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bastillewolf · 4 years

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The Grand Tranquility Hotel (IX)

Pairing: Alex Turner/Reader

Summary: An eccentric hotel owner and an inquisitive writer find solace in each other when they both seemed to be at the edge of rock bottom.

Notes: This chapter was 7 pages in my Word document. You’re welcome.

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list.

Chapter IX - Star Treatment

Her leg couldn’t stop the anxious bouncing. It was late, and the sight of her sitting on her bed in her evening dress would’ve probably made a few heads turn if she hadn’t been by herself. It wasn’t often she got this nervous anymore, and certainly not over something like this.

She took a deep breath, before picking up the phone and dialling a familiar number. It rung only three times when a voice answered her.

“Hello?”

“I need you to come over.”

Nothing that morning had given her any insinuation that she would be calling someone later that night, because they’d only just taken a seat at the breakfast table. “Where’s mister Turner?” she wondered as she grabbed a piece of warm buttered toast. Watching them exchange looks with each other, she grew suspicious. “Uhm, he had some things to take care of, miss. He’ll show up eventually,” Nick hesitantly answered, his eyes darting to Matt to look for some kind of approval.

Said man simply rolled his eyes, adding, “He’s sorting the last things out with the police. It’ll be some time before he can get off the phone.” She hummed, “Was it that difficult to pass such information to me, Nick?” “W-Well, you know how mister Turner can get,” Nick replied, “He doesn’t like it when we talk about his business with others.”

“With others?” she repeated, clearly upset. “I thought I’d done enough to be not just ‘others’. What are you not telling me?” Nick looked downtrodden, casting his eyes upon his lap. “I’m sorry, miss. I wish I could tell you. But mister Turner will probably explain everything later today, you’ll see.” She huffed, throwing her napkin on her half-finished plate before taking off.

Matt clapped his hands, “That went well.”

“Yes, thanks for the help by the way, prick,” Nick grumbled.

“You know Alex would have murdered me if I had told her anything about his plan.”

Her eyes darted over the words in the book she’d randomly picked up off the shelf, but she couldn’t keep her concentration long enough to understand what they were saying. It was a high amount of frustration built up inside her which she wasn’t sure how to get rid of. After having spent so much time in the hotel owner’s presence, chipping down bits and pieces of his walls and finally getting to the grand finale of hearing the hotel’s biggest secret, she had no clue what there was still left to hide, or why there were reasons to hide anything at all.

She laid her head against the armrest of the loveseat she’d been sulking in, watching the flames in the fireplace flicker and crackle as a piece of char broke off of a wooden log. The heat that spread across her legs was comfortable, and she could have dozed off then and there if it hadn’t been for the small draft tickling the hairs on top of her head. Turning towards the library’s large windows, she noted that none of them had been opened and that the door she’d come in through had been shut when she’d slammed it behind her like an ignorant child. She felt a bit bad about it now, seeing as the woodwork of the door looked intricate and very old.

Her head perked up when she saw something out of the corner of her eye during her investigation of the mysterious draft. It was a thin door, tucked in a corner between the grand bookshelves, which had the same colour of the wood around it. It’s probably why she’d never noticed it before on first glance, or had perhaps initially brushed it off thinking it was some sort of broom closet.

The room she stepped into was rectangular, with the window nearly covering the entire wall of the thinner width of the lounge. She would call it a lounge, though the seating area in the centre had been covered by white sheets to prevent any dust from settling from underusage. In front of the glass panes stood another piece of furniture, one with a distinct shape that told her exactly what it was, but she threw the covers off of it anyway.

The sizable piano wing was stunning, though now she understood the intention of hiding it for it was far too beautiful to be touched by an inexperienced hand.

“Do you play?”

She smiled to herself. She could’ve expected it. “A little. My mother was far more talented, however. She tried to teach me, but I was too impatient for her as a child.”

Alex hummed, sliding his hand along the black shiny coating of the instrument as if he was caressing a marble statue. “One of my business partners gifted it to me,” he told her, “I’d always preferred the guitar, but when I felt like I’d found everything there was to discover with it, I learned to play the piano a bit.” He lowered himself onto the small leather seating, lifting the fallboard to uncover the black and ivory white keys. He patted the space next to him.

She begrudgingly sat down as well, as he began to play an interesting tune.

“I just wanted to be one of The Strokes, now look at the mess you made me make,

hitchhiking with a monogrammed suitcase, miles away from any half-useful imaginary highway,

I'm a big name in deep space, ask your mates, but golden boy's in bad shape,

I found out the hard way that here ain't no place for dolls like you and me,

Everybody's on a barge, floating down the endless stream of great TV,

1984, 2019,

Maybe I was a little too wild in the 70s,

Rocket-ship grease down the cracks of my knuckles…”

She’d almost sighed when the sound of his velvety voice had trailed off and his fingers slid from the keys. “You wrote that?” she asked. He nodded shyly, running a hand through his hair. “You know, if the hotel thing doesn’t work out, you could always just become a poet. Or a singer-songwriter. You have the voice for it.”

