With Him | Bucky x Reader | Enemies with Benefits

-93-

Y/n's POV:

It had been a difficult few days, to say the least. I didn't even want to think about having to let Vanya go, and the stress from all that was causing me to start stressing if I was stressing too much for the baby. It was a downward spiral. 

The door creaked open as I watched Vanya setting up his new (temporary) room in the compound. Tony had at least said he could decorate it so I'd given him a pack of Crayola markers - The wall was his canvas. (I actually couldn't give a shit if Tony got mad at me for it). 

I felt Bucky's heavy arms wrap around my shoulders and felt his lips press against my head. "Good afternoon, Doll." He said, sitting down next to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "What's he drawing?" He asked, looking at me and smiling before pressing another kiss to my cheek. 

"Lion." Vanya said (with interesting pronunciation), pointing at his drawing. 

"Lion?" Bucky repeated, trying to help him out."It's very good!" 

"Это... хорошо?" (It's... good?) Vanya checked, clearly unsure of his translation. 

"Да" (Yes) Buck answered as I rested my head on his shoulder. "We're gonna go out later. I've got a date planned." He whispered, a smile audible in his tone. 

I snuggled closer into him, "Tonight?"  

"Mh-hm" he replied, tracing his hand over my back in patterns. "You need a bit of cheering up." 

Lifting my head off his shoulder i looked him in the eyes and smiled. "I love you so much."  

"I love you too." 

There was a silence between us, over the last week it had felt like the air held too many secrets. Nobody knew how we were meant to move on, nobody knew what to do without Steve. Tony didn't even know who to argue with right now, so naturally he had resorted to yelling at JARVIS.  

"Баки?" (Bucky?) Vanya asked, turning around and staring at my fiancé. "Когда вернется моя Mама?" (When is my Mama coming back?) 

I turned to Bucky, *What do we say?* 

Buck knelt down in front of the small boy who pushed his long hair out of his face, making his marker-splattered face look even more messy. "Помнишь, ты спрашивал, спит ли мой друг Стив?" (Remember when you asked if my friend Steve was asleep?) 

Vanya flinched a little, his eyes momentarily fearful before he managed to mask it. It hurt to see. 

"Да..." (Yes...) he answered with a look of confusion on his face. 

Bucky took a deep breath, I could see the cogs in his mind turning as he attempted to come up with an explanation. "Все спят." (Everyone sleeps.) He began, "Но иногда люди очень устают. Я уверен, что твоя мама очень старалась уберечь тебя, но в конце концов она слишком устала и теперь вынуждена спать дальше." (Everybody sleeps. But sometimes people get really tired. I'm sure your mom tried really hard to keep you safe, but in the end she got too tired and now has to keep sleeping.) 

Vanya looked confused. "А что насчет Стив? Он устал?" (What about Steve? Was he tired?) 

Buck took another breath, small tears welling in his eyes. "Мой друг Стив не устал от драки, но когда люди получают травмы, они тоже устают. Тогда у них может не остаться сил, поэтому они тоже спят."  (My friend Steve was not tired from fighting, but when people get injured, they get tired too. Then they may have no energy left, so they also sleep.) 

Vanya looked at the floor, fiddling with his fingers as he tried to process the information. "Будет ли мама спать вечно?" (Will Mama be sleeping forever?) 

"Да, но она также будет любить вас вечно. Спящие люди все еще могут любить." (Yes, but she will also love you forever. Sleeping people can still love.) Bucky replied. 

I had been so focused on taking care of Vanya when we'd been in here earlier, but now I couldn't help but let my mind wander. I vaguely heard Buck continue talking, Telling Vanya how, it was okay to be sad, and to show people that you're sad. How it was important to talk and think about the people you love and miss, but it got me thinking.  

Maybe Vanya wasn't the only person who needed to hear it... 

#selfawarequeen 
ew i've given myself the ick 
I'm so glad Buck can't hear my thoughts right now.  

I thought about my brother. I never spoke about him. I avoided telling people what happened. Other than Bucky, I think Steve had been the only other person around here to even know he existed.  

It didn't sit right with me. 

Finished with his conversation, it seemed like Buck had been staring at me for a few minutes before I snapped out of it.  

*Thinking about him?* 

I shook my head. 

Bucky paused with a hint of confusion before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me. *Your brother.* 

I nodded. 

*He still loves you too, you know that right?*  

Now my eyes were prickling. 

*Even though he's sleeping.*  

(850 Words)