Battlefield ★ Bucky Barnes

XI. We Have A Problem

It was dark before Steve and Connie returned back to their apartment. Both of them were in a considerably good mood compared to everything that had happened earlier, but that was solely because of Steve. He took Connie out to her favorite restaurant where they sat and talked about life for close to two hours, and then the rest of the day was spent visiting old friends, such as Peggy Carter and Steve's new friend, Sam Wilson. Everything that had been done was solely to distract Connie from the pain, and it worked.

The two laughed at complete nonsense as they started up the stairs to their floor. It was days like this Connie was exceedingly grateful to have Steve. Of course, she definitely wouldn't mind having Bucky there with the two of them, but Steve helped ease the pain inside her knowing that he wasn't there. It scared her to think about what would have happened to her earlier had Steve not been with her, let alone been around to be with her.

"I'm glad to see you've stopped wearing loafers all the time," Connie snickered as she glanced down at Steve's boots.

Steve scoffed and pushed her shoulder slightly, earning another laugh from the brunette. "I had no choice but to stop after you threw mine out and replaced them all with boots."

"It was actually Natasha," Connie informed him as the two stepped onto their floor. "It's okay, though, because now you're conforming to the times."

Steve only shook his head at her and began a slow walk to his door as he caught sight of Kate coming out of her apartment with a basket of clothes in hand. Connie smirked and maneuvered herself behind Steve, nudging him slightly in Kate's direction. He glared at her, but didn't make a move against her. Instead, he stood there and waited until she hung up her phone.

"My aunt," Kate laughed as she tossed her phone into the basket. "She's kind of an insomniac."

Connie continued nudging Steve, and he glanced down at her before looking to Kate. "Hey, if you want—if you want, you're welcome to use our machine. It might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

Kate smiled. "Oh, yeah? What's it cost?"

"A cup of coffee?"

"Thank you, but I already have a load in downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine," Kate told him. "I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward, so. . ."

Steve held his hands out in front of him. "Well, I'll keep my distance."

"Hopefully not too far," Kate chimed before heading towards the stairs.

Connie looked up at Steve with a grin on her face, but wasn't allowed a chance to speak to him before Kate turned back around again.

"Oh, and I think you left your stereo on," she told the duo before disappearing.

Connie and Steve exchanged cautious looks with one another. Connie gestured him towards Kate's apartment while she inched toward their front door. "Come in through the window, I'm gonna make my way in quietly through the front."

"You sure?" Steve breathed out.

"Yep," Connie answered as she pulled two, black, pocket-sized batons from her jacket pockets.

Steve raised a brow at her. "What the hell are you gonna do with those?"

Connie answered him by flicking the batons downward, revealing that they were, in fact, two of her electroshock batons. What bothered Steve was the fact that they actually made pocket-sized electroshock batons. Connie was prepared, though, just as she always was, and for that Steve was quite thankful.