The next morning, he gets up, takes his medication and makes his usual oatmeal for breakfast, adding in blueberries and almonds for extra flavour. His handler often adds in extras like that, and he finds he rather enjoys it when blueberries come out. And…it's… kind of nice to be able to choose the flavours he wants himself. He can go ahead and add as many blueberries as he wants, and nobody can stop him.
He ends up adding another handful of blueberries to the finished product, just because he can, and his mouth twitches upwards as he does so.
After breakfast, he goes to train in the gym again, figuring he can take control of his training schedule if his handler is going to be lax in that area. After training he finds himself with more free time, and he eventually goes back up to the common room, his book in hand, intending to read some more.
He could probably read in his room if he wanted, but he finds it kind of nice to be able to move around the Tower and the natural light is brighter in the common room too, since there are more windows. It's also nice to sit on a couch that he doesn't sleep on, and he settles onto the common room couch, leaning against the arm and tucking his legs up as he finally focuses in on his book.
Around noon his reading is interrupted by the sound of the elevator and a thrill of surprise goes through him when Stark steps out, the man making a beeline for the kitchen. In all honesty, the Asset hadn't been expecting to see Stark anytime soon, given how affected he had seemed to be by their conversation yesterday, but he supposes that Stark must need to eat as well, and the common room is rather convenient.
Still, he doesn't want to accidentally upset him any further, so he keeps his head down while Stark messes around in the kitchen. It's a little harder to focus on his book when part of his mind is preoccupied by Stark in the background, but he manages, and Stark doesn't stay long. A few minutes, and the sound of the microwave and the coffee machine later, and Stark is back down the elevator, leaving the Asset in peace.
He lets out a slow breath he hadn't known he'd been holding at the sound of the elevator and shrugs his shoulders, trying to loosen them a little. The smell of whatever Stark had made is enticing, and a few minutes of fruitless reading later he finally gives in and stands up, setting his book aside and directing his gaze to the ceiling as he asks JARVIS what Stark had eaten and whether he is allowed it too.
JARVIS seems unimpressed at the thought of frozen burritos, but the Asset finds the taste rather appealing.
He envies Stark a little, and the fact that the man has his lab to wile away the hours in. For his part, without the other Avengers around to fill up his time, the Asset discovers that he isn't very good at finding things to do.
JARVIS recommends a few TV shows, so he watches them for a while, but he finds the activity more enjoyable with others around. He's not used to watching TV. It's one activity that seemingly does not bring back any flashbacks, so it's easier and more enjoyable for him if he has the other Avengers there to give him cues about what to expect when watching.
Should he care what house the couple wants to buy? Are wood floors better than carpet? And why is the sink so bad? (Why do they want a sink that isn't divided? Isn't it easier to wash dishes with a double sink?) Should it be replaced even though they've already gone over budget?
It seems perfectly fine to him.
JARVIS isn't much help in that department so eventually he turns the TV off and goes back to his book. At least he doesn't have to question the sanity and colour-coordinating abilities of the Fellowship as they continue on their journey.
He's still reading when Stark comes up for supper and he very carefully keeps his eyes on his book while he prepares whatever he plans on eating. Stark hasn't been explicitly hostile to him, so he's hopeful that the man isn't overly upset with him, but he figures it's probably best to just leave him alone for now. His handler probably won't appreciate it if the Asset manages to get onto bad terms with Stark in the few days they are left alone together.
His plan not to bother Stark gets foiled though, when the man approaches him himself, a plate with a sandwich in his hand and a raised eyebrow on his face. The Asset eyes him a little warily, trying not to tense as he tries to figure out if he should move off the couch or not. If Stark wants to sit down, he could sit anywhere, but maybe he wants to sit right here—
"You still reading that?" Stark asks, and the Asset flicks his eyes down to his book in surprise. He nods slowly and looks back up at Stark, wondering if the man has a problem with his book for some reason. Stark shrugs and takes a bite of his sandwich. "Kudos to you I guess, I think I'd go nuts if I did nothing but read all day."
The Asset blinks at him a little, unsure how to respond. Technically he had done other things today, but it is true that he had spent most of his day reading because— "I don't have much else to do," he says candidly, and Stark raises both his eyebrows in response.
"Geez," he mutters, shaking his head. "You and Steve both—" He looks up. "Come on, there's gotta be something you like to do. I mean, reading is fine, but what else do you like to do?"
