I watch Nat as she steps out of the cathedral, Steve right on her tail. Sam and I both stand from our spots and I slip my feet back into the heels that I had taken off and smooth out the back of my black dress. She looks towards me as the door closes behind them.
"Don't let them do anything reckless while I'm gone." A small smile forms on Steve's lips as he slightly shakes his head. "And if you can't stop them, at least don't join them." I nod my head in Nat's direction and turn to face Sam.
"Hear that?" I smirk. "I'm in charge." Sam rolls his eyes as he sarcastically nods his head, agreeing to my leadership. Nat laughs slightly before waving goodbye before walking down the street. The three of us watch her as she goes. Standing there in complete silence, I wonder if this is what it is going to be like from now on. Half the team going off to do their jobs, and the other half either illegally doing their jobs, or just not doing anything.
I turn towards Steve, opening my mouth to say something, to ask about what happens next, but I chose not to as I see the blonde from earlier walking up behind him. Steve notices where my eyes are focused and turns his head before fully turning to face Sharon.
"We should give those two their space." Sam says from beside me. I roll my eyes as he smirks at the two before we turn and walk down the street, Steve and Sharon following a little ways behind us.
"I just can't see it," I claim, sneaking a glance back at the two of them.
"What do you mean you 'can't see it?' It's right in front of you." I shrug my shoulders.
"Doesn't mean I have to agree with it." Sam goes to argue once more when I yank his arm backwards. I point down to the sidewalk where his foot had almost landed moments before where a baby bird was sitting.
"Don't kill yourself." I laugh at my own joke as I help the bird get into the grass so no one steps on it.
"I'm the Falcon, not some baby bird who can't even fly yet." I continue laughing at my own joke, ignoring his attempt of defending himself.
"That was a good one. I'm really funny." I continue laughing as Sam rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. I dramatically pat myself on the back as Sam ignores me.
The two of us remain walking quietly as my laugh dies down before my smile fades away as well.
"I wanted to apologize to you, Sam." My tone becomes more serious as I think back to the night that I left the facility.
"For that stupid bird joke? You better apologize."
"I'm not going to apologize for my witty sense of humor." A smile forms on my face for a second before disappearing again. "But I do want to apologize for the night that I left." He looks down at me now, realizing that I was serious. "I saw you in the lab and I lied right to your face. I wanted to apologize for lying to you like that and also for any guilt or anything that I may have caused."
"I'm not mad at you, Riles. I understand needing to take a break. I'm not the one who needs an apology. I understood immediately that even if I had caught on to what you were doing, there's nothing I could've done to stop you except strap you down to your bed, and no one wanted that. You had your space and your time off, and then you came back, and it seems like you're doing pretty well. Really well, actually. I'm proud of you." He places an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into a quick side hug. "But I will need an apology for that bird joke." I let out another laugh before turning around just in time to see Steve and Sharon walk into a hotel.
Sam and I both turn and follow them in. I watch them make their way towards the elevators as I find a nice seat in the lobby to relax in. Sam stands behind my chair as we both watch the tv in front of us. A news channel is playing and the two of us spend a decent amount of time listening to the same news you hear everyday. I pull out my phone and begin playing games on it, waiting for Steve to come back down so the three of us can leave.
I'm about to beat a high score when Sam taps my arm, causing me to look up and lose the game. He motions towards the tv, which he was still watching. My eyes widen as I watch a replay of a video of a bomb going off right outside the building Nat was in. I shoot up out of my seat and follow right behind Sam as we make our way towards the elevators, where Steve and Sharon still stood.
"Steve," Sam interrupts whatever moment the two of them may have been having and they both look towards him. "There's something you've gotta see."
"We can go upstairs." Sharon invites us all to her room as the elevator door opens and the four of us shuffle in. The ride is tense and quiet as we make our way to her floor. I'm antsy as we step off the elevator and make our way through the hallway. I need to know what happened and who's injured, or worse.
Sharon unlocks the door and I immediately squeeze through, making my way to the tv and turning it on. It turns on to the channel that was on downstairs and the four of us just stand watching the footage of the building. We stand for only a few seconds before Sharon's phone begins ringing.
