After the tenth house that the agent showed him in a two-day period, Bucky just began walking in and right back out in less than five minutes. Sarah and May were tag teaming him and often he'd leave them in the house with the real estate agent friend of May's debating whether he should get it.
It didn't take long for Bucky to realize that May was also using the house hunting as a set-up for the agent, Melissa, to meet Bucky. The first day it was just the two of them and she seemed to know excessive amounts of things about him and his life, including things he suspected were not out in the public domain. Many times, she hinted at him being single and reminded him how single she was, like she expected him to ask her out. And she touched him on the hand, arm, and shoulder excessively, even his lower back once. She was pretty, he supposed, but not his type. Mainly, he didn't think she realized how disrupted his life was at the moment. He couldn't handle dating normally, there was no way he could do it with this additional stress. He had just gotten his life to a semi-stable point.
So, the next day, he brought a buffer with him, or rather he brought four: Sam, Sarah, and her boys. The kids ended up being useless as buffers because they were off and running around the house and outside exploring. But at least they helped him see the house through kids' eyes and the dangers the house had. Sam kept suggesting he just take Melissa out until Bucky threatened to throw him out of the car. Sam just wanted Bucky away from Sarah.
What it all boiled down to was Bucky wanted to find a house and get it setup, not find a date. He became a guardian to three children less than a day ago, not to mention a designer dog, so the only woman he needed in his life was likely a nanny. And he wasn't hard-set on the nanny being female. Just someone who knew what they were doing that wouldn't expect him to be social all the time.
Bucky got frustrated soon into the process. Every house he looked at was wrong. When he picked his apartment, it took him looking at two different apartments and he took the second one. He needed little. But constantly in his mind were these three kids who have lost everything and are being sent away from everyone and everything they knew to live with a complete stranger. So, this house had to be perfect.
It may have been the twenty-first home or the thirtieth. He gave up counting. But the last house they planned to see was a rent to own, so if they wanted to stay, they could. From the outside, it looked like his grandma's house, which scored instant points with him. The real estate agent warned him it was almost one hundred years old. Chuckling, he told her that wasn't a problem. It was on a narrow but deep lot. There was a driveway, and the fenced-in backyard with a storage building or workroom. The yard wasn't huge, but it was a decent size plus the driveway extended past the gate so the kids could ride bikes or skate within the fence. Or maybe he would install a basketball ring.
His favorite part was the porches. There were two, one on the front of the house that went all the way across and had a porch swing and one on the back side that was screened in. He had hoped for a brick house and this one was mostly brick. Only the front side was wooden siding. The porch was so large, the kids could play there or the back porch or even the front yard. This was also safest section of Brooklyn. He could hear kids laughing and screaming close-by, plus he saw two neighbors talking in the driveway. They nodded to him when he looked over. Seemed friendly enough without being intrusive, at least he hoped. The house was at the end of the street so they only had one direct neighbor. It appeared they were a family, judging by the kids bikes and toys in the backyard.
Going in the house, Bucky liked the layout. He could tell that May and Sarah weren't as swayed as he was. With all the appliances, including washer and dryer provided, it was easier for him too.
"The bathrooms and kitchen need to be updated. And the hardwood floors need to be restored. But it does have the nice built-in shelves in the living room, a hutch in dining room, and two of the bedrooms upstairs have built-in desks and shelves. There is also full basement which is rare for this area and even a walk-up attic," Melissa pointed out. When she led him upstairs, he saw the master bedroom was large but the other two bedrooms were pretty small.
"I'll put the girls together in the master. I really don't need much space," Bucky remarked. The two bathrooms, one upstairs and one down, were old and as she said in need of an update but nothing he couldn't do. Sam took him to the basement to point out the Man Cave potential.
