Together
Disclaimer: I do not own Captain America or any of it's characters.
Warnings: Mentioning's of pre/slash Stucky.
Also, as much as my mind screams at me that Bucky's younger than Steve, an orphan and only has one sister, I went by the movie verse so he is both a year older, has two parents and three siblings.
For my little sister's 27th birthday. It is not as fluffy as I had hoped it would turn out to be, but hopefully just fluffy enough for your liking. Happy birthday dear Ra-chan!
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Steve groaned softly as he turned in bed, reached out and realized he was alone, the other side of the bed unoccupied once more.
"Buck?"
The lack of either sound or movement told him Bucky wasn't in the bedroom so Steve rolled out of bed, stretching with a yawn as he tried to determine how long ago the other had left.
As the other side of the bed was cold, he knew it had been a while; and deciding a shower could wait, he padded barefoot out of the bedroom.
"Bucky?"
"The Sergeant is currently on floor 81, Captain," Jarvis' voice helpfully informed him.
"Ah, how long has he been in the common room?"
"Since precisely three fifty two."
"Damn, thanks, Jarvis," quickly relieving himself, Steve ignored the shower altogether and just quickly brushed his teeth before making his way to the elevator, preparing himself for the mental struggle his oldest and dearest friend was likely to be dealing with.
It was always painful and horrible to see Bucky in the aftermaths of a memory or nightmare, though Steve was selfishly happy he was there at all, no matter how what state he was in.
"May I advise you to remain quiet, Captain? The Sergeant is currently asleep," Jarvis' voice was oddly soft and tender and Steve looked up at the ceiling surprised.
"He's asleep…in the common room?"
"Yes, Sir."
"What did you do? Feed him a sleeping potion?" Steve weakly joked, unsure of what to expect as Bucky usually couldn't sleep at all after an episode and had taken to roaming the building.
"I would not dare to betray the Sergeant's trust like that, Captain," Jarvis actually sounded offended, but Steve couldn't help but smile at the protectiveness Bucky inspired in Tony's robotic AI.
"I meant no offense. It is just…Bucky doesn't easily return to sleep after a bad night and to learn he's asleep in an open area like the common room…" Steve trailed off, running a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how to explain what he meant.
"I am well aware of his habits, Captain. Bucky and I have gotten to know one another fairly well during his nightly roaming of the building."
"I'm sorry. Is he alone?"
"There are no human companions with him, although Hawkeye is located two vents away at the moment and keeping his distance."
The wording was odd, though Steve dismissed the confusion while mentally blessing Clint's insight to keep his distance from Bucky, aware that although the two got along surprisingly well, Bucky would still get on edge when surprised and it wouldn't be the first time he accidentally attacked in reaction.
It was one of the things that even after several months at Avenger Tower was still deeply ingrained in his oldest friend and although none of them held it against him when it happened, it made Bucky feel even guiltier than he already did.
"But he spoke to you tonight?"
"There are many ways of communication, Sir," came the cryptic response and Steve took it to mean that Jarvis had either read Bucky's vitals or interpreted his mood as they clearly hadn't had any verbal contact or he would have said so. "But if I may, I would like to assure you that there was no sign of nightmares waking the Sergeant this night. He was just unable to sleep."
"I see, that's good to know," heart lifted a little, Steve quietly entered the common area where they usually gathered together and followed the soft wiring of machinery as he couldn't immediately spot Bucky.
The source of it was one of Tony's bots as it roamed over the floor at the far end of the living room, seemingly running in circles and it took Steve a few moments to realize the weird robot was patrolling.
He spotted a curled up figure in the corner of the room behind the robot, and realized it was holding a fire extinguisher in its robotic fingers threateningly as it rolled up and down its stretch of space before the figure.
The sight of the robot's attempt to protect the sleeping figure was hilarious and Steve probably would have laughed if it wasn't both so endearing and heart-warming instead.
There were a lot of things that had changed about Bucky, but his love for science was not one of them and Steve knew his old friend loved Tony's bots.
A feeling that was clearly mutual as a second robot stood protectively over Bucky's sleeping form; clearly on look out while Jarvis was softly playing music.
A warm plaid was tucked around Bucky's sleeping form; one corner held by the robotic fingers as if it thought it would keep Bucky from overheating or feeling cornered if it just held that one part.
"Oi, watch it," Steve almost jumped as he walked into someone as he quietly backed away and turned to see Tony frown up at him.
"Shh, don't wake him," he whispered, quickly glancing back to see Bucky hadn't so much as stirred at the sound, though the robot holding the fire extinguisher was aiming it towards him now as it had clearly spotted him.
Holding up his hands, he bit his lip to keep from either laughing or pulling Tony away at the double take the genius billionaire took at the sight, but to his surprise the man immediately backed up as well.
As if by agreement, they silently migrated to the other side of the floor and Tony started up a pot of coffee.
"I knew Dum-E and U had taken a liking to him; but this…." Tony sounded surprised and Steve couldn't help but worry as they were his robots and the man might take offense at the actions of his bots.
"You're not mad that they like him?"
"A little hurt pride, perhaps," Tony shrugged as Steve frowned. "Their fascination with Bucky keeps Dum-E out of my hair and out of trouble for the most part and he seems to genuinely like them."
"Bucky is a likeable person."
"So I've noticed," Tony hummed as he poured two cups of coffee and handed one over. "You know your buddy is quite a charmer, right? Which is both funny and a bit alarming since he has actively been avoided people upon first arriving here and yet everyone here has adored him since day one. Which only increased the more social he became as time passed."
"That hasn't changed about him," Steve smile wryly. "The fond part, I mean. Before Azzano he was one of the most social people I knew. He loved to dance and interact with people just for the company. After…he was still social, but a lot less so and he mostly stuck to the Howlies."
"Azzano is where you rescued all those soldiers, right?"
"I went after Bucky," Steve admitted. The army and Philips had made sure the world thought he'd gone after those captured soldiers in a sanctioned mission and Steve had never fought them on it, having kept to that version all this time.
