I closed my eyes and took yet another deep breath, allowing the fresh sea air to fill my lungs before forcing it back out in a long sigh. I had always believed myself to have a relatively strong stomach, the most grisly and sickening sights having little-to-no ill-effect on me. However, if recent events had taught me anything, it was that large bodies of water were no friend of mine. I slowly willed my eyes to open, revealing the sight of my white knuckles grasping the cold metal railing as I struggled to keep my breakfast in my stomach rather than over the deck of the ship. We'd only been at sea a few days, with many more to come before we reached our destination, much to my displeasure. Thankfully, the sea was calm today, the only waves caused by the boats that cut through the dark waters. As well as a smooth journey, we'd also been blessed with sun this morning, casting a warm glow over the ship and raising the spirits of the men and women on board ten-fold. The lovely day and the fact that I had no work to catch up on or briefings to hold, left me feeling ever so slightly blissful. I turned my back to the water, leaning my elbows against the railings and focusing my attention on the people around me. A group of nurses chattered happily amongst themselves, I would imagine glad to have a bit of respite from the hordes of sea-sick soldiers they'd had to deal with the last couple of days. The lucky men who hadn't suffered the pains of sea-sickness had occupied themselves with cheerful conversation and games, many choosing to occupy their time playing poker for fun, perhaps gambling with a ration here and there to raise the stakes.
I'd found myself feeling quite lonely on this journey so far, my best friends still busy at work back in New Jersey whilst I had been shipped off to England to head this SSR task-force, getting no more than a week to acclimate to land before being thrown onto the water yet again. Though, it had been wonderful to spend some time, be it short, with Louisa again before I left. The nurses tended to stick together, sharing a mutual understanding of what each other had experienced and therefore forming close friendships long before I had arrived, and I preferred to avoid most of the soldiers. Whilst many of the men were perfectly lovely, I'd encountered my fair share of stereotypical red-blooded soldiers, who viewed me as nothing more than a pretty face and a pair of legs. The one thing that kept me going was the knowledge that I could match any of them physically if I ever needed to knock them down a peg or two. Unfortunately, all of this along with my aversion to prolonged human interaction had left me to spend my days wandering the ship alone, bored out of my mind. One thing that had kept me amused on my lone walks around the ship were the whispers I'd heard in passing. Both the soldiers and the nurses had been busy speculating about my presence on board, along with my identity and a variety of wild rumours about my background. I'd managed to overhear a particularly thrilling tale about how I had been assigned here due to an event in which I had taken out twenty German soldiers single-handedly, with nothing more than a small pistol and a cleverly utilised shoe. While it was a flattering and sensational tale, it was unfortunately very much untrue. I chuckled quietly at the incredibly amusing image of me clouting a German soldier over the head with a shoe, a thought that managed to raise my spirits somewhat. Slightly less amusing were the whispers about Howard and I, something which often did the opposite of raising my spirits. I knew what people assumed, that I was another air-headed woman who had fallen for his charm and money. It didn't often bother me, but every now and then it would get to me, leaving me questioning both my decisions and Howards' intentions. However, I'd quickly chastised myself for my negative thinking, offering myself a gentle reminder that I was more than a match for Howard Stark and his quick-wittedness, and pushed it to the back of my mind.
"Excuse me..." a slightly timid looking woman approached me, a nurse judging by the uniform she wore, and American judging by her accent. I felt my jaw clench as I bit back a rude comment on seeing her group of friends a few meters away, all watching on intently with hushed comments and giggles. I barely restrained an eye roll as I took a deep breath before responding.
"Yes, nurse..." I trailed off, prompting her to reveal her name.
"Edith Matthews." She responded with a smile, smoothing her hair back behind her ear and giving her brunette curls a bounce.
"Pleasure, Nurse Matthews, how may I help you?" I remained professional but friendly as I spoke, unwilling to allow this woman and her friends to elicit any form of reaction from me that they may be so eagerly expecting.
