Death Follows Him // Bucky Barnes

#PeculiarAffairs

Art Credit: "The Fates" - Amiri Bennett

James Buchanan Barnes was early. Too early. That's what the doctors told Winnifred and George Barnes when he was born.

"He came too early. I'm sorry, he likely won't survive the next week."

The Barnes' were heartbroken, their first child wouldn't survive. All because he was a little early. Winnifred in particular was heartbroken, she refused to even hold her child, knowing if she did it would only hurt her more when the inevitable came to .

George was quiet, compared to his wife's louder sobs, but the pain he felt was real, radiating off of him in waves. He was the only person other than the doctors to hold James.

These were things Thanatos had seen before, time and time again. This was nothing new for him, but that didn't make it any better.

"I hate when we meet like this." The usual charm and joy Eros radiated was null and void. He was always like this when one of the children he'd helped breath life into was taken.

"My sisters are cruel sometimes," Thanatos said, sparing a glance at the youthful God beside him. The only creature his heart beat for. His opposite. "I hate to take one so young."

Eros placed a delicate hand on the child's face, briefly touching the child's weak life force. The child gurgled at him, giggling at the feeling. Thanatos watched on silently, letting his partner have this moment. It was the same every time, but it was something he needed. "Be good to him."

Thanatos said nothing, watching the God turn to face him, sorrow painted across his features. The two looked at each other for a moment, both silent, the air around them heavy. "I'll see to it that he arrives safely."

Eros nodded, disappearing a moment later, unwilling to stay until Atropos cut the child's thread. Thanatos stood, staring down at the child who grew weaker and weaker beneath him. It was a horrible thing to watch, one so young fading away.

He felt it then, understood that the child was soon to be a soul in his care. He closed his eyes. It was as though he was there with his sisters, watching Atropos pull the thread taut. The child went silent. The blade in his sisters hand glinted. The thread was cut.

With a tired sigh, Thanatos opened his eyes, prepared to recieve the child and carry him to the underworld. Instead he was met with the most curious sight, the child, staring up at him, blue eyes shining with obvious confusion. His soul was intact, still connected to his body.

Thanatos himself was confused in his own right. He was sure he had felt his sister cut the thread. He should be carrying the soul of a child, not staring down at a living creature. He decided to stay for a while longer, wondering if perhaps he was wrong, and his sister hadn't yet cut the thread.

Things only became more curious from there though, one of the doctors coming to check on the child. To both the doctor and the gods surprise, the child was perfectly fine, as though his early birth was no longer a factor in his health. More doctors came then, each taking a look at the child, each writing things down.

Thanatos waited, days ing in what seemed like minutes, the child only growing stronger as time went on. The doctors called it a miracle, Thanatos called it a mistake.

His sisters were not expecting a visit. He never visited them, their domains were connected, he never needed to.

"James Buchanan Barnes," He told the name to his sisters, watching them titter in recognition, "Atropos, did you sever his thread?"

Clotho glared at her sister as Atropos nodded proudly, some of the gray flakes of her skin drifting to the ground as she moved. "I cut the child's thread. You were to take his soul."

The sisters were ever in tune, each recognizing the deep concern etched into their brothers face, "Brother," Lachesis said, her own aging face etched into a matching concern, "Did you retrieve the child's soul?"

It wouldn't have been the first time that Thanatos had failed to retrieve a soul, some escaping him, continuing their life on earth until he could find them. This was not one of those times. "Sisters, there was no soul to collect."

"Impossible!" Atropos' screech was loud, her face contorted in rage. "I cut the child's thread!"

"Yet his soul remains attached to his body," Thanatos gave his sister a glare, "I cannot take a soul still connected to life."

"Eros has something to do with this," she seethed, "He has always hated when I take his new creations! He is behind this."

"You are accusing another God of meddling in our domain," Clotho reminded her sister, "Careful how you speak sister."

"Eros was nowhere near the child when his thread was cut, he never is," Thanatos said, standing tall at the mention of his partner. "He had nothing to do with this."

"This is an anomaly," Lachesis said, her eyes thoughtful. "Either way, the child's days are numbered. Keep an eye on him brother. His time is short."

"Yes," Clotho agreed, "We will investigate his thread for any probable causes of this. Until then, watch him closely."

Thanatos nodded, "So it shall be, I will watch the child as you ask. Until we meet again sisters." With that, Thanatos returned to the child, watching with hard eyes as the child was finally held by his mother, his movements stronger and much livelier than they should have been. Thanatos could sense a change, the child was still alive, but something was very different about him. Something was very wrong.

Art Credit: DaiSanVisART on Deviant Art

James "Bucky" Barnes was a peculiar child. Anyone who knew him would agree. He was quite strange.

His parents worried often, his eyes always staring into nothing, trying to beckon something closer to him. Occasionally he would speak to the air, something typical of children, but not the nearly eleven year old boy that James now was.

Bucky himself didn't think he was odder than anyone else. Sure, he'd learned recently that no one else could see some of the things he did, but he didn't consider that odd. And sure, not everyone could see the spirits like he did, but he would say that that was probably a good thing.

Growing up with a shadowy figure over your shoulder would seem scary to some, but to Bucky, it was normal, comforting even. The first time he'd spoken to the figure, Thanatos, he'd called himself, he was only six.

Thanatos himself had been surprised. The boy was very peculiar. Having grown past the age where his spiritual sight would naturally fade meant that he was expected to be blind to the God who stood over his shoulder. But, Thanatos reasoned, a child whose thread had already been cut and still lived didn't fit to expectations thus far, so why start then. When he'd reported the new development to his sisters, Atropos had gone furious again, demanding that Thanatos kill the boy himself. The god had refused.

It was odd, for Thanatos, for Bucky it was completely normal.

-

"What do you think?" Bucky asked, his eyes completely zeroed in on the sickly boy across from him in the schoolyard. He had sat himself firmly down on one of the empty benches, leaving room for Thanatos to sit if he wanted. For the past day and a half he'd been debating on whether or not to talk to the blonde haired boy his age.

