#beck!

The first thing you noticed was the pain. Your head was pounding and your shoulder hurt like hell. Next was a sick feeling in your stomach and you started to curl up in reaction to it. Then you felt someone touch your arm and you struggled to open your eyes.

“Hey, hey take it easy. You took quite a spill out there,” a voice came from above you. You finally got your eyes to cooperate and focus on the face that went with the voice. Nope, nope, nope NOT possible... You blinked several times but finally had to give in to the absolute certainty that staring down at you, with obvious concern on his face, was none other than your number one celebrity obsession....

“Sebastian?” you managed to croak out in a confused voice.

“Good to know there’s no brain damage,” Sebastian smiled as he squatted down beside you. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” you groaned as you attempted to sit up but were stopped by a couple of what you definitely remembered to be strong and soft hands.

“Hang on, you need to stay put. The hotel has a doctor on call and he’s already on his way here to check on you. I almost called 911 but you seemed relatively okay. You know, except for the unconscious part.”

“What happened?” you asked tentatively, secretly hoping that you hadn’t completely embarrassed yourself in front of him.

“I’m not really sure. I stepped out of my room to grab some ice when I heard a noise near the elevator. By the time I turned you were halfway to the floor. I recognized you from the con and there was no way I was gonna just leave you there so I brought you into my room. You weren’t out for long, maybe ten minutes or so? I’m glad you woke up when you did, I was starting to worry.”

Sebastian Stan is worried. About me. AND he remembered me from earlier?!? I think I might pass out again. “Hey, um… I hate to bother you but, could I get some water?”

“Yeah, hang on.” He jumped up and returned with a bottle of water. You gulped it greedily as you attempted to ground yourself in what still felt like a dream. You glanced at him and caught him staring with that concerned look again when a knock at the door broke the silence.

The on-call doctor checked you over thoroughly while Sebastian made some phone calls and kept his distance until the doctor got up to leave.

“She should be fine,” the doctor said to Sebastian. “Looks like a simple case of exhaustion plus lack of food. Something to eat and plenty of rest and she should be good as new.” Sebastian thanked him and saw him out. As he turned back toward you he caught you attempting to get up and failing, miserably.

“Whoa,” he said as he steadied you and eased you back onto the couch, sitting down next to you. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“You heard the doctor, I’m fine,” you insisted. “I just need to get back to my room and eat something and go to bed. I’m okay, really.”

“You are clearly not okay and you are going to stay right here until I think it’s safe for you to leave,” he said. “That is, unless you’ve got a friend or somebody here that can take care of you?”

“No,” you admitted, “it’s just me. I came to the con alone” Cause I really REALLY wanted to see you but you don’t have to know that. “But I’ll be fine, really. I don’t want to be a bother and you probably have somewhere to be tonight and---”

“Hey,” Sebastian interrupted your rambling, taking one of your hands in his, “It’s been a long day for me too. My only plans for tonight involved pizza, channel surfing, and going to bed early so you’re not keeping me from anything. I’ll just order extra and you can hang out here. I’d actually love some company… but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, if you want to leave I understand…”

He has that worried look on his face again. Why does he have to look so hot AND be so nice? “No, I’ll stay. Not sure I have the strength to move right now anyway.” You lean back against the couch again as Sebastian goes to order pizzas. Your eyes feel so heavy. I’ll just close my eyes... for a minute…

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Pizza’s here.”

You scrunched up your face and groaned sleepily before you remembered where you were, and who you were with. “Wow, I don’t even remember falling asleep. Sorry...”

“No apologies necessary. You needed the rest. And now you need to eat.” Sebastian hands you a plate before settling comfortably next to you and switching on the television. “What do you feel like watching?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a TV at home,” you said between mouthfuls of pizza.

Seb turns and looks at you in shock. “How do you live without television?”

“I’m not completely cut off. I have the internet. And Netflix.” And I’ve seen everything you’ve ever done MULTIPLE times. “You should pick. Show me the wonders of this thing called ‘television’,” you said sarcastically with a grin.

