AN: Hey guys...We'll get to the story in a second but first... US Election was this week and I just wanted to say if any of you are American...I'm so sorry, you literally have literal Hitler as you future president. Like I thought Britain was bad but Jesus Christ...
Stayed up to watch the results come in and it destroyed me for the rest of the...week. Like, as a Scottish Liberal, I didn't realise that I could cry for 3 hours and still...cry. I can't imagine how the American's are dealing with this. So just Hugs. All the Hugs. International Hug America day.
Anyway politics aside, it's time to return to the story at an interesting place. We also get a sneak peek at what X is up to. Important AN at the end of the chapter.
Let's do this!
Chapter 4 - Black Out
Bucky decided to take Tony's advice and get a shower. Steve had forced him to eat lunch first but now both men had gone to get cleaned and dressed. Bucky wasn't ashamed to admit that he absolutely adored a warm shower. Showers relaxed him and it was hard for him to relax. The heated water ran down his body as he let his mind wonder. He could think more clearly, like the water was washing away the clutter in his mind, and there was a lot to think about.
In the space of 24 hours he had remembered 'X', dragged the Avengers into a manhunt and found her. He hoped he'd be able to add reunited to that list by the end of the day. He knew that Steve was having his doubts, the man wasn't too good at hiding his feelings, and Bucky could understand his apprehension. But he didn't share it. Much of what they'd learnt so far had only lead to more questions, even the physical proof had led to some being raised.
However, Bucky strangely expected 'X' to be confusing. She'd been confusing in his dream so he didn't have reservations about meeting her again. If it was a trap then it was a trap, he'd need to go to find out.
"Mr. Barnes, Sir is asking for your presence on the communal floor". Jarvis's voice startled Bucky out of his shower thoughts.
He frowned. He'd just been up there for lunch, why did Tony need him? "Why?"
"He says it concerns Miss 'X'" Bucky stepped out of the shower as soon as he heard Jarvis's response. He dried off quickly before pulling his PJ bottoms and t-shirt back on.
He practically raced out of his room and into the corridor, spotting that Steve was holding the elevator door for him. "What's happened?" Bucky asked coming to stand next to the Captain.
"Let's find out" Steve said firmly, face stern, bracing for the worst. The elevator rose quickly, both men remaining in an anxious silence the entire time until the door slide open. They strode into the communal area and instantly became very confused.
All the others were there, Clint and Nat were standing against the back of one of the coaches, sharing whispers and looking just as tense as the Soldiers were. However it was Bruce and Tony that were confusing everyone.
Bruce sat nonchalantly, reading a science novel. His lips would curl into a half contained smile every now and then, and Tony was full on grinning. The Inventor stood in front of the console, barely containing his pent up excitement. Oh, yes…everyone was awfully confused.
"Stark, you called for us?" Steve questioned suspiciously, wondering what the billionaire was up to.
Tony's eyes brightened as they noticed the soldier's arrival, turning to address the room. "Ah, yes! I just thought I'd share some interesting and amusing information and seeing as it's a team mission, I thought we should have the team here." The excitement in Tony's voice made everyone slightly uneasy but it made Barnes fearful. If Tony was taking so much entertainment from his lost friend then what had he learned.
Tony twisted round to tap something on the console, causing the window hologram to come to life. It displayed a map of the Queens area, a pinpointed location drawing their attention. "Exactly 15 minutes ago, our mysterious woman reached this location and entered the building. She has remained there ever since".
There was a pause as everyone expected Tony to continue but the pause dragged on, causing panic to start building in Bucky's chest. What made this location special? Could it be a secret Hydra base?
"And?" It was Natasha who asked the question she knew Stark was waiting for. The irritation in her voice was thick.
Tony smirked, turning to tap the console. A website page popped up. "Well, only a select few people entered a strip club before opening time"
The red and black website had the club's name at the top and was decorated with very attractive ladies wearing nothing more than lingerie. A strong blush appeared on Steve's cheeks making Tony smile broadly. "J?" Tony beamed at his AI
"Recorded and stored, sir"
Natasha rolled her eyes at the "genius", a smirk growing on her face. "So she's a stripper?"
"It appears so" Bruce responded, putting his book down. He smiled at his friend's antics, having been in the room when Tony found out.
"Of course she is!" Tony corrected. "The only people who go to a strip club this early are the owner and the girls".
"You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing, Tony" Nat smirked even more as Clint tried and failed to contain his laughter.
Tony glared at the former agents. Sure he was no stranger to the strip clubs of New York and most club owners treated him as an old friend but he had Pepper now.
Meanwhile Bucky had no idea what to think. His head spun with emotions that he couldn't name as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that 'X' was a stripper.
"Why would the…girls be there this early?" Steve asked having recovered from his shock. He was still adjusting to some aspects of the present.
Tony annoyance flicked back amusement as he replied to the blushing Captain. "Black Out considers itself one of the more classy venues, the girls will be practicing for tonight" His glare returned full force as his eye caught Nat whispering something into Barton's ear causing the archer to burst into another laughing fit.
"So she'll be performing there tonight?" Bucky spoke up, the beginnings of a plan forming.
Tony actually almost forgot that Barnes was in the room but nodded anyway.
Nat smirked catching on to the Soldier's train of thought. "It is familiar territory for her, she'll be less likely to run".
A grin split across Tony's face "Great idea! We go, blend in, get her to give the Boy Scout over there a private dance and have a little talk"
Steve's blush intensified as he wondered what he'd done to Tony to deserve this amount of teasing. "Tony…" Steve's tone warned Tony to quit while he was ahead.
Tony rolled his eyes at the two glaring Super Soldiers "Well it's either you or him, the rest of us are spoken for".
"Bruce isn't and neither is Nat" Clint pointed out, pointing to each of them.
