Chapter Text
Once Upon a Time….
There was a toy soldier unlike any other. He had been produced along with a whole regiment of other soldiers. Each was made to be unique and performed a different and important role. Sadly, when it came time for the last soldier to be put together, there had not been enough material and he was left with only one arm.
One soldier had thinning brown hair, a kind smile, and looked like he was meant to be the leader since he carried no weapon and his badge said “Captain”. Another was tan, had large muscles, and a mouth fixed in a constant scowl. The armless soldier had styled brown hair, soft grey-blue eyes, and wore a smirk that made him look as though he was always up to some sort of mischief. They were all dressed in blue coats and black trousers and carried a variety of weapons which were important to their jobs. The armless soldier had a rifle strapped to his back because he was meant to be a sniper. He could not use it though, so had to watch as each of his comrades were able to do their jobs as he fumbled to remove the rifle from his back.
The soldier would watch as his fellows were all brought out time and again to protect the castle, yet he was pushed to the side to watch or left in the darkness all alone. As he was left behind more often, the soldier began to sleep more and more, hoping he would just forget about everything. It was not until a new boy began playing with the soldiers, that things changed. This new boy looked similar to the old boy, but this boy wanted to play with all the soldiers. When he discovered the armless soldier in the box, he examined him before declaring that he was his favorite.
One afternoon, he took the soldier in his small hands and brought him out of the room. As he walked, the boy kept up a string of non-stop words to his soldier. “Can’t believe I finally have a chance. I’m gonna fix you. Make you better than the others. Dad finally said I can use the lab! But we’re not gonna tell him I’m using it to fix my toys, even if you are the best soldier.”
The soldier had no response, of course, but he was excited at the idea of being fixed. They entered a white, shiny room and the boy gently set the soldier on a table, fixing it so the soldier could see what was going on. The soldier was nervous about what the boy had planned, he wanted to be fixed, but he was afraid that things would go wrong. On the table, with him, was a box with pictures of his comrades on it. The boy picked it up and examined it, before setting it in front of the soldier.
“Let’s see here. I made the mold from the pictures on the box. And look! You and your buddies have names!” The boy picked up the soldier again and looked him over one more time before setting him back on the table. “Awesome! You are Sergeant James Barnes, sniper. I think James is kind of boring, though, don’t you?”
Still unable to answer and still in awe at having a name, James almost missed the boy’s next words. “I’m gonna call you Bucky instead. Like in the comics. Captain America’s best friend.”
If he could have, Bucky would have grinned. He liked having a name and he liked this boy.
“Now to fix you. I’ve got the mold made. Now I just need to pour the super hot metal into it.”
Bucky watched with trepidation as the boy used tongs to carry a jar of something red hot. He could feel the heat coming off of it from where he was, and Bucky was concerned, not only for himself but for the boy as well. One wrong move and he could be hurt. Bucky did not want a new arm if it meant the boy would be injured.
“Master Stark, what are you doing?”
“Fixin’ this old toy of dad’s. I have permission to be in here Jarvis.”
“I am aware of that Master Anthony. What I would like to know is why you are not wearing gloves or safety goggles? If you had asked, I would have happily assisted you.”
Anthony looked properly chastened at Jarvis’s words. “Sorry Jarvis. Help me now please?”
Jarvis chuckled and smiled at his young charge. “Of course.”
“Take soldier Bucky there and hold him so he can see. I don’t want to spill any of this.”
“Gloves first Master Anthony.” Anthony rolled his eyes but set the steaming jar down and went to put on some thick gloves. Jarvis picked up Bucky, giving him a good view of everything that was happening. “And safety goggles!”
“Okay, Jarvis!”
Jarvis just shook his head and laughed lightly. He looked at the soldier in his hands and he could see why Tony had adopted him. “Do not worry. Master Anthony may be excitable, but he will do his best to give you a functioning new arm.”
For a little over an hour, Anthony worked under Jarvis’s supervision, until he held up a small metal arm. “Look Jarvis!! I did it!”
“You have done very well Master Anthony. Now what?”
“Now I attach it to Bucky over there.” Anthony’s voice was quiet and he sounded unsure. Bucky found his hopes of a new arm slipping away. Holding out his hand, Jarvis passed over the toy and Anthony examined him again, small fingers feeling over the empty arm socket.
“What seems to be the problem, Tony?” Jarvis only ever called him, Tony, when he was feeling sad or troubled. Tony felt silly for what he was about to admit. “Tony?”
“I, I don’t want to hurt him, Jarvis.”
Understanding showed in Jarvis’s eyes and he bent down to look his young charge in the eye. Anthony may be a genius, but he was still a child, and still cared about his toys and how they felt. He looked at the toy soldier in Anthony’s hand and then back at Anthony.
“I think, young Master Stark, that Bucky here would think a little pain was worth it since he would be gaining a brand new, hand-crafted arm from the one and only, Anthony Stark.”
Tony laid Bucky down on the table carefully and began gathering the materials he would need. For his own sake, Bucky let himself fade into unconsciousness, hoping that later when he woke, he would have a new, functioning arm.
When he did wake, Bucky was freezing cold, and as he came back to consciousness, he also realized his left side was wet. Thankfully that did not last long and he was back on the table being dried off.
Tony smiled triumphantly. “Jarvis! Look!”
Jarvis peeked over Tony’s shoulder and smiled. He had done very well. “You should be very proud of yourself Master Anthony. Very well done indeed.”
“Thanks, Jarvis. I’m gonna go play now. Bucky’s got a ballerina to protect.”
Tony began to rush out of the room, but before he made it too far, he ran back into the lab and wrapped his arms around Jarvis’s waist. Jarvis put his arms around Tony’s shoulders and hugged him back, happy to see Tony so excited.