Standing on the front porch again, Melissa pointed out a bit more of the area. "The school is about two blocks away so your niece could walk or ride the school bus. A Catholic and a Christian school are between five and seven blocks in different directions, if you prefer private schools. And there is a very large city park and rec center across the street and up three blocks. They have playgrounds, cookout areas, dog parks, just about everything in the park plus the Rec center has a pool with swim lessons in summer, after-school care during the school year and a day camp in the summer. There is even a large public library within walking distance. And good news, the dog is allowed." Melissa didn't appear thrilled about this house. It wasn't as fancy and modern as the others she had shown him. But Bucky wasn't a fancy and modern kind of guy. This house felt like a family home to him and he really needed that feeling to go into this.
"Buck, I checked the crime in this area and it's really low," Sam told him. "And no sex offender within ten to fifteen miles."
"I'll take it. Can I start moving things in tonight? I want to paint the living room because it needs it," Bucky said, examining the window air conditioner which sounded like it was on its last leg. "I am going to go to a furniture rental store to get some furniture since I have none." He'd let the girls pick out the color of their room. Maybe he can paint the baby's room if he had time.
"I can get you in tonight with the deposit and two months' rent," Melissa pulled out her phone and started dialing the agent on the house.
"Man, we can help you paint. Sarah is the painting queen. I can help paint or move things, whatever you need," Sam offered, wrapping his arm around Sarah's shoulder. "And we'll find some use for AJ and Cass."
"I can help. Just tell me when and where. Peter will be glad to help too," May insisted. "He doesn't know it but he will be thrilled to help."
"I appreciate everything. I'm grateful for everyone's help," Bucky said, feeling very humbled and awkward. Since he left his parents' house for the war, he never received much help from people except T'Challa, Shuri, and Steve. But now Sam's family treated him like one of them and May, who Sam had brought into his life as well, was so generous in helping him.
Upon confirmation that he had the house, Bucky and Sam went to a furniture rental store. As much as he appreciated the ladies' help, he felt like if he brought everyone, it would be madness. Sam mainly went around the store, sitting on different sofas and in recliners.
Realizing that he had no idea what the children liked or what they would want to bring from their parents' home, he decided to wait on the furniture for their rooms. Surely the baby had a crib or something if he needed to get a new one. Bucky found a table and chairs for the dining room and after Sam's urging, he bought a bed and chest of drawers for his own room. Apparently, him sleeping on the floor would look weird to the kids. Sam also talked him into a big entertainment center, TV, tables, and a very comfortable sofa and chairs for the living room. It was easier to rent it than having Sam demonstrate again how nice the sofa was by lying down or propping his feet up. He fully expected him to strip down to his boxers to demonstrate it. Arranging for everything to be delivered tomorrow afternoon, he and Sam moved on to a department store.
Bucky now had more towels, dishes, pots and pans, and small kitchen appliances than his mother and both grandmothers had owned combined. Every time he hesitated on anything; Sam pushed him. He was like a kid in a candy store. He should have brought Sarah. She was used to saying no to little kids.
"Get one of these," Sam insisted, handing him a box.
"Why on earth do I need this? It makes coffee. I have a coffeemaker." Bucky put it back on the shelf only to have Sam pull it back out.
"This one only takes a minute and its all contained in a pod…"
Bucky sighed loudly. "Sam, I am not really in that much of a hurry about my coffee. I start the coffee, I take a shower and get dressed, and then I have coffee. No pod required. Wait, what do you mean it comes in a pod? What comes in a pod?" He began reading the box but when Sam started pointing out all the flavored coffees he could get, Bucky put it down and walked away. Quickly.
Sarah texted him about the child proofing. He had a man scheduled to come next week to set up all the proofing and security he needed since Tessa was hearing impaired. But Sarah sent him a list he needed to have when the baby and Tessa arrived. Sending Sam for a third shopping cart, he started loading up on painting brushes, rollers, and trays. He felt like he was on autopilot at this point. The struggle to not panic about this instant family was constant. Sam and Sarah were both positive and happy for him. May was ecstatic, but she barely knew him.
