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Politzania
Steve still didn’t think that actually adopting a cat was a good idea. After all, with the kind of jobs they had, they could get called away at a moment’s notice and be gone for who knew how long -- and who would take care of it in the meanwhile?
But Bucky had seemed so excited, saying that his therapist thought it would help him with his recovery, knowing that he had something depending on him to feed and take care of. Besides, Bucky had pointed out that if they both got called in at the same time, there was probably more to worry about than whether or not their feline companion was going to miss a meal.
Steve had mentioned the problem to Sharon, who not only was less than sympathetic, but made the situation worse by waiting until Bucky was in earshot to say, “Hey, I think Nick’s cat had kittens. You guys should adopt one of them!”
Steve had envisioned adopting an adult, or maybe even senior cat, one who would be calm and adjusted to human routines, to say the least of being litter box trained. But the moment Sharon mentioned ‘kittens’, Bucky’s face had absolutely lit up.
“Oh, Steve - we gotta go check them out! I bet they’re adorable!”
Steve had seen photos of Goose before; she looked like any other orange tabby cat to him, so he didn’t figure those kittens would be any more or less cute than any other ones. “Are you sure you don’t want to go down to the shelter instead, Buck? There’s lots of adult cats down there that need homes.”
“Goose’s babies are gonna need homes too, Stevie. C’mon, let’s at least go see them. Please?” Bucky actually batted his eyelashes at Steve.
“Fine,” Steve chuckled in return. “I’ll text Nick and see if we can come over tomorrow night.”
Sivan325
On the next day they went to Nick, and Steve couldn’t help himself as he gazed at Bucky, noticing how anxious and excited he was.
“It’s going to be okay, you’ll see.” Steve cheered him up, hopefully that Bucky will lose the tension he has.
“I know, I just don’t want to fright the kitten, they are so cute and fluffy.” Bucky told him.
As they arrived at Nick, Bucky could hear the meows and couldn’t help it, walking straight over the box.
Steve smiled as his boyfriend collected one of the kittens, the smile never leaving his face.
“Thank you for having us, Nick,I apologize by the way we barged inside, but-” Steve told him while watching his boyfriend as he held the kitten and kept talking to it, “I think that my boyfriend found one he wants to adopt.”
“You don’t need to apologize, it’s understandable,” Nick chuckled, watching Bucky with the orange kitten talking to it, and then he asked Bucky, “Do you have a name for her?”
“Is that her? Not him?” Bucky asked.
“Yes, got a name?” Nick asked.
Steve walked toward his boyfriend, noticed how the kitten was not shaking anymore, kept meowing at his boyfriend, taking all the attention to itself.
Steve smiled, touching his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Got a name you want for her?”
“I don’t know what to call her,” Bucky replied and added, “She’s just so cute, and to be honest, she reminds me of Natasha.”
“You want to call it - Natasha?” Steve asked, trying not to chuckle, knowing that if Nat would hear about it, he didn’t want to think of what Tasha would do to them.
“Maybe just call it Tasha?” Bucky asked, gazing at the kitten and then at his boyfriend.
j_snow_writes
Steve's heart warms at seeing the little ball of fluff in Bucky’s arms. She's purring against his chest, her little paws folded underneath her, and her eyes are closed to thin slits.
"I think Tasha is a perfect name, Buck."
The smile that adorns the brunette’s face grows wider, "You really think so? She's so tiny, Stevie. Do you think we'll be good at this? Taking care of her, I mean."
Steve's eyes soften. If there's one thing he knows for certain, it's that Bucky loves fiercely. That love doesn't just extend to him, although, the kind they share is a bit different since they're dating. When Bucky loves something or someone, he gives it his absolute all, and there isn't a doubt in his mind that this little kitten will be showered in it.
"I think Tasha will be just fine with us, baby," he says before gently wrapping his arm around his waist.
"You know," Nick chimes in, "this could be a starting point for you two. Maybe this will lead to you both becoming parents to a baby someday."
"Yeah," Steve smiles brightly, "you're right."
Steve’s words of affirmation make Bucky’s heart soar. He tenderly pets Tasha's back and imagines what life would be like with an actual human baby. Changing diapers, bottle feeding, their first word, their first steps, their first day of school, and all the other milestones almost choke him up a little at the thought.
Then it dons on him.
"Steve! We have to go to the store! Tasha needs a bed, a cat tree, food, food bowls, litter, toys…" he trails off and looks over at the blonde.
They've been together long enough now that Steve can see the metaphorical cogs turning in his sweetheart's head. He can see the worry crease in his brow at the thought of leaving little Tasha alone so soon. Steve smiles and cups his cheek to softly reassure him.
"Don't worry, Buck. I'll go get everything we need for our little fur baby, and you can stay home and help her get used to her new environment. How does that sound, baby?"
buckybarnesdeservestobehappy
Steve hurries home from the pet store with every intention of bursting into his shared apartment with Bucky and making sure nothing’s gone wrong. What he doesn’t expect is to be met with dead silence and foreboding emptiness.
