everything i wanted (ch.8) • bucky barnes x teen!reader
summary: Latvia ensues, the dora milaje visit, and bucky learns a few things about you.
word count: 5600+
warnings: john walker, talk of passed sons, BLOOD and CORPSE talk. (please, PLEASE be weary reading this chapter if this makes you uncomfortable in ANY way)
a/n: i miss Lemar :( thank you for sticking with me while i go through the pain of APUSH homework this weekend, sorry its super late! enjoy! a special thanks to @gale-of-stories for the idea created in the coffee shop - i hope i did you justice!
prologue - chapter one - chapter two - chapter three - chapter four - chapter five - chapter six - chapter seven - chapter eight
Okay, but Zemo is rich rich.
And not in the, I have money, get out of my way, rich. It's the, I own a bunch of properties around the world and have resources galore, kinda rich.
So this palace-like entrance of his Latvia home was beautiful to say the least. And, as a bonus, there was a coffee shop right next to the doorway.
Bucky went off on a walk a little bit ago, shoulders almost unnoticeably tense. In all honesty, you would have missed it if you hadn’t spent everyday with him for the past six months. He stalked off into one of the back alleys of the pristine city, leaving you with Sam and Zemo in the luxurious home. The latter had retired into the bathroom to take a shower, Sam sitting atop one of the couches decorating the living space. You followed suit, a sigh escaping your lips.
“How’re you doing, cher?” Sam asked lightly, turning his head to look towards you. You raised your eyebrows in confusion. “I haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to you since Madripoor, kid. I wanted to check on you, is all.”
A bashful smile forms on your face. “Thanks, Sam. I’m still sorta working through it, but I talked with Buck a little yesterday.” Sam hummed thoughtfully with a nod, his training in the VA surfacing.
“Hey,” You called, nudging his shoulder with your knuckles gently. He turned to you fully. “I’ll come to you or Bucky if I need anything, okay?”
“Alright.” He nods. “That works for me.”
“Perfect.” You stood up and whiled your hands to your knees, turning to point at him with a quirked eyebrow. “I’m gonna get some coffee from the store next door, you want anything?”
“Okay tough guy, it’s coming to you in a to-go cup, so no pretty swirls for you. Gotta uphold the reputation.”
Damnit, why couldn’t public schools provide any other language classes besides spanish?
Latvian was difficult to decipher, to say the least. Bucky had a large vocabulary of cuss words from different languages that were often thrown out when his toe met the poor coffee table leg. But that was the extent of your knowledge in European tongue. So when the young woman barista, maybe a year or two older than you, greeted you with a “Sveiki! ko es šodien tev varu dabūt?” (Hi! What can I get for you today?), Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She let out the smallest of giggles at your expression, a blush warming across your nose.
“You are a visitor, yes?” She asked, english accented ever so slightly.
“Yes, uh, an unexpected visit so I couldn’t try and learn the language.” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly. She sent you a small smile. “I don’t know a lick of the language, unless you wanna count the swear words my uncle says around the house.” She laughed, oh god her laugh was so light and pretty. Her nose scrunched ever so slightly, eye’s squinted and her dimples on full display.
“Swear words? What kinds?” She inquired.
“Well, he knows a lot of languages, but I think the latvian one is ‘Izdzimtenis’ (Son of a bitch)?” The barista snorts in laughter.
“That is quite vulgar, yes.” She stifles back another laugh before standing up straight. “What can I get for you?”
“Oh!” You almost forgot you, you were here for coffee. “Can I get a large cappuccino, a large black coffee, and a medium (Your favorite coffee)?” She pulls out three cups and writes down their orders in black sharpie.
“Of course, will that be all?” She looks up to you through her eyelashes. Your ears burn a soft pink.
“Yes ma’am!” You chirped.
“And the (Your favorite drink) is yours, yes?” Huh?
“Okay!” She scribbles across the cup once more, a smile of fake innocence coming to her face. “Your total will be 10 euros.” You hand her the debit card. She swipes it swiftly and hands it back to you, reaching for the sharpie once more. “And your name?”
