Forgotten Memories | ❶

• chapter twenty-five •

"You're telling me they carved someone's birthday into my skin?" Pietro said.
"Pretty much. . ."
"Thank you, Pietro." said Natasha.
"No problem. Can I go back to beating Harry on Maria Kartz?"
"You actually beat him?" asked Steve.
"I mean. . .not yet."
"Go on then."

"We need to find a way to alter his memories." Steve told Natasha, Sirius, and Remus.
"How?" They asked.
"Before we walked out of the interrogation room our criminal shouted out to use words." Steve answered.
"You think that's what he meant? Use words on Pietro that might be able to bring his memories back?" Natasha said.
"I'm not completely sure but it's worth a shot."
"Whatever it takes to get our best mate back."

   "You're still trying to beat him on Mario Kartz?" Sirius said, startling both Pietro and Harry. Behind Sirius the rest of the team was with him besides Bruce and Steve.
   "I beat him once!" Pietro answered.
   "Because you pushed me to the side so I dropped the controller."
"That's not the point," Pietro said. "The point is that I won and you lost."
   "The point is you cheated." Natasha said.
   "Okay? It's not like it's illegal." Pietro sassed, his arms crossed.
   "In our area, it is." Tony added.
   "Well, I think it's all bull–"
   "People," all eyes went to Steve, who was leaning against the doorframe and out of his suit. "We're going back home, so back to the jet."
   "Aye, aye, Captain." They all chorused with a salute.
  Steve gave them a small smirk, "I can't hear you."
   "Oh my god." Tony mumbled. The rest stared gaping at him.
Since when did he start watching modern cartoons?
   "Aye, aye, Captain!" Clint, Sirius, Pietro, Harry and Tony said louder.
   "Oh! Who lives in a pi–" Steve got cut off by Bruce walking in.
   "I don't know about you guys but I'm just trying to get home."
   "Bruce, it's rude to interrupt." The Captain said.

  After many times of singing Spongebob's theme, they were finally back in the tower. Mostly everyone headed for the living room, but Steve pulled Remus and Sirius to the side, far from everyone else's hearing.
   "None of us really know what words we can't use to alter Pietro's memories, but we have our thoughts and we think you two are our best shot." Steve said quietly.
   "Hey, no problem. We got it handled." Remus said.
  Sirius nodded, "What he said."
   "Great. Remus, Bruce went down to the lab and he told me to ask you if you can go help him with some stuff." Steve told Remus.
   "Sure thing." Remus walked off and Steve turned to look at Sirius.
   "What?" Sirius said, looking at Steve with an eyebrow raised.
   "You're helping me cook dinner."
   "Me?! Nat is usually the one who helps you."
   "Not today." 
  Sirius groaned and dragged his feet to follow Steve to the kitchen.
   "What are we making?" Sirius asked, his hands on the counter.
    "Nothing. Tony ordered pizza."
  Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Then why did you bring me to the kitchen?"
   "To talk to you." Steve said.
   "About what?"
   "You know what. . .Sirius, I know you're hoping this is James. Hell, I never even met the guy and I'm hoping it's him–"
   "Why?"
   "Why? I have– or had, a best friend. His name is also James but I called him Bucky. I– I watched him fall off a moving train, and it was the worst thing I had ever had to witness."
  Sirius watched Steve, his eyes showing sadness, he knew the feeling of loosing a best friend.
   "I still dream about that day you know?" Steve said, wiping away a tear that slipped.
"We're there, together, fighting the bad guys and all of a sudden I'm holding on, trying to get a hold of him but then he falls and all I can hear is him yelling out my name. I wanted to go look for his body, but we were at war during the time, it was almost impossible. Eventually, I snuck out of campus to go look for his body, but I found nothing. That's when I felt my world collapse. He was the only one I had left, the only one I knew I could trust, but then. . .he was gone, and there was nothing for me to do."
  Sirius bit his lip and looked down.
   "You know–" Sirius started, "A year ago was the first time I saw Harry, the first time after twelve years. When I saw him, all I could really think of was how much he had grown and how he looked so much like Prongs. . .You don't know how much I regretted going after the rat, I didn't think he was going to frame me. I– I left Harry all alone, with relatives that treated him like crap, like if he was an abomination. When I came here, I knew this was a fresh start for both Harry and I, and for everything in this world, I'm hoping that Pietro. . . Is James."
  Steve nodded, "I know how you feel, seeing a replica of your friend."
  Sirius tilted his head, "What do you mean?" 
   "Well. . .turns out Bucky is alive, but he was taken by Hydra, and I'm guessing they brainwashed him. . .he didn't recognize me, he didn't even know his own name, how messed up is that?"
  Sirius sighed, "A lot."
"Can I tell you something? I wasn't the nicest guy in school." Sirius said, "and I'm not proud of that. The kid that we didn't like tried getting us expelled so many times, which was one of the reasons why we messed with him. One time. . .I got carried away and told him what we were going to do, I told the day, time, and where. It was the biggest mistake of my life. He could've gotten killed, and I swear that was the first time I ever saw James so pissed, but it was also the first time he had ever gotten angry with me. We got into a fight, and by fight I mean he was yelling at me while I just sat down ignoring him."
  Steve laughed and shook his head, "You guys were really the best of friends, huh?"
   "You got that right. Anyways, while he kept yelling at me his future wife walked in, and at the time she still hated him. . .she was too shocked to say anything or even move. It was hilarious. When James noticed she was standing behind him he tried to make everything look cool and pretended nothing happened."
  Steve let out another laugh, "Bucky and I were the same. The only difference was that he was the one who tried keeping me from picking fights."
   "You picking up fights?! No way." Sirius let out a dramatic gasp.
   "I know, I know. He always laughed at me and in the end he was the one beating up guys for me."
   "Our best friends are just plain weird." Sirius said.
   "Agreed."
   "Pad?"