I wish you would write a fic where bucky keeps falling asleep around sam (while watching a movie, in the car, at meeting etc) and Sam thinks he’s boring him or smth and confronts bucky about it, only for bucky to explain he just feels safe and comfortable with Sam :)
ugh i am extremely weak for this trope and i accidentally wrote 2.3k of pining sambucky 🥺
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Sam doesn’t think much of it, the first time Bucky falls asleep beside him. They’d had a long day, helping some of Sarah’s neighbors overhaul their garden. Bucky had hauled no less than a dozen bags of soil and mulch from the truck to the yard, and had spent more than he fair share of time digging and planting flowers and bushes over the course of the afternoon.
Sam was the one who owed the family a favor, and Bucky didn’t have to come, but he offered, and Sam could hardly turn down the help. Plus, it was nice, seeing him get to know the people Sam had grown up with. Everyone took to him so easily Sam couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Bucky deserves that, deserves to feel normal and experience all the nice people of Delacroix Sam had promised him.
By the time they got home, sunburned and sore, Sarah and the boys had dinner nearly ready, and while Bucky had kept up his fair share of the dinner conversation, regaling Sarah with stories of all their work and the gossip Mrs. Jones had shared with him, Sam could see even then how tired he was. The good kind of tired that came after a long day of work in the sun, not the bone-deep exhaustion that sometimes plagued him after nightmares.
Maybe it should give Sam pause to realize that he can recognize exactly what brand of tired Bucky Barnes is at any given time, but he decides not to think too much of it.
Because now, they're on the couch, and the house is quiet aside from the hum of the dishwasher and the distant call of crickets and cicadas from outside the window, and Bucky is fast asleep at his side. They had a movie on, a comedy Sam’s seen at least five times and thought Bucky might like. Not that he made it very far, in the end.
Instead, Bucky’s snoring lightly, his head resting against Sam’s shoulder. The weight of it, combined with the steady rise and fall of Bucky’s breathing is almost soothing after such a long day, and so Sam doesn’t think much of it, just finishes the rest of the movie as Bucky sleeps beside him.
*
The next time it happens, it isn’t after a long day, though there are a few beers involved.
“You gotta see this sunset,” Sam had told Bucky, all but dragging him out of the house and onto the porch. He had a beer for each of them, and they sit in a comfortable silence as they watched the sun dip further and further behind the trees, painting the sky an array of pinks and purples as it went.
“Wow,” Bucky says, taking a long pull of his drink and turning to look at Sam. They’re sitting rocking chairs on the wraparound porch, enjoying the sunset and the breeze that comes through the trees at night, and Sam can’t help but notice how relaxed Bucky looks just then; how content he seems to be just like this.
“Yeah,” Sam replies, smiling. He’s also starting to realize how much he likes moments like this, showing Bucky all the little things that make Louisiana home. Sunsets on the porch had been such a big part of his life growing up, he never really thought there’d be a time he didn’t end every day just like this.
“You must miss this when you’re away,” Bucky says, reading his mind.
“Yeah,” Sam says with a sigh. “I try to soak up as much of this place as I can when I’m in town,” he admits.
Bucky yawns just then and Sam nudges him, asks if the sunset’s boring him, and while Bucky shakes his head, adamant that he’s just tired, Sam can’t help but laugh.
“I’m not carrying you inside, so don’t get any ideas,” Sam tells him.
He takes another sip of his drink, watching as lightning bugs start to appear across the lawn, twinkling on and off as the night grows darker. He thinks about moving back down here permanently, thinks about what it might be like if Bucky moved here, too, if not with him then close by, and the thought startles Sam enough that he looks over at the man beside him.
Sam's surprised to find Bucky asleep rather than just sitting silently, his head tipped back against the back of the chair, entirely oblivious to the sunset, the lightning bugs, and any thoughts of relocation that might be floating through Sam Wilson’s head just now.
And while Sam doesn’t carry him inside, he’s gentle when he shakes Bucky awake, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they make their way to the living room.
*
The third time is at a party, of all places. Tony has everyone over for a fourth of July thing, and Sam and Bucky go together. It’s nice, seeing everyone all together, a reunion of sorts. They spend a few hours catching up, mingling and eating and enjoying the pleasant hum of people the way they haven’t in a while.
“Where’s your sidekick?” Tony asks, sidling up beside Sam, a drink in his hand.
Sam laughs. “He’d hate that you called him that,” he says, though he realizes he hasn’t actually seen Bucky for a little while now. He’d kind of assumed he got caught up talking to Wanda, but she’s in the corner with Vision again, and Bucky’s nowhere to be found. “Though, I actually don’t know where he got off to,” Sam admits.
