9AN.
This was an idea that just popped into my head in the middle of the night, and I just thought that it was too good to pass on. This is obviously set after Winter Soldier, and for those who haven't seen the film yet, beware for some spoilers.
BTW; I am not American, but I have tried to put this story into American context as much as I can.
Warnings; Spoilers on Winter Soldier and Harry Potter, and mild swearing.
Rating; K+
Little Reading Session
The Winter Soldier rarely did see the Captain around the apartment during the day. He was always somewhere else, somewhere thought that the Captain can solve every problem S.H.I.E.L.D. faced every day and eating into all his free time. So, normally, the ex-assassin would spend his day lounging around in the apartment, bored out of his mind and with no one to keep him company, he wasn't even allowed outside without assistance. The Captain said that it was better for him. He can remember laughing sardonically at this reason, because the last time someone had said something familiar to that, he had his memory wiped and given another mission. So, of course it would be safer for him to be in the Captains mundane, normal, easily penetrated apartment. The Soldier knows the other man is trying to help him, on the days when Mr. America had some spare time or when he came home and didn't just collapse on the couch and gently snore until dawn broke, he would try and reawaken old memories or tell him how he used to be in the former life. Before he became the Winter Soldier.
From what he learnt, his real name is James Buchanan Barnes, his nickname to everyone was Bucky (which he thought was a pretty stupid nickname), he lived in Brooklyn all life, drafted into the army during the Second World War and called by the army as Sgt. Barnes, and died when he fell off Zola's train in Germany 1944. Obviously, they got that last fact wrong.
Getting used to the 21st Century new and strange technology, how different their society has drastically evolved, even the food was a bit of challenge to get his head around. But Steve - Bucky made sure that he said the Cap's real name when speaking to him - assured him that he would get used to it soon enough. So, steadily, Bucky and Steve were trying out all the modern day things together; watching sci-fi movies on Steve's DVD player (which the Soldier cannot work at all, and curses it every time it makes a noise at him), listening to the new music (the "rock" he liked, the "pop" or "chart" music almost made his ears bleed), and eating Thai food. Surprisingly good was his opinion on it.
One afternoon, when Bucky was having one of his bored-out-of-his-mind days and staring into nothingness from his arm chair, Steve came home carrying two long, thick maroon coloured packages wrapped in plastic under one arm and a small bag of groceries in the other hand.
"What are those?" Bucky asks as politely as he can, but somehow it came out as a little bit suspiciously. He cranes his neck up to the right to get a better view of the packages that Steve has now placed on the black marble kitchen counter.
"Harry Potter." He replies simply. He under arm throws one of the packages to him across the room, which Bucky catches easily in his arms. "They're next on the list."
Bucky starts to inspect the packages in his hands. Just by the look of it, it looked like a old children's book collection that Steve showed him when he was a kid; one end of the case showed a cartoon boy standing in front of scarlet train, the font was bold and in brightly coloured lettering. "What is it about?" He tried to sound interested, but it's really hard to when one of the cover pictures is the boy and man with long hair - or a very ugly women - ride a big bird.
"The girl in the book store said it's about a boy wizard that goes to school for magical youngsters and have adventures." He explained briefly to him while he was putting away the food in the right places in his cupboards. Behind him, he can hear the sound of the wrapping plastic being torn off and scrunched up.
"'Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursley's, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stair, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.' He sleeps in a closet?" Bucky almost shouted suddenly, horrified by what he just read out. "Why is he in a closet? Why can't he just bunk with Dudley?"
The sound of astonishment and intrigue in Bucky's voice was surprising to Steve, he half expected him to demand for the receipt and storm off back to the book store and get his money back, just at the sight of the books. Before the war, Bucky was always the the type of person to look at a cover of a book, not bother with the blurb, make his judgement, then put it back and find the first cute girl in store. That was then, this is now. The "now" being the days where Bucky can't remember a day or how he used to be from his old life.
"You interested?" Asks Steve, with a proud grin growing on his youthful face.
"Yeah, I want to know why this kid is sleeping under the stairs." Bucky doesn't waste any time in flipping the book to the first page, getting himself into a comfortable enough position in his chair, and started reading.
The Captain can't help himself from chuckling to himself at Bucky's persistence and almost immediate caring nature over a fictional that he has ever heard before. Tearing off the plastic to his case, he pulls out the first book and joins the ex-assassin on the couch opposite him. "If you read ahead of me, don't give away any spoilers."
Bucky makes a small humming noise, the kind that sounds like he was acknowledging what was being said, but in all honesty he doesn't care. Other than that, he blocks Steve out and carries on read his book.
After that, no words were spoken between the two super soldiers, the only sounds to be heard in their apartment were the loud ticks and tocks of the Grandfather clock in the hallway, the car horns on the road that leaked in through the window and the turning of a new page.
