Chapter Text
~In my own head I'm a prisoner
And you're not much of a listener
I have always been this way
Can't outrun the pouring rain~
The Idea
“That’s gorgeous.” Natasha compliments.
Steve and Bucky look up from the video playing on Bucky’s phone. “It’s ManOfIron’s new video.”
“He really has a way of writing the lyrics into something you can relate to.” Steve continues.
Natasha enters the room further, so she’s in front of them, “Well he seems lonely. You can’t write lyrics like that without mirroring your thoughts and feelings.”
Bucky nods. Natasha was the songwriter and backup singer of their band, she made the songs they sing at school marketings and fundraisers are a big hit by expressing emotion through the words. It also helped that Steve could sing.
“The only instrument he uses is the piano.” Clint notes, coming behind the two and leaning on the couch, to get a good look at the screen, not that he’d be able to see much.
The screen was blank, the lyrics popping up on the screen as they were chorused.
“He’d make a good addition to the band.” Bucky speaks up.
“Why?” Natasha inquires, “Yes, his lyrics are beautiful, but for all we know he’s a forty year old man that is struggling to make ends meet.” She puts a hand on his shoulder, “You’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack.”
The lunch bell rings, interrupting Bucky’s thoughts, Steve gives him a peck, “see you after class.”
Bucky regrettably gets up and grabs his bag, leaving the music room.
~I know that I can’t be the only one
Sick of waiting on the sun~
The bell repeatedly echoes through the small café as Bucky looks up to see his band mates enter his work space.
Bucky stops wiping the counter to raise his eyebrows at them as they lean against his newly cleaned counter, “I thought you guys had to stay after school to talk to Coulson?” Professor Coulson was their band supervisor, he watched their band practices and told them when they had all the fundraisers.
“We did.” Clint grumbles, dropping his head on the bench. Bucky tries to resist pushing him away from his clean bench.
“Coulson told us the school is pulling out our funds.” Steve sighs.
Natasha folds her arm and smiles sarcastically, “Because the football team’s championship in London is more important than our band’s practices and equipment checks.”
Bucky pauses in his cleaning of the coffee machine, hand on the steam wand. Shield Academy had always been a more sports orientated school, giving most of their funding to sports teams and coach pays. But Bucky had never thought that they would cut their funding, their music was a good hit in formals and gave the school extra money when they were willing to pay for bus fees into the city.
“We’re never going to have enough money for the band showdown in November.” Clint whines.
The bell rings again, Wanda and Sam entering behind the others, “You told him?” Wanda questions, her Sakovian accent thick.
Bucky nods, “So, what’s the plan?” The band looks at him, brows raised. “We’ve been in a band since the start of high school, this is the only year we can apply for the showoffs. We’re not gonna quite on the last year.”
Bucky throws down the rag and leans on the bench, meeting his team mates eyes individually. “So, what’s our plan?”
~Stop telling me that there's a light at the end of the tunnеl
Every time I beliеve those words, it's nothing but trouble~
“This is hopeless.” Sam mutters.
The café had been closed up almost an hour ago, the band was on their millionth round of coffees, trying to find solutions to their financial difficulties.
With Bucky being one of the few band members that had a job, they knew that his and Sam’s savings from their jobs wouldn't put them any close to their required amount.
“What about Tony Stark?” Wanda suggests.
“Who?” Clint raises his head from the table.
“Isn’t he the son of Howard Stark?” Steve answers.
Bucky nods, he remembered seeing him around in the halls in junior year, thick frames and all brown curls.
“The gun maker? We’re going to sleaze off war money?” Clint throws in, eyes moving around the table. “Money is money, Clint.” Natasha titters. “Not if it’s blood money.”
Bucky interrupts Clint’s mutter, “Didn’t they move to clean energy last year?” Natasha nods, “Yeah, when Howard died with his wife in that car crash.”
Bucky winces, having lost his mother not that long ago, he understood that familiar loss. “How would we get in contact with him?” Sam asks, “He dropped out of school around the beginning of senior year.”
Wanda brings out her phone, “It can’t be that hard to find out where he lives.” Wanda continues to tap away on her phone, brow creased.
Bucky shares a look with Steve, “Y’know, she has always been good with technology.” Steve whispers.
“A-ha.” Wanda expresses, “According to this article in the 90’s there is a Stark mansion near Queens. We could try there?”
“Because this is a great idea to look for a guy, that dropped out of school, so he can fund our super dope band for a showdown.” Clint drawls, downing his last drop of coffee.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Steve bumps his shoulder with Bucky and smiles at the band.
~I hate to sound so cynical
But I'm done chasing miracles~