17. velvet black
“You don’t need to stay up with me, you know.”
It was the first thing Bucky’d said in a long time. He sat propped up against the headboard, lips pinched and expression strained. He usually wouldn’t complain about the company, but this was getting ridiculous---he hadn’t been able to sleep well for the past few nights, the nightly struggles evidenced by the deep purple almost-bruises under his eyes.
Stupid fucking things set him off sometimes, which was frustrating. But this bout of sleeplessness mixed with nightmares had come from absolutely nowhere---they’d been having a good couple weeks, all training with no missions---and that was even more frustrating. And that was what left him sitting up in bed at eleven, not planning on sleeping after failed attempts at naps throughout the day.
Steve, though. He was a damn angel. Bucky knew he didn’t need to sleep as much as most people, but he’d been up and working hard all day. He’d be better off in his own room, getting some rest instead of stubbornly staying up with his insomniac boyfriend. Bucky, selfishly, wanted to keep him there. He liked the comfort. But he knew that Steve would be better off tucked into bed and dreaming of more back-breaking training simulations to put them through. “You should go, get some sleep.”
