@brooklynbred : [ wipe ] sender wipes away receiver's tears
The roar in his ears was blocking everything else out, even though the room they were in was quiet, bar the tinny sound of his head lawyer's voice still coming from the laptop. The news had him sitting in a sniper's stillness, watching her speak but unable to comprehend a single word.
When they'd started this journey, Bucky hadn't been sure if he'd be able to go through with it. It wasn't just a trial โ he'd already been convicted. The Accords had granted so many easily manipulated powers that there had been no assumption of innocence. He was enhanced, he was the Winter Soldier. That was enough. The entire team of lawyers had promised him they had the evidence, the skills, to win his freedom. But Bucky hadn't really believed it. He'd expected to be heading to the Raft at the end of this, or else smuggling their way back to Wakanda, if they could swing it.
But she'd just said a verdict had been reached. He was innocent. Of all of it.
The tender brush of thumbs over his cheeks made him realise he was crying, and finally dragged his gaze away from the screen to stare in awe at Steve. He'd made the whole ordeal that much easier to deal with. From the disaster with the court appointed therapist to having his trauma poked and prodded over and over again.
He didn't notice his lawyer hanging up their video call. A meteor could crash through their window, and at that moment he wouldn't notice. His entire attention was on Steve, and as his mind began to race through what this meant, his face crumpled, a choked sob leaving his lips as he dove forward.
Burying his face against Steve's chest felt like the most natural thing in the world, safety from the overwhelming emotions threatening to pull him under.