By the time the clock struck 11pm, three hours into their little reading sessions, Steve had read about six chapters and, regretful to say, he was starting to the effects of reading for so long; heavy, tired eyes, ache in his wrists from holding the book up in the air, and the tense feeling in his neck. He didn't want to stop, especially when he was just about to get to the part about Hogwarts. Across from him, Bucky didn't look like he was ever going to stop or even want to come back into the real world any more. Every single ounce of his attention was focused on the little fictional book in between his hands, since he started he hadn't moved an inch and nor did he look like he was ever going to stop.
Steve pushes himself off the couch with a low groan and drags his feet towards Bucky's chair and tapping him lightly on his left, metal shoulder – which was covered up by a light grey long-sleeved sweatshirt with a small S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the left side of his chest (it took a fair bit of convincing to get Bucky into wearing it, considering the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Bucky don't see eye-to-eye, but it was the only thing Steve had that was long enough to cover up his best friends bionic arm). Bucky instantly looked up at Steve with a small hum. "Buck, I'm heading off to bed now, and I suggest you do to. Early start in the morning."
Like the soldier that he always has been, he obeys without question, and bookmarks his page with a slip of paper.
But, sneakily, takes the book with him to his room and pick up from where he left off under his sheets with a flash light in one hand when he was sure that the Cap was dead to the world.
Over the course of the week, in their free time, Steve only saw Bucky on the couch or in his bed with his nose stuck in one of the Harry Potter books, just still as a statue. The Cap fell a tad behind on his reading due to the substantial amount of paperwork that S.H.I.E.L.D kept sending him, by the time that Bucky started Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the seven part series, Steve was just finishing up on Prisoner of Azkaban, book number three. How ever did Bucky managed to read so quickly will always be a mystery to Mr. America. Although, because his friend was reading the books like lighting, he was getting frustrated by the fact he knew before him. On more than one occasion Bucky would walk by Steve, glance over his shoulder to see where he was at and make a comment such as "You'll find the next bit hilarious, Fred and George play a prank on someone." or "Watch out for that character, they fooled me." then he would leave him with a shit-eating grin playing on his lips. Which then made the super-soldier throw the nearest thing, which was usually a cushion, pathetically at Bucky's head. However they were times when the ex-assassin would forget that Steve was there and randomly get angry at a part that he was reading – especially when Bucky was reading Half-Blood Prince, he got so mad he busted three punch bag when he was venting out his anger, and when he came into the room, he let out a string of curses in every sentence (some were actual swear words, and other were like The Killing Curse and "I hope a Hippogriff slices your arm off and sits on your head.").
Steve suspected that something bad had happened to a character that he liked.
Two days after the whole Half-Blood Prince incident, in the middle of the night, Steve heard the creak of his bedroom door open slowly and a dark, almost hunched over figure standing at his doorway. The super-soldier almost had the need to grab his shield until his vision was less blurred and recognised the outline of Bucky. "Bucky?" He asked groggily and wait s for a reply, "Buck, are you alright? What's wrong?"
Instead of replying, Bucky silently walked into the room, dragging his feet along the carpet loudly, and slipped under Steve's sheets, like he was seeking comfort from him. Something harshly prodded Steve in his lower ribs, like a harsh corner of a …
Oh, Lord, he's got the book with him.
He hears his friend let out a long sigh. "Fred's dead. Tonks and Remus are dead, and they just had their baby boy. Snape's dead. Harry turned out to be a Horcrux, where a part of Voldemort's soul was living inside of Harry. Ron married Hermione. Harry married Ginny, and named one of their sons after Dumbledore and Snape – Albus Severus. Why would he name his son after a guy that abused him and hated his guts for years just because he was in love with his mom, but Lily chose James over him? Who does that? I mean if I had a son, I wouldn't him after Pierce or Zola. At the very least, my son's middle name would be 'Steve'. Why didn't he name his son after Remus? The guy was a true friend to Harry after Sirius was killed, he looked out for him, he even taught him how to conjure a patronus when he was sick because of the full moon. Remus made Harry Godfather to Teddy, his son, but Harry doesn't have the decency to call his son Remus-Whatever and not after some ass that didn't even stand the sight of him." This sudden rant, obviously, took Steve by utter surprise. Never in the years that he has know Bucky has he seen him get so emotionally invested in fictional characters, enough to start a rant about the authors choice of name for the hero's children. But there was that part of him that wanted to smack the upside of Bucky's head for giving the biggest spoilers of the entire series. He had just got to he bit where Voldemort's back.
"Oh, Steve, by the way; Spoilers."
Any errors that I have shamefully made please feel free to let me know. I had tons of fun writing it and I hope you enjoyed it.
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