avengers oneshots

graduation

(a little winterwidow fic because i love them)
Natasha's POV
If I told you I was graduating, you'd think it would involve a cap and gown, hanging out with friends, getting a diploma and partying, right? Well that's what I thought it was when the head of the Red Room had told me I was graduating the Black Widow program. I was excited, I really was, until I realized what the graduation initiative was. The Winter Soldier. Hydra's most sacred possession. That's what I had to go up against to become the Black Widow, no one has succeeded yet, so i was determined to be the first. For weeks before the initiative I watched him, studied him. I followed him on every mission, staying in the shadows. For someone who was the best assassin Hydra had ever created, he sure did have some flaws. For example, on his mission in Berlin, he hesitated. He fumbled the shot, making him only injure his target, not kill him completely. Luckily I was there to finish the job. Once he left, I lured his target into an empty room, where I killed him, making it look like an accident. Exactly how I was taught. I had just saved the winter soldier from being tortured, which i didn't expect of me to do. Usually, i'd let hydra do what they want to him, since he's my competition, but i've grown fond of the metal arm man. My fondness mixed up with the sadness i felt for him most of the time, he was so alone. He had no one to care for and no one who cared for him. He was blank and never talked to any other agent, most of them were scared of him so they wouldn't even bother approaching, and he had no friends. None. That's why my fondness was masked with sadness, he was alone. On one particular night, I had the sudden urge to drop everything and go talk to him, maybe engage in a conversation. He had been training for hours, watched by many, including me. He didn't get one break and was constantly in movement, beating up other agents and showing them fighting techniques. Right when the sessions were over, he fell to his knees in exhaustion. I was so close to actually talking to the man until his superiors came and swept him away, without a word. And i just watched.  While being dragged away, he looked at me, and i could've sworn the expression on his face was like he was begging me to help him, begging me to follow and save him from this horrible world we lived in, so i did. I followed our superiors into the stasis room and that's when it all began. He got pushed around, hit and shoved into a seat before being attached to a machine that wrapped around his head and turned on until he started screaming, as i was sitting in the shadows, watching in horror. The sight from the vent was horrific, I had difficulty holding in my cries as i watched him receive every blow and not fight back. It wasn't until the very moment he had been unstrapped from the chair I realized that they weren't hurting the winter soldier, they were hurting James. I was able to see glimpses of him before, like that mission in Berlin or when he realized just how hurt the soldiers were after sparing but I never saw the James Buchanan Barnes. The name James was famous in the red rooms because he was in all of our history books, and in all of our lectures on how to torture someone just right so they fall into your command. I waited patiently for all the guards to leave and lock the isolation room door before dropping down from the vent into the dark room. "You really are a poser." I turned quickly to my left where i saw the winter soldier, no James, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. "He informs me about you sometimes, says you gotta defeat him to become the next Black Widow, whatever that means." I got confused, wondering why James didn't know about my graduation when he was the winter soldier, then i remembered. The winter soldier and James have a special connection. Once one of them takes the spot of the other, they can communicate together faintly but the personality that isn't in charge, in most cases James, has no control over their body and doesn't even know what's going on unless the personality in the spotlight tells them. "Are you here to kill me?" The question snapped me out of my process of everything i've learned about the winter soldier. "No, no i'm not here to kill you James, i'm-" "it's Bucky." He said, cutting me off short from finishing my sentence. "Call me Bucky, there are more happy memories with that name." His voice grew softer as he talked and i saw the complexe look on his face as he tried to grasp the memories he spoke of from his mind, already long gone. Before i could feel any remorse for the man who had lost his mind, I found myself pinned against the wall with my hands above my head and one super soldier too close for comfort. "I may not be the winter soldier but i know how to fight Black Widow. What do you want, you won't graduate with a dead adversary." Bucky spit the words out harshly and I could see, through his hard exterior, that he just needed hope, hope that I wasn't here to kill him, hope for someone to set him free, and that is exactly what I was hoping for too. "I promise you James-" "Bucky." "James. That I am not here to kill you. I'm here to set you free, to give you a chance at a second life." I felt the metal arm around my wrists tighten and I was suddenly aware that I was in a position where with a single blow, my life could end in an instant. But I trusted Bucky, and now I had to earn his trust in return. "I promise that if I don't get you out, you can kill me in the most cruel way possible. I just want to help you Bucky, I saw what they did to you, i studied it, that is no way to treat a human being." Desperation leaked from my voice, I just wanted to help. He watched my eyes for a couple moments and released my hands slowly. "He told me that you like to fool people into doing what you want. I would believe him but I just want to see my family." That's when my heart crushed. This poor man hasn't been in control of his body for so long, he doesn't even know it's the 21st century. "James.." I started slowly and cupped his face gently, he allowed it and although he was tense, he relaxed once our skin made contact, "It's not the 1920s anymore, you're in the 21st century, your family passed away, I'm sorry." Quiet filled the room as the broken man in front of me tried to process the information I threw at him. Before he could answer, I heard the guards nearing the doors as I pulled Bucky towards the shadows. "Follow me, James, and i promise you, you won't be hurt again."
—
Seated on the couch of my apartment, I was snapped out of my thoughts of how Bucky and I escaped by the sound of keys being thrown around outside my door. I got up, careful not to knock over my coffee mug and opened the door. "Need any help?" I asked smiling, mocking the man carrying five bags of groceries on each arm. "Yes, actually it would help a lot if you took a couple bags instead of making fun of my situation." The man answered, visibly annoyed. I laughed, "Men, always so moody." I grabbed a couple bags and brought them to the kitchen and the dark haired man followed, setting the rest of the bags on the counter. I turned to him and locked my lips to his, smiling as we pulled away for air. "What's got you all smiley?" The man asked, holding my waist, "Is it the fact that I'm about to cook you the best meal of your life?" He continued with a grin, that smile never ceasing to make my day. "That and the fact that you're an idiot who won't take the groceries up in two rounds." I answered laughing. "Well you're marrying me so who's the idiot now?" I kissed him again. "I'm not the idiot because me deciding to marry you is the best thing that I've ever done." "You're right, Natasha Barnes does have good ring to it." Bucky answered beaming with joy. "I love you Nat."
"And I love you James."
(ty ky for giving me inspiration to finish this 🥺)