Lover

Sam and Bucky returned to their home after an exhausting day of work. They had found a house in Delacroix where Sam's family lived, and Bucky felt comfortable and accepted, so they thought it was most convenient. They had been living together for two months now.

Initially, they had been a bit concerned about how living together would be, but surprisingly, sharing their space had been comfortable, and they had to admit that they liked it, maybe even too much. Moreover, it made it easier for them to go on missions together, and Sam could be close to his family while maintaining his own space. Not to mention, it was much more economical to live in the same house than in separate ones.

"Let's hope the bad guys give us a break so we can take down the Christmas decorations," Sam commented, tired, as he dropped onto the sofa. Bucky's expression made his realize that there was something off about that idea for him.

"What's wrong, Buck?"

"It's nothing," Bucky replied, avoiding Sam's gaze.

"Come on, man, tell me. Remember we talked about how communication is important?"

"I like the lights."

"You like the lights?" Sam asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, they're beautiful and bring warmth, joy. They just make everything feel better."

"Do you want to leave them up?" Sam asked, making Bucky look at him, surprised.

"Can we?" Despite the surprise, his voice sounded hopeful.

"Of course we can, Bucky, it's our home. We can do whatever we want. We're in charge here."

Bucky's smile made Sam want to get a million more lights just so his friend never stopped smiling like that.

"Thank you, Sam."

"It's nothing, man, it doesn't matter," he said completely seriously, because it was true. Nothing mattered, not the possible opinion of the neighbors, not the electricity bill... Nothing, if what it was compared to was Bucky's happiness.

Two days later, Sam was working on the computer when Bucky came in with a glass and a nervous smile.

"For you," he said, handing his the glass, which Sam accepted a bit puzzled. He took a sip, and his eyes opened wide. It was his favorite Starbucks coffee, a limited edition only available at Christmas and no longer sold.

"How did you get this?" Sam asked, genuinely impressed.

"Ever heard that everything is on the internet if you know where to look? Well, everything is on the internet if you know where to look," Bucky said, amused, while Sam took another sip of his coffee and closed his eyes with pleasure. "A former Starbucks employee posted the recipes on his TikTok."

"Wait, did you get the recipe, buy the ingredients, and make this coffee for me?" Barnes nodded, explaining why Bucky had wanted to go shopping alone that morning instead of waiting for Sam to finish his bureaucratic work and go together.

"You agreed to keep the lights for me, and I wanted to do something for you too."

"You know you didn't owe me anything, right? You weren't obligated to give me anything in return for the lights, Buck."

"I know, but you made me happy, and I wanted to make you happy too. I always want you to be happy, Sam."

Sam smiled and took another sip of his coffee.

"Thank you so much, Bucky, it's delicious."

Bucky's smile could have lit up the entire city.

"Do you really like it?"

"I love it!" And as if to prove his point, he took another sip. "Thanks again," he said with a smile as bright as Bucky's.

"Anytime, Sam," and he meant it because Bucky was willing to make all the coffees in the world or anything else the man wanted if it meant Sam would smile like that.