3. Haircuts

Peter bounced along the Queens' street with Bucky striding at his side, chattering about his patrol there the night before—how being able to fly in and out of Queens so he could still patrol was one of the many great things about The Stones and how he'd saved a cat which was trapped in a sewer grate. Remembering how it had been before, when Peter had no idea what The Stones were or what was coming for him, Bucky was relieved to finally be in a place in which he never had to lie or hide things again.

"We're here," Peter said when they reached the barbershop.

"The candy cane posts gave it away," Bucky quipped.

Peter elbowed him then pushed the door open and entered. An elderly man paused in his sweeping of the floor and looked around at them. His face broke into a beaming smile, and he spread his arms. "Peter Parker! You're finally here. And it's evidently long overdue that you sat in a barber's chair."

Peter grinned. "Hey, Mr. Clarke. I know it's been a while. I was so busy, and I didn't want anyone else to touch my hair but you."

Mr. Clarke examined him critically and said, "Well, it looks like I've got my work cut out for me today. Take a seat, young man."

Peter sat in the leather padded chair, but Bucky lurked by the door, a little unsure. Peter clapped a hand to his forehead and said, "Sorry. Mr. Clarke, this is my friend Bucky Barnes. Buck, this is Mr. Clark: best barber in the city."

It was obvious Mr. Clarke knew who Bucky was, another of the famous Avengers or perhaps the Howling Commando he'd once been, but it didn't soften his tone at all as he said, "Are you here for my services, too, young man?"

Bucky huffed a laugh and run his hand through his hair. "I hadn't really thought about it. What do you think, Pete?"

"I think you're long overdue a trim," Peter said.

"Excellent," Mr. Clarke said, not waiting for Bucky to answer. "You can take a seat here." He patted the back of a free chair.

Bucky dutifully took his seat and looked askance at Peter. "How short am I going here?" he whispered, too low for anyone but Peter to hear.

Peter shrugged one shoulder. "I never tell Mr. Clarke what I want, but I always want what he gives me. Just go with it."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"What's the worst that can happen?" Peter asked. "I've seen you with long hair, and I've seen you with short. Both look good."

Bucky puzzled over that a moment, and then he remembered that Peter had been in BARF with Steve, Bucky and the rest of The Howling Commandoes, back when his hair had been short and neat for the military. It was true, he'd not had a proper haircut in a long time, making to with trims that he gave himself to stop his hair going past touching his shoulders. Maybe it was time for a real haircut.

"Okay," he said, raising his voice. "I'll go with what the professional decides."

"Very good, very good," Mr. Clarke said. "I'll do you first, Peter, as I remember that you never liked to sit still for long."

Bucky chuckled.

"It's true," the barber went on. "He came for his first haircut from me when he was four, and his Uncle Ben had to hold him down to stop him wriggling away, and he's barely improved since."

"I can believe it," Bucky said, winking at Peter who stuck his tongue out behind the barber's back.

Mr. Clarke picked up his scissors and then turned his professional eye on Peter. "I think we will keep some length," he said, apparently not requiring an answer. "Your curls are very defined now, and I'm sure you want them to tempt all the young ladies."

Peter nodded though his lips were downturned. "Yeah, absolutely."

"Pepper loves the curls," Bucky said, wanting to cheer him up. "And if you make it too short, Morgan won't recognize you."

Peter grinned. "Yeah, sure." He addressed the barber. "Whatever you think is best."

"Excellent."

The barber began to snip at Peter's hair, attention focused on his task. Bucky watched the strands drop to the floor with each pass of the scissors. Peter seemed unconcerned, wholly trusting the man to do a good job.

Bucky looked into the mirror and wondered what he was about to be transformed into.

The barber finally said, "What do you think?" as he set down his scissors and flicked a brush over Peter's shoulders to clear the stray strands.

Peter tilted his head from side to side, examining his reflection, and then grinned. "I love it. Thank you so much, Mr. Clarke. As always, it's exactly what I wanted."

Peter turned his chair and Bucky examined his hair. It was a lot neater now, though longer than it had been when Bucky last saw him in 2018. It was a good look, though. Strangely, Peter looked both older, more mature, and yet still young with the curls. Perhaps it was because Bucky knew he was more mature than the Peter he'd last seen before The Snap, the power he held now, that he saw him as older. Either way, he thought the new hair suited Peter, had taken away the reminders of some of his suffering.

"It looks good, bud," he said.

"Thanks," Peter said. "Now it's your turn."

"It is indeed," said Mr. Clarke, and placed a gown over Bucky's shoulders, locked eyes with him in the mirror, and then got to work.

