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Bucky blew into the house, literally. The wind was horrible, and the snow it was whipping up had made his drive home from the grocery store interesting, to say the least. He was profoundly glad that he had talked Steve out of going with him, and instead staying tucked into their warm, safe house with Sasha. At 35 weeks along, Steve was very notably pregnant, the twins seeming to grow overnight at this point. With the winter weather coming in strong the last two weeks, Bucky has been doing his best to keep his mate out of the weather, especially since he no longer owned a winter jacket that zipped up.
Sasha had been enlisted to help convince Steve to stay indoors and was taking his duties very seriously. This evening’s grocery run had coincided with Sasha’s intense need to have Papa help him with a book report due in three days, along with a craving for Papa’s special hot chocolate. Steve had given Bucky a knowing look, but had caved to Sasha’s puppy dog eye routine, a look that Bucky had only recently built up an immunity to, and which still had sway over Steve, much to Bucky’s amusement.
There was quiet music playing further back in the house, and Bucky could see the remnants of both hot chocolate makings and a book report scattered across the kitchen island from his vantage point in the mud room. He smiled to himself, feeling contentment wash over him after a stressful work week. He was more than ready for the weekend curled up with his mate and pups.
“Daddy!” Sasha popped around the corner of the mud room from the kitchen, “You survived!”
Bucky grinned at his oldest pup, stepping out of his boots while juggling the grocery bags. Sasha stepped closer, reaching out for one of the bags, and screeched when Bucky accidentally dropped some snow down the back of his shirt. Sasha giggled as he backed away, Bucky following with another clump of snow.
“Papa!” Sasha squealed, “Save me! Daddy is trying to freeze me to death!”
Bucky laughed evilly and caught up to Sasha just as Steve appeared around the corner of the nursery door, an itty bitty onesie in his hands. Sasha continued to squeal and laugh and squirm around as Bucky neatly dropped the snow chunk down his shirt.
“Sorry, kiddo,” Steve laughed, “looks like the ice monster got you!”
Bucky straightened up, and strode forward, smiling at Steve. Steve returned the expression, his eyes soft and warm. Bucky pulled Steve into a hug, nudging his nose into the crook of Steve’s neck, where his contented tobacco and honey scent was the strongest. Steve squealed, protesting that Bucky’s nose was an ice cube, but he didn’t move away, wrapping his arms around Bucky and scenting his Alpha as well. Sasha made some protesting gagging noises and scampered away, Bucky and Steve sharing a laugh at his antics. Bucky indulged himself in soaking in Steve’s scent for a minute longer, and then pulled back, asking,
“Whatcha doin’, Stevie?” He looked at the onesie Steve was still holding, “We did the pups’ laundry last week. Did my Ma bring over some more clothes this week?”
“No,” Steve flushed a bit, glancing down at the tiny garment, made even smaller by Steve’s large hands, “I was just refolding some of the clothes - I didn’t like how I had arranged the top drawer.”
“Ahhh,” Bucky hummed and leaned in to press a quick kiss to Steve’s cheek, “I’m sure you’ll get it the way you want it, doll, don’t stress about it. Doc said you need to take it easy.”
Steve frowned, his eyes focused on the blue and white striped cloth, his big thumbs rubbing back and forth across the soft fabric.
“I know,” He sighed, “I just don’t feel ready, Buck, and I’m trying not to stress, but it’s hard not to.”
Bucky reached up, tucking some of Steve’s hair behind his ear, and taking the moment to run his wrist down Steve’s neck, making sure to go over Steve’s mating bite, scent marking him. Steve leaned into the motion, and lifted one of his hands up, grabbing Bucky’s other hand and bringing it up so that he could bury his nose in the scent gland on the tender inside of Bucky’s wrist. Bucky felt his body react to his pregnant mate requesting the comfort of his scent; his scent grew heavier in response to Steve’s underlying stress.
They stood there, Bucky wrapping Steve in his arms as well as he could with the pups taking up more and more real estate each day, quietly listening to the sounds of the house around them. Bucky couldn’t help but notice the wind was starting to pick up outside and was quietly grateful it was Friday night, meaning he and Sasha didn’t have to brave the snow in the morning for school and work.