“Ahh, glīts vārds glītai dāmai. (A pretty name for a pretty lady.)” She winked at you before pointing towards the end counter. “Your drinks will be done soon.”
“Thank you,” you glanced down to her nametag. “Sofija.”
When you walked back into the house, two cups in your hands and one between your teeth, Bucky was already back and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. You rolled your eyes and handed Sam his drink, taking the cup from your mouth and sipping at the drink.
“You couldn’t have waited a little longer for your coffee?” You looked to Bucky with quirked eyebrows. He shrugged unceremoniously and gulped at his drink. Sam mirrored his actions, letting out a small moan.
“This,” he brings the cup to the air. “Is truly a gift from the gods.”
“I can second that.” You tapped your cup to his with a nod of your head. Sam looked at you, amused.
“(Your favorite drink).” Bucky replies, taking a sip of his tall black coffee. “That’s all she gets in Brooklyn.”
“Ouch.” You wince playfully, holding your hand to your chest dramatically. The cup points towards the man sitting on the couch. “You wanna try?”
Sam takes the cup and sips, humming and looking back to the cup. “This is pretty goo-Is that a phone number?!”
With an anxious yelp, you yank the cup from his hands a stare at the cup, neck and nose burning red. Sure enough, there was a fancy scribble next to your name on the cup.
You’re cute when you’re flustered <3
Sam whistles loudly, head leaning back with obnoxious laughter. “(Y/N)! You’ve got game!”
Bucky squints playfully. “I don’t know Sam, she doesn’t look too charming right now.” You whine softly, hiding your face behind the cup. “What did I tell ya about boys? I’m supposed to have years to prepare for this, not months.”
“Well, I didn’t technically break the rule.” Well, crap. You really weren’t planning on saying that aloud, but your snark really got the best of you.
Sam raised his chin in thought, a grin slowly making its way to his face. But that wasn’t where your attention laid, it was at the confused brunette sipping on his black coffee.
Bucky’s eyebrows furrow from behind the cup, gaze set on the intricate designs of the wall while his mind raced. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Sam sipped loudly on his drink.
“Was she cute?” A groan fell from your lips, you quickly placed the cup on the table in front of you and hid behind your hands.
“What? It’s a valid question!”
It was like clockwork, the realisation coming to Bucky’s face in increments at a time. First, his eyes widened and eyebrows rose, then his mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. Finally, Bucky let out a soft ‘ohhhh’ while nodding his head. There was a moment of silence as both you and Sam look at him.
“Oh? That’s all you’re gonna say?” Sam’s hands flew in the air as he spoke. Bucky raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What else should I say?” He turned to you after he talked, a frown forming on his face at the sight of your frantic eyes and pale complexion. “It’s accepted now, right? Or those lessons I’ve been giving myself have really not worked.”
“I-” You gulped. “Yeah, I guess it’s accepted now.”
“Then what are you worried about?” You looked down to your fingers in embarrassment. Sam sighed and turned his whole body towards the soldier.
“Bucky, you were literally born in a time where it was the least accepted, you gotta remember that even if your head is scrambled.” Bucky scoffs.
“‘Course I remember that, it was one of the many things I hated about that time, honestly.” He looked back to the coffee. “Besides going to war and all that…” He mutters in the cup, taking another sip.
“So…” You looked back up to him from your hands. “You don’t care that I thought she was cute?” Bucky snorted softly.
“Ace, when I was your age I dated a girl for her image to her parents. She literally begged me to be her ‘boyfriend’ so she could hide the fact that she was dating the pretty dame down the street.” The small smile on his face lifted every bit of nerves resting on your shoulders. “So yes, I don’t care that the coffee shop girl gave you her phone number.”
Sam grinned from ear to ear, silently sipping on his coffee while looking at you. Your smile was so wide it made your cheeks hurt, but in that moment you couldn’t care less. With a wet chuckle, you looked back down to the drink on the table.
