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tsub4ki130 · 2 months ago

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To Be Loved ↳ ❝ ch.02 - Catching up ❞

ᯓ★synopsis here.

pairing: Congressman Bucky Barnes x Fem!OC

summary: Bucky and his family are having dinner at Sam's place.

warnings: no warnings for now. last scene not beta read.

words: 3.4k

author's note: i wish i was kidding when i say i am falling asleep in my chair right now. This chapter gave me such a hard time, it turned out to be a little different from what i had planned but i still liked it a lot! I want to just mention that the last scene was not beta read at all and i wrote it with my eyes almost closing. Also im sorry for the late post, i'm a uni student so most of the time im really busy. hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Previous Chapter

“Are you sure that’s all?” Bucky raised an eyebrow while smiling tenderly at his little princess, observing her attentively go over all the products in the shopping cart.

A bit unsure of her amature reading, she whispered to herself the name of every item while pointing to them and reviewing the little brown notebook in her hands—“Cookie dough, brownies for mommy, veggies and wine (ask daddy !!)” was written in one of the pages that later she showed to the man, her shiny blue eyes looking up to him expecting she had done a great job at picking up everything her mom asked for.

Bucky had all of his attention on her, feeling so proud that her reading had improved that much in the last two months.

She already knew the basics of reading, they made sure she had enough knowledge before she formally started school—And because their initial idea was for her to be homeschooled, an idea that was highly thought of before Kiara scratched it with her very valid reasons and he finally gave in.

“Mommy likes fresh brownies,” She stated with a small frown, getting on her tippy toes and proudly picking up the box of baked brownies, raising it towards Bucky with insistence. “Does Uncle Sam like them, too?”

“You should ask him once we get there, alright?” He stroked her rosy cheeks gently with his knuckles, making her smile and shrug a little because of the cold metal brushing against her warm flesh. “But these,” Bucky chuckled, taking the box from her hands and placing it back on the cart, “are for mommy only.”

With a gentle movement of his head, he signaled her to walk with him towards the cashier. Olivia rushed down the aisle like somebody was about to get there before her, making little jumps and waving her hands at him, hurrying him up only with a light frown on her face.

Bucky greeted the young girl at the cashier with a soft smile, to which she nervously reciprocated with a small nod. He sighed as he began to place all the items out of the shopping cart; the brownie box, some parsley and tomatoes, the raw cookie dough, and two bottles of their favorite wine—Sam’s, too.

“That would be all?” The girl asked while putting everything in a couple of plastic bags, extra bags for the bottles of wine.

“Yes.” He plainly replied between sighs, waiting for the girl to let him know when to pass his card.

Olivia was already trying to hold all the bags in her little arms, and he quickly took the ones with the bottles before she even tried. Once the young girl told him to place his card, Bucky paid, muttering a soft “thanks” after she handed him the receipt.

He couldn’t help but smile widely when his daughter adorably shouted a “thank you” while taking his hand and trying to adjust the lightweight bags on her other arm, the two of them walking towards the store’s exit.

Right at the entrance, Bucky sighed when he noticed the soft drizzle falling from the night sky. He sighed once again, his warm breathing forming a white cloud as he exhaled from his nose. It was cold, autumn was almost saying its goodbyes, and the city was ready to welcome winter.

But Bucky certainly wasn’t. It’s not like he was very fond of it anyway.

“Daddy,” Olivia pulled his hand, looking up at her dad with a worried expression. “We didn’t bring an umbrella.”

Bucky chuckled as she stated the obvious, and he was secretly thankful that she brought him out of his thoughts soon, before he got too immersed.

“I know, princess.” He pulled up the hood of her jacket and then nimbly took off his long black coat, putting it over her for full coverage. “Give daddy the bags, okay?” She nodded.

The man brought his daughter to his arms, wrapping her short legs around his waist as she instinctively held on to his neck. His fleshed hand was placed against her back, and the metal arm held the rest of the bags. Thankfully, he parked the car close enough to the store’s entrance, so the walk was just a few seconds long before it really started to pour.

