Relapse ★ Bucky Barnes

Can You Hold Me?

Bucky and Marlena. . .they were the strongest pair—the strongest couple—anyone had ever stumbled across. Their will and determination to protect and be there for one another was admirable, as was the immense amount of love the two shared for one another. The two had been through hell and back together; they had experienced things others in the world never could've imagined going through; they had survived instances in which others barely would have lasted five minutes. Bucky and Marlena had been the center core of each other's lives for almost two years, and those who knew or were acquainted with them knew that there was nothing and no one on planet Earth who could ever take the two away from each other; they were a packaged deal, they were partners, they were a team, they were soulmates; they had a bond with one another that was simply unbreakable.

Although strong, Bucky and Marlena also seemed to be the most vulnerable, and recent events only helped to further confirm such a thing to be true. Their lives were not ideal whatsoever; both had been broken to irreparable measures. The amount of pain and suffering they endured daily made it almost impossible for them to show each other the love they deserved—the love they craved, though they both tried desperately. It wasn't difficult to see that the two were growing slightly distant with one another due to it either; they didn't communicate with one another as much as they used to, and they weren't as playful with one another as they once were.

They would never in a million years think about leaving, though, no matter what happened. Bucky and Marlena loved each other more than they loved theirselves, so much that it was almost unhealthy, and they would until they took their last breath. Despite the distance, despite the pain and suffering that threatened to consume every aspect of their lives, their love for one another was the glue that held them together—the glue that kept them from falling apart. They remained each other's safe haven—they remained each other's anchor, each other's light in the darkness that they'd grown all too familiar with.

The darkness in the enormous guest room was in no way related to the metaphorical darkness, however. It was nearing three in the morning in Washington DC, and everyone in Greyson's home was fast asleep, aside from Bucky and Marlena. Marlena had slept earlier, leaving her wide awake, much to her despair. Bucky's nightmares as of recently had been keeping him up anyway, so him being up so early in the morning was nothing new.

Marlena lay on her back, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Her mind was running at what seemed to be a million miles an hour, torturing her with her own thoughts, as well as everyone else's in the house. Her brother's thoughts seemed to be affecting her the most, or in this case his dreams seemed to; he dreamt about happier times with his family—times in which their departed mother was included.

She couldn't help but give Mason props. His strength regarding their mother's death was exceptional, and Marlena couldn't seem to figure out why that was. Mason had been so young when his and Marlena's father was killed overseas. Miranda was the only parent he'd ever known, and to lose her at only fourteen years old, Marlena assumed he would react in a way even she couldn't match. She wished, though, that she could have been granted such strength, but her wishes never seemed to want to come true.

A single tear fell from her eye as she continued watching Mason's dream, and she wiped it away quickly before tuning the images out of her mind.

Bucky lay on his side, watching Marlena with a frown on his face. He hated seeing her so broken, so defeated. He would rather it be him suffering than Marlena, and if he could, he wouldn't hesitate to take away her pain a bestow it on himself. He loved her that much and more.

"Marlena," he finally spoke after hours of silence between the two of them.

She turned her head to look at him, her expression urging him to continue.