Piecing Together

Bucky had managed yesterday to go check his mail at the same time his beautiful neighbor was coming in from shopping. He didn't plan it, it was simply good luck. They'd walked up the stairs together, no mail mix-ups that day. She'd asked how he was, he'd asked what she did. She said she was basically a glorified secretary, but her boss was out of town, so she was home a lot the next few weeks. Today, he found himself disappointed, as day became night and he hadn't seen her at all. But it was a Saturday, maybe a beautiful woman like her was out with friends, or a boyfriend, or something. So, Bucky occupied himself with some of the things Steve had sent him. A couple of books, one was something he'd been reading back in 1944, during the war, whenever he'd had a moment of quiet to do so. A book that he'd never gotten to finish. Another was a book Steve said he'd read when he was pretty fresh from the ice, and it had been interesting. There were also some candy bars, things that he remembered growing up, and apparently still existed. There were also a couple of science magazines that Bruce had suggested, as well as a fresh journal, and a blank sketchpad. There was also a note that read: 'I know you always just came along with me to art classes to be supportive, and it was a fun class, but you did have talent. I thought maybe even drawing shapes or doodling something might be good therapy. I know I've found myself with a pad and pencil in moments when I needed some perspective.' The note had made Bucky smile a little and had pulled his mind back to some of those art classes with Steve.

It was about midnight when Bucky heard a car pull up outside. Even up on the top floor, he heard some commotion, perhaps because his hearing was more acute than normal, or maybe it was kind of loud. Looking out his window he saw Darcy dropping her keys on the sidewalk outside a cab. The driver got out and helped her to the door, and didn't leave until she'd gotten inside. But then a couple of minutes later he heard a similar commotion in the hall. He set his book down and went to the hall, engaging the hologram on his arm along the way. When he opened his door, he found her trying to put her key in his door. "Hi."

"Oops!" Darcy giggled, then wobbled. She was definitely a bit drunk, her keys dropped. She had several keys on the chain, and Bucky wasn't really sure she knew which one was which as she retrieved them from the floor and probably came back up too fast, and nearly fell over.

"Are you alright?" Bucky reached out to grab her arm when she wobbled again, keeping her upright. Though her keys dropped on the floor, again. But better the keys than her. When she moved to reach, Bucky stopped her, "let me."

"Thanks." Darcy managed to shove the keys into her bag when he handed them to her. "I'm good! Just a little bit drunk." She used her thumb and index finger to indicate a small amount.

"Maybe a little more than a little?" He had pulled his hand back when she stopped wobbling.

"Maybe." The word was drawn out and she giggled again and wobbled, but she wobbled toward him, her finger poking him in the chest when she said 'maybe'. Bucky actually snickered slightly at that.

"Do you want to come in, sit for a little bit? Have some water, maybe?" Bucky definitely didn't feel sure about leaving her to fend for herself, even if she got inside her own apartment. He had visions of her wobbling in her bathroom and hitting her head, or something else terrible. Maybe it was just his paranoid mind, but it worried him. He wanted to make sure she was safe.

"Sure!" Darcy smiled and went right for his couch, flopping down and dropping her bag on the floor next to it.

Bucky closed the door and got her some water. He wasn't sure what else to do for drunk, but it seemed like water was a good idea. "Fun night with friends?"

"Nope, no friends." That sounded so unlikely to Bucky, she was friendly, kind, patient, just based on how she'd reacted after he'd closed the door on her.

"You went out drinking by yourself?" Coming toward the couch with some water, Bucky sat down next to her.

"It was that or don't go. Cause I don't have anyone to go with." She was making large arm gestures as she spoke until he handed her the water, which then occupied her hands.

"You must have some friends." He watched her carefully as she drank some water and set the cup down on the coffee table.

Darcy flopped back against the couch and turned her head to look at him. Though as she spoke she started gesturing again. "Nope. All I do is work. My only friend is my boss, but she's out of town right now. So I thought I'd see the City some more, try to meet people. I went into Manhattan, just to wander around, see the City. Been here eight months, I've barely seen the place. Then I spotted this cool looking bar, so I went in."

