The D in Apartment 23

“I am so glad to be home!” Harry shouted out as she shouldered her wooden door, the satisfying squeak filling the quite corridor followed by a loud thud of her throwing down her bag. Bucky couldn’t help but smile on at her with affection; he knew the past few weeks had been draining on her – not just emotionally, but, physically too. She could protest she wasn’t in pain anymore from being shot, that she was a picture of health and it was a miracle she was walking again; but he heard her tears when she thought nobody were listening, the gritting of her teeth when the pain became unbearable, the slight wobbles she had often when her leg gave way from the strain it had undergone. “Where are you staying tonight?” She asked him turning around briefly before she heard a noise coming from her kitchen, glancing back at Bucky who had already dropped his bag and was midway through standing in front of her when a red and blue masked figure came into the light. Harry was quick to grab Bucky’s arm when she saw the figure “Peter!” She shouted as he pulled the mask off his hands quickly raising to show he meant no harm. “Jesus, you scared me to death!” She shouted walking past Bucky and over to the teenager pulling him into a tight hug noticing the wince of pain. “Are you hurt?” She asked quickly pulling away staring at his cut face.
“It’s nothing H, honestly.” He smiled slightly, but, Harry knew it was forced. She heard a shuffle behind her, Peter’s eyes finding Bucky’s “you don’t have to leave, you know my secret now.” Peter shrugged as the older of the two nodded, dropping his backpack and closing the door.
“Let me look please?” Harry looked back at Peter with a small smile as he shook his head.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked the question with an obvious tone to a confused Harry.
“Tell you what?” She asked, the frown covering her face as she felt Bucky at the side of her.
“That you’d been shot.” He snapped standing back from the couple, as Harry’s face dropped with realisation that he knew. It’s not that she didn’t want to tell Peter, it’s just she didn’t see the need. He was like a younger brother too her and she didn’t want to worry him when she knew she would be fine. “I come to you whenever I have a problem, you always listen, always help me to fix it yet you couldn’t do that with me?” He asked and Harry could see the hurt.
“Peter I was in a different country, I knew I was going to be fine, there was no point telling you to worry you.” She told him truthfully, the bite of lip meaning she was nervous. “How did you find out anyway?” She asked the question instantly regretting it when she saw the anger in his eyes.
“No, you didn’t tell me because you think I’m just a kid. Just a teenage boy who can’t handle the truth. Out of everyone I thought it was you who were different; who saw me as someone who just a teenager with a death wish and bright ideas, but, you’re not. I came to see if you were okay, I don’t know why.” He spoke out grabbing his own bag and heading for the door.
“Peter wait that’s unfair and you know it!” Harry started, grabbing at his hand to stop him from going any further. “I didn’t tell you because what could you have done? I was across the world with some of the best professionals in the business I knew I was going to be fine.” She closed her eyes at how wrong that statement came out.
“We’re supposed to be family, that’s what I could have done.” She spoke out his voice dripping with hurt as he yanked his arm away followed by the slam of the door.
“Fuck!” She screamed out grabbing the nearest thing and throwing it at the empty wall, the ceramic mug shattering on the floor. “I’ve gotta go find him.” She spoke out quickly grabbing the hoodie she always had hung up on the back of the door, Bucky’s hand holding it out of her reach.
“I’ll go. It’s mainly my fault anyway. Let me talk to him.” He looked down at her, her own unsure eyes looking back. “Look he’s like Steve used to be, I’m sort of an expert in moody teenagers.” He nudged her as she fought back the smile.
“Just make sure he’s safe please.” She whispered as Bucky nodded, his lips pecking hers before he walked out of the door leaving Harry to drop down on the sofa with a sob, her hand going to the sensitive skin over her wound.

