Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 3

I Was A Grownup (Barnes x reader)

Follow up to "I Am A Grownup" way back in Book One

Bucky didn't sign up for this.

"Be an Avenger, they said," he grumbled under his breath, "it'll be fun, they said."

"What you say, Jims?"

Bucky looked down at you, his grouchy mood starting to soften at the innocence looking back up at him with wide eyes; they were eyes that he loved to get lost in as he would lie next to you each night, but not in this version. Now when he looked into them, he felt awkward and uncertain, as they were the eyes of a child after you had been de-aged in one of Loki's tricks. Bucky was a bit of a prankster himself, and this was how you repaid him for a particularly cruel one, after seeing how well it worked when the team punished you the same way not so long ago.

"Nothing, doll...(Y/N)," he sighed, "just thinkin' out loud. You okay?"

"Yep," you said quietly, stretching into a long yawn, "but I'm sleepy now." Reaching your hands up and pouting just a little, you whimpered for his help, "can you carry me, Jims?"

"Why? Your legs broken?"

In that moment, Bucky knew immediately that he had screwed up, and his attitude needed to get in check. Your lower lip began to tremble just the slightest, and the moisture of tears built to line your lashes as your emotions started to bubble up in your throat. Dropping your hopeful hands down to hang limp at your sides, you sniffled and ran your forearm over your eyes to catch the drops before they could fall. "No, they ain't."

"Aw, shi-...shoot," he corrected, "come here. I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to make ya sad. I can carry you upstairs."

"Okay!" you smiled widely, as if the tears were just a ploy now that you had gotten your way. Thrusting your arms up eagerly, you laughed as he lifted you against him, and wrapped your arms around his neck to hold on tight. "Don't carry me with the metal one! It pinches!"

"Fine, scoot over."

You helped him to shift you to the other arm, and once you were finally settled to your contentment, you yawned again and rested your head on his shoulder as he made his way to the elevator. The sounds of the rest of the team coming home from their night out perked you up enough to sit up again, much to his dismay, thinking that he could finally put you to bed and leave you to wake up tomorrow back in your adult form as Loki had promised. He had been in charge of your care all day, and he was fully exhausted. He had made lunch four times until he finally found something that you would eat, and when dinner came around he went straight for take-out in his limited patience. The two of you had played for hours on end, and he honestly had no idea how you were even still awake, much less able to sit up with a second burst of energy now at the sight of your team coming home.

"No," he whispered sternly, "it's bedtime, (Y/N). Don't even think-"

"Sammy!" you cheered, releasing him to clap your hands together. "What you bring for me?"

"Just what I promised, cutie," he laughed, making his way over to you both, "your favorite dessert!" When he reached out for you to take the small bag from his hands, he was abruptly halted by a metal hand slapping it away from your reach.

"Sam, come on, I was just putting her to bed. No sugar."

"Well that's just mean."

"It's being responsible."

"Jims is mean."

"See," Sam huffed, "told ya."

"Don't argue with me in front of her, Wilson. That's setting a bad example. Rules are made for a reason."