[84] : Dust Settles

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When Bucky came to find Roger, he found him lounging outside by his pool, wearing floral shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, sipping on juice, and basking in a rare sunbath.

If it weren't for Roger's still-handsome appearance and a well-maintained physique, he would look exactly like an aging uncle enjoying his retirement.

Seeing this scene, Bucky couldn't help but pause. He started to doubt whether the Roger in front of him was the same person who had been playing superhero everywhere just a short time ago.

After all, the current Roger didn't quite match the image he usually portrayed.

"Huh? Barnes?"

Bucky's footsteps were heavy, and since he didn't bother to hide his presence, Roger heard him as soon as he approached.

Removing his sunglasses, Roger turned to see Bucky standing next to him and smiled, saying:

"It's rare for you to seek me out on your own."

"... Just call me James."

After a brief pause, the Winter Soldier sat down in the empty seat beside Roger and spoke.

"James, what brings you here?"

Roger naturally adjusted, dropping the surname and refraining from using any nicknames.

The name "Bucky" was reserved for those closest to him, like Captain America or Falcon.

Roger didn't think he was close enough to Bucky to use that kind of intimate nickname.

Hearing Roger's question, Bucky fell silent again. He seemed to always do that, unable to say more than a few words before going quiet again, perhaps due to the fact that he had only been awake from his cryogenic sleep for a few months.

After organizing his thoughts, Bucky said to Roger:

"Will you... keep traveling? I mean… going to other universes?"

"Of course." Roger took a sip of juice and replied, "I'd rather see more beautiful landscapes, try new foods, and.."

"Women?"

"?"

Roger, caught off guard by Bucky's interruption, froze for a moment, a question mark appearing over his head. Then, with a wry smile, he said:

"Of course not! I'm not that desperate. I was going to say… interesting entertainment, like movies, comics, music..."

"Sounds pretty nice."

"It's not just nice, it's really nice," Roger said with a grin.

Of course, Roger's motivations weren't limited to what he had just mentioned.

Scenery, food, great films, good music, interesting people or events... These were indeed part of Roger's drive to travel between worlds, but the true driving force was his desire to find a way back home.

Even if his homeland had drastically changed, even if countless years had passed by the time he found it, Roger still wanted to see it one more time.

Even if it was just from a distance.

It was a deep-seated connection to his home, a feeling akin to the old saying about leaves falling back to their roots.

But explaining this to Bucky wouldn't make any sense, and giving a detailed explanation would be cumbersome. The superficial reasons he had already given were enough, no need to overcomplicate things with Bucky.

"When do you plan on leaving?"

Bucky asked again.

Roger thought for a moment and replied, "Probably in two months or so. As you know, my ability to travel between worlds needs about three months to recharge."

"Aren't you still planning to send us back?"

"Yes, I'll send you back first, and then I'll begin my next journey."

"So, another three months of waiting?"

"No, not really."

Normally, after traveling to the Marvel world, Roger would need another three months to prepare before traveling to the next destination.

However, what Roger hadn't told anyone was that the connection between the Marvel Universe and The Boys universe had already been established. The three months of energy consumption were used to create that link between worlds.

Once the connection was fully established, Roger would only need a small amount of energy to travel between these two worlds. This would allow him to store up enough energy to travel to another new universe.

"Why are you asking all these questions?"

Roger looked at Bucky curiously.

He wasn't that close to Bucky, and his relationship with the rest of the Avengers was more on the level of casual acquaintances. The only real friend he had was Thor.

They were gaming buddies now.

As for his relationship with Bucky, it was more of a professional arrangement than a friendship.

So Roger found it strange that Bucky came to him. Normally, Bucky would be training with the Tek Knight.

Bucky hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed calmly on the pool before him. In a low voice, he said:

"... I wanted to tell you that this time, when you send the others back, you don't have to take me."

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Roger immediately sat up straight. He looked at Bucky seriously and asked:

"You don't want to go back either?"

