Work Text:
Harry didn't mean to upset his father; he’d just wanted to go home instead of sitting in his father far too large and always cold office. He’d never admit it but he was always scared here; everything seemed to tower over his small body and the people surrounding him always looked down at his as if he were a bug they would step on. It made him feel sick. He didn't know he was interrupting an important meeting, he hadn't meant to be sick on his father’s office floor; he’d just wanted someone to help him get home but then his father had glared at him and started screaming again so he did what he always did. He ran.
………….
He’s tucked away I some dark corner of an alley somewhere; he’s not really sure where in the city he is but figures he’s run far enough away by now that his father won’t find him hidden in the shadows curled up against a wall.
He feels safe here.
He’s about to shut his eyes, let himself drift of this sleep in the safety of the shadows when he hears someone approaching. For a second he thinks his father’s found him and he begins to panic; if his father is here he’s going to be angry, he will yell, scream and drag Harry back to the house; Harry will wake up with hand shape bruises on his arms. He curls up tighter trying to hide his face in the wall hoping he won’t be seen. Tears well up in his eyes as the person comes closer, he begins to tremble. Against his better judgment he looks up and is surprised when the man he sees is not his father. He jumps back against the wall and the man makes hushing sounds trying to tell Harry that it’s ok he’s not going to hurt him. Harry looks at his, hood slightly falling away from his face, he sees the man wince at the sight of him; he must look horrible.
“I’m Bucky” the man says moving to side down next to him
“I’m Harry” he mumbles but the man doesn’t hear “My names Harry” he says again this time louder shivering in the cold. Before he realizes the man has shrugged his jacket off and put it across Harry. Without the jacket Harry can see his arm is made out of metal, the idea of a metal limb seems almost exciting to him. The man asks what he’s doing out here, when Harry doesn't answer he starts to guess. When he mentions the word father Harry jumps; he’s been out to late, he needs to get home or his punishment will be worse.
“I have to go” he mumbles starting to run away.
“Wait”
Harry turns to look at the man unsure why he stopped instead of just running
“Just… just let me walk you home ok?” harry finds himself agreeing waiting the couple of seconds it takes Bucky to catch up to him before he starts walking again
They walk in silence; Harry can feel the man watching him but to be fair he’s watching the man as well so he doesn’t think much of it. Harry stops when they get to his house turning to thank the man for walking him home and beginning to run up the stairs before the man calls out to him. Harry turns back to look at his and is handed a piece of paper; it’s the man’s number he explains, he tells Harry to call him if he needs help. Harry just stares for a second because no one has ever actually offered to help Harry before with anything like this, he nods reaching out to take the paper before running inside.
…………………………………………………
He keeps the number hidden away so his father will never see it or at least his though he’d hidden it. He come home from school one day and finds his father standing in his room holding the small crumbled up piece of paper, Bucky’s scribbled writing torn and fading. He should run; he knows he should, he should run as far away as possible and never stop.
But he doesn’t
He doesn’t move he just looks up at his father, legs trembling but a determined look on his face. His father looks up as him and Harry knows this is bad. He has seen his father furious, angry to the point he’s shoved Harry out of the way, into a wall, down the main stair case, hell even into the pool once and left him to pull himself out of the water neglecting the fact that while they’ve always had a pool Harry has never learnt to swim; but this, this is worse, his father looks calm almost happy as he looks at Harry.
“Come see me in my office we need to talk” the older man says as he walks away stopping to pat Harry on the should. Harry has to physically stop himself from flinching at the touch as he nods to this father’s request. He watches his father walk away until he is out of sight before he lets himself react; dropping to the ground, hugging his trembling legs to his chest.
He needs to get out of here
He needs to call Bucky
It’s not until he reaches for mobile given to him for emergencies by one of his nicer nannies who made him promise never to let his father find out that the number is gone. His father had taken it with him.
Harry feels himself start to shake again.
……………………………………………………
It’s worse than anything he’s ever experienced before.
