Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Three

I sit beside Steve on one of the long benches within a SHIELD quinjet, the aircraft's sleek design built for speed and quick maneuvering. Steve holds a tablet in front of us, its screen showing us footage of an attack on the Army by a giant green man, the Hulk.

"We're about forty minutes out from base, sir," the pilot informs the middle-aged man with thinning, chestnut-coloured hair seated across from us. Agent Phil Coulson gets up from his seat to come stand on our side of the jet.

"So, this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" Steve asks him.

"A lot of people were," Coulson explains, his clear blue eyes filling with awe. "You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula."

On the screen, the Hulk rips through a jeep, roaring in fury.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve states.

"Not so much," Coulson agrees. "When he's not that thing though, the guy's like a Stephen Hawking."

Steve and I tear our eyes away from the tablet to look at Coulson, silently asking who 'Stephen Hawking' is.

"He's like a smart person..." Coulson explains before turning to Steve. "I gotta say, it's an honour to meet you, officially." Steve politely smiles at him. "I sort of met you... I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping."

I choke back my laughter as Steve awkwardly looks down at the tablet, handing it to me before standing and wandering over to the front of the jet. He places a hand on the beam above as he leans forward to look out the windshield.

Coulson follows, stammering his explanation as he mirrors Steve's posture. "I mean, I was... I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's really, it's just a... just a huge honour to have you on board this..."

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job," Steve replies.

"Oh, you are," Coulson assures him before turning to me, suddenly remembering my presence. "You both are. Absolutely." Coulson turns back to Steve. "Uh... We made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."

"The uniform?" Steve asks. "Aren't the stars and stripes a little... old-fashioned?"

"With everything that's happening," Coulson informs us, "the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old-fashioned."

Steve returns his gaze out the window as I look down at the floor, taking in Coulson's sentiment.

The pilot lands the quinjet on the runway of a massive battleship. After lowering the hatch door, Coulson leads us down the ramp, where we are met by a woman with chin-length red hair and striking jade eyes.

"Agent Romanoff," Coulson introduces us. "Captain Rogers, Lieutenant Y/l/n."

"Ma'am," Steve greets as I nod politely.

"Hi," Romanoff greets before turning to Coulson. "They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face-trace."

"See you there," Coulson replies as he walks away, leaving us with Romanoff.

"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice," Romanoff informs Steve as we walk toward the railing of the ship. "I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

"Trading cards?" Steve asks.

"They're vintage," Romanoff confirms with a smirk. "He's very proud."

Up ahead, a short man with curly black hair and brown eyes wanders aimlessly, unsure of where to go and trying to avoid getting in the way as agents rush by.

"Dr. Banner," Steve greets, shaking his hand.

"Oh, yeah. Hi," Banner stammers. "They told me you'd be coming."

"Word is you can find the Cube," Steve states.

"Is that the only word on me?" Banner asks.

"Only word I care about," Steve assures him.

Banner awkwardly nods before gesturing around the runway. "It must be strange for you, all of this."

A squad of soldiers jog past in formation, their Sergeant calling out cadence, and I'm reminded of my time on the front lines with Steve and the Commandos.

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar," Steve replies before noticing my thousand yard stare off into the distance. "Y/n, you okay?"

I release the breath I didn't realize I was hold and nod before tucking my hands under my arms. Banner notices my movements and I smile at him, I'm not the only one who needs to keep their emotions in check.

"You may wanna step inside in a minute," Romanoff suggests, changing the subject. "It's gonna get a little hard to breathe."

At her words, the battleship starts shaking and I hear a deafening whirring sound as the engines start up. Nearby, crew members dash to strap down various aircrafts to the deck.

"Is this a submarine?" Steve wonders.

"Really?" Banner asks sarcastically. "They want me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?"

The three of us gravitate toward the side of the ship, where water splashes against the side of the hull as four huge turbines churn the ocean as they lift into the air.

"No, no," Banner states. "This is much worse."