SOKOVIA ✦ marvel oneshots

disquiet

( quartz )

. . .

Rain lashed the window in waves. Throughout the compound silence crept in a fog of darkness. No agents nor Avengers stalked in the twisted passageways and barren halls. Outside the storm roared and the cold deepened; a somber end to their day.

Light like a polished silver coin poured out from underneath your bedroom door. Storms were no infliction to you. It brought a moment of solace. Time to collect your thoughts, and ebb your worries. In that moment the process was simple: a book to feast your eyes and lose time in.

When the soft knock emitted, time had sped passed into nightfall with no realization. You almost missed the shy sound in the crash of lightning. Shutting your book, you lumbered towards the door and opened.

Bucky's solemn figure carved itself out of the darkness and into the light. He blinked, as if though the light were too bright.

You opened the door wider, allowing his broad frame to pass by. "Hey."

He offered you a scarce smile. "Hey."

Your eyes studied him for a moment. Bucky's hair was a mess, like knotted vines. There was a slump at his shoulders, instead of his usual forthright posture. Instead of meeting your gaze, his icy eyes would dip away. He resembled a man carrying a heavy burden on his back.

"Everything alright?" you asked him, taking a seat on the edge of your bed. You patted the spot beside you.

Bucky sat down and exhaled. "No."

Your hand moved in small circles on his back, hoping to ease his tension. "Take your time, Buck."

His teeth clenched and he swallowed. "The storm, it brings back memories. Memories I want to forget but can't. I have to remember them, it's what they deserve."

You nodded in understanding and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He leaned into your embrace, and you could feel him relax.

"But it's not that simple, is it?" you asked.

He nodded. It was stiff, painful almost. "It makes me feel guilty. For wanting to forget. But it hurts, so much."

Bucky grew quiet. Outside the rain continued its assault, and the wind howled in the distance. There was not much you could say in that moment. What he needed was not words full of empty promises. No pitiful smiles and half motivations.

He needed you.

Somewhere in the moment of his disquiet, you had managed to coax him to lay down. With a blanket shielding you and him, you rested your head on his chest. His free arm curled against your waist, pressing you into his side. Almost as if any space between you and him would be his undoing.

"Thank you," he murmured against your head after a long stretch of silence. "For being here, whenever I need you."

You closed your eyes. You enjoyed the steady drum of his heartbeat, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest. The tension had seeped out of him as the storm lessened, and with it a grogginess had overcome you both.

"I'll always be here for you."

You didn't have to see his face to know that he was smiling. "Promise?"

"I promise."