Chicken Nugets and a Super Solider
Peter was having a good day, he stopped 3 muggings, 1 bank robbery and helped 4 old ladies with their groceries. A pretty successful patrol if he says so himself.
“Hey Karen, anything else for me to do?”
“No suspicious activity detected Peter, maybe you should go home to do your Spanish homework?” The AI kindly suggested as he landed on the edge of a building. Peter sighed and looked out at the New York sunset.
“You and I both know I won't be able to concentrate on any homework with Mr Stark and the others on a mission,” the vigilante responded. Normally any other Friday night Peter would be at the Stark tower getting ready for movie night with his new team - but since they all left on a mission there wasn't really much to do to keep Peter's mind from worrying. “Hey Karen, I’m going to the dark side.” Peter lunged off the building into free fall as he shot a web into the sky and let out a whoop of joy.
Normally Peter would avoid Brooklyn like Tony avoids meetings - but sometimes extreme circumstances call for desperate measures. After swinging around for 20 minutes with minimal action Peter was actually considering Karen’s suggestion but thank Thor he heard something a block down. Now Peter wasn't expecting a shoot-off between two aliens or anything but he hoped for something a little more exciting than two ten-year-olds cornering a super-soldier.
“Why’s your arm metal?”
“Is it true you kill people?”
“What's it like being brain-controlled?”
“Is Captain America awesome?”
The two kids were yelling at The Winter Soldier excitedly but he seemed to be more afraid of them. Backing up against the wall with his hands up he slowly tried to move away from the kids but they kept coming closer.
“Hey, kiddos what's up!” Peter dropped down to the ground behind them, smiling through the mask. The kids turned around and squealed in delight.
“Spiderman! What are you doing here?” The boy asked him. Peter wasn't exactly sure how to answer that one. He thought someone was in danger? He didn't want to do his Spanish homework? His mentor/father figure is in danger and Peter isn't there to protect him? Peter says none of those.
“Just came to check out how my good friends of Brooklyn are going,” he gave the pair a high five as they laughed nervously. The girl leaned in to whisper something to Peter,
“Is it true you can do a backflip? I want to be a gymnast but I still can't do a handstand.” She shifted sadly, looking at him with hope. Peter was still very much aware of the rouge super soldier behind them looking at the scene with a mix of fear and confusion.
“Hey listen, it took me ages to learn to do this. Just keep practising and I am sure you will be the best gymnast ever,” Peter told the little girl as he looked up at Bucky Barnes. “But I actually need to talk to my friend over here, and I am sure you two need to be getting home right?”
The two kids nodded and quietly gave their thanks. Peter watched them walk out of the ally and turned back to the soldier.
“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to get near them,” he rapidly apologized.
“Oh no, umm it wasn't that you just seemed really uncomfortable Mr Winter Soldier White Wolf Sir and I thought you might have wanted some help.” Peter mentally cursed himself for word babbling.
“My name is Bucky,” he whispered as he finally lowered his hands from a surrender position.
“Oh sorry, Mr Bucky my bad.” Peter kicked aside an old can and stretched out his hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Spider-Man.” Bucky hesitantly stretched out his normal hand and shook his hand softly.
“You are the spider person from the airport?” His Brooklyn accent is more prominent now back in his hometown.
“Oh yeah sorry about that by the way. Total misunderstanding on everyone's parts, I didn't mean to hurt you, Mr Bucky.” If anything Peter just added more confusion to the former assassin's face.
“You could stop my punch, how?”
“Oh super strength comes in handy,” Peter shuffled again - he isn't really the best with talking to super soldiers. “But I promise I will never use it on you again Mr Bucky sir!” Peter tries to reassure him but Bucky seems more hesitant. His hands shift over his backpack straps and he calms again, somehow it remind him of something.
“Are you here to arrest me? Shuri said I could come see Steve again.” Now it was Peter's turn to be confused - arrest? Like sure the man did some messed up things under mind control but that wasn't him. The accords made him free now, he can go wherever he likes now. But somehow Peter’s fanboy gets the best of him again.
“Wait did you say Shuri? Like Princess Shuri of Wakanda? Tech genius and meme queen of this generation?”
“You know Shuri?” Bucky asks, now a little calmer as it is evident Peter wasn't there to arrest him.
“Ummm sort of?” Peter wondered if following her on social media and seeing her tech in the labs counted for anything. Probably not. “So what are you doing here anyways Mr Bucky?”
“I came to see Steve and the Avengers to apologize but they were called away once I arrived.” He looked around the alleyway. “So I guess I am just waiting for them to come back.” Bucky Barnes wasn't what Peter would picture a killer to look like, he was a pawn in Hydra’s games. He forgave him a while back for what he did to Tony but now Peter feels sympathy for the man.
“Yeah me too,” Peter sits down on a garbage bin next to him and smiles, hoping his mask could show it. “I was meant to go to movie night but they all got called away so that left me alone for the night,” he looked over at Bucky again. “And you.”
“Why do you trust me Spiderman? Why do you look at me like I am not a monster?” He looks really confused and sad. Like he generally believes people think that of him.
“Because you’re not. You aren't a monster Mr Bucky, you were a pawn of Hydra. They made you do everything so you shouldn't blame yourself. You are a good person Bucky.” Now Peter is pretty sure the Soldier is crying. “Did you know I have a sixth sense? It's sorta like a danger alert and tells me whether something or someone is dangerous. I don’t feel any danger when I’m with you right now. So I trust you.”
“Thank you Spider-boy.” Peter hugs the super-soldier suddenly, but Bucky seems to relax after a second and awkwardly hugs the vigilante back. Peter pulls away and they both left in awkward silence.
“It's Spiderman,” Peter mumbles under his breath, remembering the comment about being a spider boy - why does no one think he is a man?! Bucky just stares at Peter,
“I am a hundred-year-old super-soldier, who has been through a war and has kept Steve alive despite he has a survival instinct of a fly. I know things - and you are a spider boy.” Peter laughs a little, despite everything Bucky seems happier somehow, lighter than before. And if that meant being called spider boy - Peter would take it.
“Hey, Mr Bucky-”
“Please call me just Bucky. It helps.” Helps what Peter doesn't know but he won't question someone who just opened up to him.
“Ok, Bucky did Shuri by any chance brief you on vines? Or modern culture?” Peter’s heart stopped when he saw the sh*t eating grin on his face.
“Yo, how much money do you have?”
“69 cents,” Peter replied with a massive grin.
“AYE, you know what that means?”
“I don't have enough money for chicken nuggets!” They both chanted at the end sending Peter hunching over in hysterics and Bucky lightly tapping his back with a massive smile.
“Bucky... How would you like to be my new friend?” Peter gasped, recovering from his impromptu laughing fit.
“It would be an honour spider boy,” one of the deadliest former Hydra assassins smiled back at Peter.
“Then how would you like to try the best churros in New York?”
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That's probably why the next morning Peter woke up to see every newspaper in Queens confused about what exactly Spiderman and The Winter Soldier were doing eating churros in Central Park recreating Vines at 11 pm at night. And Peter was happy to let the world guessing cause some things the world will never know... and that was okay with him.