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Bucky rolled over in his sleep subconsciously reaching out for the man beside him. But the bed was cold and empty. Steve was gone.
Startling awake, he sat bolt upright. Frantically, he scanned the room, searching for his boyfriend. He couldn't of just gone. He reached for the clock on the bedside table, angling it so he could read the time.
4.37am
Steve always got up at 6.30. This was too early even for him. Bucky glanced towards the window. It was clearly still dark out even with the blinds covering the window. Quietly, Bucky climbed out of bed drawing back the covers. In doing so he disturbed the sleeping cat at the foot of the bed.
"Sorry, Alpine," he murmured as the white cat leaped from the bed landed beside him rubbing against his pyjama clad legs.
Bucky silently opened the bedroom door and made his way through the dark apartment he shared with his boyfriend. Alpine padded along behind him.
He checked each room, searching them for any sign of Steve. Nothing. They were all empty. With a sigh, Bucky made his way into the kitchen. The room was dark and cold even after he turned the lights on.
As he walked in, he glanced towards the fridge where a list of instructions were pinned up. Each sheet of paper included the way to work the various different kitchen appliances. Steve claimed it was to help Bucky but Bucky had caught Steve using it before too.
He moved about the room making himself coffee using the coffee machine kindly gifted to them by Tony when he and Steve had moved into their own apartment. Once it was ready Bucky carried the steaming drink through to the lounge where he placed it on the coffee table.
He then collapsed onto the sofa and curled up as tightly as possible. Knees pulled up, legs clasped to his chest, he pulled a blanket over his trembling body in a poor effort to block out the world around him.
Soft tears began to slide down his cheeks as he shook with suppressed sobs. Why would Steve have left?
Alpine leaped up onto the sofa and crept under the blanket alongside him, nuzzling against him. Bucky picked up the cat and buried his face in her fur. She meowed sympathetically.
What had he done? Bucky ran through the events of the previous night in his and winced. Ahh that.
They had argued. It had felt so insignificant at the time. All couples fought sometimes, right? But now Bucky wasn't so sure.
They had disagreed over the Avengers. The group was in the stages of reforming after the stuff with the accords. He had told Steve to give up. To not be Captain America anymore. When Steve had argued back, saying it was his duty, Bucky had gone to bed alone.
"I didn't mean it that way," Bucky choked out past the sobs that racked his body, "I just want you with me. I wanted you safe."
He sat there for who knows how long. Alpine didn't move. She stayed beside him comforting him. She had taken to Bucky as soon as he adopted her and rarely left his side. Always being there to comfort the supposedly terrifying assassin and making it her life's mission to butt in on any hugs between Steve and Bucky. She was going to kill the super soldier for making her Bucky upset.
He couldn't breathe. Steve had left and it was all his fault. He made himself as small as possible as he cried. It was always his fault. He ruined everything. Always. This was why he couldn't be with anyone.
The sun had begun to peek through the curtains, although Bucky hadn't noticed when he returned.
The front door opened silently and soft footsteps padded through the apartment to the bedroom. Only to find it empty. They set off again and reached the lounge where they found the shaking form of the feared assassin curled beneath a blanket.
"Bucky?"
Bucky turned, whipping round to find Steve stood in the doorway dressed in his Captain America outfit. Bucky let out a sob at the sight of him. He had come back.
"Oh, Buck."
Steve rushed forward, settling on the sofa beside Bucky and pulling him into his arms. He held the trembling man as he carefully ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his back soothingly.
Bucky hiccupped before looking up at Steve. "I thought you had gone- I- I thought..."
Steve hushed him softly and looked down at him before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
"I'd never leave you. You know that," he said in a hushed voice.
Steve let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Buck. This is my fault. I would never have accepted the mission if I knew this was going to happen."
At his words Bucky looked up sharply. "Mission? What mission?"
At this Steve winced and Bucky gasped.
"You asked me about re-joining the Avengers because you already had a mission!"
"Yes," Steve sighed.
Bucky hit him across the shoulder.
"Hey!"
He then proceeded to throw his arms around the super soldier and hug him close. Steve responded by hugging him back.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me?" Bucky whispered furiously.
Steve chuckled softly and squeezed him tighter. "I hear you."
Bucky pressed his face into Steve's shoulder and the two sat together, content to just hold each other, knowing that the other was there and wasn't going to leave.
Out of the blanket still draped over Bucky's lap shot Alpine. The protective cat swatted at the super soldier who just stared on in surprise as the furious creature hissed and scratched at him.
Bucky burst out laughing at the cat's antics as he caught hold of her and held the squirming thing against his chest. "It's alright, Alpine. You don't need to kill him."
"Now I know why you two get on so well." Steve grinned shaking his head. "You're exactly the same."
Bucky hit his shoulder again and pouted which just made Steve laugh more. He kissed the tip of his nose and said, "I meant of course that you're both adorable."
Bucky smiled at this before leaning against Steve, curling up in his arms. Steve pressed a kiss to the top of Bucky's head as he slowly began to drift off his lack of sleep beginning to catch up with him.
Steve glanced over at the cat now resting in Bucky's lap. "Don't you forget he was mine first."
Alpine meowed in response as if to say, "Whatever" before falling asleep.
Steve rolled his eyes and smiled softly down at his boyfriend. He loved that he could call him that and he'd never get tired of it.
"I'd never leave you."