* it's march! Bucky's bday lol *

* Cat's pov *

"I don't understand, there are some very pretty girls who work at the compound, why didn't you asked one of them out?" I said to Sam as I stretched my arms over my head

It's like 7 pm and I came with him to his daily walk. Yes, I walk every morning with Bucky, but I wasn't doing anything when Sam asked me so I just came with him to keep him some company. And because I was bored.

"Dude, I wasn't looking to date any of them." He shrugged "Besides, they're younger than me."

"Maybe that's what you need."

"No, what I need is to not look for a girl."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just like Steve."

"But Steve has only had one girl and it'll always be that way." He replied

"Yeah, true." I smiled a little "That's kinda cute."

"It is." He nodded "You want something like that?"

"Well, not exactly like that, but it would be nice." I shrugged

"What about Ryder?"

"Did you know he was older than me?" I turned to look at him

"Yeah, five years, right?"

"Yeah, something like that." I nodded "I don't think it was gonna last anyways so."

"What are you talking about? He was totally into you."

"I was into him too, but I think that eventually we weren't gonna keep going."

"But why? You worked together."

"Because of that exactly." I replied "I've seen other agents and people from work that have dated and it doesn't end too well."

"I like Ryder, he's a nice guy."

I nodded. "He really is."

And I wasn't lying. He's a very nice guy. And very cute too. But at the end of the day, we were kinda different and I know that it wasn't gonna last very long because of that. Even tho it was starting to get serious when I left New York. But oh well, nothing I can do now really.

"Let's go home, I'm getting hungry, dude." Sam spoke

"Wait! Can we go to that bakery you went the other day?" I said

"Yeah, sure, it's not too far from the apartment, we can make a quick stop." He replied "Why?"

"Tomorrow's Bucky's birthday!"

"But he said that he didn't want us to sing him happy birthday."

"I know, but I just wanna get him at least a muffin or something." I said "Is it open? Can we go?"

"Yes, it's still open and of course we can go." He nodded "You guys are not arguing as much anymore."

I laughed. "Well we kinda made a peace treaty.. sometimes I wanna hit him with a pan, but yeah, we get along pretty well."

"That's good."

"Or maybe he just pities me because of everything that happened after I let him go in Austria." I shrugged

Sam just laughed. "Nah, I think he just likes you, that's all." He said "He's a nice guy."

"Well look at you, saying nice things about him after you were opposed to the idea of saving him." I tilted my head a little

He rolled his eyes. "Alright! I was wrong, I admit it."

I just laughed at his response.
We decided to walk back to the apartment, stopping at the bakery first to get the muffins obviously, and once I bought them, we left.

(...)

* idk what to write now so let's just skip this part lmao *

* hours later *
(also, this is written in 3rd person)

2:43 am and Cat just got up from the bed after having one of the most vivid nightmares she's ever had. She looked out the window taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down and after a few minutes, her breathing went back to normal and her hands were no longer shaking. She looked down to her dark blue colored toenails before taking a deep breath. Every time she has a nightmare she feels like something is going to happen and she hates that feeling. She's aware that she's not completely safe and that one day the other shoe will drop.

She shook her head slightly trying to shake away those thoughts and decided to get out of her room. When she was walking towards the kitchen, not much to her surprise, she saw Bucky sitting on the couch with his head rested back. She walked to the living room and sat right next to him. He already knew it was her even though he had his eyes closed.

"Hi." She said softly

He turned his head to look at her. "Hi." He replied, his voice a little raspy than usual after being quiet for so long "Trouble sleeping?"

Her lips curved into a little smile because she remembered that she asked him the same thing back when they were still in Denmark. "Yeah."

"Still having nightmares?" He asked and she just nodded in response

"How about you? What's keeping you awake?"

"Same thing." He replied turning his head in the same position it was before Cat got there

She looked at him, brows frowning a little feeling a bit worried because she knew how it felt. "You had a nightmare?"

"I've been having them."

"Been having them?" She questioned "Since when?"

He shrugged. "Since I've been myself basically."

So technically, since 2014.

