It’s all Steve’s fault. That’s what Bucky tells an exasperated Natasha the next night when he’s been banished to the Banner-Romanov residency for the next night until Steve decides he’s not pissed at him.
“It was…kinda misguided” Bruce said gently from where he’s been listening to the whole story with Riley sat on his lap drawing but everyone knows that’s just Bruce’s way of saying “Completely moronic” even baby Riley at three looks at him with her dark eyes as if to say ‘idiot’
Riley’s advanced for her age-the ‘Hulk’ gene having expanded into her brain making her smarter than even child genius rather than big and green so it’s entirely possible that she really could be looking at him with that judgemental expression and know exactly what was really going on.
The entire thing is Steve’s fault. Steve knows that Bucky may still have…slight overprotective tendencies that tend to focus on borderline obsessive but come on…Bucky has spent too long being denied a family…did they really expect him not to fight for it with every inch he has?
It had been Steve’s idea to set the play date up between the youngest Barton sibling and Grace. The two three year olds had yet to meet unlike Grace and Riley who had practically been raised at each other’s floor levels.
Laura and Clint had been down with the other two Barton kids meaning that there was a now three toddlers toddling around the Avengers tower.
It hadn’t been a good day. Bucky had been…struggling for want of a better word. It happened even now so far down the line and it scared him at the idea that HYDRA were still lurking around every corner just waiting to rip his family from him.
Steve…Grace…Bucky didn’t want to know a world without either one of them in it. Not unless there was a third bullet for him to put in his brain.
And when he came in he saw Grace laughing her blonde hair around her face and her eyes so very blue. It sometimes floored Bucky how much their adopted daughter actually looked like Steve right down to the disappointed expression that made Bucky want to grovel on his hands and knees.
But still laughter…Grace’s laughter is like magic, it eases into Bucky’s bloodstream and washes away all the horror that lies in his brain.
Gracie looks up when he comes in grinning gleefully tottering forwards until she comes to Bucky’s knee. “Hey Angel” he says referring to English when he’s around her. He hooks her on her hip listening to her chattering loudly in his ear about nothing. Bucky presses a kiss into the mass of blonde hair smelling that smell of Mango shampoo that Steve washes her hair with.
This is the smell of home.
Steve comes out of the next room in bare feet, low slung jeans (which makes Bucky’s mouth water…God if he could lick those hip bones, follow the valley of those muscles with his tongue…he’d be a happy man for the rest of his life…oh wait he can!) Bucky takes a moment to appreciate his husband in all his glory before focusing on the other toddler in Steve’s arms.
Wait…a second…
“We only had one child this morning” Bucky deadpans and Steve rolls his eyes. “Laura took Cooper and Lila to the zoo…Clint’s stuck in a briefing all day so I said we could watch Nathanial for another hour. Sides…its cute Grace and Nate on a play date” he beams as if he finds the pun amusing and not at all corny…Bucky’s to busy trying to not drop Grace.
“I thought we had an agreement about boys and Grace” he hisses holding his daughter closer.
Actually they didn’t, Bucky just assumed that Steve was on his side and agreed that all boys were evil and Grace couldn’t date any of them…hell he remembered when he was a boy, before the war, he couldn’t help but ogle Steve whenever the skinny punk had been in eyesight.
No way in sweet holy hell was that happening to his daughter...
Steve rolled his eyes still not grasping the ramifications of his mistake.
“There three” he said flatly and Steve looked up from where he was reaching for the oven gloves to smile “Its harmless fun Buck…playdates are how we started out remember?”
Bucky scowled “Stevie” he pleaded “Look where we are now”
Steve slides up to him pulling him in-between his legs by his hips and Bucky refuses to budge even though he suddenly has the mental image of bending himself over the nearest counter so Steve can slam those hipbones…no focus Bucky.
He bits his lip as Steve turns around to take out what looks like several muffin trays...
“Kids when you’re ready” he shouts and there’s a cheer as Grace and…that boy follow the smell of freshly baked blueberry muffins.
Damn. It’s Sarah Rogers Blueberry Muffins. Bucky cannot resist Sarah Rogers Blueberry Muffins. Damn Steve.
He uses baking as a method of therapy and he cannot even begin to describe how difficult it is to replicate those muffins.
Steve knows that.
He chews his bottom lip again watching as that Barton Boy passes his daughter a muffin. He’s an attractive looking boy with high cheekbones, tuff of chocolate hair and big brown eyes…basically he looks like Mrs Barton’s male double.
Bucky likes Mrs Barton…she doesn’t judge him just pats him on the shoulder and lets him gush about either his daughter…or Steve’s ass, whatever works best for him on that day.
