The Soft Side of Winter

Warm

           He was stiff and rigid as he stood by the widow. His blue eyes were trained on the window. He almost looked like a statue, but you could see him breathing. You turned around in the bed again, unable to sleep.

"Winter?"

He hummed in acknowledgement, his body unmoving.

"Can you please come to bed?" You asked staring at the soldier.

"Can't. Hydra...they almost got us last time. Must stand watch. Must keep you safe."

You threw off the covers and shuffled over to him. You hugged him from behind, your head resting between his shoulder blades. Lightly squeezing him, you nuzzled into his back. He was so warm.

"Please, Winter? I can't sleep without you." You mumbled against his back.

His body relaxed slightly at your touch, and he gently placed his hands over yours, keeping them against him. He felt you press a kiss to his shoulder, and he melted slightly into you.

"But Hydra..." He protested poorly.

"We're far away from them now. You brought us to a safe place so they couldn't find us. And even if they did find us, I know my big strong soldier would get us to safety once more." You said hugging him tightly.

He wanted to argue with you, but he couldn't. He was really tired, and you felt so good against him. Ever since you both escaped Hydra, he had been on high alert. He didn't really know where to go, his memories were still really fuzzy, and the only name he responded to now was Winter. He was about to head back to bed with you when a loud noise sounded. In an instant, you were against the wall and his body was shielding you from any debris or attacker. His face was close to yours and you were engulfed by his warmth. His breathing was heavy, and you gently placed a hand on his chest.

"Winter...baby...I think it was just a racoon." You said softly.

Winter slowly raised his head to look out the window. Sure enough, a racoon had knocked the trash can lid off, causing the loud noise. A sigh of relief escaped his chest and he pulled you into him.

"Just a racoon." He whispered against your hair. "We're safe."

"That's right. Come on, let's get to bed." You said pulling him toward the bed.

He didn't protest this time and let you drag him into bed. Once you were both settled under the covers, you traced small patterns on his chest. He squeezed your waist affectionately and nuzzled into your hair.

"Thank you."

You pressed a kiss to his chin. "For what?"

He adjusted his grip on you, making you flush against his warm body. "For always taking care of me when Hydra hurt me."

You would always patch him up after the Hydra agents had tortured him. You would sooth him with kisses when no one was looking and would clean his wounds, trying to take away some of the pain. Some nights he would freak out so much that they were forced to bring you to him so his mind could calm down a bit.

"What they did to you was so wrong, Winter." You said gently stroking his cheek. "Don't thank me for acting humane and loving toward you. You deserve it the most out of anyone."

He pressed a kiss to your forehead. "Then I want to apologize. You always got hurt because of me. They knew how much I cared about you, and they hurt you to hurt me. You—"

You cut him off with a searing kiss. Your fingers wove their way into his hair and a soft groan escaped from the back of his throat. He kissed you back feverishly as you gently tugged on his hair. When you finally broke the kiss, you stared into his soft blue eyes.

"Don't you dare apologize. Nothing that happened to us in Hydra was your fault."

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, Winter. Gosh, I love you so much." You whispered back.

Winter moved to hover on top of you, caging you underneath him. "Mm, I love you the most. You're the only thing that kept me going. I will always be your protector."

You nodded. "That's right. You're my big strong protector."

You knew he liked it when you called him strong. It seemed to boost his confidence the tiniest bit.

"Now let's go to sleep, okay baby?" You said running your fingers through his hair.

A pleased groan rumbled out of his chest at the sensation you created, and he leaned into your touch.

"Kay. We can sleep now." He mumbled as his eyes started to close.

His body curled around you, and he waited until you fell asleep before he did. He was so warm and cozy that it didn't take long. You would both be okay in the morning, and he would make sure nothing would harm you. He pulled you a bit tighter against him and his whole body tingled with warmth as he drifted off to sleep.