A/N: Third part, more to come. How much more? I can't say for sure. Anyways, sorry I haven't been posting for a while, I've been pretty distracted. Hope you like this part!

Warning: insecure and unsure Bucky. Is that worthy of a warning? I think yes. ALSO, some Bucky and Ava being cute.

A couple of weeks went by and Ava had completely warmed up to Bucky. They were getting along so well. Bucky had even spent some time alone with her while you were out with friends. The Avengers had met her, fallen in love with her immediately. She was getting along with all of them so well, it warmed Bucky's heart.

Whenever he said the words "my daughter" he couldn't help but smile. It was like Ava was the missing piece in Bucky's life. He found himself missing her when she wasn't around. If he was away on a mission, he called you and asked to speak to Ava. Of course she couldn't speak too well, being one year old and all, but still, hearing her babble through the speaker was something that could make his day no matter how terrible it had been.

He found himself longing to hear your voice as well but never dared to admit it. You and him were still very cautious around one another. You weren't sure how to act in the other's presence. You two had history but you had not talked about your current situation. So far, the way you saw it was that he was the father of your child and you really wanted them to get along. Both Ava and Bucky deserved it. Ava deserved to have both of her parents in her life and Bucky deserved to have his one and only child in his. You had not thought about having Bucky in yours.

The truth was, you had believed you had gotten over Bucky. You hadn't seen him in two years and had thought you'd never get to see him again. You had been fine, having cute little Ava all to yourself, having a steady job that gave you the opportunity to work from home, a decently paid one at that. Everything in your life had been great, you had figured everything out but then a certain man with a metal arm had showed up at a park while you and Ava were having a little outing with a friend of yours, and suddenly your whole world came tumbling down.

You had once believed Bucky was the love of your life. Sure the night you had been intimate with him was the first and last day you showed each other how you really felt but the night had been so magical, you knew what the two of you had was something special.

There was still some tension between the two of you, anyone could see and feel it. You were sure even Ava could tell when the air between you and Bucky was getting tense. She always looked between the two of you and somehow found something to draw in both of your attentions. She was very smart for someone who was only a year old. But then again, people say babies can sense other's feelings better than you'd think.

You were currently in the elevator with Ava in your arms while waiting to drop her off for a day with Bucky. You had a friend's bachelorette party which was starting already in the afternoon. You had a long day ahead of you and you were more than happy to hand Ava to Bucky. The two got along very well and after all, he was her father.

"Are you excited?" You asked Ava while rocking her slightly. "Excited to spend the whole day with the Avengers?"

Ava didn't answer. She kept sucking on the pacifier while grasping onto your blouse very tightly. She had fallen asleep in the car, she was a little clingy.

"Come on, sweetie," you whispered while kissing the top of her head. "Please cheer up. We don't want you to get cranky with them, do we?" You tickled her side slightly only to hear an exclaim as a protest. She even let out a couple of fake sobs, something that she had learned to do. You apologized quietly and waited for the elevator to reach the floor you had pressed a button for.

The doors opened quickly and you stepped out. You adjusted the two bags you carried on your shoulder and looked around the space. "Hello?" You said. "Anyone in here?"

Bucky was quick to jog to you from behind the corner. He smiled instantly as his gaze fell on you and Ava.

"Look, Ava," you said and turned so she could look to the side and see Bucky. "It's James. You like James, don't you?"

"Bucky. Call me Bucky."

You smiled apologetically and handed him the bigger bag with everything you knew Ava would need. You then kissed the top of Ava's head one more time and looked at Bucky. "She fell asleep in the car."

He nodded understandingly. He then extended his hands and motioned for you to give Ava to him. "Well, I better take her off your hands, then," he said and took Ava in his arms, holding her close. "We don't want mommy to go to the party in a bad mood too, do we?" He asked Ava who again just laid her head on his shoulder and grabbed a fistful of his shirt in her tiny hand.

"These people are very strict about who gets to come here, by the way," you asked, referring to the guard outside. "There was this new guy who I've never seen before and he barely let me in but then he saw Ava and immediately gave us the permission to enter," you said while looking at Bucky who had a shy smile on his lips. "Have you been showing her off?" You asked, amused.

He nodded. "Yeah... Is that bad?"

