The Winter Warrior // Captain America

«Chapter 14»

Something Steve and Bucky loved to do in their spare time besides running and going to bars, was visiting the Smithsonian Museum. To blend in with the crowd, Steve wore a blue bomber jacket and a navy blue cap while Bucky chose a brown jacket and a black cap. 

They didn't just visit the Smithsonian to learn about aeronautics or space travel, the two had their own exhibition. At least, Captain America did, and Bucky got to be a small part of that. But someone else also got their own section. Anna.

"A symbol to the nation," the narrator on the intercom spoke. "A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honour, bravery, and sacrifice." 

Steve and Bucky sauntered through the exhibit, barely looking at the information signs since they knew almost everything already. One time, they went through it simply to point out all the errors to each other. Bucky had discovered the most.

A young boy in a blue Captain America shirt stared in awe as the two men passed. Steve smiled, holding his finger to his lips. The boy nodded, his mouth agape. 

They travelled to the section where their old uniforms were displayed. "Battle-tested," the narrator continued, "Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission: taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division." 

Steve turned around, and Bucky followed. "Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield." Steve smiled, shortly nudging Bucky's shoulder. The brunet chuckled before they turned the corner, walking into the part of the exhibit that made their hearts drop every time they walked in. 

"Anna Rogers, Steven Rogers' younger sister, was the only Howling Commando to give her life in service of her country." Steve's eyes travelled down to the video they displayed on a loop. It was Bucky, Steve, and Anna, laughing at something Bucky had said. She looked so careless, so young, Steve noticed. 

He felt his eyes water and he walked away, only to notice Bucky wasn't following. "You coming, Buck?" he asked. 

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here for a bit. I'll see you at home," Bucky muttered, not taking his eyes off of Anna's picture on the wall before him. 

"Okay," Steve said, patting his friend's back. 

After viewing Peggy Carter's interview in the museum, he went to visit her himself. A few months after waking up in this new century, Steve quickly found out Peggy was indeed still alive. She was in a nursery home, and her once brown curls had turned grey. Wrinkles defined her face but her eyes were ever so kind. 

As Steve sat by her bedside, he said, "You should be proud of yourself, Peggy." 

"Mmm," she mumbled. "I have lived a life. My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours." 

Steve lowered his eyes. 

"What is it?" Peggy asked. 

He sighed softly. "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore." His brows etched into a frown. "And I thought I could just throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve..." He smiled softly. "It's just not the same." 

Peggy laughed. "You're always so dramatic," she said, making Steve chuckle. "Look, you saved the world. We rather mucked it up." 

"You didn't," Steve was quick to say. "Knowing you helped found SHIELD is half the reason I stayed." 

Peggy held out a hand, and Steve took it in his own. "Hey," she whispered. "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes, the best we can do is to start over." Peggy's words were interrupted by a coughing fit. Steve quickly rose to his feet to get her a glass of water. 

As he sat back down, he whispered her name. Peggy's eyes widened as she looked at him. "Steve?" she asked. And at that moment, Steve remembered how bad her dementia could get. Just five seconds away from her side, and she already forgot he existed. It hurt, he had to admit. 

"Yeah?" he said. 

"Y-You're alive," she gasped, her eyes filling with tears. "Y-You came back!" 

"Yeah, Peggy," Steve said softly, smiling. 

"It's been so long," Peggy sniffled. "So long." 

"Well, I couldn't leave my best girl," Steve told her. "Not when she owes me a dance." 

***

"I think it's getting worse," Bucky heard a woman say as he and Steve walked up to the room where he had spent so many hours standing, listening, helping. "A cop pulled me over last week. He thought I was drunk. I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED." 

Bucky leaned against the doorframe, Steve standing beside him. "Some stuff you leave there," Sam Wilson spoke. "Other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase? Or in a little man-purse? It's up to you. Thank you for coming, and I'll see you next week." 

The few people in the room stood up and left after saying goodbye. Sam had spotted the two supersoldiers the moment they had walked in, so he walked up to them as soon as he finished tidying up. "Look who it is, the running men," he greeted them.

"Caught the last few minutes," Steve said, digging his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall. "It's pretty intense." 

"Yeah, brother, we all got the same problems," Sam said, collecting the pamphlets that lay on a small table. "Guilt... Regret." 

"Did you lose someone?" Bucky asked softly. 

Sam nodded slowly. "My wingman, Riley. We were flying a night mission. Standard PJ rescue op. Nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before. Until an RPG knocked Riley's dumbass out of the sky." Sam looked down. "Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch." 

"I'm sorry," Steve said solemnly. 

"After that, I had a really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?" 

"But you're happy now? Back in the world?" Bucky asked.

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So hell, yeah," Sam joked, and Bucky admired him for being so optimistic. Some days, he felt like he couldn't get out of bed without breaking down. "Are you thinking about getting out?" Sam asked them. 

"No." Bucky shook his head. 

"I don't know," Steve decided, and Bucky eyed him curiously. "To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did." 

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam suggested jokingly, making the two laugh. "Just a great idea off the top of my head. Seriously, you guys could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?" 

Steve's eyes found Bucky's, smiling softly. "I don't know."