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Sam flops down on the couch with a grunt and covers his eyes with his arm, he's tired down to his bones – to the point where it felt like gravity had increased – and he aches everywhere. A hand gently touches at his knee in what he assumes is a move over gesture but that wasn't happening any time soon, instead he grunts in what he hopes is such a way that the other person understands the implied "if you want me to move you're going to have to do it your damn self because I ain't helping."
The person seems to understand because his legs are gripped and gently manoeuvred to rest on someone's lap. "You okay?" Bucky asks in a quiet gruff voice. Sam lets out another grunt, this one meaning "I'm tired, I'm sore and if you're expecting anything other than this out of me you are quite sorely mistaken." Bucky let out a chuckle, petting up and down Sam's leg, it's soothing. Sam figures he is around about 30 seconds from just passing out right there and then.
"You want me to give you a massage?" Bucky asks. Sam moves his arm to uncover his eyes and raise an eyebrow at him in disbelief, this causes Bucky to throw his head back and laugh – and Sam curses himself for deciding to date the stupid winter solider. Here he was feeling like he'd been put through a ringer and Mr Super Solider had been on the same mission and looks as fresh as a daisy. Well...maybe not quite a daisy, Sam didn't think he'd ever compare Bucky to a daisy. Sam huffs and lets his head fall back again, covering his eyes back up.
"I'm being serious you know." Bucky says.
"You gonna light a bunch of scented candles and use fancy oils?" Sam murmurs with a slight smirk. He feels Bucky move a little under his legs in what Sam assumes is Bucky shrugging his shoulders.
"If you want." Bucky says quietly, sounding almost sheepish. Sam uncovers his eyes again to see Bucky looking down at his lap, well Sam's legs in his lap, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Shit you were being serious." Sam says and Bucky's face pulls into a pout (Bucky insists he scowls not pouts whenever Sam teases him about it but Sam's never met a bigger pouter in his life).
"I said I was being serious." Bucky huffs and looks like he's about 30 seconds away from having a tantrum. Sam considers biting his tongue but he's always been a bit of a smartass.
"Did your new hand come with a massage function?" There's a pillow hitting his face before he has time to flinch, he lets out an oof followed by a pained laugh – that didn't help his sore muscles but it was 100% percent worth it. "Sorry, sorry." Sam says, trying to calm his laughing slightly. "I just wanted to make sure my boyfriend wasn't holding out on me."
This time his legs are pushed off their position on Bucky's lap and he finds himself sprawling on the floor as Bucky storms off, in more pain than before. Totally worth it.
Xxx
Sam's lying starfish on the bed when the bedroom door opens quietly and shuts even quieter, the person lingers at the door for a moment. "Don't worry I'm not asleep." Sam says without opening his eyes.
"I was just figuring how best to make you move over to your own side. History dictates that brute force is the only effective solution." Bucky replies, padding over to the bed – Sam can hear him lose his shoes and outer layers on the way.
"I'm just badly treated in this relationship – being pushed off of couches and out of beds." Sam laughs, the bed dips and he refuses to move or open his eyes. He expects some sort of push at least but instead Bucky lies down on his side, head resting on Sam's arm. It must be slightly precarious but he seems balanced.
Sam finally opens his eyes and turns his head to look at Bucky. "I'm the one whose badly treated." Bucky says, talking softly and with a soft smile adorning his lips. "I offer to do nice things for my boyfriend, like give him a massage, and I just get made fun of."
Sam laughs slightly, "Look, you really wanna give me a massage you can – I mean if that's the worst of your kinks I think I can manage it."
Bucky raises his arm to swat at Sam, Sam brings his arm up to deflect but the sudden movement destabilises Bucky slightly and they both lurch to stop him from falling off the side of the bed. There's a moment where they're still before Sam starts laughing properly, Bucky swats his arm and Sam doesn’t bother trying to stop him. Sam scoots over and pulls Bucky with him till they're more in the centre of the bed.
Bucky huffs and flops down on his back, "It wouldn't have to be sexual." Bucky says.
"What?" Sam asks lost and Bucky gives him an incredulous look. "Oh! So, you're telling me you'd massage me and we wouldn't have sex after?"
"Well it wouldn't be about that." Bucky replies.
"Well in that case I'm definitely out." Sam says face straight and Bucky looks like he wants to swat him again although he doesn't – he is pouting again though. With the most put-upon sigh Sam can actually manage without laughing again, he sits up and pulls his t shirt over his head throwing it across the room in the vague direction of the hamper. He turns over onto his back and rests his head on his crossed arm. "Go on then."
Bucky looks about ready to object before he gets a twinkle in his eye. Sam knows that twinkle – that twinkle means that no good will come of Bucky's idea, it's never stopped Sam from following along before though and it's certainly not going to stop him now.