"No." You shook your head. "You have every right to show her off. After all, you're her—" You trailed off as the word father almost rolled off your tongue. You stopped it, though, wanting to take baby steps with him. "You know," you shrugged, brushing past the uncomfortable silence.

Bucky's smile faded and he nodded, looking down at the ground. "Well, have fun at the party," he said and suddenly the smile was back on his lips. "I'll drop her off at your place, no need to drive back here late at night."

"Thank you, Bucky," you said and reached out to Ava. "Goodbye, sweetie. Please, behave," you chuckled before waving at Bucky and going back into the elevator.

Bucky stayed still as he watched the elevator doors close before he turned around and started heading to the lounge. "We're gonna have a fun day, aren't we?" He asked as Ava lifted her head up from his shoulder. She was still sucking on the pacifier, causing it to move back and forth the way Bucky had grown to adore. It was one of the cutest and purest things he had ever seen and he had lacked on those things. "Aren't we?" He asked again.

Ava swatted her hand over Bucky's mouth. He gave her a confused look but then shrugged. "Fine, I'll just shut up," he muttered and took Ava's small hand in his, kissing her palm. "You wanna take a nap?"

Ava answered by yawning, causing her pacifier to drop between the two. Bucky was quick to grab the pacifier and place it back in Ava's mouth.

"Well, let's take a nap, then."

***

Bucky lay on the couch, watching the TV with minimal volume while Ava was lying on top of him. He ran his fingers gently up and down her back while humming a nursery rhyme his mother had sang to him when he was a child. He did it quietly, not wanting to disturb her while she slept.

"What's with the frown?"

Bucky shushed Steve while gesturing to Ava asleep on his chest. "She's sleeping."

Steve nodded and placed his elbows on the backrest of the couch, leaning down while looking down at the sleeping child. "Seriously, what's with the frown?"

Bucky shook his head, keeping his eyes on the TV. "I'm not frowning."

Steve huffed. "It's like frown is the only facial expression you know," he said, seeing his friend roll his eyes. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Is it about Y/N?" The blonde asked, too stubborn to let it go. "You should just tell her how you feel. You obviously still have feelings for her."

"Oh, yeah," Bucky scoffed quietly. "Listen, I don't need girl advice from a guy who kissed his late girlfriend's niece."

Steve pushed himself off of the couch and let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, have it your way."

Bucky heard Steve walking away and he sighed, running a hand over his face before his gaze landed on Ava still sleeping soundly on his chest.

He was thinking about you, indeed. Steve had been correct. Bucky couldn't stop thinking about the fact that you never referred to him as Ava's father. He was afraid you didn't want him around. He was afraid he wasn't good enough of a father for Ava but you refused to call him out on it for some reason. The lack of communication between you two was driving him insane. He didn't know how you felt or what you were thinking about the situation which only made him expect the worst.

He found himself talking to Ava about it a lot. He was sure she couldn't understand but it gave him the relief of letting it all out. He tried to say it calmly, let it out without showing just how stressed out he was because he knew Ava could sense his feelings just as she did yours.

"Why do you think mommy won't call me your dad?" He asked the still sleeping one-year-old. "Do you think of me as your dad? Can you say daddy? Dada?" He asked, stopping to sigh. "Of course you can't, you're asleep," he chuckled to himself. "But what do you think? Does she think I'm not a good dad? You think I'm a great dad, right?"

Bucky felt Ava stir and suddenly her little palm was placed over his mouth again.

"Alright," he muttered against her palm before lifting it off of him. "I'll stop talking and let you sleep in peace."

He swore he saw a little smile making its way to Ava's lips while she placed her hand under her cheek that was resting on Bucky's hard chest. Bucky smiled down at his daughter and placed a hand gently on her back as his gaze fell back to the TV. Yet, his thoughts didn't waver from his worries.

***

Parking his car in front of your apartment building, Bucky got out before getting Ava. She was wide awake when he opened the door to the backseat. She made grabby hands at him, making Bucky chuckle softly. Bucky took Ava in his arms and got the bag from the trunk before he headed inside. He pressed the button to your apartment and soon the buzzing noise was heard, the door unlocked. He walked up the stairs to see you waiting at the door again, looking somewhat nervous. Something that happened whenever he came around but somehow this time felt different.

