Cursed Child
It had been weeks since the fall of SHIELD, weeks since he had gotten out of the hospital and weeks since he had last seen Bucky. But now Steve had finally managed to find the strength to go and see Harry Stark. He was carefully dressed in Bermuda shorts and a simple t-shirt, with sunglasses and a cap on, making his way through the lobby of the Stark Industries Headquarters in London and towards the reception.
"Hi, I am here to see Mr Strider.", he told the man behind the counter, "If he is in."
The receptionist looked down at his screen.
"Certainly. Who should I announce?"
"A friend.", Steve told him simply, if the man hadn't realized who he was yet, than he certainly wouldn't tell him.
A few buttons were pressed.
"Miss Schälchen, we have a visitor for Mr Strider. A personal friend."
Pause.
"You can go up, Sir. Take the elevator right here on the left."
He pressed another button and let Steve through.
"Thank you.", Steve told him walking towards the elevator. The doors opened and Steve stepped in, expecting to find a button to push, but there was none, instead the elevator just moved upwards. When it finally came to a halt, Steve found himself standing in front of a young brown-haired woman with a tablet in hand (the computer thingy, not one for drinks).
"Captain Rogers, welcome to Stark Industries, I am Johanna. Please follow me."
"Thank you.", he hurried to find his manners, following closely behind her, as she made her way towards the end of the hall and lead him through a wooden door.
"Mr Stark is on an important call right now, but he will be with you as soon as possible.", she informed him, indicating towards a group of comfortable looking couches, "May I offer you something in the meantime?"
"Oh no, thank you, I am fine."
Steve sat down and looked around the office. It was a nice, bright room full of plants and with a glass front offering a truly spectacular view over London. The Starks had always known how to project an image. Sadly there were no newspapers or magazines laying around to read. Johanna seemed to notice his searching gaze.
"We don't have print media here, but you can take one of the tablets to read, if you like."
There were four of them, neatly placed on the wooden table. But before Steve could make up his mind, the door behind him opened and Harry stepped through, a warm smile on his face.
"Steve! What an unexpected but welcome surprise. Please, do come in.
Johanna..."
"I will hold your calls. Unless they are your kids.", she finished the sentence.
"The receptionist never said my name. How did she know I was the friend?", Steve asked, as he and Harry sat down on two of the armchairs in front of Harry's glass front view over the city. He was thankful not to have a desk between them right then.
"She checked the cameras, when Nicos called up.", Harry shrugged, "Kudos for remembering the name. It would have been a hustle otherwise. "
"I love how you have a system in place for everything."
"I LOVE your outfit by the way. Very nice."
"Thank you. I thought you'd appreciate it."
"How are you, Steve? With everything that happened?"
"Been better. Been worse."
"That I can understand.", Harry sighed.
"The same for you then?"
"Mostly yes. Look at us sorry creatures!"
"I don't think I got the chance to say it before, but I am really sorry, Harry. I know I only met Ginny once, but she managed to... make me feel welcome at a time where I felt incredibly lost."
"Thank you. Honestly. Most people just... don't say anything. And I get it. They don't want to remind me. But truly, it is nice if someone acknowledges..."
"That she is not there anymore.", Steve continued.
"Yes."
There was a little moment of silence.
"And how are you coping with SHIELD being down?", Harry asked, a soft crease on his brow, "Now that you had some time to heal and think."
"Thank you again for coming to Washington and bringing the kids, too. They were the best kind of distraction."
"If there is one thing in this world that I am sure of, it's that my kids can be distracting.", Harry laughed good-naturedly, "Some agents found a new home at SI, are you interested?"
"No. So far I am doing okay. Some research... you know?
"Not really. But judging by your tone, I assume that I will in a bit."
"How are the kids?", Steve asked, trying to play for time.
Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't call Steve on it.
"Better. It's a struggle, I think it's a bit easier for Teddy and Emmy now, since they are at school. But the little ones... well, we moved."
"Oh. Too many memories?"