He huffed, “You flatter me, writer. But I think if I ever chose the music path I’d need at least five years to make an album. I’d lose my train of thought.” “I highly doubt that,” she remarked. He glanced up at her with his serene brown gaze. “You’re upset about something,” he noticed, “What happened, love?”

She looked at him with indecisiveness, feeling apprehensive about sharing information with the person who was apparently still holding something back from her as well.

“Your staff was very cautious not to tell me where you were this morning,” she decided.

He straightened his back, not quite willing to meet her gaze as he fumbled with the cuffs of his suit, which told her enough. “I had to take care of some business.”

“Okay, good talk.”

He grabbed her hand before she could get up, letting out a deep sigh of defeat. “I’m sorry, love. But you’ll have to hear about it later today.”

“I thought you were trusting me, Alex.”

“I am. You’ll like it, so there’s no need to worry.”

His face hovered closer to hers. “It’s something for you, after all.” He gently moved her hair and placed a soft kiss behind her ear, before leaving a breathy trail along her throat, not quite touching her but still making her tingle all over. When he reached her lips, he finally kissed her, but it was only brief. “I’ll pick you up at 7. Wear something nice.”

What a bastard, she kept thinking to herself. How dare he put her in such a situation? The audacity.

She was standing in front of her closet. It wasn’t usual for her to unpack her suitcase when staying at a hotel, but from the beginning on having not known how long she was staying, this was one of the rare occasions that her clothes didn’t have as many wrinkles as they usually would have because she’d been wise enough to put them on the hangers.

It was where she’d decided that she had absolutely nothing that could fall under the phrase ‘something nice’.

Anything she did have was either bluntly denied because it seemed too floozy, or thrown onto her bed because it was ‘too nice’. Her mother’s to go response for a clothing crisis such as this one had always been plain and simple; ‘wear something classy, yet comfortable’, but she now felt like she should have asked her for a bit more details.

Her makeup was done in what she usually would have thrown on if she had gone out, with only the right shade of lips missing because that came after the first crisis. She only had about half an hour left and she was still sat on her bed in her fluffy white robe, wondering if she should even go at all.

A knock came from her door and her stomach sunk, but she decided that it would be better to yell at him for being early than not answering at all. When she opened the door a tad so only her eyes could peek out, she wasn’t expecting to see Matt. He raised his eyebrows at her when she only blinked at him. “Can I help you?” she muttered; her voice slightly muffled behind the woodwork.

Matt raised his arms which held a beautiful bouquet of white roses. “A peace offering?”

When she allowed him to step in, he glanced over the mess of clothes she’d made before turning to her with a smirk on his face. “Is someone nervous?” he teased. “I thought you were here to make peace, not war?” she questioned in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled awkwardly, “Sorry, ma’am. About this morning, too. Me and the boys never meant to offend you in any way. We see you as a part of the family now and were only being secretive because Alex was so adamant on surprising you with dinner.”

She raised her brows in pleasant surprise. “He’s taking me out to dinner?”

He froze. “Well- it’s only in the dining hall, to be fair- I shouldn’t have said anything.”

She patted his arm comfortingly. “You’re forgiven if you help me pick out a dress.”

It turned out Matt’s fashion sense was a lot better than she’d expected, because he had her dressed and ready to go in no time and had even managed to find a pair of matching shoes for her classy-but-comfortable evening dress. She did her fifth once-over in the mirror after having applied her red lipstick, and it made Matt smile. “You look beautiful, miss.”

Her cheeks warmed. “Thank you, Matthew.”

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gunna pop off before Alex sees me in the same room as his lady looking all fancy,” he muttered, taking a glance at his watch. Before she could ask all about his particular choice of words to describe her, he had unfortunately already taken off.

It was the next time she opened the door that made her chest almost burst with giddiness. Alex wore an all-black suit, which, like all of the others he wore, was tailored to the detail. His hair was slicked back with only the front cuff hanging over his forehead, giving him a classic bad boy appearance. He smelled like expensive cologne and a hint of cigarette smoke. He managed to look irresistibly attractive and not just because she’d always had a thing for men who smelled good.

He let his eyes wander over her body and it nearly made her shy if she hadn’t felt so good in the dress she was wearing. He looked about ready to cancel the date and just push her up against the wall then and there, and a small part of her kind of wished he had. “You look absolutely ravishing, love,” he growled. It made her lips quirk up and she had to restrain herself not to break into a full smile out of excitement. It had been a long time since she’d felt like this. “You clean up nicely yourself, mister Turner.”

He huffed, “You’re killing me, love. Call me Al, Alex or Alexander or I won’t last the whole evening.” She pursed her lips with amusement in response. “Good to know.”

She’d held onto his arm the entire trip downstairs and he seemed very willing to keep her close to his side, slowing his stride to match her pace and glancing down at her ever so often. It made her realize how nice it was for someone to return her affections so delicately.

