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mrsbuckybarnes1917 · 6 months

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Request from @talesofreading: Hi dear ☺️ could I ask for an imagine with Bucky where you can't sleep, so you walk around through the compound enjoying the silence. Just as you find a wide awake Bucky as well. You then just talk about senseless stuff till you find yourself in each other's embrace on the couch where he finally gets the guts to kiss you and tell you how much you mean to him. Eventually you fall asleep and the others find you both tangled together the next morning and are very happy for you 🙊

Word Count: 1,895

Warnings: mostly fluff with a dash of angst at the beginning.

Midnight.

1:00 AM.

2:00 AM.

2:30 AM.

It was too much. The thoughts. The dread. The guilt. All too much.

You fought to throw back the covers which had wrapped around your legs as you'd tossed and turned for the last three hours. The last mission had been a disaster. So many people had died. You felt responsible. Here you were, safe and sound while the people you'd left in the remnants of their broken homes, mourning their lost loved ones.

What gave you the right to be surrounded by comfort? By warmth? By luxury? Who were you that you deserved to walk away without taking responsibility for your shortcomings?

Your mind raced like a little toy car set to spin around the same tiny track for eternity. You were well versed in the pain that came with the setting sun. This wasn’t the first night you’d chosen to pace the corridors of the Compound, choosing to use your body rather than your mind. Your autopilot carried you down the corridors, down past the Olympic sized swimming pool that Tony had insisted was necessary, and outside under the stars where you felt a sense of freedom. Freedom from your worries, from your responsibilities and freedom from your guilt. The vastness of the stars above you reminded you of how small your problems were in the grand scheme of the universe. The weight of your decisions seemed miniscule out here in the wide open space, far from anyone-

You were winded by the force of your impact with a very solid object. It wasn’t until a strong pair of hands were wrapped around your arms that you realized that the solidness belongs to another human being. In fact he was a very strong, very beefy human being. Sergeant Bucky Barnes, formerly the Winter Soldier, was holding you upright, well, just about.

“I’m sorry,” you wheezed.

“Are you alright, Buttercup?”

“Peachy,” you breathed out, finally getting some air back in your lungs. “How are you so … solid?”

Bucky huffed out a laugh, albeit a short lived one. You never failed to bring a smile to his face even if he was feeling miserable, in the depths of despair, plagued with guilt and confusion, it was you who was always there. You were a ray of sunshine in the melancholy that filled his life. You reminded him of the color yellow, which is why he had chosen to call you Buttercup. Not that he had ever told you the reason he had chosen this nickname. But you liked it, so it stuck.

“What’re you doing out here? It’s 3am!” You always worried about your friend.

Bucky shrugged. “You can see the stars out here.”

“Yeah, you can’t see the Milky Way from anywhere in the city. It makes me glad to be out here.”

“And why are you out here at 3am?” Bucky knew the exact reason you were out there.

You sighed. “Morpheus forgot to swing by my room tonight.”

“How inconsiderate of him.”

The two of you stood in silence, looking up at the stars until a cool wind picked up around you and you shivered. Your thoughts hadn’t involved dressing for the weather as you tried to escape from the prison of your own mind.

“Maybe we should go back inside.”

“Why?” Your stubbornness knew no bounds.

“I’m cold.” Bucky knew your obstinacy far too well.

You rolled your eyes but didn’t object, it was really rather a nippy night. Bucky started walking back into the facility, so you follow. You’d follow him to the ends of the Earth if he asked you. The amorous feelings you harbored for Bucky were something you kept well hidden for fear of them being unrequited. Sometimes you’d catch him looking at you with an intensity which made you feel like there was the potential for more between you, but the fear of losing his friendship had always held you back.

He led you to the small common room which had a kitchenette attached to it. It was your favorite because of the large windows which gave you a magnificent view of the dense tree line around the Compound.

“Sit,” he told you as he made his way to the counter.

“Yes sir,” you made a small face but did as you were told.

Bucky filled the kettle and set it to boil and popped two teabags into mismatched mugs. It gives you time to curl up on the couch under a throw blanket and you go back to admiring the stars. He joins you with two steaming mugs of your favorite herbal tea.

“Thanks Buck.”

“I know a story about the Milky Way.” You smiled at the fact that your words were basically a quote from a story you’d read as a young girl but it had stayed with you. You proceed to tell Bucky the story as best as you remember it.

He sat down close to you, close enough that you caught the scent of his shower gel. Sometimes, it was hard, being in his orbit. There would be times it frightened you and other times you grew bold, almost taunting with your affections. You wished from the depths of your soul that one day he would tell you that he cared for you the same way you did for him.

