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You didn’t know whether to love or hate your job. Being a SHIELD agent was one thing, being the SHIELD agent that picked up after the Avengers was another. Sure, it wasn’t all bad but on days when Tony would play elaborate pranks on you, Thor didn’t know what human customs were and would accidentally offend someone, or when Hulk went rogue, you had your hands full; still, at least you weren’t the PR guy, he had to make the Avengers look good after every battle. Now, to top your already heavy workload off, you’d been assigned the task of watching over James Barnes while the Avengers were on an away mission by special request of Rogers.
You sat at the breakfast bar in Avengers Tower awaiting Steve’s return with Bucky, all the while Tony was having the time of his life, giving you special instructions over coffee. “Now don’t forget (Y/N), all super soldiers need to be in bed by eight, no late-night movies and especially no ice cream before dinner; if you have any trouble, there are numbers on the fridge.”
You smirked, “Ah young man, it seems like only yesterday I was babysitting you, now you’ve got little soldiers of your own, what did I tell you about using protection?”
“Protection, good point. Weapons are everywhere around the tower but if I come home and see my little Buck’s lost an eye because you didn’t put the toys away-”
At that moment, Steve entered followed closely by a reluctant looking Bucky.
“There’s my big man,” Tony cooed, walking over.
Steve shook his head, approaching you and whispering quietly, “He gave you all the access codes, right?”
You nodded.
“Good, will you be okay with him?”
“Will he be okay with me?”
“I trust you (Y/N), he does too. Thanks for this, him and me… we’ve both spent too much time on ice.”
“So, the de-conditioning worked?”
“We think so, the doctors say there could be a relapse one day but there’s no telling if it will ever happen. I believe in him.”
“If you do then I do too, hang on a sec Steve. Oy Tony,” You yelled, “Leave off, if he doesn’t kill you I will.” Tony, who’d been stroking Bucky’s hair, pulled an innocent face but stepped away. Bucky shot you a thankful glance which you reciprocated with a nod. “Alright Steve, I’ll see you all when you get back.”
During the first hour or so with Bucky, every attempt to make him more comfortable led to more tension. It started with conversations about the state of the world, all of which seemed to confuse him more; sure, his training had taught him the technology but it hadn’t taught him the differences in social etiquette. Then, you’d attempted a movie but Tony had set all the channels to children’s shows as a last-ditch attempt at humour and you couldn’t fix them. After that, Bucky had been curious about your iPod but you quickly found that he wasn’t accustomed to the music on it. Eventually, you asked Bucky about his childhood, that put him at ease, talking about the time, the people, memories of him and Steve. You were entranced hearing about it.
“It’s strange now,” he concluded thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I imagine it must be,” You reflected. “Is there anything you like better?”
“There’s… In my time, they used to treat people who were different badly. It’s better now.”
“Different how?”
Bucky stayed silent for a while, apparently debating how much to say, “Just different.”
You frowned, he wasn’t going to tell you, though how could you expect him to? He had a long way to go before trusting you with whatever was bothering him. “Alright,” You strived for another track, “what did you used to do for fun?”
Bucky thought long and hard, he couldn’t go out so that removed the possibility of carnivals, there was no way he could dance to the new music, and he certainly wouldn’t leave you to read a book, that would be rude; finally, he had it, the perfect way to have fun.
“YES!” You cheered, throwing your arms up. “Pay up, you just landed on my hotels.”
Bucky mock-glared at the Monopoly board, he owned more properties but you were still winning, “This game’s biased.”
“You suggested it and hey, I was willing to be a nice land lord but you have to pay your rent Mr Barnes; if you don’t all the other families will complain I’m showing favouritism and then nobody will pay their rent. Where will that leave me?”
“All right, tell me this, why does a dog own property anyway?”
You looked at your tiny metal figure, “Don’t be doggist, besides, you’re the real monster here, charging a sweet little puppy to stay in a house on a cold night.”
Bucky laughed, he hadn’t expected you to play this with him, let alone have fun doing it, “Thank you (Y/N).”
“Don’t thank me, pay me.”
He passed over the money, smiling, his gaze lingering on you longer than it should. You fought off a blush, hastily trying to find something else to focus on. Thankfully, your phone rang, giving you the time you needed to recover.