“So what are you gonna do if I take her up on that offer? You can’t exactly beat her up, Mister ‘Chivalry still exists’.”
Once Zemo came out of his luxuriously long shower, clad in a velvet robe and all, Bucky let everyone know the Wakandans were in Latvia. Then Karli decided to blow up a building, starting a trail of bodies under her belt, and Zemo decided to lose his filter entirely.
“The very concept of a super soldier will always trouble people. It’s that warped aspirations that led to Nazis, to Ultron, to the Avengers.”
“That’s my family you’re talking about, so if I were you I’d watch your damn mouth.” You snapped from the couch, looking the Baron up and down in hate. He sent you an innocent shrug as he continued to talk.
“The desire to become a super-human cannot be separated from supremacist ideologies. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path,” He waved his hand around as he spoke. “She will not stop, she will escalate, until you kill her. Or she kills you.”
“Maybe you’re wrong, Zemo.” Bucky interrupted with a dead stare. “The serum never corrupted Steve.”
“Touche,” Zemo waved his finger around, a cookie resting at it’s tip. “Buth there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?” The room stayed silent as he walked behind the bar, cluttering through the cupboards while chewing his cookie.
“Maybe we should give him to the Wakandans now?” You mused from the couch, eyes trailing Bucky as he walks to sit next to you. He hummed in thought.
“And you’d give up your tour guide?” Zemo tutted from the kitchen.
“Yes.” Bucky deadpanned. Sam cleared his throat from his seat.
“From my understanding, Donya is like a pillar of the community, right? So whenI was a kid, my TT passed away-”
“Your-” Bucky leaned his head backward with closed eyes. “Your TT?” You snorted from his side, trying desperately to hide your smile from the century old man.
“Who is your TT?” A shaky breath from your lips, leaning your forehand against the cool metal of his shoulder.
“Fine. When I was a kid my aunt passed away.” Bucky rolled his eyes and looked away.
“It’s okay, Sam. He’s just embarrassed he had to ask about it, is all.” Bucky sent you a blunt stare, earning him a snicker.
“When she passed away, the entire neighborhood got together for a ceremony that was like a week long, maybe they’re doing the same thing for Donya.”
“Your “TT” would be proud.” Zemo tossed a wrapped candy past Sam to you. You caught the sweet with ease, looking to the plastic wrapped candy and back up to Zemo in confusion. “Turkish delight.”
He plops one into his mouth.
“Baa Baa black sheep, have you any wool?” Zemo walked from the entrance of the building towards the kids playing in the yard. “Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.” He pulls up a stool and places it in front of a seat. “One for my master, one for the dame.” He pulls out a brown bag stuffed, turning it upside down and pouring piles of candies onto the stool. “One for the little girl who lives down the lane.”
You watch him from the wall, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he hands out candies to each of the kids. He wears a sad smile on his face as he speaks.
“Turkish delight.” He looked down ever so slightly. “It was my son’s favorite.”
You hated Zemo. You hated his pretentiously smug face as he speaks, and the way he walks around as if he owns everything (you wouldn’t be surprised if he did). But the way he speaks about his son to the little girl, lips curled downwards ever so slightly and a sad glint in his amber orbs, it made him so utterly human. If you try hard enough to rid the underlying annoyance he brings with a glance, you could see a grieving man dealing with the tragic loss of his family.
He was a mystery. Why he was helping was clear, to rid the world of super soldiers once more. But he did not have to do it with Sam and Bucky. With all of his resources he could have them wiped with the snap of his fingers if he wanted to.
The hatred for Zemo will always be there when you glance at the Sokovian, but watching him sing and speak to the little girl with slumped shoulders and a sad smile, you could hold a little space in your heart to feel sorry for the broken Baron.
“You wanna see what someone can do with leverage?”
Tension was high with little leads, that is until Zemo found information to keep him from getting in the hands of the Dora milaje. Now, Sam spoke on the phone with Sharon in the other room and Bucky sat on the couch, steam comically coming from his ears as he glared at Zemo. With a sigh, you shook your head at the coated manon the couch and gently grabbed a glass of tea, moving to Bucky’s side and leaning over the counter. With a content sigh, you sip on the cherry blossom tea.
