Call all your friends
Tell them I'm never coming back
'Cause this is the end
Pretend that you want it, don't react
Losing Your Memory - Ryan Star
The first time they met each other, it was at the Winter Soldier's training session.
Every once in a while, they made him practice his combat skills in the specialized training room they provided. The walls were made of solid concrete and steel, allowing him to practice using both his metal arm and his bodily muscles with a training ring, weights, and various holograms they would occasionally light throughout the room for him to substitute moving targets.
Only, today, they had given him a live one.
They told him that he would be sparring with his partner today. A partner, wearing metal implants in his temples, or as one of the technicians he had overheard called them, the neuro inhibitors. Green eyes met his own steadily, waiting for their handler's signal.
"Are you ready soldier?" their handler asked, watching him intently.
He nodded, raising his fists obligingly as he stepped onto the mat.
His adversary's face remained blank, eyes tracking his every motion.
"Begin."
He exploded into motion, leaping forward-
Block, kick, block, punch, redirect, twist, kick, block-
Sidestep, block, block, knee, punch, twist, duck, block, punch-
They enter the deadly dance of combat, each move as complex as the next, knocking each other to the floor only to leap back to their feat, grappling and twisting around each other, each trying to gain the advantage. The soldier had worked long enough to know he only stopped when his handlers told him to. That was the best way to become stronger, to become better. The best way to complete his mission.
The man refused to tire, seeming hardly out of breath as he was knocked to the floor, dodging his metal fist as he rolled back onto his feet. He'd never dealt with this fighting style before. Curving, twisting, dancing in and out of reach yet managing to land heavy blows all the same.
His partner crouched beneath his sweeping kick, landing a solid punch to his unprotected side. He growled, turning to elbow his opponent, only to have him dance out of the way once more, leaving them circling each other.
Their handlers watched on through the window above them, one man writing something excitedly onto a clipboard as they observed; silent as they leapt once more into the fray.
He grunted as a foot collided with his back, reaching back to grab his rival's leg before he could retreat and twisting, using his momentum to bring him to the ground. The man was slammed against the mat with a grunt, and he quickly released the leg to straddle him before he could stand. His opponent snarled, swinging back to elbow him. The Soldier only grabbed the offending limb with his metal hand, taking his wrist and twisting it beneath him.
A snarl erupted from his black haired adversary, writhing underneath him, trying to buck him off. The other hand leapt upwards blindly, only to be pinned down to the floor by his human one. He didn't budge from his place, knowing he had the upper hand.
He put more pressure on the joint, slowly pushing it further and further. He watched, the muscles twisting under his hands, waiting for the cracking pop of joints out of place-
The hand pinned against the floor made a twisting motion, and suddenly he was careening to the side, slamming against the floor with a bang. His head spun from the impact, and he only had seconds to gather himself before a heavy body suddenly straddled his, a knee pinned against his metal arm as a pale fist raised to strike-
"Release."
His hands retreated, and he climbed off of the other man.
They hurriedly climbed to their feet, panting as they looked towards the glass booth above them. The scientist was scribbling and murmuring rapidly as he looked at the nearby screens, Pierce and the other men inside looking pleased. "You did well. As you were." Pierce said, waving a hand at the door.
The metal door to the training room buzzed loudly, before swinging open.
Green eyes met his for a long moment, something similar to…wary respect shining in them as they stared. Then, with a blink, the other man turned, and walked away.
Partner, huh? He thought musingly, before following him out.