Chapter 23

The convoy wasn't a problem until it was. Tony had shut down the entire Tower the day before, not even the cleaner's and receptionists having access until they were vetted by Whisper, so it was a ghost town when Iron Man met up with Thor to escort Darcy and the Winter Soldier to their shared quarters. Solider had been calmer then the night before when faced with Thor's enormous mass, and had eyed Tony suspiciously before shadowing Darcy out of the holding cell. Tony got mildly insulted he wasn't thought of as a threat.

Natasha made a mental note to tell Darcy that maybe mechanics was a key therapy idea. Soldier had looked at Tony's oil stained jeans in something like recognition before it was quickly gone, but it was a start. She vaguely remembered Bucky had a side job as the neighbourhoods' mechanic before the war. Widow would corner Steve later and pick his brain, but at the moment the trauma psychologists watching the monitors (specifically chosen by Pepper and quickly checked by Darcy) had suggestion keeping reminders of his old life away, mainly Steve as his childhood friend, and anything that would trigger a violent memory from Hydra, again Steve and his bonded the Falcon. It was hard for the Captain to see his old friend and being completely unrecognizable, but it was even harder to stay away.

Clint with the help of Jane had already made sure with Jarvis that all of Darcy's favourite foods and snacks were well stocked. Darcy would share with Soldier, and as Widow had found when she first escaped the Red Room food could actually taste better than the wet cardboard of the rations she was normally given. Clint still thought Natasha had an insatiable sweet tooth even after all these years. The first taste of this new life Soldier had was Darcy's sweet, chilled ice coffee. He'll probably crave that for the rest of his life now. Kind of like herself and maltesers.

As she watched from the shadows like the predator she was it was almost adorable, Widow thought, that Soldier would physically place himself between his bonded and each door and every window they passed. Darcy would of course notice, and a hardly noticeable frown would cross her face, and immediately Soldier's entire attention would be then back on her, confused at what had upset her. Soldier had noticed Widow's presence a couple of times, gaining a hint of alarm and suspicion as he looked around just to see nothing, even though he knew there was something there setting off his sniper instincts but unwilling to hunt it down when it would leave his Darcy alone with two unknown males. It was almost entertaining, if he wasn't suffering from crippling PTSD and didn't have her little Whisper in his clutches. Maybe when he was better she'd played with his instincts and paranoia like she does the agents of Shield. She volunteers to go to the helicarrier for that very reason.

Clint calls it toying with the prey.

It was useful, Soldier's kind of obsession, when they walked under a vent and Soldier froze. Hawkeye would be pissed he was instantly spotted later. Soldier's hand that had been circled around Darcy's thin wrist tightened as he hauled her closer as a protective gesture, and the constantly chattering Tony and Thor had stiffened in defence, but all Darcy had to do to regain his attention was say a few calming words and hug closer to his side. Whisper was doing remarkably well controlling his homicidal urges.

Had Natasha ever been that fanatical in the beginning? She didn't remember the first few weeks of the bond, just the feeling of complete chaos of being immersed in another person's feelings after so long of the weakness being beaten out of her. She hadn't known humans could feel that much until her bonding with Clint.

The bond clicking into place can be an explosion of the senses for normal people, for her it was like a nuclear bomb.

So Widow knew Solider must be feeling off balance, must be confused by the emotions crossing over the bond from Whisper, his touch starved body recoiling but also leaning in the more Darcy pressed against him.

The Black Widow doesn't remember much, but she does remember becoming almost feral when Clint wasn't in sight. Natasha doesn't want to know what a man like Soldier would do in comparison.