#the colonel and the sergeant | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vellichor-of-the-solivagant · 1 month

Text

How to Plant Snapdragons (pt. 9)

Task Force 141 + König + Keegan x Female Criminal!Reader (except Captain Price, because he'll be like a father to the bunch, and König and Keegan won't appear until later on in the story)

CHAPTER SUMMARY: You go to Las Almas with Soap and Ghost and meet Colonel Alejandro and Sergeant Rodolfo

You are currently reading Chapter 9! Here is Chapter 8 and the Masterlist!

Chapter 9: How to Be Afraid of Ghost

CONTENT WARNING: Strong Violence NOTE: WAZZUP BITCHES, IM BACK I am very sorry for not updating for 4-5(?) months. I didn't mean to go on a hiatus without any announcements. Things had been quite busy for me lately and I focused on some things (FUCK COLLEGE BUT I PASSED ALL MY CLASSES ANYWAY), and also the reason why I suddenly "went dark" is because of the fucking MW3 Campaign. Yeah, shit destroyed me. WORD COUNT: 2.7k

You had been to Mexico once. You went to good places it held, but you also walked on the mud it hid in the dark. After all, there could never be a perfect country. Even if someone said that their glorious purpose was for the better good of their nation—most of the time, they were merely heroes in their own stories and villains in the others’. Well, Mexico had good food. You could give them that, at least. But this place, Las Almas, would it have good stuff as well?

You shook off your vest and Ghost’s jacket as the pilot alerted you of the time of the touchdown and slipped into your jacket, fitted to your frame. As much as you wanted to keep wearing the lieutenant’s clothes, you couldn’t risk getting harmed because of loose clothing and failing this stupid mission.

You turned to Ghost as you folded his jacket neatly. “Can I keep this?” you asked and smiled.

He stared at you for a good second, pools of honey you couldn’t read before he looked away. “Suit yourself.”

Your grin widened, and you stashed the jacket into your bag. You hummed as you put on your vest, tightening it to your liking. You patted your pockets, checking each of them, until you felt Ghost’s mask in one, fingers lingering on the soft fabric, and sighed. You put your hands down on your lap and leaned against the cold steel, waiting for the upcoming descent, which didn’t take long.

The plane opened up, and a busy facility greeted your sight. Vehicles drove in and out of the area, and soldiers went back and forth from one place to another. But even when they were bustling, you could feel their gazes land on you—suspicious and judging, whispering among themselves, voices drowned out by the loud exhausts of the transports.

It was something you wished you could get used to. At the same time, you didn’t want to, when eyes held more than they seemed.

You followed Soap and Ghost down the plane, walking towards a couple of men who stepped forward. One of them had his hands clasped behind him, while the other simply stood by his side. Both were, well, good-looking and buffed (which was normal for military men), but eh, not really your type.

They would make pretty models though.

Also, good human shields, if ever.

Johnny, being the everlasting sunshine he was, greeted them first, extending a hand to the man named Alejandro, and engaged in a conversation with him as though they had been long good friends. Then, the sergeants forced the poor lieutenant to join in, who sounded ready to strangle the scot.

Then, your eyes found the gaze of the man next to the Mexican captain on the monitor on your ankle. A frown spread on his face and worsened the moment he saw the smirk that crept up your lips, his eyes darting between you and the half of the 141.

The look of a man confused never failed to be an entertainment. And what was more the obvious expression that said, what the fuck is a criminal doing here? Or something in Spanish.

“And who is she?” Alejandro questioned, finally turning his eyes on you—or rather, down to your ankle, as if the monitor would be the one to answer him.

“She’s sent by General Shepherd,” Ghost immediately replied, batting an eye at you. “She may be a criminal, but she proved excellent in various ways that could be useful to us.”

Alejandro, albeit hesitantly, nodded and extended a hand to you. “Nice to meet you, miss.”

You took his hand, giving it a quick shake. “I’m at your service, sir. And worry not about me going against orders, I pretty much like my head attached to my neck.”

He put a forced smile on his face, one you’d seen way too many times on people. “We’ll see about that.” He motioned at the man beside him. “This is Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra, my second-in-command.”

The said man, Rodolfo, extended his hand first to Soap, who the fellow Sergeant enthusiastically shook. Then, he batted an eye at Ghost, seemingly hesitant to approach him, but still decided to. Ghost, however, merely stared at his hand, and Rodolfo backed away, clearing his throat.

