Um just so we're clear, I generally make a ton of references through out so if that annoys anyone, just tell me and I'll cut down a bit. Also Bucky does remember a lot, as I've already hinted in the previous chapters and I see him and the Winter Soldier as less two people and more just different aspects of the same person. I also seem to have a thing for writing chick flick moments. I'm sorry. This chapter felt kinda flat to me. I'm not sure if I liked too much but idk... Oh well on with the story! I hope you enjoy! Please review!
Sitting on the quinjet just waiting was really starting to grate on Percy's nerves. He was a demigod with severe ADHD, waiting and sitting calmly just wasn't in him. Especially considering the fact that his general mode of travel was spent on the ground fighting monsters the whole way. Granted, Zeus and Hades had given him permission to enter their domains after the Giant War, a lifetime spent fearing the consequences didn't simply vanish so easily.
"So what was he like, when you met him?" Steve spoke up, startling Percy out of his thoughts. "Bucky I mean. You said you knew him for two years."
"Well to be honest, Winter was... like a big brother. Not exactly over protective, but definitely willing to kick some ass to help me. I guess he kinda took the place of the big brother I never had. And... I felt safe around him. Believe me I know first hand how dangerous he could be, but I knew nothing could hurt me when he was there."
"Yeah Bucky always was a protective SOB."
Clint loudly gasped. "Language! Jarvis mark it down. Cap just swore. The world may just end"
"Noted Agent Barton. Would you like me to compare notes with Sir?" Jarvis said, a touch of amusement in his voice.
"Clint are you ever going to let it go? I was in the army, for crying out loud! I can swear!" Upon seeing Sam's face, "Wilson, I swear if you start singing Frozen I will shoot you." And put his head in his hands when Percy began singing instead.
"What? You only said Sam couldn't sing it." He said innocently. Steve sighed while the others laughed.
~line break~
Sokovia.
"So considering the fact that Winter might not be here and that you guys have probably been in this situation before, what do you do?" Percy asked.
"Check the computers. Barnes generally leaves something. It's like the guy gives us a trail to follow." Sam answered.
"And if you do find him?"
"That's Steve's call." Sam shrugged.
"Guys? You really might wanna see this." Clint's voice came from the control room where he had gone with Steve. Walking in, they were greeted with five different computers all showing one location. The Sokovia facility.
"What does it mean? Didn't you say he leaves some kind of trail?"
"He does. Five computers with five different locations. Some he goes to, some he doesn't, there isn't any particular order but at least it's something. This doesn't make any sense." Clint spoke up, confusion evident on his face.
A silver flash and a piece of paper lay innocently on the table in front of them. Two simple words "doesn't it?" were written on it, mocking them.
"What the Hades was that?" Percy burst out.
"Come on Punk. I taught you better than that. Always be aware of your surroundings. Precision over strength." came a voice from the shadows.
"Bucky?" "Winter?" Came two voices at the same time.
"Thought I told you not to do anything stupid while I was gone." Bucky said with a grin.
"And I thought I said you were taking all the stupid with you." Steve retorted with a smile before rushing to hug the his best friend, no, his brother, for the first time in over seventy years.
Finally breaking apart, the Soldier turned to Percy. "Been a long time kid. Still getting your ass kicked or have you finally gotten your shit together and started doing the ass kicking?"
"Bit of both actually. Depends on who you ask." Percy said before hugging Bucky. "You know I'm still gonna be pissed at you for disappearing for seven years with no warning, right?"
"I'd be disappointed if you weren't."
So once what Tony would have described as a 'chick flick moment' was over, Sam finally spoke up.
"So after all this time Barnes, why now? Not that I'm complaining, but we could have played this game forever with you always a couple steps ahead. What changed?"
"I've already taken out most of the major players and their playgrounds. I had a couple things to take care of before I let you find me. 'Sides," ruffling Percy's hair, "I couldn't leave my kid brother to the mercy of SHIELD, could I? Speaking of, Steve I got a couple new recruits for your little boyband."
"Wait, kid brother?" Percy asked confused.
"Recruits?" Steve echoed.
"Wilson can the Avengers be classified as a boyband? I mean, we do have Nat." That one was Clint.
"Yep. Definitely. Natasha is like the annoyed manager who gets us out of trouble."
Bucky shrugged, nonplussed at the others' reactions. "What I was born before World War Two and on good terms with Uncle Hades. Yes Steve, new recruits."
A heavily accented voice came from the doorway "honestly Winter, you talk too much. I've gone over this whole place twice!" A young silver haired male stood in the doorway, beside him a girl with fiery red hair who looked to be about the same age.
"This is Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. They were... recruited by HYDRA who... enhanced them, so to speak."
"Enhanced? More like we were their pets." Wanda scoffed.
"Can we continue this in the jet you left outside?" Bucky cut in. "Cos this place is rigged to blow in... About 15 minutes give or take." Everyone except for the twins stared at him. "What?" He said defensively, "you act as if none of the previous facilities were blown and most of their drives fried. Now can we go?"
