Neighbors

Red Henley

Soft lips on your cheek...

That was the first thing you felt, gentle kisses being scattered across your face as the morning sun filtered in to light the room beyond your eyelids. You hummed groggily, the effects of sleep slowly fading as you were brought to life, feeling the warmth that came with being cradled in a certain someone's very muscular arms.

"Good morning," Bucky whispered, sounding much more awake than you did, as usual. You only groaned in response, earning a chuckle. "I know, sugar, but you gotta get up for work. I let you sleep as long as I could."

"Are you taking on the role of my personal alarm clock?" You teased, your voice still tired as you shifted and stretched in the bed.

"I figured I was preferable to the annoying sound of the alarm you're gonna snooze anyway," you smiled as he kissed you, soft and slow.

This had been your morning routine for the past few days, and honestly? It was divine. There was no place you'd rather be, his hands cupping your jaw to move you as he pleased – kissing your smiling face with an expression that matched – and his unnecessarily large biceps acting like a shield from anything outside of your little corner of the world.

"C'mon, let me see those pretty eyes." If you weren't lying in bed your knees would have buckled. Begrudgingly, you peeked one eye open to find him glowing in the early morning light, his sparkling blues watching you reverently. "There's my girl. All the way open or I'm gonna push you outta bed."

There was your troublemaker.

"You wouldn't." You felt his weight lift off of you, and leave the mattress. You shot your eyes open, knowing he'd make good on his promise – or at least get really close – and found him on his knees beside you. "No don't, I'm awake, James," you pleaded, scrambling to get up, desperately trying to find a purchase on his large frame.

"Would you look at that, she lives," he chuckled as you clung onto him, the deep sound rumbling through his chest. Large hands found your body and pressed you impossibly closer to him, cradling your head into the crook of his neck. You felt the vibrations of his amused hum when you started placing sleepy kisses on his neck.

Bucky's hands drifted down your backside, brushing over your ass as he gripped your legs, locking them around his hips as he shuffled backward off of the bed. He carried you through your apartment until your feet hit the tile floor of your bathroom where he cupped your cheeks, kissed your eyelids, and left you to get ready. You smiled, opening your eyes to watch him give you a playful grin before disappearing into the rest of the apartment.

Your reflection in the mirror reminded you of what had happened the other night, feeling your cheeks heat up when the only slightly faded hickey sat proudly on your chest, the neck of your loose sleep shirt doing nothing to conceal it. At the very least, you weren't forced to wear obvious scarves and turtlenecks or copious amounts of makeup like a teenager, but it was in just the right spot that you still had to be careful with your wardrobe. One wrong slip, or pull of a necklace, and it could be out there for the world to see.

To his credit, he'd been thoughtful in his placement. And in his favor, you were practically giddy every time you had to "hide" it.

Bucky was a man of routine. He'd said once that if there hadn't been a war going on, he might have enjoyed being in the army a bit more for that reason. And while your morning routines had been occurring in the same space for the last few days, you still were never mentally prepared for what was waiting for you in the living room when you were dressed and ready.

"Can I make you somethin, sugar?" Bucky asked sweetly, no sign of struggle in his voice as he pumped out a ridiculous amount of push-ups just from the time it took you to step into the room.