#vet!reader

You stayed in touch with Emily through the years, both of you flying here and there just to see each other. And your continued friendship is what led you here. Australia. Just after Christmas, for Emily’s wedding with her wife Kat.

You knew absolutely nobody here apart from the brides. So, you took the long flight all the way there by yourself. But Emily was one of your best friends in the world, so you didn’t mind. Plus, you’d just split up with your girlfriend, so going to the other side of the world to get away from her also seemed like a smart idea. Although, you hadn’t been with her for that long anyway, so it wasn’t like your heart was broken to pieces. It just needed to be patched up a bit.

You’d missed pretty much all the build up to the wedding. Kat and Emily had some parties and dinners on the build up to the event. But due to one or two work emergencies, you ended up having to change your flight. You made it in just yesterday afternoon and had pretty much slept it off until this morning.

You’d headed off to the bar after chatting with one of Emily’s cousins for a little bit. On the way there, you accidentally bumped into a girl in a yellow dress, and thankfully, her drink went forward onto you rather than backwards onto herself.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry” she blurted out. She started frantically looking around for a napkin so that she could dry your shirt with it.

“You’re alright” you smiled. “At least you don’t drink red” you pointed to her now empty glass, which there wasn’t much left in before it’d been thrown over you. You were wearing a white shirt and black smart trousers, an expensive belt was slid through the loops. The worst damage that the accident had done was made your shirt just a little bit wet, but it would quickly dry in the Australian heat.

“That’s true” she giggled.

“It’s like 38°C, I think it’ll dry fairly quick” you added. “Do you want me to top that up for you?”

“I was just heading to get another one, if you were heading that way too?” She asked, as you nodded and walked to the bar together.

“Do you know Kat or Emily?” You continued the conversation with, shit circle back and ask her her name, this girl.

“Emily” the girl nodded with a smile. “You?”

“Yeah, Emily” you replied. “We were in college together” you explained.

“We play football together” the girl stated.

“Oh, you play in San Diego?” You smiled.

“Oh no, we play together for Australia” she clarified.

“That’s cool” you said, handing the girl off a new glass of white wine. You presumed she also played for a club so you thought maybe you should ask her who she played for, but she got her next question out quicker than you did.

“And what do you do?” The, presumably Aussie, girl shot out another question.

“I’m a vet” you chuckled. “I own my own practice in England”

“A vet?” She repeated.

“A vet, like an animal doc-”

“I know what a vet is” She huffed playfully, pushing your shoulder with a gentle nudge. “You just don’t look like one”

“Sorry, I don’t usually wear my scrubs to weddings” you smirked as the brunette giggled softly, flicking her eyes downwards to get a good look at your whole body, before she gulped and her head shot back up.

“I have a dog” she blurted out, making any attempt to try and continue your conversation.

“Oh yeah? What kind of dog?” You asked with a grin, albeit a much less cheeky one than you’d just had on.

“I’ll get you a picture of him, his name is Calvin” she said. She took her phone out and didn’t have to scroll much at all to find one of the thousands of pictures of him she had on her phone. “This is him”

“He’s very cute” you nodded. “He actually looks great, you obviously take care of him really well” you reassured Calvin’s helicopter parent.

“He’s easy to look after” she smiled. “We did recently just move in somewhere new, with my friend, and she has a dog too” the girl explained, scrolling up to find a picture of the other dog.

“What’s her name?” You asked as you looked on her phone at the picture of the smaller dog belonging to her friend.

“Myle” she replied. “It was kind of perfect because her girlfriend recently just moved for work, and I split up with my fiancée, so it was good timing” she said, as both of you looked at each other. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I even just told you all of that” she mumbled, putting her head in her hand.

“You’re alright” you smiled emphatically. You were not too sure if you should put your hand on her shoulder to comfort her, so you left it. “Bad break up?” You asked.

“You can say that again” She sighed.

“Bad break up?” You repeated, giving the girl the same smirk you’d given her not too long ago.

“No wonder you work with animals, they can’t tell you to shut up” she chuckled as you laughed softly.

“You’d be surprised” you added, as the girl rolled her eyes playfully at you. “So, was she-”

“He” the Aussie corrected you.

“Sorry, was he Calvin’s dad? Is it joint custody now?” You asked.

“No, Calvin’s mine” she shook her head.

“Probably better off” you nodded. You both took a drink and stared off at the guests partying in the short distance between where you’d sat down with the girl. “Sorry, I completely forgot to ask, what is your-”

“Why ye sittin’ up here? Come on, we agreed. No mopin’” a girl with a thick Irish accent said, as she pulled the girl in the yellow dress off the seat. “Or am I interruptin’ somethin’?” She smirked, looking at the girl you’d been speaking to, before her eyes landed on you.

“Uh, no. We were just chatting” you smiled. “It was nice talking to you” you added, before you got up and walked off.

“See you” She smiled back warmly, watching you walk off.

“Any idea who she is?” The Irish girl said.

“A friend of Emily’s who is a vet was all I got” the brunette shrugged, not really bothered by the specifics of who you actually were.

“Emily, who’s your fit friend?” The other girl shouted towards your best friend, when you had gotten out of ear shot.

“Katie” a girl in a red dress huffed, following after her as Emily laughed at the pair of them.

You thought Calvin’s mum was attractive, clearly straight, but still really beautiful. You wouldn’t ever say it out loud, to disrespect Emily’s wife, but she was by far the most beautiful girl at this wedding.

The Australian girl had found her friends, and was dancing to the music with them, while the Irish girl who’d broke you two up was busy chatting in detail to Emily about something. You finished off your beer, placing the bottle on the bar front and decided to call it a night. You shot Emily a quick wave and pointed towards the hotel, as she gave you a thumbs up, letting you know she understood where you were heading.

“Your girl’s leavin’ Steffy” Katie laughed, leaning over her own girlfriend, Caitlin, to poke the Australian girl in the arm.

“Stop being a menace” Steph shook her head.

“If it’s because she’s a girl, there’s no judgement here” Caitlin tried but Steph stopped her.