"Hey," Bucky said quietly, waiting for your reaction. "She didn't sleep in the car so she should be able to fall asleep right away," he continued after a second or two.

"That's good," you said while reaching out to Ava. "Hey, baby." Your voice changed immediately as you started talking to your daughter. "Did you have fun with... Bucky?"

There it was again, that pause whenever you talked about him to Ava. It was like you were thinking about referring to him as her dad but you never did. Bucky couldn't help but feel disappointed each time. 

"Yeah, we napped for a while, went for a little outing..."

"Sounds nice," you stated. "So what did you do when you went out?"

"We, uhm... I bought her this," he said and took a little playsuit from the bag he was still carrying. "I know, I always come here with something new I bought for her but... I couldn't resist."

You smiled, looking at the playsuit. "Yeah, you spoil her a little bit."

"I've missed a year of her life, I missed it when she was growing inside you, I have to make up for that somehow."

"You have nothing to make up for. You shouldn't feel guilty."

Bucky shrugged, ready to say something back until he heard a voice behind you that belonged to a man. He took a step to the side and glanced over your shoulder, seeing a shirtless man behind you. He was holding his shirt that had been stained with red wine. "Hey, I'm not good with laundry or getting off stains so— Hey, who's this?" 

Who the hell is this guy? Bucky couldn't help but wonder.

You turned around, gulping. "Tanner, this is James," you said while glancing at Bucky. "Jame—Bucky, this is Tanner."

Tanner took confident steps towards you, leaning forward to shake Bucky's hand. "Hey, man. Nice to meet you."

Bucky shook his hand, eyes slightly wider than usual. He was looking between you and Tanner, all kinds of questions running through his mind. Who was this man? Why was he shirtless? Why was he in your apartment?

"You, too," Bucky muttered while taking Tanner's hand in his.

"Man, that's a strong grip." Tanner laughed while pulling his hand away, pretending to be in pain. "So... You're the dad."

"Tanner," you scolded, swatting his chest with the back of your hand. You sent him a warning look before sending an apologetic one to Bucky.

Bucky's hands balled into fists and his jaw tensed. "Yeah, I'm the dad. Well, I better go," he said quite harshly. "G'night." He turned around only to have Ava protest quite loudly. Bucky turned around in confusion and saw Ava making grabby hands at him again. He stepped closer, placing a hand gently on her arm before leaning in and kissing her forehead. "Good night, princess. I'll see you in a few days." His voice was much gentler. 

Ava pouted as Bucky started walking away again. You held her closer and kissed the side of her head while watching Bucky walk away too. "Bucky," you called out, making him stop in his tracks and look at you. "Wait," you said and handed Ava over to Tanner. You walked over to Bucky and placed a hand on his arm. "It's not what it looks like."

"Oh, what do you think it looks like, then?"

You flinched at the tone in his voice. "He's a friend. We met at the bar the girls and I were at and—"

"Sure. Friend. He seems nice," he said as he glanced over your shoulder again, seeing Ava trying to push away from your friend. He felt a bit relieved that she was somewhat rejecting Tanner but turned back to you again. "Why are you telling me this?"

You shrugged. "I just... Don't want you getting the wrong idea."

"Of what?" He urged on.

"i just don't want you thinking—"

"It's fine, really," Bucky interrupted you. "I just came to drop Ava off anyway. That's all I came here for."

A look of hurt flashed your features but you shook it off quickly. "Okay. Great. I didn't expect anything more anyway," you answered quietly yet truthfully.

Bucky sighed in disappointment, recognizing the sadness in your voice immediately. "Alright, then," he muttered and glanced back at Tanner who now let Ava down. Ava waved at Bucky before walking further inside the apartment. It always made Bucky's heart ache slightly when he either dropped her off at your place or when he had to leave himself. He never showed it, though. "Well, good night," he said before glancing at Tanner quickly. "Is he staying the—"

"No," you answered quickly and firmly. "He was just leaving. He needs to get the stain out first," you assured. "Good night, James."