"Well, forgive me if I'm prying, but me and the girls..." She began, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder in a gesture towards the women behind her, "Well we've heard all sorts of rumours concerning yourself and Howard Stark, and we just had to find out the truth from the horse's mouth, so to speak..." She was excited as she spoke, her eyes lighting up as she said Howards' name, I imagine very keen to learn and share the gossip with whoever might be willing to listen. My face remained a picture of impassiveness as she watched me eagerly, her friends now falling into impatient silence behind her. I considered humouring the woman for a moment, revealing a number of untrue but colourful details, a devious smirk fighting for a place on my lips. I quickly realised, however, that this would most definitely be a terrible idea that would come back to bite me in the ass, most notably when Howard found out. He would surely spend the rest of my days offering a number of impudent and shameless comments for the sole purpose of seeing me flustered and blushing. With this in mind, I chose instead to tactically broach the topic, neither confirming nor refuting the rumours that had spread.
"Perhaps you and your friends need to learn to practice a little restraint," I began, the smile immediately slipping from her face, quickly replaced by a look of horror and embarrassment. "Both my professional and personal relationship with Mr Stark is no one's business but our own, and surely you ladies have something more interesting or important to discuss than a strangers' rumoured romantic exploits... there is a war you know." My words seemed to have stunned her into silence, deep scarlet flushing over her face as she attempted to formulate a response. I waited patiently, fighting back an amused smile as her eyes focused on anything but my own.
"Yes ma'am." She finally responded stiffly, indignation forming her new emotion as her embarrassment began to wane.
"Then perhaps you should get back to work." I offered the last words of the conversation, receiving a curt nod before she turned away and hurried back over to her friends, all of whom wore expressions of shock, annoyance and embarrassment at hearing our interaction. No longer able to contain my amusement, a quiet laugh escaped my lips as I quickly turned away hoping the women hadn't noticed. I'd never been one to care much about what people thought of me, which seemed to be a good thing as not many people held me in very high esteem as of late. Yes, I was respected thanks to my abilities and my high rank, however, most of this respect was born out of fear. Not that I cared, we weren't here to make friends we were here to win a war, and I had my true friends who both respected and cared for me in a way that these strangers never would.
My attention was promptly pulled from my thoughts as the sounds of a ruckus broke out across the deck. A small group of men had collapsed into laughter as chaos has descended upon their game of poker. A flurry of cards had littered the floor around their table, the unimpressed face of one of the men telling me that his hand hadn't been as strong as he might have hoped. My lips quirked into a slight smirk as I crossed my arms over my chest, watching on in amusement. The man whose cards were now being scattered by the wind had quickly traded his annoyance for delight, drawing back his arm and aiming a small packaged cookie at his friends' head. Unfortunately, it seemed his intentions were transparent as the man ducked, allowing the cookie to soar over his head, landing just a few feet from me, now a crumbled mess. I quirked my eyebrow at the snack before turning my attention to the men who had all fallen into silence and were now nervously watching me for a reaction. One of the men quickly rose from his seat, jogging towards me and the cookies landing zone.
"I'm sorry about my friend ma'am, he's got the aim of a blind man." He explained politely as he approached me, scooping the cookie from the floor with an apologetic smile.
"A slightly worrying thought, considering he has a gun." I quipped back with a grin, earning a deep laugh and a nod of agreement from the man. His tall stature and large build allowed him to tower over me, something that many might find intimidating. However, his blue eyes conveyed a kindness that washed away any threat, and along with the lopsided grin that sat beneath his spectacularly large moustache, he wasn't at all frightening.
"I see you around here a lot, and you always seem to be by yourself." He began with a confidence that told me he wasn't too worried about my reaction to the comment, toying with the cookie in his hands as he spoke, "Would you care to join us..." he asked, dragging out his sentence as he prompted me to tell him my name.
"Agent Evelyn Moore." I finished for him as he tipped his hat towards me with a grin before holding out his hand for me to take.
"Sergeant Timothy Dugan ma'am," I took his hand gladly, offering a firm shake, "but everyone calls me 'Dum Dum'." I raised a brow at the interesting nickname as he turned to walk away, gesturing for me to follow as he made his way back to his friends. I eagerly followed, keen to finally have a conversation with someone that wasn't another SSR agent who was deathly scared of making a comment that might annoy me and get them in trouble. He grabbed a nearby chair, dragging it over to the table with a loud screech before offering it to me.
"Gentlemen, this is Agent Evelyn Moore," He announced, gesturing to me as I took the seat, offering both men a smile in turn. "This is Private Gabe Jones and Sergeant James Barnes." I noticed the sergeant crinkle his nose in distaste at his introduction.
"The only person that calls me James is my mother," He laughed, offering his hand to me from across the table, "call me Bucky." I leaned forward, giving his hand a shake before replying.
