It comforted me, to see how easily the other Avengers got used to Bucky's presence during meals, and sometimes even the lazy times they just hung around the living room. Needless to say, he mostly kept his distance, especially from Tony. Yet, he was there, he was present, he became part of their lives. He didn't lock himself in his room too often.
Mostly he kept quiet, but he often came to me in silence, and started helping me – reach for something, cooking, doing the dishes. All those simple things. Though the best thing happened at dinner time, as I sat beside him, sitting back and enjoying listening in on the conversations of others. Suddenly I felt something cold tough my hand, and when I looked up, I met Bucky's eyes, as he carefully laced his metal fingers through mine. There was even a tiny smile upon his lips.
Another night I was awakened, not by Bucky who needed someone to calm him, but by a horrible nightmare of the car crash which had put me in a coma.
Bolting upright I was drenched in sweat, and my breathing was fast and shallow. Without thinking about it, I jumped out of bed and ran through the lonely hallways, stopping in front of Bucky's black door, knocking quietly.
'Aella?' He whispered quietly, when he found me standing on his doorstep, barefooted and looking stressed.
'I'm sorry…' I muttered sheepishly, 'I known it's silly… but I had a nightmare, and I was wondering… can I stay with you?' I shivered, rubbing my arms.
A tiny smile appeared on his lips. 'Of course, come in.' He gestured into the room.
' Thank you!' Quickly I made my way to the bed, crawling under the blankets. Bucky followed a bit more hesitantly.
As soon as he lay down, I asked him in a tiny voice, 'Can I maybe lay against you? I'm cold…'
He didn't react, only moved closer, which I took as a sign of consent. I became a little ball of shivering girl, slowly relaxing when he put his arm over me. While my back pressed against his chest and our breathing synced up, I couldn't believe how safe I felt. But it made sense, because I knew, that in that moment, Bucky felt safe too.