Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Late mornings were not typical for Steve Rogers, but that didn’t keep him from enjoying them. By now he should have been halfway through his early run before heading back home for a shower and a large breakfast. Still, a break from his normal routine was not unwelcome. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes he turned to look at the empty space beside him. This was another part of his normal routine that he wouldn’t mind changing; waking up alone. There was nothing he could do about that if he stayed in bed, though, so Steve tossed aside the bed sheet and got up from the hard mattress. After finding a pair of sweatpants to pull over his boxers and a zip-up hoodie to cover his bare chest, he made his way to the kitchen.

The Brooklyn apartment was by no means as large or luxurious as the Compound, but it was everything Steve wanted in a place. The area was great and central to a lot of local business. The bedrooms were a decent size and the living room and kitchen area was a large open space with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the city. It wasn’t the typical penthouse, but this entire level of the building was dedicated to just this apartment and the only way you could access the floor was by key. There were a few other security protocols set-up as well, of course. You could never be too careful. The last thing anyone wanted was an unwelcome visitor showing up at Captain America’s front door. Not just his door since he also shared this space with two of his best friends and teammates. Having Sam and Bucky as roommates was just another great bonus. Well, most of the time.

Sam Wilson was seated on one of the stools by the kitchen island sipping from a glass of orange juice. His attention was seemingly fully focused on his tablet, but the second Steve entered the room all bets were off.

“Why did I move in with you people? What could have possibly possessed me to do such a thing? Desperation? Pity?” He tilted his chin upwards and pursed his lips as though really thinking about it. “Maybe I’ve just lost my damn mind.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a long sip. “What is it now, Sam?”

“Not what…who.”

“Alright.” Steve conceded with a sigh. “What did Bucky do now?” Sensing that this wouldn’t be short, or pretty, he took a seat at the counter beside him.

Last night the three roommates had gone out to a nearby bar. Not for any particular reason other than maybe seeing Bucky off before his solo mission. A few years had passed since his stint in Wakanda and after taking some much deserved time to himself Bucky agreed, however reluctantly, to return to active duty. There were of course some concerns, but it didn’t take long for Bucky to prove himself and become a powerful addition to the team. His friendship with Sam was a little turbulent at times, but it was mostly due to the fact that they enjoyed pissing each other off. A night out at a bar was usually a recipe for competition.

“You wanna know what he did?” Sam said. “I’ll tell you what he did. Picture it, a beautiful Saturday morning after a night out with no hangover in sight. No missions. No plans. No responsibilities. Just me and half a pizza in the fridge calling out her siren’s song to me.”

Steve chuckled, but once he saw the lack of humor in Sam’s eyes he cleared his throat, motioning for his friend to continue.

“So there I was, humming some Earth, Wind, and Fire as I made my way to this very kitchen when none other than the edgelord himself comes barreling into me. No shirt, no shoes, stinking of his nasty ass cologne from the night before, but wait,” Sam paused, pretending to sniff the air suspiciously. “There’s another scent desperately clinging to life despite the overwhelming odds.”

Steve grimaced knowing what that meant. How out of it was he that he managed to sleep through the confrontation? “Okay so Bucky ate the pizza. It’s not a big deal. Besides I don’t remember anyone actually laying claim to the leftovers. You know the rules.”

Clearly, that wasn’t the end of it though as Sam raised his hand in declaration. “Oh but it didn’t end there! Barnes’ reign of bullshit managed to completely ravage my entire morning in the span of twenty minutes. The guy is going for a record at this point.”

Apparently after eating the pizza Bucky then went on to finishing the last of the toothpaste, using Sam’s towel to dry himself off after his shower, and topping it off by drinking the freshly-brewed coffee that Sam made for himself before Bucky was finally out of the door and heading for his mission briefing.

“He’s back on his bullshit, Steve.” Sam folded his arms in front of his chest and stared at the other man. “Tell me this isn’t about that girl still.” When Steve didn’t answer right away Sam threw his hands in the air. “It’s been two years! He can’t still be hung up one girl.”

It was actually closer to a year and a half, but yes Steve did think it was about that girl. They never really knew who she was, only that for awhile there Bucky was the happiest Steve had ever seen him. He spent more nights away from home and would come back in the morning with a love-struck look that not even Sam could wipe away. When asked if they could meet her Bucky would dodge the subject or say it’s complicated. Turns out it was a lot more complicated than they thought when he came home one day telling them that it was over. It was Steve’s hope that during one of their nights out he would find someone new and move on.

“The guy just needs to go on a couple dates and get laid.” Sam suggested.

As much as Steve doubted it would be that simple he remained hopeful. “Did you see anyone leave his room this morning?” The other man snorted and shook his head, which was condescending enough to earn a unappreciative growl from Steve. “What I meant to respectively say was no. Barnes was solo this morning.” A sneer exposed Sam’s white teeth. “Just like you.”

The blonde groaned and leaned back on his chair. He wasn’t exactly doing any better when it came to finding love. There were girls he would see for a little while, but nothing that turned out to be more than just a fling. “What the hell is wrong with us?” Steve mumbled.

“What the hell do you mean by ‘us’?” Sam scoffed indignantly. “Don’t group me in with you two hopeless fools. I just so happen to be seeing someone.”

That got Steve’s attention. “Bullshit. You do? Since when? Who is it?” The barrage of questions and disbelief in his tone did little to improve Sam’s already sour mood. “What the hell, Steve? Do you know who you’re talking to? Look at this.” Sam stood up, holding his hands out as he showcased himself with a slow twirl. Only Sam Wilson could pull off a silk robe and boxers set. “I’m a masterpiece. It was only a matter of time before I was swept off my feet and taken off the market by a beautiful woman.”

If there was one thing that could be said about Sam Wilson it was that he never lacked in confidence. Steve smiled at his friend. Sure, he was still a little shocked, but genuinely happy for the guy. “That’s one lucky lady. What’s her name?”

“Ah-ah. Nice try, Rogers, but these lips are sealed. ” He mimed zipping his lips shut and throwing away a key. “All you need to know is that she’s a lady agent and she has good taste. Otherwise, I’m a man of mystery and I do not kiss and tell.”

Steve frowned. “But you’re always prying into mine and Bucky’s love lives.”

“Do as I say, not as I do, Cap.”

“Yeah fine, whatever.” Steve got up from his seat and made his way back to his bedroom to change. “I’m going for a run. And don’t worry. I’ll talk to Buck when he gets back.”

“Yeah, you better.” Sam called out. “Cause it he does just one more thing to piss me off, I will not be held accountable for smothering him with a pillow the next time he passes out on the couch.”

