It's almost ironic, Bucky supposes, for the world to get hit by another pandemic exactly a century after the last one. He doesn't remember the last one really, he'd only been three at the time after all, but Steve's Ma had been a nurse during it, and she'd told them that she'd been terrified that Steve would catch it. Steve had been born premature in the first place, and had been especially vulnerable to the Spanish Flu that had torn it's way through the post-war world. By some miracle though, he hadn't caught it – neither of them had – and now, by some strange twist of fate, they were both around to witness another worldwide pandemic.
It isn't exactly going well.
They won't know until it's over of course, but from what he can tell, this pandemic will be worse. Last time, about a quarter of the population had caught the disease. This time, conservative estimates project at least half the population getting COVID-19 by the end of the year. Of course, death rates from now and then can't really be compared, but with an average death rate of 2%... Well, two people out of every hundred is a lot of people.
Which is why the Avengers are doing their best to help mitigate the situation in any way they can. New York city had quickly become the epicenter of the States (and the States have become the epicenter of the world, but that is a whole 'nother kettle of fish) and a whole slew of new policies had been put in place in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease.
Everything but essential services are shut down, schools are closed, deferrals on mortgage payments put in place and New Yorkers themselves asked to stay indoors as much as possible, leaving only for essential trips and brief exercise. Even then, a minimum of six feet of distance is required between pedestrians and police are starting to enforce the requirement, since some people can't seem to get it in their heads that just because they aren't the most vulnerable to this novel virus, that they should still have some decent common courtesy and stay inside.
That's probably the most frustrating part, because although plenty of goodwill and selfless acts have arisen from the onset of the plague, plenty of ignorance, arrogance, and just plain racism has also popped up.
Regardless, the Avengers are now busier than ever, although their operations have changed a little. As far as they know, the serum he and Steve have keeps them protected from the virus (although they are still very careful to wash their hands regularly and avoid touching their faces, since being overly cautious is better than getting ill), so they take it upon themselves to do most of the outside Tower business.
With New Yorkers cautioned to stay inside, there are plenty of vulnerable and low-income people that are finding it hard to get even the basic necessities, so he and Steve now spend most of their days delivering groceries and much needed supplies to those in need (all while being as sterile as possible of course).
The other Avengers stay inside the Tower (so far, no super villains have decided to show up, which is a blessing). Since he and Steve are the ones that go out most often, they've taken it upon themselves to move onto another floor, so as to not run into the other Avengers and potentially contaminate anything, and their suits go through the wash daily.
It's a little weird being completely separated from the Avengers (JARVIS controls the elevators so they don't ever cross paths on their way in and out, and neither of them have to touch anything), but they keep in touch often via JARVIS and video chats.
Tony is the busiest of the other Avengers, he'd taken it upon himself to reach out and try to make sure as many kids as possible have access to the internet while their schools are closed, so they can do their homework. At the same time, he and his company are working on switching production into things like facemasks and hand sanitizer.
Bruce is also busy. New York's hospitals are in no way prepared for the influx of patients that are coming, and that will come, so he's the bridge between Tony and the city, figuring out what needs to be done and where, and making sure that everyone is on the same page.
Sam isn't with them at the moment. He's back in Washington, doing urgent work with the VA, since with the outbreak and the new social restrictions, a lot of veterans are finding their support systems and routines shaken up.
Clint and Natasha don't have any direct relief work, and they have to stay inside, which is making them a little stir-crazy, despite the space and resources of the Tower. Still, they seem to have taken it upon themselves to raise morale around the city, posting cheesy, amusing and entertaining videos of Avengers life for the world to see. (Part of him is glad that he and Steve are sequestered away on a different floor, it makes it a little harder for Clint to prank them, but only a little.)
Thor is away on Asgard right now, so he's unable to help much, although, even if he did show up, he'd probably still have to go into quarantine for fourteen days, other worlds and rainbow bridge travelling notwithstanding.
So that leaves him and Steve as the ones to go outside and be the public face of the Avengers, while trying their best to help and calm the population, while also being a good example of hygiene and compliance to the new laws being put in place. It's rewarding work, but it's draining sometimes, and it's probably going to be their new status quo for the rest of the year.
At least no supervillain plots have shown up yet, he thinks as he and Steve make their way back to their rooms, first going to wash their hands for twenty seconds, before immediately going to shed their outdoor clothes and sending them down the chute to be washed. For his part, Bucky takes extra time in making sure the grooves of his metal hand are clean before going to get changed.
By the time he's done, Steve is already in the shower, and he goes over to the kitchen to get something started for supper. Thankfully, they can still order groceries into the Tower (and honestly, the delivery and service workers are the backbone of this city right now), so he at least doesn't have to worry about rationing as he pulls out a frozen lasagna and gets it ready.
