RRhiley had taken James down five times in the last hour. Every time he came at her, she dodged with ease, flipping the advantage and putting him on the mat.
"You need to hit me," she told him, her breath calm and steady.
James pushed himself up, panting. "I'm trying."
"Not hard enough."
He let out a laugh, hands on his hips. "I think your beauty's just too distracting."
Rhiley rolled her eyes and took him down a sixth time.
He hit the mat with a grunt. She had him on his back, arms wrapped tight around his neck, legs locked around his waist like a python with a sense of humor. Every time he tried to shift, she tightened her hold.
Rhiley leaned in, her breath brushing his ear. "You're not gonna flirt your way out of combat."
"It was worth a try," James rasped, gripping her arm. "I haven't lost yet."
"I've got you in a chokehold."
"Details."
She flexed, cutting off his air just slightly. "Just tap out."
"No."
"I will choke you out, Barnes."
"And I believe you," he muttered, struggling now. "I just need to"
He winced. It took every ounce of guilt in him to do it—but he landed a clean shot to her side.
It worked.
Rhiley gasped, and her grip faltered for half a second—long enough for James to flip her. In a blur, he was on top, pinning her arms to her sides, straddling her like a soldier who finally got the upper hand.
"Sneaky," Rhiley breathed.
He grinned down at her. "Are you gonna tap out now?"
But she didn't move. Her gaze locked on his, unblinking. She should've wriggled free, should've been plotting her next reversal. Instead, she didn't want to move at all.
Neither did James.
Then—"Shit."
James flinched, rolling off her and clutching his hand to his chest, shaking it out like he'd just touched something scalding.
Rhiley scrambled up. "Shit!" She repeated, panicked now. Steam rose from her palms. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know."
He was smiling.
"You're joking," she snapped. "I burned you, and you're making jokes?"
James shrugged. "It got a little hot there, didn't it?"
Rhiley grabbed his hand, gently turning it over. Blisters were already forming in his palm.
"We need to get this checked."
"I will."
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, pulling back. "That's never happened before. I didn't even realize I was - She bolted from the training room like the world was collapsing around her—and in her mind, it was.
She couldn't breathe.
The hallway twisted and warped. Her chest was tight. Her hands glowed faintly with heat. She yanked at her shirt like it was suffocating her.
She slammed into someone.
"Whoa there, Dynamite," Howard steadied her. "You need a new pair of eyes—hey, what's wrong?"
YOU ARE READING
Radioactive | Bucky Barnes
Fanfiction"I want to go back to the time you first told me your name." Rhiley, the twin sister of Howard Stark, finds herself wrapped up with the one and only James Barnes. The next time she sees him is on her new assignment with the 107th Infantry Regiment...