Missing his big family, Bucky suddenly felt very alone. He also wished Steve was here. Steve might give him a cheerful, rousing, speech that made him feel like he could do it or at least amuse him. But more than that, Steve would believe in him. Although Sam believed in him, he didn't know Bucky as well as Steve did. He'd spent his childhood around his little sisters, his younger cousins, and Steve witnessed how he was. But that was all before.
Most people these days had their lives divided up into before and after the Blip. Bucky's life was before and after his fall from the train, when his hell began.
Was he a fool to think he could do this? That he could help these kids? Or to hope that these children might come to like him some day? He was realistic about not expecting them to become a family but if he was honest about it, he wanted that more than anything.
"You good, man?" Sam asked from beside him. Bucky didn't know how long he'd been standing there.
"This is too much." He held a dozen strips of paint colors and stood staring at the rack.
"Too many colors?" Sam asked, studying the paint rack and Bucky's face.
"Yes. No. I mean, yes there are too many colors, how many colors of white are there? But no, that's not what I meant. I'm talking about everything. I realized I forgot dog food but I don't know what it eats. I don't even know the dog's name. Do I need a dog bed? What if one of the kids is allergic to all of the things I bought? What about music? Do the girls need a radio in their room? Oh, never mind, Tessa is deaf. I forgot she is deaf!" Bucky threw down the paint strips.
Sam quickly grabbed his shoulder. "It's a lot, I know. But you've already found a new house, gotten furniture, you're getting all this household stuff, and if you forget something, you can come back for it. You need to meet the kids and find out what they like before you get a lot of things. I like your ideas about waiting on their furniture and paint for their rooms. They will like that too. You're doing good so far. It's been a long day with a lot of decisions so its stressful. We'll finish up here. Sarah and I will take you out to eat. A beer and good food, you'll feel better."
Bucky nodded and let him help him pick out paint. They grabbed inflatable mattresses for the girls until he got their furniture, two replacement window ACs, and finally checked out and headed to Bucky's apartment. Thankfully Sam had rented an SUV for the time that Sarah was in town.
Bucky was able to pack up his things in an hour. The apartment had been furnished when he moved in so he just had his clothes, a few personal belongings, and a gun safe. He'd have to remember to call his landlord tomorrow. They went to the house to unload everything and Sarah handed him the keys.
"You doing okay Bucky?" she asked.
"Sure," he lied with a smile. She studied his face for a minute then nodded.
"I wanted to tell you. I have a twenty-year-old cousin. I think you've met her at one of the family get-togethers. Anyway, she's not thrilled about living with her mother and step-dad. She has been the family go to for a babysitter for years and worked in a special needs school for the last two years. When I told her what happened, she said she'd love to come here and help. She wanted to know if you wanted a nanny. I think the thought of a change in scenery and New York City is tempting for her. You're welcome to Facetime and talk to her," she said, then smiled. "I know it's a big decision to make about someone living in your house, especially a young woman. But she's a very sweet and good, decent girl. She would respect your space and be good with the kids."
Bucky thought for a moment. He'd have to have someone living in his house with his three kids. "I'll talk to her tomorrow if you don't mind arranging it."
"You could convert the basement into an apartment or the attic into another bedroom," Sam suggested. "Whether is Breanna or not, you'll probably want the nanny to have her own space that's away from yours."
"Okay, I'll figure out all of that tomorrow. I want that beer and food you promised me. I'll even buy since you guys have helped me out so much. Boys, what do you guys want?"
"Pizza!" AJ and Cass screamed, running towards the door.
x0x0x
When they arrived back at the house, after they started going through the stuff he bought, Bucky's phone rang. He saw it was a number from Tennessee and he answered it quickly. After a few moments of silence, he heard a young girl's soft voice ask if he was Bucky Barnes.
"Yes, this is Bucky. Is this Amy?" He smiled to himself. Stepping outside, he sat down on the porch steps.
"They said we could call you and ask you questions," she explained. "Do you have Facetime? Tessa wants to read your lips."
"I do. Hold on." He switched it to Facetime and saw them for the first time, other than pictures. He signed a greeting to Tessa and her face brightened and she started signing back rapidly. Chuckling, he said, "I'm not nearly as good as her so you might need to translate, Amy."