"I think you should decide what to do yourself," Thanatos said, now used to speaking to Bucky. He found it only made the boy talk to him more if he didn't.

Bucky shot him a glare, "The kid looks close to death!" He'd reasoned. "I think a strong gust would knock him down! I don't wanna get to attached if something happens!" That was another peculiar thing about Bucky, he talked about death with ease, as though it didn't scare him. Which, to many, was an odd thing for a child.

"Then don't speak to him."

"But what if he's nice!" Bucky pointed, "Besides he doesn't actually seem too bad off now that I look," Bucky squinted at the boy, "His light is still pretty bright."

Thanatos sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What have I said about peaking at others life forces?"

"Not to do it."

"Precisely."

Bucky hardly paid attention to the scolding tone that the God used, instead tilting his head and watching as the blonde boy pushed a kid twice his size. The kid had been picking on one of the girls in class, and had just tugged anothers hair. It was unfortunate that the Blonde boy was so small, as he got knocked over rather quickly. "I'm gonna talk to him," Bucky proclaimed finally, pushing himself off of the bench and over to where the bigger boy had the smaller by the collar of his shirt. Thanatos followed behind, sure that this was going to end badly.

"You try something like that again and i'll-"

"Hey!" Bucky cut the bigger boy off, crossing his arms and fixing him with a glare. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The boy tossed the blonde to the ground, turning to face Bucky, "Head off Barnes, 'fore I put you in the dirt too."

Bucky didn't give the kid time to think, cocking his arm back and slamming it into his face. The other boy stumbled back, clutching his now bloody nose. He ran off calling for a teacher, but Bucky didn't pay him any mind, instead looking to the smaller boy who was still on the ground. "Hey there! You okay?"

The boy nodded hesitantly, his eyes glazed a bit with tears as he looked up at Bucky. "I'm fine."

"C'mon then," Bucky held his hand out, helping the smaller boy to his feet. "I'm Bucky by the way. Bucky Barnes."

The blonde shook his offered hand, "Steve Rogers, thanks for all your help, but I could have taken him!"

Bucky snorted at the same time as Thanatos, both knowing that Steve's words were not the truth. "Well, either way, I'm happy to step in." Bucky brushed imaginary dirt off of his pants, "Besides, now you have a friend."

"Friend?" Steve questioned.

"Yeah! Me!" Bucky wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "We can play soldiers and stuff together!"

Steve seemed a bit taken aback, "You wanna be friends with me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I mean," Steve looked Bucky up and down, it only taking Bucky a moment to that he was likely talking about his health.

"My kid sister uses an inhaler," he said, "she's got real bad asthma." He ruffled Steve's hair, causing the other boy to swat his hands away, "So don't worry about any of that stuff. I can help out even!"

Steve let out a grumble as he fixed his hair, swatting Bucky's hands away when the other boy reached for him again, "Okay," he said finally, "I guess we'll be friends."

Bucky gave him a grin, "Alright!"

-

Thanatos had to it that he was a little proud of Bucky.

The boy had never really reached out to anyone before, always seeming to stick to himself. He was already a charming young man, but he had never found anyone that caught his interest. It had worried Thanatos a bit.

But now, standing to the side of the street, he watched Bucky play with Steve, warmth blooming in his chest at the children's laughter. The two had grown close within a matter of days, bonding in a way that would surely keep them friends for years to come.

Thanatos didn't quite understand why Bucky had chosen Steve, or at least thats what he told himself. It was hard to ignore, though, the flashes of a sickly young child who should have been dead that seemed keen to cross his mind whenever Steve would take a break with his inhaler. He was unwilling to let himself think that maybe, just maybe, Bucky had chosen Steve because the boy seemed just as close to death as Bucky himself was.

But Thanatos shook that off, Bucky couldn't possibly know who he was or even that his own thread had been cut. The God would take his soul when the time came, but for now, he simply watched the bright young boy chase his friend down the street, a feeling he couldn't yet identify blooming within himself.

Bucky Barnes was a charming young man. Everyone knew it. He had a knack for people that made everyone like him. He had nearly every girl around his neighborhood falling at his feet. Charming and Handsome, a deadly combination.

Thanatos had watched over him, watching him grow and learn, watching as he went on his first date and had his first kiss. The god only left to give the boy privacy and to fulfill his duties. He was always monitoring Bucky's life force though, always checking to see if the boys soul was still connected to his body.

The gods hadn't expected Bucky to last so long. His thread had been severed, he should be dead. But eighteen years from the fateful moment that his thread was cut, and here Thanatos was, watching the boys eighteen year celebration, a good bit of pride in his chest.

It was hard for the god to deny that he had grown rather fond of the peculiar child under his watch. Bucky had never lost his sight, still seeing the god and the spirits around him at such an old age. Thanatos had all but given up on taking his soul any time soon. His sisters had not.

"His existence is an insult to us!" Atropos declared, "He should not be alive."

Thanatos sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I am aware of this fact sister. I have been for eighteen years."

"And yet you continue to let him live!"

"I am a god of death. I guide spirits, I do not cause anyone's death. There is nothing that can be done." Thanatos wasn't willing to attempt anything either. To take the boy's life himself would be a damnation to what he does. And, though he wouldn't it it, his chest constricted painfully with the thought of Bucky's death.

Atropos glared at Thanatos, her sisters quiet, tired of the years of arguing between their sister and brother. "We shall see Brother."

"What does that mean?"

"Just continue to monitor him brother. I doubt he'll live for much longer."

His sisters words set something protective alight within Thanatos. He didn't like the way his sister spoke, but knew better than to question her on any plans. The fates were not his domain, and thus, he could do nothing.

With no further words to his sisters, Thanatos turned, disappearing into a shadow and reappearing in front of the Barnes residence where he knew the Celebration for Bucky was happening. To his surprise, he was not the only creature outside of the home.

"Shouldn't you be inside, celebrating?"

