𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
act two ━━ 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻.
· 。ﾟ୧ ⋆. 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗘. ₊˚.༄
━━━ REDEMPTION,
❝ that up there, that's - that's the endgame ❞

• • ＢＵＣＨＡＲＥＳＴ

𝓜elody arrived to the city of Bucharest, she had told Kai she was visiting a friend in the city before returning to The Avengers tower. She knew her friends were throwing some sort of party and by friends - Tony. It was some sort of get together in honour of their victories over HYDRA. Melody didn't want to be in a room surrounded by people to be quite honest, which is why she was doing her usual routine by stopping by Bucky's small apartment before heading back home.

Melody had somehow convinced the blue eyed man that her friend didn't take to kindly to strangers.

Melody climbed through the ajar window Bucky would leave open for her to enter through.

She smiled as she sniffed the air; spaghetti. A meal Bucky had gotten her interested in a few months back. She removed her leather jacket before placing it on the small burgundy couch. Hearing the restroom door open she turned around and was met with a smiling Bucky, his hair damp and pulled back into a low bun. Something she had showed him to do to get his locks away from his face. Even if it didn't take skill, she found some sort of contentment when it came to the older man.

Her eyes widened as she realized the man had no shirt on, her doe eyes trailed the man's toned upper half. It was no secret he had spending more time with a punching bag to relieve his stress and anxiety since he had gotten his memories back. She quickly placed her hands over her eyes to give him privacy.

Bucky smiled in amusement at her movements, "Hey, you're early." He noted, "Everything okay?" Melody nodded her eyes still covered, "You can open them now." He said looking down at her, Melody removed her hands from her eyes looking up at the man who now towered over her. "You're lying." He mumbled, observing her eyes.

Melody swallowed and looked down fiddling with her thumbs, "I'm sorry." She murmured.

Bucky tilted his head, "Why are you sorry?"

Melody sighed, "For lying."

Bucky nodded before making his way back to the stove, "About infiltrating a HYDRA base or about what happened today?" He asked.

Melody's body went rigid, "How did you-" Bucky raised his phone in the air, his back still facing her. Melody frowned, "I didn't want you to worry." She whispered.

Melody flinched listening to his thoughts; she lied when she had promised she wouldn't. "I thought if they saw you or heard you they'd come after you. And you said you didn't want to be apart of anything dealing with HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D., or The Avengers." She defended herself walking up behind him carefully, "I was worried if they saw you you'd turn back into . . . him." She whispered. Bucky tensed as she placed her hand on his shoulder. He relaxed soon after and glanced over his shoulder down at her, "I'm sorry if I've made you upset. Or if you don't trust me anymore."

Bucky shook his head and looked down at her, "I don't have anyone left to trust." He whispered, "I just want you to be honest. Everyone's lied to me, and - I don't want you to be one of them too." He admitted, ignoring the guilt that ran through him. He knew he was being hypocritical and maybe even a little manipulative. But with everything he had been through he needed to know she wouldn't abandon him, like everyone had done. How, everyone thought of him as monster, where as she thought of him as human.

Melody frowned, "If I were to lie to you, it would be to protect you." She said softly before wrapping her arms around his abdomen hugging him tightly. Bucky swallowed and tensed before relaxing into her touch and embracing her. He placed his chin on the crown of her head, as he fluttered his ocean eyes shut. "Friends don't lie." She mumbled into his chest.

Bucky licked his lips and nodded slightly at her words; unless it's for their own good, he thought.

Melody pulled away and smiled up at him, "Did you pick a movie?" She asked waling into the small living room he had next to the kitchen. Her eyes darted around the paper work that surrounded the couch and table.

Bucky cleared his throat and nodded though she couldn't see him, "Uh, yeah it's on the coffee table." He said staring the pasta.

Melody walked into the kitchen with a look of confusion, "I see no cups of coffee." She said.

Bucky's lips twitched, "The small table. Under the brown folder, should be there."

Melody nodded before looking where he had said to look, she smiled picking up the DVD, "I found it!" She announced her eyes looked down at the folder underneath numerous job applications and random folders. файл No 23; it read.

Her brows furrowed as she traced her finger tips against the lettering, CL.

"Mel, food's ready." He announced as she pulled her hand away from the file and placed her hands behind her back looking towards the entrance of the living room where Bucky stood with two bowls in his hands. "Find it?"

"Yeah." She nodded grabbing the bowl from his metal hand as she sat next to him on the couch. She watched as he stood up and grabbed the DVD before playing it on the small television, her eyes darted to the table in front of her.

Bucky sent a small smile her way to which she returned.

Friends don't lie.

