I've seen empath!Bucky headcanons before -- I think there's even a prompt somewhere in the depths of the meme -- but I don't think I've ever come across this angle on it. So, Bucky has always been an empath, but before the war all he could do was pick up other people's emotions. Later, a combination of Hydra's weaponization of him and his own subconscious efforts to survive in an abusive environment warped his ability into projective empathy; that is, now he transmits his emotions to others.

So imagine post-CATWS, traumatized Bucky not having the slightest control over what he projects and to whom. He's like a radio tower broadcasting feelings to everyone who comes near him. If he's calm or happy, this is fine. But if he's having a panic attack, anyone within the radius will also start freaking out; if he's having a nightmare, everyone in the building wakes up screaming; if he's caught in a loop of traumatic memories, everyone else starts feeling that same agony, self-loathing, desperation for the pain to go away, shame; if he's in a depressive low, other people walk around under that cloud of sullenness and dull misery. And if he's feeling self-destructive, like self-harming, or even suicidal, well...

I just want all the pain that goes with a situation where Bucky isn't violent, but his emotional pain is what makes him dangerous to be around. At best, you'll feel his unhappiness. And at worst, you could hurt yourself.

+ Steve isn't willing to abandon him so this takes a huuuge toll on his wellbeing

+ lots and lots of uncomfortable voyeuristic intimacy, with everyone getting exact knowledge of just how badly Bucky is hurting

++ emphasis on his history of rape, please, where everyone knows a) how fucked up he is over those memories and b) thanks to his flashbacks, how being raped felt