“It’s not that” she sighed. “I just split up with Dean”

“She just split up with her girlfriend too” Katie shrugged as both Steph and Caitlin looked at her. “What? I asked Emily” she explained.

“Steffy you’re literally glowing and that girl was drooling at the mouth when she was talking to you, according to this one” Caitlin giggled, squeezing Katie’s arm. “One night won’t kill anyone”

“I don’t even know her name” Steph sighed.

“It’s Y/n” Katie quickly inputted, as both girls gave her another look. “It was a long conversation with Emily, okay? Jesus” the Irish girl defended herself, again.

“Well go on then Catley, what are you waiting for?” Hayley giggled, pushing the girl off in the direction of the hotel.

“God, can you two just promise not to kill each other until I get back?” Steph groaned, looking between Hayley and Katie who both stood smirking.

“I’ll keep them apart” Caitlin reassured her as she shooed the other girl off. Steph’s feet moved quicker than her brain did, running off in your direction.

She eventually caught up to you just as you’d punched the floor you intended to head to in the lift, shouting a high pitched “Y/n” to get your attention to hold it for her.

“Oh, hey, are you not-” your question was interrupted as Steph’s lips pressed against yours, your lower back hitting off the handle that wrapped around the lift from the force her body connected with yours. The lift doors closed and so did your eyes, getting over the initial shock and melting into this girl’s kiss.

“Thanks for holding the door” she smirked, pulling back from your lips.

“Thanks for getting in” you teased back, before you were tugged back by the jaw to her kiss her again. The lift continued to move its way to the top floor, where you were staying, as you turned the two of you around. Her back was now pressed against the wall and you had your back facing to the lift doors.

You slid your knee between the girl’s legs, the slit in her dress making it so easy to do so, as your lips pressed against her neck. Her hand made its way from the grip on your neck to the back of your head, pushing you impossibly further into the crook of her neck.

The ping announcing the lift’s arrival to your floor was what got you to stop. You took a step off, presuming the girl was going to follow you, but she stayed rooted to the spot. Her eyes were stuck on yours, but she couldn’t find the words to speak.

“Coming?” You asked, sticking out your hand for her to take, and when she didn’t, you couldn’t help but frown. This was the same girl you’d almost just fucked in this lift 20 seconds ago, not wanting to get out.

“I’ve- I’ve never been with a girl” she shook her head. “I have no idea what I’m doing” she admitted.

“You don’t need to have any idea” you smiled reassuringly. “I don’t think it’ll be much of a difference for you, only it might last a little longer” you smirked, but the girl didn’t find it that amusing.

You stepped fully out of the lift hoping that would give her a bit of encouragement, and understanding that there was no judgement. Only, your plan back fired, because the minute you did that, she pressed the button on the lift to take her back down to the lobby. Your jaw almost dropped to the ground at her actions and her eyes fell downward and the lift doors closed.

You should have kind of figured, straight girls were the worst. She was the worst - wait. What was her name?

Shit.

Oh well. It’s not like you were ever going to see each other again.

-

You flew back to England, taking another two days off work to sleep the jet lag away before going back to the office. You didn’t have pets yourself, due to the sheer amount you’d see in one day, and sometimes having to take home some home for a few days before you’d help to find them forever homes.

You had one of the best practices in London. You’d worked extremely hard under other professionals all over England, until you became efficient enough to open your own place. It was a high profile area that you opened in, so while rent was high, your clients were willing to pay whatever the cost, and more, to keep their furry babies healthy.

You usually did house visits, and worked from the office in your practice. You had a very skilled team working under you, so you very rarely had to get involved with visits and appointments. There was a few emergencies in the last while that you’d had to get hands on with. But mostly, you just did paperwork now.

“Y/n? Y/n!” You heard your assistant nurse, Amber, shout from the corridor in the practice as you shot up from your desk and headed outside.

“What is it?” You asked after you swung your door open.

“We’ve got a really bad emergency heading onto the operating table now” she rushed out.

“Explain” you said sharply. You grabbed a fresh set of scrubs out of the press and threw them on as you both sprinted towards the operating room, while she explained the entire thing on the way there.

“What should we do?” One of your colleagues asked.

“Give me a minute” you calmly stated, assessing the dog that was lying whimpering on the bed. “Okay, give him some anaesthetic, now” you clicked. “You, you, you, prep for surgery, and Amber? Can you please head to whoever brought him in to explain the situation? Keep them calm” you explained as everyone immediately got to work. “Did anybody get the dog’s name?”

“Calvin” Amber shouted as she left the room.

“Okay, come on Calvin. Good man” you cooed as you watched him drift off to sleep with the help of the anaesthetic.

The dog had a very deep cut on his leg, and was losing an ungodly amount of blood. You talked your three trainees through the procedure, needing to find a way to stop the bleeding, clean the cut and then apply stitches.

It took about 35 minutes, but you got there, and thankfully, the dog was still breathing and was okay.

“Y/n” Amber sighed in defeat when she returned from when you’d sent off to keep the dog’s owner calm. “It turns out that the girl who brought him in was actually not the owner. But now the owner is here and she told me she wants to speak to a real vet and not a child”

“You go make yourself a cup of tea, alright? You did brilliant” You smiled, squeezing her shoulder as she nodded. “What’s the owner’s name?” You asked.

“She said it was Steph” she replied, before she headed to the canteen to get a cup of tea, where the other three were, after just getting changed. You took your scrubs off, being dressed in a pair of slacks and a shirt that was tucked in, putting back on your expensive watch you’d taken off right before you ran to the operating room.

“Steph?” You asked the empty room, apart from two girls, as one of them stood up and your eyes landed on each other again. “Steph” you repeated, now you knew the girl’s name.

“Y/n” Steph said, eyes widening at the fact you were stood in front of her.

“I’m Beth” her oblivious friend stood beside her smiled at you.

“Calvin’s fine” you stated bluntly. “As my fully licensed colleague already told you. Would you like to see her veterinary license?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. Although they worked for you, if anybody ever questioned their qualifications, you got really pissed off.

“No” she shook her head apologetically, realising that she must have upset the girl. “Does he need to stay?”

“Just for the night” you nodded. “You can pick him up in the morning, or you can” you said to Beth.

