Chapter Two

Daddy Issues

*Percy's POV*

"Percy, do you have something to tell me?" Bucky asks and I flinch before shyly looking up at him.

"No," I mumble and look down at Bucky's feet. A heavy sigh follows, then a gloved hand reaches out and tilts my chin up.

"Think again, kid." He says and I deflate slightly.

"So...the asshole might be a little more than a guardian." I trail off.

"What's going on?" Tony asks from behind me and flips the first batch of pancakes. Steve walks over and puts his hands on his belt.

"Turns out the guy abusing her is her biological father. Not just a guardian. We've officially abducted a minor." Steve reports but has the smallest of smiles on his face as he looks at Bucky.

Bucky turns to him as if he can feel his eyes on his back. "Shut the fuck up, Steve, you still would've done the same thing." At the F-word everyone in the room shushes Bucky while he throws his arms in the air. Meanwhile, tears are gathering in my eyes.

"I'm..." sniffle, "sorry." I look up and meet Bucky's eyes. "You...you wouldn't..." sniffle, "have helped..." sniffle, "me if you..." sniffle, "knew." I cry as Natasha gently reaches up and rubs my back. Bucky turns back to me and furrows his brows, reaching up and gently wiping my tears away.

"Kid, I woulda helped you no matter what you said. No matter who you are, it's not okay to beat kids. It's just a little more complicated now." Bucky assures me. Panic runs through me and I grab onto his hands.

"You're not taking me back! I won't go!" I shout and in an instant, he's picked me up and sat me in his lap, cradling my head to his chest.

"You're not goin' anywhere. What'd I say to you, Percy? I'd said I'd stay with you right, kid?" He asks and wipes his rough glove across the tracks on my cheeks.

"Right." I sniffle and crumple my small fist against his rust shirt.

"I keep my word. We're gonna protect you, it's just a little more complicated now. Not impossible." I can tell he's talking partly to the people around me because his voice loses a bit of its softness. He releases my head so I can look up at his face. Clear eyes meet mine and I sniffle one last time.

Steve steps forward and runs the pad of his thumb rub over my cheek. "You're safe with us, Percy. Uh, Natasha?" He gestures to the door and she nods, shooting me a smile before the two walk out.

"Here, sweetie. Pancakes and syrup." Tony walks over and taps my nose before setting an empty plate, silverware, syrup, and a stack of different kinds of pancakes in front of Bucky and me.

"Stark. Overkill much?" Bucky asks as I turn to sit properly. Tony winks at him.

"You'd know about that, wouldn't you?" He teases and Bucky glares at him. Reaching out, I pat Tony's hand on the counter.

"Thanks," I tell him when he looks at me and grins.

"Persephone, you should teach your ward here some manners." Tony gestures to Bucky and I look up at him with a smile.

"Bucky's nice," I respond and he looks victoriously at Tony. "But why do you wear these gloves all the time?" My hand picks at the Velcro keeping them on and he lets me.

"Yeah, Barnes. What's with the gloves?" Tony repeats my question and retreats behind the counter before Bucky hits him.

"Uh, kid..." He trails off uncertainly as I tug the glove off his right hand and set it nicely on the counter. Scarred and rough, but far better than the feeling of those gloves, I run my hands all over his.

"Is it because you don't like your scars?" I ask as I trace a few with my fingers. "I get it. Sometimes I don't like mine too." My hand lets go of his right and moves to his left. Bucky lets me but I feel him stiffen all around me. The glove slips off and I set it with the other one, then smile. "Oh. It's a pros...a prosthetic?" I ask and look up at Bucky. Wide eyes look down at me and he takes a shaky breath.

"Yeah. Smartie." He musses my hair and I grin. Happily, I run my hands all over the shiny metal to feel the smoothness and trace the lines.

"Well, that's okay. I've met a guy who had a prosthetic leg. Super cool." Bucky allows me complete control over his hand, so I turn it this way and that, even knocking on it. "He lost his leg in a war. Did you lose this in a war? How far up does it go?" I ask and look back up at him. I shrink when I see the bit of shininess in his eyes. "Oh, sorry. Do you not like to talk about it?" When I asked the guy with the prosthetic leg about it he got weird about it, so I stopped. Didn't mean to make Bucky feel weird too.

