#toosh writes

“Hey there, princess.”

“Good afternoon, Baba.”

Steve looked up from his report and scooted his chair out, signaling for you to sit on his lap. 

“There you are, sweetheart. I was wondering when you’d join us.”

“I had important princess stuff to do,” you said, matter of factly. 

“Oh, well pardon me. Do you want to keep doing your princess work while I finish my own?”

“Yeah!” you nodded, the tiara almost falling off. Your hand shot up to keep it in place. “I mean, that sounds delightful.”

Steve smiled to himself as you put back on your mask of seriousness.

Some time passed by with the three of you working quietly. Steve looked away from his monitor for a moment to give his eyes a break and stretch. He looked down at the drawings you made, him feeling a great sense of pride over how good your art was.

“These drawings are beautiful, baby,” he complimented.

“Thank you, Dada.”

He pointed at the picture of two people holding hands. “Who is this?”

“The princess is me and the prince is Petie,” you answered, not looking up from your current masterpiece. 

Bucky was about to protest the idea of Peter being your prince, but Steve(surprisingly) beat him to it.

“What do you need a prince for, honey? A smart princess like you can run a castle all by yourself.”

“All the Disney princesses have a prince,” you pointed out. You continued drawing, but now with a sense of frustration. 

Bucky was still looking at his computer, but his hands stopped typing while he listened to your and Steve’s conversation. 

“That doesn’t mean you need a prince too,” Steve countered. “Right, Buck?”

“I don’t know, if the princess wants a prince, who are we to stop her?”

Steve turned his head abruptly to glare at his lover. Bucky was grinning widely. Steve put his hands over your ears before he began speaking. 

“What. Are. You. Doing.”

Your baba shrugged. “I just think it’s funny that all of a sudden, you have a problem with Peter. All those times I said I didn’t like him, you said ‘he’s a nice kid’.”

“He is a nice kid! My problem isn’t with Peter, it’s our little girl thinking that she needs a boy.”

“Oh, that’s different,” Bucky said sarcastically. 

Steve just shook his head and removed his hands from your ears. He decided to stop fighting the issue while he still had work to do, but he wasn’t giving up just yet. 

~

Your daddies agreed to let you watch a movie after dinner. Not wanting to waste any time, you ate quickly and made no protests about bath time. While Bucky washed the dishes, Steve was getting himself ready for the night and you were flipping through the movie options. The family TV had just about every movie a little could think of, but the princess section was particularly stacked. 

You were debating between The Little Mermaid and Tangled when Steve chimed in from behind.

“Lots of good choices, sweetheart. How about Moana or Frozen?”

“We already watched those,” you groaned. 

Steve sat next to you on the couch. 

“I thought you liked those movies.”

“I do! But I don’t wanna watch them right now.”

“How about Mulan?” he countered. 

You huffed. You couldn’t understand why your Dada was acting so strange. You turned around to face the kitchen. 

“Baba, Dada’s doin’ the thing again!”

Steve gasped. “What thing, honey?”

You crossed your arms. “Dada’s not making any sense and you won’t let me pick my movie!”

“Alright, settle down.” Bucky walked in and sat down, pulling you onto his lap. He smoothed your hair, hoping it would calm you. It worked a little bit. 

“What’s going on?”

“Dada won’t let me pick my movie.”

“I was just making a suggestion-”

“AND he won’t let me have a prince.”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief. “No movie AND no prince? Stevie, you’re a real tough one today.”

Steve was going to continue his argument, but then he noticed a glint in his partner’s eyes. Bucky had a plan. 

“If Dada says you can’t have a prince, then I guess your castle’s gotta go to someone else.”

You shook your head. “Nuh uh! I can be a princess in a castle without a prince!”

“Are you sure about that? All of the Disney princesses have a prince.”

“Not ALL of them! And a lot of the time the princess is a princess before the prince is a prince.”

Bucky smiled. “Is that right?”

“Uh huh! And I’m a smart princess! I don’t need help from a dummy prince like Prince Eric!”

Your daddies chuckled. 

“Then why did you want a prince so badly?” Steve asked. 

“It’s just pretend, Dada! And I don’t need a real prince when I have you and Baba.”

You took deep breaths, trying to calm yourself. “S-sorry, Baba.”

“Hey, hey. None of that. You have nothing to be sorry for, my baby. Nothing at all.”

You nodded, still trying to overcome your nerves. 

Bucky gently held your face, letting you nuzzle into the palm of his hand. 

“You know, honey. We don’t have to do this. Not today, not for a long, long time. Nothing’s more important to me than my baby, okay? You come first. Always.”

“Really?” You asked. 

“Really.”

