Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Eighty-One: Bucky Barnes Meets The Avengers

"If that will be all, sir?" Jarvis asks and Steve as polite as ever responds.

"Um, yes. Thanks, Jarvis."

When they are on their own Bucky points to the ceiling "Why do I think I know that voice?" he asks, and Steve smiles.

"Howard's man servant. Tony kinda kept him on once he died." Bucky frowns. Steve continues: "So do you want to settle in and I'll come back for you a bit later? You know, show you around the place, introduce you to some friends?"

In all honesty it has all overwhelmed Bucky, and Steve can see it in his friend's face. He can see the exhaustion in his eyes; he may be full of serum but the last few weeks and injuries have taken away a lot of his strength. The headaches affect his ability to think clearly. He looks lost, and when Steve mentions other people there is panic in his eyes.

"Or, we can have a quiet evening, something to eat, and then I can show you around tomorrow?" and Bucky nods and tries to smile again. Steve comes up to him, reaches out and tucks Bucky's hair back.

"Your head bad?" he asks and Bucky nods.

Steve walks over to the bedside table and pours a glass of water from the jug there whilst Bucky rummages in his backpack. He upends it onto the bed and searches for some tablets. He takes them. "I just need to..." he points to the bathroom and Steve nods.

Whilst Bucky is using the facilities, Steve wanders over to the bed. He sees the notebook with the leaflet sticking out of it and without thinking picks it up to look at. It is a small black book with an elastic band around it, he takes that off meaning just to look at the leaflet which he recognises as coming from The Smithsonian. The notebook opens and he sees unfamiliar writing on the pages, but as he turns to the back he sees something else. Looking at the bathroom and knowing Bucky is going to be a few more minutes he turns to what he has seen and gasps.

It is Bucky's handwriting, across two pages and done in pen and pencil but in places it has been scored so hard it has almost gone through the pages.

Authors note: for image see http://i.imgur.com/aDx8akj.jpg

He quickly flicks through more pages at the back and he sees more of the same. In some places the pages have been torn. He can see or feel, he doesn't know which, the torment and hatred that has been conveyed through the words. Through their imprint on the paper.

It is the saddest thing Steve thinks he has ever seen. He can see the emotions of the person who wrote it and he knows it is both Bucky and the Soldier responsible. He closes his eyes for a moment but then hears the toilet flush. Quickly he puts the band back on and puts the notebook down and when Bucky comes back out Steve is stood looking out of the window.

Bucky goes over and stands by him and neither speak for a moment. Steve reaches out and draws Bucky to him.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asks quietly. Bucky is quiet for a while and then when he does speak his voice is choked.

"I want you to stay with me every night."

He doesn't know if he can cope with this, with life.

Steve smiles.

"That won't be a problem," he says.

*

Steve snores. Bucky had forgotten just how much. The clock on the bedside table says it is 2.43 in the morning. All is dark and quiet except for the snores of Captain America. Bucky is lying listening to them. He remembers how it used to annoy the hell out of him, but at the moment he is just glad for the noise showing him he isn't alone. That he is back with Steve at his side.