“The amount of testosterone in this room is choking me.”
“Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!”
“Ah, how’d you find us now?” Bucky shouts, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
“Come on. You really think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?” John’s partner asked, clad in a bulletproof vest with ‘HOSKINS’ embroidered by it’s collar.
“No more keeping us in the dark.” John stated. You rolled your eyes and shook your head, the ego on this man was overflowing. “You can start by telling us why you broke him,” he pointed to Zemo. “Out of prison.”
“He did that himself, technically.” Bucky deadpanned.
“Oh, this better be an unbelievable explina-” His voice raised, walking into Bucky’s space ever so slightly. Your eyes narrowed on the man, and lingered on the shield on his back that wasn’t rightfully his to begin with.
“Hey. Take it easy before it gets weird.” Walker sighs and backs up, finally sitting still long enough to notice your presence next to Bucky.
“Who is this? She was in Baltimore too.” He looked as if he was digingin his head for a name, a distant memory that was never there to begin with.
“She,” Bucky pulls you closer to his side. “Is none of your concern.”
“This is a legal manhunt, anyone involved is my concern.”
“My name is (Y/N), now can we please get moving before we miss the window of opportunity?” You walked past where Bucky pulled you from, a hand challengingly placed on your hip. “Or do you want me to praise the floor you walk on like everyone else does to make you feel better?” Walker’s jaw sets.
“We have more pressing matters.” Zemo interjects. “I know where Karli is.” Walker pressed his hand against Zemo’s chest.
“All we know is that it’s a memorial.” Sam stated, calm. How could he be calm right now? “We’re gonna intercept her there.”
“That means civilians. High risk of casualties.” Hoskins said, walking to follow the retreating Zemo.
“Alright, good. We’ll move in fast. Take her by surprise.”
“That’s not very Captain America of you, Walker.” You tease, an innocent smile on your face.
“Because he was my dad? Because he raised me when my family got killed in the Blip? I definitely knew him better than you did, douchebag.” You spat, walking ahead of the group and towards the little girl waiting. They continued to talk from behind you, Sam’s calm tone and Walker’s commanding nature filling your ears.
“Hey.” You squatted to her size and sent her a small smile. “I know my friend over there already told you not to tell me anything, but I just wanted to thank you for your help. I wanted to say goodbye the second I heard the news.” The girl smiled softly and nodded, before looking back to Zemo as he approached.
“Hello, my friend.” He said, pulling out a few bills and handing it to the girl. “This is for your family.” She snatches the bills before they could be taken away, stuffing them into her pocket. “Can you show us the way?” She nods and beckons him over.
You trail behind the group as they follow, not exactly in the mood to talk out the anger you felt towards the man a few feet in front of you in red-whie-and blue. Eventually, Walker’s partner falls a few paces slower and walks at your pace, still silent. A few moments pass before the silence breaks.
“You know, I’d be mad at him too.” He says. You raise your eyebrows at him in question.
“Well, if someone was walking around impersonating my dad, I wouldn’t be happy-go-lucky with the guy either.” You hummed, nodding your head in thought. He held his hand out. “Lemar Hoskins.”
You shook it firmly. “(Y/N) Rogers.”
“I would say I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m sure you’ve heard that too many times already.” A soft scoff fell from your lips.
“You could say that again.”
The girl led you into a church as you spoke with Lemar.
“Listen, Rogers.” You turned to the brown-eyed man. “I know John being Captain America makes you angry, but just know that he isn’t trying to replace Steve Rogers. He just wants to right his wrongs.” You sighed and turned to him fully.
“Lemar, I understand that he’s your best friend, and I don’t want to talk bad about him to you. But what he’s doing right now isn’t righting wrongs, he’s just trying to finish what he can’t.” You sent him a rueful smile while patting his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Hoskins. Don’t let John Walker get in the way of the good things you can do.”