The Asset scans Stark slowly, trying to pull up some sort of response and wondering why Stark seems determined to have a conversation with him. "I train," he offers a little uncertainly, and Stark scoffs lightly.
"Something for fun, Terminator," he says, taking another bite of his sandwich.
The Asset is pretty sure that nicknames are a sign of affection for Stark, so he lets the strange name slide and turns back to trying to figure out how to answer. He hasn't had a lot of time to do things for fun, let alone figure out what things he likes most. In all honesty, he simply enjoys being able to do things in general. He likes being able to train, and go on walks with Natasha and go to the library with Bruce and—
—Steve pushes the package towards him, the thin bundle wrapped in old newspaper and tied with brown string. He waits a moment before tapping his fingers on the table. "Well?" He says impatiently. "Open it already."
He shoots a grin at Steve and pulls the package closer, carefully pulling on the string and tugging on the paper, folding it away for later. His eyes widen as he looks down and catches sight of the distinctive yellow cover of a Newnes Modern Motor Repair magazine.
"I couldn't find them all," Steve is saying, his fingers tapping against the table again. "An' I know you'd rather be doing that then working at the docks, but I figured you could still read about it–"
He looks up and grins at Steve, cutting him off. "This is great," he says, sliding the few magazines away from the paper and flipping through the first couple pages.
Across from him, Steve relaxes, grinning brightly in return. "Good then," he says. "Happy Birthday—
The Asset blinks, looking up to find Stark still in front of him, and a part of him hopes that his flashback hadn't been too obvious this time, or have taken too long. Stark doesn't look impatient, so hopefully not. Either way, his most recent flashback had been… interesting. Judging from its content, he thinks that maybe…
"Cars," he tells Stark, and the man blinks at him in surprise. "I think I used to like cars." He thinks over the flashback again. "Fixing cars," he amends.
"Oh." Stark takes another bite of his sandwich. "I didn't know that."
Neither did I, until a few minutes ago, the Asset thinks wryly as he watches Stark chew. Also, according to the flashback, he has a birthday, one that he and his handler had celebrated in the past. (He can't help wondering when it is, he knows his handler's, of course, but his is probably different.) Of course, once he actually thinks about it, it makes perfect sense. Of course he has a birthday, it's not like Hydra spawned him out of the blue somewhere, right? of course he was born, how else did he think—
"You work on any recently?" Stark asks, cutting into his train of thought. The Asset stares at him for a second and Stark swallows. "Cars, I mean."
"Oh." The Asset blinks in surprise. "No," he says. He can't remember if he's worked on cars ever, let alone if he's done it recently. He definitely hasn't while staying in Avengers Tower, and he can't remember ever having done it on any previous Hydra missions.
Stark stuffs the last of his sandwich into his mouth, his eyes seeming to scan the Asset as he chews. He swallows and wipes his mouth, sucking a little on his teeth before shifting his feet, seeming to come to a decision. "Did you want to?" He asks finally.
The Asset looks down at his book before looking back up at Stark, his brows furled. "I… don't have a car."
Stark huffs and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I know, genius," he says, before rolling his shoulders and gesturing at him to stand up. "Come on, I want to show you something."
The Asset complies, albeit confusedly, setting his book aside and standing up to follow Stark. For his part, Stark detours to the kitchen to set down his plate before motioning him towards the elevator. Once inside, Stark rubs his hands together, although whether out of nerves or excitement, the Asset can't be sure.
"JARVIS, can you take us to the garage?" He asks, and they begin to move downwards.
Vaguely bemused by Stark's behaviour, the Asset turns and stands with his hands held loosely behind his back, mostly out of habit rather than actually standing at attention. A silence falls over them as they watch the elevator numbers count downwards, and the Asset finds he can't decide if it's an awkward one or not.
Eventually he decides that if it is an awkward one, then Stark is the victim of it, and not himself. He's good at standing in silence.
They arrive at the garage soon enough though, and the doors ding open, revealing a cement parking lot lined with rows of cars. The Asset blinks and breathes in, noting the lack of car fumes as he steps out of the elevator and takes in the room before him.
Handler-Steve hadn't included this room when he had first given him a tour of the tower, and the presence of this many cars in Avengers Tower is unexpected. And there are a lot of them. They line the wall on either side of the elevator and continue down to what the Asset assumes is the garage's underground exit.
