Chapter Text
TWO MONTHS AGO
What really had solidified Sam’s want to get his story was the Teen Vogue video interview. He was sat down to share his firsts, but somehow the video had devolved from organized semi-cutesy YouTube spiel to an actual discussion about some of his experiences while beginning adulthood as a public figure and how Avenging Records controlled his image, then when it was bought by Hydra, they controlled everything he did, and how he hadn’t done a lot. And Sam was pretty sure this was supposed to be some sort of fluff piece, but someone had the good eye to keep in the more serious ending section, that moved into some of the some of the reasons why he was in this intense legal battle with Hydra and Zola.
And there was an eloquence to his answers. He’d always been so reserved in previous interviews. Before his accident, he was rarely a good interviewer, seemingly giving non-answers or clearly being fed answers by someone off screen. He was sullen and quiet and was always looking for an exit. This was the first interview since the accident almost two years ago, the infamous phone video from a year ago, and the subsequent lawsuit he took out against Hydra and Zola a few days after the video.
It was like he was a completely different person. Even the interviewer was surprised by his “I Axolotl Questions” shirt and how it looked like he cut half it off himself (“I did. People kept telling me ways of how to hide my scars, and I was like ‘fuck it, I’m showing them off’, so I wear mostly crop tops and half shirts now. Wait. Can I say ‘fuck it’ on here? Fuck. I said it again. Shoot? – Oh, you meant what’s on the shirt too? Yeah, I just love pun shirts. They didn’t let me where them back in the day. I might get into clashing patterns. I love your heels, by the way, where did you get them? There. Damn. They never have heels in my size. Dang it, I keep swearing, sorry, I need to remind myself not to all the time.”).
He had a lighter air to him, a talkative nature (the video ran longer than they usually did), and an actual personality shined through, one that went on tangents about jokes and science facts and tended to ask questions back to the interviewer (“What do you mean, I don’t need to ask questions back? That feels rude. I was raised to be a polite boy. Why are you laughing?”). And somehow he convinced the staff to allow him to sing one of the songs he was covering in the Cover Tour. He even got one of them to bring in a ukulele they had in the office to accompany him.
The video jump cut to one of the interns with their ukulele, Bucky thanking them profusely, the college kid telling him he was too sweet, it was their pleasure, they could play the tabs, the kid starting the easy melody of “fever dream” by mxmtoon as Bucky sang, “Life's a losing game when you don't play, Don't hold your cards too close is what they say, And love is just another leap of faith, But I jump right in…”
And it was chaos. It was sheer, beautiful chaos, and Sam couldn’t stop watching him go.
“…I took the train, I took the call, I didn't know just where I'd fall, Or where it'd take me (Take me), Another step, another stare, I'll never know if I'll get there, But just maybe (Maybe),” sang Bucky, building into the chorus, even the intern next to him a little surprised as he belted out, “I want something more than, More than restless mornings, Getting by, so boring, Ah-ooh, ah-ooh…”
Sam had to do a story about Bucky.
*****
NOW
“You know you’re supposed to go through legal before leaking audio data like that, right?” asked Fury over the phone, Sam trying very hard not to ram his head into the wall.
He should have done that. He got into the heat of the moment and published the video of Bucky as well as the audio Bucky sent him, and while it was going viral, and he really gave legal no warning that he was doing this and he was usually always on top of that sort of thing, which was probably why Fury wasn’t suspending his pay or something.
“I know. I’m sorry. I take full responsibility, I should have given you all proper warning,” said Sam, away from Bucky and his team, outside of the concert hall.
“If this wasn’t doing so well, you’d be fired,” said Fury, which Sam knew, he really knew, “Hell, if you weren’t as good of a journalist as you are, you’d really be fired and I’d warn other places about you.”
“I agree, I fucked up,” said Sam, “I’ll make sure to give legal ample opportunity to look over anything else that even has a hint of maybe a problem.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to have to fire you,” said Fury, “Because I really like you and I don’t like the idea of firing you.”
Sam smiled.
“Thanks, boss,” said Sam, “I swear, it won’t happen again.”
