March 9 2026

"If I ever were to lose you"

"I'd surely lose myself"

The time was ten twenty five p.m, The laptop was set on the coffee table and Anne sat silently, working on the file while listening to the music. It was her favourite song again. But it was the kind of the song that makes her sit in silence and listen to the soothing voice, Maybe she loved how it sounded, Maybe it reminded her of something. . . Maybe.

"Everything I have found, dear"

"I've not found by myself"

She closed the laptop and leaned back, looked up at the ceiling, closing her eyes and tried to distract herself but after visiting O.X.E, Anne had this unsettling feeling towards the company and Valentina. She knew there was a game being played, She was worried about Bucky mostly. . . He's already been through enough. But Anne couldn't help yet, She still needed to know more then what she learned.

"Try and sometimes you'll succeed"

"To make this man of me"

"All my stolen missing parts"

"I've no need for anymore"

"I believe"

"And I believe 'cause I can see"

"Our future days"

She swallowed and continued listening to the music in silence before opening her eyes, she looked around the room while humming to the song until she noticed someone was calling.

Mel

Her phone was on silent because Anne didn't want any interruptions, But after seeing Mel's call. She needed to answer.

Anne: Hello?

Mel: *Smiles* Hello! Umm, I apologise for calling this late.

She spoke in a cheerful tone as Anne raised an eyebrow before clearing her throat as she decreased the volume of the radio but the music was still playing faintly.

Anne: It's fine, How are you doing, Mel?

Mel: I'm fine, Miss, What about you?

Anne: I'm good as well.

Mel: Great, Tomorrow is gonna be another long day so I thought we could finish this discussion and confirm everything.

Anne tilted her head and hummed through the call as Mel chuckled until it was silent for a few seconds, And that's when her tone shifted.

Mel: Are you listening to me, Anne?

Anne: Loud and clear. . . What happened?

Mel: *Sighs* You asked me the other day what O.X.E. was really doing. You were right to be curious, Anne. Valentina isn't just building weapons, She's building people.

Anne: *Eyes widen* Building people?

Mel: Human enhancement, regeneration, neural reprogramming, It started with a project that O.X.E started, They called it Project Sentry.

Anne: Project Sentry?

Mel: Doctor Houston was one of the scientists on the project, which aimed to create a new superhero. . . who could replace the Avengers and work under her control, thus placing her in control of global security.

Anne: Oh my god. . . .

Mel: Last year, Valentina tried to move forward with a live experiment, Willing to kidnap anyone but mostly went after drug addicts, When the doctors used the serum on one of the subjects, the formula reacted with the manic and depressive sides of his mental illness, granting him abilities. . . . However, it also empowered the darker sides of his personality and granted him a strange identity. . .

Anne: What the?. . . Are you telling the truth?

Mel; Yes! I know it sounds crazy. . . They said he was unstable, dangerous. But Valentina saw him as a weapon. She wanted to control it.

Anne: And?

There was silence as Anne could feel her heart pounding until Mel spoke, carefully.

Mel: She almost didn't. But before the experiment could begin, The Thunderbolts intervened. And. . . Congressman Barnes was the one who led them.

Anne: Thunderbolts?. . . Barnes?

She covered her mouth in shock as Mel was silent for a moment, almost like she was choosing her words carefully and also looked around to make sure she wouldn't get caught, Anne was shocked by everything she was hearing.

Mel: Former Red Room Operative, Yelena Belova and her father Red Guardian, Alexei Shostakov . . . You know the former Captain America? John Walker. Him as well. Former HYDRA Soldier Alex Ambrose and Former investigative reporter turned vigilante known as Venom, Cody Keltner.

Anne: They're the thunderbolts? Along with Barnes?

Mel: Yes. . . I don't think he ever told you about this.

Anne: He never. . . I'm sure he had a reason.

Mel: Probably, But they managed to stop the procedure and rescue the subject, Bob Reynolds. You won't find his name in any report. The entire event was scrubbed from every database, every feed. Officially, it never happened.

Anne: How?. . . How did she get away with it?

Mel: *Chuckles* Because she's too smart to leave a trail. The facility that housed Project Sentry was destroyed during the fight, conveniently making it look like a lab accident. She falsified the records, shifted blame onto a rogue subdivision that doesn't exist anymore. When the dust settled, she walked away clean. Her face never showed up in any classified document.

Anne sat in silence, thinking about what she just said as the music continued playing faintly in the background while Mel continued speaking quietly.

Mel: And then she rebranded. Turned O.X.E. into a government-friendly tech contractor, defense systems, biotech, cybernetics.

Anne: . . . Why are you still with her then?

Mel: Anne. . . You don't know my boss very well. I'll disappear before sunrise if I spoke a word to anyone.