You opened your eyes, searching Bucky’s gaze for any doubt. What you saw was love, honesty, and hope. Your Baba would never lie to you—you knew that. But he would put his own happiness aside for yours. Bucky wanted this meeting to go well more than anything in the world. To have his two favorite people get along meant everything to him. While you knew he would wait for as long as you wanted him to, you also knew that his heart would break a little more each day. 

He’d told you all about the friendly blonde who walked into the bakery one day and stole his heart. According to Bucky, he was kind, funny, and an amazing artist. More importantly to you, this new “friend” made your Baba happier than ever before. He was perfectly happy with you, of course. But Steve managed to fulfill a space in Bucky’s heart that he didn’t even know existed. When he wasn’t working or playing with you, he could be caught smiling at his phone like a giddy teen. He even messed up a batch of cupcakes because the arrow that Cupid struck him with kept getting in the way. 

“I wanna go in.”

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you sure, baby?”

You nodded. 

Bucky grinned, unable to keep the happiness within himself. “Okay, but you tell me the moment you wanna leave, alright?”

“I will, Baba.”

While he had your attention, Bucky would talk to you. He loved seeing your reactions and relaying them to Dada.

“When we get to the farm, there’s gonna be all sorts of activities for you, baby. We’ll go on a hayride, get some warm apple cider in that cute belly,” he gently ticked your stomach, making you squeal. “And then we’ll pick pumpkins! What do you think, angel?”

You squealed once more and clapped your hands. your tiny brain didn’t understand what Baba was saying, but he seemed excited and you loved responding to questions.

Bucky laughed, knowing that you had no idea what he meant.

“How’d we get the cutest baby in the world, Stevie?”

“They get that from me,” Steve boasted. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

You babbled instead of squealing, excited to be in on the conversation but wanting to sound grown up.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Bucky scoffed. “Alright, punk. But I get to sit with baby on my lap for the hayride. Isn’t that right, bubba? Don’t you wanna sit on Baba’s lap for the hayride?”

You giggled and babbled once more.

Bucky held out his pointer finger to you, letting you wrap your hand around it. He brought your tiny fist to his lips, kissing the back of your hand to keep your giggles going.

The envy from the driver’s seat was nearly suffocating.

“You can sit with them for the hayride as long as I get the backseat on the way home,” Steve proposed.

“I also wanna ride the big slide with them,” Bucky said.

Baba made silly faces at you, joining in on your laughter when you tried copying his expressions. Steve caught a glimpse of this adorable interaction through the rearview mirror. He began to rethink his aversion towards self-driving cars.

“There’s no way I’m giving up the hayride and the slide. What if I get the slide and you get to feed them their first apple cider doughnut?”

“Deal.”

Your favorite part of the house had to be the backyard. It didn’t seem too impressive on the first day you came to the cabin, but when you awoke the next morning, everything had been covered with a thick blanket of snow. It was pure, plush, and untouched–very unlike the snow in New York. 

All of the trees were perfectly dusted, the shed now looked like a frosted gingerbread house with darling little icicles hanging off the roof, and the hill had become the perfect sledding spot.

After you indulged in making snow angels, sledding, and poking at the frozen tire swing, you decided to make a snowman. Your daddies guided you along the process, them having years of experience with playing in the snow(they had snowball fights more often than they built snowmen, but their skills were still useful). While you made your snowbaby, they were making their own snowdaddies; a frosty mirror of your family. 

Your snow family was placed by a cluster of trees. Steve learned how to set a timer on the camera so he could take many, many photos of you guys and your snow creations. His personal favorites were the stop motion photos that made it seem like your family was slowly turning into a bunch of snowmen. 

Over the next couple of days, you dutifully checked on your snowman, adjusting the arms or adding more snow to keep the head upright. Bucky found a single buttercup flower under the deck. He lifted you up so you could poke it into the very top of your snowman’s head. You also made a plethora of other snow creatures, but the snowman kept its special place in your heart. 

Before you knew it, it was time to leave the cabin. The family car was all packed up and your daddies were letting you say goodbye to your snow creations. 

“Bye snow kitty, bye snow puppy, bye snow Baba, bye snow Dada, bye bye snow baby.”

You pouted. “Can’t we stay one more day?”

“I wish we could, baby. But it’s another family’s turn to use the cabin,” Bucky said. 

“Alright,” you sighed. Before you left for good, you decided to give your snowman a hug goodbye; you couldn’t believe you hadn’t done that already. You closed your eyes and wrapped your puffy arms around your creation, breaking your daddies’ hearts with your adorableness. 

As you unwrapped yourself from the snow, your snowman’s head came wobbling loose. Before you could do anything to stop it, it tumbled down, falling to the ground and breaking into a pile of loose snow. 

You gasped in shock. Once you realized what had happened, you broke out into a wail, holding your hands away from you as if they were capable of doing more harm. 

