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Bucky stood over the stove, staring a small pot of milk. He had added a bit of honey and is now waiting for the white liquid to heat up. The man is very exhausted, dark circles hang from his eyes. He had thoughts running through his restless mind. Maybe coming to the Compound was a bad idea. He isn’t sleeping and his son has rarely left his room. Maybe it’ll be best if they go back to Wakanda. But, there’s one problem. They let Wakanda cause of the Rogue Avengers and how they’ve been treating Frost.
Humming a Russian tune to himself, Bucky didn’t hear someone entering the kitchen.
“You’re up late again.”
Bucky jumped and pivoted his body to see who else is in the kitchen. Tensed left his body when he saw that it was the president who owned the building they all lived in, Tony Stark. Bucky watched as the other leaned against the door frame. Bucky shrugged and turned back to the stove, he didn’t want the milk to scorch.
“Something wrong?” Tony asked.
“Nothing I can’t handle. Go back to bed.” Bucky mutters, tiredness evident in his voice.
“Is it Frost? Is he having issues sleeping again?”
Bucky turns his head and titles it in a way that means yes. Indeed his child is having problems sleeping at night. The boy has a habit of sleeping in a corner when stressed and frightened. It’s been at least four months since he and Bucky have arrived at the Compound. Bucky has already caught Frost sleeping in a corner of the room three times this week alone.
“He is. Another nightmare, though…” Bucky trailed in his words. For the longest time, the man had thought Frost has been suffering from nightmares. He had tried to comfort the child— his son— but most nights the boy couldn’t go back to sleep. Bucky only remembers one time Frost had told him he wasn’t waking due to nightmares. That was back when they lived in Wakanda. “I don’t think its nightmares he’s having.”
“What do you think he’s experiencing?” Tony titled his head, eyeing the stove and the tired man next to it.
“Memories.”
“Memories?” Tony echoed.
“Hydra. Everything Hydra made him— I— we do. I believe that’s why he can’t sleep.” Bucky said, flicking the stove off and walking to the cupboard that held the cups. Bucky can feel Stark’s eyes on him, but he ignored it. Bucky's used to the stares.
“I know he’s the Winter Soldier and by all logic, I shouldn’t feel bad for him…” Tony walked to the table and sat on a chair. He laced his fingers together and pressed his face against them. “But, after watching him these past months…”
“He’s very child-like. Has been, even before this whole-body split fiasco.” Bucky hummed setting the cup on the counter and poured the warm milk. A soft smile crossed his face. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the kid had been growing on him for a while.
“Tell me,” Tony says, lifting his head.
Bucky blinked and thought of a moment. He and Stark didn’t talk to each other much. Bucky had been avoiding the man whenever he could. He still felt guilty for the deaths of the man’s parents. Now that he had a child of his own, he felt...strange being near Tony. Well, that was how he acted in the beginning months, now though? He and Tony talk more regularly. Though, some conversations are still difficult.
“Let me get Frost back to bed, first.” Bucky chuckled, the cup being cradled in his metal hand. He walked passed the man and out the door.
Tony waited a minute or so before he stood up and followed the other. He won’t enter the room unless Frost says he wants him in the room. That room is Frost’s safe space, he isn’t going to disrespect it by coming in uninvited. Even if Bucky invites him.
Tony watched as Bucky opened the door and slipped into his and his son’s room. Tony poked his head into the room and watched as Bucky sat on the edge of his bed. Frost is curled on his side, clutching a pillow. Tony can see that the boy is wearing his sleep clothes, which are black night pants and a grey t-shirt.
“Here, kid. I told you I’d get you something to help you sleep.” Bucky spoke as Frost sat up and took the cup from the older man with his right hand— the flesh hand. The metal arm glints in the low light. Frost smiled and sipped the warm milk. Bucky hummed and ruffled his hair, placing a small kiss against the forehead.
Tony watched as the father-son moment. He didn’t have a good relationship with his father, so he wanted to walk away from the situation. But, something in him made the man stay. He hummed to himself as Frost hid his face against Bucky’s chest, the cup still in his flesh hand. Barnes leaned his head close to his son and chuckled. This made Tony raise a brow.
“Louder.” Bucky snorted, his son pressing farther into his chest. Tony titles his head, a confused expression on his face. Of course, Bucky and Frost didn’t notice, but Tony wondered what the boy had said. Frost hardly speaks at all and when he does, it’s in whispers. But Tony has never heard Frost speak for himself once. Bucky poked a flesh finger against the boy’s cheek and hummed; “Come on you can speak louder. You won’t get punished for it.”
