safety blanket - bucky barnes one shot

comfort

"Do you want to borrow my weighted blanket?"

The question was simple enough. Innocent, too. Bucky couldn't help but look at you as if you were crazy though. Here you are, at 2 in the morning, asking a super soldier if he wanted to borrow your blanket. "Your what?" He finally got out, rubbing his eyes as he tried to make sense of the picture in front of him.

He had just woken up, his final scream from his nightmare sounding too real in the quiet night, still covered in a hot sweat when you had knocked on his door. You had waited, and listened, much like the rest of the people in the apartment complex, for the screaming to stop to come to his door and offer him some peace. Bucky had just moved in a few weeks ago, "You need to get your own space, it will help with the nightmares. Separate work and home." his therapist had said. Sam and Steve seemed to agree, and now he was back in Brooklyn in an old factory building turned into lofts. They were nice, affordable, but the move didn't fix the memories that haunted him at night.

"My weighted blanket." You shifted your weight nervously, holding the heavy blanket in your hands as you looked up at Bucky. "It's for pressure, when sleeping, it helps with my anxiety. I thought you could give it a try with, ya know." You trailed off, your voice becoming quiet as you looked down, suddenly interested in the blanket material. You and Bucky had crossed paths maybe once or twice, the first time being when you locked yourself out of your apartment and needed a phone to borrow. Bucky was the first neighbor to answer the door, and after some reluctant conversation, he let you into his loft and used his phone. Bucky wouldn't let you past the kitchen, and seemed hesitant to have you in there at all. He admitted he didn't know how to use it, which made you question how old this man really was, as you dialled up the landlord to let you in. There was some conversation, a quick thank you, and you were out the door.

The second time was when you had fallen down the stairs during a thunderstorm. The concrete stairs were not the best when they were wet, and before you knew it you were at the bottom, having fallen on your ass and slid down the stairs with ease. Bucky just happened to be walking up to the landing when he met you, and he couldn't help but laugh at your state and help you up. This is when you noticed his arm. Bucky usually wore long sleeves and gloves, but that day when he had helped you up, his wet gloves were stuck into his pocket. You let in a sharp breath when you felt metal grasp your right hand, Bucky quickly pulling that hand away once you were up. Another awkward "thank you" and "you're welcome" were spoken, but that was the most you have ever said to one another.

Bucky just blinked at you, tilting his head a bit as you played with the fabric. "Does it really work?" he asked, clearing his throat a bit. "I mean, don't you need it?" He leaned up against the doorway now, his arms crossing in front of him. You looked up at him, noticing his stubble and the dark circles under his eyes. He looked rough, and you knew that look too well. "Oh! Well," you let out a weak excuse for a laugh, "This is actually my twenty pound blanket I brought you. I have a fifteen and a ten at home. I thought you could use more of the weight." You coughed a bit, looking away from him as you spoke. "My nightmares have stopped when I started using these. I don't wake up crying as much. I'm not saying that they will work for you but, I just thought maybe you could give it a try. You could use some rest." You looked back at him, your eyes full of sincerity. Bucky just stared at you, blinking slowly before saying, "You know I never caught your name." He stands up straight now, uncrossing his arms and reaching out for the blanket. You pass it over to him, smiling a bit as he takes it. "Y/N, and yours?" He repeats your name back to himself, almost in a whisper before saying. "Bucky. Oh wow, this does have some weight to it." He smiled as he lifted the blanket up and down, his eyes going back and forth from the object to you. You just nodded, watching him with a curious look. "I'll, um, try it tonight and I'll let you know how it goes?" He hugs the blanket to himself, his eyes now just focused on you. "Yeah! It might take a few days for it to like, do its job but you can keep it as long as you want." You smiled at him, and Bucky could feel his face start to get hot as a blush crept across his face.