"-and then he kept doing laps around me like I was the snail in the race." Sam raises his arms in defeat as you laugh along with the story.
Bucky tenses at the sound of your laugh echoing through the corridor leading toward him. He glances down at his spoon, hoping he looks half decent and practices his best smile, the sort that always swooned girls back in his day.
"Didn't realize you were up," Sam calls out as both of you enter the kitchen, you trailing behind Sam almost going unnoticed until you tuck your hair behind your ear.
His blue eyes follow your figure, ignoring Sam entirely until Sam clears his throat, snapping Bucky's attention back to his friend. "Yeah, I, I couldn't sleep." He huffs lightly before returning to his coffee whilst you sit opposite him, a mug already in your grip as your fingertips tap the mug rhythmically.
"Mind still troubling you, Buck?" You ask nonchalantly, not aware of Sam's eyes widening along with Bucky's upon hearing his nickname leaving your lips. "What?" You look to Sam who tightens his jaw as he turns his back, reaching for some breakfast as a distraction.
"Erm, yeah." Bucky stutters, suddenly losing all sense of thought and how to act normally. "I just want a break, a time out," He explains as he lifts his gaze up, meeting your soft eyes as they focus on him with everything.
"You want something to kinda stop it, just for a few hours." You mutter, talking from experience as Bucky nods.
"Yeah," He raises the corner of his lip. "exactly, doll." The word rolls off of his tongue automatically, and the moment is short-lived as Sam drops his bowl to the ground, swearing to himself.
"Oh Sam," You laugh lightly as you move quickly to the ground, picking up pieces of the bowl. "you're so clumsy sometimes I wonder how they let you wear the wings."
As you keep picking up pieces of the bowl, Sam looks to Bucky with cold eyes. "Yeah, be a shame if I were to have an accident." He replies to you whilst keeping his focus on Bucky. "You still on for coffee later?" Sam turns around, smiling to you as you stand upright, blowing your hair out of your face in an adorable manner that makes Bucky's heart swell.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss coffee and seeing ol' Phil." You nudge Sam before placing the broken bowl in the bin and swiftly walk over and pick your coffee up. "Bye boys." You sing to them as you leave the room with a small smile on your face, one Bucky cannot shake from his mind.
"Look dude," Sam's voice becomes cold, harsh as he stands in front of Bucky. "I'm only going to say this once, but you've gotta back off." Holding his hand up in front of Bucky, he merely raises an eyebrow at the action.
"You want me to, back off?" Bucky scoffs to himself and turns around, only to be spun in his chair as Sam holds his shirt in his fist. Looking down, Bucky raises his hands. "No need for violence, Sammy."
"There will be if you don't leave her alone, Buck." He states bluntly before releasing Bucky's shirt from his grip. "She's still healing and I don't want you messing her around like that." He sighs heavily. "I feel like I'm just getting my best friend back so don't ruin it."
Sam walks out of the room before Bucky has the chance to ask what he means, but is left with that lingering thought. You were only just back to being yourself, but how?
*
Rolling over, Bucky wanted to scream as he saw the time.
A combination of frustration and exhaustion was a cocktail he drank daily, and the need refused to stop. He contemplated staying in bed, staring at his ceiling until the images would fade and he could get some sleep. But opted to wander around the compound in the dead of night.