"I have to take this," She states, quickly pressing the green answer button and beginning the conversation.
"A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna." The news anchor goes over the story again for any new viewers and the three of us continue staring at the screen while Sharon paces behind us. "More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier." A man appears on the screen who resembles Bucky and my stomach drops to my feet and I don't listen to the rest of the description. I immediately turn towards Steve, who remains emotionless.
"I have to go to work." Sharon hangs up her phone and moves back into line with the three of us.
"Steve," I speak up and he finally looks towards me. "It wasn't him."
"Riley-"
"Steve, I promise. I know him and he doesn't do that anymore. He's becoming more like your Bucky. He isn't the Winter Soldier anymore, he's Bucky. He still has things to work through but-"
"Wait," Steve cuts me off, putting his hand up to stop me from continuing. "How do you know this?"
"I was with him." I suddenly feel small and vulnerable. This isn't how I wanted to tell him and I wasn't prepared for him to be angry or upset with me. I didn't want to deal with Steve's disappointed look. "The entire time I was gone, I stayed with him. I happened to find him and he took me in. I kept these notebooks," I reach into my bag and pull out Steve's, which I had been carrying around incase I found a moment to tell him. "I have multiple. I gave Tony his, this is yours, and I still have Nat's at the facility. It explains everything." Steve silently takes the book from my hand, softly flipping through the pages, which are almost all filled. "I wanted to tell you, Steve. I really did." My heart aches as he remains silent, still, staring down at the first page, which had the small note from the hotel taped to it.
"Take us to him."
>.<
"You're sure your okay?" I ask Nat for what feels like the hundredth time over the phone.
"If you ask me that one more time, you'll be the one everyone is worrying about." Turns out her voice isn't any less menacing over the phone.
"Steve," I call out to him as he's on the opposite side of the jet, finishing getting suited up. "It's your turn to talk to her." He makes his way towards me and grabs the phone from my hand and talking to Nat.
I take the opportunity to change my own outfit. I grab the new uniform from my bag and move towards a more private area to change. Tony had made a new suit right before I left, but he had made even more updates while I was gone. All the safety he puts into our uniforms are nice, but sometimes I just wish he'd stop worrying. It's like everyday he comes up with a new scenario that he has to account for.
As I pull the suit on, I can tell that the entire thing is much more bullet proof than it had been. It's thicker in some places to stop the bullets and there's an actual plate across the chest so nothing can get through. The uniform is snug, but flexible enough for full movement when in combat. I pull back my hair into a single French braid down the back of my head while I wait for Steve to finish his conversation with Nat, where I'm sure she's telling him not to do the exact thing that we're about to do.
Sam and I step outside to wait for Steve and he watches as I finish my braid.
"There's no going back after this, Riles," Sam says.
"I'm not going to let Bucky go down for this. He didn't do anything." I tie off the bottom of the braid and watch as Steve steps outside. He sends me a quick nod and I begin leading the way to Bucky's apartment.
We stick to the shadows as we walk through the streets. Not only are we in uniform, but Steve's shield usually tends to draw a crowd.
Steve and I enter the building through the front and make our way up the stairs while Sam flies up to the roof to keep watch and we all stay in contact through the coms we have in our ears.
"We're still sure he isn't going to attack you guys?" Sam states from the roof as Steve and I ascend the stairs. "Cause no offense, but I don't know how long you guys would be able to take him."
"He trusts me." I roll my eyes at Sam's comment. "And I trust him. He kept me safe for months, he isn't going to all of a sudden try to kill me now." I take a deep breath as I step in front of the door and pull the extra key out of my pocket. I had kept it before leaving and I'm thankful for it now.
We step into the apartment and I'm almost surprised to see that nothing has changed. Steve immediately makes his way to the kitchen and looks around, but I stand by the door. I look down at the mattress I had used and find it completely untouched. I had forgotten to make it before leaving, and Bucky never went through the trouble of fixing it. It was almost as if I had never left. I take a few steps into the apartment towards the island and find the familiar bowl filled with our notes sitting next to the stove. A note with my careful handwriting is sitting right on top.
I ate the last plum and you didn't inform me we were out of strawberries. I'll be back soon.
