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The tension in the room is palpable. After having dinner with the team you and Bucky headed back to your room in complete silence. Bucky has been giving you the silent treatment and you don't know why. He grabs his pillow from the bed and the blanket from the couch and settles himself on the floor at the foot of the bed.
You huff out in annoyance. Why the hell is he being so distant? It makes you wonder what you did to make him feel this way. Why does he feel the need to physically distance himself from you? You hate it, you absolutely hate the feeling of a wall being put up. Most importantly it breaks your heart being on the other side of the wall. Bucky radiates anger, which you've come to recognize as a side effect of him being hurt.
You crawl into bed feeling so confused about what's going on with your boyfriend, you are ready to cuddle up with your precious cat when she scurries off the bed. Alpine goes to Bucky purring for some cuddles. That traitorous cat!
You toss and turn in bed, never getting comfortable. You cannot sleep without Bucky, and you refuse to break the only rule in your relationship: never go to bed angry.
"Bucky?" You whisper in hopes he hasn't fallen asleep yet.
"Hm."
"Can you come up here? Please?"
Silence.
"Bucky...what's our rule?"
He sighs, "Never go to bed angry."
"Please, let's not break that rule. Come here," you insist as you peek your head over the foot of the bed to see Bucky turn his back on you. You feel your stomach turn.
"No one is breaking that rule." He says over his shoulder.
" James Buchanan Barnes, you have never been able to lie to me."
"I'm not in bed. I'm not angry either. I'll give you Alpine back if you just drop it."
You give up and settle yourself back to your spot. You curl up into the comforter and feel yourself lose control over your emotions. Silent tears spill down your cheeks. You feel Alpine jump on the mattress, soon she's all up in your face licking your tears. You close your eyes and try to sleep, but you can't sleep when you feel this distance between you and Bucky. "Please, talk to me."
"Y/N, you know what you did."
Bucky only calls you by your name when you're out on the field, when you're home it's always some term of endearment. "So you are angry! Is this because of what Tony said at dinner?"
"It's about what you said about me."
You don't understand. All you did was defend your boyfriend when Tony made some insensitive remark about Bucky. "Bucky, I'm on your side."
"I don't want to fight but we're just not seeing eye to eye on this so…"
He wants an out? "Fine! Then why don't you just take what's yours and leave!"
Bucky immediately gets up off the floor and grabs Alpine from your lap. "If that's what you want…" He also picks you up off the bed and throws you over his shoulder and takes you back to his room.
"Bucky…" You try to speak when he lays you down on his bed.
"I'm not mad at you." He hands you a mewling Alpine. "I'm just frustrated…"
"Why?"
"You think too highly of me."
You pull him down to sit with you on the bed. "I get it, it might be uncomfortable for you, but you don't get to decide what other people think of you and contrary to Tony's opinion you are not a broken man."
"It's not Tony's comment that made me upset. It's the fact that you had to stand up for me. It makes me wonder if maybe you-you deserve better. That is all. You deserve an uncomplicated man, one who you don't have to make excuses for. You shouldn't have to justify your affections for anyone."
You grab his face in both your hands, "Bucky, you are the man that I want. You are the man that I love, uncomplicated or not, you are mine."
His eyes burn into yours, brimmed with unshed tears. "I love you. I'm sorry if I made you doubt that tonight."
You hug him to your chest. "Come here," You curl up together in bed, Alpine lies between you two.
Bucky extends his arm, his hand curling in the back of your neck and pulls you in for a kiss. His lips glide over yours, his tongue laps at your bottom lip until you open up for him. He sucks on your bottom lip and gently nips at it, his beard is past the prickly phase so it actually feels soft on your delicate skin. You sink your hands into his hair, it curls around the back of his neck, it's at that middle length where it's not short but it's not super long either. He trails a path of kisses along your cheek to your neck.
"Thank you for not giving up on me, Doll." Bucky whispers as he buries his face in the crook of your neck inhaling your scent.
"I'm just here for Alpine." You tease.
"You're just jealous she likes me more than you." Bucky says as he playfully bites your neck and runs his hand over Alpine's white fur.