Bucky awoke to the sound of a door slamming in an apartment down the hall. It jolted him upward, blue eyes already surveying the room and ears straining to detect any hint of a threat. Once he heard an argument start between two drug dealers, he relaxed. Blue eyes roamed downward to the woman beside him, a tender smile turning his lips. A head of mussed dark hair was poking out from beneath the comforter. The knowledge that she was just as bare as he was underneath the covers was both tantalizing and touching. He was still somewhat in awe that Harper had allowed everything that had transpired the night before.

The brunette stirred, as if she sensed his gaze, letting out the high pitched squeak that made his heart swell. She picked up her head and turned to look at him blearily, blinking the sleep from her eyes. With a grin, he greeted, "Good morning, beautiful."

"G'morning," she muttered, voice slightly husky with sleep. She returned his smile and shifted beneath the covers so that she was facing him. "Sleep well?"

"Very," he nodded. "Do you feel alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured. "Just a little sore. More than worth it, though."

"Yeah?"

"Of course!" she beamed. "Don't you feel closer?"

He gently pushed back the curtain of dark hair that was threatening to fall into her face. "Definitely."

Harper scooted in closer, enough to place an innocent peck on his lips. "Well, that's a good thing in my book."

"Mine, too," the former soldier assured, noticing that he was unable to stop smiling. "But I was worried that I was too rough."

She shook her head in the negative. He nodded and placed his lips over hers tenderly. Their lips moved together for several moments before he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as a breathy laugh filled the space between them. He teased, "We're gonna need more condoms."

"Well, I presume there's a box where last night's came from," Harper replied, equally playful.

"There is," Bucky confirmed. "It will be making its way over here swiftly."

"Let me recover," the young woman laughed.

"I want to be prepared for post-recovery activity," he clarified.

Harper let out another laugh and pushed lightly at his shoulder. "Have I created a monster?"

The word had his expression faltering, and she seemed to realize immediately her blunder. "Wait, fuck, no! James, that's not what I-"

"I know, doll," he said with a smile that he was sure came off as more of a grimace.

"Shit, shit, shit, I really, really didn't mean it. It just came out without thinking. I'm so sorry," she continued, eyes shining with remorse.

The former soldier cupped her cheek in his palm. "Darlin', I know. It's just a figure of speech. I know that of the two of us, you're the one who doesn't see a monster in me."

"I can't believe that after we reached such a happy place, I ruined it," the brunette lamented, the guilt still swimming in her eyes.

"I'm surprised, too. My money was on me being the harbinger of ruin. The odds were stacked that way," he jested gently, thumb swiping across her cheek lovingly. "Wanna go get some pancakes? We haven't done that in a while."

"The clusters definitely made us hermits," she agreed vaguely, expression still troubled.

"We could stop at the drug store after pancakes and pick up supplies so that we could be hermits for a whole different reason," Bucky responded, smirking suggestively.

"Recovery," Harper reminded. "I do have to be able to walk to work tomorrow, ya know."

In a different situation, Bucky might have felt flattered. Instead, he worried, "That sore?"

"No, but I'd worry about it if we went for round two right away."

"Shit, I'm sorry, doll," he frowned, brows knitting.

"It's not a big deal. Lots of muscles were engaged last night that I don't usually use. Let me just go take a quick shower and then you can shower while I get ready to head out, okay?" she asked, changing the subject.

He muttered his agreement before placing a kiss on her lips. She grinned against him before pulling away, heading for the bathroom. The former soldier heaved a sigh of frustration, flopping back into the pillows. He should have been more careful, had more self-control. He knew that she wasn't yet enjoying herself when he let loose on her, unable at the time to see how he could possibly hold back. Sitting up again, he tossed the comforter aside, blue eyes roaming the sheets. At least he hadn't made her bleed this time.

Bucky couldn't believe it had taken him so long to really dive into the bountiful world of YouTube. Sure there were tons of funny cat videos, skits, gaming, whatever. But he had recently discovered – well, Harper had recently showed him – instructional yoga videos. It was something he had been wondering about from all of his reading on holistic and somatic methods of managing trauma. However, very little sounded worse than trying to join a yoga class with other people. With his bulky frame, gloved metal hand, and total lack of experience, he'd stick out something fierce. But in the privacy of his run down little studio with his phone propped up against a book on his desk, trying it out was well within reason.

So try he had, and it was actually really enjoyable. It was a way to keep his mind occupied constructively and once he knew the poses, he found he could even turn off the pistons firing in his screwed up brain. The mental silence was more than welcome. Plus, it was an exercise that engaged his body in a totally new way. He actually found himself pleasantly sore some days from engaging an underused system of muscles. The only problem was that his hair kept getting in his face. The former soldier still liked the longer length, but it was a little too short to effectively pull back and out of his eyes. Otherwise, yoga was his new favorite way to spend his time at home.

