7

"I'm in love with you," he said to her from his spot across the room, flipping through old pages on a book he kept in his suitcase. He seemed unfazed by his words, his eyes shifting to the window, the curtains covering them save for a tiny strip that lead out into the darkness.

Torrance laid on her side, heart hammering in her chest, only a sheet covering her body. "I'm sorry-what?"

He said it again, like it was no big deal at all. "I'm in love with you."

She sat up on the bed, holding the sheet to her chest, mouth parted, eyes wide. "Bucky-" she stopped herself, mouth closing as she watched the man shift in his spot by the window, not accustomed to falling in love or even expressing it. She sighed with a smile, holding out her hand for him and whispering it back like a promise, "I'm in love with you too."

He smiled, placing the book down and walking the few steps to her to miss her hand and go straight for her waist, pushing her back onto the bed with a laugh, peppering her face with warm kisses, her hands running through his hair. They were tangled in the sheets, hands intertwined, pressed against each other like they were connected by the hip.

Torrance fell from her memory like an egg dropping from the top of a building in a kindergarten class, her focus breaking and she was back. Sitting at the island in the kitchen, drink clutched in her hands, the elevator dinging shaking her from her consciousness as Fury's voice boomed through the room, "Someone want to tell me what in the hell is going on?"

Torrance spun around in her seat, feet touching the ground to stop her from moving as she stared at him, eyes narrowed. "I understand why you didn't let me help during the battle of New York," she told him, standing up. "You were afraid of what memories would be brought back if I somehow recognized Steve. I would have been corrupted if I did, but I'm just so angry with you." 

Fury crossed his arms. "So you know the truth."

"Yeah, and I'm still pissed."

"As you should be."

"It wasn't your call to keep me from him!" she shouted, taking a challenging step forward, ready for a screaming match she would win. "It wasn't your decision!"

"I know it wasn't, but it was for the best," Fury responded in a calm voice. "You were still a promising asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. and I couldn't just throw that away on a limb you might recognize him or he you. It was for the best."

"It wasn't your choice to make."

He stayed silent, staring.

"And it still isn't your choice. I make the decisions now, alright?" she countered, narrowing her eyes. 

He nodded, hands going up in surrender with a smile. "Glad to meet the real you."

She smiled back, sticking her hand out for him to shake and he did, "Nice to officially meet you, I'm Torrance Avery."

"Nick Fury."

With a simple shake, they began to work. 

~

She stood with Wanda, red magic moving between their fingers. This was part of her powers she enjoyed the most, gaining the power of the people she touched. Energy surged between them like links and Torrance felt saddened by the thought she wouldn't get to keep the powers after they simply wore off like they always do, after an hour of play.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your brother," Torrance said gently, flicking her fingers and watching the magic fly off delicately. "He was a hero."

Wanda smiled, her eyes avoiding hers. "I assume you know about Ultron too as well?"

"From the papers, yes, and now from you," Torrance's hand touched Wanda's and she felt her memories and thoughts like a raging fire, sucking in deeply as they connected.

He killed so many, so many are dead. He was so kind to me-he killed people-he killed-my brother is dead because of him. He brought this war and he died because of it, my brother-

"It's okay to be angry," Torrance whispered, wisps of a smile hinting at her cheeks. "I'm angry, I've been angry for years. People say women are careless when they are angry, but I say we're determined. Thought out. Powerful. Don't be ashamed about what you feel and think, because we're all here with you. We're all on the same page."

There was something like a hint of a smile in Wanda's eyes, although she didn't show it on her lips, Torrance knew she was accepting of her words. 

She walked across the room to stand with Steve who's eyes were watching the window, waiting for movement, waiting for something awful to occur. She ran a hand over his back, leaning into him as he opened his arm to allow her to stand closer. She missed him. She had missed him so much, and she hadn't even known it.

"Do you miss it?" Torrance asked him, sipping slowly, knowing full and well she wouldn't get drunk. 