Sam ended the call, seeing Bucky awkwardly peeking out from the edge of indentation between the bricks around and the side door. Sam waved at him. Bucky walked out like a caught kid, frowning, looking away.
“You…got in trouble because of me, didn’t you?” said Bucky.
“It’s fine – I’m the one who acted impulsively. I should have taken the time to send a few things to legal before I published them, but it’s fine, I smoothed it over,” said Sam, “Seriously, this isn’t your fault. I’m to blame for wanting to post so quickly. I probably shouldn’t have published anything while tipsy either. I’m sorry I was so unprofessional.”
“You – Sam, you’re the most professional guy I know,” said Bucky, making Sam laugh, “No, seriously, you’re so good at your job and you never make me feel uncomfortable or pressured.”
Sam wobbled his head.
“I don’t know about that,” said Sam, admitting that this really hasn’t been the most professional vertical series, especially since the comments section was filled with people seeing through Sam’s cracks, or the reddit rabbit holes Sam may or may not have gone down involving his audience wondering if Sam had a crush on Bucky, “I’m not sure how ‘professional’ I am on this piece. I have flirted with you. Which is. It’s not professional at all. And I apologize for that.”
Redness bloomed on Bucky, the man looking stunned.
“You’ve been – that’s been actually – really?” asked Bucky stumbling on his words, and god, Sam really screwed up here, didn’t he?
Why couldn’t Sam be better at compartmentalizing his work life and his love life? He’d never had this problem before. He should be better.
“And don’t worry, we only have that one last show, and I’ll be out of your hair,” said Sam, because he totally was spiraling now and was really doing his best not to show that because he was professional, professional, professional.
He might have a damned crush on Bucky Barnes but he could be professional about this and do his best not to make the man uncomfortable while he was still there. But Bucky’s eyes widened, shaking his head as he said, “What? No. You’re completely fine – I’ve been the one overstepping boundaries. Always talking to you about random things when you’re here to shadow me and pulling you into the weird games I play at my concerts and taking any opportunity to hug you every chance I get. It’s just you’re so smart and artful with your diction, whether it’s your articles or just talking about the weather and you’re so, so funny and your eyes are, ugh, they’re like fire agates.”
“Fire agates?” echoed Sam, no one ever calling out his eyes as beautiful before.
Bucky groaned.
“Like smokey quarts, their chrysanthemum stones that dazzle in your brightness of your personality,” said Bucky, and this was really not what Sam expected at all because how could Bucky like him too?
He was just Sam.
“I don’t think you have to worry about songwriting too much,” said Sam, needing to say something or else his brain might explode, “You have the poetry of it down, and that’s half the battle.”
Bucky and Sam both laughed, probably both nervous, definitely both blushing, neither of them quite sure where to go with this.
“This is…I didn’t mean for this to happen,” said Sam, sighing, leaning back on the bricks, “I didn’t come here because I had a crush or anything. I really respect what you’re doing. I want to report on it fairly and give you a platform.”
Bucky leaned on the wall on his side, facing Sam, not really looking him in the eye though, saying, “No, you’re totally fine. You did that. I, um…I might have invited you because I already had a huge crush on you. Your vertical is always ahead of the curve, witty, insightful, it’s honestly a travesty that you haven’t won an award for it yet. And I’m not really…all that comfortable with someone invading my life like this. You saw how many interviews I did after everything went down. Part of me saying yes to you was definitely because I knew I was in good hands, that you’d write something masterful, but…part of it was a selfish want to meet you, even if it was only this one time. And now that I’ve met you well…”
Bucky glanced up at Sam, that gaze keeping Sam locked, making Sam feel like the absolute only thing in the entire world, that Bucky only wanted to look at Sam. And Sam never had someone look at him like that before, not even Riley.
“You get tired of big crowds like me and we find places to be together and don’t have to talk because there’s just this comfortable air between us,” said Bucky, his hand looking unsure of if he could touch, that he didn’t want to overstep on Sam’s behalf, and it was sweet, “And even when we talk, it’s as if I could talk to you forever. Like I’d want to talk to you forever. And I know it’s only been two weeks of talking, but we’ve spent all these days together and I usually get annoyed with people around me for so long by day three – really, I surprisingly have a low tolerance for people, I do.”
