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There was a distinct learning curve for all three of you when Poe arrived. You had visions of early morning snuggles, warm, and cozy in bed with your man and puppy. The reality was something very different.
“Oh no! Not again!” you scold as Poe tries in vain to wiggle his little butt under your blankets. It’s your first weekend morning with him and you just want to sleep in a little. Bucky had taken him out for his morning potty trip and now he was ice cold and far too wiggly.
“Come on, he just needs mama snuggles.” Bucky protests on Poe’s behalf, giving you equally sad puppy dog eyes.
You grumble but make room, allowing both man and beast to slide into the warm bed next to you. It’s barely a minute before Poe and Bucky are both restless and resort to playing peek-a-boo with the comforter. Cold air hits your bare skin and you squeal, displeased with the commotion in your bed. Giving up on your dreams of warm, snuggly weekend mornings you get up to find clothes and start the coffee.
“My boys.” you call out affectionately from the doorway when you return. Bucky is sprawled out on his back with Poe flopped on top his chest, having apparently worn each other out with their play. You set the coffee mugs down on your dresser and pull your phone off of it’s charging station so you can snap a few pictures of the saccharine sweet domestic scene. Bucky grins up at you from the bed and extends his right hand, beckoning you to join them.
Bucky straightens up so you can hand him his mug and Poe reluctantly shifts down onto his lap. He hasn’t bothered to put his prosthetic on yet but he did carefully pin up the empty sleeve on his left; there will be no risking leaving it down in bed and having Poe think it’s a toy again. “I think the snow’s almost here. The wind was picking up a bit while we were out earlier.” Bucky tells you.
“I hate March snow storms, just when you think we’re done… Nope! And I’m sorry it ruined your party, love.” You kiss his shoulder gently to punctuate your apology. You had spent an hour on the phone with Pepper canceling and rearranging everyone’s plans the night before when the severity of the pending storm was confirmed.
“It’s not a big deal, we can go up in two weeks and it’ll be just as fun. ‘Sides, I’d rather spend the weekend curled up with you two anyway.”
Shooting him an indulgent smile you lean your head to rest on his shoulder lightly. As much fun as it would have been to see everyone again, a quiet weekend at home to get adjusted with Poe is a much more appealing option. Bucky is, as you suspected, a completely over the top puppy-dad. He had spent the better part of his nights the past two days finding “the best” dog care items out there from a feeding bowl with a time release function to a cozy dog bed that looked like an actual human bed. Toys were coming in endless supply as well as books on training and Bucky had already started talking about moving Poe onto a “filler free” puppy chow as soon as possible. It was all a bit over the top but Bucky cared so much, you didn’t have the heart to dissuade him.
By noon the storm was in full swing and so were Bucky’s efforts to train Poe. The books all agreed that formal training should wait until he was a little older but Bucky was determined to teach him the basics. So far you had been lucky with no accidents and he wasn’t big on barking so that left what Bucky deemed the “fun” bits of training like responding to small commands to sit, stay, follow, speak, roll over, and shake. You watch quietly over the top of your book as Bucky sits cross legged on the floor with Poe trying to teach him “speak”, mimicking a yipping sound to encourage him. It’s tempting to get a quick video of the ridiculousness for the Avengers group chat but you resist the urge long enough that they moved on to “shake” before you can.
Eventually Bucky hops back up announcing it’s time for another potty break, scooping Poe up in his arms. Bucky dresses him carefully in the little red and black flannel dog coat he had purchased for him, insisting it’s too cold for a tiny dog outside. Bucky had been amazed by next day shipping and the plethora for dog items on Amazon. Not that you had any room to talk, you had found a Bucky-sized coat that matched Poe’s exactly and it was due to arrive later that afternoon. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up and their twinning is guaranteed to bring you endless amounts of amusement each winter.
They are only outside for a minute when you hear a sharp, high pitched yelp followed by Bucky screaming Poe’s name. You bolt up from the sofa, forgetting the blizzard outside and racing into the storm. The ice and snow bite at your sock clad feet and the wind hitting your face stings like needles. You yell for both of them frantically, fearing the worst, until finally Bucky comes into view holding a crying Poe in his arms. Bucky is a mess, eyes large and watering from more than just the storm, his expression panicked. “He got a little far out so I called him back and he was being a good boy and listened but he when he jumped back up on the patio he slipped on the damn ice and fell off. He couldn’t get back up and he’s not letting me touch his back leg now. I think he’s hurt bad. What do we do?” Bucky rambles breathlessly, clinging to the tiny, whining puppy in his arms.
“Okay.” you steel yourself against your own growing concern. They both need you to be strong right now. “Okay, we need to get everyone back inside so we can see what we’re dealing with and go from there.”
Bucky nods and follows you back up to your apartment where you can better assess Poe’s condition. It’s obvious something is seriously wrong by the way Poe keeps his leg curled up close to his body and actually growls when you get within an inch of it. It’s his back right leg and Bucky has been careful not to hold him there. “Let’s set him down and see if he can put any weight on it.” you suggest and Bucky shoots you a look but places him carefully on the floor between you. Poe’s leg stays curled close to his body and he limps three leggedly towards his bowl. “I’ll call the vet now.” you say and Bucky hurries over to pick him up. You watch as Bucky carries Poe over to his food bowl and sits down with him on the floor to hand feed him so he can stay comfortable in Bucky’s arms.
The vet agrees he needs to be seen immediately and they have a 24 hour emergency clinic that can take them. Thankfully Poe and Bucky are already bundled up so as soon as you have your coat and shoes on you are out the door and slowly navigating the roads to the vet’s office. Bucky sits ramrod straight the entire ride, a haunted look in his eyes as he watches Poe, whispering a never ending stream of comforting words to him. His fear and worry are palpable and it’s heartbreaking that things have gone so terribly wrong just a few days into having him.