After three hours of running, Steve was on his way home and yet no closer to figuring out a way to help his friend. He scoffed and shook his head as he passed through the elevator doors. How could he help Bucky out of his funk when he didn’t have a clue for himself? He was deep in thought as he rode up the multiple floors wishing that the answer to Bucky’s happiness would appear before him. Though, when the doors finally opened to his floor, he was greeted by something that wasn’t there when he left. There on the floor right outside of their door was what looked like a basket. A very particular kind of basket. One that shouldn’t be sitting out front of anyone’s door let alone the home of three bachelors. Before he could take a step closer, the basket started to cry.

Chapter Text

The crying only lasted for a few short seconds before the baby readjusted itself and fell back to sleep. A kind panic that Steve had never faced before started coursing through his entire body while he stared down at the sleeping child blocking him from entering his home. That pile of bacon and eggs he had planned would have to wait.

He didn’t know what to do and what’s worse is he didn’t know how long he had to figure it out before the baby would start crying again. Against his better judgment Steve carefully and quietly made his way towards it, picked up the bassinet, and opened the door. He moved slowly through the front hallway holding it out in front of him like it was an incendiary device set to blow at any second. Once he reached the living room he gently placed it on the coffee table and jumped back a few feet. Holding his breath he remained perfectly still until he was sure the slumbering baby would remain that way. Then his knees gave out and he fell back onto the couch.

Usually Steve handled situations of high stress with a level head and the willingness to act and get the job done with as few complications as possible. The man was a strategist and a leader, but right now he was more lost and clueless than he had ever been. “Get it together, Rogers,” he told himself. “I fought in the war, battled Nazis, took down aliens, and even did some of it in a horrible tight uniform. I can handle an abandoned infant, right?” He peered over the lip of the bassinet to the baby within. “Oh god.”

As if the universe decided Steve didn’t have enough of a challenge, Sam chose that moment to walk out of his room and towards the kitchen. At least he was fully dressed this time. “Alright, I have finally managed to salvage the rest of this morning by taking a long soak in the tub. I even made a dinner date with my beautiful lady for tonight.” Sam went on as he looked through the contents of their cabinets having yet to notice the dilemma currently plaguing Steve in the other room. He tried to get his attention, but Sam was clearly in his own world. “Do you think I should take her out to that fancy Italian place up the block or make her something special at home?” The clueless man asked.

“Sam, I–”

“Yeah, you’re right. I doubt you have a date lined up for tonight and I don’t want you walking in on an adult situation if you know what I mean.” He giggled and let up on his search.

“Sam, there’s a–”

“C'mon, Cap. Don’t be so sensitive. I was only jok–”

The sound of the baby fussing and whimpering was what finally grabbed his attention. Steve winced. Holding his hand up towards Sam he urged him not to move. After a few dicey seconds passed the baby was calm once again. The same could not be said for either of the grown men with their hearts currently lodged somewhere in their throats.

Sam’s eyes were comically wide, almost like they were ready to pop out of his skull as he stuttered, “Wh-What? S-Steve, what the hell is that? Tell me it’s not a…”

Steve whispered. “It’s a baby.”

“A baby.” Sam glared at Steve as he nodded his big dumb head. “You let me drone on about all that shit meanwhile you got a baby behind your back? What’s wrong with you?!” Sam moved closer until he was staring down at the sleeping time bomb. His eyes still not believing what was right in front of him.

“I was trying to tell you but you wouldn’t shut the hell up. What was I supposed to do?” The seething glare he received wasn’t going to help them out with their current predicament. They needed to work together and figure out what to do next.

“Never mind. Let’s just focus okay? How did it get here?” Steve asked as he sank back down to the couch once more. He twisted his fingers through his gold locks as the frustration bubbled up inside his gut. This could not be happening to them right now.

After a few seconds passed, Sam nodded his head solemnly and took a seat beside Steve, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He clasped his hands and turned to look at his friend. “Well, when a man and a woman get together and are really feeling it, sometimes things get a little heated. They become intimate. The man puts his di–”

“Jesus, Sam! That’s not what I meant.” Steve exclaimed. “I mean how did it get here?”

Sam shrugged, leaning back against the cushions. “You’re the one that brought it inside.”

“Yeah, but you’re the one that was home all morning. I only just came back from my run and found it sitting outside our front door. Did you hear anyone knock or ring the bell?”

“I didn’t hear a damn thing. I was in the tub. Did you check to see if they left a note with it?” Sam nodded towards the package.

After a panicked showdown of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ followed by some minor nausea, Steve was carefully reaching into the bassinet. He gently felt around the edges of the soft bedding doing his best to avoid any contact with the baby. After a few harrowing seconds, holding his breath the entire time, he came upon the flat edge of a small envelope and pulled it out. It took a minute before Steve’s uncharacteristically trembling fingers managed to open the letter without ripping it apart. There was no name addressed on the outside and only a few pages inside written in neat script. It took less than a minute for Steve to read through the pages and another couple seconds to pass before he read it again. By the end, both he and Sam had read the letter another half dozen times and neither of them felt any better. The situation just got a little more complicated than it already was.

Sam’s voice was low and harsh when he said. “Barnes is a dead man.”

“No,” Steve sighed, rubbing his temples as he felt the beginnings of a migraine start to take over. “Barnes is a daddy.”

Chapter Text

“What. The. Fuck? You see this? See what your pal, your buddy, your Bucky went and did now!” Sam was well passed the point of freaking out and if he didn’t reel it in soon they risked waking the baby. Steve kept massaging his temples, silently begging for what was sure to be a pounding headache to go away, but vocally pleading with Sam to calm down.

“Calm down? Calm down?! How the hell am I supposed to calm down after that idiot knocked up his ex-girl? We don’t know even know who she is!” Sam was pacing back and forth before stopping short. “Who the hell leaves a baby behind on someone’s doorstep anyways?”

Steve thumbed at the edges of the letter. The lines were starting to blur together as he tried to process everything he read. “A desperate woman,” he thought to himself. “A woman scared enough to think that she had no other choice.”

The woman who wrote this letter was in some kind of trouble. She didn’t specify why or what was going on, just that she needed to make sure her baby, her daughter, was safe. “Bucky’s daughter.” The words echoed in Steve’s mind. “Bucky is a father and this is his little girl.” Despite all the unknowns and the stress of the situation, Steve couldn’t contain a small smile.

