Chapter 2
Like clockwork, Bucky received a phone call the very next day from the Rogers household. “Is this James Barnes?” A smooth voice asked from the other end of the call. It sounded rather young and feminine.
The voice surprised Bucky, but he quickly realized it must have been the maid or maybe a secretary seeing as Mr. Rogers appeared to work from home. It wasn’t like Steve himself was going to call Bucky up. “Yes, that’s me. Is this about the job?” Bucky asked, slowing his pace and stopping at a bench while he was taking the call.
“Yes sir, you’ll be happy to hear that Mr. Rogers would like you back sometime this week to reevaluate you. You are among three other applicants to get the job, the rest have been rejected. He would like to know what times would work best for you.” She spoke quickly, yet clearly, to Bucky. Bucky was a bit confused as to why Mr. Rogers didn’t just give him a time for the reevaluation. Most employers didn’t ask their future employees what worked best for them.
“Could you tell him anytime works for me? I could come over this afternoon if he’d like,” Bucky had nothing planned, therefore he figured why not get it done as soon as possible. There was a bit of shuffling on the other line, and then silence. Bucky could barely make out the hushed voice of the woman and the deeper tone of a male.
In a few seconds, the line clicked back on and the woman’s voice rang loud and clear. “He says that would work just fine. 3:00 pm at the same address as before. Have a nice day.”
The line clicked, and just like that the call was over. “Wow…” he mumbled to himself under his breath, trying to figure out how on Earth he’d come this far to getting the job. He didn’t look very presentable for the interview, and it was pretty awkward at first. Not only that, but the job would give him a place to stay, which was sort of ridiculous! Could the job get any more practical?
Bucky continued to wander for the remaining time, picking up spare change and dollar bills that would pop up every now and then. He was unsure as to whether he should attempt to find some form of lunch. He was pretty sure there was a soup kitchen a few blocks over, but wasn’t sure exactly where it was. Bucky’s phone was a flip phone from the early 2000’s, so he wasn’t able to access any form of a map from there. He continued to wander in the general direction of where he believed the soup kitchen might be, but didn’t seem to be getting any closer than he had been before.
He considered asking someone, but everyone was in such a hurry, pushing past him and nearly knocking him over. Bucky soon gave up on lunch and decided to go ahead and change into his one other pair of clothes. He didn’t want to show up to the interview the very next day with the same set of clothes on, that would only raise suspicions.
Bucky was at the mansion right on time. He rang the buzzer, and within a few seconds the front doors opened and a woman made her way down the pathway to the gate. “You must be James, right?” She asked, unlatching the gate and holding a hand out. “Steve says you go by Bucky, though.”
Bucky shook her hand, and though she looked small and thin, her handshake was just as strong, if not stronger than his. Bucky looked back down at her, intrigued by her strength. “Yeah, I’m Bucky,” he answered, letting go of the redhead’s hand. She smiled cheerily at him, then began to walk back to the front door.
“Please, follow me. My name is Natasha, and I’m head of security, as well as Steve’s good friend,” though she still appeared to be smiling, her tone suddenly became threatening, “If you are here to harm Steve or steal any of his possessions, I’d like you to know you won’t get away with it unscathed.” Her smile seemed genuine enough, but her words were unsettling.
Bucky stumbled, chuckling nervously as he entered the building. Natasha was right behind him, watching like a hawk. She brought him to the same room he was in the other day, reluctantly shutting the door behind her after she left. “Bucky!” Steve exclaimed, looking rather happy to see him, “I’m so glad you could make it. I just had a few more questions concerning your capabilities to fit the job.”
Bucky nodded, sitting back down without being asked to. That totally escaped his mind. “I’d be happy to answer those,” Bucky responded with a hesitant smile. Steve whipped his notebook back out, the same page from the other day, and began.
“Due to housing arrangements, we are inclined to know if you have a wife or children that you would be parted from,” Steve looked happy enough when Bucky answered ‘no.’ “Great, secondly we need to know if you are currently employed elsewhere,” another ‘no’ from Bucky and yet another smile from Steve. The questions kept coming. “Any crimes committed?” “Do you have any mental illnesses?” “Do you require any prescription drugs?” All no’s from Bucky. “Have you had any past injuries that still impact your daily life?”