She’d almost burst out laughing when she saw Matt awaiting them in full tux, bowtie and all, looking like a proper waiter. “If you start laughing I’ll throw them flowers out of the window, miss,” he frowned. She smirked at him, as Alex scolded, “Be nice to the lady, Matthew.” “Well, I would be if I could just remember why I actually agreed to doing this.”

“Don’t worry, Matt. I’ll even tip you at the end of the night if you haven’t thrown my flowers out by then,” she joked. He snorted, before gesturing for the both of them to follow him into the hall.

It was the usual setup of tables, only this time their particular spot had been decorated with a few candles and small but classy bouquets of dried wildflowers. “So, it is a date, then,” she commented, noting the table was only set for two. Alex blinked at her blankly, before replying, “I’m sorry, would you have wanted to have a candlelit dinner with someone else?”

Matt intervened, “Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite hungry-“ before Alex shoved his elbow into his side, making the temp waiter groan. She laughed at their antics, telling the hotel owner, “No, Alex. I wouldn’t have wanted to share it with anyone else.” It made Alex perch up in delight as Matt simply gasped in an overexaggerated portray of betrayal.

Ever the gentleman, he pulled out a chair for her, only taking his own seat when he knew she was comfortable. “Now, may I finally take your order?” Matt asked, taking a notepad and pen from his jacket’s pocket. “And you’ve always wondered why I never let you be a waiter,” Alex muttered as his eyes scanned over the menu.

When Matt left them with their requests written down, Alex leaned back into his chair, seeming to finally relax a bit. “Did you spend all morning planning this?” she wondered. He shrugged, “The thing that took me the most time was to convince the guys to play along.” “And how did that work out?” “Let’s just say that when they started making ridiculous demands in return I reminded them of who’s really in charge here.” “So, you had to bribe them anyway?” “Yes.”

They shared a smile; one she could only ever get from this joyful banter she shared with him. It made her appreciate him doing this for her even more.

“Have you started your novel yet?” he finally decided to ask. She leaned her elbows on the table a bit, giving him a questioning look. “Do you actually want me to start a novel?” He hummed, “I’m not sure yet.” “I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, Alex. If you don’t want people to know about it, my lips are sealed.”

“I know, which is why you’re the first person I haven’t completely shut down the idea of a book about the hotel with. I just need a bit more time to think about it.”

“I understand. Take as much time as you need.” She mulled it over for a moment, thinking of how the book would be plotted out if it ever were to happen. Her lips quirked back up a bit. “But, in the probability that a novel might be written, I suppose I’d have to inquire a bit more about the hotel owner himself.”

His eyebrow was raised in amusement. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, I already know you’re a literature fanatic. But I didn’t know you were as much into the art of music as you’ve shown me this afternoon.”

He nodded, “It’s always played a big part in my life. It started when I became a big fan of the Strokes when I was younger. Wanted to be a part of their band or create one of my own, which is partially why I started playing the guitar. Me, Jamie, Nick and Andy even used to play a few gigs here and there while we were in school.” “Would have loved to see that.” “I’m sure you would have, even if it was just to laugh at my stupid haircut.”

“I wouldn’t dare laugh at you mister Turner,” she smirked, “Even having heard of the fact that you’re really just a big science fiction nerd.” He narrowed his eyes. “Who told you?” “I inquired one of your dear friends about it, who was very happy to tell me all about your obsession with Blade Runner and the sort.”

“So, you spoke to Miles.” She shrugged, as he continued, “You can say anything you want about that movie, but you can’t deny that Harrison Ford was fantastic in it.” She sucked in a breath, “I’ve never seen Blade Runner.”

She snorted when his eyes widened. “What do you mean, you’ve never seen Blade Runner?”

Lifting her shoulders, she replied, “I’ve never really had the patience to watch it.”

“Outrageous. I can’t believe I’ve told you all my secrets when you haven’t even seen that masterpiece.”

“Guess I’m just that good,” she noted with a twinkle in her eye.

It wasn’t long after when Matt barged back in with their dinner and a bottle of a very expensive-looking champagne sitting in a tub of ice. “You don’t have to open that. Save it for a special occasion,” she objected, but Matt only looked to Alex, who nodded. A pop of a bottle opening followed, and it made her sigh. “You can’t expect us to not go all out tonight, Miss,” Matt explained, “You mean more to us than you think. If you’re lucky I’ll even show you a magic trick.”

“You’re not showing her a magic trick, Matthew,” Alex said.

“Bummer. It’s really good.” As he was about to leave, she mouthed ‘later’ at him, which he peaked up at a bit.

“You shouldn’t encourage him,” the hotel owner commented, having seen her little act, “He nearly drove me off the road once while trying to show me a card trick.” “It’s endearing.” “I think I prefer the phrase ‘bothersome’.”

As they dug in, she went to ask a bit more about the hotel itself, her curiosity being indulged by his acceptance to tell her almost everything now. “What’s the most visited room?” He snorted, “Pretty obvious, really. The honeymoon suite.”