"Heads up, guys." Sam's voice comes through the com. "German special forces approaching from the south."
"Understood." I don't look up at Steve when he speaks. Instead, I silently put the note back into the bowl and run my hand across the clean counter top.
"Do you know me?" Steve's voice startles me at first, but I quickly turn to face the new figure in the room. Bucky's eyes are trained on Steve as he speaks.
"You're Steve." His eyes leave Steve's for just a moment as he looks over at me. I send him a slight shake of my head, silently telling him that I didn't tell Steve any of the stories or secrets that Bucky had shared with me. "I read about you in a museum."
"They've set the perimeter." Sam's voice comes through once more, warning Steve and I to hurry up.
"I know you're nervous," Steve places the notebook he had been holding down on the counter. "And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."
"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."
"We know that," I speak up and Bucky's eyes meet mine. "But other people don't. That's why we're here."
"They're entering the building." My heart rate quickens at the thought of a fight.
"The people who think you did are coming here now," Like literally right now, so if we could hurry this up that'd be great. "And they aren't planning on taking you alive."
"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky's eyes go to the ceiling as we hear footsteps on the roof.
"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."
"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."
"It always ends in a fight."
"Five seconds." Steve quickly turns his head, making eye contact with me and attempting to check the window behind me.
"You pulled me from the river." Steve becomes desperate, not only for answers, but to get Bucky out of here. "Why?" Bucky pulls his glove off, exposing his metal hand.
"I don't know."
"Three seconds." A part of me wishes Steve would've let me come in here alone. Bucky's walls went back up with Steve's presence. He might have been more willing to listen to me.
"Yes, you do."
"Breach, breach, breach!"All three of our heads snap towards the window behind me as a flashbang comes in. Steve quickly uses his shield to hit it towards the corner of the room before another grenade comes in in front of Bucky. He kicks it over to Steve, who instinctively holds his shield over it as it goes. Bucky's eyes meet mine as he pulls me behind the mattress with him as another one explodes in the window. He quickly moves the mattress out of the way before throwing the table towards the door, lengthening the time it will take the people out there to get in.
My arms quickly go up in defense as two men fly in through the windows. I quickly hit the forearm of the man in front of me, causing him to drop the gun he had been holding before Bucky comes up and takes over. I duck down as gunshots hit the ceiling and watch as Bucky sends the man flying across the room.
The door to the balcony opens and Steve grabs the gun and points it towards the ceiling, opening the man's stomach which Bucky kicks to get the cop out of his way.
"Buck, stop." Steve grabs onto his best friend's arm and he quickly spins around. "You're going to kill someone." Bucky flips Steve around, slamming him onto the ground. I involuntarily jump as Bucky's fist goes through the floor board next to Steve's head.
"I'm not going to kill anyone." Bucky pulls out the backpack he had stashed away and throws it out the door to the roof of the next building over. Another man jumps through the window right next to me and I immediately send the barrel of the gun towards the ceiling before knocking it out of his hands completely. I see Steve get sent out the window out of the corner of my eye and hear a crash behind me as my fist connects with the mans jaw. I freeze as the cop gets sent through the bathroom door by a cement block and turn towards Bucky.
"I had him!"
"You're too slow." Bucky quickly moves towards the door as we hear gunshots from outside.
"I'm sorry not everyone is a super-soldier and/or highly trained super-spy assassin." The gunshots from outside stop and it's silent for just a moment before Bucky's arm goes through the door and he pushes his way out into the hallway. "For fuck's sake." I take a deep breath before turning and seeing Steve climb back through the window.
He follows me out into the stairwell, where one of the germans are speaking on a walkie. I grab the walkie from his hands and throw it down the center of the stairs, where it'll break as it hits the ground floor. Steve and I both leave the man alone after that as I begin making my way down the stairs and Steve jumps over to the other side.
"Why is everyone so extra all the time? Am I the only one who has the ability to just take the stairs like a normal human being?" As I run down the stairs behind the two super-soldiers, I avoid most of the fight, but instead see Steve's creativity for keeping everyone alive while keeping them off our trail.
I catch up with Steve just in time to see Bucky jump down what looked like five or so floors and I roll my eyes. I guess maybe if I had the ability, I would want to do it to.