Luckily, your daddies were right next to you and they instantly went into soothing mode. Steve picked you up, letting your head rest on his shoulder. Bucky patted your back while he murmured “it’s okay, it’s okay.” Thankfully, there weren’t any neighbors or woodland creatures nearby to witness this tragedy. 

When your sobs died down, you risked another look at your snowman. 

“I- I bwoke it,” you sniffled. 

Bucky removed his glove to wipe away your tears. “It’s okay, baby. It was an accident. Your snowman knows you didn’t mean to do it.”

“It happens sometimes, sweetheart. Do you know how many snowmen Baba has broken?” Steve asked.

You looked at them with wide eyes. “Baba broke snowman too?”

Your dada chuckled. “He sure did. Your baba was a little clumsy back then. He broke a couple of my snowmen too.”

Stunned, you looked at Baba for confirmation. 

“Dada’s tellin’ the truth, bub. The first one made me very sad, but snowmen are forgiving people. You can build another snowman in the city.”

“Yeah, I guess you right.” You looked longingly at your decapitated snowman. “Bye snow baby, sorry I broke your head.”

He was shocked by how you kept up with this behavior for so long. Your daddy was very lenient with you. He always thought that rules and routines had no place in his life. He didn’t give you a bedtime or stop you when you wanted to draw on your playroom walls. Your happiness was prioritized over absolutely anything else. He thought that strict rules would only hold you back from being your happiest little self. 

According to Ransom, it was his job to take care of all the important stuff. If you stayed up late, he had no problem sleeping in, cuddling with you, and being the one to gently wake you up with kisses and kind words. He liked helping you with everything. Whether it was tying your shoes, feeding you breakfast, or helping you deal with big emotions, your daddy was there for you every step of the way. And if you did something as silly as drawing on your playroom walls, he let it slide. It was your room after all, and his soft spot had nothing to do with the fact that those little scribbles bore his likeness. 

It was this easy going lifestyle that gave Ransom reason to doubt your determination. When you came to him with the request for a trampoline park visit in exchange for two weeks of best-baby behavior, he agreed thinking that you would get bored of being good or even forget about the bargain altogether. When it became clear that you would make it past these two weeks without incident, he swallowed his pride and bought two Sky Zone tickets online. If it were up to him, he would’ve just bought the one ticket for you. But Ransom knew you’d throw a fit if he didn’t bounce with you at least a little bit. You were never one to let him hang out on the sidelines. In your eyes, you were having so much fun and you needed your daddy with you. Both because it felt inconsiderate to not share this experience with him and because you wanted his presence entangled with this joyful memory. 

The car rolled to a stop when Ransom found a good place to park. If the nearly empty parking lot was any indicator of the lack of crowd inside the large building, he knew that you’d be able to have uninterrupted fun. The building full of track mats and foam pits that called to you on every road trip was all yours to explore. Ransom helped you out of your car seat and ensured that he securely held your hand the second that your feet touched the ground. You could be quite the runaway, especially when you were excited. He didn’t want to find any reason to cut your play day short. 

After scanning your tickets, the chirpy employee asked you to pick a color for your non-slip socks. Orange for Daddy and purple for you. Ransom almost chuckled when he saw how excited you were for the socks. He made a mental note to buy you a set of the grippy accessories online. Maybe they would stop you from slipping on the smooth hardwood floors at home. 

After putting on your socks, you tugged Ransom into the play area. Your speed walking slowed at the threshold of the trampoline room. The jumping tracks seemed to go on for miles. There was also a foam pit in one corner and basketball hoops lined the far wall.

You gave the trampoline a tentative test jump. It bounced you way higher than your usual jumps on the sidewalk or on Ransom’s bed. You hadn’t even bounced with your full power yet! Feeling more confident, you jumped a few more times, each bounce taking you further than the last. You bounced in a circle, laughing the whole way around. 

“Daddy, come bounce with me!”

“Ah you go ahead, jellybean. Daddy’s comfortable right here.”

Your daddy should’ve known better by now. You stopped jumping and walked over to where Ransom was sitting on the floor. You sat down, taking one of his large hands in your smaller ones. 

“Can you jump with me, Daddy? Pleaseeee?”

You went the extra mile, tugging his arm ever so slightly while giving your best puppy dog pout. 

Ransom feigned a groan, making a big show of trying to resist your charm. 

“Alright, alright, put away those pleading eyes.”

While you shot up from the floor, he slowly rose to his feet before fixing you with what was supposed to be a menacing stare. 

You just smiled, enjoying his dramatics and knowing that your daddy could never truly be mad at you. 

The two of you bounced aimlessly for a bit, you with more passion and vigor than Ransom. You really liked getting to hold his hands while you jumped. He would swing your arms up and down, making you fly higher than ever before. 

