Found ⭑ A Bucky Barnes Love Story

24 - Save Me From Falling

Hazel blinked a few times, taking in what Bucky just said.

"What?" She whispered. Bucky stared lovingly into her eyes and breathed in deeply, repeating what he'd said just moments before.

"I said, I love you," he murmured and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Her face reddened furiously and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I love you too," she whispered and allowed the warm fuzzy feeling inside of her to make a reappearance.

***

"You sure you wanna do this? Maybe we should just wait it out Buck," Hazel paced around the living room, arms folded and chin raised as her heart rate picked up.

Bucky leaned forward and balanced his elbows on his knees, cupping his chin in his metal hand before glancing up at Hazel. His eyes followed her around the room as she moved.

"Sam lives with all of them, he'll know what Tony's motives were," he hesitated and sucked in a deep breath before quickly averting his gaze from Hazel and dropping his head so it hung limply, "he might know what his motives were. Tony acts impulsively so it could've been a number of things." He rolled his eyes and shrugged, head still hanging sadly.

Hazel frowned and stopped in her tracks, tilting her head at the sight of Bucky's dismay. She sighed before reaching her hands up and clasping them behind her neck, letting her elbows drop to meet in front of her chin as she strode towards him.

He shook his head continuously and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, murmurs escaping his lips as he breathed quietly. Hazel stood about half a metre from him as she observed his actions. She extended her arm and allowed her hand to lower onto his shoulder, her thumb stroking his arm as she spoke.

"Whatever your gut says, I'm down. We're in this together now," she squeezed his shoulder softly and smiled. "Look at me," she whispered and brushed a finger across his arm.

Piercing blue eyes soon met her gaze and she melted under his stare. His eyes held the entire ocean and all the wonders within it.

He gave her hope.

"You're my rock, James. Whatever you need to do, I'll be right here by your side." She lowered her face so it was level with his and watched as his eyes flicked over her features admirably. As she reached a hand out to cup his jaw, she realised how much he longed to feel loved. Even at the small gesture, Hazel could feel him relaxing into her palm and sighing as he gazed at her with big, blue puppy eyes.

Every time he hugged her, he held her like it was the last time he ever would. After being under Hydra's control for so long, Bucky had become accustomed to savouring positive interactions. He clung to the small bursts of kindness he received and told himself to treasure the moment, no matter how heart-wrenching the thought of losing that feeling was. He still believed he was unworthy of affection. He believed he was greedy for confiding in Hazel and taking refuge in her. Every day was a mental battle and, even though the small brunette had brought a light to his life, he told himself he didn't deserve it.

Bucky had no idea the impact he'd made on her life, he had no idea that he'd saved her from falling, just as much as she'd saved him.

He felt like he didn't deserve her unselfish devotion.

He reached out both of his arms and raised his eyebrows slightly, watching Hazel as her attention moved to his outstretched limbs. She smiled and leaned forward, moving her hands to his sides before snaking both arms tightly around his torso, all while pushing him back into the couch. She pressed her head to his chest and wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him like he was the most important thing in the world. He smiled down at her and slid his arms gently around her waist, lowering his head to rest in the crook of her neck.