"She's asking about things she wants to bring to your house. She wants to bring everything in her room I think, and her bike, but she's not very good at riding it yet." Amy replied and signed back at Tessa. Bucky bit back a laugh when Tessa started showing a bit of attitude to her sister.
"You guys can bring whenever you want here. And I have a house for us now and there's a place where she can get better at riding," he told her, signing slowly. He wished he had worked on signing more frequently, because he had gotten rusty.
Both girls got quiet before Amy seemed to gather her courage. "Some kids here said you're a superhero and a few of them said you're part robot," she said hesitantly and he saw some fear in her eyes.
Bucky tried to decide how to answer the first comment. He shrugged off his jacket and pulled up his t-shirt sleeve to show her his arm. "I had an accident a long time ago, and I lost my arm, so I have a metal arm now. But I'm not a robot, I promise. I don't know if I'm considered a superhero. I just try to help people."
Amy nodded. "My mom and dad said you were a hero, too. They said you helped save the world after the Blip, with the Avengers. But I wasn't sure about the robot story."
Feeling suddenly so protective of her, Bucky told her, "Amy, I know this is scary for you, coming to live in a strange town, in a strange home, and with a strange man. And you've been through a lot. I can't promise to fix that or that I'd do everything right, but we're going to work this out together, okay? You can ask me anything you need to."
"Are you going to let us bring Milo and Otis? I promise I'll take care of them and they won't bother you.""
"Amy, I'm not sure who Milo and Otis are?" Bucky had a bad feeling there was a cat involved.
"Otis is our dog and Milo is our cat. They said you probably wouldn't let us bring two animals, so they didn't mention that cat. He's the best cat, I promise." her voice had raised to pleading level and Tessa had begun signing to him about the cat.
He had a feeling he was never going to be able to resist these girls. "Yes, you can bring the cat and dog. Please tell me that's all the animals though or I might need to get a bigger house."
"That's all of them." Amy had the biggest smile on her face that made it worth suffering through another pet.
Sarah came out and asked him something, then saw the girls. "Oh, this must be Amy and Tessa! You two are much prettier than your pictures, even. And I like those pajamas, Tessa. I have a feeling Bucky is going to spoil you both rotten." She smacked Bucky on the shoulder. "Sign what I said." As he did, she put her head in the house to yell for Sam.
"Is that your girlfriend?" Amy asked, seeming a bit shy again.
"No, she's a friend and also a sister to my friend. She lives far away so you won't see her much she came up here to help me get ready for you guys to move in. You'll like her. Everyone does." Sam came and sat beside him and kept getting in the way of the screen. "This is my friend, Sam. I apologize for him."
"You're Captain America," Amy said with awe. "Well, you're not the original one, but you're the new one, right?"
"Yes, I am. Hello girls," Sam said with a big smile. "I will still be in town when you get here so I will meet you in person in a few days."
Tessa was pulling on Amy's arm to get her attention and then started signing furiously. "No," Bucky said with a laugh. "He cannot take you flying."
"Why not?" Sam asked. "It's not like I'd drop her."
Bucky just glared at him, turning the phone away, not wanting to scare the girls by being mean to him.
"Sam, let Bucky talk to them alone some more." Sarah bent over Bucky. "Good night girls. We will see you when you get here. Be good."
"She's the boss, so I better go," Sam teased. "Goodnight ladies."
After they went inside, Bucky looked at the phone in time to see Tessa rubbing her eyes. "I think someone is sleepy. Is it late for you two?"
"She goes to bed earlier than me. I'm eleven so I can stay up later. We just can't be in the TV room." She looked very sad suddenly.
"Is everything okay at your foster home?" he asked, very concerned about horrible things that happen in those places sometimes.
Amy hesitated for a few minutes before saying, "Nothing bad has happened. There are a lot of kids here and they have always been here since they were little. It's just scary."
