and explained that this was his room, Barnes' room was next door and if the latter wanted to find him, he should just walk in as he pleased. This made Barnes feel a little better, but he was unable to explain to himself why Steve being so near made him feel more at ease. Nodding once, he looked at Tony who opened the door to Barnes' room with flourish, Barnes nodded at Tony again, unsure of what he should say as he took a step inside. Looking towards the window, Barnes noted that they were incredibly high up, there would be no easy escape from up here if it became necessary. Sitting down on the bed, which felt incredibly soft, Barnes contemplated his new surroundings and the meaning behind him and Steve coming here. He felt that HYDRA wouldn't be far behind and when they came, the fight would be intense, he knew they would not their asset go easily, and the thought filled him with a sense of sadness – why would nobody leave him be?
Steve thanked Tony for his hospitality and felt reassured that they would have no issues here, HYDRA wouldn't be able to get within throwing distance of them, and Tony's plans would make quick work of any issues they might face. Frowning, he wondered how Bucky was doing, Steve had integrated into society a while ago and had kept up to date with things like technology and what was happening in the world, but Bucky's reactions reminded him that this was all new to him. Bucky hadn't gone into much detail of where he'd been and Steve didn't want to pry, his friends mind seemed elsewhere quite often, and Steve didn't want to intrude on his friends' thoughts or make him feel threatened for any reason; he had a feeling that a threatened Bucky would be lethal. He remembered back to the first night that Bucky had entered his home and he'd caught him just as his friend had made quick work of the threat that had invaded his space; shivering with the memory, he thought grimly to himself that yes, a threatened Bucky would not be pleasant to deal with in the slightest. Sighing to himself, he stood and opened the door to his room and came face to face with Bucky who was stood there, staring. With a start, Steve leapt back as he realised who the other man was, with his heart pounding, he stared incredulously at Bucky and managed to ground out, "Jesus Bucky! What are you doing? You scared me to death!" Bucky eyed Steve critically for a moment before he stated clearly "It's Barnes, and you're still breathing. I was waiting for you to tell me what to do, what's our mission." Steve didn't know whether to laugh or explain that it was a saying, instead he opted to ignore it and instead supplied that Barnes could do whatever he wanted.
Seeing the blank look on Buck's face, Steve motioned for him to follow as he led him down some stairs and into the sitting room. Barnes looked around, taking in these new surroundings as Steve rummaged through the fridge, pulling out something for himself he asked Bucky what he would like. Barnes was about to supply that he didn't know, when movement out the corner of his eye made him start. He leapt over the counter, pushed Steve down, and picked up a knife that was sitting there, before flinging it. The knife wobbled, lodged in the wall just above Hawkeye's shoulder as Clint looked in shock towards the Winter Soldier. Steve grappled his way to his feet just as Barnes made to attack – "Barnes, Stop!" Barnes' movements stilled suddenly, following the command thrown at him, looking back towards Steve, he waited for further instruction as Steve explained that Hawkeye was not a threat. Hawkeye watched the interaction with confusion, secretly glad for his quick reflexes.
"You startled me" Barnes supplied for explanation, watching Hawkeye with distrust. Hawkeye's brows shot up in exasperation, as he pointedly looked towards the knife lodged just behind him.
Steve moved to run damage control as Barnes stared at Hawkeye, not understanding the issue as Hawkeye frowned whilst Steve filled him in hastily. Not fully understanding why Steve had brought the Winter Soldier here, Clint offered a brief "I'm Hawkeye… Clint, nice to meet you – I guess" as Barnes merely stared back at him. Feeling unusually awkward, Clint nodded once, cast an eye toward Steve and left the room as quietly as he had entered it. Releasing a sigh, Steve turned to Barnes and admonished that he couldn't go throwing knives around without asking questions first. "I thought he was a threat, I simply moved to incapacitate him before he could harm you" Barnes responded evenly. Steve was about to counter this argument when he realised what Bucky had said, "before he could harm me? Buc-Barnes, he wouldn't harm me – we are friends". Barnes chewed over this knowledge before offering a shrug, looking towards the fridge, Steve moved to open it again and offered Barnes a cold slice of leftover pizza. Grunting, Barnes accepted and proceeded to chew thoughtfully as Steve led him to the sofa nearby. He flicked on the TV before settling on some random show, leaving Barnes to his thoughts.
Barnes was enthralled, the TV show was like nothing he had ever seen but he couldn't quite grasp the concept. As Steve chuckled at different parts, Barnes found himself lost in his thoughts. He found he liked this version of Steve, he thought it sort of reminded him of simpler times but nothing concrete came to mind besides the odd flash again. He realised that for the first time he could recall, that he actually felt as close to comfortable as he ever had and he found himself unwittingly relaxing into the sofa behind him. His mind drifting, he found himself comparing his time with HYDRA vs his time with Steve; there were no parallels. HYDRA meant cold, pain, fear and weariness, Steve meant comfort, laughter, and pizza… he liked pizza. Barnes knew one thing for certain, he didn't want to go back to HYDRA again, but being on the run felt exhausting and he wondered if he would ever be able to stop running. A sudden shout made Barnes leap into action, and before Steve could work out what had happened, he was pinned on his back to the sofa with Barnes leaning over him protectively. Out of nowhere, the Black Widow had appeared bringing with her the rage of a woman scorned and with it came a torrent of foul language aimed at Steve and Barnes. With a sigh of relief, Steve noticed Nat and gave a pointed look at Barnes as Barnes slowly let Steve up. Raising his eyes to the ceiling briefly, he turned to Nat and cheerfully asked her where the fire was, this did nothing to quell her ire however and Steve quickly found her anger directed at him. Barnes stood straight, unsure of whether he needed to intervene, but Steve appeared unconcerned as he responded to Nat's questions about where they had been. Barnes had to admit though, he had never gone so long without orders, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep a leash on his instincts without them. Orders were simple, you followed them – judging situations on instinct with no parameters provided, however was becoming increasingly difficult in this strange environment.
As Nat fought to control her anger, Steve turned to Barnes and asked him whether he was okay. Barnes' eyebrows shot high up his forehead, what did Steve mean, he found himself questioning. Nobody had ever asked him if he was okay before, they just expected him to carry orders and be done – it didn't matter how he felt, he was not permitted to linger on feelings, they were counter-productive to his missions. Realising Steve was expecting an answer, he quickly nodded before turning to stare at Nat again. Clint appeared out of nowhere with a cheerful greeting towards his partner, and Barnes watched their interaction without interest.
Feeling bored, Steve turned to Barnes and asked if he wanted to spar, explaining about the huge gym that Tony had put in for training purposes. Barnes shrugged his shoulders and Steve led him out the room. When they arrived at the gym area, Steve quickly set up 2 punching bags near each other before directing Barnes to the one on the left before turning to his own. Barnes watched with renewed curiosity as Steve began sparring with his, and he realised that Steve was a lot more capable of looking after himself than he had first thought. Turning to his own, he made quick work of dodging, punching and kicking the punching bag which caused Steve to pause his own regime in shock, it was inhumane the way that Barnes dodged and attacked. Feeling he wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of Barnes' aggression again, he turned back to his own and kept his punches clean. A loud BANG alerted Steve that Barnes' punching bag had flown clean off the bracket and that Barnes was stood there waiting for something else. Picking up another, Steve replaced Barnes' empty bracket before returning to his own, watchful of Barnes' movements. Night came quickly, and with it Steve felt he should interrupt Barnes' onslaught against the punching gear – they would have no equipment left otherwise. Leading Barnes back upstairs to their sleeping quarters, he briefly told Barnes that he could come to him if he needed anything and bid him goodnight.
