behind blue eyes [bucky barnes]

seventysix

"We're older now, the light is dim. And you are only just beginning."

Song: O Children by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

. . . . .

June 30, 2000

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Look what I drew!"

Maria ran as quickly as her little feet could carry her, only stopping once she saw her dad. There was no doubt that the girl was his daughter. Her hair was nearly as dark as his. She had similar bone structure. The only difference was the green hue of her eyes. But other than that, Maria was 100% Tony Stark's kid.

She watched as her dad was on the phone, talking to someone with a very agitated voice. Which was nothing new, seeing as he was always agitated with someone. But when he turned to see Maria, his whole demeanor changed. What was once a scowl was now a wide smile, another thing that she had inherited from him.

"Listen, I'm going to have to let you go..... why? Because I have a beautiful girl standing in front of me calling me Daddy....... yeah okay bye."

Maria stood there bouncing up and down in excitement as her dad put the phone down and moved in front of his desk. The moment he extended his arms out to the girl, she ran fast and jumped in them, wrapping her arms around her dad's neck and squeezing him tight.

"How's my girl today?"

"I'm good Daddy! Look what I did!"

Maria pulled back and smiled, showing him the picture that she had drawn. Her dad moved her over onto his hip, holding the girl with one arm and her picture with another. Maria laid her head on his shoulder as he examined the gift he had been given.

"And what is this supposed to be?"

"Uncle Rhodey helped me! It's a super suit!"

Maria looked down with him as he studied the picture. She had drawn a red and yellow metal suit, just another invention that she had created in her little five-year old head. Every time she drew something new, Tony would put it up in his office, on the fridge, or in his workshop, which was by far the girl's favorite place in the whole house. He would even create some of her things and ask her to help him.

"Tell me about this suit then, my little inventor," Maria's dad said as he sat down in his desk chair, putting her on his lap and the picture on the desk itself.

"Well, this is where the head goes. The helmet can be taken on and off too. There is a fancy computer that talks to the hero while he is in it, which helps him with the bad guys. And then right here is where the blasters are!"

"Blasters? Haha, tell me more about these blasters."

"They are to fly and fight the bad guys off with!"