"They're not all mine," Stark is telling him, as he too steps out of the elevator. "Steve has his motorcycle here, and Sam has a car, and I think Clint has what I swear is a farm truck sometimes. Although why he would need that I don't know…" he waves a hand. "But basically, all the cool ones are mine."
The Asset's mouth twitches, and he scans the cars in front of him again. He has to admit that they do look pretty impressive. They also look fairly different from the cars he had seen in the magazines during his most recent flashback, which is a little confusing, but he's seen cars before, and most of them look similar to Stark's, so he tries not to think about it too hard.
Stark clears his throat. "Anyways," he says and motions for the Asset to follow him along the back wall of the garage to where a metal table is laid out, with tools, cables, buckets and rags and numerous bottles of oils and solvents stored neatly on a large shelving unit behind it. "I don't have much time to drive them, let alone look after them," he says, his fingers tapping out a sharp rhythm on the table as he puts his other hand in his pocket and scans the wall of supplies.
He turns to him, his one hand rubbing at a spot on the table. "So, anyway. The keys are all labeled and over there." He waves his hand at a metal box full of drawers on the counter next to the shelves. "JARVIS can help with things you don't understand, and the car manuals are all in the glove boxes…" He shrugs. "I mean, don't drive them around but, you can come down here whenever you like."
He pats the table once before beginning to edge past him back towards the elevator and the Asset turns his head to follow his progress, completely baffled. As he passes, Stark's mouth twitches for a moment and he lifts his hand as if to pat the Asset on the shoulder, before dropping it again. "Just don't break anything, yeah?"
The Asset nods, wide-eyed, and watches as Stark leaves via the elevator, his mind spinning as he turns back to face the cars in front of him. The cars that Stark had told him he could look after. He… he doesn't even know where to start.
But, judging from his flashback, he'd been interested in cars once and… this is the first time Stark had offered him any kind of activity to do, besides the BARF sessions so… So he might as well try it out. He can feel himself relaxing at his decision and he turns to scan the wall of supplies. Some of the things he gets the impression that he knows what they are and maybe how to use them, but others not so much. Whatever information that might have been in those magazines in his flashbacks is gone now, so before he gets started on anything, he's going to need to do some research.
"JARVIS?" He says finally. "What kinds of cars does Stark have?"
JARVIS replies and the Asset soon falls into the comfortable rhythm of questioning and answering, eventually working up the nerve to unlock a few cars and flip through their manuals, being careful not to accidentally scratch the paint with his left hand as he moves. Stark had trusted him with this, and he's not about to damage anything.
And besides… the cars are pretty cool.
oOo
He finds he enjoys working with cars. He hasn't actually done much with them, but he now spends his time researching them and getting up to date with the terminology. For whatever reason, a lot of the knowledge he has about cars is dated, but JARVIS provides him with plenty of resources and he finds himself reading the car manuals cover to cover.
Stark finds him at it the next day and teases him that he's reading just as much as he had been before, but the Asset doesn't mind, it's interesting. (Stark also gives him a specially designed glove to put over his left hand so that he won't have to worry about scratching the paint of any of the cars. When not in use, the glove gets stored away carefully on top of the journal Romanoff had given him.)
The Avengers make contact on the third day and JARVIS calls the Asset into Stark's lab to hear the transmission. Stark's lab is a whirlwind of high-tech, and half-finished projects, but the Asset is distracted away from his gawking when DUM-E rushes up to greet him excitedly as he walks in. He reaches out absentmindedly to pet the affectionate robot, and he's pretty sure he catches the flash of a pleased expression on Stark's face before he turns and tells JARVIS to run the call for them.
"Cap, do you read?" Stark asks, his arms folded over his chest as he stares at a computer screen in front of him.
A box pops up and displays an audio wavelength and the Asset finds himself relaxing as he hears his handler's voice for the first time in several days.
"I read you Tony, is Bucky there with you?"
Stark seems to relax as well at his handler's response, and he glances back at the Asset before turning to the computer screen. "Yeah, he's here," he says, shifting on his feet. "What's the situation over there?"
"It doesn't look like Hydra's been here yet," Handler-Steve reports and the Asset feels a flood of relief at his words. In reality, the news is not that surprising, since the Avengers probably would have broken radio silence earlier if they had been in a firefight, but it's nice to know they hadn't had to deal with any Hydra agents or Winter Soldiers directly.
"Right now, we're just sweeping the base and gathering any information we can find," his handler tells them. "We'll probably be home by the end of the week."
