FIC Just a Touch of Trouble
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shanachie_quillTitle: Just a Touch of Trouble
Characters: Ariana Barton/James “Bucky” Buchannan Barnes, Steve Rogers, various OCs
Fandom: Avengers 2012
Series: Assassin Baby
Written For:
Prompt: Ariana drinking
Summary: A simple night out turns into just a little bit of trouble, a trip to the station, and a lecture from the Captain.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: my series, general ones for the Marvel universe
Warnings: Ariana is a little badass, Steve is disapproving, James is just amused
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me, not making any money off this.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be something about James and Ariana going out drinking—to talk about her alcohol tolerance. It… kind of turned into over 3000 words of something else. But I love it. And it introduces a bit of what happens when Ariana is an adult.
Seventeen Years After the Attempted Chitauri Invasion
“Oh. My. God,” the girl next to Ariana breathed. “Who. Is that?”
Ariana looked up from her books, immediately seeing what had attracted her group mate’s attention. His hair was shorter than the last time she had seen him, which made her wonder what had happened. Still it looked good and he didn’t seem to have any new shadows in his eyes. As he got close to the tables they were seated at, she tipped her head up, smiling at him. “Hi, Jamie.”
James leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Just doing some group work,” Ariana replied. She reached up, running her hand through his hair. “Should I be concerned?”
“Only about my bluffing ability.” He explained when he saw her confused look, “I lost a bet to Stark. It could have been worse.”
Ariana snorted. “It definitely could have been. I want your side of the story though, not Unca Tony’s because his will involve all sorts of exaggeration.”
“Yeah. No,” James replied. “So.” He looked at the group that had been staring at them with interest. “You said this was some group work?”
“Yeah for a history class,” Ariana answered. She glared as his eyes lit up. “No, Jamie.”
“So you’re saying I can’t help?” he asked.
“No.” She frowned at him before switching to Russian, “Should I be concerned that you’re here?”
“Not at all, Doll, everything’s fine. Do you have plans for tonight?” he asked, answering her in the same language.
“Nothing specific,” Ariana answered before turning to the girl who’d nudged her. “What?”
“Can we finish or are you going to flirt or whatever in another language for the rest of the time we have blocked out?” she asked.
Ariana narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t flirting, but yes we can finish. Jamie, I won’t be much longer. You wanna find something to do while I finish up?”
He leaned down and rifled through her bag, pulling out a book after a moment. A quick glance around the library and he found a seat where he’d be able to watch her and also a majority of the entrances. “I’ll just sit over there,” he informed her.
As soon as James made his way over to the chair he’d indicated, the girls in Ariana’s group turned their attention to her. “So who is he?” one of the girls demanded.
“An old friend of the family,” Ariana answered.
“An old friend who greets you with a kiss on the lips?” another questioned.
“Yeah, what’s your point?” Ariana replied.
“He’s cute,” the one who’d tried to drag them back on topic commented.
“And he knows Tony Stark, too?” the first one asked.
Ariana shrugged. “I told you. Friend of the family.” She tapped the books in front of them. “I thought you wanted to finish this.”
James looked up as Ariana stopped in front of him, knocking the tips of her sneakers against his combat boots. “Are you actually reading that?” she asked in Russian.
“No, but it’s a great cover.” He got to his feet, handing the book over to her. “It’s one I’d like to read though.”
“You can always borrow my books, Jamie. I know you’ve…” She paused, knowing that his inability to choose his own books and the way he spent his time during his ‘frozen years’ bothered him. “You can always borrow my books,” she finished.
“So, Doll,” James said, tugging gently at her braid. “What are your plans for tonight?”
“Well, I was going to go back to my dorm room and study but since you’re here,” she flashed a wicked smile at him, “how would you feel about a bar and some pool?”
A slow grin spread across James’s face. On almost anyone else, Ariana would have immediately reached for a weapon, but she trusted James. Now he grabbed her by the wrist with his natural hand, drawing her towards him. “That. Sounds like a wonderful idea. But how are your classmates going to feel about it?” he drawled. He considered it for a minute. “And can your studies afford a night off?”