Steve sat across her, drawing absently in his notebook and she wondered if he was drawing him. "Miss what?"

"Being normal?"

He thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "I'm helping people, more than I ever could before. But, there's nothing to miss, because I'm still me. I'll always be myself, it's just now I'm-"

"Big?"

He smiled, nodding. It was the first time she'd seen him smile after the incident on the train. She wondered if she would ever smile again, her heart still beating for him. She watched Steve, how his shoulders were hunched and his expression was now hard. "He shouldn't have come with us."

"I know."

"He should've stayed back with the others, or gone up with-"

"Nothing can change what happened," she said softly, her heart now beating in her throat. "Everything happens for a reason, we just need to figure out his reason."

"It's not fair."

"I know."

"See anything out there?" Torrance asked, eyes searching the darkness beyond the glass. 

Steve shook his head, rubbing her side. "Hydra wouldn't attack us here, they're smarter than that. We have guards and a state of the art security system. Nothing can get past that-"

The lights went out all together, a large boom going off outside and I groaned, pulling back from Steve. Slapping his arm angrily, she hissed, "You just had to open your big mouth and jinx us, didn't you?"

He rolled his eyes, looking past her and towards the others. "Suit up. We don't know what could be coming at us."

Torrance didn't have a suit, at least, she hasn't worn one for years. She was going to open her mouth but Steve beat her to it with a smile, saying, "Come with me, quickly."

He pulled her down the hall and to his room, or what could've been his room. There was a large trunk at the end of a bare white bed and he opened it up for her to see and tears went to her eyes. She dropped to her knees, pulling out the old suit like it was an old pair of shoes. It was a dark shade of green, something she had been forced to wear to help her stay hidden when working with the army, when she had been working with Steve. Inside the box was not only her suit, but old photographs of the two, some including just her and Steve and others of Bucky that made her throat hurt. 

"You kept everything? Why?" she asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and looking at him solemnly. 

"I couldn't just throw you away," he said simply. "You were my best friend, I couldn't just make you disappear, as much as everyone wanted me too."

She hugged him so tightly she thought she would lose her breath, his arms going around her, keeping her close and hidden in the bear hug. When she pulled back, she pulled off her jacket and laid them on the bed and got out of her jeans and boots as he left the room to get his suit. She pulled the tight outfit on, having missed how it felt against her skin, worn and cool. Her old holster was still attached and she welcomed the old fit like it was her second skin.

She slipped her gun into the holster and zipped up the suit easily, but she didn't go without slipping back into her jacket like a child, knowing it was cold out and she didn't like how cold she got through the old material. She slid into her boots, buckling and lacing them as tightly as they could go, ready for a fight. 

"What? You don't like it?" Peggy asked, arms crossed as she stared at her from her spot leaning against the table.

Torrance swung her arms up and back, working with the tight fabric as she spun around to get a feel of what it was like to move with it on. She smiled, shaking her head as she said, "No, I love it. Truly."

"Good," Peggy replied, pushing off the table to hand Torrance her holster and gun. "You can carry two guns with you and there are pockets here-" she touched the sides of her thighs. "-and down here-" she patted the sides of calfs. "-these are for knives and anything else you could possibly dream of." She circled around her, adjusting the collar of the suit, smoothing it out. "The material is inflammable, can keep you pretty warm, but don't be fooled-it can't protect you from bullets." 

"So, when will I get to officially test this out?" Torrance asked, fastening her holster around her waist and loving the way it hugged her hips. 

"Soon, I promise."

Down the hall, she heard gun shots and her blood ran cold. She pulled her gun back out, holding it tightly in her hands as she crept out of the dark room and into the even darker hallway. She heard shouting and glass breaking and she moved with her back against the wall. 

