Nights are long when you can't sleep. There comes a point where you close your eyes, and hope when you open them again it will be a reasonable hour to just go ahead and get up. Or maybe, just maybe, you might be lucky enough to be awoken by the sun or an alarm or by a kiss on the cheek.
Mika was having no such luck tonight. The moon felt too bright, shining through her windows. Her bed was too warm, but then she got too cold if she put any limbs out from under the covers. She tried to lay as still as she could, knowing that the man sleeping beside her awoke at the littlest sign of trouble, but no position felt comfortable. She watched the minutes tick by on the clock positioned on the night stand behind Bucky, trying her best to fall asleep. She couldn't stop her mind tonight; any errant thought that her brain could construct was running circles inside her skull. Her head hurt.
"What's wrong?" Bucky whispered. She hadn't realized he was awake.
"Can't sleep. I'm sorry I woke you." she whispered back. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes glinting in the darkness.
"Come here." he said, rolling onto his back and beckoning her. Every day, he became more comfortable with affection, which she fully took advantage of. She slid across the sheets, laying her head on his chest and intertwining their legs. He laid very still; so still, she figured he had slipped back to sleep.
"Bucky?" she whispered quietly. So quietly, she wasn't actually sure she'd said it out loud.
"Yes?" he answered, his breath tickling her forehead. She froze, not expecting him to answer.
"Why choose me?" she asked. She could almost feel his brows furrow. He was silent for a long time. So long, she once again wondered if he was asleep. "Bucky?" she asked again.
"Because you saw me." he answered. "You are kind, and smart, and strong. And you saw what little was left of me when I came here, and you helped me see it too."
She was stunned, to say the least. She didn't know what answer she was expecting. Her heart swelled, and she squeezed him tightly. She didn't trust her voice to respond. His arm was around her protectively, and she felt him lightly press his lips to the top of her head.
And finally, she was able to sleep.