Hi everyone, thanks for sticking with the story! Let's see some training and kissing in this one :) Enjoy!
"Fun to watch, hmm?" Brooke looks up hearing Hawkeye's voice from behind.
She sits on a bench watching Natasha train with Hazel and Garnett. The two trainees are really good, Brooke has to admit, but Natasha doesn't even seem to sweat.
Most of the Avengers and the whole team B01 are in the gym as well. Steve Rogers stands near the mat leaning against the wall and following the training intensely.
"I'm up against her in two days," Brooke replies. "So no, it is not that fun. It's kind of terrifying."
Clint laughs. "This is only the first session, right? It'll be worse."
Brooke sighs and pats the bench next to her. The archer sits down.
Natasha turns towards them on the mat and winks at Clint before roundhouse kicking Garnett in the chest with her bare foot. Hazel sees the opportunity and locks her arms around Natasha's neck from behind. Garnett is still on the ground when Hazel joins him after Natasha elbows her in the stomach just the right spot.
"What the hell," she pants. Natasha reaches for her hand and helps her up.
"It was a good one, the trick," she remarks with a kind smile that Hazel returns.
"Not sure how we'll help you guys out," Brooke remarks. "If she can't defeat it, we won't be able to either."
"Nat is good at hand-to-hand combats, and pretty great with guns. But that's not always enough."
"She can't fly for example, right?"
"For example," Clint nods.
Natasha, Hazel and Garnett leave the mat.
"Marlow, Seymour, you're up," Steve calls.
"Wish me luck," Brooke whispers as Natasha approaches the bench and sits on her previous spot.
"What do you think?" She asks pressing her lips against Clint's.
"That your left hook got weak," he smirks.
Brooke wears a tight black camisole and blue yoga pants. She removed the shoes when the session started just like everyone else in the gym. She steps to the mat and circles her shoulders to warm up.
"Winner gives the loser an orgasm?" Rufus asks stepping in front of her. He's half naked and Brooke spends a moment too long gazing at his abs.
"Just buy me a vibrator and we should be fine," Brooke smirks.
"Alright," Steve says walking forward and looking at them with a rather serious expression that Brooke doesn't quite understand as it is supposed to be a simple training session. Maybe the Captain doesn't ever smile? "Don't go easy on each other, but don't be too hard either. We don't want to send you to the med bay."
"Yeah, grandpa would be furious," Tony Stark remarks from the background. He sits on another bench next to the mat.
"It is not a real family bond," Brooke replies before focusing on the trainee in front of her. She only earns a wink from Tony.
Sam waits not so patiently on the 76th floor before FRIDAY grants him access. Bucky sleeps on the couch in front of Hercules.
Sam often teases Steve about their apparent obsession with Disney, but he never saw a scene like this before. The Winter Soldier, master assassin and a valuable asset to both HYDRA and SHIELD having a nap while I won't say I'm in love plays in the background.
Sam steps to Barnes and tries to wake him placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him slightly. "Hey, Cap wants you down in the gym."
He starts to wonder why he was the one sent up here given FRIDAY is probably more than capable to wake someone up. It might be Steve's attempt to force them to communicate. Well, it works.
It works, because in the next moment the metal arm moves so fast that Sam doesn't stand a chance as it wraps itself around his neck. He grabs it with both hands but they feel inadequate and so, so weak.
"Barnes," he croaks. The sound is pathetically weak. Bucky seems to be still asleep. "Barnes, that's my— I can't—" He tries to cough but it doesn't work either.
"FRIDAY," he calls.
"Yes sir."
"Wake him up." Sam chokes out.
In the next moment water starts pouring from the ceiling soaking the whole apartment. It is really not Sam's concern though. Barnes stirs awake and Sam uses his chance to step back before the arm could grab at him again.
"What the hell?" Bucky shouts getting up and trying to run for cover. Except there is none. He curses in a language Sam does not recognise. "Make it stop!"
"FRIDAY, you can stop now," Sam says and the rain dutifully ceases.
Bucky still stares at him in horror. "What the hell are you doing here? And why did you ruin my movie afternoon?"
Sam rolls his eyes. "Are you aware that you almost fucking murdered me?" He asks back.
Bucky raises his eyebrow. "Wilson. I'm the Winter Soldier. If I wanted to murder you, you'd be six feet under already."
Sam clenches his jaw. He can already feel the sore skin on his neck. "You choked me."
"I didn't," Bucky responds.
"You did."
"No," Bucky repeats stubbornly.
Sam groans. "Steve wants you in the gym. Plan B is training."
"And why do I have to see that?"
Sam bites his lip. "Steve. Wants. To. See. You," he repeats slowly. "I don't care why. Are you coming or not?"
Bucky huffs. "Sure."
