•••
CHRISTMAS WAS A big deal in avengers tour every year. tony would decorate the tower in lights and decorations. a huge christmas tree would be on the main floor, and everyone could decorate their floor however they wanted.
tony would secretly sneak mistletoe around the tower, yet somehow doing that comes back to bite him in the ass. he once has to kiss steve on the cheek and he's never seen steve turn so red.
usually, every year would be just steve and alexa decorating their floor. yet this year was bucky's first official christmas in 70 years, and from what bucky has told her, he used to love christmas.
at 9 in the morning alexa knocked on bucky's door, hearing the thud of the pillow he threw hit the door. alexa opened it, peaking her head in.
"i thought i'd get a "morning lexa" or something, but a pillow," she picked it up, a small smile on her face. she threw it back, landing behind him.
"that wasn't very nice james." alexa scolded him jokingly, bucky cuddled under his blankets. he chuckled as he kicked the sheets off, showing his shirtless upper body.
"m'sorry doll. thought you were steve." he said, alexa messing up his long hair. he whined, swatting her hand away. she sat criss cross on his bed in front of him. she gave him a look, him smirking. she ran her fingers through his hair, him letting out a sigh.
"do you ever think of cutting it?" alexa asked softly, bucky shrugging his shoulders. he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down, her squealing at the sudden movement. bucky wrapped his arm around alexa, laying a kiss on her head.
"sometimes. i wonder what i'd look like with my old hair and my metal arm. i don't think i'd look like myself." he admitted, alexa sighing.
"long hair or short hair, metal arm or not, you're still bucky barnes. i personally think you'd look great with short hair, but that's up to you buck." bucky nodded, quietly thanking her.
"you don't gotta thank me buck. now get up, it's decorating day." she sat up, pulling bucky up with her. he cocked up an eyebrow as alexa got out of bed. she walked into his closet, stealing a hoodie cause she was cold. she was in a tank top and shorts, yet her tank top was now covered by the hoodie.
he chuckled at the massive sweatshirt on her small frame, him getting up to slip a long sleeve shirt on.
"what's decorating day?" he asked, the two walked out of his room to the elevator, to eat breakfast.
"decorating day is when the whole team gets together to decorate for the holidays. we all help decorate the main floor yet we can decorate our own floor however we want. steve and i would spend the whole day decorating the floor while we played christmas music. my favorite day of the year." alexa explained, bucky watching as alexa got excited.
"sounds fun. i've always loved this time of year. as you know, my pa wasn't around much, and i had four sisters so around christmas time, i would try to work a lot so i would be able to afford presents. the year before... everything, i made more then enough money to buy them presents. i never saw them so happy." bucky reminisced, a soft smile on his face. alexa slipped her hand into his, squeezing it softly.
"they were lucky to have you as their brother buck." he looked down at her, a sad smile on his face. she stood on her tippy toes to lay a loving kiss on his cheek, her letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around his neck.
"you know, we can always find out to see if their still alive." alexa stated hesitantly, worries he wouldn't want to. bucky pulled back from the hug, eyes widened.
"really? i thought about it, but i always assumed they were all dead." bucky said, alexa giving him a soft smile.
"we can look tonight, okay?" alexa asked softly, bucky nodding.
"thank you alexa. it means a lot." bucky whispered, alexa really badly wanting to kiss him for some reason at this very moment.
"please don't thank me bucky. i'll gladly help." the elevator doors opened, bucky swinging his arm around alexa's shoulders as they walked out. everyone's heads shot up to see them walk in. thor nudged natasha, her smirking at the sight.
"morning lovebirds." clint said, alexa throwing him a look. bucky's arm fell to his side as he opened the fridge and alexa headed to the island.
"can it barton." alexa said, clint chuckling. alexa made herself some cereal, her then offering bucky some. he said yes, so she made him a bowl as well.
"thanks sweetheart." bucky said, casually leaving a kiss on her temple. she smiled at the action, following him to a open seat. they sat on both sides of steve, him looking between the two.
"so stark, when do we start decorating?" alexa asked, tony smiling.
"well, i'm glad you asked micheals. as soon as everyone finishes, its time to get into the christmas spirt- yes, you too reindeer games."
