A/N: I decided to call this little one-shot "Safe and Sound" because the song "Safe and Sound" was in my head while writing it. You could listen to it while reading this, it might give you a good idea of the sort of atmosphere I was going for.
It was a dark, dismal day, so cold outside the little window. The room was silent but for the quiet whimpers of little Daisy, weeping in her unmade bed. It had been three days after the tragic reports arrived when Bucky came to see how Daisy was dealing with the loss of Steve. He found her, curled up and crying. Her face was red and blotchy and swollen, and her hair was a mess. He promptly moved towards her. "Daisy…" he said incredulously, shocked by the sight of it. She noticed his presence, but did not look at him. She rolled over, so now she faced the wall, away from him. Bucky moved around to the other side, looking down on her. She felt slightly embarrassed. In a way, she wanted to be alone, even though she knew that probably wasn't wise. "Daisy," he said, concerned. She lifted her sad eyes to him. Momentarily, he was lost for words. "Hey," he gently began to say. Bucky's presence was, to Daisy, imposing. She covered her face with her hands.
"Bucky, could you just…" she mumbled.
"What is it, Daisy?" he said politely.
"I just…" She was barely able to speak, and didn't want to offend him. "I'd rather be alone," she finally told him.
"Thing is, you don't have to," Bucky encouraged.
Daisy had to find a way to make him leave. She wanted to lament on her own, not having to burden anyone with her problems - especially Bucky - knowing that he had been very close with Steve too.
"Could you please get me a glass of water?" she said with her voice muffled by her hands over her face.
"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back," he assured her and went out.
Daisy waited for a moment or two. Would she be okay without him? Her mind rushed through the possibilities. The moments passed quickly until - she heard footsteps down the hallway. She suddenly got out of bed, stumbled to her bedroom door and slammed it shut, just before Bucky returned. He was surprised, then confused. "Daisy?" he called. She was on the other side, pushing her weight against the door, breathing heavily. "You okay?" There was no reply. He was getting worried. "Daisy?" he listened closely for an answer, but caught a glimpse of her suppressed shriek. "Daisy, you don't have to be ashamed," he said understandingly. Now she really was ashamed. "I'm not gonna leave you," he said whole-heartedly, through the closed door. Daisy was starting to regret shutting him out. "Open the door any time you want. I'll be right here," Bucky proclaimed. He sat against her door, on the outside, while she sat directly opposite on the other side. Daisy was a mixture of sadness, worry, regret and confusion. Bucky waited patiently, determined to stay with her until she was alright. The image of her melancholy eyes was burnt in his mind, and the sound of her broken voice resonated in him.
Finally, after an hour or so had passed – but what felt like forever - Daisy mustered up the courage to open the door. Bucky was sitting there, and he turned around to her, with a solemn countenance. He didn't leave me, Daisy thought. Suddenly, she felt bad. "Bucky, I'm sorry," she started to cry and threw herself into him. Daisy's heart twisted and she wailed hysterically, feeling everything was wrong. "Hey, Daisy, it's okay." Bucky embraced her affectionately, feeling the weight of her head on his chest, and he held the crumbling girl strongly in his arms. He was glad, at least, that she finally let her guard down. "I'm here for you," he said softly. His deep, gentle voice pacified her. Daisy was warm, resting on him, and she closed her eyes. She deeply breathed in and out the pleasant scent of his army uniform, which brought her back to Steve. It smelt just like him. It smelt like love, albeit now a lost love. But that scent triggered those memories, those memories of love. Bittersweet.
They sat together in the dim bedroom for a long time. They didn't talk; there was a mutual understanding of each other. Daisy was slowly healed as time passed, and increasingly coming to appreciate Bucky's company. Bucky was glad that Daisy had calmed, but there was something still lingering in the back of his mind.
The room suddenly changed hue: a burst of white light. A few seconds later, there was a distant but loud sound, like a bomb. It frightened Daisy and she shot upright. Bucky calmly got up and peered out the window. "It's okay, they're just testing," he reassured her, "It won't affect us from here." He stared into the distance and saw the hills being consumed by the fire, and the destruction swelling. He thought of Steve. Bucky realised now that his life was irreversibly changed. Steve was his best friend since childhood, almost a brother. Nobody could replace the role Steve played.
Daisy too got up. She saw the fire burning bright out there, through the window. The world was on fire. She stepped up next to Bucky and turned to him. Bucky turned to face her. A tear was running down his cheek. He'd finally lost it; finally broken down, after forcing himself to feign strength for so long. It wrenched Daisy's heart, and she looked up at him with compassion.
"I should've been there…" Bucky sobbed.
"No," Daisy whispered, slowly shaking her head.
"I should've been there," Bucky said louder, becoming almost angry. "But I wasn't. And I've let him down. I've let you down." His chin was quivering, his voice breaking. "And I'm so sorry," he told her, with great sincerity, as tears spilled from his eyes.
"Bucky, no. Stop it. Stop hurting yourself. Stop blaming yourself. You are not to blame. You did everything you could, knowing all that you knew. No one told you…" Daisy choked up. "No one told you until it was too late. Please don't hurt yourself." She spoke to his soul.
Daisy reached up to Bucky's face and tenderly dabbed his cheek. But another tear fell on the other side. She gladly dabbed it away, whispering, "I'm here for you." After hearing those words, not a single tear streamed down his face again.
There was a long pause between them. Bucky thought hard about what Daisy had told him, gradually coming to his senses.
"Thank you, Daisy. That means more to me than you know." He contemplated her messy appearance and searched for any sign of sorrow in her eyes. He didn't detect any, but just to be sure, he asked, "You okay?"
"I am now, thanks to you." She was very grateful to have him there. "Are you okay?" Daisy asked.
"Am now," Bucky answered.
They smiled lightly at each other.