A/N: I'm going to put a longer note at the end, but for now, please enjoy =)
Bucky cracked one eye open, surprised to find that he had fallen back asleep.
That usually never happened. Slowly, stretching out his back, Bucky stood up from the couch an shut the TV off, cutting Hogan off mid-laugh.
Yawning slightly, he headed into the kitchen to try and start on a batch of pancakes.
Since it was already 6:30, Bucky figured Liam would be up soon. If he was anything like Steve, the kid would be wide-awake and ready to start the day at 7 on the dot.
Bucky laughed a little to himself when he thought back to his teenage years. The early wake-up call had always been a point of contention between himself and Steve.
Bucky used to like his sleep. Not so much anymore. It was easier to block out the bad when you were awake.
He dropped a metal bowl to the counter with a louder bang than he intended.
Bucky paused for a second, but when he didn't hear any noise coming from Liam's room, he moved on, searching the fridge for the ingredients he could remember when into pancakes.
He got as far as flour, eggs and blueberries before his memory craped out on him.
"Katherine's got to have a recipe book around here somewhere," Bucky muttered, opening and closing cabinets.
After a ten minute search turned up nothing, Bucky remembered that stark had programmed his computer butler to work anywhere in the Tower.
So, feeling very stupid, Bucky muttered, "JARVIS?"
A slight crackle and then the pleasant British voice came from nowhere and everywhere, "Yes, Sargent Barnes?"
Bucky coughed at the use of his old rank. Somehow he didn't think that the US Army would want him known as a Sargent.
"Uh," he addressed JARVIS, "Could you remind me what the ingredients are for blueberry pancakes?"
"Certainly, sir," JARVIS announced, and Bucky was pretty sure he heard the hint of a laugh.
Shaking his head (After all the incredible things he'd seen since rejoining his best friend, Stark's talking butler always amused and confused him.), Bucky pulled the ingredients out as JARVIS listed them.
"Thank you, JARVIS," Bucky said, once he had all the ingredients laid out on the counter.
"My pleasure, sir. Do not hesitate to call if you need any more assistance," JARVIS waited for Bucky's acknowledgement and then disappeared, leaving the apartment strangely silent.
"Weird," Bucky frowned, ripping open packages and pouring flour into a bowl.
Here went nothing.
Bucky was so focused on measuring and mixing his pancake batter, he didn't hear Liam get up until the boy was padding down the hallway.
"Mommy," his voice was getting louder as he came closer to the kitchen, "I think that maybe there's a pigeon in my—"
His voice broke off as he took in the sight of his uncle cooking.
Bucky looked up and grinned at the kid, "Hey, pal. Sleep good?"
Liam let out a little whoop and ran full tilt at Bucky, shouting, "UNCLE BUCKY! I didn't know you were gonna be here!"
He was a few feet from the kitchen counter when he tripped over his too-long pajama bottoms.
Bucky was next to him in a second, even though Liam had already clambered back to his feet.
"You alright?" Bucky wrapped his hand –his real hand- around his de facto nephew's wrist.
Liam's eyes were bright, "Yeah, Uncle Bucky! I'm fine. I fall all the time. Daddy says I'm jus' a little klu-klu-klusty?"
Bucky laughed out loud, "Yeah, I think your Dad's right. I'll tell ya something though."
Liam trailed his uncle into the kitchen, puppy dog eyes in full effect, "What?"
"Your dad used to be the same way. Always tripping and getting into things he shouldn't have," Bucky shrugged, a small smile on his face.
Liam's eyes were wide, "But, but Daddy's….he's Daddy."
Liam's voice was reverent, and a blind person could have seen that the boy idolized his father.
"Yeah, but your dad wasn't always your dad. A long time ago he was just a kid," Bucky kept talking even as he turned back to the pancake batter.
"Like me?" Liam stretched his skinny little arms and grabbed onto the counter, scrambling up onto the barstool.
Bucky smiled, "Exactly like you, kid."
Liam grinned, incredibly pleased, and kicked his feet against the front of the bar, "I'm gonna grow up to be Daddy someday. And I'm gonna fight the bad guys!"
He threw his fist into the air so vehemently, his body almost toppled to the floor.
"Yeah?" Bucky asked, "I can see you doin' that."
Liam leaned across the counter to grab a stray blueberry, "Uncle Bucky?"
"Yeah?" Bucky scooped a spoonful of batter onto the skillet, grinning when it made a satisfying sizzling sound.
"You got white stuff in your hair. And on your face," Liam giggled.
Bucky brushed at his hair, and sure enough a dusting of flour fell out.
"Hey," he mock-teased the still giggling kid, "They don't teach ya how to be clean in the army."
"Your hair is so so so white! You look…as old as my grampa!" Liam shrieked, giggling like a mad man.
"If only you knew, kid. If only you knew," Bucky muttered, a wry smirk on his face.
He turned to catch a glimpse of himself in the glass of the oven. The flour wasn't covering his head; Liam had been exaggerating. But, there was enough white powder to make Bucky look like he had salt-and-pepper hair.
Huh, not so bad.
"Uncle Buckyyyyy…." Liam whined, "You're makin' my cakes into fire!"
