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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years

Text

Witness : 2

New Assignment

moodboard created by @chuuulip

Character(s): dark!Bucky, later dark!Steve, too

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. Some violence as well at the beginning. It goes without (and with) that this is 18+.

Summary: Our reader deals with the grief and paranoia of what she has witnessed, but she finds herself drawn into the belly of the beast.

Notes: I am reposting this fic here. It was originally on ao3 but now it’s on tumblr too! If you read, I love feedback and would love any comments you have. And if you can, please share! Anyhow, enjoy :)

You didn’t sleep that night. You could barely remember returning to your apartment. Turning off your car, locking it, punching in your security code at the front door, climbing the six flights to your bachelor loft. You could recall your door clicking shut and the chain sliding into place. Sitting down in the only chair and staring at the blank television screen. The sun rose through the window, at first a blood orange, softening to an amber, and finally the soft yellow of the morning.

Your alarm chimed, dampened by the leather of your bag. You leaned over the arm of your chair painfully and reached for the handle, dragging it up and over onto your lap. You dug inside and dismissed the ringing reminder. You were not scheduled for any tempwork today but you hadn’t rescheduled your alarm; as you often cursed yourself for. You were about to drop your phone back where you got it when a notification flashed across your screen.

‘Did you get home okay last night?’ Allie texted, another following quickly. ‘I didn’t hear from you.’ You were home, alive, but were you okay? You blinked, swallowing through the dryness of your mouth. You unlocked your phone and quickly replied with a fib; ‘I’m fine. I must have forgot and fallen asleep.’ She answered swiftly, ‘Good. I was worried. There was a robbery last night near my building. The guy was killed.’

I know , you thought, instead sending a singular ‘Oh,’ and shocked emoticon. You locked the phone and tossed it onto your couch, well away from you. You were stiff when you stood, a sleepless night sat in a cheap Ikea armchair was ill-advised. You stretched, trying to shake the cloud away from your head. It was as if you were seeing the world through tinted glasses.

You made your way to the bathroom, trying to pull the elastic from your ponytail which had sagged to the nape of your neck. You broke it in your efforts and hissed, throwing it against the mirror. Your eyes met those of your reflection and you blanched. Your eyes were dark with fatigues, your skin almost sallow, face puffy from tears. You looked like a different person; felt as much.

You reached over, past the shower curtain, and twisted the old four-pronged faucet which gave a whine of metal on metal. Water spattered onto the tile and you withdrew your arm, slowly undressing as you avoided another glance at yourself. Shoes, socks, blouse, pants, underwear, all in a pile in the corner. You would have to throw those out. They felt tainted.

You stepped under the steamy flow and it embraced you, melting the ice which had formed along your muscles. As your hair absorbed the water, you leaned your head back and breathed deep; as if it were the first you had drawn since the night before. As if it were your first and last. You shuddered and the tears began again; melding with the drops falling from the shower head.

By the time you felt clean, if you could call it that, your head throbbed from crying. You stepped from the shower and wrapped yourself in a towel. You secured it at the top of your chest and went to fetch a trash bag from the kitchen. You dropped your clothing into the plastic liner and tied it tightly, dropping it by the door. You would toss it later.

You dragged your feet to the next room where your bed awaited, the sheets and blankets still askew from your last slumber. You fell upon the mattress, hair damp, towel loose around your form, and closed your eyes. Sleep came quickly, out of physical necessity, rather than mental clarity. Your rest was tumultuous and filled with vision of blood and your own demise. It was the most exhausting sleep you had ever experienced.

The first week was filled with grieving. You went to work, did what was needed, and returned to your apartment to mull in silence. You were still overcome with the haze; so detached from all around you. You could pretend it was normal; smile, say hello, ask “how are you? Oh me, I’m good. What can I do for you?...”

The second week was when the fear set in. The nightmares had become more clear and you couldn’t help but look over your shoulder wherever you went. Even in your own apartment. What if you had been seen? What if it had been a trap and they had seen you as you left? What if you hadn’t waited long enough? What if they found you?

You told yourself it was merely paranoia. As it was, you weren’t important enough to be a threat. In your own life, you were little enough to be noticed by the people in the fluorescent-hued offices you were sent to. If you had been found out, would you not have been dealt with by now? You just needed to get over it. Move on. You were alive...and that man was dead. Even if he was a criminal, a drug dealer, a murderer himself; he was dead.