To your complete delight he smiled back before turning his attention to the channel guide. After a moment he settled on a science documentary. “Hope this is okay. I’m sort of a science nerd, space especially.”

“I get that, for me it’s dinosaurs. There’s a museum near where I live with some dinosaur exhibits that are amazing.” You both spend several minutes nerding out over sciencey things as the pizza disappears and the sun sinks lower in the sky. The conversation turns to other things and eventually lands on the con.

Seb confessed, “Don’t get me wrong, I love going to cons. Meeting the fans is the best part. It’s just being up onstage during a panel can be a little nerve-wracking, sometimes I don’t know what to say. Like with your question, I took so long to answer because I wanted to get it right.”

Wow, he really DID remember me. This guy is seriously too good to be true. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stress you out or anything…”

“No! Not at all. Like I said, I wanted to get it right. I understand how much a fan has to go through to get just a few short minutes with me. I want to make sure that those minutes are meaningful and sincere.”

“It was certainly memorable for me” you stated with a blush rising in your cheeks.

“Well I’m glad to hear that,” Seb said, smiling at you.

You looked up at him and started to return the smile when suddenly you found yourself yawning. It was huge and you couldn’t control it and it was right in his beautiful face. “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry! That was so rude, I promise I’m not bored, I mean you’re not boring, I mean----”

Sebastian cuts you off, laughing as he does so, “Relax! It’s fine, really. We’ve both had really long days and should probably get some sleep, especially you after what happened earlier.”

You took that as your cue to leave so you started to get up. Seb’s hand shot out and gently took you by the arm. “Hey, you’re not leaving, are you? Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t say that to make you think you needed to go.”

You swallowed nervously, “Did you.... do you want me to stay?”

Sebastian blushed holy crap I made him blush and rubbed the back of his neck, “No, yeah, I mean… I just feel like I should see this through, you know, make sure you are really okay and that you get that sleep you needed. You did say you’re on your own here so….” He was rambling and it was adorable and you stopped him by placing your hand on his.

“That is incredibly chivalrous of you. My knight in shining armor you are.” You smiled at him and he visibly relaxed. “I’ll stay, but I’ll need to grab some things from my room first. It’ll only take me a minute.”

Sebastian was reluctant to let you go to your room alone but you convinced him you were feeling much better and could handle it. You were in and out in no time, much more comfortable now sans makeup and wearing your favorite pjs. When you got back you found that he had also changed, lowered the lights, and turned down the bed.

“I figured you’d be more comfortable up there. I’ll take the couch,” he said as he went to grab a pillow and blanket from the closet.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that! I’m the one intruding on your space, you shouldn’t have to sleep on what is, let’s be honest, not the most comfortable couch in the world.” He started to protest but you wouldn’t hear it. “Look, the bed is huge and we are both adults so quit arguing and come to bed with me Stan!”

Your eyes went wide when you realized what you’d said but whatever embarrassment you had was immediately dissipated by the sound of Sebastian’s laughter, laughter you couldn’t help but join in with.

“You’re right,” he said, still tickled by your outburst. “I need the sleep as much as you do and that couch is rubbish. If you’re sure you are okay with it….?”

“Absolutely.” You climbed under the sheets before you could give your brain a chance to second guess itself. After settling in you shot a text to your best friend letting her know you were okay and in for the night before turning your attention back to Sebastian. He turned out the light and eased into the bed next to you.

“Everything okay?” he asked, nodding toward your phone. “Love your case, by the way.”

“Yeah, I was just texting my friend. She wanted me to check in with her since I’m here by myself.” You laid your phone down next to you. “I really love my case too, I like to have a little bit of Bucky with me wherever I go.”

You both lay there for a moment in the dark and the quiet. You weren’t sure what Sebastian was thinking but you were definitely trying hard not to think of all the fanfics you’ve ever read that started out with characters in exactly this situation.

Seb broke the silence. “You know, Bucky is my favorite too. Out of all the characters I’ve ever played his has the richest backstory and I love that I get to play so many personalities and emotions with just one character. I’m really excited about where they’re going to take him in the upcoming movies.”