But he felt that after all these years, the truth should be known. Especially after Tony had generously invited Bucky to come live at the Tower after Steve and Sam had found him; despite aware what Bucky had been made to do.
And the man had never held it against him either, never gave a sign that he even cared and although Steve wasn't entirely sure Bucky even remembered he'd been ordered to kill Tony's parents as he gave no sign of discomfort around Tony either; he still felt Tony deserved to know the truth.
"I know," Tony nodded.
"I don't think you do," Steve swallowed. "I went there specifically because of Bucky. When Peggy told me about the Battle of Azzano and I realized Bucky had been stationed there, I went to Philips. He told me Bucky was on the list of casualties, but I refused to believe it and went after him."
"You crossed deeply into enemy territory, infiltrated a factory and destroyed said factory all for one man; who you didn't even know was still alive or not?" Tony asked incredulous.
"Pretty much?" Steve shrugged. "He's my friend."
"Yeah…are you quite sure friend is the right definition of your relationship here?" Tony snorted. "Because Rhodey is my friend and I don't think I would go that far."
"He is my best friend," Steve shrugged.
"Are you quite sure you aren't secretly lovers instead? Because you do know it is legal now, right? And none of us would care in the slightest if you were," Tony raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure Pepper and Natasha would be thrilled, actually. They've taken to Bucky like he's their little brother."
"It's not like that," Steve realized his actions indeed indicated towards that and the Howlies had loved to tease him about it in the past until Bucky had put an end to it by shooting them all with a slingshot and self preservation had them stop as he was a remarkable shot even with a toy.
"You sure about that? Because you do share both a floor and a bed half of the time, are utterly affectionate together and while I get that friends can do all that just as easily; the two of you do give of these vibes of I'll kill you if you come to close to him. I think Bucky has perfected those vibes, actually."
Steve was fairly sure he was blushing by now as he cleared his throat and decided to keep being honest. "Even if it were like that, Bucky isn't anywhere ready for something like that and might never be."
"I'm not talking about sex for a change...…I know, shocking, but I meant romance. Strangely enough that happens even if you do not have sex," he paused and blinked as Steve's words clearly registered. "What do you mean if it were? So you two were a couple or did you consider it?"
"No, we weren't. He's my best friend, my family and I've never considered him to be anything else until…" Steve trailed off.
"Until you thought you'd lost him and realized just what he meant to you," Tony realized. "Shit. Does he know?"
"Like I said, relationships and the likes are the last things on his mind right now and he doesn't need the added complications one brings," Steve firmly said.
"Does he know? Because regardless of complications and if he's ready for it or not, it's not fair to either of you to be interacting the way you are with something like that in the background."
"Aren't you oddly concerned about our well-being this early in the morning?" Steve tried to rile Tony up, but the other simply raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, he knows."
"And….shit, this feeling stuff isn't meant for me," Tony scratched at his goatee. "But money is at stake here and Pepper will kill me if I don't get confirmation. Does he return the feelings?"
"You're betting about our love lives?" Steve wasn't sure why he was so surprised as people seemed to bet about anything these days and all aspects of his life seemed to interest everyone who had no business with it. "And don't you dare go bother him about this."
"There is that protective streak I meant," Tony gleefully informed him. "But I wouldn't dare. He indeed has enough on his plate without being bothered about his love life or clear lack of it as it is. You didn't answer my question, though."
Sighing, Steve ran a hand through his hair and once more decided for complete honesty. "He loves me and I love him; neither of us is quite sure in just what form and neither of us really cares at the moment. We take things as they come and will see where it leads us in the end. All either of us truly wants is to just stay together so that is what we're doing."
"You're both insane, but in your case I guess it makes sense as it's just how the two of you roll," Tony snorted. "I still can't believe the entire army covered it up, though. Did no one know the truth about that mission?"
"The Howlies did, as did Philips, Howard and Peggy. I'd do it all again, even if Philips hadn't decided to act like the mission was sanctioned," Steve added.
"You did do it again. You've been going through Hydra bases without proper back -up for months, trying to find your boy."
"Technically we've just been following his trial of destruction until we managed to catch up with him on a lucky break," Steve corrected him. "It is surprising how much they let him know about their bases."
"Not really," Tony glanced at Bucky's sleeping form just visible from this distance. "The files all indicate that they treated him as a thing; something to order around without questions asked. If you treat someone as such, they will start believing it in the end."
"Like Bucky did and still does at occasion," Steve nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but the same is true in reverse. Hydra started to truly believe he was a thing and didn't bother to hide anything from him about their plans or where they were stationed."
"Because they'd wipe his mind again anyway," Steve said bitterly.
"No, well…partly. But mostly because it would be a waste of effort to hide things from an object. An object isn't going to reveal their secrets or betray them so why bother to hide anything from it in the first place?" Tony snorted. "Unfortunately for them, Bucky was not a thing and although his memory was wiped, none of the Intel he learned was ever truly deleted and he's been using it to vaporize Hydra completely since his memory has been coming back."
"Think Hydra will ever truly be gone?"
"Your man has been pretty thorough; something which only increased since he started sharing his Intel with Coulson and his team," Tony's voice still held some resentment towards the man after he had let them believe he'd been killed, only to learn that was not true at all when Bucky had casually mentioned him when they'd discussed his destructive path. "I'd still like to know how he both knew Coulson was still alive when Jarvis didn't even know and the man managed to win the trust of one overly suspicious and distrustful brainwashed ex-assassin."
"Bucky has always had a good judge of character," Steve smiled. "He told me Coulson came into his sights after he broke into a Hydra base Bucky was staking out and he tailed the man for a while before deciding to take a chance."
"A chance that certainly paid off," Tony hesitated. "I guess only time will tell if Hydra is truly…"
"Steve?" Tony trailed off as Bucky's quiet voice rang out and they both turned to look around.
"I'm here, Bucky," immediately rising to his feet, Steve made his way over to where Bucky was getting up, accepting the fire extinguisher the protective robot handed him in slight confusion but without comment.
"Wow, Dum-E must truly like you, I always have to wrestle that thing from him," Tony waved when Bucky blinked up to him but didn't immediately jump into defense mode and Steve smiled.
