"No, it's...a monster." Bucky told her, not quite sure if it was the right word but going with it because it required the least explanation. "It can make you see things, hear things, without showing itself to other people."
"Yeah, he's a great kid." He nodded, "I do, I opened it. He's been a lot of help." Bucky told her. Distractions, reminding her of good things, normal, happy things. He really hoped it would work.
He just gave her a small but gentle smile at her confession. He didn't say anything right away but reached in to his shirt, pulling out the necklace that was always tucked in to it. Two rings dangled from the chain, one much smaller than the other, but both were clearly men's rings. "My husband's name was Steve too." he told her, voice a little bit soft the way it always got when he talked about Steve. "We were married almost 15 years on the station and honestly, we had one of the more boring relationships." he let the necklace go but didn't put it away, letting it sit on his chest on top of his shirt now. "I can't promise that right here, right now, everyone would be okay with it. But once we get back to the station, no one will even give it a second thought. Being gay is not something you need to be afraid of anymore. I promise."
"The Russian isn't real." he reassured, "It's the same thing that's making all the noise, the same monster. It can tell what you're afraid of and it uses it against you." He put a hand back on her shoulder. "You're a part of the station now and we protect each other. No one will let anyone hurt you like that." He knew he'd had it easy, growing up on the station, but he'd done some research when he was younger. Seen the things society had done to gay people through the years. "I will not let anyone hurt you like that."