“You have a honeymoon suite?” she asked incredulously. “I already knew you’re secretly a romantic at heart, Alex, but really?”

“It’s easy money,” he begrudgingly admitted. “You call something a ‘honeymoon suite’, make sure they get the best view and shove cheesy rose petals and chocolates in their face and you’re all set.” “I don’t think that’s true.” He quirked an eyebrow in question. “I think you enjoy it,” she told him, “if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have set this whole dinner up just for me.”

“Well, when you only have one guest, you have to keep them entertained somehow.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “What else would you do to keep me entertained, mister Turner?”

His gaze remained in a trance with hers, not once wavering. He mirrored her, setting his elbows on the table and propping his chin upon his intertwined fingers. “What do you suggest, writer?”

“Dance with me,” she said.

“There’s no music.”

“Then sing that song from this afternoon.”

He’d slid an arm around her waist without a second thought, his other hand taking hers in a warm embrace. Lifting her other one to his shoulder, she had to remember to breathe while being in such close proximity to him. Though he had intimidated her from the beginning, from the moment they’d met, even, she now felt like she’d molten into a puddle in his arms, like the feeling you’d get after a deep tissue massage. It made her wonder what it was about him that could flick a switch in her so quickly.

“I just wanted to be one of those ghosts, you thought that you could forget,

And then I haunt you via the rear-view mirror on a long drive from the back seat,

But it's alright, cause you love me, and you recognize that it ain't how it should be,

Your eyes are heavy and the weather's getting ugly,

So, pull over, I know the place…”

It didn’t take long for them to fall into an absolute trance with each other, just shuffling back and forth between the empty tables as Alex’ voice lulled her into the thought that what she felt for him was something she’d never meant to feel for him before. But she was glad it had happened, because what it was that she felt, did feel completely right.

She twisted the key in the lock, opening the door to her room with a click that broke their little silence. She turned back to look at him. He had a hand in his trousers’ pocket, the other holding the jacket he’d swung over his shoulder. “Good night, mister Turner,” she said. “Good night, love. I had a lot of fun.”

He leaned in to kiss her deeply, and she closed her eyes at the unmistakable feeling of electricity sparking between them again. It was as if every touch of his lips was something better than the last, and when he slipped his tongue along her bottom lip, she had to steady herself to not lose her balance. He breathed through his nose when she lifted her leg to wrap around him, sliding sensually upwards while he prickled her mouth with as much preservation he was somehow still able to hold.

She felt defeated when he pulled back, slightly out of breath. “I’ll see you at breakfast, writer.”

“You better.”

He smirked, gliding a hand down her lifted thigh before gently lowering it. “If there’s anything else, just call me. I’ll be here in a whim.”

She refrained from making a Batphone joke, not wanting to ruin the moment while she forlornly watched him go back to 505. It made her think about something her mother had once said to her. ‘Grab love by the shoulders and shake it before you find you left it too late.’

Though the hotel owner certainly had made the implication, he hadn’t expected to receive the phone call a bit later that night while he was still reeling about the night’s events on his bed.

“I need you to come over.”

#Arctic Monkeys #Alex Turner #Alex Turner x Reader #TBHC #Matt Helders #Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino #Jamie Cook #Nick O'Malley #Miles Kane #TLSP #The Last Shadow Puppets #AM #Humbug #Wpsiatwin #Romance #Fanfiction #Reader Insert #Suck It And See

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green-eyeddragonfanfiction · 6 years

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War of Attrition: Chapter 16

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Reader Summary: Best friends with Steve Rogers, renowned Howling Commando, and married to one James Buchanan Barnes, your life wasn’t perfect, but it was as close as it could possibly be in the middle of World War II. Then you fell from a train in the Alps, and everything changed. You spent nearly 70 years as a tool of Hydra alongside your beloved, though your past with him was more often than not forgotten. Sokovia climbs higher but neither you nor the Avengers have found a way to stop it without either killing everyone on the floating rock, or everyone down below. That, however, is a a problem left to Steve, Tony, Natasha, and the others. You focus on staying alive, hidden, and saving as many people as you can. Down below, Bucky does the same. How long can your luck hold out? Warnings: Swearing (always), violence, extreme action featuring a robot-killing cyborg and adorable drones, major character death Word Count: ~4,112 A/N: :( Please read warnings!

Masterlist // Book One // Book Two

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

“He seems nice,” Alfred said a bit too cheerfully in your ear.

“I’m just glad he’s not the enemy anymore,” you muttered, watching trash and debris settle in his wake.

Bucky scoffed. “He and Steve’ll butt heads and you know it.”

You nearly smiled at the thought, but quickly pushed the idea away. Bucky was almost definitely right, but at least the kid would have someone good to look up to and learn from. “Time to get back to work.”

“Alright, we’re all clear here,” said a voice over the comms. If you had to guess, it was Hawkeye. He was the only man of the group you didn’t know the voice of by now.

