bucky barnes imagines

xxxii. PIANO

A/N – I've been playing the piano for over eleven years, which is where my inspiration for this came from.

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You sat down in front of the piano, running your fingers swiftly over the keys and allowing a small smile to appear on your face. It was almost 9pm and, after a long day of team meetings and briefings, you were ready to relax by playing some of your favourite pieces, just as you did every day.

You delicately hit the first C sharp minor chord of Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata, frowning when you noticed a strange sound coming from the piano. You paused and hit the notes again, only to realise that the sound wasn't the instrument at all – the soft whimpers were coming from the room next to yours.

You immediately stood up and walked the short distance until you were standing outside Bucky's room. The door was slightly ajar, so you knocked quietly before assuming that it was okay to enter. You quickly spotted Bucky huddled on his bed, curled up in a ball.

"Y/N?" he called out, clearly recognising the sound of your footsteps. His voice sounded shaky and broken.

"Hey, Buck," you replied, hopping onto the bed beside him. You knew from experience that he wouldn't talk about what was bothering him, so you didn't ask any questions. You wrapped an arm around him, pulling him towards you so he could rest his head on your shoulder, something that always calmed him down a little.

You sat together peacefully for a while, not speaking. At some point, Bucky's breathing became steadier and his tears stopped.

"Okay?" you asked him, tilting his head up slightly so you could look him in the eye.

"Mhm," he mumbled, not meeting your gaze.

Suddenly, you had an idea. "Come with me for a second," you insisted. Bucky looked uncertain, so you stood up, taking his hand and encouraging him to follow you. "Please?"

After a couple of seconds, Bucky began to walk with you. You led him to your room and sat at the piano, budging up so that there was room for him on the chair. He sat next to you and put his right arm around your waist to ensure that you wouldn't fall off.

"You're going to play for me?" Bucky's eyes lit up. He was always begging you to show him what you could play, but you were too shy. This time, you nodded as you began to play the first notes of a new piece you'd learned – Debussy's Clair De Lune.

You lost yourself in the calm music, so much so that you didn't register Bucky's reaction until the piece was over. He was staring at you, awestruck, his mouth hanging open slightly, his eyes sparkling.

"Wow," he murmured, "I had no idea you were that good."

You blushed and shook off the compliment. Bucky moved his arm from around your waist and played a few notes, attempting to form a tune. You giggled as he accidentally hit two keys at the same time, before placing your hand over his.

"Let me teach you something simple?"

Bucky nodded excitedly as you began to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He had good muscle memory and it took him no longer than fifteen minutes to learn the song. Your heart fluttered as you watched him repeat it over and over, looking towards you every now and then for approval.

He was adorable.

The two of you sat together for hours. At some point, you'd both moved to sit on your bed, and you'd ended up laying down. It was almost midnight when your eyelids began to feel heavy – usually you didn't get tired this early, but Bucky had his arms around you and he was playing with your hair and he was soft and warm and cuddly and your heart just couldn't take it.

"Y/N?" You were just awake enough to register Bucky whispering your name.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for this, I... I loved it. And I hope we can do this again."

You smiled sleepily and snuggled further into Bucky's chest, murmuring "I'd like that," before finally falling asleep.

Over the next few weeks, you began to spend more and more time with Bucky. Whenever he was upset, he would knock on your door and sit with you at the piano while you played for him – it always helped him to relax and both of you felt safe with each other.

One day, it reached 9pm – the time at which you usually sat down to practise the piano. However, on this occasion, you weren't playing anything; you were curled up in bed, stressed (though you weren't sure why), crying, with a splitting headache.

In his own room, Bucky listened carefully for the sound of the piano which he'd grown so accustomed to. After ten minutes, he realised that you weren't playing – and since you played every day without fail, something was definitely wrong.

He quickly stood up and walked to your room, knocking quietly on the door before walking in. You smiled tearfully as he approached you, holding your arms out for a hug. Bucky instantly took you into his arms, holding you for a few seconds before easily picking you up and carrying you across the room. Despite your bad mood, you giggled as he sat down at the piano with you on his lap.

Bucky jokingly flexed his fingers before beginning to play the melody of a song that you recognised instantly – Can't Help Falling in Love. To your surprise, he didn't make a single mistake.

"Bucky..." you whispered, once the song was over.

"You played for me when I was upset. I wanted to be able to do the same for you," he responded with a small smile.

"But how...?"

"I, uh..." Bucky sheepishly ran a hand through his hair, a blush rising to his cheeks. "When you were on that mission for a couple of days last week, I came in here whenever I wasn't feeling too great. I wanted to be around things that reminded me of you... and I figured I would learn this song so I could play it to you sometime."

Bucky carefully stood up, pulling you up with him. You leaned against the piano as he rested his hands on your waist.

"Why this song?" you murmured, hoping you'd get the response that you wanted. And, as usual, Bucky didn't disappoint.

"Because I'm in love with you, Y/N. I love you so much."

For a few seconds, you didn't say anything – you were speechless. Bucky looked slightly anxious, but his nerves melted away when you leaned up and kissed him.

He brought his hand up to cup the side of your face, while your own hands tangled in his hair. Your heartbeat increased dramatically as Bucky's lips moved against your own, gently and longingly.

When you pulled away, both of you were smiling and somewhat breathless. You giggled quietly as Bucky rested his forehead against yours, gazing into your eyes.

"I love you too."