Bucky chuckled, the smoke from the cigarette between his fingers floating through the air. "I needed a break. Mom's been crying on and off all day, her baby is eighteen and its making her emotional." He lifted the cigarette to his lips, taking a drag from it. Thanatos watched him for a moment, his eyes trailing towards his fingers. He wanted to tell the boy how dangerous the thing he was smoking was, but he wouldn't interfere. "Where have you been?"

Thanatos stood up straighter. He'd never lied to Bucky, but he'd never quite told the boy who he was either. "Visiting family. I had something urgent to discuss with my sisters."

Bucky flicked the ash off of his cigarette, surprise on his face, "I didn't know you had a family?"

"Quite a large one. Not all of us get along though."

"Huh," Bucky's eyebrows furrowed, "Any reason why you stick around me more than them?"

"None that is important," Thanatos sat next to the boy on the steps to his home. "I am a watcher. Tasked with observing you."

"Seems like there would be an important reason for that."

The god sighed, "I suppose you are old enough to know," He let the hood of his shroud down, revealing his aged and cracked face. He knew he appeared much like a withered old man to humans. If they looked close enough, they could see the flash of a skeleton beneath. Death personified he was called. He tended to frighten people.

Bucky, for what it was worth, hardly reacted, only taking another drag from his cigarette as he finally saw the face of the figure who lingered around him. "You called yourself a watcher," he said after a moment, "What did you mean by that."

"Exactly as it sounds. I'm not here to interfere in your life. I am not permitted to do so. I am only to watch. To watch and wait."

Bucky seemed hesitant to ask, as though he knew the question was one he wouldn't like the answer to, "Wait for what?"

Thanatos silently observed the boy he had watched grow into a man. With a sigh, he went to answer, only to pause as a noise came from the alley beside Bucky's house.

Thanatos was quick to shroud himself again, Bucky's eyes darting to the alley as he did so. Both were tense, waiting for another noise. "Help, help me please!"

Bucky shot up from the step at the sound of a woman's cries, the cigarette falling from his fingers and to the ground. Thanatos silently stood, something not seeming quite right about the situation. "Bucky," he warned as the boy stepped closer to the ally, the woman's cries still ringing in their ears, "Be careful."

Bucky ignored him, carefully taking a step into the dark alley, "Hello? Are you okay miss?"

The woman cried out again, "No, no, please help me!" She screamed then, loud and blood curdling. Something about it reminded Thanatos of a creature he had not encountered in some time. His blood ran cold as he stood in the entrance of the alley, watching Bucky take careful steps.

"Where are you?"

"Here!" Came the call from the back of the alley, "please, please!"

Bucky took more careful steps into the darkness, his figure now completely shrouded in it as he continued. His foot kicked a loose can, drawing his attention down to it. The woman's cries disappeared then, the entire alley silent.

Thanatos was quiet. He could do nothing, he was not permitted to tamper in other gods domains.

Bucky was knocked to the floor of the alley, a figure flying into him with inhuman strength. His head hit the ground with a resounding crack. Thanatos could already see the blood spreading under him. His body was soon blocked by the spider like limbs of the Empusa. Thanatos could hear the creature latching onto the boy, draining him of his blood. His chest was heavy, he could do nothing but sit and wait.

He felt anger beyond belief. He had watched over the boy for eighteen years, and now he would not even be permitted to guide his soul down to the underworld.

He heard her wings before he saw her, his eyes darting up to the gruesome figure of one of the Ker, one of his sisters. "Brother," she hissed, her eyes locked onto the sight of the Empusa feasting on the boy below her. Thanatos watched her lick her lips in anticipation, dread pooling in his gut.

"Please my sister," he said, closing his eyes, "Allow me this one favor. Let me guide the boy."

His sister only laughed, "You have your domain brother, I have mine. We may not cross into each others. This is how it was meant to be."

Thanatos knew she was right, but he could not help but be horrified that the child he watched would be guided by one so violent and gruesome. His eyes returned to the Empusa, expecting to see the boys soul finally waiting to be taken. Instead, his eyes found his life force, still strong, his soul still intact.

"Enough!" He called to the Empusa after a moment, "Leave now." The creature turned to hiss at him, blood dripping from her teeth. "Leave before I send you to Tartarus myself."

She hissed at him again, but listened to his threat, changing her form back into that of a beautiful woman and sauntering past him out of the Alley. Thanatos ignored his sister above him, she was already looking curiously down at the boy.

Blood surrounded Bucky's body, neck pricked with holes where the Empusa had feasted and his head still steadily leaking blood. But the boys chest rose and fell steadily, as though he was merely sleeping.

Thanatos and the Ker watched him closely for several minutes, both waiting for his breath to falter, for his soul to appear. But, similar to when he was a baby, nothing happened.

"Sister," Thanatos started, "I do not think you will be permitted to take his soul today."

His sisters voice was no longer filled with an evil type of mirth, her own confusion taking over as she agreed, "I believe you are right. Today he lives."

"Again," Thanatos mutter to himself as he heard his sister fly off. He could not understand why or how the boy was still alive. His thread had been cut eighteen years ago, and the Empusa's attack should have killed him again. But instead, Bucky lived.

It was only ten or so minutes longer before Thanatos heard the voice of Steve and Bucky's younger sister Rebecca stepping outside of the Barnes home, calling for Bucky.

It only took the two a moment to find him, Rebecca screaming at the sight of her brother. "Becca, go get your dad! He's still breathing but we need to get him help!" The sickly Steve, ever the leader under pressure, ordered the shaking girl. Thanatos was never more thankful that Bucky had befriended someone so brave, it only took minutes after that for Bucky to be loaded into a car and taken to a hospital. Thanatos didn't follow, instead turning to go speak to his sisters. He had a horrible feeling that Atropos was behind the Empusa's appearance, and he needed to make sure that she would never try such a thing again. Bucky Barnes would die one day, but he would do it on his own time.

Thanatos had been busy, as had his sisters. Ever since the War had started, he'd been running around the world, picking up extra work to help his overwhelmed sisters.