"Honestly, yes. A fresh start. We now live in Cornwall. It's as different from the highlands as we could get. And not too far from Ginny's parents. It's easier to visit now. We live about ten minutes from Penzance. If you ever wanna come visit."
"I will definitely consider it.", Steve smiled nervously, feeling even worse about what he was about to do. He had fought with himself for weeks. Harry could potentially be his best chance at finding Bucky. The man had more resources available than anyone else and not only through SI. Magic could go a very long way, Steve had seen it himself. But if he told Harry the truth about what he strongly suspected about Bucky and the Starks...
"Steve. It's pretty obvious that you need something. And I know how hard it is to ask for things, I am not the best at it, either. But... I think it is okay for me to call you a friend." Steve nodded, of course it was. "well, my Dad considered you one of his only friends. To me that's enough to consider you family. So whatever you need: it is yours, if I can swing it."
Not helping, Harry, truly not helping.
"My friend... Bucky. I need to find him. What they did to him, Harry. I... I can't give up on him. Can you help me?", Steve hated himself the moment he said it.
Harry was looking at him, unblinking.
"He is all I have left, really. And he was always there for me. I... ", he sighed. He felt guilty, so very guilty, but he couldn't show it. Not now. He had seen what Harry could do. He knew the man had a temper. The way Loki had looked after Harry had been done with him. Steve shuddered at the thought of Bucky suffering the same fate. Broken and bloody on the pavement. But then again... Harry was his friend. He was a good man. And, maybe most importantly: he was a soldier. He had fought. He had lost. If ANYONE would understand this, it would be Harry.
"But before you say yes or anything like that... there is something very important I have to tell you."
"That sounds ominous.", Harry's brow creased, "If you think it might stop me from helping you..."
"It's about... it's about your parents, Harry."
Harry's inquisit face changed suddenly. He leaned back in his chair, his hands grabbing the armrests.
"My parents?", he asked, a dark sense of foreboding in his voice. He should have started with this, Steve realized with regret. Tell him first, before mentioning Bucky.
"I... I learned that they... Oh Harry, I am so sorry, but their death wasn't an accident. It was Hydra."
Harry's face went stone white. Steve could see his fingers digging into the leather of Harry's chair.
"What?", he asked, his voice forcefully calm, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Zola... the computer version... I... I told him someone would have noticed about Hydra being inside SHIELD. He said people that came close were... well, he said 'accidents happen' and then there was an article about your parents' death. I am so sorry, Harry, I can't even..."
But before Steve could finish, Harry jerked upwards, standing towering over the still seated Steve. He was breathing heavily, his fists shaking. Steve felt all resolve leave him at that sight. He wasn't that afraid if what Harry might do anymore. Seeing him like this... all he was afraid of now, was hurting one of the few friends he had.
"I wanted to tell you in the hospital, but I... didn't want to do it with me just lying there. And then you brought the kids and I... I didn't know how to do it. Tell you? Tell Tony?"
Harry turned around, looking out of the window. His shoulders tense and slightly crouched.
"Harry...", Steve started then jumped up in shock, as every single electronic device in the room exploded in a fit of sparks. Steve felt a burn hole in his pocket, where his phone had been. There was a loud, shocked scream from outside and the door was thrown open, Johanna running in, her hair tousled and her gaze panicked.
"Harry?", she asked, slightly breathless, "What's going on? Everything just... went poof?!"
Harry didn't turn around, his fists still shaking.
"Johanna, maybe you should give us a moment.", Steve told her.
"I am not going anywhere, before..."
"Johanna. Please leave.", Harry told her sharply. She looked at her boss' back in shock, but turned around nonetheless, closing the door behind herself.
Steve didn't dare say anything, scared of what might happen now.
They both just stood there. Silently. For about five minutes, in between the smouldering rubble of Harry's office. Harry wasn't moving and Steve didn't dare to.
"Do you think I am cursed?"
"What?"
