A/N: words: 1646. I've said this every time, but yall dont understand. I love this thing so much. Also, votes are fun and cool. Anyway, enjoy!

Sam let a few tears slip down his cheeks as he calmed down. It was one of the worst nightmares he had gotten in a while. The images flashed in his mind and Sam just wanted to disappear. He let a whimper out and heard movement come from the bed beside him. "Sam?" Bucky whispered, his voice drenched in sleep and worry. Sam turned slowly. "Hi." he said weakly, so soft it was barely a whisper. Bucky furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Hey, you ok?" Bucky asked quietly as he sat up. Sam just sighed and shrugged. "Nightmare." Sam explained, and Bucky nodded. "Want some tea?" Bucky offered, and Sam smiled softly. "Sure." Sam would make fun of Bucky and his tea, but at the moment, he was too tired, and really wanted tea.

They sat in silence as the water boiled, both lost in their thoughts. Bucky didn't know how to help in this situation, but Sam doesn't deserve to wake up crying like that, so he sure as hell was gonna try.

Once the water boiled, Bucky poured them both some tea and went to sit back on his bed. He wordlessly handed it to Sam. "Green with sugar." Bucky muttered, having memorized how Sam took his tea. Sam smiled at the gesture and took a sip. It was good tea, sweet and rich. Bucky kept quiet for a few minutes, waiting to see when Sam wanted to talk about it. Or if Sam wanted to talk about it. "The nightmare was the same as every night, but it was clearer this time," Sam explained, and Bucky looked up, "normally, I watched from where I had when he fell. But tonight, a watched from the side. Like a movie. I could see everything. Myself, Riley. It was a lot. And it kept replaying, it just never stopped." Sam finished, taking another sip from his tea. Bucky looked at him with comfort in his eyes, watching as the tears welled in Sam's eyes.

"I know, it's hard, especially nights where they don't stop. And I know we haven't known each other a long time, only a few weeks, but I'm here. I know it's hard to believe, considering everything, but I do care about you. I'll always be here. I promise." Bucky said confidently, and Sam looked at him like he was the most important thing in the world. "Thank you, Bucky." Sam said, still shaky, but true. He had never used 'Bucky' before, so they both knew he meant it. "'Course." Bucky replied, a small smile on his face.

They sat in silence, sipping their teas, listening to the traffic outside. The words replayed in Sam's mind. "I care about you. I'll always be here. I promise." Sam had never heard such caring words from a friend. Sure, his friends had helped him in the past, but there was so much more meaning in Bucky's words that threw Sam off. Bucky meant it like no one had. And Sam really believed Bucky. He understood how hard it must've been for Bucky to trust him, but he did. It was hard for Sam to trust Bucky, but he does. Against all odds, it seemed to work out. They both know what it's like to lose, to feel lost, and now they found each other. And Sam couldn't be more thankful.

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Sam figured it had been an hour since the nightmare woke him up, and he still couldn't sleep. He was worried the nightmares would come back, even worse than before. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bucky stir, eyes barely closed. "Barnes?" Sam whispered, and Bucky hummed. "Can't sleep?" Bucky guessed, and Sam breathed out a "yeah". Bucky looked up at Sam and saw his hand falling off the bed, inching closer to Bucky's. He tried to shake off the need to reach up and grab it, but he couldn't. His hand itched to get closer.

Sam saw the distress on Bucky's face, but he didn't see the cause of it. His eyes followed Barnes' and sees their hands inches apart. Sam shut his eyes and moved his hand down, brushing his fingers against Bucky's. Bucky smiled and wordlessly intertwined their fingers, knowing it'd be enough.

Sam finally drifted to sleep, knowing Bucky's there. Bucky will always be there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They woke up like that, and were only mildly confused. Sam woke up first, and he didn't know what to do. He needed to get up, but, Bucky still had his hand in a gentle grasp, so Sam couldn't just move. Sam sighed. This shouldn't have been such a big deal. Just let go of his hand, Wilson. Sam saw Bucky stir in his sleep and the grip on his hand become tighter. Sam was staying.