While Thanatos didn't mind helping the Keres, it was definitely work he wasn't used to. Guiding bloody and war torn souls to the underworld was new for him. He usually handled peaceful deaths. New forms of war meant more death, which meant that the gods had their work cut out for them.

The worst part of the war, was how often it drew Thanatos away from Bucky. He checked back up when he could, but generally, he was seeing the boy less and less. His one peace of mind had been that the United States had yet to the war effort. He wouldn't have to worry about Bucky being one of the dying soldiers on the battlefield.

That was, until the attack on the US by Japan. 1941 launched the States into the second World War, a fact that meant Bucky could be sent over. He'd talked to the boy briefly about the issue, learning that, while his best friend Steve was eager to enlist, Bucky himself would not be.

"War, fighting and killing and all that," he'd said, "Not really something I want to be a part of."

"Understandable," Thanatos hadn't said anything else, unwilling to comment on the rather obvious fact that Bucky actually wouldn't be ing because of Steve. The two friend's relationship had grown throughout the years, both having a strong attachment to the other. It hadn't escaped Thanatos' notice though, that Bucky's attachment to Steve was very different from the other boy's attachment to him.

"Yeah," Bucky had said, ignoring the strange look he received from someone ing, "No need to worry about me. I'm staying right here."

-

Thanatos had been gone for a few weeks that time, a large attack by the Germans on a small town sending both himself and the Keres to the village. He hated to be away so long without checking in, but he had a job to do.

As soon as there was a lull in attacks and deaths, he took the opportunity, disappearing back to New York to find Bucky. He didn't like not knowing how the boy was doing.

Following the presence that he knew so well was almost second nature to the god now. Bucky's signature was so much different from the others around him, it was like a beacon in the gloomy city.

He followed it along the streets, growing closer and closer until he turned the corner and came face to face with an Army recruitment office. He was frozen in front of the building for a moment, waiting. He couldn't understand why the boy would be here.

Thanatos made no move as the door to the building opened and Bucky walked out, dressed in full uniform, several papers in his hands. It didn't take the boy long to notice Thanatos either, crossing the road in front of the building and making his way to the god.

"I thought you were staying away from the war?"

Bucky sighed, rubbing his face slightly. Thanatos noticed how tired he looked. "I've been drafted. Can't really stay away if the government wants you in." He waved a folded sheet towards Thanatos. "I ship out tomorrow morning."

"Does Steve know?"

"Yeah, he's about ready to stow away and come with me," Bucky stuck some of the papers in his pocket, his brow furrowed at the mention of Steve, "He's doing everything he can to go to war. The maniac."

There wasn't much that Thanatos could say. He felt his heart dropping in his chest, his boy would be going into a bloody war. There was no telling if he would make it out alive. "I'll be with you as much as I can."

Bucky gave him a sad sort of smile. Though Thanatos had never tried to tell the boy who he was, not after what had happened on his birthday all those years ago, he could tell that Bucky knew at least enough. Enough to know that the war was what had been drawing him away so much. "Thanks. I'd appreciate it though," he hesitated a moment, as though he wasn't sure whether he should ask, "Maybe you could check up on Steve for me? While I'm gone?"

Thanatos heard the beat of wings, recognizing the power of his partner in the question he was just asked. "I'll keep my eyes on him."

"Thank you." Bucky was solemn, he didn't seem as bright as he usually was. Thanatos didn't like that at all.

"You should go, spend your last day here with him. Enjoy yourself."

Bucky nodded, "Are you going to come with me?"

"I'll give you privacy tonight. I know you may want it."

Bucky nodded thankfully, letting out a breath, "I appreciate it." He turned to leave, pausing then for a moment before turning back towards Thanatos. Bucky saluted the god, a boyish grin on his face that let Thanatos know that he intended to enjoy his last night before war. "See you on the battlefield."

Thanatos watched him go, a foreboding sense in the air. He didn't have a good feeling about what was happening. Something bad was in store, he could tell. He could only send a quick prayer up to Athena and Ares, begging them to keep his boy safe.

Thanatos hadn't been with Bucky when he was captured. It continued to run through his head. He hadn't been there when he was captured.

It was upsetting to realize, that his boy could have died, could have easily been killed while Thanatos wasn't there. It was a thought that easily haunted him, of Bucky dying a painful death, alone.

When Thanatos finally found Bucky at a nazi facility in Azzano, he was just in time to watch the boy get dragged into a private room, away from his fellow soldiers. His heart dropped as the dead body of another soldier was pulled out of the room, one of the Ker already taking his soul.

Still, he followed into the room, alerting Bucky to his presence. The god being in the room seemed to calm him a bit, giving him the strength to fight against the men who brought him into the room. He managed to land a punch on one of the men before he was fully restrained, strapped down to a metal table with leather bindings.

For the first time in his long existence, Thanatos felt truly helpless as Bucky was left alone in the room, strapped to the table. Bucky was struggling against the resraintants, but they were strong, covering his arms, legs and torso. "Bucky," he started, feeling the need to explain himself.

"Don't," Bucky said, finally giving up on the restraints. He let his head plop back onto the table. "I know, you can't do anything. You're a watcher."

"I am," Thanatos agreed, "If I could-"

"I know, I know." Bucky closed his eyes, "Just," he hesitated, "Don't leave me."

Bucky sounded helpless, his voice defeated and his face showing how he had resigned himself to what was going to happen to him. "I'll be here," Thanatos said, "I swear it."

-

Thanatos decided that when Arnim Zola died, he would personally see to it that the man suffered in the worst possible way. His time in the fields of punishment would be horrible.

Bucky's screams were painful, days ing as he was poked prodded and injected with various things. There had already been several times that Thanatos was sure the boy would die, but he didn't.

Bucky himself was growing more and more delirious. He had devolved down to repeating his name and numbers, saying nothing else. Thanatos wasn't sure what Zola was trying to accomplish, but Bucky was strong, and was heavily resisting.

"You are perfect seargent Barnes." Zola said, "Still alive when all others before you died. How fascinating."

Bucky weakly glared at the man, "Seargent James Barnes, 33557."