Elizabeth, or Ellie for short, was only 9 months old. Her head was covered with thick hair, more than he knew a baby could have, and the tiniest hands Steve had ever seen. He couldn’t tell what color her eyes were since she was still sleeping and even though he was curious he didn’t mind waiting as long as possible before she woke up to show him.

Steve looked down at the now crumpled pages with the woman’s words again. Between apologizing and pleading for Bucky not to worry or go out to find her, she also left some information on how to take care of Ellie. It wasn’t much, but knowing what size diapers she wore, what type of formula she could have, along with her feeding and sleep schedule was as much of a silver lining as they could hope for.

“Alright, what are we gonna do now? We can’t take care of a baby.” Sam resumed his pacing, but thankfully kept his voice down this time.

“We were babies once.” Steve offered, which only made Sam scoff impatiently.

“Yeah Steve, and we spent that entire time shitting ourselves and crying until we got the next bottle. I don’t recall being able to wipe my own ass back then so excuse me if I don’t believe this kid is just gonna take care of herself.”

With a lack of energy for this argument Steve decided to try a more diplomatic approach. “I know that, Sam. We’re just going to take it one step at a time and figure out how we’re supposed to do this. It’s not going to be easy, but if we can take down a legion of homicidal machines, we can take care of this baby.”

Sam staggered back a couple steps, staring in disbelief at his friend. “What do you mean, “One step at a time”? Steve, you’re starting to freak me out. You’re acting like we’re doing something other than calling child services or the police.”

A grave look fell over Steve’s face. As slowly and calmly as he could manage, he stood up and faced the other rattled man. “That’s not going to happen, Sam. We can’t do that and we’re not going to.”

“Like hell we can’t! This isn’t our problem. And maybe you don’t remember, but I wasn’t in Sokovia. I didn’t take care of nothing back then and I can’t take care of this baby now.” Sam shook his head rapidly, seemingly not even willing to entertain the thought.

The situation was tense since they were both running on pure adrenaline and shock at this point. What Steve needed to do now was calm his friend down as best he could before the man had a damn panic attack. Or did something they’d both regret. Steve took a few steps closer to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Sam, Bucky is our friend. More than that, he’s family.” Then he nodded down to the baby. “This little girl is his family now too and we will take care of her.”

Although his eyes still held an edge of panic, Sam’s breathing was starting to even out just a little bit. “How do we even know this is for real? The kid doesn’t even look like him. Maybe she’s not actually his baby. Maybe the girl lied.” He tried reasoning even if he knew he was just grasping at straws.

“The baby is his.” Steve said with conviction. “Call it intuition.”

Sam laughed, but the sound held no humor. “Yeah well I hope your intuition comes with a plan cause taking care of a baby isn’t a natural instinct I think I have.” Even though he had managed to calm down he was still somewhat hesitant, Sam looked down into the bassinet, finally taking a good look at the sleeping child. One corner of his lips tugged upwards with a hint of a smile. “She is pretty cute though.”

Steve smiled warmly at Ellie’s peaceful face. “She’s absolutely beautiful.”

“And at least she smells slightly better than Barnes.” Sam joked, even managing to let out a small chuckle.

No sooner had Sam said the words than Ellie began to wiggle and squirm. Little noises of discomfort started out low and soon turned into a full-on cry. What followed the tiny wailing was a smell that could clear a room. It very nearly did as Sam choked and turned on his heel to get away, pinching his nostrils shut. Before he could get too far, Steve managed to grab him by the back of his shirt collar to reel him back in. There was no way he was handling this on his own. “You spoke too soon, Sam.”

The hands desperately covering his nose and mouth caused Sam’s voice to sound muffled. “That’s just nasty.”

Chapter Text

It was starting to dawn on Steve that they might be a little out of their league here. The letter may have given them some information, but they still didn’t really know what to do with any of it. Especially not when they had to compete against a very loud crying baby.

“Damn, this kid has a set of pipes on her.” Sam shouted over the screaming. “Now what are we gonna do, Captain?” He didn’t bother to hide the little bit of disdain in his tone.

“We need to change her.” The Captain stated obviously.

“Uh-uh.” Sam shook his head. “Not we. You. I’m not going anywhere near whatever just came out of that kid. Sorry, but it’s not happening.” The outrageous odor wafted up through his nostrils again and it was all he could do to stop from gagging. “What’s her mother been feeding her?!”

This really wasn’t the time to discuss the baby’s diet. What they needed to do was have one of them rush down to the store to pick up as much of the essentials as they could. Everything else could be bought later. With no time for debate, Steve tasked Sam with the store run while he would stay behind with Ellie and try to clean her up as best he could. The winged Avenger didn’t even wait around to hear the end of Steve’s sentence before he was out the door and repeatedly pressing for the elevator to come up. The blonde man barely had time to roll his eyes at his dramatic friend before turning his full attention back to the baby.

She was still wailing, clearly unhappy that she had to be subjected to rolling around in whatever mess she made. Steve was hoping he could take a minute to at least google everything he needed to know, but the sounds of Ellie’s cries getting louder left him no choice. He would just have to wing it. First thing’s first, he would actually have to pick up the baby to do this and Steve couldn’t remember when the last time was where he held a baby in his arms. Had they always looked so small and fragile as Ellie looked right now? There was no time to second guess himself or back out on this right now, so after taking a few deep breaths Steve reached into the bassinet and picked her up.

His arms were stiff as he held Ellie out in front of him as far as he could manage. Her tiny legs dangled and kicked as Steve tried to decide what to do next. Now that she was awake and her eyes were open, he could finally see the soft shade of blue even behind the tears. The same shade that matched her father’s eyes. In that moment, Steve knew that he would do whatever it takes to come through for his best friend, but more importantly, for the little girl he held in his hands and her mother. He wasn’t about to let any of them down. With renewed determination, Steve cradled the little girl closer to his chest and started walking towards the bathroom.

“I’m sorry, princess. I know you’re probably pretty uncomfortable right now huh? Don’t worry, we’ll get you cleaned up and feeling better in no time.” Steve’s comforting words may not have made much sense to her, but he knew she needed just as much reassurance as he did. To know that everything would be alright. Just as long as Sam didn’t take too long at the store and got everything they needed.

Once they reached the bathroom, Steve managed to grab a few towels from a shelf while still keeping a safe grip on Ellie and brought them over to the large counter-top sink. He laid the towels out in a pile and rested Ellie on top of them to keep her from feeling the cold, hard marble underneath. Safely resting atop the soft pile, Ellie’s cries finally softened and she was now only emitting quiet whimpers and hiccups. Almost as though she knew she would find relief soon. The sounds were still enough to pull at Steve’s heartstrings, but he just needed a moment to collect himself.

