Hair Tie (Fluff)
Bucky was trying to piece himself back together. Steve suggested that he should go to the Smithsonian exhibit. When he walked around he watched the video several times. He walked out and started to read what they said about him.
"You should tie your hair back." A little girl with pitch-black hair says. He just stares down at her.
"Mommy says that we need to have our hair tied back. Or we'll trip over things because we can't see. She makes me wear these." The little girl motions at her wrist. That had hair ties, that were the colors of the rainbow.
"-because mine keeps falling out. You can't fight evil if you can't see it. I want to be a police officer when I grow up. Are you a-"
Her eyes trail off and become wider. They dart to the large digital image of James Buchanan Barnes. Then back to his face. His eyes dart over the exits and the crowd. While the girls distracted mother-attempting to corral three other black-haired children. Then he looks back down at the girl's face as a grin begins to grow.
"I knew it," she whispers.
He blinks down at her, thrown off by the delight in her expression. No one is ever happy to see the Soldier.
The girl grins as she scans the crowd. "Don't worry, I won't tell. People can't handle the truth. But I can. "She turns, her shining eyes back to the Soldier. Slowly, very slowly, the Soldier reaches out with a hand that has been replaced with a killing machine. His voice creaks out of him, "Can I have a hair tie?"
Without taking her eyes off him the girl rolls a light blue one out of the rainbow and hands it over to him. Smiling he reaches back and pulls his hair into a messy bun. "Thank you."
After he finishes looking at the exhibits he goes back to the tower.
After that day Bucky loved that hair tie. Natasha made it a habit of putting his hair up. It first started when he was bickering with Steve.
"Yeah because jumping on a grenade is such a great idea."
"It wasn't real so it didn't count."
"Sure it does-" He stops for a second. As Natasha stood behind him. Combing his hair into a little half-bun. He handed her his hair tie and she finished. The whole time he stood still until she was done. It's so much easier when he can see. He whispered a thank you. Before he continued to tease Steve.