Chapter Text
Stark Tower.
Bucky was standing, curious and well… a bit overwhelmed in front of the Stark Tower… or was it the Avengers Tower now? Either way, some very specific life choices had led him here, apparently - namely becoming a Nanny when he came out of special ops instead of going into something like security or construction or whatever else, and accepting an invite for an interview with someone who wanted secrecy… and someone who lived here.
And if Bucky wasn’t very much mistaken, Pepper Potts had just a few months prior given birth to Tony Stark’s child and he might be adding two things together and coming to completely the wrong conclusion, but even he had to admit that seemed pretty unlikely.
Since he’d graduated from Woodcreek College, America’s premier college for professional nannying, he’d had a steady stream of jobs and he’d had some seriously high profile clients, but it was nothing on this - especially if he actually was being interviewed to be Tony Stark’s new Nanny. He’d not even really been planning on taking another job honestly, but when the email had come from the college with the outline brief for what the new client was looking for, Bucky had been drawn right in - not least by the frankly obscene paycheck that was being offered.
His actual plan had been to take some time, travel Europe, enjoy his hard-earned cash a little bit - but hey, sometimes an opportunity had to be looked into.
And this was an opportunity - not every job came with pay like that and a benefits package like the one being offered. It apparently included healthcare and medical cover, use of vehicles, provision of a cell phone, gym access, legal cover, travel fees, bonuses…
Really, Tony Stark was probably one of the very few people who could afford to offer all of that, even on top of New York rates, as well as the fact that Stark’s daughter was the right age for the kid mentioned in the brief… or at least one of the kids.
That was the thing that made him doubt whether it was, actually - the advert had specified that they were looking for a Nanny for two children and although all the other signs pointed to Stark, Bucky can’t think of anybody else based in this tower who’d have a kid that would fit the brief details. It was another reason he’d agreed to the interview - he wanted to know what the hell was going on, even if he could never talk about it afterwards. He’d already been warned he’d have to sign a wide variety of NDA’s beyond the standard ones that were part of every employer-nanny contract that Woodcreek College bartered. And in fact he'd had to sign a substantial few before they'd even set up this in person interview.
Perhaps it was nothing more than a typo in the job brief?
It's possible, he supposes, but given he’s never going to find out standing around out here, he figures pretty quickly he should just get inside and find out for real.
Taking a deep breath and pushing down pre-interview and pre-going-into-the-most-famous-tower-in-New-York nerves, Bucky nods to himself. There’s only one way to find out any of the answers to his questions, and that’s to get in there and do what he came to do.
He steps up to the main doors and they sweep open, the warmth of the foyer apparent immediately as he walks in, so he slips off his coat as he goes, revealing the tan and tweed beneath. He has no idea where he’s supposed to go but the main reception desk in the centre seems like a pretty safe bet to start.
The highly put together blond-haired girl sitting behind it gives him an immediate smile. “Good morning and welcome to Stark Industries, how can I help you today?” Even she seems as futuristic and swish as the rest of the building and for a second Bucky wonders if he’s made a mistake – if he isn’t the right cut for this – but he’s here now and he might as well go through with it. He has already passed the ridiculous levels of pre-screening they did after all. Regardless of whether or not he’s looking for a job he is very, very curious by this point. And curiosity didn't just get the cat, it got the James Buchanan Barnes apparently.
“Hi, my name’s James Barnes, I have an interview today?” he replies, hating that his voice raises with nerves at the end and makes the sentence sound like a question.
“One moment,” she says, tapping at the computer in front of her; which like everything else he can see has the Stark Industries logo emblazoned across it. A distinctive, if not subtle, design choice. “Ah, yes. If I can see some ID, I can get your security pass.”
He nods, digging out his wallet, handing across both his driver’s license and his Woodcreek ID which she checks visually before scanning them under another device. Apparently the rule of things here is that if there could possibly be a high tech version of any sort of device they have it and nothing less will do. Bucky isn’t sure why he expected anything else.