During a much needed water break, the foam pit caught your eye. Its soft, bright blue blocks looked so fun to jump into. Your daddy was a bit wary of it, but he let you try anyway with him hovering by the edge of the chasm in case you needed help.

Just as you suspected, the foam blocks were a blast! You practiced your cannonball, and even did a spin in the air. 

“Daddy! Daddy! You gotta try!”

“I don’t know, kid. Daddy might be too big for this. I’ll sink right into the blocks,” he said, looking at the pit skeptically. 

You thought about other ways to get him involved. 

“Can you throw me?”

“Throw you?”

“Yeah! Like at the pool!”

“Ah what the heck. Get over here, sugar.”

You cheered and crawled out of the pit, clambering to reach his outstretched hands. 

“Ready?”

“Mhm!”

“Three, two, one!”

Ransom gently tossed you onto the blocks. You screeched in delight and climbed right out, begging for more. 

“Again, again!”

This continued until you became so breathless from your giggles that you had to take another break. While you rested, the trampoline park started to get a bit busier. The uptick in noise made you a little nervous, but your Daddy was still calm and collected. 

“Drink some more water for me, sweetheart.” Ransom held the plastic bottle to your lips. 

While you sipped, your eyes scanned the room for your next activity. The basketball hoops looked fun, but a group of rowdy boys had taken over the area. There was a section for littler kids, but it didn’t seem to deliver the adrenaline rush you were craving. 

“Alright, kiddo. What's next on the bouncing tour?”

You pointed at a section of jumping mats that seemed less occupied. Ransom looked at his watch before responding.

“You can play for ten more minutes and then we’re going home for lunch, okay?”

You pouted but gave a nod anyway. You were excited to eat your daddy’s special grilled cheese sandwiches, but you were having so much fun. Transitioning from one activity to another was hard. 

“Aw don’t get blue already,” Ransom chided playfully. “C’mon, jellybean. Let’s make the most of the time we’ve got left.”

He held your hand as you walked to the other side of the play area. 

Your nerves and poutiness disappeared completely once you started jumping again. Your daddy was still a little apprehensive about bouncing, but he was getting more comfortable with it. You came up with a version of hopscotch where Ransom gave you a number and you tried doing that number of jumping tricks in a row. 

While you played, a game of dodgeball had started on the other side of the mats. You had no reason to worry until a stray ball came rushing towards you. 

“Look out!” a voice yelled. 

You turned around quickly, but the ball still managed to hit your leg. Had you been standing on flat ground, this would have been no issue at all. Unfortunately, it hit you midjump and caused you to land on your ankle. You stumbled a bit before landing on your bottom. 

Ransom shouted your name before coming to your side. “Are you okay, jellybean?”

You didn’t want to make a scene, but your wobbling lip and tearful eyes gave you away. You made grabby hands at your daddy, so he gently placed you in his lap while you quietly cried into his chest. 

A couple of the kids had guiltily made their way over. “Sorry we hit you with the ball,” they said. 

Ransom just gave them a nod, wanting to acknowledge them so they could go away. He knew that you appreciated the apology, but would want some privacy. He carried you to a bench away from the trampoline mats and any curious eyes. 

“Are you okay, baby? Let Daddy have a look at that foot.”

He gently moved your sock to inspect the injury. Your ankle was definitely going to swell, but it was nothing serious. 

“It’s okay, jellybean. You’re okay.”

Despite his words, you kept crying and your whole body was shaking with sobs. Your little fists clung desperately to his sweater and you couldn’t seem to catch a breath. Your daddy knew it would be good for you to calm down a bit before he took you home and treated your ankle. 

Ransom wasn’t normally one for being affectionate in public, but he didn’t hesitate to hold you close and use all of the soothing tactics in his arsenal. Screw it. If his baby needed kisses, he was going to give them kisses. 

He held you securely in his big arms as he rocked you side to side, pressing soft kisses to the top of your head and your cheeks. When you stopped shaking, he smoothed a hand over your hair and gave you a couple more kisses for good measure. 

“You feelin’ better? Let me have a look at that mug.” 

He leaned back to see your face, wiping a few tears away with his sweater sleeve. 

“Let’s go home and put some ice on your foot, okay?”

You nodded, too worn out to do anything but trust your caregiver. 

Ransom put on his shoes and carried you out to the car with your shoes in one hand. To anyone else, it looked like you were just tired and you were grateful for your daddy’s big, warm chest providing you comfort and security at a time like this. 

He let you sit sideways in the back of the car, using your car blanket to elevate your injured foot. Ransom was always careful when driving with you, but this time he took extra caution to not go over any bumps or turn too quickly. 

When you got home, Ransom helped you change into comfier clothes and get settled on the couch, being very gentle around your ankle. 