Steve suddenly tensed, and he drew in a sharp breath. Bucky tensed as well and pulled back just enough to take in Steve’s face. His jaw was clenched, eyes squeezed shut, and he was carefully breathing through his nose.
“Steve, doll, are you okay?” Bucky asked quietly, all too aware of Sasha puttering around in the kitchen behind him, and trying to control his own anxiety that had suddenly lurched awake. Steve hummed and nodded, but he brought the hand not still holding Bucky’s around to his lower back and rubbed, a practiced, absent movement, Bucky noted, half hysterically. “Was that…was that a contraction?” Bucky exclaimed.
Steve’s body finally relaxed, and his eyes opened as he took a deep breath and shrugged. Bucky felt his eye twitch.
“Steven Grant Rogers,” Bucky said as calmly as he could, “how long have you been having contractions?”
“Um, they started last night, but they’ve only gotten bad while you were at the grocery store. I didn’t realize what they were until you had left. I just thought my back was sore earlier.” Steve said, turning and going back into the nursery, folding the onesie carefully. Bucky stutter-stepped after him, his mouth flapping as he tried to decide what to say.
“Excuse me?” He finally settled on. “When were you going to tell me?!”
“They aren’t even at five minutes apart, Buck,” Steve soothed, tucking the onesie into the drawer, “I was going to tell you as soon as you got back, which now I have, but I don’t think we need to head out quite yet.” He glanced at Bucky over his shoulder, “We agreed that we wouldn’t go to the hospital until they were five minutes apart. We’ve got time to put away the groceries before we start panicking.” He smiled fondly at his Alpha, well aware that if Bucky had his way, Steve and Sasha would be bundled into the pickup truck in the next five minutes, and headed towards the hospital.
Bucky was well aware that his panic was showing on his face, but he was unable to hide it. He had struggled through Steve’s whole pregnancy to keep the anxiety, the grief, and the fear at bay; so badly in fact, that he had started going to therapy again. It had helped, but his therapist had warned him to be prepared that Steve’s labor could be a trigger, and so they had been working on things Bucky could do to help him stay present and calm for both his sake and Steve’s. Steve had even sat in on one of the sessions to help brainstorm how Steve could help Bucky during the pregnancy and the start of labor, for which Bucky was more grateful than he could ever express.
Steve stepped back over to Bucky, and tucked himself in under Bucky’s chin, purring softly. Bucky took a deep breath of Steve’s lovely, sweet, pregnant scent, and started one of the breathing exercises that he had had the most success with. They stood there until Steve was hit with another contraction and had to step back so that he could massage at the ache in his back, and Bucky’s heart rate had slowed back down. He stepped around Steve and helped rub at Steve’s lower back, making Steve groan in gratitude, his hands dropping away and going to cradle his baby bump.
That was how Sasha found them, two contractions later, his eyes flying open wide and his mouth dropping into an O of shock. Bucky smiled soothingly at him, even as Steve grimaced and began to curse quietly.
“Sasha, honey, can you go get my phone out of my coat pocket, and dial Bubbe as you bring it back?”
Sasha nodded, turned, and sprinted off. Steve leaned back against Bucky, and said quietly,
“I hope he isn’t scared - that one hurt worse, I didn’t mean to swear like that.”
“He’ll be okay, doll,” Bucky laughed, “he’s heard worse from me when I’ve been doing yard work.”
Steve’s laugh was soft and breathy and soon transitioned into another grunt of pain. Bucky, who had been watching the clock on the wall frowned - that had been much shorter between the contractions than five minutes. They were starting to speed up drastically. Good thing everyone was prepared and had battle stations manned - Winnie and George could get here in under fifteen minutes, and even less if Winnie managed to get to the driver’s seat before George did.
“Papa’s having the twins!” Sasha’s voice echoed down the hallway before he came sliding around the corner into the nursery, Bucky’s phone held in his hand, speaker phone activated. Bucky could hear Winnie call to George that he needed to grab the bags before his ma’s voice came through clearer as she put her phone back to her mouth.
