Chapter Text
"well that went great, well done guys, really proud of us", natasha was pacing back and forth across the floor, "and also, whose house have we broken into?" she paused and looked at the battered and bruised group infront of her.
clint and sam glanced up, momentarily stopping poking around the small kitchenette they had been crammed into in the tiny apartment.
"we didnt break in, we are borrowing it for a minute" steve groaned as he slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor, pulling a shard of broken glass from his arm with a hiss, "also drop the sarcasm, we need to figure out what we are gonna do now". he looked around the room, half hoping for a plan to spring forward from the cosy furnishings or the now mud trampled rug.
clint, who so far had remained quiet, leaned towards sam and whispered, "you know that dude kinda looks like a serial killer". sam glanced at bucky who had wedged himself into the corner of the room and was fidgeting with a knife in his hands, "he kinda is..." he whispered back.
wanda had claimed the small cream sofa, quietly whispering to herself and fidgiting with her hands.
~
"cap i hate to be the one to say it, but i dont think we are winning this one", sam's voice came through the comm in steves ear, "hes right steve, i should just give myself up, im not worth this, it will be better for everyone." bucky's shout through the comms fought with the explosion of a petrol tanker to steves left. "no, there has to be a way, im not losing you again"
suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him out of his hidden position behind an upturned car. cursing his lack of concentration, steve turned to face his attacker.
"romanoff" he said, glancing at the woman before him apprehensively, "look im sorry this happened but i..."
"shut up. pretend to fight me" she interrupted throwing a punch at him. he dodged and glanced up confused, not moving. "fight me, goddamnit" she urged, throwing another punch. this time he blocked it and moved to make a counterpunch.
"what are you doing?" he asked, bewildered. she easily blocked his hit and pivoted to kick his side, "i have a plan, im gonna get you guys out of this, youre not gonna win but you dont deserved to be locked up", they traded blows back and forth, neither one making any solid contact, "you believe what your doing is right, youre giving him a chance, just like barton gave me a chance. now make sure you dont blow it".
she lept away from him and up onto the upturned car next to them, "wait for my signal then run like hell" before he could reply she had gone.
steve felt like he was inside a washing machine, explosions echoed around him and voices shouted over the comms in his ear but he heard non of it. he stood frozen where she left him, questions spinning round his head.
suddenly the ground shook as a 100ft explosion reached towards the sky to his left. steve snapped back to his senses, it seemed a good enough signal as any. turning, he started sprinting towards one of the terminals.
"RUN!" he yelled into his comms, his voice hoarse. "get out and rendezvous under the bridge for the overpass!". he didnt wait for a response. his legs burned but he pushed through, ducking out the way of flying debris and carnage.
~
steve heaved himself to his feet from where he had been slumped on the floor and glanced at his team in the tiny apartment, he needed a plan and he needed it yesterday. police sirens roared passed the window next to him. "we should get out of leipzig, steal a van or something, lay low" he muttered to no-one in particular, his hand applying pressure to the deep cut on his arm. he could already feel the serum knitting his flesh back together under his fingers. "then maybe we could try and talk to tony, there still has to be a way we can sort this out"
"no."
"absolutely not, have you lost your mind"
"tony wont just talk it out"
clint sam and natahsas voices erupted in the small space.
"tony was out for blood there cap, he is in too deep with secretary ross to go back now" sams statement carried over the other voices.
"nah this is one of steves less stupid plans, normally he would have suggested we steal a quinjet or something", bucky, who had been silent until now, snorted from his corner of the house, his voice full of sarcasm.
"you know what..." steve started.
"im gonna stop you right there, my suggestion was a prime example of what we are NOT going to be doing" bucky stood up staight, facing his friend.
"we are going to steal a shield quinjet." caps voice was now full of conviction.