Anne: This is terrible and you know it, You could have asked for The Thunderbolts' help or even Barnes.

Mel: If I did. . . She would have figured it out immediately, But that's when you showed up and I feel like I can trust you.

Both of them were silent as Anne took a deep breath, processing everything that she heard. Project Sentry, Thunderbolts, Barnes. . .

Anne: And what's going on now?

Mel: . . . . She wants to restart the project, She's looking for the right opportunity to get Bob. The Thunderbolts' are trying to stop her.

Anne: . . . I think Barnes is involved in this.

She remembered what happened two days ago. . . Two men entering his office, He looked tense. . . Then he argued with someone on the call. She knew what was going on now.

Mel: He might be. . . Anne, Try to help him. . . And me.

Anne: Mel. . . What do I do?

Mel: Nothing yet, Just stay calm. . . I'll call you again in case of anything.

Anne: *Sighs* Okay, Thank you for telling me, Gold.

Mel: It's okay, I trust you, Winters. . . But can I ask you something?

Anne: Go on.

Mel: . . . Do you forgive easily?

Anne's fingers tightened around the phone and sat in silence, Mel noticed her silence and was quiet before Winters let out a sigh.

Anne: Maybe, Because I see through it.

Mel: . . . You know-

Anne: Yes.

There was a moment of silence as Anne listened to the music along with Mel who let out a sigh before her tone shifted into something lighter.

Mel: Thank you for your time, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight!

Anne: Goodnight, Have a good day.

The call was disconnected as Anne slowly lowered her phone, She didn't realise the song was on repeat during this whole conversation.

"Back when I was feeling broken"

"I focused on a prayer"

"You came deep as any ocean"

"Did something out there hear?"

"All the complexities and games"

"No one wins, but somehow, they're still played"

Anne looked at her phone and saw a message from the congressman as her eyes lit up and clicked on the message.

Bucky: Hey Anne, Sorry if this is sudden.

Can you come over right now? I want to see you.

Her heart skipped a beat by his message. . . He wanted to see her, Her cheeks warmed up and replied to him.

"All the missing crooked hearts"

"They may die"

"But in us they live on"

She wanted to see him as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen Minutes Later

At his apartment, Bucky was seen eating while reading a file until the food spilled on his coat, staining it as he paused and looked at his coat before sighing to himself. He placed the book on the counter and took off his coat.

He opened his phone and looked at the time and wondered where Anne was. He wanted to shoot a text but hesitated and thought about waiting. Barnes took a bite of his sandwich while thinking about her.

That's when he heard a knock on the door and had a small smile on his face, He walked to the front door, opening it and saw Anne who looked at him with a smile on her face.

Anne: *Smiles* Hi.

Bucky: *Smiles* Hey, I was wondering when you were gonna show up.

He moved aside as Anne chuckled and walked in, She tried not to think about the conversation she had with Mel earlier and wanted to keep her composure in front of him. He shut the door as Anne looked around his apartment and remembered that embarrassing day when she was drunk at the nightclub because of her friends. It made her smile a little before Bucky told her to sit as she took her seat, in front of the counter.

Anne: Is everything okay?

Bucky: Yeah, Everything is fine. Just wanted to see you.

Anne: Anything about the bills and-

Bucky: *Smiles* No, Anne. I don't want to talk about work.

She blinked and stared at him, feeling her heart race by the softness in his tone, Bucky continued smiling at her and finished eating his sandwich.

Anne: So, You wanna just talk?. . .

Bucky: I always enjoy your company and I think I need it tonight.

He spoke genuinely while smiling as Winters couldn't help but smile at him, blushing slightly.

Anne: I'm fine with that.

There was a moment of silence between them with soft tension in the air before Barnes cleared his throat, asking a question.

Bucky: You know so much about me, Winters. Everyone does. . . But why don't you ever talk about yourself?

Anne felt her heart drop by his question as he looked at her curiously.

Anne: Well. . . I don't have much to talk about.

Bucky: Really? Anything about your family?

Anne was silent, biting her lower lip and tried to find the right words to say, Bucky noticed how tense she looked after that question which made his face softened and looked concerned.

Bucky: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-

Anne: No, It's okay. I'm surprised you asked. . .

He looked at her, tilting his head a little before Anne said something.

Anne: To be honest, I don't have a family, I lost them.

He looked shocked as Anne gave a smile to him. . . But it was a smile that was full of pain.

Bucky: I'm sorry, Anne. . . What happened?

Anne: Don't remember. . . I think I lost them when I was really young.

He looked at her, frowning and reached for her hand, caressing it gently as Anne felt her heart beating faster.

Bucky: I know it's tough. . . Before I joined the army, I lost my parents too.

Anne: *Frowns* I heard about that in your history.

Bucky: I know how it feels.