He opened the door of the back seat, settling his daughter on her car seat and buckling her up nicely before closing the door and then getting himself in the car. The grocery bags were placed on the floor below the passenger seat, and Bucky finally turned on the engines with just the push of a button.

───── ⋆✩⋆

“Uncle Sam!, Uncle Sam!”

Once the apartment door was opened, the little girl jumped into the man’s arms, who was quick to catch her before the two of them fell to the floor. Sam lifted her up, taking her in his arms and carefully tossing her in the air. As he welcomed them to his home, he made way for Bucky to go inside, hugging him briefly as he walked in.

“Where did you leave Kiki, Buck?”

Bucky chuckled and shook his head when he heard the nickname given to his wife, like it was the first time Sam had brought it up. He sniffed and tilted his head with a smile on his face, passing his hands through his beard before looking at his friend.

Sam closed the door and headed over to the kitchen, Bucky was already leaving the plastic bags with the groceries over the island counter at the center of the room, peeking at the stove occupied by a pot with boiling water and a pan that still had nothing in it.

“She’s on her way.” He informed, getting everything out of the bags except for the cookie dough—since that was for their own pantry. “She had an emergency meeting, so Livie and I were in charge of bringing the groceries.”

“Won't you look at that.” Sam exaggerated his words while addressing the little girl in his arms, acting like she did the most incredible job in the world, to which she shyly nodded. “Well, little lady, you've made your uncle really proud.”

Sam put her back on the floor, letting her run to the living room, chuckling at the fact that she knew the place like the palm of her hand, due to the few times Kiara had to ask the man if he could babysit her when Bucky had a busy schedule and she had to clock out late from work.

He was always more than happy to help, to even be reached when needed with things that he knew were so important for Bucky. Sam was aware of how hard it was for him to not be around his daughter, and he knew how anxious he usually gets, so the fact that the man trusted him with something so meaningful, such as his daughter and her safety, meant a lot to him.

Not too many seconds passed when the sound of the TV reached both adults, a SpongeBob episode already blasting through the walls.

Despite the noise playing in the background, the two of them remained silent. Sam expected a little conversation, but the brunette was too immersed in his own mind to even notice the way his face was filled with concern.

He already knew that it was almost like winning the lottery when it came to Bucky and getting that cyborg mind of his to just stop clicking, but some things just didn't go away so easily.

In a poor attempt to wash the vegetables in the sink, Bucky left the water running over both metal and flesh hands, eyes fixated on the barely clean tomatoes. He only snapped when Sam closed the faucet, blue eyes blinking a couple of times before looking up with a slight frown.

There it was, a look that he was very familiar with in the first couple of years of their friendship; something he was used to.

“You good, man?” Sam walked over to the man, encouraging him to move so he could clean and prep the tomatoes for the sauce.

Bucky blinked a couple of times before nodding, his eyes now focused on the way Sam was effortlessly chopping the vegetables on the wooden cutting board.

“Yeah,” he exhaled through his nose, taking a seat on the stool on the other side of the island counter, facing the other man. “Just a bit tired. That's all.”

When Sam raised an eyebrow at him, Bucky huffed while looking away to his phone, checking if his wife had texted him something else or just using it as a sign for Wilson not to ask any more questions.

Luckily enough for him, just when Sam was about to open his mouth to throw some tough love on him as he usually did, the intercom of the apartment announced somebody was at the door. Sam gave him a quick look before walking out to open the door, and soon enough, Bucky heard loud and enthusiastic greetings between Kiara and his friend.

Suddenly, Olivia screamed with excitement as she sprinted from the living room towards the hallway. The bliss in Kiara’s voice when she replied to her was quick to put a smile on him and erase the frown painted on his forehead a few moments ago.

Listening to his girls being filled with so much joy, like music to his ears.

“My dear husband.�� Bucky turned his head around just a little, exhausted ocean eyes meeting with the shiny emeralds of his wife.

He sighed, enamoured with the way she looked.