Sam does not speak to Barnes on their way down. But as Bucky glances at him sideways he catches him stare at the red bruising on the skin of his neck.
He briefly wonders if dying by the metal arm of a sleeping Bucky Barnes would have been better than dealing with the situation that they meet at the gym: Steve stands by and the others just look on as Brooke kisses passionately a guy who lies on top of her on the central mat.
Sam feels a rush of fury by the sight and lunges over Barnes who seems to be much angrier than he is supposed to be given the fact that he discovered that Brooke even exists just two days ago.
But Bucky seems pretty determined and soon he marches up next to Steve. "Is that a new kind of training?" He asks.
Steve places his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Give them thirty more seconds."
"It'll cost you so much," Bucky murmurs as he starts counting down from 30.
He is at 18 when Brooke turns them over and hooks her forearm under Rufus' neck keeping him flat on the mat.
Brooke doesn't expect the force with which Rufus lunges at her when Steve shouts go. She moans as she feels sharp pain in her hip as it hits the mat.
"Are you enjoying this as much as I do?" Seymour asks.
Brooke can't help her scoff. "Harder, baby."
"You got it," Rufus says with a chuckle as he tries to trap her body under his but she wiggles away and kicks him in the stomach.
She has time to get back on her feet before Rufus jumps on her again. This time she dodges him.
But it doesn't take much time and they are on the ground again, this time Seymour is pressed against her so close that she can feel his heartbeat against her chest.
Brooke is certainly not ready to tap him out and admit defeat, so she waits and tries to regulate her panting.
Rufus waits a little before leaning over her and placing his forearm over her neck. Breathing becomes a little harder.
"Marlow, are you out?" Steve asks stepping closer.
"Not yet," Brooke croaks.
"No shame in that," Rufus remarks. "Admitting to defeat is the first step to—" he starts but can't finish because Brooke presses her lips on his jaw.
She can hear Steve's annoyed sigh but ignores it as Rufus' arm relaxes on her neck and he kisses her on the lips.
She still kisses him when she hears the door open and when she hears Bucky's mumble. It is definitely not her grandfather's business what tools she chooses to train with.
And she chose kissing this time.
Rufus finally lets his guard down enough so she can flip them over and pin him to the ground. When he tries to get away from her grip, she presses her arm against his neck rougher and pushes her knee into his ribcage as she sits on him.
"You'd better tap out, sweetheart," she smirks.
To her relief, Rufus does tap three times on her knee. She relaxes her arm and stands up with a victorious smirk.
"That was so not cool," Rufus complains as she bends over and offers her hand that he doesn't accept.
Brooke shrugs. "Ask the boss," she says pointing at Steve with her chin.
Steve is obviously in a difficult position as Bucky still glares at Brooke standing next to him along with Sam from behind them.
On the other hand Natasha seems pleased with Brooke's result. "It's a perfectly valid way to take a dude out," she calls from the bench.
"If you are too weak to play fair, I suppose," Bucky can't help but remark.
Clint hisses as Brooke and Natasha both turn towards the grumpy man who clearly has misplaced parental instincts towards his granddaughter, Brooke figures as she tries to regulate her breathing.
"What is fair then?" She asks back. "Having a metal arm? Is that fair?"
The arm fists again, Steve can see it. A glance back at Sam confirms he saw it too.
Bucky frowns in a rather intimidating way, Brooke admits to herself, but she cannot back out of this now. She has to make it clear that she is not here to reunite with a part of her family that she never knew but to get her work done.
"Getting pumped on a super soldier serum? Flying? Having a green monster buddy on command? How is that playing fair but a little kiss is not?"
"A little kiss," Bucky repeats slowly.
Brooke shrugs. "I mean, Black Widow has a history of seducing targets."
"Yeah, but you are not a Widow. You are special forces and you should act like it," Bucky claims.
"Ground her!" Tony shouts from the other bench barely paying attention to the conversation as he types away on his StarkPad.
"He can't ground me, I'm 28," Brooke explains in vain since Tony obviously knows that. He obviously doesn't care.
"Did I win or not?" Brooke asks turning back to Steve and ignoring Bucky's scolding. She is tired and she wants to have a shower and put on a clean pair of sweats.
Steve hesitates for a moment. Brooke is sure he agrees with her but he tries to avoid any relationship trouble so he carefully navigates between the two Barnes'.
Brooke gets impatient seeing Bucky's hard look on Steve. "Captain? Did I win or not?" She repeats.
Steve remains silent as he looks around for help, for any help. "Stark? What do you think?" He finally calls to Tony who glances up.
Brooke is sure Steve is desperate if he asks a second opinion from Tony Stark.
"Tie," Tony says as he stands and comes closer. "He's stronger, she's trickier. Second round in two days. Or three, whatever you prefer."