“This isn’t rocket science or whatever Shuri and Stark get up to in their spare time.” Steve said aloud, not worrying that the baby would judge him for talking to himself. “You can do this, Rogers. She’s just a sweet little baby, how bad could it be?”

After finding the little button clasps, he made quick work of removing the tiny outfit from the tiny human. He fiddled for a moment with the taped sides of the diaper and pulled it open only to immediately put it back in its place. “Holy shit, kid! What have you done?!” Steve recoiled before looking down in amazement at the bumbling baby. “How hell does something so cute and small make something so disgusting?”

The sound of Ellie giggling distracted Steve enough to forget the horror contained within the diaper and just stare down at the little girl. Her toothless grin seemed to say she knew exactly what she had done. He almost thought he could forgive her for having to clean up the mess she made. Almost.

“Proud of yourself, ain’t ya?” he asked, to which she replied with another series of giggles that made saliva bubble at her lips. Despite the drool, she was still beyond adorable and he couldn’t help but laugh with her.

Having wasted enough time and not wanting to tempt her cries again, Steve finally removed the diaper, tossed it, and started cleaning her up. He didn’t have any baby wipes so he did the best he could with a soft cloth that he soaked in warm water. He also made a mental note to go out and buy Sam a new set of towels because this set was definitely headed for the trash.

“There we go. All clean.” Steve announced, proud of himself. The problem now was that he didn’t have another diaper to change her into and she couldn’t wear her onesie without one. He looked around the bathroom trying to figure out a solution, but nothing came up. Looking down at Ellie, she was staring back up at him as she made those cute baby gibberish sounds and holding onto her feet. “I’m gonna trust you not to make another mess. Do we have a deal?” He took her entire hand between his thumb and index fingers and shook the little fist in agreement. “Alright. Good. Sam better get back here soon.” He mumbled and picked Ellie up.

It ended up taking Sam about twenty minutes of practically flying through the store to pick up everything they would need. Thankfully he had enough foresight to grab his baseball cap and sunglasses to cover his face because the last thing they needed was the public finding out that one of the Avengers was buying baby items. He was already getting enough weird looks as it was with the way he was shopping like a madman. Another mad dash and he was back at the apartment bursting through the front door with his hands full of bags.

“I’m back!!” He announced, hurrying past the front hallway towards the kitchen and living room. “Okay I think I got everything we need. Got the diapers, the formula, three different kinds of baby wipes and powder. Grabbed every kind of baby food they had cause a girl’s gotta have options. Finally there’s the bottles and these nipple things. Oh, I even got some pacifiers, a couple toys, and…dude…what the hell are you doing?” Sam paused, taking in a long breath from reciting his purchases and stared at Steve as he held Ellie, pacing the living room.

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” Steve replied. “Waiting for you to get back so we can change her.”

“Nooo.” Sam turned for a second to drop the bags on the kitchen island before turning back to point at the pair. “What it looks like is you standing there with no shirt on and a naked baby on your chest.”

Steve continued to rock back and forth while Ellie absently pawed at his bare shoulders. “It was the only way I could get her to stop crying. Besides, I didn’t really have another diaper to change her into now did I?” He had also wanted to keep her warm and the best way to do that was skin-to-skin.

“Yeah, but what if she…y'know…relieved herself on you?” Sam cringed.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not wearing a shirt then is it?” Of course, it still would have been nasty as hell, but at least then all he would have to do is hop in the shower instead of throwing out a shirt. “Alright, grab the stuff. I don’t want her getting cold.”

Sam searched through the bags until he found what they needed as Steve walked Ellie towards the living room. Once the diapers, wipes and baby powder were all laid out on the coffee table behind them, they placed her in the center of the couch and got to their knees. Sam watched as Steve took out a clean diaper, laid it beneath the baby, and grabbed a wipe just to make sure she was clean.

“I’m surprised, Cap. Looks like you actually know what you’re doing here.” Sam was just glad that the letter mentioned the right diapers to get her otherwise he probably would’ve bought one of every size.

“I read up on a couple things while we waited. It’s pretty straight forward.” Steve finished with the wipe, disposed of it into an empty bag, and gestured behind him. “Can you grab the baby powder? Just need a little bit.”

As long as he didn’t have to deal with any of the actual dirty work, Sam was happy to help in this way. Unfortunately, today just wasn’t in his favor.

“What’s the hold up?” Steve asked after several seconds had passed. He was keeping Ellie entertained, but he really wanted to get this diaper on her.

“Hang on a second.” Sam continued to struggle with opening the bottle, not sure what the problem was and getting increasingly frustrated.

“Hurry up, Sam.”

“Don’t push me, Steve. The stupid nozzle on this thing is stuck or something.”

After another minute passed, Steve’s impatience was really kicking in. He placed pillows on either side of Ellie to make sure she didn’t roll around and then turned to help Sam. “Just open the damn container.” He reached out to grab the bottle from him, but Sam pulled it away.

“I’m trying to for fucks sake!” Sam exclaimed, slamming the bottle down on the table in his frustration. A thick cloud erupted from the bottle covering both men in the soft white powder. Loud peals of laughter sounded behind them as both men slowly turned to face Ellie, who was clearly in hysterics over the mess they made.

Sam’s tired sigh turned into a low growl. “Barnes owes me so bad after all this and I plan to collect large.”

“You and me both, pal.” Steve agreed before they both broke out into a fit of coughs.

Chapter Text

Steve would be the first to admit that things may have started off a little rocky, but he felt like they were on a good track now. The fact that Ellie soiled her clean diaper almost as soon as they changed her was just another little speed bump. The little insect was just waiting for it. The two men were still covered in a light dusting of baby powder even though they did manage to shake themselves free of most of it. Unfortunately they would each have to wait for a shower until they figured out what to do with the child.

The pages from the letter they found were starting to crinkle with the amount of times Steve went back to read it. They'd have to have it laminated the way they were going. Ellie wasn't due for a feeding for a couple hours and now that she was clean, they really didn't know what to do with her. How were two grown men - whose main priority was to fight against the evils of the world - supposed to entertain a little baby? Of course, it was Steve that started strategizing because, well, that's what he does.

“Okay, what we need to do is figure out how all of this is going to work and what we're supposed to expect. Sam, can you hold onto Ellie so I can go grab my laptop?” He lifted Ellie off the couch cushion and turned towards Sam who kept looking back and forth between the baby and Steve.

“How about you hold onto the kid and I go grab your stuff. You two already have a little thing going on. I'd hate to get in the middle of that.” He crossed his arms over his chest as though that would protect him from having to do anything.