“We are not clear,” Steve said, and you could hear the sounds of combat in the background to corroborate his statement. “We are very not clear!” he said, the sound of screeching metal following a second later.

“Alright, we’re coming to you,” Hawkeye told him.

“They are gathering in the town center, near the other end of the rock,” Alfred informed you.

“How are things looking on this end?” you asked, eyeing the sky warily. You vaulted up on top of one of the lower buildings, hoping to get a look around without being too exposed.

“Activity in this area is nearly nonexistent. It seems the enemy is focusing on trying to kill the Avengers. Still, it seems that a few smaller patrols are in the area, attempting to eliminate any stragglers.”

“So stay in the area to help the people the Avengers can’t get to and hope Steve, Natalia, and the others can take care of things on their end?”

“That is the path most likely to lead to the survival of all remaining citizens, Madam,” Alfred said quietly.

“Are the drones still functioning? Protecting the people and updating them on the situation?” you asked as you looked around the city. Sure enough, you could see bots flying towards the other end of the rock and quickly hopped two stories back down to the ground so they wouldn’t spot you.

“Correct, Madam. I-”

“What do you got, Stark?” Steve asked Tony over the comms, and Alfred quieted instantly so you could hear.

“Huh? Nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city,” Tony said quietly. “That’ll keep it from impacting the surface, if you guys can get clear,” he said, though it was clear from his tone what he thought of the idea.

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan,” Steve said resolutely.

“Impact radius is gettin’ bigger every second. We’re gonna have to make a choice,” Tony said sadly.

“Hear that, Buck?” you murmured softly. He grunted an affirmation, but Steve wasn’t done talking.

“Cap, these people are goin’ nowhere,” Natalia said. She was close enough to Steve that you could hear her through his comm, too. “If Stark finds a way to blow this rock...”

“Not ‘til everyone’s safe,” Steve said obstinately.

“Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There’s no math there,” Natalia said, shocked that she had to spell it out for him.

Bucky suddenly sounded frantic. “I’m coming up there. They’re not gonna blow you to hell. I’m bringing the Batmobile up and-”

“I’m not leavin’ this rock with one civilian on it,” Steve said, cutting off Bucky’s harried planning.

“I didn’t say we should leave,” Natalia said solemnly. A pause, then, “There’s worse ways to go... Where else am I gonna get a view like this?” She sounded resigned and suddenly you wanted to yell at her. Yell at them both. They didn’t give up, not those two. Never those two. It wasn’t in their nature.

“Don’t do it, Doll,” Bucky said quickly, always knowing where your mind would go a split second before you did.

“I gotta, Buck! They’ve given up and-”

“Glad you like the view, Romanoff.” You froze, hardly daring to believe your ears. You knew that voice. “It’s about to get a whole lot better.”

“Alfred?” you asked, shocked, already heading towards where Steve and the majority of the citizens had holed up.

“A SHIELD helicarrier has appeared on the other side of the rock, Madam,” Alfred informed you, sounding nearly indecently pleased.

You fought the urge to throw your arms in the air and cheer. “Coulson and Fury, you sly dogs! Man, I’m so glad we didn’t actually kill him,” you said, grinning widely.

You could hear Bucky’s snort of amusement over the line.

“They have a place to go now,” you heard Bucky say faintly. You could imagine him staring towards the rock in the sky, trying to glimpse it and the helicarrier, which were now dancing in the clouds.

“Alfred, send all remaining drones to search for survivors. Get the drones guarding civilians to lead them to the helicarrier,” you said, skating almost lazily towards the other side now that you had a second to catch your breath and the problem of getting civilians off the floating rock had been solved.

The comms crackled to life again. “This is SHIELD?” Pietro asked, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

“This is what SHIELD is supposed to be,” Steve said. You could imagine the smile on his face in your mind’s eye and a pang of sadness went through you.

“I miss him,” you said quietly.

“Me too,” Bucky said instantly.

“This is not so bad,” Pietro said, and you could imagine the grin on his face, not cocky for once.

“Falcon and War Machine have appeared on the field... or, more accurately, in the sky,” Alfred informed you. “They are protecting the SHIELD helicarrier and the lifeboats ferrying people from the rock to the ship.”

“Got it, Al. How are the citizens doing? Making their way over to the helicarrier okay?” you asked, slowing down a bit and watching your surroundings a little more closely now that you were getting close to the center of all the action.

“Affirmative, Madam. They should rendezvous with the other survivors soon,” Alfred informed you.

“What about you, Buck? It sounds like they’re gonna blow that rock to hell as soon as the people up here are clear. It there’s anyone in the splash zone-”

“Don’t worry, Doll. Alfred and I managed to get the shield reactivated. The drones are busy clearing the last of the people out of the city. A few refused to leave, but most are either on their way away from the city in cars or they’re in the abandoned base, protected by the shield. We’re lucky for once, Hydra had another shield prototype nearby and thanks to Alfred we managed to get it up and running. The extra power from the drones should hopefully protect us from any rocks that manage to make it this far over,” Bucky told you, a hint of pride working its way into his voice.