Zola only chuckled, "Keep that up Seargent, if I have my way you won't those numbers for long."

"Seargent James Barnes, 33557."

Zola injected something into Bucky's arm, Bucky wincing at the feeling.

"Seargent James Barnes, 33557."

Zola didn't stick around the room, leaving only a moment later, not a glance spared to Bucky. Thanatos had never wanted to end a mortals life more than in that moment.

"Seargent James Barnes, 33557."

Bucky screamed then, his back arching off on the table. He felt as though his veins were on fire. He could hardly breath. Thanatos clenched his fists.

"Seargent James Barnes, 33557," his words were spoken out of breath, during a lull in the pain.

He screamed again, writhing on the table in agony. Thanatos noticed some of his restraints straining to stay together, adrenaline making Bucky much stronger than he would normally be.

"Seargent...33557," Bucky's speech devolved into mutters as he hissed through the burning that was lighting his body up with pain. He looked a mess, Thanatos wanted nothing more than to save the boy. To end his suffered and hug him close as a father might to their child.

Bucky didn't last much longer, the pain knocking him into a dazed state, whimpers and the muttering of his numbers being the only thing he could seem to force out. His eyes were glazed, completely skipping over Thanatos, as though he couldn't see him.

In that moment, for the first time, Thanatos wished that the boy wasn't so special. That death would be kind and welcome him into its embrace.

-

That night, Thanatos thanked the heavens for Steve Rogers. The loyal friend to his boy, who risked everything and pulled Bucky from the jaws of hell.

Thanatos was still getting used to the difference in Steve Rogers. He could tell Bucky was too.

The once sickly boy was now tall and strong, healthy. Thanatos had noticed how bright his life force was now, very different from the force that would fade to dim on the regular. He was sure Bucky had noticed too.

It had been over a year since Steve had appeared, rescuing Bucky from the torture that he was undergoing at the hands of Arnim Zola. From there, Thanatos had watched as Steve formed a team, a group of soldiers who's goal was to take out the nazi division who had tortured Bucky. They called themselves the Howling Comandos and one by one they had methodically wiped out Hydra bases across Europe.

While Thanatos was proud of his boy, he couldn't help but wish that Bucky had taken the offer for a discharge. He could tell that something had changed with Bucky. He was different, somehow. The god just couldn't put his finger on it yet.

He followed his boy as much as he could, learning each of the names of the men he allied himself with. Thanatos liked the Comandos. They were loyal, strong, safe for Bucky.

He followed them on missions, sitting quietly beside his boy on a perch, watching him with a gun. Bucky was good with a sniper rifle, he was often sent as eyes because of this. Thanatos was glad, it kept him out of the line of fire more often.

Thanatos noticed things, things he'd never seen before. He was sure that Ares or Athena had blessed his boy. He was more skilled as a warrior than expected.

Everywhere they went, the Keres were soon to follow. Taking the souls of the men killed at the hands of the commandos. Bucky did his best to ignore them, Thanatos could understand why.

Thanatos noticed how his boy looked at Steve. The love, the pride, the Jealousy when he spoke to the British agent. He felt for his boy, his feelings for the other boy only too obvious to the god.

He noticed the way his boy spoke, how charming and sarcastic and playful he was with the commandos. How he had each of their birthdays and favorite foods memorized within a week.

In every sense of the word Thanatos became a watcher to his boy. Bucky always looking to him for approval after making a joke. His boy was always aware of his presence, always looking over his shoulder for reassurance. And Thanatos was always there.

Being a watcher had its disadvantages though. He could never help when he thought his boy was in trouble. He couldn't interfere. This wasn't a problem though. There were hardly any times that Thanatos felt the need to interfere.

That was until the new year. January, 1945. When Bucky fell, and Thanatos watched.

Bucky's screams rang through the Siberian facility, each loud and absolutely agonizing to Thanatos, who could do nothing but watch.

When his boy had been found years ago, still alive from his long fall, Thanatos had been nothing but greatful, happy that he would get the help he needed. It soon became obvious to both himself and a delirious Bucky though, that the people who found him were not good people.

Hydra and Arnim Zola once again had their hands on Bucky, and this time they intended to keep him.

The long moths of procedures had been terrible to watch, what remained of Bucky's left arm being removed in a crude surgery, only to be replaced with a metal arm, a red star painted onto it.

After that, Bucky had no peace, constantly run through a machine similar to the one used on him in Azzano. It was horrifying to watch. All Thanatos could do was provide .

Bucky had been strong, lasting far longer than anyone would have imagined. When the Hydra agents demanded he give in, he would spit in their faces.

When Bucky overheard someone mention that the war was over, that had lost, he had laughed so hard that even a slap to the face couldn't end his joy. His resolve had hardened after that, the beatings and hours spent on the machine doing almost nothing to him.

Thanatos really thought that his boy could last until help arrived for him. He knew that Steve wouldn't let his friend go so easily. As soon as he realized Bucky's body couldn't be found, he would start looking for him. He could tell his boy had the same thought.

It was unfortunate that Arnim Zola knew what he did about Bucky. It was unfortunate because it meant that he knew some things that might break him.

"That resolve of yours will not last forever Seargent Barnes."

"It'll last long enough," Bucky spat, his eyes set in a fierce glare. Thanatos was proud at how much fire his boy had maintained over the past years. Torture would knock him down, but he would just keep getting back up.

"For what Seargent Barnes," Zola took on a sympathetic look, one that had both Bucky and Thanatos confused. "Oh, tell me you don't think the Captain is coming for you. How sad."

There was laughter from the various agents and scientists around the room. Bucky looked around wildly glaring at them, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Thanatos had a bad feeling settle in his gut. He reached out then, looking for Steve Rogers, something he hadn't done in quite some time.

"Don't you know Seargent? The Captain is dead." Zola pulled a clipping from a newspaper out of his pocket, holding it in front of Bucky's face.

