A/N: Takes place a month after the events of the finale of "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier".

Lately, Bucky had been having trouble managing his stress and anxiety. He read somewhere that having a pet can decrease stress levels and even be therapeutic. So, after carefully thinking about it, Bucky decides to head to the local animal shelter and adopt a pet. The super soldier/ex-assassin may not look like it, but he was a cat person, so that's what he was leaning more towards. The shelter volunteer lets him into the cat room and he starts petting the cats.

"Ahhh, I wish I can take all of you cuties home." Bucky cooed.

There were so many cats of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and they were all very adorable. One thing Bucky seemed to notice was that the cats wouldn't let him touch them with his metal hand, heck they seemed to stay pretty clear from it. Then suddenly, a pure white cat with blue eyes started sniffing at his metal fingers. The cat was intrigued by seeing its reflection in the shiny metal of the back of his hand. Then Bucky's heart melted when the cat purred and rubbed its head on the back of his hand.

"Alright,little fella, you just sealed the deal right there." Bucky chuckled picking up the cat.

He takes the cat to the front desk where he signs the paperwork and pays the adoption fee. The cat's name was Alpine and it was a male cat who's neutered and up to date on his shots. On the way home, Bucky purchases cat food, food dishes, toys, a collar, a litter box, cat litter, and a bed. The first thing Bucky does when he gets Alpine home is let him explore the apartment.

"Here ya go, Alpine." Bucky said filling one bowl with water and the other with food.

Making happy little kitty noises, Alpine eats his food. Smiling, Bucky runs his hand along Alpine's back. After spending some time with his new pet, Bucky falls completely in love with Alpine. He's always playing with him and cuddling him. And its plain to see that Alpine loves Bucky as well. Whenever Bucky would wake up from a nightmare or get triggered into a panic attack, Alpine would immediately start rubbing his head against his chin, purring loud enough for Bucky to feel the vibrations. Then he would also gently headbutt Bucky's face and lick his nose.

"Awww, thanks, buddy." Bucky would say when he calmed down, holding Alpine close to this chest and petting him.

On a sunny Saturday, Bucky is sitting on his couch watching TV, with Alpine curled up in his lap. Next, his phone rang; a smile snuck its way to his lips when he saw that it was Sam who was calling him.

"Hi, Sam." Bucky said a bit too excited.

Then he silently cusses himself out for sounding so ridiculous.

"Hey, Buck." Sam greeted.

"So, um...how ya been?" Bucky asked.

"Good. Been busy getting used to being called Captain America. What about you?" Sam replied.

"I've moved into a new apartment recently, so I've just been taking time to get settled in. And I've also been working on some personal things." Bucky told him.

"Are you still having nightmares?" Sam asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah...but not as frequently. It's a lot less now." Bucky answered, blushing at how Sam seemed so worried about him.

Does this mean Sam cares about him? The two have grown closer since defeating the Flag Smashers and Sam becoming Captain America. Bucky would love it if Sam shared the same feelings he had for him. But, that would be crazy...Bucky was too damaged and broken for someone to care about him romantically.

"That's good to hear. You know if you need someone to talk to...y-you have my phone number." Sam said.

"So...anything else new with you?" he asked.

"I...I got a cat, his name is Alpine." Bucky said.

At the mention of his name, Alpine perks his head up and looks at his human-daddy.

"A cat? And here I thought you were a dog person." Sam chuckled.

"Haha, yeah....a lot of people get that impression from me at first. But I personally think cats are cuter." Bucky replied, his blush growing darker hearing Sam's laughter.

"I've gotta go. I got some Captain America stuff to do." Sam told Bucky.

"Do you need any help?" Bucky asked.

"Nah, it would be too late notice right now. It's a simple tactical mission anyway." Sam answered.

"Okay, bye." Bucky said before hanging up his phone.

After putting his phone down, Bucky noticed that Alpine was staring at him.

"What?" Bucky asked his cat.

Alpine meows keeping eye contact with Bucky. The super soldier had no clue why his cat was staring at him or what was going through his little feline mind. If only he knew where Wanda was, maybe she could tell him what Alpine was thinking...that is if she's even able to read the minds of animals. Unbeknownst to Bucky, Alpine was thinking, "How can I get my human and the guy he likes together?".

A/N: It would've been soooo cute if Alpine was in the show, why didn't Marvel do that!?