“Which towel do you want around your ice pack?”

You pointed at the baby blue washcloth. With the softest touches he could manage, your daddy propped up your foot on a pillow with the wrapped up ice pack. He finished your cozy set up by handing you a plushie and covering the both of you with a fuzzy blanket. He gave you a quick scan to make sure he didn’t forget anything.

“Are you comfy, baby?”

You nodded, still a little pouty. “Want Daddy to cuddle wit’ me,” you mumbled. 

Ransom’s heart swelled at your request. He took great pride in being the one person you felt the safest with. 

“Whatever you need, kiddo.”

He pretended to be nonchalant while scooting in behind you, but you saw his small smile as he held you close. 

“You let Daddy know when you’re hungry for lunch, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

~

Steve whistled to himself as he got the table ready for breakfast. Despite the rigid gender roles prominent in the times he grew up in, he always found joy in homemaking. Bucky had a strict deadline to finish a report before breakfast, while you decided to get ready by yourself this morning. With his free time, Steve was carefully setting the scene for some meaningful family time. He smiled to himself as he heard your hurried footsteps rushing down the hall. He’d never grow tired of having your bundle of love run towards him.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Good morning! Dada, look!” You clambered onto your chair, the action made slightly more difficult with your latest costume. You adjusted your crown and cape(it was actually just your favorite star blanket tied around you, but you’d ask for a proper cape later).

“I’m a prince!”

“You’re the most handsome prince,” Steve cooed. 

He smothered your face with kisses, being careful not to tip your crown before he continued cutting up your pancakes. You giggled, face warming under the affection. 

“I’m gonna be the bestest prince ever! Everybodies gonna get presents and cookies and I'm gonna have a dragon!”

“Wow! You’re not gonna be too busy with your princely duties to take care of a dragon?” Dada teased.

“Das what the knight is for!”

Bucky walked in, having rushed to finish the last little bit of his work when he heard you getting ready. “What’s all this talk about a knight?” He grabbed himself a plate with an omelet and some toast, thanking Steve with a kiss. 

“I’m gonna get a knight, Baba!”

“What do you need a knight for? You’ve got me and Dada.” 

You shook your head. “You’s too old! Petie’s gonna be my knight!”

Your Baba stopped in his tracks, his forkful of food not quite getting to its destination. He shot a questioning, if not accusatory, glance at Steve who was holding in a laugh. 

Bucky set down his fork, folded his hands over the table, and looked at you as if an interrogation were about to take place. 

You met his intense stare with a toothy smile, oblivious to the ire in his eyes. 

“Peter is going to be your knight.” he stated.

“Uh huh! Me and Petie played castle and he was the knight and he saved me from the evil dragons!!”

It took all of Steve’s strength to not burst into laughter at Bucky’s frustration.

“You’re not allowed to see Peter any more.”

“But, Baba!”

“Honey-” Steve began.

“No kid of mine is gonna depend on a punk like Peter, especially not when you have me and Dada.”

“Peter’s a nice kid-”

“But Baba, he SAVED me.”

Bucky leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, creating the textbook image of an unmovable man. 

You sighed, frustrated by your caregiver’s stubbornness but knowing exactly what you needed to do.

Steve lovingly shook his head, endlessly entertained by your and Bucky’s antics. Your dramatic flair came from Baba, that was for sure. 

You set your crown on the table and slid off your chair, crawling under the table to reach Bucky. Despite still pretending to be mad, he moved the table cloth out of your way and helped you climb onto his lap. 

“Baba.”

“Your highness.”

“Petie is gonna be my knight, okay? I’m the prince, so I can choose.”

Bucky sighed and cuddled you closer, resting his cheek on the top of your head.

“I guess I’m out of my field on this one. Now that you have a fancy knight, you’re not gonna forget about your old daddies are you?”

You gasped. “Never, never! I love daddies.” You emphasized your statement by throwing your arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. To make sure Steve knew he was included, you reached out to hold his hand.

Despite how much you were giving, Bucky wasn’t done with basking in your attention. “Is your kingdom in need of two soldiers?”

You giggled. “You can’t be the soldiers if you’re my daddies! You’re the kings!”

“Really?” Bucky asked. His heart was melting at the idea that you had already thought about his and Steve’s position in your imaginary world. 

“Uh huh! But if you wanna keep being the kings, then you have to wear a cape and crown like me. It’s the rules.”

Your caregivers chuckled. 

“Well if those are the rules,” Steve said.

“I guess we have to follow them.”

After breakfast, Steve and Bucky let you order three custom capes and crowns for your royal family. When they arrived in the mail, you insisted on wearing your new accessories everywhere. Your daddies had to forgo the capes(unless they were playing castle with you), but you did manage to make them wear their crowns everywhere–even to work–for a whole week. The other avengers teased them mercilessly for it, but it was a small price to pay for your joy. Steve especially loved walking around with you in your get up and having his friends fuss over how adorable you were. 