“Alright, that all seems fine,” she says, handing them back, before opening a drawer and taking out a security pass and then picking up what Bucky recognises as a StarkPad, even if it seems to be a couple models higher than what has currently been released to the public, and tapping into it. “So, here’s your pass, and I’m going to need you to read through the information and non-disclosure agreements on this tablet, create an e-signature and sign them all, including the duplicates, please. You should be fine to do that over there,” she pauses, motioning to a small seating area a few feet away. Obviously this is a normal process for her if not him. “Once you’ve completed it the system will let us know and someone will be down to meet you.”
Bucky nods, picking up the pass and looping the attached lanyard around his neck, before taking the pad and poking at the screen as he walks to make sure it doesn’t go back to sleep. He’s going to look like a real idiot if he has to go back up to the desk and ask the blond girl to unlock it again.
Sitting down he casts his eyes over the screen. A visitor’s health and safety guide to being inside of the Stark Industries/Avengers tower, pretty standard, so Bucky uses his finger to sign and moves onto the next thing.
What follows is about twelve different NDA’s all worded slightly differently and covering every variation of things that Bucky could talk about, from the technology he may or may not bear witness to through to personal details of his prospective employers and everything in between. Still, none of them look particularly concerning so Bucky signs them all and is surprised when he – finally – reaches the end, especially as he’s been sitting in that foyer now reading these over for the better part of 45 minutes. And that's on top of what he signed through the agency before he even got told the location of the interview.
He sits for a while awkwardly, glancing around and watching people who obviously belong move about the building. They’re all dressed in fashionable black and navy suits, primped and pristine to an almost inhuman level – he knows he looks tidy, but in his tan colour number he very much feels like the odd man out, especially with the way people keep glancing at him. He supposes that the lanyard around his neck with his visitor security pass doesn’t help. Still, there’s nothing he can do about that.
And then his people watching is disturbed - and in most spectacular fashion.
He’d expected someone to come and find him – perhaps an assistant or a PA – what he had not expected was for the biggest set of elevator doors in the place to open revealing a very harried-looking Tony Stark talking loudly into a cell phone and striding across the lobby, and very obviously striving towards him.
Oh boy - Bucky had been right. Clearly Stark was going to be a part of this process which left him wondering even more where the second child came in to the equation, but before he has time to wonder too much Stark is right in front of him and he’s eyeing Bucky’s outfit - his standard Woodcreek College nanny uniform - with obvious distaste.
Jabbing a finger at his cell phone and cutting off whoever is talking on the other end mid-sentence he looks up from Bucky's evidently objectionable outfit to meet him in the eye. “Hi there, you must be the Manny, right? Or is that not appropriate? But male nanny, manny it’s just quicker. Anyway nobody else would be wandering around inside of my building dressed like that. Hey, if we hire you do you have to wear it? Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself – introductions first, right? Hi, I’m Tony Stark!”
“Uh, nice to meet you,” Bucky replies, his head spinning slightly. He’d heard that Tony Stark – fucking Iron Man! - was a lot, but he hadn’t quite expected this, especially not all at once. “I’m James – James Barnes – but Bucky is fine.”
“Bucky?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow even as he shakes Bucky’s offered hand. “I feel like there’s a story behind that and I really want to hear it.”
“It’s nothing exciting, it just comes from my middle name – which is Buchanan,” he explains and Tony nods, contemplating that information.
“Yeah, we’re going to have to come up with something better than that. Sorry, that story just isn’t cutting it – anywho, Pepper sends her apologies, she really wanted to do this interview, and really didn’t want to trust me with it, but unfortunately, she’s stuck in a board meeting that’s overrun, so here I am!” he says, turning and heading back towards the elevator. “Doesn’t mean we can’t use her office though – it used to be mine after all and it’s got a much better view than anywhere else in the whole damn tower. Well, aside from our private suite of course!”
