Status: after a unintentional lengthy hiatus, I'm back into this !

Lay Me Down

slow it down

The sun had not yet risen. The moon still hung in the sky amongst a blanket of stars. But Katherine was awake. She pulled her sweater around her shoulders, regretting her choice to leave her coat on her walk to Bucky’s tent. She hoped to catch him before he headed to the truck; she did not want the men to witness a private moment between them. She passed Steve’s tent, and turned right, noticing a light illuminated her destination.

“Knock knock.” She lifted the flap of Bucky’s tent, finding him sitting on the edge of his bunk, in conversation with Steve. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Bucky rose as he caught sight of the woman in his tent. “No, no. You’re not interrupting.” He turned to his friend. “We’ll finish this later?”

Steve nodded in confirmation, clapping his friend on the shoulder and turning away. He stopped in front of Katherine, smiling down at her. “Dr. Davis.”

She cocked an eyebrow, returning the smile. “Captain.” She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his torso. “Be safe.”

“Yes ma’am.” He squeezed her briefly. “I’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

“Thank you, Steve.” The captain lifted the flap of the tent, leaving the couple alone.

“Here.” Katherine turned and felt something heavy on her shoulders. Bucky’s jacket. She held it by the collar, feeling Bucky’s hands still on her. “You’re shivering.”

“It’s cold outside. Won’t you need this?”

Bucky shrugged, shaking his head. “I’ll borrow Steve’s if I need it.”

Smiling softly, she pulled his jacket closer to her. “You can have it back once you return.”

Instead of responding, Bucky wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Katherine closed her eyes as he rested his cheek on her temple. “Be safe.” She murmured against his collar. “Be smart.”

He tightened his grip on her, resting his hand on the back of her head, keeping his Katherine close to him. “When I come back,” he began, his voice low. “I want…” He cleared his throat, pulling back to look her in the eye. “Kat, will you be my girl?”

Without hesitation, Katherine closed the space between them, pressing his lips to Bucky’s eagerly. His hands ran down her spine, resting on her hips, and they rushed to be as close as possible. Katherine broke the kiss, taking a deep breath. “I am yours, Bucky.”

He looked at her, a light crease between his brows, his blue eyes never losing their sparkle. “Nothing is going to change that. No matter what. All I need in this world is to know that you’re mine. That’s it. Because I am yours. As long as I know that it’s Buck and Kat against the world.”

He cleared his throat and took a small step back, creating some space between them. “I want to give you something. I want you to hold onto it for me.” Bucky reached a hand into his jacket pocket. “I want you to wear this until I come back. And when I do, I want to make an honest woman of you.”

“Bucky, what-” Katherine’s confusion was silenced when Bucky produced a simple silver ring, with a small round diamond in the centre.

“It’s not much, I know,” he replied, sheepishly. “But under our current circumstances, it was the best I could find. If you want something a little nicer or more extravagant, I know this great jeweler in Brooklyn-”

It was Katherine’s turn to interrupt Bucky. “It’s perfect.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her head to meet his lips. “This is absolutely perfect. Thank you.”

Eyes closed, foreheads touching, they held each other for one last moment. Bucky was the first to break the silence, kissing her forehead before saying, “I have to get going, doll.”

She nodded, unable to find her voice.

A final brief kiss was pressed to her lips.

“Be safe, Bucky. Be smart.” Katherine ran a finger along his jaw. “Come back to me.”

“I’ll be back before you know it.” He smiled down at her. “You’ll have your head occupied with all that reading you love to do so much.”
♠ ♠ ♠
as usual i have no excuse for my absence, other than life.
so here's a new chapter.
there's only one, potentially two left.
i may get them written tonight. if not, this week.
promise xo.
thank you to every single person still reading this little fic that started in fun. i appreciate you.