Bucky bit his lip, glancing down at his arm. “Well, actually I do have one,” He said with a sigh. Bucky hadn’t even considered his arm, but injuries came up and now he had to confess. Steve raised an eyebrow, looking a bit shocked. “You see, a few years ago I got into a nasty car accident and my arm was badly damaged. The doctors considered amputating it, but they were able to save it. Now several of the bones in my arm are strengthened by metal rods, and it does pain me at times, but I swear it won’t prevent me from working hard.”
Steve sat back, sighing as he thought it over. “I do appreciate your honesty, Mr. Barnes.” He admitted, rolling his head back. After a minute or so of silence, Steve pulled himself back up. “I don’t think it will be a problem, Mr. Barnes, don’t worry about it. Now for the last bit of our time here today I’d like to ask for a urine sample, we need to drug test you.” Steve concluded, reaching down and pulling a small cup out from behind his desk. He handed it to Bucky, and told him where he could find a bathroom.
Bucky was incredibly grateful that Steve disregarded his arm. There had been a few times he hadn’t been employed just because of it. There was always a chance Steve was lying to appear friendly and would hire someone else instead, but Bucky was too distracted by the bathroom he just walked into to worry about that. He felt so out of place in the pristine room with a marble countertop surrounding the gold plated sink. The toilet was made in the same fashion, and the whole room was rather breathtaking for a bathroom. Bucky’s favorite part was the bouquet of colorful flowers in a vase next to the sink. He got his business done quickly, but felt compelled to linger in the bathroom. He didn’t, however, and quickly returned to the room Steve was in.
“Excellent, we’ll call you back once the results are in. Have a nice day, Bucky,” Steve said, dismissing him with the wave of a hand. Bucky was rather sorry to leave, but anticipated learning if he’d get the job or not.
By the next week, Bucky was back in the mansion with the new knowledge that yes, he had gotten the job. He was no longer homeless and unemployed, and not only that, his employer Steve seemed really kind. “You’ll be staying in this room. Will it suit your needs?” Steve asked, ushering him into a small, tidy bedroom with a bathroom attached. The room itself was small for a mansion as large as it was, probably about 10x10 and was furnished with a dresser and a queen bed that took up most of the space. The bathroom had a shower, a toilet and a sink. To Bucky, the room was unbelievable.
“Thank you so much, sir,” Bucky said, enthralled with his new room.
“Did you bring your things to get settled in?” Steve asked, looking over at Bucky’s burlap sack, stuffed with his few belongings. Bucky avoided looking at Steve, suddenly ashamed and unsure of how to answer. “Never mind, I’ll leave you alone for a bit so you can get settled in. There’s a uniform inside the dresser you can go ahead and change into. Meet me in the study once you’re done.” Steve left Bucky alone in the room, though he was still a tad bit confused.
The first thing Bucky did was take a shower. It was nice to feel the warm water soothe his aching muscles and to relax for once. The uniform was where Steve said it was, and in the dresser was a pair of black dress pants, a button down shirt, suspenders and a vest. With those items was a note informing Bucky to tell Steve if they didn’t fit, and to ask him if Bucky ever needed replacement clothes.
After Bucky combed and dried his hair (which actually looked very nice when properly taken care of,) he emptied his sack onto the bed. The contents of the bag weren’t very grand, but they were enough for Bucky. A journal with a red leather cover, a t-shirt, a sweater, a pair of pants, some loose change and a brush. Wow was he pathetic, having so little. Bucky used to own a little more, but after he was fired from his job at an antique shop he ended up selling most of his things for cash. He stuck his journal in a drawer on the nightstand next to the bed and threw the rest of his stuff into one of the dresser drawers.
Luckily, Bucky remembered where the study was and was able to find it on his own. He knocked before entering, and when Steve gave him the affirmative Bucky pushed open the large, wooden door. “How do the clothes fit?” Steve asked, stepping up from his chair.
