If You Were Tony Stark's Daughter

Sleep With Me Tonight (Rewritten)

Age: 25

Your eyes could barely stay open, your fingers gently held onto the TV remote, you were falling asleep. Your head was resting against the arm of your couch, while a fuzzy blanket lay on your legs providing the coziest warmth. The television volume was low, but loud enough to where you could faintly hear the laughs of the sitcom that played across the screen.

The sudden echo across your apartment of three knocks caused your eyes to shoot open. You looked at the time; 12:30 in the morning. The lights and horns of the endless city poured into your Manhattan penthouse, courtesy of your fathers will. Slowly you swung your legs off of the couch and dragged your zombie like body to the door, eyeing the peep hole to see a quivering Bucky Barnes at your doorstep.

You opened the door and looked at Bucky, who was obviously disheveled and nervous. Not a single word left your mouth, only the subtle gesture of you stepping aside from the doorway and making room for him to step inside was inviting enough for him to rush in and take a seat on your couch.

"I'm sorry it's so late, and I know that I usually call-"

Bucky's eyes were met with a half drank bottle of whiskey in front of his face. His blue eyes met with yours, as he looked down at your hands and quickly noticed the scabs of anxious picking at your fingers. As he looked back into your eyes he could see the red puffiness surrounding them.

"We've both had a rough night" You spoke gently as you handed the bottle to him and took a seat next to him, draping your blanket back over your legs again as you watched him take a very long, very needed swig of alcohol.

He released a sigh, handing you the bottle as you placed it on the floor, looking back at the soldier. You watched as he leaned back into the couch and gently took his leather gloves off, revealing his clammy hands that were pruned by sweat and embarrassment. You fought hard to resist the urge to take Bucky's hand and intertwine it with yours.

Bucky felt a pleasant wave of serenity crash onto his body like a tsunami. Just the warmth of your body right next to him was all of the security he needed to feel comfortable. You developed a sort of codependent relationship with him shortly after your fathers funeral.

You both bonded over the concept of grief. While you were grieving Tony's death, he was grieving all of the deaths he caused. Bucky began coming to your apartment at night, always announced and only on bad days would he not text you a simple "Coming" to let you know he was in the lobby of your apartment building. Tonight, he came unannounced, shaking and visibly upset, while just an hour before his presence you were on your couch sobbing over Tony.

"I went on a date" Bucky blurted out. A grin grew on your face, a small chuckle escaped your lips. "And, how did it go?" You asked, reaching over to the floor and picking up the bottle of whiskey. Bucky's face remained dull as you took a sip. "I got up, left and came here" he said. Your grin drooped to a frown.

"So it was bad?"
"No."
"So it was good?"
"No."

You furrowed your eyebrows in annoyance at him. "It was fine. She was fine, and I mean fine. It was me, we were talking and I just... I couldn't..." Bucky's hand was tightening, and you could tell he was struggling to get the words out. You placed your whiskey-free hand on his shoulder before gently rubbing the back of his neck, feeling all of his tense muscles turn to jelly as you touched his skin.

"Everything I do, I always find a way to screw it up" He sighed. "You can't put yourself down, Bucky. Be easy on yourself" You comforted him and continued to rub his head. All he did was nod, and laid his eyes on the television.

The two of you sat in silence for a brief moment. He turned and looked at you. "What's on your mind tonight?" He asked. You glanced at him and instinctively shook your head. You wanted to say you were okay, because that's what you had been telling everybody, including Bucky. Even though he knew that you weren't okay.