Just like all the nights before, Bucky stood backstage, watching as Gianna finished her performance of the night. She had sung her heart out, and the crowd had gone wild. Night after night, it was the same story. Bucky had never seen anything like it - the energy and excitement in the room were palpable. Every city, every stadium, every crowd felt more electric than the last.

As the final notes of the song faded away, Gianna did her signature blown kiss and bow, and stepped offstage, her face flushed and her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. Bucky was there to meet her, offering her a bottle of water and a towel.

"Great job out there," he said, his voice low and reassuring, eyes glancing over her shoulder for any fans who may choose to rush the stage like the show in Atlanta.

Gianna smiled weakly, taking the water downing half of it immediately. "Thanks. I'm exhausted," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. He knew she tried to conserve her voice between shows, especially over a month into their tour. It proved to be difficult for her, as someone who loved to talk. She gave it a valiant effort, though. It was endearing.

Bucky nodded, leading her to a private dressing room with his hand on the small of her back. He walked between her and the long string of stage hands and tour crew, serving as a silent barrier to keep anyone from talking to her in her daze. She slipped into the room and he shut the door, resuming his position outside.

After a moment, the door cracked open again and Gianna's head poked out. "Can you unzip me?" Her green eyes were earnest and wide. "I don't know where Kate is, she must have already gone back to the bus."

"I uh," Bucky paused, looking around the hallway for someone, preferably another woman, to jump in. Nothing but stagehands winding cords around their wrists and pushing equipment carts. Turning back to Gianna, he said "Of course."

To protect her privacy, he slipped into the room. She brushes her strawberry curls, adorably decorated with the ringlets of her natural hair that curled against her sweaty neck during the show. He reached for the zipper between her shoulder blades and the zipper clinked against his metal thumb when he pinched and slid it down. He was careful to avoid touching her skin and took a step back as soon as the zipped reached the end of the track.

"There you go." He grumbled, discomfort obvious in his voice. "Anything else?"

Gianna turned and saw him looking straight at the floor, wondering if the flush she saw in his cheeks was real or her imagination. "No sir. Thank you." She smiled softly at him.

As he stepped to the door, he turned back and met her eyes. "Just Bucky," he said, smiling as he disappeared through it.

After she had cleaned up, and changed into her signature sweat set, she emerged from the green room holding her duffle bag and heels. Bucky held his hand out for the duffel and she took it, thanking him even though this was at least the thirtieth time they had gone through this exact exchange. They walked in silence through the dark halls underneath the stadium until they exited to the bus waiting outside. Bucky helped Gianna up the steps to the tour bus, making sure that she was settled in before taking his place at the front of the vehicle. He sat with his back to the wall, eyes darting around the dark bus. As they drove through the night, Bucky couldn't help but think about Gianna's life.

She was a spectacle, a pop star who was adored by millions of fans around the world. Night after night, she stood in front of screaming crowds, and never seemed to crack under the pressure. Every time they ran into a gaggle of fans at the airport or in line to get coffee, she always paused to take photos and thank each of them for their support. He couldn't imagine a worse existence. Well - nevermind. He quickly shut down his memories as they threatened to break into the forefront of his mind. Although his trauma still weighed heavily on him, he appreciated the general anonymity he was able to maintain these days. Gianna didn't seem to have anywhere to hide where the world wouldn't come to find her. He hoped that his presence on the tour brought her some semblance of comfort and privacy. She deserved it. He related to her on a level he didn't expect to. She was just a person, someone who was vulnerable and alone in a world that didn't always understand her. She lived every day fitting into a role that seemed to have been defined for her. He felt a pang of sadness as his ears picked up the first deep breath coming from her bunk, indicating that she'd drifted off to sleep.

Bucky realized that he wanted to be more than just her security detail. He wanted to be her friend, someone she could trust and confide in. Someone who would be there for her no matter what. He had watched almost every second of her life play out over the last several weeks, and saw how shockingly little meaningful interaction she had with anyone. She was around hundreds of thousands of people each day, and he couldn't even remember the last time anyone had asked how her day was going. Guilt pooled in his stomach as he realized he'd been pretty standoffish towards her as well, justifying it as "out of his job description."

Several hours and several hundred miles later, they arrived at their next destination. Bucky stood to help Gianna off the bus and get her into her hotel room.

"Gianna?" He breathed into the hallway, feeling bad that she'd only been asleep for a few hours and already had to be up soon for her first rehearsal. Her heavy breathing told him she was deep in her sleep, and he made a snap decision.

Bucky tugged back the curtain hiding her bunk and slid his hands underneath her, gently extracting her from the bed. She sighed but didn't stir. He balanced her against his chest with his vibranium arm firmly underneath her and grabbed the straps of her duffel bag with his right. He repositioned her into a more relaxed bridal-style carry and walked off the bus.

Gianna's manager, Tom, looked up from his phone as Bucky carried her off the bus. He gave a knowing smile and nod to Bucky, as he tucked two sets of room keys into the pocket of Bucky's jacket.

Arriving at their floor, Bucky awkwardly maneuvered Gianna against his chest so he could slide the room key from his pocket into the door. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he laid her down on the king sized bed and debated whether it was crossing a line to tuck her into the plush bedding. Rolling his eyes at himself, he yanked at the white linens tucked tightly around the bed and laid them over her body, curled into a ball in the middle of the mattress. She looked so small, so innocent laying there. Bucky turned to walk across the hall to his room just as the first beam of sun began to peek through the curtains.

As he lay in bed, Bucky realized that he was starting to care for Gianna in a way that went beyond his duty as a security detail. He wanted to protect her, not just from physical harm, but from the loneliness and isolation that came with being a star of her notoriety.

He knew that it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to be there for her. No matter what.