Little Secrets, Little Bucky

Safe And Sound

Bucky woke up to Y/n rubbing his back and talking, gently telling him that it was time to wake up. The suite smelled like garlic and bacon, but he still didn't want to get up. He whined, burying his face back into his doggy and she picked him up, settling him into her lap so that he was leaning against her chest. He was expecting her to chastise him for not getting up when she told him to, but she just rubbed his back and pressed a kiss to his temple. "I know, I know you want to sleep, baby," she cooed at him, "but it's time to get up." Bucky had never felt smaller. She was speaking to him like an infant, but he didn't feel patronized or even embarrassed. He just felt safe, secure in the knowledge that she would take care of him and he didn't need to make any decisions.

He latched onto her, letting out another little whine as she stood up and she shushed him, carrying the fussy little boy out of the room. "We've gotta eat dinner, baby boy. And if you sleep any longer you'll be up all night."

She set him on the couch where she had already started playing an episode of Sesame Street and he laid down, trying to go back to the blissful world of napping.

"Baby you have to sit up," she said gently and he looked up at her with mournful eyes.

"'M tired," he whimpered, and Y/n's heart melted.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. You try to wake up, and I'll let you have ice cream after dinner. Sound good?"

He thought it over for a little bit before he sat up and nodded his head. Y/n turned to go finish dinner but was stopped by Bucky's sad little voice. "Gonna go 'way?" He asked sadly, hoping that he was wrong. He didn't want to be left all alone and he was still tired and little enough that he didn't have a filter.

"Honey I just have to finish getting dinner ready," she explained but his sleepy eyes filled with tears. It broke her heart as she realized how scared he really was of her leaving. "Do you want to come with me instead of staying here?"

He nodded his head, sniffling, and raised his arms in a silent plea to be held. Y/n didn't hesitate to pick him up, settling him on her hip as he curled into her arms. "It's ok baby boy, I'm not going anywhere." Her words seemed to reassure Bucky and he nodded his head where it was resting in the crook of her neck.

She took him to the kitchen and got to work getting the food onto their plates, the job slightly complicated by Bucky who was slowly waking up as he got hungry, and she handed him a piece of bread to keep him from putting his hands in the pasta.

She set him down on the living room floor with his food next to the coffee table and grabbed her own plate from the countertop. She unpaused the TV and Bucky happily watched as they ate. He tried to go to his toy box but Y/n grabbed him by the waist keeping him still and he whipped his head around in shock, pouting at her.

"You need to get cleaned up before you can play, alright? You're gonna get your toys all yucky." She laughed, reaching for a washcloth that she'd brought with her. He huffed in frustration but let her wipe his hands and face off with the washcloth.

"Good job, kiddo," she told him and he beamed at the praise. "I'm going to go clean up the kitchen, will you be ok playing in here for a little while?" She assumed he'd be more willing to be alone now that he wasn't so sleepy and he nodded his head, happily reaching for a ring stacking toy.

She kept an eye on him while he played and noticed him sucking on his metal fingers. When they had discussed it earlier in the week Bucky had said that he thought he was about 4 or 5 most of the time, but Y/n had him pegged as much younger and his reaction to her picking him up told her just about everything she needed to know. Not to mention the fact that he had gravitated toward toys that were geared toward much smaller children and he had trouble speaking more than two or three words at a time. He seemed more like a baby than anything else. The longer he spent around her, the more she could see him slipping. But it was almost like he was unconsciously stopping himself from going that little.