You nodded, yet another weight rolling off your shoulders. “Good job, Bucky,” you said with a real, honest to goodness smile.

“You too, Doll,” he said fondly.

“I got it!” Tony’s voice came over the comm, interrupting your conversation. “Create a heat seal. I could... I could supercharge the spire from below,” he said, a little frantic.

“Alfred?” you asked, narrowing your eyes.

“A moment, Madam,” Alfred said quietly. You were close enough to the fight now that you could hear the frantic screams from the citizens and the explosions from the Avengers and the death bots. “It is possible, if they can find enough power,” Alfred said quietly.

“Thor, I got a plan!” Tony said a moment later. You fought back a smirk. Yeah, a lightning blast from the God of Thunder would do the trick.

“We’re out of time, they’re coming for the core!” Thor said, grunting a second later as he presumably fought off a bot or ten.

“Rhodey, Falcon, get the rest of the people onboard that carrier,” Tony said quickly.

“On it,” came what you assumed was War Machine’s voice a split second later.

“Got it,” you heard Falcon echo.

“Avengers, time to work for a living,” Tony said. You saw the red-gold streak of him fly far above your head, towards the center of the rock, and cursed.

“I gotta stay and make sure all the citizens get onboard. Some of them haven’t arrived yet,” you said as Drones Seattle, Orlando, and San Diego joined you again.

“And then you get on one of those lifeboats and you get off that damn rock,” Bucky said sternly.

“Nah, I like it up here. Very comfortable, super easy to breathe. Prime real estate, perfect view,” you said dryly.

“(Y/N),” Bucky said testily.

“All of the remaining active robots have moved towards the center of the rock. Or, more accurately, towards the Vibranium core holding the rock together,” Alfred chirped.

“The robots want to drop it early,” you said, eyes widening in horror. “They don’t care if it’s high enough yet. They’re content to wipe billions of people from the face of the earth rather than let the Avengers stop it.”

“It would seem so,” Alfred said gravely.

“They’re trying to leave the city!” Thor said suddenly, drawing your attention.

“Shit,” you swore, running up the nearest building to get a better view of the robots’ path of egress. Sure enough, a veritable wave of death bots was headed towards the edges of the city.

“Can’t let ‘em, not even one. Rhodey,” Tony said urgently.

“Sam,” Steve said, just as tense.

“I’m on it!” Rhodey said. You could hear his thrusters strain to push him faster towards the largest pack of bots.

“Got eyes on ‘em,” Sam said. You could see the sun glint off his wings as he streaked towards the other escaping mass.

“Alfred, all drones not currently helping citizens, now,” you said, panicked. Tony was right. If even one of them managed to make it out of this alive, this fight wouldn’t be over.

“Understood.” Immediately, all of the drones that had been around you shot off in every direction, jets propelling them at maximum speed through the air. You hopped back off the building and ran as quickly as you could towards the area the lifeboats were docking at, hoping against hope that they’d finish loading before the Avengers blew the rock to pieces. “Tony Stark has flown to the bottom of the city. According to my calculations his suit should be low on energy after the extended fight,” Alfred said after a minute or so.

“He’s creating the heat seal,” you guessed, looking around the area for any stragglers while doggedly staying out of sight of the SHIELD personnel and any stray Avengers.

“That is likely, yes,” Alfred agreed.

“Does he have enough power to do it?” you asked, frowning. You used backscatter and managed to spot a few people still hiding and quickly ran over to them. One was trapped under a fallen slab of concrete and it took every ounce of your strength to lift it so the young woman could wiggle out from under it. Someone- probably her husband by the looks of it- thanked you profusely as he picked her up and carried her towards the lifeboats.

“Unknown,” Alfred said dubiously.

“Send him a drone. Let him drain it. That heat seal has to work or-” you bit your lip and didn’t let your thoughts go that way. “It just has to work.”

“Of course, Madam. Drone Indianapolis is on its way.”

“As soon as it gives Tony what’s left of its battery, let it drop and activate self destruct once it’s far enough away, okay? I don’t want Tony getting his hands on it. He’s too smart for his own good.”

“Of course, Mistress Barnes.” A pause, then, “Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, Thor, and Agent Barton are moving this direction. I recommend moving with care,” Alfred warned.

“Got it. Thanks, Al,” you said, moving near silently through the streets, looking for any last minute stragglers. You didn’t want to leave anyone behind. To get a better look, you jumped up on the nearest building, backscatter letting you scan everything nearby for signs of people.

“Incoming,” was the only warning Alfred could give before a quinjet raced by overhead, firing on the city square, not even a block away. Even a split second glance at the cockpit told you the pilot wasn’t human. In was the largest of the robots, similar to the one that scared you so violently last night.

“It’s firing on the civilians,” you breathed, already rocketing towards the jet. The sound of gunfire couldn’t quite block out the roar of rage from the Hulk, though.