Bucky felt a little strange as he saw the long locks being snipped away, but at the same time, there was a familiarity in the man being revealed in the mirror. Perhaps because of his fame as a Howling Commando that became an Avenger—though he had the feeling Mr. Clarke cared less about The Avengers than he did sweeping his floor at the end of the day—the face being revealed as the hair was snipped away was that of Sergeant Bucky Barnes, US Army soldier and Howling Commando.

And he was happy to see it.

He smiled at his reflection, feeling Peter's eyes on him, until, with one last snip and run of the comb, he was done, eighty years of his life apparently cut away.

"What do you think, Buck?" Peter asked.

"Like you said, it was just what I wanted, even though I didn't know it."

Mr. Clarke clapped his hands. "Very good, very good, a satisfied customer."

"Two very satisfied customers," Peter said emphatically. "Thank you so much, Mr. Clarke."

"You are very welcome."

"How much do we owe you?" Bucky asked, reaching for his wallet.

"I've got it," Peter said, and then dropped his voice and said, "With the Post Blip merchandise copyrights coming in, I've got plenty."

"You don't mind that stuff now?" Bucky asked. "You were a little bemused by it before."

Peter shrugged. "I guess I am. Huh, go figure."

Peter handed over the bills, including a very generous tip, then they headed out of the barber shop.

Bucky wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders and said, "Thank you for that, bud. I didn't know I wanted it until I had it, but it feels damn good to have stepped back a few decades."

"A few?" Peter teased. "I think it's more like ten, right?"

Bucky pinched Peter's shoulder, making him wince away with exaggeration. "It's technically eight, but who's counting. Now, are we heading home to show off our decked out new looks?"

Peter stopped and looked at him. "Decked out? Sure, Grandpa."

Bucky pinched him again and Peter laughed.

"We can head back, but I thought we could get a sandwich first and then drop by and visit Happy. He's based at the tower this week."

"Sure. That'd be great. Shall we go to Delmar's?"

Peter scoffed. "Like there's anywhere else to choose to get a sandwich in New York."

"Stupid question," Bucky said. "Let's go see Mr. Delmar. I think you're long overdue a Number Five."

"Extra pickles," Peter added.

"Extra pickles," Bucky agreed. "And extra flat."

Arm around Peter, they headed up the block to see Peter's old friend at the deli, who, unbeknownst to Peter, knew exactly who Peter was and what he could do. For Peter, the trip was about getting his favorite sandwich and seeing Murph, whereas Bucky was looking forward to seeing the man that so liked and respected Peter that he allowed him to keep his secret apparently to himself.

Steve was relaxing on the couch with Sam, Wanda, and Vision—though Wanda and Vision were basically a formality since they were lost in each other's eyes again.

As awkward as it could sometimes be when they got like this, Steve truly enjoyed their happiness.

One of the many wonderful things about them reliving those years was that Vision had been saved, and Natasha, too, though Steve hated the pain Peter suffered to do it. And, selfishly, he wished The Stones had stopped him saving Gamora, then Nemesis would never have been freed.

Though he knew it wasn't even close to Peter's motivation when they'd sent him back, Steve loved that he'd had a chance to see him grow and change for those two years, watched him develop into the person The Infinity Stones decreed Worthy, and then to have those extra five years of The Blip to spend with him. There had been more benefits to it than just that, though, so many. The whole team had formed far closer bonds thanks to the time together and the mission mindset, Bucky had been tried and found innocent, and Tony and Steve had never fought and harmed each other in a Hydra bunker.

Tony wandered into the room and asked, "Aren't Peter and Bucky back yet?"

"Nope," Steve said. "You need them?"

Tony was clearly trying to keep a straight face, but he failed miserably and beamed, "Me and Pepper have some news for Pete."

Curious, but allowing Tony to tell them in his own time, Steve said, "They didn't give us a time to expect them back, but it's been a few hours now, and Queens took them, so they'll be flying… is that the word? Either way, they're traveling under Peter's banner, so it won't take long."

"True," Tony said, then dropped down on the couch and flipped on the TV and turned it to the news channel. There was nothing new for them to take care of on there, thankfully. Steve had no idea what Nemesis' attack would look like when it came, but knowing Ross and having seen what they did to New York, Steve thought it was going to be something flashy.

As if the news jingle was some prearranged signal for them all, everyone wandered in, even Pepper—with Morgan, who looked at the TV with distaste and quickly came to sit on her father's lap.