"great job buck, well done"
"you cant be serious"
"thats exactly what we shouldnt be doing, given the fact they are the ones conducting a manhunt for us right now."
sam, clint and natashas voices again erupted in protest
"ah yes, right into the belly of the beast, what on earth could possily go wrong" wandas small voice came from the sofa.
bucky slammed his head against the wall.
"the berlin shield headquarters is only 2 hour drive from here, it will give us a good chance to assess how they are trying to track us down, we need a method of transport to get around anyway," steve listed his reasons off on his fingers, "and a quinjet would be pretty handy given he fact we are now fugitives of 117 countries"
bucky banged his head against the wall again, he should of seen this coming from miles away.
silence fell on the room. everyone looked around. he had a point. "its insane" sam finally broke the silence, "probably wont be expecting it though", he turned towards steve, "whats the plan cap?"
great. now there were two of them. bucky stood there and gazed at his childhood bestfriend and the flying bird man. cryo felt pretty tempting right now.
clint glanced back at bucky who was now holstering his knife and fixing his tact belt, "you know, nobodys told me who he is yet"
"introductions can happen later", steve said as he reached down to pick up his sheild, "right now we've got a plane to steal".
~
wanda jumped as she heard a rustle behind her. she had been split up from clint and the rest during the fight but had been closer to the exit when cap had yelled to run. and she had done just that. she now stood half concealed behind one of the concrete pillars of the overpass, her magic swirling and pulsing between he hands.
"stand down gandalf, same team", sam appeared from behind another pillar. wanda sighed and her magic slowly faded away. the pair stood there in silence, straining their ears for signs the others were on their way. sirens sounded overhead.
clint appeared next, his bow slung over his shoulders and his quiver nearly empty, he had a line of blood dribbling down his forehead from his hairline but otherwise looked intact. not even a minute later steve and bucky rounded the corner at a jog having a hastily whispered conversation.
"now we are all here we should probably get out of the open..." sam started but steve interrupted, "not quite all of us"
they all looked around confused and, as if she timed it, natasha walked around the corner they had all appeared from.
within seconds clints bow was drawn, sam and bucky had guns pointed and wandas magic pulsed between her fingers.
"well dont you all look a state", her eyes drifted to each of them before landing on steve.
"its alright guys, stand down, who do you think exploded that 747? shes with us now"
reholstering their weapons and exchanging quick looks, the team made their way cautiously out from under the bridge and then darted quickly down an alleyway, towards a row of houses. steves shield met the lock on the door of the first one they came too and it gave way sending the team practically tumbling into a tiny apartment.
~
they found a white ford transit on the road behind the apartment; the locks crumbled like shortbread under buckys metal arm. they piled in: steve in the drivers seat, bucky in the passenger seat and the other 4 in the back.
"are you comfy? im so comfy" sam directed towards clint, his voice thick with sarcasm. he, clint, nat and wanda were sat shoulder to shoulder on the floor, pressed up against 2x4's, tins of paint and a heavy toolbox. it was very cramped.
steve shot sam a warning look over his shoulder. it would be a long 2 hours.
steve turned back and continued to concentrate on what was ahead, they still needed to get out of leipzig unnoticed. he was scanning the roads carefully and straining to hear any approaching sirens.
bucky, sat next to him, was a statue. his ice-cold stare fixed on the road ahead.
it was quiet. wanda coughed, the noise deafening in the small space. clint turned his head towards the front from where we was squashed between sam and nat. he wanted to know who steves serial killer, one armed, staring boyfriend was, he intrigued him. now was a good enough time as any to ask.
"so, introduction time, im clint, you are...?"
bucky glanced at steve with apprehension, steve answered instead with a reassuring nod to his friend, "his name is bucky barnes, hes my childhood bestfriend". childhood best friend? shouldnt he by like 100 at least? clint shook his head. he felt too old for this shit.
everyone fell back into their restless silence as steve drove the van out of leipzig, narrowly avoiding the police road blocks and onwards towards berlin. the sun was setting on the horizon and the blue dusk glow bathed the silent van.