Realizing that he’s meant to follow – and that he doesn’t have much choice but to do just that – he takes a couple of quick steps to catch up. The girl behind the reception desk grins at him and gives him a small wave, clearly used to seeing people’s reactions to Stark and Bucky wonders for a second whether this is something he’ll have to get used to if he takes the job.
As they step into the elevator and the doors close a disembodied voice speaks up. “Back up to Miss Potts’ office, sir?” and Bucky nearly jumps out of his skin because really - what on Earth was that?
“Yes please, Jarv,” he replies, before catching on to Bucky’s shock and grinning gleefully. It’s very clear that the guy enjoys showing off his various technological advances especially when the recipient isn't expecting it and that in his surprise Bucky has identified himself as a willing audience. “That’s JARVIS. He’s the AI that runs the building. He has access to pretty much everything and keeps it all under control, don’t you, J?”
“That I do, sir,” the voice replies again pleasantly and Tony nods as the elevator slows to a stop and the doors slide open.
Tony steps out with Bucky following - anticipating how quickly he will move this time - and doing his best to keep up. He leads them down a hallway using his hand on a hidden scan pad to open a door and they’re in a large open office with a very large desk in the middle.
“Ugh, I miss this place,” he sighs, wandering around and sitting behind the desk, using a hand to stop the perpetual motion device that’s been sitting on the desk. “And I really, really hate that thing. Seriously, what is the point of this, do you have any idea? Right, uh yeah – take a seat.”
Bucky does as he’s told, looking curiously at the device before Tony gives up all together and moves it to the floor. “I’m afraid I have no idea,” he admits.
Stark sighs, but seems to get back to the task at hand. “Don’t worry - that doesn’t affect your interview. It was a rhetorical question. You haven’t failed before we even begin - if I can’t figure it out as a genius, I shouldn’t expect anyone else to. Anyway, I obviously know how long you’ve been working as a Manny – Nanny, whatever – and about your qualifications. I mean, it was all covered in the resume and the pack that Woodcreek sent over when they recommended you to us, so I’m not going to quiz you on that - your background checks out to what we’re looking to hire,” he says and Bucky nods. That’s fairly standard for all his past interviews, it’s nice to know this won’t be that different . “So really, it’s probably best if I give you a run-down of exactly what you’re going to be working with here and then it’s really down to you and whether you think you can work with us… subject to references, of course.”
“I see,” Bucky says, a little surprised at the sudden openness of this approach, but doing his best not to let on.
“So, you’ve obviously seen the package that comes with the job. Yes, the salary is more than generous and the benefits are good… but that's pretty much because the salary has to cover some degree of danger pay, just because of who we are and where you’ll be based,” he pauses, presumably to draw breath. “I mean, you may or may not have noticed but when half of New York City got smashed up, my tower was one of the main casualties. We seem to be some sort of magnet for trouble – vengeful gods, alien invasions… you know,” he says, shrugging as if it’s absolutely nothing at all to be concerned over.
“Well, like you said – half of New York got smashed up,” Bucky repeats, because as far as he is concerned living anywhere like New York is a risk these days. Hell, some insurance companies are even specifying that they will no longer cover alien attack without an additional premium - there’s nothing to say that something like it won’t happen again.
“Right, right. But this place is probably worse than most, because most of the time we have a number of The Avengers living here. Now JARVIS and I have made all of the relevant security enhancements we can think of, but it’s still a consideration for you. If we were playing a game of D&D, you’d be referred to as a ‘squishy’, you know what I’m saying? Not to mention that it would mean living under the same roof as several enhanced beings, some of which have a predisposition towards violence,” he explains and Bucky swallows.
“Like the Black Widow, you mean?” he asks, thinking of what he’s read about her and her past. It’s more than a little intimidating to say the least, with the whole ex-Russian-spy and assassin-trained-at-childhood thing.
“I was more thinking The Hulk – you know, angry green rage monster guy? But hey, I’ll let Natasha know that you thought of her first. She’ll be flattered,” he says with a grin.
