#aricka x bucky barnes

[arickaandherfictionalothers]

But you're so precious to me, Sweet as can be, baby of mine

(Mini-Science Siblings)

(De-aged science siblings, part of a series I’m working on. 16 year old Aricka sings a new song she learned for her newfound siblings.)

(Top to bottom: Aricka, Tony, Bruce.)

“C’mon, Tony; Shh. It’s naptime, Buddy. I promise I’ll stay with you the whole time, but you gotta close your eyes for a little bit. Shh, shhh shh…” Aricka paced helplessly as she struggled to get the now-miniature version of her big brother to sleep for even fifteen minutes.

But, he associated sleep with being alone, thus he was fighting her tooth and nail to not sleep. “Tony…” she whispered, glancing at Bruce, who had a grip on the hem of her shirt, chewing his lower lip anxiously. Both of them had their memories of adulthood, but they mostly had a childlike mindset at the moment.

“Baby upset?” He asks. Aricka nods, rocking Tony side to side, one hand cradling his bottom and the other cradling his head to her shoulder.

“He doesn’t like being lonely; like you, huh Brucie?” She hums. He nods,

“Is scary,” he says.

“I know. But I think I have an idea, if you want me to try?” Bruce nods, wayward fingers sliding toward his lips.

“P’ease.” She nods and walks over to the “nest” of blankets the two slept together in. They had escaped capture two weeks ago, and had found this abandoned building far enough away from their captors that they could rest until they figured out a way to find help.

“Hey Tony; it’s okay baby, I know you’re so sleepy, but would you like a song to help you relax? Aricka’s gonna stay right here. Stevie and Jamie are on a supply run, Thor, Loki and Nattie are watching for them. Clinty Wanda and Pietro are getting ready for bed too; they’re helping baby Petey remember? It’s okay, honey. You’re not gonna ever be alone ever again. I won’t let that happen. Shh….”

She kept up a soothing litany as she sat down, cuddling the exhausted five year old as close as possible. “I learned a new song Brucie. Before we got taken. Would you like to be one of the first to hear it?” Bruce nods; the same curious light he had as an adult ever present in six year old eyes.

“You both know you’re my babies, right?” Bruce nods, having just accepted that Aricka was gonna be there for a long, long time. Even after they became adults again.

Tony merely snuggled closer to Aricka’s warmth, “mhm,” but didn’t say so much as a single word.

“Aricka loves you both so, so much. I’m so lucky to be your big sister, and your little sister when we’re adults.” She ran a hand through messy sandy-brown hair, then through chocolate-caramel curls. “This song is for both of you. To keep. Okay? Even when we’re big. I’m gonna be there to sing our song whenever you need to hear it.”

Bruce nods, fingers dropping from his face to link both hands around Aricka’s arm. He was getting more confident in reaching out for the gentle touches, hugs and kisses Aricka readily offered. She smiles and presses a kiss to both his and Tony’s foreheads. “My good boys,” she whispers. “So sweet. I love you both so much.” With that; she settles back and clears her throat, before softly beginning to sing, and if the gasp that escaped Bruce was anything to go by: the boy recognized the song and what she was trying to convey.

“Baby mine, don't you cry

Baby mine, dry your eyes…” she wipes at Tony’s face, cupping the tiny chin between her thumb and index finger.

“Rest your head close to my heart

Never to part, baby of mine, hmm…” she lifts her arm and drapes it carefully, gently, around Bruce’s shoulders.

“Little one, when you play

Don't you mind what they say

Let those eyes sparkle and shine

Never a tear, baby of mine…” her hand moves to carefully brush through Bruce’s curly hair, and the boy leaned against her, looking up at her like she was the most amazing person to ever exist.

She felt the same way about the two boys in her arms.

“If they knew sweet little you…” here she tipped Tony’s chin up so she could look him in the eye; and send this message home.

“They'd end up loving you too…” those expressive chocolate colored eyes widened and more tears form as she promised him,

“All those same people who scold you

What they'd give just for the right to hold you…”

If people had just looked at Tony and Bruce and saw them for the wonders they were, purely for how good they were, and how they kept waking up to live another day even though they’d gone through so much pain, then maybe more people would love them as much as Aricka did.

“From your head down to your toes…” here she taps Tony’s nose, and Bruce’s little shoes, making twin giggles escape both boys, a sound that was as precious as music to Aricka’s ears.

“You're not much, goodness knows…” She taps Bruce’s shoulder and sings the next part to him,

“But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be, baby of mine

Hmm-mm…” he smiles at her, a genuine Brucie smile, a shy, sweet one that said more than he could possibly express with words.

“If they knew sweet little you

They'd end up loving you too

All those same people who scold you

What they'd give just for the right to hold you…” Tony curled up in her arms, thumb in his mouth, one arm wrapped around her neck, head resting on her chest. Bruce still had his arms around one of Aricka’s, but his eyes were closed, breathing beginning to slow.

“From your head down to your toes

You're not much, goodness knows

But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be, baby of mine

Baby of mine

Baby of mine…” by the time Aricka finished repeating the last verse, Tony was fast asleep, fingers curled in the collar of her shirt, mouth open slightly, allowing the tiniest of snores to escape the toddler. Bruce was asleep too, leaning completely against Aricka, who hadn’t stopped her careful, loving ministrations of brushing her fingers through his hair.

“That was beautiful.” She startled completely at the sound of someone speaking.

Blue eyes look up to see a matching pair looking down at her. Blue eyes that reminded her of home. “Stevie.” She says. “They just fell asleep. I promised I wouldn’t leave them.”

“I know you would.” He hands her a purple blanket. “Grabbed this for you. Used Tony’s card like you suggested to. It should get ahold of someone we trust. Like Phil or Pepper.”

Aricka nods. “Don’t use it again for a while, in case our captors look for us. Only for emergencies.” He nods.

“How’s it feel?” He asked. “Being the big sibling.”

Aricka smiles shyly, “I’m so thankful that I had you as an example of what a big sibling should act like. You always looked out for me, but you never controlled me. You let me learn the hard way sometimes, but you never guilt tripped me for anything.”

If Tony and Bruce thought Aricka hung the moon in the sky, then Aricka thought Stevie hung the dang sun in the sky. Her whole world used to revolve around her big brother, she wouldn’t even wiggle without his express permission at one point. She was a bit older now and a tad more independent, but she would always need her Steve. Always.

Jamie, followed by Thor, Loki, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro holding the littlest of their family, little Peter, filtered into the bed area of their hideout. They all settled around Aricka, Steve and the two little boys in Aricka’s arms. Peter ended up crawling over to steal some of Aricka’s warmth as well, the four year old smiling sleepily up at her as she opened her arm to him, letting him crawl up right beside Tony, who didn’t so much as twitch during the entire exchange.

Jamie kissed her cheek, and Aricka outright blushed at that, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend. He smiled just as shyly back, before he settled down beside her, Bruce loosely cuddled between them.

Presently, every single one of them began to drift off to sleep, Aricka noting that Thor had decided to take the first watch, him smiling reassuringly at her. She smiles back, no words needed between them.

That was the last thing she remembered before she let her eyes slip shut, and sleep claimed her until she was needed to take the watch.

For now, however, her family was all she needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

@astralshipper @rosieshipper @hyperionshipping @tsundere-selfship @yeehawselfshipping @letsgofoletsgo @tsundere-selfship

#Aricka and Steve #Aricka and Tony #Aricka and Bruce #Aricka and Natasha #Aricka and Clint #Aricka and Thor #aricka x bucky barnes #Aricka and Peter Parker #Aricka and Loki