Bucky Barnes Imagines (BuckyXReader)

early bird

Ever since you'd joined the avengers, sleep wasn't something that came to you easily. When you were lucky, you would wake up and go through the rest of the day on five full hours of sleep. Other nights, you weren't as lucky. 

You massaged your forehead as the clock struck four-thirty in the morning and you began to dread having to get up at six-thirty for morning training sessions with Wanda and Peter. Every part of your body ached and begged your head to let you sleep. But it was useless, so you just laid on your bed looking at the ceiling.

Without any hopes to get some rest, you decided that looking at the New York night landscape would be a better use of your time. Walking up to your bedroom balcony in the Avengers Compound, you breathed the fresh air in and felt the cold travel through your nose. You looked down at your shaking hands and felt your eyes tear up as you begged yourself to go to sleep. You wiped your tears away as soon as you heard a faint whisper from the floor beneath you. 

"Hey" the voice called out. 

you looked down at the ground and saw Bucky staring at you with his brilliant blue eyes. You cursed under your breath and smiled. 

"Hi"

Bucky, who had clearly seen you crying, was growing worried and curious about your emotions, so he did the most logical thing that he thought of.

"Come down here," he said, a little too loud. You pressed your finger against your lips and shushed him. His face remained hopeful that you might do what he asked you. Realising you had absolutely nothing better to do, you lifted yourself in the air as golden light spurted out of your palms, and descended gracefully to where Bucky was standing. 

"What are you doing up this late?" you asked, keeping your voice down. 

He frowned. 

"You mean early?"

He probably just woke up you thought to yourself, as you came to the realisation that not everyone was an insomniac. 

"Yeah, sure" you agreed. You walked together to a little bench that faced the direction of the water in front of the compound. 

Bucky examined your face, and you were suddenly engulfed by thoughts of your own insecurities. What was he looking at? Why is he still staring at me? Is it my dark circles? Is it the fact that my hands are still shaking? 

You tried to brush the thoughts away but yawned instead.  

"You haven't been sleeping have you"

You shook your head as you confided in him. 
"Not really" you said "I don't know why" 

He pursed his lips. 

"Have you tried tea?" he asked and a little giggle escaped through your lips. 

"No, Bucky, I haven't tried tea" You said sarcastically and looked down at the ground. 

"You know, when I first joined the army I couldn't sleep either" he said "Back in World War Two"

You laughed. 
"I know what war you went to" you smiled and cut the silence again. "Really? Why couldn't you sleep?"

Bucky chuckled. 

"Well, at first I didn't know, but as the weeks flew by I realised it was because I was lonely" 

You furrowed your eyebrows. 

"Lonely?"

"Yeah, lonely" he continued "I wasn't having a hard time adapting but sleeping alone in the cold just made me feel like I was in danger"

It took a second for you to really grasp what he was saying. He didn't have anyone to hold, or he wasn't being held and that's why he couldn't sleep. 

"But it's not like I'm getting used to sleeping alone, " You said and bit your lip "I've slept alone my whole life"

Bucky nodded. 

"Well, maybe it's not the reason but it might be a solution" 

"So what are you suggesting, I bring home a stranger just so I can sleep in someone's arms?"

You made eye contact and suddenly wished he was the one that slept next to you. You had tried to stop your feelings for Bucky blossom when you first moved in and you couldn't believe that this was the situation where they showed up. 

"If that's what you want" he whispered. You found some emotion in his eyes but didn't know what it was. He stood up but you grabbed his hand before he left.

"Where are you going?" you questioned softly. 

"I was going for a run" he replied. His eyes stayed in yours and he didn't let go of your hand. 

"Could you... maybe" you stumbled with your words and tried to find the right ones to ask him what you wanted to. 

"Yeah" he answered. You weren't even done asking the question and he'd still answered. You smiled and both of you went up to your room, where he cuddled you until you fell asleep and had your first good night sleep in months.