With the promise of 10 minutes and a cuffed Zemo, the next things to happen could not have been more awkward. You, Bucky, and Lemar watch as Walker stares at the shield on the steps, breathing heavy and uneven. He stands abruptly, pacing back and forward while he mutters to himself.
Everyone in the room knew it, John Walker was bound to crack.
“No, no, no, this is a bad idea.” He turns to the door that Bucky guards.
“It hasn’t been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight.” Walker turns from the door and walks a few steps, then turns on his heel again.
“Don’t do that, don’t patronize me.” He spat. You raised your eyebrows in surprise.
“He knows what he’s doing, Walker.” You state from Bucky’s side. He stares at the clock on the wall, before tightening the shield across his arm. Lemar stands up from the wall with confusion written across his face.
Bucky places a hand against John’s chest and lightly pushes him back. He looks the super soldier up and down in disgust.
“This is all really easy for you, isn’t it?” He spat, venom laced in every word. “All that serum running through your veins.” You straighten your posture ever so slightly as he speaks, the scowl on your face turning to a glare. “Barnes, your partner needs backup in there. Do you really want his blood on your hands?”
Bucky’s face falls, his jaw locking at the thought. You shake your head and bump his shoulder with your own. His gaze meets your and finds nothing but determination.
“Sam knows what he’s doing. He’s talked to people who need talking to, there will be no blood on anyone’s hands, including your own.” He nods sharpy, then turns back to Walker. Walker chuckles darkly, then reaches out and roughly grabs your wrist. You hiss, trying to pull your hand back. Bucky lept to action, pulling his arm off of you and examining your wrist.
Lemar looks at you with wide eyes, frantically darting from you to his friend. With no time to dwell, he follows the stars and stripes into the church. You groan and push Bucky towards the door.
“Go, I’ll be fine. Make sure they don’t do anything dumb.” He hesitates, then nods and follows the duo. With a sigh you rub at your wrists, ears deafened at the sound of dangling cuffs meeting the metal grate. You turn to see empty cuffs and groan.
Zemo weaved his ways through the maze of a plaza, leaving you lost in the depths until-
You sprinted in the direction of the gunshot, desperately hoping to not find Bucky or Sam on the floor in a pool of crimson. As you round a few more corners, you find Zemo on the floo, unconscious, and Walker hovering above him with a sinister sneer. With laboured breaths, you walk up to him and send him a glare, squatting to press your index and middle finger to Zemo’s pressure point. A dull heartbeat was found.
“He’s alive, unfortunately.” You muttered, glancing at the shattered glass and blue liquid sprawled across the floor. Footsteps echo against the tall walls, with Sam, Bucky, and Lemar walking into the room and taking in the scene.
Now sitting back in Zemo’s living space, you sat next to a sprawled Zemo with his had covered by a cloth, drink in hand. Sam sat across the room messaging Sharon.
“Were you ever offered it?” Zemo asked. You raise your eyebrow in confusion.
“What?” Sam asked, turning his head in your direction, You shrug slightly.
“If you had been, hypothetically, that is,” Zemo huffed. “Would you have taken it?”
“No hesitation. That’s impressive.” He reaches to the cloth covering his forehead and takes it off slowly, wiping away at his brows before putting it away. “Sam. You can’t hold out hope for Karli. No matter what you saw in her, she’s gone.” You sighed softly and shook your head. “And we cannot allow that she and her acolytes become another faction of gods amongst real people.”
“Super soldiers cannot be allowed to exist.”
“It’s that how gods talk?” Zemo looked at the coffee table. “And if that’s how you feel, what about Bucky?” With a sigh, Sam stands and stretches his arms. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”
“Have fun.” You muttered. He deadpanned, rolling his eyes with a small fond smile before walking out of the room. You sighed softly and looked at your wrist, a blossoming bluish hue traveling around your cuff.
“How is your hand?” Zemo asked quietly. You looked at him through the corner of your eye and found concern across his face.
“It’s fine. I’ve had worse.” You stated, rubbing the sore area around your hand. He hummed in thought, but didn’t take his eyes off of you.