His best friend had come a long way from the bundle of nervous unease he had been upon first arriving at the Tower.
"Morning…what time is it?"
"It is six minutes after seven in the morning, Sergeant," Jarvis' voice rang out.
"Thank you and good morning, Jarvis. And to you two as well," Bucky patted both Dum-E and the robot Steve was now fairly sure was called U on their weird single arms.
"Good morning, Bucky," Jarvis replied instantly; sounding warmer and happier at the greeting than Steve had ever imagined a robotic interface to be.
"Even Jarvis," Tony muttered as Bucky folded the blanket and handed it over to U before it rolled away.
"Even Jarvis, what?" Bucky asked confused.
"Never mind," Tony waved him off. "Why don't you go freshen up so we can have breakfast?"
"I could cook?" Steve suggested.
"Are you going to try and poison us again?" The gentle tease told Steve that Bucky was in a good mood and couldn't help but feel his own spirits lift at the sight of that familiar smile.
"You never know with him around," Steve jabbed a finger over his shoulder at Tony, who immediately spluttered in protest.
"That was Dum-E's fault!"
"Don't blame your robot friends for your mistakes, Brainy," Bucky chuckled. "I'll make breakfast after I've brushed my teeth. Already showered last night."
"What are you in the mood for?" Steve asked curiously as they followed Bucky to the kitchen where he placed the fire extinguisher on the counter top and produced a toothbrush out of nowhere.
"Pancakes. Bruce was watching that cooking show last night," he explained his desire before quickly brushing his teeth and vanishing the toothbrush to wherever he'd gotten it, though Steve had never managed to discover just how he did it or where he left them. "Now that that is done…"
He stepped into Steve's personal space without warning and initiated their morning ritual hug; one Steve happily returned immediately as he closed his arms around his dearest friend for a long moment.
"Yeah, sure…..the big guy gets a hu….." Tony squeaked startled as Bucky smoothly swirled to engulf him with a hug as well and Steve couldn't stifle a laugh as the surprised genius awkwardly patted Bucky's back, clearly having forgotten Bucky was a rather tactile person when relaxed.
Dum-E came rolling forward to push himself against Bucky's arms, clearly wanting a hug as well and happily closing his metal fingers around Bucky's metal arm when the man complied.
"You know…for a fearsome assassin, you are way too cuddly," Tony remarked as he regained his wits and grabbed his half drunk cup of coffee.
"Good, means people won't expect it when I slit their throats," Bucky cheerfully countered as he let a knife roll through his fingers, letting Dum-E poke at his metal arm for another moment before pulling back.
"That's rather scary," Tony huffed out a laugh. "You know you are a tad scary when you do that, right?"
"And just a moment ago you said I was cuddly so which one is true?" Bucky laughed as he made his way into the kitchen.
Tony shrugged as they followed him into the kitchen; eying the hoodie the man was wearing thoughtfully for a moment. "A cuddly kitten...…except for when Steve's in trouble. Then you become a fearsome lion."
Bucky paused gathering materials to glance over his shoulder at Tony. "I'm going to take that as a compliment and not think you mean I'm a hairball."
Steve laughed and patted Tony's back as the man almost choked on his coffee as he laughed.
"That was mean…. very, very mean. I like you…. have I mentioned that before? I'm sure I have, but there you have it. I like you, you can stay."
"To become your personal house cat?" Bucky's grin reminded Steve eerily of the Cheshire cat displayed on the man's sweater. "No thank you, I'm a free elf."
"Ohh, someone's been working on their list," Tony clasped his hands. "Though I wonder who gave you the clothing to make that happen."
"Steve did," Bucky plucked at his oversized sweater as it was indeed one of Steve's and one he'd bought specifically with Bucky in mind as the other had loved Lewis Carroll's book as a child.
And although he never could have imagined the other would one day wear it, Steve was more than thankful he had bought it on a nostalgic whim the day he had come across it.
"Of course he did," Tony rolled his eyes. "Next thing you'll say is that he gave you a ring as well."
"I have no desire to rule them all," Bucky offhandedly said as he mixed ingredients together.
"How is it that he knows more about modern stuff than you do and he's been around much shorter?" Tony complained.
"Lord of the Rings is not modern, Tony. The books came out long before you were born," Steve rolled his eyes.
"The Hobbit did, but the others came out after we weren't in any position to read any more," Bucky corrected him. "So technically it is more modern than we are."
"You're not helping, Buck," Steve groaned as Tony laughed.
"It's the truth," Bucky shrugged. "Who are in?"
"Bruce; though he's probably buried in his lab and I know Nat and Clint haven't left yet," Tony answered immediately as he accepted the refill Bucky offered for his coffee cup.
"Would you please go fetch Bruce, Dum-E?"
The bot immediately rolled off while Tony clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Why is it that when I ask him to do something he deliberately misunderstands, but when you do he's all ears?"
Bucky only shrugged as he put butter in a pan. "Are you coming down for breakfast or would you like to have it up there?"
Steve and Tony both jumped as Clint dropped down from the ceiling; landing between them. "Would you stop doing that?! You know I've recently had heart surgery…right?"
Clint only waved them off as he rose to his feet and slapped a hand onto Bucky's shoulder, using that to pull him against his side for a moment in a semi embrace. "What are you making for us today?"
"Pancakes," Bucky smiled at him as Clint pulled himself up to sit on the counter top beside where he was working.
"Very nice," Clint grinned as he accepted the bowl Bucky pushed into his hands in an obvious instruction to stir, which he did without complaint.
Tony automatically began to set the table while Steve retrieved plates for him. "You know…. when did we become so drilled that we're automatically helping out without even being asked?"
"We like Bucky's cooking," Clint shrugged. "And he won't cook for us if we let him do all the work."
"Reason enough," Tony wholeheartedly agreed. "Pepper always does say I need to eat more healthily."
"I don't know if pancakes truly qualify as healthy, but they are certainly nice," Steve laughed.
"You want one of those that your mom used to make?"Bucky glanced at him from the fridge and Steve nodded enthusiastic.
"You remember how to make those?"
