Steve's Baby

chapter 4

 The app says the driver will be here in about 15 minutes. Barnes is sitting in the chair next to him in the small waiting room, sucking his metal thumb. Still little. Sam turns to talk to him.

 "Hey, buddy. Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier. My name is Sam, and I'm a friend of your daddy's. What should I call you? Is Bucky okay?"

 Bucky nods.

 "Okay, Bucky. So, here's the deal. Your daddy will be asleep for a while, and then he will still need a bit to heal and get better before he can take you home. So, for now, I'm going to take you home with me until that happens. I have an extra bedroom you can stay in, and we can buy whatever you need. I'm a caregiver, but I don't have my own little, so it'll just be us. How's that sound?"

 Bucky nods again, though he looks anxious. 

 "It'll be okay, Bucky. I have a few questions though, so I can take care of you the best I can. How old are you, when you're little?"

 Bucky shrugs. "I don' know." He says around his thumb.

 "Okay, that's okay. Do you wear diapers? Or are you potty trained? Or maybe potty training?"

 "Diapers." Bucky says, blushing. 

 "Okay, no problem. You drink bottles?" Sam asks.

 "Sometimes." Says Bucky. 

 "You want a pacifier? It would be more sanitary than that thumb."

 Bucky nods again.

 "Okay. Good answering, Bucky. You're so smart. I'm gonna give you a nice bath when we get home, then you can have a good sleep. And I'll order some of the basic necessities until we can take a trip to the store later, then I'll let you pick out some things. Sound like a plan?" 

 Bucky nods.

 They get up and go out to the parking lot to wait for the Uber, which is now just a few minutes away. When the driver pulls up, they get in and start their journey to Sam's house.

 Bucky has an accident in the car, a little over halfway there, and breaks down in tears again. Sam apologizes profusely to the driver, who waves it off, being a caregiver himself, he knows these things happen. Sam tips him 200% anyway.

 Bucky's still crying as Sam opens the door and ushers him inside. 

 "I'm sorry." Bucky sobs. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." 

 "It's okay. It was just an accident. It happens." Sam reassures him.

 "I'm sorry." Bucky says again. "Please don't hit me."

 "I'm not gonna hit you! Not for an accident and not for anything. It's okay!" Sam says, worried.

 Sam leads Bucky, still crying, into the bathroom, where he gets him undressed as the tub fills. He helps him step in, before sitting down on the closed toilet seat and pulling out his phone.

 He orders the basics through instacart. A pack of diapers, some wipes, a couple bottles and sippy cups and cans of little formula, and a 2 pack of pacifiers. He adds a bag of dinosaur nuggets for lunch, as an afterthought. He orders and goes to the tub to wash Bucky.

 Bucky stays quiet as Sam washes him, following his instructions, 'lift your arm,; lean forward for me,; good job'. He's calmed down by the time he's clean.

 Sam dries him off and dresses him in an old t-shirt and some loose sweats he finds in the back of his closet. No underwear, since the app shows the diapers will be here soon anyway. He folds a towel and puts it on the couch, instructing Bucky to sit down on it.

 The knock on the door comes a few minutes later, and Sam goes to collect his order, bringing it in and then bringing Bucky to the spare bedroom. 

 Bucky's rubbing his eyes as Sam diapers him, he must be tired by now. So Sam gives him a pacifier once he's dressed again, and lays him on the bed, pulling the blanket over him.

 "You want a bottle, sweetie? We'll have lunch after your nap. But you can have your bottle now, or with lunch. It's up to you."

 "Now, please." Bucky says, yawning.

 Sam goes to the kitchen to prepare the bottle of formula, and brings it back to Bucky in the bedroom. He hands it over and watches as Bucky grabs it and immediately starts sucking it down quickly, sputtering and coughing but still trying to drink it too fast.

 Sam grabs it from him and Bucky whines, before flinching as he remembers whining is bad.

 "Slow down, bud. The bottle's not going anywhere, you know that right? I'm not gonna take it from you." Sam says.

 "I gotta drink it fast!" Bucky says, "Can't waste time or I'll be in trouble!"

 "You won't be in trouble, Bucky." Sam says. "Take your time. I don't want you to drink it too fast and choke or make yourself sick."

 Sam hands the bottle back and Bucky eyes him wearily, before he lays back and puts the nipple in his mouth. He stares at Sam as he nurses on it, slower this time, and Sam watches as he blinks, eyes drooping lower each time, until they finally stay closed. As he sucks up the last of the formula and Sam hears the sound of air going through the nipple rather than liquid, he gently takes it from Bucky's mouth and quickly replaces it with the pacifier. Bucky stirs a bit but his eyes remain closed as he suckles the pacifier, sighing as he relaxes into sleep.