Sunshine

Once Upon A December

Steve was sitting in the corner of the Nursery, rocking slowly as he read a book. He was waiting for the Two Year Old to wake up. Tony had been called away with Pepper unexpectedly and Bucky was on a mission with Clint so Steve was there. The blond hoped that things would go well because he was babysitting for the next two days. She still hadn't warmed up to him fully yet.

A quiet whine caught his attention and he carefully stood up. He moved to kneel next to the toddler bed and gently rubbed her cheek to help soothe her. "Hey there, Sweetheart."

The toddler didn't say anything, just reached for Steve to pick her up. She was more than half asleep still and just wanted to be held. That was normal for her.

"Alright." Steve agreed, carefully picking the child up and making sure he grabbed her blankie and bear too. He nearly melted as she snuggled into him, her tiny hand gripping his shirt. "Let's have some breakfast, Baby. I was thinking maybe some oatmeal with cut up fruit."

"Nanas." She mumbled, eyes closed. She wanted bananas in hers.

"I can do that." Steve carried her through the penthouse and into the kitchen. "I'm gonna set you down."

"No." Kayla disagreed, sounding sulky. She just wanted to be held.

"I can't do everything one handed, Sweetheart." Steve was worried that she would start crying if he set her down.

"No down." She insisted. She didn't want to be put down. She gripped onto Steve tighter, finally opening her eyes.

"Oh, Baby." Steve sighed. He gently rubbed her back and looked around.

"There was a Baby Sling delivered, Captain Rogers. She falls under the weight limit for it. You could use that." JARVIS offered helpfully.

"Thank you, J." Steve sounded relieved. He located the Baby Sling and managed to put it on, settling the two year old in it. "There we go, Sweetheart. Now I don't gotta put you down."

"Hm." The toddler shifted slightly but settled, resting her head against his chest. She liked that she wouldn't be put down.

Steve started making the oatmeal, talking to the little girl the whole time. He didn't get many responses but he counted it as a win that she didn't cry. He could feel her scrunching his shirt in her hand and then releasing it over and over.

The blond finished making breakfast and sat down after setting their food on the table. He took off the baby sling and turned the toddler so he could feed her. "Here we go, Baby. Yummy."

"Yummy." She mimicked him. She opened her mouth for the food and made happy noises as she was fed. The girl loved oatmeal. It was delicious.

~~~~~~~~~

"C'mon, Sweetheart. You gotta let me change you." Steve pleaded, looking at the toddler. He knew she had pooped. It was awkward because he knew the toddler wasn't fond of him.

"No!" Kayla shouted at Steve angrily. She was clutching the front of her pull-up and shifting on her feet. "No wan'!"

"I know you don't but I need to change you. You'll get a rash." Steve sounded sad. "I don't want you to get a rash and your Daddy doesn't."

"Wan' Daddyyyyy!" Kayla screamed and attempted to run off. She managed to wedge herself under Tony's massive bed, squirming all the way to the middle. It would be impossible for Steve to grab her from any of the sides.

"I know that you want your Daddy. But he's with your Aunty Pepper on a trip. They'll be back in a few days." Steve dropped to his knees and then onto his belly to look underneath.

"No!" It seemed to be her favorite word currently. "Nononono!"

"Please, Baby." Steve pleaded again. He held a hand out and waited, sighing when she didn't move. "JARVIS, can you call Tony for me?"

JARVIS attempted to call Tony but the Genius' phone had actually died for once and Pepper didn't have hers on her. "I am unable to reach Sir, Captain Rogers. I apologize."

"It's okay. How about Bucky?" Steve sounded a bit desperate. He was out of his comfort zone and felt like a horrible babysitter.

"Hey, Stevie. What's up?" Bucky had picked up pretty quickly. They were at the Safehouse currently.

"I'm failing." Steve sounded so sad and upset.

"Oh, Stevie... What's going on?" Bucky's heart throbbed in pain at the sound of the absolute misery in Steve's voice.

"Things started okay and then she pooped and she won't let me change her. And she's under Tony's bed where I can't get her. And she's crying now and I don't know what to do. Tony's not answering either." Steve sounded close to tears himself.

"Okay, Punk. Listen to me. She's safe under the bed, right? I need you to walk away for two minutes and get yourself settled down." Bucky coaxed gently. "Maybe go in the bathroom or the hall. But go out of the room. Calm yourself first. You can't take care of her if you're upset."

"Okay." Steve sniffled, getting to his feet. He moved something in front of the bedroom door and then went into the bathroom. He sat on the plush rug in front of the heated towel rack and sobbed. "I'm failing, Buck. I can't do this."

"You're a new person for her." Bucky reminded Steve. He wanted to be there to hold Steve and comfort him. "I think maybe you should call Bruce and see if he can help."

"I promised Tony I could do it." Steve whispered. He had told Tony not to worry about anything.

"I know, Doll. But sometimes things are out of our control." Bucky soothed, looking at Clint who had entered the shared bedroom. He signed something to the Archer, explaining the situation.

"I hate it." It hurt for Steve to admit that out loud. "I just wanted to prove that I can help Tony with this part of his life."

"Stevie. You're doing fine. You just hit a snag." Bucky sighed. He wanted to help his lover. "Just call Bruce, Babe. He can help."

"I will." Steve confirmed to Bucky. He knew it was the right choice. He hung up with Bucky and took a minute to calm down. He called Bruce and explained what was going on.

The Scientist agreed to come up and help. He was actually good with children.

Steve unblocked the bedroom door before sitting on the floor by the bed. "Are you ready to come out yet, Baby?"

"No!" Was the angry sobbed answer. She was sobbing almost hysterically now. "Go Way!"

"No, Honey. I won't go away." Steve sat with his bed against the nightstand. It broke his heart again to hear the way she cried. He was going to stay strong though and wait for Bruce.