Hurtcomfortbucky

James Barnes is miserable, forced to marry a woman to satisfy his father's will and business ambitions. A chance encounter may prove to be the key to discovering his own happiness.

After his cryogenic freezing in Wakanda to recover, Bucky's still struggling to come to terms with everything he's done as the Winter Soldier. Luckily for him, Steve's there to help, and he won't take no for an answer.

Bucky has a nightmare, more of a flashback. And it causes some... issues.

"So it's over?" Steve asked.

Silence used to be peaceful for Bucky. These days it makes him feel like he's waiting for something, like he's listening for the warning sounds of predators approaching.

Now silence means he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He lives in a beautiful apartment with his husband-to-be and tells himself that everything is just fine. He doesn't sleep, he's scared of putting a foot wrong in case Brock snaps again, and he's desperately lonely, but he has everything he ever wants and that should be enough. It's not like he can complain about being taken care of, even if parts of it aren't exactly his choice.

Running into his childhood friend (literally) just might change everything. 'Just fine' doesn't seem like enough once Steve walks back into his life. The problem is, Bucky's been stuck in his cage for so long that he's not sure he can leave it on his own.

Steve tugs Bucky up from couch, and here, at home, he can slip his arm into Bucky's and pull him into the kitchen, claiming at least one small victory for the day.

“A day where Bucky Barnes wasn’t thrown into some kind of insane, life threatening situation was an unusual one. He’d gotten used to the constant rush of adrenaline in his ears, and the way his focus sharpened in line with his goal. This wasn’t normal for someone in his line of work, but he couldn’t quite seem to break the habit.”

Bucky Barnes is a war veteran/perpetually exhausted nurse who happens to think Doctor Steven Carter is super duper hot. Bucky Barnes is also in the habit of heroically running into burning buildings to help people. He can’t really help it at this point. When Bucky runs into Captain America himself for the first time, he has no idea how close the guy might really be.

Steve Rogers wants nothing more than to have life that’s as normal as possible, and maybe get up the nerve to ask that cute nurse, Bucky out. He’s finally using his medical degree for something, as well as stopping the occasional terrorist when SHIELD asks. He’s changed his name and always wears the cowl when fighting, but a certain nurse might ruin the whole cover.

Bucky Barnes was cold. He felt like he’d been cold for months now; doing nothing but experiencing one unending chill after another. He’d been cold in England, and again in Italy, and again especially in Austria – both while he was kept in an underground cell, and when he was strapped without cover to the unforgiving metal of Zola’s lab table. But Steve… Steve Rogers was sunshine. Everything about him was warm, from his crinkly-eyed smile to his white-hot rage. Steve was Coney Island on a summer’s day; lying back on high rooftops to watch fireworks on the 4th of July; drinking stolen whiskey in his parent’s living room… Loving Steve was a fact – simple and plain, like breathing air or bleeding red; loving Steve was soldered into his skin like a tattoo – it buzzed in his brain like its own kind of high. It was a part of who he was.

Bucky gets lost in his thoughts. The only one who can pull him out is Steve Rogers.