assassin

reset button

natasha romanoff
chapter two: reset button

"Hushed voices behind closed doors, that's all we are right now." I hiss at the group. After I had gotten Bucky to the Avengers' headquarters, it wasn't long until the rest of the group met me here. I showed Buck to one of the sleeping quarters and told him that he needed to rest and rejuvenate before trying to figure anything out. Luckily, he obeyed me. At the moment, Steve, Rhodey, Tony, Clint, Sam, and I are all huddled in the locked conference room aggressively whispering at each other in an attempt to decide our play with the Winter Soldier. "We can't lock him out forever; he needs to be trusted around here or he'll feel like he doesn't belong—"

"He doesn't belong." Tony retorts, crossing his arms and leaning against the bulletproof glass wall separating us from the outside world.

"Tony—" Steve starts, but even without the blaster Tony's hand standing erect could stop a train, figuratively that is. All it took was a twitch upward and Steve was silenced by the billionaire's will.

"Let's not forget, Cap, that every person in this room was put into danger because of that cyborg." Tony grunts, shaking his head. "Some more recently than others." His eyes meet mine for a split second.

"I'm the one saying he should stay, Stark!" I argue, approaching him with rapid steps. "He needs us right now, and frankly it wouldn't hurt us to have an extra hand."

"It would if that hand was made of metal and had a tendency to maim people, more specifically, our people." He hoists himself off of the glass to stand threateningly close to my face, but neither of us are prone to backing down. I exhale with frustration, my chest rising and falling in increasingly quick heaves.

"He only hurt us because he was brainwashed. He didn't know any better!" I swing my arms out to the side, breaking eye contact with Tony as I turn away from him. "I won't condemn him because of a mistake that he couldn't even control. Not when people here have been forgiven for worse mistakes that were entirely voluntary." This time my eyes lock with Clint's. He knows exactly to whom I'm referencing. Clint's mission years ago was to take me out, but he had faith in me and brought me back here instead. My mistakes were more frequent and some even worse than anything the Winter Soldier has done so far. I was an assassin with a kill streak, yet I somehow managed to turn my life around. If I didn't give Bucky that same chance, I'd be a hypocrite and a traitor.

"She's right." Barton backs me up, nodding his head whilst his eyes stay locked to the ground. Thank god.

"Stark, I know this guy. He's a great soldier and a good man." Steve explains, coming to stand beside me. "He's my friend and I won't turn my back on him either."

"I'm with Cap." Sam agrees, if slightly hesitantly. Thank god for Sam's blind loyalty to Rogers, or it'd be split right down the middle.

Tony locks eyes with each of us individually, staring heatedly into our souls as he tries to make his final decision. He sighs heavily and hangs his head in defeat, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. I fight the smile that threatens to spread onto my face, I actually won.

"He can stay on this condition: you, Natasha, take care of him. If he gets himself into trouble it is you that has to retrieve and defend him. It is your job to get him to trust the rest of us. And it is also your job to train him in our ways of fighting." I nod along to the terms, knowing that this may be difficult but it is the only way we get to keep and protect Bucky. "And if he reverts back to his old ways even once," Tony hisses, taking off his glasses to point them at me, "He's done here. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

———

I lean my forehead against the cold steel refrigerator in our lounge-slash-kitchen area. My eyes are squeezed shut as I try to focus on the game play with Bucky. Everyone else had gone to their residencies hours ago, but I stayed knowing Bucky would need somebody to be here when he woke up. I exhale deeply, concentrating on the task I needed to accomplish. So far, it's proved as difficult as they come.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Bucky gets his second chance, but I also know just how careful we have to be with this. Tony scares real easy when it comes to newbies, especially when they have priors of attacking our squad. I need to get him to trust them first, but how can I do that if he may not even trust me yet. It all depends on how restful that nap really was for him. So, first order of business, he needs to trust me. From there we can work on the rest of the crew.

"Are you planning on eating anything, or is that just a decoration?" A husky voice inquires from behind me. I spin abruptly to face him, my back against the stainless steel. His arms are crossed against the fight suit that he still has on, toned biceps flexing from the strain. I shift my focus. His eyes seem conflicted, the icy blue shimmering in the dim light of the kitchen.

"I was just—"

"Thinking." Bucky finishes for me to which I reply with a short nod. "I can tell. So what's the verdict?" When my eyebrows furrow in confusion, the soldier takes a step forward and rolls his eyes. "Did the rich, douchebag looking fella boot me or do I live to fight another day?" He rephrases.

"You can stay." I chuckle lightly at his description of Tony that wasn't too far from the truth. "You're just under my protection and command."

"Protection isn't necessary and command isn't appreciated." Bucky snaps back, clearly not yet adjusted to our way, but he'll learn. He has to.

"Look, Barnes, this is your best option. It's either you stay here and train with me under my instructions, or Tony turns you over to the highest bidding penitentiary. I'm willing to bet you don't want to be stuck back in a cell made for a maniacal criminal. Am I wrong?" I raise a single eyebrow and pop my hip out. He knows how it's going to have to go, and the way I see it he's lucky. If he were under Tony's command, it would be a lot less patience and a lot more beatdowns. Plus, my sexual attraction is unbeatable.

"Fine." He grunts, a few brown hairs sticking to his grimy face. I scan his attire and realize that a nap isn't all Bucky needs to reset. I sigh and approach the handsome soldier with an eager glint in my eyes.

"Now, let's get you out of those clothes."

———

yayyyy second chapter is up.
hope you guys are enjoying
this semi slow burn thing.

keep reading for more nat
and bucky fluff and training
and such.

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