Still…her son better keep his hands to himself otherwise the Winter Soldier will…remove them.
And looking back it’s not like Bucky twisted the kids arm, he just waited until Grace was changing her shirt…because Steve suggested painting and his little angel was too much like Papa Steve to say no…
And then it was just him and Nathanial in the room…
“I know about boys like you” Bucky said carefully tracing the top of his glass with his metal finger.
“I am boys like you” he says when those brown eyes stare at him “You look at someone and you know that your whole life is going to move around them…and that’s all nice and sweet but not when it’s my daughter”
He puts his face down to Nathanial’s level and doesn’t blink “Watch out son” he says his tone completely serious “I don’t like it when my daughter is hurt”
Nate blinks before his eyes water, Bucky sits back smug. If the kid is going to cry this quickly then it goes without saying that Grace isn’t going to end up with him.
And that’s when he can feel Steve’s eyes on the back of his neck and that expression that Grace copies directly off him.
Which is why he is now been banished to the Banner-Romanov floor of the tower while Steve attempts to de-traumatise a small child.
Natalia just shakes her head which Bucky thinks is entirely unfair. Honestly. Where is loyalty when you need it?
Only there’s a slight snag. Because now he’s been banished while Grace and Steve get to enjoy all off Sarah Rogers Blueberry Muffins.
There’s a knock at the door that distracts him from his self-loathing.
Seeing as only the Avengers (Pepper, Happy, Laura, Maria Hill, Nick Fury and Coulson’s team included) have access to these floors Bucky isn’t terribly concerned.
Natasha opens the door. It’s Grace, she’s clearly in her pyjamas the bright blue top and pants with clouds on them. Bucky’s heart contracts with how cute his baby is.
She chews on her lip for a brief second before she slides across the room slipping what looked like a blueberry muffin at him. “I saved you mine” she lisps looking up all blue eyes and blonde hair and wow…Winter Soldier’s metal heart melting into a pile of mush.
“Papa’s on his way” she says smugly climbing into Bucky’s lap before he can say anything.
“Didn’t tell him you were leaving did you” Riley says suddenly her vocabulary so advance for a three year old Bucky can see Natalia jump slightly. Riley’s looking at Grace with those wide brown eyes and Grace nods, Riley nods back and then the two of them look away Riley returning to her colouring and Grace leaning back into Bucky’s arms settling down like she wants to sleep.
“Dada” she says finally and Bucky looks down at her “Yeah Angel” he says as Grace leans her head on the metal arm “I don’t like Nate” she says her voice small “I rewlly don’t like boys”
Bucky beams.
That’s his girl.
The door opens and Steve comes in looking rushed. His hair is sticking up and his in a combination of his sleep pants and a grey t-shirt and he looks absolutely mouth-watering.
“Gracie” he sighs in relief looking from Bucky to Grace “Baby-Girl I think we need to have a talk about why you don’t run out of the apartment even if it is to the floor below”
“I told Dada I don’t like Nate” Grace says sleepily, Bucky smirks again. Steve rolls his eyes.
“I know Baby-Girl” he says flashing that smile at Bucky that tells him Bucky’s forgiven “Daddy just doesn’t know when to stop” he hooks Grace out of Bucky arms and winks “If Daddy hurries back upstairs after your asleep he might get the chance to be possessive again..” he trails that off with a wiggle of his eyebrow.
Bruce groans and covers Riley’s eyes whose still colouring, she pushes his hands away and rolls her eyes in a perfect imitation of her mother.
Bucky turns to Natasha “See you tomorrow” he says cheerfully. She mutters something in Russian but he winks at her linking his hand with Steve’s as they close the door.
Grace is already asleep her head leaning against Steve’s shoulder her blonde hair covering most of her face.
“I squared things over with Laura…she was very understanding” Steve says “I don’t think Nate had a clue what you were on about though”
Bucky nods leaning his head against Steve’s shoulder.
“For the record” Steve says cheerfully as they enter their floor, their apartment, their home.
“Grace is never dating anyone, even if I trust Barton…” he turns to wink at Bucky again his expression teasing “She’s our little girl, nobody else’s”
Bucky grins, he would have tackled Steve there and then but he had his hands full with Grace and still…even after five years of marriage, three as parents and every waking moment both before the war, till he fell of the train he regained his memories the idea of finally taking Stevie, his Stevie their bed is a novelty that still hasn’t worn off, is too precious to wear off.
“I’ll get Grace to her bed, you get yourself into ours” Steve says his mouth curling and his tone going just the right amount of dark to make Bucky shiver.
Yeah, this is his life now.
This is good.