Soap stepped forward. “Ah, the Lt’s not much of a talker.”

Rodolfo nodded. “I understand.” He turned your way and reached out his hand, which you lightly shook, quickly withdrawing right after. He moved back to Alejandro’s side, who nodded his head towards a direction.

“Follow me, we’ll talk along the way.” Alejandro turned and began to walk, passing by and nodding at soldiers who saluted at him. By the end of the way—or seemingly at both an entrance and exit, several jeeps were parked, and a few soldiers stood by the vehicles. With a wave of hand from Alejandro, the men slipped inside the vehicles, and Rodolfo was the first to get in the first jeep on the line.

“I’d like to sit beside the window—” you attempted to request, but Ghost was quick to shut you off.

“No,” he said as Soap rounded the car, stepping in by the other side.

“But—”

“No.”

“C’mon, lassie, don’t you want to sit between us?” Soap questioned, a smile played on his lips.

You slipped inside with a grumble, inching close to the sergeant, before elbowing him. He grunted, but you knew it wouldn’t do much damage to him with all his muscles. At the same time, doors shut as both Alejandro and Simon got inside.

“Tengo miedo de los fantasmas,” Rodolfo mumbled, slightly turning his head to face his colonel.

(I’m afraid of ghosts.)

Your eyes whipped forward, brows slightly raising at his words, which you perfectly understood. You glanced at Ghost, but he merely stared ahead. At the back of your mind, you wanted to snitch on the new guy just so some drama could happen between them, but at the same time, drama could lead to suspicion between these men.

This was why knowing some languages if you travel abroad was great. But it should be fine to keep quiet for now. What the sergeant said wasn’t suspicious, but if they did anything that could bring harm to Ghost and Soap, then . . .

On the other hand, Alejandro chuckled at the comment of his sergeant and looked back at the three of you. “You know Spanish?”

The Lieutenant remained silent, and you did the same, turning your head to the side to look out of the window, whilst Soap shook his head, and answered, “No.”

Alejandro drew a smirk on his face and turned his attention back ahead. “Oh, you will.”

Rodolfo started the car and drove out of the base.

“See,” you pointed at the window, begrudgingly looking at Simon, who stared indifferently at you. “This is why I want to be next to the window.”

The car passed by two-story buildings, seemingly houses or apartments, painted in pastel colors. People were walking and talking on the street, some vendors and their stands offering their goods, and some other vehicles were parked on the way. It wasn’t much, not even beautiful, but still you’d like to see everything you could see.

“Have you taken a liking to Las Almas?” Alejandro questioned, glancing back at you.

You put your hand down and turned your head on his way. “To be frank, it’s not a liking, sir, rather, it’s curiosity. I’m not from here or anything similar to this place, so I’d like to see how things work here.”

His head inclined a bit to the side, appearing to be thinking of his words. “You’ll be . . . disappointed.”

You smiled. “I’ll be the one to judge that.” Just as you finished your sentence, a truck with men riding on the back, guns in hand passed by. You couldn’t help but whistle at their ridiculous sight, and put your hand on top of Soap’s before he could grab his gun.

He frowned at you. “What are ya—”

“Calm down, sir,” you cut him off, pulling your hand away. “Seeing as no one on the street is reacting about it, pretty sure that’s normal here.”

“You’re right,” Alejandro spoke in a serious voice, once again looking back at you. “Guns are in the jurisdiction of the police.”

“Looks like Las Almas has a huge problem,” you commented and crossed your arms. “Much more than what I’ve heard.”

Alejandro shifted his eyes to you. “You seem to know something about Las Almas.”

With his words, Soap and Ghost also settled their eyes on you, as if they were ready to do everything to get answers out of your mouth. “I’ve been to Mexico, and during my stay, I heard of things about Las Almas. Not exactly the good ones as you probably expected, but I didn’t know things around here would be this bad.”

“When did you come to Mexico?”

“Over a couple of years ago, sir.”

“I see.” He turned back ahead. “Well, things weren’t that bad back then.”

“I suppose those who tried to uphold the laws and resist corruption met their end as the time passed?”

“You’re right.”

You hummed. “Well, without powerful backing to protect them, I doubt they’ll last much in a society like this.”

“And ya also seemed to know things about politics and stuff,” Soap claimed, slightly shifting on his seat.

You met his blue eyes with a grin. “I had met quite a few politicians in my life. Assassinated an Austrian before, and the one who hired me snitched on me. That’s why I ended up on Shepherd’s shackles.”