Sam laughed.
“No, I get it,” said Sam, turning to face Bucky, gently taking Bucky’s hand, and despite Sam being in relationships before, somehow just the act of holding his hand felt like so much, Sam doing his best to slow down his heartbeat, deciding to focus on their hands together rather than into those consuming eyes, “I rarely get close to people. People are…hard. I like people. I can talk to them easy, but they’re draining. It’s like, I only have so much energy to deal with them, the world. But with you, well…it never feels like that.”
Bucky groaned, his head falling back.
“This isn’t going to look great for you,” said Bucky, but not pulling his hand away, intertwining their fingers, “How do you want to play this? What would be best for you?”
And oh right, yeah, professional. It probably wouldn’t look exactly good if it came out that, after doing an entire series of videos, articles, and posts on Bucky, the two of them randomly started dating. People would probably question why they were dating, whether they started dating before the vertical in secret, how their feelings impacted Sam’s reporting on him, especially with the leak he agreed to last night.
Sam sighed.
“Right. Give me some time to think about it,” Sam said, needing a lot more time to figure out a proper game plan for this delightful mess, “But I want to…I want to see you more. After this. If you want to see me, too, I mean, I’m not trying to pressure you and I don’t want you to think this will impact how I’d report on you – ”
“Yes!” blurted Bucky, Sam looking up into those eyes of his, seeing Bucky’s panic of interrupting Sam, for maybe looking too eager, and Sam couldn’t help but laugh because Bucky really felt a clumsy, enthusiastic chocolate lab or something, “I mean – no. I do mean yes. Because this is the sort of person you’re getting tangled with if you decide to see me more, date me maybe. I’m an excited mess, still figuring out myself, and sometimes I might awkwardly yell ‘yes’ earnestly before you finish a sentence because I know I’m going to be here for whatever you’re saying, and I’m really tired of molding myself into whatever other people want, so if you think that’s too weird or you can’t deal with someone who acts a little too impulsively sometimes, then I’d rather you say it right now than deal with that later.”
Sam grinned at Bucky.
“Come on. I spent two weeks with you. Basically twenty-four-seven,” said Sam, “You really don’t think I’d notice that?”
Bucky laughed.
“Okay. Fair,” said Bucky, “I, um. I need to get back in there. I sort of snuck out during my break. But we can talk a bit more about this later?”
Sam nodded.
“Of course,” said Sam, “Do your job. I’ll do mine. We’ll figure this out soon, okay?”
And Sam reluctantly let go of his hand, the both of them walking back inside.
*****
“You totally moved,” said Bucky, pointing at Sam, stuck standing on one foot.
“Boooo, did not,” said Sam, doing his best not to move, knowing he definitely wobbled when Bucky first turned but was not going to back down, “People who probably love Bucky more than me, voice what you think here. I totally didn’t move, right? I’m a fucking pro at Statues. Is Bucky right?”
The crowd laughed and booed Sam, Bucky shrugging.
“The people have spoken, Sam. Sorry, but you’re out,” said Bucky, “Which means, Peggy you are the winner of Statues. Walk over here to receive your reward in a form of a hug.”
“All of you are liars. I see you all,” said Sam, the crowd laughing at him as Bucky gave Peggy a bearhug.
“Oh, you just want a hug from Bucky,” said Yelena, snickering.
“They’re good hugs,” Sam said back, shrugging.
“Fine, if you really insist, I supposed I can give you a consolation prize,” said Bucky, grinning like an asshole as he pat Sam’s shoulder, “Good job being a terrible statue.”
“I got second place and you’re calling that terrible?” asked Sam.
“With the people you were up against, that’s not saying much,” said Leah, giggling with Yelena, “Now stop pretending you didn’t completely flail right in front of Bucky when he turned.”
“Okay, so if I – hypothetically – moved when Bucky, say, turned,” said Sam, not conceding an inch, “I wouldn’t call it a flail. Probably a freak accident in my usual perfect balance skills. A blip that, if it even happened, shouldn’t count because it was a slight misstep at the end of the day and there should be leeway for random occurrences like that.”
