Barely old enough, and so very far away (tony, age 6)
Tony is six years old, he doesn’t think that means he’s big enough for boarding school, but his cheek is still stinging from saying that thought aloud near his father, so he figures he’s going to have to be big enough. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still crying, but he figured out his tears don’t count for much along time ago. Bucky cares, or at least Bucky doesn’t yell at him for showing emotion. Granted his Bucky Bear can’t yell at him for anything, but that might be the best thing about him, except maybe the hugs. Either way Bucky listens when tony cries into his fur “the school is really far away but I have to go.” Tony can tell him anything “they’re making me.”
That’s why Bucky ends up hidden in the bags Ana packed for him because tony doesn’t know what boarding school is going to be like, but things are always better when Bucky is with him.
It’s three months into boarding school before he realises he was wrong. Tony gets the highest marks in the year for his winter exams, he’s ecstatic to finally have some good news to tell Bucky, but as he’s sitting in his dorm room Justin Hammer comes in. Justin hammer is seven years older than Tony but they’re the same grade. Justin’s tall and gangly but Tony is small even for a six year old so looking at Justin looming over him and Bucky strains his neck, “wow,” Justin claps slowly “the great genius tony stark, and he’s sitting playing with kids toys” Justin who used to be a straight B student has dropped to C’s this year. Tony’s confused because both of them are kids, but it doesn’t matter because Bucky’s gone.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to take people’s things with out asking,” Tony protests lightly and cautiously, very aware the effect similar comments have had on his father in the past. “oh really,” Justin says still holding Bucky “well I guess if you’re going to give me helpful advice I’ll return the favour. You’re not supposed to throw the fucking curve!” Justin mocks as he pulls hard on Bucky, Tony can only watch as his Bucky has his right arm torn from his body. Justin throws Bucky to the ground and grinds the heel of his shoe into him “Welcome to the real world, try not to be such a little baby or next time it won’t be your stupid toys that I break.”
Tony manages to fix Bucky, but it doesn’t stop. Half the school calls him a baby. Even if he knows some of the older girls are doing it to coo over him, he can’t escape it and nobody wants to be friends with a baby. Except Bucky, Tony wonders for a moment if maybe he should hide his Bucky Bear away but that never would have stopped Howard, so he decided to appreciate that at least he has Bucky. It’s still worse at home than in school so Tony isn’t too worried about the unimaginative insults thrown at him in the halls. It does make him wonder if it really is his fault, that all of these people hate him. He is the only common denominator between them.
Still when he cries on his unfamiliar bed in his far too big school sweatshirt because people are cruel because a six year old is smarter than them and they don’t understand that Tony doesn’t want to be here. Bucky is there. Bucky gets it. Bucky misses Jarvis’s warm hugs and Ana’s forehead kisses and sugar cookies too.
https://ilizibeth.tumblr.com/image/179223887704