“Sam, there's no way I'm doing this alone. Sooner or later you're going to have to hold her and right now is as good a time as any.” Steve held her out a little more expectantly.

There was no doubt that the Captain was right and Sam knew that, but it really did nothing to calm his nerves. To share the responsibilities and duties of caring for a child that wasn't your own was not something Sam thought he would ever have to do. Barnes really would be in a world of trouble the moment he walked through the front door.

Reluctantly, Sam agreed but not before pumping himself up a little bit first. After a few sets of lunges, a couple jumping jacks, and some light jabs into thin air, Sam was as ready as he'd ever be. He craned his neck to the side, outstretched his arms, and let Steve place the small bundle in his hands. While Steve had been watching unimpressed by the spectacle his roommate was putting on, Ellie was just staring up at him in wonder. Maybe she was still too young to think he was being ridiculous, like Steve thought he was.

After a few seconds passed with Sam holding out the baby like a sacrificial offering, he dared to open his eyes and get a good look at her. To his surprise, she wasn't crying and didn't even seem upset. She just kept staring up at him with her big blue eyes and her little fingers in her mouth, drooling all over her hand.

Once he loosened up a little bit he gently started rocking back and forth. “Alright this isn't so bad. Yeah. We can do this.”

Confident that he could leave the two on their own, Steve went off in search of his laptop so they could do some serious baby research. Whether they wanted to or not, this was happening and they needed as much information as possible. Over the next hour, they did as much research as they could. Visiting websites and blogs, even watching videos and ordering a couple books online. The woman didn't specify how long this little arrangement would last so they thought the more prepared they were, the better off they'd be.

During that time, Sam and Steve would take turns entertaining Ellie while the other worked at the laptop and read everything out loud. Steve enjoyed talking to her. Just pointing out little things around the apartment and asking her questions she couldn't answer. When it was Sam's turn he would do much of the same except there was a little bit more movement. He would get up and waltz around the room with her in his arms, singing to her while she mumbled back. He even took her into Bucky's room and started telling her things about him. For the most part he only mentioned the negative traits.

“Sam, don't say those kind of things to her.”

“It's alright, man. It's all in the tone of voice you use.” Sam said sweetly. “As long as it sounds pleasant she doesn't care what I'm saying. Even if I'm telling her that her daddy's a tool, she's still all smiles. See, look at that.” He turned Ellie to face Steve and he was right. She was smiling up at Sam as though he wasn't just shit-talking her father.

When it finally came time to feed her Sam was the one to prepare the bottle since according to him, Steve was more likely to burn it. Sam even made sure to check that the milk wasn’t too hot by dabbing some on his wrist before handing the bottle to Steve who was still holding Ellie. She was starting to get fussy, but Steve was stuck admiring the way Sam seemed to be getting a grip on their new and strange situation.

“Don’t act so shocked, Steve.” Sam said, urging him to give the kid the bottle. “They do that kind of thing all the time in movies with little kids in them.”

Steve was about to ask what kind of kid friendly movies Sam had been talking about, but Ellie was starting to fuss in his arms. He shushed her gently and gave her the bottle, surprised to see how eager she was for the formula. Once her belly was full and she was properly burped, they settled her back into the bassinet to see if maybe she would be ready for a nap. It only took a few more moments of cute little babbling before she started to drift off to a peaceful slumber. One that they hoped would last until dinner time.

“Huh,” said Sam quizzically. “So that’s all she’s gonna do then? Eat, sleep, and shit?” That doesn’t seem so bad.” He turned to look at Steve who had already plopped down on the recliner and was emitting soft sounds from his partially opened lips. The super soldier was exhausted and they had only spent half a day with the kid. This was definitely going to be a lot harder than they thought.

Sam smiled down at his slumbering friend, taking pity on him for having done his fair share of the work with little Ellie. After a handful of seconds he was done taking pity on him, though, and moved to grab Steve by the shoulders and shake him awake.

“Wake your ass up. We’ve still got work to do if this kid is gonna be interrupting our typical daily operations.”

“Thanks, Sam.” Steve said with an unappreciative groan, wiping his hands down his tired face. “Okay, what’s first.”

Sam looked down at his friend then to the cute sleeping baby. He noticed the letter was still open on the coffee table and grabbed it.

“First,” he said. “We gotta find out who the baby mama is and what kind of trouble she’s in.”

Chapter Text

Steve realized it wasn’t going to be easy to find out more about someone who had somehow managed to get into their "highly secured" penthouse level apartment to drop off the baby and then leave without anyone noticing. Though, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. He was a persistent bastard.

“Alright, what do we know about her?” Sam asked, pacing the living room space as Steve remained seated on the recliner. “What’s her name again?”

“It’s Ellie.” Steve said obnoxiously, as though it shouldn’t even be a question at this point. Sam stopped moving and looked to his friend incredulously.

“Not the kid, Steve. The woman! What’s the name of the woman in the letter. Pay attention, man!”

“Oh. Right,” Steve mumbled, a light dusting of pink now covering his cheeks. He knew this would be hard, but he wasn’t expecting to be wiped out this early in the game. In his defense, he thought, it had been a long day. Reaching for the letter slowly so as not to wake the sleeping child, Steve read over it again one more time, just for good measure. This time paying a little more attention to the name signed at the bottom of the page. It was a name Steve couldn’t place no matter how much he tried or how far he looked back in his memory. He spoke your name aloud to Sam to see if maybe he would know. At first, Sam was just as confused as he was. The name didn’t seem to ring any bells for him either.

“Wait!” Sam exclaimed suddenly, and admittedly, startling poor Steve. “That’s it!”

Before Steve could question him or scold him for being loud enough to wake the baby, Sam was off running towards the hallway where their bedrooms were. At this point Steve had risen to his feet as well. His first instinct was to go and follow Sam wherever he went in a rush, but with Ellie sleeping mere feet away, Steve’s more acute instincts told him it would be better to wait here. He just didn’t want to leave her alone.

“Sam!” Steve called out in the loudest whisper he would dare. It was a miracle Sam’s outburst didn’t cause Ellie to stir and Steve wasn’t about to risk it a second time. After an eternity, that really only lasted three minutes, Sam came back and he wasn’t empty handed. It took a moment to process what he was holding and when the realization hit him, Steve was horrified.

“Those are Bucky’s journals!” he said in the same whisper-yell as before. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sam? How did you even find those?”

