A/N: THERE'S NO READER, just Bucky with a puppy (ft. some Avengers). ALSO, I'm not planning on making a second part, might reconsider if requested.

Warning(s): Some cursing, mentions of PTSD

Bucky was having an exceptionally bad day. He had woken up and just like that, he was in a bad mood. The bad mood was caused by nightmares he had had during the night but other than that, he had no specific reason to be in a bad mood, not that the dreams weren't a good enough of a reason to make him upset because they were more than enough.

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, letting out a huff as he saw his reflection in the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes which made his bad mood a bit worse. Just seeing himself so tired made him more annoyed.

He finished brushing his teeth and he walked out of his room, went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, hoping it would wake him up a bit. He walked in and was greeted by Natasha who was making breakfast for herself. "Morning," said Natasha who was surprised by the grunt she got as a reply. "Tired?" She asked and Bucky sent her a glare, silently telling her to shut her mouth.

Natasha took a bite of her sandwich and sighed, before walking away. She thought it was better just to leave him alone and not risk annoying him even more. She didn't want to upset him.

Bucky started making coffee for himself only to realize the coffeemaker wasn't working. He tried everything he could to make it work. He unplugged it before inserting it in again, he turned it on and off multiple times but nothing seemed to work. He even slammed the machine with his hand a couple of times but that didn't work either. He then got very frustrated and stomped out of the kitchen.

***

Bucky made his way out of a coffee shop that he had decided to stop by after what happened in the morning. He also thought a walk could help him clear his head. So far, it hadn't worked. He was still in a bad mood.

He took a sip of his coffee, feeling the warm liquid run down his throat, making him sigh in relief as he felt the familiar taste. He went to the park and sat down on the bench. He drank his coffee in peace as he looked around, observing his surroundings.

After finishing his coffee, he felt a bit better but only for a few seconds. A bike rushed by and caused mud to splatter on his clothes. "Son of a—" Bucky yelled out in anger and threw the coffee cup on the ground and looked around, not seeing the cyclist. They had fled.

Bucky let out another sigh, now a frustrated one, picked up the carton cup from the ground and threw it in the trash. He then continued his way back to the tower.

As he made his way through the park he heard a loud noise which startled him. He turned around abruptly and searched for the source of the noise, only to realize it was just a couple of kids playing baseball. The loud noise came from the bat hitting the ball.

He shook his head, annoyed at how he still got triggered by the tiniest things.

Making his way out of the park, he noticed a dog shelter across the road. He eyed the shelter for a while before he decided to go in. Maybe seeing a few dogs could cheer him up.

***

"You got a puppy?"

"Yeah, I was having a bad day and—"

"And you got a puppy." Steve said with a slightly judging tone in his voice. "Just because you had a bad day?"

Bucky shrugged and picked up the puppy called Ace and set him on his lap. Ace placed his paws on Bucky's chest and started licking the side of his face, making Bucky smile.

Steve shook his head, "Are you sure you're ready to take care of a puppy?" He asked and placed his fingers under Ace's chin, scratching slightly. Ace closed his eyes, enjoying the contact. "It's a lot of work." Steve warned Bucky.

"You don't think I'm capable of taking care of a puppy?" Bucky asked, seeming offended.

"It's not that you're not capable." Steve sighed while pulling his hand away, crossing his arms. "I just want you to be sure about this. With your past and—"

"I am." Bucky said confidently.

Steve nodded before smiling. Maybe a little furry friend could help Bucky relax, he'd been very stressed and anxious. It was very understandable. He had gone through a lot.

Steve sat down on the couch and turned to look at Ace who was biting on Bucky's metal arm. He laughed, "You know, if you don't teach him not to do that he might bite someone else."

"No he won't," Bucky protested. "Goldadors are very friendly, they would never hurt you. And c'mon," He said and picked Ace up, turning him towards Steve. "who could say no to that face!" 

Steve rolled his eyes but smiled, admitting Ace was pretty damn cute.