“Ah, well, I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. You two are more attached at the hip than Steve and I, and that’s saying something,” Tony winks.
“What is?” Steve asks, appearing at Tony’s side as if by magic and winding an arm around his waist. He frowns, confused when Sam and Tony just laugh.
“Nothing, darling, we’re just old and predictable,” Tony explains, pressing a kiss to Steve’s shoulder.
“Hmm,” Steve hums. “I don’t think I mind, though, do you?”
“Not in the least,” Tony says, and with that, Sam decides to make his exit. He loves Steve and Tony, he’s happy they’re happy, but sometimes seeing them together, how tender and easy they seem together, it makes him feel like he’s intruding on something. And more than that, it makes his stomach do that weird swoopy thing and his mind stray to his increasingly frequent thoughts about Bucky.
“I’d better go find Bucky,” Sam says, extricating himself.
“Check up on the roof,” Steve suggests, ever the best friend. “It’s quiet up there, and I think I saw him heading for the elevators a little while ago.”
“You’re the best, man,” Sam says, clapping Steve on the shoulder before making his way to the elevators.
Sure enough, Bucky’s on the roof, sitting in one of the many chairs Tony has up there.
“Had enough of the party?” Sam says by way of greeting. It says a lot that Bucky doesn’t so much as flinch at the sound of Sam’s voice behind him in the dark.
Bucky gives a shrug, turning to smile at him. “Knew you’d come up eventually,” he says.
“Yeah, well, Stark was asking where my sidekick was, so I figured I’d better come find him.”
“I’m not a sidekick,” Bucky says immediately.
“I told him you’d say as much,” Sam says, smiling now. He drops into the chair beside Bucky’s, looking up at the sky.
“Not many stars,” Bucky comments. “Not like at ho—Sarah’s,” he amends.
Sam pauses then, shooting Bucky a sideways glance as his stomach turns over again. “No, not quite,” he agrees.
“S’nice up here, though.” Bucky’s eyes are closed as he says it, and by now, Sam knows it’s probably only a matter of time before he’s asleep just like this, head back against the chair and Sam beside him.
“Tell me you didn’t wait for me to come up here to fall asleep,” Sam says. “I mean, I appreciate you not giving us a whole Hangover situation, but still.”
“Mm? I’m not hungover,” Bucky mumbles, still not opening his eyes.
“Yeah, you probably missed that movie anyway,” Sam smiles, a rush of fondness unfolding in his chest as he realizes that, once again, Bucky is sound asleep beside him.
*
They’re in a rundown motel room when Sam finally confronts him about it.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Bucky says as soon as he enters the room. He stops so suddenly that Sam walks right into him, peering over Bucky’s shoulder to see into the room. It’s an outdated space, complete with brown carpet that had surely once been another color, faded prints on the walls, and, sticking out in the center of the room, one queen-sized bed.
Just one.
Sam heaves a sigh; this really is the last thing he needs right now. He’s exhausted, for one thing, and for another, he isn’t looking to give his confusing thoughts about Bucky any more air time in his head. Sleeping together, even just sleeping, would almost certainly throw all of that into a tailspin.
“You’re not sleeping on the floor,” Sam sighs. “We’re adults, we can share a bed for one night.”
“I—”
“I’m getting in the shower,” Sam says, holding up a hand to stop him. “I’ll be right out, then you can continue that train of thought. But you’re not sleeping on the floor, so find a new argument.”
Bucky grunts something unintelligible as Sam makes his way to the bathroom. He stands under the hot spray until it runs cold, debating what to do about the bed situation. They could sleep head to foot, like kids at a sleepover. Or Sam himself could take the floor, but even the thought of that made his back twinge painfully.
Or, he could suck it up and share the bed like he’d suggested initially.
Sam’s prepared for another argument when he comes out of the bathroom, dressed in an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts, but Bucky’s already sprawled across the bed, asleep on top of the sweatshirt Sam had tossed aside on his way to the bathroom.
“Hey,” Sam says, poking Bucky’s shoulder. “What the hell?” He asks.
“Wha—? Sam,” Bucky says, blinking up at him.
“That’s me,” Sam says. “You’re sleeping on my shirt. And taking up half the bed,” he adds.
“Sorry,” Bucky yawns. He shuffles onto the left side of the bed, gesturing for Sam to join him.
“So much for sleeping on the floor, huh?” Sam can’t help but tease him as Bucky stretches and yawns yet again. “What am I, the most boring man alive?”
“No,” Bucky says, eyes widening. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you fall asleep as soon as I enter a room. Sometimes even before,” Sam says, gesturing to Bucky. The sweatshirt still sits between them on the bed, and he watches as Bucky looks down at it, then back at Sam, swallowing hard.