The emergency vet clinic is empty when you arrive and they take Poe back right away. Bucky glares down the nurse who requests she take him back for xrays and you step in. “Sweetheart, she has to do this. If his leg is broken we need to know.” you tell him softly, rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Bucky nods stiffly and hands over Poe to the patiently waiting nurse. “I know you’re worried, I am too.” you assure him.
“He’s just so tiny. And it’s my fault. I was calling him back and he was hurrying because he’s just such a good boy and then he fell...” Bucky’s voice cracks and he trails off, not trusting his voice to continue.
You wrap your arms around him, pulling him close. “I know, love, I know.” You tuck your head below his chin, snuggling against his still cold coat and letting the contact comfort you both.
It is an agonizing ten minutes until the nurse reappears with Poe. They gave him something for the pain but encourage Bucky to not touch his hurt leg when he takes Poe back into his arms. She tells you the vet will be in to go over the results in a few minutes and thankfully the waiting time is brief.
“Hi folks.” a tall, grey haired woman announces as she joins you in the small exam room. “I’m Doctor Kate, it’s good to meet you, though it could have been under better circumstances.”
You shake her hand and give her a quick smile. She is the vet you were supposed to have Poe’s well check with next month. “I’m Y/N and this is my fiance, Bucky.”
“And this little guy must be Poe.” she reaches out to scritch Poe behind the ears affectionately. “So, we have bad news and good news.”
“Just give it to us straight, doc.” Bucky requests, his voice thick with concern.
“My kind of people.” Dr. Kate gives him a kind smile before continuing, “So your little guy did break his leg when he fell. He’s going to need a cast while that heals but the good news is that puppies heal amazingly fast. About half the time of an adult dog. So we’ll get you all back for another set of x-rays in about four weeks and hopefully the cast will be able to come off then too. Do you have any questions?”
“Do you have any care instructions for while he’s healing?” Bucky asks.
Dr. Kate nods, “Yep, I have a whole bunch of papers printed out for you to go home with. You can start reading over them if you want while we get Poe’s cast on him.”
Bucky thanks the doctor and trades her Poe for the stack of papers. You curl up under his arm to start reading along with him while the doctor takes Poe off to get his cast put on. “He’s gonna be okay.” You remind Bucky.
“I know, but… it’s still hard.” He sighs heavily, scrubbing a hand across his face.
“But we get through it. When have our lives ever been easy?”
Bucky huffs a wry laugh, “Yeah. Pretty much never.”
You tilt your head up to kiss him, needing the grounding connection of your lips against his. A sigh slips from your throat and you nestle in against him when you finally break the connection.
Dr. Kate returns a few minutes later with Poe who is sporting a small purple cast on his broken leg. “Do you have any more questions?” She asks handing the puppy back to Bucky’s eager arms.
You shake your head, “No, I think we’re good for now. Thank you so much for helping him.”
“That’s what I’m here for. You folks have a safe trip home.”
You shake her hand and gather your things to leave.
The ride home is more difficult in the storm than the ride there but the mood inside the car is significantly less tense. Bucky is talking softly to Poe who is looking a little more alert than he had been.
“You know,” Bucky tells him, “I fell and got hurt too, a really long time ago. It was scary but I’m okay now and you’re gonna be okay too. And you, lucky pup, get to keep your leg.”
You take a shuddering breath, trying not to become overwhelmed with emotion while driving. You know exactly what fall he’s talking about and it makes your entire body ache to think about what he had gone through at the hands of HYDRA because of it. How he can so calmly talk about it now is extraordinary but shows he really has been working hard to move on from all the trauma in his past, and god knows there was a lot of it.
Safely back in your apartment, Bucky sets Poe down in his new doggie bed and tucks him in with a tiny fleece blanket which is as necessary as it is cute. He joins you on the sofa where you're curled up to watch Netflix, burrowing in so that his head rests on your chest. You move your arms to hold him, his adrenaline rush from earlier is crashing now that everyone is home safe. Bucky helps pick out a show and you wiggle your way out with a promise to be quick so you can get two tumblers of whiskey. After an afternoon like that, a little whiskey is absolutely called for. With the serum degrading, he’s been able to feel the effects of alcohol again, a new and amusing discover for you both.
You cuddle up once again, letting him use you as a pillow, and hand him his glass. He’s picked out a documentary on the solar system and it doesn’t surprise you in the least. Bucky is fascinated by space and loves learning more about the world outside of your own. He sips his drink slowly and you can smell the sharp sweetness on his breath when he cants his head up for a leisurely kiss.
“He really is gonna be okay.” Bucky says with a long sigh.
You smile down at your poor worried soldier, “Of course he is. A few more weeks and it’ll be like it never happened.”
“Watching him fall into the snow… it was awful. Brought back some memories I wish I didn’t have.”
“I can’t even imagine. But you held it together. You helped our boy and got him to the doctor so he could get patched up. You did everything you possibly could have.”
“I know.” He says slowly, letting his mind catch up to everything he’s feeling, “I know I did. I think I just need a little time to process everything that came up today. It was a lot.”
“Oh, sweetheart, of course. We don’t have to do anything else this weekend except lay together watching space shows and drinking whiskey. If you want to talk I’m here, and if you want to just sit quietly we can do that too. Whatever you need, love.”
“Just need you.” Bucky says into your chest, nuzzling in comfortably.
You card your fingers through his silky hair, watching as your engagement ring catches in the low light. “You got me. Always.”