It's in the oven by the time Steve is done with the bathroom, and they trade off, Bucky taking the chance to clean himself off. They're probably working under an overabundance of caution, since it's unlikely that either of them can catch the virus, and they are closed off from the rest of the Tower, but they still go out everyday and meet a lot of people, and it's just plain better to try and prevent any accidental spreading of the virus where they can.
Once he's finished with his shower, he goes back over to the kitchen, running a hand through his wet hair as he checks on the lasagna. In the background, he can hear the sound of the TV from the living room, and he knows that Steve must be on the couch, catching up with the daily news. Watching the news (or reading about it in the papers) doesn't seem to be as prevalent of an activity as it used to be, but nowadays, it's pretty vital, if only to catch up with the daily COVID situation.
The situation feels a little overwhelming sometimes. While there are people recovering from the virus, the cases seem to grow daily by the thousands, and there are still plenty of people and governmental officials who don't seem to be prepared to step up and put and keep in place the measures needed to control the virus.
Even with that in mind, he's still a little surprised when he hears a sudden string of irate swearing coming from the living room. His brow furls instantly and he steps away from the oven, intent on heading over to the living room. Steve swears, of course he does, but most people seem to think he doesn't, and he usually is content on keeping it to a minimum most days, which is why the angered explosion is unusual and sets him slightly on edge.
"You okay?" He asks as he steps into the living room, his eyes scanning Steve before jumping up into a perimeter check. He doesn't find anything out of the ordinary, and Steve looks more pissed than anything else, so he allows himself to relax slightly, his eyes skipping over the TV screen, where a man in a suit is speaking.
"That was a clip of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick," the man says, referencing whatever had ticked Steve off. "He is now facing a backlash after saying he'd be willing to die to restart the American economy amid the coronavirus pandemic," the man explains. "And that he thinks other grandparents would, as well."
Bucky presses his lips together in distaste and Steve's face clouds as the reporter goes on to discuss the economic concerns faced by the nation and how some officials are implying that a sacrifice of vulnerable individuals is a logical by-product to the saving of capitalism.
"President Donald Trump himself is suggesting the United States should back off on measures meant to control the spread of the novel coronavirus as soon as next week," the reporter continues. "Because social distancing is hurting the economy." Steve's scowl deepens and Bucky moves to sit quietly on the other side of the couch.
"While President Trump may not be able to lift shutdown orders across the country, as most of these have been imposed by state or local governments," the man continues. "Leana Wen, a public-health expert at George Washington University, warns that Mr. Trump's words could prove dangerous at a crucial time." The reporter shuffles his papers. "She says that the country is in a 'narrow window' to get the pandemic under control."
Steve huffs and reaches for the remote, shutting off the TV and settling back and glaring at the blackened screen. For his part, Bucky remains silent. Steve's expression is one of familiar indignation, and he knows that in a few minutes, he will speak up, ready to get his fury off his chest and into something more productive.
I guess it's a good thing the lasagna isn't ready, he thinks as next to him, Steve sighs, a sadness creeping into his features as he runs a hand through his hair. He presses his lips together for a moment, his gaze continually pinned on the blank TV while one of his fingers begins to tap steadily against his leg.
"Do you…" he starts quietly and before swallowing, leaning to rest his elbow on the arm of the couch next to him. "Do you remember… that teacher we had? Back in sixth grade?"
Bucky blinks and tilts his head as he tries to think back. Steve doesn't often ask him if he remembers things now, they'd come to that agreement pretty early on, so it's usually Bucky that brings up novel memories, since that way he doesn't have to feel like he's lacking should his memory still have gaps. For Steve to bring up something now, that they haven't talked about before… it must be important.
After a moment he looks down and turns to face Steve. "Mr. Rollinson," he says. "I remember. He was a nightmare."
Steve lets out a bark of a laugh and nods, and Bucky thinks over his memories of the thin, bitter man that had ruled over their sixth year. The man had been a decent teacher to most students, but he'd had it out for Steve. Sometimes he'd been downright cruel, picking on him in class and refusing any homework Bucky had tried to hand in for Steve while he'd been home sick.
It hadn't been until Mr. Rollinson had called Bucky in after class and given him a cryptic speech about 'achieving his full potential' and 'not getting held back by deadweight', and had given him a pamphlet from the American Eugenics Society, that they had finally known for sure what his deal was.
Steve shifts and he looks back over at him, noting the quiet but growing anger on his face. "I really really wish we'd be over this by now," he says bitterly, his hands clenching into fists as he glares harder at the TV. "This whole 'vulnerable people should be willing to die because capitalism' is the same kind of thinking that brought us eugenics," he spits. "How dare they imply that some people should just be willing to die. How dare they."