“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, now off the stage before we dance you off, gorgeous,” said Bucky shooing Sam off as the others left.
“Oh, so I’m gorgeous now, huh?” asked Sam, grinning.
And there was a glint of joy in Bucky’s eyes, the sound of his laugh.
“You’ve been gorgeous for a while. You haven’t noticed?” asked Bucky, successfully getting Sam off stage, “Now off. Can’t have you distracting me during my set.”
Sam laughed, turning to see…Peggy, Nat, and Steve looking at him. Sam froze.
“You two are a little more flirty than usual,” said Nat, raising an eyebrow, the music starting in the background but Sam was too busy freaking out to know where they were again on the set list, “And that’s saying something, since you two are perpetually flirting with each other.”
“We’re not,” said Sam, knowing that was a complete and utter lie and that he was a horrible liar, “We’re just…well…”
“I don’t know, I think it’s cute,” said Steve, smiling, “Reminds me of how you two were at the anti-prom party.”
Sam blinked.
“What?” said Sam, “I didn’t meet him – what are you talking about?”
“Oh, you guys are from the same area, right?” said Peggy, leaning onto Steve, “I forget about that sometimes.”
Steve wobbled his head.
“Not really same area, more like we’re both from around NOLA,” explained Steve, “I lived in Metairie and he lived in Delacroix, but we met in NOLA. Bucky was my next door neighbor ever since he moved there from Indiana for his dad’s job. The school we went to made a rule specifically about not bringing a date of the same sex because word spread around senior year that the rumors about Bucky being bi were true, and this was despite Bucky not having a date to the prom. I got so pissed, I decided to through our own anti-prom in protest and invited anyone who I thought would appreciate what we were doing. Sam was one of the people I invited, and man. He and Bucky spent the entire night together, it was kind of adorable. Most of the party guests were watching them hanging out outside in my pool, figuring out if they’d get together or something, but I guess it just wasn’t the right time then.”
Oh.
Oh wow.
The guy from that night was…
“That was Bucky?” asked Sam, a little stunned, because Sam would think he’d remember that, it wasn’t as if he’d been drinking that much, the face of the guy was just a bit of a blur, his name forgotten over time.
Steve nodded.
“Oh, I definitely have a recording of you two somewhere on my old computer back home,” said Steve, “Only because I wanted to bug you two once you got together.”
Sam laughed. Because of course Bucky was going to be that guy. The weird, fun guy from that night that Sam thought of fondly sometimes, wondered whatever happened to him. Sam could even see it. The hair, the way Bucky held himself, the eyes. Sam could be so dense sometimes. Of course it was Bucky.
“Huh,” said Sam, “Does Bucky remember this?”
Steve shrugged.
“I don’t know, I assumed you two remembered,” said Steve.
Sam glanced over to the stage, watching Bucky own the stage, completely in his element, curious about that.
*****
Sam and Bucky watched the video on Steve’s computer. He had asked Becca – Bucky’s sister – to go through his box of old stuff in his childhood home, find his old computer, boot it back up, and send over that video. It was grainy due to the phone’s quality back in the day, but that was definitely Sam, and that was definitely Bucky, and that was definitely them kissing that time at the end of the night in the pool, a few people cheering, while others shushing them, somewhere in the background, Steve asking “Who bet they’d kiss in the pool?” with another voice saying something, but not close enough to be heard well enough by the phone the video was made on.
Sam was not prepared for this. Well, he wasn’t sure if Bucky was either, he looked like this was breaking his mind a bit, hearing the entire commentary track of Steve and his friends talking about Sam and Bucky.
“Your words helped me choose to take the backup dancing job, you know?” said Bucky.
Sam turned to Bucky, remembering that discussion, Sam frowning.
“Oh. God. I. I got you into that toxic environment – ”
Bucky shook his head, smiling.
