Bucky's Pup

Bucky?

"Buck, you can't spend all your time in here. You gotta get out more!" Steve sighed, "I know you don't like going out, and I get it. But this just isn't healthy."

I was lying down, facing the ceiling as he talked. Steve doesn't take to being ignored, but if he's going to be an asshole, he should expect this. "I'll go out when I feel like it." I grunt.

I hear Steve walk towards the door, "Fine, at least come to the sitting room. Clint's here and we're gonna have a few drinks." he says as he walks away.

The idiot didn't even close my door all the way. Was this his sick and twisted plan to get me up? I lay in bed a bit longer, debating on sitting out on yet another happy hour. Since when was Steve the fun one who got drunk and stupid? He's right; I'm not in public, I'm with people I can trust. Yet, this feeling won't go away. This feeling of loss.

I am stuck between two worlds. The hero and the assassin. The loved and the feared. Surely there is someway to escape this cycle? I got out of bed. Pulling on a shirt, I made my way down the hall. Why am I doing this? I asked myself.

I stopped. There was a puppy, barely even into adulthood... doghood? Whatever, I walked over to him. He was sitting down, but he didn't look quite right and I couldn't place why. Then he yawned, and noticed me in front of him. He wagged his tail gently, it was pretty adorable. When he reached up to lean against my leg, I realized what was off about him. He was missing a paw.

He yipped at me, demanding my attention. I leaned over to pick him up, his fur super soft. He fell asleep. I began walking towards the sitting room, toward the raised voices of Clint and Tony.

______

"We can't keep him." Tony said, mind made up. They were Avengers, not a shelter.

"Tony, come on. He's not going back out there, and he's not going to be put into a pound only to be euthanized." Clint stated firmly.

"Who's going to take care of him then?" he asked frustratedly, wanting to punch both Steve and Clint in the nose. Honestly, Clint can be so stubborn and Steve has no right to be looking that smug.

"I can take care of him." I said as I settled the dog on the couch. He stirred gently, but not so much as to fully wake up. "I hardly leave the tower anyway, not unless it's an emergency." I pointed out.

"That's a great idea." Steve said happily.

Tony looked astonished, he opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. He looked at the dog sleeping on the couch and back at Bucky. He should've realized the obvious before. He looked at Clint, and tied it together.

Clint was a good man. If James "Bucky" Barnes wasn't living in this house, the dog never would have came. Maybe for a few days while Clint was staying, but it would disappear along with him. The dog was for Bucky, it was what Clint had been thinking the whole time. Looking back, it is a good choice. The dog shares something with him that no one else does. A dog gives loyalty and respect like no one else does.

The dog is a companion that he never had.

"Alright, he stays." Tony said,"Just make sure he's house trained."

Bucky smiled, patting the dog on the head before joining Steve at the bar.

______

The night went on, they had a few drinks. Eventually Clint had to leave, but not before giving Bucky everything the nurse at the vet had given him. A bed, blanket, toys, meds, and a whole bunch of treats. Shortly after Clint left, Bucky grabbed Stubby and retired to his room leaving Tony and Steve.

When he got to his room, he looked at the dog bed he was given and ignored it. Laying down, he curled around the puppy. Getting one of the most peaceful rests he's had in a long while.