She heard the loud boom of what could only be Tony's suit, firing into the windows as glass shattered around her when she entered the room. Wanda and Tony were jumping out of the window, Wanda's red magic lighting up the dark sky as she fought off what looked to be helicopters firing dangerously at them.

Holding her gun out like it was an extension of her right arm, she fired at the group of men firing at Steve, his shield up protecting him and who she could only assume was Natasha Romanoff, finally joining the party.

Blood erupted from the spot Torrance's bullet hit, red erupting across the wall behind him as he fell and the two remaining agents turned on her and she ran at them with a smile, sliding her gun into her holster and jumping up onto the chair in their way. Launching herself at one man while she swung her leg into the face of the other, knocking him on his back as she swung both legs around the neck of the man she had been jumping to, strangling him with her thighs.

When she felt him give out beneath her, she pushed herself off as he collapsed. She spun around, her gun out as she shot at one of the agents who tried to pursue her from behind. The woman fell with her hands clutching her chest and Torrance smirked, sliding her gun back in place and picking up the one by her feet, still in the dead hands of one of the agents.

Gun fire continued to go off outside and Torrance ran to the broken window, looking out and into the darkness. Flashing lights moved across the grass and she noticed the familiar leather coat flapping in the wind as Fury shot at the helicopter trying to land. 

She spotted Wanda and Tony working together to try and take down the neighboring helicopter, this one erupting in bright flames, a loud ringing sounding as it was taken to the ground near the trees and road.

Torrance jumped from the window, hitting her heels as she went, her board smoothing out underneath her and helped lower her safely to the ground. Once her board touched the grass, she clicked her heels again and the board disappeared. She walked steadily towards Fury as loud sirens went off around them and more agents came crawling out of the darkness like ants. 

She was about to run, say screw all of this, when a hand touched her shoulder and she was pulled away from the lights and into the shadows near the building. Steve looked at her, keeping a hand to her mouth as he touched his ear to speak to the others, something Torrance lacked in her get up.

"Double up and get out of here," Steve ordered. "It's not safe for us here. Once everyone is safe, signal and we'll plan for a meet up."

"With Wanda," Natasha answered back, which was followed with Tony saying, "I got Fury."

"Where do we go?" Torrance asked, prying Steve's hand away from her mouth. "We need to go somewhere fast or we'll be completely swarmed here."

"My bike is in the back," he whispered. "Cover me."

She pulled her gun out and held it in her right, the Hydra gun in her left. She held them both out and backed up with him, watching for any incoming agents. When she saw none, all of them preoccupied with trying to get inside the building, she spun around on her heel and tore after Steve. 

They rounded the side of the building and Torrance heard gunfire before she even saw any guns, but damn did she feel it. She felt it all over face and she cursed, stumbling away as she held her hand to her cheek, feeling the trickle of blood run down her cold cheek, the warmth surprising her.

When she looked to see who had done it, who she needed to kill, there was a little woman with a smoking gun. "That was for my brother."

"Who the fuck is your brother?" Torrance snapped back from her yard away. 

"Sasha."

Torrance held up her gun and shot, one single lucky shot before the woman could smile. Her bullet hit her square in the forehead and she fell with grace, blood shining around her in the air before she fell onto her back like a sack of flour. 

Not waiting to see if anyone else would show up and fire next, Torrance sprinted after Steve who already had his bike running, gearing up for the ride. When she approached she smiled, "Sit down and hold steady, I'm going to sit facing you."

"What-"

Torrance was already sliding onto the bike, their bodies facing each other as she steadied herself and wrapped her legs tight against him so she wouldn't fall when they began to move. "I gotta watch your back somehow."

He smiled and suddenly they were moving, fast. The wind whipped her hair forward, but she was thankful it was pulled back into a ponytail so it didn't fall into his face. She gripped his back with one hand and held her gun with the other, open and waiting. When they turned, spinning around like something that would happen in the movies, she saw them. Moving together in a tight formation, it was easy for Torrance to find targets, hitting them in shoulders and legs to slow them down. "Can this bike go any faster, grandpa?"