• • ＭＡＮＨＡＴＴＡＮ

𝓜elody and Kai had arrived to The Avengers tower. Kai had spent the way to the tower asking her about this friend of her's to which she simply said they had been going through a bad time and needed support. She was curious as to what Bucky had been doing during his free time, she was never one to pry especially when it came to Bucky. She knew about his nightmares, just like he had known about her own.

She had spent nights staying over until he had fallen asleep, especially before he had known she was watching over him.

She'd hum to him until he would stop withering around in his small bed. Sweat glistening against his forehead, his hair sticking to his damp skin. She saw the pain HYDRA had put on him. Every time he had denied them, they'd wipe him clean, remove his mind until he couldn't remember his name or even speak.

She had given him a similar sea shell as the one her father had given her earlier that day. Only instead of her mother's voice it was her's. She had given him it before she had left with Kai, she simply said to listen to it before he went to sleep that night, to which he eyed her strangely but decided on not to question her about it.

Kai placed his arm in front of Melody halting her movements.

He placed his finger to his lips as he pointed ahead of them.

Melody tilted her head as she listened in,

"Cap!" Clint's voice rang through room.

"They're in trouble." Melody said before she raised her hand to the door, which slammed opened revealing a robot much like Tony's suits.

"That was dramatic!" Ultron said looking to the two who stood by the door with glares directed to the robot. Ultron turned to Tony and tilted it's head, "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to . . . evolve?" Ultron said as it picked up one of Tony's test bots. "With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction."

"With yours." Melody hissed raising her hand to the robot.

"No!" Tony shouted.

Her eyes narrowed as his wiring and limbs were pulled apart. Ultron collided to the ground in a heap.

The team looked towards Melody whose chest heaved, anger swarmed her doe eyes.

"I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me . . ." It's voice died out slowly.

"Gonna need a head start with your spring cleaning." Kai mumbled, swiping his finger against the damaged wall, then looking around the trashed living space.

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch." Bruce said as he approached the computer screens.

"Ultron." Steve shook his head.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Natasha added.

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" James asked.

"Nuclear codes."

"Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can." James said placing his hands on his hips.

"Nukes? He said he wanted you all dead." Kai spoke up from next to Melody, leaning against the desk.

"He didn't say dead. He said extinct." Steve shook his head to the nymph who shrugged.

"Same thing." Kai mumbled.

"He also said he killed somebody." Clint added.

"But there wasn't anyone else in the building."

"Yes there was." Tony nodded as he brought up the now destroyed 3D image of JARVIS' consciousness.

"I left for two days." Melody breathed out looking between her friends with wide eyes.

"And it's a good thing you weren't here." Steve said looking over to Melody who clearly had been disappointed in herself she hadn't returned sooner. "JARVIS was the first line of defence. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense."

Bruce shook his head, "No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is . . . rage."

Within a blink of an eye, Thor grabbed hold of Tony by his throat and held him up.

"Woah, woah, woah! It's going around." Clint sat up trying to calm them down.

"Don't think fighting is going to help your case right now, Rapunzel." Kai stood back boredly. Melody nudged the man and sent a warning glare his way.

Tony snickered before turning back to Thor, "Come on. Use your words, buddy." He taunted.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor hissed, ignoring Kai's comment.

"Thor! The Legionnaire." Steve called out as the God let go of Tony.

"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again."

"The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron." Natasha said.

Helen's brows furrowed as she looked to Tony, "I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

Tony began to laugh, Bruce subtly shook his head at him to get him to stop as the team looked at him as if he were a madman.

"You think this is funny?" Thor questioned.

"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so . . . is it so . . . it is. It's so terrible." Tony shook his head.

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this."

"Tony . . ." Melody trailed off taking a step towards the man only to have Kai place his hand on her elbow pulling her back gently.

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to . . ."

Tony turned to Melody then to Bruce, "Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls."

"Only when I've created a murder bot."

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Bruce argued.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than S.H.I.E.L.D." Steve stated.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony questioned earning sighs from the group.

"No, it's never come up." James sarcastically mumbled.

"Saved New York?" Tony asked raising a brow to the group who stayed quiet.

"Never heard that."

"Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it." Tony said looking between each member, "We're the Avengers." He said proudly, "We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there?" He pointed above them indicating space, "That's - that's the endgame. How were you guys planning on beating that?" He asked.

Melody looked around seeing her friends thinking to themselves; he was right.

"Together." Steve nodded confidently.

Tony nodded slightly as he stepped forwards, "We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together, too." Tony looked to Steve before he turned away with a nod. "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

❨ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ❩
🐚ঌ ࣪₀🧺 .˚🌿✦

● 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱
○ 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱

super fluffy intro sns also won't be updating this book as constant as i have been lol i'll be prewriting chapters for sometime this week ♡

predictions ?

𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 :
файл No 23 : file number twenty three

𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍, 𝟤𝟤𝟣𝟦