𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐄 | 𝐁𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

03

She wakes up when she hears the doorknob. It didn't sound like Bucky. He would unlock the door and walk in. He wouldn't jiggle the knob.

She reaches for her gun, wrapping the sheet around herself, aiming for the door.

When it opens, it's Steve Rogers.

"The hell are you doing here?"

He jumps, not knowing she was there, "Quite the place you've got here."

"Answer my question."

She keeps the gun aimed steadily at him as he takes in the room. The rickety couch. The old fridge. The chipping backsplash.

"They're after him. Blamed him for a bombing, killed the king of Wakanda."

"Shit."

He nods, and she lowers her gun, reaching for her clothes, "He's at the farmers market. He has a thing for fruits."

Steve stays looking at the kitchen long enough for her to get dressed. She stands up, grabbing her gun and her backpack off the counter.

Steve reaches and grabs Bucky's notebook, and she quickly walks over and grabs it from him, putting it back on the fridge, "Don't touch what isn't yours."

Steve stops and she sees the door open and she walks over to Bucky. It had taken her a while to get him to remember fully. She had to steal more files and tell him everything she knew. And it still wasn't enough for him to fully recover.

"Understood."

She eyes Steve, checking that her bag has everything she should need and packing a few extra things.

"Do you know me?"

She glances at Steve and then to Bucky, who remains silent for multiple seconds, which worries her. She goes to stand, to reassure him, but he answers before she can.

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum."

She lets out a relieved breath, standing up and pulling her backpack over her shoulder.

"I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."

He didn't just say that.

"Steve, I-"

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."

Well now she's a little confused. She thought the bombing was in Wakanda. It only killed their king, it would make sense to be in their country. But Vienna?

"Well, the people who think you do are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"What? Wait-"

"That's smart. Good strategy."

"What?"

She hears the footsteps. They're loud. And aggressive. She pulls out her gun. If they hurt him, she'll shoot. He doesn't do that anymore, but she will. If she has to.

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

"Well-"

"It always ends in a fight."

"You pulled me from the river. Why?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Something flies through the window and it gets reflected by Steve's shield, but another one comes in, which Bucky kicks towards Steve, who covers it with his shield.

Bucky pulls up their mattress, blocking a shot. They start ramming on the door and she aims the gun there, ready to shoot immediately. He kicks their table to block the door, and two soldiers come in through the windows.

"Come on," she aims for the soldier Bucky isn't beating, shooting at him. The bullets ricochet off his helmet.

Bucky throws one against the wall just as another breaks through the door, which Steve handles.

She runs to the soldier she shot at, bashing the glass of his helmet against his face. She knees his chest, pulls off his helmet, and bashes his head against the wall. Another hole.

"You're gonna kill someone."

"What?"

She turns, looking at them and seeing Bucky pinning Steve to the ground. Right by the floorboards Bucky hid his bag.

"It's-"

He punches the ground next to Steves head, "I'm not gonna kill anyone."

He grabs his bag, throwing it out the door. Diane jumps over Steve, running out the door.

Then she hears guns and sees Steve get pushed out the door and she walks back inside, throwing her hands in the air. She aims the gun out the door while Bucky blocks multiple bullets with his hand, the clanging noise filling the room.

There's swinging and their bathroom door gets smashed in, and she groans.

"If he's not dead, the smell will handle him."

They shoot at the hinges just in time for Bucky to punch a hole in the door, "Buck! Come on."

There's beating, gunfire, and more beating. She's trying to help Steve, who doesn't see the soldier following him.

Quick head shot. Easy. He looks at her like she did something wrong.

"You're fucking welcome, you aren't dead."

He walks out the door, looking down the stairs. She follows, and when one of the soldiers talk about Bucky, she kicks him in the nose. Hard.

Steve takes his walkie-talkie, jumping down the center of the stairs.

"Showoff."

She runs down the stairs, hearing Bucky grunting as he beats the shit out of some soldiers.

"We aren't going to be allowed back here any time soon."

Bucky throws a soldier over the stair rail, and Steve does not like it, "Come on, man."

Steve pulls the guy back up after Bucky bashes a head back.

Bucky rips the rail, swinging into another person's apartment, "James! What the hell!"

She runs down the stairs, shooting legs. She doesn't need a ninety-something year old scolding her for murder.

Bucky jumps through the middle rail and all she can hear is a shout as she sees him drop down. She stops, looking down and seeing him hanging onto a rail. She's relieved.

It's short lived, as she's pushed forward over the rail by a soldier. She shoots up at him, flipping through the air until she can grab onto a rail, her ribs slamming against the floor. She grunts, trying to pull herself up.

She sees Bucky pull himself up easily a floor or two above her, and it takes her a while to pull herself up and over and run up the stairs, following him and Steve through a hallway, where he jumps onto a different roof.

Her barely sticks the landing and she groans, running as fast as she can and bracing for impact. It's rough.

If her ribs weren't already broken, they are now. She recovers quickly, running after him with her bag hitting against her back, the guns inside beating on her ribs.

Something kicks on Bucky, coming from above.

"Crazy motherfuckers, man."

-----------------------------------
A/N - pookie gets only a few chapters of happiness. Then BAM. Action ☺️ reading this as I post it is really making me remember how I honestly barely gaf about Diane and how I hate the loopholes I created 😔