During group meal times, you’d make jokes with him across the table. If you were allowed in the room for a meeting, you’d pass notes back and forth. Sam would also play with you during Tony’s summer parties; he was going to let you fly with redwing before Bucky marched outside and confined you to his hip for the rest of the night. You didn’t mind too much though, the sky probably wasn’t as comfortable as being held by Baba. 

Your attachment to Sam made this mission all the more difficult for everyone involved. You, because you missed your friend. Sam, because he missed your happy giggles and felt bad for leaving you right when he finally gained your trust. And your daddies because they had to witness you get sad every time something reminded you of Sam. 

Fortunately, the mission was going well and he was expected to return right on time. On his last day, Sam was looking both ways to cross the street when a stuffed animal in a display window caught his eye. He looked at his watch to see if he had enough time to make his flight, then quickly entered the store and bought the plushie because he knew you’d love it. 

On the plane, Sam sat with the plushie in his lap to keep it safe. It was still in the bag from the store, looking like an oddly shaped lump in a now wrinkly paper bag. When Sam returned to the tower, Steve was the first to greet him before you nudged your Dada out of the way to give Sam a bone-crushing hug. 

“I missed you, Sammy!”

“I missed you too, peanut.” He kneeled down and handed you the paper bag. “I gotcha something.”

You beamed at him. “Thank you! I love it!”

Sam laughed. “You haven’t even opened it yet!”

“I already know I’m gonna like it because it’s from you,” you said, matter of factly. “But okay.”

You opened the bag and gasped when you saw the plush. 

It was a soft turtle with a slightly slouched posture, but that wasn’t the part you were focused on. Your favorite part was the plushie’s grumpy expression. It looked just like Bucky. 

“HE HAS BABA FACE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” You screamed your gratitude while running circles around the trio of Sam and your daddies. Sam and Steve were barely holding in their laughter, meanwhile Bucky stood confused, but happy that you were happy. Despite his super hearing, he wasn’t sure if he heard you correctly. Did you say baba face? Or maybe you said bubble face?  

Bucky figured that this wasn’t something he needed the answers to immediately, so he didn’t ask any questions and resolved to watching you tire yourself out. 

The grumpy turtle became your new shadow. Everywhere you went, so did the plush. You’d have it tucked under your arm while running through the compound. During mealtimes in your home, the turtle would get his own chair and toy food. Outside, you kept your turtle in a drawstring backpack with the head poking out so he could see the world too. When your daddies carried you around, you’d make a silly game out of making the turtle mess up your Dada’s hair or bite your Baba’s ears. 

Even before giving you the turtle, Sam loved to boast about how he was your favorite Avenger(you didn’t have a favorite, but you didn’t have the heart to correct him on that when he kept giving you all of his attention). When you all played hide and seek, he bragged for three days straight about how you chose him to be your partner. Your attachment to the turtle only heightened his pride. 

He always asked you where the turtle was, knowing it couldn’t be more than three feet away from you. Sam made a big fuss about the turtle having his own seat at the dinner table and fell victim to your strength and contagious giggles when you pushed him out of his seat to make room for your turtle. Sam learned his lesson that day and didn’t fight for the turtle to have his own chair in the debriefing room. However, he did bring in an extra stool for the plush. Sam even bought you the very drawstring backpack that allowed you to take your new friend on your outdoor adventures. In private, he’d ask you about how the turtle was settling into his new home and gave him the gentlest kiss when you said the turtle needed more lovin’. 

The others all thought your friendship with Sam was adorable, but there was one person who saw this as an opportunity for some friendly competition. Natasha knew that there was room in your heart for more than one avenger bestie, so she devised a plan to take her spot. She had two missions in August–the first: survey a crime group that’s suspected to have ties with Zemo. The second: give you a gift worthy of four days of bragging. 

After successful recon, Natasha’s plane landed in the Avenger’s HQ. She turned in her paperwork that she completed on the flight home, then went to freshen up so she could give you your gift. Natasha found you cuddled up with Steve in the movie room watching some old cartoon. She knocked on the door.

“Got any room for a couple more friends on that couch?”

“Natty, you’re back!” You untangled yourself from Steve and ran to give her a hug. You looked behind her expecting to see more of the group. “Where’s the other friends?”

She held up a bag with the arm that wasn’t hugging you. “Your new friend traveled a long way to get here.”

You squealed and hugged Natasha again before accepting the bag from her hand and kneeling on the floor to pull out the tissue paper and free your gift. 

“You guys are spoiling them, you know that?” Steve asked, lightheartedly from the couch.