Dark grey formal pants, a waistcoat that combined with them, and a white shirt underneath. Everything was signed to her body, accentuating her curves but still giving her an elegant attire. She was still wearing her black winter coat, probably because their daughter throwing herself at her didn’t give her time to even try to take it off.

Bucky smiled when she leaned over him to leave a brief kiss on his lips, the soft giggles of their daughter in her arms making both of them put up with a little blush around their cheeks.

Once she put her baby girl back on the floor, letting her go back to the living room, Kiara took off her coat and left it over the counter alongside her purse. Now, both hands met with the warmth of his face, her lips meeting his forehead, eyelids, nose, and finally reaching his lips.

“Hey.” She whispered over his lips, and the way he softly smiled between the small kisses made her heart flutter.

“Hey…” Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist almost like an instinct, following the path of curves from her hips up to her waist out of pure habit. “How was the meeting?”

“It was alright, just a few adjustments to be made within the team for next week.” As she spoke, her hands played with the collar of his shirt, fidgeting as she organized her words. “I’ll tell you later, work hours ended a while ago.”

Before breaking out of the small, intimate moment they were having, she kissed him again. It was quick and out of the blue, leaving him dizzy for a second while he saw her move around the kitchen, her high heels clicking against the marbled floor.

“Do I need to clean my kitchen, or did y’all actually behave?” Sam walked in, lifting both hands at the level of his chest, looking at the two of them one at a time.

Bucky rolled his eyes and muttered an embarrassed “God..”, while Kiara just laughed, throwing a small kitchen towel towards Sam, cheeks blushing red.

───── ⋆✩⋆

“Keep it together, Kiki, c’mon!” Sam blasted in laughter when she stood up abruptly from the couch, seemingly upset at the TV.

Kiara chugged on her beer after an irritated grunt, running her fingers through her parted hair that usually covered the left side of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She had never seen the Knicks fumble so badly, and Wilson was more than happy about that, given the fact that by the end of the game, she would probably have to pay the bet they made earlier.

She rolled her eyes the more Sam kept trying to calm her down, avoiding arguing with him to the point where her need to punch him in the face could be greater than her self control. She didn't play when it came to her favorite basketball team, and Sam knew that, which is why he was being a complete annoying dickhead.

At the other side of the couch, an unbothered Bucky was comfortably laid-back down, a soft smile gracing his face as he watched in silence how his two favorite people acted so funny yet serious over a NBA game. Obviously, he was on his wife's side, but he preferred not to enter the war zone they had created across the living room.

Dinner ended just about three hours ago with some wine and a heartfelt conversation. It’s been a few months since they got the chance to get together, with Sam being so busy with his duties as Captain America and Bucky filled with paperwork, hearings and conferences at Congress, it was almost impossible for them to catch up.

And the only time they found themselves somewhat “free” happened to be on a weekday. The couple didn’t mind taking their daughter everywhere with them, but there were conversations that the little one was not supposed to hear—like listening to her father talk about how difficult it has been for him to adapt to this new going-to-preschool thing.

Bucky was glad that Olivia had completely knocked out after eating. She had told him earlier in the car that she was feeling very sleepy, but he insisted she couldn’t go to sleep with an empty stomach.

It took Kiara to help her eat half the plate of pasta before the little girl started dozing out at the table.

The woman had to take her to the guest room so she wouldn’t fall asleep at the table, and that moment was a great opportunity for Sam to ask Bucky how he was dealing with the whole new experience.

Needless to say, it was still hard for him, but he's trying to stay as positive as he can for her. She was happy, she was learning new things—most importantly, making new friends. That’s all he needed to stay at ease, for now.

“How’re you holding on, Mrs. Barnes.” Sam was laughing and loudly clapping with his hands, mocking Kiara while pointing at the marker shown in the corner of the TV screen. The Knicks were getting crushed by twelve points.

“You better tone it down, Wilson.” She muttered between her teeth, eyes widening as a warning while she pointed to Olivia, who was peacefully sleeping over Bucky's chest. “Don't make me break your neck in front of my daughter.”

