Work Text:
On that cold winter night, Bucky was sitting at the head of his daughter’s bed, the pup clad in her fluffiest nightclothes, halfway curled on his lap. It was storytime, and he had no idea what to read to her. Trying to win precious seconds to find an idea, Bucky turned on Aileen’s night lamp, put his hand on her head, then started to scratch her scalp. The distant cries of nocturnal animals, combined with the eerie feeling outside gave him the idea he had been looking for. A story he knew even Steve had loved as a kid.
“In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy…” Bucky started, before getting rudely interrupted.
“Daddy, come on!”
“What?”
His little girl pursed her lips in a pout she had to get from Steve. “Pops told me that one last week. Another one, please.”
Well, here went his idea. Anything for his daughter, though. “Alright, alright. Do you want to hear about heroes who fly?”
“No.”
“Any superpowers?”
“No…”
Bucky frowned, trying to come up with something else. Aileen didn’t want magic or superpowers… That left ordinary people. “Okay… something set in the present or a long time ago?”
“What is a long time ago?”
“Vikings, medieval times…”
“No…”
Ok. Bucky had this. No old times, only present time adventures with ordinary people… Shit, he did not have this. “Alright, miss. Any idea of what you want?”
Bucky readjusted his grip on the little girl in his arms, who was deep in thoughts. She frowned and started to worry her lips, revealing her sharp little canines. They had barely started to grow a little bit longer than humans’. In time, they would be a lot longer, like Steve and his’.
Bucky was admiring Aileen’s relaxed face when she suddenly turned towards him, a beaming smile on her lips. “I know! Can you tell me how you and pops met?”
Bucky smiled at his daughter. That, he had no problems retelling. He might need a little help though, for old times’ sake. “That is settled then. Stevie, can you come up? Our pup wants to know how we met.”
Bucky counted to three before a blonde head popped - his sneaky mate had probably heard everything. “‘Thought being the two of us would be even better.”
“I’m sure it will. Hey pup,” he said, giving Aileen a kiss of the forehead. “Want us to tell you how we met, huh?”
“Yes please!”
“Alright,” he said, sitting down at the feet of her bed before looking at Bucky with adoration in his eyes. “It was on a sunny day..”