“Oh hush, how many hours of screen time have you given them today?”

Steve opened and closed his mouth a couple times, not expecting the question.

“Doesn’t count if the movies came from your time, right?” 

Any response from Steve was cut off by your cheering. 

“BABA OCTOPUS!! BABATOPUS!!” you held up the plush proudly like it was Simba. “Dada, look!”

“Oh he’s beautiful, baby.” Steve chuckled at the round, bright red octopus plush with a deep frown on its face. “What do you say to Nat?”

“THANK YOU NAAAT!” you yelled. Excitement flickered across your face once more, then you ran out of the movie room with the octopus securely tucked under your arm.

“Where are you going, baby? And no running indoors!” Steve shouted as he chased after you. 

You slowed for a bit, but kept moving at a swift pace. “I hav’ta show Baba my new friend!”

Natasha watched your little race from the movie room with an amused grin on her face. During dinner that night, she enjoyed the shocked look on Sam’s face when you pulled up with two grumpy plushies and pretended to feed the octopus before the turtle.

Sam turned to Natasha. “You have no idea what you’ve just started.”

She smirked. “And you have no idea what you’re getting into.”

Steve leaned over to whisper to Bucky. “We’re gonna need more space in the playroom.”

𓏲 ࣪₊♡

The competition expanded beyond Natasha and Sam. All of the Avengers were determined to find the next grumpy plush to win your heart. There was a penguin from Peter, a frog from Thor, a cat from Tony, and a panda from Wanda. Your collection was starting to get out of control. You desperately wanted to carry all of your plushies everywhere with you to keep things fair, but your daddies put an end to that when you tripped on the sidewalk while trying to push a stroller full of scowling stuffed animals. 

Bucky decided to help you create a system so you could fairly pick one plushie from the collection to carry around for the day. He made small slips of paper so you could write down their names and pull one out of a cup each morning. He brought his supplies to you while you were having an afternoon snack at the dining table. His heart broke seeing you with your knees bandaged up and the streaks of dried tears from the fall earlier today still on your face.

“Hi, Baba,” you sniffled.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s going on? You eatin’ your snack?”

“Mhm.”

“Why aren’t you eating at the kitchen island, baby? You always eat your snack there.”

You pouted and gestured to the plushies sitting around you. “I can’t fit all my friends there.”

“Oh I know, bubs. It must be so hard carrying all these guys around, huh?” He mentally scolded himself for leaving you alone during your snack. He should’ve known better than to expect you to stay put when your little friends were trapped inside the stroller. It must’ve taken so long to arrange the plushies around the table with your injury. 

You perked up at his next words. 

“Baba has something for you.” Bucky spread out the slips of paper on the table and placed a cup next to them. “You can write down the names of all your little friends on these papers and pick one name out of the cup to decide which one you’re walking around with for the day. Does that sound fair?”

You shrugged, “I guess I can do that.” You really would’ve liked a solution that allowed you to bring all of the grumpy plushies with you everywhere, but deep down you knew that it just wasn’t practical. You took the pencil that Bucky held out for you and started writing down your plushies’ names.

Your Baba lovingly kissed the top of your head and rubbed your back while you wrote. He loved watching you focus on a task. He almost didn’t notice what you were writing down.

Bucky squinted then blinked a couple of times, not believing what he saw. “Baby, why are you writing ‘Baba’ on everything?”

You paused and tilted your head back to look at him. “That’s their names. Baba Turtle and Baba Cat and Baba Bear and Baba-”

“Why do you call them that?”

“‘Cause look!” You picked up the grumpy frog sitting next to you and held it out for Bucky to see. “They look like Baba!” You hugged the plushie before setting it back down to continue writing. 

Bucky’s heart melted. His sweet, wonderful baby was so attached to these plushies that reminded them of him. His signature scowl that often got him into trouble brought them comfort. His friends even noticed and spoiled his baby rotten with even more of these toys. 

Bucky continued watching you work. He looked at the plushies differently now. 

𓏲 ࣪₊♡

Steve and Bucky were cleaning your playroom. Normally this would be your responsibility, but you had gone to bed a little earlier, and they didn’t want you walking too much with your injury. Steve was putting your plushies into their designated bins. He wasn’t harsh with them, but his efficient method of gathering an armful and plopping them down certainly would have raised an eyebrow from you. 

“Hey, go easy with turtle me,” Bucky teased. 

“Turtle you?” Steve asked. 

Bucky nodded proudly, then held the plush up to his face. “Don’t you see the resemblance?” 

“Whatever, punk. At least my face isn’t the reason we have a 50 gallon bin of stuffed animals.” Steve turned around and kept cleaning, completely missing the look of excitement on Bucky’s face. 

