You look...happy?
Bucky leaves Wakanda and returns to the States to try to figure out life again.
Sydney is a newer member of the team that Steve hopes will help Bucky.
Can he adjust to life after his time with HYDRA?
**New chapters posted every Su...
CW: mental health, mentions of human trafficking, child trafficking, murder, blood. If I missed any, I'm sorry. Let me know, and I can add them.
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Bucky helped Pepper set up a bed and a small area to keep the kitten while she waited on the supplies to be delivered. He still hated leaving her behind, but Syd was right about the pets, and Morgan was already in love with Liho. Syd had disappeared a while ago, making her rounds to say her goodbyes to some people she didn't get to see as often. The sun bounced off the lake, hitting Bucky in the face as he stepped out to find her.
"You know, Bucky, this is probably the happiest I've ever seen her," Steve clapped him on the shoulder before crossing his arms and looking out over the people. "And you? Well, you look at her like she's the sun."
Bucky smirked, "Nah, the sun is hot and angry, fucking thing is trying to blind me out here, and I'm not even trying to look at it. But her? Shit, all I wanna do is look at her."
He watched her mingle around from the porch, amazed by how happy she could pretend to be around people when he knew that she was practically crawling out of her skin on the inside. It was nice to know he wasn't alone in feeling that way around large groups like this, even when they did know most of the people there. Maybe she could teach him a trick or two.
"Fair point. So, maybe you look at her like she's a star?"
"She's the moon, Stevie. She's beautiful, mysterious, and a little dark sometimes. She's strong enough to control oceans, I just wanna drown in her."
"Jesus, Buck, and people think I do all the fancy talking." She smiled at him as he shook his head, "You two heading out?"
"Yeah, she's not a fan of the fireworks, and honestly, I'm not exactly sure I could handle them. It's been a hell of a long time since explosions were a good thing."
"Thanks for coming out, Buck. I think it really helped with Stark, and I was happy as hell you were here."
"Happy birthday, Stevie. Come here, punk." The two embraced and Bucky let out a deep sigh. "I missed you, buddy. I missed a lot of birthdays, too. Lot to make up for."
"Yeah, I was on ice for most of them, so don't worry about it. I'm just glad to have you back. Hey, I was thinking," Steve rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he talked, "We should, you know, go hang out sometime. Maybe go catch a baseball game or something not work-related. Just, ahh, just the two of us, or, you know, maybe the three of us. Whatever would work for you."
Bucky barked out a laugh, "Baseball game? Yeah, maybe we can find something a little less people-y. No, really, that would be great." He punched Steve's arm playfully, "Maybe we can do something next time she's out on a mission."
