Mornings in the Barnes-Rogers’ household are quiet affairs. This one takes place on an empty-calendar Thursday, beginning as the sun creeps over the horizon and blinks her sleepy eyes, peering through half-drawn curtains. The insides of Bucky’s eyelids go from black to orangey-pink and he turns his head to the other side, blinking sleep away. Steve is sprawled out on the other side of the bed, the knuckles of his right hand just barely brushing Bucky’s ribs as though to make sure he’s there.
Bucky’s knit sweater is waiting for him at the end of the bed as he slides out of the sheets, taking extra care not to jostle the bed. He pulls the baby-blue garment over his head, smiling at the softness of the fabric as it settles on his bare shoulders. He pads out of the room, toes digging into the carpet with each step.
They had gotten talking with Tony some weeks ago about a silent kettle. The finished project sits on the bench with the hot chocolate powder and two mugs decorated with Avengers trademarks. Bucky flicks the kettle on and goes about finding a teaspoon and making hot chocolates - Steve with his preferred brand and Bucky with his. The milk he uses is one of the few things they manage to agree on.
With the two drinks made he returns to the bedroom and sets the mugs on their coasters on the bedside table. He slips back under the sheets, pressing up against Steve’s back and curling around him, tugging him to his chest with an arm wrapped around his waist. Steve’s still half asleep and hums sleepily, nuzzling further into the pillow. Bucky smiles fondly to himself, burying his nose into the crook where Steve’s neck meets his shoulder.
He doesn’t speak, simply waits for Steve to roll over. The room is a steady warmth around them, the sun beginning to stream in over their bed through the curtains they forgot to tug shut last night. Bucky lets himself breathe for a moment, revelling in the calm. A quiet mrrow comes from the doorway and Bucky cracks open one eye, peeking over Steve’s shoulder. Misha, their ginger rescue cat, stares at them with big green eyes, purring happily. She trots over to the bed and leaps up, going straight for Steve and butting her head along his chin.
Steve makes an adorable snuffling sound and fully opens his eyes, which crinkle at the corners as he smiles. Misha gives him another headbutt, demanding to be pet. Steve stretches out, taking a hand from under his pillow and obliging. He sits up more, turning towards Bucky with warm affection in his eyes.
He pauses in petting Misha long enough to sign; ‘morning, Buck.’
Bucky grins, leaning in to press his lips against Steve’s in a short kiss before he signs back; ‘morning, heart and soul.’ So he’s a little sickeningly in love with Steve. He thinks he’s allowed to show that however he wants, whether it’s cringey or not.
‘You made hot chocolate already?’ Steve signs, eyes catching the steaming mugs on the bedside table.
Bucky nods, reaching over to grab both and handing the right one to Steve. Steve takes it, pressing a fond and happy kiss to Bucky’s skin where the shoulder of his sweater has fallen down. They don’t have much noise in their cocoon of an apartment. They talk sometimes, but usually don’t. Sign language was the first language Bucky learnt ‘after Hydra’, and he and Steve found it calming to use, rather than vocal words. They kept the TV on subtitles, too. Music was one of the few things that could be heard in the apartment, crooning from the record player or the stereo.
‘We have nothing on today,’ Steve signs, mug secured between his knees on the bed.
Bucky just nods, a smile curling at the corners of his lips. He sets his mugs down too. ‘Bake?’ he asks.
Steve’s face lights up and he nods, grinning. He picks up his mug again and slides out of bed, pausing to tug on a pair of sweatpants. Bucky follows him to the kitchen, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth as Steve glances back at him, pillow creases on his cheek and a mess of bed hair on his head. The curtains are all open, hardly ever shut, and the sun streams on in. There are over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl and Steve takes them out while Bucky hunts around in the cupboards for their recipe book.
Days rarely pass this way; slow, warm, happy. There’s always something that happens that puts a crack in the bubble, sends them crashing back down to reality, but today it seems they’re going to be left in peace. After the banana loaf goes in the oven, Bucky drifts over to the stereo and turns it on. The crackle of a record-turned-CD fills the room and Jack Scott begins singing.
Steve looks up from where he’s wiping down the bench and smiles, his eyes lighting up. Bucky grins at him, gesturing for him to come over. Steve sets down the cloth and immediately pads across the carpet, Misha taking the chance to curl through his legs and try trip him up. Steve huffs a laugh, carefully stepping over her before taking Bucky’s hands and looking at him with a question in his eyes.
Bucky takes his left hand, his own curling around the small of his back and pulling him closer. Steve’s eyes dance with mirth, rolling in exasperation. Bucky can hear the protest of ‘you know I can’t dance Buck’ in the silent air between them. Steve lets Bucky guide him through the steps anyway, sappy fondness written all over his face.
By the time they’ve gone through three songs, Misha is looking put out with the lack of attention she’s getting, so Bucky presses a kiss to Steve’s cheek and brings them to a stop. “Thank you for the dance,” he murmurs, grinning at the way Steve throws his head back and laughs.
“Go check on the loaf,” Steve says, thumb brushing over the top of Bucky’s hand before he sinks to the floor and opens his arms for Misha, who immediately bounds over to him.
Bucky does just that, testing the middle of the loaf with a fork before deeming it ten minutes away. Otis Redding is crooning from the stereo now and clouds have started sliding over the once-blue sky. Misha is attacking feathers on the end of a stick, which Steve is dangling around for her. The kitten is completely focussed on the task and Bucky can’t help the smile as he takes in Steve’s face. It’s calm, happy and effortlessly smooth in a way it hadn’t been for a long time; it had been forever creased with frown lines.
Now, they’re settled in mental states of peace, able to block out the world around them. They had spent a long time healing to be able to do that.
Natalia and Sam are due to come over this evening for movie night and it’s looking like it’ll be a cuddle-on-the-couch type of event. Light spatterings of rain are beginning to decorate the windows and although it’s not cold in the apartment, there’s a different feeling in the air.
Bucky comes back into focus as Steve signs at him; ‘how’s the loaf?’ Bucky smiles and replies in kind. ‘Five more minutes.’ Steve nods and goes back to playing with Misha. Soon, they’ll jump in the shower and spend far too long in there, swaddled in the warmth and comfort. Then they’ll get out and have some banana loaf in their comfy clothes before getting the lounge ready for the movie night, including setting out the movie choices.
It’ll be pizza for dinner if Clint turns up or something from Nat’s favourite take-away diner down the street if he doesn’t. Sam will bring a pillow for when he eventually ends up staying the night - he’s always the one to fall asleep during the movie - and Bucky and Steve will supply the blankets and hot drinks and popcorn.
Tom Waits is taking the next song on the stereo and the rain is coming down harder. Steve is laying back on the lounge floor and the smell of banana loaf is beginning to fill the apartment. Bucky takes a deep, long breath and walks over to Steve, curling into his side and watching Misha continue to pounce after the feathers.