Retrograde▸bucky barnes

25. Saturday

Lena woke to the feeling of sun streaming into her bedroom, its rays warm and gentle on her face. She didn't open her eyes as the daze of sleep left her, instead listening to the sound of steady breathing beside her - she couldn't help but wonder if she really was dreaming.

Eventually she opened her eyes and rolled to look at Bucky. His hair was longer now, longer than it had been when she first met him and fell over his face as he slept. She reached out to brush it away, tucking it carefully behind his ears.

At the soft weight of her fingers, he stirred and a small smile passed over his lips before he opened his eyes. Soft and bleary with sleep he blinked slowly, and Lena couldn't imagine anything more beautiful in the world.

"Good morning sunshine."

"Morning doll," he said, his voice rough with sleep.

He reached across the bed and pulled her toward him, his chin resting atop her head.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, her voice muffled but her heart fluttering.

He pressed a kiss into her hair and said, "I don't think I've ever slept better."

Lena laughed, "My bed isn't that comfortable."

"Yeah, but you are in it," he said, humor bubbling in his voice.

"Not for much longer," she said, retracting herself from his embrace and all but leaping from the bed, "I'm showing you around the city today. You've got to get up and get dressed."

Bucky's hand caught her wrist before she was able to fully get up, "Can't we just stay in bed a few minutes longer?"

"Bucky," Lena said, "there's so many things to see and there's only so much time to see them."

Bucky chuckled softly but didn't relent, instead pulling her back into the bed with what could only be described as super soldier strength. She fell into his arms laughing and he rolled so he was straddling her, casually pinning her down. Leaning in close to he said, "I'm hoping we have all the time in the world.

Lena smiled and caught his face in her hands, pulling him down onto her. His lips were gentle, his hands holding her so tenderly that she felt she was melting into him, that her soul was sewing itself onto his.

After several moments she pulled away slightly and sat up to look at him, "Do you really mean that? All the time in the world?"

Bucky reached to brush her hair out of her face, "of course. If you'll have me."

"But," Lena said, "What about your life? In New York?"

Bucky shrugged like he didn't have a care in the world, "What about it?"

"That's your home, don't you want to stay there?"

"Sometimes. But there's barely anyone there I know anymore. Sam is never there and God knows where anyone else is. And you - well you're here now."

Lena let herself imagine it - the reality where Bucky lived in Berlin, the reality that she had been trying to push out of her thoughts for months.

"Would you feel weird if I moved to Berlin?" he asked, suddenly averting his gaze like he had been nervous to ask the question.

Lena couldn't help but laugh, "You don't have to ask my permission to move to one of the world's most famous cities, Bucky."