Your age: 5, 6, 11, 14, then 19.
Summary: literally just fluff
A/n: in this one, you're hotwired to speak Hindi, because Bucky found u in a HYDRA unit stationed in India.
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Your five-year old self padded down the corridor carefully, making sure not to make a sound. You pushed open Bucky's room door, and clambered into bed next to him. It was a cold winter night, and your room was the coldest in the house. Despite having lived in Shimla for five years, you had a low cold tolerance.
Bucky wordlessly stretched out an arm from under the covers, creating an opening for you to slide in. He blanket-cocooned you carefully and hugged you close, whispering sweet nothings to you for the rest of the night, while you stayed pressed against his side, slowly drifting off to sleep.
--Time Skip--
"Papa..." Said your six-year-old self. You rubbed your eye with a fist and leaned against his metal arm. You were tired of this party Tony was hosting.
"You sleepy, doll?" He whispered, grinning. His breath smelt like whiskey, but only faintly so. He'd drunk only two glasses of very diluted whiskey, knowing he'd have to drive home with you.
You nodded, pouting. He put his arm around you and chuckled, "Another hour left and we'll go. If not earlier." You nodded in reply, not having the energy to speak.
"Go to sleep. I'll carry you to the car." He kissed your head and allowed you to fall asleep, head on his shoulder.
--Time Skip--
"Papa! Look, gilehri! (Squirrel)" 11-year old you exclaimed in excitement. For a year, you'd been kidnapped and held hostage by HYDRA, so it had been a while since you'd seen a squirrel outside your house.
Bucky laughed as he too, looked outside the French windows, to see a little squirrel on the apple tree you adored climbing.
"It's a cute squirrel, doll." He smiled, happy to see that your trauma was beginning to lessen by the week.
The massive dog the pair of you had adopted barked happily, and rested his head on your knee, looking up at you for love. "Why don't you take Leo outside? Run around a bit?" Bucky suggested. "These mission reports are gonna take time."
"Okay!" You smiled, "Come on, Leo!" The massive Bernese Mountain Dog leapt up and followed you outside, chasing you around the backyard, occasionally tackling and wrestling you.
All Bucky could do was smile, as he saw you squealing and laughing, finally showing genuine happiness, after a whole year and six months.
--Time Skip--
You knocked on the door of your dad's room. Your junior prom date stood you up, and you could barely hold in your tears. At fourteen years old, you thought you'd have gotten a boyfriend or girlfriend by now. But you had nothing of the sort.
"What's wrong, doll?" Bucky asked, pulling you in for a hug immediately as he opened the door.
"He stood me up," You sniffed. "That jackass Ben, he stood me up."
Leo lay down on your feet, warming up your bare feet as he whined, sensing your distress.
Bucky then said, "Alexa, play 'Dream a Little Dream' by Pink Martini." He knew it was your favourite song, and offered you a hand to dance.
You laughed and wiped your tears, taking his hand and Leo watched, as the two of you danced together, not a care in the world about stupid jackasses like Ben.
The very next day, you pointed at the newspaper and said, "Papa, what's this? '14-year-old Benjamin Moore was gravely injured in a car accident, and the vehicle as well as the driver are yet to be identified. The car, however, had no license plate, but now is nowhere to be found.'"
Bucky sipped on his coffee and casually said, "Wow. The level of crime these days is crazy."
You simply laughed and agreed, as the day commenced in its own fashion.
--Time Skip--
You were in school when the snap happened. Leo was thankfully allowed at school as your emotional support dog. Frantically, you called up your dad, but the line rang out.
"Shit, shit, shit." Your foot tapped on the floor rapidly, as the line rang out yet again. You called up Steve, Wanda, Natasha, and finally Clint.
"Yeah, sport?" Came his voice. It trembled a bit, but you could tell he was trying to be strong.
"Clint where's my dad? What's happening?" You were frantic, as one or two of your classmates, too, began to disappear into dust.
"I don't know, kiddo. Whatever it is, I don't think it's any good. Now I gotta go. See you." He cut the call.
Everyone started screaming the moment the teacher got dusted, and in your moment of confusion, you backed into a corner and slid down to a sitting position, with your hands on your ears. The room started spinning, and you were back in Shimla, with people screaming and people yelling out orders.
Leo sat next to you and placed a fluffy paw on your knee, trying to get you to snap out of it. When you didn't, he licked your face gently, avoiding your lips. Instead he licked your nose and your cheeks, which brought you back to reality.
Your phone rang, and you picked it up to hear Steve's voice on the other end. "Hey kiddo," He said, "I'm so sorry, but Bucky's been dusted."
Upon hearing his words, the phone slipped and fell from your hand, the screen cracking when it hit the ground and the line went dead.
--Time Skip--
Five years later, at nineteen, you were dealing with a lot. Leo had fallen sick, his liver had collapsed, and you were at the vet's, ready to put your 13-year-old emotional support dog to sleep.
You hugged him tightly and when he trembled in your arms and whimpered, you stroked his soft fur and whispered, "Shh, don't be scared, baby. It'll be over before you know it."
Leo began to retch, and he threw up over your dad's old shirt which you'd worn, and rested his chin on your shoulder, and you felt the weight of his head, as though he were hugging you.
You held onto him tighter, burying your nose in the fur of his neck. You smelt his familiar puppy smell, that of calcium milk biscuits and pedigree dog food.
"Bye, doggo." You whispered, "I love you so much." You looked at the vet and nodded at her. She placed the needle into Leo's leg, and it felt like the needle was piercing your heart instead.
Leo went limp in your arms, which only made you hold onto him tighter. "I'm so sorry, Leo, old boy." You sobbed, kissing his head over and over, "I'm so, so sorry."
You closed his eyes and covered him with his favourite yellow towel, before hefting him up and placing him in your car. You drive back to the empty house, and almost choked on tears when you saw your father standing there, dressed in all black, just like you. You had changed your top quickly in the car whilst in the parking lot, and his old shirt was bundled in the back.
You instinctively reached out for Leo, but drew your hand back sharply, knowing that no matter how hard you tapped on him, he wouldn't wake up.
You got out of the car with legs like jelly, and almost fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Bucky stroked your hair and said, "Ssh, it's okay, doll."
"He's gone, Papa." You said. Realisation dawned on you, and you gasped, "Wait you're here?"
As the feelings of your dog's loss as well as your father's return mixed up in a frenzy of anger, you lashed out.
"You said you'd be home after the fight! You said you'd be there for me!" You snapped angrily. "You weren't there when Leo died! I went through it alone! Where were you?!"
Bucky held you by the shoulders and hugged you for a long while, expecting the breakdown you had in his arms. He whispered one thing to you, which cleared your mind out completely.
"I'm sorry, doll," He whispered, "But I'm here now. And I always will be."
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No I'm not crying, my eyes are...sweating.