“Please. When it comes to schoolwork I’m more my mother’s daughter than my father’s. I’ll be fine.” Her grin matched his for a minute before fading back into something much more appropriate for society. “And my classmates can go screw themselves. I don’t feel like being a good girl tonight.”
James laughed outright at that. “Let’s try to keep the body count to the minimum, all right, Doll?”
She pouted at him. “You’re no fun.”
“Oh, I’m lots of fun, Doll. I just don’t feel like explaining ‘cops’ to your Pop.”
“Still haven’t figured out why you think Dad is the scarier one,” Ariana said.
“It’s not that Clint is necessarily scarier,” James answered. “It’s that Natasha would get it. And would also give me three minutes to explain before beating the shit out of me. Plus I’d hate to beat the shit out of your pop.”
“Please stop calling him Pop. That’s… disturbing on levels I haven’t even contemplated yet.” Ariana let herself into her room, waving for James to follow her.
“Are you wearing that to go out?” James asked, flicking his fingers at her t-shirt and jeans.
“Nah.” Ariana rolled her shoulders as she tossed her backpack onto her bed. “Gimme a minute and I’ll change.”
It didn’t take Ariana long to strip out of the loose jeans she was wearing and pull on a pair of tighter low-riders and top it with an emerald green tank top. She snapped SERA back on her wrist and pulled a pair of black combat boots on, lacing them up expertly. As she straightened back up, James ran his fingers across her left shoulder. “You got it finished.”
Ariana twisted as if she could see the tattoo on the back of her shoulder. “Yeah a few weeks ago. I forgot you hadn’t seen it.”
James moved the strap of her tank aside so he could see it better; tracing the outside of the reticle before laying his fingers across the red hourglass it was superimposed over. “Have your parents seen it yet?”
“Do you think I’m brain dead?” she asked. Tugging on his hand, she added, “Come on. I want beer and wings.”
“Bottles or tap?” James asked as they entered the building.
“Why don’t you grab a table?” Ariana suggested in response, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the noise of the room. “I’ll get us beer and order some food.”
James didn’t look pleased, but he allowed her to walk away from him towards the bar. It took him a minute, but he located a table; chasing a couple of co-eds away from it with a look. It wasn’t long before Ariana joined him, four bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon in her hands. He eyed her for a minute as he accepted two of the bottles from her. “Not what I expected the daughter of the Chernaya Vdova to drink.”
Ariana shrugged gracefully. “I can drink vodka with the best of them. But I also know Captain has said you drank this when you guys were…” she stopped, seeming to realize where they were. “Kids,” she finally finished.
He shook his head. “It’s so odd to hear you call him ‘Captain’,” James commented.
“I named most of them when I was a kid,” Ariana pointed out. “And the names have… stuck. I think he’d faint if I called him Steve now.”
James chuckled. “He probably would.” He leaned back as a server delivered plates to their table; setting wings, mozzarella sticks, and nachos on the table. “You get enough food?” he asked.
Ariana picked up a nacho, scooping up the cheese and salsa that were spread across them. “I’m hungry.”
Picking through the food she’d ordered, James chose a mozzarella stick. “You were saying something about pool?”
She turned, eying the people around the pool tables. “Engh. Not sure I want to test those waters.”
James raised an eyebrow at that comment. “What? A couple of frat boys? Are you really that worried about them?”
“Not worried. But Daddy tends to frown when I get into fights that he’s not a part of,” she answered.
He barked out a laugh at that. “Not that you get into fights, but that he’s not a part of them.”
She pulled a chicken wing apart, pointing out, “You know Daddy.”
“Honestly I’m impressed he lets you out of his sight,” James replied.
“Mom,” Ariana said as if it explained everything and it did to James. Natasha was scary on a good day and when she was defending someone or something she believed in, she was unstoppable.
“That would do it,” he agreed.
Ariana reached for the last of the wings; they’d pretty much decimated the pile as a group of frat boys stopped by the table. James recognized a couple of them as the ones that had been playing pool. “Is this guy bothering you?” the one in the forefront asked.
She just looked at him blankly. “Does it look like he’s bothering me?”
