[for Peggy]

[onlyapassenger]

Another fruitless, frustrating night in Rapture comes to a close, and Bucky's too wound up from unspent adrenaline to want to crash so early. They've had a few breaks in the Redman case lately, but haven't yet been able to make it materialize into more actionable information since destroying the Bathysphere. But that night is as much a source of distress as it is of comfort; he nearly died, in a very concrete, familiar way, and while he was able to shrug it off at the time, what few quiet moments he's had since have been filled with unsettling thoughts of the strange, twisted nature of his life.

He sits across from Peggy in the Winchester, chin in his metal palm as he pushes his food around in his plate. He extended the invite when he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep, but filling the meal with casual conversation is proving more difficult than he expected. Eventually he opts to just ask the question that's been at the forefront of his mind since they sat down.

"Sergeant Barnes," he says, glancing up. "How did he die?"

Comments

[ihadfaith]

Peggy had often thought about the sort of life Bucky could have lived, tried to picture what could have changed this version of him so much that a smile almost seemed like a treasure.

That...well, that certainly explained a lot. Especially the arm.

"Goodness." What else did one say to a revelation like that?

"How did you break their control?"

[onlyapassenger]

"Only managed it once on my own. Evaded 'em for a couple of weeks 'til I was brought in and wiped," he says, finally just pushing his plate away.

"The time it stuck was when I crossed paths with Steve. He got control of the cosmic cube-- It can alter reality. And he told me to remember who I was... So I did. Wish I could say I fought it off or that... The power of friendship restored me, but it wasn't that. Just the right words spoken to the right thing. Coulda put a bullet in my head when it all came rushing back to me, the things they'd had me do... I went from not being able to remember my name to knowing everything these hands have done, and--"

He stops suddenly, thinking he's probably said too much. It's just he's he's been so damn tired these past few weeks that thoughts he generally keeps buried have been simmering too close to the surface, needing little prompting to boil over and get voiced. He clears his throat.

[ihadfaith]

There were a myriad of details and moments on missions Peggy was not proud of having performed, but she could not fathom the depths of Bucky's experiences. She was glad to hear Steve saved him, but from what she could see, even now, Bucky didn't seem like a man saved. At least, not since Natasha left.

She gave Bucky a moment to gather himself. "And then you became one of Steve's Avengers?"

[onlyapassenger]

"Sort of," he says, scratching the back of his neck. "I was solo for a while, then worked with a couple of partners. The Avengers were on the run when we first crossed paths. They nearly gave me leadership, but they're not a military outfit so we all came to the decision I didn't have the right experience, even with the shield. Eventually things got better. Not sure I ever did get used the vigilante thing, though. It's... Different."

[ihadfaith]

"I can't even imagine it," Peggy admitted. She liked to think she was a forward thinking woman and had come to understand many things about the future, but a whole team of people with powers and strengths to rival Steve's... it seemed outrageous.

"How mad the world must be in your future." And maybe a bit exciting, she would think.

[onlyapassenger]

"You've got no idea," Bucky sighs, rubbing his jaw. "The technology alone is incredible."

He smiles, as wryly as it is brief. "The thing that threw me for the longest time is their phones. They've got these little pieces that fit into your ear -- if you don't see it, you'd swear to God everyone was just talking to themselves."

[ihadfaith]

Peggy matches the brief smile as she takes another sip of her drink. "I've seen them in some of the films I've viewed. I have to admit, I'd love any chance to experience the future for myself. I'm almost envious of everyone who doesn't realize how amazing their time is."

[onlyapassenger]

"Got a bit of a look at Christmas, at least," Bucky replies. "Not that New York's usually populated with ghosts. The real thing's a lot louder."

[ihadfaith]

"It was wonderful seeing how much the city changed, but I did feel a bit cheated out of the genuine New York experience," Peggy admitted. "Though I suppose I can't complain, having been able to see it now instead of the ripe old age I must be in your time."