Bucky thinks back to the pamphlet that Mr. Rollinson had held out to him until he'd finally reached for it. 'Some people are born to be a burden on the rest' it had said, before implying that everything would just be a lot easier if those people weren't around anymore and couldn't contaminate the gene pool.
Steve's jaw clenches. "Never mind the fact that this isn't just about a few people, I mean, I just—" He sputters for a second before taking in a breath and visibly gathering his thoughts. "Letting up on social distancing measures won't help the economy," he grinds out. "This is a global pandemic. People won't want to trade with us if we're the epicenter of disease. The economy won't pick up just because we want it to."
Bucky nods, although he knows Steve isn't really speaking to him. Steve knows he knows all these things and agrees, mostly his friend just needs to say everything out loud, so he can keep from exploding in the face of stupid but important people.
"This isn't going to get better until we have a widespread vaccine," Steve continues. "This is going to go on for the next year. We might get a break every few months, but letting up on preventative measures is just going to spread the disease and get more people killed." His face darkens. "I can't believe they would—" He grits his teeth, his nostrils flaring. "How can people think that vulnerable people should just— We can't just let people die."
Bucky swallows, and thinks back to when Steve had caught sight of the blasted pamphlet. He'd tried to throw it away before Steve had gotten the chance to see it, but Steve had been waiting for him and had been stubborn enough to go after the crumpled paper. He can still remember the way Steve's face had gone blank with hurt, before seeming to shutter closed. He'd known, of course, that Bucky hadn't believed a word of the thing, but there's something completely sobering about knowing that your teacher wishes you were never born.
He wonders how kids nowadays feel, when they see people on the news suggesting that national cooperation on social distancing measures should be dropped, effectively sending the message that old and immunocompromised people 'just aren't that important'.
"Besides." Steve's voice is quieter now. "This isn't just a disease for old and sick people. It effects everyone, and young, healthy people are also dying." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "We don't even know the long-term effects of this virus. Letting people just get sick is not an option."
"Yeah," Bucky replies, his voice rasping slightly in his throat. "I know Steve."
Steve blinks and looks over, his eyes scanning him for a moment before his mouth twitches up in a half-hearted smile. "Yeah," he says, giving his head a shake. "Sorry, it's just–" He gestures at the TV. "This sort of thing really bugs me. I wish people would just listen to the WHO and the CDC."
Bucky huffs out a breath and stretches, his nose picking up the smell of the cooking lasagna coming from the kitchen. "Well," he says as he stands up, preparing to begin dishing up. "You could always post a video about it, heaven knows kids are used to getting lectured by you and those school videos. You shouldn't deprive them, now that they're out of school."
Steve sputters in indignation at the mention of the horrible cheesy set of educational videos SHIELD had got him to agree to ages ago. Bucky chuckles as he heads to the kitchen amid Steve's squawking. Still, he'd seen a light flare in Steve's eyes, and he wouldn't be surprised if in a few days from now, they sit down to do an actual serious video.
They might not be able to convince everyone, and they might not be able to control what their government does… but, even after 75 years, Captain America still has a lot of respect in people's eyes, and if they could at least, make people re-examine the questionable things they've been hearing… Then, isn't that what Captain America is for?
oOo
Tony is sitting in the common room, drinking a cup of coffee that he had triple checked for boobytraps, and reviewing the reports from his company about their facemask production when JARVIS pops up a notification on his tablet.
"I believe you will find this interesting, Sir," JARVIS tells him as he raises an eyebrow and clicks on it.
The notification clears and a video pops up, showing Steve and Bucky sitting on the couch in their room, twin expressions of calm professionalism on their faces. As the video begins to play it becomes clear that Steve and Bucky both find the lax response of some of their country to the COVID-19 outbreak unacceptable.
"When I was a kid, I had many underlying conditions," Steve says after the initial introduction of the video. "As Bucky can tell you, it was often very important for me that people were careful about my health…"
Tony finds his mouth pulling up into a knowing smile as he sits back and continues to watch the video. It's about time, he thinks.
AN: I saw what Dan Patrick said and saw red and then wrote this.
Here's a link to an article about what he said. : / / www . cbsnews news / coronavirus - texas - lieutenant - governor - dan - patrick - slammed - tucker - carlson - willing - to - die - to - revive - economy /
Here's a link to Trump's stance on corona. : / / www . theglobeandmail world / us - politics / article - us - could - end - social - distancing - soon - trump - suggests /
Here's a link to the history of eugenics in the States. : / / courses . lumenlearning culturalanthropology / chapter / eugenics - in - the - united - states /
All anger aside, please keep safe everyone! Practice social distancing and hand washing! Keep informed. We can do this!
Other fics of Steve being angry at the world include "Never Again", "Never Again is Now", and "Over Again".