“It looks like you got yourself caught up with someone you shouldn’t be with,” the kid responded.
The blank look turned to one of anger. “Who are you to tell me who I should or shouldn’t be with? I don’t know you. You don’t know me. Fuck off.”
When the boy reached out to grab Ariana’s shoulder, James pushed his hand away. “Don’t touch her.”
“Dude, screw you,” the boy snapped. “Don’t touch me!”
Ariana growled. “Don’t speak to him like that.” She slid her chair back, her hands clenching. “Leave. Us. Alone.”
“Are you kidding me?” the boy demanded. “You? You’re going to threaten me?”
James grabbed for Ariana as she lunged out of her chair, but missed, managing to just grab the hem of her shirt. She quickly twisted out of his grip, aiming for the frat boy. The others were so surprised that she got a hit in before any of them reacted.
“Really, doll?” James demanded as he blocked a flailing punch from one of the other boys.
“Seemed like fun!” she responded, ducking another wild swing. “Seriously? You guys fight like shit.” She jabbed the first boy in the solar plexus, making him gasp. “Arm,” she reminded James.
“I’m good,” James said. He spun the first boy he’d been fighting around and shoved him towards the table, knocking it over, but not breaking it. “Might want to wrap it up, someone’s gonna call the cops.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Ariana glared, kneeing the guy who was trying to grab her hair in the balls. “If you’re gonna fight dirty, so am I,” she told him as he swore at her.
James’s head snapped around as he heard a familiar whirring sound. “Ariana,” he started.
Ariana’s gray eyes widened as she realized SERA had registered the fight as an attack. “SERA, cancel deployment,” she snapped. “Threat level Kilo.”
“What?” The boys that still could backed away as SERA halted halfway up Ariana’s arm, their eyes wide at the sight. “What is that?!” one of them demanded.
She shook her arm, encouraging SERA to go back into her hibernation state and ignored the question. Stepping towards the boys, she growled, “You finished?”
“Doll.” James pointed out the police officers working their way towards the group of combatants.
“Bozhe moy,” Ariana groaned. “Just what I need.”
The cops had grabbed the frat boys by then and James held his hands up, indicating he wasn’t going to prove to be a problem. Ariana just sighed as one of the cops clicked his radio, calling for a female officer. “Who started the fight?” he questioned once his request was acknowledged.
Almost as one the frat boys pointed at Ariana and the four officers swung around to look at her. One of them snorted when he got a good look at her. “That little thing?” he asked.
“I feel like I should resent that,” Ariana commented. “Okay, so yes, technically I started it, but I was provoked.”
“Sarge?” one of the other officers asked. “Should we just haul them all down to the station?”
The sergeant, who’d asked the first question, nodded. “Let’s do that. We can sort it all out there.”
“Sir,” James spoke up for the first time. “I need to call my captain.”
“Military?” the sergeant questioned. “Or something else? Police? Fire? What house?”
“Ah, something else,” James hedged. “We’ll come with you, but I need to make the call as soon as possible.”
“You aren’t under arrest at the moment,” the sergeant told him. “We’re just taking you down to sort this all out. So once we get to the house, you can call, and then we’ll take your statement.”
“Why are you calling Captain?” Ariana asked in a low voice as they were escorted out of the bar. She was very glad they weren’t being cuffed for the walk, it wasn’t a pleasant sensation and she appreciated not having them now.
“Would you rather I call Clint? Or Natasha?” James questioned.
“No. No. It’s good. Call Captain,” Ariana said hurriedly.
At the station, James was directed to a desk and Ariana settled next to him as he made his phone call. The frat boys were herded to the other side of the room, protesting viciously that they had been dragged down to the station too. “How mad did he sound?” Ariana asked when James hung up.
James just looked at her. “It’s Steve.”
Ariana groaned. “Yeah. Not mad. That’s almost worse.”
An officer joined them, opening up a file on the computer. “You made your phone call?” he questioned. When James nodded in the affirmative, he continued, “I need to take your statements.”
“I can’t allow you to separate us until my Captain arrives,” James commented.
