[meme] open post / picture prompt catch-all

[lefthandfree]

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[lefthandfree]

[The way Steve says his name always arrests him. He can be mad out of his head, but as long as he hears Steve say his name, he’ll stop, take a breath, and look Steve’s way.

It’s what he does now, and given their proximity, it’s just a simple tilt of the head. Up as is the new usual. He's still breathing hard, but his attention is all Steve.]

...yeah?

[It’s quiet. Controlled in a way he shouldn’t be but is.]

[battletested]

[ Steve's hand drops. He's abruptly conscious, and hunches up his shoulders, feeling small. ]

Do you need to go?

[ Because if it is, he will put away everything that screams for Buck to stay here, where he's safe and they can protect him. ]

[lefthandfree]

[He doesn’t really know.]

I don’t want to.

[But does he need to? Even now, his heart slows, and he feels a gentle ache because he knows he's hurting Steve.]

Do you...

[...and then he can’t bring himself to finish. He doesn’t have a right to ask. He’s already made such a mess.]

[battletested]

[ Pain is nothing. It can be borne, and since the procedure he can breathe, sickness of the body rolls off him. This is only an iota of the pain Bucky's gone through over the years; Steve has no right. No right at all. ]

I want you to stay.

[lefthandfree]

Okay.

[And that’s all it takes. His heart steadies. Is this what he needs?

He leans in again, unsure of if Steve’s willing to lend his shoulder. Air flows through him, and he doesn’t care.]

I’m here.