Sam waved him off without looking away from the pages he was turning. “I saw him hiding them one day and I tucked that little bit of information away for a rainy day. Today, my friend, is that rainy day.”

Steve looked out the windows and frowned. “But it’s perfectly sunny outside.”

Sam rolled his eyes and growled. “Metaphorically, Cap. I meant that metaphorically. What’s the matter with you?”

Steve blushed again. He was really off his game right now. “Whatever. You know Bucky’s gonna kill you when he finds out you read his stuff.”

“He’s not gonna do a damn thing.” Sam stopped reading to look at Steve with a serious expression. “Not after we’re cleaning up his mess. Besides,” Sam said quietly, “I’m gonna be the one to kill him first for getting us mixed up in this situation in the first place.”

Of course, Steve had heard that last part, but now wasn’t the time to argue as he watched Sam look through the notebooks in his hands. The front covers were titled with dates from when he started the notebook to when he finished it. From where Steve was standing he could make out that these books were all from the beginning of the year before and some time before that. After some quick calculations in his mind, Steve realized that that was around the time that Bucky was seeing that mystery girl. It didn’t take a genius to realize that she was the mother of Ellie.

“No wonder he was so busy last year,” Steve said, looking down at the sleeping baby girl. It was still a wonder to him that his best friend was together with a woman for so long and together they had a baby he didn’t even know about yet.

Sam’s scoff brought his attention back to the man and the journals. “Oh he got busy alright.”

“Sam, please.” Steve was tired enough as it was, he didn’t need Sam’s lude comments. “Just tell me what you can find out from that.”

“You mean from this chicken scratch that Barnes considers penmanship?” Sam asked mockingly before turning back to the pages and skimming through the words as best he could. “Well it looks like Barnes got some ‘splaining to do.” Sam passed the notebook over to Steve and pointed to a specific passage.

“Shit,” Steve swore. “No wonder he wouldn’t introduce her to us. They were never supposed to be involved in the first place,” he said gravelly.

It all started to click in Steve’s mind now, even the name of the woman from the note. She was a civilian from a past mission they all went on together. She was a hostage taken by agents of A.I.M. and used to negotiate with. She ended up taking out the agent holding her for ransom all by herself, not having taken too kindly to being manhandled and used. She even placed a good few swift kicks to that agents groin for good measure. It started to make sense now as to why Bucky stuck around back then to take her in for medical care and incident debriefing afterwards.

Steve kept flipping through the pages of the notebook and found dozens of sketches, all of the same face. First it had freaked him out to realize that his best friend had quite the secret artistic talent. Second was that with this little portrait Steve was instantly able to confirm that the face on the page, the name on the note, all belonged to one woman. The same woman from that mission and the mother of Bucky Barnes’ baby. You.

Being a victim from a past mission complicated things for his best friend, though. There was to be no fraternization between victims and SHIELD agents or Avengers. It was a little bewildering that Steve didn’t pick up on it sooner with the way Bucky had been acting last year. They knew that he was seeing someone, he had confirmed only that much, but they never thought it strange that Bucky never really left the apartment in order to actually meet anyone new. The only time he would ever interact with anyone aside from their teammates and friends was when they were out on missions saving people. That paired with the fact that he was so keen on finding out about the girl who saved herself and if she would be okay being briefed by just any other agent. Steve now remembered that Bucky had even volunteered to do the briefing himself and that they had talked for hours.

“Can’t believe we didn’t notice it back then. He never stuck around for that stuff.” Sam realized.

“I guess so. Dammit.” Steve muttered under his breath. “No wonder he wouldn't introduce us to her. They were never supposed to be involved in the first place.”

As the day went on, Ellie would wake up from her naps only to be fed and to be changed. It wasn’t easy, but both men found themselves falling easily into a routine as the sun went down.

“So this is for real then?” Sam said just as they put Ellie to sleep in her bassinet for hopefully the last time before morning. “This is really happening?”

“Looks that way, pal,” Steve confirmed. “I don’t think anyone is coming to get this little girl.”

Sam nodded solemnly, the full gravity of the situation still bearing it’s burden down on him. “We gotta tell someone, man. We can’t do this ourselves.”

He didn’t even consider thinking about it, Steve was not about to risk anyone else getting involved with this. “We can’t Sam. This is on us. At least for now. When Bucky gets back–”

“He’s a dead man?” Sam interrupted.

“Among other things, yeah pretty much.”

Chapter Text

The first night passed with, thankfully, no incident. There was a harrowing moment at one point in the night as a siren echoed through the open terrace window. The sound instantly woke Sam and Steve from their spot on the couches, forcing them to jump into action and try to dull the noise before it woke the baby. In the end, they had nothing to worry about as the siren passed and the soothing sounds of Ellie’s quiet breathing kept to a steady slumbering rhythm. They barely slept for the rest of the night after that.

That next morning, the boys realized that they would have to figure something out in terms of explaining their absences to the team back at the Compound. Now that they had moved away on their own, they typically were not expected to return everyday for training, but there would be weekly meetings that they must attend. The next one wasn’t for a few more days, but they weren’t expecting Bucky to be back for quite awhile and it wasn’t like they could just hire a babysitter. Sam and Steve took time to strategize while they fed Ellie her breakfast.

In the short time that they’d all been together, Steve was grateful to find out that Ellie was a pretty well-behaved baby. She smiled and laughed a lot, cried only until she was given what she needed and slept through her naps without so much fussing. Even though she was teething, not even that seemed to bother her too much. She was just a happy baby. Although he worried for her, Steve was incredibly impressed with Ellie’s mother for raising such a sweet little girl all on her own. Whatever it was that made her decide that the only thing she could do was leave the little girl with her, essentially, estranged father must have been severe. He only wished that the woman was safe and would soon be able to reunite with her daughter. Her family. Another small part of Steve hoped that maybe the father would be a part of that family too.

“What plans did you cancel tonight?” Steve asked Sam on the third afternoon spent with Ellie in their lives.

“Dinner date with my lady.” Sam replied as he spoon fed Ellie some kind of fruit mush. “What about you?”

“Nat and I had tickets to see a show with Wanda and Viz.”

“How long are we gonna be able to keep this up?” Sam asked, not taking his eyes off of Ellie. “Good girl, El. Taste good don’t it?”

Steve smiled at the giggle that burst from Ellie’s green goo covered lips and cheeks. No matter how much of a messed up situation it was, it was never enough to make Steve forget how beautiful of a baby Ellie was.

“Yeah well no wonder she’s beautiful. She looks more like her mama than she does Barnes.” Sam would say in those moments when he caught Steve staring.