He’s locked himself in his wardrobe, outside he’s tried to drag his desk in front of the door but it was just too heavy for his fragile arms. His father- no Norman, he’s not his father anymore, never really was- is pounding on the door screaming threats and insults. Harry tries not to listen.
His feet are bleeding, cut on the shattered class his father had thrown at him when he’d tried to run away the first time. There are bruises forming on his arm and his face stings for the slap Norman had landed on him when he’s argued back. But harry doesn’t really care about that right now, he’ll care later when he has time but not now. Now he cares about finding a way out of here before Norman gets in and sends him away from everything he cares about; Peter, Aunt May, he can’t loss them.
His hands are shaking as he lifts the phone to his ear. Please work please, please ,please.
The call is immediately redirected to his father’s secretary; it’s the only number he has besides peter but he can’t bother peter with this. Harry almost zones back to reality in time to hear the women answer
“Hello Felicia speaking”
“This is Harry Osborn I need to get in contact with Bucky Barnes” he whisper, scared his father will hear him and break through the door faster
“Harry?” the women sounds confused and slightly worried
“Please Felicia”
It’s silent for a moment and Harry is worried she’s going to hang up on him
“Just a moment and you’ll be connected”
If this works and he somehow gets out of here he is going to hug her one day
The dial tone starts again before it is quickly answer by a robotic voice
“stark tower how may I help you?”
“I…I need to speak to Bucky” Harry stutters suddenly worried that maybe Bucky hadn’t really meant it when he told Harry to call him if he needed help. Norman is getting louder outside and he can feel himself start to panic
“any who is this?” the robotic voice responds
“My names Harry, Harry Osborn I need to speak to Bucky please.” He pleads “it’s an emergency and he told me I could call just…please” Harry’s broken voice comes out in sobs as his chest shakes struggling to breath. The voice must be able to tell something is wrong because all it says it “one moment please” and his put on hold.
It seems like forever before the music stops and he can hear people moving around
“BUCKY” he yells “Bucky are you there”, Norman must have heard his shout because there’s a banging sound coming from outside his wardrobe, forgetting about the phone for a second he shoves himself further into the wardrobe trying to find a better hiding place screaming “LEAVE ME ALONE”. Whipping his eyes he lifts the phone back up, “Bucky please… he’s trying to stand me away. I don’t want to go” he sobs into the phone. The banging sound gets louder and whimpers “please don’t hurt me” he whispers as he drops the phone curling in on himself.
………………………………………….
There’s more yelling coming from outside now, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor. Harry holds in a whimper when the sound of a door opening crosses the room. He can hear someone coming closer as tears stream down his face. He’s holding his breath, hoping that if Norman can’t hear him he won’t be found.
“Harry its Bucky” the soft voice says and Harry can’t hold back a sob at the sound of the man’s voice,
“Bucky?” he whispered worried it’s all in his head and Bucky’s not actually here
“Yeah Harry it’s me, you’re ok now"
Harry doesn't say anything, instead he throws himself out of the wardrobe and into Bucky’s chest, clutching at the man’s shirt whispering ‘thank you’ over and over again. Bucky just hugs him tightly letting him cry.
……………………………………………..
Bucky helps him pack; they only take enough to last a couple of days. Bucky promises he’ll come back and get the rest later when he knows Harry is safe but Harry refuses to leave without the book his mother had read to him and the pictures of her and Peter. Bucky tells him to close his eyes when they walk out of his room. Harry does it without question; he feels safe around Bucky. They climb into a taxi and Harry’s not sure where they are going. He turns away from the window and looks at Bucky, who seems to be watching him, metal hand tucked into the pocket of his jacket.
“What happens now?” he asks, Bucky doesn’t answer for a minute, he just watches harry a thoughtful look on his face
“I’m not sure” he answers “but for now at lease you can stay with me... If you want” he sounds nervous but he isn’t forcing Harry into anything. Bucky makes Harry feel safe and that’s only every happened around Peter or when he’s hidden in the shadows before. Harry slides a little closer to the man and tries to smile;
“yes please”