It was another early morning but as of late, you were always awake before your alarm could hasten you. A bowl of yogurt, some granola on top, with a glass of orange juice, some toast and jam. Same breakfast every day. Dress in the dark, unplug your phone, pack your work bag, slip on your flats, a jacket over your arm in case it rains. Keys, stairs, car. Fuck, you hadn’t checked your new assignment.

You sighed and dug your phone out of your bag, your email shone brightly from the screen in the lowlight of early morning. You pressed on the first email; that day’s date, and waited for the winding circle to load. Stark Tower, front desk. Monday to Friday assignment. Special pay, $22/hr, clearance required before commencement. Report to security office upon arrival.

Your phone slipped from your hand but you caught it before it could slide down your leg and onto the floor. Why hadn’t you read it before you said yes? Because that was your habit. You had nothing else in your life so you took whatever would pay. These last weeks, you had merely accepted anything which crossed your screen. Hell, you had worked enough jobs that you could handle it all. Dentist office, insurance company, high-brow CEO. It was all the same. This would be no different.

If you saw those men again, the ones you dreaded even thinking about, what would you do? Nothing. They didn’t know you saw them; couldn’t know. You had nothing to fear. Would you even see them? The odds that they would be at Stark Tower the week you were there were slim or that they would have any reason to stop by the front desk if they did. It was just another job.

You dropped your phone back in your bag and started your car. If you didn’t go now, you’d scare yourself out of it. It was all in your head. Maybe it was. Maybe you hadn’t heard that man die. Maybe you hadn’t seen Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes with their guns pointed at him. Maybe, maybe, maybe...but you had.

You pulled up to Stark Tower; there was a parking garage below. You were stopped at the window and reported your purpose. “Return here with your credentials and we’ll give you a proper pass. For now, take this temporary one,” The man in the booth instructed, handing your a slip. You drove on ahead and found an empty space. You killed the engine and hung your head for a moment, gathering your wits. Reaching for your bag, you forced yourself out of the car and locked it, looking around the parking garage with a gulp. It was different than the concrete maze behind Allie's building. This one was as pristine as the rest of Stark Tower; shining, metallic walls and pillars, lines formed by electronic lasers across the tarmac. Who knew a parking lot could be so fancy?

You found your way to the stairs which the arrows told you led to the public entrance. You held onto the rail as your feet were heavier which each step. You pushed through the metal door and found yourself at a door just inside the foyer of Stark Tower, opposite the automatic glass doors which lined the front. You looked around, the digital lettering reading ‘Security’ catching your eye.

You crossed to the desk, stopping before the glass which separated personnel from public. “Hello,” You greeted as the man turned to you, his dark uniform marked with a simple label across his left lapel denoting his department. “I’m a temp sent from Blue Binder Temp Agency.”

“I.D.” The man demanded and waited for you to produce your wallet. You slipped your driver’s license through and he typed into the computer just to his left. He held up the card and squinted. “Y/N?” He turned to you, “I need a second form of I.D. to confirm.”

You dug around and offered him your birth certificate. He inserted both your license and certificate into a slot and they were swiftly kicked back out, a copy of both appearing in a tray below. He returned your documents and typed once more into his computer. “Fingers on the desk along the outlines.” You looked down and red dots appeared on the metal ledge before his window in the pattern of fingerprints. You placed your hands as he advised and the red dots flashed and disappeared. He pointed to a small black dot along the metal lining his window, “Look at the camera.” A flash caught you off-guard as your eyes found the small device and his printer began to work once more.

He held up a plastic card, attaching it to a lanyard and slid it through the slot. Your picture, name, and clearance were listed on the front; the other side was only a barcode. “Scan this for entrance and at the parking garage. You’re all set.” He looked over your head and waved, “Next.”

You stepped aside as the person behind you moved before the glass and you looked around. Where exactly were you suppose to go? You turned back and the security officer caught your eye, rolling his own before pointing across the foyer. You followed his finger and spotted the large, circular desk opposite him. Ah, yes, that empty seat must be for you.

You crossed and found the hinged section of desk meant to swing open and allow you to get behind the mammoth. You spotted a vague red square just beside it and scanned your newly-acquired ID card before slinging it over your neck. The desk unlocked and you opened it, stepping inside and closing it behind you. You tucked your bag beneath the desk at your feet and sat in the large rolly chair. It was by far the most comfortable that you had been allotted in your work. You booted the computer, reading through the briefing left for you in a file upon the desk. It was straightforward enough; your usual work. Greeting, handing out maps, reading from the list of frequently asked questions. A greeter more than a clerk. Well, it was easy work for good pay. You couldn’t complain.

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