“It’s not usual, but I’m not sure anything about this is usual,” the officer replied. “Can I move her far enough that you can’t hear what she says?”
“As long as I can still see her,” James responded.
Ariana was just finishing her statement when Steve strode into the station. His blue eyes scanned the immediate area, flicking over the frat boys and promptly dismissing them before landing on Ariana. “Are you all right?” he asked as he came to a halt in front of her.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “So’s James.”
Steve sighed as he was able to see for himself that she was fine. Shaking his head, he rested a hand on her head. “When Bucky called me…” he started.
Ariana winced. “I can seriously handle you yelling at me better than you being disappointed in me,” she said.
“I’m not going to yell at you,” Steve said.
“No. You’re just going to give me that look.” Ariana crossed her arms. “I didn’t mean to start the fight.”
“What happened?” Steve asked.
The leader of the frat boys had moved close enough to overhear Steve’s question. “She objected to us asking her if she was all right,” he answered. “When we wouldn’t leave her alone, she punched me.”
Steve shook his head when Ariana started to reply. She subsided as James took her hand, working her arms out of her defensive posture. Steve questioned, “Was she being abused? Was she being bullied? Was she in any danger? Did it appear in any way that she was unable to voice her opinion? Or take care of herself?” The boys shook their heads at each question. “Then I think you’ve learned your lesson.” He turned to the sergeant. “We’ll pay for the damages of course since Miss Barton started the fight.”
“The owner isn’t interested in pressing charges.” The sergeant looked at the frat boys, the majority of whom were looking shamed by the dressing down from Captain America. “And I don’t think these boys are interested in it anymore either.”
“No, sir,” one of the boys answered. “I think we’ve learned our lesson.”
Steve nodded. “In that case. I’ll take Ariana home.”
“Um. Just one more thing, Captain?” one of the officers asked as Steve motioned for Ariana to gather her things.
Steve stopped, holding a hand out to stop the other two as the frat boys moved out en masse. “What do you need?”
A few of the officers held out their memo books. “Could we have your autograph?” the first officer asked.
“I. Um. I,” Steve stammered as his ears turned red.
“Oh, do it, Captain,” Ariana encouraged. She grinned as he turned to look at her. “Please?”
“That was much cuter when you were six,” he told her.
“I’m sure,” she answered cheerfully. “But you’re gonna do it, right?”
He sighed, reaching out for the first of the memo books. “Have I ever said no?”
“Of course not. Because you’re the best,” she told him. “But don’t tell Daddy I said that.”
James stifled a laugh as Steve accepted the first of the memo books, quietly asking the officer what his name was. He continued asking questions of each man, showing an interest, as he signed each book.
As he handed the last of the books back to their respective owners, another voice spoke up, "Sir? Could I have your autograph, too?" He turned to look at James. "And Sergeant Barnes's?" He continued his turn until he was facing Ariana. "I want to apologize for Adam's behavior. There's no excuse for the way he acted." He grinned. "And I am absolutely never going to let him live down the fact that he got socked by a girl half his size and then yelled at by Captain America."
"Try growing up with Captain as one of your 'uncles'," Ariana said dryly.
"Does the awe wear off?" the boy asked. He held his hand out. "I'm Russell by the way."
"The awe yes. The... embarrassment no not really," she replied.
"Doll," James said, as he and Steve had found something to sign for the boy while the two talked.
Ariana made a face. "And clearly they're ready to go."
"I'm sorry again," Russell said. He nodded at Steve and James. "Thank you."
Steve nodded back in response, executing an almost perfect about face and heading towards the door. Russell's eyes drifted downwards, very obviously staring at the Captain's rear end. Ariana caught James's eye and the older man immediately rolled his own, grabbing her arm and towing her towards the exit.
As they caught up with Steve outside on the sidewalk, Ariana let out a peal of laughter. "What?" Steve asked, looking between the two of them. "What did I miss?"
James clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll explain on the way back to the Tower." He glanced at Ariana who was still giggling. "And we can figure out how to explain this to Tasha and Clint."
Ariana immediately sobered at his words. "Oh, shit."
