Guns and Ammunition [] TFATWS

Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

Josephine sat up, eyes blinking back sleep. A gasp escaped her lips, staring around for reassurance. Bucky was there, staring at her with concern.

"I thought this was a nightmare." She breathed, swinging her legs over the seat. They were still in the plane, on there way too— well, she didn't exactly know, but as for as she did know, they were safe. "But it's real."

Sam was sat on the other side, leaning back against the wall. Both men had changed, she must've passed out before they took off. Sam wore a plain t-shirt, a leather jacket overtop while Bucky had on a long sleeve, his own leather jacket back on.

"Are you okay?" Bucky questioned, handing her a jacket. She recalled him having it on earlier, the navy stained with what she hoped was only dirt. 

"Yeah." She shrugged off her cardigan, folding it neatly next to her. It was ruined, stained with grass and mud. A few holes littered the yarn, she hoped she could fix it when she got home. It had been a gift from her sister for her 18th birthday. Bellamy had an identical one. She pulled on his jacket, wrapping it tight around her. "You don't have to keep asking if I'm alright, you know." 

Sam snorted, "I don't know how you didn't wake up under his stare, man didn't even blink."

Josephine chuckled, pulling herself up. Both men seemed on edge, Bucky was humming with nervous energy, more so than usual. "Are we back in Washington?" She asked, silently hoping there was work they could do that didn't involve tracking a group of ridiculously strong people who wanted to kill them. 

"Baltimore." Bucky replied, motioning to the door. She hadn't noticed it was open, or the large staircase that had been pushed up to the plane. She followed them quietly down the steps, thankful again to be on solid ground. "I'm taking Sam to meet someone."

"Did I miss the invite?"

Instead of heading into the airport, Bucky turned towards a sleek black car parked a few feet from the back of the plane. It was much cooler here than it was in Munich, despite the sun shining down amongst the cloud dotted sky. "No."

Bucky held the back door open, ushering her to get inside. She rolled her eyes, chuckling as she sat down. The door shut with a click, Sam finding himself in the passenger seat while Bucky got in on her other side. He leaned forward towards the driver and whispered directions, leaning back against the seat with a look of determination. Whatever they were doing, whoever they were going to see, Bucky clearly was on edge. His eyes darted around the car, ultimately sticking to the view beyond the window as the car pulled away from the airport.

"Do you ever get annoyed that you have to save the world all of the time?" Josephine questioned, fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket. "I would, probably. Aren't you always almost dying."

"No, not really. It's my job, and I like being able to fly around and fight for a purpose. It does get tiring sometimes, but that comes with the job description." Sam explained.

"Yes." Bucky shook his head, "When I was young, no, I wanted to do my part. Now, yes, it's very much annoying. I'm too old for this shi--"

"Not all of us are over one hundred, big guy." Sam chuckled from the passenger seat, glancing at them through the mirror. 

Josephine nodded, mind wandering to their awkward car ride with the new Captain America. She wondered what is was like to take up such responsibilities, how hard it was to hold the weight of the world. He seemed like a good kid, but being handed something like this could break anybody. She supposed Steve Rodgers was another story, he had worked and fought for everything he did, that was one person she always heard had a heart of gold no matter what. 

They had fallen into a comfortable silence as the car pulled into a neighbourhood, slowing its speed. She turned to Bucky, "We all agree John Walker is kind of a douche, right?"

He couldn't help but laugh, one she rarely heard. It wasn't as soft, but not too loud to be his laugh, but it was genuine and she couldn't help but smile at the sound. 

"You're funny." Sam shook his head, chuckling at her through the mirror. "Speaking the facts, though. Gotta admit that, wow."

"Lemar seems cool though," She shrugged, "The side kicks are always cooler, I feel."

They turned down another street, the house changing from freshly kept two stories to the opposite. Furniture littered a few lawns, grass overgrown and weeds winding up chipped windows. 

"Thank you," Sam said.

"You weren't Steve's side kick." Bucky said defensively, looking to her and shaking his head, mouthing, "He wasn't."

Sam only snorted, "At least I wasn't Captain America's bitch."

She pursed her lips, holding back her laugh. Bucky looked displeased, annoyance coating his face in a quick wave. He sighed, slouching in his seat. Josephine smiled, "That definitely has a ring to it."

"Yeah, right."

The car pulled over, coming to a smooth stop at the side of the road. Bucky got out first, staring at the house in front of them. She filed out, standing in-between their looming figures. Josephine heard the tires crunch on gravel as the vehicle rolled away, leaving them to face whatever Bucky had in store. Both men shared a look, both surprisingly looking unsure. Great, she thought, Perfect.

"Wait outside," Bucky told her, taking off with Sam towards the house. She watched, worry nibbling at her. It was odd to be worried for his safety, considering he was a super solider and most likely almost impossible to hurt. But she did nonetheless, hoping that when they remerged, the shadows lurking in his eyes didn't get any darker.