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John didn't think he and Bucky would ever get along. They had too much history for that and Bucky had seen the worst sides of John. He didn't know how to come back from that. So he was a little nervous about working with Bucky on a new team even though Val insisted everything would be fine.
To his surprise, she was actually right. Bucky wasn’t exactly warm but he did treat John with respect and slowly their mutual respect grew into a friendship of sorts. They had more in common than John initially thought.
One night after a long and hard mission, they crashed at John's apartment together. They were just going to drink a few beers at first, but that quickly turned into something else. They talked, really talked, and John realized there was more to what he felt for Bucky than friendship. Even more surprisingly, Bucky reciprocated those feelings. John thought he did at least, judging by the way Bucky kissed him.
"I have been wanting to do that for a while," Bucky admitted.
"Me too," John said, because looking back he definitely had been wanting this for a long time.
"I'm glad," Bucky said.
John kissed him again. There was something comforting about kissing Bucky, something calming. John felt like all the burdens he carried had been lifted from his shoulders. It felt like he could have a fresh start, finally.
"Do you want to stay the night?" John asked Bucky after they kissed again and again and again.
"I'd love to," Bucky said.
They cleared up their empty beer bottles and then John led Bucky to his bedroom. They undressed each other and got into bed.
"Are you a cuddler?" John asked.
"I love being spooned," Bucky admitted shyly.
"I love spooning," John said. He pressed a gentle kiss to Bucky’s lips. "So we are the perfect match."
"We are," Bucky said. John could just about see him smile in the dark
They got into bed and John wrapped his arms around Bucky, Bucky’s back was pressed against John's chest. This too felt comforting and calming. It felt safe. This was everything John had longed for all his life. It felt like a gift to finally have this. John wasn't sure what he had done to deserve this, to deserve Bucky, after every wrong he had committed, but he was grateful for it. He would do his best to be what Bucky deserved. It was worth it. Maybe, just maybe, John was worth it.