He nodded, leaving the building quickly before getting into his car, slamming the door closed. He rested his forehead against the wheel and groaned. He looked up at the window of your apartment and saw you walking up to it with Ava in your arms. You pointed at the vehicle Bucky was in while talking to Ava. Bucky shook his head with a small smile before he sped off the street, thinking about Ava and you... and Tanner. 

When he and Ava had left the compound and headed to your apartment, Bucky had been ready to talk to you about your situation, whether you were open to start up something again. When he had seen Tanner, though... That's when everything he had thought about got thrown out of the window. He wanted to believe you, trust you when you said it wasn't what it looked like but he was finding it hard. The truth was, he was constantly afraid you'd find someone else. He was scared you'd find someone to grow old with, someone to raise Ava with. He was scared of being brushed aside.

Ava was everything to him. He loved having her around, he loved being a part of raising a child of his own, having such an impact in something so wonderful. He wasn't ready to give all that up.

Even though he absolutely loved Ava with all his heart and thought of her as the most important person in his life, you were important to him as well. He tried to deny the fact that you were almost tied for the most important but he knew for a fact he still had feelings for you. 

He was madly in love with you, had been ever since Romania but he hadn't gotten the chance to tell you about it after you met once again. Not that he was actively looking for chances to do so. The truth was, he was afraid of rejection as well. He was scared you didn't feel the same way anymore.

When the two of you had been in Romania, you talked about everything with him. You had been comfortable around each other and had no secrets. Now things were a bit uncomfortable for you two. You barely talked, he barely knew anything about your current life. Back in Romania, he had known everything about you. 

He got to the compound in no time, parked the car and turned off the engine but stayed put in the car. His hands rested on the wheel in the ten to two o'clock position and he sighed, resting his head on the head rest. He felt like he was losing his mind. He hadn't thought about something or someone this much since he realized he had feelings for you back when you two had been in Romania. His thoughts had been clouded by you and that same thing was happening again. 

He cursed silently to himself and saw someone nearing the vehicle. He looked more closely and saw Steve walking over. Bucky opened the door of the passenger seat for his friend. "Hey," he said quietly, knowing Steve was going to pick up on his sad tone. 

"So, what happened?" Steve asked as he got comfortable and closed to door.

Bucky sighed once again, shaking his head. "She had a guy over," he said with a humorless laugh. "He was shirtless, was way too comfortable with me being there. And he asked me if I was 'the dad'. What the hell does that mean?"

"Why was he there?" Steve asked, brows furrowing. "Did they... you know?"

Bucky shook his head. "She said it wasn't what it looked like. She said he's just a friend."

"Well, that's good, right?"

Bucky shrugged. "I don't care if he was there as a friend, that doesn't make me any more relieved."

"Buck, she told you they're just friends. I think you should trust her."

"But what if she finds someone else? What then?" Bucky asked, pulling his hands away from the wheel and setting them on his lap. "I can't... I can't stand the idea of her finding someone else. This is my chance to have a family, a whole one at that and I don't want to mess it up," he said desperately. "We could be happy. All three of us. Y/N, Ava and I."

"You've got to talk to her, pal." Steve said. "That's the only way you'll ever get even close to what you want."

Bucky nodded, agreeing. 

"Communication is the key."

Bucky shook his head as a small laugh made its way out of him. "Look at you, giving relationship advice."

"Let's not get off topic," Steve said, amused. "Seriously, you need to talk to her about this. I'm sure she's just as afraid of bringing it up as you are."

"You're probably right."

Steve nodded and nudged Bucky's shoulder before opening the door. "Coming or staying?" He asked as he swung his leg out of the vehicle, ready to step out.

"Coming," Bucky replied and exited the car himself. "I guess I need to think about what to say, then."

"Yeah, that would probably help."

"Thanks, man." Bucky smiled as the two headed inside. 

"No problem. Now, you need to plan how you're going to swoop this woman off of her feet. If there's any of past Bucky left in you, it shouldn't be too hard."

Bucky laughed, Steve chuckled too and the two parted ways as they got inside. As Bucky got to his room, he went over all the things he wanted to say to you and started planning on how to deliver them when he had the chance. 

Anxiously waiting for the day he got to talk to you, he spent the night worrying until he finally fell asleep, having somewhat figured out how to get started. Now, the only thing on his mental to-do-list was to take action.