Stray (Steve Rogers XReader XBucky Barnes)

Stray Pt. IV

YN followed behind Tony with Steve by her side. She was glad for the support because she knew this was not going to go well. When they entered inti the light filled office she turned to Steve in confusion.

"This is Pepper's office." She observed, but quickly shut her mouth when Steve gave her a stern don't make it worse look.

As soon as the door clicked shut Tony was in motion, yelling at Steve and very astutely ignoring YN. She wasn't listening but she didnt really have to be to guess what he was sayjng. His anger was just a front for how terrified he was. Now Steve, she mused as a smile played at her lips, Steve was angry. She knew that before he started yelling back.

She sat down on the couch that was set against one of the walls that wssnt floor to ceiling wondows and tucked her legs up under her.

"Boys" she commanded quietly.

It wasn't the sound of her voice that had them turning to her in silence. Steve was all too familiar with the feeling and rolled his eyes at her. Tony on the other hand, looked from her to his own body trying to determine why the fire that had been raging inside him had so suddenly dulled to a small roar.

"Stay out of my head." He growled

"I can't get into your head." She stated plainly.

"Then do you care to enlighten me as to what exactly it is that you can do?" He folded his arms across his chest.

"I can manipulate emotions." She began but seeing Tony open his mouth quickly spoke over him. "It's not the same thing I promise you. I can heighten or dull whatever emotion you are currently experiencing but I can not give you a new one."

"How?"

"I don't know how it works, I just know that it does."

"Is it something you've always been able to do or did something happen to you?"

"Yes."

"Im getting really tired of being lied too."

"Im not lying and im not being ambiguous on purpose. I don't remember not being like this but I found out that wasn't born with this ability."

Tony studied her for a moment trying to figure out if she was telling the truth.

"I've been trying to dig up anything on you but it's all clean. Born in Connecticut in 1998, orphaned the next year. Bounced around a bunch of foster homes in the tri state area until age of 18. Working small jobs, nothing substantial. It doesn't add up."

A smile crept onto her face making Tony very uncomfortable.

"I can explain that but it may be easier for me to show you." She said standing up. She laughed lightly but raised her hands up in front of her in surrender as Tony took a defensive step back.

"Can I?" She asked, indicating the computer on the desk with a nod of her head.

Tony looked like he was going to object but a few whispered words from Steve had him relenting.

YN's fingers flew over the keyboard as she pulled up file after file. Each one the same except for the names and dates. Each woman orphaned as an infant, living a bland life until mysteriously dying in her late 20s. She could feel the shared look between the two men behind her. She could feel Steve's mix of sadness and hope but tried desperately to ignore it. Instead, she focused on Tony and his subsiding anger and confusion.

"These are all you." He stated pointing at the pictures, all a variation of the same woman, only changed by the decade she lived through. "But it doesn't explain why you are... this."

He wasn't trying to be unkind but the word still hit her in the pit if her stomach. "No, those files were destroyed in an explosion in 1952. The same explosion that was to supposed to have killed me. Luckily, I was smarter than they gave me credit for."

"Smart enough to take the hard copy of your file?" Tony asked, a note of hope lacing through his voice.

She gave him a sad smile as she sighed and led the two men to her room. Once there she moved the dresser with ease and popped one of the floor tiles off.

"You broke my floor." Tony said angrily.

She turned to him with the tattered file jn her hands. "Do you want to see this or cry about your floor some more?"

She rolled her lips in on themselves to stop the smile from spreading across them as Tony's eyes slid to the damaged tile in silent debate. With a huff he stepped forward and took the file from her hands.

She walked around the two men and threw herself on the bed. She didn't need to read along with them. She had every word memorized with sickening clarity. From her vantage point she could judge their reactions as well as their emotions as they flipped through the pages. The disgust at the people who experimented on infants and the lack of empathy at all of the deaths. Their concern for the young girl who was used as a distraction for the dirty deeds that were being employed. The disconsertion at the grown woman who used not only her sexuality but her vast knowledge of military strategy and technology to gain the upper hand over the 'enemies'.

There was a sharp pain in her chest as the mistrust flowed through Steve. It was only there for a split second but it hit her like a Mack truck. She must have made a noise or something because he quickly swung his head around to fix her with the look of love and trust she had grown accustomed to. She could only hold his gave for a moment before fixating on the loose thread at the bottom of her leggings.

It was quite a while longer before Tony turned back to her with an unreadable expression.

"You were a weapon of hydra." He stated, sending anxiety running through her body as he gave no emotion away.

Her voice was shaky, thrown off by not being able to read him when she replied.

"I was raised by them," she spoke to her ankles as she continued to play with they stray thread "I thought we were the good guys."

"What made you realize you weren't?" Tony asked softly, not able to resist the broken look on her face.

Her eyes quickly shot up to the man standing silent beside him. Steve looked confused by her reaction which only made Tony all that much more curious. Luckily, he didnt have to wait long to get his answer.

"I watched this idiot risk everything to save his best friend."