“Wow…, hold on a minute, my lady.” He lifted his hands as a sign of peace, his brown eyes immediately going to her husband in search of help.

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head briefly.

“Alright, you two are done. Turn that off.”

“No.” Both of them said in unison.

Kiara huffed and accommodated back on the couch, this time right next to Bucky, her head resting on his shoulder as she muttered all existing insults towards the other team, getting soft laughs out of him. Sam, seated on another couch closer to the TV, attempted to swallow a chuckle, trying to focus back on the game and holding himself back from annoying her—He didn’t want to be threatened by Bucky, either.

Although, she was way scarier than him.

Bucky let out a soft sigh after a few minutes of complete silence, his lips gently kissing the top of Olivia’s head. She had woken up a few minutes ago, finding her way out of the guest room to where her dad was just to interrupt his conversation with the others and make him her comfortable warm bed, instantly going back to sleep once Bucky started patting her back and rocking her side to side.

He didn’t mind that she did those things, in fact, it made him feel complete. To know that his daughter needs him and finds comfort in him, that she feels safe in his arms—Made him the happiest he could ever be.

“She’s really tired.” He whispered, his eyes focused on the men running around the court on the TV, but not really paying attention to it.

Kiara turned her head to meet with his profile, acknowledging the tiredness in his eyes. She exhaled briefly through her nose, taking her phone from the center table to check the time. It was very close to midnight, which was why she also felt a bit sleepy.

Their little family was always up before sunrise, but that day work—and school, felt heavier than usual for them.

Bucky turned to see her, meeting her green eyes and immediately smiling. He leaned to leave a kiss on her temples, and he nimbly adjusted his daughter in his arms, sitting up straight on the couch. Kiara followed, looking for her purse and gathering Olivia’s backpack and jacket.

Sam noticed the small movements of their friends and took his eyes away from the game, taking his jokes aside and his voice coming out calm yet a bit concerned.

“That’s one sleepy family.” A smile graced his face as he whispered.

Bucky chuckled, standing up from the couch. His arms acted like a small seat holding all the weight of his daughter, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face still snuggling against his neck.

“Yeah-, well,” he pressed his lips and raised his eyebrows, “We have to get this one home, she’s been getting up at 6am every day.”

“And the office has not been really gentle with us, either.” Kiara added, clearly referring to her unexpected after-work meetings, and Bucky sometimes having to stay late in the office reviewing bills and proposals.

Sam nodded, understanding.

“I get that, guys. Besides,” he stood up, taking the remote and turning the TV off, immediately forgetting about the game, “parenting is not an easy task, and you’ve been going through a lot of anxiety lately.”

That last line was more for Bucky than it was for Kiara, although it didn’t mean she was not feeling anxious about this big change that was having their daughter away from their sight for almost half a day.

It was frustrating for her, too, worrying. Yet, she felt the need to keep it together more than Bucky, because she knew he was having it worse than her.

“It’s a bit late.” Sam stated the obvious as he checked on his wrist watch. He turned to Kiara, who was already holding hers and her daughter’s stuff. “What do you think about spending the night?”

“No, Sam-” Bucky immediately interrupted, voice tired and heavy, yet Sam shook his head no.

“Seriously man, you should see your face, you look beat up.” Bucky rolled his eyes and tried to insist again, but he was instantly shut down again. “Don’t make me beg you, Buck. You can stay in the guest room, the bed is big enough for the three of you. Little koala princess over here will be alright.”

Bucky closed his eyes and sighed before turning to look at his wife. Kiara was also very tired to even drive herself, and he really was trying to push the idea of going home. He’s not concerned about driving while being exhausted, it would not be the first time he’s done that, but he also considered the fact that he had his family’s safety in his hands.

“We can stay, baby.” the woman whispered to him in an attempt to keep their daughter asleep. Bucky frowned, a small pout graced his lips as he was not so content with the idea. He didn’t want to burden Sam. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, Livie has no school, it’d be fine.”

