#they left the backstage area so tidy too when i went there to clean up (said area is so cool btw omg part of it used to be a dungeon)

[born-to-lose]

Oh I forgot I went to a black/dark metal concert last Friday (or well. I worked behind the bar that night so I pretty much only heard them but didn't see the stage), anyways check out Eisregen and Maahes if you like that kind of music

[dabblinginmarvel]

Of a Different Family - Part 1

Plot: James Buchannan Barnes is a very successful mob boss who falls in love with the mysterious singer who leaves her shoe behind in the alley behind his club.

A/N: I decided to go with a Fem!Reader take on this. It felt right for the thirties time-period.

Warnings: The mob, brief mild sexual undertones (mentioned)

Word Count Total: 2087

Title: Of a Different Family

Part 1

When you were eleven, your daddy had gotten himself into some real trouble with the mob. He knew how to play poker, but he wasn’t the best and he got himself into debt. It was mighty deep, at that.

So you had been taken. You were the insurance policy that the mafia in your area would get paid. If they didn’t get their money, you were a good enough settlement.

Here you were, seven years later, still cleaning Mister Rumlow’s floors. Your daddy had passed away four years ago, your mama to follow six months after, from something called pneumonia. Which left you in the hands of the Rumlow mob for the rest of your life.

“Y/N!” Mister Rumlow shouts.

“Coming, Mister Rumlow!” You put the brush you were scrubbing with into the dingy metal bucket and wipe your hands off on your dirty dress.

“Y/N, doll,” he says as you enter, the back of his tall brown chair facing you. A puff of smoke rises from the chair before he turns around. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Yes, Mister Rumlow.”

“Good girl. Now, I have a couple parties to be at on Monday and Tuesday. It’s my, what do you call it, my alibi. I need the suit ironed and in pristine condition before then.”

“Your alibi, sir?”

He smiles. “Between you and me, I believe the Barnes family will be getting a little… separated in the weeks to come.”

Something clicks. “Yes, Mister Rumlow. Your alibi will be ready before the party.”

“Good girl.” His chair turns around again and you leave the way you came. You had heard many things about the Barnes family on the other side of town. All of the details had come from those in with the Rumlow family, so you suspected some bias had made its way in.

You turn and walk back to your bucket on the floor. But something was missing, and that something just so happens to be your kneeling rag. A sigh leaves your mouth and you kneel down in the dirty water. This was nothing new. Typically, it was the fast twin that would take it. They may have had the last name Maximoff, but they were honorary Rumlow members.

You supposed that the Rumlow family hated the Barnes family so much because their boss, James, had escaped years ago and had turned out to be a successful mob boss. He had even made truces with the Odinson family and the Romanoff family. Romanoff is the only boss that is female and you secretly look up to her. A powerful female that even Rumlow feels threatened by? That is the person to look up to.

You finish your scrubbing and mopping without your rag and tidy up your stuff before moving to the ironing stand. The pain in your knees made you wince and the numbness in your ankles made you walk like a penguin.

The rolling hanger rod that Mister Rumlow’s men had nicked from a nearby theater stood waiting for you by the iron and you sighed again. Sure, you were ironing Mister Rumlow’s suit, but you should’ve realized you were cleaning up for the other men, too. All fifteen of ‘em.

See, your day in and day out were the chores for the Rumlow family. You were the main maid, with only one or two other gals who worked (and by work, you knew they did a little more for the men than just chores). You know it’s a lucky thing that you were not required to provide extra entertainment for the men - you were the Boss’s Dame. You fulfilled the chores, he kept you protected. That didn’t mean that Pietro Maximoff didn’t sneak a bottom pinch in here and there, though. The young man meant no real harm, he just liked playing tricks. He was still in training, so he was bored and you had to pretend it didn’t bother you.

While the iron heats up, you tend to any mending that the suits need and clean off any visible gunpowder. It wasn’t like the coppers could find it.

Once the partywear hangs on a different rod, you take a quick breather. You had put off laundering the items that didn’t need ironing just for the suits, so it was time to clean those.

The chores continue to keep you busy until Monday arrives and you make a decision. You had heard from one of the girls around the place that Mister Barnes allowed all of his dames to sing if they desired for a little extra pay. He also allowed any woman who came to sing if she had an interest and a talent. Mister Rumlow would never entertain the notion, so after speaking with one of the gals who came and went freely, you knew how to get to the Barnes speakeasy.

Mister Rumlow and his men leave you home alone whenever they go out, never having any trouble with you, because you had nowhere else to go, so you could go to while they were away at the Monday party. The girls had made Mister Barnes sound much kinder to his women than Mister Rumlow, so maybe you could get the Tuesday message to him and maybe he would let you sing. So as soon as they leave for the party, you hurry into your cleanest, nicest dress and try to put up your hair.

Your door opens behind you and you jump right into your dresser, thinking it’s one of the men.

It isn’t - it’s one of the girls.

She grabs your hand and brings you to the powder room. “Dear, you won’t be able to get away looking like that. Here, you take this box and when you get backstage, change into it quickly. It has a matching mask and shoes. I’ll do your hair and makeup.”

