Bucky, always a light sleeper, awoke to the sound of voices on the harbor, but for once he didn't get up right away. It was a day of rest so he stretched and rolled over just to enjoy the view right before his eyes and the warmth of the body curled up against his.

The sun's rays coming through the blinds caressed Sam's skin with their warm light. The sheet was pulled down to his waist and Bucky watched the light move over the curves of his back, revealing places to Bucky's eyes that he had never explored.

Very gently he raised his right hand and followed with his fingertips the golden rays on Sam's skin, without touching it, creating new shadows. He was careful not to do anything to wake Sam who was sleeping a deep and deserved sleep.

Bucky took his time to explore the body he couldn't get enough of. If you asked him why he loved Sam, he could write an essay on everything from his incredible personality to his attractive features. But the number one reason would be the fact that Sam was sleeping next to him with his guard down, a sign of the total trust he had in Bucky. Never had he experienced such trust since he had become the winter soldier.

His long fingers brushed over scars without touching them, wounds that had long since healed, but had left marks, some of which Bucky himself had been responsible for, some from fights they had been through together, or others that were not part of their shared history. Every mark on the almost perfect skin was a ghost of the past.

The bed shifted slightly because Sam was waking up. Bucky sat back against the headboard and watched his lover slowly regain consciousness. The moment his eyelids would open to the brown pupils.

"Hey there," Bucky whispered. He leaned over and gently placing his hand on Sam's cheek he kissed him tenderly.

"Hey you. What time is it?" Sam tried to move, but Bucky gently pressed his shoulder to keep him lying down.

"A little after seven. Get some more rest love."

"Mmmh." Sam rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes closed and his breathing resumed a steady rhythm. Then Bucky went back to what he had started, but this time his fingers made contact with Sam's skin.

Sam made his appreciation known with a grunt of pleasure.

Bucky became firmer in his movements, he slid his hand along Sam's legs and began to gently massage the muscles of the lower calf with one hand, then the next, he was slower because he only used one hand, not wanting to impose on Sam the sensation of the cold metal contact of his arm against his skin.

He stopped his movements before reaching Sam's ankles who reacted with a small groan of indignation.

Smiling fondly, Bucky grabbed from his nightstand the small bottle of massage oil he had prepared. He placed the bottle near Sam's head and straddled his hips. He squeezed the bottle in his hand for a few moments to warm it up. Then he began to massage Sam's back with his right hand, tracking down any knots and tensions until he felt Sam completely relaxed under him. He figured he must be doing something right by the way Sam moaned in response.

Mornings on days off were always Bucky's favorite because on those mornings he could take care of Sam, he could show him how much he was loved. He put everything he felt into his touches, as if he wanted to transmit his love through Sam's skin.

They didn't talk, they didn't need to. Bucky slowly slid down until he was straddling Sam's calves and began to massage his lover's thighs in the same way from the knees to the base of the boxer shorts and back down. Sam relaxed more and more with each pressure of Bucky's fingers to the point that he began to fall asleep again, but Bucky didn't take offense. On the contrary it meant that Sam had completely surrendered to the pleasure that Bucky's massage was giving him.

When every inch of Sam's skin was massaged enough for Bucky's liking, he slowly got up from the bed and went to the adjoining bathroom. He took a short shower so as not to keep Sam waiting and went outside to dry off. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he walked back into the room, seeing the brown eyes staring back at him.

"Come here."

Bucky could never refuse Sam anything, so he stepped forward and slid into the bed, his head resting against Sam's thigh. The strong fingers ran through his hair, untangling his wet strands.

Sam simply said in his still sleepy voice, "Thank you." then his hands slipped under Bucky's arms to motion him up to him and and Bucky let himself be led until their lips met. He kissed Sam, with no rush, no heat behind it, though there could be if either of them wanted it. It was a kiss of giving and surrendering, of renewed feelings. Bucky placed one last kiss on Sam's forehead before getting up and dressing, a simple faded t-shirt over low-rise sweatpants.

"Breakfast in bed?" He looked at Sam who was sitting up in bed and watched him.

"Yes." Sam replied as he stretched.

Bucky smiled and left the room, closing the door behind him. It wasn't every day that Bucky could take care of Sam like this, so Bucky made the most of it.

As he passed through the living room, his eyes fell on the book on the coffee table. It was The Hobbit in the original edition. Bucky had once told Sam that one of the things he regretted most about losing his life before Hydra was his meager book collection and that he was not able to continue it after. Since then, Sam would regularly bring him a book for no particular reason. It was one of Sam's thousand ways of saying 'I love you'.

Just as caring for Sam was one of Bucky's ways of telling him he loved him. Those moments when he wanted Sam to understand that he didn't always have to protect the world, that it was his turn to be taken care of. And Sam always let himself be taken care of when it came to Bucky.

Sarah had told him that she was glad that Sam had finally found someone in Bucky who understood the weight of his load and was able to help him unburden himself for a few moments.

Bucky went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, before opening the refrigerator and examining its contents. He pulled out what he needed and moved into the kitchen to prepare breakfast in a long practiced choreography.

He was setting the bacon aside when two arms wrapped around his waist, and a chin rested on his shoulder as Sam whispered in his ear, "I didn't feel like waiting anymore."

Bucky laughed and asked, "Are you that hungry?"

"No I couldn't wait for you anymore. I want to make the most of the time we have together."

Bucky blushed slightly and finished what he was doing, turning off the stove before turning around, wrapping his arms around Sam.

"It's not that often that you tell me this kind of thing. Not that I'm complaining." It had been a long time since Bucky had any doubts about Sam's love for him, he showed it in so many ways that it was almost palpable, but that only made the moments when he opened up completely like that all the more precious.

"I love it when we have days off," Sam said, placing a kiss on Bucky's lips before continuing, "not because you take care of me, which you do extremely well, but simply because we have time to ourselves."

Bucky, embarrassed, coughed before saying, "It's ready. Sit down before it gets cold."

Sam obeyed, while chuckling softly at Bucky's embarrassment.

Bucky took the two plates and set them on the counter, then grabbed their coffee cups before sitting down on a stool next to Sam.

All these little gestures had now become completely familiar, but what was less familiar was the fact that Sam caught his hand, placed a kiss on the knuckles and stared at him for a few seconds. he dropped then Bucky's hand and picked up his fork and began to eat with appetite. Then Sam said matter-of-factly, "We should do this for the rest of our lives, don't you think?"

Bucky was glad he hadn't started eating yet because he would have choked on the surprise.

After a few seconds of silence he could help to ask, "Are you demanding what I think you're demanding?"

Sam put down his fork and entwined his fingers in Bucky's again.

"Looks like it." Sam nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.

Without hesitation, because the answer had been in him for a long time, Bucky answered, "Yes. yes, for the rest of our lives."

"That's decided then." Sam picked up his fork and acted like it was no big deal, like he hadn't been waiting for the answer, but Bucky knew his man, he had learned to decipher the expressions on his face. He saw the relief pass and the smile that lit up his face did not fool Bucky.

He laughed and leaned in to kiss Sam before he could take his next bite.

Yes, they should do this for the rest of their lives.