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It’s not often that the Avengers get to spend time together outside the compound unless they are on a mission. And even then, they hardly have time to sit around idly. It rarely happens, but when it does, it’s a welcome respite from the usual chaotic tension that accompanies them during missions. So, it’s no wonder when one slightly warm night of September, around a campfire in the woods, a few of the heroes find themselves sharing “war stories” while eating. They are currently out there hiding out while keeping surveillance of their target.
Steve, Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Bucky are plenty experienced regarding being on the battlefield, so there are a lot of anecdotes to pass around. Some are happier or funnier than others, but they all take the more serious ones in stride, not wanting to bring the mood down. From the World War II period to the Cold War, and up to the Middle East conflict of current times, the teammates entertain themselves by swapping interesting stories about their own experiences.
Nat and Clint even talk about the infamous “Bucharest affair” ‒although each of them retells the story from their own point of view‒, finally revealing the big secret to the running joke they have kept going amongst themselves. After that, Sam shares with the little group some of his best anecdotes alongside Riley, his fallen wingman, rejoicing in the memories he treasures so much. He doesn’t talk about Riley often, since it’s still painful for him to do so. But he feels like he can do it while sitting with the friends that have become his second family. Just like his former wingman used to be as well.
Second to last, but not least, Steve tells them about some details left out of the general story known about his boot camp experience, remembering those times fondly, despite some of the bad memories that still leave a bitter taste in his mouth. And those are what partly fuel the reasoning behind the Cap’s decision to not mention anything related to Bucky since he worries about the other man getting upset in case he doesn’t manage to remember as well as the rest.
That’s how it usually goes between them whenever they aren’t alone with each other, with Rogers being too afraid to push Barnes into an uncomfortable position. After all, the Sergeant is still working on getting his memories back, and the Captain would hate to make his best friend feel pressured about it. It’s a slow and tricky process, one that Buck needs to be able to navigate as smoothly as possible.
However, not wanting to feel like an outsider, Bucky chooses to share a particular anecdote that leaves Steve and Sam baffled, Clint feeling skeptical, and Natasha amusedly observing the shocked men sitting around her. Even when he doesn’t have much to share, to begin with, given his remaining ‒although considerably smaller‒ lack of memories, he retells an account dating back to his days as the Winter Soldier under Hydra’s control. And although at first, his companions seem uneasy on his behalf, he quickly assures him that he’s fine and that it’s nothing too bad to remember anyway.
“Not sure how many years or decades ago, I was on a mission, venturing deep into the wilderness of some highly forested country,” starts Bucky with a rather solemn air, wanting to keep the suspense as much as possible.
“I was supposed to infiltrate someplace, maybe a secret base of operations or something,” he continues, disappointed that he can’t offer more details about the past experience. He still hopes that what he says will be more than enough.
“Anyway, the thing is that while on that particular mission, which happened during winter since everything was covered in snow, I managed to get this dude.”
Bucky manages to recall that specific detail by associating one of the key elements of his story to his surroundings at the time, satisfied and proud of himself for remembering.
“He was wearing a thick-as-hell winter coat that was part of his soldier uniform, one that was supposed to protect him from the unyielding cold. Unfortunately for him, the coat wasn’t thick enough,” carries one Barnes, dragging the story out as much as possible, reveling in the feeling of having a captivated audience.
He didn’t want to spoil the good part too soon.
“Because of that, I was able to pierce it deep enough to get to his heart.”
He thought that he might feel bad after uttering those words, feeling guilty at the admission of killing someone. But he’s rather desensitized to it as if the memory belonged to someone else. In a sense, it does. It belongs to the Winter Soldier. And the fact that he can’t read any disgust or judgment on his friends’ faces helps him feel better too.
“What might be impressive about it, though,” rambles on Bucky, feeling a little self-conscious about how smug he might sound to the others.
“Is that the knife I used was 24 inches long, and I threw it while being concealed, from several yards away, and against high-speed winds.”
This shouldn’t be something to brag about, he mentally chides himself, unable to feel truly ashamed.
The mission happened a long time ago, and the men he killed probably hadn’t a much cleaner ledger than he did. Yet by the time he finished the anecdote, he was feeling a bit embarrassed and uneasy, hoping that he hadn’t put off anyone else with his story and how nonchalant the recount was.
The seconds of astonished silence that follow his anecdote are enough to put him on edge, fearing any kind of admonishment and retaliation from the others. So, naturally, as soon as the tense moment gets broken by the other four, relief will flood Bucky’s entire being.
“Wait, how did you even–?”
A confused Steve begins to question, unable to even finish the question as he’s still trying to process what he heard. That isn’t the first time that Bucky had told him about things he remembered doing as the Winter Soldier, yet he never spun him a story like that.
Barnes has always been an exceptional marksman, even back during the war, and Rogers is aware that the Serum combined with the Soviet Hydra Branch’s training would be enough to push him to near-perfection levels. But what his best friend said just seemed impossible by any accounts that followed the laws of physics.
“That’s bullshit. There’s no way that actually happened,” counters Sam with a sneer, not buying Barnes’ story but also not wanting to show how impressed he actually feels.
He doesn’t want to give the other the satisfaction. Still, he recognizes the remarkable level of skills that Bucky possesses. Not that he would ever admit it, much less to the man in question.
“I bet it wasn’t really that difficult, you’re just exaggerating to impress us,” comments Clint dryly, only part-jokingly trying to belittle the other’s feat.
To be honest, Barton finds himself feeling more respect towards the younger (older) man, even going as far as to consider challenging him to a shooting contest once they get back to the compound. Still, he won’t voice any of those thoughts just yet.
The Captain and The Falcon keep throwing a bunch of questions at the Sarge while Hawkeye inserts a few more incredulous comments here and there. Yet the only person present who still has to get a word in opinion-wise is the Black Widow herself. While the others ramble on and discuss the lucky shot, Natasha stays quiet and observes everything unfurl in front of her, considering what new information she has learned about the other former assassin.
After all, out of the four of them (sans Bucky himself, obviously...well, maybe), she’s the one who’s better informed about all the other man’s capabilities and skills, considering that she was trained by him at one point. She can attest to it, more than any of them despite having not only trained and fought alongside Bucky but against him as well. More than once.
Even if she could say so and back up Barnes’ allegations, she decides against it. She much rather prefers to witness the chaotic interrogation taking place at the moment, finding it both funny and curious. Thus she just smirks into her cup of water and continues to drink, completely unbothered by the overexcited men that surround her.
If only they knew that’s not the best you can do, she thinks, amused at her secret knowledge of the man’s true skill range.
In the end, Rogers, Wilson, and Barton came up with the great idea to put to test Barnes’ alleged abilities as soon as they finished the mission and got back to the compound. Amidst the excitement, they even got as far as to hold a competition between the archer and the Sergeant (which was discretely spurred by Clint himself), despite the latter’s refusal.
Ultimately, it was concluded to be a draw (pun intended on Hawkeye’s part), since otherwise, the contest would have gone on for far too long, as both men were not only had impossibly good aim but were stubborn as hell. It’s easy to say that the shooting range that day was left with a wall full of holes and a bunch of paper targets piled on the floor. And yes, they even tried besting each other while blindfolded, much to Steve’s worry.