Winter Is Coming (A Bucky Barnes Fanfic)

Chapter 4: Below Freezing

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

***

"Going without me? I thought we had something." Harley turns before she can open the door to the stairs the following morning. Bucky, being his usual sarcastic and dramatic self, manages to catch her before she leaves.

"I was going to wait for you downstairs," Harley says, crossing her arms and giving Bucky an accusing look.

"I'd much rather walk with you," he admits. "I've never taken the stairs though; it makes me feel vulnerable."

"And a small confined box with solid walls that could potentially break and cause you to fall to your death doesn't make you feel vulnerable?" Harley questions.

Bucky takes a minute to think. "No."

Harley just grins and shakes her head. "Is Steve coming or are we waiting for nothing?"

"I'm here!" Steve yells from down the hall as he locks his door. "Sorry, lost my keys." The trio trails down the concrete stairs and out the apartment building doors into the brisk morning breeze.

"So how've you been Harley?" Steve asks, using her head as an arm rest as they walk. "What's new?"

"First of all, this isn't gonna fly." Harley pushes his arm off her head with a slight giggle. "And nothing is new. I'm still the same."

"Only with, you know, cool fire powers," Steve says, using wild hand gestures on the words "fire powers".

"You got weirder." Bucky laughs while Steve fakes being hurt, putting a hand over his heart and gasping.

"He didn't get weirder he's just a morning person," Bucky explains.

"How?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Steve!" Natasha calls from the front desk of S.H.I.E.L.D. "C'mere, we need to finish this mission report. Fury wants Barnes and Hothead upstairs."

"Please don't call me that," Harley says to Natasha. "Harley works too, you know."

"I prefer last names," she says.

"Conrose, then."

Natasha nods as Bucky and Harley take the elevator to Fury's office.

"Hey guys." Banner is with Fury. Harley looks suspiciously at the orange liquid inside a syringe resting on Fury's desk.

"What's that for? Do I need more?" She recognizes it as the memory serum and wonders if that's why she's here again.

"Ah, no. This is actually for Mr. Barnes," Banner says.

Bucky's eyes widen. "But I have my memory."

"Not all of it. We're doing it as a precaution," Fury says. "We want to make sure Hydra isn't hiding any secrets inside your head."

"No, really, I don't need it," Bucky argues. Harley distinctly remembers him cringing and looking away every time he needed a shot during the war.

As usual, Fury isn't budging. "Barnes you're taking this serum whether you like it or not. I don't care if I have to put S.H.I.E.L.D. into lockdown to get you to do it."

Bucky sighs. "Fine, fine. Just do it."

"Alright, it goes in your neck," Banner says, picking up the syringe.

"Of course it does," Bucky mutters. He tilts his head and moves his hair back so that Banner can inject it into his vein. He winces. "Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as some other shots I've had."