Steve laughed, saying over the rush of the wind, "Hold on tight."

She gripped him tighter and she felt the rush as they surged forward. She pulled the trigger two more times, her gun running out of bullets, but they were already too far gone to care. The bike hit a bump and they surged in the air, her body almost leaving the shared seat as they landed on the ground with a screech, continuing down the road as quickly as they could go.

Torrance moved carefully, climbing around Steve to sit with her chest pressed to his back. Her cheek pressed against him, she closed her eyes, wondering where she could have been if she hadn't remembered him.

~

She unzipped her suit and took out the clothes they bought at the drugstore, holding up a pair of jeans she bought that probably wouldn't even fit her right and her 'I heart New York' shirt. She peeled herself out of her suit, sitting on the edge of a dirty bathtub in the cheapest motel she and Steve could find. 

Her cheek burned from where the bullet had grazed her, the blood dried and hard against her face. Once her suit was off, she slipped into the jeans, frustrated that they sagged on her, she should have bought the next size down but she had been in a rush. Pulling the shirt over her head, she felt the strain on her muscles. She hadn't fought like this for some time, her muscles aching as they got back into old habits. 

There was a knock on the bathroom door and Steve asked her from the other side, "You done in there? I got a first aid kit from the front desk."

She opened the door and he walked in, his face dirty and bloody, his hair a mess. She didn't comment on it, knowing if she did he would only do the same about her. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub as he got out what he needed to clean the still bleeding wound on her cheek. When she had looked in the mirror, the graze stretched from at least two centimeters away from her nose all the way up to her hairline. 

Steve applied disinfectant to her wound and she bit her lip to stop herself from wincing. He cleaned it with a strip of towel and she watched blood come off on the white cloth. He taped her cheek together to keep it from splitting back open as it begun to heal. 

"Kind of feels like old times, doesn't it?" he asked her, smiling softly as he began to put everything back inside the kit.

Torrance nodded, brushing the hair from her face. "When that building collapsed after one of the bombings and I had to practically wrap up your entire arm. Do you remember how badly you cursed at me when I had to set your shoulder back into place?" He sighed, holding back a smile as she mimicked him, "Jesus, shit, Torrance, that fucking hurt!"

"And now I accidentally say 'language' when people curse," he laughed, shaking his head. "Like to think you were kind of a bad influence on me."

"Kind of a bad influence?" she grinned. "No doubt about it."

He was washing his hands in the sink when she stood, resting her cheek against his back as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He turned the water off and dried his hands before touching hers with his, whispering, "I missed you so much." There was emotion in his voice that left her melting in her boots. 

"I missed you even more," she said back, his fingers warm against hers.

I love you. I love you. I love you. Why did they take you from me-from us. Peggy-Bucky-you. Not fair-it isn't fair! I loved you-best friends-best friends. I woke up and you were gone-gone-you were just gone.

It should've been me-you should've been there with me-why weren't you there? I woke up and you were gone-you missed everything. I lost everything! Everything! Gone-everything I loved gone-Peggy-Bucky-you. Torrance, I loved you-you were gone-

"I'm here," she whispered, running her hands back and over his sides so he could face her. "I'm back and I'm not leaving."

His hands were on her waist, her hands now gripping his forearms as they looked at each other. Years of pent up emotions spilling from them like a dam breaking. 

We can't. We shouldn't. What about Bucky? Bucky is alive-he's alive and we shouldn't. She's right here, she's back, it's been years-years-years. She's here. Here. Her. It's her. I loved her. She remembers. Me. Me. She remembers me. 