Bucky strived not to listen in, to do so would’ve been impolite and that was something he wouldn’t stand for.
“WHAT?!” You yelled, almost scaring Bucky out of his seat. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S OUT?!”
Immediately, Bucky was on high alert, ready for a fight until you added, “He’s just a kid, how could you let this happen? You know what, no, I don’t want excuses, if anything happens to him, I’ll… it won’t end well for you.”
You snapped your phone shut and grabbed your coat. Bucky approached hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s a kid I know, he’s ran away from the foster home he’s in.”
“Hang on,” Bucky retrieved Tony’s car keys, “I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“What kind of man would I be if I didn’t?”
You nodded at him thankfully, before going out, together.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find the child you were searching for. He’d ran to the park, a place he often took solace in.
Before you could approach him, Bucky grabbed your arm, demanding to know one thing, “(Y/N), how do you know this kid?”
“There’s a program here, it’s called Big Brother. I act like a big brother to Ryan, the kid, because he doesn’t have one; it gives him a role-model to look up to, y’know? I guess I was doing a real’ shoddy job if he’s run away tonight. Can you give us a minute?”
Bucky let go of you, staying by the car while you approached Ryan.
“Hey buddy,” You whispered, holding your hands up in a sign of peace when Ryan looked ready to bolt again. “Easy, I’m not here for a chase.”
“(Y/N), how did you know-” Ryan started uneasily.
“Doesn’t matter, what matters is you. You had me worried kiddo, want to talk about it?”
“Who’s that?” Ryan looked behind you towards Bucky.
“A friend of mine, he was also worried.”
“Why?”
“You’d have to ask him that. So, why’re you here?”
Ryan gazed off into the distance, trying to gather his thoughts, “There’s some jerks at school- They said I’m a mistake because I- There’s a school dance coming up and they said guys shouldn’t go with… other guys.”
Your heart bled for Ryan, it didn’t seem like all that long ago you were in his position, you were about to offer some advice when he continued, lost in anger without the ability or maturity to fill in the blanks. “I want to know why. Why am I different? Why do I- Why do they hate me for it?” He started crying, even more frustrated for doing so. “What’s wrong with me?”
You pulled him close to you, too choked up to talk yourself. Bucky cleared his throat and spoke up, “Nothing’s wrong with you, people will pick on anything different to hide their own insecurities. I used to be scared just like you kid but things have really improved since my time.”
“How would you know?” Ryan’s muffled voice came from your jumper.
“Because, it’s how I felt before I asked your big brother out, isn’t that right (Y/N)?”
Ryan lifted his head to look at you, you smiled sympathetically, “I know it seems rough now champ but it worked out for me and Bucky here, it can work out for you too, yeah?”
Ryan held onto you for a bit longer before nodding and following you into the car, staying quiet for the entire journey back to the children’s home. You had a million questions you wanted to ask Bucky but it wasn’t the right time. Suddenly, everything was falling into place, “In my time, they used to treat people who were different badly. It’s better now.”
You waited till you a safe distance from the children’s home before pulling up on the side of the road and facing Bucky.
“What was that about?” You asked, trying to remain calm and failing miserably.
Bucky looked sick, he didn’t want to face rejection again, “I- The kid needed to know it was okay.”
“Cut the crap Bucky, you’re a terrible liar. What’s really going on? Did you mean to ask me out or is it a cruel joke because if it is-”
“I like you.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s alright if you don’t like me back but please… Just give me what I couldn’t have in my day. At the very least I want to be treated like a human being, no more hiding, no more fear, just… no more.”
“So, it wasn’t a trick?”
“No.”
You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose tiredly.
“Are you angry?”
“No… it’s just- God, I’m going to have to fill out so many damned forms.”
“Forms?”
“To date someone you work with, it’s hardly romantic but S.H.I.E.L.D has some hellish paperwork for dating a co-worker which I guess technically you are.”
“Wait so you-”
“Yeah, I guess we can give this a shot. James Buchanan Barnes, my name is (Y/N) (L/N) and I’d be honoured if you’d finish that game of Monopoly with me in a more romantic way.”
If Bucky felt sick before, he was practically nauseous now, this was his first official date without having to pretend or adhere to ridiculous standards of an unforgiving society; it was by far, the biggest and most exciting battle of his life.