He thought it was a trick of the cold.
But then she turned, and it was her.
“Y/N?” Bucky’s voice cracked.
She froze mid-step, eyes wide. “Bucky…”
He was on her in seconds, dragging her into a corner of the mess hall.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m with the Army—medical—”
“You didn’t tell me,” he snapped. “You joined, went into this, and didn’t even write?”
“I didn’t think I’d end up here!”
“You were supposed to be safe!” His voice was raw now. “Not stuck in this place—starving, freezing—with me.”
Her eyes flashed. “And you were supposed to come home. But you didn’t. I couldn’t just wait.”
He stared at her—his wife, thinner, worn down—and it broke something in him.
“You should’ve let me carry the risk. Now I’ve gotta worry about both of us.”
She stepped closer, voice softer. “We’re alive.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, reaching for her hand, “but for how long?”