Lost and Found

Oh

A/N: words: 1548. This fic, it is my favourite thing I've ever written. And its about to get good. I'm very excited. Anyway, enjoy!

Bucky stirred awake and was greeted by the smell of eggs. He opened one eye and peered at the kitchen. More specifically, Sam. Sam moved around the small space, searching for spices and muttering under his breath. Bucky cracked a smile and stumbled from under his covers. He leaned against the counter and watched as Sam cooked. This behaviour is normal. "Mornin'" Sam said as he flips an egg, and Bucky can hear the smile on his face. "Morning." Bucky said between a yawn. Sam smiled wider and passed a plate of scrambled eggs to Bucky. He nodded in thanks, and Sam started eating his own. The sun shone through the windows, perfectly illuminating Sam. His dark skin glowed in the light, and his eyes became less of a chocolate brown to more of a golden brown. The sun highlighted every part of Sam. The scars littering his face and arm, his smile looked brighter. It was a good morning.

"You're staring." Sam's voice shook Bucky from his daze, and Bucky looked up to find Sam looking at him pointedly. Bucky face began to heat up and looked back down at his food, mumbling a small "sorry". Sam smiled and rolled his eyes. Sam took a moment to see how much Bucky had changed since he got there. He looked brighter, he looked alive, not just living. His hair falling at his shoulders, looking smooth and soft. He looked, frankly he looked adorable, but Sam isn't dwelling on that.

"Now you're staring." Bucky said pointedly, a smirk on his face. Sam rolled his eyes, his face heating up. "Glad to see we have a shared trait." Sam joked, put his plate in the sink. Bucky huffed and shovelled the last of his eggs into his mouth. "So, thoughts on the movies from yesterday?" Sam inquired, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I still stand my point that Snow White is superior." Sam scoffed at Bucky's answer, and Bucky has a satisfied smirk on his face. "The girl is 14! She gets married at 14!" Sam countered, and Bucky hesitated. "Yes, but the story was good." Bucky pointed out, but that wasn't changing Sam's mind. "Ah yes, the Queen is jealous of her stepdaughter, so she tries to kill her. But no, don't worry, it doesn't work at first. Because the stepdaughter goes to live with some dwarfs, because duh. So then, the dwarfs make her clean and cook, let a complete stranger in their house, then said stranger poisons the girl. But don't worry, at the funeral, this random prince wanders over and kisses her, for no reason-" Bucky shook his head, brows furrowed. "No, no, the kiss was to wake her up." Bucky said matter-of-factly. Sam furrowed his eyebrows, making a face. "That doesn't even make sense! It was the carbon from the dwarfs that made her wake up!" Sam countered, and Bucky rolled his eyes, letting his shoulders slump. "It's a Disney movie!" Bucky cried, a laugh dancing in his voice. Sam smiled, while shaking his head. "I'm just saying, it's weird." Sam explained, and Bucky huffed out a laugh. "Fine, what's your favourite Disney movie then?" Bucky inquired, and Sam sat in thought for a minute.

"I wanna say Aladdin, but that could change." Sam replied, and Bucky scrunched up his nose in thought. "Isn't that the one where he lies to her on multiple occasions?" Bucky questioned, but he knew the answer. Sam looked at him with an are you kidding me look. Bucky smiled mischievously. "At least she wasn't being hunted down and poisoned by her parental figure." Sam countered, and Bucky scoffed. "You're ridiculous." Bucky stated, a wide smile on his face. Sam laughed softly, a grin taking over his face. "That makes two of us." Sam quipped back. He got a warm feeling in his chest. He loved moments like this, they would tease and argue, with no real malice behind it. It reminded him of his ma and pops.

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Later that evening, it started drizzling, and Bucky didn't stop complaining. "I need more plums, Wilson." Bucky told him, and Sam shook his head, closing his book. "That's because you eat like 7 a day." Sam countered. Bucky rolled his eyes. Then, an idea popped into his head. "Can't you drive me to the farmer's market?" Bucky proposed, and Sam gave him a pointed look. "They're all closed, genius." Sam retorted, fully looking at Bucky. Bucky rolled his eyes. "Well, I would suggest grocery stores, but the plums aren't as good." Sam snorted at this, and Bucky raised his eyebrow. "What?" Sam was full on laughing now.