"Well, tomorrow is your last night there. I'll be there in the morning the day after tomorrow and then after we pack your stuff, we'll be coming up here. It might still be scary because you don't know me yet and I'm not one of your parents but you'll be the only kids here so you don't have to worry about that."
She turned to look at someone out of sight for him and nodded. "We have to go. Tessa has to go to bed."
"Okay. I'm glad you called so we're not complete strangers when I arrive. And just remember, we're in this together and we'll figure everything out somehow, okay? Sweet dreams, Amy." He signed a good night to Tessa, who was sucking her thumb at this point.
"Thanks…what should I call you? My brother has the same name but they call him Jaimie."
"What do you want to call me? My friends call me Bucky, but if you want to say Uncle or Cousin or something else, I'm okay with that too."
She thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "I'm not really supposed to call adults by their first name but if it's not being rude, I'm going to call you Bucky."
"I don't think you're being rude. But maybe not do it with other adults until you know for sure. Okay? You sleep tight, Amy. I'll see you the day after tomorrow. Call me again if you need to ask anything else. It doesn't matter what time," Bucky told her with a gentle smile, then signed good-bye to Tessa again.
After they disconnected, Bucky thought about them with a smile. Tessa was a little doll, but she clearly had some sass to her. Typical Barnes female trait. Maybe males too. But Amy didn't appear the troubled girl the social worker claimed she was. Hopefully, she would be okay. He already felt responsible for their happiness.
"You know you deserve some happiness, Bucky." Sarah walked by him on the steps, then sat beside him. "What you did in your past was beyond your control and you've made amends. You've done more than that. And people consider you a hero."
"So many bodies piled at my feel is hard to just get over in this short time," he admitted, taking the beer she held out to him.
"You want to do right by those kids?"
"Of course. But I don't know that I can…"
Sarah shook her head. "Listen to me, James Bucky Barnes. You're the only one who holds so much doubt about you. We all think you deserve happiness. But if you don't accept that, then you might fail those kids." Reaching out, she grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "I know from experience how much a child can heal you and restore your faith in yourself, how much hope they can bring you. And. they will find solace in you. Please, for your sake and theirs, go into this willing to love them and eventually let them love you." Bucky thought about it for a moment, then nodded. She gave him a side hug, then went into the house again.
It's not that he didn't appreciate everything she said, or that he wasn't grateful when people believed he deserved good things. He just still wasn't sure himself. The nightmares had lessened but not ended. His mind seemed constantly sifted through his past, trying to remember what was real, what was the Winter Soldier, and what was him. Sometimes he worried that he'd done things as Bucky, not just as the Winter Soldier. There was always that space in between, where he fought the brainwashing and his memories came back, but there was so much confusion, he still did as they ordered the Winter Soldier to do. But other times he knew he had just been a hostage in his mind. Forced to watch but unable to stop the actions of his other self.
The sight of death was horrendous. Seeing someone take their last breath or the light in their eyes fading after they looked at him, questioning why he had killed them. The fires he'd caused, the smell of burning flesh, the smell of blood, the screaming and the cries would never leave him, the begging for mercy. But even if he got through the heinous acts he had committed, he would likely never escape the feeling of losing himself and someone else taking over, totally powerless to stop it, and being a prisoner in his own mind. At more than one point he had wished for death but he couldn't make it happen. He had committed crimes against his country, the country he fought for back when he was still Bucky Barnes. The pain of torture, the experimenting, and so many memory wipes still haunted him.
Shuri had warned him that once he was rid of the mind control, any suppressed memories might be more likely to come back to him and all of the ones that had faded below multiple layers or memories of the Winter Soldier would become much more vivid. She had been right. In the beginning he had often been paralyzed by them. His friends in Wakanda had helped him get through some and even his therapist here had helped when he let her in. But now the person he depended on the most to talk about it after Wakanda was gone.