The next day, your Baba volunteered to pick up breakfast while Steve helped you get ready. Bucky stopped by a toy store on his way to the bakery. He’d seen this particular plushie before and knew that this was the perfect moment to get it for you. Not too long later, he was entering your home with bagels in one hand and your new friend in the other. 

Bucky hid the plush behind his back when he heard you and Steve walking towards him. 

“Hi, Baba!”

“Good morning, baby.” Bucky leaned down to kiss your forehead, then kissed Steve’s cheek as a thanks when he handed off the box of bagels. 

You hugged Bucky and couldn’t help but notice that one of his hands wasn’t hugging you back. 

“Baba, hug me better,” you whined. 

Bucky laughed. “Hang on, I’ve got somethin’ for ya.”

You gasped in excitement and took a step back so you could see. Bucky revealed the plush with a dramatic flourish, then somewhat nervously waited for your reaction. The stuffed animal had you in shock. It was a stuffed giraffe that stood with the most perfect posture. It had spiky hair, blue eyes, and a charming smile. You knew exactly who it was supposed to resemble. 

“IT'S DADA!” You squealed and graciously took the plush while running to the kitchen where Steve was. He was already making his way to you when he heard your scream. 

“Dada’s right here, bubba. What’s going on?”

You held up the plush while doing a little dance. “Look! It’s a Dada giraffe!”

Steve laughed then ran a hand over his face when he made the connection. You ran off to your playroom, saying something about “finding a Baba for this Dada” while your daddies shared a look. 

The door is where you are now. Sitting on the floor, glaring at the smooth oak that you can’t tap on and the shiny knob that you can’t shake. You finished your chores, played for a while, and ate both breakfast and lunch already. Bucky was still in his office and he hadn’t left all day.

Your daddy spoiled you in so many ways: with his gifts, with his love, with his words. The only thing he couldn’t give you enough of was his time. His job was a difficult one with long and sometimes unpredictable hours.

He was able to make some changes. He trusted Sam and Steve to handle his out of town meetings so he didn’t have to travel as much. He also promoted Natasha from head of security to essentially his right hand by helping him with his larger projects.

These changes were so important. They gave you so much more time with your daddy, but there were still days like today when he simply had to do the work himself. Bucky also worked from home as much as he could so he could see you for lunch or even work with you sitting quietly on the velvet loveseat in his office. Him working from home was almost worse for you on the days you couldn’t go see him.

You daddy is home. He’s sitting at his desk where you color sometimes, on the chair with the best spinning ability in the whole house. There was just this one door standing in your way. You wanted so badly to knock and call for him through the cracks, but you knew better. You daddy was a stickler for rules, and he would not appreciate you ignoring his boundaries.

You sighed and settled for glaring at the door. Maybe your anger would be enough to open it without touching and then Bucky would be so impressed he’d have to take the rest of the day off.

Pleased with your plan, you sat on the floor with your hands on your knees and continued glaring. It felt like hours were going by. You thought the doorknob was moving, but it was just Alpine’s reflection as she trotted past. You kept glaring. Still, nothing moved. Just when you were about to give up, the sound of a lock turning echoed through the hallway and your daddy opened the door with an amused smile.

“What’re you doing here, sweetheart?”

“Daddy!” You reached your arms out for cuddles and Bucky happily obliged, even pressing a noisy kiss to your cheek.

“Were you sitting on the floor and waiting for Daddy? I saw you on the cameras.”

“I wantedta knock on your door but you said no knocking so I was trying to open it with my eyes,” you explained.

Bucky laughed. “Oh yeah? How did that go?”

You pouted and hid your face in his neck. “It didn’t work.”

“Aww.” He rubbed your back to comfort you. “Maybe if you ate more carrots your eyes would be strong enough to open doors.”

“Daddyyy.”

“I’m kidding, baby. C’mere.” He pressed your foreheads together.

“Thank you for listening to Daddy’s instructions today. You were such a good baby and I’m so proud of you.” He gave you a gentle kiss while your face warmed from his praise and affection.

You thanked Bucky, earning you another kiss and more praise for being so polite.

Your daddy was beaming. Anyone who knew of his title and past would’ve been shocked at the way he grinned ear to ear while holding you in his lap as if you were the most precious thing in the world.

“How did I manage to capture the sweetest little baby in the whole world, huh?”

You giggled. “You didn’t ca’ture me, I got you!” You held his face in your hands. “My daddy.”

“You better feed your daddy now, angel. Daddies get hungry!” Bucky playfully shook free from your grasp and bit your hands.

“Nooo, daddy!” you squealed. “Eat the food downstairs, not me!”

He stopped thrashing and acted shocked. “There’s food downstairs? Why didn’t you say so?”

“Yeah! And we can watch a movie and cuddle after dinner! Can we, daddy?” You clasped your hands together and bounced excitedly.