“Where do I pay?” Steph asked.

“You’re fine” you shrugged. “You can take it up with the receptionist on collection times though. Can I help with anything else?” You asked.

“No” Steph huffed.

“Good”

“Good” Steph repeated.

“Nice to meet you” you smiled to Beth, “And you, Myle” you chuckled, rubbing the dog that Beth was holding before turning to walk off.

You felt incredibly guilty, but she’d spoken to Amber like shit and deserved a stern word. You hadn’t thought about Steph in the two months that had passed since the wedding, blaming the entire thing on sun-kissed skin and strong Australian alcohol. But now that she was stood in your clinic, almost in tears at the thought of her dog needing surgery and you speaking to her abruptly, you did feel bad.

“Steffy, what the hell?” Beth whispered.

“Let’s just go” Steph sighed. “I’ll explain in the car”

“Uh, Steph?” You said, swinging back around the corner, as the girl looked at you, a bit shocked you’d came back. “I don’t usually- do you want to see him before you go?” You asked.

“Could I?” She replied, face softening a little at your offer.

“Yeah, follow me” you nodded, wandering off down the hall as the girl actually followed you this time. “He’s still asleep, but I’ve got him bandaged up” you explained.

“Thank you so much” she replied, squeezing your arm before quickly realising what she’d done and dropped it back to her side. “Are you sure I can’t pay? Surely you have bills”

“We’re doing okay here” you shrugged. “He’ll be good as new in a few weeks, but he will need a cone to stop him from pulling at the stitches”

“He hates those things” Steph chuckled.

“They all do” you smiled softly.

“What should I do, you know, if he does pull them out?” Steph asked, rubbing Calvin’s head.

“You could always call, one of us can come and fix it” you said, before you realised that she may have been hinting at something. “But, it’s usually me that does house visits”

“So, I better take your number then” Steph added.

“Yeah, yeah” you agreed. “For Calvin”

“For Calvin” Steph nodded, handing her your phone as you did the same while you exchanged numbers.

“He’ll be alright here tonight, don’t worry” you reassured her. “You can collect him about 12pm tomorrow”

“Shit. I’m in work, but I can leave early or-”

“I could bring him over to you” you blurted out.

“Really?” Steph replied, a little taken aback.

“Where do you work?”

-

The next day you picked up Calvin in your arms and put him in your very expensive car. You know you were meant to put him in a travel box, but you hated doing that, especially with a dog as calm and stitched up as him. So, you popped a blanket on your back seat and let him stretch himself across it, giving him a special new cone that was supposedly not meant to irritate dogs as much as the usual plastic ones.

You pulled up outside the Arsenal training centre, letting the security know who you were, and why you were there, and they let you through. You parked the car and picked Calvin up again, not yet letting him down to walk as his leg needed time to heal. You were directed through to the canteen, where the team was having lunch and the second Steph saw you, she was on her feet.

“Calvy” she squealed, rubbing his face as the dog wiggled in your arms to try and get to her.

“Just don’t let him run around for the next few days, he needs to let that heal” you said, pointing to his leg.

“Hey, I know who ye are!” Someone shouted, bouncing towards you. “Ye were at the weddin’ and ye were-”

“Shut up” Caitlin shouted, covering Katie’s mouth with her hand.

“Oh, so you all play here?” You chuckled, as it was just you and Steph standing together again, alone.

“Didn’t you play football? Don’t you watch it at all?” Steph asked.

“Stalking me, Catley?” You smirked.

“I didn’t give you my last name” she smirked back. “So, are you stalking me?” The girl caught you out.

“Uh” you stuttered.

“Maybe you could stalk me at dinner, sometime” Steph said casually as you laughed at her. “That sounded better in my head” she sighed with a chuckle.

“It sounded great” you nodded.

“I should probably take your non work number then” Steph smiled.

“I never gave you my work one to begin with, so feel free to not text me just between 9am-5pm” you chuckled. “I need to head back, but if you do need anything, for him, or for you, just let me know” you said, patting Calvin’s head before turning to walk back to your car.

“That’s the vet from the wedding?” Leah asked, eyes widening.

“How did you find out?” Steph frowned.

“I’m sorry” Beth and Katie both said before sharing a look and pointing their fingers at the other one.

“It was Beth!”

“It was Katie!”

“Did she just ask you out?” Caitlin wiggled her eyebrows at her Aussie teammate.

“I think I asked her” Steph chuckled.

“I need to do a background check” Kyra announced.

“No. Not you pest, give me your phone” Steph huffed, handing Calvin carefully off to Beth before stomping after Kyra.

Meanwhile, on the drive back to work, you called a barely awake Emily who was back in San Diego for pre-season.

“So what, she just asked you out?” Emily smirked on the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, is that alright?” You asked.

“What do you mean is it alright? She’s not my daughter” Emily laughed. “Did you two hook up at my wedding or what?”

“Uh, yes and no” you shrugged. “We kissed, but I think she kind of freaked out because-”

“Dean” Emily answered quickly.

“And the whole her being straight thing” you added.

“I just don’t want you hurt” Emily sighed. “But if you need to get fucking a straight girl out of your system, then be my guest” she laughed.

“Yeah, yeah” you rolled your eyes. “Tell Kat I said hey” you smiled, before you hung up and went back into work.

-

A week and a half passed, and your date? dinner with Steph was tonight. You’d offered to collect Steph, but she’d instead agreed to meet you there, so you both didn’t have to drive.

You’d booked the table at a restaurant that you had work related meetings and dinners at, so they knew you very well. Specifically the owner, who did a lot of business with you and your clinic. You got there first, being guided to the usual table that was set just for two tonight. When Steph got there, you spotted her the second she came through the door. Neither of you were dressed like this was just a dinner for friends, you were both dressed like you were trying to leave an impression.

“Ms Y/l/n is just through here” the waitress smiled to your date, guiding her to the table.

“Hey” you greeted her, leaving the booth seat free for her to take, quickly standing up to let her get by you and in to her seat.

“You look nice” Steph said, offering you a polite smile.

“So do you” you nodded. “These are for you” you stuttered, sliding the small, yet expensive bouquet of flowers across the table to her.

