Marvel Preferences and Imagines

Nightmares//Bucky Barnes

I glanced over at the alarm clock that sat on my nightstand. It was two in the morning. I don't know what had woken me from my slumber, but I was incredibly thirsty now. Sitting up, I stretched. It was silent, except for the busy city several stories below. If I listened closely, I could hear the cars driving by.

I crept out of bed, shivering at the sudden cold, and tiptoed my way down the hall. I made a mental note to ask Tony to install a mini fridge in my room. It would save me so many late night trips to the kitchen.

I passed Wanda's room, then Vision's, then Bucky's. There was a rustling sound coming from his room, and I wondered what he was doing awake this time of night. I realized how ironic that thought was, considering the fact that I was awake.

Bucky always slept with his door every so slightly ajar. I peered through the opening. It was pitch black, apart from the light coming through the gap between the curtains and the window. The rustling continued, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I realized the source.

Bucky was thrashing around on the bed. He tossed and turned, muttering incoherent sentences and reaching frantically for something that didn't exist.

The sight made me wince. I hated seeing my friend in so much pain. I stood there, torn between comforting him and continuing to my original destination. Bucky had advised against waking him from a nightmare, but I couldn't let him go on like this.

Quiet as a mouse, I slipped inside and crept towards his bed.

Bucky had been staying with the team for about a year now, and he had become a good friend of mine. We confided in each other, and I had slowly gained his trust.

I stopped once I reached the edge of the bed, reached out, and brushed my hand against his arm.

He sat bolt upright, gasping as he did so. The action made me jump a foot backwards. He frantically looked around, fists clenched and breathing heavy. Finally, his eyes settled on me. I watched as his gaze went from panicked and frightened, to soft and comforting.

I wondered what it would feel like if those blue eyes of his looked at me with love and lust. I brushed the thought from my mind. The last thing Bucky wanted right now was a relationship. I knew that, but I still couldn't stop wondering what if.

"You should be in bed," was all he said.

"I was going to get water, and I heard you. I wanted to make sure you were okay," I replied. The water had been long forgotten.

He reached for something and handed it to me. A glass of water from his nightstand. I took it gratefully and sipped from it before setting it down.

"Are you okay?" I studied him for a moment. A closed look told me that he was, in fact, not okay. His breathing was still heavy, his eyes bloodshot and watery, and his hair was a mess. I didn't need him to answer.

"I'm fine," he said.

I released a soft sigh. "Scoot over," I told him.

"What?" He sent me a confused and startled look.

"Scoot over," I said again, a little more gently this time. "You can't sleep and neither can I, so I'm staying here with you."

"Y/N... I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." I crawled underneath the sheets. I knew he was worried about having another nightmare and hurting me, but I wanted to try something. I was hoping my presence would calm him down enough so he could relax and sleep for a while.

He hesitated before easing back down into the pillows, laying so close our arms were brushing together. Just that small touch sent tingles though me. I looked over at him, his eyes were closed and his breathing had settled into a normal rhythm.

"Thanks, Y/N." He spoke softly, as if he was half asleep already. He moved a bit closer, so our arms were pressed firmly together now. I silently wished I could take him into a hug, let him use my chest as a pillow and run my fingers through his dark hair until he fell asleep.

"You're welcome, Buck."

Neither of us said anything after that. I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. I loved him, I was positive of that. I don't know if he felt the same towards me, but it didn't matter. He wasn't ready for a relationship, and I could understand that. He has a lot he needs to work through.

But I'll wait for him. I will wait however long it takes, because he's the only person in the world I will ever want for the rest of my life.