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Tony vaguely registers a small hand grasp his wrist, but the persistent shaking slowly draws him up from unconsciousness. He groans, turning away before pulling the blankets closer around his body. Two hands push on his back, followed by a soft, “Daddy?”
He startles harshly, jerking awake. Angling his head over his shoulder, Tony squints through the dark to meet the wide-eyes of his seven-year-old son. His voice is hoarse with sleep as he asks, “RJ, what time is it?”
RJ merely shrugs and frowns, pulling at the edge of his shirt. “Dunno. Late.”
Tony shifts in bed again, raising himself up on one elbow and rubbing at his eyes with the other hand. More firmly, he says, “Buddy, why are you up?”
“Kobik is crying again,” RJ tells him, looking a little annoyed. “I tried to hug her, but she only wants you.”
“Okay,” Tony whispers, cupping his son’s cheek momentarily. He ruffles the boy’s dark hair before nodding to the half-opened bedroom door. “Get back to bed, buddy, don’t wait for me.” He watches RJ shuffle out of the room before falling back into his pillows, already failing to keep his eyes open.
Bucky moves beside him, indicating that he’s woken up too. “What did RJ come in here for?” he questions, voice low.
“Your daughter’s had another nightmare,” Tony answers without opening his eyes.
“Oh, she’s only my daughter now, huh?” his husband teases, poking him in the ribs. “Last I remember, we used your sperm to create that little angel.”
“She is when she wakes up at… three-fifty in the morning?” Tony huffs out a laugh, glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand. “Yes, she’s yours.”
Bucky sits up and presses the bottom of his palms against his eyes, trying to wake up fully. He exhales loudly, smacking his lips before turning his head towards Tony, who only blinks back at him. Leaning down, Bucky places a chaste kiss to his husband’s mouth. “I got her,” he says reassuringly, leaving another kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“My hero,” Tony sighs sleepily, snuggling back under the covers.
Bucky swings his legs over the side of the bed and decides to walk barefoot across the hall to the kids’ room. He knocks lightly on the door as he pushes it open. The first thing he sees is RJ sitting up on his twin bed, facing his little sister’s that is pushed up against the other wall. Kobik is crying into her hands, and the sight makes Bucky’s heart ache.
“Oh, honey,” he croons sadly, hurrying to his four-year-old daughter’s bedside.
Kobik looks at him with tears wetting her cheeks and snot dripping down her face. A breath hitches in her throat as she lets out a wail, “Papaaaa.” She immediately crawls into Bucky’s lap when he sits, throwing her small arms around his neck.
Bucky holds onto her, rubbing soothing circles on her back and shushing into her hair. He lets her cry some more, only grimacing slightly when he feels her start to wipe her face on his shoulder. Softly, he inquires, “Honey, did you have a bad dream?”
She sniffs, pulling away from him slightly. Kobik is frowning when he gets a better look at her face, but at least her tears have stopped. “Yeah. It was real scary.”
“What scared you, Kob?” Bucky asks, thumbing away the wetness on her face. He tucks her white hair behind her ears as she tries to level her breathing.
“The monsters under my bed,” Kobik hiccups. “They were mean and said they were gonna take my kneecaps.”
Bucky bites his tongue and tries to school his expression by pursing his lips, swallowing down a laugh. God, he is going to hell; his daughter had a nightmare and he is laughing.
RJ speaks from his side of the room, “Nobody wants your kneecaps, Kobik, that’s stupid.”
“Richard James,” Bucky chastises, throwing his son a pointed look. “C’mon, leave your sister alone.”
Kobik sniffs again, and Bucky lifts up the bottom of his shirt so he can wipe her nose. “You’re not going to let them get my kneecaps, right, Papa?” she asks innocently.
“Not ever,” Bucky answers, giving her a smile. Movement catches his attention from the corner of his eye, and he looks up to see Tony leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. They share a silent moment, a private smile.
“Anyone who wants your kneecaps has to get through us first,” Tony explains to his kids, grinning slightly. He walks into the room and sits at the foot of RJ’s bed.
Bucky chuckles besides himself. When he looks down at Kobik, he can’t help but smile wider. “Do you want to know a secret?”
Her eyes go wide in excitement, and it seems like she hadn’t just been crying a few minutes ago. “What, Papa?”
He steals one last look in Tony’s direction, who nods briefly. Bucky pulls his daughter into another hug, saying excitedly, “Daddy and I are superheroes. You don’t need to worry about bad guys with us around, kneecap-stealers or no.”
Kobik giggles, and the sound makes Bucky’s heart warm up in his chest. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He lifts his daughter from his lap and puts her back against her pillows, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
