he who hesitates is toast

It takes him a lot longer to fall asleep, time in which he listens to her breathing and reminds himself that she knows what she's doing. He's got plenty of reason to know. They've worked together before, they might have continued to do so if things hadn't gone so damn wrong, and she's good at what she does.

She deserves to have this part of her life back, and if Fury can help give it to her, then that's a good thing. It has to be.

Eventually he drifts off, only to wake as usual at false dawn, long before sunrise. Bucky eases carefully from the bed and dresses in the dark so as not to disturb her, then touches her hair very lightly in silent farewell before he leaves the apartment and goes back to the lake to tend the goats.