Winter's Redemption [winter soldier//Bucky Barnes AU]

Chapter Nineteen

STEVE'S POV

It was morning the next day, and Tony had given me the unfortunate task of getting breakfast for everyone. His reasoning behind it was 'that I was the strongest and could therefore effortlessly transport six meals.'

Thanks, Tony.

I got on the elevator and pushed the button for lobby. I kept mostly to myself once I got to the buffet- I wasn't a fan of drawing attention. I was standing in line to grab everyone's meal when I heard shouting, my muscles involuntarily tensing at the sound and my heart pumping to prepare for a fight. I glanced over and was instead greeted with two little kids chasing each other and squealing with delight. They were young and innocent and happy, the very things I have spent my entire life fighting to protect.

I shook my head, smiling, and grabbed everyone's food. Once I loaded up six plates for six super heroes, I walked back to the elevator and soon arrived at the penthouse, where everyone was sitting in the living room. They cheered when I arrived with the food, and I handed each person a tray, keeping one for myself. I sat on a bench next to the kitchen counter and dug into my omelet. Natasha sat next to me and started on her own breakfast. She took a bite and turned the TV on, revealing a news cast about the recently destroyed Hydra base.

"Another attack from Hydra, this time in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the nation's capital. Sources say that Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and the the Falcon were all there, and brought down what was believed to have been a Hydra base that was camouflaged as a recycling plant. Another anonymous source has reported that The Winter Soldier was also present, seen fighting among the Avengers. The Winter Soldier is said to be the leading suspect behind more than fifty assassinations in the last seventy years. Can he be trusted? Captain America seems to think so, but perhaps the world is not yet ready to forgive this ex-assassin."

I glanced at Bucky and saw that he was staring at the TV blankly, an unrecognizable emotion written across his face. Before, back when we lived in our own time, Bucky never had a serious face. He'd wear his heart on his sleeve and always have a grin playing on his lips no matter the circumstances. His constant positivity and disregard for other people's thoughts was part of the reason I had made it so far, but now, that optimism I'd come to thrive off of was long gone. A constant brooding silence and an unreadable expression were now the most prominent features adorning his face and it made me feel a little unsettled.

Part of me misses the old Bucky. But at the same time, I was incredibly lucky to have him at all, and I would never take him for granted. I just needed to adjust to the person he is now, and appreciate the fact that I have someone here who means so much to me.

Natasha hurriedly changed the channel after that, and we continued eating in a comfortable silence.

Tony bit off a piece of his bagel and typed in his computer, occasionally asked JARVIS questions. He was scanning the entire internet for information on Hydra. He found some posts on Twitter about supposed small scale attacks, but they turned out to be fake. Hydra was staying pretty well hidden. He muttered some curse words as yet another lead resulted in a dead end, but just as we gave up and turned back to the TV, he stood and yelled.

"Hit! 91 percent match!" 

We got up in a hurry and ran over to the computer. He pointed at a picture on the screen.

"Look. Attacks at a building in southern North Carolina. Reports of explosions, police standoffs...it's got to be Hydra. Apparently all neighboring towns have been evacuated due to..." He looked up, his eyebrows furrowed. "...radiation."

I frowned, a feeling of uneasiness growing in my stomach.

"Radiation?" I asked. He nodded.

"They're attempting to recreate the super soldier serum. They've been trying for years," Bucky chimed in, walking over to the computer. "They've succeeded a few times already."