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“Are you calling me for a stalking mission?”
Tony arches his eyebrow, pausing in the middle of digitally sketching a web-shooter. “ Not stalking. Call it a reckon mission.”
“On a person,” Peter insists. “Kind of a lot like stalking. You – Iron Man is contacting me to stalk.”
“Alright, listen up,” Tony shifts his position to one hand on his hip. He’s leaning way too much of his weight on one side of his leg, and his other hand is lifting up. Uh-oh. That’s the I’m going to give Peter a not-lecture pose. “It’s not stalking. All I’m doing is asking you for a favor, and that favor is to just check up on someone, tell me how they’re doing for like, a week, and then you can go back to your little neighborhood adventures. Is that okay?”
“You keep saying someone like you’re not asking me to spy on the fricking Winter Soldier,” Peter murmurs like Bucky Barnes could be watching and hearing him right then. “That’s nuts. I can’t talk to him!”
“Why?” Tony asks. “Because you’re scared of him and that he might snap and beat the shit out of you?”
“No! I like him! He’s like my childhood hero!” Peter explains, eyes widened, “I’m intimidated! He’s too cool! He has a metal arm!”
“Oh,” Tony looks at him, visibly relaxing. “Thought I was your childhood hero but okay. So I need you to—”
“You are my childh—”
“—to just, check up on Barnes, see how he’s adapting, maybe install Netflix on his TV, etc, etc, you know the drill.”
“I really don’t know the drill, Mr. Stark…”
“You’re a smart kid, you’ll figure it out,” Tony waves him off, “Anyway, literally, it’s checking and just that. Ask him about his day, whatever.”
“With all due respect, sir, why don’t you do it?”
“I’m resented that he killed my parents, obviously.”
Well.
“Then why do you want to know?” Peter presses, now with his eyes widened. “I’m very confused!”
“Because I obviously know now that it wasn’t him, all of them were victims, years of brainwashing and torture can’t be good for a guy, dying a second time also isn’t good for a guy, and, I don’t know, maybe I care, maybe I don’t – go figure. You in on the job or should I call someone else?”
“No! No, I’ll do it!” Mask on hand, Peter slides it on and grabs his backpack. “I’ll be reporting!”
“Pepper put lunch in your bag,” Tony says casually like Peter’s heart doesn’t burst out with love and adoration. “Good luck, kid.”
“Thanks!” Peter shoots one web outside Tony’s window. “Okay, listen, you are my childhood hero, alright? You da man, Mr. Stark!”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Okay. Sorry. But you’re the—”
He’s kind of smiling as he kicks Peter out. Peter’s happy with that.
I. Target located
Peter has no idea how to approach Bucky.
He’s in his civilian clothes, so he should get a valid excuse to actually check up on him. Not like the Spider-man suit would bring him any excuses – there is nothing casual about Spider-man coming to talk to the Winter Soldier because Iron Man asked him to. Point is, he located Bucky at the supermarket, and now he just needs the right excuse to talk to him.
Peter grabs a trolley and as Bucky is checking what brand to coffee to take home, he gets close. Clearing his throat, he says: “Hey, excuse me, sir?”
Bucky turns around. He has a cap on and a large hoodie that makes a funny contrast with the black jeans he’s wearing – like he put effort to dress, but not too much. His beard is at just the right size and his hair looks super luscious. Peter wants to know his conditioner.
“Yes?” Bucky snaps him out of his daze. “Who are you?”
“Uh, I’m new here,” Peter says, kicking into panic because new how? “I just moved in with my aunt. I don’t know anything about this supermarket and I’m too anxious to talk to the helpers. Do you know where I can get almond flour?”
Bucky’s eyes quickly scan him, hesitant. He puts down one brand of coffee and turns back to Peter. “Yeah. Third aisle, to the right.”
Peter doesn’t move. This can’t be the only conversation they have, can it? He’s supposed to report back stuff to Tony. Bucky squints a little, somehow always keeping a passive face. It’s a talent, really.
“You don’t know where’s the third aisle, do you?”
“You read right through me, Mr.,” Peter laughs nervously, catching himself right before adding the Barnes.
Bucky smiles a little, and wow, Peter is making progress! Report back: Bucky is great at market helping.
More conversations. Peter starts to babble because that’s what he does best.
“We moved from Queens, you know,” Peter moves his trolley next to Bucky’s as he speaks. Bucky raises an eyebrow at him talking, but doesn’t complain. “Brooklyn is sooo much different. I really hope almond flour isn’t too expensive here, because back home? Boy. So much for taking care of yourself! I can’t eat regular flour. And my aunt is lactose intolerant. Health is so fragile.”