They reached the jet just as the first bomb exploded, the noise causing Percy and the twins to flinch, something that did not go unnoticed by the others.
Winter didn't hesitate to call Percy out on it as soon as they were in the air. "Kid I may have spent the past seven years in cryo or on missions but I've heard about the wars. What happened and who do I need to go kill?"
Percy gave a short laugh, but it was far more of a bitter one than they had ever heard the teen give. "No one who isn't already dead or in Tartarus where they belong." The Soldier nodded like he expected nothing less and Percy looked at him curiously. "Why exactly are you fine with being in the air? Shouldn't Zeus have blasted us out by now?"
Bucky grinned at this, "he can't. I'm technically dead and Hades refuses to admit that I didn't die seventy years ago. Told ya Uncle Hades is awesome."
~line break~
Arriving at the Avengers Tower by sundown, the place felt almost deserted. Tony Bruce and Loki were all in his lab working on something according to Jarvis. Thor had gone to visit Jane and Natasha was out on some mission by Fury. The three in the lab were called down to meet the newcomers, Tony was fascinated by Bucky's metal arm, but horrified at the destruction his weapons had done to the Maximoffs. Clearly the mistakes of his past were still coming back to haunt him. They had a bad habit of doing that, he thought as his hand instinctively rose to his arc reactor. Even as he apologised profusely his words felt hollow, especially to himself. He destroyed their family, albeit indirectly, destroyed countless others with his blindness and ignorance, what good was a mere apology? As much as he told himself he couldn't be held entirely accountable, he could not say that as he looked the Maximoffs, as he looked at more proof of his failure.
So while Tony was visibly beating himself up the twins were deciding not to entirely hold a grudge against him. The anger they held for years was still there, obviously, but less so. Tony just wasn't to take the whole blame. The fact that he felt that bad about it was definitely a point in his favour.
So sitting in their absurdly large room after dinner going over their surreal day both Wanda and Pietro were pinching themselves in an effort to ensure that it was not a dream and they were not about to wake up in HYDRA.
"I don't want to destroy him anymore Pietro. Messing with his mind would be fun but I looked there and he's not to blame for what happened." Wanda said contemplating.
"I believe you but I'm still kinda mad at him. Don't want him dead, but still mad." Her brother replied.
Wanda quickly fell asleep in the comfortable and ridiculously large bed, but for Pietro sleep was much more elusive. Eventually just giving up around 1:45 am he got up and started aimlessly walking around, trying to get a better idea of the tower, with Jarvis occasionally helping him out. He ended up stumbling across Percy who was in the gym pounding a punching bag.
He was about to leave Percy to it when he spoke up, his hands never faltering in their hits.
"Guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep."
"Apparently not."
Percy nodded, finally turning around. "So why can't you sleep?"
"The bed is too soft." He said quietly.
"Like you're sleeping on cotton candy." Percy agreed.
"It doesn't feel real. None of this does. I keep expecting to wake up in that cage of HYDRA'S, unable to control anything."
"Like this is all a dream. Yeah, you're not the only one."
"So what? You just come down here and beat the crap out of punching bags?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm a soldier. I was literally born to fight. You don't fight in wars and walk away without battle scars, mental or physical."
"Loki said your fatal flaw was loyalty. He said that meant you would save the ones you love, no matter the cost."
Ignoring the unspoken question, Percy looked at Pietro, his usually carefree eyes filled with pain. "You know, you're lucky. You were able to save your sister, you actually have someone. Me? I wasn't that lucky. The ones I loved died because I couldn't save them. I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't strong enough and they had to pay the price for my weakness and I have to live with the knowledge that my best friends, literally my family, died because I failed. Loki said my fatal flaw was loyalty? He was right. Someone once told me I'd see the world burn to save a friend and its true. I would rather die than see the ones I love hurt."
"Why tell me this? Far as you know I could be working for HYDRA, I could use what you just told me against you."
Percy looked at him for a second as if to say 'how stupid do you think I am?' before scoffing. "You won't. You have limits and HYDRA was a means to an end for you. Besides, believe it or not, I'm actually a pretty good judge of character. Hey I'm hungry wanna go get something to eat? There might be some pizza left over."
Pietro stared at Percy for a moment as if questioning his sanity and the completely random subject change before shrugging and going with it. It wasn't as if he wasn't hungry either.
And that's a wrap! Personally I'm only really happy with the end cos the rest seems... I dunno kinda flat... eh this is like my longest chapter so yay me! If it's boring or anything leave a review. If its not, leave a review anyway. Btw, Pietro and Wanda looked like they were about 17 or 18 in the movie so im gonna go with those ages. Also the end was because I really needed a sort of bromance moment between Percy and Pietro. Also I was listening to depressing music. And I really needed a Steve and Bucky hug so yeah. Also, in case you guys hadn't noticed, I referred to Bucky as the Soldier or Winter with Percy and occasionally with the twins, and Bucky with the others, specifically Steve. Personally I see the Soldier and Bucky as two aspects of the same man, just brought out through different situations in life and also Percy never knew Bucky, he only knew Winter.