"Reckless. Stupid. Absolutely foolish."

Y/n raked her teeth over her bottom lip as Fury loomed over her in the conference room, jabbing his finger in her direction.

"Listen here Y/l/n, if you weren't such a valuable member of this team, I'd have your ass standing at the elevator with a suitcase and a plane ticket straight out of New York."

Nat's voice interrupted him. "Director, I think you're be just a little unreasonable about-"

"Not a word out of you, Romanoff." Fury spat. "In fact, be ready for a little chat between us later on."

Natasha sat back, defeated. She offered Y/n a sympathetic shrug.

Y/n opened her mouth in attempt to get a word in more than once, each time cut off by Fury as he nagged further on.

She would steal an occasional glance at Bucky across the oak table, who she'd find already staring in her direction.

"I had this entire operation fully under control, yet you still felt the need to abandon any kind of intellect and almost get yourself killed." Fury fumed, towering above her as she sunk into the office chair after each sentence.

Y/n let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding once Fury had given her a chance to speak. "I apologize for my actions, Director. But rightfully so, I don't regret them."

"Here we go." Sam turned his head to avoid the awkward conversation, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Oh? You don't?" Y/n gulped at his mocking tone, immediately regretting the small ounce of confidence she'd expressed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D!" Fury threw an arm up, turning around to draw the attention of every team member. "She knows all, apparently. She's a natural leader if you ask me!"

Y/n felt a wave of nausea wash over her as her face flushed bright crimson, suddenly wishing she had never stepped foot in the tower.

Scratch that, it'd be better if she hadn't even been born.

Yeah, that's more like it. Then there would be zero chances that this would be happening right now.

"Alright, alright we get it, Fury." Bucky ignored Fury's flaring gaze that he had been giving to the small handful of people who'd already tried to reason with him. "We weren't expecting her to ditch the plan like that, but the objective was acquired. She managed to grab the files before they were able to download any intel. She got there just in time."

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a sigh. It was too early for this. "Alright, Y/l/n. And if HYDRA were to get their hands on said intel, then what?"

Y/n's words caught in the back of her throat, her gaze desperately shifting to Nat for help, but she quickly blurted out an answer before Nat could answer. "They wanted to reboot the super soldier program. With this information..." she tightened her jaw. "They could do it."

She searched Fury's gaze for any sign of doubt, praying she wouldn't have to elaborate on the so-called information.

It was stupid really. Keeping this kind of secret from the team as if it would do her any good in the awaiting future. Sure, it made moving into the tower much easier. Not having to explain that her mind was technically still erratic if she were placed in the wrong hands. It didn't help the fact that Tony had taken a decent amount of time to forgive Bucky for the fate of his parents. There was no way of knowing how he would react to another assassin living freely within the walls of his own tower.

Nat's plan had been simple from day one. Keep it between her and Steve only, wait until Shuri called with good news of a cure, and finally come back from Wakanda good as new.

It was only now that Nat was beginning to regret taking the easy route. Keeping the team in the dark about Y/n's condition was only further complicating things, as proven by this very mission.

As long as they don't find out the hard way.

"Alright... alright." Fury paced around the front of the room, ignoring Tony's pestering glare as he occasionally looked down at his watch.

"Barnes, Wilson, Rogers, Romanoff, Thor and both Maximoff's." Fury turned to the screen displaying the marked HYDRA bases. "I want you all on a Quinjet out of here tomorrow morning to infiltrate the Cuba base. Dismissed."

Y/n glanced around the room as everybody slowly began standing up and leaving the conference room, hoping to make the most of the morning that had been interrupted by the early meeting.

"What? Director, you can't be serious..." Y/n frantically stood up. "I'm going with them."

Fury gathered the paperwork sprawled out on the table, stacking them in a neat pile and handing them to Maria. "I don't recall listing your name, Y/l/n. Were you unaware that your actions yesterday would have consequences?"

His gaze hardened when she let out a scoff. "The last thing I need is for you to go ballistic over your need for revenge. I know what's on those files, Y/l/n. Imagine if those bastards managed to get into-"

Fury stopped himself when he caught Bucky lingering outside the meeting room, his eyes glued to his cellphone.

Sure. Bucky actually using his phone for any use other than making a call.

"As I said. Dismissed." Fury exited the room, leaving no room for an argument.

Y/n bit her lip in frustration, storming out of the room. She decided it was best to retreat to her bed and plug in her headphones to cool off in solitude.

It was then that Bucky had stepped in front of her, cutting off her path. "Um, hey."

Y/n managed to crack a smile at the sheepish look on his face. "Hey."

"Y/n I'm... I'm sorry we're going without you. I know this mission means as much as it does to me as it does to you."

"You're sorry?" Y/n grinned, shaking her head. "At least I don't have to sit on a ten hour flight tomorrow morning."