He had a lot more free time at home, too, as his journaling had really been on the decline in the previous few months. In part because he had taken to spending more time with Harper during her most recent cluster cycle, but mostly because it seemed most of his memories had come back and had already been inked into paper. Which was probably for the best. His escape plan hinged on his go bag being ready, and it wouldn't be ready if the journals weren't secure inside of it.

The brunet raised his flesh arm skyward, trunk twisting slightly as his eyes followed where his fingers now pointed. He breathed evenly and deeply, relishing the stretch in his legs from the deep lunge he found himself in. His metal hand was braced near his front foot, and with his arms nearly extended to his full wingspan, the tight muscles between his shoulder blades were beginning to uncoil. YouTube was definitely one of the best parts of the modern world.

"Can we actually stop at the store, too, afterwards? I want to grab some cat food while we're out."

"Yeah, of course, darlin'," Bucky agreed easily. "Thanks for coming with me. I feel better when you're with me in the market when it's busy."

There was no reply, and then a slight tug on his hand brought his attention to the fact that Harper had stopped walking. He knew immediately that something was wrong. Her expression was serious, and her body was tense. The former soldier followed her gaze, noting an older man in pajamas gazing around in a daze. He looked disheveled, his hair sticking out in all directions and his shirt buttons done up incorrectly.

"Harper?"

"Listen to me very closely," she replied, not taking her eyes off the man. "Do not intervene in what I'm about to do. Stay here and call the police. Give them my name and tell them that Ivan is out without his monitor. Do not come closer, and don't let anyone other than the police approach us. Got it?"

"Harper, are you about to do something dangerous?"

"I should be fine as long as nobody interrupts me. Do you understand?" Bucky hesitated a moment; could he really just sit back and watch if she was putting herself at risk? At his silence, Harper snapped, "James!"

"Yes, I understand," he replied begrudgingly.

"Make the call."

With that, the brunette began calmly walking toward the confused man. Bucky did as he was told, watching the young woman closely as he did so.

"Good afternoon, Ivan," she greeted amicably. "It's Harper. How are you today?"

"Harper?" the man asked, squinting at her. "Harper, yes. I'm not so good today. It's too loud. Much too loud."

"Please state your emergency," the woman on the phone prompted after giving her name and identifying herself as part of the police dispatch.

"My name is… Gabe. I'm calling for Harper Montgomery. She's a uh… a social worker. She told me to call because a man called Ivan is out without his monitor?" Bucky winced at using his dead comrade's name in his lie.

"Alright, sir, where are you?"

"About a quarter mile south of the market."

Harper asked, "You're right, it is pretty loud today. Do you think it might be because of the market nearby?"

"Market? No, no, I don't go near the market."

The operator asked, "Are there a lot of people around?"

"It's not crowded, but it's busy."

The brunette nodded. "Oh, right, you told me that you don't go to the market. I forget sometimes."

"I forget sometimes, too," the man said, brows knitting with concern.

"It happens to the best of us."

"And is Miss Montgomery engaging with the man?"

"Yes," Bucky confirmed, jaw tight.

"So what brought you out of the house today, Ivan?"

The man scowled and said, "They were watching me. I had to get away."

"I'm sending a few officers your way, sir. They should be just a few minutes"

"Thank you." Bucky ended the call.

"Who was watching you at your house?"

"The government!" Ivan exclaimed, waving his hands for emphasis. "I woke up and had a chain on my leg. They were keeping me there, locked up. There were cameras, too. I'm sure of it!"

"Your monitor?" Harper asked gently. "That isn't to keep you at home; it's to keep you safe. We talked about this a few months ago."

"How would that evil thing keep me safe?"

"It lets the police know when you leave home so that they can help you find your way back. I know that can be difficult sometimes."

"The police? Where Marius works?"

"Exactly," Harper nodded.

Ivan looked pensive for a moment before scowling at the brunette. "I still don't want to go back there if they're watching me."

"Nobody is watching you, Ivan," Harper continued with a firm, but kind tone.

"Well these people sure are," the man spat, gazing around at the crowd of people who had stalled their walk to and from the market to look at the disgruntled man. He shouted, "What the fuck are you all staring at? Are you the ones watching? Is this an ambush? You fuckers!"

"Ivan, it's alright," Harper asserted. "They're just regular people. They're looking because they're worried about you."

"They don't have no reason to be worried about me," he grimaced. "Unless they really are the Watchers. They're gonna hurt me. I'm gonna get as many as I can before they get me. I won't be going down easy. Ya hear that, you fuckin' evil shits?!"

Bucky saw the shift in the man's eyes, the way his expression twisted with determination as he accepted this new plan. Everything in him was screaming to grab Harper and whisk her away to safety. But she showed no signs of fear or stress; she stood her ground and continued to speak with the man in an even voice.

"You don't need to do that. Marius should be here soon and he can bring you home and check for any cameras. I know there weren't any when I saw you a few weeks ago. We looked after you had your tea."

Turning his angry gaze on Harper now, he seethed, "How do I know you haven't been deceiving me this whole time? Maybe we didn't find the cameras because you knew where to keep me from looking. Maybe you planted them!"