“They fit perfectly,” Bucky said, smoothing out the vest and joining Steve next to the desk. “So, where do we start?”
“Well, I figured I should show you the place first,” Steve said, handing Bucky a small sheet of paper off of his desk. “This is a map of the house, you can use it while you’re still getting to know the place.” Bucky thanked him, accepting the paper and looking it over. The floor plan was complicated and it almost looked like a maze. Bucky would definitely be using the map often. “Let’s head to the kitchen, shall we?”
Steve led Bucky down a few sets of stairs and through several long corridors until the smell of baked goods began to waft around them. Steve pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the sturdy door, the scents hitting Bucky at full blast once the door was opened. It was a good deal hotter in that room due to all of the ovens and stoves. “Here are the kitchens, they cook for everyone on the estate, including the workers,” Steve ushered Bucky in and showed him around, showing off his top notch equipment and state of the art chefs. “I’d like you to meet Thor, he’s in charge of the kitchens.”
A tall, buff man with long, straggly blonde hair smiled down at him, wiping his messy hands off on his apron. “Nice to make your acquaintance,” Thor said, holding out a hand for Bucky to shake. Bucky’s hand looked small compared to Thor’s, and Bucky began to wonder why everyone he met so far seemed incredibly strong.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Bucky said, pulling away and grinning. Thor took over from there, introducing him to other employees, showing him some of the different dishes, and where certain foods were prepared. “It sure is busy in here,” Bucky commented, gazing at the bustling people that seemed to form a blur in the humid room.
“Yes, well, we’ve got a lot to do. Clint’s kid—I’m sorry, Mr. Barton’s kid has a birthday coming up, and we have to make sure everything is perfect,” Thor informed him, leaning over the shoulder of a young lady kneading dough and nodding at her in approval.
“That’s this upcoming week, isn’t it?” Steve asked, pulling his phone out to check. Thor nodded, adding that it was Wednesday, then continued through the long room. Eventually they reached the end, and Steve and Bucky bid Thor farewell.
“You’ll be fetching my meals from the kitchens and bringing them to me. On their days off, you’ll be expected to prepare my meals. You’ll find anything and everything you could possibly need in there, don’t worry,” Steve told Bucky as they began another confusing journey through the house. “I usually eat breakfast around eight, lunch between noon to one, and dinner at seven.”
“Good to know,” Bucky said as he did his best to memorize those times. He hadn’t brought a pen with him, though he now realized he should have brought something to take notes on. “So where are we going now?” Bucky asked, catching up with Steve. Steve walked rather quickly.
“I’ll be showing you to the dining room. I don’t usually eat there, I prefer my room, but you should know where it is for exceptions,” Steve told him, glancing over his shoulder to speak to Bucky. The room wasn’t as large as the kitchens, and it was rather empty (people wise). There was a long table with 20 chairs on each side, china plates set at each spot and fancy folded napkins over top of those. The centerpiece was similar to the flowers Bucky had seen in the bathroom, and he wondered if they were grown on the estate.
“This is nice,” Bucky spoke, breaking the silence between the two. Steve nodded, but didn’t seem overly fond of the room.
“Let’s move on,” Steve said suddenly, grabbing Bucky’s arm and dragging him out of the room. There seemed to be a room for everything in Steve’s mansion. A music room, an exercise room, a small theater, an indoor greenhouse, a swimming pool, a nursery; Bucky was surprised they didn’t have a bowling alley. “This is my studio, please be careful not to touch anything, some things have yet to dry,” Steve warned, slipping through the barely cracked door. Bucky did the same, gasping when he saw countless paintings and sketches littering the messy room. Paints were thrown everywhere and blank sheets formed unbalanced piles. “Sorry it’s so messy,” Steve said, pushing a few things aside.
“These are good,” Bucky murmured, admiring a few paintings, “Are they all yours?”
“Afraid so,” Steve replied, face going red. “Whenever I’m stressed, I like to come in here. If there’s ever a time you can’t find me, check here first.” Bucky nodded in response due to his sudden loss for words. “Anyway, if it doesn’t bother you too much it’d be nice to have a reference every now and then for my paintings,” Steve continued, looking back over at Bucky.