"Did you make any friends tonight? Meet someone nice?" She just seemed so appealing to him, he didn't know how everyone else wasn't just drawn right in.

"Nope. Well, the bartender was nice, but she's paid to put up with people. She was the only person who talked to me. She did get me a cab though." Darcy softly poked his shoulder as she spoke.

"Okay. Well, I'm glad you're home safe. You can rest here as long as you want." He wasn't really sure what else to do, he wanted to help, but he was reaching in his own mind for what else someone should do in a situation like this. He felt like there should be more he could do to help, but he just didn't know what, and he blamed his messed up brain for that. "Do you need anything?"

"You're nice." Darcy slowly dragged one hand down his cheek. Bucky's eyes went wide, sucking in a breath, his whole body shuddered, he hadn't expected so much sensation. Aside from a couple of times Steve had hugged him in the last few weeks, and that one strange bear hug from Steve's friend, Thor, Bucky hadn't had anyone touch him in a way that wasn't either to examine him or to hurt him in ages. And while he tried as much as possible to shut out the way he was handled as the Winter Soldier, it never really did leave his mind.

"You're drunk. I'm not that good. I closed a door in your face, remember." Bucky just couldn't really believe she'd think he was nice if she really knew anything about him. Not that he wanted to hurt anyone now, but he wasn't sure anything could make up for all those years. Even if he wasn't in control, he still felt responsible.

"Yeah, but you apologized right away, and then you were nice." Darcy softly tapped his nose with her finger and said, "boop."

Bucky let out a breath that was just flirting with being a tiny momentary chuckle, as his eyes closed at the same time. It took him a minute to look at her again. "You're the one who's nice. Believe me."

"Maybe, not that it's made me a lot of friends lately, or gotten me very far." Then she started petting his cheek and Bucky had to steady his breathing after his body tensed.

Her fingers were so warm and soft, and Bucky never wanted her to stop, each stroke relaxed him a little bit more. But she was drunk, she'd probably realize he wasn't worth being around when she wasn't. But he still couldn't make himself move away from her. "If you usually work a lot, maybe you just haven't given anyone else out there enough time to be drawn to you. Because you seem like the kind of person who most anyone would be lucky to call a friend."

Darcy smiled at him, it was a bit of a lazy, drunk smile, but hints of it still reached her eyes. Though there was also a bit of sadness there too. It made Bucky ache a little, that a woman that seemed so kind, and beautiful, and smart, regardless of the drunk state, looked so sad also. But maybe she was just an emotional drunk, he somehow had a faint recollection of that somewhere in his past. Someone he knew, perhaps. Was it his mother? Bucky filed the question away and shook his head a little.

She leaned into him, and when he felt the gentle press of her lips high on his cheek, where there was no stubble, just skin, Bucky trembled. Her lips were warm, soft, and just ever so slightly moist, and they lingered there until she trailed her nose down that same cheek. Her arms curled around his shoulders and her head finally came to rest upon one shoulder. The left one, though the hologram had him covered. When she didn't pull back after a moment, Bucky's hands seemed to decide they were going to hold onto her, which made her snuggle into him a bit more, essentially curling herself into his lap. Bucky wasn't quite sure what to do, so he simply held her for a while. Until it appeared she'd fallen asleep. That made him smile just a touch, or maybe it was the sensation of her gentle breathing on his neck. Either way, he stood up, holding her, and carried her to his bedroom, where he attempted to tuck her into bed.

It almost worked, Darcy stirred though, as Bucky tried to let go of her. Her hand clung to his wrist. "Don't go."

"You should sleep." His hand covering her hand. She still sat up though.

"Where are you going?" Darcy started to climb out of the bed, only letting go of him to start trying to peel off her pants. Though she was still a bit wobbly.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Bucky looked away, but then she bumped into him while fussing with her jeans.

