In a Blink
(Catch the reference, and you catch my heart.)
This time, you were a hostile, mysterious brunnette with a taste for luxurious cars and 19th-century romance literature. That was your cover and disguise, of course.
You had been running from SHIELD for two years, since your parents died. K.I.A. Supposedly HYDRA. You were a vital agent; one of the best. And you knew too many secrets.
Secrets that were terrible; secrets that would tear the country apart. Another Civil War would break out if you uttered them to a single soul.
So, SHIELD has been after you. Sometimes it's to invite you back, others it's to threaten you. In basis, you're constantly being watched.
You were sitting outside your favorite coffee shop, your sun hat and sunglasses dipped low. Sense and Sensibility rested casually open in your hand as the summer breeze blew the hem of your (F/C) sun dress. To everyone else, you were an ordinary, regular customer having a relaxing read. Really, you were scanning the area for any suspicious or unusual character. It had been a month since SHIELD last "visited" you. The peace doesn't usually last that long.
Suddenly, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You whipped around, your hand slipping to the gun holster under your skirt.
Your eyes met the most brilliant blue ones you had ever seen. You were almost absolutely sure they were contacts the way they contrasted the shadows over the rest of his face. And they sparkled when they saw you looking up at him.
You noticed he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, despite the summer heat. (Which, of course, showed off his toned arms.) His hair was slightly long, swept back with gel. A younger you would have described him with the term: "scrumptious".
"I must be in a museum, because you are truly a work of art."
Aaand you had now lost interest.
You turned back to your book and flipped a page.
"That has got to be the lamest pick-up line in existence." You scoffed as you trained your eyes to the page.
He shrugged, his smile turning to a lop-sided smirk.
"Don't worry, that's just Plan A."
You found yourself smiling with curiosity.
"So what's Plan B?"
He shrugged again with his hands in his pockets as he stared out the window.
"To take you hostage."
You froze, your blood turning cold. That's when you realized: you didn't recognize anybody in the coffee shop.
How could I have been so stupid? You thought.
You had been so focused on the outside, you hadn't realized that all the customers and staff had been replaced from the inside, one by one.
"Well done, SHIELD," you snickered. "Well done."
"Sorry I have to do this, Doll. I don't gotta choice."
Before you could blink, you felt a sharp pain in your neck and everything faded to black.
•••••
"She is vital; but unstable. We don't know if we can trust her."
"Look at 'er. She's in a frilly little sundress. How does that say 'unstable'?"
You opened your eyes to see two men standing before you. One was tall, broad, and muscular, with blond hair and a stern look.
You immediately recognized the other as the handsome man whom had kidnapped you at the coffee shop. You grunted at the thought.
"Look who's awake!"
You met his eyes and stared him down. He shivered with a smile.
"I was waiting for ya, Doll. We've some questions that you need to answer."
"Come any closer and I'll kick your-"
"Easy there, tiger. It's just a few questions. It's not like I'm gonna torture 'em out of ya."
He gently opened the door to the glass cell, taking slow steps.
You shifted in the chair you were cuffed to. He seemed nice, but nice can cover up a lot of things. You didn't know what hid behind that smile, and that scared you.
He sat in the metal chair across from yours, over a cleared table. A smirk was plastered to his face.
"So, Sweetheart-"
In a blink, you snapped off the cuffs and did a brief handspring over the table. Your legs locked around his neck and you quickly brought him down. You managed to roll out of his reach and crouch in a lethal position.
He was back up on his feet in a second. A dark, clouded expression took over his face. The room seemed to chill.
Suddenly, he broke into his smile again.
"You owe me ten macaroons, Stevie! I told ya so!"
You looked to see Steve chuckling with his arms crossed.
"What?" You looked between the two of them.
"I bet 'im you'd attack me within the first ten seconds. You seem like the quick and spontaneous type. He said you'd be more calculated."
For some reason, you found yourself smiling too. You couldn't help it, his grin was contagious.
"Now that we've gotta good ice breaker, can we sit down and talk?"
You gave a small nod before you slowly stood from your position.
Once you had sat down across from the man, he set his hands on the table.
"The name's Bucky Barnes, and I hear you used to be quite somethin' when you worked here. Why'd you leave?"
You took a deep breath, thinking of how to word it.
"My parents. They worked for SHIELD as well. They kind of raised me in it. They were known for being good agents, even after they retired from the field. Level 9. HYDRA killed them."
Bucky's smile faltered and you could see something come over his expression. It looked almost like a mix of guilt and remorse.
"I-I'm sorry that happened."
He faintly shook his head before he looked back up at you.
"Well," you mused sadly. "I didn't want to die like that. I could also see that SHIELD wasn't all it seemed to be. I found out about all the dark secrets it was keeping. Everything about it is, or rather, was tainted."
You sighed.
"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
You heard a soft snort and a muttered, "Ain't that the truth."
"So, in basis, you do realize SHIELD can't leave you alone, right? I mean, you know too much." Bucky looked up at you, his blue eyes flickering.
You sighed as you slouched in your seat.
"Yeah, I know. Halfway freedom was good while it lasted."
Bucky chuckled, and you noticed his hand move a fraction of an inch closer to yours.
"Y'know, from what I've seen, you still are an amazing agent. I'm sure we wouldn't mind having you back in the field."
You raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah. We can actually start now, after you sign some official documents and all the bells an' whistles. So whad'ya say?"
You took a moment to look over Bucky. He was being honest, genuine. Sure, you would never forget your parents death, or the secrets they had died on, but looking into this man's eyes, you could see something. It was something you hadn't seen in a while. It was glimmering, flickering at the back of his gaze.
You hadn't realized how much you had missed it.
Hope.
In a blink, you made your decision.
"Sure. I think I might actually enjoy coming back. There is a lot to catch up on."
His beaming smile was all the answer you needed.
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A/N: Hello! Tell me what you thought in a vote and a comment. I know I've said it before, but I can never stop apologizing to you dearies: I am still on semi-hiatus. I am still trying to update as much as possible, but it's hard. This is the second imagine of my "Your Choice" series. "All Who Wander Are Not Lost" was the first. There are more to come, so stay tuned!
So long, my beauts!
~Sports_books_1816