Steve and Natalia are there, a small part of your mind screamed at you.

You built up as much speed as you could, grateful that the robot had stopped midair to concentrate fire on a single spot.

You ran out of roof to run on, but you’d already jumped, leg outstretched as you soared through the air, aiming right for the machine gun attached to the bottom of the plane.

The time in the air felt like a small eternity. You could barely hear your heel jets as they propelled you just that hair farther and faster.

Your foot connected to the gun with and almighty screech of metal, the force of the hit tearing it from the retractable arm that attached it to the plane.

You had a single moment of victorious elation. You did it. You stopped the robot from firing on civilians. On Natalia and Steve.

And then you were falling.

“Oh, shit,” you breathed, stomach swooping uncomfortably as gravity took effect on your body once more. Now, with the added weight of the huge gun clenched in your talons, you were hurtling sixty feet towards the ground. If you were unlucky, your momentum would carry you too far and over the edge, and then you’d be falling much, much farther.

“(Y/N)?!” Bucky yelled over the comm, alarmed.

“Fuck, oh fuck!” you gasped, trying your best to flick the gun off your foot. If you landed with it still attached you sure as hell wouldn’t survive. Hell, even without it you might still not survive.

It slid off your talons, but the ground was getting uncomfortably close, and-

A pair of arms caught you and you blinked, confused for a second. There hadn’t been anyone under you a second ago, and-

“What, you think you’re the only one allowed to be a big damn hero?” said a playful voice. He shifted and, with the sun behind his head and the immediate danger of ending up a pancake (again) passed, you were able to get a good look at him.

Pietro Maximoff was smirking down at you.

“You think you can stand?” he asked, giving you an appraising stare.

You nodded numbly. Somewhere in the back of your mind you registered Hawkeye carrying a kid towards the lifeboat, giving you and Pietro a confused stare as he went.

Oh, that’s good. They’re alive, your mind supplied, still racing from the adrenaline.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” he asked playfully as he set you down, hands hovering to catch you if you faltered.

You shook your head. If you talked, then they’d hear you over the comms and you knew your voice modulator had been damaged in the fight, and-

“(Y/N).”

You froze, mind coming to a complete stop.

Pietro turned around to look at Steve, brow furrowing in confusion. “You know her? She has not said a word to me,” Pietro said in thickly accented English, sounding just a little bit offended.

But Steve might not have heard him, judging by the way he didn’t even look at Pietro. He was staring at you and you knew, even with the nanoskin and mask hiding your features, that he knew it was you.

You had, after all, just used your cyborg legs to take down a quinjet gun.

“(Y/N)? Was that Steve!? (Y/N), you have to get out of there!” Bucky hissed urgently in your ear.

Where were you supposed to go? On the lifeboat with Steve and the others? To SHIELD, who you knew wanted to take you in?

“(Y/N), please. I can see that look in your eyes. You’re looking for a way out. You don’t have to. Please, Natasha, Sam, and I have been searching and-”

“Jump, Doll,” Bucky said, snapping you from your quickly spiraling thoughts.

“What?” you breathed, shocked.

“We have arrived,” Alfred said.

Steve thought you were talking to him and he took a small step forward, still hesitant, looking at you like you were about to run away any second. “It’s alright. We want to help. Natalia and I. Sam, too. Please let us help,” he said, smile strained.

“Jump. We’re waiting right below. We’ll catch you, I promise,” Bucky whispered.

You turned your nano-disguised eyes on Steve. “We have to go. Now. All civilians are onboard.”

Steve looked wary, but nodded.

Pietro gave the two of you one last glance before he flashed away towards the center of town.

Steve watched you for a moment but when it was clear you weren’t going to move before him, he gave you a tentative smile and turned his back.

And the moment his blue eyes weren’t on you, you powered on your heel jets and flew off the side of the rock.

“(Y/N)! No!” Steve yelled, not fast enough to catch up with you before you were off the edge. For the second time in five minutes you felt the horrible feeling of your stomach flying up into your throat. Below you was a fluffy expanse of cloud... and a single flying black car. It moved the second you were jumping. You knew Alfred was adjusting the position based on your trajectory and a second later you were landing heavily on the hood, wincing as your toe talons made four large gouges in the paint in an attempt to hold onto the smooth metal.

A split second later Bucky was pulling you into the car, and, just before you got tugged inside, you glanced up. With your enhanced eyes you could see the look of shock, hurt, and longing on Steve’s face, clear as day.

Then you were in Bucky’s arms, the site of the floating city completely blocked out by the hood of the car.

“Go. Go go go. Or he’s gonna jump after us,” you hissed, and not even a second later the engines throttled you forward at full speed, at a slight angle so that you’d slowly make your way back down to the ground.

“Please tell me the cloaking works,” you said, throwing worried glances out the window for any sign of Falcon, War Machine, or Iron Man (or, god forbid, Steve).

“I’m afraid cloaking has not been successful yet, Madam,” Alfred informed you.