“Yeah, Bucky has a special place in my heart for sure.” You paused, unsure about what and how much to say next. You’ve thought a lot about what you would say to Sebastian if you ever got the chance and chances are the situation would never again be as perfect as it was at that very moment.  It’s now or never…

You took a deep breath and shared with Seb exactly why Bucky’s character is so special to you. You talked about your past and the connections you’ve made between what Bucky has been through and what you have been through and how you both are dealing with it. You told him how much you appreciated how seriously he takes the role and how perfectly he portrays what Bucky is feeling in every situation.

You could feel Seb looking intently at you. “I’m so glad that one of my characters has made such an impact on your life. It means a lot that you would open up with me, I could tell it wasn’t easy. I want you to know, it’s moments like this that I carry with me when I play Bucky, they are a reminder that what I do has a real impact on real people. Thank you, so much, for sharing with me.” He reached out to take your hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. He doesn't let go, instead he continues to hold your hand in his, resting them in the space between you. Your last thoughts before you drifted off to sleep were about the warmth of his hand and the kindness of his words.

You’re not sure what woke you up, it certainly wasn’t the sun judging by the dimness of the hotel room. You squinted and reached out tentatively only to discover you were alone in the bed. After a moment you realized the sounds that woke you were coming from the bathroom. He must be getting ready to leave. The thought filled you with more sadness than you expected.

The shower shut off and a few moments later the door opened. You glimpsed a gorgeous silhouette of Seb as he rummaged in his bag for something then returned to the bathroom. After what seemed like an eternity he emerged again, pulling a t-shirt over his head. You couldn’t help but stare, committing every image to memory, as he packed up the last of his belongings before grabbing his wallet and phone from the dresser.

“Hey there,” Seb notices you looking at him and comes over to sit down on the bed. “I’m glad you’re awake. Don’t worry about getting up, it’s super early. I’ve got a flight to catch but you’re welcome to stay right here for a few more hours until it’s time for you to leave.” He takes your hand in his and raises your knuckles to his lips for a chaste kiss. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad I got to play the part of the handsome prince who saves the damsel in distress. It’s not a role I generally get cast for.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, it’s a role that suits you,” you said with a small smile.

Sebastian returned your smile, holding onto your hand for an extra beat or two, before standing to leave. It was the next image that tore at your heart, the view of his back as he walked towards the door. No way would this be the last thing you saw before you never saw him again. You wanted to sound strong as you called out his name but instead your voice broke and was loaded with emotions you rarely let break the surface. He turned toward you to see that you were already making your way to him. You practically threw yourself into his arms, wrapping yourself around him as encircled you with his strong arms, holding you close and tucking your head under his chin. You tried to hold back the tears but a few escaped anyway as you held him as tightly as you could.

“Thank you,” you whispered into his chest. “Thank you so much for everything. And I don’t just mean the kindness you showed me last night. Thank you for being you and for saving me, in more ways than one.”

He didn’t say anything. He just held you, stroking your hair and your back until you were ready to let go. Standing there in front of him you suddenly felt very self-conscious until he lifted your chin and wiped the tears from your cheeks. He looked deep into your eyes and leaned forward to place a lingering kiss on your forehead. He made a point of backing out of the room this time, grabbing his bag as he went, giving you one last smile and a wink before the door closed between you.

It had been almost a week since you got back from the con and you were still riding the high of the weekend and the time that you spent with Sebastian. You felt a little guilty about not telling anyone, not even your best friend, but those precious few hours felt sacred to you and you were afraid that telling someone about them would taint them somehow.

You were almost to class when you heard an unfamiliar text tone come from your pocket. Confused you pulled out your phone to find a message from “Bucky….?” You stopped in your tracks and opened the message.

Just checking in with you. Hope it’s okay that I put my number in your phone. It was so nice talking to you the other night that I kinda didn’t want it to end. And I was worried about you. So…. message me back, or not, I’ll leave it up to you. :) -S

Moving to sit on a nearby bench you stared at your phone, reading and rereading the text over and over again. Your emotions cycled rapidly, from shock to disbelief to absolute joy. You couldn’t stop smiling as you began to text him your reply.