***

"Who the fuck shat on the floor?" An angry yell was heard from around the corner. Bucky turned around and saw Clint. The Archer was about to say something again but didn't as he heard a bark. He turned around and saw Ace running up to him. Bucky smiled as he saw Clint looking at Ace in excitement as he crouched down to pet him.

"That's Ace." Bucky said before Clint could say anything. "I got him earlier today." He turned around to rest one of his arms on the back of the couch as he watched Clint play with Ace.

"That's great! I love dogs." Clint said as he stood up. "But I would appreciate if you took him out so he wouldn't shit inside." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Where did you put all his stuff?" Clint asked which made Bucky frown.

"What stuff?" He asked cluelessly.

"All things necessary like food, bed, toys, leash—"

"Shit," Bucky cursed under his breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "I gotta go to the pet store." He said and stood up, petting Ace. "Can you watch him for me?"

"Sure," Clint said without thinking twice. "You should take someone with you, you have to buy a lot of stuff."

Bucky nodded and went onto find someone to go with him.

***

"I can't believe this." Bucky muttered as he got out of the car and neared the pet shop. "Of all the people in the tower, you're the one that I'm stuck with."

"Hey, I just came here to help with carrying the stuff since apparently you need help with heavy shopping bags." Sam teased.

"I could crush your skull with my hand." Bucky warned him as he raised his metallic hand but it didn't intimidate Sam one bit. He knew Bucky wouldn't do that.

The two stepped in the pet shop and were immediately greeted by an employee. "Hello, how may I help you?" The woman asked politely.

"Yeah, I got a puppy today, a Goldador and I need to buy some supplies."

"Oh, we have all the right supplies for you." The woman smiled. "Come, follow me." She said and that's exactly what the two men did.

***

The two made their way out of the car while carrying multiple bags and boxes of new dog supplies. Bucky could have managed with the bags and boxes alone but Sam wanted to carry some as well, that was he whole reason he came a long.

"Shit!" Sam cursed as a box fell down. Before he could try to bend down and pick it up, Bucky was faster. "Here let me help." Bucky said with a cocky smile.

"Press the button." Sam said with a flat tone as he stood in front of the elevator.

"What? A strong man like you can't—"

"Just press it." Sam groaned.

Bucky did and they got in the elevator, staying silent until the doors opened. Sam dropped everything on the floor, "I'm not helping you decorate." He said in annoyance and walked away.

Bucky smiled instantly as he heard Ace running over to him. He crouched down and petted him before grabbing the bags and boxes and started putting the stuff around the floor he was in.

"How much crap do you need?" Bucky asked Ace who made his way to a toy that Bucky accidentally dropped. "You're just a puppy. You can't possibly need this much stuff."

Ace only picked up the toy and ran off to somewhere. Bucky shook his head and continued his way to his room.

***

Late at night, Bucky woke up when he felt the mattress move beside him. He always locked the door at night so nobody could get in. He was startled but still remained as calm as possible. He reached under his pillow where he always put one of his pocket knives just in case he needed one. He took it in his hand and turned to his back, holding it against the person's neck who was on top of him. He always only placed it against the skin, never piercing it. He never wanted to hurt anyone unless it was necessary.

Bucky was surprised to see Ace on top of him, looking excited as ever. He was wagging his tail and panting softly.

Bucky lowered the knife, sighing in relief. He put the knife back under his pillow and pulled Ace down to lie on top of him. He threw his arms over the puppy and apologized. "Sorry about that, bud." He ran his hand over Ace's back who didn't seem afraid in the slightest, he just licked Bucky's face.

***

Bucky woke up the next morning and saw Ace back in his own bed. Bucky stood up and did his morning routine before grabbing the leash and going over to Ace who had now woken up. Bucky started waving the leash in his hand which caused no reaction from Ace. Bucky then clipped the leash on Ace's collar and walked towards the door, expecting Ace to follow him, which he did.

He walked by the kitchen and let Ace eat something before they continued their way out of the tower.

