A Place for You & Me ・Bucky Barnes

safe

Warning: Bucky has a nightmare and it might be a trigger for some. 

A few days pass and James is on his way to meet Zoe at work. When he arrives, he sees she's not there. He asks the employee if she worked that day and they say no. James then decides to text Zoe. 

You alright? I see you're not at work tonight

He waits for an answer, but she doesn't reply. Nervous, he races to her apartment and knocks on her door. No answer there either. He begins to panic and calls. The phone rings a few times, making him impatient.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Zoe. It's James. You okay?"

"Oh. Hey... yeah, I'm fine." 

"Where are you?"

"I'm uh, I'm at my old dance building."

"Oh. I didn't mean to bother you. I was just worried you were hurt or something." A pause ensues. "Do you want me to meet you there?"

"No," she responds quickly. "It's not too far from my apartment."

"Okay. Be safe." 

"Will do." Zoe hangs up the phone and James waits at her apartment door a few minutes. He didn't want to intrude, but he was worried about her. He looked up dance schools nearby and found a place she could be at. He made a brisk, 10 minute walk there and saw some lights on. He quietly went up to the door and peeked inside. He didn't see anyone in the hallway. He opened the door and entered, listening for any noise. A faint sound of music came from down the hallway and he followed the music. Once at a door, he stopped and peaked in cautiously. There she is, dancing to the music. He watches how she moves and becomes one with the song. There is passion in her movements. The song is slow and sombre, and so is she. The performance made him feel what she was feeling. He stands watching in amazement for several minutes. When the song ends, he sees her fall gracefully to the ground, face down and she stays there. Eventually, her back is moving and sobs are heard. Zoe continues to lay face down, curled up on the cold floor, sobbing quietly. James approaches her. 

"Zoe, you okay?"

She gasps and sits up in the blink of an eye. 

"James? What are you doing here?" Her tears fall across her cheeks. He sees the pain on her face.

"I was worried about you. I found some dance buildings online and picked a random one." He looked at her and she sniffled. 

"You shouldn't have come. I'm a mess." She turns away from him. 

"I don't care." He goes closer to her. "I'm here to help, Zoe."

She sighs. "I know," she says softly, keeping her back toward him. He joins her on the floor in front of the large mirror. They sit in silence for a few minutes. 

"It's my sister's birthday today." She finally breaks the silence. "I usually am okay, but... today was hard."

James keeps silent and just listens. "I didn't feel like working, but I didn't want to stay in the house. Mama V gave me the keys. She knew." She turns around to face him. "Why did you come?"

"I told you. I was worried about you. I knew something was wrong." 

"I don't want to keep you here."

"I can wait here all night with you if you need me to."

She looks at him with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you," she says almost inaudibly. 

Several minutes pass with Zoe sniffling and crying on and off. After a while, she stands up and puts her sweatpants on and her jacket over her leotard. James stands up as well and follows her toward the door. She locks the building back up and James escorts her back to her apartment. They walk in silence, but neither of them mind. Once they reach her apartment, Zoe thanks him and says good night. 

James makes it halfway to his apartment, but he decides to turn around. He stops by a store and arrives at her apartment again. He knocks and she opens the door after a few seconds. 

"What's wrong, Bucky?"

"Nothing, I just decided to bring you some rocky road ice cream. Thought it would help." He shows her a small bag and she grabs it gently, pausing a moment. 

"Thank you," her words are almost silent. "I'll see you later."

"See you later," He nods and she closes the door, shaking her head in disbelief. 

How did he know rocky road was her favorite?

~

James makes his way back to his cold apartment. Even though he and Sam went shopping, his place felt just as empty. Not having much of an appetite, he forces himself to sleep. 

His dreams took him to a dark place. It was snowy and cold. His mission was to execute a man and his family in the dead of night for knowing too much about HYDRA's plans. James waited until dark to make his move. He entered the house quietly, and located the man asleep in his bed with his wife. With a suppressed firearm, he shot the wife first and commenced to shot the man when he heard a child's voice. 

"Mommy? Mommy?" the Winter Soldier turned to see a light on in the hallway. A little girl stood, watching him. Unable to compromise his mission, he shot the man and commenced to shoot the girl. 

"Where's my Mommy?"

"Hail HYDRA."  

Jolting up, James opens his eyes and notices his heart racing. He glances at his phone.

1:24. 

He groans. How long must I go through this?  Unable to fall back asleep, he decides to flip through his journal. After a few minutes, his eyes glance over Zoe's name. He pauses. Just even the thought of her made him feel safe. 

Safe. 

His breathing slows and the adrenaline leaves. Once his eyes get heavy again, he lays back down on the makeshift mattress he made on the floor. He closes his eyes and there was Zoe.

Safe.