•••
all i want for christmas was blasting through the main floor, the whole team bopping along to it as they decorated the room together. alexa was trying to hand lights on the wall, yet where she wanted to put them was to high for her.
"need some help?" steve asked, alexa looking back to see steve smiling at her struggling.
"please. i'm too short for this." steve chuckled, standing next to alexa. he crouched down, alexa getting what he was doing. she sat on his shoulders, steve's hands holding onto her legs as he stood back up. she hung the lights on that one wall, steve walking to the other wall so alexa could hang the other lights.
bucky watched his two friends laugh as they struggled to hang up the lights. he chuckled at the two, sam walking up to him.
"hey, wanna help wanda and i with the tree lights?" sam asked, holding the lights in his hand. bucky smiled and nodded, following sam to the tree.
•••
bucky, steve and alexa decorated their floor in less then a few hours, lights hanging around their floor. a medium sized christmas tree was in their living room.
currently, alexa was putting the code into the keypad so the lab doors would unlock. the light turned green, the door unlocking. alexa walked in first, bucky following. alexa walked over to a table, double tapping the surface and swiped her hand across it. a holographic keyboard came up and a screen was on the wall infront of them.
"alright buck, who do you wanna look up first?" alexa asked, looking behind her to see bucky nervously playing with his shirt sleeve.
"hey," she spoke softly. " we don't have to do this if you don't want to." bucky shook his head, stepping towards the table.
"i want to, yet i just don't wanna get my hopes up if they're all gone." alexa nodded, understanding.
"we can start with rebecca. she's the youngest." bucky suggested, alexa nodding.
"friday, find any information on rebecca barnes." alexa said, the screen infront of them changing as friday looked through every file.
"will do miss micheals." after a short moment, a file was on the screen. alexa and bucky looked at each other before alexa tapped on it. it opened, all the information on rebecca in that one file. one word was bolded that caught bucky's watery eyes.
alive.
•••
"i mean, yes i'm sad that everyone else is dead, but at least i have becca." bucky said the next day, him and alexa sitting on the couch of their floor.
"she's in the alzheimer's home down in DC. you can take the jet whenever you're ready to see her, if you want to." alexa said, bucky looking down at his lap, as if he was thinking.
"if i go, will you come with me?" bucky softly asked, alexa's eyes widening. bucky looked back up to meet her eyes.
"are you sure?" alexa asked, bucky nodding his head yes.
"please." he spoke below a whisper, alexa holding his hand in her's.
"of course i'll go with you james." steve walked in, his eyebrows cocked up in confusion as bucky had watery eyes.
"everything okay?" he asked, bucky giving a sad smile. he stood up, steve walking towards him.
"becca's alive." steve's jaw dropped, him trying to form words, yet only air came out of his mouth.
"really? oh wow. are you gonna go see her? where is she?" steve asked, alexa standing up with her hands in her pockets.
"she's in the alzheimer's home in DC, where peggy was." alexa said, steve's facial expression changing at the mention of peggy. she went with steve and sam to peggy's funeral, to be there for him. even though she never knew peggy, alexa knew how much she meant to steve.
"i'm thinking about visiting her, not sure though." bucky said, steve shaking his head.
"you'll regret it if you don't buck. she's the only person left of family you have left from the 40s besides me. she may not remember you once you leave, but for the time she does, she'd be so happy to see you. i'm not forcing you to do anything you aren't comfortable with buck, it's your choice." steve pulled bucky into a hug, bucky hugging back immediately.
"i thought they were all dead." bucky whispered, steve nodding as he held bucky tighter in his arms. steve knew exactly how he felt, and he wanted to do his best to help bucky not feel alone.
"i know buck, i know." steve said, releasing bucky from the hug.
"let me know if you decide to see her." steve said, bucky nodding. steve kissed alexa's temple, him mumbling a 'thank you' against her temple. alexa looked up at him and nodded, a small smile on her face. steve left the room, bucky and alexa sat back down, bucky having his thinking face on, as alexa called it.
"can we go?" bucky asked, alexa smiling. she stood up, bucky following her action.
"meet you on the jet in ten."
•••
alexa swerved the bike past the cars flawlessly as they drove down the streets of washington dc. bucky's arms were wrapped around alexa's waist tightly, her turning onto a side street.
she stopped the bike infront of the home, her turning the engine off. the two got off, alexa seeing bucky fix his jacket sleeve. they were in civilian clothes, alexa in a sweatshirt and jeans, as well as bucky.