"..."

"Why?"

Roger didn't know Bucky well. Even in his previous life, when watching the Marvel movies, Bucky didn't leave a deep impression on him.

Roger only watched the Marvel movies with huge special effects and big action scenes. He skipped shows like Hawkeye and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so his understanding of the Winter Soldier was even more limited.

So, compared to Thor, Roger truly couldn't think of a reason why Bucky would want to stay in this world.

After all, Bucky's good friend, Captain America, was still alive. Falcon, another close ally, was also still around. There didn't seem to be any logical reason for him to stay.

Bucky opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to explain something to Roger, but in the end, he chose not to say anything. He simply shook his head and asked:

"Is it not allowed?"

"Well, it's not that it's forbidden... fine, do whatever makes you happy. Just think of it as an extended vacation in this world. Besides, Thor's planning to stay too, so you'll have some company."

"I'm not really close with him…"

"Doesn't matter. You'll get to know each other. Play games, have a drink together. If you don't mind, you can even join me on future trips to other worlds."

Roger stood up and patted Bucky on the shoulder.

Bucky nodded and said, "Thanks."

Then he stood up and left without saying anything more.

As Roger watched Bucky leave, he couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

The characters in the Marvel Universe were like troubled children. One didn't want to go back, another wanted to stay, turning the world of The Boys into something like a shelter for troubled individuals.

However, Thor and Bucky staying behind did give Roger a few new ideas.

He hadn't forgotten the task given to him by the Watcher, to assemble a small team to deal with Infinity Ultron.

Roger didn't plan on helping the Watcher, but never say never. Perhaps in the future, he'd change his mind.

And when that time came, maybe he could recruit Thor and Bucky for his team.

As Roger traveled to more and more worlds, the number of potential recruits for his team would likely increase as well.

But after thinking about it for a while, Roger's lazy nature kicked in, and he stopped planning. Forming teams and recruiting members seemed like a distant concern. Right now, he was more interested in what the next world he'd travel to would be like.

With Bucky deciding to stay and Thor being hooked on gaming and not wanting to return to his own world, Roger honored his promise and sent the others back to their original universes once Dr. Banner developed the superpower suppression device.

No further incidents occurred during this time.

The Vought Corporation was dismantled by the government, with only a few elite members unaccounted for, much like Hydra in the Marvel world.

The remaining superhumans were captured and fitted with superpower suppression devices. Those who had committed particularly heinous crimes were either executed or killed during Roger's raids.

With the main boss of The Boys universe defeated, the overall storyline had come to an end. Nothing major was likely to happen in the future, especially with Thor sticking around.

Roger told Maeve and the others that if anything happened that they couldn't handle, they could seek Thor's help.

So, with everything settled, Roger confidently used the energy he had stored up to begin searching for the next world to travel to.

This time, it felt different from previous travels. In past journeys, Roger had been passively drawn into new worlds, pulled into the travel point at a predetermined time.

But now that his powers had grown stronger and his control over the biotic field had reached new heights, Roger found that he could subtly influence the travel point with his biotic field.

While he still couldn't fully control when he traveled, he could at least delay it. He estimated that he had about 48 hours of leeway.

That's roughly two days.

This time frame might increase in the future. Perhaps one day, Roger would be able to travel between worlds at will, rather than being passively drawn into them.

After staying in the Marvel Universe for a few more days, Roger said his goodbyes to his friends and embarked on his new journey without delay.

As he crossed into a new universe, Roger silently prayed that this time, he wouldn't land in a place like the Marvel Zombies Universe again.

His standards weren't high, just a normal world… one that wasn't too crazy, where he didn't immediately have to deal with some huge catastrophe.

If he landed in another place like the Marvel Zombies Universe, Roger thought he might develop a fear of interdimensional travel.

However, he had some faith in his luck. Surely he wouldn't be that unlucky again.

...

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