“Sasha, honey, where’s your daddy? Bubbe needs to talk to him.”
“I’m right here, Ma,” Bucky called, Sasha handing the phone over. He mouthed a thank you to Sasha before he continued, “Steve’s been having contractions all day, but they just started getting closer together and more intense in the last hour or so. If you and Dad could come over as soon as you can, I think I need to get Steve to the hospital sooner rather than later.”
“Sounds like it,” Winnie agreed, the obvious sounds of someone putting on shoes and jacked rustling through the phone, “Has his water broken yet?”
“No,” Steve spoke up, “not yet, Winnie.” He giggled hysterically, “Hopefully it doesn’t break while I’m walking to the car - I’ll have frozen pants!”
“Yes,” Winnie laughed herself, “that is the risk you run with January pups, Steve, but don’t you worry, George and I will be right over, and Bucky can get you to the hospital in a jiffy, and then before you know it, you’ll finally get to meet those darling pups of yours that you’ve been waiting for for so long!”
“James,” George’s voice came through, “We’re walking out the door right now, just sit tight and we’ll see all three of you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Bucky said, feeling so grateful that his family lived close. “We’ll see you when you get here.” Steve had relaxed again, letting Bucky take his weight, and Sasha blinked up worriedly at both of them.
“Daddy?” He asked softly, “Are you sure I can’t come to the hospital with you and Papa?”
Bucky reached out, gesturing Sasha closer so that he could hug him. Steve shifted so that they created a little huddle, scents mixing and merging. Sasha burrowed into Bucky in a way he hadn’t in years - at eight and a half, he deemed himself too grown up to cuddle the way he had when he was younger, a thought that made Bucky’s heartache for his oldest child, who had grown in the blink of an eye. Bucky buried his nose in Sasha’s hair, and ran his wrist over Sasha’s back, marking him like he had just marked Steve. Sasha returned the gesture, sniffling a little bit.
“Oh, Sasha,” Bucky murmured, “the hospital isn’t the place for pups - I know it looks like Papa is going to have the pups any moment, but it could still be hours, and so it’s better for you to stay here with Bubbe and Zayde so that you can watch TV or play a game and go to sleep in a bed. I promise we’ll call as soon as your siblings are here, and then Bubbe and Zayde will drive you to the hospital as soon as they can so that you can meet them, okay?”
“Kay,” Sasha whispered after a moment, although Bucky could tell his voice was thick with unshed tears. He hugged him tighter, hoping that the physical contact would help ease Sasha’s evident fear.
Steve stepped away after a moment, quietly muttering that he needed to walk. Sasha stepped back as well but didn’t leave, instead biting his lower lip and fiddling with his shirt. Bucky squatted down so he was more at eye level with Sasha, and tear-bright green eyes stared at him, pleading.
“Daddy,” Sasha whispered, “what…what if Papa dies, just like Мамулечка did?”
Bucky’s eyes filled with tears, and he crushed Sasha to him, Sasha’s own tears dampening his shirt as his little arms wrapped tight around his father’s neck.
“Oh, baby,” Bucky gasped, “I know, I know how scared you are, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared also. But, Dr. Cho has been delivering babies for years now, and she’s said that Papa is doing great through this whole pregnancy, so she has no concerns. It’s okay to be scared, Sasha, but remember to try and not to let the fear overwhelm you, okay?” Bucky’s voice was rough with emotion, and he prayed that he was making sense, and was offering some comfort to his baby. “I’ve talked with Bubbe and Zayde, and they are going to help you keep your mind off things, but don’t hesitate to tell them if you get more scared or worried, honey, they can help you.”
Sasha sniffled but nodded his head. Bucky waited until Sasha pulled back a little bit, offering him a small smile, which Sasha returned. He knuckled away some of the tears on his cheeks, and said,
“We should go check on Papa, make sure he isn’t putting away the groceries, Daddy.”
“Oh, knowing him, he’s probably started cleaning the kitchen,” Bucky laughed, “we should go save him from himself, huh?”
