Chapter Text
The engine rumbles deeply into the silent night. You rest your eyes, the dimming red light dances on the car’s form. Today’s been a calm night, the usual boyracers and irresponsible drivers were not to be seen. They better do, you think to yourself.
The light changes smoothly from red to yellow and runs green. You press down the clutch, let the engine rumble up, put it in first gear, and smoothly work your way away from the cross. You always adored manual transmission, the feeling of the buzz at your feet makes you satisfied.
It’s past midnight, despite the ‘never-sleeping city’ title the roads are mainly clear. A few SUV’s are rolling around the blocks, and you hear the deep grumbles of the V8 engines in the background.
Weird, you think–
*GUNSHOT*
You jump a bit in fear, letting go of all pedals. As the car begins to slow, you look around, eyes dancing on the streets, finding nothing. The engine rumbles in need, whining to you about the low revs.
“Shut it buddy, I need to look around”
You check the lanes, floor the clutch, shift to second, and make a sort-of-not-textbook-legal turn, tyres squealing in desperate work to have grip.
*GUNSHOT*
This is what should not happen on the streets.
You frantically look around, trying to find the source of violence. God knows what could be happening. Maybe shady business on the streets? Violence against others?
You are not a God, nor police, but damn you if you’re not going to check it out. It is what you promised those years ago.
*GUNSHOT*
Your eyes snap to the light source, catching a fire set to rage.
With a source, an aim to reach, you kick the gas pedal and enjoy the 3-liter inline-six roar to fight.
With the road mainly empty, you hung onto hope that no one will cross you on your way, because the law just became a plain concept in your mission to reach your goal.
You reach 80 kilometres per hour, hitting the clutch, letting your foot rest on the gas for a bit, letting the engine roar to have power in the next shift, getting the gearstick out of second and smoothly smashing it into the third, letting the roaring inline-six put power to the wheels as you synchronize the clutch.
You look to the right side, checking the background, searching for your aim, and finding it.
As you look back, you find that the path you need continues in the next cross, around 90 degrees to the right. With no hesitation whatsoever, you pull the handbrake, swing the car to the right, release the handbrake, hit the normal brake, then swing the car to the left, giving it a fat gas, letting your car lose control in order to make that right turn in the imperfect melody of your engine rumbling high and tires squeaking.
“For the last time, Jim, where you been yesterday?” The tall brunette man cocks his gun.
“I-I swear to God, I haven't broken a rule of yours–”
“Shut your goddamn mouth man, why you bullshittin’ us?”
“Sam, shut it.” A brunette man snaps, then sighs.
Today’s been a tiring day for James B. Barnes. His parents were bugging him all week, shipments got delayed, and got woken to multiple people trying to call him, needing to solve issues that were supposed to be doing fine. One of these issues is Jim McTorney, the lad with not only debt, but with suspicious acting.
And now, near midnight, he is nearby a park named Domino, next to a calling river. Clearing the place for the night’s been an absolute nightmare, but the silence and the clear sky make him forget about the stress for a bit.
“Look, man, I know you’re not as innocent as you claim yourself to be. I mean, we all have our bad times right?” he puts the hot, smoking end of the previously used gun to his scalp, “But you’ve been doing things you had no business with. I mean, sniffing around for the HYDRA? Old fault buddy, old fault–”
“I-I swear to my life, Mr. Barnes, I haven’t done anything against you!”
“Then why were you at their mansion a lotta times this month?! Got invited for tea?!”
“I needed some money for my son!” the man cries out.
“Ah hah” Barnes smiled, “So you work for their money”
“It’s – it’s nothing, Mr. Barnes, it has nothing to do with you.”
“There are tons of ambush attacks at my properties by HYDRA, so forgive me for assuming you working for them had anything to do with them.”
“I can reassure you, – “ Jim begins “ – with people I know I’m sure I could help you too. I mean, I am a very charismatic person myself, I could –”
“ People you know? What, friends? Like Johansson, your beloved buddy?”
“Ah, no, how could I compare Smith and Carney to Johansson?! Those two are devilish, nothing like – “ he snaps his mouth shut.
Barnes smirks to his wingman, nodding to Sam in a knowing way.
“It was at this moment he knew,” Sam dropped his voice deeper. “he fucked up”
“Thank you for the information Jim, see, you were useful in your last moments”
“ No, NO NO NO please sir, don’t do this!” he sees the gun rising to his head “I have a son man! I have a family! Don’t do it! For them, for god’s sake – !”
A loud BANG echoes the city.
A lifeless body hangs lazily on a chair.
“Sam could you please – “
“Right away Buckaroo” the man smirks and starts to untie Jim’s body.
“Call me that again you son of a gun, I’ll have you as my servant”
“Oh dang, what a catastrophe! As if I ain't doin’ anything you say, man”
“Just move your ass faster, Sam, we ain’t got all night to finish.”
“DAMN man, a’ight, no need to hurt my feelings”
Sam is in fact not doing anything faster at all.
“Look, you know what faster means, right?”
“Look, if you were to have an ass like mine, you wouldn’t be making me work hard. Look at ‘em Buckaroo, look at these smooth fuckers.”
Both chuckle. Sam was doing a great job untieing the man, already pulling him over his shoulder and walking to the river nearby.
Barnes pulls a cigarette out of his holder from his pocket, fumbling with the lighter for fire. When he burns the end of his cig, he inhales long, letting the smoke burn him. With a satisfied smile, he let all the air and smoke with stress out from his body, eyes wandering around.
To be honest, the next moment was a mutual fault. No hesitation, no second thoughts. Just two people being at the wrong place. Bad timing, that’s all. The inviting and unusual night of Brooklyn just casually kidding them. As if God is just messing around.
Because when it happens, it’s like a spark set to fire. Lightning strikes into the ocean. Boiling water to ice. And the next moments were numb.
Because Barnes’ ocean blue eyes lock with another’s curious green ones.
His spark gets a chance to become a raging fire, her lighting could strike powerfully.
And it was at this moment they knew, they fucked up.