"So that's why you can't sleep." She said and he nodded "Why didn't you say something?"

"I thought they would eventually stop." He looked back at her

"But they haven't." She added and he shook his head "What are they about?"

"Like memories." He let out a sigh "From when I was the winter soldier."

"Do you.. wanna talk about it?" She asked softly

"Not really."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No." He replied and just stared at her for a few seconds "Wanna talk about yours?"

She shrugged. "If you wanna hear it."

"I'll always hear you, doll."

That made her feel really good deep inside. She has been noticing that he's very attentive and she really likes that.

"Well.. it was about this girl I had to kill." She replied "My first kill, actually."

"How old were you?"

"Seven, I think." She said pulling her legs up to the couch "They made the more agile ones kill the weaker ones.. I was the first to kill one of the weaker ones."

"You were literally kids."

"Yeah, well, they didn't really cared." She shrugged "They were turning us into weapons basically."

"You didn't turn out like that." He looked at her

"Well, I've managed to leave that behind." She nodded slightly "But I, uh, I've done some.. horrible things at such a young age that it shocks me sometimes."

"But it wasn't because you wanted to."

She shrugged. "I don't know, what if they dug enough to get that side of me out?"

"I refuse to believe that."

"You don't know the things I've done.."

"You don't know the things I've done either, in fact, I don't think you know half of them."

"That's different." She shook her head "You weren't in control."

"You weren't either, you were just a kid, they literally manipulated you into thinking that that is what you are." He said "And after all these years, after all the good things that has happened to you since you got out, it's still affecting you."

"You know, Steve asked for my help to find you because I was willing to do what he couldn't, right?" She told him "He said that he needed me because I was just as ruthless as you were when you were the winter soldier and he said that I was the perfect person to help him because I don't hesitate, I would've done anything to bring you with us, even if I had to kill you."

"Yet here we are now." He turned his body a little so he could face her more "You didn't even made an effort to kill me, on the contrary, you tried to talk to me, that shows that you're not what they made you."

"You know? This is how you should talk to yourself." She rested her head on the backrest of the couch "You're not what they made you either, James and this is enough proof, stop torturing yourself."

"This is how you should talk to yourself too." He replied "Stop torturing yourself, Giselle."

She couldn't help but smile a little, not only because he called her by her middle name, which no one ever does, but because she found that it was sweet of him to say that back to her. "Maybe we both should start taking that advice more seriously." She said

"Yeah, we should." He nodded

Just a few seconds later, she gasped sitting straight. "Holy shit."

"What?" Bucky frowned confused

"It's tomorrow!"

"What's tomorrow?"

"No, today is tomorrow." She said getting up from the couch

"What are you talking about?"

"It's almost 3 am." She walked to the kitchen "It's March 10th."

"Uh, yeah." He replied although it sounded more like he was questioning it

"It's your birthday! What the fuck?" She said opening the fridge and taking out one of the muffins she bought yesterday

"Is it?"

"Are you okay? You literally told us yesterday, while we were eating breakfast, that you didn't want us to sing you happy birthday."

"Oh that's right, I did."

She grabbed the little candle that Sam chose and the lighter before heading back to the living room.

"I don't know if you like blueberries but I got you a blueberry muffin because, well, it's pretty popular." She sat on the couch again "And we're not singing happy birthday, but it's a must that you make a wish so we bought a candle."

"We?"

"Well Sam chose it." She put the blue candle in the muffin and then grabbed the lighter to light it up "Make a wish." She put the muffin in front of him

"You believe in that?"

She pulled the muffin back. "Don't be so pessimistic on your birthday."

He laughed. "Alright, I won't! Sorry."

She put the muffin in front of him again and just a couple of seconds later he blew out the candle.

"Did you make a wish?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "I did."

"Don't tell me what it was or it won't come true."

"Okay, I won't." He nodded

"Happy birthday, James" She took out the candle and handed him the muffin "You're officially 100 years old."

"I am, that's crazy." He took the muffin in his hand "Thank you, doll face."

"That is the most old fashioned pet name I've ever heard."