With Morgan there, they couldn't discuss anything to do with Nemesis or any other problem, which Steve didn't mind. They'd had exhaustive conversations about what might come and what they could do about it which had come to nothing. None of them knew, not even Peter, what was coming and what Nemesis would do. They wanted The Infinity Stones, but as Peter couldn't give them up and Nemesis couldn't kill him, Peter posited that their new goal would be to take him out of action somehow so they could use their own existing power to essentially rule the universe.

Not a good thought to have when you were trying to fall asleep at night, and yet that was when it came most often to Steve.

There was laughter outside, and Steve grinned, recognizing the voices. Peter and Bucky were back.

Steve stood and started toward the kitchen to get Peter a soda and Bucky a coffee, and then he stopped dead as they entered—Peter grinning from ear to ear and Bucky looking a little wary—taking in the difference.

"Buck?" Steve said doubtfully, unsure what he was seeing despite all logic, because the man that had entered looked like he belonged in a khaki uniform, not the leather jacket and jeans he was wearing. It was not a military bearing that made Steve expect the uniform—instead it was the hair that was neatly trimmed in a style Steve hadn't seen since the day Bucky fell to his perceived death.

"Pete?" Tony said, with that same uncertain tone.

Peter laughed, and Bucky ran a hand through his short hair. "It's us."

"Look at you, Bucky!" Sam crowed. "You look like you stepped right out of the Howling Commando exhibit at the Smithsonian."

"It's a big change," Bucky acknowledged.

The sounds drew Morgan's attention, and she stared at Peter with wide eyes. "Petey! Your hair!"

Peter's smile faded. "Don't you like it?"

Morgan considered the question. "I like it. You look young again."

Peter grinned. "That's good, I was starting to feel middle-aged."

"Your curls!" Pepper cried, and Bucky elbowed Peter and said, "What did I tell you?"

"I still have some curls," Peter said apologetically. "It was just getting a little crazy."

"You look great, Pete," Tony said. "Bucky, you look… different."

"I love it," Steve said.

And he really did. Bucky looked like himself again, like the man he'd been before Hydra took and tortured him into being a weapon. He looked younger, too, and in a good way.

"What made you do it, Buck?" Steve asked.

"Pete, of course," Bucky said fondly. "Well, it was me, too. We were in the barbershop for Pete, and it felt like the right time—at last. New hair, new me."

"I like the old you," Morgan stated.

Pepper opened her mouth, and it looked like she was about to explain the saying, and then she shook her head and said, "We all do, but Bucky isn't too different. It's just a little haircut."

"Thank you, Morgan," Bucky said solemnly. "I like the old you and new you and all the youse in-between.

"It's a good day for a makeover," Tony said with a grin. "Me and Pep have news for you, Pete."

"Yeah?"

Pepper and Tony exchanged a glance and Tony made a 'go-ahead' gesture, and Pepper said, beaming, "We've got a court date for the adoption."

Peter's eyes bugged. "We do? When?"

"Tomorrow," Tony answered, grinning fit to bust. "They had a cancellation and our lawyers jumped on it."

Peter punched the air. "Yes! Finally!"

Tony and Pepper looked delighted by his reaction. Steve knew it had been hard for Pepper to have Peter give Tony the papers knowing that two days later the world would end, and they'd have to wait years for the process to be finalized. But it had been Peter's choice to begin the adoption then, and he'd had no idea what was coming. Now, finally, it was happening.

"What's court?" Morgan asked.

Peter bounced over to her and bent to her level. "It's somewhere important papers are signed, which means that Mom and Dad will really be my mom and dad in the eyes of the world and all the important people—I'll legally be your brother."

Morgan frowned. "You're already my brother."

Peter smiled. "Yes, but right now, when I write important things down, I have a different mom and dad to write. But when I'm adopted, I'll only have to write Mom and Dad's names down."

"So it's not different?"

"It's only a little different," Peter said. "For me and you, nothing changes."

"Because you're already my brother and I'm already your sister? And Daddy is your daddy and Mommy is your mommy?"

"Exactly. Nothing changes at all for us," Peter said. "This is just boring adult stuff. But it's making me very happy to do it."

Morgan nodded, accepting his explanation, and said, "Okay. Can we play?"

Peter started to nod, and then a sound from outside reached Steve, and Peter's face fell. Steve wondered at the change, and then footsteps approached, and Carol entered.

Steve's heart skipped as he took in Carol's face, expectant and friendly, and felt the tension in the room. If she was here, it was time for Peter to go away to train. It would be an hour for him, they had Mind's word on it, but for Peter…

Steve couldn't imagine being away from him for more than a couple weeks—and Peter was going to be gone years.

