Always [AFON Sequel]

Chapter 1: Changes

His eyes felt heavy and hurt from tiredness. His whole body ached for some rest but he ignored it all. [Y/N] lay in his arms, her [y/ec] eyes locked with his own blue ones and his heart never stopped beating fastly as she had finally come back to him.  His hand moved through her hair caressingly as he whispered: "Go to sleep, doll. I promise to be still here when you wake up."

It had been hours since they've come back from Tony's funeral and for the very first time since The Blip, [Y/N] allowed herself to let Bucky near her again. It had just been a few days but every moment [Y/N] was so close to Bucky and yet so far, as she had always kept her distance, he hurt badly. It felt like all of him was drawn to her, he ached for her love but even though he could always see her, she was never really there. Until today.

Bucky's fingers were intertwined with hers and his thumb caressed the back of her hand softly. A small smile was on her lips but her eyes always gave away the sadness deep within her. [Y/N] opened her mouth to protest but Bucky spoke again before she could. "I promise" he repeated, knowing her too well. He wasn't going anywhere without her. "Now close your eyes. It's been long days and you need to rest."

"You sound like my father. If I could remember much of him. But I'm sure he'd have said that" [Y/N] answered but yawned anyway. Bucky's grip on her hand tightened and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Someone has to look out for you."

"You ever heard of Steve Rogers? You know, tall, blond, full of muscles... Oh, and sleeping next door? That man seems to be kind of babysitting me."

Bucky chuckled and felt the urge to hold her even tighter, happy to see she hadn't lost her humor and sarcasm. She had changed so much and yet she still seemed to be the same. "I'm glad he did. You know, he really cares about you."

"I know" [Y/N] said and sighed. Her voice became softer. "He's done a great job. Steve... he's always been there for me from the very beginning. It's me who screwed things up, Buck."

"You wanna tell me about it?" Bucky asked, his gaze was soft and had a hint of curiosity.

"No. I don't want to burden you with this as well. That's something I have to fix myself."

"Well... Steve's a softie. You'll  figure it out. And you've become part of his family the moment you stepped into my life. There's no way out once you're in."

[Y/N] chuckled and snuggled closer into Bucky's chest. "I know" she replied, smiling softly as the memories came back to her. Memories of every moment she shared with Steve and Bucky. She then lifted her head to lock eyes with Bucky again, gone was the hint of flashbacks in her gaze. "I'm more than glad to be part of this family."

"So am I, doll" Bucky answered with a smile and could only think about how much he loved her and every little detail of her. He could have gotten lost in her gaze all night long and listen to her voice forever. He couldn't remember the five years that he had been gone but his heart sure knew. It ached for her like he hadn't seen her in years and even though she was in his arms at this very moment, it still felt like he missed her and the emotional distance between them was always there. But at least it seemed to fade some tonight.

[Y/N] yawned and interrupted Bucky's thoughts, making him chuckle. He leaned in closer to place a kiss on her forehead. "Close your eyes now. I promise I'll still be right here."

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The sun was shining through the sun-blinds, lighting up the room in soft, warm colors of orange and yellow. It was early morning and it was quiet in Steve's apartment but Bucky had never rested for longer than a few minutes. Whenever [Y/N] had moved, he had woken up to make sure his eyes were the first thing she'd see. He felt tired but a lot more relaxed than a couple of hours ago. To be honest, Bucky was scared that [Y/N] would wake up and push him away again, like the night could've vanished their progress. Still, he kind of knew that at some point, it would happen nonetheless.
He knew that she was traumatized and that eventually, she'd back away from him again. And he just wanted to avoid this for as long as possible.