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “How much of that is true?”

You laughed loudly, although you already knew what would be his reaction. “Take a guess,” you told him challengingly.

“The last sentence,” Ghost joined in, his voice monotone.

You snorted. “Except that.” Then, you gasped, throwing yourself to the window at Soap’s side, making him curse out something you couldn’t fucking understand in whatever Scottish was that. “Look, look, Lt!” You motioned your hand on Ghost to look at the ridiculous sight of someone in a skull balaclava giving balloons to kids.

“What the hell?” Soap’s bright eyes also followed the scene.

You whipped around and smiled at Ghost, who simply stared at you. “If you ever want to quit the military, you can retire with me and live together.”

“How about living in Las Almas since Ghost might fit well in here?” Rodolfo suggested in a soft voice. Alejandro hit him on the side, whispering something, and from the corner of your eyes, you saw Ghost slowly turning to look at him through the rear mirror.

You tilted your head. “But Las Almas has a serious problem when it comes to crimes, so I don’t think it is very much suitable to live in unless you want to be a crime lord or still in the military. And I’m the type of person who likes traveling around. If I were to settle for sometime somewhere else, it would be where I would have already spent some time on, like London, Berlin, or California and—”

“It’s just a joke, please. Don’t take it too seriously,” Rodolfo mumbled, sounding like he wanted to bury himself on the ground at the moment and never appear again.

On the way to the destination, Alejandro had talked more about the way of Las Almas, and finally, what you and the 141 came here for, El Sin Nombre, the leader of the Mexican Cartel who was protecting Hassan. Quite a reputation that person had as Alejandro said they had eyes and ears everywhere.

Having eyes and ears everywhere was also something the one who raised you did. Even if your father was in prison at the moment, you knew he was still pulling strings. A mastermind out of everyone’s league, until he decided to invest in you. Guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, now that you were technically imprisoned as well.

You pulled out your balaclava and huffed, putting it on swiftly. You jumped out of the jeep right after Simon and you heard Alejandro spit out his commands in a low, serious voice. You rounded up with the soldiers before a gate and under the Colonel’s command, the group barged in. You frowned as you had seen no man in sight, seemingly the civilians had run away—or were mostly likely driven out by the Cartel.

Alejandro waved his hand to follow him up another gate, which this time, Ghost opened, and gunshots echoed in the air.

“Showtime,” you said under your breath, aiming your assault rifle and blasting a hole through a man’s head, vibrant red painting the dull walls around. You rounded a corner, cautiously looking out for an enemy. You spotted a couple of them, but before you could take them down, they had already fallen on the ground. Your head whipped at Soap and Ghost’s direction. “Showoffs,” you grumbled.

“Said the one who wanted to take two men down at the same time,” Soap remarked, giving you a look, and you heard Ghost huff.

You clicked your tongue and swiftly entered a house, but quickly moved back out as you saw not a soul in sight. Your frown worsened at the unusual lack of men to hold the group back. In these cases, either it would be a trap or they had escaped already.

You glanced over your shoulders. 141, some of Alejandro’s men and the Colonel himself were on sight. The walls obscured your view of the place, there were so many corners where men could be hiding themselves or something else, and such things as Cartels wouldn’t hesitate to destroy a run-down hide-out like this for their good.

Soap shot a man from the roof and Alejandro positioned himself in front of a door, motioning at us. “Secure the house, and we go for Hassan.”

Several voices echoed from inside the place, cursing and hushing one another.

“Take the door,” Alejandro commanded. Soap stepped forward, but you grabbed him, making him look at you.

Before he could utter a word, you kicked the door open, slid on the floor towards a corner, and struck a man awaiting in the hallway. You got up immediately, raised a hand so they wouldn’t follow you, and picked up a baby’s bottle on the ground, throwing it to a room through a slightly opened door. Shots were fired blindly right after and you countered it with a couple of bullets, and it stopped. You pushed the blasted door open and found a man lying on the floor, and the baby’s bottle rolling towards your foot.

“Room clear,” you announced, staring down at the bottle for a second, before moving to the next room. They followed you in and you braced yourself for another onslaught, but this time, Soap was the one who barged in, quickly shooting down the men inside without batting an eye.

“Room clear,” he said and put his hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

You looked up at him and raised a brow that he wouldn’t see.

Ghost sauntered in the room. “No sign of Hassan.”

Alejandro sighed. “They already moved him.”