We can't. Can't. Can't. Can. Can. We can, right? Only once? Once. She's here with me, warm and alive and here. Torrance, what do we do? You can read me like an open book, do we? Do we not? I've missed you like I've never missed someone before-knowing you were right there in my grasp-never getting you back-always watching. Now you're back-back-you're back. We can. Only once. But Bucky-Bucky-Bucky-

"Steve-" she parted her lips, looking up at him. She wanted to. She's always wanted to. At least she's always wondered. They were in their own shared space, finally back together. His hands moved from her waist, taking her face into his hands and she felt all of him, surging through her like wildfire.

Don't ever leave me. Never-never-don't leave me. You're my best friend-best-best-I loved you. I've always loved you, you're my best-best-friend-friend. Best friend. Only once. Once, this is all we need-we need this-we need each other-once. Once. Once.

Steve was close to her, his breath warm against her cheeks as she moved a hand up to grip his shoulder, to pull him closer. His hand gripped her hair, keeping her close as she parted her lips. His hands moved from her hair and back to her waist, sliding around to her back, his palms flat against her back as she stood taller on her toes to sling her arms around his neck and to run her hands through his hair. 

His mouth found it's way to the corner of her mouth to her chin and down her jaw and neck. His hands ran up her back, fingers brushing against her the clasp of her bra and she let out a sound she hadn't heard come from her mouth for a while and it sent him crazy. Deep down, that sound alone would throw him into a pit, his hands gripping her tighter. 

She connected their lips, forcing his face up and to her, taking him against her like he was the only one in the world who could touch her like this and only this. He was warm against her, their skin burning each other like some long awaited desire they could not have. He was pulling her shirt up, stopping as it bunched up around her chest before dropping it and picking her up, slamming her back against the wall like she was his and only his. She gasped at the contact, hair falling into her face, her mouth open as she smiled. He brushed the hair from her face, gripping her face in both of his hands as he kissed her slowly, keeping her steady with his knee in between her legs.

Her eyes were closed, mouth still parted with a smile as he gripped her only tighter. "Steve," she breathed, eyes opening softly as she realization dawned on her and it seemed to dawn on his as well as he straightened and pulled back all together, lowering her back to the ground.

They stared at each other, heat creeping up their faces as they looked at each other in a more personal way, having done something they've never thought of doing until now. Lips swollen from kissing, faces flushed, Torrance ran a hand through her hair as she whispered, "We can't. We can't-Bucky-he's alive. He's out there."

"I know," Steve whispered back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," Torrance said with a smile, bringing her hand up to take his. "I'm not mad or embarrassed that happened, I'm-" she sighed. "I'm happy. We needed that."

Steve looked at her for a beat, neither of them speaking before he smiled, "Come on, we need to contact Tony and Nat, see where they are."

Torrance followed him out of the bathroom, flipping the light off as he went to where he had placed his suit. She laid out her suit next to his as he got out his earpiece, pressing a little button and speaking to it in his hands.

"Tony? Nat? Do you read?" Steve said.

There was a crackle and Torrance wondered how technology got so advanced. He had pressed the tiniest of buttons and suddenly it was on speaker phone.

"Here," Natasha's voice came in clear. "Wanda and I are both safe. We're hiding out in an alley off Broadway. We were followed, but it looks like they went right past. What are your coordinates?"

Steve rattled off numbers Torrance wouldn't have thought of as he mentioned, "Any word from Tony or Fury?"

"No," Natasha murmured, sounding grim. "No sign of them so far at least, but it's Tony. He's probably just playing hide and seek, waiting for us to come and find him."

"So not true," Tony said, his voice clear and smug. "Fury and I are perfectly safe and sound, in a bar. In a hotel. Near Jersey."

"Near Jersey?" Torrance gaped. "How in the hell did you get there so fast?"

"Not going to brag too much, but my suit can take me as far as I want with only the littlest of extra boosts. If you'd let me fix up your boots, you can finally have the same luxury," he said and Torrance was beginning to like him more and more.

"We need to meet up, come up with a game plan," Torrance said, eyes shifting to Steve's as he nodded to her. "We don't know how long it'll take for Hydra to find us, even with us being split up. We need to regroup and keep each other safe. We also need to track down Bucky Barnes, keep him away from Hydra."