Bucky shifts a little because he hadn’t thought of The Hulk, but he supposes that Stark is right – that’s arguably far more dangerous. He blushes, slightly embarrassed but more than anything he’s determined not to let Tony Stark know he’s got to him.
“Anyway, that’s why. It’s also more than full time hours. When we say live-in Nanny, we do mean live-in, and as you can imagine, some of the demands of the job are going to require antisocial hours and long hours on occasion, plus sometimes travel - though it’ll be private flights and so on. You’d be responsible for day-to-day child care, some late nights and early mornings and some round-the-clock shifts, especially in line with Avengers business,” he says and Bucky notices he’s actually reading off of a list in front of him. He wonders if it’s presumptuous to assume that Ms Potts has left this for him, though from where Bucky is sitting it seems very plausible. “As well as the obvious requirement of covering for parents in Heat and Rut where applicable.”
Bucky looks up at that when it’s said, the requirement striking him as a little odd - as far as he was aware Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were both Beta’s, though he knows better than to comment on the designations of people he doesn’t know personally… and especially those who are prospective employers.
“How does that work with personal time off and so on?” he asks, deciding that it seems like a good time to ask the question.
“We’ll find you time off, this isn’t a slave labour thing, it might just not be traditional set days. I’m sorry, we can’t really negotiate on that point – I’m sure you understand,” he says, looking up and meeting Bucky’s eyes. And really, he gets it – he’s had things like this before, albeit not on this scale.
“I see, I’m sure I can deal with that, with a few stipulations towards family occasions written into my contract,” he replies evenly.
Stark nods, seemingly in agreement. “Now, it probably goes without saying, but there will be a protocol if anything does happen to The Tower, because it will be your sole responsibility to get the children out of here – and it’s why we’re interested in you specifically – I understand that prior to training as a nanny at Woodcreek College you did a stint in special ops?”
Bucky blinks. He hadn’t been aware that was on his Woodcreek file and for half a second, he wonders how the hell they even knew – but then he remembers. This is the Avengers. They’ve got a lot more resources than the average employer – even when he considers the types of employers he’s had in the past.
“I have. And I think you know when,” he says, knowing he can’t actually say anything more due to a longstanding old NDA. “I just… I grew up in a house with four sisters and a military background. When I presented as an Alpha it made sense for me to follow in my father’s footsteps and… well. I always preferred the time I spent looking after my younger siblings. I’ve done my service. This is what I really wanted to do in the first place. I just… didn’t recognise it at the time.”
Tony nods for a second, looking at him. “Right, well, that still might come in handy. You understand, I’m sure,” he says and Bucky nods again, and he does.
If he’s honest Stark seems like he’s born of chaos and bad manners, but the fact he’s thought about this sort of detail with his daughter’s safety… well… he can’t be all bad. Perhaps not, anyway - perhaps Bucky should reserve judgment.
“I note you mention children, not child,” he says evenly, deciding that he really does have to address that one.
A look comes across Stark’s face then, something a little secretive before he sighs. “Yeah, that’s because it is two children, not one, and that’s the other thing and the other reason why there’s a level of danger pay. Tell me, Mr Barnes, how do you feel about potentially enhanced children?”
Bucky balks and he knows he does. “Enhanced how? Wait, has The Hulk managed to have a secret kid or something?” he blurts out before blushing again and realizing how ridiculous that sounds, especially as Tony Stark starts howling with laughter.
“Oh man, you’re gold – I’m gonna have to try and keep you around even if you don’t want this job I swear – no, we’re pretty sure The Hulk can’t reproduce, but bear in mind he’s not the only one here. And we don’t know what sort of enhancement yet really, just that it has to be there. Dr Banner – also known as The Hulk – has confirmed that it’s the only way,” he says and really, Bucky can’t help but scrunch his nose because this sounds so cryptic.
“The only way for what?” he asks, feeling like he’s trying to pry information here but really, it’s information he needs if he’s going to make any sort of a decision.
