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Sam felt himself rise out of sleep. There was no violent jerk, no loud noise, no startle that roused him from his rest. It just happened. He sighed and rolled over, instantly realizing the bed was cold and empty. Only then did he actually open his sandy eyelids and squint around the room. The clock glowed with the numbers 3:22. It made sense that Bucky wasn't in bed yet. He usually came around 4 every morning, tossed and turned for about another 30 minutes then pretended to sleep for about an hour before he could actually sleep —and even that only lasted him two hours before either a nightmare shook him or he decided he wanted to go for a morning run with Sam.
Sam groaned and sat up. His throat was dry and the glass of water on the bedside table was empty. With half-lidded eyes, he set his feet on the floors and began his trudge to the kitchen. Despite knowing that Bucky was awake and probably muddling around somewhere within these walls, the apartment was dead silent.
Sam didn't startle at the figure slumped in the blackness of the living room. This was better than that one time Bucky was climbing inside from the fire escape. Sam felt the piercing gaze on his back as he moved through the kitchen. It was as chilling as it was comforting —therefore, raising goosebumps all along Sam's back as though he'd been touched.
"You coming to bed soon?" Sam turned and asked the hidden figure once he'd set the emptied glass down.
There was a shift, the shadow shuffled slightly but didn't move into the light. Sam was sure by the shuffling of fabric that Bucky may have just adjusted himself on the couch -possibly to see Sam better. He knew that super soldiers could see in the dark.
"Uh, yeah," Bucky's gravelly voice floated through the room, and Sam's brows furrowed. Even though Bucky was surely tired by now, his voice never carried the heaviness of exhaustion —but it did now.
Sam moved towards the wall -knowing that Bucky's eyes were on him as he did so.
"I'm turning the lights on," he announced. Bucky didn't respond so Sam shrugged and flicked the switch. He flinched once his own eyes were stabbed with the white light. After an adjustment period, he reopened them in time to watch Bucky pop something small into his mouth and begin chewing.
"What'cha eatin'?" Sam tilted his head and stalked towards Bucky's curled-up figure on the couch.
"Gummies," Bucky hummed as he popped another one in his mouth.
Sam let out a frustrated huff. He didn't remember having gummies, he hadn't bought any in a while. He didn't know that Bucky even liked them. And Bucky —well he knew that Bucky stuck to Sam's routines at most times. On most days, Bucky —like Steve had— acted like he was still living through the Depression.
"From where?" Sam inquired just before his eyes were able to fall to Bucky's lap.
"Your cupboard," Bucky said just as the thoughts clicked in Sam's sleepy mind.
Sam frowned at the label before his heart sank in his chest. "Bucky..."
"What?" Bucky's blown-out blue eyes lifted to Sam with confusion.
"Those are melatonin," Sam scolded right as he snatched the bottle for Bucky's grip. His face fell and his heart sank to the depths of hell when he noticed the once-full bottle at half-mast.
"Meaning?" Bucky lifted his brows in a casual manner while taking in Sam's facial expressions. He felt his muscles start to finally relax despite Sam's exasperation and apparent worry. Bucky shifted himself into a reclined position but kept his gaze on Sam's.
"They're not a snack, Bucky," Sam groaned while seating himself almost on Bucky's lap. "They're meant to put you to sleep," he said softly as his large, rough hands reached up to gently cup Bucky's cheeks and look into his eyes.
"Oh thank God," Bucky mumbled while his eyes fluttered closed —leaning into the welcomed warmth of Sam's calloused hands. He wasn't sure if it was because Sam was so close to him or because of the melanoma things but his skin felt like it buzzed under the warmth of Sam's tender touch and -holy fuck was it lulling him to sleep better than any Russian Lullibye he'd heard from Natalia.
"Bucky," Sam's stern tone forced Bucky to raised his heavy eyelids as he took in the wide-eyed look on Sam's face. The man wasn't half-asleep anymore. "You can't go to sleep right now."
"Why not," Bucky mumbled with half-lidded eyes. "I'm sleeping."
"Because," Sam huffed in frustration before shifted and almost hauling Bucky's body onto his lap. It was an awkward and uncomfortable position (as per Sam's intentions) but Bucky had slept in worse so it didn't bother him too much. "You may not wake up after you fall asleep."
Bucky couldn't help the whistful smile that graced his lips. "Are you worried, Sam?"
"No shit," he grunted when Bucky shifted and pushed them both into a lying position on the couch. In one swift movement, Bucky had crawled over Sam's lap and used his weight to set him on his back. Then, Bucky adjusted his body so that his head would fall easily in the crook of Sam's neck while his entire body blanketed Sam.
"That's sweet," Bucky hummed while nuzzling into Sam.
"No, it's not," Sam protested while fruitlessly pushed Bucky's shoulders. Sam knew, very well though, that Bucky wouldn't be moved unless he allowed Sam to move him, and at this point, he didn't seem like he wanted to budge.
"I'm a super soldier, Sam," Bucky grumbled then place the lightest kiss under Sam's ear. He wasn't even sure if he had truly felt Bucky's lips or if it was just the huff of heat from when Bucky spoke. "Horse tranquilizer doesn't even keep me down long. A little melasma isn't going to kill me," Bucky soothed while lazily dragging his metal hand down Sam's side before he settled on Sam's hip.
"But what if-"
"Shhh," Bucky whispered softly while dragging his left arm up and down Sam's side. The shudder that moved through Sam was enough for Bucky to keep going. "I'll be fine in the morning. Just let me sleep Sam," Bucky said with a mock-sternness that made Sam roll his eyes, but he couldn't deny that the warmth and soothing movement was pulling him back to rest.
"Yeah, but you shouldn't just eat melatonin-"
"I'm sure you'll give me an earful in the morning, Sam," and the way Bucky says Sam's name in that little Brooklyn drawl always turned him into a sucker. Steve used to do it before, Bucky does it now, and it worked every fucking time.
"Whatever," Sam huffed in half-annoyance.
"Goodnight, Sam," Bucky said after a few silent minutes —and there it was again, that ghost of a kiss just under Sam's ear that made him shiver a bit. And he was sure it happened this time just based on the way Bucky's lips stay pressed against his skin and spread into a content smile.
"'Night, Buck," Sam said softly before he begrudgingly wrapped his arms around Bucky's waist and they held each other through sleep.