"Sounds like a good plan, but we don't know where Barnes could be," Natasha murmured. "He's a ghost story. He won't been located unless he wants to be. It could take us weeks, months, even to find him."

"Last time you saw him was what? Maybe a year ago? Where could he have gone in such little time?" Torrance asked. 

Natasha sighed. "Anywhere." 

"Steve, stay here and figure out a plan, I just realized I need to be somewhere," Torrance said as she stood, her mind spinning. 

The museum. The museum. The museum. 

"What?" Steve gaped, eye brow raised. "It's nearly ten o'clock, where do you have to be?"

She smiled, lying straight through her teeth, "Santiago told me to pick something up if anything ever happened to him and something did happen." She lightened her smile, reassuring him, "I'll be back in an hour tops, okay? Come up with a better plan."

She grabbed her coat from the table and left in a rush, heart thumping in her chest. She rushed out the door, letting it close behind her as she got as far as the sidewalk. She stumbled into one of the cars, handing flat against the hood as she struggled to breathe. How did I not think about the museum? He could be there, he could be there! But why? Why would he be? Just go and see, go and look.

Torrance clicked her heels and was in the air in seconds, flying up above the rooftops and over the city as she neared the large building nearly across town. When she got closer, she clicked her heels one last time before landing to a stop on the roof. She skidded, nearly falling to her knees as she landed unsteadily in her rush.

She looked around, searching for a way to get in because it had closed over three hours ago. The Smithsonian would be hard to get inside of, but that never stopped her before. She found her entrance around one of the corners of the roof, a large door that could lead her down the stairwell and into one of the exhibits if she was lucky.

Breaking the lock and breaking in was easy, but staying out of sight would be another issue. 

She got inside easily, stopping as she looked around for cameras. There would be hundreds to block and turn off so she needed to find the electrical room. Torrance spotted a camera down the stairs and she eased her way down, careful not to make noises before reaching down to her boots and touching a small button on the outside of her right heel. She clicked it and she smiled, the little green light on her foot indicating she would no longer be seen, activating her own stealth mode. It's no wonder Hydra wanted her dead, she could've killed them all without ever being seen.

When she got to one of the first doors, she peered out, seeing the little lights they left on and how videos from the day still played their endless loops against bare walls. She kept walking, knowing what she needed would not be at the first door seen or maybe even the second.

It took her to the fifth door down, pushing it open with her shoulder and peering out into the exhibit. The door closed loudly behind her but she doubted anyone would notice and come running because it wasn't like anyone could see her anyways.

She stood in front of the exhibit, looking at the uniforms of all of the members from the Howling Commandos and he heart sank. It wasn't like she expected herself to be up there alongside them, but she hoped. She had been apart of the team, she had helped them in more ways than none and yet, her uniform wasn't with the rest. She frowned, would her name be here? Would there be any mention of her? Or would she have just been forgotten like the world hoped, how Hydra had hoped.

She bent down, not caring as she clicked the button on her heel and the little green light went out and she was known to the world. 

Torrance looked at the pictures of her friends, how Bucky's face stood out to her. A little biography about him underneath and she stared, eyes narrowing as she fought with herself not to be upset over this. She wasn't mentioned anywhere.

She was their unknown eighth member and she was outraged her face wasn't among them on the huge poster behind their uniforms lined up together like family. She had been family and yet, as Hydra had wanted, she had been erased.

A large boom sounded through the museum and what little lights that had been left on went out all together. Torrance didn't feel surprised, she had been waiting for this moment all along.

"It's not so bad," a voice came from behind her. She froze, her muscles going stiff as she recognized it through the roughness. How it had been softer before, how it had been softer with her. "Being forgotten is better than thinking you're the enemy."

