Nightingale (Sequel to Solider Boy)

Sixty-Four

The couch was small and cramped, but even so Bucky was pretty comfortable; Melody's trembling body pressed up against his was merely a different form of comfort. He leaned against her chest, smiling as he brushed a kiss across her sternum which made her gasp.

"James," she whispered, voice breathless as she tangled her fingers in his hair. "I know you're a super solider, but I am nowhere near ready to-."

"I'm still human," he interrupted, laughing softly. "I just like kissing you." He repeated the gesture again and was rewarded with another gasp and her fingers curled involuntarily into his hair and Bucky grimaced as the sharp pain. "Ow."

"Sorry!"

"It's fine," he laughed. Bucky sighed and let his hand trace up her side. "I missed this."

"You missed me pulling your hair?" Melody teased, reaching over to touch his face, running her fingers over his cheek. "I've missed this too." 

She leaned into him, pressing closer and their lips met. This kiss wasn't fevered like the ones they'd shared a few minutes before, but Bucky enjoyed them just as much. Sex was great and he'd never deny that, but he liked the aftermath too. Just laying next to each other, talking and laughing was priceless- life on the run had taught him that. These were some of the things he'd missed the most when they were apart.

Bucky broke away and let his head rest against her chest. "It's good to hear your voice again." Her voice was music to his ears. 

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice soft. "I wouldn't blame you-."

"No," he said instantly, cutting her off.  "I'm not mad. I understand why you did what you did. The past three months have been hard on you, sooner or later something had to give." Melody had the extraordinary (and also frightening) ability to block out bad things and repress them, but even so, that repression couldn't bury things forever. It had to come out sooner or later and it arrived all at once.

"I'm just happy you're back." He nuzzled her shoulder to further his point and Melody laughed.

"Why are you so good to me?"

"I love you," he replied, kissing her lips, smiling as he did so. It had been so long since they'd kissed. Well, if he didn't count the last half hour.  "Sort of goes with the territory." 

Melody sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. "I am sorry, about everything. I just...I've never had a ten like that."

"A ten?" Bucky repeated. 

Melody's hand fell from his hair and curled around his face. "We ask patients to rate the pain their in on a scale from one to ten, ten being the worst possible. When I last saw Sharon, when I saw her face...That was my ten."

"I guess they don't make pain-killers to help with that," he commented.

"No, they don't," Melody interrupted his thoughts, stroking his hair. "I've only ever had three things that meant something to me and two of them are gone." She ran her fingers down his cheek. "Don't leave me. Please."

"Not going anywhere," Bucky promised. He'd made this same one at least twice already today, but he didn't care. He'd assure her he was there to stay until she believed him. "I'm not going to leave you. Not unless I have to." He added that last bit in a much softer voice. He was sick and tired of saying goodbye to her, but he wasn't stupid either. If his presence in her life created more danger than was tolerable, he was going to make the same choice he made over two years ago. 

"If that happens, I'll find a way to live with it," Melody said after a moment, still touching his face. "And when it's clear, I'm going to find you again. I'm done with long-term goodbyes."