"I remember your mom teaching me how to make them. I don't remember why, though."
"Because I loved them so much," Steve smiled.
"No…I mean that I don't remember why she taught me how to make them and not…" a frown appeared on Bucky's face as he clearly tried to catch a memory just out of his reach. "Did our kitchen catch on fire?"
"Your parent's kitchen, yes. Your mom tried to scramble eggs one day and almost burned down the entire house while doing so. After that, you decided that you would do the cooking and started following my Mom around to learn," Steve was aware of the fond smile that crossed over his lips, but he couldn't stop it. "Eventually she got sick of you peeking around corners and sneaking behind her back and just taught you outright. After she got sick, you took over cooking for all of us."
Clint and Tony were watching them warily as Bucky's frown intensified at the information and Steve braced himself as new memories could still lead his oldest friend to lash out if they were intensive.
"My mother…she was not…. what was wrong with her?"
"Meningitis shortly after Mary was born. She survived against all odds but was never quite right after that," Steve quietly admitted as he remembered how much the kind and patient woman had changed after her long sick bed; indifferent and intolerant towards her children.
"Right, I remember her being in bed a lot," Bucky clicked his tongue. "And my father? I don't remember him being around a lot."
"He was an useless alcoholic who ran from his responsibilities when his family needed him the most. You basically raised your siblings on your own. He drank himself to death when you were ten," Steve wasn't sure he managed to hide his anger at the cowardly man, regardless of how many years had passed.
From the curious glance Tony and Clint shot him, he was fairly sure he failed, though he couldn't really bring himself to care as the man had rather left an eight year old to step up and take the place of two parents for his younger siblings so he could go to a bar and drink his sorrows away, than to man up and take responsibility.
"I taught my sisters and you how to cook, didn't I?" Steve wasn't sure if the redirect to their original subject was because Bucky had picked up on Steve's anger towards his parents or because he remembered enough about the abusive drunk and his indifferent wife to not want to talk about.
"You did," Steve felt himself smile again as he remembered attempted cooking lessons in the Roger's household with four young girls and his own mother's laughter at the resulting disasters.
"Then why can you still not boil an egg?"
Choking on a laugh at the clear tease, Steve shrugged helplessly as he took the change of subject with both hands despite it being at his expense.
"One pancake with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon," Bucky placed a plate before Steve and he beamed as it looked exactly as he remembered it and Bucky had even added syrup as he'd like.
"That looks disgusting," Clint remarked as he eyed the monstrosity on Steve's plate. "Can I have one, too?"
"Sure, after Tony," Bucky chuckled. "Bacon?"
"Ice cream?" The hopeful look on Tony's face as he seemed unable to look away from Steve's pancake was hilarious and Steve would've laughed if he wasn't well aware of the delicious smell that rose from the plate.
"It are your ingredients I am cooking with, so you can have whatever you want," Bucky shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips at their reactions.
"Ice cream it is, then," Tony clasped his hands in childlike glee. "So you had siblings? Older or younger?"
"Two younger ones…" Bucky blinked as he seemed to focus. "Three…I think?"
"Three, yes. Rebecca, Mary and Catherine," Steve cleared his throat, aware all three of the younger Barnes' had already passed away by now without ever knowing their beloved brother was still alive.
"I called her Cathy, didn't I?"
"Yes, because you thought Catherine was a stupid name. She used to complain about it as she felt it wasn't the proper name for a lady and she liked to think she was one, but she quickly changed her mind when you finally gave in and started calling her by her full name. She said it didn't feel right for you to call her that after all that time."
"But Becca was my favorite," it wasn't really a question, though Steve still nodded.
"Becca was a wild one, always following you around and trying to copy what you were doing. It was a good thing you were an overachiever and overall well behaved or I don't know what might've become of her. Though no one in our neighborhood dared to mess with the Barnes' girls to begin with as they knew you'd taught them all boxing and self defense."
"You boxed?" Clint asked interested.
"I….I did?" Bucky didn't sound all too certain of it so Steve nodded.
"Three-time YMCA welterweight boxing champion. You taught me most of my hand to hand combat during that time, adding to it with what you'd learned during the war in an attempt to help me survive my tendency to jump into action headfirst."
Clint whistled impressed, grinning as he cast Bucky a curious look. "So…now that we're on memory lane…there is something I've always wondered about…. why Bucky? I mean, your birth name is James Buchanan Barnes…how did you go from that to Bucky?"
"That would be Steve's doing. My father named me and I hated it, so with the grace of a two year old, Steve renamed me Bucky," smiling, Bucky shrugged. "The name stuck and soon everyone called me by it."
"But you never changed it as you got older?" Tony asked, despite them all knowing the answer.
"No. Steve gave me that name and I like it," the simplicity behind why he never changed it warned Steve's heart and he squeezed Bucky's hand with a smile as the other seemed a bit embarrassed about it. "Most of the soldiers called me by it, too. Sooner than they'd call me Barnes, actually."
"Probably because you introduced yourself as Bucky Barnes to everyone," Steve snorted. "When breaking the 107th out of Azzano I asked everyone if they'd seen a James Buchanan Barnes, but no one knew him. It wasn't until we were on our way back to camp and Dugan gave his condolences on the loss of your brother and my friend that they realized you were one and the same person."
Bucky laughed. "I remember that. They were horrified when I was angry at you for being a stupid suicidal idiot to come without back up or hadn't planned further than get to me. Couldn't believe I'd berate the guy who had just saved us all."
"I got you out, didn't I?" Steve chuckled.
"That you did," Bucky slid a second pancake onto Steve's plate; making him realize the others had both already gotten their pancakes while they spoke. "You're still an idiot, though."
"Amen to that," Tony grinned around a mouthful of ice cream.
"But he is my idiot," Bucky shot Tony a mild glare. "And I wouldn't trade him for the world."
"Good, cause you are stuck with me," Steve beamed while Tony mock gagged.
"Kind of figured that out already," Bucky ignored Tony. "What do you want on your pancake, Nat?"
"Surprise me," Steve hadn't heard her come in, but they were all so used to her popping in as silently as Bucky that no one jumped as she slid into the seat beside Clint. "Are we playing the memory game?"