Chernaya Vdova—Black Widow
Bozhe moy—Oh my god
Characters: Ariana Barton/James “Bucky” Buchannan Barnes, Steve Rogers, various OCs
Fandom: Avengers 2012
Series: Assassin Baby
Written For:
Prompt: Ariana drinking
Summary: A simple night out turns into just a little bit of trouble, a trip to the station, and a lecture from the Captain.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: my series, general ones for the Marvel universe
Warnings: Ariana is a little badass, Steve is disapproving, James is just amused
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me, not making any money off this.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be something about James and Ariana going out drinking—to talk about her alcohol tolerance. It… kind of turned into over 3000 words of something else. But I love it. And it introduces a bit of what happens when Ariana is an adult.
Seventeen Years After the Attempted Chitauri Invasion
“Oh. My. God,” the girl next to Ariana breathed. “Who. Is that?”
Ariana looked up from her books, immediately seeing what had attracted her group mate’s attention. His hair was shorter than the last time she had seen him, which made her wonder what had happened. Still it looked good and he didn’t seem to have any new shadows in his eyes. As he got close to the tables they were seated at, she tipped her head up, smiling at him. “Hi, Jamie.”
James leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Just doing some group work,” Ariana replied. She reached up, running her hand through his hair. “Should I be concerned?”
“Only about my bluffing ability.” He explained when he saw her confused look, “I lost a bet to Stark. It could have been worse.”
Ariana snorted. “It definitely could have been. I want your side of the story though, not Unca Tony’s because his will involve all sorts of exaggeration.”
“Yeah. No,” James replied. “So.” He looked at the group that had been staring at them with interest. “You said this was some group work?”
“Yeah for a history class,” Ariana answered. She glared as his eyes lit up. “No, Jamie.”
“So you’re saying I can’t help?” he asked.
“No.” She frowned at him before switching to Russian, “Should I be concerned that you’re here?”
“Not at all, Doll, everything’s fine. Do you have plans for tonight?” he asked, answering her in the same language.
“Nothing specific,” Ariana answered before turning to the girl who’d nudged her. “What?”
“Can we finish or are you going to flirt or whatever in another language for the rest of the time we have blocked out?” she asked.
Ariana narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t flirting, but yes we can finish. Jamie, I won’t be much longer. You wanna find something to do while I finish up?”
He leaned down and rifled through her bag, pulling out a book after a moment. A quick glance around the library and he found a seat where he’d be able to watch her and also a majority of the entrances. “I’ll just sit over there,” he informed her.
As soon as James made his way over to the chair he’d indicated, the girls in Ariana’s group turned their attention to her. “So who is he?” one of the girls demanded.
“An old friend of the family,” Ariana answered.
“An old friend who greets you with a kiss on the lips?” another questioned.
“Yeah, what’s your point?” Ariana replied.
“He’s cute,” the one who’d tried to drag them back on topic commented.
“And he knows Tony Stark, too?” the first one asked.
Ariana shrugged. “I told you. Friend of the family.” She tapped the books in front of them. “I thought you wanted to finish this.”
James looked up as Ariana stopped in front of him, knocking the tips of her sneakers against his combat boots. “Are you actually reading that?” she asked in Russian.
“No, but it’s a great cover.” He got to his feet, handing the book over to her. “It’s one I’d like to read though.”
“You can always borrow my books, Jamie. I know you’ve…” She paused, knowing that his inability to choose his own books and the way he spent his time during his ‘frozen years’ bothered him. “You can always borrow my books,” she finished.
“So, Doll,” James said, tugging gently at her braid. “What are your plans for tonight?”
“Well, I was going to go back to my dorm room and study but since you’re here,” she flashed a wicked smile at him, “how would you feel about a bar and some pool?”
A slow grin spread across James’s face. On almost anyone else, Ariana would have immediately reached for a weapon, but she trusted James. Now he grabbed her by the wrist with his natural hand, drawing her towards him. “That. Sounds like a wonderful idea. But how are your classmates going to feel about it?” he drawled. He considered it for a minute. “And can your studies afford a night off?”