"you ready?" alexa asked, bucky taking a deep breath. he nodded, slipping his hand into alexa's. she smiled, the two walking in. they walked to the front desk, signing in. they put the name of the patient they were seeing, bucky not believing he was going to see rebecca after all these years.
the two sat down on one of the couches, waiting a bit to go inside cause they were told that rebecca wasn't allowed visitors for another ten minutes.
"she used to call me jimmy." bucky said out of nowhere. alexa's head perked up, her looking at him.
"i just remembered. in the mornings before school, she'd yell that from her room and i would know that she wanted me to braid her hair into two pigtails." bucky reminisced, alexa smiling softly.
"jimmy. it suits you." she joked, him cracking a smile. a nurse walked into the main room, telling them they could see her. with a deep breath, bucky held alexa's hand as they walked down the halls. they stopped at her door, bucky hesitantly knocking on the door.
he opened it, walking in. his heart stopped in his chest as he saw her laying in the bed. she looked so fragile. her hair was short, white, and a bit curly. he knew that as soon as rebecca looked at him, she knew who he was. alexa walked in behind bucky, yet kept her distance.
"jimmy?" she croaked out, bucky's eyes watering at the use of the old nickname. he nodded, him giving a smile.
"it's me becca. it's bucky." he said, walking towards the chair next to the bed. he sat down, a tear rolling down rebecca's face.
"how are you here? steve told us you fell off the train. is steve still alive? how did you survive? how do you look like you did back before the war?" rebecca asked, bucky shaking his head.
"stevie's still here too. it's a long story becca, but i'm here now." bucky said, rebecca's eyes got watery again, her reaching out to touch bucky's cheek.
"i've missed you so much james. it's been so long." she croaked out again, bucky holding her hand.
"i know becca, and i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry becca." bucky said, his heart breaking. he remembers bits and pieces of his life before the war, yet they've slowly been coming back. the times him and steve would braid rebecca's hair, and the times bucky would hold rebecca in his arms after she had a nightmare. he missed out on her growing up, and he feels terrible.
bucky motioned to alexa, her slowly walking closer. rebecca noticed alexa, bucky holding alexa's hand as alexa sat down.
"becca, this is a good friend of mine, alexa." bucky introduced, alexa shaking rebecca hand.
"it's great to meet you rebecca, bucky's told me a lot about you." "all good things i hope. you used to tease me a lot jimmy, i think." bucky gave his sister a look, and suddenly he felt as if he was back in 1936. she gave a small smile, alexa looking between the two.
"all good things, don't worry." alexa said, sitting in the chair bucky was sitting in as bucky moved to sit on the bed. they talked for a bit, then rebecca's eyes widened again like they did when they first walked in.
"jimmy, you're alive." she said breathlessly, bucky smiling sadly. he held rebecca's hand, nodding. he looked back at alexa, who gave a pained look. she felt so bad for bucky, his last family member couldn't even remember that he had walked in ten minutes.
"buck, we should get going." bucky nodded, getting up. before the two were about to say goodbye, rebecca grabbed alexa's wrist. she turned back, meeting rebecca's eyes.
"you seem like a good woman, alexa. it's what jimmy deserves. someone to take care of him." rebecca said, alexa smiling softly.
"i'll try my best becca, don't worry. he's in good hands." alexa said, rebecca then looking at bucky.
"he's to busy taking care of everyone else to do it himself." alexa chuckled softly, nodding. rebecca let go of alexa's wrist.
"believe me, i know."
bucky leaned down, his hand at the back of rebecca's head as he kissed her forehead goodbye.
"get some sleep becca. i love you." bucky softly moved away from his sister, watching her eyes close. he sighed, slipping his coat on. alexa opened the door, the two walking out. they reached outside, alexa turning around to face bucky who was walking pretty slow.
"thanks for this, alexa. i needed her to know, even if she won't remember." alexa gave a sad smile, her walking close to him.
"anything for you james, as always." bucky chuckled, the two getting onto the bike. alexa sat in the front, bucky's arms wrapping around alexa's waist.
"now, lets go home." she felt bucky nod against her hoodie, so she revved the engine, before taking off to where she had landed the quintet.