“Buck?” he calls as he sets down his purchases and moves from room to room. “Sweetheart? Where are you?”
Stilling, he hears a muffled whine and practically puts a hole in the floor pivoting so fast as he moves toward it. He stops in front of the spare bedroom and twists the doorknob carefully.
“Bucky?” he hisses as he cracks open the door. “Are you in here?”
A low growl comes from the general direction of the bed, and a snuffle reaches Steve’s ears. Heading toward it, he drops next to Bucky and tugs him into a hug.
“Tasha won’t come out,” Bucky whispers, his voice full of tears. “There was a dog outside barking like a lunatic, and she got spooked as I was bringing her inside. She’s been under there since we got home, and…I’m a bad cat dad.”
“Correction. You’re an amazing cat dad, and whoever had that dog was a crap dog parent. Dog owner. Whatever,” Steve argues tenderly as he pulls Bucky sideways and kisses him on his temple. “What do you say we break out the treats and see if we can’t lure Tasha out from under the bed? Maybe she’s hungry.”
Solemnly, Bucky nods. “Okay,” he agrees quietly, but it’s obvious he still feels like he’s failed their kitten. His worry almost breaks Steve’s heart.
It takes a while and several pinches of tuna before Tasha emerges from the bed as she sniffs the air. Taking tentative steps into the open, she nudges a lump with her nose and smells it carefully before settling onto her front paws and taking a ravenous bite. Holding his breath, Bucky watches with a muffled squeak of happiness and reaches out to pet her gently on the back. By the time Tasha’s eaten the tuna, she nudges into Bucky’s hand.
“See? She just needed some time.”
cherriontop
Bucky looks much more relaxed as his fingers stroke through Tasha’s soft fur, the kitten clearly warming up to her new human parents. Steve lays a kiss to Bucky’s temple and wraps an arm loosely around the other man’s shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze. “It’s a lot for her to have to adjust to, Buck. So many new sights and smells, and she doesn’t know you yet. But she will, and she’s going to love you so much. Just have to give her a little time.”
Bucky lifts his gaze from the tiny kitten to look up at Steve, some of the worry gone from his expression. He nods timidly and offers a tiny smile, thumb stroking Tasha’s small head as she meows and her tail flicks back and forth. “You’re right. She’s just like me, scared and not knowing who to trust.”
“Exactly,” Steve agreed, free hand wandering down to give the kitten some attention. “But you learned and started trusting, and look at you now. She’s going to be the same way. Just keep loving her and being open. Now come on, do you want to show her all the neat things I bought for her?”
Bucky nods eagerly and tenderly scoops Tasha into both hands. She squirms at the unexpected grasp but settles down when she’s cradled against Bucky’s broad chest. Steve coos at her and leans down to press a soft kiss between her ears. “Look at that. Come on, let’s go unpack everything.”
They both wander into the living room, where there’s nearly a dozen bags on the floor full of treats, food, toys, and more. Steve scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, a light pink on his cheeks. “I may have gotten a little excited at the store, but look!” He pulls out a package of cat toys shaped like pieces of sushi and presents it eagerly to Bucky and Tasha. “It’s so cute!”
Bucky melted as he looked it over and nodded in agreement, eyes fond as they watched Steve. Tasha meowed and pawed at the package in approval.
TrinityDay
Steve didn’t know how long they sat like that, enraptured with every little meow out of Tasha’s mouth, every kitten pounce onto the big pile of toys. The sheer amount of things he had lugged home from the pet store had seemed excessive when he spread it out on the apartment floor, but now that she bounced from one thing to the next, Steve knew he had made the right decision.
She wore herself out before Steve and Bucky tired of watching her, falling asleep halfway through tangling her little claws through a long toy mouse tail.
“I guess I should put away the rest of her stuff,” Steve said, his voice a whisper. Kittens probably needed their sleep just as much as human babies did.
Bucky kissed him on the cheek. “You get the food, I’ll find a bin for her toys.”
They had definitely made the right decision. Steve would have to remember to thank Sharon the next time he saw her.
It was only a few days later that he had the opportunity. Even now that he knew her real name, they ran into each other in the halls more often than Steve did any other neighbour. Maybe it was old habits dying hard. Maybe it was just a coincidence. She was standing in front of the mailboxes, so he had the chance to update her on their important life changes while waiting for his turn to get the mail.
“Already?” Sharon asked with no small amusement. “I thought for sure you’d want to talk it over and it would be a week at least before Barnes wore you down. Should have known better. You leap out of way more airplanes than he does. Just don’t expect me to catsit, not unless Nick’s already put together a packet for the care and feeding. I don’t want to get on her bad side.”
“There are guides on the internet, I’m sure,” said Steve. Everything was available on the internet these days.
“Uhh,” Sharon hemmed, momentarily frozen. “Fury did tell you what kind of cat Goose is, right?”