“Please. When it comes to schoolwork I’m more my mother’s daughter than my father’s. I’ll be fine.” Her grin matched his for a minute before fading back into something much more appropriate for society. “And my classmates can go screw themselves. I don’t feel like being a good girl tonight.”
James laughed outright at that. “Let’s try to keep the body count to the minimum, all right, Doll?”
She pouted at him. “You’re no fun.”
“Oh, I’m lots of fun, Doll. I just don’t feel like explaining ‘cops’ to your Pop.”
“Still haven’t figured out why you think Dad is the scarier one,” Ariana said.
“It’s not that Clint is necessarily scarier,” James answered. “It’s that Natasha would get it. And would also give me three minutes to explain before beating the shit out of me. Plus I’d hate to beat the shit out of your pop.”
“Please stop calling him Pop. That’s… disturbing on levels I haven’t even contemplated yet.” Ariana let herself into her room, waving for James to follow her.
“Are you wearing that to go out?” James asked, flicking his fingers at her t-shirt and jeans.
“Nah.” Ariana rolled her shoulders as she tossed her backpack onto her bed. “Gimme a minute and I’ll change.”
It didn’t take Ariana long to strip out of the loose jeans she was wearing and pull on a pair of tighter low-riders and top it with an emerald green tank top. She snapped SERA back on her wrist and pulled a pair of black combat boots on, lacing them up expertly. As she straightened back up, James ran his fingers across her left shoulder. “You got it finished.”
Ariana twisted as if she could see the tattoo on the back of her shoulder. “Yeah a few weeks ago. I forgot you hadn’t seen it.”
James moved the strap of her tank aside so he could see it better; tracing the outside of the reticle before laying his fingers across the red hourglass it was superimposed over. “Have your parents seen it yet?”
“Do you think I’m brain dead?” she asked. Tugging on his hand, she added, “Come on. I want beer and wings.”
“Bottles or tap?” James asked as they entered the building.
“Why don’t you grab a table?” Ariana suggested in response, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the noise of the room. “I’ll get us beer and order some food.”
James didn’t look pleased, but he allowed her to walk away from him towards the bar. It took him a minute, but he located a table; chasing a couple of co-eds away from it with a look. It wasn’t long before Ariana joined him, four bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon in her hands. He eyed her for a minute as he accepted two of the bottles from her. “Not what I expected the daughter of the Chernaya Vdova to drink.”
Ariana shrugged gracefully. “I can drink vodka with the best of them. But I also know Captain has said you drank this when you guys were…” she stopped, seeming to realize where they were. “Kids,” she finally finished.
He shook his head. “It’s so odd to hear you call him ‘Captain’,” James commented.
“I named most of them when I was a kid,” Ariana pointed out. “And the names have… stuck. I think he’d faint if I called him Steve now.”
James chuckled. “He probably would.” He leaned back as a server delivered plates to their table; setting wings, mozzarella sticks, and nachos on the table. “You get enough food?” he asked.
Ariana picked up a nacho, scooping up the cheese and salsa that were spread across them. “I’m hungry.”
Picking through the food she’d ordered, James chose a mozzarella stick. “You were saying something about pool?”
She turned, eying the people around the pool tables. “Engh. Not sure I want to test those waters.”
James raised an eyebrow at that comment. “What? A couple of frat boys? Are you really that worried about them?”
“Not worried. But Daddy tends to frown when I get into fights that he’s not a part of,” she answered.
He barked out a laugh at that. “Not that you get into fights, but that he’s not a part of them.”
She pulled a chicken wing apart, pointing out, “You know Daddy.”
“Honestly I’m impressed he lets you out of his sight,” James replied.
“Mom,” Ariana said as if it explained everything and it did to James. Natasha was scary on a good day and when she was defending someone or something she believed in, she was unstoppable.
“That would do it,” he agreed.
Ariana reached for the last of the wings; they’d pretty much decimated the pile as a group of frat boys stopped by the table. James recognized a couple of them as the ones that had been playing pool. “Is this guy bothering you?” the one in the forefront asked.
She just looked at him blankly. “Does it look like he’s bothering me?”