Frost shakes his head and pulls away from Bucky. Tony can see that the boy's exhausted. The bags under his eyes are dark, he looks so much like his father. Well from what Tony was told, Frost is an exact copy and paste of Barnes, just young. Very young. The child drains the rest of his cup and hands it back to Bucky. Once taken from his person, the child laying back down and curls around the pillow. Tony mentally smiled to himself, that body pillow was a good idea. He moved from the door and into the hallway.
“Time for bed, now.” Bucky says, “I’ll make breakfast.”
Tony started to head back to the kitchen. But almost tripped over his feet when he heard something wonderful. Something beautiful.
“Night.”
Frost spoke. Frost had spoken aloud for the first time since coming to the compound. The boy’s voice was soft and low. Tony can’t tell if the boy sounds like Barnes, he’ll have to hear the kid speak more than a single word for him to compare.
“Night.” Bucky murmurs. The sound of the door clicking shut snaps Stark from his little trace. He turns and finds Bucky looking at him amused.
“Did he…” Tony chokes out as Bucky walks past him, trying to keep the excitedness from slipping into his voice.
“Heard him speak for the first time?” The man calls over his shoulder, noting the excited tone in the man’s voice. And Tony nods, quickly following the other. “He’s very soft-spoken. It’ll be a while before he’s comfortable speaking aloud.”
“He’s very comfortable with Peter.” tony comments.
“Well, Peter did start to meme, so—”
“Don’t remind me!” Tony groaned, he didn’t understand the pop culture references that teen throws out.
“Sorry.” Bucky chuckled, “But, it has brought Frost out of his shell. Shuri thought him meme and all that.”
Why am I not surprised.” Tony shook his head as he and Bucky headed back to the kitchen. Their sock feet make little to no noise.
“It drove T’challa crazy.” Bucky hummed, a smile pulled on his face at the memory.
Tony snorted in amusement at the thought of T'challa yelling at his sister and Frost as the two have a vine off. The young King must have had a headache after headache. Tony feels bad for the man. Once in the kitchen, Tony pulled a chair and sat on it.
“So, gonna tell me about Frost? You promised.” Tony mused, watching Bucky as he poured the rest of the warm into two small cups. Tony titled his head and took one that's handed to him, eyeing Bucky as he sat.
“Where to start.” Bucky hummed, tapping a flesh finger against the proletarian cup. “Well, I first noticed after failing my mission on the Helicarrier.”
“And?” Tony encouraged.
“I ran from Hydra. That started my two years on the run. When I bought my apartment, Frost asked what it was and why we were there. I told him it was our home and of course, he didn’t know what a home was. I had to teach him what a home is and what it meant.” Bucky stopped and let Tony digest what he said. The ex-soldier sipped his milk and hummed at the warm honey taste against his tongue. He set the cup down and nodded, “He started asking more and more. Anything and everything you can think of asking, he asked. I began to realize that Frost wasn’t just a program that Hydra had. More than a weapon, he was his person and didn’t know much about anything.”
Tony stared at the other as the man wrapped his flesh fingers around the warm cup. The man’s shoulders and slumped and exhausted is very evident on him. Tony knew the look of a tired man and Bucky fit the bill to a T. Maybe he’ll keep Frost busy for a while and let Bucky take a nap later. Bucky must be a very tired father.
“It doesn’t matter how you look at his situation, he’s a kid through and through.” Bucky sighed and finished his cup, running a hand through his hair. “I...I couldn’t leave him, not when he didn’t me the most.”
“Is that why you fought Cap and them when they tried to separate the two of you?” Tony asked. He was told about Steve and the other Rogues trying to separate Frost from Bucky. And from what Tony gathered, Bucky was not a happy camper.
“Yes. Steve would’ve had him locked up or put into cryo without a second thought. I can’t let that happen.” Bucky growled, his metal hand tightening around the cup. Tony winced as a long crack appeared on the cup. It was an Iron Man cup too.
“I see. He is like a child. Caught him snooping in my workshop once.”
Bucky grimaced at the thought of Frost In Tony’s workshop unsupervised. The boy has a thing for getting into trouble. “Sorry ‘bout that. He has a knack for getting his nose into something it doesn’t belong in.”
“It’s fine, he’s curious.” Tony hummed, a smile on his face.
Bucky nods, a yawn pulling from his lips. “I think it’s time we head to bed.”
“I agree.”
Tony sat up from the chair and stretched, a yawn leaving his lips as well. Bucky rubbed his tired eyes and followed Tony’s lead. The men headed from the kitchen and to their respective rooms. Bucky stopped and looked at the door to his son’s room and hummed.
“Let me check on Frost one last time,” Bucky said, gripping the doorknob with his flesh hand.
“You’re such a dad.” Tony snickered, keeping his voice low as Bucky turned to glare at him.
“Shut it.” The man huffed.
Maybe staying at the Compound wouldn’t be so mad after all.