A Strangers Hand

Chapter 2-6

You stood in the center of the dirt covered ring, surrounded by a dozen members of the Dora Milaje. You held your spear in hand as your eyes scanned the perimeter, studying each warrior, remembering how they fight. For a split second, your eyes fell onto Bucky, who was seated in his usual place on the hill; when you caught his gaze, he shot you a smile and a single nod of encouragement.

You turned your attention back to Ayo who was standing parallel to you about 5 yards away, she raised her brow at you as if asking if you were ready; you took a deep breath and nodded confidently. Before you could blink, Ayo signaled the first offense; two warriors charging in from your right.

You dodged the first blow, ducking to the left as your first opponent's spear whirred past your shoulder, you used your staff to defend yourself from the assault that followed. Right hit, block. Left kick, block. Right hit again, block. You matched her rhythm and hurled her backwards, giving you the opportunity to spin on your heel and try to disarm opponent number two.

Having only fought her once before, you knew she had an advantage over you; she immediately started walking you backwards with her strikes, you tried to study her fight pattern, but she was fast. You pushed yourself to focus on her movements, slowing the fight down in your mind and honing in on her rhythm; but then she locked her spear onto yours and twisted it out of your grasp, your eyes widened as your mind raced for a way out. You ducked as she swung the blunt end of her weapon at you, using your position to kick your leg out; hooking it behind her right knee, knocking her off balance. You jumped up, taking advantage of her falter and grabbed hold of her spear, spinning it in your hand skillfully and pointing the arrowed edge at her throat. She stepped back and raised her hands at you in submission. Two down, ten to go.

You matched each attacker, as Ayo waved them in, disarming them and forcing them to yield. As you handed their spear back to your final competitor, you were met with a validating look from Ayo. You breathlessly looked around, noting the nods of approval from each member of the Dora you had gone up against.

You were already overwhelmed with acceptance when you heard a loud whistle echoing from behind you; you turned around to see Bucky beaming with pride, yelling at the top of his lungs as if he were cheering on his favorite team at a football game. You couldn't help but shake your head and laugh at his childlike joy.

Once Ayo dismissed you, you made your way towards him. "Well, Sergeant, what do you think?" You stretched your arms out from your sides, arrogantly, trying to play up your victory.

He ran to meet you halfway, scooping you up with his arm and flipping you over his shoulder, carrying you the rest of the way up the hill. "I think I'd hate to be the one to piss you off." You could hear the smirk in his voice. "I still don't think you could take me though, even with one arm tied behind my back."

He flipped you back upright, steadying you back onto your feet. You looked at the empty space where his metal arm once was and then back to his face. "So...no arms then? Someone thinks highly of himself." You shot him a menacing grin and he rolled his eyes in reply, clearly trying not to laugh.

"You know what? I was gonna take it easy on you, but you've ruined that now." He spoke through gritted teeth and nodded at you, fighting a smile.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to-" You turned and bolted towards your house before uttering another word, letting out a squeal when you heard Bucky's heavy footsteps running up behind you. You thought for sure you'd make it inside, but just before you reached the threshold, his strong arm snaked itself around your waist and pulled you backwards; causing you both to fall to the grass, in a fit of laughter.

He rolled you over onto your back as he propped himself up with his elbow, his face stilling just inches from yours. He stared at you for a moment, looking over every detail of your face. You pushed yourself up onto your forearms, bringing yourself closer to him. You inhaled deeply, your eyes flickering to his lips and then to the rise and fall of his chest, its pace quickening as you began to close the gap between you.

He leaned into it for only a second before clearing his throat. You pulled away quickly to see his furrowed brow, his questioning look meant for himself, not for you. "You know, I'm really proud of you, Y/N." He spoke in a low but earnest tone. "I know training was really challenging for you for a while, but watching you today...You were incredible."

You smiled at his sincerity. "I'm happy that you pushed me to do it. I like feeling like this, like I'm strong."

He narrowed his eyes at you slightly. "You've always been strong, Y/N. This is just a different kind of strength. It suits you."

A jolt of turbulence snapped you back to reality, you gasped and gripped the arms of your seat until your knuckles were white. When the plane settled, you let out the breath you'd been holding tight in your chest and checked the time. Halfway there.