Little Secrets, Little Bucky

Peaceful Mornings And Adrenaline Rushes

Bucky woke up big the next morning, and got out of the bed to shower. He got dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a gray undershirt. He almost went out to the kitchen but he was still cold. One of the things that he'd been working on with his therapist was that he deserved to be comfortable. He didn't need to suffer through unnecessary discomfort, especially when there was a simple solution. He grabbed a dark green Henley from his duffel bag and threw it on over his t-shirt, careful not to make too much noise and wake Y/n.

He padded out to the living room, intending on lighting the fireplace but was surprised to see it already lit. He groaned when he saw Sam and Steve cuddled up on the couch, Sam was wearing the same Henley that he was. "Oh come on!"

Sam jolted, not having noticed Bucky walk into the room, and tightened a protective arm around Steve who was lying on his chest, and Steve gave a surprised look over at Bucky. "What'd I do?" he asked in an anxious voice. "Is it too much public affection?"

Bucky's eyes softened at his best friend's insecurity. "Of course not Stevie. You can cuddle your boyfriend all you want, I'm just pissed that Sam and I are wearing literally the exact same shirt." A look of relief crossed Steve's face as Sam laughed. "I can't even go change because your sister is still asleep and I'm pretty sure that if I wake her up she'll try to kill me."

"Nah, she loves you too much for that," Sam said, going back to running his hand up and down Steve's back. Bucky flushed red as he fiddled with the silver chain around his wrist, still unused to this many reminders that he finally belonged to someone. "Besides, she'll probably be up within half an hour. She's not exactly one to sleep in on vacation."

"None of us are," Steve mumbled into Sam's chest. "That's why we should all take a nap today."

"Agreed," Sam pressed a kiss to Steve's temple, smiling when the other man tightened his hold on him.

"I'm gonna make breakfast, do you guys want some?" Bucky offered, smiling fondly when they both nodded at the contentment that his best friend had finally found after a lifetime of searching. The fact that he and Steve had both managed to find something so secure and safe felt unreal. When Hydra took him he'd thought that the rest of his life would be spent in fear, suffering at the hands of violent men and women until he'd eventually die a painful death. But somehow he'd found his way home. And much to his surprise, home wasn't a place, it wasn't a house or an apartment or even the tower. Home was Steve. Home was Sam. Home was Y/n.

He went into the small kitchen and started cooking, turning on the little radio in the window. A big band station came on and before long he was happily dancing and humming along to the music while he cooked. Steve watched from his spot on the couch and Sam noticed a far away look in his eyes.

"Everything okay?" He asked softly.

Steve nodded his head. "It's just been a while since I've seen him so at peace with himself. It's been a while for me too," he quietly admitted, comforted by the way that his partner held him tighter. He often jokingly referred to Sam as his angel, but in all honesty nothing could possibly come closer to the truth. He'd spent so long trying to fix himself, to completely move on from the past so that he could be loved. So that someone, maybe, could see him as something more than just Captain America. But Sam didn't want him to be fixed, he didn't want him to let go of every last piece of the past, he didn't even want him because of his reputation. Sam had seen straight past the confident leader, the perfect golden boy, and seen the terrified, insecure, and lonely man that Steve had spent so long trying to hide away. He'd seen him, and he still chose him.

"I love you," Sam whispered, like it was a privilege to say it. Steve couldn't count how many times Sam had told him that. It was as endless as the stars in the sky, and yet Steve could never really get tired of hearing it. Because Sam didn't fall in love with Captain America, he fell in love with Steve Rogers. And Steve Rogers fell in love with him too.