You kicked your shoes off by the front door, happy to be home after a long day down at the store you worked at part time. Christmas decor had been pouring in like crazy and the lady who owned it had been holding off till after Halloween to put them out and now it felt like Christmas was everywhere. You left out a heavy sigh, the house was quiet, no doubt both men were off helping down at Hershel's in preparation for the cold weather and the holidays.
Wandering your way into the kitchen to make a warm cup of hot chocolate you noticed that there was a note on the table under a bowl of apples. You pulled it out while walking to the fridge, Steve jotted down that he would be home shortly he wasn't going to be as late as Bucky was. Smiling to yourself you set the milk container on the counter along with the cocoa powder you had retrieved from the cupboard.
You bent low and opened the bottom cupboard door to grab a pot when you saw a mouse trap and mouse. You shut the door and gasped out, being startled by it. You couldn't remember either men telling you that there had been a problem with mice in the house, your heart skipping wildly. Slowly you open the door, poor thing laying completely still, you knelt down and reached to grab the trap when it moved. You slammed the door again and pulled your cell phone out dialing whose ever name first came up.
"Hey doll." Bucky breathed into the phone, sounding slightly out of breath.
"Bucky, there's a mouse in the cupboard." You almost shrieked staring back the wooden door, your heart racing and tears threatening to spill.
"I know, Steve and I have been trying to catch him for a month now." His voice calm on the under end.
"Thanks for telling me!" You snapped, walking into the living room. "Well, you caught it, and the poor thing is alive in that stupid trap!"
"Sweetheart, calm down." Bucky said on the other end.
"Don't you tell me to calm down, James Buchanan Barnes, one of you two needs to come home and take him outside." You said in a shaky voice, feeling a tear roll down your cheek. "That poor mouse, he's stuck and alive."
"Okay, I'll send Steve home. I'm sorry, we should of told you and I'm sorry he's stuck." Bucky replied softly, you could hear Steve on the other side ask if everything was okay.
Twenty minutes later and trying to get the nerve to handle the situation yourself the front door open and you could hear boot stomping outside before they came in. You looked over your shoulder toward the kitchen entry way and saw Steve come in. He shucked off his jacket, mud covered his torn up jeans as he came over to the cupboard.
"You two couldn't have bought live traps?" You asked softly, looking over to him.
"We didn't know there was such a thing." He shrugged, his blue eyes looked guilty as he knelt down and opened the door. The poor thing was caught at the shoulder and tried to wiggle as Steve reached down with his work gloves still on. Gently he picked the trap and mouse up, standing as he walked to the back door.
You opened it for him and he walked out to the far back of your property towards the shed. You watched as he knelt down, no doubt letting the small animal go. He walked back to the house and you stood in the doorway, arms crossed, feeling guilty for the creature.
"Steve, is it going to be okay?" You asked looking up at him as he reached you.
"Yes, it will be okay, I set him next to area that had some shelter." He replied, giving your forehead a tender kiss as you stepped to the side allowing him back in. "You said something about live traps? I've never heard of them before."
"Yes, you bait them and the mouse gets trapped inside so you can take it far away and let loose." You explained, grabbing the milk and putting in back in the fridge. "That way, they get out of your house and they don't have to die."
"Alright, then let's go to the hardware shop and put a couple a up, I'm not sure how many we have. Bucky patched up the hole they were coming in from but.." he shrugged grabbing his jacket off the table.
——
Bucky came home to empty house, he took his muddy boots off by the front door and headed upstairs to change. Carefully he stripped off his dirty work clothes, trying hard not drop any dirt on the clean hardwood. He took a quick shower to rid himself of the grime he had accumulated through his day before heading back down.
He walked into the kitchen flicking on the over head light before walking to the refrigerator and pulled out the left over lasagna you had made the days before. He heard Steve's pick up pull into the drive way before the engine turned over and two doors open and close with a loud squeak. He walked over to the entry way of the kitchen and watched as both you and Steve came in carrying three metal boxes.
"What are those?" Bucky asked, eyebrow raised.
"Live traps." Steve replied, hanging his jacket and taking his own dirt covered boots off.
"For your mice, that way I don't have see to another injured one or worse a dead one." You added, shooting him a glare but failing.
"Hmm, didn't know they made those or least they didn't back in our day and Hershel didn't tell me about 'em. All I've ever known were the snap traps. He suggested poison but I told him you'd kill me for that." Bucky stated as you brought them into the kitchen, Steve heading upstairs to change himself as he was still wearing the clothes he had from the farm.
"Well, hopefully that was the only one, and if we do have anymore that we can catch them all with these." You told him setting the traps on the island, before walking around and wrapping your arms around his neck.
"So, I'll heat up dinner, why don't you figure out what movie for tonight before lover boy has as watching The Little Mermaid for the fourth night straight." Bucky smirked after giving you a quick kiss.
"Sounds like a good plan." You replied. "Oh, and set the traps, I don't know what you used to bait the other one."
