A Game Of Hide and Seek - A Bucky Barnes Short story

Chapter 20

Cassidy was looked after by the team for the next few weeks, but mostly by Bucky, Steve, and Natasha. They were extremely overprotective, but Cassidy did not mind. Bucky always held her when she had an episode; either her zoning out and silently crying in a dark corner, having a nightmare in the middle of the night, or having a panic attack, and was always by her side to help and joyfully give piggyback rides when she was tired of the wheelchair as well as snuggle. They both continued to do their makeshift walking exercises until Cassidy was able to walk around by herself. Bucky never liked to be gone from her for long, always keeping her close as he loved to smother her with affection.

Steve brought her meals and snacks that were properly portioned, gave hugs, and went on walks to get her outside. Natasha helped with her workouts, took care of personal lady issues that the boys would blush at, and helped shop for new clothes to spoil Cassidy with.

Everyone else gave hugs and support, as well as spoiling her with gifts and affection. Wanda gave her new movies and a water bottle with a sticker variety pack. Sam and Clint chipped in to give her a big bunch of brightly colored balloons that were tied to big boxes of her favorite candy. Tony gave her some records and an expensive purse in her favorite color. Vision humbly gave her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Rhodey found an old air force jacket, and had her symbol stitched on, that fit her perfectly. Bruce, being the nerd he was, gave her books.

Needless to say, she was spoiled rotten, and she absolutely adored them all. Some would find what her family did clingy, but it was what she craved. Cassidy was a touchy person, always finding a way to touch Bucky's hand or knee, or randomly walking up to Natasha and laying her head on her shoulder, or leaning against Steve.

Cassidy began touching Bucky more than she had before, whether it be tracing the lines of his metal arm, touching his hair, fiddling with his shirt, tapping his knee, hugging him, bumping his feet with her own, or simply just laying down with him holding her. During her capture, Cassidy had become afraid of touch because touch meant pain, but she soon overcame the chains Hydra had built upon her. She did not mind the close proximity of everyone because she wanted them there, to touch and feel their presence to remind herself that they were there.

Bucky had bashfully discussed his clinginess with her, how he felt as if he was annoying her too much and intruding on her space. Cassidy had quieted his fear by wrapping her arms around him and told him that she wanted him to be clingy because she loved it and she needed it desperately. Buck had joyfully swung her onto his shoulder as he took her to the couch where they cuddled and watched movies for the rest of that day, never letting go of her. Bucky copied Cassidy when it came to touch and during panic attacks it brought immense stability and relaxation for Cassidy. Focusing on his touch most of the time drew the focus away from her mind and solely on him.

Everyone else soon caught on that Cassidy did not mind them always being around her. In fact, she was now afraid of being alone. If she was alone for too long she either fell into a panicked state from the silence or her brain tricked her into thinking that it was a hallucination that they had been there. And Bucky always regretted leaving her alone too long, especially after he and the others did training in the compound gym and Cassidy had woken up alone with no one in sight. Cassidy had panicked, thinking that they had disappeared and she was in a hallucination again, and Bucky had come back to find Cassidy huddled in a ball under the bed sobbing so hard he was afraid she might break. It was bad. Cassidy had been in another state of mind, refusing to come out, but Bucky managed to bring her out. Bucky had cried almost as hard as her when she clung to him and sobbed how she thought he was gone forever. He didn't leave her side for the rest of the day after that.

A couple weeks after returning to the compound, Edward Yakken was tracked by the team vigorously and soon was caught in a spider hole in South Africa. The entire team received a turn in hitting him, while Cassidy stayed behind at the compound with Bruce, who figured he would go all Hulk on that spineless monster of a man. Bucky at first did not want to leave her, but she persuaded him that she would be fine with Bruce and Bucky let out unrestrained rage on the coward Edward Yakken, nearly killing him on the spot. Steve and Sam had to drag him away and back into the jet so Bucky didn't tear the guy apart.

Things could never be normal again though. The Avengers needed their special person, Cassidy Sawyer, to be the one who held the Avengers together. She was the "golden glue" as Bruce put it, like the Japanese art style Kintsugi that repairs broken pottery with gold. That was what Cassidy was.

She was their light, the one to lift their spirits. She was the light of Bucky's life, for she helped him overcome the darkness he hid in and made him smile as she stole his sweatshirts and hoodies, and danced with him in the night. She was Steve's best friend who supported him through everything, gave book recommendations for them to discuss later, and they proudly presented artwork to each other. She was like a sister to Natasha, going shopping with Tony's credit card and teaming up when it came to teasing the others as they smirked over cups of hot chocolate. She was Wanda's go to person when Wanda had a problem and loved learning to cook Eastern European dishes, as well as practicing makeup for parties. She was the little sister to Sam, who bantered back and forth with playful insults of birds and short people, and loved to pull pranks as well as eat loads of chocolate. She was a confidante to Bruce, who could talk about stress comfortably and watch cheesy romantic movies with, as well as bonding over their love of black licorice. She was family to Clint, who loved teaching her archery and drinking coffee with, as well as helping him to put together great gifts for his wife Laura. She was a good helper to Vision, with teaching him how to bake and helping him planning dates for Wanda. She was a good listener to Rhodey, helping him overcome his disability and together pointing out details in movies as they chowed down on brownies that were just for them. She was Watson to Tony's Sherlock, participating in wild experiments that included lots of sarcasm, trying to figure out answers to life's problems while sharing a drink, and singing Disney songs loudly throughout the compound as the music blasted. She was a princess in Thor's eyes when he came, always ready to show new "Midguardian" things that he had not experienced yet, and carrying her around on his shoulders so she felt taller.

Cassidy could not have asked for a better family. Sure, they had fights and bickered at times, but they always came together. They always eventually ended up at the dinner table, spouting jokes and discussing weird topics, the tension soon forgiven and forgotten.

They all vowed to protect one another, after seeing what losing a piece could do.