It's all coming back to me now (Spot and Bucky)

[brooklynishere]

When the Hydra facility had been raided, the last thing anybody expected to find was a 16 year old kid on ice, and yet there he'd been. Steve had been the one to stop the Hydra scientist from shutting down the life support, but they hadn't got there in time to prevent the destruction of a good half the facility's records - including the ones about who the kid was or why he was there.

So what choice did they have but to wake him up and find out?

He was uncooperative at first, refused to give them any details other than the name 'Spot' and kept threatening to fight anybody that came close, though they managed to work out pretty easily that he was from Brooklyn and he'd been on the ice almost as long as Steve had. It's when he overhears a comment about Bucky that he seems to change his tune.

"Bucky Barnes?" he asks, and while he still seems wary, for the first time since he woke up he says something actually helpful "I'll talk to him. Tell him the name's Sean Conlon."

Comments

[brooklynishere]

"I just..." Spot avoids looking over at him, staring down into his lap as he picks at the edge of a hole in his jeans "Look, I ain't used to relyin' on nobody else, okay? I stayed strong for my boys an'... an' that was that. Ain't used to... talkin' 'bout this kinda stuff."

Being the leader of the Brooklyn newsies had been a lot of responsibility, and he'd taken it on without question, it just meant he didn't spent a lot of time actually being a kid.

[not_a_commie]

“You can rely on us.” Bucky says looking at Sean, “so what happened?” He asks voice lower then before. “Talk about it, then when can all go get dinner, after I shower and you get some homework done.”

[brooklynishere]

Spot sighs, frustrated but resigned, and his expression is mutinous but he starts talking, knowing there's no way Bucky's going to let him off the hook on this one.

"I had teachers callin' me Sean all day, an' by the time I got to that science class I was done with it. Same as all the others I asked him to call me Spot. He wouldn't, so I just ignored him when he called me Sean. Then he said he wasn't gonna use no 'stupid nickname'. So I told him to go fuck himself."

[not_a_commie]

“Aw Christ, Spot you can’t go telling people or teachers to go fuck themselves, no matter how good it feels.” He says shaking his head.

“Look not teacher is going to call you, Spot, just like not everyone calls me Bucky, it’s gonna be a mix, and Sean’s not a bad name.” He shrugs. “It was my dad’s middle name.” He finally shares.

“Come on you and Steve can pick where we go while I get cleaned up.”

[brooklynishere]

Spot just nods, reluctantly, but he knows Bucky's right. Or at least, he knows Bucky's right that he can't tell teachers to go fuck themselves and get away with it.

He climbs out the car, expression thoughtful at that revelation. Before they reach the house, he glances up at Bucky.

"Does it bother you, that I don't like to use it?" he asks, never having considered before now that the name might have come from Bucky rather than his mother.

[not_a_commie]

“No.” He says quick and easy. “I mean my name is James Buchanan Barnes, but I go by Bucky, Steve never in his life has used James.” He points out. “You wanna be Spot I’ll call you Spot, might slip now and again.” He says honestly as they walk into the house.

Steve looks from from the couch where he’s working in a sketch book, “You’re late.” Steve says smiling coming over to Bucky and kissing him, “such a jerk.” He shakes his head laughing at Bucky.

“Punk.” Bucky says kissing Steve one more time before dropping his bag and the case by the door. “Pick dinner I’m going to shower.”

He ruffles Spot’s hair and smiles, “get some of your homework done kiddo.”

[brooklynishere]

"...thanks dad." Spot mumbles, almost sheepishly, and immediately hangs back a little as Bucky enters the house - giving Steve and Bucky a moment to themselves. He knows how worried he was, whether he'll admit it or not, so he can only imagine how bad it was for Steve.

The ruffle of his hair earns the usual scowl and flailing of hands to bat him away, fussing over his hair as he makes his way to the table to get started on his homework, and it's a mark of how relieved he is to have Bucky back that he does so without even bothering to complain about it.

[not_a_commie]

Bucky hears the dad comment but doesn't say anything, he'll let the kid go at his own pace. But it does feel kind of good, well really good he and Steve had been talking about adopting at some point. Figures things wouldn't happen the normal way for them.

Steve goes and sits at the table with Spot, working in his sketchbook again, normally he'd follow Buck into the shower, but having the kid makes him feel a little awkward. Not about having a kid, no Steve already loves the boy like his own. He's just always been very private about that kind of affection with Bucky. He'll make dirty jokes, he'll tease Bucky in front of people, but that stuff was just for him and Bucky. He'll figure it out.

"How much do you have for the week?" Steve asks, and tacts on, "What are you in the mood for dinner wise. We get to pick because he was late." Steve laughs.

[brooklynishere]

For his part, Spot doesn't really care about what Steve and Bucky get up to - as long as he doesn't have to be aware of it, which is pretty much like any kid who absolutely does not want to think about his parents having sex.

"Loads," he pulls a face "Seems like every class has somethin'."

He's mostly just grumbling though, it's less work than he was doing over the summer to catch up, and he figures it'll only take him an hour or two a night - it's just an hour or two he would rather be doing something more interesting.

"Pizza?" he suggests, because Spot always suggests Italian. It reminds him of Race.

[not_a_commie]

"Sounds good there's a good Italian place down the street." Steve nods without looking up from working on his drawing. "It's been open since Bucky and I were kids." He laughs, "Columbo's Since 1918." He says, "The original owner's grandson runs it now, all kinds of Photo's on the walls."

About 30 minutes later Bucky comes down looking far more relaxed, and less like he got hit by a truck. Now that he's showered the stitches along his eyebrow stand out a little. more, but it doesn't look that serious now that he's clean.

