|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 114• Mister Barnes

Bucky stared at the video footage the two brought along with them. The man really was like a vulture in the sky with those wings. In all his years on this planet, he hasn't seen something like that before. Sam's wings were nothing like that. They were smooth and pretty. This man's wings were heavy, dark, and powerful. "What do you want with him? Can't you track him down yourself?" Bucky was not sure why Peter Parker, of all people, would ask him for help. He had his girlfriend and access to all kinds of technology to easily track this man down. "He's off the map. We've been trying but... we can't find him." Harley cut in. Bucky narrowed his eyes at him a little. He vaguely remembered seeing him at Tony's funeral a couple of years ago but never asked his name. That's why he wound himself back to Peter. "You can find anyone, can't you?" Peter had that little desperate glint in his eyes, almost hopeful. "Kid, I don't do that anymore." Bucky wanted to help him out of his fantasy as quickly as possible. As the Winter Soldier he used to track down people, yes, but that's not who he is anymore. It took him long enough to realize that. "I know that. But I need you to do it again." Suddenly, he sounded a lot more like the teenager he had met at the airport all those years ago, but without his suit. "I'm sorry. No." He had made up his mind. Bucky never wanted to use those skills again. It would only remind him of the darkest time in his life he would rather forget. And he tried to forget. "Mister Barnes, please," Peter begged him. But Bucky shook his head no again. "I can't. Okay?" He started to walk off to his little kitchen in his apartment. "Do you guys want anything? I'm all out of apple juice, though." He called out to them.

His apartment was not much. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too cramped together either. At least it was clean nowadays and he no longer slept in the living room on the floor. Peter knew Bucky had some issues –Y/n told him about it – but he never saw it with his own eyes. And that might have been for the better. Bucky never wanted sympathy from anyone. He wasn't some sad, lonely puppy left on the streets by his owner. He was a grown man, and he could take care of himself. With some help from his therapist, he was able to finally put his life together after a while and this was the result. A roof over his head, a kitchen he could cook in, and a bed to sleep on. What more could a man need? No holes in the walls or gaps between doors. The heating worked, as did the TV. He had food and water. He didn't care what color the walls were or what material the sofa was. This was good. Bucky came back from his kitchen with three glasses of water and set two in front of them. "Sir, I wouldn't come here and ask this of you if I wasn't desperate." Harley nodded along beside him. "Kid, I'm sorry, I don't do this anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. Searching for men like him, that's the old me. I am trying really hard to keep that behind me, alright?" Bucky's nightmares still occurred occasionally. He tracked down all those people only to hurt them. He didn't want that anymore. "I thought you were with Y/n. Can't she help you with this?" Peter turned his head to look at Harley and scratched his throat whilst Harley stayed silent. Bucky's eyebrows furrowed together. "She doesn't know about this? Keeping secrets from your girl is never okay, Pete-" He nodded his head. "I know that. It's kind of hard to tell her right now, though."

"Why? What happened?" This might have been the first time Peter had heard Bucky so worried about anyone. The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, has never been worried about anything or anyone. At least not that he's seen. "Y/n's dying." Peter blurted out. He watched Bucky's expression closely and saw how it shifted. "Or well, we think she is. She's having surgery right now." Harley patted Peter's back gently. "She uh... She's been experimenting a lot. Building some risky machinery and a couple of months ago she was struck by something. Her heart's not okay... we have no idea how to fix it." Peter pointed at the screen again which was still playing the video footage of Toomes, "This guy, I fought him before – Y/n and I did, actually – but now he's back. He took her and worsened her situation. When Tony and I found her she was cold and barely breathing. She was-" Bucky held up his hand slightly to stop Peter. "Hold that for a second. Did you say Tony?" he questioned, "As in Tony Stark? The dead guy?" Oops. Peter was so used to having Tony around again nowadays that he assumed everybody else knew he was still alive. Harley chuckled a little at Peter's little slip-up. "Yeah, uh, he's alive. Y/n brought him back a couple of months ago." He explained. Bucky's eyes widened a bit. He reached behind him to grab a chair and sit down. He rested his elbows on the table and covered his mouth with his hands. "As well as my aunt and Natasha," Peter added. For a moment, Bucky was certain he was going to faint. That could not be true. Tony Stark was alive? Natasha Romanoff was alive? "Those dangerous machines we mentioned? That was one of them." Harley added. She brought someone back from the dead. Not just one person, but multiple people, she brought them back. "They're actually back? Alive and well?" The two young men standing in front of him nodded their heads yes.