Bucky always wanted Steve to have happiness and love. He just didn't realize that he couldn't find it in the same world that they were in. Of course, he told his friend that he should follow his heart. He couldn't be the one to ask him to stay. For six months though, he had been completely alone except his shrink. Sam had texted but during that time, Sam had always been Steve's friend, not Bucky's so he really didn't think to talk to him. It took the job with the Flag Smashers to realize that they could be friends without Steve. He started opening up a bit more to others. But raising three traumatized children? That seemed impossible.
Unless he was able to provide the type of home he'd grown up in or the type that the children had grown up in, he would feel like he had failed them. Daily he missed his family and felt their absence. His mother was great. She always hugged her kids and never seemed to forget anything they liked and things they were interested in. If they told her they loved her, she'd say she loved them more. She had written him every day when he was in the Army, both basic and overseas. Sometimes he wouldn't be where she sent them and he'd end up getting a bunch at one time. When he had been captured in World War II and thought dead, they notified his parents. Once he returned the Army sent a telegraph that he was alive. She wrote to him about her devastation and how she went to church twice a day to pray for his safety. Steve said she took the news of his death after he fell from the train with some skepticism. Then she wrote to Steve that if she and his father couldn't be there with James, she was glad Steve was there. He wouldn't have wanted to die any other way than by his friend's side. She died soon after the war ended. He didn't know what happened as Steve was frozen then and no one who knew was still living. He took flowers to her grave beside his dad and her oldest daughter, who was born two years after Bucky.
While His father hadn't been one for hugging and physical affection towards him, Bucky never doubt how much his father loved him. He spent a lot of his free time with Bucky as far back as he could remember. They would build model planes and cars. He taught him how to ride a bike and went to every sporting event when he played. If he wanted to play basketball, his father got him a ball and went to the courts down the street with him every day. He bought him a bag and boxing gloves when Bucky kept getting in fights, thinking it would channel some of that into something constructive. He ended up a three-time champion at the YMCA. Bucky's love of motorcycles came from his father as well. He had only seen his father cry once and that was when Bucky left for the war. When Bucky's grandmother died shortly after Bucky was captured and assumed dead, his father suffered a heart-attack. He survived but he had to cut back on a lot of the activities he loved. The final letter to Steve from his mom after he died mentioned how his father seemed like half the man he had once been. His sisters were getting married and leaving home and Bucky was never to return. Bucky felt like he had destroyed his family but Steve pointed out that a lot of soldiers' families had a hard time facing the deaths.
Almost as much as his parents, he missed his sisters. They were just really close with each other and their extended families, which was why it was so easy to lump Steve in with all the Barnes family. One more kid was hardly noticed. Steve was not only accepted but really liked. Though these children never met Mary and unlikely knew anew anything about his sister, Bucky still felt he owed it to her to give them as normal of a childhood as he and his sisters had enjoyed.
Part of the reason he wanted to stay in Brooklyn was his sense of home here that he never felt anywhere else. This house was probably only a fifteen-minute walk from his old neighborhood. He wanted to give part of his childhood to Amy, Tessa, and Jaimie, so they grew up knowing that they were loved despite losing their parents. Not only did he owe it to his sister Mary but he owed it to those three kids.
x0x0x
Bucky actually relaxed and had fun while they had their little painting party. May brought Peter, his friend Nate, and Happy, who Bucky now remembered was Stark's right-hand man. May, Sarah, and Happy ended up leaving the other guys on the first floor which led to much laughter. Sam insisted that Peter climb the walls to reach the ceiling. Then he persuaded Peter and Nate to have a couple of beers. Poor kids had never really cut loose and misbehaved, in a normal kid way so Sam took it upon himself to fix that. Bucky knew then not to let Sam be around his kids when they hit their teenage years.
After they finished painting the bathroom and the baby's room upstairs, May came downstairs and found out about the beer and lit both Sam and Bucky up. He didn't even mention it wasn't him. It didn't help when Nate rushed outside and started throwing up.
Sam smiled at May and replied, "He must have a stomach flu."
Bucky tried turning on the charm, which cooled her down for a few minutes until Peter started being a loud and obnoxious drunk.
