Winter's Ballerina-WINTER SOLDIER FANFIC

twenty-five

"This is gospel for the fallen ones, locked away in permanent slumber assembling their philosophies from pieces of broken memories."
-Panic! At the Disco; This is Gospel

Germany-2016
(Vera)

I sat next to James in the backseat of the 'getaway car'. There wasn't much room, so we were squeezed together, but he didn't complain. My head was resting on his shoulder, and he had his arm wrapped protectively around me. The car was parked under an overpass, and Steve was meeting with a woman who had a bunch of our gear in her trunk, including my suit. She and Steve talked for a minute.
"Can you move your seat up?" James asked Sam, who was sitting in the front seat of the car.
"No," Sam replied with coldness in his voice.
We waited for another minute as Steve continued to talk with the woman, and then they kissed. It looked forced to me, but I've never actually seen anyone kiss, so maybe all kisses look forced. Still, I couldn't feel the connection. I looked over to James, who had a blank expression. Steve turned to face the car, looking in at us. I could see Sam nodding his head in approval.
"Smile or something! He's looking for your acknowledgment." I whispered to James in Russian. James put on a strained smile, but Steve didn't seem to notice.
"I don't even know who she is! The Steve I remember couldn't get a girl if his life depended on it." James replied.
I shrugged and kissed James' cheek.
"I know, but he's your friend," I told him.
Steve put our gear in the trunk and climbed back in the car.
"We will meet Vision and Wanda there." He told Sam. I didn't know what a 'Vision' was or who Wanda was, but I did know we were going to an airport that wasn't far from here.
Steve parked the car next to a grey van, and we all piled out. James had his arms wrapped around my waist, and I leaned against the car.
"Cap." A man with dirty blond hair greeted Steve. "You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice," Steve told him.
"Hey man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt." The man brushed off Steve's apology and turned to a woman.
"Thanks for having my back," Steve told her.
"It was time to get off my ass." She shrugged.
"After all this is over, let's just live a quiet life," James whispered in Russian into my ear, ignoring the reunion that was going on a few feet away.
"After all this is over, I'm never touching a gun again. Except to prove my aim is better than yours." I joked.
The man pulled open the van's door and revealed another man taking a nap in there. He sat up quickly and stumbled out of the van.
"What time zone is this?" He asked groggily. No one bothered to answer.
"Come on. Come on." The first man encouraged him. He shook Steve's hand in an awkward handshake that went on for far too long.
"Captain America." He announced, still shaking Steve's hand.
"He's a fan," I remarked to James in Russian. He chuckled.
"Mr. Lang." Steve greeted, still trapped in the handshake.
"It's an honor! I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow!" Mr.Lang seemed flabbergasted as he looked at all of us. His eyes stopped wandering when he saw the girl standing by the van.
"I know you too. You're great!" He announced.
"Who is she?" I asked aloud in Russian. Around new people, I felt most comfortable speaking Russian to James. The language just came more naturally to me.
"No idea." I felt James shrug his shoulders and pull me a little closer as if he could feel me becoming overwhelmed. 
"Jeez." Mr. Lang exclaimed as he fully took in Steve's shoulders.
"Ah, look, I just wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so thinks for thanking of me!"
"Did he say..."
"Yep."
"Hey, man!" Mr. Lang turned to address Sam. The two must've known each other somehow.
"What's up, Tic Tac?" Sam asked.
"What's a Tic Tac?" I asked James.
"No idea. This whole conversation is honestly so confusing to me." He admitted.
"Uh... good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I..." Mr. Lang began.
"It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again," Sam said.
"You have to audition to become an Avenger?" I asked, confused.
"I guess," James replied.
"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked.
"Something about some... psycho-assassins." Mr. Lang replied.
"He's been misinformed. You're not up against the psycho-assassins. You're fighting with them." James joked, grinning at me. I smiled and rolled my eyes. 
"We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man." Steve explained.
"Yeah, well, what else is new." Mr. Lang replied with a shrug.
"We should get moving," James announced.
"This is an emergency. All passengers must evacuate the airport immediately." The voice over the intercom announced in German. Everyone looked to James and I for translation. Apparently, no one else spoke German. 
"They've ordered an emergency evacuation of the airport," I announced.
"Stark," Sam grumbled.
"Stark?" Mr. Lang asked in disbelief.
"Suit up," Steve ordered. We all agreed that the woman, who was referred to as Wanda, could change in the van. The rest of the men changed together in the parking lot while James and I took our gear and changed in the stairwell. Steve gave us a strange look but didn't say anything. I liked having his help to get ready, and we both wanted one last moment of calm before the coming storm.
"You know this may not go down the way we want it." He told me, and he ran his fingers through my hair, attempting a ponytail while I holstered an extra gun and readied a few daggers.
"If it's not good, blame my curly hair." I joked, ignoring his previous statement.
"I think it's okay." He said with a shrug, ignoring it too.
"Good enough for me then. You have my suit?" I asked, reaching into our bag. My black leather suit lay on top, just as I remembered it. I handed James his vest. I quickly ditched my clothes and began putting the suit on.
"Zip me?" I asked, holding my hair away. I felt his metal hand trace my back and draw me closer. He kissed my cheek before pulling away. Finally, I zipper, crawl up my back, and then settle on my neck.
"Thanks."  I reached into the bag, hooked my gold belt on, and attached my gold cuffs. Finally, I put two extra guns in my thigh holsters.
"I'm ready," I announced.
"Not quite." James leaned down and kissed me.
"It's tradition." He explained.
"Well, I'd hate to be the one to break tradition."
James grabbed my hand, and together, we walked toward the coming battle.

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"The gnashing teeth and criminal touches conspire against the odds, but they haven't seen the
best of us yet."
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