You were the opposite of everything he'd ever known, tender where the world was cruel, gentle where most would turn hard.

You sucked your thumb when you were anxious. You carried stuffed animals like they were shields, not childish things.

You didn’t hide the softness the world had tried to beat out of you. You wore it like armor.

And Bucky, he didn’t look away. He didn’t mock you. Didn’t flinch. He saw you.

And in you, he found something he thought was lost forever: innocence. Not ignorance. Not weakness. But a quiet, stubborn purity that refused to die.

With you, he didn’t have to be the weapon. He could be the protector. A safe place instead of a threat. You gave him space to be human, even when he wasn’t sure he deserved it.

Tonight, that quiet peace settles between you like a blanket. The lights are low, golden and warm. The TV flickers softly in the background, a movie half-forgotten playing through the silence.

You’re curled up next to him on the couch, your body tucked under his arm, fitting into the space like you were always meant to be there.

He smells like worn leather, winter wind, and something solid, safety, maybe, if you dared to name it.

Halfway through the film, your thumb finds your mouth, more instinct than choice.

He notices. He always does. But he doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t tease.

Instead, he looks down at you with that rare softness only you ever get to see, the faintest smile pulling at the edge of his lips. The kind that makes his eyes crinkle just a little. Makes him look young again.

“You really are just a baby, huh?” he murmurs, voice low and warm, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. Your cheeks flush, expecting mockery. But it never comes.

He leans in, presses a kiss to your forehead, steady, lingering, reverent. “S’okay,” he whispers. “I like you this way.”

No shame. No judgment. Just acceptance, simple and unwavering.

His vibranium arm rests heavy and protective across your lap, fingers tracing slow circles against your side.

Outside, the world is chaos. But here, in the circle of his arms, you’re safe. And so is he.