"I don't want to sleep in jeans. Not comfortable." He glanced, she had gotten her pants unbuttoned, and unzipped, but they were still on.

"Okay, hang on, let me get you something to sleep in, okay?" Bucky went to his drawer and pulled out a red Henley, and handed it to her. "I might have shorts or pants or something."

"That's okay, this will be good." Then she moved to start undressing again, wobbling slightly and reaching out to grab his arm for balance.

"Hang on, you can change in the bathroom. And sit down if you need to when you take off your pants. I don't want you to fall." Bucky pointed to the open doorway to the bathroom.

"Oh, cool, okay. I'll be careful." She smiled a little lazy again, patting his chest softly when she walked by him. Her movements were slow and cautious. He kind of smiled at that.

Once she'd closed the door, Bucky let out a long sigh. She at least seemed slightly less wobbly, so he wasn't as worried about her tripping over herself and getting hurt. Though he still stood in the middle of the room and listened, just in case. He heard an "oops!" and the sound of something small hitting the floor. Maybe something from the sink.

"You okay!?" He called out, getting a few steps closer to the door.

"Yeah! I just knocked over your toothbrush holder. Sorry!"

"It's okay!" He really didn't care. He'd wash it off before he used it, no big deal.

"It seems pretty clean on this part of the floor!"

"It is. If you can't get it, just leave it. Don't hurt yourself." He just really didn't want her falling and getting hurt, and him possibly having to kick the door in, though he wasn't sure he'd heard her actually lock the door.

"I'm okay. I got it!"

Bucky could hear her probably rinsing it off and fixing it. He almost smiled a little at that. Even though he couldn't see her, he bet it was cute. It was a few minutes, while he heard the toilet flush, the sink ran again for a moment and some soft sounds that were perhaps her changing, before the door opened and she came out carrying her clothes, wearing just his Henley. That was something he didn't really prepare himself for seeing. He checked on the bathroom, and it all looked well enough, as Darcy set her clothes on top of his dresser and crawled back into the bed, her movements slow and deliberate so as not to wobble so much. He turned to go.

"Where are you going?" She was sitting up, hair a bit mussed, the buttons undone, giving him a peek at her cleavage, her head tilted to one side, and her eyes softly needy.

Bucky closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to settle a rush of sensations that went through his body, all of them very confusing. Tingling in odd places, and a warm feeling in his chest, plus an impulse that felt like his body wanted to just wrap around her and hold on. "I was going to go stay on the couch."

"No, don't do that. I don't want to kick you out of your bed. I could sleep on the couch." Darcy's bottom lip pouted out and she started to climb out of the bed again.

Oh, that pout, he felt himself twitch, and his lips rubbed together. This was definitely not a sensation he had good recall of, though he did flash on his hands, two real hands, on the body of a wiggling, moaning, naked woman. It was not a sensation he needed to have, but he was having it anyway. Bucky took a couple deep breaths, his eyes closed, trying to calm the feelings rushing through him. He could think about them more later, when he was alone. He just wanted to make sure Darcy was safe tonight.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was followed by a soft touch on his arm. He jumped, which made her jump. "Sorry. Let me go sleep on the couch. I’m small I’ll fit better. Besides, I'm the crazy person crashing your apartment. Maybe I should just try finding the right key. I don't want to bother you."

When she shifted like she was going to go, wobbling a little as she tried to keep on top of her feet, Bucky caught her hand with his. But as soon as she stopped and looked at him, he pulled his hand back. "No, I'm sorry. I spaced out there or something. I'm okay. I want you to be safe and comfortable, please, sleep in the bed."

"You could sleep there too. I feel like if you were a jerk who was going to take advantage of me, you'd have done it already." Bucky let out a long sigh after she spoke, his hands wanted to make contact, wanted to brush down her arms or something, but he was afraid to. If he thought at all, his mind told him to not even make contact. But it didn't stop his hands from brushing the air just centimeters from her arms.