“It looks like you got yourself caught up with someone you shouldn’t be with,” the kid responded.
The blank look turned to one of anger. “Who are you to tell me who I should or shouldn’t be with? I don’t know you. You don’t know me. Fuck off.”
When the boy reached out to grab Ariana’s shoulder, James pushed his hand away. “Don’t touch her.”
“Dude, screw you,” the boy snapped. “Don’t touch me!”
Ariana growled. “Don’t speak to him like that.” She slid her chair back, her hands clenching. “Leave. Us. Alone.”
“Are you kidding me?” the boy demanded. “You? You’re going to threaten me?”
James grabbed for Ariana as she lunged out of her chair, but missed, managing to just grab the hem of her shirt. She quickly twisted out of his grip, aiming for the frat boy. The others were so surprised that she got a hit in before any of them reacted.
“Really, doll?” James demanded as he blocked a flailing punch from one of the other boys.
“Seemed like fun!” she responded, ducking another wild swing. “Seriously? You guys fight like shit.” She jabbed the first boy in the solar plexus, making him gasp. “Arm,” she reminded James.
“I’m good,” James said. He spun the first boy he’d been fighting around and shoved him towards the table, knocking it over, but not breaking it. “Might want to wrap it up, someone’s gonna call the cops.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Ariana glared, kneeing the guy who was trying to grab her hair in the balls. “If you’re gonna fight dirty, so am I,” she told him as he swore at her.
James’s head snapped around as he heard a familiar whirring sound. “Ariana,” he started.
Ariana’s gray eyes widened as she realized SERA had registered the fight as an attack. “SERA, cancel deployment,” she snapped. “Threat level Kilo.”
“What?” The boys that still could backed away as SERA halted halfway up Ariana’s arm, their eyes wide at the sight. “What is that?!” one of them demanded.
She shook her arm, encouraging SERA to go back into her hibernation state and ignored the question. Stepping towards the boys, she growled, “You finished?”
“Doll.” James pointed out the police officers working their way towards the group of combatants.
“Bozhe moy,” Ariana groaned. “Just what I need.”
The cops had grabbed the frat boys by then and James held his hands up, indicating he wasn’t going to prove to be a problem. Ariana just sighed as one of the cops clicked his radio, calling for a female officer. “Who started the fight?” he questioned once his request was acknowledged.
Almost as one the frat boys pointed at Ariana and the four officers swung around to look at her. One of them snorted when he got a good look at her. “That little thing?” he asked.
“I feel like I should resent that,” Ariana commented. “Okay, so yes, technically I started it, but I was provoked.”
“Sarge?” one of the other officers asked. “Should we just haul them all down to the station?”
The sergeant, who’d asked the first question, nodded. “Let’s do that. We can sort it all out there.”
“Sir,” James spoke up for the first time. “I need to call my captain.”
“Military?” the sergeant questioned. “Or something else? Police? Fire? What house?”
“Ah, something else,” James hedged. “We’ll come with you, but I need to make the call as soon as possible.”
“You aren’t under arrest at the moment,” the sergeant told him. “We’re just taking you down to sort this all out. So once we get to the house, you can call, and then we’ll take your statement.”
“Why are you calling Captain?” Ariana asked in a low voice as they were escorted out of the bar. She was very glad they weren’t being cuffed for the walk, it wasn’t a pleasant sensation and she appreciated not having them now.
“Would you rather I call Clint? Or Natasha?” James questioned.
“No. No. It’s good. Call Captain,” Ariana said hurriedly.
At the station, James was directed to a desk and Ariana settled next to him as he made his phone call. The frat boys were herded to the other side of the room, protesting viciously that they had been dragged down to the station too. “How mad did he sound?” Ariana asked when James hung up.
James just looked at her. “It’s Steve.”
Ariana groaned. “Yeah. Not mad. That’s almost worse.”
An officer joined them, opening up a file on the computer. “You made your phone call?” he questioned. When James nodded in the affirmative, he continued, “I need to take your statements.”
“I can’t allow you to separate us until my Captain arrives,” James commented.
“It’s not usual, but I’m not sure anything about this is usual,” the officer replied. “Can I move her far enough that you can’t hear what she says?”