“It is,” Bucky agrees. Oh my God he was listening and not tuning out Peter like half the people he meets or every criminal he fights against. “Had a friend who was very delicate like that.”
Oh my God they’re talking.
“Yeah, it’s a pain, really,” Peter continues like he’s not actually world’s healthiest person and definitely eats flour every day. “Isn’t it ironic that it’s so expensive? It should be same price so we’d all get the same chances to help ourselves.”
Bucky’s trolley stops. “Here’s your flour.”
“Woah, thank you so much, mister!” Peter grins as he puts the flour on his trolley. Did he even pack money? Does he have enough to afford this? “And thank you for listening to me. I’m really nervous and I don’t know anyone here, but you’ve been very, very kind. I don’t know how to repay you!”
Bucky snorts. Wow, is he this good with people? He’s making the Winter Soldier have a good time. “I could leave you, but I feel like you’re going to get lost and I don’t want that guilt with me.”
Peter grins. “Shopping together! Yes! Sir, no offense, but I think we’re best friends now. I’m Peter. How about you?”
Bucky looks genuinely surprised that he’s asked that. His stand changes, and his eyes get just the tiniest bit happier. “Bucky.”
Peter nods, doing a great job of pretending he doesn’t know that. “Thanks, Bucky! I appreciate you!”
Bucky shakes his head as he starts to walk again.
Peter jogs next to him, getting information out of babbling. Bucky is… nice. He’s super nice and he looks like he’s doing good. Tony should be thrilled to hear that.
Turns out he is too short of money to afford the things on his trolley. He’s ten dollars short, in fact.
“Aw, man,” Peter says, desperately digging through his wallet. “I’m so sorry, man, I thought I had more.”
“It’s okay,” the cashier says, “I’ll put these—”
Bucky, who was after him on the queue, puts his own groceries on. “Put those with mine, I’ll pay for this.”
Peter’s heart is ready to burst inside his chest. Report back: Winter Soldier is the kindest man in the world. He made Peter cry. Great day.
“Thank you so much,” Peter says, forgetting entirely about his mission. Bucky would just help anyone like this? “Oh my God, seriously, I really, really owe you one. Big time. Jesus, thanks, man!”
Bucky nods. “No problem.”
Is he going to be that casual about being a good person? Peter is going to cry. Well, not cry, but maybe reconsider his entire being and what it means to be a good person and truly, is he a good person?
They step out of the supermarket together and Peter beams at Bucky again.
“Seriously, thank you, if you ever need anything let me know,” he says, although he wonders how could Bucky ever reach him. Wait – it’s a week project, of course.
Bucky laughs, short. “I’ll make sure to tell you. Be safe, kid.”
“You too, Bucky!”
“Mr. Stark,” Peter starts on his little rented house. Of course Tony got him a place for his stalking mission. “Bucky is so nice. Really. He’s got this cool hair and generous heart! He seems to be adapting more than well. He guided me through the entire supermarket.”
“That’s nice, that’s nice – a lot better than I had anticipated even,” Tony answers. “Great job, kid. Did you have your food?”
“Yeah! Tell Pepper I love it. She has the hands of an angel.”
“I say that to her all the time. Great mind, kid. By the way, Morgan misses you. Says you’re taking too long to visit again.”
“I’ve been gone for a day! I gotta get back to Queens when I’m back, anyway, so… sorry, Morgan.”
“You’re a true heartbreaker,” Tony chuckles, "anyway, I’m glad everything’s going well. Thanks for doing this. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay. Good night.”
The line goes dead and Peter breathes out. Thank God. He’s too used to ending calls with May by saying love you, he can’t slip on that one with Tony!
Speaking of May…
“Hey May! Yes, I’m all okay. Yes, this house is amazing – you should totally the soap that comes in the bathroom…”
II. Befriending said target
If his math wasn’t wrong, and by math he means pure hope and dedication, Bucky could possibly be at the park where Peter will just happen to go on a morning jog. There is absolutely zero base to this plan – he’s going to the park and hope for the best.
Peter sucks at reckon missions. Maybe when he’s older he’ll be a professional and be the best stalker ever.
That sounded wrong. Whatever. He gets it.
Around five minutes later when he’s done doing one lap, Bucky Barnes himself jogs up to the park, looking cool as hell. Peter grins at himself – adapting? Bucky Barnes owns Brooklyn. In his jogging attire and headphones in, Peter might go unnoticed by him. He’s on the other side of the park when Bucky’s eyes lock on him and his face lights up with recognition.
Peter waves at him, slowing down and waiting for him to catch up.
