Bucky wasn't sure when he'd nodded off. He came around, just a bit groggy, head lolled awkward and stiff against his right shoulder. For once, he hadn't dreamed, and it had been a welcome relief.
Something caught his attention, and he noticed the sound of mumbling to his left. Steve had apparently dozed off as well, though he didn't seem to be quite so lucky.
Steve shifted restlessly against the cold metal of his friend's arm, eyelids twitching uneasily. His chest rose and fell just a bit too quickly and he mumbled something inaudible every so often.
Bucky was just considering trying to wake him and return one of the thousands of unpaid favors he owed, when Steve's arm shot up, nearly catching him in the face. He reared back in time to avoid being caught under the chin, but barely.
"Grab my hand!" Steve shouted abruptly.
Bucky did as he was told without thinking, clamping onto Steve's outstretched fingers with his human hand. Following orders was still a bit of an ingrained habit.
Steve jolted, and lurched upright as his eyes snapped open, clearly confused. He blinked as if trying to remember where he was, then stared down at the hand solidly grasping his own.
"Train mission again?" Bucky offered, a little awkwardly.
He still wasn't sure how to face the fact that both of them could be turned back into scared little boys by the battle scars in their heads.
"... Yeah. I-... Sorry." Steve looked thoroughly embarrassed. They'd gone over and over the fact that there had been nothing he could've done, but that didn't ease the guilt he still felt over it.
Bucky glanced down at their joined hands.
"Good catch."
Steve surprised himself by laughing. His head dropped back into the thin pillow that was still propped up against the rigid wood of the bed-frame.
"You're a creep."
"What? I'm just saying. You should take it as a compliment, Stevie."
"Oh, you did not just call me 'Stevie'!" Steve propped himself up indignantly on his elbows, but he couldn't quite keep himself from smiling.
"Oh yes I did. What are you gonna do about it, Stars-and-Stripes?" Bucky grinned, eyes glinting with familiar mischief, as he roughly scruffed Steve's hair.
"Oooooh, it is on now!" Steve reached back and snatched up his pillow, walloping his friend with it until Bucky tumbled, laughing too hard to stand up, onto the floor.
"Why you cheating little-"