"As long as Steve keeps Sam distracted from bothering me, I might just pull through." Bucky breathed a small chuckle, enjoying the sound of Y/n's giggle pulled from his own joke.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

"I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, but knowing that you're safe here puts me at ease. Maybe Fury's got a point, Y/n."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Didn't know you cared this much, considering the fact that only a few months ago we barely spoke to each other. Or the fact that you didn't think it was possible to be friends."

Bucky searched for a valuable response, each one getting caught in his throat without ever leaving his lips. The playful smirk Y/n gave him saved the need for a lame excuse. "I'm just messing with you. Don't worry about it."

Y/n smiled warmly, walking past him before his hand caught her wrist. "I've been meaning to talk to you about... that."

She furrowed her brows in response, before Bucky pulled her outside to the balcony. The place where the two always seemed to end up alone together. He slid the door closed behind him, blocking off their conversation from the ears of anybody else. He walked up to the ledge, resting his elbows on the cold stone and gripping the edges tightly. Y/n joined his side, following his gaze into the cluster of skyscrapers ahead of them.

"When Steve tells you all these stories from the 40's, our lives before the war and before HYDRA, do you believe them?"

"Do I believe-?"

"Because sometimes... I don't." Bucky breathed, finally meeting her gaze with a softness in his eyes. "It's almost like some make-belief fantasy that never existed in the first place. But I miss it. I really fucking miss it, Y/n."

Y/n didn't say anything and place her hand gently on top of his, so he continued.

"I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes I wish Steve would shut up about it. He's found a purpose here in this generation. Friends, now he's got Nat. For him, our lives seventy years ago are just memories to him. That old fashion life isn't part of his ideal anymore."

Y/n turned so that her body was fully facing him. "So... you think it's impossible to make something of this era of your life?"

"Do you think it is?"

"I don't have a damn choice, Bucky." Y/n scoffed and shifted her attention back to the view beyond the balcony. "My life was already shit before HYDRA. The love I've been given here at the tower is almost surreal to me. Adjusting to this much affection was difficult, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Sure, there are times I think about my dad, or my dream of leaving New York and going to college to make something of myself. But I have to remind myself that all of that is in the past now."

Y/n unwittingly ducked her head when she realized she'd overshared a bit, but looked up when Bucky had bundled her hand in between his.

"You have to tell me, Y/n."

"What... what are you-"

"Do you remember any of it. Anything they forced you to do. The people they..." He stopped when she shook her hand off from his grasp.

He knew he was being ridiculous. His intention was never to invalidate her trauma by any means, but he couldn't help but feel almost a tinge of jealousy hit him when she managed a smile out of Bruce, or joined in for a game of Mariocart with Tony and Thor. He wish he knew how she managed to do it.

She was living.

And he wasn't.

He expected a sour response. A look of disappointment or maybe even hurt.

"That has nothing to do with what you first asked me." Was all she said, before leaving him alone on the terrace with only the winter gusts to listen to his troubles.

♥︎The next morning♥︎

"Friday, play Back to the Old House by The Smiths." Y/n grumbled from under her pillow, her voice hoarse from the scream that had followed what had started off as a decent sleep for once.

Christine Young had been her name.

An American veteran who'd been leading a protest for the justice of some commander and his soldiers, who'd been massacred one by one in their own homes when they were no longer on duty.

Their kids had witnessed it. Wives and husbands who'd been relieved that their partners had safely returned home from war, only to have that sense of security taken away.

Young was as lovely as she was bold. In her eyes, she could've been one of those soldiers if she had been assigned to their unit. She wouldn't stop until justice was brought to the fate of those soldiers.

If only she had know, that the assassin in question had been one of HYDRA.

She had managed to drive out information from every corner of the globe on the person responsible, all except for the fact that they had been part of the same organization that was thriving while the world believed they ceased to exist. One that even Captain America had yet to put an end to.

HYDRA feared Young was inching closer to discovering their operations, and paranoia lead to Y/n's mission that month.

Watch her closely. End her out of the public eye.

And she'd done just that.

She could've made the death appear natural. Slip an the notorious substance into her afternoon coffee and watch as she slipped on her polished hardwood stairs. HYDRA dismissed the idea, however.

"The house must be wiped clean of any technology she accessed. Any researched saved must die with her. If they find her dead, they'll surely figure that she was robbed either way." They'd told Y/n.

No kids, only a husband who had been across the country for a business trip.

Y/n had eyed the screen of her computer, beginning to question whether Young would have even discovered HYDRA's activity if they let her live. She sat in front of her screen in the dark, her sleek black hair done up in a messy ponytail. A photo of her and her husband on a mountain hike reflected the gleam of the moon outside the window.

It was when the title of her organization had appeared on Young's computer screen, that Y/n leapt from behind the velvet chair and drove a knife in her stomach, watching as the crimson blood stained the 'Save Our Soldiers' t-shirt she had been wearing. She stumbled to the floor with Y/n above her, the knife still gripped firmly in her hand.