“You know what, the best thing I can do is show you,” Stark says, standing up suddenly. “And you know, you can see the suite that’s been set aside for you and all. It’s not as large as some of the upper-level apartments, but hopefully it will suit.”
Bucky blinks, wondering what the hell he’s going to be shown – but then again, it’s not everyday someone (especially someone like him) gets offered a tour of the living quarters of Stark Tower from Tony Stark himself, so despite his shock, he stands and follows.
“So the elevator system here works via JARVIS, and he won’t let anyone without the relevant security clearance operate it. If you were to take the job, you’d have access to the communal floor which has the common room, the gym and so on as well as your suite, my floor that I share with Pepper and one other,” he explains, rabbiting the entire time that JARVIS moves the elevator, this time without even being told where to go.
“Right, that’s pretty advanced,” Bucky says, though Stark doesn’t exactly seem bothered about holding an actual conversation.
“Right? He's one of a kind! So, we’ll start here, this is the communal floor,” he says when they come to a stop and the doors open, and another door clicks open in front of him. “At the end of the corridor is the general gym – we have more of an assault course set up in the basement level, but I doubt you’ll need that – and to the left here is your suite, so let’s start there.”
“Um, thanks,” Bucky says as Stark opens another clearly high-security door and he can’t really do much but follow but when he does… “Wait, shit – I mean sugar - you said this is small?”
“I mean, comparatively, yeah – but I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, we tend to go big or go home here. Or both at the same time in the case of this place, I guess. Why don’t you take a closer look?”
Bucky blinks. The room has one wall which is entirely floor to ceiling glass, looking out over the city skyline, with a plush navy sectional adjacent to it and a large TV on a stand on one internal wall. There’s a rug on the floor and cushions on the sectional, it’s clear someone’s done their best to make a very slick environment seem homely, especially with the coffee table in the middle and a selection of colourful coasters on top.
On one side of the room there’s a kitchenette that’s more modern and more complete than anything Bucky has ever had before, especially to himself, with a lot more cupboards than he’s ever had to personally fill. They’re gloss white in colour and he can see an inset hob and oven and what looks suspiciously like a cupboard that might house a fridge freezer and another which he finds that he hopes is a dishwasher.
He stands and stares for a good thirty seconds, more than a little overwhelmed.
“Go on through,” Stark urges, nodding towards another door and Bucky pauses before he does, suddenly feeling shy in the face of such obvious opulence. He turns the knob and gasps again, because the bedroom beyond is simple, elegant and way bigger than anything he’s had.
It has a king-sized bed to the centre which has been made up with plush duvets, sheets and pillows, and a pair of matching side tables to either side, both of which have a lamp sitting atop them. Much like the living room he can see the views from the windows already, and there’s a large built-in wardrobe with mirrored frontage which only serves to make the space look even bigger.
“And the bath…” he hears Stark’s voice, so he pads through obediently - mainly because he is more than a little dazzled - opening a door that feels like it’s a bathroom, but it’s either a cot room or a walk-in wardrobe or something so he tries again, this time getting the right one. It’s clearly brand new and it’s clean and it has a full, deep looking bath that would take even Bucky’s thick form and it has a large showerhead above.
It’s better than anything Bucky has had before – with lodgings ranging from a single room with use of the family kitchen to a small studio in a shed on one occasion – and it’s luxury.
He comes back trying not to show what he’s thinking on his face, but he’s pretty sure he’s failed already because it’s impossible for a normal person not to be shocked after being offered this.
“It’s… really nice. It’s a lot,” he says and Stark grins at him and nods as if he knows – though Bucky suspects that he actually doesn’t. It’s clear that Stark doesn’t think this is actually much at all.
“Well, you say that until you see one of ours. But anyway, if you’re done here, I’ll take you right on through to the communal living area. I mean, it’s basically a big room with a cinema screen and couches everywhere, but sometimes when we’re not all doing our own thing, we end up hanging out there. It’s a meeting place of sorts as well, and we figured building apartments for a Nanny – or a Manny – close to that made the most sense for pick-ups and drop offs as required,” he explains and Bucky nods again as another one of the high-tech high security doors clicks open and… yeah.
