Nurture

"And, why do we have to do this exactly?" Bucky asks, as he sits at the table making sure Francis eats his breakfast instead of throwing it to the floor again. "I'm perfectly content on just staying in here, not talking to anyone until my trial and until we find our own place."

It's been four days since they've been at the Avengers compound, and Steve has just approached Bucky, telling him that they've got to talk with the rest of the team. Bucky doesn't fancy having to go out into the main common room and talking with the others. He knows for a fact that the others - minus Sam and Wanda - don't exactly like him.

Tony Stark has certainly made it no secret that he hates him.

"I know you are, Buck. But I really think this would be a good idea." Steve says. "I want them to get to know you better."

Bucky sighs. "You know exactly how the others feel about me, Stevie." He says. "Do you really think that they'd want to get to know me better?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out?" Steve says, before sighing as he sits down at the table across from Bucky. "Come on, Buck. It'll be fine."

"You don't know that." Bucky shakes his head, looking away from Steve.

He has doubts that everything won't go fine. In fact, he knows that it won't. It's what he's most afraid of. Along with Tony trying to do something to get his son taken off him.

And if Tony does try something.... Well Bucky isn't sure if he'll be able to stop himself from hurting Tony because of it. No one tries to take his son away from him. Especially not Tony Stark.

"Please, Steve." Bucky says, looking over at his alpha. "I don't want to go talk with with the others. Not today at least anyway."

He's not sure if he'll actually want to talk with the others at a later date, but he knows for certain that he doesn't want to talk with them today. He's not ready.

Steve sighs. "Well, do you at least want to go out to the store?" He asks. "I think it might be good if we went out and bought some more clothes for the three of us, and you need some new maternity wear."

"I don't know, Steve." Bucky shakes his head.

Though he knows that Steve is right. He needs more maternity clothes, and they all do need some more clothes, especially Francis.

But is he ready to go outside? The staring... big crowds... people viewing him as a criminal.... Is he ready to face that yet?

"If you want, we can get Wanda and Sam to go with us?" Steve suggests. "And don't worry about what complete strangers think. Their opinions don't matter."

Bucky shakes his head. "It's not that I'm afraid of what they think of me, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to face them."

Well, maybe he is a little bit afraid of what they think of him, but that's not the point. Or maybe it is... he's not sure. All he knows for sure is that he's not ready to go out in public yet, just as much as he's not ready to speak with the other Avengers.

Things were different when they were in Wakanda. He never worried about what the people there thought about him, he had no need to. T'Challa made sure of that. But now, being back in America... things are different. Much different.

"Bucky." Steve starts, completely understanding what Bucky trying to say. "I think this would be a good idea." He says. "We don't have to talk with the others just yet if you don't think you're ready. But I do think going out to the store would be good. Get some fresh air into you, and I think it would be good for Francis too."

Bucky looks at him, before looking to Francis, then back to Steve. Steve's right. Of course he is. It won't be good for either of them to stay shut up inside.

Sighing, he nods. "Okay." He says. "I'll go out to the store with you. And... I think I would like Sam and Wanda to be there too."

Having Sam and Wanda go shopping with them might be a good idea. More protection in case something happens, and fuck... if there's anyone here that Bucky can count on to keep his son safe if he and Steve can't, it's Wanda. She's got to be the most powerful woman he knows - and possibly the most powerful on the team that he knows of - and he trusts her.

"Alright." Steve nods, getting up. "I'll go talk with them and tell them what's going on."

He leans over the table to give Bucky a quick kiss, before turning to kiss the top of his son's head, before ruffling up the young boy's blond hair a little.

"I'll be back soon." He assures, Bucky, before he's out the door.

Bucky looks on after him, sighing a little. He's nervous about what may happen when they go out shopping, but at least they'll have Sam and Wanda with them. Hopefully at least, if they agree to go with them.

He turns his attention back to his son as he hears the smashing of a plate on the floor, and he finds Francis smiling cheekily at him as he claps his messy hands together.

Yet another broken plate and a mess of scrambled eggs and toast on the floor....

"Look I broke the plate, mommy!" Francis says, pointing down to the mess on the floor.

Bucky smiles, shaking his head. "I can see that." He stands up slowly, resting a hand on his stomach, rubbing around a little as the baby starts kicking. "Now let's get you cleaned up, mister." He says. "We've got to go shopping with daddy, uncle Sam, and auntie Wanda."

The mess on the floor will have to wait for a bit. First he's got to get Francis cleaned up and dressed so they can go out shopping.

Or maybe he can just get Steve to clean up the mess once he gets back from talking with Sam and Wanda. He's still got to get himself ready after he's gotten Francis ready after all.

He gets Francis out of his highchair - thankfully without the two year old throwing a tantrum - and carries him off towards the bathroom to get him cleaned up and ready to go out.

******

"I don't know about that, Stevie." Bucky says, as he stares at the little Captain America onesie that Steve has found.

He'll admit, it is cute, but does he really want their son to wear a mini version of Steve's uniform? And knowing Steve, he'll want to get one for every kid that they have. Bucky's not sure how he feels about little Captain America's running around the house actually dressed as Captain America.

