Tag: bucky barnes

beefbasket:

AU where Bucky gets a service dog.

It was Sam’s idea. Him being the most qualified on the areas of rehab for former soldiers after all. Although Bucky might be the worst case of PTSD anyone had ever come across. Bucky could handle himself just fine during the day. He had been hard wired to deal with anything and everything no matter the pressure. A lot of things would make him tense suddenly. Certain situations sent him into red alert for no reason. He grits his teeth. He handles it. He tells no one.

The nightmares however, were becoming a serious problem. Several months of sleep deprivation can wear down even the toughest of super soldiers, and Steve starts to take notice.

They visit a training center to meet several rehab dogs looking for partners. The slight tug of a smile on Bucky’s face as he meets them is worth the visit by itself. He chooses a huge black lab. It’s a big bear of an animal with a tail that could clear a coffee table in seconds, and yet it’s so gentle and patient.

They pick up an extra large dog bed on the way home, but one look in those liquid brown eyes and Bucky instantly lets the giant lab join him on the bed.
Maybe it’s knowing that someone with even sharper ears than him is in the room to let him know if danger is coming. Maybe it’s just the big warm body and that slow, deep, breathing that is so calming. Maybe it’s just having a friend nearby, but for the first time in a long time, Bucky finally sleeps all the way through the night.