In the middle of the night, Bucky's restless sleep wakes me. I wouldn't be surprised if the day's events had awakened some memories that could fuel his nightmares. I listen to him toss and turn before he finally wakes up with a start.

After giving him some time to figure out where he is, I pull him close to me.

"I'm here, Bucky. It's okay." I whisper, running my fingers through his hair.

I can feel his body gradually relaxing in my arms. He runs a hand over his sweaty face, a mixture of exhaustion and weariness evident in his movement.

"They haven't gone away yet, have they?"

"I don't know if they'll ever go away." He replies, staring into space. "But they're less violent the nights you're with me."

"Then let me be your dream catcher."

Silence follows my words. Through the darkness, I can feel his eyes on me. I hear him move and change position before his breath hits my face. As I try to figure out how close he is to me, one of his hands gently brushes my cheek.

"I think... I think I love you."

I hold my breath as intense warmth begins to spread through my chest. No matter whether the emotion of the moment drives him to say these words or he really feels it, they make my heart pound faster. And they fill my whole body with joy.

"Love you too, Bucky."

His lips capture mine. The kiss is soft and pure, like proof of his confession. Even if it still manages to melt my body and soul.

"I've felt many things over the last 80 years. But this. This is by far the softest, the rightest feeling I've ever been given."

"You better get used to it. Because I'm not going anywhere."

"I wouldn't let you go without me anyway."

I let him fall back asleep against me, enjoying the gentle warmth that spreads through my veins as his breath becomes more regular. It seems crazy, but right now, I can't imagine my life without him.

No matter what insane and risky things happen when I'm with him.

The next morning, I wonder if I didn't dream this moment and this declaration. I kiss my sleeping boyfriend and sneak out of his room to the one I share with Sarah.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

My hand freezes on the doorknob when I recognize the voice. There goes discretion.

"Hi, Sam." I stammer as I close the door behind me. "You're up early."

"But at least I slept in my bed." He retorts, more amused than upset. "Whose room is this? You'd better tell me it's not Tic Tac's."

"No one's, I- Wait, who?"

"What's going on?" A sleepy voice asks as the door opens again behind me.

Well, now we're toast.

Sam's eyes widen and his mouth drops open as he looks at Bucky in the doorway. "You two? I knew it!"

"Shh, keep it down." I gesture to him to lower his voice. "We don't want everyone to know about it."

"So maybe you should think twice before doing whatever it is you do in one of the compound's rooms, with everyone around."

"Wait, we don't- It's not what you think."

"Please spare me the details. Guess the coach gets a taste of her own medicine? That's not very professional." He smirks, then looks at Bucky and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Man, when I said not my sister... maybe I should've been more specific."

Bucky moistens his lips, a slight smile forming on his face as he looks down at his feet and then away.

"We're-" I try to explain. "We wanted to keep our relationship a secret. For now. We were going to tell you."

"Your relationship? Wait, how long has this been going on?"

"I'd better get back to Sarah." I grin innocently.

Sam turns to his teammate, a serious look on his face. "You and me, we're gonna talk."

Sarah has inevitably noticed my absence, and I decide to tell her the truth. She welcomes the news even more enthusiastically than her brother, although she's slightly offended that I didn't tell her sooner. We pack our bags while I update her on everything that's happened lately, hoping she'll forgive me. She's so happy that I suppose she does.

Finally ready to leave, I meet Bucky in the hall and he gallantly takes my bag.

"What did Sam tell you?" I ask him to satisfy my curiosity.

"Well, he's threatened me. Not that I was impressed." He smirks. "I figured I should at least let him have the 'don't hurt her or I'll kick your ass' speech."

"Don't let him intimidate you." I chuckle. "He's far less impressive than Sarah when she's pissed off."

"I'll make a note of it."

As we walk out of the compound, I see Sharon heading our way. Great, to think the morning was going so well. I'm pretty sure Bucky can feel my body tensing. I'm not in the mood or have the energy to deal with her right now.

Unfortunately, she opens her mouth to speak before I can get away.

"Hi, you're leaving?"

"Yes." Bucky answers. "It was one hell of a reunion, once again."

"Yeah, almost getting used to it." She nods with a smile. "I would like to apologize." I look at her to see that she's talking to me. "You have every right to be mad at me. I don't trust people easily, he can testify. I was a bit on edge after yesterday's events, but you didn't deserve me to talk to you the way I did. You seem to be a good person."

I frown, almost blinking. It's the last thing I expected from her. I'm both surprised and a little skeptical. But this time, she sounds sincere. She didn't try to hide, didn't try to catch me alone like the other times.

"Um... Thanks, I guess. I appreciate your apology."

"I hope you and I can make a fresh start."

I glance over at Bucky, who's watching our exchange. He looks a little lost as to what's going on. So am I.

"I hope so too." I smile back at her.

I'm still confused when she wishes us a safe journey home. If it's true that it's always best to sleep on it, her night must have been a pretty productive one. Anyway, I'm not going to complain about this change, however out of character it may seem.

On the way back from the airport, I sit in the back of the car with Bucky. Now that it's just the four of us, we no longer have to hide our closeness from our friends. As tired as I am, Sarah has fallen asleep in the front seat, while I'm dozing on Bucky's shoulder.

"I have to admit, you two are kind of cute together." I hear Sam say to the one I use as a substitute pillow.

"I can't believe the power she has over me. No matter how much I'd like her to keep her distance from me for her safety, I wouldn't be able to stay away from her. But I'm so afraid of losing her, of putting her in danger without being able to protect her."

"About this part, I don't know if you've noticed, but she's very good at putting herself in danger without anyone's help."

I can hardly contain myself from laughing at the driver's remark. He's got a point.

"Tell me about it. You know as well as I do we're far from resting. There's always a new fight, and more wars on the way. I want so badly to keep her out of all that mess."

"Trust my experience, it's always better not to go through it alone. After a hard mission, being able to rest with someone you can rely on when you've spent all day being wary of everyone around you, it's priceless. Not to mention it remains an incredible resource of strength and motivation when things get tough."

"Guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I also think we tend to underestimate them too much. Look at what they've been through lately, their courage in the face of danger. One thing's for sure, they're stronger than we think."

I feel Bucky nod thoughtfully against me. I'll be sure to thank Sam for his wise words.

"And could you-"

"No, I'm not gonna move my seat, Buck. I'm driving."

Bucky lets out a sigh, clearly more amused than annoyed. As I move to reposition my head, which is slipping off his shoulder, he presses his lips to my forehead. 

An almost imperceptible whisper reaches my ears, making a smile grow on my face.

"I love you."