You turned your attention to him. “They move fast, hm?”

He looked at you, letting Ghost and Soap rummage the desk across the room instead. “They do. Much more than I expected.”

“So they already know that we’re coming here,” you remarked.

“Highly possible. The Cartel has eyes everywhere.”

You narrowed your eyes and echoed, “Everywhere?”

He nodded to affirm it. “Everywhere.”

“You mean even among your men?”

He paused, staring at you for a good second. “No, I trust my men.”

“A weed is a weed, sir, no matter how good it looks in your garden,” you said in a monotonous voice, picking up a pencil from the ground. “Sooner or later, they’ll bring harm to your plants. And even the plants you put in your garden can bring harm to you if you don’t know what they are.”

Ghost and Soap shot an eye on you, before exchanging looks with each other.

He eyed you cautiously and his serious voice lowered. “What are you implying?”

You remained silent and so did he, until Rodolfo’s voice echoed in your headsets. “The army is rolling in!”

You can also read the series on AO3!

Taglist: @yyiikes, @the-faceless-bride @sarahedwards16, @sarahedwards16, @kenma-izhu, @kkaaaagt, @cassiecasluciluce, @unicorngirly1, @thriving-n-jiving, @squidalapobre, @tallicaside

(PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR NOT UPDATING (and I hope you guys still like to bother to read this fic?)

139 notes · View notes

a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 2 years

Text

The Colonel and the Sergeant (Part 1)

Fandom: DC, Marvel, The Suicide Squad, Avengers, Rick Flag, Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 4615

TW: Angst, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Drinking, Running into Ex

Series Masterlist

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Alternate Ending

“Oh, come on, Rick! That is not what happened!”

“What are you talking about? That is exactly what happened!”

“I did not push you into that lake!”

Rick stared, slack jawed as he held the bar door open for you. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? How are we still having this argument after two years? You walked up beside me, said ‘You look really hot today’ and then pushed me in the lake. In the middle of December!”

“Does that really sound like something I would do?”

“Yes, and it’s something you did do!”

“How I remember it was I walked up to you, said ‘You look really hot today’ and then you got really flustered because you thought I was flirting with you, and you fell in the lake.”

Rick shook his head. “No, ma’am. First of all, you were flirting with me, and second, if that’s true and I just fell, then how did your hand end up on my back?”

“I was just trying to grab you before you fell in. And I was not flirting. I still thought you were kind of an asshole back then.”

“Nice try, darlin’, but I’m not buying.”

You gave him a cheeky grin. “You better be. I left my wallet at home.” You get the bartender’s attention. “Two beers, Kevin. Ah, what are we kidding? Make it four.” Rick shook his head as you turned back to him. “What?”

“Can we at least pretend we’re gonna behave tonight?”

“When was the last time we came here without ordering at least four beers apiece? Just ordering two to start with is behaving.”

Suddenly, Rick noticed someone approaching you from behind. You saw his confused expression and started to turn around but froze as the stranger said, “Hey there, doll. Long time no see.”

Rick watched as the playful expression on your face slid into one of shock and disbelief. Slowly, you turned to face the newcomer, a sad smile flickering on your lips as you whispered, “How’s it going, Sarge.” Then you threw your arms around the man’s neck.

Sarge. There was only one person you ever referred to by that name. Your ex-boyfriend. The one you had been with just before you met Rick. Sergeant James “Bucky” Barnes.

You pulled back from your hug. “I can’t believe you’re here! It’s so good to see you! And wow! You cut your hair! I’ve never seen it this short.”

Rick saw the other man blush slightly as he ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I…I thought a change might do me good.”

“No, it looks great. God, what has it been? Like three years?”

“Two and a half, yeah. You look amazing as always.”

You blushed slightly. “You’re just saying that…. But thank you.” Just then, you seemed to remember Rick. You quickly grabbed his hand as you said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Rick, this is Bucky Barnes. You know, I’ve told you about him. Bucky, this is Colonel Rick Flag…..my boyfriend.”

Rick stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Y/N’s told me a lot about you.”

“Only good things I hope.” Bucky grabbed Rick’s hand almost too firmly and Rick returned the pressure.

“Yep, she never had a single bad thing to say about you.” The two men stared each other down for a moment, then released their hold on one another.

You glanced anxiously between the two men, their exchange not going unnoticed. But you didn’t comment on it as you turned back to Bucky. “So, what are you doing here? You’re not…here for me….are you?”

