When Peter awoke the next morning, he wasn't expecting to be greeted with a face staring at him from the doorway.

"Hello..?" He hesitantly called out as he sat up, "Mr Stark? Is that you?"

The figure moved out of the shadows and Peter was able to see the older man clearer.

"Do I know you?" Peter asked, still wary of the stranger in his room.

The metal armed man took a step closer toward the young boy. "I am Bucky," he informed youth. "Tony told me that I should come talk to you, he claimed that we had a common background."

The adolescent slowly nodded, removing the covers and sitting on top of them. "I'm Peter," he said, offering his hand out, "I'm staying here for a while."

Bucky nodded, the ghost of a smile on his face. "So I've been told," he replied, taking Peter's hand as he sat on the bed. "How old are you?" He questioned the boy.

Peter paused, seemingly confused. "Fourteen?" He said, although it sounded more like a question, "or fifteen, I think. I'm not really sure, I think I was three when I first had to go to Hydra.

The ex-soldier stared at him in horror, before mumbling, "twelve years you had to go through all that..."

"Do you mean the bad stuff?" Peter asked, his head tilted to the side, like a confused puppy.

"Yeah," Bucky sighed. "The bad stuff." He paused, "do you remember a lot of it?"

Peter looked away, bringing his knees up to his chest, "yeah, I remember it all. They made me hurt people, and if I wouldn't or if I did it wrong then they'd hurt me. I had to go days without moving or talking. They'd make me do things that I just didn't want to. He felt something wet on his face and was surprised to find that he was crying.

"You know it wasn't your fault right Peter?What they did to you, whatever they made you do, it wasn't your fault okay?" Bucky told him, gently placing his flesh arm around Peter's shoulder.

"It wasn't?" Peter asked, looking up towards Bucky.

"Of course not," he was told. "They did those things to me as well, you shouldn't have had to go through that. Don't you ever blame yourself for what happened, are we understood?"

Peter gave him a wary smile, "we're understood."

"Good," Bucky told him as the teen rest his head on Buckys shoulder.

"Bucky?" Peter asked. Bucky hummed in response. "What if they find me? What if I have to go back? Mr Stark won't want me here for much longer."

Bucky, held the boy away from him, staring him in the eye. "They're not going to get you again, we won't let them take you. And as for 'Mr Stark' I don't think he's gonna be letting you leave anytime soon."

Peter just smiled sadly. Bucky leant forward and hugged him, Peter stiffened.

"What are you doing?" He asked Bucky in confusion.

Bucky pulled away, "I hugged you?" At Peter's look of confusion he understood. Peter had never been hugged, he'd never been held and assured that he was safe, that no one was going to hurt him anymore. It broke Bucky's heart at just how little this broken boy knew.

"People do it to show affection, it makes them feel good," he explained to Peter who frowned but nodded slowly. Peter leant forward and wrapped his arms around Bucky, attempting to replicate a 'hug.' Bucky smiled and gladly returned the embrace.

After 5 minutes, Bucky pulled away, "have you ever had cookies?" He asked Peter who shook his head. "Well then prepare to be amazed with my baking skills."

Peter smiled and jumped up from the bed, "okay!" He said and ran toward the kitchen, Bucky following closely behind.

And although Bucky would never admit it out loud, he was already fond of the boy, and would go to any lengths to protect him.