Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

The First Avenger: Chapter Ten

"I'll be okay."

"You gotta promise me you'll be okay."

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Rhiley would keep herself from cringing in pain whenever she had to move. She could feel herself healing but didn't want anyone else to ask her if this was a good idea. None of her ideas were ever good. But she needed to do this. Physically, she would be fine. Eventually. Mentally? She wasn't all there yet. She should have made James promise he'd be okay too. But she was so busy trying to save everyone she didn't think that would be their last - it wasn't - she'd find him.

"Rhiley?"

Steve had found Rhiley sitting cross-legged on the base of a fallen tree. She looked up at him, "Are we all set?" She asked, stopping when Steve gestured for her to stay put.

"Almost." Steve answered pointing to the spot next to her, "Can I?"

"If you want." She shrugged, and for a moment, not a word was exchanged between them. "I'm glad it was you who got the serum?" That had been something on Rhiley's mind for a while now. If it couldn't have been her she was glad someone who deserved it got it.

'I thought it would be different." Steve sighed, staring down at his hands.

"What do you mean?" Rhiley cracked a smile, "Didn't expect all this?" She gestured to the muscles sculpting his shirt.

"I didn't expect to be paraded around like a show pony." He told her, "I should have been out on the front lines, I should have been there to help. I haven't done a single thing to help this country and now my best friend is-"

'Misplaced." It was the first word that Rhiley could think of, "He's okay, Steve." She looked away, feeling herself swell up with guilt, "I'm sorry I didn't protect him."

"This wasn't your fault, Rhiley." Steve patted Rhiley's shoulder, quickly pulling back when she side-eyed him. "You did all you could."

"And how do you know that?" Rhiley scoffed, "You don't know me."

"Cause I spent the entire convention looking for you."

"What?" Rhiley looked at Steve, puzzled, "Why?"

"Why do you think?" Steve laughed, "Bucky couldn't stop talking about the mysterious girl he had run into. He described you in great detail and honestly, that's how I knew who you were back at the training camp."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't do well talking to women." Steve laughed, "I didn't want to sound like a stalker. I would have come off as a stalker if I said, Hey, I know your facial details by heart which is why I know who you are. My name is Steve."

"Yeah," Rhiley laughed, "I would have punched you."

"I've never seen Bucky like that before."

"Like what?"

"So smitten for a woman before."

Rhiley nodded her head and looked down at her own hands. "When I was helping him look for you. He talked so highly of you, I mean, he was annoyed, of course - but - the moment I saw you on that training ground. I knew you wouldn't just be a great soldier." Steve watched Rhiley, "You'd be a remarkable human being, one that I would trust with my life."

"I'm honored."

"You're gonna try to talk me out of going, though? Aren't you." Rhiley finally brought up what Steve couldn't. "It's not gonna work."