"In that case, call me Eve." He seemed pleased with my response, leaning back in his chair with the same kind of cheeky smirk that I'd so very often seen grace Howards' lips.
"Really sorry about the cookie ma'am," Gabe apologised as he gathered the scattered cards and placed them back on the table. I nodded eagerly as Dum Dum waved a flask containing a questionable liquid towards me, gladly taking a long swig of its contents and wincing as it burned my throat. Whiskey.
"It's Eve, not ma'am, and it's fine." I chuckled, placing the flask back on the table and rolling my eyes slightly at the formal way he had addressed me. "Exciting poker game?" I laughed, my eyes scanning over the mess of cards on both the table and the floor.
"Aw Gabe's just a sore loser is all," Bucky commented with a smirk towards his friend.
"Oh no, you were cheating. I don't know how but you were definitely cheating." He grumbled in response as he finished collecting the scattered cards and placed them back on the table. I grinned at his response, turning back to the other two and raising my hand to shield my mouth.
"You're right, sounds like a sore loser to me..." I mock whispered, sending the men spiralling back into laughter.
"If only you weren't an Agent and a woman..." Gabe mumbled, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"You'd what, Private Jones?" I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes for good measure, "I'm afraid a fight with me might leave you sorely disappointed and just a little embarrassed."
"From the rumours I've heard, that's probably true." He released a hearty laugh, leaning back in his chair and raising an eyebrow in my direction. The other men had fallen into silence, seeming to contemplate something for a moment before Bucky finally decided to say what they were all wondering.
"So, are the stories true? Did you really fight of thirty German soldiers single-handedly?" he asked curiously, a glint of disbelief but pride in his eyes. I grabbed the flask again, taking another swig before laughing.
"Oh, it's thirty now is it?" Looks like the number had increased yet again. I had to admit that I did love the story and the fact that people seemed to believe it so easily. "You don't honestly believe that nonsense, do you?" I glanced between the men, each of whom offered a shrug or a mumbled response.
"Most important thing my mama taught me was, never underestimate a woman." Sergeant Dugan spoke up, offering a wide grin and a pat on my shoulder.
"Your mother sounds like a very smart woman." He nodded in agreement as the other men quietly agreed with her words. "Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but none of it is true, and quite honestly I'm not sure how cleverly one could utilise a shoe as a means to fight off German soldiers." I pretended as though I was in deep thought, glancing at my shoe in an effort to work out how to create a weapon, which once again caused an outburst of laughter from around me. I quickly dropped my act, joining in with the men's amusement and laughing genuinely for what felt like the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, our revelry didn't last long as the low rumble of planes could be heard approaching from ahead of us. The attention of almost everyone on the ship quickly turned towards the sound, silence falling as they attempted to discern who the planes belonged to. It didn't take anyone long to work it out as a familiar sight of heavy black bombs dropping from the sky became all too apparent. Time seemed to have slowed, the silence deafening as we watched helplessly while the dark shape descended towards the ship ahead of us. It hit the water with a thud, narrowly missing the ship and exploding in the ocean beside it, sending a curtain of water up into the sky. That was all it took to throw everything back into motion, men and women jumping from their seats and discarding their possessions as they rushed towards safety.
"Agent Moore!" I heard my name over the chaos, whipping around to meet the seemingly calm yet obviously panicked eyes of Agent Richards, one of the SSR agents that I was superior to whilst heading this task-force.
"Richards, get below deck immediately, round up all the men and women that you can and take them below with you," I instructed calmly but sternly, easily taking control of the situation now that I'd managed to gather myself. He nodded, rushing away as I turned towards the men I had been sitting with. "Sergeant Dugan, Sergeant Barnes, do the same, get your men below deck as quickly as you can."
"Yes ma'am." They responded in unison, jumping into action and heading in separate directions as they searched for their men. I took a breath, frozen on the spot as I collected my thoughts, the sound of explosions and gunfire echoing in the air around me. Only a moment later my feet were carrying me around the perimeter of the boat, barking orders to get to safety to any man or woman I spotted, all of whom quickly rushed away to hide below deck and pray for the attack to be over. Once I was certain I'd rounded up everyone, I rushed through a small doorway towards the back of the ship and descended the stairs. The anxious muttering of the soldiers and muffled sobs of a few of the nurses filled the small room which I had ended up in. I paused on the stairs, stopping before the final step to scan the room. It was small and cramped now that it was full of people, and the constant chatter was beginning to grate at me.