“No. That’s not what I took from it, Sam,” said Bucky, scooching closer, “You helped me realize I should go for what I want. That I shouldn’t do what I assumed I should have to do and go for what feels right. The problem that happened wasn’t something either of us could have predicted. I was vulnerable, and I fell back into my usual pattern of doing what people thought I should do.”
Bucky glanced over at what was left of his left arm.
“After the train accident, I found myself in the woods, in the middle of winter, alone for days,” said Bucky, “Going through an experience like that? Really gives a person perspective. And when I was in the hospital, when Becca and Steve came to make sure I was okay despite years of being isolated away from them, I remembered your words. ‘You shouldn’t do something just because you assume you’re supposed to’. It wasn’t just Steve and Becca that helped me get away from Zola and Hydra. It was you too.”
“Oh. Oh right, I said that, didn’t I?” asked Sam, Bucky laughing a bit.
“You did,” said Bucky, sighing, “I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together – you are so much like him. I was so bummed when I realized I didn’t ask for your number, and then the backup dancer gig took up all my time, which meant no dating as I started building my career.”
“I get it,” said Sam, thinking back to his life after the anti-prom, “My dad died around the end of senior year, so even if I liked you back then, there were a lot of things happening in my life that made it a bad time to try to date.”
Sam glanced down at his phone.
“What?” asked Bucky, and Sam could hear the frown there.
“…I’m going to have to leave soon,” said Sam, glancing over at Bucky.
They hadn’t done anything. Not even a kiss. Both had been surprisingly tame, given the circumstances, possibly because of what that would mean if they did that, how that would start a snowballing effect of affection for Sam at least, but probably more because they weren’t quite sure how this would even work, how they could make this work, and how to deal with the impact of the relationship going public would look like.
“I…I don’t know where you stand,” said Bucky, moving his hand over Sam’s, “But I’d like to start something. If you feel the same way as I do. If you want to start something. When it’s okay for you to go public with us. I know that it would be hard. That we’re not living in the same city, that we both have busy schedules, but…I want to try. If you’d like to.”
And Sam wanted to too. But he also was a realist.
Sam placed his other hand over Bucky’s.
“You have my contact information,” said Sam, sandwiching Bucky’s hand, “Call me in a month. If you still feel like this. If you still want something. Tell me how you feel after a month.”
“Does that mean I can’t message you until then?” asked Bucky, “Because, you know, I really want to live message you once I do my new rom com marathon. I have opinions and no one here will want to listen to them.”
“Oh, definitely, please do,” said Sam, “We could even watch together, screenshare. We need to talk when another update from the New Horizons probe comes in or if I have another pressing question for you like ‘If you could be a food, what would you be?’, the important stuff.”
“But aren’t I already a food,” said Bucky, waggling his eyebrows, “A snack?”
Sam punched Bucky’s arm.
“Oh my god, worst answer, not even original,” said Sam.
“What? You walked into that,” said Bucky.
“Fair,” said Sam, “All I’m saying is that, spending so much time together for such a short period of time? Could be exacerbating how we feel. Let’s see how long distance feels too, okay? Before we rush into anything.”
Bucky nodded.
“You’re right,” said Bucky, “We will continue this talk in a month, then.”
Sam smiled.
“We will indeed,” said Sam.
*****
A WEEK LATER
Sam looked down, scrolling through the texts. It’d been a week since he last seen the guy, but they had been consistently texting updates to each other about their lives, about anything and everything.
“Talking to Bucky again?”
Joaquín Torres, one of Sam’s staff writers on his vertical team, poked his head into Sam’s office, probably to update Sam on his article and cross-platform mixed media story on the evolution of Bucky’s fashion as they wrapped up the conclusion to Bucky Month. He was also a kid Sam sort of took under his wing after seeing true talent in his writing, even if he still needed a few more years to become magnificent.
Sam winced, looking up at Torres.
“No?” said Sam, like a terrible, terrible liar.
Torres laughed.
“Tell him the staff says hi,” said Torres, “And thank him for the exclusive photos and videos, it’s really made the vertical work fun this month.”
“Please, our work is always fun,” said Sam.
Torres wobbled his head, saying, “The tax evasion scandal you had me work on for six months?”
