Bucky Barnes One Shots - EDITING

102. Hero

~200k

Hello there

This one might be a bit shorter than the others because I had no idea how to end it

Thanks, bye

Word Count: 1011

Many different people have called Bucky a hero for very different reasons - Alexander Pearce called him a hero for saving Hydra from collapse, the Avengers call him a hero for saving people's lives, and you called him a hero for getting rid of a spider in your room

Bucky would also have different reactions depending on who said it - when Pearce said it, he felt guilt, shame and fear, when the Avengers said it, he felt fuzzy and appreciated, and when you said it, he was amused and found it funny

But when little kids do it, he can't help turning into a tomato - it's even worse when you're there to embarrass him further

An example is when you and your best friend were casually out for a walk, talking and laughing about nothing and everything on a very peaceful day

Suddenly, a little boy ran up to Bucky and stood in front of him, making him also stop

The kid rolled up the left sleeve on his jumper so that it was on top of his shoulder

Bucky's eyes widened slightly when he saw that the kid had a prosthetic left arm, and had quite clearly scribbled a red star onto it in the same place that Bucky's was

"You're my hero, mister!" he said proudly

Bucky then smiled at him and knelt down so that he could talk to the kid easier, dragging you down too

By the kid's comment, Bucky looked surprised, and averted his gaze to you "I-I'm a hero?" he asked you, still doubting this fact

You nodded with a smile as you said "Of course you are, Bucky"

This made him smile back, but the kid spoke again, gaining his attention again

"Mr. Bucky, you saved my life once, and that's what heroes do" the kid said with sparkling eyes

"I did?" Bucky asked, trying to recognise this kid from a mission he was on once, but failing to do so

"Yea! I was that kid you rescued from my house that was on fire the other week! Don't you remember? I lost my arm, but it's okay, because now we match!" The kid almost shouted, he was clearly very excited to meet Bucky again

This made you smile in adoration at Bucky, as you had no idea he had risked his lfe to save this kid

Bucky suddenly had a look of realization as he spoke louder "Wait... Alfie?"

The look on Alfie's face melted your heart - his hero remembered his name and you could see how much that meant to him

He laughed and turned around to a man, who was walking towards your little group and shouted "Dad! Dad, he remembers! I told you he would! Bucky Barnes remembers me!"

At this point, you and Bucky looked at each other, and the look on his face filled you with extreme happiness - you saw how happy with himself he was, and you were so proud of him

You had gotten used to this - people coming up to you and thanking you, but this never happened to Bucky, so he didn't really know what to do when Alfie's dad arrived

Both of you straightened yourselves out at the same time, and you grabbed his hand for comfort, as you could now tell that he was nervous

He smiled at you in thanks, but when the kid's dad spoke, you felt him relax a bit

"Mr. Barnes? Is it really you?"

Bucky nodded "Yes sir. But please, just call me Bucky"

"Of course. Bucky, I cannot put into words how thankful I am for you saving Alfie's life"

Bucky smiled at him and tried to think of something to say, but the dad got there before him "I mean, what you did- it was unbelievable. Not only did you rescue him, but you went back in and saved nine other people. Then, you sat there and made sure they were okay without even worrying about yourself"

"Wow" you said once the story was over, and you looked at Bucky, your eyes filled with love for him

You didn't know that he had done this, making you wonder how many other people he had secretly saved

The super soldier noticed this emotion in your eyes, and smiled widely at you

"You're welcome, sir. Just doing my job" he smiled at Alfie's dad, gaining confidence again

The dad could see that you were holding his hand, so he shook Bucky's free one before turning to you "You are a very lucky person to have someone like him in your life"

"Oh, I know" you replied, looking at Bucky again

And with that, you all shared goodbyes, and Bucky gave Alfie one last, big hug

Once they were gone, it was your turn to admire him

"I- wow-" you said again

He laughed and continued to walk "Cat got your tongue?" he mocked you

"You ran into a burning building to save 10 people?" You asked, walking faster to catch up with him, intrigued by his bravery

"Of course I did" he smiled and stopped walking again to speak to you

"When? Why didn't we ever hear about it?" You asked him loads of questions, just like a fan would

"Well, didn't you wonder why I came back to the tower coughing my lungs up that one time?" he smirked at the expression on your face

"I thought that was because you swallowed a fly when you were running home" you blurted out, making both of you laugh

"You really are a true hero, Bucky" you almost swooned over him, making him go red

"I- uhh... Thanks" he muttered awkwardly, looking behind him again

"An easily flattered hero, but a hero nonetheless"

"You're never gonna let this go, are you?"

"Of course I'm not. You know why?"

"Do enlighten me"

"You're not just Alfie's hero"

"W-what?"

"You're mine too"