Work Text:
The moment you heard the loud knocking on the door, you knew it was Bucky, home from one of his Avengers escapades you weren't a part of this time. You opened the door to an exhausted Bucky, who collapsed into your arms with a groan.
"Whoa whoa, what happened?!" You almost shrieked as you led him to the rim of your bathtub.
"Hydra" He grimaced as you cleaned the gash on his forehead with anti-septic.
"I thought we exterminated them!?" You said as you wiped the blood off his face and placed a kiss on his nose. "Buck you've got blood in your hair, can I wash it for you?" You murmured while absentmindedly stroking his hair. He hummed and peeled his bloody shirt and pants as you began to run some water. You turned around and hugged him from behind as you noticed the multitude of scars littering his back. Very gently, you began to kiss each one.
"Doll, what're you doing?" Bucky asked softly
"Kissing them better" You replied and kissed a bullet hole wound on his shoulder. He relaxed in your arms as you peppered his back and shoulders with soft kisses, moving until you kissed the most recent one, the gash along his hairline. You then kissed him on the lips, before guiding him to sit down in the water. He leaned his head under the shower and you grimaced at the red water pouring into the tub and motioned for him to move closer as you began to lather up your hands with your shampoo.
"Your hair is going to smell really nice after this." You said with a small smile on your face as you ran your finger through his sopping hair, washing out all the rest of the blood from his cut. He chuckled softly and leaned back under the water as you washed the shampoo from his hair. Once you were sure the soap was gone, you shut off the water and drained the tub. You gently towel-dried Bucky's dark hair, speaking softly to him about your day, as you could tell he needed distractions from the failed mission and the return of Hyrda. He occasionally hummed but was mostly quiet as you helped him into a shirt and a pair of his soft sweatpants. Bucky had practically moved into your room in the Avengers tower after he ended up there every night for a week. Being in your presence seemed to be one of the few things that tamed his nightmares, so he would come in and wordlessly crawl into your bed, face damp with tears and throat raw from screams. You would hold him, whispering words of comfort and affirmation until he would fall asleep in your arms, at peace for a brief moment. You were his anchor, the one who would help him fight his demons away, even just for a little while. While you were lost in thought Bucky has returned from the bathroom and flopped onto the bed with a groan. You moved to sit next to him and ran your fingers through his hair. You laid down next to him and he moved to rest his head on your chest and wrapped his arms around your torso, head resting under your chin. You stroked his hair and whispered in his ear.
"Let's get some rest, ok baby?" He hummed and went slack in your arms. You pressed a kiss to the top of his forehead and listened to his soft breathing. When you could tell he was asleep, you whispered "Goodnight baby, sleep well, you deserve is"