Vices & virtues // Bucky Barnes

II

Keep my exes in check in my basement
'Cause kindness is weakness, or worse, you're complacent
I could play nice or I could be a bully
I'm tired and angry, but somebody should be

Halsey, Nightmare

Natasha was upset. She yelled at me all the way from my pick up stop to her club, crying and hysterically laughing at the same time. She's the bipolar kind.

- Steve is thinking that you're dead! - She exclaimed, to immediately add: - He's looking for you!

- For a dead body? How could I never notice how fucking dumb he is before?

- Jesus Christ, Blair! He was at the club and Loki had to kick him out because he insisted to check up the back for you!

- Have you let him in? - I was extremely confused at this point, her story was even more chaotic than mine.

- Valentine, you're fucking dead, did you forget? - She hissed, turning angrily. - Jesus Christ, do you know how much I worried about you? I thought I'll never see your stupid ass again.

- I'm sorry, I would've send you a two weeks notice if I knew I'm gonna get kidnapped and thrown from the roof.

- Un-fucking-believable.

- Anyways... - I stirred in the passenger seat, trying to not show my face as we arrived to the clubs backdoor. - I was thinking, could you maybe have me over for a few days before I'll get a new apartment?

She got out of the car saying nothing and I knew I was fucked.

Nat was my friend from the first moment we met. We we're flatmates right after I moved cities, because she knew my brother and needed a roomie so men wouldn't bother her. I loved her with all my heart: that kind of a twin flame never goes out. Our roads parted a little when she invested in the club and I got invested in, well, Cap America, but we still cherished each other and used to meet as often as our schedules would let us.

We did plan my wedding, though. She was supposed to be my maid of honour.

- Move your dead fucking ass. - She snapped, opening the door. - Quick.

I bolted out of the car and almost jumped into the arms of the most handsome bodyguard you could ever dream of: mister Laufeyson kissed my cheek, smiling, and looking around, sneaked me into the VIP area of the club. His half-brother, Thor, waved at me energetically from behind the bar, but one glance of Natasha's bright eyes made him stop mid wave. They knew me, they knew my family, and yet always welcomed me with an open arms and open bar. I smiled, thinking of how grateful I am for those wicked, mad, inappropriate minded people that had my back, and threw myself onto a velvet couch, safe from the prying eyes of the visitors.

You see, Natalia's club wasn't just a club. It was THE club: ICEBERG was a place so shady even the police tried to avoid it. Drug dealers, smugglers, minor mobsters, hitmen, literally any dirty business you'd like to make - you'd make it here. And on top of it, there was my snow queen, miss Natasha Romanoff. She had this place under a strict control. The bad guys acted like puppies around her and she loved it.

It's funny how a club like that can become a safe place for certain people. The girls were untouchable: if any of the guests took it over the limit, Loki would immediately have them out and in most cases, unconscious. In my wildest dreams, I haven't expected ICEBERG to become a safe place for me.

I started to wonder how many times I saw Barnes here.

Nat sat down beside me, with Loki opposite to us. Thor had to stay behind the bar to not make any fuss. The last thing I wanted was to get noticed by some people that visited this hellhole.