Ace was taking his time, getting used to his surroundings. Bucky got a little frustrated but kept calm. He knew what it felt like coming to a new place and not being familiar with your surroundings, except he might have been more terrified than curious.

Bucky looked down at Ace as they made their way to a dog park and smiled. Having a puppy around really made him feel better even though he had only had him for a day. He had been suffering from anxiety and PTSD ever since he was freed from HYDRA's hold on him. It was no surprise, he had been through a lot but fortunately a little furry friend perked him up.

So the two arrived at the dog park and Bucky let Ace free from the leash and sat down on the bench. He looked around, observing the people in the park with their dogs. He always observed other people.

Bucky was always aware of his surroundings, at least he tried to be. He wanted to be ready to defend himself or others. He was afraid that people were out there looking for him and he was even more afraid that it would affect others around him. He had caused so much pain, he was afraid of causing more.

Bucky jumped slightly as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached out to it and unlocked his phone, seeing Thor had sent him a message.

Need more Doritos :)

Bucky rolled his eyes and typed a text back, telling Thor he'd drop by the store on the way back.

"Hey," Bucky heard a woman say next to him. He turned his head to see her standing beside the bench, pointing at it. "Can I—?"

Bucky nodded, "Sure." He said quietly and scooted further from the middle. The woman thanked him and sat down.

"Is he yours?" The woman asked and Bucky followed her gaze to see her pointed at Ace who was playing with another dog.

"Yes, that's Ace." He said. "Is that—"

"That's Nala. Yes, she's mine." The woman smiled warmly at Bucky. "They seem to be getting along great." She said and Bucky turned his head back to the woman. She was sitting very close.

The woman and Bucky conversed for a while before she decided to head back home with Nala. Before she left she reached into her purse and pulled out a card, handing it to Bucky. "Maybe I'll see you later?" She asked.

"Maybe." Bucky sent her a friendly smile.

The woman then left the park and left Bucky sitting alone looking at Ace running around the park.

Bucky looked down at the small card he was given and frowned as he realized it belonged to a realtor.

Bucky huffed and dialed Steve's number. Steve answered almost immediately, "Hey, Buck."

"Do I look homeless?" Bucky asked loudly, getting straight to the point. "This woman who I was having a nice conversation with just gave me a card to a real estate agent."

"Buck," Steve chuckled, "She gave you her number because she wants you to call her."

"Well yeah because I must look like I'm homeless!"

"No!" Steve laughed, "Because she likes you, wants you to call her and ask her on a date."

Bucky stayed quiet for a while, feeling surprised. "Oh." He said and relaxed.

"You used to be good with dames."

"Shut up." Bucky muttered and ended the call. He was about to stand up and go get Ace but another woman sat down next to him. He then had a conversation with her too.

***

"Dude!" Bucky yelled out as he exited the elevator. "This dog is a girl magnet." He said excitedly and went to go sit next to Steve who was on the couch, watching TV.

"Did you buy Doritos?" Thor called out.

Bucky threw the bag to Thor who continued his own way and Bucky turned back to Steve.

"Really?" Steve asked and lowered the volume of the TV, turning his attention to his friend.

"Yeah." Bucky said and slumped back on the couch. "I got a lot of numbers from girls even a few guys seemed interested." Bucky said in surprise. "All because of this fella." He said and petted Ace who had jumped on his lap.

"Are you sure it's because of him?" Tony asked from behind. "I mean you're pretty hot." He said before making his way to one of the chairs.

Steve and Bucky both looked at Tony with their brows raised. "What?"

"I mean that rugged look you've got going on." Tony started, "It's working."

Steve stifled a laugh as Bucky just stayed sitting in silence, looking at Tony in confusion. "Stark, I know we've worked things out but I don't like you like that." Bucky muttered.

Steve couldn't help but laugh. "Have you been drinking?" Steve asked while eyeing Tony.

Tony shrugged, "Yeah, last night." He said. "I'm a bit hungover, my brain's not functioning." He groaned and placed a blanket over his face.