“Peter,” Bucky says, apparently happy to see him. “From the store.”
“Mr. Bucky, my best friend,” Peter grins from ear to ear. “You’re a jogger too?”
“You could say,” Bucky replies. “Don’t you have school or something, kid?”
“Summer break! Obviously. I like to work out, but I have very important stuff to do on the afternoon, like, binging the entirety of Brooklyn 99 just for fun with a tub of ice cream.” Bucky blinks at him. “What? I’m a teenager. It’s what we do.”
“Interesting. I do that on weekends. Brooklyn 99 is fun. Have you watched The Good Place?”
Peter grimaces. “I swear it’s on my list! I swear! I always get distracted by binging Brooklyn 99 again. It’s an actual problem I have.” Also, now he knows he doesn’t need to install Netflix. “Mr. Bucky, we should totally have a sleepover watching our favorite sitcoms and telling each other our deepest secrets. We’re best friends.”
“Uh huh,” Bucky shakes his head, chuckling, “You’re a strange one, kid. No one warned you about talking to strangers?”
“Yeah, but you paid for my groceries and you seem nice. You’re an okay stranger.”
“Sure,” Bucky doesn’t seem to be displeased by his presence. This mission is going better than he ever expected it to. “You’re not a bad kid, either. Or you don’t look like it, at least. You’re very familiar. Have we met before?”
“O-oh, never,” Peter hurries to say. “This is my first time in Brooklyn, sir.”
“Huh. Swear I’ve seen you before,” Bucky shrugs. “Anyway. Break time is over. Do you want to grab brunch after jogging? I know a great place.”
“Oh? I’m always up for brunch, Mr. Bucky. See you in a bit!”
Wow, they could be best friends if they wanted. Weird. Peter wasn’t meaning for his mission to actually turn into friendship, but he’s not complaining.
The brunch place is great. Everything smells delicious, everything looks perfect, and he’s been discussing with Bucky which season of Brooklyn 99 is the best one; a conversation he should have with every important person ever.
“Oh, by the way, my partner’s coming to join us,” Bucky says casually. Thank God Peter wasn’t eating anything or he’d choke. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all! More friends,” Peter grins.
Who is Bucky dating? Holy shit, these updates were over the top. Peter fidgets on his seat, waiting both for the food and Bucky’s mysterious date.
Finally, Bucky waves at someone behind him, and Peter turns to look—
Holy crap that’s Falcon.
Breathe in. He is not gonna gape at them like he absolutely knows they’re Winter Soldier and Falcon, not at all. He’s not going to do that.
Sam drops a kiss on Bucky’s head as he greets them and sits down next to him, across from Peter.
“Hey, I’m Sam,” he shakes his hand and Peter grins. “Bucky said you’re new in town.”
“Yup! Fresh from Queens,” Peter says. “Maybe you can tell by the accent, haha. Bucky is my new best friend.”
“Oh really?”
“It’s what he says,” Bucky shrugs. “I’m just making sure he doesn’t get lost.”
“I thought you invited me over for lunch to solidify our best friendship…” Peter mumbles.
Sam laughs. “Man, can’t believe you have it in you to willingly call the grumpiest man alive your best friend. Have you seen him? He’s like those angry cat memes. Did you know he pronounces memes like mee-mees?”
“Really?!”
“It was one time,” Bucky huffs, “and then I learned! Why does no one ever understand that part?”
“Told you,” Sam winks, “angry cat.”
“I totally see it,” Peter laughs.
He spends his morning like that, eating, laughing, and having fun. It’s a warm feeling.
“The good news is: Bucky already installed Netflix on his own,” Peter starts, drying his hair with one towel.
“And the bad news?”
“Bad news? Oh, no, none of them. They just get better . Bucky is dating Sam!”
“Wilson?” Tony sounds shocked. “That’s so great for them. I’m gonna anonymously send them a bunch of flowers and chocolate. They won’t even know who sent it.”
“Pretty sure if you make it super big they’ll know it’s you, Mr. Stark.”
“Good point. I’ll send a bunch of tiny ones.”
“…You’re in the right track.” Peter continues, “So, I think it’s safe to say Bucky is all well. You can relax your little head off, Mr. Stark.”
“It’s a big head. And yeah. I guess he is. Cool, thanks kid. I’ll be depositing your pay on your aunt’s bank account.”
“H-hey, you don’t gotta, I, uh, I’d do it for free—”
“Whoops. Already deposited. Sleep well and go back home safely tomorrow, okay? Bye, kid.”
Tony hangs up and Peter sighs in relief. Fuck yeah, money!
