Comfort

Running on Loneliness

No matter whether you were attracted to men or not you can't deny the fact that Bucky Barnes looked good in a uniform. His girlfriend of three years had nothing but respect for the soldier. He really had been through a lot and he had come so far.
'You're staring.' Bucky noted, a small smile playing on his lips. Affronted by his remark, Melina moved her face closer to his, her brown eyes wider than before.

'No I'm not.' She lied, making him laugh. The couple had met through Steve Rogers around five years ago and their relationship blossomed from there. A couple of years of them chasing each other created a love stronger than either of them had ever felt before. Impenetrable. There was a time where she almost lost him. His regiment had been captured by HYDRA and without Steve, he never would have made it home. To her. Safe and alive.

Bucky's gentle hands cradled her face, his ocean eyes saw through her.
'There's never a dull moment with you.' He mused, still holding her. Her cheeks squished slightly in his palms creating a chipmunk style expression. Melina continued to smile up at him, immersed in his eyes. Electricity rolled off their bodies as they kissed, almost literal sparks flying. Their relationship had passion and purpose. It was more than friendship, more than love. Bucky didn't believe in soulmates but he believed he had found someone close to one.

Steve's rescue mission had almost gone to plan, with the majority returning home. The fight was nowhere near over. Melina still found it difficult to adjust to Steve's new look. The whole Captain America thing was weird too. What happened to the asthmatic skinny kid from Brooklyn? Someone injected him with liquid and cooked him. Ready made soldier. Nightmares consumed her while she slept, visions of terror and destruction. Not of the war but of the future. Fears of what the future could hold. Steve had been constructing a new plan since their return. Since then, Melina had been reluctant to let go of her boyfriend. Bucky hadn't wanted her to.

'You're going to have to let me go, Lina.' Bucky's tired voice cut through her train of thought, derailing the whole thing entirely. 'Unless you want to come with us, of course. Although I highly doubt it.' As he spoke he raked wandering fingers through her hair, reluctant to let go of her himself. He would never admit it but there was something about the mission that didn't feel right. He was completely out of his depths, filled with paranoia and a gut feeling that it wouldn't end well.
'I'll tell you what,' Melina perked up when he spoke.
'When I get back, we'll go dancing.'

'Always with the dancing. It seems like you and Agent Carter share a similar interest.' The younger of the two teased.
'You've gotten better over the years, I can't deny that.' When they met his dancing was atrocious. Their first date had been her teaching him a few steps and how to not step on anyone's feet. It took two dates for him to stop doing that.

'Well I had a good teacher.' Bucky pulled her in for another kiss, revelling in the feel of her lips on his. Soft. They tasted like apples. She smelled like apples. Just an all round apple experience. A friendly face appeared over Melina's shoulder. It grinned and nodded for Bucky to join it. Melina heard him groan.
'Duty calls.' He said.

'I don't want you to go.' She knew it was selfish. She just couldn't bear to see him walk away.

Bucky put his lips to her ear and whispered the same thing they always said.
'Close your eyes, doll. Then you don't have to see me go.' He waited until the green of her eyes were hidden before stepping away to join his best friend. The heat of his body evaporated, replaced by the ghost of his presence. After the echo of their footsteps had dissipated, Melina's eyes remained closed. Every time she got the chance to tell him, she bottled it. Would he still want her? Would he want her for the wrong reasons? A rising level of frustration spilled over the brim, releasing an energy from within she had kept dormant for years. By her feet, a patch of grass withered and died.