Bucky began to stutter as he tried to formulate a response, glancing back and forth but never at Steve. “I- Sure, of course. I mean, there are probably better people to look at, but I’ll- yeah, of course,” Bucky finally spit out. Steve chuckled at his behavior.
“Okay, moving on,” Steve said with a flourish, exiting the small room, “I’ll show you the rest of the building.”
They were cut short when a fuming man came running up to Steve and shoved him to the ground, shouting words so quickly Bucky couldn’t make them out. “What the Hell, Steve!” The man cried out as he held Steve down, shaking him back and forth.
Bucky, not quite sure if he should, grabbed the new man by the shoulders and hauled him off of Steve, asking him to please calm down. Steve got up, his facial expression dim as he dusted off his clothes. “What’s wrong this time, Tony?” Steve asked, exasperated. Bucky loosened his grip and allowed ‘Tony’ to break away.
“You promised me the parts weeks ago, and you know what? Still no parts! I don’t know why I continue helping out your sorry ass if you don’t provide!” Tony shouted, stepping closer to Steve. “If those parts aren’t in by next Friday, I’m not going to work on your project anymore.”
“Tony, please calm down, I’m sure we can fix this. Bucky, why don’t you head upstairs? My room is marked on the map, once you find it just wait for me. I’ll try to be quick.” Steve said as he gritted his teeth in frustration. Bucky nodded and started up the stairs, fully out of sight, but slowed when he heard their conversation commence.
“And who might that be? A new boy toy for you to fuck with? I thought we were a thing, but no, apparently not! For someone so patriotic I figured you’d be a bit more loyal,” Tony sounded outraged, and Bucky could practically hear the spit flying out of his mouth.
“Tony, I told you, that was one time. We were never officially together, and I have no obligations to you. Our relationship is fully business related. Besides, Bucky is here as an employee, not a prostitute.” Steve sounded tense.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that. Once you stop staring at his ass all the time, I’ll believe you,” Tony said lowly, almost too quiet for Bucky to hear.
“Oh yeah, you know so much? You witnessed us interacting for how long, a minute? Besides, glancing at his ass a few times doesn’t mean anything, it’s not as if you didn’t check him out as he was leaving.” Bucky gulped at Steve's response, taking note to how Steve didn't deny it.
Tony said something else, but Bucky was too busy going back up the stairs to hear it. His face was burning, and he felt incredibly ashamed to have been eavesdropping. He disregarded the whole conversation and quickly found Steve’s room. It was very orderly and tidy, and probably three times the size of Bucky’s. There was a king sized bed, a desk, a dresser, and several other fine looking pieces of furniture. Attached to Steve’s room was spacious bathroom with an elegant tub in the corner, an incredibly nice shower, and a very high-tech looking toilet. The sink was just as expensive looking as everything else in the room, and Bucky began to feel a bit overwhelmed.
“Bucky, you in there?” Steve asked a few minutes later, creaking open the door.
“Yeah,” Bucky said, not wanting to look at Steve after listening to that conversation. The guilt was killing him.
“Sorry about Tony, he can get very pumped up,” Steve said, taking a seat at the desk in his room. “Anyway, this is my room. You’ll start each day by bringing food from the kitchens up here at eight, and go from there. My schedule may change a bit every day, but for the most part it’s all very similar. Are you alright, Bucky?” Steve asked, noticing Bucky’s silence.
“Yeah, just a bit… overwhelmed, I guess.” Bucky said, holding his head in his hands.
Steve looked worried, walking over to pat Bucky on the back. “I don’t want you getting sick on your first day, why don’t you go back to your room for now? You’ll need to go down to the kitchens around 6:45 to get my dinner, so that’ll give you a few hours of rest.”
Bucky nodded in agreement, then left to find his way back to his room. He wasn’t quite sure he’d be able to manage if there were any more ‘Tony’s’ out there, but he was definitely going to try his best to please Steve and keep the job.