The back of the small car Steve chose as a getaway one was extremely small, especially when the person sitting in front, refused to move their seat up, but even moving to the other side didn't help much. The vehicle was just ridiculously sized.

They'd already met with Sharon, who returned Rogers and Wilson's gear and to James' surprise, also had some tactical gear for him, so he didn't have to fight in civilian clothes. It didn't take a genius to notice that she did it because of Steve, not because of him. She wasn't his biggest fan, that much he managed to notice. But she was helping anyway.

Barnes had to hold back a sigh of relief when their blue beetle car entered the airport parking lot and pulled up next to a white van. Steve got out first, and he and Sam followed. The door on the passenger side opened and a young woman stepped out. He couldn't recall her name. From around the bigger car came out another man, greeted by Rogers with a handshake.

"Thanks for having my back."

"I'm mostly here because of Tasha, so it's her you should be thanking." the other man said. "But it was time to get off my ass anyway."

Now James finally recognized him, connecting him to the face he saw in some photographs and videos of Katya that Natasha was showing him quite often. So that was Clint Barton, the man who gave his daughter a life he never had a chance to give her.

"How about our other recruit?" Steve questioned.

"He's rarin' to go." Clint turned around and pulled the back door open. "Had to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good.

A dark-haired man sat up, looking around confused before getting out and asking what time zone it was. Barton pushed him towards Rogers. He seemed a bit shocked, maybe even starstruck, then he greeted the woman and also Sam, who for some reason called him Tic-Tac. They started a small talk about the dangers and being outside of the law when James caught Clint looking at him. He must have recognized him, and that wasn't so hard since he was the only stranger. He nodded at him and Barnes answered the same way, hoping they'll get a chance to talk later as he had a lot to thank him for.

"We should get moving" James hurried.

"We got a chopper lined up." the archer informed just before an announcement in German came through speakers.

"They're evacuating the airport," Barnes translated. Sam muttered something about Stark.

"Suit up," Rogers commanded.

⧗

Clint approached him minutes before their group was supposed to split up. Barnes was supposed to go with Sam and wait in the airport building. Barton and the woman, whose name was Wanda as he learned not so long ago, planned to keep an eye on everything from the upper levels and Steve was designated, mostly by himself, to do the talking.

"Nice to finally meet you." he extended a hand to him. The other one gripped a collapsible bow. James never saw one like that before. He accepted the hand. "Even though I officially learned about you yesterday. So is it James, Bucky, or what?"

"James's fine," Barnes informed. His old nickname didn't sound quite right anymore, but he never said anything about it even though Steve kept calling him that. "I heard I owe you a lot."

"What, you mean Katya?"

"Her, and Natalia also."

"Natalia? That's a new one." Barton chuckled. "You don't owe me anything. Nat says this every time she has a chance and it's enough."

"She's right though."

"Having Katya around was never a problem." Clint shrugged. "She's a great kid, Natasha did an amazing job with her. Still kinda hard to believe she's the same girl I met in Budapest."

"Thank you, anyway. For this, too." James motioned to the airport.

"From what I've heard, you mean a great deal to Tasha and if she's willing to pull something like this for you, you really must be worth it." he shifted his weight from one leg to another. "And I don't one to be the one responsible for someone having to tell Katya that her father got locked up, and may never get out, once again, so if I can help get you out, make this right or whatever, I'll do it. Actually, dealing with Nat if I said no would probably be even worse."

"She wouldn't blame you."

"You think?" Barton arched an eyebrow slightly. "Yeah, maybe she wouldn't, not directly, but I would never hear the end of it."

Before James had a chance to reply, Sam called out telling them to cut the chit-chat and hurry up. Clint took a step back, ready to turn around and join Wanda, but before leaving he added:

"But if you really want to repay me, then when it all blows over, you and Nat can take my kids for a week, and we'll call it even."

⧗

It wasn't supposed to go like that. They never should've stood on opposite sides. Even if it was all planned, even if it was all a lie. Natasha knew Steve wouldn't back out. That wasn't the plan. She wasn't sure if she would even want him to, after all, she wanted James to be safe. Yet despite that, a small part of her hoped this all could have been avoided or solved in a different way, a more peaceful one, without making any more enemies. None of them needed that.

It hurt, as she stood on one of the containers and watched everyone fight, divided into teams. If there was a way to end this peacefully at that moment, she wouldn't hesitate. But there wasn't one. And the thing that came the closest to this was their plan.