Sam listened to the traffic outside, the soft breaths that came from the brunette on the bed beside him. Sam shook his head. This was his life. His very concerning life. But hey, it was working. It was working well. Sam was happy, and so was Bucky, by the looks of things. He saw Bucky blink his eyes open, and Sam pretended like he wasn't staring since he woke up. "Morning." Sam greeted softly, now getting up. Bucky just huffed in annoyance, causing Sam to grin. "Breakfast?" Sam questioned, and Bucky pulled the covers up over his head. Sam shook his head fondly. "Noted." Sam pulled out some milk and cereal, pouring two bowls, knowing Barnes would be up any minute.

At the smell of coffee, Bucky peaked his head out from the covers and got up slowly. Sam sat at the table with a smug smile, eating his cereal. "I hate how well you know me. It's ridiculous." Bucky mumbled, and Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "I catch on quick." Sam quipped back, and Bucky took a sip of his coffee. "We've lived together for 3 weeks, Sam. That's not catching on quick. That's concerning." Bucky joked with a smile, and Sam laughed. Bucky smiled a bit wider at the sound. "Fair." Sam agreed. They ate in silence mostly, only talking when thoughts popped into their heads.

Bucky ran a hand through his hair, and it got stuck on the knots. He winced in pain, and Sam looked at him with concern. "You good?" Sam asked, and Bucky nodded, detangling his hair from his fingers. "Yeah, just my damn hair." Bucky explained, and Sam nodded. "I could brush it for you, give it a cut." Sam suggested, and Bucky smiled at the thought. Why not? "Sure, if you wanna." Bucky agreed, and Sam flashed a smile. "Great. Go wash it first, and I'll get my stuff ready." Sam announced, and Bucky nodded.

Bucky walked out of the bathroom in sweatpants and... Sam's sweatshirt. It was one of Sam's baggier sweatshirts, so he could see why Barnes would mistake it for his. Still didn't explain the flutter in Sam's stomach seeing Bucky in his clothes, that's for damn sure. Bucky seemed unbothered, and looked at Sam expectantly. Sam shook himself from his gaze and nodded. "Ok, Barnes, your mop is about to be transformed." Bucky huffed in annoyance at Sam's comment, and the shorter man grinned. Bucky sat in front of Sam on the bed and rolled his eyes. "You better not mess with me." Bucky knew Sam wouldn't, but he knew how to make Sam laugh, and he wanted to hear his laugh. He got to hear the laugh.

Bucky winced every time the brush got to one of the bigger knots, and Sam would always whisper out a soft "sorry". Once it was done, Bucky was shocked how much better he felt. And he could run his hands through his hair again. "We're not down yet, Rapunzel." Sam joked, and Bucky pouted. "Really, you had to make a reference to Tangled even though we're watching it tonight. You couldn't have waited till I knew what you're talking about?" Sam laughed again, cheerful and genuine. "Not my fault you're a princess." Sam quipped back, and Bucky felt his face heating up. Instead of a snarky comment, Bucky grunted in annoyance and allowed Sam to cut his dead ends. In all honesty, they were both still processing the 'princess' comment.

Sam finished up about 10 minutes later, and Bucky turned to face Sam. They were close. Really close. Bucky could feel Sam's soft breaths against his neck. "Thanks, Wilson." Bucky said, soft and sincere. Sam smiled. "'Course. And, uh, thanks for last night, I didn't think I'd be able to sleep, but that helped." Sam explained, and Bucky looked down sheepishly. Sam's gaze never left Bucky. He looked so much brighter than the day they met. He smiles often and bright, his eyes sparkle now, like they do in the photos. Just a million times better. His face just looked happier.

Bucky looked up and met Sam's gaze. A loose strand of hair falls in font of Bucky's face, and Sam tucked it behind Bucky's ear. Bucky tried to keep his cool, keep his heartbeat steady, keep his face blank, but that didn't go well. Fortunately, Sam got up first, but now Bucky missed the closeness of Sam sitting in front of him. He saw Sam retrieving his laptop and a smile spread across his face. "Ready for Tangled?" Sam asked him, setting the laptop on the table, pulling it closer to the bed. "Most definitely."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had gotten through a lot of movies that day. As the last movie's credits rolled, Bucky's eyes got heavy, and he fell against Sam's pillow. Sam rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips. He couldn't ask him to move, so he settled to take Bucky's bed. God, Bucky stole Sam's sweatshirt, now his bed. If he's not too careful, Barnes might just steal his heart. Maybe he already has