Once again Bucky’s faced with a huge room with everything in it from big comfortable looking couches to a very fancy looking coffee machine to an actual full-sized pool table and the cinema screen and… Bucky’s staring around when he focuses on something else.
He and Stark are not alone in the room.
No, instead there’s someone in a chair in the corner nearest the large window but they’re completely still. Bucky focuses and nearly balks anew because that figure… It's pretty obvious who it is.
The blond hair, the broad shoulders (and holy shit are they broad in real life) and the long legs… this is Captain Steve Rogers, AKA Bucky’s first male crush… but wait, there’s something else, someone else.
Lying on his chest is what looks, at first glance, like a pile of blankets, but when Bucky looks closer there’s a small face poking out of it – a baby.
Image: Lying on his chest is what looks, at first glance like a pile of blankets || Art by: mxaether
“Is that…?” he tries to ask, glancing at Tony who simply nods.
“Yup, you’ve probably got a lot of questions, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since my daughter was born it’s not to wake a sleeping baby. So, seeing as how this little one is actually asleep now – and trust me that’s proven pretty difficult to achieve until very recently – how about we go back to the office and you can ask any questions you want,” he says quietly and Bucky nods, taking one more good look at the scene in front of him featuring a sleeping super-soldier and National Hero, and what can only be his tiny baby daughter in his arms.
*****
“So, I suspect you have a few questions,” Stark says as they walk back in and he takes the seat behind the giant desk again and really, that is the understatement of the century. “And I’m just going to let you go right ahead and ask them. You’ve signed the NDA’s so I’ve got no problems with answering them as best that I can, though some details I’m sure you’ll understand if I leave out.”
“The baby – that’s the second child, right? The one that might be enhanced?” he asks immediately, mind whirling – how can Captain America have a kid? That would mean he’s an Omega and that had certainly never been mentioned in the history books – and Bucky would know. His Captain America project back in High School had been one of the best grades he’d ever gotten.
“Yeah, for reference her name’s Maggie – short for Margaret,” Stark replies with a nod.
“Margaret as in… Carter?” Bucky asks, knowing that part of the story as much as the rest and again, Stark’s sitting in front of him nodding. “He named her after Peggy Carter?”
“Yeah, though really…. it’s more that he named her after her Alpha parent. Turns out that when Capsicle crashed that Valkyrie into the ice he didn’t do it as alone as he thought he did. That's how we think – or rather, we know - that Maggie has some sort of enhancement because a normal foetus wouldn’t have survived being put on ice like that, not at the stage of development she must have been. She also shows no sign of any damage from it… or the fact that shortly after coming out of the ice her father fought a full-on alien invasion. Besides that, Bruce’s theory is that no unenhanced child could survive a nine-month term inside of Cap’s enhanced body anyway purely because of his metabolic rate and healing factor,” he explains and really, the science of it passed Bucky by generally, but he could at least see the logic.
“Anyway, we got through the Battle of New York and things started to get really weird, and when Cap was finally convinced to go and see a doctor, they found he was about three months gone. We’ve kept the whole thing under wraps and my press team have all earned their damn bonuses this year let me tell you – but it’s all been done for his safety and security and hers,” he says and Bucky nods. He can see why; a heavily pregnant super soldier is basically a sitting duck regardless, and everyone knows that keeping an Omega’s sense of security during a pregnancy is important.
“Is that why you’re specifically looking for an Alpha nanny?” Bucky asks, because if Cap’s an Omega and he’s on his own it makes more sense – and it’s common knowledge that Peggy Carter is elderly and in some sort of care facility now. Children, especially children who are Alpha’s or Omega’s themselves need both influences.