"Quiet!" I called out into the space, my voice loud and clear over the rest. The room quickly descended into silence, only the watery sniffle of a nurse now audible. "I need you all to remain calm, and quiet. We can't have you all losing your heads or it will be chaos."
"No offence ma'am but I think being attacked is probably cause for a bit of chaos." A soldier complained nervously, his soft features and slightly smaller stature telling me that he couldn't have been older than 19.
"What's your name soldier?" I asked, my tone slightly less authoritative and my voice quieter.
"Andrew Morrison, ma'am." He replied with a small salute, puffing his chest out in a vain attempt to appear confident.
"Well Andrew, the way you react in this kind of situation is going to be the difference between living and dying. I'm afraid to tell you that very soon you are going to be attacked quite often, and if you lose your head, you will lose your life." He fell silent at my words, his shoulders drooping slightly in realisation, an action mirrored by many of the men around him. I turned my attention back to the room to address everyone, spotting the three men I had been with earlier watching me silently.
"Now I'm afraid there's not a whole lot we can do right now but pray. We're sitting ducks, but at least below deck we're less likely to get shot at, so we have that going for us" My comment earned a chuckle from a few of the men, including Sergeants Dugan and Barnes. "Just try and stay level-headed and prepared for anything." I finished my speech with a sigh, before adding an additional comment. "And also, please stay quiet if possible, this is a small room and there are a lot of us in here. And I have a headache." I rubbed my temples as I hopped off the final step, approaching the nurse who was still sobbing, a soldier attempting to comfort her. I instantly recognised her as one of the women who had been part of the group earlier.
"Hello darling, what's your name?" I spoke quietly and softly as she glanced up at me with watery eyes.
"Dorothy Allen ma'am, but everyone calls me Dotty." She was American, the same as her friend, but appeared to be the only nurse down here.
"Well Dotty, I'm Eve," I introduced myself informally, offering a comforting smile. A few pins had slipped from her hair, allowing the auburn curls to escape the neat hairdo, falling messily over her shoulders. I reached out, grabbing the rogue pins from where they had nestled in amongst the curls, gently pulling her hair back into its previous style and pinning it firmly in place. "There you go. There might be a war on but us girls still have to look our best." She responded with a quiet giggle, her red lips stretching into a wide smile.
"You know it, sister." She seemed to have cheered up considerably now that she was slightly less dishevelled, wiping her tears from her cheeks and straightening out her dress.
"Well, you seem to be well looked after," I commented, gesturing subtly towards the soldier whose arms were still protectively wrapped around her shoulders. She blushed slightly before offering me a wink. I took her hand, squeezing it gently before turning to leave, pausing as she called me back.
"I'm sorry about earlier, it was rude for us to pry it's just... well you know, hearing that Howard Stark is going steady with a woman is kinda unheard of, we just had to know." I chuckled at her comment, returning to her side before smirking slightly.
"If I tell you something, will it be our little secret?" She perked up considerably at this comment, straightening and raising her hand to draw a cross over her heart before raising it in pledge.
"With God as my witness." I grinned, leaning in closer so that I could whisper.
"He has a beautiful view of the sunset from his bedroom window." I offered a subtle but suggestive comment, not giving away any details but enough to allow her room for assumptions. A small gasp left her lips as her eyes widened. I laughed as she clasped her hand over her mouth, barely covering the grin on her face.
"You're the luckiest girl alive." She fanned her face with her hand before raising it to her forehead dramatically as if she would faint.
"That's questionable." I ended our conversation there, leaving her to revel in the new gossip she'd received, and to enjoy the company of her protective soldier. The light and happy air that had surrounded me was quickly wiped away as a blast hit the water not far from us, rocking the boat and causing everyone to stumble into each other. I was caught just before I fell by none-other than Sergeant Dugan, who glanced down at me in amusement as I regained my footing.
"Careful Eve," He chuckled, resting a firm hand on my shoulder to steady me. "Great speech, by the way, you're not one to sugar coat are you." I smoothed out my uniform, once again glad that I wasn't restricted by a skirt, before batting his hand away with a roll of my eyes.