Bruce came into the conversation before Tony could respond. "I'll sit this one out actually, I don't think you'll be needing the other guy."
Tony watched as Steve nodded at Bruce's words before turning his gaze on Nat, waiting to see what she had to say. However, she didn't feel the need to say anything, instead choosing to raise a challenging eyebrow.
He turned away from her, finding it slightly creepy when she communicated through facial expressions alone.
"I think I'll bow out as well, the wife wouldn't be too pleased. Plus clubs are a bit too crowded for my talents" Clint smirked, remembering the promise he'd made years ago to only do the more intimate parts of his job if it was necessary and he really didn't think they'd need a sniper.
Tony paused in thought for a second "I'm sure Pep will understand how important this mission is" He was probably (definitely) lying to himself, she'd be livid but there was no way he was going to miss out on taking Captain Innocent to his first strip club.
"Don't worry Stark, I'll keep an eye on you for her" Natasha grinned predatorily at him. The two red heads got on quite well and Nat would wipe the floor with Tony if he even thought about cheating.
Steve ignored the two as Tony squirmed under Natasha venomous smile, instead getting into leader mode. "That's settled then, we'll meet here at 7 to discuss mission approach. Be ready for then."
Laura didn't understand why this outfit needed this many straps. It just made changing difficult. But Tina picked it out for her so here she was, losing a mental battle with a bunch of fabric.
One of the elastic straps slipped from her fingers, pinging against her skin hard. She hissed at the sting that followed, glaring daggers at the offending outfit. She didn't get paid enough for this. She already had to deal with the high heels that always attempted to mutilate her feet and now she had this whip trap as well. She eyed a strap that she thought might be designed for her arm to go through as she side stepped to avoid Penny who wasn't watching where she was going.
For one of the more up market exotic dance clubs, their backstage area was pathetic. 7 grown ass women had to share a glorified cupboard.
However, she couldn't deny that the money was better than other places she'd worked. It was an unfortunate fact that travelling costed money even for someone like her. She was lucky to have such a high paying job and she had Lily to thank for that.
Lily's shining reference had gotten her a meeting with the owner. Lucian Ford was an arrogant and heartless man but luckily he was also a spineless coward who wouldn't dare piss her off. He was a smart man in that regard.
In the 3 months that she'd known him, they'd come to an understanding. If he didn't treat the girls like dirt and stayed out of her way then Laura would break his arm. She hadn't threatened that directly but like she said he was smart when it came to his own survival.
She stared at herself in the full body mirror wondering if those straps were meant to be that far apart. Her arrangement with Ford had made her an instant hit with the other girls which helped her greatly. The 4 full time employees worked like some kind of well-oiled machine. Tina picked out Laura's outfits. Penny was a miracle worker with makeup, Charlie handled music and Lily organised the little details. Laura was quite grateful for their expert assistance. As payment for their help, she advised them on their dancing and showed them new tricks every now and then.
With a sigh of acceptance, Laura decided that the outfit was as much on her body as it was going to get. "Renee! You almost ready, Hun?"
Laura turned towards the door that lead to the stage, just realising the time. She managed two steps toward the door before her toes rammed into her high heels that lay on the ground. Biting back a curse, Laura composed herself before shouting her reply "On my way!"
The devil shoes were held up to eye level, receiving a glare that could make the faint-hearted keel over. She needed to hide them. It was one of both Lily's and Ford's biggest critiques of her. She had a very special hatred of the foot traps. She went to her new hiding spot, a small space between two counters that was always covered with random junk and squeezed them in next to her emergency backpack.
In the past 10 years Laura had learned that the best way to live was light. Being who she was and related to whom she was, meant that the ability to up and leave at a moment's notice was essential for a stress free life.
She quickly jogged out of the room and toward the stage entrance. Well maybe not completely stress free but it limited chaos.
"Renee, the stage is ready for ya". Lily gave the dark haired girl a large grin as she approached, adjusting some of the tricky straps on the younger girl's clothes when she was within arm's reach.
Lily Ann Craig was the oldest of all of them having just reached her early forties and the woman had always taken a shine to Laura or Renee as she knew her. Even back in the "good old days".
Laura still thought that saying was odd.
Laura merely nodded in reply causing Lily to pull open a gap in curtain for her to enter. "Just send me a signal when the smoke has settled and we'll get this show on the road".
Laura nodded taking a calming breath. However her breath paused midway as her nose picked up on something.
The Black Out club always had a wild assortment of scents staining the air. Usually it was a thick, heavy mixture of different powerful colons and hard liquor but something else tickled her nose, something she couldn't name. "Hun?" Laura snapped out of it, giving Lily a small reassuring smile before stepping out onto the stage and getting into place.
The scent hadn't made her tense, it hadn't put her on alert so Laura was willing to call it an oddity at the moment, blaming it on the chalky smell that clogged her senses. But she decided to keep it in mind as she signaled to Lily and the curtain rose.
AN: In case you haven't already guessed, next chapter will take place in an adult location. If you're fine with that then cool, see you next week. If you are not okay with it or unsure about it then listen up! 'cause I'm only gonna say this once.
The next chapter WILL take place in an adult location. That is your warning. Now a disclaimer, I'm not the type of person who is about to publish a chapter set in a super erotic strip club. I'm a nerd who giggles like an idiot at anything even remotely sexual. The location will mostly be written as if from the minds of one of the girls i.e. a place of work. It's gonna be tastefully done which is why I'm not going to change the rating on this story. If you're still not sure about it, I would usually advise just to skip it but it is super important to the story so I encourage you to give it ago.
Right, Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next one is gonna be a big one!
Please fav, follow and review! Feedback, unfortunately, isn't going to fix the world but it may make ours a little brighter :)
See you next week!