He thought he saw her tremble a little, so he pulled his hands away and stepped back. Unsure if he'd just made her uncomfortable, "sorry."

"For what?" The look in her eyes seemed relaxed and curious. But maybe it was just because she was drunk, he couldn't be sure.

"For almost touching you." Bucky's hands reached for a moment and pulled back again, but her hands caught his this time.

"That didn't bother me." He inhaled deep and slow as Darcy's thumbs rubbed gently at the backs of his hands. His left one processed the sensation slightly differently than the right, but it still felt very nice, gentle.

"I thought you trembled, or something. I don't want to make you nervous." Bucky shifted his weight, and gently pulled his hands back, running them through his hair.

"Oh, maybe I did tremble, but I wasn't nervous. It just felt nice. Kind of intense." She then stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, making a small humming sound as she did.

Bucky found that hard to resist, his hands settling softly on her back, his nose indulging a moment, to nuzzle her hair and inhale the soft scent of her. He let it linger a minute or two before he felt like he was enjoying it too much. He would never really have that, why let himself get used to the feeling of her. Once she wasn't drunk she would remember she was far better than his walking disaster of a self. "You should probably sleep though."

"Probably. But you come to bed too. I can give you your space, just don't go sleep on the couch." He started to move with her as Darcy seemed to be gently swaying toward the bed.

"Okay, but I'm going to use the bathroom first." Bucky figured it good to do so, and he just needed a minute to catch his breath and make sure he was calm.

Darcy nodded and sat herself down in the bed, leaving one side free for him. He went into the bathroom to do the routine he'd started for getting to sleep. It included some breathing exercises that he usually did sitting or standing by the bed, but Bucky wasn't sure if it would seem strange, so he did them in the bathroom. Even taking his time, it wasn't that long before he finished and climbed into bed.

Darcy snuggled down into the covers and smiled at him. "Your bed is nice, and soft, and cozy."

"It is, yeah." It was almost too soft, but he also liked it at the same time. It felt strange and foreign still, but he did enjoy the actual sensations of soft sheets and a cozy warm bed. When he was on the run, he'd slept on single mattresses, or even just a roll out mat, depending on what was accessible and affordable wherever he was. Bucky laid back and turned off the bedside lamp. The only light remaining was a small, warm glow from a tiny nightlight in the wall, and a faint glow through the window. The nightlights had been there, one in each room of the apartment, when he arrived, and he saw no need to remove them. They turned on automatically by sensor when the room was dark enough.

"Thank you, for taking care of me. There's not a lot of people who would do that." There were a couple of feet of bed between them, but they had both turned on their sides to face each other.

"You've been kind to me, so," Bucky shrugged as best he could, laying on his side. He wasn't sure he'd really done anything all that special, he just didn't want her getting hurt.

Darcy's hand stretched out and her fingers brushed his cheek. "You are nice. Don't say you're not, because you are."

For a moment he was going to contradict her assessment again, but she anticipated that, it seemed. Maybe he should have moved her hand away, but it felt far too nice. Instead, his hand rested over hers, in the hope she might keep it there a while. Bucky let his fingertips trail across the back of her hand as her fingers softly massaged his cheek and jaw. His eyelids fluttered a moment, willing open again to hold her gaze, which felt surprisingly intense given her slightly drunk state. He traced around her wrist and brushed his thumb in circles on the inside. It seemed it was her turn for her eyelids to flutter. That was beautiful to him. His breath caught when her thumb grazed over his lip. Her lazy smile had him wondering if it was intentional or not, while his thumb continued its circles, and his fingers lightly stroked the back of her hand. The next thumb on lip was definitely not an accident, as he felt her thumb wiggle softly against his lips. Bucky made a soft 'mmm' sound as his lips caressed her thumb.

Bucky continued staring into her eyes, with Darcy's thumb playing gently on his lips, as the rest of her hand cradled his jaw and cheek. She stared back, that soft little smile on her lips, humming lightly, as his fingers memorized the feel of her hand and wrist, until first her eyes closed, and his followed.