Chapter 2
A little hand dragging across his face is what woke Steve up. After Bucky left the night before, Tony had been impossible to get back to sleep. So Steve did the only thing he could think of, which was to let Tony cuddle up on his chest in the big bed.
“Good morning to you, too, Tony,” Steve huffed at the rather rude awakening. Tony just smiled, real wide, back at him from where he was sitting on Steve’s chest. Tony’s usually messy curls were downright unruly in the morning.
Steve - and Tony - had gotten approximately four hours of sleep. And now? Now Steve had to get them both ready to go into court, to put Tony into Steve and Bucky’s custody.
Or, maybe just Steve’s custody, at this point. Bucky had made his feelings on the matter quite clear the night before.
He threw together a quick breakfast, most of which finding its way onto the floor or smeared across Tony’s chubby cheeks. Then, Steve had to figure out what he was going to wear. After all, is he was going to court to get custody of a child, he wanted to look like he could at least dress himself.
“Thoughts, opinions,” Steve did a little spin in front of Tony’s highchair in his black pants and white button up - that was just a bit small for him, as both items had been Howards. For his efforts, Steve received a single Cherio launched at his chest. ”Snide remarks?”
Tony cooed and Steve took that as the best response he was going to get from the two year old. “Alright, lets get out of here,”
Tony himself was dressed in the cutest little outfit, if Steve did say so himself. He had on a pair of little, navy blue pants with suspenders that didn’t actually disconnect all of the way so that the baby couldn’t pull them off himself. Steve risked a white shirt and - although it was the absolute cutest thing he had ever seen - forwent the matching baby bow tie.
Steve wrestled Tony into a pair of tiny converse shoes even though he knew they wouldn’t last the car ride to the courthouse.
Bucky woke up in his ownbed.
Being in his own bed wasn’t the weird part, it was that Bucky felt odd being in his own bed instead of the Starks guest room.
It also felt odd not being able to hear Steve and Tony laughing as Steve tried to distract the baby from waking Bucky up.
Bucky didn’t regret his fight with Steve. But, maybe he did regret the way he acted. Maybe he’d been a bit harsh.
He didn’t regret getting his feeling out into the open. He wasn’t ashamed of being afraid to be Tony’s parent. Bucky loved Tony enough to know that he would be better off without Bucky around.
Steve was mature, responsible. Everything Bucky wasn’t. For as long as Bucky had known him, Steve had been this perfect example of a well-rounded adult.
Steve could look after Tony. Tony loved Steve already and it would save the both of them from any more of Bucky’s fuck ups.
Bucky threw on some sweatpants and an old t-shirt to answer the insistent knocking on his door, if only with the intentions to end said knocking and aid his hangover headache.
Opening the door, Bucky came face to face with a very pissed off Sam Wilson. Natasha stood at his shoulder, stone faced.
(typical)
”Can I help you?”
“Steve told us about your fight.” Sam said, “He’s not boring, Bucky, that was mean. You shouldn’t have said that.”
“Right, but Saint Steven can imply that I’ve slept with the total population of New York.” Bucky leaves the door open for the couple to come in and stomps away, further into his home. “You’re not his bodyguard,” he pointed in Natasha’s direction, and then turned his attention back to Sam to say, “and you’re not my therapist.”
“No,” Natasha agreed easily, “But I am his friend and I know how stressed he’s been about this situation.” She paused, “And we are your friends too, James.”
“C’mon man,” Sam gestures around, “is this really what you want?” He motioned to the messy, empty apartment around them.
“I know you adore Tony. And you’re not doing it alone, you’ll have us, you’ll have Steve.”
“You know Steve is only putting up with me for Tony’s sake. Hell, he can’t even stand to be in the same room with me-“ Bucky ran a hand through already disheveled hair, “I don’t know what Howie and Maria were thinking. We can’t co-parent Tony! What, was it some kind of convoluted plan to get us back in the same room? Fuckin - some kind of fucked up Parent Trap?”
“Maybe, it’s because they, like us, remember you and Steve when you were Steve-and-Bucky.” Natasha told him lightly.
Sam picked up where she’d left off. “I remember how in love you were with Steve, and maybe Steve didn’t see you after, but me and Tash did.
I remember all the nights when you were so drunk you couldn’t stand up. Tash and I would put you to bed and have to listen to you begging us to call Steve because he’d blocked you but you still needed to tell him you loved him.”
Bucky feels suspiciously like he’s in a therapists office and slumped into the couch cushions.
“But you just acted like some self-absorbed, cold, arrogant asshole to Steve’s face. Like you were glad you broke his heart-“
“Steve is the only person I’ve ever been in love with. He knew me better than anyone else in the world. He’s seen more of me than anyone else, and I still fucked it up.” Bucky shrugs, “I’m not letting Tony get attached-No, I’m not getting attached, just to have it all taken away from me.”
“Fine , whatever, man.” Sam says with a look to Natasha.
“Look, we gotta go. We promised Steve we’d go see him in court, he’s pretty nervous and he and Tony didn’t sleep very well-“
“What? Are they okay?”
“They are fine, James,” Natasha assured. “Restless. Fine.”
Then they’re gone and Bucky’s alone.
A glance at the clock has him worried he’ll be late for work, whatever, he’ll blame Sam. He rushes out the door and down the street.
“Oh,” he heard the mother of a toddler, who'd managed to run directly into Bucky's shins at light-speed, gasp as she rushed over to her child, "I'm so sorry. I just can't keep up with him now that he's figured out walking,"
"It's fine," Buck smiled, "I know, they run so much faster than you'd expect, right?"
"You have your own?"
"Terrible two's," Bucky found himself agreeing, "His names Tony," although, he wasn't sure why he was even bringing Tony up, knowing that Steve was probably already in court asking for sole custody. Bucky would probably only see them twice a year.
"Best things in life," The mother said a tone that sounded like she was agreeing with something Bucky never said.
Except, she was right. Steve and Tony were the best things in his life, them or the bachelors life style that made him want to drink all night and sleep all day anyways.
Howard and Maria wanted him to be a part of Tony's life. Steve was prepared to co-parent
It was only Bucky standing in his own way.
"Mr. Rogers, I'm gathering that Mr. Barnes will not be joining us. Is that correct?" The lawyer questioned, she stood back as Steve tried to tie the tiny strings of the tiny converse shoes that Tony had thrown off.
"Uhm, I think it might just be me and Tones," Steve confirmed, "That's okay, right?"
"Of course it is, Steve,"
"I'm just, I'm so worried they're going to take him away." Steve said, more of a mumble to himself than a statement.
"Steven Grant Rogers for custody of Anthony Stark. Mr. Rogers, I've been through all of your paper work and-" Bucky could hear from outside of the room. He swung the door open anyways, cutting the speaker off mid sentence. Steve was sure his heart had stopped at the interruption before he turned his head to see a visibly stressed Bucky Barnes entering in like a storm. It was clear that Bucky had not planned to attend court, considering his outfit and overall disheveled appearance, but never the less he rushed over to stand beside Steve.
"Am I too late?" Bucky asked Steve, ignoring everyone else in the room.
"Uh," Steve stumbled, he hadn't expected Bucky to actually show up. "Bucks here now, so-" he started, giving a hopeful look to the judge with also cringing because he'd used that stupid nickname in court.
"You're not too late, James," Their lawyer explained, "But maybe next time you'll try to arrive on time,"
"Sure," Bucky agreed on a relieved sigh.