"You mean to tell me- you- you have standards for your plums?" Sam said between laughs, and Bucky made a face. "Yes, I do." Bucky admitted, laughing too. Sam calmed down a bit to see if it was real. And it was. Bucky's face split in a grin, producing the most beautiful laugh Sam had ever heard. Bucky's entire face lit up as he laughed, he looked brighter, a million times happier. He looked younger, like some pieces from the 40s were still in there, shining through the cracks. Sam smiled even wider, small laughs still erupting from him. "Can you wait till tomorrow, I hate driving in the rain." Sam all but pleaded, and Bucky sighed, a smile still on his lips. "Fine."

Sam grinned and went back to his book. Bucky came and sat on the bed with him, reading his own book. They ended up falling asleep like that, a book in both their laps and their heads pressed against each other.

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The next day, Sam ended up going to the market alone, because he knew Bucky would drag him to every vendor, and he didn't have the patience for that. Besides, when Sam walked into the apartment, Bucky sat on his bed reading, looking peaceful. When he heard Sam walk through the doors, he looked up with the biggest smile. Sam smiled too, and set the bags down. "Plums?" Bucky said expectantly, and Sam rolled his eyes. "Yes, you man child." Bucky barked out a laugh, and Sam smiled even wider. Sam went to sit on his bed and shivered. "God, it's cold in here, man." Sam said, and Bucky nodded, biting into a plum.

A crazy, insane, stupid thought ran through Bucky's head. Give him a sweatshirt. It was ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous is that he's considering it. What's the worst thing that could happen, right? It was just a sweatshirt. Before Bucky could think twice, he made his way to his box of clothes. Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "Here." Bucky threw him a sweatshirt, a small smile on his face, and a blush spreading across his cheeks. Sam's face flushed, but he didn't know why, it was just a sweater. He slipped it on, and smiled at Bucky, who was making lunch. It was mundane, but it made Sam smile when Bucky did day to day things.

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Later that night, Sam lied in his bed, unable to fall asleep. Tonight, it wasn't because of nightmares, thankfully. No, it was because of the brunette beside him, snoring softly as he slept. He couldn't stop thinking about him, smiling at him, looking at him. It was always him. And Sam didn't know why. Sure, they lived together, it made sense, but he always felt different around him. He hadn't felt like it for, probably, forever. But Sam couldn't place it. He just enjoyed spending time with Bucky. He enjoyed bickering and joking with him, watching movies with him, laughing with him. He honestly loved it. Nothing gave him pure joy more than joking around with Bucky. And they always kept each other on their toes. There was this intensity that wasn't because of anger, it was because of Bucky. And he loved it.

Sam's mind drifted to Bucky's smile. The one he first saw. The corners of his mouth going up slightly, but his eyes said it all. They sparkled with pure joy, like he was finally at peace. Sam thought about his own smile when he was around Bucky. It was an ear to ear grin, even when he felt sluggish or upset after a nightmare, Bucky always knew how to make him smile like that. It made him feel most like himself. Maybe that's why Sam loved being with Bucky so much, because he felt like himself. He'd never felt like this before. It was a mix of adrenaline, and care, and adoration, and love.

Oh.

So that's what this is. How did Sam not put this together sooner? He loved Bucky. He had hope for him. He trusted him. He knew Bucky Barnes. Not James Barnes, from the 40s. And not the Winter Solider. He knew Bucky Barnes, right now, right here. And he loved him. It was still a bit difficult to wrap his head around, considering, well, their history. And this week made only one month of them living together. And he already fell in love with him. Typical. Sam smiled, even though a million thoughts ran through his mind, now he knew what was eating away at him. It was him falling in love with an ex-assassin. Of course it was.