Bucky sits up and straddles Sam's legs in one fluid motion. He leans down, hand on either side of Sam's head, and brings his lips so they're almost touching Sam's ear. "You're going to regret teasing me." Bucky breathes and it sends a shiver down Sam's spine.
Sam can't help but smile, "Never do and not about to." Sam answers mainly just to be stubborn. Bucky doesn't say anything but he sits back up, distributing his weight across the back of Sam's legs. There's a pause then, longer than Sam's expecting, in fact it draws out until Sam almost feels awkward – he would ask if there's a reason for the delay but he starts to think that maybe this is Bucky getting him back for teasing him.
"My hand might be a little cold." Bucky says and Sam starts to really worry about how seriously Bucky seems to be taking to this, it's not their usual teasing and banter – it feels heavier somehow and Sam for the life of him can't figure out why.
"It's okay, used to it." Sam says in a quiet voice, almost a whisper – trying to be a bit less teasing and a bit more kind. What he doesn’t say is he's more than used to it, in fact he likes Bucky's metal hand – but Sam tries not to think too much about it, doesn't want it to develop into a weird fetish.
Bucky's hands then come to rest on the top of Sam's back for a moment, another small shiver runs through Sam and he lies to himself and says it’s the cold. Bucky's thumbs then start to move in circular motions, digging into the muscles. It hurts but in a good way, the kind of hurt you get when you stretch out your muscles after a good workout. After a minute or two Bucky manages to hit a particular stiff part and loosen it, the result is making Sam let out an honest to god moan.
Neither of them are particular loud in bed, he doesn’t know if it's military thing or they both just happen to be quiet, but generally the most either of the let out are the occasional grunts and gasps. This though, this was an actually embarrassing out loud like the porn stars do it moan. Sam can feel himself freeze and he cheeks burn with embarrassment. He expects something from Bucky, a comment or at very least a laugh – but there isn't. Bucky just carries on.
Bucky makes his way down Sam's back slowly, kneading his sore muscle while Sam bites on his lip in a conscious effort not to make any more noises.
"Breathe." Bucky urges and Sam realises his been holding his breath. "It's fine, you can make noises – I won't say anything." Bucky continues, it's said in a soft comforting tone. For some reason that's what makes it click in Sam's head and everything falls into place, the reason that Bucky doesn’t seem to be his usual smug self winding Sam up. He wants to take care of Sam. He must have spent basically all his life up until the war looking after Steve from what Sam's heard, then even during the war Bucky followed Steve and became his sniper. It took being brainwashed for decades to stop that. Bucky likes to look after people – he's trying to look after Sam. Between them both being superheroes he guesses Bucky hasn't had much of a chance.
Sam lets out a small laugh which makes Bucky pause, Sam takes the opportunity and reaches behind him to swat at one of Bucky's leg. "Let me turn round." He says and Bucky's sit up on his knees to let Sam turn over.
Bucky's got a soft look on his face which Sam knows he's mirroring. "Come here." Sam says and Bucky leans down, the kiss is slow and soft and sickly sweet. Sam tugs Bucky's t shirt slowly up, he takes the hint and sits up to shed it quickly before leaning down again. They keep things slow.
It makes Sam's chest ache in a good way that Bucky want to take care of him, he wants to take care of Bucky too. That's kind of what they've doing since the start he supposes – in one way or another.
Another realisation comes over Sam in that moment, one that makes him smile so broadly it breaks the kiss a little – he's in love.
Bucky smiling back just as wide, the sun's shining in and seeming to make the room glow – and damn when did Sam turn into such a sap. "I love you." Sam says then – because well there's no reason to keep it to himself.
Bucky's eyes go wide for a moment before he's surging down and trying to kiss Sam with a frantic kind of energy. Sam slows him down to their previous pace, coaxing him into it and soothing his hand up and down Bucky's side. Bucky pulls back and rests his forehead against Sam's. "I love you too." It's said so quietly that Sam could have missed it if he wasn't listening. Sam strokes his hand up and down Bucky's back and the other one tangles, in his hair, he leans ups and kisses him in a series of quick pecks.
Bucky expression changes then, turning into a cocky smirk that Sam's seen a lot more of lately – one he's sure was a regular expression before everything happened to him. "I knew you'd like the massage but I didn't realise you'd like it that much."
Sam rolls his eyes but he can't keep the grin from his face. "I take it back, I don’t love you." He says and Bucky bursts out laughing.
"Nope you can't take it back out." He says poking at Sam's sides and making him flinch, he pushes up at Bucky making him flop over to the side on his back – he's still laughing.
"See I'm just mistreated." Sam says and Bucky laughs again, flinging his hand out to swat Sam in the chest.
"Mistreated! See if I give you another massage – I can use that as a threat now that I know how much you like them."
Sam laughs and takes hold of the hand that's still lying on his chest. "Whatever you say."