Bucky quickly rushed to clarify, “No, no. I had no idea you were even in Louisiana. Sam needed a part for his boat, so I offered to drive over and pick it up. It turns out the guy won’t be finished with it for a few more hours, so I saw this bar across the street and decided to get a drink. I could barely believe my eyes when I walked in and saw you standing there.”

“Rick and I work with a special task force based out of Belle Reve Penitentiary a few miles down the road. We come here all the time between missions.”

Kevin set your four beers down on the bar top in front of you. Rick watched as Bucky’s eyes drifted to the beers then back to the two of you then back to the four beers. “Oh, I’m sorry, if you guys are meeting some people, I won’t bother you.”

You blushed deeper but tried to shrug it off. “Ah, no. Those are just for us. You know…”

Bucky smirked softly. “Yeah, I remember.” He turned to address Rick for this first time. “This one always tried to drink me under the table even though she knew I can’t really get drunk.”

“Hey! I won that one night!”

“Doll, I had lost like three pints of blood, and you insisted we raided the liquor cabinet while we waited for our extraction. I wasn’t drunk, I was going into shock.”

“Tomayto, Tomahto. You still passed out before me, so it counts as a victory!” You suddenly buried your face in your hands. “Oh God. That really makes it sound like I have a drinking problem, doesn’t it?”

“A little.” Bucky and Rick said at the same time. They glanced at each other, then quickly shifted their focus back to you.

Once again, you ignored the tension between the two men. “Buck, why don’t you join us? I’d love to catch up.” You looked at Rick. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Of course he didn’t want to spend his night off with you and your ex, but Rick knew better than to voice his objection. “Course not, darlin’. The more the merrier.” He slid his arm around your shoulder as he started steering the two of you to your usual booth. “Besides, it’ll be nice to hear more stories about you from before we met.”

You shrugged him off, glaring at his possessive move. “Great. So, a table for three tonight. Rick, can you grab the drinks?” You took Bucky’s hand and led him to a booth on the opposite side of the room from where Rick had been heading. He watched as the two of you slid in across from each other and began happily chatting.

Normally, Rick wasn’t really that jealous of a boyfriend. He knew you were out of his league, but you never made him feel that way. Anytime the two of you went out, all eyes were always on you, yet yours never wandered from Rick.

But with this guy, it was painfully clear that both of you still had feelings for each other. Rick felt a pang in his chest as he watched you grab Bucky’s gloved hand with yours, that sweet little half smile he had always thought was just reserved for him spread across your face.

You had told Rick all about your relationship with Sergeant Barnes. How the two of you had meet when he was still the Winter Soldier and you had been working with the Avengers, how you stumbled across him a year after he escaped and the two of you had fallen in love, how he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and was forced to go on the run and how you had gone with him, how you had helped him and the other Avengers stop some crazy purple alien from disintegrating half of life in the universe, and how after four years of dating, you had just ended things. That was the one part you had remained vague on. Why.

Rick hadn’t been lying earlier when he said you never had a single bad thing to say about Bucky. You never mentioned any arguments, any issues with your physical connection, any cheating, nothing. And the one time Rick had tried to push you for details, you had shrugged him off. All you had said was it didn’t work out.

But now, seeing the two of you together, Rick couldn’t help but feel nervous. What if you remembered how much you cared for Bucky and decided to leave him? What if seeing Bucky reminded you why you broke up with him and you realized you had the same issues in your current relationship? Rick hated this entire situation but there was little he could do but grab the beers and join the pair of you at the table.

You smiled slightly at him as he handed you your drink, but then immediately turned back to your ex. “So, Bucky, you mentioned you’re here picking up a part for Sam’s boat?”

“Yeah, I’ve been helping him fix it up while he’s visiting his sister. It’s an old fishing boat that’s been in their family for years so parts are hard to find. This was the closest place that had what he needs.”

“Where do they live?”

“Over in Delacroix.”

Your eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? That’s only like two hours from here! If I would have known he was so close, I would have gone by and seen him a long time ago.” You turned to Rick. “You know Sam Wilson, don’t you? Didn't he replace you when you left Project Kovacs?”

Rick shook his head. “Yeah, but I never met him. I was gone before he ever showed up.”

“Oh, well, you would really like him.” You turned your focus back to the man across from you. “But if I recall correctly, Bucky, you couldn’t stand him. What changed?”

