Change of Pace

Party Of Three

Bucky Barnes stood before the screen which showed his last remaining relatives on it, he was in shock. He had only just gotten over the pain of Steve, his forever friend, going back to the past to die with his love Peggy Carter and now he has this sprung upon him. From one of Stark's precious screens no less. He looked over his shoulder as a small hand grasped his metal arm, seeing Morgan, his beautiful niece, staring up at him with baleful eyes.
"You have to go to them, Uncle Buck, they've been waiting for you since the war ended." The small girl whispered, her eyes flooded with tears at the mere thought of losing another with whom she had grown so close after the loss of her father.

"I've never met them before, Morgs. What if they think I'm still a killer? What if they're afraid of me?" Bucky's eyes turned back to the screen, his own tears falling as he looked upon a young pale girl with flowing brunette hair and dark eyes of a colour that he could not make out from the photo and a tall man, who must have been her father, with a thick moustache and stubble on his chin. His hair was short and the same colour as the girls and Bucky's own and his eyes were brown.

Bucky found himself wondering what he looked like. It had been more years than he cared to remember since he had last been able to look in a mirror, turning feral at the sight of his own face, and now he had no idea if he even resembled himself from back then. He knew he was tall as he towered over most people he met and he knew that his hair was brown as when it was long it had swung into his vision whenever he was running, or fighting, or killing and he knew he hadn't dyed it when he had gotten it cut back to military standard. His eyes, however, he had no memory of. Were they brown? Green? Blue? The same weathered grey of his metal arm?

His metal arm! He looked at it with disdain, anger and a hefty dose of irritation. Would he have to go back to covering it up if he went to live with his relatives? There was no possible way of them not knowing of it but the thought of them reacting badly to it turned Bucky's stomach. Especially the kid, there was no way he was gonna go and scar a child.

His clothing too would have to be altered. He wore chunky boots and cargo pants and leather vests with pocket and ammunition straps and a slot for his favourite machine gun. All his clothes were the same and whilst he would be taking his weapons, because they were required for his safety and everyone around him, he would not be wearing them as he usually would.

Maybe he should dress as he did when on the run, hoodie and board shorts with those stupid sneakers that he ran right out of every ten minutes because he moved too quickly.

Finally, he turned away from the screen, waving a hand to turn the blasted thing off and then having to turn and do it again because it didn't respond to his metal hand. He bent at the waist and lifted Morgan easily onto his shoulders before setting out to find Pepper or anyone else that could watch over her whilst he phoned ahead to inform his family that he was on his way.