Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Seven

By the time Steve and I return home, it's dark, and we enter our four-story building, climbing the stairs to the top floor. Reaching the final flight, I hear our neighbour, Kate, in the hallway above, talking to someone on the phone. With a sly smile, I hang back, letting Steve continue on his own.

Kate turns to Steve as he reaches the top of the stairs. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac."

There's a pause as Steve's footsteps continue down the hall, but he turns to her. "Hey, if you want... if you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

"Oh, yeah?" Kate replies. "What's it cost?"

"A cup of coffee?" Steve answers. I smile to myself, proud of my friend for putting himself out there.

"Thank you," Kate says, "but um... I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh... you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infectious diseases ward, so..."

"Ah, well, I'll keep my distance," Steve jokes.

I take that as my cue to climb the remaining stairs, heading for my apartment door.

"Well, hopefully not too far," Kate says to Steve before turning to me with a smile. "Hey."

"Hi," I smile back.

Kate's pretty, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and rosy cheeks. Whenever I see her, she's usually wearing her scrubs.

She turns to the stairs, carrying a laundry basket in her arms, but suddenly stops, facing us once again. "Oh! I think you left your stereo on."

"Oh," Steve replies, quickly glancing at his door. "Right, thank you."

I wait for Kate to continue down the stairs before walking over to Steve's door, where I can hear music softly playing inside.

I look up at Steve. "You want backup, Cap?"

He nods, and I unlock my own door, Steve following me through my apartment and out onto the fire escape, which we use to sneak into Steve's apartment through his hallway window. Quietly, we tiptoe down the hall toward the living room, following the music, and Steve grabs his shield from where it rests against the wall. Steve glances at me, checking that I'm ready for a fight, and I give him a slight nod, my fingertips dancing at my sides.

Together, we round the corner, expecting to catch the intruder by surprise. Instead, we are shocked to find Fury lounging in one of Steve's chairs, hiding in the shadows of the room.

"I don't remember giving you a key," Steve sighs, lowering his shield from its defensive position. I'm less at ease, something doesn't feel right.

"You really think I'd need one?" Fury asks. "My wife kicked me out."

My brows furrow. "I didn't know you were married."

"A lot of things you don't about me," Fury responds.

"We know, Nick. That's the problem," Steve argues, flicking the light switch.

The room is bathed in light, giving us a full view of Fury's injuries. A few cuts crisscross along the side of his head, and another one stretches along his cheek. Steve's face chances from irritation to concern, and I drop my guard a little in surprise. Before we can say or do anything, Fury raises his hand, indicating us to stay silent, before reaching over to the lamp and switching it off. The apartment darkens, the only light coming from the streetlights down below.

Fury pulls out his phone, typing out a message as he walks toward us. Ears everywhere.

Steve's concern fades as his irritation returns, and he looks around the room as he realizes his apartment was bugged. I roll my eyes at Fury, wondering if my apartment is bugged as well.

"I'm sorry to have to do this," Fury continues, typing out a second message, "but I had no place else to crash."

SHIELD compromised.

"Who else knows about your wife?" I ask him.

Fury shows us another message. Just us three.

"Just... my friends," Fury replies.

"Is that what we are?" Steve asks.

"That's up to you," Fury answers, crossing in front of the window.

Fury raises his hand to place it on Steve's shoulder, but suddenly, three bullets come through the wall, sending pieces of drywall flying before piercing Fury's body. He cries out in pain as he collapses to the floor, and I grab his arm, dragging him into the kitchen. Steve follows.

"Don't...trust anyone..." Fury warns us, handing me a flash drive as he loses consciousness. I check him for a pulse. It's slow, but still there.

I tuck the flash drive into my jacket pocket before assessing Fury's wounds. He's taken three bullets in the chest and losing a lot of blood. I hesitate for a moment as a few flashbacks come flooding in, but I shake my head to clear my vision, grabbing the kitchen towel to staunch the wounds.

At that moment, there's a loud bang as someone kicks open the apartment door, and I glance up to see Steve moving to stand against the wall, positioning his shield protectively in front of him.

"Captain Rogers?" Kate calls out, and Steve slowly peers around the corner, shield raised. Seeing him, Kate continues, "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service. I've been assigned to protect you."

"On whose order?" Steve demands.

Still dressed in her pink scrubs, Kate walks into the kitchen with a gun strapped to her hip, and she sees me on the floor next to Fury's unconscious body, trying to stop the bleeding.

"His," Kate breathes, crouching next to me and pulling out her radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs."

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" an agent asks from the other end.

"Tell him I'm in pursuit," Steve states, jumping through the window and into the next building, chasing after the assailant.

Meanwhile, I check Fury's vitals, attempting to stabilize him as we wait for the medical team to arrive. With Kate's help, I carefully turn him so I can check his back. There are no exit wounds, meaning the bullets are still embedded in his torso.

I instruct Kate to apply pressure to one of Fury's wounds as I press on the other two. Until we can get him to the hospital, there isn't anything else we can do. The feeling of helplessness begins to sneak in, but I try to ignore it. I've lost too many people already, and I refuse to lose anyone else.