Soon, Anne tried to open up about herself a little but she kept pausing, almost like she was carefully choosing her words and stuttered a little. Barnes was listening to her intently but also noticed the way she spoke, Like there was something she didn't want to talk about. The only thing she spoke about frankly was how she got into politics after seeing the world's corruption.

Time passed by as both of them were drinking, Bucky was staring at her as Anne noticed him, raising an eyebrow.

Bucky: You sound nervous, Are you okay?

Anne: I'm fine. . . I'm just not used to opening up.

Bucky: Did someone hurt you?. . . And you're not comfortable speaking about it?

Anne: *Chuckles* A lot of people left me just before high school's graduation. . . Only one stuck with me but during university, She left too.

Bucky: *Frowns* You don't deserve that.

Anne: *Sighs* I'm not really bothered to be honest, I prefer doing things on my own now.

He stared at her, noticing the slight discomfort and nervousness. He was wondering if it was him that made her nervous or was it about something else.

Bucky: You can talk to me about anything, you know?

Anne looked at him, noticing how concerned he sounded. Winters reached his hand, holding his hand as he gently squeezed her hand.

Anne: Maybe later. . . I'm fine though.

He continued staring at her, not fully convinced but decided not to push things further, There was another moment of silence between them before Bucky spoke again.

Bucky: You say you're fine a lot.

Anne: *Chuckles* That's what people say when they're not sure how to answer.

Bucky: *Laughs a little* I've used that one before.

Anne: *Smiles* I can tell.

He stared at her before glancing at her lips, Anne kept her gaze on him and continued holding his hand, There was tension in the air before Bucky sighed, getting up from his chair and felt his heart beating.

Bucky: Come upstairs, Anne.

Anne: U-Upstairs?

Bucky: *Smirks* Don't get shy on me, It's quieter upstairs.

She blushed a little and laughed quietly, He didn't let go of her hand as she got up and followed him upstairs. Later on, Anne was admiring his room as Barnes continued staring at her.

Anne: You got a nice view here.

Bucky: *Smiles* I have a better view in front of me.

Anne: *Eyes widen and blushes* W-What?

Bucky: You heard me.

He stared deeply into her eyes as Anne looked at him in shock, That's when his hand moved towards her waist which surprised her even further.

Anne: What are you-

She was quiet and so was he, His hand lingered at her waist, the warmth of his touch sending a chill down her spine. He wasn't pulling her closer, just holding her there, close enough that she could feel the faint rise and fall of his chest.

Anne: Sir-

Bucky: Just call me Bucky, okay?

Anne:. . . Bucky. . .

Shivers ran down her spine when she said his name like that as he leaned closer to her face, pulling her close.

Bucky: You don't have to say anything. . . I can see it in your eyes.

The tension in the air started to heat up, Anne stared, feeling her heart race. . . Now she knew why he wanted to see her and looked tense. . .

He kissed her and she kissed him back. Almost like both of them were wanting this forever.

At first It surprised Anne. . . But deep down, Whatever he was feeling.

She felt the same.

The kiss deepened as Bucky gently grabbed her jaw, tilting her head and pulled her closer with his other hand, his hand slowly moved towards her hip. They broke the kiss and stayed close, staring at each other.

Anne: *Blushes* . . . I'm not really a good kisser.

Bucky: *Smiles* No worries.

He kissed her again without a warning as Anne grabbed his arm, kissing him back. This time, It was more heated than the last one. He gently pushed her to the bed as both of them laid and continued their makeout session before the kiss broke again as he whispered to her.

Bucky: You have no idea what you're doing to me. . .

Anne: *Smiles* I think I do. . .

Bucky: *Smirks* No, You're making it hard for me to behave~

His hands roamed around her sides as Anne took a deep breath, feeling her heart pounding and spoke to him.

Anne: I. . . I don't know if we should do this.

Bucky: We shouldn't. . . But I don't think I can't wait much longer.

He kissed her neck as Anne felt like it was melting and grabbed both of his shoulders, sighing in pleasure.

Anne: Don't stop. . .

He stopped and leaned back, looking at her.

Bucky: Are you sure?

Anne: Yes. . . I need you.

Bucky: . . . . I'm not going to stop.

( Next Part is a little too detailed, Feel free to skip)

The next few minutes had them undressed, He pinned her to the bed, slightly opening her legs just for her comfort, But when he got in between them, She opened a bit wider for him, Showing that she wanted this as much as he did.

He gently pushed himself against her, making sure she was comfortable and could adjust as Anne let out a gasp and her back arched.

Bucky: Shhh, I got you~

Anne nodded, blushing heavilg as He grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it and kept sliding in and out, Slowly.

Bucky: I'll be gentle. . . I promise.

And the rest of the night was full of pleasure, The tension in the air between them was heated, vulnerable, soft. . .

And full of love.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)