"Absolutely not Sergeant, sugar-coating in this situation is just as good as lying. Plus, all this being attacked nonsense has put me in an awful mood." My stoic expression faltered, quickly giving way to a smirk as he displayed his amusement towards me and my dry humour. I quickly turned serious, my playful mood evaporating and giving way to my anxieties.
"Did you manage to round up all your men?"
"Yes, ma'am, all present and accounted for." He responded before glancing around quickly at his men and nodding to himself.
"Good, I'm glad," I replied, chewing anxiously on my lip as I tapped my foot rhythmically against the metal floor. "I hate this, we're defenceless down here. It's like shooting fish in a bloody barrel." My hand was buried deep in my pocket, the tips of my fingers smoothing systematic circles against the cool metal that resided there. I'd found myself, on more than one occasion, turning to the familiar touch of Howard's hip flask to settle my nerves. Sometimes just as a reminder that everything that had happened between us was real. That he was real. I was quickly silenced as a hand rested on my shoulder, pulling my attention to my right where Sergeant Barnes stood, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Careful Eve, can't have you losing your head now." He joked as I sighed, smacking him on the hand and shooting him a stern glare.
"Shut up Barnes," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance, only serving to entertain him even more. His laughter and my irritation quickly became very unimportant as the far end of the room shook with an explosion, the metal walls warping and collapsing in on themselves as the fierce blast threw us back, sending us into a crumpled heap on the floor. I attempted to scramble to my feet as the screams and yells of the people around us filled the space. I could tell that men had already died, the blood told me that much, however, I couldn't be sure how many. I stumbled on my feet as the boat began to rock, gradually tilting to the left and sending me sliding back to the ground. I clambered to find my footing again, pulling myself up using a nearby railing as I shouted out to the room.
"Get to the door! All of you get out!" My voice was barely audible over the chaos, though the men that did hear me had begun to scramble towards the crooked staircase, throwing the door open and disappearing out into what was sure to be more chaos. Thankfully, the men who hadn't heard me had quickly realised what was going on and were managing to escape the room fairly unharmed. I spotted Dotty as she approached the stairs, looking slightly worse for wear, though with her hair still neatly in place. I grabbed her hand, helping her to climb up to the staircase that was now sitting at an awkward angle as the boat continued to tilt. She thanked me quickly before climbing the stairs and exiting the room.
A loud gurgle followed by rushing water caught my attention as the room began to fill. I shared a panicked glance with Sergeant Barnes as the water began to steadily and quickly rise. Barnes and Dugan had remained behind with me, ordering the last of the men out, leaving the three of us alone in the rapidly sinking room. Sergeant Dugan was the next to leave after confirming that everyone still alive was out, hurrying out of the room as per my orders, leaving Sergeant Barnes and me alone.
"Okay Bucky you next, get out of here," I ordered, though my words seemed to fall on deaf ears as he remained in his position. "Sergeant Barnes did you hear me, I said get out!"
"Sorry to disobey orders ma'am but I'm not leaving just yet, I've gotta get their tags." I stared at him in disbelief and yet pride, as he was willing to risk his life to collect the soldier's tags, giving their families something to cling to in mourning of their loss. Before I could do anything, he had dived into the water, disappearing out of sight as he swam towards the back of the room. I waited as the room fell silent, only the sound of rushing water and my panicked breath to be heard. Only a few moments later he resurfaced, the glint of silver in his hand telling me he had recovered the tags. He swam towards me, yanking open the pocket of my trousers and throwing the metal inside.
"Get out of here, I've just got one more to get." He explained, beginning to back away. "I'm right behind ya."