"Sort of. Did you know Steve was the one who came up with his nickname?" Clint asked.
"Of course. His sister Rebecca revealed that back in the sixties," Natasha stole a piece from Clint's plate. "This is good; actually, I'll have one of these."
Bucky nodded and Clint pouted as his next pancake was slid onto a plate for Natasha instead. "As we're playing the memory game anyway, I've been meaning to ask…why did we dress up as girls once?"
Steve wasn't the only one who choked, though his was the only one out of sheer horror. "We didn't at all! You did!"
"Fine, why did I dress up as a girl?" Bucky didn't seem to share his mortification and at Tony's incredulous look, he simply shrugged. "Three sisters, you really think I was never pulled in their plays and made to dress up?"
"If you put it like that," Tony laughed. "Though I am curious to why you'd do so in wartime."
"While on a mission you learned of a brothel and took it upon yourself to free the girls there," Steve explained as Bucky turned to him.
"Why?" Clint raised an eyebrow.
"Because the Nazi's were holding girls there against their will, as leverage so more influential families would co-operate to keep their daughters alive," Steve ran a hand through his hair. "An Italian resistance girl Bucky befriended told him about it and helped some of us get in. Peggy joined you as you were the only one of the guys who could pass remotely for a girl and knew how to behave like one thanks to your sisters."
"Did we free them?" The story clearly sparked no memory within Bucky beyond what he already knew so Steve continued.
"All thirty four of them. Some of them were barely sixteen. Philips was livid we'd gone against orders once more and was waiting for us when we returned to camp, but once he saw them he immediately backed off and kept you out of trouble."
"He did that a lot, didn't he?"
"More than he'd ever like to admit," Steve chuckled. "We were lucky he was rather fond of you as was Howard so they were always ready to step up if you ran into trouble."
"Who?"
"My father," Tony cleared his throat and Steve's heart sank as he'd always carefully avoided the subject of Howard and Tony seemed happy to follow his example in that.
"I knew your father?" Bucky winced. "That's got to be weird for you."
"A little bit," Tony admitted.
"So we were friends?"
"Not at first. The first time you met him, you actually decked him before giving him an earful about where you thought he could stick his experimental devices and what you would do to him if he ever came near me with anything ever again. You actually insisted on seeing each bit of equipment he made for me before I was even allowed anywhere near it."
"You punched my father?" Tony burst out in laughter. "He never told me that. Please say you floored him!"
"He did. Though you became friends after he realized you were just fiercely protective over me," Steve wet his lips as Bucky's expression fell a little.
"I'm sorry, I can't place him."
"No harm done, some things are best left buried," Tony scratched at his goatee. "But it's cemented to me once more that you were a complete mother hen."
"Bucky Bear," Bucky nodded.
"What?" Clint laughed. "You actually knew about the toy?"
"Toy? No…wait…there's a toy?" Bucky looked at Steve confused but he didn't know either.
"A bear dressed up as Captain America's sidekick from the comics," Clint grinned. "All the kids had one back in the day and it's becoming fairly popular again now since they know you're still alive and working with the Avengers. How do you know the name, then?"
"It's what the Howlies called me whenever I would mother hen them."
"You would get on our backs about dressing properly and warmly, make sure we ate as much as we could with what rations we had, would fuss over us whenever we'd so much as cough too often and looked after our gears to make sure they were in top condition," Steve summed up. "That combined with patting everyone down after each mission to make sure they were all right had them calling him Mama Bear; which was changed into Bucky Bear soon enough."
"Someone had to make sure you guys took care of yourself and didn't get killed. I seem to remember a certain someone walking around with a bullet hole in their thigh for two hours before even noticing it," Bucky's blue eyes narrowed in accusation and Steve automatically held up his hands in surrender as he knew the other had a point. "And I'm not the one who initiated the hug ritual, Dum Dum did."
"Hug…wait, there is a reason behind your daily hug thing?" Tony straightened in his seat.
"It means we're all right, all is safe, we can breath," Bucky immediately replied. "We often used it in hostile territory when working with others we weren't sure we could trust."
"It kind of got started as a joke," Steve admitted. "I would always pull pretty stupid stunts during missions and Bucky would get on my back about it while I'd pull him into a hug to let him know I was fine. One day a mission went more wrong that usual and it took some time to all meet up again. After I'd given Bucky a hug, Dum Dum suddenly stormed up to him; lifted him straight off his feet and hugged the living daylight out of him like a giant teddy bear. After that, all the guys took their turns to hug Bucky after each mission upon seeing him."
"Not you?" Clint howled in laughter as he was clearly picturing it.
"No, he'd be the only one to hug me," Steve indicated to a smiling Bucky. "I clearly wasn't as hug-able as he is."
Clint almost fell off his chair in laugher. "That's totally true, Thor's the same. We all get handshakes and clasps on our shoulders, but Bucky is the only one he always hugs."
"Don't be like that, Yasha," Natasha wrapped an arm around Bucky's waist and kissed his cheek with a bright smile as the other flushed at Clint's amusement.
"Natalia," Bucky huffed but automatically returned her semi embrace by pulling her into his side.
"Are they trying to bully you again?" Bruce's quiet voice made them all look up and Bucky slipped out of Natasha's embrace as a large robotic arm almost knocked him down in its haste to get before him.
"Kind teasing, Dummy," Bucky patted the arm reassuringly.
"Talking of protective. What did you do to your bots, Tony?" Natasha held up her hands in surrender as Dum-E's metal fingers raised up to wrap around Bucky's real wrist.
"Don't look at me," Tony raised his own hands now and even Bucky shrugged helplessly as he clearly had no idea what he'd done to gain Dum-E's fierce protection either.
"Perhaps it is in the way they are treated?" Bruce suggested as Bucky tooked the fire extinguisher from the counter top and handed it to Dum-E to the bot's clear delight.
"Are you implying I am mistreating my bots?"
"Yes," three voices rang out in unison when Bruce refrained from answering.