“What?” She frowned. “Flowers?”

“Oh, sorry. I just-” you panicked.

“No, I just mean- I meant thank you” she corrected herself.

“The usual?” The waitress asked.

“Yeah, please” you nodded.

“And a drink for you, Ms?” She made eyes to Steph, who wasn’t listening.

“What’s your nicest white wine?” You mumbled as Steph was still scanning the menu, not even hearing what the waitress had answered you. “Actually, just bring us a bottle of that instead” you nodded as she scurried off.

“Did you just order a bottle of wine?” Steph laughed as you shrugged. “Which one?” She hummed, handing you the menu as you looked for the name and pointed to it. “That cost £180” she frowned.

“Yeah, it’s fine” you waved her off. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

“This is all really expensive” Steph muttered.

“Get whatever you want” you gripped her hand, as she noticed the expensive watch on your wrist. “It’s not an issue. I very rarely get charged the full price in here” you chuckled.

“Oh, do you bring all the girls you date here?” Steph teased.

“The owner owns a racehorse, who I look after” you shrugged. “But thanks for admitting this was a date” you grinned as she shot you an embarrassed look. You ordered food once the waitress came back with your drink, and chatted for a bit over your bottle of wine.

“This is the best wine I’ve ever had” Steph groaned.

“Better than the one at the wedding?” You asked.

“Way better” she nodded as a silence fell between the two of you. “About the wedding-”

“You don’t need to-”

“I really wanted to” she cut across you. “It was just so quick after my break up and then I’d never been with a girl before and my brain was just not functioning”

“You’re fine” you shook your head, but felt her hand grip yours.

“I just want you to know, that I did want to. I tried to make the lift go back up but I hit so many buttons that it actually got stuck for half an hour” she chuckled.

“You got stuck in the lift for half an hour?” You laughed. “You deserved that” you added.

“I know” she sighed playfully.

“How’d you get here tonight?” You hummed.

“My friend’s girlfriend dropped me off, I’ll just get the train back” she replied.

“Don’t be stupid, are you far from here?” You asked.

“St Alban’s” she nodded.

“Me too” you nodded. “You can get in my taxi” you said, as the girl smiled to agree.

Only, your supposed shared taxi ended up with both of you stumbling out of it at your place, laughing about nothing in particular, but her needing to grip your arm to keep herself upright.

“This is not my house” she giggled, shaking her head.

“Let’s hope it’s mine” you laughed, sliding your key into the door as you swung it open. Steph realised, even in her slightly tipsy state that vet’s really do make good money with that fancy car parked out front, and the fancy decor of the house she’d not yet stepped foot in. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just-”

“There’s no lifts in here to get stuck in” you chuckled, trying to ease the tension, which seemed to work as the girl laughed. “There’s also no pressure just because you decide to come in” you reminded her. The girl stepped inside, and slipped her heels off as you turned to grab a pair of house shoes from the rack. “Wasn’t so scary, was it?” You teased.

But your big shiny, teasing grin actually made Steph terrified. It scared her massively how attracted she was to you, despite only ever being with men, and then almost marrying one. It was terrifying at the thought of letting someone in again. But then she remembered your kiss, how nice it was, how good it felt when your lips hit her neck and your knee slid between her legs.

“Terrifying, actually” Steph said, straightening herself back up from slipping on your house shoes, and catching your eyes staring at her before she tried to kiss you.

You stepped backwards, adding, “Are you sure? I don’t want you running off on me again. We can kiss or do whatever you want, and if you don’t feel comfortable just tell me to stop, but please don’t panic and run”

“You’re confusing me” she groaned.

“I’m sorry” you sighed. “I don’t mean to be causing you any stress”

“It’s not stress. I want you so badly” she pouted. “I don’t know what’s stopping me”

“Would you maybe like some tea?” You asked, waiting for the girl to nod as you walked off to the kitchen. “You can go get comfortable” you pointed in to the living room, the fancy living room that Steph was admiring when you got back.

“Thank you” she mumbled as you handed her the mug. “I know you were probably expecting something different when I came in”

“I wasn’t expecting anything” you reassured her. “Don’t think there’s any expectations of you when you’re with me”

“See, you’re saying all the right things to me, and I don’t know why my head is still telling me no” Steph moaned.

“Have you ever considered that you are actually just straight?” You asked.

“Yeah, but you-”

“You can find me attractive, but it doesn’t mean you are attracted to me” you explained.

“Do you find me attractive?” Steph asked.

“I think you know my answer to that” you shrugged, placing your mug on the coffee table.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about the kiss” Steph admitted.

“When you think of it, what do you feel like?” You poked.

“Like- like I want you to do it again” she said bluntly, putting her mug down too.

“I’d want to do it again, obviously” you nodded. “You’re so fit, Steph” you bit your lip, eyeing the girl up and down as she moved closer to you.

“If we do this, and I realise afterwards I’m just not into it-”

“It won’t be awkward” you shook your head. “And if at any point you want to stop, just tell me. There’s honestly no pressure, we can go at your pace” you reassured her.

The reassurance was all Steph needed to lean in and kiss you. Once her lips connected with yours, all her doubts suddenly floated away, nowhere to be found again. She straddled your lap and pulled your respectfully placed hand off her waist and moved it to her ass, as you gripped it with a little light force.

“Could we go to your bedroom?” She whispered, as she grinded down on your lap.

“Yeah” you nodded, helping her stand up, and guiding her to your room.

“I just want to see what way the upstairs of this house is decorated” she teased, poking your chest and making you laugh.

“She’s not eating? Alpine, you poor thing,” you run your fingers down her back, feeling the feline lean her head into your palm as you scratch her chin. The cat begins to purr, and you smile at Bucky. “There’s a whole suite of reasons why she’s choosing not to eat, the least of which being a toothache. I’m sure that’s all it is, but I’ll give her a checkup anyway.”

Yet something makes you squint at him in confusion. “She only had her bi-annual checkup last month, have there been any changes to her diet recently? Any weight loss or vomiting?”

Okay, you got him.