“That was…fascinating?” said Sam.
“My eyes glazed over at all the numbers,” said Torres, “I know it really helped in causing the government to launch an investigation against the guy, and he went to rich person prison with the tennis courts, but when I went into music journalism, I didn’t think I’d be using that accounting major my parents forced me to get as a backup plan.”
“That is exactly why you were the perfect staff writer to work on that case,” said Sam, conceding a bit, “And okay, so that wasn’t the most exciting case to report on, but the guy at least went to rich person prison? I mean, I wish he went to actual prison, with some of the other shit he allegedly did, but you take your wins when you get them.”
“You know, our junior reporters are making a few smaller articles about your time with Bucky on the road,” said Torres, sitting down in the seat across from Sam, “America and Eli really found some good tidbits. I think America is making a ‘Ranking of the Best Impromptu Concert Games Sam Played’ and Eli’s got a ‘Cutest Candid Moments with Sam and Bucky’.”
Sam rubbed his face.
“Seriously?” asked Sam, “Where is America even getting the footage of the games?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” said America, her and Eli popping in.
“Hey, since when has my office become the breakroom?” asked Sam, the two pulling up chairs, Sam not remembering calling a staff meeting for his vertical, Misty making her way in as well and sitting down, “I have actual things I need to do.”
“Oh, like we don’t pop into annoy you all the time,” said Eli, rolling his eyes, “This is where we always hang out. Deal with it.”
Sam wondered why Eli thought that was an okay way to talk to his boss, then started to kick himself for knowing that was how he talked to Fury.
“Yeah, sorry, this is where we live now. Been living her for a while. Stop fighting it. Besides, we wanted to be here when you saw the verdict announcement,” said Misty, sitting on Sam’s desk.
Sam’s eyes widened.
“What? No, I have – I have a Google alert for it, I should know when there’s something happening with the court ruling,” said Sam, quickly looking up the live reporting on it, if Wong already started.
“Wong texted us, he’s starting right now,” said Misty, and –
Sam looked up at them, someone taking a picture of his face. Sam flinched.
“What the hell?” asked Sam, not expecting that.
“Wanted to document the look on your face,” said Eli, all smiles, “What do you think? Candid moment material?”
Eli showed the photo to America, America nodding approvingly.
“What? No, that doesn’t even have Bucky in it – also, I’m not sure about that ‘Cutest Candid Moments’ thing,” started Sam, but America stood up, saying, “Overriding Vote – ‘Cutest Candid Moments with Sam and Bucky’? Hands up.”
Everyone raised their hands, Sam groaning.
“I should have kept this a damned dictatorship,” grumbled Sam.
“You’re the one who said that if everyone else agreed on something besides you, odds are, you were missing something and it needed to be published, soooo,” said Eli, shrugging, definitely putting the photo into the Google Drive.
“I know, but still. Don’t do what I do, guys,” said Sam, “If one of you defeats me in a duel and inherits my vertical, don’t give power to your people.”
His team laughed at him, Sam getting a message popping up on his phone. He glanced down at the message, and smiled at the video.
“What is it?” asked Misty, “A message from your man?”
Sam rolled his eyes, saying, “Bucky’s not my man. Plus, Steve’s the one who sent the video.”
And it was a video of them in court as the verdict was made. For Bucky to get out of his contract completely, the court nullifying it. The cheers behind them. Bucky holding in tears. Sam knew Bucky expected not to get everything he asked for, he expected the courts to find the contract to still be upheld, but perhaps he could get away from ever work with his producer again. Bucky didn’t expect this. To have this clean slate. To be able to leave a place that caused him so much pain.
“Oh shit, that’s powerful,” said Torres, “You should ask Steve if you can use that in your final article for Bucky Month.”
Which was when Sam noticed his whole asshole squad was behind him.
“Wong’s really missing out,” said Misty.
“Hey, don’t just look over my shoulder,” said Sam.
None of them listened to him. They all grumbled at him like he was the one being unreasonable for a little bit of privacy. And maybe he would care more if he didn’t want to leave the office as fast as he could, get to the roof where he could actually get some privacy to call Bucky and congratulate him on the victory.
