Bring Me Home // Bucky Barnes

Chapter LXXII - Weakened

Bucky sat with a microfibre cloth, scrubbing at his knuckles as Peter tapped his pen against the coffee table repeatedly. The silence around them was thick with tension as Peter glanced nervously up from his homework towards the super soldier whose silver hand was now gleaming. With Lizzie out for the day Bucky had become progressively crankier and his eyes kept darting towards the door.

Sam sat beside him, a pen scratching across a sheet of paper, acutely aware of the cloud of worry growing over Bucky's head and unsure of how to help him. In all honesty, the threat of Thanos, still looming over them all with the dark presence of a force they could not anticipate, had everyone on high alert. With the wedding now just three days away everything had been set up. This morning's efforts in the yard had been the final touches, and now, without the distraction of the big day right in front of them, everyone was becoming more and more fractious. He focused on the words he was trying to get just right when Bucky grunted in his direction.

"Can I help you?" He rolled his eyes as he continued to write.

"You're not getting a speech."

Sam smirked. "I think I am."

"I can tell you now Pigeon Poop Brains," he watched as Sam grinned at Lizzie's little insult for him, "you aren't."

"I'll ask Lizzie."

"And she'll say the same as me: no chance." Bucky smiled a little as Sam shook his head and carried on writing. Placing the cloth down, he pulled his phone from his pocket again and his jaw tightened. Worry settled in his chest once more as he stared at the blank screen in his hands and wondered what was taking Lizzie and Steve so long. And why Steve hadn't text like he'd said he would. The tapping across from him halted and he glanced up at the kid now chewing his pen with his head in his hands and an expression that screamed of confusion.

"Hey Parker?"

Peter's eyes snapped up from the page and the pen fell from his mouth.

"Wanna fight?"

The kid paused, his eyes flicking down to the unfinished history essay on the coffee table and considered saying no. He had been slacking a little in class with the additional training the whole team had been doing in the last few weeks and his essay was due the day after the wedding.

"I'll talk you through that after." Bucky shrugged as he returned to polishing his knuckles. If anyone could get Peter through the topic of pre-war America it was him. Hell, Lizzie could probably help too.

"Training room in ten Mr. Barnes?"

Bucky sighed as he watched Peter jump to his feet and scoop up his textbooks and papers. He was smiling widely, balancing piles of work precariously as he fought with the zip on his back pack, opening it up and shoving things in quickly.

"Make it five. Outside?" Bucky huffed. "And stop calling me Mr. Barnes, it makes me feel old."

The kid's grin settled into a cheeky smirk and he raised an eyebrow at Bucky as he folded his arms over his chest and puffed up his shoulders.

"Aren't you like one hundred or something?" Peter cocked his head to the side, not unlike Dugan when he'd been caught chewing on something he shouldn't be, and paused before grinning. "You are old."

Sam barked out a laugh as Bucky grimaced and sighed and Peter bounced on the balls of his feet, pleased with himself. Bucky shoved Sam roughly and glared up at the teenager grinning over at them both.

"I hate you Kid," he stifled his own laugh. "Go get ready."

With Peter sprinting from the room and up the stairs Bucky rounded on Sam. He watched as his shoulders shook and his eyes streamed with tears. He watched as Sam tried to stop laughing and failed, repeatedly.