"No woman tricks though," Rufus comments.
Brooke rolls her eyes and nods. "Fine. Is that all for now?"
Steve nods. "Yes, Miss Marlow. You're free to go."
But she is not quite free to go as Sam follows her out and steps in front of her when she tries to enter the elevator.
"Is that what they teach in the army nowadays?" He asks with a smirk.
"What?" Brooke asks. "You didn't have the fifteen ways to kiss yourself out of trouble training? It's so useful."
"I bet," he chuckles. "Care to show me the other fourteen?"
"I am not sure. My grandfather might just die of a heart attack."
"Right. Old folks and cardiovascular problems are no joke."
Brooke is exhausted and irritated after the session that she won but that she did not get any recognition for, and still, she laughs softly. She wonders for a moment if it is good or bad news that Sam makes her laugh so easily in such a state.
"Exactly." She steps closer. "I would love to give you a lesson some time, Wilson. But I am a bit worried you'd use it to get points in this ridiculous war you're waging against Bucky."
Sam smiles. "So cruel, Marlow. You know I would never—"
He cannot finish the sentence because Brooke leans forward and kisses his lips.
"A terrible liar," she whispers against his mouth.
"And a wonderful kisser?" He asks with a soft chuckle.
"An okay one." Brooke pulls back and pushes Sam aside by his chest stepping in the elevator.
"Hey, what about the other thirteen?" He asks when the door starts closing on her.
"Patience, Wilson," Brooke shrugs wondering why she kissed Sam and why it felt so different from kissing Seymour.
The next day Brooke goes to the gym alone. Charlie told them the first day that they are allowed to use Stark's robots for training.
It would be the best method to show Barnes that she deserves her place on the team. No amount of kissing will defeat a robot after all.
Well, probably. One can never know what Stark is capable of in his lab after days running on coffee and determination. That's something she always hears from Monna.
"Won't that be too much clothes for training?" She just finishes wrapping up her hands when she hears Bucky.
She turns around. Her grandfather wears sweatpants and a plain white shirt, his muscular flesh arm and the shiny metal one seem quite intimidating.
"I thought yesterday we got over that," she says. "Not to mention that I was under the impression that you respected my point of view on this…" she waved her hand between them. "thing."
"It has nothing to do with us being relatives. I just don't think it is the right way to handle a hand-to-hand combat. Out in the field—"
"Oh really? You think just because I chose to use one particular trick yesterday, I am not able to use the rest if I need to?"
Bucky shrugs. "I know pretty gals can go a long way without actual knowledge or skills in this world."
Brooke can only stare at him. "Pretty gals? That's how you see me? A pretty girl who uses her tits to get away with anything?"
"That's all I've seen so far," Bucky says and Brooke is sure it is his defensive face. Well, too late for that, grandpa. Too bloody late.
"Okay. I'll show you something else then," she promises as she beckons to him with her index finger.
"No, I don't think that's…" Bucky falters. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh? So calling me a stupid little bitch is okay but letting me prove you wrong is not?" Brooke asks.
"I wasn't calling you that."
"It sure sounded like it." Brooke does a couple of warmup moves. "Come on, Bucky. Let's settle this right now because in some months you'll need to trust me on the field. Let me earn that trust."
Bucky groans but does not protest as he walks to the bench, takes off his shoes and steps on the mat barefoot and clearly uncomfortable.
"Come on, I don't bite," Brooke jokes as she gets in position, knees slightly bent, hands up, gaze roaming over her opponent's form.
"Don't you?"
"Only if I get desperate."
She quickly does. First it seems fun, she ducks when Bucky uses his flesh hand to aim at her chin and as she takes the hit in the shoulder she decides he must pull his punches.
But before she could tell him she wants to see the real deal, she gets to see it.
She tries to kick in his stomach but Bucky grabs her ankle with his metal hand and pins her to the ground in an instant. In the next, however, his arm presses against her throat.
The metal is cold, although not as cold as she thought it would be, and unyielding. First it is only a slightly uncomfortable feeling and then breathing gets too hard so she taps on his flash arm.
The metal fist gets even tighter around her neck.
Brooke does not understand. Bucky knows the rules of a training session. He just won, he doesn't need to demonstrate his power anymore. And still, the cold fingers keep pressing in her throat.
She reaches up and grabs at Bucky's flash shoulder, her nails digging into the shirt and the skin underneath. "Buck—" she breathes.
His expression seems foreign to her. His eyes shine with determination and fury, but there is something underneath too… maybe panic?
"Please," she tries to bargain with whatever remained of Bucky Barnes in the man above her. She closes her eyes barely hearing sirens, running and shouting in the background.
"Brooke? Brooke? Brooke, you need to breathe. Brooke!"