Soon after that, she clashed with Clint, his bow dangerously close to her neck, but she managed to stop it with her hands. That reminded her of the only other two times they fought. First in Budapest, and second when Barton was under Loki's mind control.

"We're still friends even if I hit you, right?" she asked.

"Well, we've got to make it look real somehow." the archer smirked.

Natasha threw him off with her legs and was about to do as he suggested before Wanda interrupted and rightfully accused Clint of pulling his punches. She didn't know about the plan, they didn't fill her in. The fewer people knew the better.

A lot was happening at once. She saw James fighting with T'Challa, the spider kid Tony brought with Steve's shield. Something was wrong with Tony's suit for a moment. Somewhere between Lang becoming a giant and Clint and the Wakandan king's first meeting, she knew it was time. Barnes and Rogers already took off toward the hangar. Despite being much closer, she didn't waste a second, using overall turmoil to her advantage.

Natasha was sure everything was about to get ruined as she noticed the control tower nearby the entrance collapse, but then familiar red flashes showed. Maybe getting Wanda out wasn't such a bad idea after all. The building crumbled right behind the super soldiers.

"You made it," Steve said, slowing down.

But she didn't see him. She only had eyes for James, who was a few steps behind him. Their eyes met, she smiled and he returned it, no words needed even if she wanted to do so much more. She wanted to run to him, to hug him, kiss him and remind him that it's all going to be alright because they went through and survived worse. But they weren't the only ones who managed to slip into the hangar before it was cut off by the debris. She hoped Clint would keep him occupied a little bit longer.

"Go make this right." she encouraged, before stunning T'Challa.

James's hand brushed against her as they both run past her. He stopped when Steve hopped inside and turned to her.

"Come with us," he suggested.

"You know I can't." Natasha reminded. "Go, mili moi, you don't have much time."

Barnes sighed and nodded before joining Rogers inside. She kept the royal down until they could take off. Once freed, he leaped, trying to get a hold of the jet, but lost his grip quickly when the wheels retracted.

"I said I'd help you find him, not catch him." the man turned to her when they disappeared from their sight. "There's a difference."

⧗

Hum of the engines was the only sound in the otherwise quiet jet. Steve wanted to say something, anything. His thoughts were fighting against each other. One side stubbornly reminding him that it's his best friend behind him. Someone he thought was dead and now he got him back. Some people would call it a miracle, a gift from whoever. And the other side, an echo of Natasha's words. That's not the same person he knew. That's not Bucky, because Bucky was gone and it was a stranger, wearing his face.

Every time he looked he back, hoping he would finally find the right words to say, deep down he was realizing that Romanoff was right. The man he knew would never be this tense around him, this quiet and avoiding his gaze at all cost. He was visibly uncomfortable and that's why he asked Natasha to go with them. He didn't want to be alone with him. He didn't trust strangers and that was who Steve was to him.

"What you did all those years..." Rogers began, words for once not getting stuck in his throat, but he didn't dare look back. "It wasn't you. You didn't have a choice."

A moment of silence preceded Bucky's answer. "I know." Steve thought he wasn't going to say anything else. "But I did it."

He knew it wasn't the most perfect time to ask these types of questions, but and the emotionless yet tired tone of Barnes' voice, made it even more obvious. But what he witnessed between him and Natasha, still was abstract. It didn't make any sense, he couldn't wrap his mind around it, despite her opening up a bit earlier. Rogers knew she could be a good actress when it was needed. But it wasn't one of these situations. She couldn't have been lying. She was truly shaken up and hurt, these were raw emotions, true tears.

"Can I ask you something?" Steve asked after overcoming the initial hesitation. "It's about Nat."

He heard some rustling first, still not looking back at the other man, as he probably moved in his seat.

"Sure." he may have agreed but nothing about his voice indicated that he was especially happy about it.

"This thing between you and her," he breathed out before continuing. Suddenly he felt like he was intruding. "What is it?"

Rogers expected a simple answer. One word, maybe two to just name the relationship, call it for what it was.

"I might have put a bullet in my brain, to quiet the ghosts, if not for Natalia." it was the first spark of any emotion he showed since they took off. "If she hadn't found me last year..." he paused. "You name it."

Steve was no expert, but this much he knew. From what he saw and heard, no matter how impossible it seemed to him, there was no doubt. He didn't know when or how it happened but he knew what it was. 

Love.