Things Bucky Barnes Doesn't Do Well

Avoiding Animals

Sometimes Sam brought a dog to the Tower. Tony wasn't too excited about it, so that was rare. Bucky had met a few dogs this way, but mostly he knew a cat. Natasha's cat, except not really. It was a stray, and Natasha liked to feed it. His name was Liho, which meant bad luck. Since he was a black cat, that made sense. He came by whenever he felt like it, but never stayed for long.

Bucky couldn't remember if he'd liked animals before, but he did now. Perhaps more than he did people. Animals were more predictable, and would pick up on any changes in the environment before he did. Though it seemed a little paranoid to think of it that way, he appreciated the warning that something was happening. He startled easily, and didn't like to be too obvious about it.

One afternoon, he was sitting in the common room with Liho on his lap, purring as he stroked his back absently. Suddenly, the cat rose to his feet, hair bristling, and hissed, staring intently at the door. Bucky frowned a little, also turning his attention to the door. A sneeze alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone.

"Damn cat," Clint grumbled as he walked into the room, glaring at the creature.

Bucky smiled slightly. "Seems like a nice kitty to me," he said dryly.

Clint shrugged, dropping onto the other couch. "Yeah, Liho's fine. Just dealing with allergies anyway and cat hair doesn't help," he explained with a sigh, rubbing his nose.

"Sorry about that," Bucky replied, uncertain whether or not he should make Liho leave. It wasn't his cat, he reasoned, so he wasn't really responsible for the archer's discomfort. Probably.

They sat in companionable silence, broken only by Clint's occasional sniffles, for a while. Clint was reading something, but Bucky was just petting the cat. It was calming, though he did like to read. He was doing that before the cat came along and took over his lap.

"There you are, Liho," Natasha said in Russian as she came into the room, a smile quirking on her lips.

Bucky glanced down at the cat, surprised it had done nothing to warn him that someone was approaching. Natasha dropped onto the seat next to him and scratched behind Liho's ears.

"I'm headed out, thought I'd take him with me," she explained, almost apologetically.

"That's fine," Bucky told her quickly, picking up the cat and handing him over, wincing a little as Liho dug in for a moment before allowing himself to be moved.

Natasha smiled. "Well, if you want some company, go talk to Pepper," she suggested.

He glanced over at Clint, who was ignoring them. "Talk to her about what?" he asked.

"Just go talk to her," Natasha repeated, cradling Liho against her chest and leaving the room as silently as she'd entered it.

Figuring he had nothing better to do with his afternoon, Bucky got to his feet and headed for the elevator. He'd seen Pepper frequently, but didn't think he'd ever been alone with her before. So it was a strange suggestion. Most everyone else was out on assignments, though, so he supposed she thought he might be lonely. Still, Clint had been sitting right there...

JARVIS brought him to one of Tony's floors, where Pepper apparently was. He'd never been there before, and walked forward cautiously. It had a similar layout to the floor he shared with Steve, though somehow seemed more light and airy. Perhaps the windows were taller, he thought, pausing to study them. They were floor to ceiling, but it wouldn't surprise him if the ceilings were higher on some floors.

"Oh, hello," Pepper's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to face her. She was coming out of a bedroom, and seemed surprised to find him there. He fought down the urge to run.

"Hi," he replied belatedly. Then he cleared his throat as she continued to watch him with a polite smile on her face. "Natasha said I should, um, come talk to you," he said haltingly.

"She did?" Pepper frowned slightly in surprise, then something must have clicked because she smiled warmly. "Oh! Good. I was hoping she could find someone. Come with me," she told him, and headed down the hallway. Seeing no other option, Bucky followed her.

They went to a small sitting room at the end of the hall, containing an easy chair, a bookshelf, and a litter box. Tony was crouched in front of the latter, talking soothingly.

"Tony, Bucky's here," Pepper announced.

Tony got to his feet, brushing off the knees of his pants as he did so. "And he's, what, the cat whisperer?" he asked, clearly annoyed about something.

Pepper shrugged. "Natasha sent him down." Then she turned to Bucky. "A friend of mine asked us to watch her cat for the weekend. She doesn't seem to like us, and won't leave the box. She hasn't eaten since she got here."

Bucky nodded slowly, uncertainly.

"As soon as I let her out of her carrying cage, she bolted," Tony added.

"Well, perhaps you shouldn't have been working with something that had a motor right next to her," Pepper suggested with forced politeness.

Tony threw up his hands. "I didn't think a cat would be so skittish," he grumbled. "Anyway, maybe the guy with the mechanical arm will have more luck."

Bucky looked between the two of them, Tony frowning down at the box, clearly upset by a puzzle he couldn't solve, and Pepper smiling at him encouragingly. "I can try," he offered at last.

They moved out of the way and he knelt in front of the box, leaning down to look in at the cat. She was calico, with big green eyes, staring at him warily, her tail lashing. "Hey, pretty kitty," he began softly.

"Lacey," Pepper provided.

Bucky smiled a little at the name. "Hello, Lacey. What a pretty girl you are," he murmured, reaching out his human hand slowly, palm up. The cat didn't move, just watched him until he was close enough that she could sniff his fingertips. Then she moved forward to rub on his hand and started purring. He petted her for a few moments, backing out gradually. She came along, until she was standing in front of the box.

"Maybe he is the cat whisperer," Pepper said in a stage whisper to Tony, who snorted.

"Animals just like me, is all," he replied quietly, settling back on his heels. "Where do you want me to put her?"

"Why don't you have a seat here with her and we'll go get her food," Pepper suggested.

Bucky slowly pulled the cat against him and stood up. The kitty did not enjoy the movement, but started purring again after he'd settled back in the easy chair. It was comfy, and he felt very relaxed as he gently scratched the animal. She kneaded his legs and he smiled contentedly at her.

Suddenly, she froze, and her hackles rose as she stared at the doorway. He had the presence of mind to grab her before she could jump away as Tony and Pepper returned.

"She doesn't like me," Tony muttered, dropping back when he saw the cat's reaction.

Pepper smiled slightly. "Yeah, she does not seem fond of you," she agreed, leaning down and extending a hand toward the cat. Lacey didn't seem to mind it when Pepper started petting her, but showed no interest in leaving Bucky's lap. "Well, here's her food. If you could get her to eat before you go, that would be appreciated."

"I can stay," Bucky replied, and the look between Pepper and Tony did not go unnoticed as he continued to pet the cat. He was glad when they left, though. It was a nice little room, with good company.

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