Bucky's POV
I sat happily in Steve's pocket after the rescue, just glad to be back where it was safe. Steve was waiting to talk to Howard Stark, something about the whole Captain America thing. He asked a lady where he was."Excuse me. I'm looking for Mr. Stark." "He's in with Colonel Phillips. Of course you're welcome to wait."
Steve perched on the edge of a desk to wait "I read about what you did." She held up the newspaper showing his rescue mission. "Oh! The…yeah! Well, that's you know? Just doin' what needed to be done." Said Steve, oblivious to the fact she clearly liked him. "Sounded like more than that. You saved nearly four hundred men." She said.
"Really, it's not a big deal." Steve said."Tell that to their wives." Steve got nervous as she walked up to him. "Uh…I don't think they were all married." Said Steve. "You're a hero." She said.
"Well, that…you know? That…that depends on the definition of it really." She said as she grabbed hold of his tie. "The women of America, they owe you their thanks. And uh…seeing as they're not here." She dragged him to the corner of the office and kissed him.
Then Peggy walked in "Captain!" Steve and The lady separated."We're ready for you. If you're not otherwise occupied." She added,annoyed, she turned and walked ahead. "Agent Carter, wait." Steve said, I rolled my eyes. "Quit while you're ahead, Steve." I said, he ignored me.
"Looks like finding a partner wasn't that hard after all." Peggy said angrily. "Peggy, that's not what you thought it was." Steve said in desperation. "Yeah," I added. "Steve has the confidence of a soggy piece of toast around girls."
"I don't think anything, Captain. Not one thing. You always wanted to be soldier and now you are. Just like all the rest." She said, although she looked at me with approval. "Well, what about you and Stark? How do I know you two haven't been… fonduing?" Steve asked, I groaned.
She turned to look at him."You still don't know a bloody thing about women!" She said angrily as she walked off. I looked up at him. "What did I say?" I asked as he groaned. "Quit while I'm ahead." He muttered in disappointment.
In Stark's lab
After a few minutes we arrived in the lab and Steve asked him about him and Peggy. "Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend." Howard said calmly. "Really? I didn't think…" said Steve. "Nor should you, pal. The moment you think you know what's goin' on in a woman's head, it's the moment your goose is well and truly cooked. Me, I concentrate on work. Which at the moment is about making sure you and your men do not get killed. Carbon polymer." He added, referring to a piece of cloth lying on the table. "Should withstand your average German bayonet. Although Hydra's not going to attack you with a pocket knife, and don't worry about Bucky, he'll have a spot on your uniform." He than pointed to Steve's Captain America shield.
"I hear you're uh… kinda attached?" He asked."It's handier than you might think." Said Steve."I took the liberty of coming up with some options." As he showed him a few shields" This one's fun. She's been fitted with electrical relays. It'll allow you to…"
"What about this one?" Asked Steve as he picked up a round silver looking shield."No! No! That's just a prototype." Said Howard. "What's it made of?" Steve asked."Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent.""How come it's not a standard issue?"
"That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there? That's all we've got. We saved the scraps from making it to make a bullet proof pocket for Bucky." He added. As Steve was checking out the shield made out of Vibranium Peggy walked in."You quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business."
Steve held up the Vibranium shield against him. "What do you think?" He asked as Peggy picked up gun and shot it at Steve as he quickly held up the shield to protect himself. I ducked under the folds of Steve's pocket as the rounds went off.
"Yes. I think it works. My apologies sergeant Barnes." She said she put the gun down and walked out of the lab, Steve and Howard looked at her stunned."I had some ideas about the uniform." He said as he handed Howard a piece of paper. "Whatever you want, pal." Howard said.
