bulletproof

23

Y/N and Bucky had been hanging out with one another for weeks now, almost a month. Steve hated to admit it, but a little jealousy was starting to pang through him. Y/N was always out with Bucky, going off on walks and picnics. He was glad that Bucky was opening up to her, but just for once, he'd love for Bucky to feel as happy around him as he felt with Y/N.

Y/N would tell him all about the day she'd spent with Bucky at night when they'd curl up together in his bed, but it wasn't the same as talking to Bucky.

But even if Steve wanted to hang out with his old friend, he wouldn't have had the time anyway. Fury was sending him mission after mission and he was mentally and physically exhausted from them.

He'd just finished a mission and was waiting for leave to get off the jet. Bruce was sitting beside him on one side, Clint on the other. The jet was on autopilot as Steve went over what had happened on the field, collecting information for mission report. The mission, in question, had gone on without a single hitch, and everyone managed to complete it without getting injured in the process.

Fury was breathing down Steve's neck over Y/N getting back on the field and he'd used every excuse in the book to make up for her absence at work. He knew he couldn't avoid the topic of conversation anymore and decided to talk to her about it soon.

As the door opened automatically, and slowly, Steve managed to spot Y/N waiting for them in the Bay, a broad smile on her face, brightening up her features and sending the butterflies in his stomach into a craze.

He stepped off the jet and went over to her, curling his arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Though the mission had been easy and simple, it'd been a long one, and he'd been gone for a week. He'd missed her and was relieved to have her back in his arms again.

He wasn't too comfortable to express a lot of affection in front of his teammates and tended not to kiss her in public. Maybe it was the old-fashioned part of him, but he felt ill at ease in expressing his devotion to her in the open. She didn't show any sign of annoyance at that and he was relieved of that.

Exhaustion swept over him, finally catching up with him, a week's worth of fatigue crept up on him, crashing down and having his eyes droop from sleepiness already.

~~~

Y/N snuggled up against Steve a few nights later, her head resting just above his heart, so she could hear it beat. It was soothing to listen to it, the steady palpitations lulled her to sleep most nights. She glanced up at him, a smile creeping up on her features as she watched him sleep peacefully.

Steve had been reluctant to tell her about the nightmares he'd been suffering through the first few years he spent after the de-icing and had reassured her that he didn't suffer through them anymore. Her own nightmares were less prominent in her sleep, and when they did happen, and when they were really bad, Steve would wake her up before she started having a panic attack, and they would just lie in one another's arms in the pitch darkness.

She shot a look at the alarm clock on the side and saw that she was in the early hours of the morning, almost too early to even consider morning.

Y/N trailed her fingers down his arm, a soft smile playing on her lips as she felt the familiar zaps of electricity run between the two of them. She sat up in bed, staring out into the darkness of the room ahead of her as she waited for sleep to take her over, but nothing happened. She fought back the urge to get out of bed and take a run. She would get tired in a minute, she just had to wait.

Steve stirred in his sleep, slowly coming out of it as he felt the bed shift from Y/N moving about to find a comfortable position.

He propped himself up, weariness fading out of him as he looked over at her. She turned and faced him, and he brought a gentle hand to cup her jaw, bringing her into a tender kiss.