Stark smiles at that and drops his arms before beginning to ask after various suit and equipment modifications he had made before the team had left. Handler-Steve responds with positive news for everything and the Asset bites his tongue so as to not interrupt the friendly conversation.
'Did you kill the Winter Soldiers?'
The question burns in his throat, but he forces it down. For one thing, he'd already told his handler his opinion on how to deal with the Winter Soldiers, and he doesn't want to make it seem like he doesn't trust his handler's judgement. He does, he just… he just knows that things will go badly if the Winter Soldiers remain a threat.
Handler-Steve is willing to use lethal force when necessary, he reminds himself sternly. Afterall, Pierce is dead. Of course, now that he thinks about it, he doesn't actually know for sure if his handler had been the one to actually kill Pierce. He'd been there when it had happened, but what role he had played…
"I'll see you guys soon," his handler says, before signing off, and the Asset swallows uneasily, hoping that when his handler comes back, it is not with five super soldier prisoners in tow.
If he brings them back, he decides slowly, thinking back to the weapons he has stashed in his dresser. Then… I will just have to take care of them.
If, for whatever reason, his handler does not understand the full threat that the Winter Soldiers pose, then the Asset will step up. Afterall, it is his job to take care of problems, and he, for one, very much understands how dangerous the Winter Soldiers can be.
oOo
The Avengers radio their return exactly one day later, and the Asset finds himself waiting with Stark in the common room, his mind too preoccupied to focus on reading either his books or his car manuals. Stark seems restless too, idly poking around the bookshelves by the TV while they wait, his hands never still for more than a few moments.
"Hey." The Asset looks over to find him still focused on a random book on the bookshelf. "You still camping out in Steve's room?"
The Asset blinks at him, the topic seemingly out of left field. "Yes," he responds finally, wondering why Stark is so interested.
Stark hums and puts the book back, throwing him a brief glance. "You know…" he starts casually. "There's plenty of rooms in the tower… if you wanted your own, we could probably find one. Even one close to Steve, if you want."
Surprise flows through him and he finds himself at a loss for words. It had never even crossed his mind before to want a room for himself. Of course, now that he thinks about it, it is a little awkward sometimes, sleeping out on his handler's couch, but having his own room seems…
He's saved from having to respond by JARVIS' announcement that the Avengers are inbound, and he and Stark both go over to wait by the door leading to the landing pad. A few minutes later and the quinjet arrives, its engines kicking up clouds of dust as it navigates and touches down.
The Asset finds himself sucking in a deep breath of relief at the sight of the ship. He'd known his handler and the Avengers hadn't reported any difficulties on the mission, but part of him had still been convinced, up until this very moment, that his handler would somehow manage to get himself killed or seriously injured on this mission and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it because he's still in the tower—
—The mission goes well, but he'd had a close call. It's still chilling to think about. If he hadn't happened to trip over that tree root when he had, then the sniper bullet would have made a home in his skull, rather than the tree trunk behind him. Steve had taken care of it soon enough, calculating the trajectory of the bullet and slinging his shield at the sniper with almost freakish speed and accuracy but...
He can't get over the pale, terrified look that had flashed over Steve's face in the moment when they had both realised what had almost happened.
Back at camp, he steps off to the side and lights a cigarette, his mind still preoccupied with the day's mission. He drags in a breath of smoke and thinks back to the look on Steve's face when he had risked everything and stormed a Hydra base – by himself, with no backup – and rescued him.
'I thought you were dead', he had said, the look on his face proving the accuracy of his words.
But he had still come.
He drops the cigarette on the ground and crushes it under his boot, his brow furled as he turns back to camp. Something… something needs to be done about that.
.
It takes him a while to find Peggy – which isn't surprising, she's a busy woman after all – but he eventually manages to snag her in between meetings, dipping his head at her and catching her attention as he steps into the tent. "You got a minute?" He asks as she begins gathering up her papers.
"Maybe," she says in her usual clipped accent. "Depends on what it is."
"It's about Steve," he says, and she looks up. "I have a favour to ask."
.
They go to Peggy's tent because privacy is limited in a camp full of exhausted men who have spent far too much time cooped up together. Peggy goes over to sit on her camp bed, her hands clasped primly on her lap, and he lowers himself onto the folding chair across from her.
"I need you to do something for me," he says quietly, leaning forward on his knees and catching Peggy's eye. He swallows, his mind flashing back to how Steve had been after his mother had died, quiet and sad and desperate to push himself into moving on, determined to make it by himself because he had needed something else to focus on.
