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Crawling into my shirt, I spotted my shorts flying up. Once all dressed and properly covered up, I peered over the edge and spotted a terrified Bucky pacing under my bed.

His shoulders hunched high, close to his ears. His hands clenched and unclenched with almost every step. His breaths went in with gasps and came out in little puffs. His body was outright shaking.

Those blue eyes rapidly darted from one spot to the next. They locked with mine and he froze, staring up at me. So lost under all that fear.

I could practically hear the screams of 'help me' in his eyes.

"Bucky, come up. The aerial ribbons are – or you could just jump. Jumping works," I half babbled while wrapping him up in my big fluffy comforter.

"It's all... it's all a-a lie," Bucky muttered, his face burying down against my collarbone.

I gently combed his hair away from his face. Hopefully, it'd stop tickling my neck. Last thing I wanted was to shoulder check him in the face. That'd be bad.

"Who lied to you?" I asked softly, pulling him closer. "What am I even asking? Eve, what did you lie about?"

"In my defence, I was trying to avoid this very situation."

The words Cover his eyes flashed up on the window for a second or two. Small enough that I almost couldn't read it. Fast enough that I barely had time to make sense of the letters.

I used a deep breath to disguise my shoulder movement, and a small section of the window changed. The green trees turned white. Looked like they were covered in powdered sugar for another two seconds or so.

'Ah shit. So much for being July.'

I haven't even started thinking about how to warm him up to the idea of winter if we stayed here longer than I planned.

"How 'bout we light a fire and... eat a bunch of... hot things? P-Pizza? Or... hot... hot chocolate...?"

Bucky shook his head, curling up into a ball. One arm wrapped around me, half dragging me to him. Still, he shivered like crazy. If his body temperature weren't running so hot, I'd have thought he'd been outside in the snow for hours.

I did what I could. He told me to open the door when I wouldn't let him. He wanted to walk the dogs. I tried, but you made it impossible for me.

My fingertips dug in against his scalp, scratching lightly. My arms held him tight, hoping it'd let him know that he wasn't alone. Or with them in whatever hellish nightmare they forced him through.

"Breathe with me, Bucky. Come on. You can do it. Just breathe."

The first one was a shaking gasp. The second was better. By the third, his breathing evened out.

"There we go. I'm not going to let you freeze, 'kay? Eve, turn up the temp in this room. However high before killing my wall."

"Should I wake up Mochi then?"

"No. I don't want to be on Amber's bad side. I'll go find more blankets. Or not...."

Not when Bucky's arm clamped down. I wasn't going anywhere. Physically unable to get away. Emotionally unable to let go.

'Maybe pillows will help.'

I had plenty of those. Even if a few of them ended up on the floor when he jumped up here. Whatever it took to make him feel warm. Safe.

"Bucky? You asked me this before when I was scared. What do you need to feel safe? What can I do? I... can go melt the snow with... a flamethrower?"

"You're going to set everything on fire."

Two words: forest fire.

'Great, they're on the same page.'

"Fine, no flamethrower. I'll just... make a heat bomb or something? Yeah, I should be able to do a heat bomb. Just have to adjust a couple of the chemical thingies and – "

"No," the man in my arms grumbled against the nape of my neck.

Took everything I had not to twitch in a violent giggle fit.

"Can we...?" he started, his face snuggling ever closer.

"Whatever you want."

"Stay."

"Okay, I'm not going anywhere."

"Can we stay here...? Like this?"

"For as long as you want."

So here we stayed, wrapped up in limbs, pillows and a giant fluffy down comforter.

My fingers continued to comb through his knotted hair, untangling it all. My other hand massaged the stiff muscles on the back of his neck. The cast seemingly not bothering him at the moment, from what I could tell. But my bones weren't all too happy about the movements. My toes pulled up whichever pillows on the bed that weren't already piled atop of him.

Even grabbed the portable heated eye mask tucked between the bedframe and snuck it under the fluff mountain. Right up against his shirt. Wasn't too sure he'd like me shoving things into his clothing.

I couldn't help but hum some off tune melody by his ear. Maybe it could tune out some of the horrors in his head. I could only hope. Occupy as many senses of his and pray that'd pull him into this moment.

As the minutes ticked by, the shivering faded. Little by little. His tense muscles unfurled, and he sunk down into the soft mattress.

When my foot accidentally kicked his cybernetic, he tried to scramble away or shift the arm further back behind him.

I didn't let him go. I pulled him closer with all my limbs, rolling onto my back until he was half on top of me. Ease the pressure off his shoulder. That position couldn't have been any bit comfortable.

He struggled to back up, and I held him tight for a second or two before relaxing my limbs. Let him do whatever he wanted, and he still backed away.

"Valeriy, your ribs. They're –"

"Shhh. They're fine."

"I'm 111.6 kilograms... with the arm"

"The cast can handle your weight just fine," I countered, open palm pressed to his stubbled cheek. "It's pretty comfy like this too... Bucky?"

He hummed in response, eyes stuck to the windows.

Made me give them a quick glance for anything white. Just the clouds.

"Maybe we should... we should do something different when it's snowing? Instead of erasing all the snow."

"I did a fabulous job of it until he opened the door. Out there, I can't alter reality. Yet."

"How 'bout we.... When it snows, we go with... something opposite of snow...?"

"Punalu'u Beach. Oceanside. Tropical. Black lava sand. Opposite of here and snow."

At her words, the forest outside my window turned into an ocean. White waves broke over black sand.

"Would this work –"

"Inside Mount Nyiragongo. Magma. Glowing orange. Black rocks and ash. It looks hot. Opposite of snow."

It 'looks' hot was an understatement, and Bucky flinched at every random magma lava burp thing.

'They better have not shoved him into a volcano.'

"Great Barrier Reef. Below sea level. Coral. Fish. Opposite of up a mountain. No snow. Plenty of water."

The windows changed again from the violent reds and blacks to the colourful undersea world of corals and fish.

"This or back to the beach? Either of those work as an option? She's only trying to look out for you, Bucky."

"And I'm not the horrid person you see me as, Mr. Barnes. I have my priorities, and the chains placed on me makes accomplishing such tasks as protecting you more than difficult."

"She," said with a hand wave to the ether, "only wants to keep me from snapping and killing you."

"Can't say that it's not rather high on my list of priorities."

"You're not going to hurt me," I countered.

So much doubt casted down my way. He couldn't believe a word I said. "How could you say that after... after I...."

His fingers barely skimmed my neck where bruises were fading. Pretty sure the one he was tracing came from Zeph and his fucking hug blocking karate chop.

The underwater scenery changed and shifted back to the black sand beach.

He was more settled with the beach compared to the other two.

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Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

And a big thank you to TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/) and the Anonymous Fifth Beta for Beta-ing this chapter.