“…..After you…left, Sam and Steve started coming around more often and he kind of grew on me after a while. He still gets on my nerves almost constantly, but he’s a good guy.”

“So then wh-” your cell phone began to ring. Glancing at it, you groaned. “Sorry guys, it’s work. I’ll be right back.” You squeezed over Rick’s lap and hurried to the far corner of the bar.

Rick picked awkwardly at the label of his beer. He thought sitting with you and Bucky had been bad, but it was nothing compared to the awkwardness of the two men being left alone. Bucky drummed his fingers lightly on the table, looking uncertainly around the room. Finally, he sighed, “Well, I guess this is your chance.”

“My what?” Rick asked.

“Your chance. To ask me anything you want to know while she’s not around. I won’t hold anything back or hide anything so if there’s something you want to know, ask.”

“Why did you guys break up?” The words were out of Rick’s mouth almost before Bucky had finished speaking.

Bucky nodded, almost as if this was the question he had expected Rick to ask. “She never mentioned it?”

“No, all she ever said was things just didn’t work out between you two. But I can tell she still cares deeply for you…. and it seems like you may still love her too.”

“I do.” Rick was taken aback at his blunt honesty, but Bucky continued. “l never wanted to break up and if it were up to me, we would still be together. But…. I don’t even really understand what happened. One day everything seemed fine and the next she’s telling me she wants to take a break, that she needed time to think. All she said was that she loved me but something felt like it was missing. She couldn’t explain what, just that deep down she knew she needed something that our relationship wasn’t giving her. So, we broke up. And I haven’t seen her since.”

Rick could feel a cold knot forming in the pit of his stomach. If you could just walk away from the man you loved for four years without a second glance, what did that mean for your relationship with him? “So, you just let her go? You didn’t try to fight for her, get her to stay? Why?”

“Because she asked me not to. And I could never say no to that woman. If that’s what she wanted, who was I to deny her that.” Bucky took a long drink from one of the beers. “In the end, I guess I had found my soulmate, but she hadn’t found hers. And that’s what she went looking for.”

“How were you okay with that? If you loved her – still love her – as much as you say, how did you just give up?”

Bucky sighed. “Colonel, I’m not sure how much you know about me, but I was born in 1917 and, by all accounts, I should have died in 1945. So, the fact that I got to meet her at all, that I got to call her mine for four years, four years I was never supposed to have, I see that as a gift. That’s why I don’t look at it as giving up. It’s being grateful for the time I got. And I am grateful, so incredibly grateful, for having her in my life. She was there for me in my darkest moments, and she helped me claw my way back to the light. She saved me, in every way that a person can be saved.”

Rick squinted at the hardened soldier sitting across from him. “…..Did you- did you just quote Titanic?”

Bucky stared back at him, unfazed. “Yeah, and did you just recognize the fact I quoted Titanic?”

“Touché.”

“She made us watch it all the time. It is- was her favorite movie.”

“It still is. Bawls like a baby every time.”

Bucky furrowed his brow. “Really? Huh…. she never ever teared up when we watched it. I guess people change over time.” He hesitated for a second before he said, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Rick tensed slightly but said, “Shoot.”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, I don’t mean the casual way people say ‘I love you’ without really thinking about what those words mean. I want to know, do you love her in the way that you would do anything, risk anything, give up anything just to make her smile. Do you love her in the way that she is the last thing you think of as you drift off to sleep and she’s the first thought you have when you wake up? Do you love her in the way that you want her happiness over your own, even if that means she’s not with you? Do you love her in that way?”

Rick understood what Bucky was really asking and he felt a twinge of sadness for the man sitting across from him. But he leaned forward, looked him dead in the eye and said, “Yes. I love her in all of those ways and so many more.”

The two men stared unblinking at each other for a long time. Finally, just as Rick was about to look away, Bucky grinned and sat back with an exaggerated blink. “You know what? I believe you do. Just, please, keep an eye on our girl. She has a bad habit of putting herself into dangerous situations to protect others.”

If anyone else had referred to you as “our girl”, Rick would have punched them in the face. But somehow in the last few minutes, he felt like he had come to some weird understanding with your ex. As much as Bucky still loved you and wanted you back, he knew that wasn’t what you wanted. And he, like Rick, loved you enough to let you have the life you wanted, no matter what that meant. It also gave Rick some comfort to know that if anything ever happened to him, there was someone else out there who would be there to take care of you.