The truth Bucky doesn’t want to admit is… Alpine is fine. She’s perfectly fine. There is nothing physically or behaviourally wrong with the feline, per se, but he just… Bucky can’t quite work up the courage to properly ask you out, and he’s resorted to using his cat as an excuse to see you. He thinks it’s lame, Sam says it’s lame, Sarah thinks it’s sweet.

Bucky thinks it’s annoying as hell.

But he’s going to continue bringing Alpine to you under false pretences, just so he can see you. Even if the cost to his pride is more than financial. As the senior partner of major law firm Barnes and Rogers, James Barnes can afford his fair share of pet insurance and checkups.

“I’ll also need to run some tests, too. Definitely a urine test, maybe a blood test.” You feel along Alpine’s sides, but find nothing out of the ordinary. “Maybe an x-ray? Just to rule out some causes.”

He nods along, feigning concern, while the cat continues to melt under your touch. It’s strange—she’s never warmed to anyone really, no one except him. Bucky couldn’t count how many sitters he’d gone through, favourite paralegals or junior partners who’d offered to watch Alpine while he was away on business trips, only to be sporting fresh scratches and cursing the smug creature. 

But you? It was a miracle Alpine was tolerating being touched, let alone examined for a trumped-up excuse. There she was, receiving chin scratches and purring. Purring. Truly a miracle.

Jotaro Kujo, renowned marine biologist, felt really uncomfortable sitting on a little chair in the nearest veterinary office, with a small glass bowl in his hands. Inside the bowl, there was one of his precious goldfishes, named Noriaki. Its scales were the same red as Kakyoin’s hair… at least, they usually were. They had been paler for a few days, by now, and it wasn’t eating properly, unlike its friends, Iggy and Avdol. Jotaro had even tried to change its food, but nothing changed. Noriaki looked weaker and weaker, and he was really starting to feel he was going to lose it. Yes, it was a goldfish, but… Noriaki and the others were so important to him. They had been with him for years, since he had come back from Egypt, and losing even just one of them seemed unbearable. He wanted to do everything he could to help them to live as much as they could.

Who knew about his fishes had asked him why he couldn’t treat them himself, and he had to patiently explain that he was a biologist, not a vet. He wanted an expert to take care of his goldfish, if this was possible. And so here he was, in Dr. Y/S’s office, waiting for his turn, fearing to lose his little goldfish. What a nice morning.

“Mr. Kujo? Please, come in.” Jotaro got up, holding the glass bowl, and entered the studio. The doctor looked at him, and then at the little fish that was lazily swimming in the clear water. Jotaro was ready to hear some snarky comment about the “emergency”, but the young veterinary doctor didn't say something like that.

“Oh dear, poor little goldfish… what happened to you, uh? Let’s check it out, ok? I’ll make you feel better, I promise.” they said, almost cooing, taking the bowl from Jotaro’s hand and gently putting it on the table. Jotaro was amazed by their words. They were the first person who hadn’t mocked him for his weird attachment to a goldfish…

“What’s its name?” they asked, while checking the little fish. Jotaro focused again on his surroundings, blinking.

“Noriaki.” he said, low. They nodded, quietly, without tearing their eyes from their little patient.

“That’s a cute name… tell me, has Noriaki tried to brush itself on the walls of the bowl, during the past days?” Jotaro blinked, surprised. Yes, Noriaki had acted exactly like that…

“Yes… he did it for a day, more or less. Then, he stopped to eat almost completely. It’s like that since yesterday.” he explained, while they were nodding, pondering. They looked up at him, with a little frown.

“It’s a bacterial infection. Pretty common in goldfishes, but it’s not something to underestimate. I’ll prescribe some meds, and, at home, you’ll have to give them to Noriaki every morning and evening. You also have to lower the water temperature and to adjust the water PH to 7.5. Oh, of course, if you have other goldfishes, keep them separated from Noriaki, and check them to see if they got the infection too. If you follow these instructions, Noriaki will be fine in a few days, I promise.” they said, smiling, picking a paper and writing down their instructions. Then, they picked a small med tube, handing it to Jotaro.

“The instructions and the med. You seem to care really a lot about Noriaki, so… I know it’ll be in good hands. Oh, and I’d also like to know how it feels, so please, come whenever you want to tell me how it’s going, ok? Have a good day!” Jotaro nodded, mumbling his goodbye, and then exited the doctor’s office, feeling way more relieved than just a few minutes before. Noriaki was going to feel good… and it was all thanks to that doctor.

He had never met someone like them. Even the vets at the aquarium where he worked at weren’t so… zealous and openly caring. It was their job, yes, but sometimes they tried to slack off; this vet, however, didn’t seem the type of person who would have done it. Jotaro already liked them: they surely were a force of nature.

Well… he had one more chance to talk to them, in just a few days. He felt… happy, about it. He was sure it would have been fun. And, maybe, it wouldn’t have been their last talk. - Jotaro followed strictly Y/N’s instructions and, almost miraculously, Noriaki rapidly got healthy again. Its scales went back to a vibrant red, and it started to eat again, as nothing had happened. Every time Jotaro saw Noriaki swimming happily in its quarantine bowl, he couldn’t help but to smile, remembering how sweetly the vet had taken care of it, that day. If Noriaki was now safe and healthy, it was thanks to them.

As promised, he came back to their office to update them on Noriaki’s health. He arrived right when they were ending their daily shift; when they saw him, they smiled, welcoming him.

“Ah, Mr. Kujo! How’s Noriaki? Is it fine?” Jotaro hinted a smile, pleasantly surprised. They remembered him and Noriaki… he was almost sure that, with so many patients and owners, they would have forgotten about him in a day, but it didn’t happen. He felt… happy, about it.

“Noriaki’s fine. It has completely recovered, thanks to your advice and meds.” he answered, calmly. They sighed in relief, as another smile made its way on their face. Jotaro found himself charmed by their smile. It was so bright…

“Oh, thank goodness! I’m very happy to hear it.” Jotaro nodded at their words, resisting the urge to hide his face in his hat, as he always did when he was starting to feel overwhelmed. Usually, however, it was an unpleasant feeling: maybe it was too noisy, or he was feeling uncomfortable due to something else… but this time, he was feeling something good in his chest. It was overwhelming, but it was so warm and comforting…

“Hm… would you like to see it? I keep it in my office, at the aquarium.” he suggested, in an unusual openness. He just…  wanted to share more time with them, and he had the feeling that they would have loved the aquarium. And, with relief, he was right: their eyes shone at their words.

