𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨

Chapter 16

Your POV

     Grant had gone to bed several hours ago, and it was now almost two o'clock in the morning. I know I should have gone to sleep, but I stayed up a little later than usual, hoping that a certain someone would finally show up at my doorstep. I'd lost all hope when the clock struck twelve, and decided to distract myself from my prying thoughts with a book that I had been meaning to read.

     I was so enthralled with the book that I didn't even register the first knock on my door, dismissing it as Manny shifting around in his kennel. But when I heard the second knock, I immediately shoved my bookmark into my book and listened. Sure enough, there was another, weaker knock. I grabbed an umbrella that was by the door (you can never be too safe) and looked through the peephole, seeing the last person I expected, just standing on my doorstep. Bucky.

     I swung the door open to him, immediately pulling him inside by his collar. I smashed my lips to his, wanting to have done that for a while now. I pulled away shyly and he smiled at me goofily. He wrapped his arms tightly around my back, pulling me into him, and I threw my arms around his neck, taking in his smell that I missed oh so much. He shut the door with his foot and we just stood there for a while, embracing each other in the doorway. Neither of us felt pressured to speak. We both caught on to each other's silent apologies and signals or remorse. It was only after a few moments when I burst out into tears, sobbing into his chest as I clung to him for dear life. My legs gave out underneath me and we both sunk to the floor, refusing to let each other go. While I was in the midst of my crying, I could have sworn that the crook of my neck was wet.

     When I pulled back, I saw that he was in fact, crying as well.

"Look at us, both crying our eyes out." I smiled tearily at him and wiped his cheeks off with the sleeve of my sweatshirt, not caring that they were soaked already from my own.

"M'sorry." His voice cracked and soon, tears were running down his face again.

     I quickly pulled him into me, pushing his face into my chest as I sat in his lap, it being his turn now to cling to me for dear life. I stroked his head and back, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, reassuring him that everything was okay. After the second 'it's going to be okay', he pulled back from my chest with red and puffy eyes.

"But it's not okay! I hurt you." He whisper-yelled and I held the sides of his face and kissed away his tears.

     I noticed that they had a slight metallic taste to them, and with the change of lighting, I could see the scrapes and the cut on his face.

"James-! Oh my god you're hurt." I turned his face very which way, looking for more injuries.

"We're even now...." he spoke quietly as he looked away from my gaze.

     Without another word, I stood up quickly and rushed to the bathroom, grabbing my first-aid kit. I came back to him and returned to my place on his lap, but not before flicking on the light switch to the entryway.

     I opened the kit and put some alcohol on a cotton ball, and was about to wipe his face off when he stopped me by grabbing my wrist. He shook his head and me and my brows furrowed deeply.

"James Buchanan Barnes. I healed, and so will you. Wounds are nothing but temporary." I pulled my wrist out of his grasp gently, and entwined our fingers together while I cleaned the wounds on his face gently.

"Do you.....do you still l-love me?" It was almost inaudible, and he looked up at me with a sad gaze.

"What kind of- yes. Yes Bucky, I do still love you. I'll always love you." I smiled lovingly at him, then kissed his cheek, wrinkling my nose at the taste of the alcohol.

"I love you, too, doll. For always." He smiled weakly and I kissed him gently.

     We both sat in silence as I put butterfly bandages on the larger cuts. A few minutes passed and by then I was done and was packing everything back into the kit.

"You know this all will be healed in a few hours, right?" He smirked at me as I stood up from his lap.

"Well I mean I could have not let you in." I spoke jokingly as he stood up and I put the kit on the shoe rack for now.

*****

     I had drug Bucky up the stairs quietly, and made him go take a shower and change clothes before he could come to bed, which he was not happy about. He made sure to pout and make as much direct eye contact as he could to try and guilt-trip me into joining him or making him not go at all.

     By the time he was done, I was nearly knocked out on the bed. I'd been up since five o'clock the previous morning, and my day was as hectic as I'll get out of it.

     My eyes were struggling to stay open when I felt the bed dip behind me and a pair of thick arms being wrapped tightly around my middle, both pulling me into a solid wall of pure muscle. I sighed contently as I turned around in his embrace to lay my head on his chest.

"I missed this." I mumbled after he shifted on his back so I was practically on top of him, my head on his chest and our legs tangled together.

"Me too, doll, me too." He spoke after a yawn, and we snuggled impossibly closer before drifting off.

Third Person POV

     As the pair laid contently in each other's arms, they were presented with only sweet dreams and pleasant thoughts of one another.

     They say that time apart with a strong couple only brings them together, and that could not be more of the truth for this pair.

     Neither of them had to utter a word of apology, the look in each other's eyes being enough to put both of them at ease. Bucky was still a little uneasy about being around his best girl, but he will learn eventually that she trusts him with every fiber of her being, with Bucky feeling the same way.

A/n:

I feel like the beginning of this chapter is cringey :/

-Tallie