"I'm not going anywhere without you Sergeant. So, bloody hurry up!" The water had almost reached my neck now, swirling around my shoulders. He grinned at my exclamation before turning and descending back into the darkness, another blast hitting the ship only a few moments later, sending a large metal beam splashing into the water below. I pushed myself back against the wall to avoid the debris, panic rising as the beam fell right above where he had just been. I didn't spare a moment for thought before I was under the water, straining my eyes to see as I swam towards his position. The glint of silver alerted me to where he was and I quickly made my way over, dreading what sight might meet me. His panicked eyes met mine as he came into view, his hands pressed against the beam as he attempted to push it away. I assessed the situation in less than a second, noticing where his foot was caught between the beam and the warped section of wall where the bomb had hit. There was no way he would be able to lift that beam himself, but perhaps with both of us, we'd be able to move it just a fraction so that he could slip his foot out. I positioned myself between the wall and the beam, using my shoulder to take the brunt of the force as my feet pushed against the wall. A low creak sounded through the water as the beam moved an inch, though not enough to be helpful. I was beginning to feel dizzy, the lack of oxygen reaching my brain at this point, but I wasn't about to give up. I composed myself, focusing on centring my energy before putting all my force into pushing the beam. After a few seconds, it relented, twisting to the side and releasing Bucky's foot from its trap. I grabbed his hand, which still clutched the last set of tags, and pulled him away from the ground, up towards the surface. My hands met cold metal as I suddenly realised that the room was now full of water, offering us no chance of oxygen. A dot of light ahead informed me that, thankfully for us, the door was still open at the top of the stairs, giving us an escape. I rushed towards the light, Sergeant Barnes dragging behind me as he began to lose consciousness, his efforts to swim lessening. Don't you dare die after I just saved your bloody life, Barnes. My thoughts kept me going, the spot of light growing larger and larger until we finally breached the surface. I coughed and spluttered as I finally took a breath, the oxygen burning my lungs as I gasped it in. Bucky reacted similarly beside me, coughing up a mouthful of water as he scrambled to climb out of the room and back onto the deck. I followed him closely, gladly taking his hand as he pulled me from the water. We paused for a moment, catching our breath and getting our bearings before either of us spoke.
"Thanks." He commented with a dry laugh. I simply stared at him in awe for a few seconds, dumbfounded by his ability to laugh after he had almost died. I snatched the tags that hung in his hand, adding them to the rest in my pocket before turning my stern gaze on him.
"Don't EVER pull something like that again, you complete and utter moron!" I yelled, smacking him on the shoulder hard enough to make him wince before falling silent, our breathing heavy and laboured. We stared at each other for a moment, attempting to fully absorb the situation before we both cracked, collapsing into a loud and slightly manic fit of laughter. Tears began to prick at my eyes from laughing as he reached out to me, tugging me towards him and wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.
"I promise I will never do that again, don't worry." He chuckled as he released me, allowing his hands to remain on my shoulders, which turned out to be quite useful to steady me as the boat swayed and lurched once again. Our eyes darted around, suddenly remembering that we weren't out of the woods quite yet. He released me, rushing towards the edge of the boat and leaning over the railing as he assessed the scene around us before turning back towards me.
"We're gonna have to jump." He stated simply as he climbed over the railing, earning a sigh from me as I rushed to his side, quickly mimicking his actions and climbing to the other side of the railing, my grasp on the metal bars remaining firm.
"If we live through this, I'm never going swimming again," I commented, staring down at the water far below us. His quiet laugh beside me pulled my gaze away from the water and to his hand that he held out to me.
"You and me both doll." I grabbed his hand, sending him a quick nod before releasing my hold on the railing and pushing myself away from the boat. The drop felt longer than it was, feeling as though we were falling in slow motion as I prepared myself to hit the cold waters below. I sucked in a deep breath as the waves approached, an effort that appeared to be useless as I hit the water, the force knocking the air straight back out of me. I vaguely registered the feeling of a hand in mine as I sunk beneath the waves, though my mind had drifted as easily as the boats on the water. A sense of serenity washed over me, the quiet pops of bullets hitting water the only sound I could hear besides a gentle whooshing of the ocean in my ears. A squeeze of my hand brought me back, my arm tugged up and breaching the surface shortly before the rest of me. The oxygen didn't burn this time, instead smooth and welcome as it filled my lungs. More hands reached out to me, grasping my arms and easily pulling me from the water, my body hitting the hard wooden floor of the lifeboat.
"Agent Moore," a worried voice called my name as a jacket was wrapped around my shoulders. My brain slowly began to re-focus, realising where I was and what was going on.
"Eve?" another voice spoke and I turned towards it, meeting the concerned faces of Timothy Dugan and Bucky Barnes, who both watched me carefully.
"I'm fine," I confirmed, brushing away their concerns with a wave of my hand. A small gasp escaped my lips as I was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Dugan before he released me, allowing Bucky the chance to move directly in front of me and place a hand on my shoulder.
"Good job we didn't lose our heads." He joked, offering that same lopsided grin that he had earlier. I breathed a small chuckle, which quickly morphed into a genuine laugh as I smoothed my dripping wet hair away from my face.
"I'm never getting on a boat again."