“Actually yes. That and Pepper would prefer a Manny over a Nanny for… reasons,” he admits and Bucky can take a wild guess at those ‘reasons’, that’s for sure – Tony Stark is known for his previous womanizing ways. “The fact that you have special forces experience really is the icing on the cake for us – and I shouldn’t put my cards on the table like this, but you’re the only applicant we’re really interested in. We have back up options, but as far as we’re concerned, they’re unlikely to be as good a fit.”
Bucky nods, thinking about the unique position he’s in. If he was greedy, he’d ask for more money, or better rooms or whatever, but frankly, this would be the best he’s ever had already. And sure, he understands why there is danger pay, but the sum being offered seems to far outweigh the actual level of danger that there is – Stark’s even said it himself, he and JARVIS (whatever JARVIS actually is) have improved security here in the tower as much as they reasonably can and given that the tower is where he’ll likely spend the majority of his time…
“There is one more thing I haven’t gotten around to mentioning yet,” Stark says then, interrupting Bucky’s calculations.
“Oh?” Bucky asks, wondering what else there possibly could possibly be involved with this job.
“Well, as you know, Cap is the only super soldier we have,” he replies and Bucky nods.
“Sure – then Dr Erskine was killed and all the remaining vials lost,” he says, knowing the story as well as anyone else who’s ever attended a history class in high school.
“Right,” Stark agrees. “Now, Peggy Carter allegedly threw the one vial of his blood the government was in possession of into the sea sometime after the Valkyrie. It was… considered too dangerous for it to be in the world – I mean you’ve only got to look at Hulk to see what happens when people try to replicate that serum. Well… Cap’s a big boy and he’s pretty used to looking after himself and that means nobody is likely to get a sample of the real deal to work from, if you catch my drift. But now we have another source.”
Bucky nods because of course they do – even if little Maggie Rogers only has a watered-down version of the serum, she still has it running through her veins. It makes her a goddamn target. Bucky feels anger bubble inside of him because that’s absolutely no way for a small child to live her life.
“So, after a lot of discussion, we’ve sort of decided that the fact that Maggie is Steve Rogers’ biological daughter needs to be kept under wraps. It’s a need-to-know basis. And the best way to hide her is to have a viable explanation for where she came from, if not from Rogers,” he pauses as if waiting for Bucky to connect the dots. He tries, but he comes up blank and shrugs.
“I mean, hypothetically speaking, what if Pepper and I hired you - a single Alpha dad of a young lady named Maggie – to be our Manny? Do you catch my drift now?” he questions and Bucky swallows thickly.
“You want me to pretend that Maggie is my kid?” he asks and Stark nods.
“Now I know that’s a lot to ask, and I know it’s a huge job…” and then he’s rambling again, but the thing is that Bucky isn’t really listening. There’s a little girl a few rooms away whose father is soon going to be going back to arguably the most dangerous job in the world. She doesn’t have her Alpha parent and depending on her designation, she might well need that. She needs protection and stability and Bucky… Bucky finds he wants to do that, despite the fact that he wasn’t even looking for a job in the first place, let alone one that he won’t be able to get out of for years to come. His Alpha instincts and his own personality and desires are kicking up in his hind brain now and he knows it.
“…so, I’ve got the contracts here – there’s a lot of legal jargon in there so I’ve also put in the phone number for one of our legal advisors who will be totally happy to answer any questions you might have on the contents of it, and I’m willing to bet you need to speak to someone in your life, huh?” he’s asking. “Well, if you do they’ll need to sign the NDA’s too, but here’s a Stark pad with those on it so you wouldn’t be in any breach if that’s something you want to do. We know this decision isn’t one to be made lightly and we want you to make it informed.”
“I will want to speak to one of my sisters - Becca,” Bucky clarifies and Stark nods.
“I advise you to. I mean, this is a pretty serious job to undertake.” He agrees.
Bucky chuckles then. “That’s the thing though, when you’re in charge of someone else’s kids, it’s always a pretty serious job.”
At that Stark actually smiles. “You know, I can see why you come as highly recommended as you do.”
