➳ Oh, Well Imagine Marvel➳ FINISHED

•Brooding Minds Think Alike~Bucky•

If there was one law of the universe that you hated the most, it had to be this one: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
And today, everything was going wrong.
It all started at 4:53am, when your aching body decided that despite returning to the compound late last night from a mission, 3 hours of sleep was enough. But it was fine. Whatever. It's not like your alarm was going to go off at 5:20am anyways. So you got up and made your way to the kitchen for the only thing that was worth getting out of bed for – breakfast.
And at first it was great. Your porridge was a decently stodgy texture and you didn't spill any blueberries. Life was awesome. Until you reached for your favourite part, the banana on top. The banana that apparently the Star Spangled Man With a Plan had so righteously snatched from your fruit bowl because of his 'potassium helps sore muscles' bullshit. Not that you were pointing fingers and naming names. You were just 99.7% certain that the two of you were the only people in the compound who liked bananas.
Asshole.
And that's how your day continued. Little things that wouldn't normally set you on edge were slowly accumulating, itching their way under your skin, pressing against your patience, and cracking through your usually mellow demeanour. But you forced yourself to keep your resolve, because as quiet as your personality was, once the floodgates were opened there was virtually nothing that could reel you back in.
So far, you were doing a brilliant job at maintaining your façade. That was, until Tony Stark decided to waltz into your life with the key that unlocked your dam.
You were sitting on the sofa curled up with a blanket and a mug of tea whilst reading your favourite book. It wasn't necessarily enjoyable – you were still highly irritable from the pervious events of the day – but you had your headphones on. Nobody would think to strike up a conversation with you when you had headphones on, or so you thought.
"Hey (Y/N)," Tony sang as he entered the kitchen.
You felt your shoulders tense, but you remained silent, staring blankly into your book.
"Watcha reading?" Tony continued, ignoring your stiff posture.
Your eyes flickered over to him in an icy glare before you shifted your body so you could stare out the window, your back now facing the kitchen.
"Aww come on, that's not the kind of treatment you give a friend. I'm only trying to strike up a jovial conversation with my favourite Avenger," he mused.
You clenched your jaw, nostrils flaring as you let out a breath. "Leave. Me. Alone." Your voice came out as a whisper, but there was force behind each word.
"Oohh someone's grumpy. Watcha gonna do?" Tony cooed. He knew he was pushing your buttons and he knew he should stop. But he had also never seen you act this way, so curiosity and his unyielding need to turn everything into a scientific analysis had gotten the better of him.
"Stark, piss off!" you shouted. And there it was. The final crack needed to burst the dam. You didn't know how it happened; last you remembered you were glowering out the window. But now your tea mug was shattered against the wall next to Tony, whose face was frozen in a mixture of shock, fear, and amusement.
"Okay geez, fine. Calm yourself." Tony raised his hands in mock surrender and left the room whilst mumbling under his breath, leaving you fuming.