"Alright so where are we going I could eat a horse."

[brooklynishere]

Spot looks up, surprised.

"Hey, I remember that place, I've been there." he remembered hanging out there with the Brooklyn boys a few times, whenever they had a bit of spare money for food. He remembers being chased out by the owner whenever they overstayed their welcome, though they were never actually barred from the place.

It'll be kind of nice, he thinks, to go somewhere that's like a little piece of the past.

"Italian." Spot answers without looking up from his homework. Bucky can wait until he's finished, because he's still a little mad.

[not_a_commie]

Bucky smiles, "Sounds good." He says sitting at the table with them reading something on his phone while Steve draws and Spot finishes his homework. It's weirdly domestic... even if the opp was one of the darker ones they send him, Nat and, Clint on.

"Thinking about using the grill this weekend maybe burgers, invite some of our friends over," Bucky says to Steve, putting his phone down.

[brooklynishere]

Spot has every appearance of still doing his homework, but he's listening in on the conversation with interest. He's curious about who they'll invite - he hasn't actually had much contact with most of the other avengers beyond a brief encounter when he was first woken up, during which he had not made the greatest of impressions. Other than Nat (who showed up occasionally unannounced to share missions and news, and who Spot privately thought was the coolest) and Peter, who he'd met a handful of times over the summer for school related stuff, and who was, as Bucky said, not that bad. Even if he was from Queens.

[not_a_commie]

"Sounds like a good idea, the weather's supposed to be really nice." Steve nods closing his sketchbook. "The normal group?" He asks getting a group text together. "Ask Peter too." He says thinking Spot might like company closer to his own age.

"You can stop evesdroping we're just talking about having friends over." Bucky laughs looking at the homework Spot is working on. "Looks like a good place to stop, let's go get something to eat."

[brooklynishere]

"Don't count as eavesdropping if you's having the conversation right over my head." Spot grumbles, starting to pack away his homework with some relief - he'd been just about to start an assignment from a class he was already struggling with, and he was glad of the excuse to put it off.

"Hey, uh," he starts, a little too casually, without looking up at them "I could ask Peter. You know, at school or whatever."

[not_a_commie]

“No it’s not, but just pretending to do your homework and listening isn’t exactly participating, and yeah you can ask peter.” He laughs easily. “Nice night for a walk.” Bucky says stretching once they were on the stoop.

Steve takes Bucky’s while they are walking down the street toward the restaurant. The owner knows Bucky and Steve by name, while it’s busy it doesn’t take them to long to get a table.

“What homework do you have left?” Bucky asks looking over the menu.

[brooklynishere]

Spot's ignoring the menu in favour of trying to look at all the photos on the walls around their table, looking for familiar faces. He drags his gaze back to Bucky at the question, taking a moment to register what he asked.

"Oh, uh, I got a history assignment due by Friday," he's saving that 'til last mostly because it's going to be easy "and a chemistry assignment."

[not_a_commie]

Bucky knows that look and sighs a little, “these are from the 30’s you’d be a little kid.” He says easily, “come after school, I’ll talk to Max.” His voice is low and and kind.

He gestures for Spot to follow him, in the front near where the host is there is a wall of photos. The photo is labeled 1932, two 13 year old boys are sitting on the curb one is blond and borderline sickly look, the other is almost a spiting image of Spot. The blond boy looks like he’s about to rip the cigarette out of the brunette’s mouth. But they look happy.

“Me and Steve, there are a couple others might find what your looking for if you were here a lot.” He puts his hand on Sean’s shoulder.

[brooklynishere]

For a split second Spot almost thinks the photo is of him, though he doesn't recognise the blond kid, until Bucky speaks and he realises what he's looking at. For a moment he just stares at it, then he glances sidelong at Bucky with a faint smirk.

"Steve got a whole lot bigger, didn't he?"

[not_a_commie]

“Yeah, that’s a story for a different day, they gave us the originals of the photos they had of us, and just made copies for themselves.” He smiles a little. “Come on, lets go back and order.” He takes Spot back to the table and Steve has a smile on his face.

“Think I’m going to get gnocchi, tonight.” Bucky says as he sits down.

[brooklynishere]

"So you got more, at home?" Spot asks as they head back to the table "Can I see them?"

He's much more interested in going hunting for pictures of himself than ordering, so he skims a quick look over the menu.

"Can I have lasagna? And can I go look at the pictures while we wait?"

[not_a_commie]

“You can order what you want.” He smiles, “and yeah go ahead, just don’t bother other people who are eating, come back after school and look around before the dinner rush.” Bucky adds.

He and Steve remember the need to find some of their past. They have got this living in the now down for the most part.

[brooklynishere]

Spot's already half on his feet, a promise not to bother the other diners rushed out as he goes to look. He does do as he's told, as much as he wants to look at every picture he avoids the ones that are too near people trying to eat, instead taking in the ones near the host stand.

It's maybe five minutes later when he returns, sliding into his chair looking a lot more subdued.

"Can I come after school tomorrow?" he asks quietly.

[not_a_commie]

“Yeah you can I asked Max already.” Bucky nods.

“You gotta be home by 4.” Steve adds easily as the food is dropped off.

Bucky takes a bite of his dinner and he and Steve share a look. They know what the kid is going through.

“Yeah we can show you what we have found.” He smiles “after you do your chem homework.”

[brooklynishere]

"Why 4?" Spot asks automatically - he always likes to know the reason for a rule (mostly so he can decide whether or not he can get away with ignoring it).

He's just about to take a bite of his meal when Bucky speaks and he stops, fork halfway to his mouth.

"Chem homework ain't due 'til Thursday, why do I gotta do it tonight?"