So instead of correcting Bucky’s word choice, Rick just smiled and nodded. “I will do my best.” He glanced over to where you had been standing. Watching as you hung up the phone and headed back to the table, he used this last opportunity to say, “Well, Sergeant Barnes, I feel like under different circumstances, we could have been great friends.”

Bucky gave Rick a small smile. “Colonel Flag, I was just thinking the same thing.” He climbed out of the booth just as you reached the table. “Hey, I think I’m going to head back to the shop and see if that part’s ready. Besides, I’ve taken up enough of your guys’ night.”

Your face fell. “What? Are you sure? I feel like I barely got to talk to you. I was on the stupid phone the whole time.”

“Yeah, I better get going before they close.”

“Okay. But tell Sam I’m going to drop by soon now that I know he’s so close.”

Bucky nodded. “Will do…. It was really great to see you again, doll.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck. “It was great to see you too, Sarge. I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” From this angle, Rick could see the pinched, strained look on Bucky’s face and he quickly averted his eyes. But when the two of you separated, Bucky turned to Rick. “It was great meeting you. It’s nice to know she’s found such a swell guy.” He extended his hand.

Rick took it with none of the posturing or challenging air from before. “It was great to finally meet the man she’s told me so much about. I understand why she thinks so highly of you.” The two men eyed each other one more time, and with slight smiles on each of their faces, they released the handshake. Bucky nodded at you one final time and walked out of the bar.

Rick watched your eyes trail after him, a melancholy expression on your face. “You should go talk to him.”

Blinking in confusion, you turned to your boyfriend. “Wh-what? Why?”

“I know you’ve never really wanted to talk to me about why you guys broke up, but he deserves to know. Whatever you were feeling, whatever your reasoning, you should go explain because he is still clueless about it.”

“Really? He said that?”

Rick nodded. “I think it would help him move on. So, go catch him while you can. I’ll pay the tab and meet you by the truck.”

You stood on your toes and kissed Rick’s cheek. “Okay, thank you, babe. I won’t be long.” And with that, you rushed out the door.

Twenty minutes later, you and Rick were back in the truck on your way to your apartment. Rick had been able to see you and Bucky talking as he waited, leaning against the truck. He couldn’t hear what either of you were saying but it seemed pretty emotional on both sides. Finally, the two of you had embraced for what seemed like an eternity, then you hurried back to the truck, wiping tears from your eyes. You hadn’t said a word as you climbed into the passenger’s seat or for the entire ride home.

As soon as Rick pulled into the parking lot, you flung yourself out of the truck and rushed into the building. With a sigh, Rick slowly followed you. By the time he got into the apartment, you already had the shower running. Pressing his ear gently against the door to the bathroom, Rick could just barely make out your sobs over the sound of the water. He let out a deep breath as he let his voice rumble through the door, “Darlin’, I’m here if you want to talk. Or if you just want me to silently hold you, I’m here for that too. Or if you’d prefer to be on your own, I’ll be here when you want some company again. Just let me know what you need.” With that, Rick returned to the living room, sat down on the couch, and waited.

Forty-eight minutes later, you emerged from the bathroom. Shuffling into the living room, you looked like a mess. Your damp hair hung limply as it dripped water onto Rick’s old t-shirt you had commandeered as a nightshirt and your eyes were red and puffy. Yet Rick still thought you were one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. He opened his arms and you rushed into them, curling up in his lap and nuzzling your face into his neck. Rick just held you, rubbing your back as you cried.

Finally, after you calmed down a little, he heard you mutter, “I didn’t know I was still hurting him like that. I figured by now, he would have just moved on, found somebody else. Or at least tried. I thought a clean break would be easier. I thought he understood why I did it. I feel like such a terrible person.”

“No, darlin’. You just did what you thought was best. No one can blame you for that, even Bucky. He knew you did what you had to do, he just needed some….. clarification.”

“Two and a half years, Rick. I let him suffer like this for two and a half years. The man who did nothing but love me and care for me. I dropped him like a sack of potatoes with no real explanation or justification. I just left. How could I do that to someone I loved? Who I still-” You glanced sideways at Rick, clearly hoping he didn’t catch what you were about to say.

Rick sighed. “It’s okay. It was pretty obvious just from watching the two of you, you both still have feelings for each other. I’m not gonna say it didn’t hurt, but I understand. And he did seem like a great guy.”

“He is, but Rick, it’s not like that. I…” You trailed off once again.

“I already told you, you don’t have to tell me anything about what happened that you don’t feel comfortable sharing.”

