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When Steve had heard about the animal shelter that would be forced to close up because of lack of money, he knew he had to do something. With the help of Pepper he fixed a small campaign, where he and Bucky would visit the shelter for awareness and publicity. It actually went well, more than enough money to keep it up was given.
But other things didn’t exactly go as planned.
When they’d gotten out of the car outside the shelter, Steve had firmly told Bucky that “ We are not here to get a dog ”. Because if Bucky got in his head that he even had a small chance to convince Steve, they wouldn’t leave alone. No, they’d leave with more likely a dozen of dogs. Now, Steve wasn’t against having a dog, but right now wasn’t the time, and one dog would be enough, a dozen quiet too many.
But he wasn’t surprised when an hour later Bucky had managed to wander off without him noticing. He wasn’t exactly worried — Bucky could take care of himself — but he didn’t want to think of what could happen if Bucky suddenly felt threatened.
He found Bucky about 20 minutes later, in the puppy section of the shelter. He heard him before he saw him, then noticed the open door to one of the stalls. Inside — of course — sat Bucky on the floor, with a fluffy, black puppy running over his legs.
As he watched, Bucky laughed, and helped the puppy up when it fell. Then it set of running again, before skidding to a halt in Bucky’s lap to lick his face. Bucky was grinning, petting the soft fur on the puppy’s back.
Steve’s heart melted at the sight. It was hard to get Bucky to smile, even harder to get him to laugh — although it had gotten easier. But here Bucky was with a small puppy easily making him do all of it.
The puppy barked and jumped from Bucky’s lap, turning around to run towards Steve. It jumped up on his legs, and first then did Steve notice that it missed it’s left front leg. He bent down to say hello to it, and when he looked up again, Bucky was watching him.
Now, most of the time he could stand against Bucky when he tried to beg for something Steve didn’t want to agree with, but that look . Bucky had mastered to puppy-look, and Steve could feel the full force off it. When Bucky looked like that, Steve could want to refuse how much he wanted, but in the end he would always bend. Because goddammit that face was impossible to resist.
Bucky didn’t even have to say anything.
“Okay, fine,” Steve huffed, and smiled down at the puppy still licking his hand, “but only this one, Buck. No more dogs, only this one.”
Bucky — if possible — shone even brighter, his smile looking like it strained his cheeks it was so wide.
Goddammit , Steve hadn’t planned this.
But as it were, five minutes later Steve and Bucky walked back to the main area, Bucky with the three-legged puppy in his arms. And Bucky still hadn’t stopped smiling.
After fixing all the necessary paperwork and such, Steve and Bucky then walked back to their car. Natasha was waiting there, only raised an eyebrow at Steve when she saw the puppy. She’d heard Steve tell Bucky they weren’t here to adopt a puppy, but here they were. Steve only smile sheepishly at her.
He really couldn’t resist Bucky.
~~~~~
If the puppy had thought she’d gotten a lot of attention from Steve and Bucky, it was nothing like the attention she got when the team saw her after they got back. Especially Clint was paying her attention.
“What’s her name?” Clint asked, not taking his eyes off her as he rubbed her stomach.
“I’m thinking Krasa or Mishka,” Bucky said and crouched next to Clint and the puppy.
“I think Krasa would suit her well,” Natasha said and smiled. Steve felt like there was something he was missing, which Nat must have noticed because she said, “Krasa means beauty.”
Steve smiled and sank down behind Bucky. “Krasa would suit here very well.” He rested his cheek on Bucky’s left shoulder, snaked one arm around his waist and let his left hand find Bucky’s.
~~~~~
Krasa was — to put it lightly — a very energetic puppy. She was up and running long before them, and they quickly learned that closing the door was a very bad idea, since it only meant she’d scratch it until they let her in. So the door stood open during the night, and Krasa peacefully slept in her bed in the living room.
Though she had a habit of interrupting their lazy morning sex by jumping up on the bed. Steve loved her, he really did, but he could have done without all the interruption.
~~~~~
Then Tony made her a metal prosthetic matching Bucky’s, and it got even worse.
But he still loved her, almost as much as he loved Bucky.