Trauma

finally

Bucky awoke as a wet thing touched his face. Not only touched but was swiped across it. Not once but multiple times. And it left a sticky wetness. With a groan Bucky tried to push the wet thing away. It actually disappeared, just to reappear after a short moment.

"God, just five more minutes" , sighed Bucky, sure that it was Steve who was mocking him. Another wet touch and a hot breath of bad smelling air.

"Hmm?" , hummed Steve's sleepy voice. He'd obviously just woken up. So it hadn't been him. What then? Who then?

Bucky opened his eyes, just as the wet thing went across his face once more. Bucky had to hastoly close his eyes again to prevent them from being touched by whatever was touching him.

Then he opened his eyes again. It was rather dark, probably still night and it took a few moments for Bucky to make out what was in front of him. There definitely was a weight on his chest which he had thought to be Steve but it couldn't be.

Bucky blinked again and then he could make out things.

A face was hovering in front of his own. A  black, furry face with a pink tongue lolling out of a tooth spiked mouth, a wet, black nose and one lively and one dead eye. It was Trauma, about to lick Bucky's face again.

A warm, pulsing happiness went through Bucky's body and he didn't stop Trauma from licking his face once again for he was too busy grinning like an idiot. The dog had come to him on his own accord. He'd consciously decided to wake him up. He actually liked him.

"Hey, boy, what's up?" , laughed Bucky. He wasn't tired anymore. He was, on the contrary, wide awake. He'd hoped for it, prayed for it and now it had happened. Trauma was there, showing his trust and his acceptance and his love. And how loud he could bark. Hearing Bucky talk had triggered something.

Trauma barked again and then he jumped off Bucky's chest and the sofa, stopping and looking back at Bucky with something like a request.

"What do you want, boy?" , asked Bucky while already gently pushing Steve away a little and coming to his feet. The dog, seeing that his owner was standing, continued walking. It was obvious that he was trying to stay away from the dog bed as far as possible which had Bucky puzzled. He followed the dog through the living room and to the door to the garden, where Trauma stopped and barked again. Steve made grunting noises on the sofa.

"Hush, boy, we don't wanna wake our sleeping beauty! Do you want to go outside? Do you need to pee?" , asked Bucky, not waiting for an answer for he didn't want the dog to bark again for he feared that Steve would wake up comppetely. He may have made grunting and humming noises but that didn't mean that he was fully awake.

Trauma disappeared into the darkness the second Bucky had opened the door far enough for the dog to fit through. The former winter soldier watched the dog disappear into the darkness, waiting for him to come back. The cold night air that came in through the door made him shiver a little, he was completely naked after all.

When he already started to worry about the dog, Trauma retuned, wagging his tail and jumping in through the door. He stopped next to Bucky, waited for him to close the door and once again led the way. This time he went for the kitchen and Bucky followed him chuckling. The dog had to be hungry, which was totally reasonable. He hadn't been fed that evening. And Bucky hadn't been fed either. His stomach growled loudly. He was hungry too.

So he made chicken for the dog and added some leftover rice from earlier. Having fed Trauma he now had time to care for himself. He searched the fridge for edible goods and despite it being fully loaded with things he didn't find anything he wanted to eat. Now there were two options which he thought through while watching Trauma eat. He could either go back to sleep and live with not having anything to eat or he could walk to the next, still or already open store and get himself and Steve some food.