“Thanks,” Bucky says, taking the pile of paperwork in front of him but knowing already in his heart exactly where this is going to end.
*****
“So, let me get this straight,” Becca says later that evening, using her chopsticks to pick up a vegetable spring roll from the pile of Chinese food he’s ordered in to apologise for the amount of reading and signing Becca has just had to do in order for him to tell her about his prospective new job. “If you take this, you live in The Avengers Tower and you Nanny for two babies, except that instead of straight up normal Nannying, for one of them you have to pretend to be her actual father, whilst her real father is Steve Rogers AKA Captain America?”
“That’s pretty much it, yeah,” Bucky agrees, picking up his bottle of beer and taking a hearty swig. When his sister says it like that it sounds every bit as ridiculous as Bucky knows that it is. “And she is pretty likely enhanced with super serum in some way, though nobody’s exactly sure what that entails.”
“And they’re going to pay you about three times what you were on before, which was pretty generous anyway?” She confirms, before biting the end off of the spring roll and somehow not dropping it from the dangling chopsticks, which was a feat Bucky would never have managed himself. “And you’ll be living rent-free in an apartment in Manhattan - in the goddamn Avengers Tower? You know, in case I hadn’t mentioned that before?”
“Thereabouts, yeah,” he agrees, because actually yes, that does cover it.
Becca snorts, chewing her mouthful and swallowing before speaking again. “Alright, well then – when do you start?”
He blinks, looking over at her. “You think I should take it?” he asks, a little surprised. He’d expected her to want more details or to question his decision because this was a pretty huge undertaking before even taking into account the fact that Bucky had been pretty vocal about not jumping right into another placement.
“I think you’ve already made up your mind, honestly. I mean, for one thing, you wouldn’t be discussing something with me that required damn near a dozen NDA’s if you weren’t serious on some level, for another you’ve had a crush on Steve Rogers since forever and nobody’s going to blame you for wanting to get close to him even if in reality it’s a pretty terrible idea, and for the final thing… well. This is a protection job for that little girl as much as it’s a Nanny job, right? And I know you.”
He sighs, glancing at her for just a second before deciding to use the food spread across the table in front of them as a distraction and loading his plate with a healthy portion of crispy orange chicken and pineapple fried rice. “Well, the start date thing seems pretty open. I looked over the paperwork this afternoon and it seems like it’s down to me and my availability – they simply want to know because Captain Rogers wishes to be present for my first week on the role to see how I get on with his kid – which I can totally understand,” he adds because he knows it’s a huge deal for an Omega parent to leave their child with anyone, let alone a stranger – even when the stranger has plenty of experience and background checks.
Becca nods. “That seems fair. And it seems fair for you to be introduced to a child with potential superpowers with someone there capable of taking her on. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to be beaten by a baby,” she teases, a smirk breaking out across her face.
“Becs, she’s three months old,” Bucky reminds her, rolling his eyes. “Even a super-serumed three-month-old won’t be able to do that much… I don’t think.”
“Exactly – you don’t think. It’s not like you actually know,” she says, delivering it like it’s some sagely advice and she’s an expert. “But in all seriousness, if you find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, my oversized-linen-cupboard-masquerading-as-a-bedroom is always open to you if you need to come and stay with me…. So long as I can come and visit you and my fake-niece in your fancy tower whilst you’re there. Oooh, should I start calling you Rapunzel? I mean, you do have long hair, for a guy at least…”
Bucky picks up a chicken ball and flicks it deftly across the table at her. “Definitely not… but I appreciate the offer of the room.”
Becca giggles at his reaction and uses the end of a stick to poke the errant ball back at him. “Good. Now, don’t start food fights you can’t win. I think Mom still has the mental scarring from the great Christmas food fight of ’94.”
“Oh, she definitely does,” Bucky confirms with a smirk on his face, strangely glad of his sister’s blessing on the new job… especially as he’s sure he’s going to take it now. He has been sure since the visit a couple of days ago.