“As long as I can still see her,” James responded.
Ariana was just finishing her statement when Steve strode into the station. His blue eyes scanned the immediate area, flicking over the frat boys and promptly dismissing them before landing on Ariana. “Are you all right?” he asked as he came to a halt in front of her.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “So’s James.”
Steve sighed as he was able to see for himself that she was fine. Shaking his head, he rested a hand on her head. “When Bucky called me…” he started.
Ariana winced. “I can seriously handle you yelling at me better than you being disappointed in me,” she said.
“I’m not going to yell at you,” Steve said.
“No. You’re just going to give me that look.” Ariana crossed her arms. “I didn’t mean to start the fight.”
“What happened?” Steve asked.
The leader of the frat boys had moved close enough to overhear Steve’s question. “She objected to us asking her if she was all right,” he answered. “When we wouldn’t leave her alone, she punched me.”
Steve shook his head when Ariana started to reply. She subsided as James took her hand, working her arms out of her defensive posture. Steve questioned, “Was she being abused? Was she being bullied? Was she in any danger? Did it appear in any way that she was unable to voice her opinion? Or take care of herself?” The boys shook their heads at each question. “Then I think you’ve learned your lesson.” He turned to the sergeant. “We’ll pay for the damages of course since Miss Barton started the fight.”
“The owner isn’t interested in pressing charges.” The sergeant looked at the frat boys, the majority of whom were looking shamed by the dressing down from Captain America. “And I don’t think these boys are interested in it anymore either.”
“No, sir,” one of the boys answered. “I think we’ve learned our lesson.”
Steve nodded. “In that case. I’ll take Ariana home.”
“Um. Just one more thing, Captain?” one of the officers asked as Steve motioned for Ariana to gather her things.
Steve stopped, holding a hand out to stop the other two as the frat boys moved out en masse. “What do you need?”
A few of the officers held out their memo books. “Could we have your autograph?” the first officer asked.
“I. Um. I,” Steve stammered as his ears turned red.
“Oh, do it, Captain,” Ariana encouraged. She grinned as he turned to look at her. “Please?”
“That was much cuter when you were six,” he told her.
“I’m sure,” she answered cheerfully. “But you’re gonna do it, right?”
He sighed, reaching out for the first of the memo books. “Have I ever said no?”
“Of course not. Because you’re the best,” she told him. “But don’t tell Daddy I said that.”
James stifled a laugh as Steve accepted the first of the memo books, quietly asking the officer what his name was. He continued asking questions of each man, showing an interest, as he signed each book.
As he handed the last of the books back to their respective owners, another voice spoke up, "Sir? Could I have your autograph, too?" He turned to look at James. "And Sergeant Barnes's?" He continued his turn until he was facing Ariana. "I want to apologize for Adam's behavior. There's no excuse for the way he acted." He grinned. "And I am absolutely never going to let him live down the fact that he got socked by a girl half his size and then yelled at by Captain America."
"Try growing up with Captain as one of your 'uncles'," Ariana said dryly.
"Does the awe wear off?" the boy asked. He held his hand out. "I'm Russell by the way."
"The awe yes. The... embarrassment no not really," she replied.
"Doll," James said, as he and Steve had found something to sign for the boy while the two talked.
Ariana made a face. "And clearly they're ready to go."
"I'm sorry again," Russell said. He nodded at Steve and James. "Thank you."
Steve nodded back in response, executing an almost perfect about face and heading towards the door. Russell's eyes drifted downwards, very obviously staring at the Captain's rear end. Ariana caught James's eye and the older man immediately rolled his own, grabbing her arm and towing her towards the exit.
As they caught up with Steve outside on the sidewalk, Ariana let out a peal of laughter. "What?" Steve asked, looking between the two of them. "What did I miss?"
James clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll explain on the way back to the Tower." He glanced at Ariana who was still giggling. "And we can figure out how to explain this to Tasha and Clint."
Ariana immediately sobered at his words. "Oh, shit."
Chernaya Vdova—Black Widow
Bozhe moy—Oh my god