"I am the enemy," she said back, still not moving. She kept her eyes forward, unmoving from the faces that looked back at her. "Being both is worse. So much worse."

"They'll put you up there with us soon," he whispered, standing closer to her. She let out a raspy breath, feeling how close they were, knowing they haven't seen each other for years. "Steve wouldn't have it any other way."

"They took me away," she whispered back, closing her eyes as she felt the emotion build up inside of her chest. "They stripped me of everything that had made me, me."

"You're back now," he murmured, a gloved hand touching her elbow outside her coat. "We both are."

"Are we, though?" 

He stayed silent.

"There's a part of us that's not entirely here, I know it and you know it. We've been controlled for so long, how do we run from it now? How do we know they still don't control us like puppets on strings?"

"We won't know," he sighed. "We won't know until they put us back under, wiping us again."

She let out a long stream of air, opening her eyes and blinking. "You aren't safe, we need to get out of here."

"Why won't you look at me?" he whispered, pleading with her. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes," she breathed pathetically, eyes glued on the picture of him in front of her, no longer illuminated by the lights. She could still see him through the shade, how young he had been. Would he still look the same?

"Look at me," he said, his hand leaving her elbow. "Torrance, look at me-"

She spun around and saw no one. She huffed, face hot as she wondered if that had all been some type of daydream concocted in her brain to help ease her into the torment that would follow once seeing him again. But she feared the worst, would it be real or just another hazy thought?

Shaking her head, she turned back around to look at the artifacts kept from their war days. How old everything was, fragile and half broken.

"Torrance."

Her name was being said like an echo, a distant memory calling to her from the grave. She looked around, hoping to spot whoever said it as it was called out again, pleading with her. She stopped outside the film room and she blinked, wondering how the film was playing in its vibrant black and white.

He must have cut the power for the rest of the building except this room. This one room; filled with voices and images she had thought had been lost forever. He stood before the moving pictures of his own face and surprisingly her own too. She was there on the film, a past self reminiscing with a past lover. She was smiling and laughing, hand on his shoulder, captivating her audiences and him. Steve was shown in flashes and she wondered if this was even the real video or just something made up by her consciousness.

"You're here," he whispered to her. "They just haven't seen you."

"I see you," she said back. "I see all of you."

She stepped forward into the room and he stood far from her, like he was afraid to reach out and touch her, have her read him. He was buffer than she remembered, his body built like a machine, built to tear one into two. He had day old scruff that she wanted to run her fingers over, feeling it against the smoothness of her skin. His hair was longer, falling right above his shoulders. He wore a sweatshirt that was too big for him and jeans that were the same, like he was hiding himself. 

She held out her hand and he reached out to touch her back, his hand gloved. It was stiff, unlike him entirely. She ran her fingers up to where the glove began and pulled, slipping it off and touching the metal where his hand used to be. It sent a small shock through her as she ran her hands over the smoothness of where skin could've been but instead laid a metal like one she'd never touched.

Alarms began to blare behind them, all around them now, red lights flashing at the exits as she pulled back and away from him. She stumbled for a moment, finding her footing near the door, hands gripping the doorframe to steady herself as she whipped her head back to see who or what could be coming to escort them out in handcuffs.

"Come with me," she hissed. "You can't be seen here or anywhere. I need to get you somewhere safe, Hydra-"

"I know," he said back, eyes dark. "Had two of them try and take me back two night ago in Berlin. Came here looking for Steve, thought it would be smart to hang around here until he finally got the idea to come and find me. Lucky enough, I got you instead."

"Please," she snapped. "You can explain it all to me later, but we need to go. Now." She patted her side for her gun and froze, she didn't have it. She had left it at the motel, but it was like he had already known that, tossing her something in the dark. She caught it and smiled, holding the gun comfortably in her hands as he held up one of his own. "Do you know a safe way out of here so we won't be seen?"

He nodded, motioning with his head for her to follow him and she did; trusting him every step of the way.