Family departures
Second part to Family friends
warnings: angst and bit of fluff in the end
I want to apologize if this sucks, but I finally got it written so no judgement. I have been super busy with school and some mental health problems so you better be proud I even got this written! Even though it’s been months since I’ve posted any work... Also this is unedited cos I didn’t have the motivation sorry not really...
(credit to the owner of the gif)
It had been a few weeks since you left Steve’s place and sadly you didn’t see Bucky for the rest of the time you were there. You wanted to, but it wasn’t good for you to leave Steve’s side; he fell ill and it broke your heart to see him as weak again. It was like you two were children again as it reminded you of the times Steve laid in bed, barely able to move and you being too stubborn to leave his side even while your mother was begging you to come home so you wouldn’t get infected also, but no matter what you stayed at his side.
You had stayed there the entire time Steve was able to stay at home, but at one point he had to be hospitalized and it broke your heart. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had seen him in such a bad shape. Of course he had been hospitalized many times as a child, but not like this and it scared you. Probably more than it should’ve.
You knew you should’ve stayed in Brooklyn while he was in the hospital, but you were too scared to, so you went home. That didn’t mean you didn’t think of Steve everyday, because you did and you feared for his life. You weren’t sure of his survival this time and you just wanted to cry yourself to sleep every night but you didn’t. You returned to your work and played strong no matter what. You didn’t let yourself look tired in front of your co-workers nor did you let them see your swollen eyelids every morning. You fought through your fears and stayed in believe that Steve would make it through while still expecting the worst.
You didn’t hear from Steve for two months and once you realized how much time had passed, you panicked. First you sent a letter to him in hope that he would answer with ín a few weeks, but there was no answer. You took a few days to decide if you would go there and leave your job for a while again, but they couldn’t fire you, right? You were going to leave to check up on a friend if he was dead. That’s good enough for a reason right?
It was night when you heard a knock on your front door and it made your heart jump up to your throat. You hoped it wasn’t someone who was supposed to tell you that Steve’s dead. You look at the door knob for a long time before opening it. In fact you stared at it for so long that the person behind the other side started knocking again.
You took a deep breath in and let it out to relax yourself a bit. You opened the door to find Bucky on the other side, looking devastated. He kept looking down to his shoes and you saw tears slip down his cheeks, or you actually saw them falling down his face and hit his shoes. Your eyes immediately started to tear up as you already knew why he had came here. You put your hand to cover your mouth to quiet down your heart breaking whimpers.
As you were about to pull Bucky into a hug, you heard him laugh. You lifted his head up and saw him laughing hysterically. “Ah, you totally bought it!” Your blood started to boil and you slapped him. Hard. “You’re an asshole James Barnes”, you said as you were stepping back inside your apartment and about to close the door. He had enough time to put his foot between, though, and he opened the door again. “C’mon I’m sorry, sweetheart. There is someone you might want to meet, though”, he smiled at you. At that you saw Steve come up behind him, in a wheelchair. You ran up to him and took him into your arms. Keeping him there for at least five minutes, but it felt like twenty seconds.
As you let him go you became mad. “How dare you scare me like that, Steve?!” Tears started to well up in your eyes. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). We thought it would’ve been funny, but we didn’t think that you would react so strongly”, he tried explaining. “It’s not funny! I thought you had died and that would be the last thing I’d ever want to hear”, your voice was about to break. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). We didn’t mean it like that. I’m still here and not going anywhere for a while”, he smiled a sad smile to you. “I forgive like always but you can’t do that to me ever again”, you gave him a stern look and then the same look to Bucky which he only chuckled at.
You let the boys into your apartment and Bucky found his way to your couch fast and Steve found his place with his wheelchair right next to him beside the couch. “How long will you be in that chair, Steve?” you asked him. “Just for a few weeks until I’m strong enough to walk at least a mile”, he shrugged without thinking any of it. You were really concerned about to Steve until now and it felt like a burden had been taken away from your shoulders now that you knew he was okay and acting like himself again. You kept glancing at him all through the night as if you couldn’t believe he was actually there.
You three kept talking about everything and nothing at the same time until midnight when Steve started to feel tired and you quickly made a bed for him in the quest bedroom. Bucky took him there to, because he was stronger than you and it was easier for him to lift Steve up to the bed if he fell while trying to do it himself. Once he had made sure Steve was in bed, he came back and sat on the couch again. You were in the kitchen mean while making you and Bucky something little to eat as he had said he wasn’t hungry before while you had made Steve and yourself something to eat little after they had came inside your apartment.
You walked back to the living room where Bucky was sitting silently. He didn’t notice you walk in as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. It made you wonder what is it that he was thinking about, what could make the oh-so famous ladies man so serious? “Hey?”, you said softly and he raised his head with saddened blue eyes of his. “Is everything okay?” you were no longer concerned of Steve at all as the concern transferred towards Bucky. He only shook his head and let out a broken chuckle. You sat beside him, placing the plates of food on the coffee table in front of you and took him into your arms as he broke down crying. You weren’t sure if anyone had really comforted him since his mother and your heart broke once again because of him. You knew, though, that this isn’t the side he is willing to show many people and you felt honoured that he was able to be like this with you.
“I was so scared he was going to die this time”, his voice broke mid-sentence. “He’s not going anywhere or I’ll bring him back one way or another. Then possibly kick his ass for leaving us”, you tried saying some comforting words to him and you guess they worked sense you heard him let out a heart-warming laugh. “Y’know you kind of promised me a next time last time I saw you”, he looked straight into your eyes with a glimpse of hope and wit.
“You’re not trying to seduce me now are you, Mr. Barnes?” He looked at you with a playful look and said: “Of course not! I’m not trying anything, because I am seducing you”, he winked at you and bit his lower lip. “Has anyone ever told you you have some odd mood swings, Barnes? You were literally just crying and you’re flirty? You’re one weird man for sure”, you said to him, amused by his behavior. He shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m still quite sure you dig me”, his voice was so smooth now and it made you melt. Bucky noticed your reaction to his voice and pressed his lips against your ear and whispered: “You like my voice, huh?” With that he sent shivers down your spine. He pressed a gentle kiss onto your temple looking at you, admiring the sight in front of him.
You looked back at him now and glanced down at his lips, wondering if you should just grab him and kiss him. It would clear things and if neither of you felt anything at it, you could just forget your attraction towards him. So, you did. You grabbed his face and kissed him. It wasn’t a rough kiss. It was gentle and loving, which you would’ve never expected from a ladies’ man like him.
After a while you pulled away from him. He stared into your eyes, amazed. You knew you must’ve looked the same as you gazed into his eyes. This moment was completely ruined by Steve, though, as you could hear him say in a bit louder voice than usual: “These walls aren’t so thick, (Y/N)! I swear to god if you’re going to sleep with him while I’m here, I’m going to kick your arses to the next dimension!” Both of you and Bucky bursted out laughing at his comment.
You didn’t sleep with him then, but Steve doesn’t know what happened during the few times you decided to meet without him before he left for war ;)