You approached your apartment as quietly as possible with a big smile. You had a surprise for Bucky, and you knew that he would love it. You cracked the door open.
"Bucky," you called out.
"Yeah?"
"I want you to sit in the living room and close your eyes." Bucky peeked out of the kitchen and raised his eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because I have a surprise for you."
"So you have to give it to me in the living room?" You rolled your eyes and huffed.
"Do you want your surprise or not?" Bucky raise his hands in surrender with a smile before moving to follow your directions. You waited for a few seconds before moving inside.
Bucky could hear you open and close the front door. He wondered what this surprise actually was. You had given Bucky little "surprises" before. Usually, you had required him to close his eyes and hold out his hands.
He heard you shush something which made him even curiouser. Maybe Steve was back early from his mission? Bucky didn't have long to ponder what the surprise may be when he felt a tongue lick his whole face.
You laughed at the shocked expression on Bucky's face as his eyes flew open to see a beautiful brindle Staffordshire Bull terrier.
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"Hey, boy," Bucky greeted with a laugh as the Staffy continued to lick his face. You quickly pulled out your phone to record the scene. "Alright, get down," Bucky said after a few moments. The Staffy obeyed but refused to leave Bucky's side.
"Surprise," you said, throwing out your arms.
"Thanks, Doll, but why did you get me a dog?" You knelt down next to the dog to scratch behind his ears. That's when Bucky finally noticed the missing leg.
"This poor thing was abused as a puppy," you told him. "That's how he lost a leg. But the most important thing is he survived. And now he's a service dog for people with PTSD." Bucky frowned at that. "I know you don't like to admit that you have PTSD, but you do have it, and that's okay. And I thought that maybe this would help. You don't have to take him everywhere, but you can if you feel like it. I got the paperwork and everything. Even a cute vest for this little guy." Bucky was quiet once you finished speaking. You simply sat there, waiting.
"Thank you, y/n," he whispered.
"You're welcome," you told him with a smile. "Now, he still needs a name."
"Miller," Bucky said. "After Glenn Miller." Your throat tightened at Bucky's answer to where all you do was nod. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a few days later when Bucky started to head home after a few drinks with Steve. Miller had only been around for a short time, but he already was a part of the family. Bucky found out that he liked taking Miller places. It was like a safety blanket, and that allowed Bucky to relax more. You two had also realized that Miller was already very protective of Bucky. While he was still well-behaved, if Miller thought that a stranger was getting too close to Bucky for comfort, he would growl out a warning.
Bucky quietly opened the apartment door to see it was dimly lit by the tv. He approached the couch to hear growling. Miller stood over you as you slept, growling at this unknown intruder. As Bucky got closer, Miller finally saw that it was him and relaxed.
"Good boy, Miller," Bucky whispered. "Y/n is very special. So, you take extra care to protect her when I'm not around." Miller wagged his tail in agreement. Bucky scooped you up in his arms and headed to bed with Miller at his heels. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After about a week, you and Bucky decided to finally introduce Miller to the rest of the gang. Everyone loved him, and once Miller warmed up to everyone, he was quite happy to have more people to play with. You watched as Thor and Miller played tug of war while Tony stood to the side with a Starkpad in hand. You were pretty sure that he was trying to figure out how to make Miller a leg. You were so absorbed that you jumped when Steve came and wrapped an arm around your waist.
"Miller was a good idea," he told you. You nodded. "How did you react to the name?" You sighed.
"I couldn't really speak. I didn't know he even remembered Glenn Miller. And when he said it, it kinda felt like a sucker punch in the gut, you know?"
Steve knew exactly what you meant. When you and Bucky officially became a couple, you two always argued what was "your song". You always said it was "Where or When" because it was the first song you danced to as a couple. However, Bucky disagreed. He always said that it was "Dream a Little Dream of Me". You argued that you two were just little kids when you danced to that, but Bucky always said that he had loved you even then. Steve thought you were both wrong.
"And? It's just one dance. We won't starve," Bucky said as he dragged you away from the stove. "Stevie, make sure nothing burns," he instructed from the record player. You shook your head but stayed there. A few second later, "You Stepped Out of a Dream" started to drift through the tiny apartment.
Steve checked the food real quick before watching the two of you sway back and forth with your foreheads touching. No matter the time or place, any time Bucky heard "You Stepped Out of a Dream", he would sweep you into his arms and dance with you until it ended. Now that Bucky had bought the record, he was sure that he would be seeing this scene more often. With a smile, Steve turned back to the stove.
Steve gave you a one-armed hug and a kiss on your forehead. He hated seeing you like this. He understood why you didn't want to tell Bucky about your past relationship. You didn't want Bucky to feel like he was being forced into anything, but Steve knew better. He knew that you were really afraid that maybe you both had changed too much and Bucky didn't want you anymore which was ridiculous. The whole team could see the way you two pined over each other. Tony had even started a bet of when you two would finally get together.
Like lighting, Steve was hit with an idea. All he need was Tony's help.
