Babysitting a Superhero (Stark's daughter X Peter Parker)

41. Even Amara Stark Has A Limit

Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

You used to get it in your fishnets
Now you only get it in your night dress
Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness
Landed in a very common crisis
Everything's in order in a black hole
Is anything as pretty as the past though?
That Bloody Mary's lacking in Tabasco
Remember when you used to be a rascal?

After Amara's brief attempt at persuading Steve failed, she went back to her father to explain what had happened.

She was annoyed at Sharon for interrupting them right before he was about to change his mind. She was annoyed at herself for not fighting back and following him. She was annoyed at her father for bringing up Wanda before he had signed. But she was annoyed at Sharon, mostly.

Her father reassured her as best as he could. He told her that there was nothing more she could have possibly done.

Still she felt disappointed. Like she could have convinced him if she had approached it better.

"Kid, come over here," Tony gestured for her to follow him out of the conference room and back to where Nat was standing.

On the small screens in front of them, they could see Bucky, in his glass confinement and the man who had come in to analyse him. When the camera switched to the man's face, Amara couldn't quite figure out why he looked so familiar.

She thought back to the past few weeks, anyone that she had encountered, anything she had seen, but she couldn't remember where she saw this man.

Tony must have noticed how uncomfortable Amara looked because he nudged her slightly and looked at her, questioningly.

Amara smiled and shook her head, assuring him that she was fine. Tony wasn't convinced but he turned back to the screen anyway.

"Hello, Mr Barnes," the man said. "I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if it sit?"

Bucky remained silent, as expected as the man took his seat.

"Your first name is James?" The man asked.

—————

Inside another conference room, Steve stood, attempting to watch the screens on the outside of the glass room.

Sam sat at the table, thinking.

"The receipt for your gear," Sharon walked back into the room and handed Sam a sheet of paper.

"'Bird costume'? Come on," Sam complained after reading it.

Sharon looked at him, holding her hands up, "I didn't write it."

She looked at Steve who hadn't looked back or even acknowledged her presence yet. She saw how concentrated he was on the small screen on the other side of the wall.

She glanced around, quickly, making sure no one would see what she was about to do. She pressed a button in the table and, suddenly, the screen in the conference room lit up, the video now on there.

Steve looked back and realised what Sharon had done. He looked on gratefully and Sharon looked down.

"I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?" He paused, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"My name is Bucky," Bucky spoke for the first time. Steve looked at his friend, helplessly. He felt useless. He couldn't help him. After everything Bucky had done for him, when it counted Steve couldn't do the same.