Peter put his arm around Bucky's shoulders and told him, "I love you man. I used to think you didn't like you. I mean me. But you're great." Bucky would remove his arm then have to catch him before he fell. At least the kid didn't get sick.
"You love Sam too. And your Aunt May. Don't you?" Bucky pushed him in Sam's direction. "I cannot believe you're such a bad influence. People expect it from me."
"I do love you too, man," Peter said, hugging Sam.
"You two have fun. If he starts to puke, make sure he does it outside."
To avoid May's fussing and Peter's hugging, Bucky went and helped Sarah clean the kitchen. He was a bit of a neat freak, but not nearly as much as she was.
"Why are you putting the skillets there? That makes no sense," Sarah said, gathering them up and putting them on the counter. He came up behind her and, as soon as she was finished, moved them back. She made a list of all the things he needed.
"I'm not running a gourmet kitchen here," he pointed out, reading the list. "A huller, four different slicers, and what the hell is a salad spinner? A pancake batter dispenser? Don't people use knives to slice things or pour pancake batter from the bowl anymore? Honestly, I'm not sure I want my salads spun. Is that the same thing as tossing your salads?"
Sarah burst out laughing. "No! It's not the same thing as tossing your salad. That's a gross sexual habit. You might not want to mention it to others before you find out what it is."
'That explains why that waitress looked at me funny."
"You're terrible." She pulled the list from him. "Welcome to this century, Old Man. We do things the easy way so we have time for the internet and junk reality shows."
Bucky smiled for a moment before saying, "Young Lady, this century sucks." He reached out and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. "Thank you for all of this. You're the best. No matter what Sam says about you." Sarah laughed into his shoulder.
"What are you two doing?" Sam demanded as he walked in. "Two feet apart at all times, Barnes."
"We're running off together," Sarah said, snuggling into Bucky's chest. "You know I've always had a thing for older men."
"Mom, that's disgusting," AJ said as he and Cass walked past.
"Man, I'll kill you later. You need to come out here and help me. Peter is doing tricks and things. I'm afraid he's going to break his neck. Practice your parenting skills and get Spiderman off the walls."
Bucky shook his head and followed Sam back into the living room. "This is why you don't give beer to children, Sam."
x0x0x
After everyone left, Bucky finished cleaning the painting supplies and took a shower. He loved the water pressure, so he took a really long relaxing shower. Then he threw on some shorts, grabbed a beer and walked outside. The house looked pretty good, considering he'd been in it less than twelve hours. There were a few more rooms to paint, window ACs to put in, furniture to set up and child proofing to install, but with Sam and Sarah, he felt he could knock it out.
He loved having a place to sit outside. Unlike many people, he didn't enjoy quiet outside. The sounds of Brooklyn soothed him. People talking loud, yelling to someone outside their house, and laughing inside, music, and cars driving by were more peaceful to him than silence, mostly because silence reminded him of Siberia. Out here he could also hear crickets and watch lightening bugs. It brought back old memories. He wondered if kids still collected them in jars.
In less than forty-eight hours, his life was flipped upside down. But he actually started feeling more excited than terrified after the girls called. He knew his life was going to change, including his habit of flying off to Sokovia or Louisiana as he needed to. Even with a full-time nanny living here, he wouldn't want to leave the kids overnight very often. And he needed to call Scott so he could find out what he did to keep his family off the public's radars. He never cared if anyone knew where he lived before.
His phone vibrated, and he looked down to see a text from Sam. 'Are you really sexting my sister?! Do you know how wrong that is? You better hope she's imagining things. Especially after what she just told me about a picture of you.' Geez, he really needed to talk to Sarah about pushing Sam's buttons. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. Hitting reply, he texted, 'What can I say? I'm a super soldier in more ways than one. I'm goddamn impressive.'
Smiling, he rose and went into the house. As tired as he was, he actually thought he'd sleep through the night tonight. His phone buzzed again, and he regretted answering Sam. Glancing down it was Sarah sending a bunch of laughing emojis. Followed by another one from Sam: 'I hate you'.
Life seemed back to normal for now.