“She has Bucky’s eyes though.” Steve would stare into them, mesmerized by the beautiful blue orbs the little girl had to match her father’s. Bucky’s gonna fall in love with her at first sight I bet, Steve would think.

The next night they had just put Ellie to bed and were folding the bit of laundry they did of the clothes they bought for her earlier that day. Because as Sam said, the girl needed a bigger wardrobe. It amazed both men how expensive babies were, but when they saw Ellie in the new onesie they chose for her, they couldn’t help but forgive her. It wasn’t an easy job by any means, but together Sam and Steve were able to juggle their responsibilities with Ellie and learn more about raising a baby along the way. This wasn’t something either of them was planning on doing for the rest of their lives, but for now they would just have to make do and help however they could.

By the fourth day, they started seeing more of Ellie’s adorable personality come to light. She laughed at practically everything Sam did and would stop crying the moment Steve picked her up and rocked her gently. At one point in the day Sam checked in at the compound to get an update on Bucky’s mission. Unfortunately he couldn’t find out much aside from the fact that the estimated time of completion for this particular mission shouldn’t be for another week or two apparently.

“By Friday we have to let the other guys know, Steve. We can’t keep this between us for that long without someone getting suspicious.” Sam said as they bathed Ellie that night Tuesday night. “The last thing we need is the Avengers coming to break down our door and seeing us with a child. Imagine the questions.” Sam shuddered.

“I know, I know.” Steve agreed as he gently washed Ellie’s face with a soft cloth. The girl was a bit of a messy eater. “Just two more days until the meeting. Maybe we’ll hear from Bucky before then and figure something out.”

Sam laughed humorlessly. “Oh yeah, that’ll go over well. Tell Barnes about his offspring over the phone while he’s away on a dangerous mission.” He tickled Ellie under the chin. “What do you think, kiddo? Should we call your pops and tell him about you? The fool that he is, he might not even come home if he finds out about her.”

Steve frowned and grabbed a towel to wrap Ellie in now that they were done rinsing her off. He wouldn’t admit it just yet but this was Steve’s favorite part of the day. When he got to hold Ellie close to him and feel her little heart beating through her tiny chest. Still amazed that his best friend had helped in creating a life, and a precious one at that. Even if he didn’t know it just yet.

“Bucky wouldn’t do that, Sam, and you know it.” Steve wrapped Ellie up and kissed her forehead. “The second he finds out about her, he’s not going to want to let her go.”

“And he won’t have to if we don’t find some way to find her mother. Any luck with that yet?” Sam asked as he drained the large sink that they used as a makeshift tub for Ellie. She was still tiny enough to fit in there comfortably.

Steve shook his head while he cradled Ellie in his arms, rocking her back and forth as she bumbled in baby talk. “Unfortunately nothing. She doesn’t have any sort of social media presence. I don’t want to risk pulling up the mission file from two years ago either, just in case that rings any bells with the team. We’ll just have to wait for Buck to get home so he can hopefully fill in some blanks.”

As much as it bugged him to admit, Sam knew that Steve was right and they would just have to wait for Bucky to get back. The team would get suspicious, but as long as one of them showed up to that meeting on Friday the better off they’d be.

“Alright, gimme the kid so I can change her.” Sam said with outstretched arms, but Steve pulled away ever so slightly.

“No it’s alright, I got this. You can go get her bottle ready, though.” Steve smiled down at Ellie. “We’re gonna go get changed into our pjs. Isn’t that right, sweet girl. Time to get ready for bed.” He cooed at the little bundle in his arms, practically feeling his heart burst when she wrapped her tiny digits around his one finger. Sam watched on as Steve continued to gawk at Ellie with a big goofy loving grin on his face and couldn’t help but do the same. The little girl had effortlessly found her way into each of their hearts and held on with a tight grip. Barnes was doomed, Sam thought.

That night, like every other night this week, Sam and Steve each took up a couch in the living room while Ellie’s bassinet was rested atop the large coffee table. At first they argued over whether or not they should set her up in Bucky’s room while they stayed in their own, but that didn’t work out as both men would constantly get up in the night to check on her. Having her sleep in one of their rooms wasn’t an option either as they both argued over who’s room she would stay in. The living room was the final option and it seemed to be working out okay so far. Sam was just thankful that the men had the foresight to buy really comfortable couches.

It was past midnight when a click stirred Steve from his sleep. He thought perhaps Ellie had woken up and was fussing around in her bassinet, but when he looked over she was still sound asleep. He thought perhaps it was Sam’s light snores that woke him, but they hadn’t before and when he heard the click again he knew something was off. He tossed a pillow at Sam to wake him, gently of course, and just as he did something crashed at the front hallway. Sam was awake just as Steve leapt to grab his shield from beside the couch. Both were on high alert as to who the hell could have broken into their apartment. They both circled in front of Ellie protectively, moving forward inch by inch until suddenly all the lights went on. Steve threw his shield toward the door and instead of it knocking out whoever dared to trespass into their home, a metal hand caught it with a deafening clang.

“What the hell?” The deep sharp register of a man’s voice yelled out in the night.

“Bucky?” whispered Steve just as Sam growled, “Barnes!”

The three men stared each other down as the threat of danger faded away and heart rates returned to somewhat normal levels. Before anyone could say another word, though, there was a soft huff heard from the living room just before a wailing cry pierced into the night.

Bucky’s eyes widened dramatically and his skin paled slightly. “What the hell is that?”

Chapter Text

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sam exclaimed as he glared daggers at the infamous soldier.

“I live here?” Bucky said rhetorically. “So much for a, “Welcome home, buddy” or a “How’d the mission go, pal?” The hell’s a-matter with you guys anyways? And what’s that noise?” He started inching closer to them only to be blocked off by the pair.

“You want a nice welcome home, how about I strangle you with my bare hands for a nice welcome home!” Sam was about to lunge at Bucky, but Steve had anticipated the attack and yanked him back by the collar of his sleep shirt. Bucky was a little thrown off by the active hostility and the tension in the room wasn’t getting any better with the baby crying in the background. Steve was a little annoyed with Bucky himself, though.

“We thought someone was breaking in,” Steve said defensively as he placed his fists high on his hips.

The statement made Bucky stare at his friend, both confused and amused. “Breaking in? With a key?” He laughed. “Damn, you guys are intense tonight. What’s gotten into the two of ya’s?”

The crying got more frantic and deafening as the men slowly backed into the living room. It was Steve that broke first and lurched over to Ellie, effortlessly scooping her up, and in seconds flat was calming her down after all the commotion.

