Bucky Barnes

Part 10

"Do you think he's okay?" You fret, sitting beside Steve in the car as he drives down the freeway, his knuckles tight on the wheel. The traffic is thick, but the soldier doesn't seem phased as he slips in between the cars, driving like a maniac.

You do your best not to flinch every time he has to hit the brakes, or when he accelerates to a point you're forced back against the seat.

Maybe you should be wearing a seatbelt, but the pressure on your side is too much and you can't stand it.

You snuck out of the hospital wearing a borrowed pair of scrubs, which you'd ditched for one of Steve's shirts and a pair of blue jeans that are just a size too big but still wearable.

You hope Steve knows where he's going, because he's not following a GPS or any maps. His eyes are narrowed in concentration, and he's been mostly quiet the entire trip --- you'd only been gone two hours, and you know the others must have noticed already.

Would they assume you and Rogers left together? Usually just being in his presence is intolerable, he's so righteous and inherently good, it annoys you. Nothing is ever black and white, and you know the captain has to have some bad quirks or something.

"Bucky can hold his own, he's always been able too. As long as they don't use his trigger word, we should be okay."

"What if he's not where the tracker says? What if they know about it and they left it behind as a diversion?" You'd snuck the marble in his back pocket last minute, more so because you figured they'd take you and you wanted them to be able to get you back.

You never imagined Bucky would trade places with you.

"Then we keep searching," Steve replies, his voice terse. "We keep searching until we find him. He would do the same for us."

True.

You sigh, letting your head rest back against the seat. You stare out the window at the passing cars, chewing your lower lip nervously.

You never thought you'd end up in a predicament like this.

"I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me." Steve suddenly says, and you loll your head in his direction with a sinking feeling. Great.

"What?"

"What are you?"

You blink. "What?"

"What are you?"

"What the hell kind of question is that, Rogers?"

His eyes flick over to you. "Are you human? From an alien race? A different realm?"

"Are you fucking stupid?" You arch a brow at him. "No. I was born in Connecticut. Why?"

"When we were falling off the building, you used your power to stop us from hitting the ground. I thought you were unconscious, but when you looked up at me your eyes were glowing, and it wasn't human."

"You're fucking with me."

Steve scowls; he hates that you talk so crudely, he doesn't understand how Bucky stands it. "No, I'm not. I'm Serious. Your eyes were too bright and your power --- I thought you could only use it with your hands."

You snort, crossing your arms. "You don't know anything about me, Rogers."

He's learning that.

"So tell me." He says after a moment, glancing at you. "I don't want to be unprepared for anything. It's going to be a brutal fight getting Bucky back, and I need to know I can rely on you."