“You work at the aquarium? It’s incredible! Yes, I’d like to see Noriaki, thank you!” they accepted, finally closing their studio and trotting near him. Jotaro smiled a little again, leading the way, trying to calm his nerves down. It was nothing, he was being nice to a talented vet and, maybe… maybe making a friend. A real one, like the ones he had lost.

“You’re welcome… call me Jotaro. Please.” he said, low, opening himself up again. Their smile reassured him, and they nodded, at his request.

“Fine… Jotaro. But you have to call me Y/N, then.” they replied, and Jotaro nodded, hiding another little smile. Y/N… it was a pretty name.

He quietly listened to their chattings, while they were heading to the aquarium, nodding and, sometimes, commenting. He was usually bothered by people who spoke a lot, but this time it was different. Maybe it was because they were talking about animals, or maybe because it was them.

“Here we are. Noriaki’s still in quarantine.” Jotaro said, entering his office and leading them to Noriaki’s bowl. Y/N’s instinct immediately took on them, and they quickly checked the little fish, carefully.

“What a beautiful red… you’re so handsome, do you know it, Noriaki? A handsome little goldfish.” they whispered at the fish, as Jotaro was turning a little his head, to hide another smile. It was cute when they behaved like that…

“And these are my other goldfishes. The Fantail’s name is Avdol, and the Black Moor’s Iggy.” they immediately went to greet them too, giggling when the goldfishes came near, as to greet them back.

“They’re so cute, Jotaro… you’re really taking good care of them all.” they said, with a satisfied sigh. Jotaro nodded, smiling a little, taking a deep breath. He wanted so bad to stay a little more with them… but was it too bold of him? Well, he had to try…

“Hm… listen, Y/N… would you like to take a coffee? With me?” they blinked, surprised, and Jotaro immediately averted his eyes. It was too much, maybe… he had screwed up, he knew it. Still, his face didn’t show anything of the turmoil in his chest.

“I’d really love it, Jotaro.” his eyes widened a little, hearing their answer. He turned at them, surprised, meeting their smile. It seemed… sweeter, and even warmer. He was feeling his cheeks on fire, and so he teared his gaze away from them again, before the warmth could redden his cheeks. Well, it wasn’t too bold, in the end…

“Fine… let’s go.” he muttered, embarrassed, leading the way, missing their red cheeks and smile. Well, that wasn’t a date… or was it? Jotaro couldn’t tell, but he wouldn’t have minded if they considered it as such. Not at all…

“Let’s get you sorted with some paperwork and then you can take him back to your apartment,” you stated, filing through some drawers and pulling out the things you needed. “Have you thought about a name?”

He looked up at you, surprise flickered through his blue eyes. He shook his head, “I didn’t even realise I’d get to name him.”

“Well, we don’t know what his name would have been before,” you explained, filling out the information you already knew. “He’d probably be scared by that name anyway.”

“Right.” He was sitting on the ground now, the dog panting happily between his knees. Bucky looked down tracing his fingers gently across his back before his eyes flickered back up to you. “What about Buddy?” He asked. When the name escaped his lips, the dog twisted his head around, stretching up to lick Bucky’s jaw. A smile tugged at his lips.

“I think that’s a great idea,” you chuckled, “He seems to respond pretty well to it already.”

“You think that’s a good idea Bud?” He murmured into the dog’s furry neck, subsequently getting attacked by licks.

You filled out the name on the form; ‘Buddy Barnes’  and then stood up, allowing Bucky to be alone with his new friend as you went to photocopy the forms.

A few moments later you re-entered the room, laughing when you saw Bucky lying on his back, Buddy draped across his entire torso.

“You two are cute,” you chuckled, filing away a copy of the papers as Bucky maneuvered out from underneath the dog, brushing off his jeans.

“You think I’m cute?” He smirked.

“I think that dog makes you cute,” you sassed, despite the blush you could feel rising on your neck.

He chuckled, moving to stand beside you and gently nudging you with his elbow. “Guess I’ll have to keep him around then.”

You glanced up to find that smirk hadn’t left his lips and shook your head, unable to stop the grin from spreading across your cheeks. For a moment, you found it impossible to tear your eyes away from his, noticing how similar they were to Buddy’s. The pale blue, almost grey iris’ flashed with joy and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. With a shake of your head, you managed to look away, staring back down at the papers.

“Let’s go, my first patient is gonna be here in 20 minutes and you need to get this little guy home.” You stepped back from the bench, reaching for a cabinet and pulling out a few bottles of medication. “Just some stuff for the pain - put this in his food every morning and night, and this one is just once a day.”

Bucky took the medication from you, attaching the leash to Buddy’s new collar. You walked out to the car park with them, walking at Buddy’s pace.

“I’m probably gonna call you,” he stated, “I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a dog.”

“Well, good thing your neighbour is a vet,” you chuckled. “You can drop by anytime, Buck.”

He nodded, gently lifting Buddy in the passenger seat of his car which was covered in a mountain of blankets.

“Look, I wanted to say thank you–”

“James, you don’t have t–”

“No, I want to. I don’t know how I would've handled it if you weren’t here the other night - if he– if he’d died, I–” He cut himself off, letting out a quiet sigh and running a hand through his hair. “Just, thank you.”

“It’s not a problem,” you smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. His own non-bionic hand lifted to cover yours and you felt a shiver run down your spine at the warmth. “It’s always nice to get to know your neighbours.” you chuckled.

A laugh rumbled through his chest and he stepped away, walking around to the other side of the car and greeting the animal inside with an affectionate pat.

“I’ll see you soon!” he said, before closing the door.

With that, he was off, pulling away from the clinic with a smile on his face as you watched the car drive away. It was only seconds later that a car door slammed behind you, and your head whipped around in confusion.

Emily was sauntering towards you, a cheeky smile on her face.

