bucky barnes imagines

xxi. NIGHTMARES

You had no idea what time it was when you were awoken by muffled, pain-filled cries coming from the room across from yours. You knew who it was instantly and lay awake, waiting for the heartbreaking noise to subside.

Bucky had nightmares pretty much every other night – really, it made sense after everything that he'd been through. Usually, you would hear Steve's footsteps as he quickly entered his best friend's room to wake him up and comfort him.

However, this time, after a couple of minutes, you realised something. Steve was out on a mission.

In a matter of seconds, you were up and out of your room. You knew that the door to Bucky's room wouldn't be locked, so you quickly pushed it open and rushed to kneel by the side of his bed, not wanting to startle him when he woke up.

"Bucky," you spoke quietly, "wake up, it's just a dream. It's okay. You're okay."

At first, your words did nothing. Instead, you placed your hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently while still whispering to him. Slowly, his incoherent mumbles and tortured cries died down and he opened his eyes, which were unsurprisingly filled with tears.

Bucky sat up and quickly hid his face in his hands when he saw that it was you who had woken him up instead of Steve. He didn't want you to see him in that condition – weak and vulnerable.

"Go back to sleep, I'm sorry for waking you up," he muttered. His voice sounded shaky and was riddled with guilt, which broke your heart.

"No, I'm staying here, Buck." You swiftly hopped onto the bed beside him and took one of his hands, forcing him to stop hiding his face. He glanced at you inquisitively while silently thanking the heavens that it was too dark for you to see the blush that had risen to his cheeks, even in his state of distress.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head firmly before sighing. "Just the same stuff as usual."

The two of you sat in comfortable silence, still holding hands. After a while, you felt Bucky's head fall onto your shoulder, as if he was too exhausted to hold it up.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted," he confessed, giving you a small smile.

You were almost disappointed to have to leave, but you knew Bucky needed rest, so you swung your legs over the side of the bed, intending to go back to your room.

"Wait, Y/N," he called suddenly, "can you stay? I-I mean... can you sleep here with me? You don't have to, I just..."

You giggled quietly as his voice trailed off due to uncertainty. Laying down and tucking your legs under the covers, you shuffled closer to him, sighing happily as he immediately wrapped his arms around you, allowing you to rest your head on his chest. You felt his body tense slightly, but he relaxed again when you brought a hand up to play with his tousled hair. No longer worrying about overstepping any boundaries, he placed a delicate kiss on the top of your head.

It didn't take long for the two of you to fall into a deep slumber. You felt safe together and, even though neither of you voiced your true feelings, you both secretly hoped that this wouldn't be the last time you would fall asleep in each other's arms.