america's assassin ➻ steve rogers

six

"Hey, Princess," I recognised Steve's voice the second Nat took me into the room that would serve as their team briefing but was ultimately a dining room. "How many knives did you bring to this party?" He asked sarcastically from where he sat towards the opposite end of the long table to where Nat and I stood now. I glared at him and fingered the throwing knife in my cuff that I had pressed against his thigh earlier.

"Enough to completely skewer you through if you ever call me that again," I replied sweetly. This made the man beside him laugh and he quickly disguised it with a cough as Steve glared at him. If the man's metal arm hadn't been a dead giveaway to who he was, I recognised his face from the news back before the snap. James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. I remember sitting around the living room in our wayward house debating with the others if he would have made a great addition to our little assassin family. I forced my gaze away and looked at Nat.

"You seem to have gained a habit of leaving out key information when it comes to social gathering," I said to her, motioning to the table that was filling up with superheroes. She rolled her eyes and took my elbow, near dragging me down to Steve's end of the table.

"This is a briefing," She promised. "You just never would have come if I'd told you that food and conversation was also involved." She kicked out the chair across from Steve and nearly pushed me into it as I grumbled.

"I didn't want to come regardless," I reminded her of the fight I'd put up in the room as she begged me to accompany her to this briefing.

"Well, I for one am surprised you came," Steve said from across the table. I turned my glare on him. "And you're not just staring out the window in your room all night." His smile was both teasing and cruel and I grit my teeth.

"I thought I better come and test my chances of completing an assassination at this party," I said. "Seeing as Nat saved your life last time." James Buchanan Barnes laughed again and Steve elbowed him in the ribs.

"I swear to God," Nat muttered from beside me, reaching into the middle of the table for a bottle of red wine and pouring her glass nearly to the rim and taking a long drink before she said anything else. "The only red I want to see spilt tonight is this wine, and not your blood." Steve and I both shot each other a triumphant smile before realising we had both thought she was talking about the other. I reached into the table with a glare and poured my own glass of red wine.

"I guess you would be used to blood spilling at dinner, right?" He asked me. "Coming from a family of assassins and all. Ever stab someone for not passing the salt?" Anger flashed through y whole body and lightning fast I kicked out with my leg, landing right where I'd wanted it to in between his legs. He gasped and doubled over, his face red as I grinned. Nat looked like a tired parent trying to control her children. I took a deep sip of my wine.

"No," I said sweetly, covering the anger boiling away in my veins. "But I'll stab you for free if you say anything else about them." I never should have said a thing to Steve about Carina and the others. I didn't know him and obviously he would only use the information against me. I'd told him in a split second of trying to be on top of the game and also in a moment of vulnerability. Now I knew I couldn't do that again. Steve rested his head against the table as he recovered from my petty kick to the balls and James Buchanan Barnes grinned at me.

"I'm Bucky," He said.

"Mia," I replied.

"Usually the ladies fall over Captain America," He said, looking me over. I snorted.

"I have taste." He laughed again and I smiled.

"Nat," Another voice said, bringing all our attention with it. I would know Tony Stark anywhere. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" He stared pointedly at me. Nat sighed.