"Y-you people a-are still here?" Young had questioned, seemingly uninterested in the fact she was at the brink of death, and more so that the infamous Nazi science division was flourishing underground from society.

Y/n remained silent, as always instructed. She tore her gaze off of the woman dying beneath her, and twisted the knife once more before removing it with one yank.

She stepped backwards as the blood pooled from the open wound, soaking the patterned rug. Y/n tore the computer to bits, snatched the articles and papers pinned to the cork board in Young's study, and packed away any other intel to be burned. Before pursuing her escape, Y/n regrettably took one final look at the woman she had murdered.

The haunting look of disbelief on her face while she slowly perished was one Y/n couldn't possibly forget. Knowing she hadn't even been the person Young was searching for, yet instructed to kill just as any other HYDRA target.

Y/n heaved herself off the chilly floor and hummed softly to the gentle music. The same song she had waltzed around her bedroom to when she was sixteen, dreaming of dancing with her lover.

She frowned at the unnatural silence of the living quarters. No Natasha to drag her to the gym, or Wanda to make waffles with for the team.

She had helped both of them pack the night before, popping open one of Tony's expensive wines from the cellar and playing a few rounds of cards. The night ended promptly, with the two of them having an early start the morning after.

Y/n padded to the empty kitchen and plucked the box of Frosted Flakes from the cupboard and filled a small bowl, pouring slightly less milk than a normal person would.

At some point in the middle of her meal, Vision had walked in and bid her good morning. He never attempted to push her with too many questions or a long conversation in the early morning, something she definitely appreciated.

Her phone buzzed on the counter beside her. She set down her spoon and flipped it over to see a text notification on her lock screen.

Hey it's me. Just thought I'd check in on you before we land.

Hey Bucky! Yeah, I'm fine.

Glad to hear it. Or read it I guess.

I get it haha. Don't worry.

It's not the same without you
Y/n.

I could say the same about
the tower. It's dead and empty
here.

But you're safe at least.

You aren't.

It'll be alright. Have a movie
ready for me when I come
back.

I know just the one.

Stay safe. Please.

Y/n frowned when the three 'typing' dots suddenly disappeared. They'd probably made it to the base.

She washed her dishes and headed back to her room to get dressed in her comfiest hoodie and leggings, ready for a day of mindless boredom.

"Y/nnnnnn." Y/n jumped when Tony randomly appeared at her door a few hours later, a teasing grin stretched across his face. Y/n set down the book she was already halfway through, folding her arms. "Yes?"

"Since you're doing absolutely nothing today, I need you to run to Costco."

She laughed, almost in disbelief. "Since when do billionaires shop at Costco?"

"Look, a bargain is a bargain." He tossed her a card with a sticky note attached to the back. "Here's my membership. Pick up everything on that list."

"You need ALL of this?"

"Good luck kiddo!" Tony zipped out of sight before she could question further.

She grumbled to herself and shoved the card and list into her pocket, not bothering to change into something decent. She couldn't help but chuckled at the irony, judging that most of the Avengers ducked under their hoods in public as a lazy way to mask their identity.

After making her way down to the garage, she selected her keys from a series of hooks assigned to each person's car, and unlocked the small charcoal silver Audi A3 that had been a gift from Tony and Steve a few months after arriving at the tower.

Driving in Manhattan on a Saturday proved to be just as much of a pain in the ass as Y/n anticipated. Almost as much as finding parking during the busiest time of day.

She gripped the steering wheel as her eyes landed on someone backing out, hurriedly rushing into the spot as soon as they drove off.

The lines, the crowd, the noise. All enough to set her on the edge. It didn't help that nearly every conversation could be heard from every possible direction.

"This better be worth it, Tony." She muttered under her breath, maneuvering the cart around the people in her path.

"Let's see... coffee, strawberries, cheese, laundry detergent, mozzarella sticks... shit, there's a backside."

Y/n sighed in relief once she had finally reached the end of the very long paying line, wheeling the card up to the cash desk and setting everything down on the conveyor belt. The middle aged woman called over a teen boy to help bag her items, stopping at the ginormous bag of dog food that Rhodey had apparently requested after recently adopting a Husky puppy.

"Oh, allow me." Y/n chuckled, reaching for the bag.

"Hun leave that bag, let him put it in for you." The lady had persisted.

Y/n grinned and lifted the bag with one hand, effortlessly placing it in her cart as the boy watched in astonishment. The lady's mouth hung open in awe for a brief moment, before shaking her head and printing the receipt.

"Here's your receipt." The lady nudged Y/n's turned shoulder when she didn't respond, her eyes glued to the small TV broadcasting the news overhead.

BREAKING NEWS: EXPLOSION SEEN JUST OUTSIDE HAVANA, CUBA. WITNESSES REPORT SIGHTS OF CAPTAIN AMERICA AND OTHER AVENGERS NEAR THE SIGHT