• If I could turn back time •

9. You Are Everything

"I wish you could see that darling, you are everything."
———

That night, long after Steve had gone off to his room to sleep, I suddenly woke up without a reason. My shirt clung to my skin, drenched in sweat, and my hair was a tangled mess atop my head. My breaths came in short and quick as I tried to understand what just happened. I don't remember having a nightmare, so why had I woken up? I sat there for a moment, staring at the floor while thoughts and possibilities whirled through my head. It eventually gave me a headache, so I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.

An hour passed and I managed to fall asleep again, my chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. Then, just when I had finally relaxed and let my guard down, I felt something warm blow across my face. It almost felt like... someone was breathing over me. I stayed still and kept my eyes squeezed shut, too scared to move. The breathing continued... until it just suddenly stopped. I didn't move, every muscle tense and ready to strike should something hit me.

"You are never alone, Soldat."

Those words rung like church bells in my head and I let loose a scream, my bionic arm immediately surging upwards. I felt something and instinctively curled my fingers inward, gripping it tightly. It was only when I heard someone choking that I opened my eyes.

There, standing in the dark, was Steve. He was hunched over, my bionic hand wrapped around his throat in a death grip. Oh God, he was turning blue! I quickly let him go and sat up, still drenched in sweat as I watched him fall to his knees in horror. I couldn't believe what I just did. "Oh God... Steve...." My voice cracked and I could feel myself beginning to tremble. What had I done? "Oh God.... Oh God......."

"Bucky.." Steve started to say, but had to cough a few times before he continued. "Buck, it's okay... it's okay. Look, I'm alright." He murmured, his eyes full of worry as he looked me over. He got up onto the couch and sat next to me, holding me close with his arms. "I heard you scream and I was worried about you..."

My bottom lip quivered and I found myself unable to speak. I clung to him like a child clung to a prized toy and pressed my head against his shoulder, immediately being welcomed by a warm and loving embrace. I slowly breathed in, the familiar scent of detergent from his shirt filling my nostrils and allowing me to relax. This was Steve. Steve was okay. "Steve.... Steve there's someone here......" I mumbled, my words spilling out faster than I could comprehend.

He seemed confused, which he had every right to be. "What? What do you mean, Bucky? There's no one here but me and you." He soothed reassuringly, gently rubbing my back with one hand.

I shook my head, growing frantic again. "No... No, there's someone here.... There's someone here, they whispered in my ear!" I raised my voice without realizing it, lashing out at nothing with my bionic arm. "Show yourself!"

"Bucky! Quiet down, you're gonna wake the neighbors!" Steve whispered a bit loudly, grabbing my arm and restraining it against my chest. He turned me so that I was facing him and looked me in the eyes, his baby blues seeming to glow in the darkness. "Listen to me. There is no one here but you and me, alright? It was just a bad dream. No one is going to hurt you. I've got you, Buck."

I only stared at him, tears slowly building in my eyes. I blinked them away and drew in shaky breath, nodding my head. "I-I....I could've k-killed you, Steve....." I barely whispered, holding out my hands in my lap and watching as they trembled. Without a response, Steve wrapped his arms around me tightly and held me close, whispering sweet nothings into my ear. The sound of his beautiful voice lulled me into a drowsy haze and I slumped against him, a soft yawn escaping me before I let the inviting darkness of sleep take me.

———

I awoke the next morning with my face shoved into a pillow that smelled like Steve. Confused, I slowly raised my head and shifted a little, feeling the softness of silk sheets against my bare skin. I wasn't on the couch anymore. My eyes soon fluttered open and blinked a few times to rid themselves of drowsiness, my vision clearing soon after. As I looked around and took in my surroundings, it dawned on me.

I was in Steve's room, sleeping in his bed. But... how did I get there?

I sat up in the bed and rubbed my eyes, brushing a few strands of hair out of my face. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a snore right next to me. My head immediately turned and I stared wide-eyed at the blond laying next to me. He was laying on his side and had one arm draped over the side of the bed, his knuckles just barely brushing against the rug. I flinched when he shifted, rolling over onto his other side. He was facing me now and I could see his face half hidden by the sheets. His eyelashes looked even longer than they did when his eyes were open. He was just... beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful.

I watched him for a moment as he slept peacefully, glancing up when the sun's rays began peeking through the blinds on the windows. I looked back down at Steve and sighed softly, wondering if I should wake him up. I decided to leave him be, he needed his rest. But before I left, there was something I wanted to do. Quietly, I leaned over and tilted my head, just lightly brushing my lips against his in a tender kiss. With a smile, I slipped out of the bed and gazed at him one more time. "You are everything to me, Steve...." I murmured fondly before heading off to the bathroom to shower.

A/N: Ahhhhhh I love this ship so much! Also, I'm finally glad I got around to updating it again! Hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am!