Steve stared hard at Bucky. "I don't want to hold you back from your duty."
Bucky sighed, refraining from rubbing his hand over his face, worried the gesture would upset Steve more. Steve was so determined to get into the army and perform his 'duty', he would probably never forgive Bucky if he didn't head out tomorrow. No matter how hard Steve tried, Bucky knew he would never get in. He would fight for both of them, he decided. War would probably be easy if he pictured all the enemy soldiers as Steve's attacker.
"I know you don't want me to, but do you need me to is what I wanna know."
Steve answered almost before he had even finished his sentence. "No! I don't, I can..." he trailed off into silence for a few seconds before sighing heavily. "I don't know... Nothing's making sense right now." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and Bucky suddenly noticed how utterly tired Steve looked.
"You should go to bed. It's late and you're tired." Steve started to protest but Bucky had gently grabbed his wrist to lead him into the bedroom before he could form any words.
"I'm not tired." Steve insisted but sat down on the bed, his eyes appearing heavier every moment, betraying his lie.
"Sure you're not." Bucky replied, a hint of his jesting tone creeping back into his voice. "I've only seen your eyes look so tired after that day you spent the whole day painting that wall mural on the west wall for the kids. You almost passed out on it and ruined it, do you remember that?"
Steve laughed, scratching his head in mild embarrassment. "Kind of. To be honest, about the last half hour of that was a bit of a blur."
Bucky snorted softly. "I bet." He watched as Steve laid down, relaxing some but not looking like he was actually planning on sleeping. "G'night Stevie." he turned to leave the room but Steve stopped him.
"Wait. Could you..." Bucky turned back and Steve was looking up at him looking more lost and small than he had ever seen him. "Could you stay with me for just a bit longer?" He had apparently used every ounce of his willpower to ask, there was no way Bucky could refuse.
He smiled kindly and climbed into the bed beside the smaller man. Nothing was said for several minutes, both relaxed and comfortable in the silence, before Steve hesitantly scooted closer to Bucky, who sensed what Steve wanted and gently wrapped his arms around him.
Neither of them slept much that night, silently wishing they had more time to fix this, just a few more moments cuddled to each other for comfort and support.
In the early morning Bucky was the first to wake, Steve still sleeping silently in his arms. He considered waking him up but realized seeing his face and hearing his voice would be a bad idea, make him want to never leave. So he gently moved Steve out of his embrace and quietly dressed.
He stared down at Steve's sleeping form and with only a brief hesitation bent down to place a light kiss on his forehead. "Goodbye Stevie." he whispered before grabbing his things and leaving. He paused outside the apartment door, remembering that this could very well be the last time he would ever go through it. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he continued on his way to do his duty. For Steve.