Harmless (Bucky Barnes)

(xvi)

For what was considered the world's largest security organisation, S.H.I.E.L.D. spent an inordinate amount of effort into picking the worst possible waiting room music of all time.

If Bucky heard the same damn one-hit-wonder jingle he had been hearing for the past three hours, he was going to throw his phone across the room. He knew the tune by heart, could hum it in his sleep and hell, if you gave him a piano he'd probably be able to recreate it note for note.

"Good morning, you've reached S.H.I.E.L.D. How may I help you today?"

"Linda, it's me."

"Sergeant Barnes," she sighs with the fatigue of a woman who had dealt with too much from him in the past week, "Director Fury isn't in yet."

Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose, turning his chin up to the sky in thinly veiled frustration. "Did he tell you to tell me that?"

"That's classified information, sir."

"Linda," he repeats her name, hoping it'd help him bypass at least eight security protocols, "I'm just gonna call again. Neither of us want that."

It strikes a chord. Probably not because he said her name but because this was the third time that day he was calling.

Linda says slowly, "He told me to tell you to leave him alone."

"I would if he just answered me," he mumbles. "Tell him it's important."

"I did."

"Tell him it's really important."

"I did."

Fury, you son of a bitch.

"Have a good day, Linda."

"You too, Sergeant."

Bucky's screen opens back up to the last place he left off an hour ago. You were no stranger to this man leaving you on 'read', more often than not because you've said something stupid.

From Villain(ish)
Your place or mine? ;)

A few things haven't changed, clearly. The message was a damn throwback; he can remember the vivid details of the last time it happened too.

To Villain(ish)
mine

But a few things have changed.

He can see the chat bubble appear and disappear several times. It brings a smug smirk to his face.

From Villain(ish)
Stop it, you're not supposed to flirt back

To Villain(ish)
then stop hitting on me

From Villain(ish)
Never

From Villain(ish)
See you at my place ;)

From Villain(ish)
The lair. I mean the lair.

From Villain(ish)
Unless...

To Villain(ish)
no

From Villain(ish)
Fine, lair it is

_________

"Y/N, the stupid light at the front's blinking again," Bucky calls out as he walks through the entrance, after spending nearly five minutes trying to figure out what's wrong with it. "What'd you break now?"

What doesn't surprise him is how the lair's decked out today. There are several giant slabs of varying heights and widths, pristine white in colour. It's arranged randomly on the ground like some sort of a maze or labyrinth.