Fic: Things we don't talk about.
Title: Things we don't talk about
Author: Cat_13145
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Just a musing on why we never read any reference to Bucky's mother in the comics. Contains WW2 attitudes, though not for once towards homosexuals.
“Hey can I ask you a question?”
“If I say no, will make any difference?”
Kate glared down at Toro, before continuing. “Why doesn’t James ever talk about his mom? I’ve heard him mention his dad, but never his mother.”
Toro shifted. “It’s complicated. She died when he was very small.”
“Yeah.” Kate agreed, sitting down. “But so did yours. And you still talk about her. But James, I don’t think he even has a picture of her.”
Toro looked around the circle of the Young Avengers, seeing this wasn’t going to be a situation he could get out of.
“You have to promise you’ll never mention this to Bucky, O.K? Never. Promise?”
“O.K.” Kate was looking confused.
“Bucky’s parents got divorced, not long after the birth of his sister.”
“So what?” Elli had joined them, looking around. “Divorce happens.”
“Not when we were young.” Toro said, quietly. “It was a massive scandal, especially for a military wife to leave her husband, a comment that you were a failure as a wife, it could blight your kids’ lives.” He shook his head. “I don’t know the details. Bucky never mentioned it. Just,” his face creased slightly. “Once we were arguing about something stupid and I called him a bastard.” He shook his head. “He just went nuts. Jump at me, tried to strangle me. Probably would have done if Namor hadn’t pulled him off and Steve sent him to calm down. It was then he told me why Bucky reacted so badly to that word.” He looked around them. “Don’t say anything to him, O.K.? He’s still really embarrassed about it.”
“Why?”
“Because it didn’t happen. Not then, not in those circles.” Toro sighed. “Bucky’s dad got custody, which probably means Mrs Barnes was at fault and I suspect she was unfaithful, or something like that, cause of how Bucky reacted, and they moved to the Fort. Mrs Barnes, I think she died when Bucky was about 7, but I don’t think he’d had much contact.”
“That’s sad.”
Toro shrugged. “Yeah, well.” he looked at them. “Not a word to Bucky. O.K.? Or to the others? If you want to know why Divorce was such a scandal, talk to Logan.”