I'm Not Alone? (Cross posted on AO3)

"That's downright impossible."

Bucky says, not believing what just came out of Bruce's mouth.

"I wish I could say that there was an error with the readings, but DNA does not lie."

Bucky's body tenses up, thinking about what could have happened in the past that led to your existence. He wondered about what else than torture and brainwashing had he endured under HYDRA's directives, and thinking about it made his stomach churn with self hatred and disgust. More than anything, he thought about how no child should have an ex-assasin for a father. It just felt like too much out of a sudden.

"There's no chance that I'm that girl's dad. I was under Hydra's control for almost 70 years, and physically active only during the missions they would send me on. As soon as they would be done, I'd be back in ice. I-i-i just can't, the-there's n-no..."

He was having a panic attack and it was not going by unnoticed. Bruce sat him down on one of the nearby exam tables, pondering about what to do next.

"Do you want me to get Steve?"

He asked him, trying his best to calm Bucky down, but Bucky refused. He'll tell him in due time.

"How is this even possible? As much as I can remember, I never had a chance to father a kid."

Bruce tries his best to find the right words, but ultimately he knows that they don't exist. Whatever he says will hurt Bucky even further.

"I don't know man. Either you did it on your own somehow or they hijacked your genetic material and used it to make her."

Bucky's expression tightens at mentions of the possibility Hydra experimented with his DNA. He feels a mixture of anger and disgust at the thought of his genetic material being used for their sinister purposes.

"So either I unknowingly fathered a child or they extracted my DNA without me knowing. Both scenarios are messed up."

"But also the only ones that actually make sense." -said Bruce-"We could be able to pinpoint soon how to get her powers under control. I'm aware that we shook you up tonight, but I thought you deserve to know what we found out."

Bucky nods once again, his expression still somewhat distant as his mind struggles to process the information. He feels a rush of emotions flowing through him, a mixture of shock, disbelief, and a strange sense of protectiveness.

"I... I appreciate you letting me know. It's a lot to take in, honestly, but... it's better to know the truth... Anything I could do to help you?"

"For now, just keep an eye on her. Perhaps it's not smart to tell her yet. We wanna be 100% sure."-A lab tech gently said

Bucky nods in acknowledgment, his mind still racing with thoughts and emotions. He takes one last look at the staff member before excusing himself and heading out of the lab. He thought back about some more recent nightmares he had, including a woman and a child. It always get abruptly broken, so he always assumes that they were one of his victims. In this place, this century, he had nobody of his own. No brother, no sister, only Steve. As much as he would like to have someone of his own flesh and blood, he wouldn't want it to be over Hydra's meddling with his life.

He feels a sense of reluctance to go back to his room for the night.

On one hand, he's exhausted from the revelations of the day, and he could use some rest. But on the other, he feels a strong desire to see you, to make sure you're okay and not in any trouble. Bucky sighs and runs a hand through his hair, feeling conflicted and torn between his need for solitude and his new sense of protectiveness towards you. Just as he finally made his mind up on going back to his room, he saw Steve walking up to him.