“I know, but-,” he sighed, “I gotta go to the office tomorrow morning, and-”

“I can take them back home once they wake up.” Sam offered, gentle smile towards them.

Bucky closed his eyes again, and Kiara kissed his lips briefly, letting him know she had already made the decision. He was not going to argue, and once he looked back at Sam, a soft “Thank you” slipped from his lips.

The man simply nodded, wishing them a good night while giving hugs and a gentle pat to the little girl’s back. He locked eyes with Bucky, his hand landing on his metal arm and patting him, too.

“Your family will never be a burden to me, Buck.”

Bucky pressed his lips, and he nodded with his head while retrieving him with the same affectionate gesture.

He was glad to have Sam as a friend.

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tsub4ki130 · 2 months ago

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To Be Loved ↳ ❝ [CH.01 - New routine] ¡! ❞

ᯓ★synopsis here.

pairing: Congressman Bucky Barnes x Fem!OC

summary: Bucky has a hard time accepting that his daughter has to go to her first day of preschool.

warnings: slight mention of Bucky's past and the effect it still has on him i guess (?).

words: 3.3k

author's note: I know tumblr is more about character x reader but i enjoy more using my OCs, so i hope you enjoy Kiara as much as i do :') i was so excited writing this chapter, i reviewed it like crazy and also have my lovely bestfriend beta read for me. this fic is also going to be uploaded on AO3, i'm going to link it below! i hope you guys enjoy it.

It was still odd to him.

Being woken up in the early morning by rays of sunshine coming through the windows and in between the curtains, instead of abruptly opening his eyes in the middle of the night, cold drops of sweat running down his face as an ongoing loop of a memory of him from decades ago leaving “no witnesses” was heavily vivid on his mind.

To wake up and realize he’s being held in the arms of the person he loves the most, to feel the warmth of her body against his each morning, to hear her slow and calm breathing—It felt so distant, so strange, yet it always felt right.

Bucky wanted to be somebody’s safe place, and he’s been exactly that for the past eight years. To his wife, and to his daughter. Yet he could never shake the feeling of not being good enough for them, it was the only thing that kept him up at night most of the time.

Last night was no exception, which was a big problem that day, given the fact that he had an important meeting at Congress, and he barely had three hours of sleep.

He sighed through his nose, accommodating himself on his back, trying not to move much so that could wake up the woman that was comfortably cuddling up to his bare chest. Blue eyes focused on the digital clock over the nightstand to his right, 6AM turning on and off.

He didn’t need an alarm, the routine given to him in the military was still very much engraved in his head despite how many decades have past, so no matter how much he did or didn’t sleep, the bed would always spit him out before sunrise.

“A few minutes more…” Her raspy voice startled him, immediately making him look down to her lazily rubbing her face against his chest.

“You’re awake.” The man stated the obvious, and she granted him a little snore preceded by a soft chuckle.

“I am, though I wish I could just stay like this for a little longer.” Her arms wrapped tighter around him, plump lips kissed his chest before she could break the warm contact of their bodies.

He plopped his head on the pillow, sighing again as his eyes followed her naked figure moving around the spacious bedroom looking for her silk robe to cover herself, aware that their little one could barge into the room at any moment.

“But I’m aware my dear husband has important places to be, and I,” She pointed to her chest, a big smile gracing her lips. “Have a little girl to get ready for preschool.”

Bucky closed his eyes and frowned as he held his fingers up to his temples, making a headachy expression once the word preschool came out of her mouth.

“Kiara, baby, can we please talk about that again?” He was pleading, and by the way she turned to look at him, drowsy green eyes and arms crossed over her chest, he knew she was not up to discuss anything.

She sat on the bed again, brushing the ruby red strands of hair that messed up her head before securing it with a big hair clip. The woman felt a pair of arms–one colder than the other, gently wrapped her waist, messy strands of his hair peek through the fine silk of her robe as he rubbed his face against her stomach.

“Please?”

