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psl for Steve, Nat, and Bucky OT3
[The Winter Soldier had killed hundreds of people over seven decades, a flawless weapon that obeyed without question and was capable of amazing feats. And yet it had only taken one week trying to kill Steve Rogers for all of that to unravel and splinter into nothing, leaving him in the wind and running for both his life and his freedom.
He ought to have known that no matter how good he was, there were others in the world just as good.
The Soldier had always been an assassin first and anything else second, so although he was good at infiltration, he didn't have spy level skills for simply disappearing off the radar. HYDRA had usually taken care of his exfiltration. He had skills, and desperation bred ingenuity, but he should have known that Romanoff would be able to find him and that she'd lead Rogers right to his location.
He's in Paris.
He's found an empty apartment waiting to be let, all stark white walls and polished wooden floorboards, and set his sleeping bag up in the corner. He knows they're coming, but he's been running for weeks and he's tired. So hungry that he could pass out, and so exhausted that his eyes keep drooping. He doesn't have it in him to run any more, he'll wait and face them. If it ends in a fight, so be it.]
He ought to have known that no matter how good he was, there were others in the world just as good.
The Soldier had always been an assassin first and anything else second, so although he was good at infiltration, he didn't have spy level skills for simply disappearing off the radar. HYDRA had usually taken care of his exfiltration. He had skills, and desperation bred ingenuity, but he should have known that Romanoff would be able to find him and that she'd lead Rogers right to his location.
He's in Paris.
He's found an empty apartment waiting to be let, all stark white walls and polished wooden floorboards, and set his sleeping bag up in the corner. He knows they're coming, but he's been running for weeks and he's tired. So hungry that he could pass out, and so exhausted that his eyes keep drooping. He doesn't have it in him to run any more, he'll wait and face them. If it ends in a fight, so be it.]
no subject
His expression changes are minute, a remnant from decades of not being able to show emotion, but there's a slight unsure crease to his brow.]
You think I need protection?
no subject
Her kneejerk reaction is to respect that, more or less. Because they came here as people on his side, and that means respecting boundaries. Maybe not leaving now, but agreeing to leave in a few minutes if he talks to them, eats something. Natasha has a burner phone in her pocket. Not to give to him (she figures he can get one of his own) but in case he wants to check it, make sure it's clean. See if they can at least arrange something where he'll check in with them, let Steve know he's alive and she can give him any information she has, and she'll try to keep Steve from bolting after Bucky.
But Steve's pushing; of course he is. It's part of who he is, one of his most endearing and frustrating qualities. The boy that doesn't back down from a fight, no matter the odds.]
I think that if you do this out on your own, there's a chance it gets messy and uncomfortably public. They know you're running. Odds are they'll leverage that. [When she speaks, it's quiet and soft, watching James more than Steve. But she tends to shift close to Steve every now and then, maintaining that proximity.]
You don't have to do this alone. But-- that is a choice you should get to make.
[She sighs softly, a slight twitch of her lips. She's sure that Steve won't like that she's about to give Bucky the option to walk away, but she knows the importance of making your own choices. And fact is that he's not the danger, so she's not going to treat him like he is. Of course, there's a reason she says should-- she figures it's 50/50 on whether Steve goes along with her. It's not an intentional manipulation, but Nat does remember how claustrophobic the idea of Clint and SHIELD had felt when it seemed like her only option.]
We all work this together like Steve wants. Or, you take ten minutes with us to figure out some basic logistics, a way to establish contact as-needed, so we can get you information and Steve knows you're alive. Or you can just walk away- although I'd rather you didn't.