Bucky shot up in bed. His forehead had a sheen of sweat and his breathing was faster than it should be. He had another nightmare. They were coming more frequently now. He hated it. He would have ones so bad that he would wake Steve up with his kicking and screaming. At least that didn't happen this time. He looked over and saw that Steve was still sound asleep. That was good. He checked the clock behind Steve on the side table. It read 3:12 am.  He took a shaky breath and carefully slid out of bed. He threw one of Steve's hoodies on and a thin cargo jacket. He then pulled on his runners and left the room. 

Once he had exited the tower, he was hit with a cold gust of wind and snow. It was the middle of December. New York was covered in snow. It was practically a blizzard as he stood there. A lot of houses had been snowed in a few days before. 

He put his hands in his pockets, and breathed shakily through his mouth, making a cloud of fog in front of him. He looked up at the tower before he started to walk down the street. He had left his phone on the side table upstairs, but he didn't go back in to get it. He kept walking. He didn't see anyone as he walked. He didn't see any cars drive by. It seemed as though he was completely isolated, and he didn't completely hate it. He was shivering wildly, but he didn't care. It was worth it for the peace. He just needed to be alone for a bit. He loved Steve, but sometimes he just needed to face his thoughts on his own. 

He reached a park after a while, and sat down on a snow-covered bench. He looked out ahead of him. There weren't any footprints in the snow except for his own. The street lights made the microscopic ice crystals twinkle and he stared down at them as he shivered. He hugged his jacket closer to his frame, his breath fogging every time he exhaled. He knew he shouldn't be here. He knew it was too cold, but he still didn't care. 

***

Steve woke up almost two hours later when he went to go wrap an arm around Bucky and it only just fell to the mattress. He sat up in a panic. Bucky was gone. He immediately got up, "Bucky!" he called. No answer. He dialed his number, but his stomach sank when he heard Bucky's phone buzz on the side table. He hung up and looked for any clues. Bucky's shoes were gone, and so was his jacket. He went to go put a sweater on and noticed that one of those were missing too. All of Bucky's winter stuff was still there though. His hat, his gloves, and his scarf were all left behind. Goddamn it! He would freeze to death! He threw on his own winter gear, and brought Bucky's with him before he ran out the door. 

It was absolutely freezing outside, and the part that scared him the most was that he didn't know how long Bucky had been out there for. Or where he was. 

It took Steve twenty minutes of searching to finally find him. He ran to his side on the park bench and pulled him into a hug, "S-Stevie... How did you...?" he stammered, unable to finish. 

"Shhhhh, Buck. You're alright," Bucky was quaking with shivers and Steve rubbed his hands on his arms and his back to try to get him a bit warmer. He put his hate on his head, and his scarf around his neck, and his gloves on his hands. He was too pale, "what on earth were you thinking?"

"I... needed to be alone..."

Steve shook his head and held his hands tightly to warm them, "I could have left you alone... If you really wanted me to..."

"It's not that, S-Steve... I had a nightmare and I didn't know what else to do..."

Bucky's words were slurring, and when Steve checked his pulse he realized that it was too weak, "we need to get you home..." he told him. Those were both very common symptoms of hypothermia and that could be dangerous if he didn't get him warmed up soon. 

Bucky nodded weakly. Steve helped him up and held him tightly as they made their way back to the tower. Bucky was experiencing an increase in fatigue, and dizziness the more they walked. Steve was terrified, but he didn't show it. They got back to the tower and Steve helped him down onto the couch. He covered him in seven blankets and sat beside him to pull him into a huge hug. 

"I'm sorry, Stevie..." Bucky whispered. 

"Shhhh," he rubbed his back, "I understand. You don't need to be sorry. The only thing that matter is that you're okay."

Bucky slowly warmed up and fell asleep in Steve's arms. Steve kept rubbing his back softly as he slept. He couldn't believe he nearly lost him again. He couldn't be sad though because he was okay now. He didn't lose him. He was here in his arms. He was safe as long as he was here.