The Encyclopedia Of Bucky Barnes' New Beginnings | Stucky

Six ∆ When You Get Punched In The Face...

They had the weekend. Bucky added to and crossed items off his list, the gel pen colors changing and flowing per his mood or what was near him. He called his boss, Chester Phillips, and then spent two hours on the phone with the amazing Virginia Potts-Stark, jotting down even more notes in his notebook. Then, just to cheer him up, Tony had stolen his wife's phone when they were done and chattered on about science and whatnot. Which, honestly, was something Bucky needed. Something easy and, dare he say, normal. He got the information for Olivia's school, called, and explained the situation and that he didn't want her to be in-person if he could help it. The principal, Darcy Lewis, whom Bucky had met at a teaching convention a year and a half ago, explained that there was another school nearby that offered an online kindergarten program, and that he could enroll her once he had established custody. For now, she had days off, for bereavement.

Monday morning, Bucky regretfully woke up to his five AM alarm, rolling over and out of Steve's arms to slap at the machine until he found the switch to turn it off.

Today was different. Steve still got up with him, but he didn't go out on his run. Someone had to be in the house. Like usual, he made the essential coffee as Bucky showered, but now he didn't leave after Bucky got out, instead sat down at the couch with one of his nice commission sketchbooks, sipping at the coffee from his favorite mug with his hair all messed up from his pillow. Bucky drank his own coffee, sitting close to Steve's left side with his cheek on his shoulder, watching him feather careful graphite lines on the thick paper, but when he finished he had to tear himself away and finish getting ready. Putting on a plum purple dress shirt and a deep blue tie, then the dark brown suit jacket and trousers. He triple checked his bag before going to make sure his hair was drying alright, opting to leave it down as he rarely did.

In that extra ten minutes before he had to go, Steve was usually back from his run, showering. But now, Bucky perched on the arm of the couch, arms around Steve's shoulders as they lazily kissed, wasting time in the best way Bucky knew how.

"You look great, by the way," Steve softly murmured, pressing that final kiss to Bucky's lips, as he slipped off the arm of the couch and tossed over his shoulder;

"I always look great."

"You're vain."

Shaking his head, Bucky protested, "If I was vain, I'd never be caught with my hair this long."

Steve suddenly frowned. No longer teasing him, he said with a weight that Bucky absolutely hated, "Shit happens."

George Barnes had been Bucky's everything.

When his father died, it felt like the entire world had collapsed, or that an meteor had hit them. Everything revolved between scorching fire and burning ice. His bereavement days were counted in his total, so he had to go back after three - to have been approached by a random dad named George and unable to keep from falling apart. He was ultimately sent home, just to lay in bed hugging Henry the Llama. And Steve, who had been planning on going to the city for a job opportunity, had stayed at home for if he was ever needed or if something else happened. Bucky was never more thankful for him, and that his dad was able to meet him and love him too. Steve tried so hard during the big break - his mom had gone through cancer remission after remission. But both of his parents were still alive and kicking.

Bucky lost himself for a little while. He stopped caring about his hair, stopped getting cuts - even though he did get then for free, Natasha either coming to him or him visiting her. It grew out well, until it was a few inches past his shoulders, in waves that were almost curls. Steve convinced him to go to Nat a few times after the first handful of months, only for light trims when his ends began to split. He already knew how to care for long hair, having watched his mother and sisters do it themselves his whole life. The first time he'd ever properly plopped his hair, once it was long enough to do so, he and Steve had watched a bunch of old movies from their childhoods, played Battleship and card games they barely ever had the chance to play, as Bucky waited for his gelled hair to dry in the T-shirt wrap.