Chapter Text
The days after Halloween probably had to be the best and worst days for dentists. Days with kids coming in with cavities screaming probably wasn't pleasant, but it is extra money and a great opportunity for kids to learn that a dentist wasn't a fun place.
Steve did his best to make sure he rubbed Bucky's teeth in the mornings and before bed time. But now even he could tell the wet towel wasn't enough. Especially with Bucky eating a lollipop two or three times a day. So before Bucky got a cavity, he asked Bruce is it okay for him to start on toothpaste.
He replied yes.
Steve asked Natasha to go out and get a toothbrush and toothpaste safe for toddlers early in the morning. She left the bag outside of the door with a note saying 'good luck with this :)'. He needed all the luck he could get.
After Bucky woke up and had breakfast, he immediately requested a lollipop. Steve still hated that Stark gave him so much. So to prevent Bucky from taking without asking, he hid them and only gave them when he did good things around the apartment.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Lolli, please?"
"Go put your bowl in the sink and go grab a wet napkin so you can wipe down the table." Said Steve. Bucky groaned at command but did put his bowl in the sink and got a wet napkin to wipe the table.
"You have to do more than just the edges, bud, get to the middle." Bucky hated this. This was a new thing he had to do and he hated it. Why couldn't he just get the lolli?
"Done."
"Yes, that looks good. Here you go." Steve gave the lollipop. Bucky went to the couch and put it in his mouth. Of course, he started to drool around it. Harley put her front paws on the couch and sniffed Bucky's mouth.
"No, Harley down." Commanded Steve. Harley got down and sat by his feet. Harley was also finding the opportunity to start licking Bucky's face when he drooled. Steve doesn't know when or why she thinks she is his mother and has to wipe his face when he drooled but it was gross and definitely needed to stop. Bucky didn't really care that Harley was in his face as long as she didn't touch his lolli.
When Bucky finished his candy, he drank his milk and Steve brought him in the bathroom.
"Okay, we're going to try something new with teeth brushing time." Bucky started to whine. Whenever they tried something new, he didn't like it.
"Okay, this is a toothbrush and this is toothpaste. So instead of the towel, we can use this."
"Chase."
"Yes. Hopefully that will motivate you a little." Steve wet the toothbrush and put a little toothpaste on it.
"Okay, open." Bucky opened his mouth.
"You hold it like this and you move it back and forth then left to right then back and forth again." Bucky tilted his head. Steve got Bucky's hand and put the toothbrush in his hand.
"Just like this." Steve moved the toothbrush around his mouth. Bucky shook his head around and bit the brush.
"I know it feels weird. It doesn't hurt, right?"
"No hurt."
"Okay, it'll take some getting used to. But you need to start learning how to brush your teeth." Bucky stared at the brush then bit it. Steve tried to get the brush out his mouth but he really had a grip on it.
"Bucky, let go." Bucky let go of the brush and left the bathroom. Steve rinsed the brush and put it in the cup. It was a good first try. Steve just hoped the toothbrush would be able to last his biting.
After a long needed nap, Steve went to go get Bucky only to find that he wasn't in the bed. He checked under the bed and in the closet. He wasn't in the room.
"Bucky? Harley?" Then he heard giggling from the bathroom. That was odd. He went in the bathroom and saw Bucky sitting on the floor with toothpaste all on the floor. Harley immediately walked out when the door was open, he didn't blame her, it recked of mint. Steve saw that his adult toothpaste tube was empty and decorated the floor and on his hands and hair. The toddler toothpaste was empty, but it didn't look to be anywhere. Steve was completely stunned, Bucky has never done this even with his adult toothpaste.
"Buck, what did you do with your toothpaste?"
"Yummy." He ate it. He ate a full tube of toothpaste. Steve blinked away the shock and got his phone. First, he took a picture then called Nat while he got Bucky up.
"Yes, Rogers?"
"I need you and Rumlow over here."
"Is Bucky alright?"
"He's done something weird and I don't know what to do."
"Okay, we're coming." She hung up. Steve looked at Bucky who was drooling excessively. He smelled of fruit and mint and Steve didn't know what do.
Five minutes later, Nat and Rumlow came. They looked at Bucky, who was still drooling and playing with the toothpaste in his hair.
"What did he do?" Asked Nat looking at his hair.
"I was going to go get him from his nap, he wasn't in bed. I heard him in the bathroom and I saw him sitting in there covered in my toothpaste. And I think he ate his."
"You ate a full tube of toothpaste?" Asked Rumlow stunned.
"Yummy." Bucky smiled.
"Your breath smells fruity." Said Rumlow.
"It was fruity flavored. Honey, you can't eat that stuff. You're lucky I got one that was safe to swallow."
"You should go see the bathroom." Said Steve. Rumlow and Nat went to the bathroom then came back shocked. Bucky saw their faces and laughed.
"Kid, that's not funny. Did you eat any of daddy's?" Asked Rumlow.
"Yucky."
"Okay and what do you want us to do?"
"Is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah, people who make toddler toothpaste know that they tend to eat things when it taste good. So its okay to eat, I would be more worried if he ate your toothpaste." Said Nat. Bucky was still playing with his sticky, minty hair.
"Okay, how about you two go clean him up and I'll go get him another toothpaste that won't be so yummy." Nat left. Steve and Rumlow looked at Bucky.
"Alright, let's go clean up." Said Steve. Bucky made grabby hands at him. He wanted to be picked up.
"No. You'll be in timeout after we clean you up." Said Steve. Bucky whined then turned to Rumlow.
"Sorry kid, his rules." Said Rumlow. Bucky cried and started to scream. He kicked out at Steve and bit his arm. Steve came behind him and held his arm behind him.
