Their Itsy Bitsy Spider

A New Chapter

"Move it more to the left and down a little bit," Y/n instructed her husband as he tried to place a mirror above the dresser. They were putting the finishing touches on Peter's bedroom and the anxiety she'd been trying to ignore was beginning to bleed through. As she watched her partner try to straighten the mirror on the wall Y/n couldn't help but think back to the day that they first met.

Steve had brought Bucky home just a couple days earlier and he had recently cleared his psychological evaluation to be deemed safe to live in the compound. Steve had brought him to Y/n's workspace to get a scar checked out, one that was a constant source of pain. She had introduced herself, softly explaining every step of what she was doing while she checked over the scar. Even when it turned out that there was a sliver of metal in the scar that needed to be removed she waited until he gave permission to go through with the procedure. Bucky had come by later that week to thank her. He'd never been treated with so much care before, especially by a medical professional. She had invited him to watch a movie in her room later that day while Steve was in a meeting and accidentally begun something that neither of them ever saw coming.

"Y/n? Doll, are you alright?" Bucky's voice snapped her back to the present and she noticed that he was waiting for her approval on the placement of the mirror.

"Sorry, Buck," she said apologetically. "Lost in thought. But the mirror looks great!"

Bucky gave her an understanding look. "You're nervous aren't you?" He asked gently, coming to grab her hand.

Y/n gave him a shaky smile. "You know me too well," she joked, bringing their joined hands up to her mouth and pressing a kiss to his prosthetic. "What if I mess this up? He's been through so much already, I don't want to be just one more adult that's let him down." The boy's file had contained multiple records of abuse from previous foster homes, and paperwork from a failed adoption. From what she could see no one had ever loved the little boy in any way that really counted, and it broke her heart.

"You won't be," Bucky reassured her, sounding much more confident than she thought he had any right to. "If anyone can love this kid the way that he needs, it's you."

As he tried to reassure his wife, Bucky couldn't help but think back to his first few months at home. The way that he had tried as hard as he could to keep her away, thinking that he would only ruin her with the pain that enveloped him. He'd never even considered that the light she carried within her wouldn't be extinguished by his darkness, it would only chase it away. The very first night that he wasn't kept awake by crushing guilt or never ending fear was the night that he fell asleep in her arms after a rough mission. He'd woken up the next morning to fingers carding through his hair and hushed whispers of comfort when he startled. Who could ever blame him for falling in love with the only person to ever make him feel as though he could have peace again?

"Look, if you can get a stubborn, one armed, asshole of a super soldier to open up, you can do anything." Bucky laughed, kissing his wife's cheek as she smiled.

"This is different and you know it," she laughed. "You weren't a little boy that was relying on me to take care of his needs."

Bucky couldn't argue with that. He had definitely needed her help to adjust, but he wasn't a helpless child. In fact one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place was the way that she treated him. She didn't walk on eggshells or infantilize him like other people did; she was mindful of his triggers and gentle when he was hurting but overall she just treated him like a normal person.

"Doll, you're the most caring, gentle person I've ever met," Bucky said earnestly, eyes shining with adoration for his wife. "If this kid has gone through half of what his file says he has, then what he needs right now is a safe place." He cupped her face with his free hand. "And you're the safest place I've got."