Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

THE FIRST AVENGER: CHAPTER TWENTY

"What's the beat?"

"If you can't set that building on fire in less than five minutes you have to kiss James."

"And if I do?"

"I'll kiss him."

"Bet."

"I can't believe a Stark finally kissed me." James was deflated, he glared over at Rhiley who couldn't stop chuckling to herself, "It just wasn't the one I was expecting-"

"Hey." Howard placed chapstick onto his lips, "It was a damn good kiss."

James had his hands on his hips, unable to believe what had just happened. Howard had been so carefree that it took him a moment to process what had happened after it happened. They had just gotten back from the mission and Rhiley's brother just straight up walked up to him, grabbed his cheeks, and landed a kiss right on his lips.

"Also," Howard pointed at Rhiley, "You cheated."

Rhiley threw her hands up, "We didn't establish any kind of rule."

"Fair."

"Do I get a kiss from you now?" James asked, looking at Rhiley.

"If I kiss you I'd be indirectly kissing my brother. I can't do that." Rhiley chuckled at the deflated look of defeat on James's face.

She sighed, "Fine." Again, James was caught off guard. Rhiley hadn't exactly stomped up to him as Howard had. She also didn't kiss him on his lips. But she had planted a gentle one on his cheek that left a warm brush of her touch behind.

He couldn't help it. His hand pressed the spot where Rhiley's lip touched and he smiled. "Gross." Howard snorted, "Don't do that again." He pointed at Rhiley.

"Kiss James or the explosion thing."

Howard gave her a dumbfounded look, "You know what I mean." and left the two. Not without winking at James first.

"I think he likes you." Rhiley smiled innocently over at James who rolled his eyes.

"You are unbelievable," James said trying to say it with a straight face but couldn't help the small twitch on the side of his lips that tucked up into his dimples.

Rhiley walked up to James and stopped by his side. She placed her hand on his bicep and looked up at him with a smile. "Yet you're still in love with me." This was more to tease James. Rhiley knew exactly how to tease the man. She gave his bicep a little squeeze before walking off after Howard.

She was right though. James was completely head over hills in love with that woman.

Finding you was coming home.

The crisp morning air, right before the first strand of sunlight was to make its way through the thick forest trees. Rhiley sat cross-legged on a tree trunk right outside the base. She kept her eyes closed taking in the quiet the forest provided. The birds chirping, the leaves swaying, the branches creaking against the wind -- that didn't count as noise. Not to Rhiley. It drowned out the unnecessary noise.

"What are you doing?" Like that.

Rhiley opened one eye to find herself looking at James who smiled back at her. She shut her eye. "What are you doing?" She repeated his question back to him.

"Watching you."

"Don't you think that's a tad creepy?"

"Well, you're on my favorite tree stump."

"Is that so?" Rhiley didn't believe it. She opened her back and stared at James who only smiled at her, "You have a favorite tree stump?"

"I do." James wasn't backing down, He pointed at the one Rhiley sat on, "And you're sitting on it."

"If you wanted to talk, you could just say that." Rhiley laughed. She unfolded her legs and scooted over so James had enough room next to her on his 'favorite tree stump.' He didn't waste a single second and sat right down next to her. Their legs brushed, shoulders touched. Rhiley would never admit this but she felt a lump in the back of her throat at how close James was.

"What do you want out of life?"

"Is this another one of your 20-question games?" Rhiley asked, eyeing James.

"Sorry, it's my turn, you have to answer my question first then I'll answer yours."

Rhiley rolled her eyes spotting the first ray of light break through the trees. "What was the question?"

"What do you want out of life?"

"I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"The question."

"It's a simple question." James pointed out, "What do you want out of your life? It can't be just this--" He gestured to everything around him. "Where do you see yourself after the war? In five years? Ten years? Where do you want to be when you're old and wrinkled."

Rhiley shrugged, "I don't know." She took another moment and added, "I'll never really live a normal life with my special abilities--"

"Why not?" James cut her off, "Who says you can't live a little happy life in the countryside if you can do what you can? Is there a rulebook I don't know about?"

There was a ghost of a smile that echoed on Rhiley's lips as the edges twitched up. "Usually people tell me I was given this gift for a reason, a purpose -- to make the world a better place. Which, I don't think I'm cut out for." She chuckled, "Cause I've fucked up a lot more than I have helped."

"Don't say that." James grabbed Rhiley's hand and intertwined their fingers. He kept his gaze locked in their hands and continued, "You helped me. You've helped a lot of people. You'll help a lot of people in the future, I do not doubt that either."

"I want to be strong." Rhiley said, looking at James, "I've spent my life trying to always be the strongest person in the room. I guess, maybe, the idea of losing someone I cared about wasn't acceptable. Howie is the brains and I'm--"

"The bronze." James finished for her, "But is that what you want your life to be? Constantly trying to prove you're the strongest person? The more powerful person?"

Rhiley chuckled, looking away from James, "It's exhausting."

"Then forget about your powers for this moment and tell me, what do you want out of your life?"

"I guess-- I guess I just want to quit." Rhiley breathed, staring out as the sunrise colored the forest with vibrant colors. "Run away from all of this, the fighting, the rage, and destruction, and build something beautiful. I want to prove to myself that I can build something beautiful out of my life no matter how many people look at me with that same look each time they find out what I can do--" She lifts her hand, the one free from James and flicks her fingers. A small flame popped up at the tip. Then she finally said the thing that she didn't even know what she had wanted until right then and there. "I don't want to prove myself anymore." The flame flickered out and she looked at James with a light smile. "That's what I want out of my life."

"She's strong. But she's exhausted."