Bucky spun on his heel, and sure enough, the pancakes on the skillet were smoking. Not on fire, but not edible.
"Damn," Bucky cursed before he could catch himself.
Liam grinned like that cat that ate the canary, "You said a bad word! Damn!"
Bucky frowned, "That's not something you should be saying, kid."
Liam thought for a minute, and then, "Damn!"
Bucky groaned, "Kid, your Dad's gonna kill me."
Liam clambered up onto the counter and crossed his legs, "I won't tell mommy and daddy if you let me have ice cream."
Bucky grunted, trying not to let his smile break through, "You're taking lessons from Natasha, aren't you?"
Liam shrugged, "Dunno."
Bucky dropped more batter onto the skillet, planning on watching them carefully this time.
He fiddled with the stove's knob while he thought of something.
"You know, I'd get really upset if you didn't try my pancakes. But maybe we can go out for ice cream after lunch?"
Liam tapped his index finger to his lip, "I don't want you to be sad. So I think that maybe I can fit in a little tiny pancake," he held his index and middle fingers half an inch apart, "Like maybe this big. 'Cause I wanna have lotsa room for ice cream!"
Bucky slid two regular sized pancakes onto a plate and dropped the plate into Liam's lap, "Eat those, kid. We'll talk about the ice cream."
Liam reached for the maple syrup and poured a very generous amount onto his pancakes before digging in, pulling the warm dough apart with his hands.
Bucky watched, fascinated, as the kid proceeded to smear syrup and butter all over his face. The blueberries stained his lips and the skin around his mouth.
"Good?" Bucky asked, stuffing a forkful of pancake into his own mouth.
"Mmhmm," Liam nodded, his mouth full, "'oo 'ake th' bsht pncashe evr! Bttr than Mmmy."
Little pieces of pancake flew out of Liam's mouth as he talked, but Bucky got the gist of what he had been saying.
"Thanks, pal. Good compliment comin' from you," Bucky turned to the refrigerator, "Want some milk?"
Liam swallowed the wad of food in his cheek, nodding, "Can I have chocolate?"
"I don't see why not," Bucky emerged with a carton of chocolate milk, and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet above the sink.
Once he set them on the counter, he noticed that they were both branded with the likeness of Iron Man.
One eyebrow raised, Bucky asked, "These a gift from Tony?"
Liam nodded, happily taking the proffered glass of milk, "Uncle Tony said it was so we wouldn't even have to miss him. Even when he's not in the 'partment, Iron Man is."
Bucky snorted into his milk. Leave it up to Stark to outfit other people's homes with Iron Man memorabilia.
Liam dropped the plate to the counter, "I'm done! Let's go get ice cream!"
"Why don't you change? OR do you want everyone to see your dinosaur pajamas?" Bucky asked, draining the last of his milk.
Liam moved to stand up on the counter, "I want EVERYONE to see my dinosaurs! I'm the ruler of the dinosaurs."
Bucky snorted again, lifting Liam under the armpits and putting him down on the floor, "Yeah, course you are. Dinosaur rulers wear jeans though."
"Really?" Liam regarded his uncle with a skeptical look.
Bucky nodded, "Yeah, really. They even brush their teeth."
Liam nodded, accepting his uncle's word as truth, and ran off down the hallway, whooping and hollering.
"That was well handled, Sargent," JARVIS' voice spoke suddenly, causing Bucky to jump.
"Uh, thanks," Bucky muttered, smiling a little to himself.
"Might I suggest cleaning up while young Mister Rogers is occupied? It will be easier when he's not underfoot."
"Yeah, uh, thanks JARVIS," Bucky started putting the dishes in the sink and throwing out the leftover batter.
He was wiping down the counter when Liam came back into the room.
"Hey, Uncle Bucky?"
Bucky looked up and smothered a laugh when he saw how Liam was dressed. The kid's jeans were on backwards, he had only one sock on, and his shirt was inside out and stuck on his head.
"Yeah?" Bucky was reluctant to help the kid out since Steve had mentioned that Liam was going through an independent stage a few weeks back.
"I jus' though of somethin' and I wanna know why?" Liam's voice was muffled as he tugged the red shirt down over his head.
His forehead creasing in confusion, Bucky asked, "Why what?"
"Why aren't Mommy and Daddy here?" he frowned, "Mommy always makes me cakes on Thorsday and how come you made 'em today? And I never got Daddy to check on the pigeon in my room and I think it mighta got friends."
"Uh…first of all, it's Thursday. Not Thorsday," Bucky started with the easiest thing to explain.
Liam shook his head, "No it's not. Uncle Thor said it was Thorsday!"
He stamped his foot on the ground and Bucky held up his hands, "Hey, okay, fine. Thorsday. Whatever."
"Good," Liam pouted, pulling his other sock from the pocket of his jeans and dropping to the floor.
"Where's Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, all of his attention focused on getting his foot into the sock.
The phone ringing saved Bucky from having to answer.
"Caller ID recognized Captain Rogers and Mrs. Rogers," JARVIS announced.
Bucky nodded, "Can you put it on speaker?"
"Certainly," JARVIS replied.
