Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

THE FIRST AVENGERS: CHAPTER NINE

"Wake up, Luc."

The words tugged Rhiley from a peaceful sleep. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her bare shoulders, the light breeze brushing against her skin through the open French doors. Her face was buried in the pillow, her body still refusing to leave the comfort of sleep.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, her voice thick with the remnants of a dream.

A soft touch brushed up her arm, sending a gentle shiver down her spine. The fingers reached the back of her neck, warm and delicate, as if the sun itself had reached inside her to wrap around her. Then, lips, soft and sweet, pressed a light kiss against her cheek. A soft, sweet strawberry scent lingered, wrapping around her like a blanket.

"We gotta get ready." The voice was light and teasing, but it carried an unspoken tenderness that made Rhiley's heart flutter.

Rhiley didn't even open her eyes. Her fingers reached out, finding the familiar warmth of her lover's hand. "What if we don't?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, still tangled in the fog of sleep. She didn't want to leave this moment. "What if we just... skip it all?"

"Don't what?" Magnolia's voice was playful, her hand soft against Rhiley's. She didn't pull away, just shifted beside her, curling back into the bed.

"Let's just quit," Rhiley said, rolling slightly to face her. "Run away. Find a cottage in the middle of the woods and never look back."

Magnolia's eyes, the same shade of blue as the sky just outside their window, softened. She smiled, a soft, dreamy smile that pulled at Rhiley's heartstrings. "I've been trying to get you to quit since we met. Why now?"

"I don't know," Rhiley admitted, her voice quiet. "I never thought there was a life outside of all this. But now... Maybe we can find that life. Just the two of us."

Magnolia turned her head, glancing at the open doors where the Eiffel Tower stood in the distance. A perfect view of the world. The world they had built together. She then turned back to Rhiley, her hand resting on Rhiley's calloused palm, rough but somehow comforting.

"That was just a silly dream," Magnolia murmured, but the look in her eyes betrayed her. "You know that."

"And you were just a silly dream," Rhiley whispered, her lips curling into a smile. Magnolia placed her hand over Rhiley's, but before Rhiley could speak again, she gently pressed a kiss to her palm.

"I still am," Magnolia said, her voice barely audible. "But I need you to wake up, love."

Rhiley's smile faded. "I am awake..." She furrowed her brow and then glanced at Magnolia. The warmth of the room, the softness of her touch, was fading, disappearing. "Wait." Panic rushed through her. Her eyes darted around, but there was no trace of the woman she had just been lying beside.

Her breath caught in her throat. The sun was gone. The strawberries, the warmth, the laughter—they were all gone. What remained was a cold, unrelenting pain that shot through her body. Her hands were soaked in something. Blood.

"Maggy?" Rhiley's voice cracked, but she didn't care. She tried to stand, but the pain made her stumble. Her head felt as though it might explode, and her vision swam in and out of focus. But she kept moving, falling against the remnants of concrete. No. No, no, no. She stumbled, blood staining her face, and the world around her became a blur.

"Maggy!" she shouted, but the only answer was the sound of crickets and distant explosions.

Everything ached. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, her body screaming at her, but she had to move. She had to find her.