Title: a sliver of doubt
Fandom: Marvel Comics
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff
Length: 300 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: no major warnings apply
Summary: In bed, next to Natasha, Bucky has a moment of doubt.




He skims fingers along soft pale skin. Want and need warring inside him. Natasha’s red hair spills over her shoulders, covering her face. He knows she’s awake. She’s probably been waiting for him to wake up for a while. Bucky always sleeps better when he’s beside her. Her presence alone, a calming force.

Brushing her hair aside reveals alert eyes and a saucy smirk. He isn't the least bit surprised when she moves and he suddenly finds himself on his back. Natasha pins him down and straddles his hips, hair fanning out around them both; a blanket of silk, he longs to touch.

"I thought you would never wake up,” Natasha says.

Bucky lets his eyes skim over her very naked body. He slides his hand along her thigh. It’s barely past dawn and there’s not a hint of sleep in her eyes. This is - he doesn’t know what this is. A sliver of doubt slides in and wedges itself under his skin, like a splinter.

They’d fallen into bed together in the early morning hours following a mission that had turned out a little trickier than either of them originally anticipated. It had felt like the most natural thing in the world. He’s not sure what it means. Is it a way to blow off some steam or a return to something he longs for so very deeply? Does it mean the same to her as it does to him? Would she tell him if he asked? Does it matter?

Bucky pushes the sliver of doubt away, reaches up, and cups Natasha’s cheek. She leans forward and her hair brushes against his chest. The sensation sends shivers throughout his body and he surrenders to the moment. Whatever this is, whatever it becomes, he’s here for it. All of it.