Found ⭑ A Bucky Barnes Love Story

14 - Not So Alone

That night Bucky slept peacefully.

Until his alarm sounded.

beep beep beep

His eyes flicked open and he squinted aggressively, willing the alarm to turn off. After the dramatic scowling failed to work he groaned, "ughhh shush," he pulled his hand out from under the sheets and slammed it down on the beside table several times, unable to turn off his alarm. It refused to shut up and after a few painful minutes, Bucky surrendered to the inevitability of a new day.

"Fine I'll get up geez," he rubbed his eyes and yawned, sitting up drowsily all while fighting the sleep that continued threatening to consume him.

He lifted himself out of bed begrudgingly and stumbled into the kitchen, feeling around for any tables and chairs that were in his way. When he arrived in the kitchen, he filled the kettle with water and flicked it on, listening to it boiling away quietly.

While he waited, Bucky pressed his elbows to the counter and cupped his head in his hands, "what a dumbass, why did I pick 6am," he mumbled, voice gravelly and thick with sleep. As the kettle finished boiling he placed a paper cup down on the counter and filled it, adding coffee, sugar and milk. He walked silently to his room and changed clumsily into black sweatpants and a navy blue hoodie. As he lifted the hoodie over his head, he felt it catch on something. Bucky frowned and attempted to pull it down again, only to be stopped abruptly by a painful ripping noise. He looked up hesitantly and noticed a strand of blue thread wrapped around a part of his bionic arm.

"Ugh why today," he yanked the material down and pulled the thread off his arm before making his way back out into the kitchen to collect his coffee. He stepped into the hallway, cup in one hand and the other shoved into his pocket as he trudged along sleepily.

It was a freezing morning and birds were
already awake, singing softly. The temperature was bone chilling and all Bucky wanted to do was sleep. It was the only thing weighing on his mind right now, but he was forced to power through the drowsiness because he couldn't let Hazel down. He took a large sip of coffee and flinched, his eyes widening and his head whipping back from the mug as he forgot how hot it was.

"Shit," he muttered and looked down to the now coffee-stained carpet. He tilted his head up and rolled his eyes, groaning, as he massaged his forehead in frustration. "Seriously?!" He shot a hand up and splayed his fingers out, scowling at the ceiling and wanting nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs.

Bucky brought his head back down and frowned, scrunching his nose up as he took several laboured breaths to suppress his urge to yell. "Just. Get. To. The balcony." He breathed out and glanced over to the bin on his right before tossing the disposable cup in a high arc, sending it landing perfectly into the bin.

As he approached the doors to the balcony, he looked through the glass and was met with a small brunette curled up in a fluffy blue blanket.

Hazel.

He pushed the doors open, the girl turning around at the sound, smiling warmly when she realised who it was, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Bucky stepped onto the balcony and closed the doors forcefully before spinning around to face her and releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.

"Hi," he relaxed his shoulders as he exhaled deeply. The wind blew past him almost on cue and whipped his hair up into a flurry of unflattering strands, stray parts flapping in the breeze. "Kidding me?" He closed his eyes, muttering frustratingly, and quickly brought his hands up to pull his hood on.

After he'd pulled the hood over his head, he walked over to Hazel and crouched down to meet her face, his arms resting on his legs as he perched comfortably on the concrete.

"Sorry," he murmured and looked around the balcony before setting his eyes back on Hazel. He placed a hand on the ground to steady himself. She chuckled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "why're you sorry?" She squinted her eyes and knitted her brows together playfully.

"I- I don't even know," Bucky laughed and lifted a hand up to rub the edge of his jaw before looking down at where Hazel was seated. She noticed his gaze and spoke, "oh, please, sit," she twisted her body to the right and retrieved a grey pillow, setting it down next to her and patting it. He smiled and sat down, sighing at the immediate comfort.

Hazel grinned but became quickly distracted as a bright beam of light danced across her face

She turned her head and let out a small gasp, her attention fixed on the sliver of golden sunlight that peaked out from the horizon. Bucky watched her and allowed the corners of his mouth to curl up into a smile filled with deep admiration. She was the most beautiful person on the planet to him. She had no flaws, no imperfections. She glanced over at him, eliciting a furious blush from him, his stare redirecting to the ground at the unexpected exchange.

Hazel chuckled and reached her hands up, gently pushing his hood down to reveal his silky brown hair. "May I?" She smiled and Bucky nodded.

Hazel moved her hands to his chocolate tresses and began running her fingers through the soft strands. In his flustered state, Bucky didn't know where to look. He ended up settling on Hazel's bandana. It was a pastel yellow fabric embellished with golden sunflowers. The girl practically radiated sunlight - the bandana was perfect for her. "So, Pantene huh? Gotta get me some of that, your hair is literally flawless," Hazel gushed as she twisted a wave of hair around her finger and giggled.

"Yeah, could just be my amazing genes though,"
In a flicker of confidence Bucky's mouth slid into a lazy smirk and he wiggled his eyebrows before chuckling at how ridiculous he sounded.

"Sure, sure, you keep telling yourself that," Hazel removed her hands reluctantly from his hair and patted his cheek twice, flashing a tight smile and bringing her attention back to the sunset.

"Aw, why'd you stop," he whispered and pouted. Even though he'd never admit it, he loved it more than anything when Hazel played with his hair. It brought him a sense of comfort that was only felt around her, and it helped him to associate touch with affection, rather than the relentless pain he'd once been a victim of.

"Hmmmm?" Hazel swivelled around to Bucky and raised an eyebrow at his quiet remark.

"Nothing," he raised his hands up in front of him.

"If you say so," Hazel shrugged and winked at him, a flurry of butterflies erupting in his stomach.

The golden sunlight spilled out across the horizon and flooded the sky with glorious warmth and colour. Bucky's lips parted in awe as he stared in amazement at the magnificent spectacle in front of him. He never wanted to be anywhere else.

He was home.
Right here.
He wanted to savour the moment. To remember this feeling of pure bliss.

He flinched at the sudden weight against his shoulder and looked down to find a head of messy brown curls resting on his upper arm. He smiled warmly, his cheeks filling with colour and his eyes squinting slightly as he moved his head down to rest on Hazel's.

As he relaxed his head, he leaned back against the wall and sighed, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve such a treasure. Every day since Steve's passing had been a struggle for him, and there were moments in time where he questioned why he was even here.

Hazel moved her hands over Bucky's torso and allowed them to wrap around his waist. She hummed and nuzzled her head further into his side, the scent of warm vanilla making her head buzz. Bucky snaked both arms around Hazel's waist, pulling her body further into him as his heart exploded. Words couldn't describe the intense euphoria that filled his body, drowning him in an ocean of words. Words unspoken, and words that could never be said because they were too perfect, too pure and too beautiful to even exist.

He kept one arm wrapped protectively around her waist and reached the other out to her shoulder, sliding it down her arm, eventually meeting her palm and threading his fingers with hers. He sighed in content and nestled his head into the crook of her neck, his eyes fluttering shut as he indulged in her presence.

***

Author's Note

Hihi, sorry I haven't updated the book in a while, I've been pretty busy but I promise I'll update it when I get a chance :)