“Oh,” Bucky sighs. “I was hoping… I don’t know. That maybe you wouldn’t notice that.”
Sam laughs. “I’d have to blind not to notice you dozing off on me left and right, Buck.”
“Right,” Bucky says. “The thing is... I don’t sleep all that much these days? The nightmares…” He trails off, looking at Sam like he’s confessing his most dearly held secret. Hell, maybe he was. Sam suddenly regrets bringing it up at all, wants to go back to before, to arguing about who would sleep where and then do it. Wake up in the morning and drink bad coffee and get back on the road.
But no, that ship had sailed, and now Bucky’s looking at him like…
Well, Sam can’t say like what, and that’s exactly what's scaring him.
“You kind of… mellow me out, I guess,” Bucky says. “Your voice and your… everything, really. It’s soothing. Like I know I can sleep if you’re here, because nothing bad will happen. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud. I’m sorry.”
“It… doesn’t, actually,” Sam says. He’s trying to process everything Bucky just said and stop his heart from beating its way out of his chest, and he must be failing because Bucky frowns at him.
“I don’t think you’re boring, for what it’s worth. You think I’d listen to anyone else explain different soil types? Or the plot of a million different movies I’m never going to actually watch?”
“Well, not if you sleep through them,” Sam smiles.
“I hate you, I take it back, you’re the least soothing person I know.”
“Can’t take it back,” Sam says, “it’s out in the universe now: I help the former Winter Soldier sleep at night.”
Bucky groans. “You’re going to be unbearable about this, aren’t you?”
Sam smiles, and he knows it’s way too soft and fond, but he can’t help it, not after this. “I don’t know. Why don’t you come here and find out,” he says, holding an arm out for Bucky to move in closer. He does, tentatively at first, then letting his head come to rest against Sam’s shoulder like he has all those times before.
“This okay?” Bucky asks, his voice soft and tired.
“Yeah,” Sam says, clearing his throat. “I’m good. You good?”
“I’m good,” Bucky says.
He’s asleep before they can discuss it further.
*
The next morning, they wake up in a tangle of limbs, the thin motel blanket wrapped around them. The first thing Sam notices is how close they still are. Bucky’s legs are entwined with his, and at some point, Sam had wrapped his arms around Bucky while they slept.
He’d be a lot more concerned about this if he hadn’t also had one of the best nights' sleep in recent memory.
“Hmm… morning,” Bucky says, stirring beside him. He blinks awake slowly, long lashes giving way to tired blue eyes that Sam has never seen quite this close before.
“Morning,” Sam says, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Bucky to rouse himself and pull away or apologize or both, but neither of those things happen. Instead, he smiles, letting it unfurl slowly across his face.
“You felt it too,” Bucky says, and Sam doesn’t have to ask what he means.
“Yeah,” he says softly.
Bucky’s still smiling at him, warm and impossible, and he bites down on it before he meets Sam’s eye. “I’m gonna try something, okay?”
One minute, Sam's husking out a near-silent okay, and the next, Bucky’s lips are on his, pliant and warm and perfect, and yeah this is the best nights’ sleep he’s ever had.
in ep3, Zemo being Zemo, he talks about Bucky's notebook and points out the list, Sam looks curious but seeing how uncomfortable Bucky was, he tries to change the subject to music and Steve and he never mentions it, on screen, again.
then Sarah calls Sam in the iconic undercover mission scene. Bucky looks as confused as everyone else in the room, it doesn't seem to click for him who Sarah is, or the bank issue or Cass. he looks as lost as Zemo and Selby were.
but in ep 4 and 5 we see both of them mention these things like they have full knowledge of them.
in ep4 when Sarah calls Sam to inform him Karli have called to threaten her and the kids, Bucky asks what's happening and Sam says "Karli called Sarah" he doesn't say my sister, because Sarah is on Bucky's map now and he knows who she exactly is.
in ep5 when bucky goes to Sam's house to give him the suit, he says "so, this is the boat?" because he heard about it, how it's not working and that they might sell it.
then again in ep5, sam asks "are you still having those nightmares" he doesn't ask if he generally has any, he knows that they are the ones relating to the list that was in the notebook.
there was definitely a deadtime in Sharon's house before the party, or they didn't join from the beginning of the party. because these two sat together and discussed the boat, the bank, Sarah and the kids, the list, the notebook, the nightmares and Steve. just imagine them in Madripoor, on a balcony in Sharon's house, a drink in their hands and they just talk about everything.
You’re talking about two people entirely ripped from the world, thrown to another, and are just doing their best to make the right decision. And all they have is each other. To look to each other. And that journey is what it is. Is it love? For sure it’s love. However you wanna define that love is up to you. — Sebastian Stan
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