“It’s not that. I just… I have a hard time explaining what happened because honestly, I’m still not 100% sure what happened. My relationship with Bucky was amazing and I don’t regret a second of it. He was so loving, and kind, and respectful. And our physical relationship was insane! He was surprisingly adventurous for someone who grew up in the 1930’s and those metal fingers-” Rick shifted uncomfortably. “Hey, you wanted to know. But, moving on….

“Everything was great until one day, I realized that no matter how happy I was, something was missing. I didn’t know what it was, I just knew that as much as I loved him, there was something more that I needed. So, I left. And for eight months, I tried to find that missing piece, but nothing felt right. I told myself I would give it just a little more time and then I would run back to Bucky and beg him to forgive me, to take me back.” Your hand crept up until it rested on Rick’s cheek. “But that’s when I met you. And from the first time we talked, the first time we laughed, I knew I had found what I was looking for. I still don’t know what it is, but with you, I never felt that anything was missing.”

Rick smiled, thinking about what Bucky had said earlier. “You found your soulmate.”

You beamed broadly back at him. “Maybe. Maybe that’s what it was. But after I pushed you into that lake and you asked me out, I never once considered going back to Bucky again.”

Rick jumped to his feet as he yelled in triumph, knocking you onto the couch and catching you off guard. “You admit it! After all this time, I finally got you to admit it!”

“Wh-what?”

“You just said you pushed me into the lake. After almost 2 years, I got you to admit that you did in fact push me.” Rick smirked smugly at you.

You stared up at him, incredulously. “Really? I’m trying to bare my soul and that’s what you take away from this? Okay, fine. Yes, I pushed you. I liked you so I tried flirting with you. Then, like a five-year-old, I got nervous about how you would react, so I pushed you into the lake. Are you happy?”

“Very. Turns out, that’s what I was missing from this relationship.” Rick leaned in and kissed you softly, ignoring the glare you were shooting in his direction. “But all kiddin’ aside, I’m sorry if you thought I wasn’t taking what you were saying seriously. I feel the same way, darlin’. From the moment we met, it just seemed right. You’re it for me. From the bottom of my soul, as long as I have you, I don’t need anything else.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He pulled you close against his chest once again, but this time there were no tears. Instead, there was just the silent understanding that you had each found the one person you had been looking for and they were the only one who you wanted for the rest of your lives.

Finally, you pulled away. “Thank you for tonight. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you, but you handled it better than I think I could have.”

“Anything for you, darlin’. Besides, once we got over the initial awkwardness, I actually kind of liked him.”

“Really? Bucky’s great once you get to know him, but he can be a bit of an acquired taste. I used to tease him he’s kind of like a cat. Doesn’t like new people, but fiercely loyal once you gain his trust.”

“Well, I guess I gained his trust.”

“I guess I’m not surprised. You have a very trustworthy face. And it’s pretty damn handsome too.” You trailed your hand down his cheek again, before lightly tapping it. “Hey, it’s getting late, and we have a big week ahead of us. We should probably head to bed.” Rick pushed you to your feet, then you helped pull him off the couch.

As the two of you headed to the bedroom, Rick remembered something. “Oh, you never told me, what did Waller want when she called?”

“Not much, she’s just changing up our assignments for the next mission. She’s sending you to Corto Maltese with Harley, Boomer, and the rest of the team while she wants me to stay back and prep for a different assignment. Not sure why, but you know how she gets.”

Rick snorted. “Yeah. But, hey, did you see that shirt she was wearing today? I told her it looked like a gang of clowns just shit all over it.”

Your eyes bulged wildly. “There is no way you said that to her face!”

“Sure did. Just ask Economos. He thought it was hilarious. Waller….. not so much.”

“I bet she didn’t. Well, just don’t come crying to me when she plots her revenge because you know she will….. But it was a hideous shirt though.”

Rick chuckled as he saw you climb into bed and wrapped yourself up tightly in all of the sheets. Watching you snuggle down tightly, shooting him a sheepish grin, he felt as though he had never loved you more. In fact, it took all of his willpower not to march over to his closet, pull out the box he had hidden there, and drop down on one knee right here and now. But you deserved something so much more special than a late-night bedroom proposal. So, he held himself back. A few more days, darlin’. Just as soon as I get back from Corto Maltese, I’ll give you a surprise you’ll never forget. And then it’ll be just you and me….for the rest of our lives.

82 notes · View notes