[1] hostility ▷ bucky barnes [✔]

[7] ▷ doubt

ALEXANDER Pierce was dead.

That good news sang music to Artemis's ears. She couldn't stand the bastard.

From the small, worn-out warehouse that they were in only a couple of days ago, they have traveled miles and chased the sunset until they couldn't anymore.

They have gathered enough money, stolen a couple of cars (maybe even a Lamborghini or two, thanks to Artemis's good taste in expensive cars), and they have skipped small town to small town, finding abandoned homes or places to spend their nights in.

The two have grown closer than they ever have before, even to a point where now Bucky called Artemis 'Arty-Fart,' and she called him 'Buck-Fuck.' She's pulled more smiles and laughs out of him more than she's ever seen in her entire life from anyone around her.

They were currently driving along the Interstate, heading towards Albany, New York. The two were in an old white 1999 Toyota Camry, Bucky driving, and Artemis with her feet on the dash, holding a BigMac in her hand and a fry in the other.

"You know," She says, chewing with her mouth full, smiling happily. "I've never had McDonald's before," She swallows, shaking a fry at Bucky with a smile. "But as far as I can tell, this is the shit." She says, plopping the fry in her mouth. Bucky chuckled, using his flesh hand to push his hair back, his other hand gripping the steering wheel.

"You've said that about every other fast-food restaurant we've stopped at these past couple of days. I don't even think that's real meat you're eating, it looks disgusting." He inputs, and she scoffs. "Well, you look disgusting." She tolerates, pulling out another fry from the carton, then sticking her tongue out at Bucky childishly. He sent a smile at her, reaching over and snatching a fry from the carton, quickly plopping it into his mouth before Artemis could protest.

She side glared him. "Bitch, who said you could have a fry?" She muttered. "I said so myself, punk," He said back to her loudly, sending her a cheeky smile, which made her duck her head to hide an amused grin.

◇

"I am not wearing that," He whisper-shouts at her, taking the clothes hanger, — that had the ugliest button-up floral shirt Bucky has ever seen on it, — and throwing it to the side in disgust. "Aw, c'mon. I think it would look adorable on you." She says. He narrows his eyes at her, subconsciously sticking his hands in his pockets and looking away. "I'm not adorable." He mutters, and she smiles sweetly at him, grabbing the shirt and roughly but playfully pushing it into his chest.

"I bought it, you're wearing it." She says, walking away before he could protest. He rolls his eyes at her backside, looking down at the shirt with his nose scrunched up. He trudges into the corner store bathroom, turning around and making sure to lock the door.

"Bullshit," He mutters to himself, looking at his body in the dirty, bathroom mirror. His bare chest had only a couple of hairs left on it, some new ones that had finally grown out some since his time away from Hydra. His eyes trailed to where the flesh of his shoulder touched the metal of his arm. The scars would always be there, it would always be a reminder of how he failed, how he was used.

He reached for the shirt just as Artemis gave a loud bang on the metal door. "Hurry up, sweetheart! We're going to be late for our cruise!" She says, her voice loud and faked. Someone must be near. He decided he would play along and yelled over his shoulder just as he slipped on the pair of khaki shorts she had gotten him as well. "I'm coming, doll!" He says. He snarled at his reflection as he washed the dirt from his face rather quickly, taking the pistol off of the sink and sticking it in the back of his pants.

He opened the door and walked out, seeing that there were two men walking towards an 18-wheeler that was parked a little far back. One of the men kept glancing back at Artemis every now and then, and Bucky smiled lovingly down at her just to play along.

"Those two men over there," He says lowly, the smile still stitched on his lips. She giggled, grabbing his shoulders and looking up into his eyes with a smile. He saw the man look over his shoulder at them and Bucky's eyes darted back to Artemis, unnoticed by the man. "They're agents, I can hear their heartbeats and almost feel their sweat. First timers, I'm sure of it." She says, smiling the whole time. He nods, dropping his hands to his side from holding her back.

"Get in the car," He says, and she rolls her eyes, quickening her pace to stand by his side as he walked towards the tractor-trailer truck that's been roared to life. His hand finds the handle of his gun just as she tolerates, "What the hell did you drink this morning to think that I would actually stay away from a fight?" She chuckles.

The man opened the door, a machine gun in hand, but before he could even think to raise it and pull the trigger, Artemis had pulled a throwing knife out of her pocket and threw it towards the gun in his hand. The machine gun flew back onto the driver's seat, catching the man off guard, his eyes darting back to Artemis's raised gun with raised eyebrows and a mouth open in shock.

She smirks at him, her attention flipping to the fist she sensed coming towards the back of her head. She turned and nearly caught it, but a metal arm had already done the job. The second man threw a punch at Bucky with his only free hand, screaming in pain when the bones in his clenched hand cracked under the metal of Bucky's fist.

Artemis quickly recollects her opponent as soon as she felt a bullet swoosh past her ear. She quickly turns to dodge the other flying bullets, running towards the shooter while pulling out her small swords, swinging them in her hands.

She uses one of them to knock the gun out of the man's shaking hand, again, taking him by his hair and smashing his face into the pavement below them. Once his nose cracked, she pulled him up and made him look her in the eye. "Why are you following us?" She asked him, eyes narrowing in on him, making him feel as if his heart would drop out of his ass at any moment. He coughed up some blood, and she pulled out one of her knives and stuck it to his throat as a warning.

"O..okay!" He surrendered weakly. "We-we were paid to tail you!" "By who?" Bucky suddenly asks, coming up behind Artemis, cracking his knuckles. The other man lie unconscious on the ground behind him. The man coughs, and Artemis grabs him by his throat. "By who!" She asks this time, anger taking over any emotion in her body.

The man smiles sinisterly, biting something in the back of his mouth. Artemis watched in horror as foam gushed from the corners of his lips. He struggled to speak with a laugh. "You know who we are," Were his last words before his eyes flashed a sickly green and his body went limp. Artemis staggered backwards from the body lying on the floor and Bucky caught her shoulders, turning her away just as they heard sirens ringing from about a mile away. On their way back to the car, Artemis aimed for the security cameras and shot them out, then hopped into the car.

She ran her fingers through her hair as Bucky nearly popped a wheelie while pulling out of the gas station. "Hydra?" Bucky asked, but Artemis shook her head, tears nearly falling from her eyes as she stared out the window.

"No, somebody much, much worse."

(a/n: I ship them so hard oml )