It was his first night in Stark Tower. Steve had showed him to his assigned quarters, and had assured Bucky that if he needed anything, that he would just be in the next room. He'd told Steve that he would be fine alone tonight, because he thought it was true. He'd had no reason to believe that he wouldn't be. He'd slept well at Ron's, although he had been too compromised by exhaustion at the time to do much else. And he hadn't realized until now that Ron had left the lights on. But now he was huddled into a shivering ball on the bed, clutching the edge of the mattress and silently enduring those slow seconds until fine.

A disembodied voice spoke pleasantly, startling him. "Is the temperature comfortable, Mr. Barnes? I can raise it a few degrees."

He remembered Steve talking out loud to a machine he called J.A.R.V.I.S. that sounded uncomfortably like a computer-assisted targeting system. "Not cold," he answered, shuddering.

"You appear to be in distress. Should I alert Captain Rogers?"

"Negative!" he said frantically, shaking his head. It was pointless to worry Steve about something as inconsequential as fear. But he was terrified, and didn't know how much longer he could go without crying out Help me, Steve. "Dark…"

"I will increase the ambient illumination to 25 percent."

Suddenly everything was washed with dim light and he could see. His body relaxed all at once, and he took his first full breath in hours. "Better," he said, almost dizzy with relief.

"There is no reason to stay in the dark if it makes you apprehensive, Mr. Barnes."

"Scared when eyes covered…my eyes covered. Blind…" the word was in his mind, right there, but his tongue could not find the right place in his mouth to say it.

"Blindfolded?"

"Yes. Had done wrong, do not remember what." He was a little surprised that he had less difficulty articulating while talking to the computer. But then conversation with JARVIS was not packed with layers and layers of hidden meanings and unspoken expectations and confusing facial expressions that warned of punishment. He did not have the feeling that he was being subtly cautioned against doing or saying something wrong, or most painful of all, disappointing Steve.

"I assure you nothing like that will happen while you are in the Tower, Mr. Barnes." JARVIS replied.

"Mr. Barnes?" he ventured, tensing involuntarily against a slap or a punch.

"It is your surname, which is the default address." JARVIS replied. "Do you prefer another designation?"

He'd never needed a name before. He remembered that Steve had told him that his was "James Buchanan Barnes," but he had not been referred to by any variation of the name since. "Mr. Barnes" didn't seem right either, but he didn't know what was. "Steve says "Bucky."

"I will refer to you in the future as Bucky, if you like."

Like? Not like? Did it matter? "Acceptable."

"Is there anything I can do for you now, Bucky?"

Bucky hesitated, then asked timidly, "Keep light on?"

"Of course. Are you having difficulty sleeping?"

The terrors were still too close to verbalize. He could only make himself nod.

"When Captain Rogers has that problem, he often requests music."

"Steve…what does Steve ask for?"

"Captain Rogers shows an understandable preference for songs of the 1940's era. There are also more modern favorites that seem to have the desired effect."

He'd heard music occasionally, but had not paid much attention to it, since it held no information relevant to whatever mission he was serving. But he had no current orders to sleep, and it would be a long time before he would absolutely have to. And he was curious about what Steve would choose for himself. "Play..?" He sighed, becoming frustrated with his inability to ask a simple question without a struggle. "Will you play one?"

"My pleasure. Queuing Bobby McFerrin."

It didn't sound like music he'd heard before, just like someone humming pleasant rhythmic sounds, whistling, and making other noises.

Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be happy

In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now

When the song was over, he asked, "Does Steve sleep to this?"

"He laughs first, and then he will often go to sleep. He says that the words remind him of other songs he remembers from the past."

"Play more?"

"Of course."


A/N: I don't know if I like this or not. I have an idea for a larger story concerning Bucky and JARVIS, but this scene wouldn't leave me alone.

Being restrained and blindfolded is a memory from a specific incident detailed in chapter 2 of "Waste of Concern."