Bucky shook his head and looked at the time on his phone, realizing he had training in a few minutes. "Well you can watch over Ace." He said and got up. "He'll cheer you up, no doubt."

***

Later that day, Bucky was in the common room, lying on the couch, watching TV with Ace on top of him. Bucky fell asleep during the show he was watching and Ace was left trapped under Bucky's metal arm. Ace tried to wiggle his way out but gave up after realizing he wasn't going anywhere. He then lied down and closed his eyes, falling asleep in mere seconds.

Wanda and Natasha walked in the room, seeing Bucky sprawled on the couch with his arms wrapped around Ace. The two women smiled at the sight and admired Bucky's peaceful sleeping form.

He had been having a rough time for a while, it was a delight to see him sleeping so peacefully and not trash because of the nightmares he had during the night.

Neither of the women had to say anything, they just shared a look before turning their gazes back to the super soldier cuddling with his new puppy. They both felt relieved to see him so relaxed.

"I can feel you jerks staring at me." Bucky said, keeping his eyes closed. This made Ace wake up and open his eyes, seeing Wanda and Natasha looking down at him and he started wagging his tail.

"We can't help it." Wanda said and crouched down, scratching Ace's chin.

"Yeah, this guy is pretty cute." Natasha smiled.

"Thanks." Bucky said, opening his eyes.

"I was talking about Ace." She rolled her eyes, still smiling.

Bucky only grinned as he looked up at the redhead, "Sure." He said which made Natasha chuckle.

"But really," Natasha started and sat down on the armrest, "It's great to see you doing so well."

A sincere smile formed on Bucky's lips as he took in Natasha's comment. He nodded, thanking her, in a way, not saying a word.

"Uhm... Bucky." Wanda said and pointed down at Ace who was looking up at Bucky with his puppy dog eyes, looking a bit guilty. Bucky frowned but his eyes widened as he felt his shirt getting wetter. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Later than you should have waited to take him on another walk." Wanda answered, bringing her hand over her mouth to hide the smile on her face.

"Son of a bitch!" Bucky yelled out and gently pushed Ace off of him. He stood up and took off his shirt before groaning and going to put it in the laundry.

Natasha and Wanda stared at shirtless Bucky as he made his way down the hall.

"Wow!" Wanda whispered as she turned to Natasha, actually surprised by the muscles Bucky had been packing under his clothes.

"I told you." Natasha said as they both turned to look at Ace who was trying to get their attention, jumping in front of them.

"Do you realize that only few days before he was afraid to even roll up the sleeves of his shirts?"

Bucky had mentioned that the metal arm reminded him of all the things that he had made to do, that's why he hated it. Now he didn't seem as bothered by it since he didn't feel the need to cover it anymore.

"Yeah," Natasha nodded as she scratched the back of Ace's ears. "He's doing so much better."

"All he needed was a little puppy to take his mind away from his problems."

Of course Bucky wasn't 100% alright, yet. He had to work through his problems and face his fears but it was refreshing to get away from all that for a while and have a little puppy to keep him company instead.

Having a puppy definitely wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. Bucky realized that as he put the shirt Ace had peed on in the wash. He took a new, clean shirt and put it on before going back to the common room, seeing Natasha and Wanda playing with Ace.

Although Bucky knew raising a puppy was going to be no picnic, he still had a feeling it would be worth it. He had already grown fond of the little furry friend he had gotten.

Ace noticed Bucky and ran to him immediately, wagging his tail and panting softly, excited to see him again even though he was only gone for a few minutes. As Bucky crouched down which gave Ace the opportunity to lick Bucky's face, he realized that the feeling was mutual.

Bucky let out a heartfelt laugh and sat down on the floor, playing with Ace for a while, just enjoying having him around.

Ace had brought so much joy into Bucky's life in the span of couple of days that it was already difficult to picture a life without him. Bucky was happy to have Ace in his life and thanks to him, Bucky was one step closer to recovery.