Sasha grinned and scampered towards the kitchen. Bucky heard the front door open with a gust of wind, and couldn’t help but smile when he heard his ma and dad come in, Winnie already handing out directions like the general she could have been. Steve, of course, immediately began to talk back, and Bucky headed out, laughing, to run interference before his silly Omega got himself put on KP duty for insubordination.
********************
Steve was still flushed and his blonde hair was dark with dried sweat, but his eyes glowed with pride and love, and Bucky was almost knocked flat by the sight of his mate cradling the two, perfect, tiny, noisy pups he had just labored through the night to bring into the world. It was such a different scene playing out from the last time he had been in a delivery room that he almost felt dizzy with it. He was openly tearful and could care less that Dr. Cho and the nurses were all in the room with Steve, the pups, and himself. He had eyes only for the three people he loved with all his heart resting on the bed. He ran a trembling hand through Steve’s hair, his Omega tipping his head back and smiling tiredly up at him.
“What time is it?” Steve slurred, readjusting the pup in his left arm. Bucky reached out to help situate the tiny, blanket-wrapped bundle - they had been skin on skin for the first ten minutes, but with the storm still raging outside, the hospital room was slightly chilly, so the nurses had quickly bundled the pups and Steve back up, assuring them that they could do more skin on skin after they had all warmed up sufficiently. He took the moment to scent mark the pup, who turned its tiny face towards Bucky’s wrist, a movement that made Bucky’s heart grow three sizes.
“It’s about 10:30, doll,” Bucky replied. “You’ve been resting for about 45 minutes now.”
“Good,” Steve remarked, “We can call Winnie and George to bring Sasha now.”
Bucky laughed a little bit, “I already did, Stevie, I promised I would let them know as soon as the pups were born, so I texted them while you were nursing.”
Steve pulled a face at the reminder - it had been a bit of a juggling act to get both pups situated and latched, but the lactation nurse had been spectacular and Steve had worked it out in the end. The pups were both warm and fed, and the Omega couldn’t stop purring with contentment.
“Perfect. When should we expect them?” Steve asked. He had been sensitive to Sasha’s excitement to be a big brother, encouraging Sasha to be involved with the whole process of getting the house ready for the pups and encouraging any questions that Sasha had, so he was eager for the oldest sibling to meet the two youngest ones.
Bucky glanced over at the clock on the wall and grinned.
“I would say any minute now, Stevie. I told them to wait for about an hour, but knowing Sasha and Ma, they’ve bullied Dad into leaving earlier.”
“Oh, well, here then,” Steve said, struggling to sit up a bit, “take her for me, Buck, so that I can make sure I’m decent - don’t want to scare Sasha at all.”
Bucky cradled the warm bundle Steve handed to him, smiling down at the perfect little face that was just peeking out of the swaddle.
“Hi pretty girl,” Bucky murmured, “it’s so nice to finally get to hold you. We’ve been waiting a while.”
“And she took her own sweet time coming,” Steve grumped, shifting and making sure his sweater was pulled around him and that the blankets and pillows were to his liking. Bucky foresaw a lot of nest building and tweaking in their future - he couldn’t wait.
“Well,” Bucky hummed, smiling, “she looks an awful lot like you, Stevie, it would stand to reason that she would be stubborn like you.”
“Just because her brother decided that he could squeeze in front of her,” Steve huffed, “did not mean that she needed to wait almost forty minutes for her own entrance!” He glanced down at his own blue-wrapped bundle, and said, “You didn’t have to steal her thunder, you know?” The pup yawned hugely and snuggled down further into his swaddle, well pleased with his little coup. Steve smiled fondly at him and stroked his round little cheek.
Bucky and Steve were quiet as they admired their new little pups, soaking in their soft, newborn scents, while their own did their best to drown out the sterile scent that could be found in every hospital room Bucky had ever been in. Their peace was disturbed a few minutes later when Nurse Jake knocked on the door, poking his head around and asking,
“You folks ready for some visitors?”
“Of course!” Steve grinned, and Bucky nodded as well, stepping a little bit closer to the door so that he had a good view of Sasha and his parents entering the room. Jake came in first, and immediately went to check on the monitors that Steve was still hooked up to. Sasha came next, being pushed forward by Winnie’s gentle hand, his eyes big and slightly overwhelmed. He hadn’t been in a hospital room other than when George had had a knee replacement when he was four, which didn’t really count, Bucky mused.
