Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Seventeen

Steve leads us into the crowded mess hall, the happy chatter of reunited friends buzzing throughout, and we somehow manage to find an empty table along the back wall. My plate is piled high with breakfast and, although it's not the greatest food in the world, it's the best thing I've tasted in a while.

"So, who's the girl?" I ask Steve as I shovel eggs into my mouth.

"Peggy Carter," he replies, keeping his voice monotone. "She's an agent with the SSR. She helped monitor all the candidates in the program."

Bucky and I share another look, knowing our friend is holding something back.

"What about you two?" Steve asks, trying to change the subject. "Are you finally together?"

"Are we?" Bucky asks me, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Sergeant Barnes," I respond with a smile on my face, "are you asking me to go steady?"

"Yes, I am, Doll," he says.

"Then, yes," I say, turning back to Steve, "we're together."

Georgia lets out one of her trademark squeals and I blush at her reaction as the rest of our table laughs, but no one asks anymore questions, letting me finish my breakfast in silence. For the first time in weeks, I feel full.

"You two should get some medical attention," Georgia states, reaching for my hand. "Come on, I'll sort you out."

Her fingers close around my wrist, and I flinch, clinging to Bucky's arm. At the same time, he lashes out, grabbing my wrist and pulling it from Georgia's grasp. The rest of our group stares in shock at our reactions and I look at Georgia, seeing the tears forming in her eyes as she realizes just how much we went through over the last few weeks.

"Oh, honey," Georgia says, raising her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."

"No, I'm alright..." I tell her, still clinging to Bucky. "We've just been through a lot..."

Too much, in fact. In the last four weeks, Bucky and I were only apart when one of us was suffering. It changed us, rewired our instincts, and who knows how long it would take us to revert back to normal, if that is even possible.

Georgia nods and stands from the table. "I'm going to get a first aid kit. Don't you two go anywhere."

I turn to face the others as Georgia leaves, the concern is evident on their faces.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Marie asks.

I nod, slowly relaxing my grip on Bucky's arm. He does the same, releasing my wrist. When Georgia returns, Evelyn comes over to sit on Bucky's other side, cleaning his wounds as Georgia cleans mine. My body tenses as I spot the syringe laying in the medical kit and, after following my gaze, Georgia covers it with a cloth.

Taking comfort in the relative safety of camp with my friends, the exhaustion sets in, and I stifle a yawn as I slump against Bucky's shoulder.

"You should get some sleep," Bucky murmurs to me. "Come on. I'll walk you."

We say goodbye to our friends and Bucky takes my hand, leading me toward the nurse's barracks in silence. My bunkmates will have to return to work shortly, so my tent will be empty for a few hours.

Seeing the familiar tent is comforting, and I fall into my bunk by the door, grateful to finally have a bed again, even if it is just a cot. Bucky chuckles and, seeing that I'm safe, he turns to exit the tent.

"Bucky?" I ask, sitting up and grabbing his arm to stop him. "...Can you stay with me?"

I know that I'm safe here, but I feel uneasy about being left on my own. Bucky hovers by the entrance of the tent, conflicted. He knows as well as I do that if someone catches him in here, we'll both face disciplinary action, but at the same time, he looks as if he wants to honour my request.

"I'm not going anywhere," he finally states, sitting on the ground just outside my tent. "Try to get some rest, I'll be right here."

I lay back down on the cot and close my eyes, letting the soft sound of his breathing lull me to sleep.

When I wake from my nap, the sun is high in the sky, and it shines through the gaps in the tent. Climbing out of the cot, I realize that I'm still dressed in my torn and dirty field uniform, so I change into my spare one before exiting the tent to find Bucky still at his post. His head slumped forward as he sleeps but he wakes at the sound of my movement and turns his head toward me.

"Hey," he greets, standing up from his spot on the ground. "How did you sleep?"

I shrug. "Better than before... I was thinking I should see if they need any help in the hospital... try and get some normality back."

Bucky nods in understanding and walks with me to the hospital tents, leaving me just outside. He knows that this is something I need to do alone. I watch as he turns back the way we came before I turn to enter the hospital. As I do, I'm greeted by the three smiling faces of my bunkmates. They run over to welcome me back, but after my display at breakfast, they're careful not to touch my arms or hands.

The familiarity of the tent and my work is reassuring, and I manage to make myself useful, stitching up a few wounds and preparing a handful of soldiers to be evacuated to a proper hospital for longer treatment. But, even so, the sight of the operating tables gives me flashbacks to the gurney I was strapped to, and I become too aware of the needles, syringes, and medical staff. Before long, I can no longer stand the sight of them, and I excuse myself from the tent.

I wander aimlessly around the camp, trying to relax, but the presence of so many soldiers make it impossible to do so. Frustrated, I decide to head back to the barracks and finally find a quiet spot behind the tents, taking a seat in the grass and enjoying the silence.

Bucky finds me a few hours later and takes a seat in the grass beside me. "I went to check on you at the hospital, but your bunkmates said you left. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I respond, leaning into his shoulder. "I just couldn't stand to be in there any longer."

As the moon starts to rise, Bucky walks me back to my bunk, and I enter to see that my bunkmates are already here, their conversation coming to a halt when they see me.

"Y/n, how are you doing?" Evelyn asks.

"I'm fine," I reply, pulling off my uniform and crawling into bed.

The three of them give me a skeptical look but decide not to press me further, and they crawl into their cots as Marie turns off the lamp, shrouding the tent in darkness.