After the War

32

It was the middle of winter and I had just gotten home from New York. My boss knew that I was mad at him for making me go back to Manhattan. I sat up on the roof looking out over the Denver skyline. It was a beautiful view, but it didn't compare to the New York skyline.

From my house I could see the Broncos stadium. I remembered that James had wanted to go to the Giants game when I was there, and when I told him that I was a Broncos fan, he got offended. He had asked me why I was a traitor to my home state, so I explained to him that New York was no longer my home. By that point, I had been living in Denver for eleven years.

"Will, what are you doing up there" Brian was coming up the driveway.

"I'm thinking. There's a ladder on the side of the house if you'd like to join me" I called. He came up the ladder and sat down next to me.

"I heard that you recently went on a trip to New York, how'd that go" he asked.

"I got to meet my niece, I saw people that I haven't seen in fourteen years, and I threatened Tony Stark" I sighed.

"So tell me one thing that you truly miss about New York".

"Well I don't miss the crowds and I don't miss the air, but I do miss the skyline. I used to sit on the roof of Stark tower at night and look across Manhattan. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen" I stated.

"Wow. It's freezing up here, aren't you cold".

"Nah, I have fire running through my veins so I don't get cold".

"Why".

"Well, my body temperature runs higher than normal, so I don't exactly get cold" I heard sirens in the distance "I should be out there right now".

"Doing what exactly".

"Being a vigilante. I thought you knew that I was Inferno" I said. I guess he knew now.

"Will, you work all day to stop crime. You work all night to do the same thing illegally" he started.

"I knew this man and he was a lawyer; at night he would go out and fight crime in Hell's Kitchen. He was the same man that took down Wilson Fisk, and he did that by gaining information at night".

"Matt Murdock was a vigilante" Brian asked in a shocked tone.

"He was known as Daredevil. My brother thinks that I shouldn't be out at night, but what does he know. James gave up his powers when he was thirteen. He gave himself to the government, and he hasn't been a hero since".

"The cops want to arrest you, the news wants to know who you are, and kids want to be you. Can't you take a night off" he asked, looking me dead in the eye.

"I took a week off, isn't that enough".

"When do you sleep".

"Brian, I slept for fifty-six years, probably more if you count the times I've been in comas. I don't need sleep. Besides, I can sleep when I'm dead and stay dead".

"Stay dead, what" this was the first time that I'd mentioned me dying before.

"I've died five times in my life. When I stay dead, I'll sleep".

"So what about your other powers, do they do anything to you".

"Well, if there's an electro magnetic pulse, then I can't concentrate because of the computer in my brain. If I get too upset then I can level a city block in seconds. If I could, I'd get rid of the computer and the earthquake powers. They do me more harm than good, and I haven't used them in years".

"But you'd keep the fire".

"Well yeah, I love having my powers, and fire is the most useful. It's also the one that I have the most control over. It's easier to play with fire too".

"You're starting to sound like a psychopath" he mumbled.

"Shut up, you know that I can rant about fire for hours on end".

"That's exactly why you sound like a psychopath".

"I am not a psychopath" I knew that Brian was joking.

"Do you sit up here every night".

"Yeah, it's part of my routine. Go to work, come home, sit on the roof until midnight, go kick some ass" I said "it's basically what I've done since I was thirteen".

There was comfortable silence between us for the next few minutes.

"Will, do you think that we'll ever find love" Brian sounded pathetic.

"I think that you and I are destined to wander this world alone. I've believed that since I was five. No one ever came to my rescue, so I've been trapped alone in my own mind for years".

"That's the thing, how come you and I can't find love. I mean we're good people and we're single".

"I'm a murder, I'm just happy that SHIELD has managed to keep me out of prison for this long. I don't need love in my life".

"But wouldn't you want love some day; don't you want kids" he asked.

"I can't have kids. Hydra never wanted me to have something to live for, so yeah I don't want kids" my tone was quiet and somber. This was always a sensitive topic, and I usually avoided it.

Brian hugged me "I've made my peace with it. I guess it's why I'm not looking for love. Besides, I adopted Mia, I have a price on my head, I'm a vigilante, and I can barely take care of myself".

"Well, I think that you and I should should go down to the Legion and get dates".

"Oh yes, go to an army bar where females rarely go and old men tell war stories".

"Okay, then we can go to another bar".

"Brian, you know that people don't want to date someone that has PTSD. The last date I went on, I scared the guy off just by talking about my childhood. The worst part was that I worked with the guy".

"I guess that you're right. We are forever alone".

"At least we have each other, right" he let go of me "not to alarm you, but there's a man coming up the driveway".

I looked over the edge of the roof. Bucky was coming up the driveway. "There's a ladder on the side of the house, Bucky" I yelled.

"You have another man in your life" there was mock hurt in his voice.

"Relax,  Brian, he's basically my dad" I said as Bucky sat down next to me "Brian, this is Bucky Barnes. Bucky, this is Brian Turner. Bucky is a fellow war vet".

"Oh, what war".

"World War Two" Bucky answered without missing a beat.

"Wait, what".

"This is the Winter Soldier. He's known me my whole life, and yes, he may have shot me, but he's done what he can to protect me" I explained.

"So you're both Hydra experiments".

"Wait, he knows about your past" Bucky asked. His eyes showed shock because I rarely let people in.

"Of course he knows. I told him about seven years ago" I answered "so why are you here".

"I came to tell you that Steve is on his way to Denver" Bucky said. My heart dropped.