You look up at the girl from your place on the stool and realize it’s one of the ones who doesn’t provide adult entertainment. Sharon. You let her do her work and she nods, satisfied, when she is finished. You stand, grab the box with a thank you, and she sneaks you out. No need for any neighboring people to see you leave.

Sharon guides you on foot to Barnes territory, helps you get your mask on, and takes you to a black man. “Sam, we need your help.”

He squints, his mouth forming a line. “What’s up, doll?”

“We need to help Esther here get on James’ stage so she can sing.”

Esther? That’s not my name. You’re about to protest when you realize they already moved on from your name.

“Why?”

“Because she’s a good person who has been sheltered her whole life. I can promise you that she can sing. Just give her a chance.”

Sam looks like he’s about to turn you both away when he nods. “Okay. One of your friends is one of mine. Bring her in.”

Sharon and Sam guide you to a back door in an alley. Sam raps on the door in a pattern that you don’t catch and it opens, revealing a blond man.

“We’ve got an audition for tonight’s show.”

“She any good?”

“Sharon speaks for her.”

“This way.”

You turn to Sharon. “What’s going on, how do you know them?”

“I’ve been undercover for Mister Barnes since I arrived to Mister Rumlow’s. It’s dirty work, but someone has to do it.”

“Then I have to get a message to you and this doesn’t have to happen.”

“Too late, go now.” Sharon pushes you in through the door and the door closes behind you, leaving you with the blond man and Sharon’s large box.

“If Sharon trusts you, you are welcome here. I’m Steve. Get changed and we will add you to the list. What will you be singing?” he asks.

You freeze. The song wasn’t something you had given much thought to.

Steve must have noticed your hesitation because he looks at the song list in his hand. “‘Over the Rainbow’ hasn’t been chosen, yet. In fact, you’re the first one I’m asking. You want that one?”

You nod quickly. “Thank you Mister…?”

“Oh, ma’am, it’s just Steve.”

“Thank you, Steve.”

He leads you to a dressing room and you dress quickly, careful of the makeup and hair that Sharon did. All the while, you practice the song and try to calm your nerves. You emerge, the white half-mask still on, and Steve was not waiting for you. Another man was. This one had red hair, a matching beard, and a brown bowler hat.

“Pleased to meet you, The name’s Dugan.”

“Hello, Dugan.”

He smiles and leads you to the waiting area.

As he begins to leave you put a hand on his arm.

“Dugan, I have something important for you to tell your boss.”

“You’re welcome to tell him yourself, ma’am. He likes to meet the new canaries after they exit the stage.” He tips his hat to you and leaves the way you both came.

The nerves start building inside of you and your thumbs begin to trip over one another in a fidgeting attempt to calm down. This was a bad idea and you shouldn’t’ve come. But just as you stand, you are called to the stage.

“Please welcome our newest edition,” says the man - who sounds like Dugan, you realized - “Esther!”

You swallow, with no way to back out of this now. The polite applause greets you as you step into the bright light. Your mask did a little to protect your eyes from the stage lights and you realized how large the Barnes speakeasy was. You cleared your throat and got closer to the microphone. You glanced at the piano player and he began to play. After a deep breath, you started to sing.

Luckily, the song starts out quiet, or else your nerves would have been more apparent.

Once the song was over, you received more than polite applause. A few whistles were thrown into the mix. After doing a shallow curtsey, you thank the pianist and exit the stage. No one was waiting for you and you walked further off stage. Steve approaches you and stops you, preparing you for his boss. Shortly thereafter, a man in a dark suit approaches from the shadows.

“Steve, what time is it?” you ask quickly, coming to your senses. Steve pulls out his pocketwatch and you can see that you have thirty minutes to return to the Rumlow mansion.  “Is Sharon waiting?”

He nods, glancing over at the blonde a few feet off. She gives you a look and you interpret it to mean faster.

“Good evening, doll. That was the nicest rendition I’ve heard, yet.” Mister Barnes says to your left and you turn back to him. You notice the blue eyes and the well-groomed brown hair. He’s younger than you had expected. Then, you notice that he has a metallic hand as he raises your gloved one to kiss your knuckles.

“Thank you, Mister Barnes. It was an honor to sing for you.”

“How would you like to sing every night?”

“It would be an honor,” you repeated. “Unfortunately, I don’t come to this side often. I have a message for you and it is the utmost importance that you listen carefully.”

“I’m listening.”

“A raid is being called in on you by the Rumlow family. You’re not safe until tomorrow is over. Get everyone and get out.”

“Doll -” Mister Barnes begins, but you turn tail and run over to Sharon, who is still waiting for you with the box. She grabs your hand and you two run for it, out the back door and into the alleyway. You switch your shoes and run faster, changing as much as you can in the alleys before you get back to Rumlow territory. In the territory, you rip off the mask and continue through the alleys to the back door of the mansion. You hurry out of the dress in your room by the entrance to the cellar and Sharon stuffs it into her box. She peers through and you two realized somewhere along the way, you dropped a shoe. There was no time to run out for it as voices begin to grow louder from the front rooms. Sharon nods to you and makes a dash for the girls’ quarters before you can even thank her.

Hopefully you warned Mister Barnes in time.

- - -

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