He kissed her over the fabric, a smirk on his lips when he heard a soft sigh leaving her mouth and her hands made her way to his hair, stroking it with care.

“We won’t discuss it again, Buck,” She whispered before kissing his temples. “She should’ve started preschool last year, honey. We delayed it because you insisted the schools were not safe enough.”

“Well, I-”

“Every school in Brooklyn we looked into.”

She raised an eyebrow expecting a comeback, yet he said nothing, making a thin line with his lips and hiding his face on her thighs, hands caressing the soft melanated skin below his fingers.

Kiara knew it was difficult for Bucky, after all he’s been through, and after all that has happened in the world—in their country, what would he do if he couldn’t protect them? It was a fear he had really close to his chest, a fear that would often drift him to hours of dissociative and anxious thinking.

The fact that their daughter has to be in a place that couldn’t guarantee her safety against any kind of threat made his mind go into a spiral.

If something ever happened to their daughter, or his wife, he would not have the guts to live with that.

“This is one of the best and safest schools in the state. It’s closer to your office than it is from mine, and we chose it that way to make you feel more at ease with the idea.” The woman held his face between her soft hands, thumbs caressing his growing beard. “She needs to socialize with kids her age, honey…”

“I know, I know.” Bucky let out a deep sigh, rubbing his nose bridge before clearing his throat. “It’s just that,” He clenched his jaw in an attempt to avoid his voice breaking. “I’m worried.”

Kiara tilted her head, clearly confused. What more was there to worry about? They had already discussed everything. Bucky knew that look on her face, and proceeded to break contact with her, sitting straight next on the bed, hands fidgeting with each other over his lap as he searched for the right words.

Now she was the one getting worried.

“The school is being notified that she is my daughter. That I am her dad.” He took a deep breath. She still wasn’t getting it. “I’m already aware that there have been… complaints, from some of the other parents.”

The way her face dropped was enough to make him think it was a bad idea to tell her. There was no one else on the planet more overprotective of him than her, so whenever she finds out about this kind of stuff being said, it truly makes her blood boil.

With the amount of backlash they have received over the years, someone would think that they had already gotten used to it. But no, and somehow it managed to get worse after their daughter was born. People warning Kiara, questioning if she made the right decision to be with “a man like that”, asking her if she wasn’t scared that some old habits of his might come back; talking nonsense as if they knew him. Even after he was pardoned, after the insane amount of assistance he has given to the government, and even after the incredible job he has been doing at Congress… People still saw the lethal man of his past.

A past that he had no control over.

A past she had no right to judge, considering hers was on the same path as his.

Bucky could see it in her eyes as they gradually began to turn to really dark green compared to how clear they normally were. She was pissed, and he knew that whatever was going through her mind at that moment was not a good idea in any way possible. Luckily, just before she opened her mouth, the creek sound of the bedroom door getting slowly opened was enough to shut her down before she even got a chance to consider setting the entire PTA on fire.

Tiny, lazy steps filled the sudden silence in the room as the sleepy five year old made her way to the king sized bed, standing on the right side of it as she tried to crawl up to the mattress. The man gave a quick glance to his wife, who in that moment had to take a deep breath and get up, walking towards the bathroom and closing the door half way.

She needed time to calm herself down, and Bucky felt bad that he even brought the topic to the point of causing this small disturbance within her.

“Daddy, up.”

Bucky met with a pair of drowsy, light blue eyes, just like his, and a smile was quickly drawn into his face. His metal arm reached her, effortlessly bringing her up and placing her on his lap with all the gentleness in the world as he left a kiss at the top of the messy brown hair.

“Morning, puddin’.” He rubbed her back as she found her way to his chest, resting her tiny being against him.

It was not a surprise to him that she was up so early in the morning. His daughter was just like him, an early bird since birth, her big and shiny ocean blue eyes with a hint of green wide open at five in the morning. He chuckled to himself, suddenly remembering all those sleepless nights they both had to stay awake for because their precious little one was doing everything except sleeping.