Steve yanks his shield out of the wall and we make our way down the stairs together this time.
"Sam," Steve gets ready to jump off the balcony and I move out of his way. "Southwest rooftop."
"Who the hell's the other guy?" I see Sam turn the corner as I hear his voice.
"About to find out." Steve takes a running start before jumping off the balcony and onto the next roof over.
"Yeah," I look at the gap and the distance down and shake my head. "Sam I need a pick up." I look out over the railing and stick my hand out, ready to grab onto Sam's back as I normally would, when I see a small circle light up on my wrist. I'm still staring at it when Sam goes flying by, and the area that lit up on my suit clings to the back of Sam's wings.
"Apparently Tony didn't like that you would just hold onto my back when you needed a lift."
"Well how the hell do I get off?" I look down at the roof below us and attempt to pull my arm off so I can jump down but the mechanism is too strong.
"Like this," Sam looks down to the little control panel on his wrist and presses a button. The wrist of my suit turns black once more as my suit disconnects from his and I attempt to make my landing on the roof as graceful as possible.
"Sam." Steve's voice comes through the coms as I look up at the helicopter flying above us.
"Got him." Sam brings his legs up to his chest before kicking the tail of the helicopter, setting it off balance and moving it away from our position. I watch in front of me as Bucky breaks free from the new person who attacked him and makes his way towards the ledge before jumping down. The new guy and Steve both follow him down and I run over to the edge, ready to meet Sam once more.
"Coming on your right." I turn my head and lift my wrist once more just in time to get pulled up onto Sam's back.
"They're just so extra all the time. The next upgrade I need to my suit is flying. I need to make a complaint to Tony that I don't have it already. I would die if I did half the stuff they did." Sam and I fly behind the two super-soldiers and other super-human as they enter an underpass filled with cars.
"Sam, I can't shake this guy."
"We're right behind you. I'm an uber now." Sam speeds up as we catch sight of the car Steve is in with the man in the cat suit holding on to the back. I watch on as he pulls himself up onto the top of the car and jumps off the front, continuing his attempt to get at Bucky.
Before I can even process what's happening in front of me, the new guy grabs onto Sam's ankle. Sam attempts to kick him off and I close my eyes for a brief moment in order to make my own ankle glow gold, but it has no effect through his suit as he grabs onto me.
A bomb goes off on the ceiling above us and Sam sends both the new guy and me through the rubble. I instinctively tuck my body in and roll as I hit the ground, minimizing any serious impact to other areas. I feel a drop of blood drip down my forehead but don't take the time to heal as I see the black suit in front of me begin to stand. But before I can make a move, Steve has tackled him to the ground.
Sirens surround us as I stand between Steve and Bucky, ready to protect Bucky despite the fact that he'd be better at protecting himself. I keep an eye on the man in front of me as my chest heaves up and down. I take the moment to bring my hand up to my forehead and heal the small cut before wiping some of the blood away.
My eyes finally move away from the man in front of me when War Machine lands on the street in front of us.
"Stand down, now." Rhodey's voice comes through the suit and I put both my hands up in the air. Steve does the same after he's placed his shield on his back. "Congratulations, Cap." More police officers begin shouting as they move in on us. "You're a criminal."
>.<
Super long chapter, wow. This took me forever to write because I had to watch the same seven minutes of the movie like a million times to try and get any descriptions of the fight right. Fight scenes are not my favorite to write, so I'm kinda glad I just got this sequence over with.
Also, I just added a thing to my outline of the third book that I think a lot of people might enjoy. I'm pretty pumped for the rest of this story as well as the continuation into other movies.
Question of the week:
Who is your all-time favorite marvel character?
I honestly don't think I can choose because it literally changes every 5 minutes. Infinity War was hard because everyone is my favorite so I was super worried about everyone. I think generally though, my favorites tend to be Thor, Loki, or Peter P. I don't know why but those are the one's that I pay most attention to I think, especially on Instagram. I love everyone though so I can't truly decide.
I hope everyone has a great week!
P.S.
Sorry for the late chapter. I was super busy all week and didn't have this one prewritten cause I didn't want to take the time for the fight sequence. The next chapter should still get posted on Saturday.