"I'm hurt, right here in the heart," Tony tapped his chest where his arc reactor used to be. "Do you think I mistreat my bots, too, Bucky?"
"Maybe you gave them pieces of your heart while building them and that's why you treat them the way you do," Bucky quietly said as he stood still so that Dum-E wouldn't hit him with the fire extinguisher.
His words, although rather blunt, were probably the most spot on about Tony's self worth as Steve had long since realized that for all the man's arrogance, he had a very low self esteem.
He wasn't surprised Bucky was the one to notice it, though it did explain a thing or two about why Tony treated his robots as he did.
While the others looked uncomfortable as they realized the truth in the statement, Tony simply gaped at Bucky before smirking devilishly.
"So, since you obviously love my bots, does that mean you love me as well?"
"You are definitely in my top ten of favorite people," Bucky answered him seriously.
"Oh goodie…wait, do you even know enough people to have a top ten?"
Bucky didn't seem to care about Tony's tactless question, even if the man himself winced. "Sure I do. Natasha, Clint, Jarvis, Thor, Sam, Bruce, Pepper, Dum-E, U and you of course."
"I feel like I should be insulted to be mentioned last. And you forgot Steve," Tony pouted.
"They are not necessarily listed in that order and I didn't forget Steve. You are family; he is part of my very being. As are his mom, my sisters, the Howlies, Peggy and Engineer."
Engineer?" Tony asked, but Steve sucked in a breath that made them all turn to him. "What's wrong?"
"Engineer…that was what the Howlies called Howard," Steve softly admitted, swallowing thickly as Bucky suddenly paled and looked ready to throw up as he stared at Tony.
"I…oh god…"
"Yeah…we know," Tony rose to his feet to clasp him on the shoulder as it became clear Bucky did in fact remember what Hydra had made him do to Tony's parents. "It wasn't your fault, though. So don't even start with the horrified guilt trip. It wasn't you."
"But I…" Bucky's breathing stocked as he began to hyperventilate.
"What did I just say?" Tony shook his head and tightened his grip on Bucky's shoulder. "Want to play the blame game? Blame Hydra."
"I destroyed Hydra," Bucky muttered as he fought to get his emotions under control and Steve was itching to go to him but knew he wasn't what Bucky needed right now so fought to remain seated and let Tony handle this.
"Yes, you did and a damn fine job on that, too. So stop feeling guilty for something you had no control over," Tony looked at him sternly and raised a finger warningly when Bucky opened his mouth. "No…not your fault."
"I killed your parents," Bucky whispered.
"All right fine," Tony clasped his hands together cheerfully. "Now you have to let me upgrade your arm to make up for it, if you feel that guilty."
"What?"
Ignoring Bucky's distressed confusion, Tony plunged on. "I have amazing plans, don't I, Jarvis?"
"Your definition of amazing never ceased to amaze me, Sir. Especially when they involve multiple rockets build into fingers."
"I…"Bucky looked both mortified and unsure as he started at Tony, clearly unwilling to be sacked with rockets but not feeling to be in a position to refuse Tony right now.
"Don't worry Bucky, I would not let Sir near you if I truly thought he would install them into your arm without you fully being behind it," Jarvis reassured him.
"And neither would I," Steve made to rise to his feet, but Tony's sharp glance made him stay put, unsure of what he'd just seen in the man's gaze. Tony didn't seem angry or truly intent on forcing Bucky to do something he didn't want to do so he decided to trust the mad scientist on this and stayed put.
"All right, fine. No rockets or laser beams," Tony sighed over dramatically as he patted Bucky's metal biceps reassuringly. "Just an upgrade to a lighter and smoother model then."
"But you've just finished repairing this one," Bucky spluttered weakly, clearly thrown off by Tony's current behavior.
"Pfff, that piece of garbage is a disgrace to my good name and no family of mine will walk around with such a distasteful thing if I can help it. I've already build you a completely new arm anyway; a vibranium one, actually," Tony waved Bucky off even though the other was too baffled to even attempt to speak. "That red star will have to go, though. I could paint one as Steve has on his shield on the new arm, if you'd like…would you like that? Or are you overly attached to the mark of your captors?"
As Bucky had done his very best to get rid of the hated red star in any way he could; even going as far as to try and burn it off the metal arm with pure acid, which had resulted in one completely undamaged red star and one massive breakdown, Steve was pretty sure he'd be overjoyed to finally be rid of it and that alone would be enough to persuade him to accept the new arm.
"No…I…" Tony raised his eyebrow as Bucky trailed off unsure.
"What do you have in mind?"
"I…I used to have a wing design on my jacket," the uncertainty shifted into a hesitant smile as Bucky glanced at Steve. "I'd like that back…to…to go with that white star you mentioned?"
Steve was well aware of everyone's gaze at him, but didn't even try to stop the earsplitting grin from crossing over his face; one that was surprisingly enough echoed by Tony as he nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm sure we can work something out," grabbing Bucky by the wrist, he pulled him along to one of his many work areas. "The wing was on your right sleeve, right? I think I remember it, let me pull it up…."
"That was done smoothly," Natasha muttered once Tony was gesturing a mile away at a slightly bewildered Bucky.
"Talking is what Tony does best," Bruce hugged out a quiet laugh. "But it worked well."
"Guess he does remember," Clint sighed. "Poor guy."
"He saw Howard as family," Steve swallowed thickly. "I can't even imagine… it never even crossed my mind that he might remember people, but not necessarily by name."
"You couldn't have known he remembered him," Clint tried to comfort him, but Steve shook his head.
"I should have known," Steve rubbed a hand over his face tiredly.
"How would you have known if he didn't even know? I don't know him as well as you do, but I do know he doesn't talk easily about the things they made him do," Bruce took a deep breath. "He himself didn't place the link between Howard Stark and Tony until the name was matched to the person he knew. If he couldn't make that connection, then how were you supposed to make it?"
"I don't know…I just…" Steve trailed off as a short familiar laugh escaped from Bucky across the room and they all glanced there to see Tony beaming widely as he said something that brought another smile to the ex-assassin's lips.