All Bucky could do was stare as his best friend held a screaming baby in his hands, rocking her back and forth and murmuring soft words to her. He was frozen in place, shocked at the scenario he found himself in suddenly. The living room looked like a tornado had casually passed through it. He tried zoning in on what was going on between his two friends, but he couldn’t seem to focus on that spot where they were standing.

“Guys, what is that?” he asked shakily.

“Dammit, Barnes. What’s she look like? A labradoodle?” Sam patronized.

“That’s a baby. What’s a baby doing here?” Bucky’s voice sounded far away even to himself as he sputtered out his words. “Who’s is it?” he asked, gravely.

“She,” Steve said proudly. “Her name’s Ellie.”

“Elizabeth actually,” pointed out Sam, puffing up a pillow on his couch and flopping down onto the cushion. “As for her last name that’s up for debate. For right now, though, you could say that her last name is Barnes.”

Bucky turned ashen as Sam said the words. Petrified and stunned into complete silence, his heart beating faster than he ever remembered it doing so. His jaw was so tense that the sound of his teeth grinding together somewhat woke Bucky from his trance. What the hell were they talking about?

“You better sit down for this one, Buck.” Steve said calmly, gently placing a fast asleep Ellie back into her bassinet. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“The fuck do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Bucky exclaimed, his fists held firmly at his sides. He was about to go off again when both Steve and Sam told him to shut up before he woke the baby again. Bucky looked apprehensively at the little bundle in the other room, needing to grip onto the island countertop when he saw her again. He still hadn’t even begun to process the baby thing when he was too busy worrying about her mother.

For the past year and a few odd months, Bucky wasn’t able to get you off of his mind. Finding you after all he had been through, and all you had been through during the day you two met, was like a shining star at the end of a long dark tunnel. Thirteen months he spent with you secretly by his side and Bucky couldn’t remember a happier time in his life. A time that he hadn’t been able to find again since. The end of the relationship came abruptly and without any cause or reason. Everything had been going so well until one day, with tears in your eyes, you told Bucky that it had to end. He fought you on it for hours, even went so far as to beg and plead with you to reconsider, but you would just tearfully shut him down. He grew suspicious about your reasons, clearly seeing that it was breaking you apart as much as it was him. Yet you kept insisting.

So Bucky went away. For your sake he thought because if it was up to him he would still be fighting you to this day to take him back. He only realized when it was much too late what his desperation was really trying to tell him. Now you were missing. Probably scared and alone too. At least enough to leave behind the child the two of you brought into this world together. Except you weren’t together. You had been all alone when Ellie was born and for months still after that. Bucky was smart enough to know that raising a baby on your own was the hardest kind of work there was. He felt sick to his stomach that he wasn’t there for you and worried to his core now that you were nowhere to be found. There was one part of the letter he kept seeing over and over in his mind, unable to shake it.

“I needed to leave her with someone I know I could trust. I’m so sorry, Bucky. Please don’t hate me. Take care of our little girl.”

What kind of trouble could she have possibly been in that she couldn’t come to him with in the first place. “Where could she be, though? What happened to her? Oh god.” Bucky exhaled sharply. “Fuck. I need to go find her.” He pushed away from the island and rushed away towards the front door, but was stopped by both Sam and Steve who barricaded him back into the kitchen.

“Hold on, Buck. We’ll figure that out together. We’ll fix this.” Steve reassured.

“Just calm down, man.” Even Sam sympathized with Bucky at this point. He could see the genuine worry on the soldier’s face.

“But why wouldn’t she come to me? I could have helped her. Could have protected her.” Bucky dropped his head, ashamed and upset. “Should have protected her.”

“She did come to you, Bucky.” Steve said, then pointed over to the living room. “The proof is right over there.”

“Okay listen, Barnes. Just breathe for a second and hear me out.” Sam moved closer to Bucky, resting a firm hand on the man’s flesh and muscle shoulder. “When a woman says, “I need you to do this for me,” then that’s it. You do it. Without question. Cause otherwise she would handle it herself. This woman trusts you enough to leave her child with you. Now there’s no accounting for tastes here, but I think you owe her this much. Trust her to know what she’s doing just like she trusts you enough to take care of her baby.” Sam paused, looked back at Ellie and then straight to Bucky again. “Your baby.”

Bucky still had a look of apprehension on his face, but even he had to admit that Sam was right. Still silent, he took a deep breath in and out before he decided on what he would do next. This was a big step forward in his life and he absolutely could not risk screwing it up. With one final goodbye to his old days, Bucky looked off into the living room at the small basket that stood out like a beacon in the once upon a time bachelor pad. As far as he was concerned, that frilly bassinet in there held his future.

With a resolute nod, Bucky puffed out his chest and nodded. “You’re right. That’s my baby in there and I’m gonna do right by her. But you guys promise that we’ll do something about finding her?” He referred to you. Both Sam and Steve nodded in genuine agreement. “Alright then. I’m gonna go meet my baby girl.”

Steve and Sam remained back in the kitchen as Bucky took measured steps towards the living room where his daughter currently slept. While he was making his way over there, Steve turned to Sam and pat his friend firmly on the shoulder. “That was a nice thing you did for Buck, Sam. You may act like you don’t like him, but you really came through for him just now. I appreciate that.”

Sam just smiled and nodded proudly. “Not bad huh, Cap?” He stopped nodding then gave his friend a wicked side-eye. “But actually what I did just now was set that man up for a sleepless night after an almost week long mission. Not to mention that little girl had green beans for lunch and dinner today.” Sam sighed happily and walked away towards the bathroom for a quick shower, leaving a bewildered Steve and clueless Bucky behind.

Bucky didn’t even notice Sam walking away as he slowly inched closer and closer. He was just glad no one called him out on taking his sweet time getting there. When he finally reached the edge of her bassinet, Bucky felt as though all the air left within his lungs rushed out in a single exhale. Looking down at the slumbering face of his daughter was almost too surreal for Bucky to handle. In that moment he was sure that she was the most beautiful being in existence. “Holy shit. She looks just like her mom,” Bucky quietly whispered, his voice hoarse from all the emotions flowing through him. “She’s fucking beautiful.”

Steve had remained quiet as he watched the scene between his best friend and his daughter. He too was overcome with emotion, but was holding it together better than Bucky was. He walked forward to join the pair and noticed the moisture building up in Bucky’s eyes while he continued to stare at Ellie. “Yeah she is, Buck. Congratulations, man.”

Bucky finally looked away from his daughter, a light stream of tears flowing down his cheeks as he reached out to his best friend and pulled him into a tight hug.