"Hey, Carol," Peter said, voice small.

She smiled fondly. "Hey, kid."

"Not yet," Tony said roughly. "I'm sorry, but we've got a thing tomorrow, Carol, and Peter's got to be here."

"They're going to court for important papers," Morgan explained.

Peter grimaced. "You know I'll be back in time, Dad."

"Yes, but still… no," Tony said. "You're not ready."

Tony's sadness seemed to make Peter stronger, and he forced a smile and said, "You won't even know I'm gone. You can make dinner and then"—he snapped his fingers—"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Morgan asked.

Morgan had never had patience when Peter needed to go away, and Steve clearly remembered the day Peter had gone to visit May and Ben and the rest of the team had spent the day distracting her until he returned. Though that had improved by his comings and goings throughout her childhood.

"I've got to go on a really short trip with Carol," Peter said. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

Morgan clearly wasn't convinced. Her bottom lip was clamped between her teeth and her brow was furrowed. "Why are you sad?"

Peter forced another smile. "Because it's going to be so boring, and I won't even be able to nap through it."

"But you'll come back?"

Steve noticed the tension in the room ratchet up, as though it was in doubt. They all knew he'd come back. He would only be gone an hour. But Steve was still worried about it. The question occurred to him of what Peter would be like if he went away for all that time. Would he be the same lighthearted kid when he returned, even though years would have passed for him?

"I promise I'll be home by dinner," Peter said. "Do you think we can persuade Dad to make us burgers?"

Morgan giggled. "Cheeseburgers?"

"That's the only kind that are worth eating," Peter said solemnly. "And if Dad is feeling extra nice, he could grill them outside."

Morgan clapped her hands. "Okay. You do boring stuff and I'll make Daddy grill burgers."

"You'll make him?" Pepper asked, smiling though the line of strain was between her brows.

"I'll ask him nicely," Morgan corrected piously.

"Good," Peter said, running a hand through his hair and saying," Okay, I'm ready."

"You're not ready!" Tony snapped.

Peter sighed, eyes sad, and said, "Mo, how about you go with Mommy and see if we've got everything we need for dinner?"

Pepper nodded and took Morgan's hand and led her out of the room.

When they were gone, Peter said, "Dad, I know you don't want this, but it's what's got to happen. The longer you make me explain it to you, the longer before I can go and then the later I'll get home. Please understand, I need this."

Tony glowered and then drew a deep breath and blew it out in a gust. "Okay. Fine. You go."

"Not like this, Tone," Rhodey said. "Don't make it harder on him. It's not going to be an hour for Peter."

Tony stared down at the floor and then raised haunted eyes to Peter and said, "I'm sorry."

Peter smiled. "I get it. I'm no more eager than you are for this. But if I don't, if I'm not trained when Nemesis attack, I'm going to be trashed again, I'm not going to be able to stop them, and then the whole world— No, the universe is at stake."

"I know," Tony said, crossing the room and embracing his son. "I really am sorry."

Peter tucked his head into Tony's shoulder for a moment, and then pulled back and said, "See you in an hour."

"An hour," Tony said heavily, and then pasted on a smile. "And you'll have the best cheeseburgers ever waiting."

Peter grinned. "I know. You're making them." He turned to Bucky and said, "The Stones are going to be watching through you. If I need to talk to you, I will or The Stones will."

"Power?" Bucky asked dubiously.

"Not him," Peter promised. "I'll send Mind. We don't think anything's going to happen, but if it does, they'll use you to take care of it until I get back."

"Got it," Bucky said, his eyes sad. "See you in an hour."

Peter waved and walked towards Carol. She turned and they headed out of the door, but Natasha called after them. "Wait! Take me with you!"

Peter frowned. "You want to come? Nat, do you get how long this is going to take and where we'll be? It's not going to be anywhere like The Soul Plane."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking for a vacation spot, Pete. And I'm not letting you go off without me. You did that once, sneaking away, and came home trashed. I'm not letting that happen again."

Peter stared at her, seeming to measure her resolve, and then smiled and said, "Thank you," with obvious sincerity.

Natasha crossed to Peter and Carol, and Peter looked around the room, seeming to be taking in their faces, committing them to memory—which Steve realized he was probably doing given how long it was going to be until he saw them again.

"See you in an hour," Peter said, smiled softly, and then he, Carol, and Natasha disappeared.

"An hour," Tony sighed.

"Only an hour," Rhodey agreed.

Which was true. It was an hour for them. But for Peter and Natasha, they were going to be gone a lifetime.

So… Peter is off to train. About time.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx

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