"No, no. You're fine, Percy. Yes. I...I lost it in a war." He tells me, then takes one of my hands and guides it up to just past his shoulder. "This is where it stops." We pause and he releases my hand to let me feel it on my own.

"I have scars there too," I tell him, feeling the weird ropes under his shirt where flesh unnaturally marries metal. "That's okay. It's just your body healing the hurt. Still you. Just different." Patting the weird little line, I smile at Bucky as he stares at me.

"Thanks, kid. Come on, time to eat your food." He gently turns me around and I pick up the utensils to dig in. I take the top two as Bucky clears his throat and avoids Tony's eyes.

"Hey, Perce? Can you tell me your favorite color so I can get you some clothes?" Tony asks as he watches me slather syrup over what I think is a blueberry pancake. Bucky stops me before I drown it.

"Uh. Blue. Like the sky." This answer seems sound so I continue cutting up my pancakes in little squares before eating them.

"Like your eyes. Actually, you two look alike. Blue eyes, dark hair, except the blonde bits on the end of your waves." Tony grins and I lean back into Bucky contentedly.

"Bucky's pretty. I'm okay with that." Tony's eyes widen before he gleefully starts laughing and Bucky chuckles. "It's a compliment." I defend my words and feel Bucky's lips ghost my head.

"Keep eating 'fore it gets cold." He encourages and I do as he says as Tony cleans up and makes a call. "Small, Tony. Small." Bucky corrects him and he tells the man on the phone that I need small clothes. The pancakes are really good and I find I like the cinnamon ones the best. They just taste like cake. Bucky rolls up a pancake and dips the edge in my syrup before eating it like a cheese stick. This amazes me.

"Alright, Perce. New clothes are on the way. How're the pancakes?" Tony asks and leans on the counter in front of me. I give him a thumbs up since my mouth is full of fluff. Grinning, Tony looks up and shakes his head at how Bucky's eating. "How about some milk too?" I nod and Tony's quick to pour me a glass. After taking a few sips, I realize I'm full and barely made a dent in the stack. Guiltily, I look at Tony. "What's wrong, kiddo?" He notices immediately and I push back against Bucky's chest for reassurance.

"Uh, I'm full. Sorry I couldn't eat it all." I apologize and grab Bucky's left hand as I swallow. Tony smiles.

"I never expected you to eat all of it, hon." He pecks the top of my head. "We'll save the rest and eat it later. Alright?" He proposes and after a moment, I nod. "Good deal. Why don't you and Robocop head over and watch tv while I clean up my mess?" Bucky leans over to see my face as my eyes widen.

"No, I'll help clean up." I object and Bucky helps me down when I start wiggling. Before either man moves, I've taken my plate and utensils around the counter and put them in the dishwasher. Before I've moved to wipe down the counters, Tony intercepts me. He kneels down and puts his hands on my shoulders. Amber eyes search mine before he nods once, coming to some sort of conclusion.

"Okay, Percy, listen close. I know how it must've been in your old house, but when you're here you don't have to earn anything. You don't have to clean to stay here or be extra nice. Just be you. We're taking care of you because we want to. You don't have to earn it. Okay? Sound good?" He asks and I glance at Bucky behind him. Bucky nods in agreement.

"...okay." I agree and pat the scruff on his face. Tony grins and knuckles under my chin.

"Good. Now, go watch tv." He shoos me towards Bucky and I take his left hand, dragging him with me to the couch. We sit and I hop into his lap, putting the remote in his hand before leaning back against his chest. I hear his smile when he speaks.

"What do you like to watch, Percy?" He asks and turns it on. The news comes on first as I shrug.

"I don't know. Whatever you want to watch is fine." I tell him honestly, happy just to be here with him and safe. Bucky sighs and I watch the channels fly by before he reaches the History channel. Chuckling, he pauses. "That's you?" I ask as I watch a weird, short-haired version of him laugh at the camera.

"Mmhmm. Steve and I in the old days. They get a lot wrong, but every once and a while a good one comes on with footage." He tells me nostalgically and records it as I take his left hand and put it in my lap to hold. I watch him and a happier looking Steve on tv until my eyes get heavy and decide to take a nap. My eyes close and I let my head rest against Bucky's chest as I fall into a peaceful sleep.

A/N

It made my heart so happy that Percy was so sweet with Bucky. I think she's good for him. Thoughts? Would you die for Percy yet? ;) Would Bucky? Please keep reading, my dears!