“How long have you been there?” you asked, shocked by her sudden appearance.

“About 10 minutes - I was planning on getting some reading done before my shift,” she lifted a textbook to show you, “but that exchange was far more interesting.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” you confirmed, turning on your heel and walking back towards the clinic.

“Oh, don’t play dumb - that little shoulder touch? His hand on yours? God, you both personified the heart-eyes emoji,” she sassed, following quickly after you.

“Ok, you have no idea what you’re talking about.” You tried to wipe the smile off your face, still facing away from her.

“Oh my god, you like him,” she mumbled.

“No, I don’t - I was just helping him out - he had an injured dog, I’m a vet.”

“You’re seriously not gonna admit it.”

“There’s nothing to admit!” You looked over at her standing behind the reception desk a smirk still plastered on her face as she held up her hands in surrender.

“Whatever you say,” she chuckled.

You sighed, storming back into one of the examination rooms to prepare for your first patient - a regular. The owner had 3 pugs - Basil, Lulu, and Reggie - and they were always getting into trouble. You knew as soon as they arrived because you could hear the cacophonous parade of paws on the tiled floor as they all bolted through the door, excitedly jumping up and down at your feet.

Needless to say, you managed to suppress the thoughts of your neighbour for the remainder of your shift.

A Week Passes

“Hey, Terminator, you coming or what?” Sam was standing in Bucky’s kitchen, pulling a box of leftover pizza from the fridge and helping himself to a slice.

“Yeah, just gotta feed Buddy,” Bucky murmured, strolling into the lounge room. “Did you see where he we–” Bucky stopped short when he caught sight of the open door, his eyes flickering over to Sam, filled with panic. “You left the door open.”

Am slowly turned to look at the open door, mouth open in mid-bite panic. “Shit,” he mumbled.

Bucky immediately burst into action, speeding towards the door and looking down the hall. “I swear to god, Wilson, I have had this dog for a week. I thought it was going well - he warmed up to me, stopped peeing inside, he’s taking his meds, moving better - and you show up, and suddenly I’ve misplaced him.” he ranted, speeding a few steps ahead of Sam, who was still holding a slice of pizza and had started calling out Buddy’s name. “What am I gonna tell y/n? She’s gonna hate me.”

“Dude, chill out, we’ll find your dog,” Sam groaned, looking behind him to the other end of the hall, only to bump straight into a frozen Bucky.

They had just rounded a corner, and Bucky saw something that made him come to an abrupt halt. Sam turned his attention to what Bucky was looking at and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Buddy, his paws resting on the legs of a crouched woman in medical scrubs.

“Y/n,” Bucky breathed, the name was filled with relief and surprise, and Sam immediately raised an eyebrow. He’d heard about you, the neighbour who saved Buddy and convinced Bucky to adopt him, but he hadn’t heard Bucky say your name like that. He watched his friend rush forward, falling onto his knees as his dog jumped excitedly from her to him.

“I see you’re doing a good job of keeping an eye on him,” she chuckled, scratching the dog’s back.

“That idiot left the door open,” Bucky grumbled, pointing back at Sam. “I left the room for one second an–”

“It’s okay, James,” she chuckled, standing up and brushing off her legs. “He was sitting outside my door, apparently wanted to see me. I’m Y/n, by the way.” she stuck a hand out for Sam to shake and he smiled, introducing himself.

“Cyborg over there has mentioned you once or twice,” he smiled, noticing how her eyes flickered down to her shoes, a blush rising on her neck. He felt Bucky’s elbow press into his side and shot him a cheeky wink.  “Thanks for convincing him to get Buddy, he’s been far less grumpy for the past week - but maybe that’s not the dog.” Sam slyly questioned, raising a cheeky eyebrow.

“AlrIGHt that’s enough, we’ll leave you alone, sorry about Buddy,” he rushed out, grabbing Sam’s shoulder and trying to pull him away from you.

You chuckled lightly at this, shaking off Sam’s remark.

Sam didn’t seem to be having any of it though - he wrestled his way out of Bucky’s grip and turned back to you. “You look like you’ve just finished a shift, you should come out with us! We were gonna go to the Mexican place around the corner - we can eat outside, we’ll bring Buddy, it’ll be great.”

“Yeah, I just got off work, but I couldn’t intrude–”

“No! You wouldn’t be intruding, come on, it’ll be fun.” Sam tried to convince. “Music, food, a few drinks.”

Sam watched as your eyes travelled over to Bucky, a silent question in them. Generally, you wouldn’t just randomly go out for dinner with a group of people you hardly know, let alone superheroes, but you were so hungry, and the thought of having to cook when you got inside made you want to die. Finally, you turned back to Sam, “Just let me get changed.”

Sam cheered in support as hse unlocked her door and disappeared inside, only to be greeted with a punch to the shoulder when the door closed behind her.

“What the hell was that, punk?” Bucky asked, staring anxiously at the door.

“Ok, I just did you a favour - you should see the way she was looking at you, not to mention the way you were looking at her - It’s like a goddamn middle-school disco up in here.”

“I’m going to kill you. Go get Buddy’s leash.”

“You aren’t denying it!” Sam whisper-yelled, turning back towards Bucky’s apartment. “You’re in love!”

If Bucky had something to throw at the back of Sam’s retreating head, he would have.

Part Four

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“Okay, Mr. Snuggles,” you said to the tired kitten you put back in his cage after doing another check on him. “You get some rest and in the morning you can go home to your mom and dad.”

“Lady, we need help,” suddenly said a man in the back of the vet clinic, your eyes instantly drawn to the alarm on the wall. It was well past midnight and you were the only one around in the emergency clinic. At least you were supposed to be. You’d been trained that this might happen. Gunshot wounds, stabbing victims...they’d come to you to avoid the hospital and then things would go bad. “Hey Doc! My brother’s injured.”

You spun around quickly, a large man holding another half conscious one up, his face and chest bloody.

“Go to a hospital if he needs medical assistance,” you said. “I can call you an ambulance if-”

“Help him. Please,” said the man, pulling the other one over to an open door and setting him on operating table you used for large dogs, big enough to fit a grown man for the most part. 