"I thought my biological parents had died in a gas explosion. Then I found out they were murdered. Then I thought my parents had died in an accident and now you tell me they were murdered... my wife was murdered. Teddy's biological parents were murdered as well. Do you think it's me? Or am I going to be next? "
"No." , Steve told him sharply, "I am sorry, I don't know anything about yours or Teddy's biological parents, but I met your wife. I knew your Dad and I think I know you at least a little. People like them, like you... don't stay idle by. You don't expect others to come rescue you. You don't let things you know to be wrong happen. And too often people like you pay the ultimate prize for their convictions. "
"People like us, you mean." , Harry turned around and looked at him, his face still an emotionless mask, his eyes cloudy.
"You think it was your friend." , Harry stated simply, sitting back down in his chair stiffly, "Yet you come here and ask for my help in finding him. Explain."
Steve didn't know what to do. He had honestly expected more of a reaction... but then again, Harry's list of murdered loved ones had been frighteningly long.
"They tortured him. Brainwashed him. And when they didn't need him, they just put him on ice. He didn't even recognize me at first. But he saved me in the end. I know he is still in there, Harry. I KNOW it. I didn't look for him then. I left him for dead. I failed him, Harry. The one person I could always count on."
Harry was looking at him silently, unblinkingly. His face still so stony, Steve didn't know if Harry was close to tears or ready to take someone's head off.
"Aunt Peggy told me about Bucky. And how you lost him."
Steve froze.
"What?"
"When Mom and Dad died, Tony and Jarvis came to get me. Jarvis was living in England. But... he wasn't allowed to fly anymore. Peggy stood next to us over their graves, you know? She held my hand through the whole service. And then took us home with her for Christmas. That evening I was sitting in the guest bedroom on the windowsill... thinking about how I would never read to my Mom again. I was crying, when she came in and told me about you and Bucky. And that everyone was allowed to grief. Everyone was allowed to cry. Even heroes."
Steve was staring at him open mouthed, his heart aching for every chance he had missed with Peggy.
"I... I can't say that I am not angry. I can't say that I... that I will be okay with him. But I know more than I would like about torture and mind control. I know what it's like...", he closed his eyes and breathed heavily, "I know what it's like if there is something foreign inside of you, trying to control you. Changing who you are. So I will try and do for Bucky Barnes whatever I can."
Steve was... speechless. He had underestimated Harry, he thought bitterly, he had judged the man on his instinctive reaction to Loki. And now Harry was sitting there and promising to help.
"Should we tell Tony?", he asked, suddenly unsure about his previous decision not to.
"No. I love my brother to death, but he is... he is not like us. He is not a soldier. And... well, I miss our parents and I always will, but I made my peace with their death a long time ago. Tony hasn't. All the things left unsaid between him and Dad...", Harry shook his head in frustration, "I will take responsibility for this, if you like. I will tell Tony someday and tell him it was my decision not to before."
"Are you sure?"
"Tony isn't doing so great, Steve... the wormhole... it has taken his toll on him. I don't want to burden him further now. We all have a breaking point. And I... I am honestly scared for my brother."
Steve closed his eyes and sighed. He had had no idea things were this rough for Tony.
"Is there something I can do to help?"
"Yes. Keep this secret. And if there should ever come the day that he asks for help, I hope he can count on you."
When Harry and Steve left the office ten minutes later, both emotionally tired and weary, they were greeted by the sight of Johanna, making tea over a bunsen burner.
Harry laughed.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"The electronics exploded."
"Ah yes, apologies, I will replace them immediately. Your phones, too."
"I didn't know if it was a one instance thing or a more permanent thing and it is REALLY hard to find a heat source in this building, that is not electronic. But here we are.", she poured a cup of tea for each of the two gaping men, "So the danger has passed?"
Harry actually turned red.
"Ahm. Yes."
"Perfect. I will go and get a new phone for you then, Captain."
"Oh.", Steve blinked, "Right. My phone. Yes. Thank you."
She hurried off, leaving the two man to stand there and simply sip their tea.