Harper laughed, and Bucky's breath caught in his chest. Did she want to get hurt?! He was sweating and nearly shaking with the effort of holding himself back like Harper had implored him to. The young woman, laughter fading, asked, "Ivan, do you really think I'd do something to harm you? We've known each other for almost two years. I've been with you since the accident. If I wanted to do something, wouldn't I have done it back then?"

The man's expression fell and he tilted his head, considering her words. Harper continued to reason, "How about we wait for Marius to get here and then you guys go home and check for cameras. If you don't find any, he can call me Monday morning and I'll visit you that day so we can talk about some other things that may help you without you having to wear something that feels like chains, okay?"

"I want Marius to take the chain away today."

"Alright, he can do that. I'll pick it up from him Monday and send it away."

"Good."

The sound of hurried feet met his ears and Bucky glanced back to see three men in police uniforms approaching. He adjusted his hat lower across his face and pretended to be a mere curious bystander. Two stopped short, several feet away from him, while the third approach Harper and the man. "Dad, what're you doing?"

Harper explained, "Ivan's monitor feels like it could be a chain installed by the Watchers. He came here to get away. We were just saying that it would be best if he returned home with you and checked for cameras."

Bucky watched, finally relaxing as the arrival of the man's son seemed to have calmed him down even more than Harper had. Harper explained the rest of the plan Ivan had agreed to, his son nodding along.

"Alright, Dad, let's go start searching," Marius said finally. Though well veiled, Bucky still caught the exhaustion in his voice. The middle aged man looked at Harper and said, "Thank you again, ma'am. I hate to think what would've happened if you hadn't been here."

"Right place, right time," Harper waved off his thanks. She looked up at Ivan, who was now picking at his nails and staring absently at the ground. "Ivan, if you guys don't find any cameras, I want you to stay at home until I see you Monday. You need to stay safe so that we can keep having tea together, okay?"

Ivan looked up at her, blinking once before he smiled. Bucky's heart nearly stopped when the man wrapped her up in a hug. The thought of a violent person touching her had his hands clenching and his body itching to put himself between her and the potential danger. But Harper returned the gesture easily. Luckily, it was short-lived as Marius gently guided his father away from the brunette and they took their leave. The other two officers thanked Harper, and they made small chat for a few minutes before they left to return to their duties, thankfully never paying heed to the onlookers.

Finally, Bucky approached Harper. He embraced her before she could speak, needing to feel her against him. Nerves assuaged by the contact, he let her go and wove their fingers together. "That was both horrifying and amazing."

"Hey, I'm pretty good at what I do," Harper boasted with a playful grin.

"I'm serious, Harper," the former soldier insisted. "That was… wow. A whole other side of you. I mean, you're strong-willed and firm, but you just… you can really hold your ground and you know how to handle people."

"I've known him quite a while," she shrugged. "I have his trust and I get him. It's nothing. Thank you for listening to me and hanging back. I know some people might've seen that as a power thing, but-"

"The only power I saw was yours. And you wielded it beautifully and for the wellbeing of others, as always."

Harper flushed lightly and swatted his bicep. "Shut up and let's go get some fruit. Then cat food."

He nodded and allowed her to pull him down the street, still marveling over how breathtakingly strong she was.

Harper: Heyyyy

James: Hi?

Harper: I love you!

James: I love you, too. Everything okay?

Harper: Yeah, just wanted to start your day off with an "I love you" text. You don't hear it enough.

James: You give me far more than I deserve.

Harper: You're so painfully caught up in deserving. Accept my love. You absolutely deserve it.

James: Maybe. If nothing else, I am trying to be someone who deserves you.

Harper: Are you going to be home tonight?

James: That's the plan.

Harper: Clean up whatever man shit you have lying around that apartment. I'm coming over for dinner because I love you and need to talk some sense into you. No arguments!

James: Fine, fine. I wouldn't argue your company anyway. But "man shit"?

Harper: Yeah. Dirty gym clothes, old pizza boxes, nudie mags, lotion, cum socks… Man shit.

James: God, doll, you make me blush even without being here. I can assure you, this apartment is already free of "man shit."

Harper: Well, I suppose you probably get your porn online like everyone else.

James: Do you really mean everyone else?

Harper: I do.

James: I think I know what I want to talk about over dinner.

Harper: My topic of conversation first. Yours over dessert.

James: You strike a hard bargain, ma'am.

Harper: Get to work, hun. See you tonight. I love you.

James: I love you too, darlin'.

A/N: Thanks as always for all of the support! I enjoyed writing this chapter and giving Harper a moment to shine.

Kudos and thanks to all of the helping professionals busting ass out there, especially now when the world has gone to shit. Social workers, caregivers, etc. are still out there in the communnity, in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. despite everything that's going on and are some of the least mentioned essential workers. But they kick butt on the daily, and have my deepest respect. I'm so lucky and grateful that my own job has gone remote, since my assessments are community based, and recognize that this isn't possible for a lot of others in the field. If you're someone reading this who is also a helping professional, I offer you my gratitude and solidarity.