Impulsively Buying Ferrets Doesn't Cure Deppresion
Bucky
“JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?”
Bucky raises his head from the furry white ferrets rubbing their faces into his chest. He went to PetCo to look at some birdseed, because he likes putting birdseed out on Steve’s balcony because he likes seeing the Hummingbirds that come for the nectar- basically sugar water, and the Cardinals and Bluejays that come for the actual seed. And there were two albino ferrets that were going to be dumped had nobody bought them. So… Bucky bought them. And he bought their giant-ass cages, and the expensive food. Steve might be pissed. But the ferrets like him!
“Steve is coming over here in five fucking minutes! Impulsively buying ferrets doesn't cure depression!” Natasha yells before reaching for the ferrets, only for the girl to let out the damn-near adorable hiss. “Ah! What the fuck! We need to get rid of these! How much did you spend on them?”
“Five hundred dollars for both of them…” Bucky mumbles, allowing the cute little things to curl protectively under his chin. “I know, I know, Steve will be pissed that I spent five hundred dollars on ferrets… and three hundred dollars on a cage… and forty dollars on food…”
Bucky met Steve in the beginning of his first year of college. And now in his last year of college, and working on getting an internship for Stark Industries. And Steve has become somewhat- he has become Bucky’s sugar-daddy. Who’s completely paid his way through college, his apartment, and then some. And he’s been the most understanding boyfriend to Bucky and all of his baggage. Including his seasonal depression and crippling anxiety, and his baggage from other relationships and not really knowing… how… to act in a relationship.
And regardless of the money, Bucky’s in love with Steve.
But he just spent two months' rent on albino ferrets.
But the poor little things were siblings, and about to be tossed out, and nobody wanted them because they were expensive and nobody who shopped at PetCo knew how to take care of them. And it made Bucky’s heart ache and break for the little creatures. He knew what it was like to be tossed out, and what it was like to not be wanted. And yes, they are ferrets. But they still needed a home. And Bucky has a nice apartment and he didn’t mind taking the ferrets in. He’s here enough to feed them, and he’ll figure out what to do once Steve inevitably dumps him for adopting the ferrets. Flora and Simon, he’s decided.
“Bucky, Jesus Christ,” Natasha says, more like groans as she looks over Flora and Simon. “Goodness, they stink.”
“Hey, be nice to my friends,” Bucky mumbles before petting the creatures gently. “My boyfriend is going to dump me, and I just about broke the bank by adopting these ferrets, I don't need you to be upset with me too.”
“Well, will you at least put them in their cage before Steve gets here?” Natasha asks quietly, stepping away from Bucky’s pile of blankets where he’s snuggling the ferrets.
“I don’t think they belong in the cage though,” Bucky says.
“Bucky, you spent three hundred dollars on a giant ass cage!” she yells.
“Shh, I know, I know,” he says, “now stop yelling. They have little ears and you're scaring them…”
Steve
Steve gets ready to knock on his boyfriend’s door when Natasha, Bucky’s best friend, walks out with a worried look on her face. Steve walks inside, immediately concerned for his boyfriend. But the sight he’s met with is both surprising, but kind of… cute… Bucky is sitting in a bundle of Christmas blankets on his couch with two white ferrets in his arms. They have beady red eyes, which do look startling compared to that of a cat’s eyes, but they look like they feel safe where they are in his baby’s arms.
Bucky has depressive episodes he struggles with, and he still gets afraid to tell Steve when he’s feeling anxious or going through a rough patch. He's never pressed, but he feels it safe to assume it’s from past trauma. And he does wonder if Bucky purchased two ferrets because he thought they would help with depression. Though, most people get puppies to aid with anxiety and depression, and hope to train them to be emotional support dogs.
And Nat’s concerned face led Steve to believe Bucky was hurt in some way- which hasn’t happened since the first few weeks he’d known the boy. But his baby’s safe. And sitting on his couch in a mess of blankets with two ferrets on his chest, taking safety and comfort under his chin.
“Hi…” Bucky almost whimpers as he lifts his head to slowly meet Steve’s gaze.
Beside his couch is a large cage with even more blankets, some rabbit chew-toys, and dishes of food and water. There's newspapers below the cage, and a litter box beside it with bedding. Bucky really tried to prepare for the little ferrets. But he’d just seen Bucky last night. He’d wanted to have Bucky stay over for the night, as they’d been intimate, but his baby had another early class in the morning and wanted to be close to the school. Which would mean Bucky’s just bought the ferrets within the past couple of hours.
“Hey, Buck,” Steve says before closing Bucky’s front door gently. “You wanna explain your friends?”
Bucky’s eyes fill with tears and Steve’s heart breaks for him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just didn’t want them to get dumped out behind a dumpster or something and-
“Bucky, honey, you’re okay.” Steve croons before approaching Bucky slowly. “I’m not mad at you, baby. I just wanted to know more about the little friends you’ve got.”
“Oh…” Bucky sniffles, tears still overflowing from his precious hazel eyes.
Steve kneels in front of Bucky and listens to the little, content noises coming from the ferrets. “Yeah, it’s alright, sweetie,” he mumbles, brushing some hair out of Bucky’s eyes and tucking it behind his ear. He’s certainly not upset that Bucky got the ferrets, especially if he was protecting the ferrets from being dumped somewhere. And he thinks this image of Bucky with the little ones is so… precious. And nobody could be upset when looking at how comfortable they all look.
“The girl is Flora, and the boy is Simon,” Bucky says, “they're two years old and they’re siblings.”
“That’s really sweet, Bucky,” Steve says, “do you mind explaining a bit more?”
“Mm nm,” Bucky hums, “not at all…”
Bucky’s story of going in to get bird feed and leaving with two ferrets makes Steve laugh and kiss him all over his heated cheeks. He even asks to hold Flora and Simon, and his little friends take an immediate liking to him.
“You're just the cutest,” Steve says, kissing Bucky’s nose. “The little ferrets are too.”
Bucky smiles before leaning into Steve. “Natasha thought you’d dump me… I did too…”
“No, baby,” Steve says, “I love you. I’m not going to dump you because of your kind heart.”
Bucky smiles, sighing contently into Steve’s chest. “Love you, Daddy…” he mumbles.
“Love you too, baby boy,” Steve says gently.
“What do I do with the ferrets?” he asks
“I’ll set up a place for them in my home, so when you're with me you still have Flora and Simon,” Steve says.
Bucky looks up at him, surprised. “Really…? You care about the ferrets…?”
“They’re important to you,” Steve says, “and you're important to me. And in turn the ferrets are important to me as well.”
Bucky giggles softly before kissing Steve again, getting just a tad floaty off the words. “Love you, Daddy…”
“I love you too, sweet boy.”