Bucky was sweating and turning. He moaned in pain. It was one of his nightmares again. His hands cramped up in his sheets and his body tensed. Tears started running out of the corners of his eyes down his temples.
The door opened and a muscular silhouette hushed inside.
"Bucky?" Steve knelt down beside his bed and slightly touched his best friend's shoulder. He, however, suddenly turned around and grabbed Steve's throat with his iron arm. His eyes flashed open with an odd look in them as if he didn't realize where he was or who Steve was.
Within a second that expression changed and Bucky immediately let go and backed away, curling himself up in the corner of his bed. The tears were flowing uncontrollably now.
Steve was frozen in shock as he saw Bucky sinking in. He stood up and carefully sat down at the edge of the bed, keeping a distance to his unstable, upset friend. Steve looked at him for a while and thought about what just happened and the look in Bucky's eyes.
He sat himself closer to his friend, slowly wrapped his arms around the sobbing mess and hushed him gently. "It's alright. Whatever you saw is gone. You're here with me and there's nothing else to worry about."
"I... I almost killed you. I hurt you!" Bucky stammered in pain. "You should leave. Let me be imprisoned again so you're safe."
Steve slightly leaned back in shock. "No you didn't. You know very well that I can defend myself even against you. And for the love of god I'll never let you be imprisoned ever again. Isn't that where the nightmare came from anyways?"
Bucky lifted his head and faced his friend with tear stains on his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I always forget you have muscles on your own now. I still want to protect you in a way and I can't help it. America is my passion and I'll give my life in defense, may it be the whole country or my Captain because I love both of them unconditionally."
Steve was stunned. He wiped away the damp remaining of salty water on Bucky's face and almost dared to leave his fingers longer than appropriate on his friend's flawless cheekbones. But before he could get them to part from the rough skin another hand just as rough held Steve's fingers right where they were.
Brown longing eyes met blue insecure ones. They were so lost in each other that neither of their owners noticed how their faces and especially lips were drawn to one another.
"Don't do anything out of insecurity and empathy that you might regret afterwards."
"Don't you do anything out of desperation and loneliness that you might regret afterwards."
As they both felt the others breath on their skin there was no holding back anymore. Lips crashing, bodies squeezing against each other, hands making their ways around necks and waists, occasional gasping for air.
"My little American boy from Brooklyn." Bucky gently whispered between two kisses. "I'll protect you at all costs."
Steve smiled.
"Isn't that your job, my sweet broken patriot?"