III. Target located – at patrolling?
If he didn’t patrol at least once before leaving Brooklyn, guilt would consume him. He has the opportunity to help – he’ll take it. Swinging from rooftop to rooftop, he finally finds the perfect one to sit down and take a huge bite from his sandwich.
On his third bite, his tingle goes off. He immediately turns around to see Bucky leaning on a wall, looking cooler than he should and incredibly intimidating.
“Heyyyyyy,” Peter starts, rolling down the mask and putting down his sandwich. “Want a sandwich?”
The tingle goes off again. On the opposite direction, Sam walks in as well.
“Oh nice, Winter Soldier and Falcon, cool,” Peter raises his hands just in case. “Umm… did I show up to a rooftop party uninvited?”
“Yeah. I explicitly wrote in the invitation, Spiderman out of this party at all costs, but here you are,” Sam says.
Peter cringes. “Ouch.”
“What brings Spiderman to Brooklyn?” Bucky says. “You’re from Queens, aren’t you, best friend?”
Uh-oh.
“Uh-oh,” Peter begins, “I can explain.”
“Who are you spying for?” Bucky starts. “What do you want? I did not pin Spiderman to be a double-agent, but hey, can’t trust anyone these days.”
“No, I’m not a double agent, I swear!” Peter breathes in. “So you’ve always known?”
“From the first moment, yeah. I remember you from the battle. Your mask was off.”
“Oh my God,” Peter puts his hands on his face. “I’m an idiot. I look like a clown now.”
Sam snorts. “Yeah, you do, you clown.”
“I don’t know what you want from me,” Bucky begins, “but I’m not a weapon anymore. Whoever’s spying on you, using Spiderman—”
“Okay, look,” Peter interrupts, “I’m sorry for chiming in but it’s just been bothering me that you guys are not saying it with the hyphen.”
Bucky blinks. “What?”
“You know. Spider-man. You’re saying Spiderman. It’s just the tiniest pause…” Peter shakes his head, “Anyway, hyphen aside, I’m not spying. I mean. Okay, I kind of was, but that was because Mr. Stark wanted to check up on you without directly checking up on you? You get me? He didn’t send me as Spider-man –notice how you pause just a little— because that’d be weird, and he didn’t come because he’s like, resented or something even though he said something about you being a victim too, and, uh, help I’m babbling—”
Sam puts a hand on his mouth. “Jesus. Don’t you run out of air?”
Peter replies, muffled: “No. It’s a talent.”
“So Tony sent you to check up on me,” Bucky looks absorbed in thought for a second. “He said I’m a victim?”
“Yeah, and that he understands,” Peter replies when Sam takes his hand off. “He’s having a hard time coming around, but, he cares.”
Bucky runs a hand through his hair. “I should apologize. I need to apologize.”
“Buck…” Sam begins, with a warning tone. “He understands.”
“Yeah, but—but still. He deserves it. Okay. Okay, good.” Bucky sighs. “So you’re not a double-agent.”
“Nope. I’m a hundred percent best friend material. Friendly neighborhood Spider-man and all!”
“It’d suck if you had been. I actually liked you for a second.”
Peter stops. “Wait, what? You actually – you thought of me as your friend?!”
“Watch out, man,” Sam grins, “Grumpy cat’s regretting his decision the more you bring attention to it.”
“I am not a grumpy cat,” Bucky says. “I’m being humiliated. Peter, are you going home now?”
“Uh, yeah. My mission’s over.” Peter smiles a bit behind the mask. “Really, I’m gonna miss you guys a lot. I felt like we bonded so much – became real bros.”
“Don’t call us bros,” pops in Sam.
“Real dudes.”
Bucky grimaces.
“Real bro-gang.”
“Holy shit, I’m gonna send you home myself on these wings.”
“Okay, fine, tough crowd,” Peter coughs. “But we’ll keep in touch, right? For brunch and jogging? Maybe more shopping?”
Bucky cocks his head. “How many friends do you have?”
“I have four now, counting you guys.”
“Then yeah, we’ll keep in touch,” Bucky reaches out and squeezes his arm. Oh my God. Best friends. “See you around, Spider…”
Bucky makes a pause, staring at Peter.
He squeezes his arm. “…Man. Was that a good pause?”
“Aw, come on.”
“Come on what, Spider…” Sam makes a longer pause. “…Man?”
“I’m leaving.”
IV. extra
Tony finds a basket of flowers and a letter belonging to Bucky Barnes outside his house.
The letter on the basket seems to be very long and something that Tony will absolutely need a week to prepare to read.
However, the note on top of it all reads:
Delivered by:
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-man.
He grins despite the small anxiety growing in his stomach.
He loves that kid so much.