Marvel Imagines

alpine ➳ bucky barnes

this one was requested on tumblr; it's a ceo!bucky x vet!reader. hope you enjoy !!

"Hi, Buck. What brings you in today?"

Your smile is warm as he takes Alpine out of her cage, placing her gently on the examination table. He runs his hand down her back, a soothing motion, unnecessary. The feline stays obediently in place, visibly brightening at the sight of you.

"Alpine's sick," Bucky insists, gesturing at the cat. "She won't eat."

"She's not eating? Alpine, you poor thing," you run your fingers down her back, feeling the feline lean her head into your palm as you scratch her chin. The cat begins to purr, and you smile at Bucky. "There's a whole suite of reasons why she's choosing not to eat, the least of which being a toothache. I'm sure that's all it is, but I'll give her a checkup anyway."

Yet something makes you squint at him in confusion. "She only had her bi-annual checkup last month, have there been any changes to her diet recently? Any weight loss or vomiting?"

Okay, you got him.

The truth Bucky doesn't want to admit is... Alpine is fine. She's perfectly fine. There is nothing physically or behaviourally wrong with the feline, per se, but he just... Bucky can't quite work up the courage to properly ask you out, and he's resorted to using his cat as an excuse to see you. He thinks it's lame, Sam says it's lame, Sarah thinks it's sweet.

Bucky thinks it's annoying as hell.

But he's going to continue bringing Alpine to you under false pretences, just so he can see you. Even if the cost to his pride is more than financial. As the senior partner of major law firm Barnes and Rogers, James Barnes can afford his fair share of pet insurance and checkups.

"I'll also need to run some tests, too. Definitely a urine test, maybe a blood test." You feel along Alpine's sides, but find nothing out of the ordinary. "Maybe an x-ray? Just to rule out some causes."

He nods along, feigning concern, while the cat continues to melt under your touch. It's strange—she's never warmed to anyone really, no one except him. Bucky couldn't count how many sitters he'd gone through, favourite paralegals or junior partners who'd offered to watch Alpine while he was away on business trips, only to be sporting fresh scratches and cursing the smug creature.

But you? It was a miracle Alpine was tolerating being touched, let alone examined for a trumped-up excuse. There she was, receiving chin scratches and purring. Purring. Truly a miracle.

The real miracle would be getting the nerve to ask you out.