Who Am I? » [Stucky]

148. Illegal Identities

Inside Area 51

"How many levels does this place have?" Steve moped in a breathless and dispirited voice.

Bucky and Steve lead their strike team down countless flights of stairs, running for their lives from the spate of Hydra agents hunting them down.

"Why do you think they call it Area fifty-one?!" Natasha shouted back at him, as if it was obvious.

"I don't know! I've never really given it a sheer amount of thought!" Steve complained back, rolling his eyes.

"The worst part will be getting back up!" Bucky shouted over the catastrophic echoing trill of bullets pranging off every surface and tearing through layers of now shredded metal, puncturing the facility apart.

"Skye, how's the hack going?!" Tony shouted into his microphone.

"It's taking longer than I would like... There's just so much information on this database! It's a gold mine! We're going to be so rich in intel after this that we won't need a Central Intelligence Agency or a Federal Bureau of Investigation!"

"So long as it's worth it!" Bucky shouted over the din, ducking another round of ammunition which rattled into a wall above his head. He abruptly skidded around a corner and yanked Steve with him; keeping them close and out of harm's way. "How much longer do you think its going to take? Because playing warzone tag team is really starting to wear us out! I'm ninety-seven, I'm not as able bodied as I used to be..." Bucky joked, receiving a sloppy kiss from Steve in a nimble panic for the endearing touch of humour.

"Shut up... You're fitter than-" Steve cut himself off as a strange noise creaked through the structure.

There was a decrescendo of a hum that reverberated through the underground facility and the lights drained of power until they were no longer alight. Thirty floors down at they had lost power.

"Ever mentioned that I'm a little bit scared of the dark?" Steve whispered to Bucky, unsure of how far his voice was travelling or who might be overhearing.

"Yeah, when you insisted on sharing a tent with me out in Italy because your Captain's quarters were too dark, you complete fairy..." Bucky punched him in the arm, eyes starting to adjust to the dark.

"Hey... That wasn't about the dark... Not then. That was about me seeing you for the first time in six months and recovering you after you were assumed dead. I just wanted, for the night to pretend it was Brooklyn again - not some rainy field in north Italy... I wanted to curl up into your side and pretend like we were safe again, just kids, with the war nothing more than a story... Although, I ended up spooning you instead."

"I'll only be a moment, guys. I've just encountered a slight error... But if you could start making your way back up-"

"Yeah... No... That's not going to happen. We can't see a thing. You've downed the lights," Clint hissed into his communicator.

"That's what that plug was?! Oh! Oh god..."

The Grand Canyon, Colorado

The whole of Coulson's team peered over the edge, only two unfazed by the perilous drop. Sam and Tony were equipped to soar instead of plummet, but the rest were designed to fall with only a parachute to catch or slow them.

"Not scared of a little drop, are you?" Tony flaunted at the rest of the team, stretching his neck out to peer into the abyss of the sheer drop.

"C'mon, it's not gonna kill you!" Sam couldn't retain the snort that burst from his lips without permission and fist-bumped Tony.