Bucky used to hold her just like that, her entire body curled up over his chest, one of his hands being capable of covering her entire body because of how small she was. Now, her hands and legs wrapped around his torso like an adorable koala, and her face often hiding in the crook of his neck.

For somebody who’s a hundred and nine years old, this time felt like life was going just a little bit too fast.

After a few minutes that felt like long hours of warm snuggles for the tired man, just when he believed he was going to get a bit more sleep, he sensed Kiara finally getting out of the bathroom, now wearing black leggings and a sleeveless top underneath a soft cardigan. Bucky was wide awake again once he sniffed the scent of her body wash, making him open his eyes just to find her trying to take their daughter from his arms.

“Wake up, Livie…” The woman whispered to the little girl as she snuggled up against her. Kiara was enamoured, leaving kisses all over her puffy face, listening to her low giggles. “Let’s get you ready, c’mon.”

Bucky watched them from the bed, the right corner of his mouth raising a bit as his gaze softened. Before his wife walked out of the room, she gave him a look that was more than loud and clear, which made him deeply exhale, leaving him with no choice other than to get up himself.

───── ⋆✩⋆

She took a glance at the moon-shaped clock on top of the white cabinet in front of her daughter’s bed, marking just a few minutes past seven. She sighed to herself, there was still no need to rush, the school opened at 8:30AM, so Kiara would be grateful if she actually managed to give everyone breakfast before they left.

Her hands finished adjusting the small uniform, a dark red overall dress over a white turtleneck with long sleeves. The weather channel that day said temperatures would keep dropping throughout the day, and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to come home with a runny nose and a worrying fever.

“Have you decided which jacket to wear, honey?” The woman pointed to a deep blue and a hot pink puffer jacket spread over the carpeted floor.

Olivia brought her finger to her chin, pondering the options for at least three seconds before pointing at the deep blue one. Kiara smiled gently at her, giving a small nod as she stood up with both clothing pieces in her arms, leaving one for her daughter to hold and keeping the other in the closet.

Kiara was leaving everything organized in the bedroom, too immersed in her own thoughts while trying to figure out which way to style her daughter’s hair would be quicker—and which hairstyle wouldn't lead to a meltdown. She took the small bag where she kept all the hairstyling essentials, such as hair ties, a hairbrush and a few accessories her daughter loved to wear on a daily basis—mostly to fish for compliments from her daddy.

Once she turned around, expecting to find her exactly where she left her, there was no one. A soft sigh escaped her lips and a small smile surfaced on her face when she walked out of the room and went downstairs, knowing exactly where her daughter would be.

While navigating the first floor of the house, her eyes immediately drifted to their family pictures scattered all over the place. On the walls, in shelves—everywhere you looked, there were photos of them. Their wedding on the beach, Olivia's newborn photos, old pictures of Bucky with Steve in the 40s, pictures where he was hanging out with Sam, them with the Wilsons, photos of their trip to Wakanda… a lot of pictures, memories that they often cherished and wished they could go back to.

Kiara couldn't help it, she always felt a bit of pity towards herself. Before Bucky, she had no family, no friends—she didn't even know her parents. At least he had Steve, and then he found Sam… And then, her. But she had no one, and going from having nothing to having everything was never not going to be overwhelming to think about.

“Where are your shoes, baby girl?” The clear concern on Bucky's voice came to her ears all over from the kitchen, snapping her out of her mind almost immediately. “You're gonna get your pretty socks all dirty.”

“But daddy, I wanted to show you the jacket I chose.” She whined, surrounding the kitchen island to where Bucky was—right in front of the stove, and she lifted the puffer jacket towards him, insisting. “Dad!”

“Livie, you can't be near the stove while it's on.” He reprimanded her with sweetness, looking down to where she was and holding her up to quickly leave her sitting down on the kitchen counter behind him. “Let me finish here and then I'm all yours, alright?”

She inflated her cheeks and frowned while hugging the jacket against her chest, her tiny feet hanging out and moving impatiently after Bucky kissed the top of her hair and went back to tend the stove before the pancakes could burn.