“You should not be here, (Y/N).” He said. You looked back to him silently. “This is not your fight, you have a lot more ahead of you.”
“I want to be here, Helmut.” He closed his eyes, a pained expression crossed his features. “I’m protecting what I have left, I can’t lose anybody else.”
“You remind me of my son.” You went silent, mouth clamped shut and teeth biting the inside of your cheek. “Always stubborn and determined.”
“What was his name?” You asked softly. Zemo cleared his throat.
“Carl. He would be about your age by now.”
Maybe a bigger part of your heart could compensate for the human side of Zemo. Enough for him and his grief, at least.
The Dora Milaje arrived soon after that, demanding Zemo and encountering John and Lemar in the process. While it was entertaining to watch the strong women of Wakanda overpower a man like John Walker, all amusement left the situation when Ayo, quite literally, disarmed Bucky.
“Bast damn you, James.” She spat, opening the bathroom door and finding Zemo missing.
Without a goodbye, the Wakandans march themselves out the doors. You watch Bucky place the arm back into its joint, clenching the metal fist and swinging it above his shoulder. With a shaky breath, you walked up to the distraught WWII veteran and leaned against his side, a physical reminder that he wasn’t alone. He nodded to himself and looked up at the empty bathroom, jaw set and Adam's apple bobbing.
“I can’t believe he pulled an El Chapo.”
“I can. Come one, let's go.”
With a threat directed towards Sam’s sister and nephews, she demanded a meeting with Sam alone. Bucky, of course, stated he was going to come with, meaning you were going to follow whether he liked it or not. There you were, clad in straps around your jean covered legs that held a few combat knives and a newly added pistol.
“Karli!” Sam exclaimed. She watched from the upper layed, watching you and Bucky with narrowing eyes. “You called my sister, that’s how we’re gonna play this?”
“Sam, I would never hurt her. I just wanted to understand you better.” She looked back at you. “I see you didn’t come alone.”
“You have to end this now.” Sam demanded, tone as calm as ever.
“I don’t wanna hurt you. You’re just a tool in the regimes I’m looking to destroy. You’re not hiding behind a shield. If I were to kill you, it’d be meaningless.”
Karli was only a few years older than you, and watching her talk about killing and death and threatening innocent lives for ehr cause, you could only think of what could have happened if Steve hadn’t found you all those years ago. You may have joined the flag smasher’s cause, become as far gone as Karli is now.
“Hey Sam,” Sharon spoke over the coms. “New Cap is moving. Looks like he’s found them, or maybe they’ve found him.”
Your eyes widened, and before you knew it you were darting down the stairs. Bucky leaped from the balcony, and Karli smashed against him mid-air. With ruble falling to the pavement, Sam looked to you through his red tinted goggles.
“I’ll send you the location, go!”With a hesitant nod, you bolted out of the foyer and into the crowded street of Latvia, looking to your phone for the coordinates of Walker. After they were imported to you, you were off with a dust trail behind you.
When you get to the address provided, you find an unhinged iron door. With your pistol out and it’s safety off, you lean against the door and push it forward, creating a soft creak as you walk into the building. There was obviously a fight beforehand, a smashed electrical box and an un-humanly curved pipe. With a newfound pit forming in your stomach, you walk up the many flights of stairs in precise movements. Each corridor was checked, each room cleared, and yet you still hadn’t found anybody, friend or foe. The building was like a ghost town.
Just as you were about to move to the next floor, a soft grunting pulled your attention. You walked quietly down the hall, noting the signs of struggle and the disregarded pistol by a pillar. Each sound of your slow footsteps echo off the empty walls, bringing a wince to your features with each stride. Finally, as the grunts grew louder and the sound of water dripping appeared, you caught sight of a restrained Lemar on the floor.
Without a second though, you glanced around the room for impending threats and dash towards the grounded man.
“Lemar!” You whisper-shouted, gaining his attention. He frantically searched for you, cheek pressed into the cold tile.