Who's idea was it anyway to make baby and toddler versions of the Avengers uniforms anyway? And why is there mostly only Iron Man and Captain America ones? Well, to be fair, that could be excused for them being in the boys section, but still. It's all Iron Man and Captain America ones.

"Come on, Buck!" Steve says. "Francis will look adorable in it!" He bends over, waving the onesie in front of Francis who's seated in his stroller. "What do you think, buddy?" He asks. "You want this?"

"Like you, daddy." Francis says. "I wanna be like you!"

Steve smiles, looking up at Bucky. "Our son wants it, so we're getting it for him." He says, chucking it into the shopping cart that Wanda is pushing. "And we'll need a smaller one too for Reese once he's born."

Bucky just rolls his eyes. Exactly what he was expecting. Who knew Steve would want to buy matching for their sons, even though one isn't even born yet?

"You decided on a name for your second then?" Sam asks, as he looks through one of the racks of toddler clothes, chucking some into the shopping cart every so often.

"We've had the name Reese picked out for a few weeks now." Steve says.

Bucky smiles a little to himself at that as he rests a hand on his stomach. He can't wait till the baby is born, and luckily he'll be born before his trial.

His trial... not something he wants to think about or is looking forward to. But it needs to be done. He just hopes that everything will turn out okay in the end.

Looking around, he notices people staring at him, and trying to push their children away in fear that he'll hurt them if they get too close to him.

He looks away, trying to ignore their stares. He knew this would happen. He knew he'd get stared at. Of course he would, he's the goddamn Winter Soldier, and he's killed people. Everyone knows who he is and what he did.

Gripping onto the handle of Francis's stroller, he tries to focus on Steve, who's still looking through the racks of clothes with Sam, and tries to control his breathing as he suddenly finds it a little difficult to breathe. But knowing that there's many people staring at him... it's not exactly as easy as he'd like it to be.

"You okay, Bucky?" Wanda asks, noticing Bucky's distress, and all the people staring at him.

She's quick to abandon the shopping cart, and moves to his side, where she rests a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him to the best of her abilities. Though, it doesn't work as well as she'd hoped, as Bucky almost collapses into her arms.

"Steve!" She calls, getting his attention.

Steve is quick to go straight to Bucky's side as soon as he sees the distress Bucky is in. "It's okay, Buck." He says, holding him close as Bucky grips onto his shirt. "They can't hurt you."

He runs his fingers through Bucky's hair, and around his stomach as Bucky begins to slowly get his breathing under control and stops shaking.

"I-I'm okay, Stevie." Bucky sighs, once he's able to stand on his own. He frowns. "I don't know what that was."

He's really not sure what that was. Nothing like that has ever happened to him, so why now?

"I think you might've just had a bit of an anxiety attack." Sam frowns as he looks around them. "And I can see why."

There's still many other shoppers staring at them. Most of them looking afraid and on edge upon seeing the Winter Soldier in the store with them.

"Anxiety attack?" Bucky questions. "I've never had that happen before though. Are you sure?"

He supposes that's likely to have been what it was, but he's never had an anxiety attack before. Nor did he ever think that he'd have anxiety.

But it makes sense now that he thinks about it.

"It would make sense, man." Sam sighs. "With your history and after everything that's happened to you... it's fairly likely." He says. "But I'm just guessing here, I don't know anything for sure."

Bucky nods. "I think you might be right though." He admits, rubbing a hand around his stomach as the baby starts kicking.

"If that's the case, then all these people staring aren't helping." Steve says, looking around them, a low warning growl rising in his throat.

He could easily cuss them out, tell them off for staring, he doesn't care, just something to make them mind their own damn business. But one nudge to his side from Bucky stops him from doing anything he may regret.

Really though it's not something that he would regret. If someone's making Bucky uncomfortable to the point he has an anxiety attack because of it, then he'll do whatever's necessary to make that person fuck off and mind their own business.

"Can we just continue shopping then get something to eat?" Bucky asks. "I'm hungry, sore, and tired. And I think I need to pee."

He doesn't want to stay here too much longer despite the fact that thy haven't been in the store for very long to begin with. His feet are already sore, his back is aching, and he's hungry. Very hungry. He just wants to finish up here as fast as they can, get something to eat, then go straight back home.

"I agree with Bucky." Wanda says. "Let's finish up here then get food." She looks around. "Before we draw any more attention that we don't want."

Steve nods. "Alright." He says. "We'll buy what we need most now, then just buy anything else we need online." He decides, upon seeing that Bucky doesn't want to stay here much longer.

He sticks close to Bucky's side as they make their way through the store, finding whatever they need right now. Mostly it's just things for Francis, new maternity clothes for Bucky, and a few other bits and pieces. Whatever else they still need, they'll buy online.

Steve still needs some new clothes for himself along with a few more art supplies, but he can always order his stuff online, or come back to the store by himself later. Things for Francis and new maternity clothes for Bucky are their main priorities right now.