Ardent || MCU

Chapter Fifteen

Steve stood fixing his tie, his jacket behind him as he had chosen to visit Bucky before returning to base to meet with Howard.

"So what happened last night?" He asks Bucky, who was tying his boots.

"Nothing I know of." He responds, making Steve think of a better phrase.

"So there's nothing going on?" Steve asks, and Bucky stood up tall in his blue shirt and brown pants.

"Is there something going on right now?" Bucky asks directly, and Steve shakes his head and grabs his jacket to put on.

"Nah. No." He answers, and faces Bucky, who grabbed his dark jacket. Steve stares around the room as he does so, thinking once again for a better question.

"Are you interested in Louise?" He asks, making Bucky freeze and fix himself after a second.

"Why do you think so?" Bucky retorts, trying to act natural as he wanted the topic to switch again.

"Because of your continuous chemistry, and the fact you almost decided to flirt with Peggy, but stopped once Louise had arrived." Steve rambled and Bucky grabbed his wallet and stuffed it into his pocket.

"No, Steve." Bucky says and exits his front door of his bunk room. Steve hot on his heels as he sped walked towards an exit.

"Steve." Bucky warns, trying to ignore him.

"Why have you never made a move towards Louise?" He bugs and Bucky turns to face him with an annoyed look.

"Because I do not envision her in that context, Steve." Bucky sighs, and glances behind him to find a way to leave.

"You're lying. Why? You know she feels something for you. You've even spent time with her that would be considered in 'that context', Buck." Steve shoots back and Bucky looks back to keep the conversation from moving.

"Why not take the chance, Bucky? You both deserve something other than this war." Steve pushes and Bucky shoves him away.

"She deserves better than me, Steve. She shouldn't even be here, no matter how stubborn she is. Louise deserved a happy life in Brooklyn, away from us, away from violence, somewhere where she'd find some guy, have kids, and build a happy life away from us. She deserved the world, Steve. But she'll never get it being here, around these people, going on missions by herself, changing her with experiments." He pauses,

"She's changed, Steve. For the better, maybe? But she doesn't deserve to be stuck here, fighting for life, for something that we could win or lose. She deserves someone, something that is good, stable and happy, just the life she deserves. Not me, not my damages, not my ignorance." Bucky finishes his reasoning, pushing away to leave as he needed to think and evaluate. Steve stayed awestruck as he waited sometime before leaving as well to meet Stark.

-

Louise stands in a dark red buttoned blouse, the edge tucked neatly into a navy grey skirt paired with black pumps. She sighs as she overlooks some information she'd found from numerous H.Y.D.R.A. operations. Her head glances up as Peggy passes her with a smile and Howard stands before a large area filled with sheets and equipment, Steve behind him as he spoke.

"Me, I concentrate on work. Which at the moment is about making sure you and your men do not get killed. Carbon polymer." She hears Howard say, looking down at the table ahead of her at a large grey cloth.

"Should withstand your average German bayonet." Louise pitches in, holding a clipboard with an approved ledger. Both men glance over her attire before looking away to continue on, Stark clearing his throat as he picks back up.

"Although H.Y.D.R.A.'s not going to attack you with a pocket knife." Howard moves on as they walk down the edge of the table.

"I hear you're uh... kinda attached?" Stark says and knocks on the bullet dented Captain America triangular shaped shield. Louise follows them, taking notes for Howard from boredom, not new missions available for her.

"It's handier than you might think." Steve responds, as Howard steps around a table as Steve and Louise stand across from him to look down at shields, and some designs.

"I took the liberty of coming up with some options." Stark says and showcases taller shields, fitted with some technology. Steve glances over the table, his eyes landing to an under shelf in the table, on a circular shield.

"This one's fun. She's been fitted with electrical relays. It'll allow you to..."

"What about this one?" Steve speaks up and begins to lift the round silver looking shield.

"No. No. That's just a prototype." Stark reacts, leaning a little over the table as Steve lifts it.

"What's it made of?" Louise quips, and Steve flips the shield, scanning the back where forearm straps were placed.

"Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent." Steve adjusts the shield as he fits his lower forearm into it, running his hand over the rounded edge of it.

"How come it's not a standard issue?" He asks and Howard looks over the shield as well.

"That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there? That's all we've got." He answers, and Louise turns to hand her clipboard to a male assistant for Howard. Her own curiosity casting the attention on the shield.

"You quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business." Peggy voices as she enters the underground lab all of the men and women were in. Louise takes a step from Steve, glancing between the tension radiating from Peggy, who faced them.

"What do you think?" Steve adds, holds the circular shield before his chest as Peggy stays silent, glancing down at the table to her left and on Louise's right, next to her. Peggy raises a gun from the table shooting four times at Steve, who raised the shield to cover his upper body and head. The shield protected him as the bullets fell to the ground at his feet once she lowered her gun, many people ducking like Howard, or just staring shocked from the loud gunshots.

"Yes. I think it works." Peggy responds and steps to leave the lab by passing Rogers, Louise looks to the ground, knowing Steve must've done something stupid. A laugh rumbles from her throat, a hand on her abdomen and one at her mouth. A giggle gets released, as she covers her mouth and turns away to calm herself as everyone had glanced around in shock. Howard rounds the table to stand next to Steve as they watch Peggy leave, Louise letting out a laugh here and there as she couldn't control herself.

"I had some ideas about the uniform." Steve mumbles out, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Stark without moving his eyesight.

"Whatever you want, pal." Howard replies and takes the paper, Louise this time letting out a loud laugh as she went to leave as well. Steve's face blushing from embarrassment as he walked after Louise to get her to stop laughing.