Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

The First Avenger: Chapter Six (Spark)

By the time James returned to camp, the men had formed a circle. He couldn't tell what they were doing until he got a bit closer. "They started a fight club." Rhiley's voice startled James at first. He looked behind him, watched her walk up, and quietly stood beside him. She watched, clearly uninterested in the shenanigans.

"And you're not gonna join them?" James teased, "You'd kick all their asses."

"You're right." Rhiley had been dead serious with her response, "Their fighting styles are chaotic, all over the place, blunt." She critiqued carefully. None of her words rung with judgment. She was observant. "How was your run?"

"Okay." James turned his attention back to the harassing yells coming from the group, "How are-" He had wanted to ask how she'd been since he had overstepped last night. At least, he thinks that's what he did. "How are you?"

"Great."

"I'm sorry if I overstepped last night." James wasn't one to sit on an apology. He turned to face her. He wanted to show he was 100% serious.

"You don't need to apologize, James." Rhiley looked at him, "Believe it or not I don't like to talk about myself-"

"I believe it," James said causing Rhiley to chuckle in response.

Rhiley sighed, frustrated. "But then you start to ask all these questions and I can't help but, no, it's stupid - never mind."

"You don't need to tell me anything."

"And that right there is exactly why I feel safe-" She turned to face him, gesturing to him, "You make me feel safe enough to blurt everything I've kept in for so long and that's terrifying because we do not know each other at all."

"Nobody knows each other when they first meet." James smiled, heart almost leaping out of his chest. He's never felt this proud of himself before. The woman he likes just said she felt safe around him. "That's usually how friendships start or-"

"Hey, lovebirds!" Clover's voice interrupted the two, "Are you done making out with your eyes or you wanna fight?" The crowd had parted to show Clover in the middle. The champion.

"Fuck off, Clover."

"Awh, come on Bunny." Clover threw his arms out, "I'll go easy on ya."

Rhiley's face twisted up in disgust, "Oh, you better have been calling James Bunny because I sure as hell know you didn't just call me-"

"You mean Playboy over there?" Clover points at James who was biting down on his knuckles while Clover just dug himself a grave "Get it?" He chuckled looking at the other soldiers who had joined him.

"Clover." Henry warned from the sidelines, "She looks like she's gonna kill you."

"Her?" Clover points to himself, "Kill me?" He huffed.

"That's it." Rhiley begins to stomp over to the middle of the circle which in return gets an uproar of applause from the crowd.

Commander Quinn's voice boomed over the crowd. Unexpected, he stood there. For a split moment, he looks as though he is about to discipline a bunch of children. Instead, he stood there for a second longer. "Get packed and ready to move out in ten." And without a single bit of information walked away.

Someone bumped into James's shoulder and for a second he was ready to question them until he realized it had been Rhiley rushing after the Commander while the others all got ready to leave.

"What's this about, Commander?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis, Stark."

Rhiley blocked Commander Quinn from stepping foot into his tent. "I am here to help and I can't do that without all the information."

"You're here for me to babysit." Commander Quinn snapped, "So I'd take a step out of my way, Agent Stark, because you truly don't understand how angry the higher-ups are at you at this moment and I wouldn't test that."

Commander Quinn stepped around Rhiley and disappeared into his tent. Shocked at his statement, Rhiley stood there.

She took one look at James who had followed her and stormed off. Of course, James followed her until she finally stopped. Most likely out of earshot of everyone in camp who was too busy packing up to notice what had happened back there.

"I don't need a babysitter." Rhiley hissed, not directly at James and he knew that. He didn't say a word, but continued to listen, "I have made mistakes, a lot of them and I know that! I don't need them to be rubbed repeatedly in my face, over and over" James flinched when Rhiley's fist made contact with a tree - over and over.

"Wow," James finally stepped in grabbing her arm and wrapping her fist in his hands, gripping it tightly so she couldn't pull away. He could feel the blood on her knuckles get on his skin and he could feel how warm she was and see how angry she had gotten. "Breathe."

"No."

"I may not be a genius but I do know if you don't breathe you'll die." James states, "And none of us wants that."

"I am an asset." Rhiley breathed, "They made sure of that."

"Then gain their trust back," James said, loosening his grip, allowing Rhiley's hand to rest in his, "Show them they need you more than you need them."

"I don't like not knowing things." Rhiley pulled her hand from James and wiped the blood on her shirt.

"They'll tell us in time." He reassured, "Let's get back before they leave us."

Rhiley rolled her shoulders back, breathed again, and walked passed James. "You're right." She muttered, "I'm Rhiley-Freaking-Stark."

"Why didn't you tell me your twin brother was the Howard-freaking-Stark."

"You just answered your question."

"Shit, Lady Howard Stark is hot."

"Say that again, I dare you."

"How do I stop the guilt?"

Once they had returned to camp an unspoken bond had formed between the two. While everyone else was loading up the Humvees.

Rhiley and James began a journey of their own. A connection, not a single person would come to doubt.

"I met you for a reason."