Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 17 - A Warning

The moment the flyer touches the ground, Barnes is off the jet, barreling towards the grass beyond. Steve follows at a more leisurely pace, his black duffel slung over his shoulder. You hang back, glancing towards Natasha. But she waits, arms crossed tightly against her chest, eyes narrowed as she waits for you to exit. You don't like the feeling of her at your back but you have little choice, so you follow Steve down the ramp. 

Your anxiety is short-lived, however, as the fresh mountain air billows around your cheeks, kissing the strands of hair that have fallen in your eyes and brushing them out of the way. A small smile creeps onto your lips as you step out into the daylight, and you take in a deep breath. It's been quite a while since you've been outside. 

"She's not here, Buck."

You glance up at Steve's voice in the distance. He lets out a laugh as he strolls up the small steps of the front porch of a red ranch house. Barnes has already dashed inside, and through the open windows you can see he's checking the rooms, one by one. 

"Where is she?" he calls out. 

You follow Steve inside, hanging back slightly as he sets his duffel by the front door, and Barnes emerges from the long hall to the right - one that likely leads back to a master bedroom. 

"She's with Sam. At his sister's. I'm going to pick her up now."

Barnes' face falls. Your brow arches in silent intrigue as you register his disappointment. Whoever Steve's girl is...Barnes seems to have an attachment to her. 

But his disappointment doesn't last long as Steve crosses through the wide arch of the foyer and into the open-concept living room and kitchen, grabbing a dirty black backpack from the sofa and tossing it back through the archway to Barnes, who catches it effortlessly. 

"I'm sorry I didn't bring it to you pal," says Steve, coming back to join Barnes in the foyer.  "I wasn't sure you were gonna be there. Didn't wanna take a chance a losin' it."

You cross the room silently, putting space between you and the others and ducking into the shadows of the hallway leading back to the master bedroom. You watch as Barnes tears open his backpack. He roots around for a moment, cataloguing the items inside. After a moment, he closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. Then suddenly he straightens up, zipping up the bag and setting it aside.

"You should go get your gal. I got work to do," he says gruffly.

"You sure you want to do this?" Steve says, brow creased. "It's not too late to just...put your head down for a while."

Barnes simply stares at Steve, his gaze resolute. Steve sighs and shakes his head, but walks over to Natasha, who leans against the open door frame. He holds out his hand and Natasha gives him her tablet. 

"Here," he says, handing it over to Barnes. "This is everything we got off the system. You sure you know how to...I don't know, read this stuff?"

"You never made it out of the 40's, did you old timer?" Barnes smirks, shaking his head and taking the device. 

Steve offers Barnes a small smile. "I guess not. Did you?"

"Not really."

Steve is quiet for a moment, watching his friend swipe into the tablet and tap around before speaking again. "You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us, huh pal?"

Barnes scoffs and looks up from the tablet, locking it and flipping the cover closed. As he does, Steve reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an old flip phone. He hands it to Barnes, to takes it hesitantly, casting Steve a curious glance before flipping it open.