Bucky's POV:
"You know, (Y/N) had a baby." I smile at the thought as I sits at the edge of my camp bed across from Steve, hunched over with my elbows on my knees.
I still can't quite believe the man before me. It has been about a week now since Captain America rescued me.
"Really? Congratulations." Steve gasps.
"Thanks, yeah, a little girl." I sigh at the bittersweet thought.
"Tell me about her." Steve says quietly.
"I haven't actually met her." I huff sadly. "But (Y/N)'s told me all about her."
"Oh man that's hard. I'm sorry." Steve sighs and looks at me sympathetically.
"Yeah it really is. Like harder than I first thought it was going to be. We didn't find out she was pregnant until I was already gone so it was too late to change anything, there was nothing I could do." I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat.
I've never talked about it with anyone like this before, not even Falsey.
"What's she like?" Steve smiles with a twinkle in his eye.
"Here, I have a picture." I mumble as I fish it out from under my pillow. "That's the most recent one I've got." I say as I hand it over.
It's a picture of Luke sitting with Isla on his knees. An adorable grin spread across her face and Luke smiling brightly as he always does.
"Oh Bucky she's beautiful." Steve gasps, his eyes full of admiration. "And Luke's gotten so big!"
"I know right. Doesn't time fly? She just turned one last week." I smile.
"She's the perfect mixture of you two. She even looks like Luke." He says in awe as his eyes trace the picture. "What's her name?"
"Her name is Isla. She's got brown hair and blue eyes. Apparently she is just an absolute bundle of laughs, so happy and smiley and energetic." I sigh.
"Takes after you then." Steve nods in approval.
"I guess so." I huff, thinking otherwise.
"Wow she sounds amazing Buck. It's cos she's got such good parents." Steve smirks.
"Well, parent, at the moment." I huff frustratedly.
"She's got your genes too you know. You can't help it that you aren't there to help raise her." Steve says and puts a hand on my shoulder.
The tent is a small cramped space so we are literally sitting with our knees touching.
I look up at him with a wry smile.
"It must be hard." He says gravely.
"Damn right. It really is." I huff. "She's just growing up so fast and has no idea who I am. I keep thinking, what if I get to go home one day and she just doesn't want to know me, doesn't care for me, resents me even. I love her so much you know but I'm just not there for her in the way I should be."
"Buck, you know that won't happen." Steve says seriously. "No matter how long you are at war for (Y/N) will bring her up to know all the amazing things about you, what a good man you are. She will explain to her your circumstances and that if you could be there you would. By the time you get home she will probably know more about the real you then you do, both her and Luke. And you are there for her, as much as you can be. Jesus man, you're fighting a war to make a better world for her to live in!"
I let out a heavy breath and roll my eyes.
"I'm fighting this war because I have to. If i could go home i would." I mumble. "Besides, that doesn't mean that things will be normal. You can't tell me that I'll get home and it'll be the perfect daddy daughter combo. Maybe with Luke, but to her I'm a stranger. And it just feels so wrong because I know so much about her."
"Look, I've known both you and (Y/N) since we were kids. She won't let it be that way. She loves you so much and cares about you too much to let it happen like that. Seriously, even before you two were more than friends you were more faithful to each other than most married couples. Plus I'm sure Luke won't shut up about you either. You're such a good dad to him." Steve explains.
"Thanks Stevie." I sigh. "And thank you for saving me back there. If it weren't for you I would never get the chance to meet her."
"No problem Buck what are friends for? Besides, you've done so much for me, I think that it was well overdue time that I repay the favours." Steve smiles.
I let out a breathy laugh and shake my head.
"I was just doing my job as the older, stronger brother." I chuckle lightly. "It really wasn't that big of a deal."
"Yeah? Well it was to me. But now the tables have turned. Who's the bigger stronger one now?" He smirks.
I shut up at this. I guess it's a bit of a touchy subject for me. Definitely going to take a bit of getting used to.
"Anyway, show me more pictures of your family, I have an idea." Steve says, sensing my change in character and therefore changing the subject.
"An idea?" I ask and quirk an eyebrow.
"Don't you worry about it my fellow comrade, leave it up to me." Steve grins teasingly as I pull out the box of photos from under my bed.
------
"Hey Bucky, you got a moment?" Steve asks, poking his head in through the tent door.
"Hm? Yeah sure." I mumble, turning over and sitting up from my bed.
"Sorry, did I disturb you?" He asks, coming in and scuffing off his muddy boots.
