Just Roommates

Chapter Ten

Update July 4th, 2024: It took me a while to rewrite this in a way I was happy with because this was very much an emotional chapter with lots of depth and personal connection. I hope it comes across the way I intended and that you all were able to take something from it :)

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Another week passed, and Bucky had finally reeled himself in enough to find himself actually being able to concentrate on work for what it was and not as the distraction he had been using it as.

That is until later.

Coming home from a late-night meeting after a long, grueling month of working on the process of merging his company, he was happy to be home to rest and have the weekend to himself.

But as he walked by Y/N's room, he noticed dim lighting under the doorway. He did the math in his head and figured she'd be at Thor's, considering she was picking him up from the airport after a conference he had in New Mexico this week.

He hadn't seen her in almost two weeks, even with Thor out of town, thanks to their opposing busy schedules, but he didn't think he even had a chance of seeing her tonight. Maybe she left a light on...

He cringed at the other possibilities. Please, God, don't let it be that she brought Thor over here. He could barely handle the thought of her being at Thor's house alone with him... let alone hearing them through his own walls.

But the sound of sniffling on the other side of the door quickly changed his thought track.

"Y/N/N? Are you in there?" he leaned an ear to the door, watching as the subtle warm glow from her lamp inside hit his shoe from the door's gap.

There was a soft shuffling as if she were moving bedding. Then, a few more sniffles.

"Uh, yeah. I'm here," she replied. Her voice sounded hoarse, as if she had worn it out.

"Are you OK? You sound sick," Bucky asked, leaning on the barrier more, knowing the difference between her sick and her crying. This definitely wasn't sick.

Again, another sniffle. "Um, I'm fine..." Nowhere near convincing...

"OK, how about we try that again?" he spoke softly. There was silence on the other end. No answer. "Y/N, sweetheart, what's going on?"

He placed his hand on the doorknob, waiting for a response, but when she didn't give one, he announced he was coming in and slowly turned the knob, giving her time to yell at him and stop him if she wanted to.

As he slowly opened it, he noticed the room dimly lit with just enough light to illuminate the lump of blankets in a huddle where the ledge of her window and her bed met. The view of the cityscape was brightened by the night life coming alive.

Looking out into the stunning view of the city their flat offered, in the largest hoodie she owned (or more so, the largest hoodie Bucky owned) sat Y/N, veiled by the oversized piece of clothing. To top off the symbol of closing herself in, he saw what looked like five different blankets wrapped around her and near her.

She hadn't even paid mind to Bucky letting himself in.

Whatever was happening was a 180 from the cheerful and happy Y/N he had seen this last month... something was off, and he was itching to get to the bottom of it.

"Hey," he quietly stepped in, undoing a few restrictive buttons on his dress shirt and rolling up the sleeves as he tried to ease into the environment. Still nothing. "You wanna talk about it?"

She turned her head at that question, and Bucky saw the tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. He hadn't found her at the beginning of her breakdown; he was right in the middle of it.