This was also posted on AO3 under the same title and the username 'watermelonriddles'
Wanda groaned as she opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realise that that the soft knocking at her door was in fact real and not a dream. She rolled out of bed, pulling her covers with her, wrapping them around herself as she walked towards the door.
She opened it up, blinking her eyes against the light of the hallway. Bucky stood outside, his head in his hands. He looked terrible. Wanda reached out, her hand wrapping around his wrist and pulled him into her room. She dropped the covers, no longer bothered by the cold. She placed her hands on either side of Bucky's face, making him look at her.
"Bucky," she said softly. "What is it?"
"It was worse." He gasped. "I can't breathe."
He was struggling to catch his breath and he looked panicked. Wanda moved her left hand to the back of his head and pulled him closer. His forehead pressed against her.
"Shh, it's okay." The fingers of her left hand tangled in his hair, while the thumb of her right hand rubbed gentle circles over his cheek. "Breathe, Bucky. It was just a nightmare."
After a few moments of Wanda talking softly to him he was able to catch his breath. He blinked his eyes to keep back tears. Wanda dropped her hands, her left one taking hold of his right one. She led him over to the bed and they sat down.
They faced each other, both of them cross-legged, their knees touching. Wanda had her hands in her lap absent-mindedly moving her. Bucky watched them carefully for a moment before holding his metal hand out, palm up. Wanda gently placed one hand under his, and then laid her fingers from the opposite hand against the center of his palm and lightly tapped her fingers. Bucky's fingers wiggled in response and Wanda smiled as she lightly ran her fingers up to his wrist and then back down to his fingertips. Each movement she made caused Bucky's hand to close ever so slightly or for his fingers to wiggle or his whole body to shiver.
"The nightmares are getting worse?" she asked.
"Hm." He nodded once. "You?"
"They come and go." She breathed out slowly. "But when they come they're pretty bad."
He watched her for a moment. "You should tell Steve."
"I could say the same to you."
They shared a look and Bucky smiled. Wanda laughed a little and focused back on her movements.
"There's no point in bothering him," she said.
"Agreed."
They lapsed into silence. Wanda moved from his metal hand to his other one. With every second that passed Bucky felt his whole body relax. All of the darkness that had invaded his mind and made it hard to breathe seemed to be at bay again.
"I'm sorry I bothered you again," he said, catching sight of the covers, still lying in a heap by the door.
"I would have been offended if you didn't come to me." He looked at her and she smiled. "And hey, this time I didn't even use my powers."
He nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, I think this is enough," he said, his eyes drifting down to her fingers.
They stilled and Bucky gently moved his hand, pushing his fingers between us, gently closing his hand around hers. She closed her hand around his and watched them for a moment before her smile came back, growing bigger than before.
"It's late," he said. "You should go back to sleep."
She squeezed his hand out of fear that he might try to move. "Stay. In here⦠I mean, if you want to."
"I can stay," he said, nodding his head.
As he moved off the bed she crawled up and laid down, tucking one arm under her pillow. Bucky grabbed the covers from the floor and placed them over her before lying on top of them. He lay on his back, one arm behind his head like a pillow. Wanda looked up at him and smiled as he slowly closed his eyes. She tucked her head back down, moving a little closer to his side, before her own eyes drifted shut.
