Chapter One
The transition from Winter Solider, world's deadliest assistant trained by the Red Room, back to Sergeant James Barnes is a rough one. No one is more aware of this than the man himself. Bucky finds himself struggling to adjust from a life that consisted of hiding after the events of DC and hunting down the smoldering pieces left of Hydra to being babied by none other than Captain America himself. Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman? A scorned woman had nothing on a man twisted into a weapon and sent to kill his own best friend. But that was another story.
As it currently was Bucky was safely tucked away, in the Avengers tower of all things. Tony Stark naturally did not approve but there was only so much protesting you could do in the face of the walking example of all of America's finer qualities, Captain America himself. Eventually Tony went from spaztastically outraged to mild grumbling. Not that Bucky left Steve's floor of the tower that often. Everything.. hurt. He was still tense and wary, prepared to vanish like a passing shadow should he need too. Memories kept clashing as he slowly remembered his time as the Winter Solider and everything before that. Nightmares were a common occurrence, sleep wasn't. Having Steve right by his side was both a help and a disadvantage.
He was able to use Steve as an excuse to not meet the others that called the tower home. Not that all of them were ever in the tower at once. Tony worked manic hours between running Stark Industries , making all sorts of inventive toys for the Avengers and bouncing between New York and Malibu. When Bruce wasn't working in the lab he was just as elusive as Bucky happened to be at the present moment. Clint and Tasha were rarely in the tower either, running missions for Fury no doubt. Bucky was firmly of the 'don't ask questions if you don't want answers' mind of thinking. Thor? He was off doing whatever Demi gods did. And hearing about Thor was certainly a mind boggling thing for him.
Three months into his stay at the tower and the first tendrils of cabin fever had set in. He wasn't a danger to anyone, not really. Steve seemed poised to take Buck down should he show any signs of reverting back to the Winter Solider but besides some intense nightmares and brief moments of half awake Russian ramblings there was nothing to worry about. Rodgers had stepped out of the tower while Bucky was sleeping. Bucky realized that minutes after he woke up to sky heavy with grey clouds. According to Jarvis, and wasn't it trippy there was a voice that had no body to talk too, it was suppose to rain miserably for the rest of the day. Bucky gave a deep sigh and gazed out of the ceiling to floor windows, clutching his cup of coffee like it was some sort of life line.
He didn't want to stay on Steve's floor by himself. The thought hit him as he stood there, watching sheets of rain pound the ground. If Steve trusted him to be alone without him it certainly couldn't hurt to wander the communal areas of the tower right? Bucky considered that thought as he chewed on his bottom lip and used one hand to brush chin length hair out of his eyes. Why not. Bucky discarded the rest of his coffee into the sink, it had gotten cold during his musing anyway, and got dressed before heading out. He felt like a teenager, escaping while being grounded. Nothing happened between leaving Steve's floor to the elevator to him stepping in though the 'Avenger's' floor of the tower. He breathed a sigh of relief.
It was silent. No one must be around. Bucky considered that before silently making his way though the floor. He peeked and poked at things before finding a large tv in one room. He glanced around like he expected an Avenger to spring out of nowhere and yell GOTCHA and chase him back to Steve's floor. After that thought circled in his head Bucky gave a groan and rubbed his face. He was getting stupid now. He poked at the tv and ten minutes later, because clearly he was awesome and it only took minutes for him to figure out how things worked, he was playing some kind of video game with aliens and a guy named Master Chief. Which was a ridiculous name if you asked him.
He was doing that, and doing fairly well when he heard a noise, the elevator arriving. Instantly he tensed up and images of trying to sneak into the house after dark only to get caught by Mama Barnes danced though his mind. He was frozen as he heard the faintest noise of slow foot steps. If he wasn't as good as he was he would have missed it. Whoever it was had an almost soundless walk. Or they did till a loud sneeze broke the air.
Whatever guilty panicked feelings he may have been wrestling with vanished in a instant. All he could think of was pre serum Steve, catching colds at the slightly cold breeze and being stuck in bed for weeks on end with only Bucky to take care of him. He rose to his feet and moved, much more silently then the sneezer did, The video game was forgotten in the same moment and he rounded the corner to come face to face with the Amazing Hawkeye himself. Apparently a little to silently because not even a split second later there was a bow in the man's hands and he was face to face with an arrow about to get launched into an eye socket. He held up hands and took a step back. "Wait.. I'm not here to hurt you I.." As he was speaking Clint looked distracted and even as he was moving the bow to the side he let out another explosive sneeze. It shook the archer's body hard enough he let the arrow off and with a 'twatck!' it landed in what Bucky was assuming a priceless painting.
"Aww.. body no."
Bucky arched an eyebrow then glanced between the painting and the sopping wet archer who was swiping at his running noise with the back of one arm.