The woman finally entered the spacious kitchen, chuckling when she noticed the expression painted on her daughter's face, but all her attention quickly went to her husband. Bucky was half-way ready, he had his formal navy blue pants and belt on, yet she could see the exposed undershirt due to his white shirt being entirely open, letting her know he had just put it on before coming down.

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips while approaching him, tapping his arm.

“You should be getting yourself ready, mister.” She raised an eyebrow, now closing her arms. “I told you I would take care of breakfast. You're gonna be late.”

“I'm almost done here, I promise.” He whispered, almost sounding like he was begging. Kiara frowned slightly, and he exhaled when he noticed.

The look he gave to her was definitely a pleading one, but a form of pleading that let her know he really needed to continue with whatever he was doing at the moment, and finish it. She said nothing, just nodded with a soft smile, and left a gentle caress on his shoulder before walking away, focusing on her daughter again, trying to convince her to go with her to put her shoes on and to do her hair.

Bucky was grateful that Kiara knew him so well to know what he needed with just a simple glance.

There was a lot going on that morning for him. Having to prepare himself mentally to deal with the people at the Congress, to endure the concerned and unsure approach of other members towards him, the gossiping, the looks of disapproval of his presence within people like them. He had to do that almost every week, and he was never getting used to it, of the reports and papers he had to read and sign, the speeches, the meetings, everything. The weight of this job never goes away, no matter how many years pass, yet it was bearable enough.

But having to prepare for his daughter's first day at preschool, was something he still couldn't excel.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit scared. He had his reasons. The fear of how other kids may treat her just because she's the daughter of a man with such a dark past. Only the Gods know what kind of things those kids are aware of, what their parents might have told them about him, about who he used to be, what he used to do. He was afraid his little girl might have a hard time because of him, because of his past and the unimaginable things he's done that she still doesn't know about.

What if they pick on her.

What if they leave her behind.

What if they tell her.

“Honey…” He was quickly brought back to his senses, feeling a gentle hand over his right arm.

The man blinked a couple of times, a long exhale leaving his mouth as he slowly realized he had entirely broken the handle of the pan with his left hand. He was about to start apologizing in small whispers, yet Kiara didn't let him, holding his face between her hands and feeling her heart aching once those blue eyes started to be filled with heavy tears.

“I'm sorry.”

“No. You are not saying sorry for anything.” She quickly stated, more like an order, a warning. But he was too in his head.

He melted into her arms, his face hiding in the crook of her neck while his arms wrapped her entire body, holding her as close as he could. She had closed her eyes the moment he leaned down, her hands caressing his hair and down to his back, where she patted him and soothe him while rocking him side to side really slowly.

“She's going to have a great day.” Those words only made him tighten his grip around her, and she didn't complain. “She's excited. She picked her jacket the same color as your suit, because she wants to wear something to match with her daddy.”

Bucky lifted his head, and the clear look of disbelief on his face was enough to get a soft giggle out of her while she wiped the tears off his face.

“You are everything to her, Bucky. Nothing will change that.”

He took a deep breath, a really deep and shaky one.

Normally, he could barely show any sign of emotion other than his usual “grumpy” expression towards others, his piercing blue eyes letting you know how done he was with your sole presence. But with his family, it was a whole different story. Bucky felt he was allowed to show himself entirely, to let go of his deepest emotions however he needed to.

He felt seen—By his wife and even his daughter. And that's all he needed to feel grounded.

Kiara smiled fondly at him, tilting her head as a way of telling him to look behind him. Bucky sniffed and did as he was told, and the view of their daughter coming into the kitchen while poorly trying to adjust her new backpack over her shoulders came before his eyes.

“Daddy, please help…” She let out a soft grunt followed by a whine as she pulled from his pants, wanting to get his attention.

The man gave one last look to his wife, one that let her know he was going to try, that he was willing to accept this new routine, and be as supportive as he needed to be for his daughter.

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