Forward to the Past [Steggy] ✔

Chapter Nineteen

Bucky's POV

Staring forlornly at the empty coffee machine, I sigh at the half full cup that I'd just barely been able to snag before Tony came stumbling into the room, moaning desperately for caffeine. Living with Steve, I have the ultimate "caffeine deprived super hero" experience every morning, but Tony is about five hundred times worse. And as tense as relations are between us even when he's sober and is functioning on more than an hour of sleep, I know not to get in his way when he's not.

I make my way to the empty table in the middle of the kitchen, scooting a chair back to the corner of the room so as not to disturb any passerby that might be happening to walk through. It's not as if many people come through here anyways; the place is basically reserved for what used to be the Avengers plus a few more including me, but I know know at least some of them hate me, or at least what I used to be.

Attempting to savor what little coffee I have, I bring the cup to my lips with one hand, while pulling out my laptop with the other, beginning to continue my research on our new Hydra project. Typing a quick search into Google about Arnold Brown, which has been my top search in the last week, I scroll all the way down to the bottom of the search engine and click to page two. I've read every article on the first page of results, writing down every little thing I've found about the Hydra mastermind, from his past, down to what kind of coffee he drinks.

A blinking light in the corner of the screen alerts me to a new email, and I click on the notification. A lengthy email from Natasha fills my screen, and I put my coffee down to look at it more closely.

"Barnes: we found some new info on Brown's assassin, Nataliya Suchkova. Based on the intel we've gathered, Hydra has been developing a new process that slows down the aging process of their agents (without putting them into a cryogenic hibernation). I am unsure of whether you already know this information from your time in Hydra, but I am required to brief you on our findings either way. The agents affected by the process can remain functional and complete missions while not aging a bit. Suchkova was their first successful trial, and though the effects of the process haven't fully been evaluated, we already know she'll be difficult to take out...."

My eyes narrowed, I scan further through the email, my mouth settling into a deep frown by the time I've reached the end. Below the customary sign off and contact information, there's an attachment. An image. I pull it up, gasping as I find a slightly grainy image of a woman with white blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. I know her. I'd never learned her name, but she'd been there, at Hydra, for years. My eyes wander to the bottom of the image, where a small caption reads "Nataliya Suchkova, Hydra assassin. Fifty recorded killings in fifteen years."

As I'm closing the attachment, someone pulls up a chair next to me and sits down. Glancing up in surprise, I see Sam's grinning face, and I automatically roll my eyes, closing my laptop and giving him a slight glare.

"I'm trying to work, Sam," I grumble, but he only scoots closer.

"Oh, come on, no 'it's great to see you, let's have a chat' for your buddy Sam?"

"No." I scoot further away from Sam, internally groaning. "Sam, I only got a half of a cup of coffee today. Don't make me angry." I shove the cup in his face as if to make a point, but Sam just chuckles a little.

"Well, if you're not going to be social with me, I'm going to go and spy on Steve and Peggy."

I abruptly stand up. "What?"

Sam's grin grows wider. "I walked in on them a little while ago. They were both in Steve's room."

"I'm coming with you," I say, dropping my laptop onto the table. But just as we're about to leave, Steve and Peggy themselves walk in, and I frown at Sam in disappointment. Sam's face shows the same emotion.

"What are you two doing here?" He says in slight annoyance. "We were gonna go spy on you."

"Nice, no. Entertaining, yes," I reply, then give a grinning Sam a high five. "Oh, by the way, there's no coffee. Tony drank it all."

Steve's face changes as I mention Tony. "Yeah, I know. He looked like he'd had about twenty cups already when he knocked on my door about ten minutes ago."

"What did he do this time?" I growl, but Steve shakes his head.

"He apologized."

I blink, freezing. "For what? Drinking all of the coffee?"

"No. He apologized for last year. He made a point to tell me that it was partially our fault, which it kind of is, but he apologized, Buck."

"Was he... Drunk?" Sam says, an eyebrow raised.

"I don't think so."

"So he forgave us?" I ask, and Steve nods, knowing I'm specifically asking "so he forgave me" without actually saying that.

"Yeah."

"...Wow."

Steve nods in agreement, then pulls over two chairs. We all sit down, awkwardly staring at each other.

"So..." Peggy says at last. "Steve, how did you two meet?" She's looking at Sam, who looks over at Steve, mouthing "don't you dare say 'on your left.'"

"Um, we met running, actually," Steve says. "Two years ago."

"How did he get involved with the Avengers, then?" Peggy presses, and I shoot Steve a look.

"That.... Actually connects to what we were discussing earlier," Steve says tentatively, and I immediately know what they were discussing. Sighing, I nod, pulling out my laptop again and opening S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Intel on Hydra, reluctantly opening the file on the Winter Soldier project.

"Here," I say, sliding the laptop over to Peggy. "Start reading."