Devotion

C6: Goodnight

By the end of the day, I was worn out... And I could tell Steve felt the same way. We had spent the entire day running around with Anna and Alex or doing chores my father would've done, occasionally stopping to chat with Caroline or eat. It was only 8:30 and I was more tired than pulling an all nighter. I sighed as I carried Anna and Alex in my arms up the porch stairs to inside with Steve and Caroline behind me trudging along. My mom opened the door and I thanked her as I set the kids down on the couch and plopped myself down next to them. Caroline and Steve stood in the corner as my mom started rounding them up for bed.

"Hey James if you would like, you can take Caroline and Steve to watch tv in the basement while I put the twins to bed."

"Alright thanks ma."

"I guess you can all just sleep down there as well if you want to."

I nodded over to the stairwell leading downstairs as Caroline walked down first turning on the dim light in the staircase. Steve followed by my side as we made our way down after her. I followed her into a room without a light as she reached over to manually turn on the old brown tv that used to be in the living room. The screen lit up in black and white as I found a couch in the dark. I sat down on the left side and Steve sat down beside me. My sister sat in a separate chair to my left, flipping through channels.

"Well I don't think anything is on but the news." She chimed in.

"That's alright." I yawned back.

A male news reporter was on the screen talking about something in Germany as I sat and watched the pictures behind him flicker in different shades of grey. Steve was falling asleep, and I was too as I leaned my head against the side of the couch. I started laying down on the couch as my eyes started closing to the flickering screen. My mind went black and I know I slept for at least 5 minutes before I felt my sisters hand on my arm, shaking me awake. I stirred my head up to look at her, confused.

"What Car?" I whispered.

"I thought you'd want to see this." She smirked.

She pointed to Steve who was leaning towards my side of the couch. His head was on my legs as he curled up to fit on the couch. I felt his presence at my feet, but I was too tired to think about anything but sleep.

"Alright is that it?"

"Sorry. I know how close he is to you."

"What are you saying Caroline?"

She grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Nothing. Goodnight Bucky."

"Night."

Maybe she was right, but I closed my eyes and focused on sleeping as Steve stirred at my feet. I slightly inched my legs back to give him more room on the couch as I felt him conform to the new space he was given. He shifted up his feet onto the end of the couch and moved the rest of his body accordingly.

I opened my eyes and glanced down at him, smiling at the hair falling in his face. The lights from the tv flickered on his body, and every once and awhile the scene would light up his face so I could see it perfectly clear.

His eyes fluttered as he stirred a little more, edging himself closer up towards me. I felt his heartbeat and his warmth against mine. Just the feeling of him being there at all kept me awake.

I glanced over at my sister quietly seeing if she was still awake. She had buried her head into her hand and was silently beginning to snore.

I turned back to Steve, pulling a blanket off the top of the couch to cover the both of us. He snuggled into it and pulled himself up to the top of it, fitting himself perfectly into my body mold. I smiled as I pulled my free arm around his shoulder to cover him. I buried my face down into the couch arm next to his head, and stared the back of his blonde hair.

I closed my eyes and thought to myself, as I melted at the thought of him being this close to me.

"Goodnight Steve Rogers." I whispered into the night.

And as I felt him reach up and hold my arm, I could swear I heard him whisper back.

"Goodnight Bucky Barnes."