And then Steve's voice came through, "Buck? You there?"
"DADDY!" Liam exclaimed, jumping up from the floor and bouncing from foot to foot, "JARVIS said your name and then you talkeded."
Steve chuckled, "Yeah, pal. I did. Did you sleep well?"
Liam was looking all around the room, trying to find the source of his father's voice, "Kinda. I think there might be lotsa pigeons in my room and you weren't even here to look for them. So now they might be getting more and then I'm not ever gonna be able to go in there."
Bucky could tell that Steve was holding back laughter when he said, "I'm sure there's no pigeons in your room, but Uncle Bucky can check for you. And then I'll check double when I come home, okay?"
"Okay," Liam muttered, and then brightened, "Hey! Uncle Bucky maded my 'cakes this morning. They were even betterer than Mommy's! But don't tell her. She might get sad like Uncle Bucky did when I almost didn't eat."
"I won't tell Mommy. But did you eat your pancakes? We don't want Uncle Bucky sad, do we?" Steve took a gulp form his mug of coffee, smiling as he listened to his son recount the morning so far.
"Nope, I had two huuuuuggeeeeee pancakes!" Liam bounced around.
"Huuuugggeee pancakes, huh?" Steve laughed, "That should keep you full for all the fun that you and Uncle Bucky are going to have."
"Yep, me and Uncle Bucky are gonna do lotsa stuff," Liam jumped up and down on the couch, "Where's Mommy? How come you aren't here?"
Bucky dropped to the couch, an arm out to catch Liam if he fell. The long pause that Steve was taking told Bucky that he and Katherine hadn't exactly figured out what to tell Liam.
"Well, buddy, Mommy's still sleeping," Steve started, "She was up really late last night, you know, like when your tummy hurts and you don't want to sleep? And then the next morning all you want to do is sleep?"
"Yeah, is Mommy sick?" Liam bounced once more and then took a dive onto Bucky's lap.
"Oof," Bucky grunted, clamping his left arm around Liam's waist to keep him in place.
"No, Mommy's not sick," Steve hedged, "She's just very tired. We'll be home on Sunday morning, early enough to take you to church and for breakfast."
"Breakfast at the dinner!" Liam grinned, and Bucky didn't have the heart to correct him.
Steve laughed, "Yeah, pal. Can you be a good boy for Uncle Bucky until then?"
Liam looked at his uncle. Bucky gave him a crooked grin.
"Whattaya say, pal?"
"Yeah! I can be the bestest boy for Uncle Bucky! And I bet he'd even scare off the pigeons as good as you, Daddy!"
"I'll bet you're right, Liam. Uncle Bucky's pretty scary," Steve teased.
"Only to pigeons, Daddy. And bad guys! Not to me," Liam said, very seriously.
"Right," Steve said, sounding very proud of his son, "I've gotta go, pal. But I'll make sure Mommy calls you in a little bit, okay?"
"Yeah, I wanna tell her all about the pigeons in my room," he wiggled off of Bucky's lap and said, "Bye, Daddy! I love you," before running off into his room.
"What the hell is this kid's thing with pigeons?" Bucky asked as soon as Liam was out of earshot.
Steve sighed, "No clue. He's terrified of them when he sees them on the street, but yeah, we have no idea. Probably a phase. How was he this morning?"
"Fine," Bucky leaned back against the couch, "Ate his pancakes, laughed at the flour in my hair, brushed his teeth, dressed himself. Oh yeah, how do I get his clothes on the right way without insulting him?"
"Usually, I get dressed in front of him and as soon as he sees how my clothes are he changes his," Steve said, "He'll usually go down for a nap around 1 or 2, so just make sure whatever you do you're back to the Tower by then."
"Got it," Bucky nodded, "Anything else?"
"Nah, I think that's it. It's really up to the both of you what you do the next three days. He'll go with the flow, but if he gets an idea in his head, it'll be hard to convince him otherwise."
Steve broke off and covered the mouthpiece from the shuffling that Bucky heard. It sounded like he was talking to someone else on his end.
"Hey, Buck? I gotta go. Kit's up…and not in a good mood. We'll call and check in later, okay?"
"Sure," Bucky said, "I have that cell phone Stark gave me, so call there If we're out."
"Got it," Steve paused, "Thanks again."
"I've got your back, punk," Bucky laughed letting JARVIS hang up the line.
"Uncle Bucky? Can you come and look for pigeons?" Liam called out.
Bucky stood up from the couch and called back, "Coming, pal!"
How did he go from fighting Nazis to becoming a brainwashed HYDRA assassin to scaring imaginary pigeons from a four-year-old's bedroom?
And why was he so happy about it?
He headed down the hallway with a smile on his face.
A/N: Okay, so I love writing this story. Like a lot. I am, however, still trying to figure out how to write Bucky and Steve, to an extent. So I'd love, love, love constructive criticism. I'm also going to put out a request for anyone to create a cover for this story…if you would be so kind as to create one, you can leave it in my Tumblr submission (inbelikovwetrust). You can also leave me prompts there and maybe ideas of where you'd like to see Liam and Bucky head out on their three day bonding time =)
Please leave a review….they really make my day (and write faster!)