“Then just drive, Al. Fast as you can away from this place.”

“Yes, Madam,” he said amicably.

You finally turned your attention on Bucky, who hadn’t let go of you since he first got his hands on you.

You looked away almost immediately again. He looked pissed.

“You’re angry,” you said, staring determinedly at the rapidly-approaching cloud cover.

“Yes.”

“Because I almost got caught,” you said quietly.

His grip on you sagged, which made you look at him, surprised. His grey-blue eyes were sadder than you could recall seeing them in recent memory. “No, Doll. I’m angry because you almost got yourself killed,” he said softly.

You grimaced and buried your face in his chest. “I’m sorry, Bucky. I couldn’t help it. They were attacking people and then that super death robot almost hurt Natasha and Steve and their friends and I just-” you bit the excuses off and wrapped your arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze.

Bucky stayed quiet for a minute, but he held you close and buried his nose in your hair, taking a second to reaffirm that you were there, safe, with him. “Next time an army of evil robots attacks we’re not splitting up,” he said testily, the effect somewhat ruined by the way he pressed feather-light kisses to your temple.

You looked up at him, tentative smile on your face. “Deal, Buck.”

You watched the video feed from the Batmobile, wincing as giant rocks pummeled the town of Novi Grad. The last thing that Bucky had done before coming to get you was piling all of the pilfered research into the hood and back seat of the Batmobile along with your portable workspace, but everything else would be lost to the damage.

You had a few of your drones keeping a lookout on the area. The shield around the old Hydra base seemed to be holding out, but the town had no protection and areas of it were reduced to rubble in seconds. A significant portion of the rocks landed in the lake, but not enough to spare the town. You watched with bated breath as Tony weaved between giant chunks of debris. You and Bucky both breathed easier when he made it out of the worst of the debris field, nearly missing Thor falling into the water in the process. It was a bit longer than you would have liked, but eventually the Asgardian flew out of the water, hammer leading the way.

Eventually, the sky cleared, and the sun shone through the hole in the clouds, onto the destroyed city of Novi Grad. Even some buildings on the edge of town hadn’t been spared the destruction and you were thankful Bucky (with the help of your drones) had decided to evacuate the entire city.

A flash of light at the edge of the crater drew your attention and the closest drone was already zooming in on the source.

The red man- the man that Alfred was fairly sure was an android- was standing near what had to be the last of the death bots, reduced to a melted heap of scrap.

You finally waved the screens off, letting the view of the rapidly-passing surroundings appear once more. You shifted in Bucky’s lap, eyes drifting closed.

“We did it,” you said quietly, a small smile on your face.

“We had a little help,” Bucky said quietly and even without looking you could tell he was smiling a bit, too.

“Feels good,” you admitted softly. “Helpin’ people,” you clarified needlessly.

“Mm.” An affirmative hum that you felt vibrate in his chest.

“Need to find a new place to live for a while,” you said tiredly. Fighting as hard as you did today had taken a lot out of you. You didn’t have the stamina that Bucky did.

“Me an Al will take care of that. Get some sleep, alrigh’?” he said gently, placing a tender kiss to your hair.

“Good idea,” you mumbled, already halfway unconscious.

Bucky’s POV

Eventually your breathing evened out and you relaxed against him and Bucky couldn’t help but smile down at you. He’d nearly lost you again today, but it seemed that after seventy years of bad luck the two of you had finally found some good fortune. Either that or someone else’s good fortune outweighed your terrible ones.

“Where would you like to go, Master Barnes?” Alfred asked quietly so as to not wake you.

Bucky mulled it over for a bit, thinking. The Batmobile’s flight systems only lasted an hour at most and, now that Natasha, Steve, and Wilson knew you were in Europe, they’d search high and low for signs of you. It’d be too risky to go back to the boat. They’d likely expect you to run far away as soon as possible, likely by plane.

Somewhere close. Ideally a place not monitored too closely like the huge world powers tended to be.

“Bucharest, Romania,” he said finally. He was ninety percent sure he knew Romanian, though languages didn’t always come easily until he was thrown headfirst into them. Not to mention you’d talked about that bar (which was really more of a black market or speakeasy) in the city that catered to... well, people like you and him.

Well, not exactly like you two. No one was exactly like you two.

“Confirmed. Plotting a course now. I recommend changing the Batmobile’s exterior soon after a base is established, as it is likely all of SHIELD and the Avengers know what to look for now.”

Bucky sighed, already having thought about it. If the Batmobile wasn’t so useful (and your pride and joy) he would have already ditched it. “Got it, pal. Let me know when we’re getting close?” he murmured.

“I will, sir. Shall I wake you if either of you exhibits the symptoms of night terrors?” Alfred asked kindly.

Bucky nodded his head. “Please, Alfred. Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Master Barnes. Enjoy your nap.”

Bucky was asleep within five minutes, lulled to sleep by the dull roar of the engines and your even breathing.

Next Chapter

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