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Bucky was used to rough nights. Sure, he didn't particularly enjoy them; there were plenty of things he would rather be doing than reliving disturbingly realistic nightmares. But he was used to it - the routine. Everything from waking up completely disorientated to calming himself down to the insomnia that came afterwards. It sucked, but he managed. Sometimes you would keep him company. Those were the best nights.
But this night? This night was different. By the fourth time he jolted awake in a cold sweat, chest heaving from panic that drowned every rational thought, Bucky decided he'd had enough. He threw on sweatpants and a t-shirt before silently making his way to the gym.
The erratic echo of his fists against the punching bag and his steady breathing were the only sounds that filled the otherwise silent training room. With each punch he forced himself to become more present in the moment. He was safe. Alive. You were safe. You were alive. The rest of the team was fine. He had just started to calm down and settle into a relaxing rhythm as he punched the bag when Steve entered the room.
Bucky's gaze briefly shifted to the door before refocusing on his workout. He knew his nightmare from earlier had pushed him into a dark place, and at the moment, the last thing he needed was a good 'ol kumbaya session with Steve.
"Hey Buck!"
Not today, please not today.
"How long have you been down here, pal?"
Damnit.
"You can talk to me, you know. You don't have to do this alone."
"Yes, I do." Bucky's voice echoed through the room. It was louder than he meant it to be, and he could tell Steve was hurt by it, so he continued. "Today. I just, I don't want to talk about it." He ran his hands over his face before turning to leave the room.
"Hey, come on..."
Bucky clenched his jaw, his composure quickly waning. "Steve. Drop it."
He walked out the doors and into the hallway, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself, the gym, and people in general. He just needed to be alone, a chance to be present in his own mind. He didn't like his nightmares, what Hydra did, any of it. But it happened, and listening to 'it's not your fault' as if the whole thing was just some bad night out wasn't going to help. No, right now he needed time to think, to feel, and to simply be.
So far he was doing a decent job at staying in the shadows and avoiding people. That is, until he rounded the corner and ran straight into Sam.
"Damn, what's got your panties in a bunch?"
"Shut it, Wilson," he glowered.
"I dunno, man. You've got that whole Sir Broods-a-lot vibe going on. Looks like you could use a spa day or something," Sam joked as he turned and continued on his way.
Bucky hardened his stare and felt his hand twitch.
I swear if I don't punch someone's face in today it'll be a fucking miracle.
And that's how Bucky's day continued – an artfully crafted ballet of almost every human in the compound doing their utmost to get under his skin. Because he shouldn't be brooding. No, he should be happy, lighten up, talk it out.
Yeah, he was going to need a miracle.
---------------------------------------------------
It was late in the afternoon when you heard heavy footsteps enter the room, but you didn't bother turning around. You were done. Done with people. Done with façades. Done with the day. You dared this person to make one peep. That was all it would take to set you off again.
You felt the sofa dip as they wordlessly sat down on the other end. They didn't look at you, they didn't talk to you, they didn't move. They just sat.
Finally.
The two of you remained that way for who knows how long. Occasionally, other Avengers would come into the common room, only to turn right back around. Apparently the sight of the signature Winter Soldier glare etched into your and Bucky's faces was enough of a warning for everyone to stay away.
Eventually you felt the sofa shift again as Bucky rose and went into the kitchen. He came back a few moments later with two pints of ice cream. He stopped in front of you, handing you a carton of phish food and a spoon before sitting next to you and tucking into his pint of cookie dough. The two of you ate in silence, and although your face still had 'don't mess with me' written all over it, you were starting to feel slightly less grumpy now that you had food and appropriate company.
The quiet was interrupted by the faint sound of cardboard ripping, followed by a muttered "fuck you, Haagen Dazs." You glanced over to see Bucky glowering at the spoon that was now protruding from the side of his container. Your eyes followed the trail of ice cream that was slowly dripping off the spoon and onto his hand. You almost wanted to laugh at his misfortune. Almost.
Instead, you finished off the bite that was still on your spoon before dipping it back into the pint. Wordlessly, you shoved the fresh spoonful of ice cream towards Bucky.
"I'm not eating your ice cream."
You squinted your eyes at him. "Don't argue with me, Barnes."
He met your glare before eating the ice cream in one bite and mumbling thanks.
You grunted in response, taking another bite of ice cream before placing the container on the coffee table in front of you. You hadn't realised it before, but now that your pent up frustration had been released, exhaustion hit you like a tonne of bricks.
You glanced over at Bucky, who had managed to clean the sticky mess off his hand and now had his eyes closed with his head propped against the back of the sofa. Brooding minds think alike, you thought. Leaning over, you lay your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes. You felt Bucky shift and wrap his arm around you, drawing you closer to his side.
The two of you had almost drifted off to sleep when you heard Thor enter the room and begin to rifle through the cupboards. "Are you two finally out of your foulsome mood?"
Both you and Bucky stiffened. You were so close, so close to finally finding solace from your day. The two of you simultaneously took a steadying breath before shouting "Thor! Out! Now!"
Thor simply shrugged, grabbing his packet of pop-tarts before wandering back down the hallway.
You sighed as you repositioned your head on Bucky's shoulder, exhaustion seeping back into your bones, numbing your thoughts, and carrying you to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, and even if it still sucked, you would at least have good company when you woke up.