"If I die," he says softly. "I need you to promise to look after Steve." Peggy opens her mouth and he shakes his head, not finished yet. "If I die, Steve'll try to mourn all private-like, draw into himself and bottle it up until he finds himself another mission." He looks down for a second and fiddles with his fingers before looking back up at Peggy. "And when he does that, he won't stop pushin' himself until he drops. He'll find himself a goal and then he'll push himself to the end of the world if he has to, in order to complete it."—
He comes back to himself because the quinjet has landed and Stark is already out on the landing pad arguing with Romanoff about whether or not he is allowed to lift the supply bins. He is not, and the Asset shakes himself out of his stupor in order to go help unload the rest of the quinjet.
The Avengers come in looking exhausted and smelling of smoke, but overall whole and healthy, which is a relief. He can't keep his eyes off his handler though, watching him as he helps with the initial unpacking and sorting of their supplies, his mind turning over his most recent flashback. His handler seems put together, his face and shoulders relaxed as he talks and jokes with the Avengers… but the Asset still can't help worrying. His flashbacks make it seem more and more likely that Handler-Steve simply won't show his team if he were upset about something that can't be helped.
He chews on the inside of his cheek in frustration and sticks to shadowing his handler as he wracks his brain for something that will somehow make this better.
The Avengers decide to wait to have a debriefing meeting until the next day, opting instead for warm food, showers and beds first, which is fine… it just means that the Asset still doesn't know whether or not his handler has actually completed his mission and killed the Winter Soldiers.
None of the soldiers had been taken prisoner on the quinjet, and the Asset figures the Avengers would be acting more concerned if any of them had managed to escape, so logically, they are probably all dead… but he still doesn't know and he also doesn't know how his handler feels about it.
He's still preoccupied by the whole thing upon returning to the room, his circular thoughts making him restless as he waits as patiently as possible for his handler to finish with his shower. The water seems to run for longer than usual and he can't seem to keep still, his mind buzzing as he paces the few steps between the living room and kitchen.
He's going to have to ask his handler about the Winter Soldiers, he realises that. There is no way he's going to be able to wait until tomorrow's briefing to know whether or not the threat they pose is gone for good. He knows he's going to have to ask but… His mouth twists and he paces back towards the living room. Coming out and questioning his handler on his own mission feels a lot like stepping out of line and…
He shakes his head and turns back towards the kitchen. He shouldn't be worried about stepping out of line. His handler doesn't seem to mind (at least he hasn't the last several times) and the status of the Winter Soldiers is much more important than protocols here.
He stops in front of the kitchen and runs his hand along the countertop as he thinks. He's pretty confident at this point that his handler won't mind his questioning. He glances over the kitchen and looks back towards the bathroom door, the sound of running water filling the silence behind him. He taps his finger on the counter and purses his lips.
He's going to need to talk to his handler and he's pretty sure his handler won't mind… but… it's almost suppertime and his handler is already tired from his mission. If he wants to make sure his handler is in the best mood to hear his questions, then…
He looks back towards the kitchen and thinks over all the meals he'd prepared for himself in his handler's absence. He has a lot of practice at this point and he's pretty sure he can come up with something simple and fast that he can serve his handler.
He looks back towards the bathroom and a small smile flickers on his face. His handler had already shown that he doesn't mind when the Asset cooks, he'd allowed Wilson to teach him after all… So maybe it's time for the Asset to make something for his handler for a change.
Steam billows out from the bathroom doorway once his handler finally emerges, his hair still slightly wet and spiked, and his mission uniform replaced with soft sleep clothes. He pauses almost as soon as he exits, blinking in surprise as he takes in the set counter and the pot of soup on the stove.
For his part, the Asset stands almost defensively by the stove, his jaw set determinedly as he stares down his handler, soup spoon in hand. He knows his handler probably won't mind, so he shouldn't have to worry, and he'd made enough for both of them and JARVIS had warned him about his handler's calorie intake needs and he'd made enough so he shouldn't have to worry—
His handler relaxes, a pleased smile on his face as he approaches the kitchen, his gaze almost awed as he takes everything in. "What did you make?" He asks quietly as he takes a seat and the Asset relaxes, breathing in properly as he gives the soup one last stir.
"Chicken noodle," he says decisively, turning off the stove and setting his spoon down. When he turns to put the pot on the island, his handler is smiling like he's just won the lottery.
