Kiss Me Better

21

Your date went surprisingly well, and though your wounds were still fresh, you were open to another date with Matt. He walked you to the tower and hugged you goodnight, bravely pressing a chaste kiss to your cheek. You texted Loki that you were on your way up, but he appeared in front of you before you could walk inside and teleported you to your room. You told him about your date, and he in turn told you about the movie he'd watched, leaving out his chat with the others. Once it got late, he left you and you fell right to sleep.

Your door flew open, and you were jolted from your slumber. "Whas gon on?" you slurred.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were back? We were worried sick!" Bucky wailed. He'd waited by the elevator in the lobby since he left the common room, waiting for when you returned home.

"What? I.. I just... what?" If he weren't so upset, he'd have found your state of bewilderment disgustingly cute.

"What are you wearing?" his voice tightened.

You looked down at yourself and saw you were only wearing underwear and a cami. "My pjs." your cheeks began to burn and you scrambled for the sheet to cover yourself.

"Really? Since when?" he wasn't going to let his embarrassment get in the way of answers.

"I always wear this to sleep. People don't usually barge in here so it's never been a problem!"

"You never wore that when we slept on the couch!" He began to match your irritated tone.

"Because that would've been weird! Not to mention highly inappropriate!" You had to admit, you were completely dumbstruck by whatever was going on. "Barnes, I'm tired. I'm still half asleep and have no idea why you're here or why we're fighting about my pajamas. Please, just help me out?"

His heart dropped at your reverting to calling him 'Barnes', and the shame he felt when he yelled at you in the training room crept up on him again. "I, uh... I couldn't sleep."

You nodded in understanding. "Did you want the puppy? That seemed to help you whe- um, before."

"Um, yeah. Yeah, if you don't mind..." What he wanted was for you to read or sing to him like you did before, to curl up beside you and bury his face into your skin, but he couldn't find the courage to ask. He knew he had no right to, not after the way he's treated you. He watched you wrap your sheet around yourself and amble to the selection of plushies to grab that little, soft dog that brought him so much comfort in his 'youth'. "Thanks," he smiled weakly when you offered it. "I'll bring it back in the morning, after my evaluation."

"Maybe you should hang to it." In all honesty, you couldn't bear to look at it anymore. Flashes of little Bucky, giggling sweetly, kept popping into your head and threatening to bring tears to your eyes. "I mean, if it helps, why not keep it?"

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement. "Ok, thanks."

You waited for him to leave so you could lock the door, but he only stood there, eyes boring into yours. He clearly had something else on his mind, but he kept his lips sealed. He looked so much like his child self in that moment, you felt your resolve weaken. It was that weakness that made you boldly step toward him and reach for his cheek. He didn't resist as you pulled him down to allow you to kiss his temple. "I hope your night gets better now," your voice cracked. When you stepped back, you saw his eyes began to water, bringing on tears of your own. "Sleep well, Sweetie."

Bucky's hand twitched, and for a moment you thought he was going to comfort you; to allow you to comfort him. "Goodnight, Y/N," he whispered before walking out the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

You felt awful. You collapsed onto your bed after Bucky left, and sobbed half the night. You were certain you were going to have to toss your pillows in the dryer in the morning, but you eventually fell into a restless sleep. In the morning, you shambled your way into the kitchen like a zombie.

"Woah, you look terrible. Was your date that bad?" Wanda asked as she passed you some coffee.

"Or that good?" Natasha winked.

"Date? Who went on a date?" Tony looked up from his tablet.

"No." You gave them an unconvincing smile. "It was fine. Bad night, that's all."

"Nightmares?" You nodded. "I'm sorry." Wanda hugged you tightly.

"How'd you guys know I had a date?"

"And why am I the last to know?" Tony huffed. "Who is he? Have you run a background check? What's his salary?"

"Shut up, Jesus. It's too early for you to be this obnoxious," Clint joined everyone at the table.

"Loki told us last night. Said he was waiting to hear all about it," Natasha ignored the two men.

"Loki was out here with you guys?" You began to grow nervous. "Did he do anything?"

Wanda's lilting laughter reached your ears, filling you with warmth. "No, he was a perfect gentleman." she assured you. "Do you have a picture of Matthew?"

"Yeah." You fumbled with your phone, bringing up the picture you'd taken with him the night before. The elevator dinged, and Wanda saw your face fall at the voices that came from it.

"Morning everybody!" Sam greeted cheerfully, bringing an annoyed groan from Clint. "Y/N! Heard you had a hot date last night," he wiggled his eyebrows at you. "You seeing him again?"

"Woah! Please say yes, he's so handsome!" Wanda gushed, passing the phone over to Natasha.

You didn't look up from your coffee when you felt Steve and Bucky enter the kitchen. "I don't know, maybe."

"Holy shit. Well done," Natasha winked.

"Hey, Y/N." Steve gave you a side hug, but frowned when he saw your face. "Did you get in late last night?"

"Leave her alone, Punk. She was in bed at a respectable hour." The room suddenly went quiet as all eyes, including yours, darted toward him. You were sure he could feel them, but if he did, he didn't let on. "Hey, Y/N? I'm gonna make some cinnamon toast. You want some?" he kept his back to everyone, reaching into the fridge for the butter.

Wanda smiled and gave your hand a gentle squeeze. Natasha watched him with furrowed brows. Clint's jaw was practically on the table. Steve's eyes flickered between you and Bucky. Tony jabbed a finger in his ear and gave it a shake. You just stared blankly. Like Tony, you were unsure if you'd heard correctly.

"I'll take some," Sam piped up.

"I ain't offerin' to birdbrains, Wilson." He turned to face you, ignoring everyone's stares. "I can make you something else, if you want..." His metal hand played with the hem of his shirt.

Wanda smacked you lightly on your leg, snapping you out of your stupor. "Uh, cinnamon toast sounds great. Thanks."

His shoulders visibly relaxed, and he turned to mix something in a bowl. Natasha slapped your arm, grabbing yours and Wanda's attention, and raised her brows in a silent question. Wanda shrugged, and you shook your head, completely flabbergasted by the change in him.

"So," Bucky cleared his throat, still facing away from everyone. "I passed."