Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Seven

Agents surrounds us as we're escorted through the building and across a glass skywalk, the sun reflecting off the water below.

"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell," Ross states. "Now, do me a favour, stay in it?"

"I don't intend on going anywhere," T'Challa informs him.

"Me neither," I add, intending to keep this man away from Bucky.

Natasha Romanoff appears at our side, quickly falling into step with us. Her red hair has grown out since the last time I've seen her, and her piercing jade eyes analyze us as she walks.

"For the record," she says to Steve, "this is what making things worse looks like."

"He's alive," Steve replies.

I glance between them, getting the feeling that I'm missing some key information, and I make a mental note to ask someone to fill me in later.

Natasha's gaze turns to me. "Y/l/n."

"Romanoff," I greet in turn.

"So, they finally found you?" she asks, but the look in her eyes tells me that she's sorry she couldn't keep us out of this.

I shrug. "We couldn't hide forever."

Reaching the other side of the skywalk, we enter a large control room lined with multiple glass offices on either side and a large, glass-walled conference room in the centre, allowing me to see straight ahead to the far wall, where many monitors show security footage from around the building.

Standing by the door, Tony Stark seems to be in the middle of a heated conversation with someone over the phone. With his three-piece suit and his dark hair perfectly styled, he looks more like a Public Relations representative than the superhero and mechanic I know him to be.

"No," Tony says into his phone. "Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."

"Try not to break anything while we fix this." Natasha mutters to us, walking further into the room.

Tony turns to face us, still on the phone. "Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences... Obviously, you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? ...Thank you, sir."

"'Consequences'?" Steve asks as Tony approaches us, hanging up the phone.

"Secretary Ross wants you all prosecuted," Tony explains. "Had to give him something."

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve asks.

"Technically, it's the government's property," Natasha informs him as she and Tony walk away. "Wings, too."

"That's cold," Sam responds.

"Warmer than jail," Tony calls back.

Soon after, an agent ushers us into the conference room, and I take a seat at the table with Sam as Steve wanders over to the far side of the room. Through the glass walls, I can see Bucky on the monitors as a handful of agents hook his pod up to a power source. Despite the circumstances, he looks eerily calm.

"Can you guys fill me in on what's going on?" I ask, turning back to my friends. "What's happening with the Sokovia Accords?"

"The Avengers were asked to sign it," Steve explains, "essentially giving up our right to choose when and where we fight, and it's causing some tension within the group. Half of us agree that the Avengers should give up control, while the other half don't."

"And what happens if you don't sign it?" I question.

"Well, we either retire, or are deemed criminals if we choose to fight," Steve answers.