Of course he wouldn't mind him making food. The Asset lets out a quiet huff and sets the pot down on the trivet he'd set out. He shouldn't have worried.
After supper they do the dishes in silence and the Asset washes this time, his mind more consumed by his dilemma over the Winter Soldiers than focused on his task. He completes it well enough anyways, and he and his handler eventually move back to the living room.
His handler leaves for a moment for his room before coming back with his journal and sitting down next to the Asset on the couch. He doesn't open it to start writing though, instead sitting with it in his lap for a while and staring ahead of himself out the windows.
The Asset is reminded of the blank look on his handler's face from his previous flashback in the woods, and he shifts uneasily, not liking the implications. Eventually his handler seems to blink back from wherever he had been, and he turns to the Asset, a smile trying to find a place on his face.
"Did you do anything interesting while I was gone?" He asks, and the Asset eyes him, noting how tightly his handler's hands clench on the journal in his lap. He swallows and narrows his eyes. In a normal situation, he might feel nervous about reporting his activities to his handler, because he could have very well done something unacceptable. But now…
Now his handler has handed him the perfect segue to ask about the Winter Soldiers.
"I read some books," he tells his handler, nodding towards the bookshelf. "And Stark let me work on his cars."
His handler's eyes widen in surprise at that and he smiles, relaxing a little back into the couch. "That's nice," he says. "Tony's cars always look so impressive, but I would have no idea where to start with them."
The Asset nods before shifting a little and clenching his teeth. "What… about you?" He manages to get out. "Did, did you–" He breathes in. "Did you kill the Winter Soldiers?"
His handler's smile drops, and he tenses, turning his face to look at his journal as he runs his finger along the edge. The Asset presses his tongue to the roof of his mouth as he waits in silence and tries to breathe normally. His handler obviously doesn't want to talk about it – but he needs to know – and he doesn't think his handler will be mad at him for asking.
"Yes," his handler finally says, very quiet, his eyes never lifting up from his journal. "Yes we— I did." He presses his lips together, his thumb pushing into the journal. "They were all still in their chambers," he explains softly, his thumb running over the edge of the book. "The base was shut down, but the chambers were still keeping them alive…" He shifts and shrugs, the movement too stiff to be relaxed. "That meant that we just had to turn off the chambers, shut down the life support." He swallows and lifts his head to look back up at the windows. "After we were done sweeping the place for information…" His face twists for a second before smoothing out again. "We blew up the building."
The Asset finds himself shifting a little closer to his handler. "A painless death," he says quietly.
His handler nods, his eyes still distant. "Yeah."
The Asset frowns, trying to figure out what his handler needs. He doesn't really think that Handler-Steve actually regrets killing the Winter Soldiers. That had needed to be done, there was no question about it but… he gets the impression that his handler simply wishes that none of it had had to happen at all. Hydra, the Winter Soldiers, killing people without giving them a choice…
He swallows and eyes his handler, wishing that his previous flashbacks had given him more clues for how to help. He presses his lips together for a moment before breathing in quietly and very carefully moving so that he can lean and press his shoulder firmly against his handler's.
The muscles in his handler's shoulder twitch in surprise at the contact, but he doesn't pull away or even say anything. Instead he seems to let out a breath, some of the tension beginning to ease out of his frame as he lets up on his grip on his notebook.
"You… made the right choice," the Asset says quietly, as he too stares out the window, because he thinks his handler needs to hear the words. It feels a little strange to comfort his handler in this way, and he doesn't think he's ever done something like this for any other handler but…
But something about it feels very very right, and the press of his handler's shoulder against his own is grounding in its own right, and they sit like that for a very long time.
AN: I don't know if Bucky worked on cars in the comics, or if that's a fanon thing, but I thought it would be nice for Tony to introduce that back to him. The magazines the Steve gives him for his birthday are actually a British one, but you can still find old copies for sale online!
Anyway… I know some of you were wondering what would happen to the Winter Soldiers. What did you think? Leaving them alive in anyway would be super danger, so Bucky definitely thinks they should be killed, and I think Steve understands that… but it was nice that Bucky was able to comfort him afterwards, especially now that he has that flashback of his conversation with Peggy.
It might be a little off-putting to think of Steve killing the Winter Soldiers, but he knows their history, and in CA:TFA, he was perfectly willing to make sure that all of Hydra was "killed or captured", so I think he would be prepared to kill them, even if he doesn't really like killing them in cold blood.