"CAPTAIN AMERICA DIES" was printed in bold letters across the top of the clipping. Buvky's eyes quickly scanned the rest in disbelief, reading about how Steve Rogers had heroically crashed into the ocean to protect the States from a weapon of mass destruction. Bucky slumped back against the table after a moment.

"You see seargent, you are completely alone."

Bucky turned to Thanatos for confirmation, his eyes pleading for the god to deny what he had just been told, but the look on Thanatos' face was enough to tell him that Zola was telling the truth.

It was only a matter of weeks then, Bucky's resolve falling every day. Thanatos did what he could to cheer the boy up, to keep him going, but his heartbreak was too strong. It weakened him every day until finally, he cracked.

"готовы подчиниться"

"You shouldn't do this to yourself," Eros told him one evening. "Take a step back. No one will blame you."

Thanatos only stood taller, watching his boy throw someone across the room. He was training, so the man wouldn't be too hurt. "I can't do that. I have a job."

Eros wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "My love, the boy has survived all this time. I don't think he'll be dying any time soon." Thanatos leaned into Eros, the other god's touch soothing to him.

"I won't leave him alone."

Eros sighed, "You've grown attached to him." Thanatos spared him a glance, he knew it was true. "He's like a son to you, I can feel it."

"If the other gods find out-"

"My love," Eros quieted him, "I'll tell no one." Thanatos turned away from the brutal training scene in front of him, fully facing Eros. His partner had never looked as solemn as he did in that moment, not even when he had watched Orpheus fully lose his love to the underworld. Eros gave him a small smile then, placing his hands under his shroud and stroking his cheeks. "All I ask my love, is that you do not destroy yourself here."

Thanatos turned his head, placing a delicate kiss on the palm of Eros' hand before slowly guiding them away from his face. "I promise."

They both knew it was a lie, the god of death was too attached. He would stay, he wouldn't leave his boy alone.

-

Thanatos hated Bucky's new handler. Absolutely despised him. He wasn't a fool, he knew exactly why Hydra had assigned Alexander Pierce to his boy.

It was obvious to the higher ups that their plan had worked as well, Bucky following Pierce's orders to the finest detail. He took his orders easily, seeking approval from the young man who so closely resembled Steve Rogers.

Thanatos hated him.

Pierce was kind at first, of course he was, he needed to test the waters. The second that Bucky had proven to be unwaveringly loyal to the image of the man, the switch had flipped.

It didn't matter what Bucky did. He could wipe out an entire small village without being seen, and it still wouldn't be enough. It didn't matter to any of the Hydra agents. To them, Bucky was a weapon and nothing more.

The few times Bucky would lose control, Thanatos would rejoice. Any Hydra agents who fell to Bucky would be met soon in the afterlife with the anger of a death god. The Keres were only too happy to make their journey down to the underworld as painful as possible, under Thanatos' request.

The death god couldn't wait to take Pierce one day.

-

Those damn trigger words. Thanatos wanted to rip that little red book to shreds. It was the worst thing, he decided, watching his boy be wiped of any conscious after coming out of being cryofrozen. Then to immediately have those words said to him. To watch any trace of his boy be replaced with a shell of a person.

The only comfort Thanatos took from the words, was that some of his boy was still there. That was the only explanation for the struggling, the way he fought against the words, trying and failing time and time again to win.

"готовы подчиниться."

It always sounded so robotic. So unlike his boy. Thanatos could only hope, that one day, he wouldn't have to hear it again.

-

As Alexander Pierce aged, his hold over Bucky started to fail. He didn't look like the Steve that Bucky's subconscious ed. So Bucky stopped listening to him as closely, stopped trying to gain his approval as much.

To Thanatos it was a glorious thing, to watch Hydra struggle to keep his boy under their thumb. It meant that his boy was still there, fighting to break free.

And as time went on Bucky started getting sent out less and less. They could hardly control him any more. That had become ever so obvious when Bucky had refused to kill one of the young girls he had been sent to train, a redhead who he'd grown fond of.

So Bucky was put back on ice. Frozen until Hydra decided that they wanted to try him again. Thanatos hated that his boy was frozen, but he was more relieved that, for the time being, he was at least a little at peace.

Thanatos' heart dropped when he felt Bucky being pulled from the ice again. He had ducked quickly and quietly out of a meeting with the other gods once it had finished, disappearing into the shadows to go to his boy.

He was late, Bucky appearing as though he had just gotten out of his mission. He was giving his report of Pierce.

Something was off with Bucky though, and it didn't escape anyone's notice.

"Anything else?" Pierce asked when Bucky had finished spelling things out for the man writing up the report.

Bucky hesitated, as though he didn't know if the information he had was important. "There was someone else there. Someone with a shield."

Thanatos could see the panic that Pierce tried to cover up. It was short and brief, but enough for the god to know that whoever the man Bucky had seen was, was someone that made Pierce very nervous.

-

Thanatos didn't see him at first, following Bucky as he chased after a redhead with a familiar presence. The showdown between the two was something that Thanatos had seen before. It was something that he knew Bucky would come out on top of.

Sure enough he had managed a shot on the girl, quickly finding her after that and preparing to end his mission. Instead, a familiar man weilding a familiar shield charged Bucky.

Steve Rogers, stood against his friend, fighting against Bucky. Thanatos reached out to be sure that it really was Bucky's friend, and nearly cried out in happiness as he realized it was indeed Steve Rogers.

Steve wasn't aware of who Bucky was though, the two fighting against each other as roughly as they could. Bucky nearly stabbing Steve several times. Thanatos had to do something. He wasn't supposed to interfere, but he wouldn't let his boy kill Steve Rogers and return to his life of suffering under Hydra.

His opportunity came When Steve managed to lodge his shield in Bucky's metal arm, a quick press of his hand to the back of Bucky's mask loosening it enough.

When Steve threw Bucky over his shoulder, the mask went flying. There was a tense moment as Steve looked at his long lost friend. "Bucky?" Being the only thing he was able to say.

Thanatos heard the beat of wings, he saw the hesitation. Eros would drive a wedge into Hydra's brainwashing. It was only a matter of time.

