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Like most nights, Bucky couldn"t sleep. When this happened, he sometimes went for a ride on his motorbike and watched the sun rise on a hill or when he was not in the mood to go out, he turned the tv on some silly re-run that was actually new to him. That was the reason why he had finished watching Friends and Sex and the City - and if anybody knew about this he would gladly assassinate them.
So it wasn"t a surprise when he woke up from a nightmare in his room, panting and disoriented until he managed to calm himself down long enough to recognize the familiar bare walls around him. Bucky had his own apartment - albeit just as bare and unlived in - but it was Sam"s idea that he moved to the Compound for a bit to socialize with the rest of the team. It was a move that was wholly Steve"s in character and Bucky was sure it had been passed down through the shield to Sam when he took on the Captain America"s mantle. You know, spreading like herpes. He told Sam that and the man just laughed at him and told him it would be good for him.
Bucky didn"t want to admit that Sam was right. But he was. It was good to interact with other people besides Sam. Bucky felt like he was finally bringing back his old self again and the feeling was both daunting and exhilarating.
But the nightmares were still a constant in his life regardless if he felt like he was making progress socially or not. So today instead of going for a ride or watching Samantha fuck half of New York City, (Yes, of course she was his favorite, there was no question about it.) he decided to make something to eat. Maybe with a full stomach he could go back to sleep, even if he doubted that was possible. Bucky was one of those people that once he was up, he was up.
So he put on some pajama pants and a soft gray shirt over his dog tags and made his way to the smaller kitchen, the one near a sort of break room/living room.
He almost didn"t see you since you were wrapped in a soft cream colored blanket that blended nicely with the couch you were curled up on. But the glow from the huge tv illuminating your face, the only part that was uncovered by the blanket, was unmistakable.
"Why are you up?" He asked and you startled, looking back at him as the blanket slipped from your head.
Bucky liked you. You had made him feel welcomed immediately and although you were just as socially awkward as he was, you made an effort to always be polite and talk to him.
"Couldn"t sleep." You answered, settling again comfortably on the couch. "You?"
"Same." He stared for a moment at your tired face. "Thought I could make something to eat since I was already up." He started to make his way toward the kitchen again. "Want some grilled cheese?" He asked and you nodded, making him turn around and enter the kitchen without even glancing at the tv.
It didn"t take long for the grilled cheeses to be ready and he even brought some juice over, which you promptly thanked him for. He sat down next to you, enjoying the company as he glanced at the tv, seeing that you were watching some kind of medical show.
"What you"re watching? He asked, watching pleased as you took a huge bite of the grilled cheese he had made for you.
"Doctor Pimple Popper." You replied nonchalantly as Bucky stopped with his own sandwich one quarter from his mouth.
"The what now?" He asked with a frown on his face.
"She"s a dermatologist." You replied, not giving anything more away as you drank your juice.
You stayed silent for a moment and Bucky finally bit down on his grilled cheese, watching as a beautiful asian woman talked to the camera. Then there was an interview with a man that had a huge cyst on his leg, the side of a baseball.
"What the fuck." Bucky said as he watched the man say that he was living with the cyst for 37 years.
"Oh that"s gonna be a good one." You mumbled as you drank more juice.
Bucky watched, terrified, as the Doctor prepped the man for the local surgery. Then she was slicing into the man"s cyst and the pus squirted out, making him sick on the spot. "I love it when they squirt!" You said with a huge grin on your face as the doctor started to press on the cyst, making huge amounts of pus come out of it. "Kinda looks like ricotta, don"t you think?" She turned to Bucky and asked him, then she took another bite of her sandwich.
"How can you eat seeing something like this?! Why are you watching something like this?!" He asked, dropping his plate on the coffee table with his half eaten grilled cheese on it.
"I love watching videos like this, they are very satisfying." You said, shrugging.
"That"s gross." He said, chancing a glance at the screen and then retching, almost throwing up.
"How are you finding this so gross?" You ask with an amused face. "Aren"t you an ex-assassin?"
"Yes!" He replied emphatically, not daring to look at the screen again. "But I have never seen someone be sliced open and that much pus came out!"
"Oh that"s nothing." You replied, looking back at the screen. "One time I saw Doctor Lee squeeze a cyst so big that when the pus finally came out it was gray in color."
Bucky couldn"t help himself; he retched again, appalled as you finished your sandwich.
"Ok, you big baby!" You rolled your eyes at him. "There, it "s gone." You pointed at the tv and when he looked the youtube logo was staring at him. "What do you wanna watch then?"
Bucky took a moment to reply, trying to settle his stomach. "Sex and the city." He mumbled, not even caring if you were gonna make fun of him.
"Sex and the City? Really? You asked and he nodded. So you grabbed the remote and put on HBO Max, finding the show easily. "Who"s your favorite?" You asked.
"Samantha." He admitted and you smiled at him, so brightly that it could obfuscate the sun.
"Mine too! She"s amazing, I wish I was more like her but if I"m being honest with myself I"m more of a Miranda." You shrugged and looked back to the tv.
"Aren"t you gonna make fun of me?" He asked and you looked back at him with a frown on your face.
"Why would I do that?"
"It"s not a…manly show." He replied.
"And? Bucky, you just caught me seeing cysts oozing pus at 3am. I"m in no position to judge you." You said.
"There"s something comforting and catharthic about seeing a show about four rich women where the main conflict is merely a cheating boyfriend or another thing like that."
"I agree. That"s why I watch Doctor Pimple Popper." You say. "But sit-coms are amazing when we want to sit and don"t think about anything. I"ve spent many days rewatching Friends and Golden Girls because of that."
"Golden girls?" He asked, not knowing what the show was about.
"Ooh boy! We are gonna watch it after this, if you like SATC you"re gonna LOVE Golden Girls."
Happy to oblige, Bucky settled into the sofa and shared your blanket. After the episode was done, you switched up to Golden Girls and you two watched it until the wee hours of the morning, laughing hysterically together at the antics of the elderly women.
He watched as you settled more and more into him as the hours passed, finally falling asleep curled next to him. He kept watching it, not even realizing he was sleepy until he passed out next to you.
In the morning, Sam woke up earlier than usual because he had an early meeting that he couldn"t miss. He made his way to the kitchen when he stopped in his tracks. The tv was on a episode of Golden Girls, he recognized the intro but that wasn"t what made him pause. There on the couch, snuggled together were you and Bucky, sound asleep in each others arms.
With a smile, Sam walked over and turned off the tv, snapping a pic of the two of you for blackmail purposes later. "Sleep well, kids." He whispered, before making his way into the kitchen.