look after you × winterwidow & oc

III. naivnyy pauchok

Sam's head turned to the side when Natasha's steps echoed through the abandoned warehouse.

"Where is he?" she didn't even stop next to him, looking around frantically, craving some reassurance that James was alright.

"Over there." Steve came out of one of the side rooms.

"What are you even doing here?" Wilson asked as she continued walking this time in the said direction, the two men on her heels. Sam's questions let her know that Steve didn't fill him in on everything. "I mean, I feel like I'm missing something here. I thought you were on Stark's side."

Natasha ignored his questions and stopped dead in her tracks in the empty doorway when she first saw James, barely holding upright, only because his arm was immobilized.

"A vice?" she turned back to Steve with a reproachful look. "Are you kidding me?"

"We wanted to play it safe, okay?" Sam explained, "We don't know who he is going to be when he wakes up."

Natasha scoffed and crossed the room. She crouched in front of Barnes, taking a look at his emotionless face. He was still out cold.

"He's going to be himself, you can open this thing up," she motioned to vice. Wilson looked at her with a frown and then at Steve, looking for confirmation.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked, crossing his arms.

"I just do."

"Come on, Nat, how long are you going to play this game?" Rogers scoffed, leaning against the wall.

"Since when having a private life is playing a game?" she arched a brow at him.

"This can't be private anymore." realizing he has no more arguments, Steve changed the subject "What did you do to him earlier? How did you make him pass out?"

She shrugged. "Winter Soldier has an off switch. It's another trigger word, but this one has a reverse effect."

"How do you even know that?" Rogers asked and sighed when she didn't react, letting him know that he wouldn't get an answer.

"And since you knew that, you couldn't have done that earlier?" Sam suggested, "Would save all of us a lot of trouble."

Steve nodded but changed the subject once again, knowing already that they won't get an answer out of her that easily. "What were you even doing in Romania, how did you find him so quickly?"

Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose. Was there a point in keeping all these secrets any longer? She didn't have to tell them the whole story. Just a few details that would satisfy Captain's unhealthy and irritating curiosity.

"You have to be more specific with that question," she suggested. Sam's gaze was still jumping between them. "How did I find him today or in general?"

"You found him before?" Wilson chimed in.

"When?" Steve's voice was cold and tense.

"About a year ago," she confessed and Rogers scoffed in disbelief. "Took me maybe half a year at best to locate a country, then a city. Finding him there was a matter of a few days."

"But how?" Sam's frown only deepened "We looked for the guy for two years and found nothing."

"Because you were looking for the wrong person. Someone who doesn't exist anymore."

"That's bullshit." Steve accused.

"Come on, be rational." it took a lot of strength and patience not to snap at him there and then, to keep calm, and not go straight to shouting at each other. "Do you really think he's the same person?"