“Rogers?” He muttered. You sighed in relief, he was awake and okay enough to at least decipher it was you.
“The one-and-only.” With one swift motion, you pulled your sharpened combat knife from its spot at your thigh and slashed at the zip-ties around his wrists. He immediately rubs at them as you dive to his ankles, cutting the binds and helping him to his feet. He blinked rapidly, trying to gain focus.
“You good to keep going, Hoskins?” He nods, closing his eyes and tightening his grip on your upper arm.
And you were off once more, a new friend in toe.
Sounds of fighting echoed off the wall, causing you and Lemar to pick up your pace. The doors were already opened, allowing you to see knives flying and punches thrown. But one thing stuck out particularly, the firm grasp one of the flag smashers had around Walker's shoulders, and Karli readily moving towards him with a knife in her grasp.
Every bit of you tells you to stay where you are, to let what was going to happen happen, because that man isn’t Captain America and he doesn’t deserve the title. He’s not worthy to hold the shield, and if he wants it so bad he may as well die with it in his grasp. But even with the loud instinct to stay put running on repeat in your head, a quaint whisper over powers them all.
‘For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right.’
Damn Steve Rogers and his ability to guide you in death.
With all your speed, you rush in front of Walker and tackle Karli to the ground, crashing to the ground with a groan and all the air in your lungs leaving as soon as they come. Even through the striking ache in your back, you stand back up like a weed, a voice echoing as if you spoke “I could do this all day”.
Karli let out an animalistic growl and turned to you, fist curled in a ball. She reeled back, but before she could make contact to your chest, you were shoved to the ground roughly. A sickening crack rang through your ears as you lifted your head, followed by a thud against the pillars in the room.
It had all happened so fast, You were standing, then you were on the floor watching Lemar fly through the air like a puppet on a string. Lemar stilled against the pillar, blood dripping down his bottom lip and head lolled to the side, neck too loose to the right.
Everyone stilled, Karli ripping off her mask to reveal her frightened expression, Sam and Bucky turning head on to the body on the floor. John yanked himself out of the flash smasher’s grip and walked tentatively towards his fallen friend.
“Lemar.” He stated, eyes widened. “Lemar, Lemar. Lemar.” He patted the ebony man’s cheek, desperate for a reaction, anything to prove that air still circulated through his lungs, that his eyes would one day open again. “Lemar.”
With a pale face and wet cheeks, you crawl across the floor and towards the limp body, chin wobbling ever so slightly.
Karli and her teammates ran down the stairs and out of the building, Sam and Bucky reluctantly following, Bucky’s gaze lingering on your frantic eyes and quivering bottom lip. As they run, John’s stare goes empty, before he stands and launches himself through the glass window in pursuit.
Through the whole thing, you weren’t able to take your eyes off of the fallen friend. You brought his limp torso away from the dented cement and into your lap, trying oh-so desperately to brush off his stiffening limbs.
“You weren’t supposed to do that, Hoskins.” You whisper, tears flowing down your cheeks once again. “Damnit, no one else was supposed to die!” Your mangled cries go unheard as you sob into your blood stained palms.
The authorities find you in the building a few minutes later, prying the still warm corpse from your arms. You sat along the floor with a haunted look in your eye, picking at the dried blood across your fingertips. Soon enough, you work the courage to pull your phone out of your pocket to call Bucky, only to find a news notification on your lock screen.
CAPTAIN AMERICA IN CUSTODY, CHARGED FOR SECOND-DEGREE MURDER
Your throat went tight, bottom lip secured under your teeth, until it all spilled over. Ugly sobs rip from your chest as you sit by ambulances in the street, gaining attention of civilians and medics alike. None of their sympathetic looks mattered to you, because-
John publicly killed a man.
You don’t know where Bucky is (Maybe he’s hurt? Dead like the flash smasher against the fountain)
Captain America’s-Steve’s legacy was tainted with blood.
A/N: I SWAER THERE WILL BE SOOOO MUCH FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER, IM SORRY FOR THE ANGST <33
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