-

"Is he alive?" Bucky asked, panicked as he pulled Steve from the lake, dropping his friend on the shore. Thanatos raised an eyebrow, he was sure that the boy would have checked himself rather than asking.

"You can look, he is fine." Thanatos reached a hand out, placing it on his boys shoulder. Bucky looked up at him then, his eyes showing how lost he felt. "Come with me now."

Bucky nodded, far too tired to argue as he followed the god away from his friend and towards safety.

"What did I do?" He asked as they got further from the scene. He seemed to be coming to a bit with who he was and how much he couldn't .

Thanatos stopped, pulling his boy into a hug. He couldn't help it, his boy was finally going to be free. "All in time, all in time. For now, safety." He pulled away then, Bucky looking up at him with sad lost eyes.

Thanatos turned away, there was too much to do, he would comfort his boy once he was in a safe place.

Thanatos was on edge, of course he was. His boy was in a small glass cage, held down by magnetic restraints. He was also accused of something that he hadn't done. Not a situation he was happy with.

Things only seemed to get worse when the man who was going to do his boy's evaluation stepped into the room, faltering at the door, his eyes locking onto Thanatos.

The god could feel it immediately. The man standing in front of him was a demi-god. He couldn't tell who's child he was, but the abnormal glow to his aura told the god everything.

The interview had started out as normal as it could, the therapist completely ignoring Thanatos and speaking to Bucky. It only went south when the power was knocked off, the back up lights kicking on and casting the room in a dim red and blue light. Then the man had pulled out that stupid red book. There was nothing Bucky or Thanatos could do then.

-

Steve Rogers believed in the best of Bucky and Thanatos couldn't be more greatful. It meant that he was willing to listen to Bucky, to defend him from the government. And when Bucky told Steve what he thought the demi-god was up to? Steve believed him.

Unfortunately though, not everyone was as understanding as Steve Rogers. That meant that Thanatos was sitting on the sidelines watching Bucky, Steve, and a handful of Steve's friends fight to go save the world. In the middle of an airport. Really the whole things was quite odd, but Thanatos was happy that at least Steve and Bucky made it onto a ship and to safety.

-

Bucky and Steve didn't have the best of luck, and Thanatos decided that he didn't quite care for this Tony Stark character at all. Anyone who tried to kill his boy wasn't very good in his eyes.

Thanatos hated sitting and doing nothing. He could only watch and root for Steve and Bucky, hoping that they would be able to over power the machine that the man used.

When Bucky's arm was blown off, Thanatos felt like he was back in Hydra, forced to watch the pain his boy was in, and unable to do anything. When his boy was knocked to the ground, he stood next to him, ready to break a great deal of rules if Steve wasn't successful. Luckily for him, Steve was.

-

Being taken in by people that had been trying to kill his boy was a bit nerve wracking. Thanatos was on edge the entire time, only calming down once he met the young and friendly girl who would be watching over and helping his boy. Her name was Shuri, and the god took an immediate liking to her.

The girls friendly disposition and jokes calmed bucky as well, putting him at ease as she spelled out his options. In the end it hadn't been easy, but he had decided that the best choice would be to go back into cryofreeze.

As much as Thanatos hated it, he had to agree. Until there was a plan to help wipe Bucky's trigger words from his mind, it would be safer for everyone if he was asleep.

"I hate that I cannot help you more."

Bucky had given him a small smile, "You've already done so much. You could have left me while I was brainwashed by Hydra. But you didn't." He gave the god a thankful look, "I don't think you'll ever understand how much that means to me."

"You have become far more important to me than a child I was tasked to watch," Thanatos said, laying a hand on Bucky's shoulder, "You have become like a son to me. And I will not leave my child to suffer alone."

Bucky never cried much, but Thanatos could see the tears in his eyes. He could feel how happy those words had made him. "Thank you."

Thanatos only nodded, having to stay quiet as someone stepped into the room to guide Bucky to where he would be frozen. It was a bittersweet goodbye for both Bucky and Steve, neither quite happy with letting the other go so soon. Bucky was on ice within the hour.

Thanatos only stayed for a few hours longer, making sure that his boy truly would be taken care of before disappearing. He appeared at Olympus then, intent on finding out just who the demi-god that had framed his boy was.

Thanatos was in a panic. Bucky had fallen to ash right before his eyes. Gone. Nothing left where he once was.

He reached out, searching for the unique signature of his boy. He couldn't find him. He couldn't even find the boys soul. It was like he had never existed.

He couldn't understand, if his boy was dead, than he should have found his soul. Should be able to see it. But he couldn't. He couldn't even find a hint of it.

He vanished then, reappearing in Olympus where a number of other gods had already gathered. Everyone could feel that something was wrong. Thanatos aligned himself with his siblings, the group who almost never left their domains standing in an imposing circle, glaring at the other gods around them. Whatever had done this, had insulted the siblings gravely.

"Thanatos?" Came the voice of Eros, the god landing delicately next to his partner, a look of concern on his face. All of the gods around them quieted, watching the interaction. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he itted, taking in the concerned face of his lover and the warm waves the god sent his way. It enough to calm him a bit. "Their souls. Its like they never even existed. There isn't a thing to collect."

Eros took in a deep breath, his eyes tracing Thanatos, "There is something else isn't there?"

"Bucky," Thanatos let out a trembled breath, "He's gone. Whatever happened. It took him too."

Everyone was deathly quiet at the news. They all knew the name Bucky Barnes. Thanatos' ward who couldn't seem to die. Whatever had happened, it had been enough to take someone seen as unkillable. The air grew stiff, Olympus was quiet.

-

Thanatos took to following Steve. The man was his only connection to Bucky, so it only seemed natural to follow him, gain what information he could from his boy's life long friend.

What he had eventually learned was that a creature from outside of earth, outside of his domain, had come to earth with very powerful, very ancient stones of creation. He had used them to get rid of half of the life on the planet. Including Thanatos' boy.

The god hadn't felt any pity when the creature was killed. He'd only felt hopeless. He knew that the Stones were not lost that his boy could be saved, but he couldn't tell anyone. He could do nothing. Once again, he was helpless, stuck in his own rules.

