it took a long time, but bucky had finally grown to be comfortable in the new life he was thrust into. he had steve to thank for that, mostly, and of course there were others but steve never doubted him and never seemed to feel burdened at bucky's expense. he still had his moments, of course — his moments of doubt, guilt, and other inexplicable emotions he couldn't quite name no matter how hard he tried. he knew steve had been through a lot, too, which made him appreciate the other's patience even more because it couldn't possibly be easy for him either. bucky no longer saw danger in simple things like stepping outside the front door, and he never felt like he had to look over his shoulder every time he went somewhere. as much as he savored the independence he never really had, he'd admit to anyone who asked that he preferred steve's company over that independence, and over anyone else's company.
bucky walks in the front door of his and steve's shared apartment, holding it open with his foot since his arms were full with groceries. he feels alpine brush against his leg and he smiles, putting down one of the bags to shut the door and scratch behind alpine's ears before making his way to the kitchen after collecting the bag back into his arm. he puts everything into its place, then leans down to once again give attention to alpine.
he hears steve walk into the kitchen and he looks up from where he's crouched beside alpine, standing up and putting his hands on his hips with a grin, "when were you going to tell me how many different kinds of cereal there are? i mean, seriously. is it even necessary?"
