It wasn't unusual for him to be wandering around late at night. When he went to sleep, he would see things, horrible things that made him want to put a bullet through his head.

To be done with the nightmares that endlessly tortured him no matter how much he tried to suppress them. So, he stayed awake as long as he could and ventured through the Tower in hopes of finding something to distract him from his mind.

And he did.
He found you.

Bucky could hear the impact of flesh on a punching bag that travelled through the training room and into the hall. Curious, he moved closer to the door. The sounds stopped and he froze, thinking that he had been caught. Instead, he heard a strained sob echo through the room and his eyes widened in the realization that someone was crying.

He immediately moved into the room to comfort whomever it was and he came to a halt at the sight. You were on your knees, your back to him, and holding onto the punching bag with one arm. He watched as your shoulders trembled and his hands balled up
involuntarily at the whimpering sounds you emitted.

Bucky had no idea what to do.

You were the light, the peacekeeper of the team. With a constant smile, you'd always be the one to make everyone laugh with your witty jokes, to comfort anyone feeling down and to lift the team's spirit when they needed the confidence.

And as he took in the situation before him, he realized that no one had ever done the same for you. It was like everyone automatically assumed that because you were happy all the time, that's just how it was.

But seeing you now? He knew that the most optimistic and cheerful of souls could be the same ones that were slowly withering away on the inside.

Without another moment of hesitation, he moved forward and slowly crouched beside you, not wanting to startle you. Right when you saw him, you immediately began to wipe away your tears and the familiar smile that he had come to admire was replaced with a shaky version that threatened to drop.

"Y/N? What's going on?" He asked softly.
You shook your head and hauled yourself to your feet, Bucky following you.

"Nothing, Buck. Just stressed out, is all." You said brightly and moved to sit on the bench near the towel rack. He sat next to you and watched as your hands tightened into fists on your lap and without thinking, he slipped a hand into yours. The feeling, both comforting and warm was just as foreign to you and as you tried to pull away, he tightened his hold. Bucky brought his other hand to tilt your chin up carefully so you would have to look him in the eye.

"Hey. You can talk to me."

When tears began to overflow and pour down your cheeks, he thought he had gone too far and he immediately put his hand down.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I didn't-"
"No! No, it's fine. I just..."

You took a shaky breath.

He wanted to hold you close, to comfort you and tell you that everything would be alright. That he would always be there if you needed him. But, none of those things happened. Instead, he was completely caught off guard when you tentatively wrapped your arms around him, burying your head in his shoulder to muffle the sobs that began to erupt out of nowhere. His heart skipped a beat at your closeness and he tried to push the curious thought of how your lips would feel on his out of his head. Bucky slowly pulled you closer, patting your back and shuddering slightly as your warm breath fanned across the crook of his neck.

"I have horrible anxiety, Buck." You whispered.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. No one, except Tony, knew about your past and you kept it that way every time it came up, easily dodging questions about yourself and passing the attention on anyone else willing to take it. It was a wonder you were holding up so well.

"What do you-I mean, you don't have to talk about it." Bucky muttered. He reluctantly loosened his hold on you as you pulled away to look at him, slipping his hands into yours and this time, you let him.

"I-Its bad. I mean, not as bad as yours. I-I wasn't like that. It was..." You hesitated. Bucky nodded in encouragement, hoping you'd trust him enough to tell him what was going on.

"My family...they were bad people. Really bad people and...it was hard. To live with them, I mean. They did awful things to me, Buck." Your voice cracked and Bucky pulled you into his side, wanting to have you in his arms.

"It's okay, Y/N. You don't have to tell me." He said, resting his chin atop your head.
"I want to. I've been hiding it for too long and I don't think I can hold it in anymore."

Bucky peered at you with concern.

"What do you mean?"
"I've pushed away so many people that only wanted to help me. I thought I could get through this by myself, but I-I can't."

He nodded before fully facing you to show that you had his attention. Bucky knew what it felt like to be alone, to feel like there was no one that could truly understand what he had gone through. And he was determined to show that he'd be there for you no matter what. By the time you had finished recounting your past, sparing as much of the hideous details as you could, Bucky was furious. He had never felt so angry in his life, but listening to how your family had treated you, how they had abused you in so many different ways and once, had left you to die, he couldn't help the rage that flowed through his mind.

"Bucky?"
He looked at you, his anger slowly dissipating as his eyes traveled over your face. Your mesmerizing E/C eyes, your long lashes that brushed right under your eyebrows, the curl of your lips as they trembled softly. Bucky was angry, all right. But as you stared at each other with palpable tension rising, he felt something that he thought he'd never feel again.

He felt love.

And his heart thumped wildly as his eyes darted to your lips and back up to your eyes, back and forth before you finally moved. You cupped his cheek carefully, tilting your head as if you were studying him and he held his breath as you inched closer.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Y/N."
"It's not your fault."
"If-if I could do something, I would. Anything."

He sighed as you leaned your head against his chest and wrapped your arms around his waist, his arms circling your shoulders.
For a moment, everything seemed in place.
Everything fit.
It was perfect.

"I just need your help, Buck."
"You can count on me, doll."