“I said-”

“We can’t. The police are...please just stop the bleeding,” said the man, shaggy brown hair matted down with dried blood. “He’s going to die if you don’t help him.”

“Are you wanted?” you asked.

“Technically yes. But it’s a long story I don’t have-”

“Make time,” you said, the man scrunching up his face.

His lips flapped a mile a minute, his story so far out there you thought he should write a book if he ever got off whatever drugs he was on.

“A werewolf attacked him and threw him across a room and out a second story window...and then attacked him again is what you’re saying,” you said.

“It’s insane but it’s the truth,” said the man, glancing back at the one of the table, not even bothering to try and keep his eyes open anymore. “Come on Dean, stay awake.”

“Tryin’ Sammy,” he mumbled, poking open one eye to look at you. 

“I don’t know how to fix people. I’m an animal doctor,” you said.

“Well...think of him as a really big dog that got hit by a car,” said Sammy.

“I need your help,” you said, pointing behind him at a box of gloves on a shelf, the man turning his back as he plucked some out. You kneed him in the back, the man falling down long enough for you to shove him towards the corner and into the large crate there, locking the door behind him.

“No, no, no, please! Don’t call the cops!” said Sammy, shaking the door but he wasn’t getting out of there anytime soon.

“He needs medical attention,” you said, going to the wall phone, the man on the table grunting.

“If you’re gonna call, let him go,” said Dean. “Let Sam go at least. Please.”

Everything screamed not to trust these two, that they were insane, on drugs...not to mention you really did need another pair of hands to help Dean.

“Either one of you tries anything, I call the cops,” you said, undoing the crate. “Put on some gloves. I hope you know how to stitch, big guy.”

“Hey,” said Sam, answering the door to a creepy motel room the next night. You stepped inside to see Dean bare from the waist up, bandages covering his body, his eyes shut. “He’s resting.”

“I need to check him,” you said. Sam caught your arm, poking his head outside before closing up tight. “You do realize I’m putting my neck on the line to help your brother. I didn’t call the cops.”

“We don’t know you is all,” said Sam, letting you head over to Dean. You saw the light layer of sweat on his skin up close, cursing when you pulled a chair over. “What?”

“He has an infection,” you said, Sam shaking his head.

“I know how to look for an infection. None of his wounds look bad,” said Sam.

“You brought a bloody and injured man into an emergency vet clinic full of sick animals where he could have picked up any kind of disease in his weakened immune state,” you said. Dean flashed open his eyes, unclenching his fist when you grabbed a rubber band and tied it around his bicep. “I need to test his blood and run it so he can get the right medicine.”

“Okay then do it,” said Sam.

“Even once I know what disease it is, where are you going to get the medicine?” you asked.

“You figure out what the infection is, let me worry about the medicine.”

You had a cool washcloth on Dean’s forehead, Sam leaving to go get the medicine he claimed. 

“Rip off a pharmacy is more like it,” you mumbled, Dean stirring awake, taking a long swallow. You helped him take a few big gulps of water from his glass, Dean smiling when he finished.

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

“I looked you and your brother up during the day. You guys are wanted for some pretty messed up stuff. A lot of grave desecrations I saw,” you said.

“It’s how you kill a ghost,” said Dean. 

“Oh, so you kill werewolves and ghosts?” you asked.

“A bunch of other stuff too but yup,” said Dean. “You think we’re nuts.”

“The logical part of my brain says yes. The other part has no idea how you got claw scratches like that from anything other than a wild animal,” you said.

“Welcome to crazy town, doc,” said Dean.

“You know I’m a vet, right?” you said.

“Saved my ass. A doc’s a doc to me,” said Dean. “What’d you say I have again?”

“Cat scratch fever,” you said.

“But I didn’t get scratched by a cat...or been anywhere near a cat,” he said.

“Yes but a kitten with the bacteria was in the operating room just before you showed up. If any of his spit was on the table when you decided to start rolling around with open wounds on it...” you said. “You’ll be fine. We just have to stop it before it gets bad. You need to be as healthy as possible to help these other injuries heal. If your body wasn’t so busy trying to fight off everything else, you’d probably get over it on your own.”

“What if we didn’t treat it?” asked Dean.

“You could get a severe neurological disorder for starters,” you said.

“Glad we’re treating it then,” said Dean.

“Are you in any pain?” you asked.

“Besides where the werewolf tried to rip my guts out or the fact I got shoved out a window yesterday, I’m perfect,” said Dean with a smile.

“Be serious,” you said.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’ll just lay low a few days and then I’ll be good as new. Right doc?”

“Let’s hope so.”

One Week Later

“Ow,” whined Dean when you pulled out a few of the stitches on his back.

“Don’t be a baby,” you said, Dean wincing again when you pulled on the thread. “I haven’t sewn human skin in a long time, cut me some slack.”

“Doc was an actual doc at one point?” he asked.

“I like animals better than people. Animals don’t come into your clinic in the middle of the night with warrants for their arrest,” you said, pulling out the last stitch, the skin healing nicely.

“Yet you still come by every day to check on me,” he said with a smile. “You like me or something doc?”

“Calling the police at this point is bound to cause more harm than good,” you said.

“Plus Sammy and me fight monsters and you’re still freaked by that,” said Dean.

“You and your brother ran into an abnormally large coyote is all,” you said.

“In the middle of an office building...” said Dean.

“I agree to disagree,” you said, knowing the marks on Dean’s body were from something much larger and the break in at the building they told you about was too strange to ignore.

But monsters weren’t real until you saw one so as far as you were concerned, Dean just had unfortunate luck and a creative imagination.

“You’re all set. Call me if you think the fever is coming back and get to a hospital next time dummy. You lost a lot of blood,” you said.

“Will do, doc,” he said, leaning over and kissing you. “If I’m ever in town again, I’ll look you up. We’ll grab a drink, have some fun. Sound like a plan?”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re crazy?” you asked, Dean humming as he slid his shirt back over his head.

“See you around, sweetheart.”

@baconlover001 @emilymorgan1994 @jensenackesl @captainemwinchester @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @xfanqirlinq @anokhi07 @akshi8278 @fandom--shipper @xxwinchester-22xx