"Look, it doesn't matter if you had or hadn't known," Natasha called his attention back. "Both you and Tony have been walking on eggshells around the subject as it was. Don't you think he deserved to know the truth?"
"He shouldn't have to have to carry that burden," Steve whispered. "Not above everything else he already carries."
"But he does carry that burden," Natasha insisted. "Even if he didn't know Howard's real identity; he did remember the man and that he'd been made to kill him. Sooner or later he would have come across a photo of him and realized the truth and knowing all of our lucks, it would have happened when he was either alone or in public."
Natasha glanced towards Bucky and Tony once more before meeting Steve's eyes. "It's horrible what happened, but quite frankly there couldn't have been a better moment for it to be revealed. Now Tony was here to immediately take control of the situation and prevent Bucky from loathing himself even more than he already does."
"He did handle that amazingly well," Steve softly admitted as he could see Natasha's point. It didn't mean he liked it, but of all the scenario's he had imagined Bucky to discover the truth in, this was the kindest.
"It couldn't have been easy for him to invite Bucky into his home, not after learning the truth about his parents," Bruce ran a hand through his hair.
"It probably helps that Bucky is such a sweet and kind person and not at all stoic and cold as the Soldier," Clint licked his lips. "Torture usually changes someone completely, but it is like all they managed to do was cover up his true personality under multiple layers."
"He is a lot more quiet and withdrawn than he used to be, and unsure of himself, but other than that he has slowly been regaining the person he had been," Steve looked down at his empty plate. "I never would have dared to even hope he would recover as much as he has. Not after…"
"His very essence is kindness and honest empathy," Bruce smiled. "Any man will break under the torture he underwent; but only the strongest of souls will ever recover even half as much as he did."
"Whatever the reason, the sheer difference in their personalities, or lack of one in the Soldier's case, makes it easy to see it wasn't truly Bucky, but Hydra who was in control," Clint paused as he thought over his words. "The Soldier is a part of him and always will be, but he doesn't define who Bucky is, not anymore."
"It's hard not to like…." Steve wasn't the only one to turn surprised as lighthearted laughter rang out and he smiled as he realized Thor had arrived and was currently lifting Bucky off the ground in a bone crushing hug that as always was still surprisingly gentle as the god swung Bucky from side to side like Dum Dum always used to do.
They watched in silence as Thor placed Bucky back onto the ground and slung an arm around his shoulder as he steered him towards them with Tony following at a safe distance.
"Good morning, my friends," Thor's infectious smile had them all automatically return his greeting cheerfully and Steve shifted as Thor let go of Bucky to drop down in a seat. "What is this you are eating?"
"Pancakes. Do you want one?" Bucky asked as he returned to the stove at Thor's affirmative nod and as Tony slid down to sit beside him again, Steve reached out and lightly squeezed the man's biceps in gratitude, smiling as the man gave him a slight nod in return to acknowledge he'd understood.
"Here you go," Bucky picked up Mjölnir and placed it out of the way at the foot of the table while at the same time sliding a plate before Thor. "Anyone else want another one?"
"You need to stop making such delicious pancakes or I'll explode," Clint laughed as he patted his stomach.
"You do know how to eat pancakes, don't you?" Bruce eyed Thor curiously as the man made no move to start eating and it was only as Steve caught the shocked expressions on Thor, Natasha and Tony's faces that he truly realized what Bucky had just done.
"You…you lifted the hammer…." Tony finally managed to stammer as he seemed unable to look away from the hammer innocently standing beside the table.
Bucky turned back to them as he seemed to register the shocked silence as well; blinking surprised at Tony's words and followed his gaze. "I wasn't supposed to? Pepper's the one who doesn't like it when we keep our weapons on the tables, I just…"
"No, it's not that," Tony shushed him. "You lifted the hammer…like…you actually picked it up and moved it."
"Erm, yes?" Bucky looked utterly confused by their continued shock. "It's not actually as heavy as it looks, you know?"
"No doubt about that pure soul now," Natasha commented lightly, though Steve could hear the hidden awe in her voice as clear as if she'd simply gaped at him as well.
"Am I not allowed to touch the hammer? I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"
"No, it's all right," Thor finally broke out of his stupor and a wide beaming smile spread over his face. "You, my friend, are very welcome to wield Mjölnir any time you'd like."
"Thank you?" It was clear that Bucky had no idea what the big deal was, so taking pity on him, Steve rose to his feet to fail spectacularly at lifting the hammer.
"Why..she is as light as a feather," Bucky picked her up again as Steve sat back down again. "Thor is always tossing her around and you are at least as strong as he is, so why can't you?"
"Wielding Mjölnir is not about bodily strength, but about the strength of the soul," Thor revealed. "You must be worthy to be able to lift her and surprisingly few are."
"That's insane," Bucky switched Mjölnir to his metal arm so he could place her down again without losing eye contact with Thor. "You're trying to tell me Stevie's soul is not strong enough? His soul is the brightest and strongest I know."
"No one knows what makes Mjölnir decide who is worthy and who is not," Thor decided after a moment of silence, his eyes piercing into Bucky as if he tried to see through his very being. "But I know she's never been wrong in who she allows to wield her. You know you are only the second person I know who can lift her? Aside from myself, of course."
"Maybe only those who don't intent to beat people with her can lift her?" Bucky asked hopefully, looking utterly uncomfortable at that piece of information and he shifted away from the hammer as if it would come after him. "None of you can?"
"Not even the other guy," Bruce smiled gently. "He tried to two years ago while fighting Thor during the New York fiasco, but couldn't even move it. Perhaps you can because despite all that's been done to you, you've managed to overcome it without damaging your soul. I wonder…."
A calculating look appeared in Bruce's eyes that Steve had been quick to learn meant the man was about to let his curiosity overtake his better judgment and he wasn't the only one who looked worried as Bruce's scientific mind never failed to make Bucky uncomfortable.
"By Odin's beard, this is amazing!" Steve wasn't sure if Thor was even aware of giving the perfect distraction as the concentration broke out of Bruce's gaze, but nonetheless was very relieved by it. "You must let my Jane taste this!"
"I'll write down the recipe for you so you can make it for her yourself, if you'd like?" Bucky offered.