“Once there were two angels in heaven, named Zerah and Zulamith. Zerah and Zulamith loved each other, just as we mere mortals fall in love with each other. But their love was forbidden by God.”

Bucky sighed. You took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“Unfortunately, because the two angels had broken God’s law, they were banished to the furthest corners of the universe. Now, if God had banished them together, it wouldn’t have been a punishment at all. But sometimes God can be cruel-”

“You got that right,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“-so he sent Zerah to be exiled to a star on one side of the universe, and Zulamith was sent to a star right on the other side of the universe. Between them there was an incomprehensible abyss, darker than the black of midnight which even the closest star couldn’t brighten. But for the two angels, the strength of their love surpassed the boundaries of the universe and even though they were worlds apart, they yearned for each other.”

You laid your head on Bucky’s shoulder as you spoke, unable to look at his expression as you told the tale. “Zerah’s longing for Zulamith was so strong and pure that she began to create a bridge made of light from her star. And Zulamith, who had no idea this was happening on the other side of the universe doing the same. For thousands of years they ached and suffered. But eventually their bridges of light met!”

Bucky squeezed your hand. You couldn’t see the way he looked down at you as though he understood exactly how those angels felt.

“As their bridges finally came together, they sprang into each other’s arms. All the anguish and loneliness they had endured was over because this bridge built by their love spanned the gulf between their stars of exile.

“But that’s not the end of the story, is it?” Bucky asked.

“No, because when the other angels found this bridge of light, they went to God and-”

“They ratted out Zerah and Zulamith,” Bucky broke in bitterly.

“Pretty much. They went to Him crying ‘see what these rebellious angels have done!’ But God hushed everyone who spoke in heaven. And through the silence he said, anything in this universe that is built with true love is not even something I can destroy. The bridge will stand forever. And it still does.” You looked up at the Milky Way from the window, lost in the romance of your story.

“You’re quite the Story Girl.”

Bucky’s words made you snap your face back to look at him. His face was so close to yours, it was unnerving.

“The Story Girl? You know the book?” you asked curiously. The Story Girl was the book where you’d read the story of Zerah and Zulamith.

“I remember reading it,” Bucky admitted.

An image of a young Bucky sitting and reading formed in your mind and it made you smile. You were surprised to notice that he hadn’t let go of your hand and was in fact rubbing small circles over the back of it with his thumb. He was looking at you with such tenderness that you felt a little flustered.

“I love that we share stuff like this. Even though we grew up with lives which feel like we're on opposite ends of the universe, we still shared these small things. Even if we can't share the bigger stuff.”

“Hey, thanks for not pushing too much on the reason for the midnight wandering.” Bucky’s voice was soft and sad. “I know I’m not the easiest person to talk to.”

“What? Bucky, don’t be absurd. I love talking to you, even in the middle of the night. I love spending time with you. I lo-” You cut yourself in time, maybe confessing your love when he was so vulnerable wasn’t the best idea. You decided to go back to looking at your stars.

Bucky didn’t miss the catch in your voice, or the blush on your cheeks. “What was that, Buttercup?”

“You're my best friend. Did you know that?” You felt like some kind of confession was due. “I mean I know Steve is yours. But you're mine.”

Bucky put an arm around your waist pulling you closer than you ever dreamed possible. “I am you know.

You looked at him a little quizzically. “What?”

“Yours.”

His voice was barely audible, but it sent shivers down your spine and his grip on your waist tightened. You are completely paralyzed with shock. Did he mean what you think he meant? Or did he just mean that you were his best friend too.

Your silence was too much for him, Bucky withdrew his arm from the embrace he had you in, afraid he had said too much.

“Bucky!” you grabbed his hand, not letting him move any further. “Please?” You didn't even know what you were asking him for.

Bucky sighed, sitting back down but not as close as he was before. He was silent and still, like he was waiting. He knew how to be patient. He would wait an eternity for you if it meant he could have you. But he dared not say any more.

It was your turn to move closer to him. You crept forward, until your hands rested on his thigh. Every movement was slow, scared. But something in his eyes drew you forward, until your face was inches from his. Finally you threw caution to the wind and pressed a slow sweet kiss against his lips. Gentle and innocent but filled with promise.

His hands found your face, pulling you back for more. Embodying the yearning that Zerah and Zulamith had felt. It drew you closer until you were wrapped in each other's arms.

The embrace is how sleep finally found you and it was also how Sam and Steve found you later that morning. They smiled at each other, tiptoeing away to give you the peace you very much deserved.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes imagine #fluff #skittle's requests #zerah and zulamith #the story girl

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