Work Text:
The Soldier just sat as he was prepped for his mission. His main handler was a younger agent, who touched him with a gentleness that the others didn’t. He told the Soldier about things going on in the world, telling him what year it was and what was important currently. It was soothing, listening to the young agent babble about a dame named Spears had shaved her head and how the United States were advancing in the war in the Middle East. The young man was helping the Soldier into his coat, buttoning the many clasps when he said something that confused the Soldier endlessly.
“You’re a regular Gerard Way now
soldat.
”
“That’s not my name.” The Soldier said into his mask, knitting his brows together.
“Yeah but you- Nevermind.”
The Soldier hadn’t had time to ponder this before he was swept off to mission. He was supposed to go undercover. He wasn’t supposed to be an undercover agent but his handlers were a bit shaken up. The Widow was rumored to have defected to the US. The Soldier was easily manageable and could do undercover in a pinch.
The man he was supposed to be tracking had many aliases. He was a SHIELD agent, and was responsible for the capture of the Widow. He was spotted in Germany recently and the Soldier had one chance to track him and possibly eliminate him.
He was set up in the local safehouse in Köln and left mostly to his own devices, his handlers trusting that he would carry out his mission as instructed. He was the Winter Soldier, it was what he did.
The first night he just watched. Nothing to report.
The second night he ventured to obtain rations. Peculiarly dressed young people were also at the convenience store. They were dressed, oddly, similar to him.
“Nice outfit!! You goin to the concert tonight?” One of the kids asked.
The Soldier looked at the shirt the boy was wearing. My Chemical Romance. Hm. “Yeah. I am”
Sneaking into a concert venue was really not high on the list of things that utilized the Winter Soldier’s skillset. He had considered just buying a ticket but he didn’t want any trace of him being here. It might be a handy alibi but he didn’t want anything linked to him being here.
When the lights went down and the band came out, the Soldier was overwhelmed with harsh guitar and vocals. More startlingly, the group that he was standing with started flailing wildly. There was a vortex of bodies right at the front and center of the audience that was undulating in a way that suggested the people participating had little sense of self-preservation.
The Soldier let himself get lost in the odd music, the odd mannerisms of the men on stage, the interesting subculture that he had somehow stumbled ass-first into. In all of his methodical observation, the Soldier let himself get pushed around until somehow he was part of the swirling mass of people. He startled right as the chorus of the song came on. He felt a heavy elbow hit him in the temple and some vague swearing before slipping into unconsciousness.
When he blinked awake he was no longer in the concert hall. Rather a modest but well-furnished flat not unlike his own. He instinctively reached for one of his knives only to find-
“ Der Winter .” a man’s voice said in German with only a slight accent. “Or is it soldat.” His inflection was Russian now.
“Who are you.” The Soldier asked in English.
His captor just chuckled. “Thought I’d get a two for one special for Russian assassins.”
The Soldier looked closer at the blond man that was pacing in front of him flipping one of his knives. Hawkeye, SHIELD agent. Threat level: High to Critical. Other known aliases: Ronin, Goliath.
“ Yastreb. ”
“Impressive.” Hawkeye agreed. “Now. I know you could kill me even though I took your knives except the one down your pants.” He looked at the Soldier sideways. “Or you can listen to me and let me go at the end of it.”
The Soldier just looked at him.
“Ok. Talk.”