pairings: bucky barnes x reader
warnings: pure fluff
about: y/n helping bucky dry and brush his hair after a shower
a/n: i know i was supposed to do peter but i completely forgot, and i didn't know what else to write lmao

you're humming lightly while your fingers thread through his hair, gently scrubbing in the sweet-smelling shampoo and cleaning it away from any leftover mission grime. the candles on your surrounding flat surfaces are making the soft smell of lavender waft in the air, tangling with the scent of the products you've used on bucky. "have you ever done this for yourself?" you ask, voice quiet and drifting with the gentleness in the bathroom. you feel bucky shake his head under your touch. "there weren't fancy things like this back in the day," he explains, the roughness of his soft voice not colliding with the mood. "and hydra wasn't really concerned with my hair," he finishes. your movements pause at the memory of what he's been through.

"i'm sorry," you say after a few seconds, continuing to massage his hair. "there's no reason for you to be," bucky shrugs. "i just want to erase everything they did to you," you admit, "i want to make everything better for you."

bucky reaches up to take your hand, looking up at you through the bubbles of the shampoo. "you do. you do every time you're with me," he promises, the edges of his lips tugging up before he groans and lets go of your hand, beginning to rub at the soap that snuck into his eyes. "oh," you mumble, reaching out to clean your bubbled fingers and collect clean water in your cupped hands to pour it on his face. you help him clean his eyes until he can open them again to see your small smile. "what?" he questions nervously, and you grin at him, "you just look so light. comfort looks very pretty on you."

bucky blushes, and you go back to scrubbing his hair, washing it out before squeezing conditioner into your palm and rubbing it into your boyfriend's locks. you run your fingers through the strands to detangle them as tenderly as possible. the vibration of the hummed song and your fingers relax bucky enough to get him to fall asleep.

the minutes after you coax him up are groggy, and he can only remember the towel you wrap around his head as you help him dry off and tug on his sweatpants. "d'i jus' go to sleep now?" bucky wonders aloud, feeling the shake of your head while you unwrap the towel, letting the sopping black fall to his shoulders. you scrunch his hair with the towel before stroking in hair oil and brushing through his hair with a hairbrush.

"thank you," bucky mumbles when you're done, his head in your lap and vibranium fingers rubbing into your thighs. "of course," you tell him, pressing a kiss to his forehead as his eyes flutter closed.