"I would like that, but I do not know how to cook," Thor admitted.
"Then I'll teach you," Bucky said. "But not today."
"You've got plans with someone?" Natasha teased.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Bucky stonily held her baffled gaze for a long moment before a smile broke out. "I've got movie plans with Steve. That is if you are still interested?"
"Of course I am," Steve laughed as he suddenly remembered his promise to spend an entire day just watching movies together; no running, no training or any form of therapy. Just a full day spending some quality time together doing things they enjoyed. "Do you have your list ready?"
"I have three movies that I'd like to see, technically four if we'd re-watch one before watching the second movie," Bucky admitted as he reached for the empty plates, but before he could pick them up they were taken by Clint and Bruce.
"The cook doesn't do the dishes," Clint gently pushed him towards Steve. "These movies you are going to watch, is that a date exclusively for old people?"
"You youngsters are more than welcome to join if you think you won't fall asleep during movies not packed with explosives and special effects," Bucky shot back cheerfully, grinning when Clint barked out a laugh and patted his shoulder.
It was something they had already discussed in the event the others learned of their plans and neither Steve nor Bucky had any objection to their presence so Steve simply smiled as Clint cheered.
"Which movies are you going to watch?" Tony asked as Clint and Bruce put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
"Mary Poppins, Watership Down and Return to Oz."
"They made a second movie of The Wizard of Oz?" Steve had fond memories of the movie, having gone see it with Bucky back before the war had changed everything.
"Sam said so. He said we might enjoy it when I told him we both liked the first one," Bucky handed Thor's empty plate over to Clint. "And I'm fairly sure you remember the Mary Poppins books?"
"The two Mary had you read to her over and over again despite being very capable of reading on her own?"
"That's the one. There are a total of eight books now along with a movie apparently based upon the first four books," Bucky looked up to the ceiling. "Did I remember what you told me correctly, Jarvis?"
"You did indeed," Jarvis answered. "There is also a musical based upon the movie that came out in 2004 and plans for a sequel to the original movie to be released in 2018."
"Right. But I figured we could first watch the movie and see if we like it before delving into the possibilities of on stage performances," Bucky smiled. "Besides, Peggy promised me the songs are addictive enough as it is."
"She would know," Steve chuckled; well aware of the frequent contact Bucky had with their old friend despite the woman's failing memory. "What is Watership Down about?"
"Tears and terror," Bruce promptly answered, smiling sheepishly when they all looked at him confused. "I watched it as child and it scared me."
"It is that bad a movie?" Bucky asked worriedly but Tony shook his head.
"No, it's actually quite a good movie. But for a children's movie it is rather gruesome," Tony chuckled. "I loved it as a child, though."
"The book is rather nice," Bruce added. "Have you read it?"
"Nat gave it to me and I liked it well enough, so I am curious to the movie," Bucky admitted as he turned to Steve. "What movies did you have in mind to add to that?"
"The Godfather trilogy. A recommendation from Sam as well, actually," Steve laughed. "But I promised him we'd not watch those before he's here as he wanted to see them as well again."
"Then we'll start with mine and start with those once Sam arrives."
"That's a lot of movies to be watching in one day," Bruce warned. "You won't be able to do anything else today."
"That's the general idea," Bucky smiled. "Just a day spending quality time together without having any obligations other than to just be together."
"That sounds like a very nice plan. I'll bring the popcorn," Clint grinned.
"Then I'll bring M&M's," Natasha piped up.
"We've just had breakfast," Bruce protested even as he automatically retrieved bowls and glasses.
"If you are not going to eat, then there will just be more for us," Tony pulled bags of potato chips out of the cupboard and dumped them in the basket Bucky produced out of nowhere so they could easily carry it all.
"Do you have a preference of what movie to watch first, Sergeant?" Jarvis' voice rang out and after a very short debate, they decided on Mary Poppins first. "Very well, the movie is ready to start when you are."
"Thank you Jarvis," Bucky smiled as they entered the dimly lit movie room where surprisingly enough there was a massive soft fort of mattresses and pillows awaiting them and Bucky sheepishly smiled. "I might have counted on you all to join us and since we'll be in here all day, we might as well get comfortable, right?"
"It looks even more comfortable than it did when we were setting this up," Natasha beamed as she wrapped her arms around Bucky's waist and pulled him close for a long moment.
"It does. I did thank you for your help, didn't I?" Bucky returned her hug happily enough as she nodded before taking Steve's hand and pulling him into the fortress.
"This looks amazing, Buck," Steve breathed out as they got comfortable and the others found a spot of their own around them.
"I remembered how we used to make fortresses in your living room when we were little and listen to the plays on the radio and kind of watched to do that again," Bucky's smile was bright enough to light up the sky and Steve was fairly sure he would agree to conquer the world just to keep that smile in place.
"It's a lot softer than I remember," Steve wrapped an arm around Bucky as the other snuggled against him comfortably, the position both familiar and comforting as his body heat soaked into Steve's side.
"It should be. I think we commandeered every spare mattress Tony owns."
"If this is what you do with my possessions, you are welcome to do so more often," Tony piped up from Bucky's other side, having found a comfortable spot there.
"I'll keep that in mind," Bucky chuckled as Tony raised his thumbs at him while burrowing deeper into the soft mattresses. "Jarvis? We're all set."
"Have fun," immediately the opening titles began playing and they all fell silent as music began to play.
As the movie played, Steve couldn't help but smile as words from long ago suddenly popped up in his mind.
Bucky's eyes met his curiously and Steve leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "Think you could have imagined this when you told me in that alley that we were going to the future?"
He clearly remembered it as well as he squeezed Steve's hand. "We might've come here through difficult paths, but at least we're here together."
"Till the end of the line," Steve smiled as blue eyes sparkled warmly at him and without thinking about he, he dropped a kiss into Bucky's soft hair before pulling him closer against his side.
"Till the end of the line," Bucky breathed against his collarbone, entwining their fingers together before returning his attention to the movie and Steve smiled once more as he relished in the company of his most precious person beside him and their self-made family all around them.