Bucky had been looking for Peter for about half an hour before he found him under the bridge kicking stones around. “You know Steve used to do that too, he once kicked one and broke his toe.” Bucky smiled at the memory as Peter’s gaze flicked to him before back to the stone.
“Why are you here?” Peter asked, he was angry and he wasn’t in the mood for a history lesson.
“Because Harry is upset that you left.” Bucky spoke out sitting on the wall behind Peter watching the back of the young guy who was struggling internally on whether to sit down, after a long sigh Bucky smirked slightly when Peter flopped down at the side of him. “Hear me out?” Bucky asked as Peter shrugged making no attempt to talk. “You trust her, you wouldn’t go to her for help if you didn’t.” Bucky started off with the obvious statement. “And whether you believed what you said before, she trusts you too. She doesn’t see you as a kid; if she did she would have shut the Spiderman thing down when it first started. She’s not told your aunt about it? The first I knew of it was where I saw you in that suit before in her apartment. She trusts you Peter, and, she didn’t tell you she’d been shot, because, honestly, she’s not dealt with that. There were so much she had to process that I don’t think she has. She isn’t a stop and go kind woman, is she? She’s a go go go kinda person, and, that’s exactly what she’s been doing since it happened.” Bucky shrugged, looking over at him to see some of the anger melting. “When she was attacked she didn’t tell me, she waited until I’d come home before telling me only half of the story, and I’m an assassin. It’s just who she is; she wants to protect everyone and that’s her way.” He shrugged ignoring the vibrating of his phone, Peter’s eyes flashing to the device.
“That’s her, isn’t it?” He asked as Bucky nodded.
“Look just come back, hear her out. Ask her about it I’m sure she’ll let you in.” Bucky assured him standing up off the wall, Peter doing the same. “And FYI running out on an argument is a stereotypical of a teenage sulking kid.” Bucky laughed as Peter glared at him.

It had been about an hour since Bucky had left to find Peter and Harry had tried to ring and text him with neither of them being answered. She was about to give in and ring Steve when the door opened and in walked Peter, his head held low as Harry stood up rushing over to him; pulling him into a bone crunching hug. “I’ve been so worried about you both!” She scolded them mouthing a thank you to Bucky over Peter’s shoulder.
“I’ll go make some drinks.” He excused himself walking into her kitchen as Peter and Harry sat down.
“I’m so sorry Peter.” She whispered looking over at him as he nodded.
“I’m sorry too. I should have given you a chance to explain. I just got so worried when Wanda said you’d been hurt, then I found it you’d been shot.” He shook his head looking at the floor as Harry put her hand on his shoulder softly.
“I should have told you, it’s just so much had happened and if I had to stop talk about it, it would have made it real. It was hard enough I was in England let alone with that.” She bit her lip being honest with him.
“What happened?” Peter asked carefully causing Harry to stiffen up and take a deep breath.
“We’d visited my old house and there were two HYDRA operatives sat outside and they just shot.” She repeated what she had been told. “I can’t really remember much, Bruce did an operation to remove shrapnel lodged in my muscle and I had to have help walking.” She told him, her hands busy picking at the nail varnish.
“How are you walking around so quickly?” He asked as she shrugged.
“There was an emergency and I just sort of did it. Didn’t really think about it.” She remembered.
“Are you still in pain?” Peter asked and he saw the hesitation on her face, she’d promised no more lies. She quickly turned her attention to the kitchen to notice Bucky busy fighting with the coffee machine and nodded.
“You can’t tell him. He feels terrible because he thinks he’s responsible but he’s not. In trauma events like this there will always be some pain I’ve just got to learn how to manage it.” She whispered and Peter’s look told her he would keep it their secret.
“What emergency happened? Did they catch the guys?” He asked, this time Harry did catch Bucky’s attention, her eyes asking his permission and he shrugged leaving it up to her.
“When we went back to my house, Bucky remembered it from his past.” She started and already Peter didn’t like where this were going.
“He killed your parents?” He asked with shock in his voice, Harry quickly shouting ‘no’ as Bucky looked away.
“No, he was brainwashed to think he had. He had blacked out whilst there and it wasn’t him. Our guess is they didn’t want him finding out the truth because that opens a whole can of worms of what if’s, hence, why they shot. The emergency was that they were going to try and find out if he could remember, but, that would have done more harm than good so I walked.” She filled him in.
“And you’re okay with all of this?” Peter asked amazed at how calm she was.
“I know it sounds crazy, but, yeah I am.” She smiled over at him softly. “Now can I ask something?” She waited for Peter to nod before carrying on. “How did you find out I’d been shot?”
“Wanda. We’ve been messaging since that night we went bowling and she thought you would have already told me so when she mentioned it and I was confused she kind of had to tell me. Funny thing she can’t see into people’s minds through a phone.” He chuckled. “Please don’t be mad at her.” He whispered.
“Never, but you do know I am telling Natasha that you and Wanda are getting close.” She teased taking the mug of steaming caffeine off Bucky with a chuckle smiling up at the assassin.
“Please don’t tell Sam or Tony or Steve for that matter they might kill me. We’re not dating or anything we’re just two teenagers who understand this crazy world better than others. But, they scare me.” Peter pleaded causing the two older people to laugh out louder.
“And I don’t?” Bucky asked feigning insult.
“No. Harry wouldn’t let you.” He smirked causing Harry to laugh and wink at Bucky.

Notes