Winter's Veil || BUCKY X FEM!OC

*CHAPTER 17*

"No way, Evie." Nat had her hands placed on her hips as her chest rose and fell heatedly. The final tone in her commanding voice reverberated in my bones, defiant shocks rippled over me as I met her superior eyes in challenge. Barnes had riled me up into such a mess I didn't register the distress subtly painted on her face, warning me to think this through.

"Come on, it's not like I haven't taken him out before," I retorted as I walked up to the drained pair, Steve's eyebrows were still comically high as he took me in with mild concern brimming over his face. He glanced down to the black bracelet encasing my wrist as I narrowed my eyes at him, challenging the doubt swirling in his eyes.

I straightened my spine and lifted my chin, there was no way I was backing down from this bet. Barnes strolled over to Steve and nudged his shoulder, staring back at me with an infuriatingly impassive face. His features were locked into a punchable apathy, apart from the amusement skimming beneath his grey eyes, taunting me. My blood pumped through my body like wildfire, disintegrating any sense I had left as I countered his cool gaze with my own scalding scowl.

"She won't last 30 seconds Steve, why not indulge her?" Barnes mused over Steve's shoulder, just loud enough for me to hear. Rage rippled through me like a million needles pricking me, forcing me to clench my fists to keep the rolling waves of irritation at bay.

I glared up at him with enough fury to burn a city to the ground, missing the odd look Nat had on her face as her eyes batted between us. I wrung out my hands, snapping my eyes back to Rogers for his verdict, my body was alive with hot splashes of adrenaline mixed with the cold substance writhing around in my bones.

"Why not?" Steve exclaimed with a carefree smile, oblivious to the challenge stretching between Barnes and me. My heart jolted up to my throat as I was one step closer to having my knife back, one step closer to proving that snowflake-prick wrong.

30 seconds against Captain America and it was mine.

I marched up to the mat with confident steps, joining Steve as Nat passed me, her face set in stone. 

"Aim for the legs," She muttered coarsely as she took my old place against the wall, her calculating eyes assessing my form as I lowered into my stance.

I was confused as to why Natasha was giving me advice, her style was more along the lines of making me figure it out for myself, which resulted in a lot more bruises for me. I swallowed the lump in my throat as the sickening realisation hit me like a brick wall. I was fighting Captain America. It came crashing down on me, 30 long seconds against America's greatest weapon.

Shit.

I felt my legs weaken as Barnes whispered something to Rogers which made him chuckle before stepping off the mat and watching in a darkened corner. A shiver ran down my spine, his gaze never left me despite my own eyes looking anywhere but him. The moment I met his glare was the moment I knew I was out of my depth, and I couldn't lose.

My heart hammered in my chest as I flung my arms up in front of me, bouncing nervously on my toes when Rogers took his position in front of me. My stomach dropped to the floor as his face fell into concentration, his kind blue eyes frozen under hardened layers of relentless training.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as his arm shot out of nowhere, only just ducking in time to feel the ripple of cool air on my hair. I rolled out of the way, using the momentum to swing my body around and kick him in the legs. He stumbled forwards as he grunted, giving me an opening to tackle him to the floor. I leaped up, wrapping my arms around his neck in a headlock. I dug my feet into the ground but Steve threw me over his head like I was nothing, the breath was knocked out of my lungs as my back hit the floor.