The Pursuit of Perfection (A Bucky Barnes Fanfic) [Sequel to Winter Is Coming]

Chapter 2: Fireplace

"The most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul on fire." –Ferdinand Foch

***

            Bucky rips the door off of the stolen helicopter with way more force than necessary. But who can blame him? He claims his bionic arm has a mind of its own sometimes. Pulling the now severely injured criminal from the passenger seat, Bucky hauls him over his shoulder and starts back towards Steve and Harley.

            "Nice one, Buck," Steve says. Bucky shrugs. Steve had taken it out of the sky with his shield, which Harley had set ablaze to ensure maximum damage.

            "Harley," Bucky says and jerks his thumb over his shoulder.

            She's already walking towards the broken machinery. "On it." She sends a ball of flames towards it, successfully blowing it to smithereens.

            Bucky sets the criminal on the ground not-so gently. "What should we do with him?"

            Steve crouches to examine him. "His injuries look pretty bad. I'm not sure he'll make it. Let's ask the nurse. Harley!"

            Tearing her gaze from the explosion, Harley jogs back to them.

            "Will he make it back to headquarters?" Steve asks.

            "Hmm." Harley moves the criminal's head to get a better look. The right side of his face is entirely covered in blood, as is most of his body. "It'd be close, but I'd say he has another half hour before he flat lines."

            "Let's get him in the jet." Bucky picks him up again. They board the jet and take off; Steve volunteers to fly.

            Bucky can't help but notice the blank stare Harley has as she stares out the window. He recognizes it. She's thinking about something that makes her upset. He's guessing due to the fact that they're in a jet that it's when he died for a few days, but he can't be sure, and he doesn't want to ask. He wraps his arms around her waist from behind, reaching around to kiss her temple. "You okay?"

            Harley turns to him and nods, a small smile appearing. She kisses him softly as he hugs her tightly. They land on the runway, and EMTs take the criminal in to try and prevent his death so he can be imprisoned for stealing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s chopper.

            "Dinner at my place?" Steve asks them. They all nod and start back towards their apartments. "Come over once you're ready." Steve leaves them to switch into more comfortable clothes. Dinner is never a formal occasion for the trio; it's full of sweatpants and informal sitting positions and jokes.

            Harley picks a pair of yoga pants and one of Bucky's white V-neck T-shirts. It's oversized, but that's how she likes it. Bucky chooses to wear sweats and a black tank top.

              "I love it when you wear my stuff," Bucky comments upon seeing her choice of clothes. 

             "They smell like you," she says simply.

            "And the next time I wear them, they'll smell like you," Bucky replies. "Win-win." He bends to kiss her, pulling her in by her waist as she runs her hands through his ever-growing hair. It's almost back to shoulder length. They leave for Steve's place, descending the staircase with no shoes.

            When they arrive, Steve is on the phone with somebody. His expression is serious and almost grave.

            "Are you sure you're alright?" Bucky asks Harley again. "You seem tense."

            Harley turns towards him, taking one of his hands in hers. "I'm worried about Steve. Hasn't he seemed a little off to you lately?"

            Bucky thinks about this and realizes she's right. He's been a little less cheerful lately, and he always appears distracted. Most of the time, he looks like he's thinking too hard or too much about something.

            "Maybe it's just me," Harley says. "I thought he was being kind of distant."

            This is also true. Steve has been claiming to be busy a lot, which didn't leave time for the three of them to hang out.

            "I think you're right," Bucky responds. "We'll keep an eye on him." Bucky notices that Steve is off the phone and leaning on the counter heavily. "Steve?" When they approach him, they notice that there are tears streaming down his face silently. "Steve, what's wrong?"

            Steve struggles for words. "P-Peggy—" He can't go on.

            "What's the matter? Is she okay?" Harley asks, resting a hand on his arm.

            "She's—she's gone." Steve sniffs and another round of tears start. "Died this morning." He gasps and collapses into a chair, rubbing his eyes impatiently.

            "Oh, Steve," Harley says. She'd never formally met Peggy, but she knew how much she meant to Steve.

            Bucky rubs his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. She's in a better place now, right?"

            "A place we all should be."

            Steve morbid statement makes Harley and Bucky glance at each other with concern.

            "I'd like to be alone." Steve says it kindly.

            "Call us if you need anything, alright? We're only a few doors down," Bucky says, his frown deepening the more he stares at Steve. He's reluctant to leave when his best friend is in such a dismal state of mind. Steve just nods, and they go back to their apartment.

            "Poor Steve," Harley says sadly. "This is gonna leave a mark."

            "I know," Bucky says, unable to keep the worry out of his voice. "This is going to scar." 

***

            I guess I'm just waiting for the right partner. Steve uncaps a bottle of scotch shortly after Bucky and Harley leave. He sighs, knowing he shouldn't do this, but pours himself a glass anyway. This is what he did when Bucky died—tried unsuccessfully to get so drunk that he'd forget. But his body won't let him do that. Alcohol is just another form of water to him.

            He sits at the kitchen table, drinking until there's nothing left to drink. His eyes almost hurt from crying. He doesn't even want to think about what he must look like.

            Peggy was his only link to the past. She reminded him of all the good he did. Sure, Bucky and Harley are from the same time period, but they never got to live their lives like Peggy did. Steve liked to see one thing from his past work out. She didn't give up after he supposedly died; she moved on; she had a fantastic life. And he was glad.

            Now that she's gone, he's not sure what to do. Who can he talk to about his army days? Bucky only remembers some of them, the ones after Steve rescued him. Harley remembers even less. And neither of them seem to be comfortable talking about the subject. It brings back horrific memories for them.

            Steve can't help imagining what it would be like if he had never crashed that damn plane and had just given Peggy his coordinates.

            For some reason, he thinks he'd have been better off.