"No no, I was just resting. You know, shitty weather, might as well take advantage of the time for a nap." I sigh and rub my face.
"Fair enough, not a bad idea." He chuckles.
"So, what brings you here away from all the planning how to storm a Hydra base that Captain America gets stuck with these days?" I tease.
It's been about a month since he showed up and poor not so little Stevie has got so much on his plate at the moment it's crazy.
"A surprise." He smiles and hands me a piece of paper.
I frown confused as I take it but can't help but gasp at what I see on it.
It's a sketched picture, clearly of my family. (Y/N), Luke, Isla and the best part, even I'm there. He has captured all of us perfectly, it looks so real. All of us are sitting together, it looks like a picnic. Isla sitting in my lap as I lie on the blanket, (Y/N) laying opposite me while we watch Luke playing in the middle of us. We all look so happy.
"I drew it like a picnic because I remember how that used to be you and (Y/N)'s favourite thing to do when hanging out." He says sheepishly.
"Steve, wow. Thank you. This is amazing I don't know what to say." I gasp in amazement.
I know he's always been good at drawing but I didn't realise he was this good, seriously.
"I thought it might cheer you up a bit." He smiles kindly.
"Hopefully we can get a real picture like that one day." I huff.
"I'll make sure you do Buck." Steve sighs and looks at me sympathetically.
Your POV:
You lay on the floor playing with Isla, holding her above you while Luke does his homework. After a long day at work, picking up Luke from school and Isla from your parents and just hanging out with them is your favourite thing to do.
Your mum has actually been really good lately. With Bucky away at war you have to work because you've got no other source of income. But with you working you've got no one to look after Isla, so having your mum has actually been a really big help.
To be honest you think it helps to distract her and give her a break, your dad has been very sick for a long time now and you think that having a fresh, happy face around lights up her day.
"Mum, when's dad coming home?" Luke asks faintly.
A pang hits you in the chest. He's been asking that question a lot lately. And quite frankly you've been asking it to yourself too. You didn't think he'd be away this long or you'd miss him this much.
"Dadda?" Isla asks in a baby voice and looks at you expectantly.
Oh great. Here we go. She definitely responds to the word but luckily can't exactly ask questions about him yet. She recognises Bucky in the pictures you show her and knows that he is her father but of course there is really no connection there.
"Luke have you finished your homework?" You sigh as you sit up and rest Isla in your lap.
"Yes." He says.
"Then come sit over here." You say softly.
He does as you said and sits cross legged in front of you.
"I don't know when your dad is coming back sorry baby." You sigh and fight back the tears and swallow the lump in your throat. "I'm sorry, and neither does he."
You reach up and brush his wispy blonde hair off of his forehead and your heart sinks when you see his lip drop.
"But he's been away for so long." He pouts with teary eyes.
This rips your heart in two.
"I know sweety, I know." You whimper. "It's hard."
"I miss him so much." He cries.
"We all do." You huff and wipe a tear from your own cheek before doing the same to him.
"I just want him to come back he's been gone for way to long! I wanna play toy trains with him again." He mumbles with his face to the floor.
"Baby I know it's hard but there's nothing we can do, and there's nothing he can do either. You know that if Bucky could come back right now he would. He misses us just as much if not more. Just think, at least we have each other, at the moment he's got no one." You sniffle.
"Mumma?" Isla asks quietly, her big eyes full of concern as she reaches up and touches your cheek, attempting to brush your tears away.
"Thank you bubba." You smile sadly and take her tiny hand in yours to kiss it. "Mummy feels better now."
"But you said he would be back quickly!" Luke cries.
"I know, I thought, or probably more hoped he would be. I thought it would be over before we knew it. But I was wrong, I'm sorry for getting your hopes up. It's taking so long." You sigh.
"I just miss him so much!" He sobs breaking down completely and jumping into your arms.
"Aw honey." You coo and hug him back, running your hands up and down his back and kissing the top of his head.
"I'll tell you what, here's something that should help that I do when I particularly miss dad. You know the letters he writes to you?" You whisper.
"Mhm." He mumbles and looks up at you with watery eyes.
"Take one of those and sleep with it under your pillow and also keep his photo close to your bed. That way as you go to sleep you can imagine him sitting there with you and saying those things in person." You say softly. "You wanna try that tonight for me?"
"Okay." He sighs. "Thank you mummy I love you."
"I love you too baby." You smile and kiss his head before doing the same to Isla. "And I love you too very much Isla." You say sweetly hugging them both tightly.