he was the one • winterwidow

⊱ six ⊰

- russian roulette / rihanna -

"Straighten your posture."

Everyday his deep voice echoed from the back of the room. They had a small, dark room with a black mat spread across the whole entirety of it.

As always, his voice was harsh.

But Natalia knew better than to believe that.

"They're planning on erasing my memory, you know," She proclaimed, eyes still focused on the blank wall ahead of her, not yet daring to face him. "What do you think about that, James?"

"Don't call me that here," Bucky scolded, voice dropping an octave lower. "Where's your gun."

As he moved closer to her, Natalia grasped onto the cold steel at her side. Not in the need to protect herself: but to show the metal to him.

"Good. Now here's what I want you to do..."

✧★✧

It had probably been the first ever time Nat had allowed herself to be scared throughout her whole time as a Black Widow.

But she wasn't scared for the reasons others may think.

She couldn't care about graduation. Not anymore, at least. If anything that was the least of her worries.

Considering the amount time she had spent training with Barnes and how close they had gotten, they'd be put under a serum to forget one another.

And that was all Nat was worried about.

Forgetting Bucky was her kryptonite. The one thing that'll tear her apart. He makes her feel at home-something no one had ever become close to doing in her whole life.

Whatever happens, Natasha, I'll find you. In this life or the next. I'll always find you.

James' words still sounded in her head like he'd just whispered them to her ear. If she tried hard enough, she could even feel the ghost of where his hand had brushed the red hair out of the way to press his lips to her temple.

Possibly their last ever goodbye.

She would remain armed as she underwent the graduation.

If all went to plan, they could see each other freely for the rest of their lives. Never having to risk anything.

They could have infinite goodbyes.

Or maybe never have to say goodbye again.

Nat was laid on the cold titanium surface as she felt the restraints tug at her limbs, holding her tight in place.

There was a high chance of her coming out of this room not knowing who James Barnes was. But he had told her to trust him, and that was the one thing she had never stopped doing no matter how much she tried.

One second she was met with a bright light and the next was all a blur as consciousness slowly faded and faded, the feeling of her being dragged below the ground as all gravity seemed to disappear.

And then everything after that was pure anarchy.

The small glass window on the left side of the rectangular testing room shattered to the floor as an arrow-like figure situated itself in the foundation by Natasha's head.

Chaos rose through the chambers below the Red Room as each member got taken down one at a time.

By what? Nat wasn't in the right condition to say. Even if she had her full vision and mindset, the table was elevated to where she couldn't see the ground. Only the necks and faces of the men who get pulled from the windows along the left walls.

Then there was a man next to her.

But this one wasn't like the others she'd encountered in the past hour.

"I can't kill you. What're they thinking, huh?" He had laughter in his tone, almost making Nat want to break out of those cuffs and slam him to the ground. But she couldn't, he was seemingly her last hope. "I'm Clint. Let's get you out of here."

"Where's-" Nat's eyes dropped once more as the blonde lifted her up after freeing her from the binding metal. "Where's Barnes?"

"Who's Barnes?"

"I..." Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. The feeling was odd. Forbidden. She wasn't allowed to cry. "I don't know."

"We don't have much time. S.H.I.E.L.D will help you. And so will I, okay?" Clint spoke as he stepped out the previously broken window pane.

As if bringing her back to who she was, the firearm was still attached to her ankles, hidden beneath the leather that would disguise it from the graduation employees. It felt different this time, however.

It didn't remind her of who she used to be. Or what her life was.

But it reminded her of one thing, which was all she knew;

She was the Black Widow.