“Hey, Sasha,” Bucky said, grinning at his son, “come on over.”
Winnie beamed at Bucky and Steve, and George could be seen poking his head over his wife’s shoulder, a broad grin on his own face. They waited patiently, though, for Sasha to approach his parents first, his steps halting at first, and then speeding up when one of the twins started to fuss a bit.
“Hi Daddy, hi Papa,” Sasha breathed, his eyes focused on the two swaddled babies. “Is everyone okay?” He asked, directing this question towards Bucky. Bucky smiled and nodded, leaning down so that Sasha could look at his baby sister.
“Yep, Papa and the pups did great, Dr. Cho said everyone looks perfect, and that she couldn’t have asked for a smoother delivery.”
Sasha stood, transfixed at the sight of his sister, one tiny fist breaking free of the swaddle and waving about in the air, searching for something. When she didn’t find what she wanted, her tiny face scrunched up and she started to fret. Jake, who had been watching, said softly,
“She may want to be next to her brother - twins often do best for the first while if they are close to each other. Their heartbeats are just as important as the carrier’s is at this point in their lives, not to mention their smell.”
“Here,” Bucky said, leading Sasha over to the bed where Steve was already making room to hold both the twins again, “let’s get her over to her brother, I think they are both more than ready to take a nap.”
“I bet,” Sasha said solemnly, “being born is rough.”
Steve and Winnie started laughing, and George came up and patted Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky beamed as he watched Winnie come closer, she and Sasha were both completely enamored with the pups, who Steve was proudly showing off to his mother-in-law and oldest. Both twins had settled down as soon as they had the other close and blinked big, cloudy blue newborn eyes up in interest at the sudden chatter that was going on over their heads. George and Bucky stood to the side a little bit, watching the scene unfold with happy grins on their faces and tears in their eyes.
“Well then, son,” George said after a few moments, “are you going to finally let us in on the secret of their names?”
Winnie’s sharp ears heard this question, and she glanced up, face eager. Steve and Bucky shared a glance, and Steve gestured to first the blue bundle, and then the pink bundle as he said,
“Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Joseph Vincent and Maisie Rose.”
Winnie’s smile grew so large that Bucky was afraid her face would break, and she exclaimed,
“Oh, how beautiful!” She glanced at Bucky and continued, “I know where Maisie and Vincent come from, but where do Rose and Joseph come from if you don’t mind me asking?”
Bucky stepped closer again, resting his hand on Steve’s shoulder, and glanced at Sasha as he replied,
“We decided that since we had a theme with Alexander James being for Nat’s dad and grandpa and my grandpa, we would go with family names for these two as well.”
Sasha frowned, and piped up, “Who’s Maisie? I know Vincent is Zayde’s middle name, but I don’t know a Maisie.”
“That would be your Great-Grandma Buchanan,” Winnie explained, and Sasha nodded sagely.
“Yes, so it’s Joseph Vincent after Steve’s dad and my dad,” Bucky continued with his explanation, “and then Maisie after Grandma, and Rose is Steve’s mom’s middle name.”
“They’re perfect,” Winnie declared, “just like these two absolutely precious pups!” She turned back towards the pups, Steve asking if she wanted to hold Maisie, and then George was stepping forward, standing next to Winnie as she started cooing at her granddaughter. Sasha asked if he could hold Joseph, and the next few minutes were spent getting him settled in the rocking chair with pillows to help support the baby, and then Steve and Bucky coached him on how to hold his baby brother.
Bucky stepped out to go grab some coffee after a while, needing a moment to himself, and couldn’t help but pause at the doorway as he came back in, absorbed by the sights and smells of his happy family, complete with the two new members. They talked back and forth, gushing about the newest additions, grins lighting up their faces, scents blooming with happiness and love. He took a moment to acknowledge the old grief, the memories of an entirely different birthing experience that kept trying to come to the forefront but put the grief aside after the acknowledgment, his heart overflowing with love and happiness as he walked back into the room - back to his mate and his children.