"Relax and take a deep breath." Said Steve. Bucky stopped screaming but didn't relax. Bucky started to growl, Harley laid on his legs and licked his hand. Rumlow crouched in front of Bucky and touched his face.
"Calm down, everything is alright. You know what you did was bad. Didn't you?" Asked Rumlow. Bucky nodded. "And you know when you do bad things, you get a time out. So don't be upset about it." Bucky took a deep breath then he smiled.
"Say sorry to daddy."
"Sowwy daddy."
"It's alright, now we're going to the bathroom and we're going to clean up the mess and your hair. Okay?" Bucky nodded. He stood up and went with them to the bathroom. They cleaned up the toothpaste, Steve washed Bucky's hair, to which he didn't like.
After the hair washing and Rumlow and Bucky wrestling each other, Nat came back with toddler toothpaste that didn't have flavor and a few baby locks and another tube for Steve.
"Okay, you put these on doors that hold dangerous liquids, like bleach. I'm upset that you didn't get these earlier. But lock up those detergents before he makes himself sick and lock up the medicine cabinet. You too, Rumlow."
"He wouldn't do that around me."
"Toddlers are smarter than you think. If that stuff isn't locked up properly, he'll eat it. Unless you want him to drink laundry detergent?"
"No, I'll buy the locks. You are such a trouble maker." Said Rumlow tickling his stomach. Bucky laughed and chewed on his necklace.
"We'll if you don't need us anymore, we'll get going." Said Nat.
"Wait, are you two together or something?"
"Don't get hit Rogers." Said Nat.
"Papa loves daddy." Bucky laughed.
"Bucky." Said Rumlow leaving with Nat. Steve smiled then looked at Bucky who was staring at him.
"You know what you need to do right?"
"Lolli?"
"Time out, now. Twenty minutes." Bucky groaned and sat in his corner. Steve didn't even consider that Bucky would start to put stuff in his mouth if it smelled sweet. His laundry detergent smelled sweet and if Bucky got into that and got sick, he wouldn't forgive himself. Steve put the dishwashing soap in a cabinet and locked it. He went in the laundry room and locked the detergent in a cabinet. He also locked up the medicine cabinet with the toothpaste. Steve now felt a little better than he did a couple of hours ago.
Twenty minutes later, Bucky was done with his punishment. He snuggled with Steve.
"You still smell minty, Buck."
"Yucky."
"You're not yucky, just silly." He said rubbing their foreheads together.
"You silly."
"I didn't eat a full tube of toothpaste, you little joker." Steve tickled his sides, Bucky laughed and got on the floor to escape the tickles.
"Daddy, lolli."
"Not now. You don't need anymore sweets for a while." Bucky groaned and got up. He went in the kitchen and noticed the locks on the cabinet. These weren't here before, or were they? He didn't remember.
"Bucky, what are you doing?" Said Steve getting up. Bucky sat down in front of the locks and tried to get it off. It wouldn't budge. He did smell something sweet, he needed to get to that.
"Stop it." In that cabinet was his lollipops. Steve might have to double lock that. Bucky looked like he wanted to bite it, but Steve picked him up from the floor before he could.
"Do you want a snack?" Bucky nodded. Steve poured a bowl of goldfish. Steve was about to sit him at the table, but Bucky shook his head.
"What do I say about food on the couch?"
"Please?" Steve couldn't say no to his blue eyes. Bucky always had that advantage over him. Steve let him eat on the couch. They watched a movie for the rest of the afternoon.
Soon it was dinner time, it was pasta night. The messiest night. Sauce and noddles always found their way into Bucky's hair. Steve could only laugh as Bucky ate the pasta. He did eat the pasta but most of it just ended up on the table.
"Alright, my messy boy. Let's go clean up." Steve was glad he took his shirt off, red sauce stains weren't needed.
"Lolli, please."
"Go clean the table." Steve gave him a wet napkin. Bucky cleaned the edges then the full table after Steve told him to. Steve picked him up and brought him in the bathroom. After a relatively calm bath time, it was time for teethbrushing.
"Let's try this again." Steve started to brush his teeth. Bucky frowned then tried to get away.
"Yucky."
"It doesn't have flavor and that's a good thing, now you won't be so tempted to eat it. And you can learn how to brush your teeth." Bucky didn't like it.
"How about you follow what daddy does?" Steve got his toothbrush and toothpaste. Steve had to put on the toothpaste for him.
"Alright, put your brush under the water." Steve put his under the water, Bucky watched him then put his brush under the water.
"Good. Now start here and move back and forth." Steve started to brush in the back, Bucky followed him. They moved towards the middle then towards the back again.
"You're doing so good. Now open and do it again." They brushed again.
"Good now spit in there." Steve spit first. Bucky was trying to swallow.
"No, out." Bucky tried to spit it out. Then he coughed it up.
"We'll work on that part." Steve rinsed his mouth and got a small cup of water for Bucky.
"You can swallow that." Bucky swallowed then licked around his mouth. Steve wiped his mouth with a towel then brought him the bedroom.
"This was much better. I still can't believe you ate that toothpaste." Said Steve changing him. Bucky giggled. Steve tickled his stomach causing him to laugh.
"You still have so much to learn. But you're only two and a fast learner." Steve kissed his head and tucked him in bed. Bucky fell asleep quickly, Steve stroked his hair and sighed. Bucky was a fast learner and was very clever. So now Steve constantly had to watch him. He knew Bucky would eventually try to break those locks. He just hoped Bucky had enough sense to try not to eat or drink something that he wasn't supposed to. But as always Bucky was very unpredictable and that scared him. At least now he had a new screensaver.