All Thanatos could do was hope, hope that his boy would be brought back to him. Until then, he disappeared, down to the underworld where he would reside until something changed. He didn't feel like staying on Earth, the planet eerily quiet with half of its people, animals, and plants gone.

The second that Thanatos could not longer sense Steve Rogers was the second that the god returned to earth. Steve was only gone for a moment, a few seconds, but it was enough.

When he found the boy again, it was to see that somehow he and the others he worked with had regained the stones that had taken his boy. They had made a gauntlet. It didn't take much for Thanatos to figure out what they planned.

He stayed then, watching the mortals work, lingering over shoulders impatiently. If this was to happen, he would be there to see his boy again.

-

The second that the green creature had snapped Thanatos had disappeared, centering in on his boy within a moment. He was exactly where the god had last seen him, but now he was standing, alive.

The god captured him in a hug quickly, uncaring of the others around his boy who might think that Bucky looked odd. His emotions were everywhere, but he had never felt such joy and relief.

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter," Thanatos told him, "All that matter is that you are safe now. That you are here."

Bucky nodded, holding tight to the god.

-

"He's dead," Bucky whispered, watching the spirit of Tony Stark leave his body.

Thanatos nodded, his eyes locking on to the spirit who was now staring down at his body and the people who cried over him. "He is."

Bucky said nothing then, tilting his head down in respect.

Thanatos stepped forward then. "Tony Stark." The spirit turned to face him, confusion written on his face. "It is time to go."

"I, I don't," Tony looked back at the woman leaning over his body. "I can't leave her."

Thanatos had heard the same many times before, "I know. But she wouldn't want you to stay. Peace is what you need." The god held his hand out to the spirit. "Come now. They will be okay."

After a moment, Tony took his hand, the two fading into the shadows as the god led the man to the underworld. He skipped the judges, taking the man straight to the fields of Elysium. He had helped bring his boy back, Thanatos wouldn't make him wait for paradise.

-

Watching Steve Rogers leave was a horrible thing. Not because the god was attached to the man, but because he knew how much he had meant to his boy.

He hadn't been the sickly boy that Bucky had befriended all those years ago in some time. He wasn't the same man that Bucky had become friends with. That Bucky had fallen in love with. And Bucky wasn't the same either.

So when Steve offered Bucky to come back with him, it had been obvious to both that Bucky wouldn't say yes. Steve knew they had grown apart, and Bucky knew he could never watch the man he once loved be with someone else. So Bucky let him go, and Steve did the same.

Thanatos wasn't surprised when Steve mentioned something about ing the torch to Sam Wilson. The man had been unwaveringly loyal, helping Bucky and Steve even when it was obvious that he didn't care much for Bucky himself.

Now though, standing with the shield in his hand as Bucky and Thanatos watched from further away, Thanatos could feel the pride radiating off of his boy. He watched curiously at the look Bucky fixed the man with, his mouth curving up into a smile when he heard the beat of wings.

Thanatos wasn't too worried then, he knew that, in time, Bucky would be perfectly fine without Steve Rogers. The future would be good for his boy, and Thanatos was more than happy to sit and observe his boy find happiness, and the god knew when that happened, it would be his time to leave his boy. Until then, though, he decided to stay right where he was.

Zemo was someone that neither Thanatos or Bucky cared for much. From their past together to the way that the man seemed keen on antagonizing Bucky, he was not in either's favor.

It seemed that the man wasn't afraid of revealing more about himself either, his curiosity getting the best of him on their plane ride to Riga.

"So James, who are you exactly?"

Bucky raised an eyebrow at the man, "You know who I am."

Zemo waved his hand, "No, no, I am referring to him." He motioned in Thanatos' direction. Bucky's eyes widened in shock, Thanatos' closed in annoyance.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Bucky played off, hoping that the man had merely noticed him talking to the air. That he couldn't actually see his long time watcher. Sam, for what it was worth, looked more concerned and confused than Bucky himself did.

Zemo wasn't taking any excuses though. "James, death follows you, that is something we should talk about."

Bucky's mouth dropped open, his eyes shooting to Thanatos, "You're death?"

"You didn't know?" Zemo asked, tilting his head, "James that is Thanatos, Greek God of death."

"Uhh, what the hell are you two on about?" Sam asked, looking between Bucky and Zemo. Zemo just waved him off.

Thanatos sighed, "I suppose you deserve to know James. What the demi-god says is true."

"Demi-god?" Now Bucky turned to Zemo who merely shrugged at him.

"My father is Dionysus. My mother was a human. I am half god, half human. A demi-god."

"What the fuck," Bucky and Sam said at the same time, both for very different reasons.

"Wait, wait," Bucky turned to Thanatos, "Why has the god of Death been following me my entire life?"

"I'm sure you are aware that you were born prematurely?" Bucky nodded, his face twisting into shock. "You were meant to die as a child. My sister, Atropos, cut your life thread. That usually means that you would die and I would guide your soul to the underworld. You had a different idea. I was tasked with watching you. We didn't believe you would live much longer with a cut thread. Obviously we were wrong." Bucky, luckily, didn't seem angry or upset, only shocked, trying his best to absorb everything he had just heard. "Please understand that despite this fact you are very much like a son to me."

Bucky sat back for a moment, trying to take everything in. "This must be very odd for you James."

Bucky nodded, "I'll be fine. But this is a lot to process."

"Okay what the hell is going on? What are you two talking about?" Sam looked between Bucky and Zemo wildly. He looked ready to stab both of them If they didn't explain what was happening.

"Nothing to worry yourself with Sam, just a friendly conversation."

"You called yourself half god, whatever the hell this conversation is, I can't imagine its friendly or innocent."

Bucky's eyes locked onto Sam then, amusement clear on his face. Sam's confusion was distracting him from his own shock. He found himself staring at the other man, a small smile on his face.

There was a beat of wings as Bucky continued staring. Then, "Oh look, the god of love is here."

//