You’re a stranger to me (open);

[bracchium]

CHARACTERS: bucky barnes and you!
WHERE: bellatrix brood pods + dark corners
WHEN: once he wakes up idk which day
SUMMARY: bucky has a good nap
WARNINGS: mentions of violence, sad super soldiers etc



{bellatrix brood pods}

Bucky doesn’t remember going to sleep in a tube, but it’s not the first time this kind of thing has happened. When he opens his eyes, deja vu sours his stomach, leaving him with familiar nausea. The sense of belonging that follows immediately in its wake, though, further upsets the bile crawling up his throat. He doesn’t belong here, though he’s not immediately sure of where ‘here’ is; the Soldier is nothing but a danger to those around him.

He sinks to his knees, blinking around at his surroundings, and waits for firm hands to drag him upright before he can take his first breath. But, instead, of the hollow darkness of Siberia, the glow of the Station welcomes him in a way that grows more sickening. There are penalties for getting sick, and he swallows down the acid burning his mouth.

He waits. He waits, jaw clenched and gaze down.

——

{dark corners}

After a chance to re-orient himself with his surroundings and companions, Bucky ducks away to the relative quiet of the far corners of the Station. His head throbs with the chorus of minds connected to his own, but the hollow burn in his chest bites deeper. He had gone to sleep again and in that time, he hadn’t attacked anyone else in the Station, in direct contrast to the majority of his life, both on the Station and off. Thinking back to his arrival on the Station reminded him of something Sam had said about a ‘Sleeping Beauty act.’ Did he choose to go to sleep back on Earth? Was such a thing possible? Could he do the same here on the Station?

For now, though, he needed the space to think. No place on the Station was truly private, but the farther from his fellows, the better.

——

{wildcard???}

Comments

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ With how open their connection still is, there's no way Sam doesn't pick up on some of that. And he wants so damn bad to follow Bucky back, to try to bring a little light and warmth, to give him something to help make things just a little less cold. It's always been what Sam's done, just... more metaphorically before.

Sam angles himself in, just a little bit, reaching out to thread his fingers with Bucky's at the same time as his wings stretch back out across their mental link, curling around them both. ]

( Come here? ) [ Mentally or physically or both, Sam honestly isn't all that sure what he means. He just knows he doesn't either of them to be alone, just for a little bit longer. ]

[bracchium]

[It's strangely intimate, despite how deeply entrenched the two already are in each other's minds. Sam bids him closer and Bucky does, both physically and mentally. His fingers close tight around Sam's as he leans in a few inches, like a man clinging to a life raft.

The wings curl around them both, sheltering Bucky from the raging blizzard. He imagines the feathers glowing orange with heat, melting away the frost already gathered on the fringe of his mind.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ They've gotten entwined in each other's heads pretty well before, but never as deep as this. And even beyond that, it's... it's the first time they've chosen to continue it past when they needed it. It's a brand of intimacy that Sam never expected to want, but he does.

Sam's free hand slides into Bucky's hair, just resting there - he'd like to pull Bucky into a hug, honestly, but for the moment he's only going with ways they've touched before, something that will be at least a little familiar. Ease them both into it, maybe. His eyes slip shut as he gently rests his forehead against Bucky's, doing physically what he'd done mentally just moments ago.

He likes the way Bucky imagines the wings, and there's a trickle of warmth across their connection, adding just a hint of his own to it. ]

[bracchium]

[To Bucky's own surprise, he doesn't shy away from the touch. In fact it almost feels natural that Sam should be as physically tangled with him as they are mentally. He leans his forehead against Sam's, eyes shut in such deep contentment he might fall asleep right here. He hasn't gotten much rest since waking up from his pod.

The trickle of warmth across the bond adds a flare of gold to the tips of the wings, blending with the cool blues and greys of Bucky's foundation to create a strangely vibrant jade.

He likes it. Sure, the colors aren't quite as gorgeous as those in Sam's mind, but it's a start at least.]