"People don't use doll face anymore?"

"Not really." She chuckled "Babe it's more common."

"We used babe back then too."

"I think babe it's just too basic."

"It kinda is." He nodded "What's your favorite pet name?"

"I don't know if I have one." She replied "But some pet names in spanish sound pretty fucking cool."

"Oh right, that's your first language, I forgot."

"It is."

"The accent never went away."

"I'm glad it didn't." She smiled "Natasha says I sound like Sofia Vergara sometimes, which, to be honest, I don't think I do." She shrugged

"I don't know who that is."

"Right, sorry." She chuckled "She's a colombian actress that has an accent too and it's something that stands out."

"Well I don't know how she talks, but you do have an accent."

"I know I do."

"But it sounds really great."

She couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well thank you."

"You're welcome." He chuckled "You want some?" He showed her the muffin

"It's okay, there's another one in the fridge, I bought one for each of us."

"You sure? You can have half."

"Do you wanna give me half of the muffin?"

"Honestly yeah, it's too much sugar and look at the time."

She started laughing. "You're such an old man." She shook her head lightly "Alright, give me half of it then."

Bucky parted the muffin in half with his hands and then gave one of them to Cat.

"And I like blueberry muffins by the way." He said "So thank you, again."

"I'm glad because the other ones didn't look quite as appetizing as this ones." She replied

They ate the muffin and actually stayed in the living room for a while just talking. Both of them started to get kinda sleepy, but neither wanted to leave to their room so after a while, they both fell asleep on the couch unintentionally.

The next morning, as usual, Steve was the first to wake up. Once he used the bathroom and brushed his teeth, he made his way to the kitchen to make coffee when he saw his two friends sleeping on the couch. Bucky actually fell asleep in the same position he was last night, Cat was curled up next to him with her head resting on his right arm and Bucky had his arm over her knee.

The scene took Steve a little by surprise, but he still went and grabbed a blanket from Cat's room to cover them since he saw Cat all curled up like that. He put the blanket over them, careful not to wake them up and then went back to the kitchen, thinking that it was kinda cute to find them like that.

Odd, but cute.

(...)

Three hours later, it was now 9 am and Cat was the first one to wake up. She opened her eyes slowly trying to adapt to the light and remembering that she never went back to her room. She looked around the living room and the kitchen, but neither Sam or Steve were there.

She moved a strand of her hair behind her ear and noticed her head was laying on Bucky's arm. "Oh god." She said under her breath pulling away from him but careful and slow enough to not wake him up

But that was in vain since he woke up anyway.

"Sorry." She apologized

"It's okay, don't worry." He ran his hands over his face until he realized that he was on the couch "Wait, we slept here?" He immediately looked at her

Cat nodded. "We did."

"Did we really?"

"Yeah." She nodded again

"And who brought this?" He grabbed the blanket

She shrugged. "I guess Steve, Sam would never cover me or you with a blanket while sleeping."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Oh my god, I can't believe I fell asleep on your arm, I'm so sorry." Cat covered her face with one of her hands

"It's alright, I didn't even noticed." He chuckled a little

"How'd you sleep?" She asked

"I slept fine, you?"

"I did too." She replied "Oh my god, imagine Steve's face when he saw us here"

He laughed. "Relax, I'm sure he's not gonna say anything."

She smiled a little after hearing him laugh. "Well hopefully." She shrugged "Are you hungry? I'm making us breakfast."

He nodded in response as he stretched out his arms and legs. "I am kinda hungry." He replied moving to the side falling onto Cat

"Oh my god!" She let out a squeak "Get off!" She giggled trying to push him away

"I'm so tired!" He said yawning "So so tired!"

She laughed. "You're heavy, dude!" She used all of her strength to push him off to the floor

"Ah shit! I hit my head." He grumbled

"Oh my god, you're crazy." She said laughing and then threw the blanket on his face

"I'm crazy? You're crazy! You pushed me off the couch and made me hit my head."

She just laughed. "You almost crushed me to death!" She replied standing up from the couch

"You're so dramatic."

She looked down at him. "You're dramatic."

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