*****
THREE WEEKS LATER
Bucky had asked Sam to come to New Orleans. To visit with him, since he had a few days between his last and next concert. And it wasn’t as if Sam hadn’t wanted to come back to home for a while, visit Delacroix, see the nephews. Why couldn’t he happen to…meet up with Bucky there? See what his answer was for whether or not trying this relationship out would work for him?
They’d been doing well so far. Every chance they got, they were texting each other, facetiming, sending videos and articles and live messaging about TV shows and movies, asking random questions whenever they popped into their heads. And maybe it was a little weird, maybe the internet connection was bad sometimes, but there was an excitement under Sam’s skin as he thought about seeing Bucky again, about being able to talk with him face to face, about just being with him.
And Sam was also nervous. Because this was the first time Sam would be seeing Bucky since they parted ways a month ago and who knew if it would feel the same to see him again, if Bucky would feel the same. And Sam was so glad that he had warned Sarah he might be staying with her just in case this all didn’t work out the way he wanted it to go. Because he really wanted this to work out. He really did.
And when he got out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, when he saw Bucky waiting for him in a “Whale, Hello There” shirt, with his blinding smile, waiting with his car to pick Sam up, there was no question as to what that answer was.
Sam smiled back, Bucky pulling Sam into a hug, holding him there for a moment, Sam hugging him back.
“Hey, there,” said Bucky.
“Hey,” said Sam, “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too,” said Bucky.
It took a while for them to move away from each other, Bucky taking Sam’s luggage, walking over to the back of his car as he put the luggage down for a moment, opening the back before putting the luggage in.
“Thanks for the help with the luggage,” said Sam, Bucky walking over to open the car door for Sam, Sam stepping in to see the handicap sign hanging from the rearview mirror, the modified lever on the steering wheel.
“You were on a three and a half hour flight and I’ve been here for a day already, of course I’m helping you out, Flights can be draining, especially when you choose to work on them,” said Bucky, driving them into the traffic which was trying to leave the airport, “The only good thing about the airport is that it’s close to Metairie. Once we get through this, it shouldn’t be too long until we get to my house – or – I guess it’s Becca’s house, now. We both inherited it, but she’s really been the one keeping up with it.”
“I get that. My family home’s basically my sister’s home at this point too,” said Sam, “After my dad died, we both had to grow up pretty quick. Our Tití, she took care of us to some extent but it was more because there was no one else to take care of us and she made it pretty clear she’d help us each until six months after we graduate high school, but we had to figure ourselves out after that. It’s the reason I sort of panicked and went into the air force to pay for college – I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start my adult life with that much debt.”
“My dad did that, actually, but then he ended up becoming a career military man,” said Bucky, the traffic starting to let up as they got to the main road, “We moved to New Orleans originally because of his work, but after my mom divorced him when I was maybe – I think I was four when they divorced? She stayed when he left for Germany. He lost touch with us after a year. My mom was great, though. The last time I saw her, she was helping me with my new contract as a member of the Howling Commandos. She worked as a paralegal at a law firm, so she had an idea of what to look for in a contract. She, um. She died of an aneurysm the month after. From how Becca explained it, she was walking down the street and fell down, dead. She left enough money for Becca to go to college, though, and the Rogerses took Becca in as she finished high school and college.”
“Damn. So, we’re both orphans, then?” asked Sam as Bucky turned into the neighborhood proper.
Bucky snorted.
“I mean, we might be a little old to phrase it like that, but yeah, I guess we are,” said Bucky, “Is it weird that both of our little sisters own our childhood homes?”
“Nah. Little sisters are much more put together, it was assumed Sarah was going to take over the family business over me,” said Sam.
“Okay, when you put it that way, that’s very true, Becca is miles more put together than I’ll ever be,” said Bucky, “But, you’ll probably meet up with her tomorrow. She went to spend the night with her boyfriend. She thought we ‘needed time alone’. Which. Wasn’t the worst idea in the world, I suppose.”
Sam laughed.
“That does remind me,” said Sam, the car pulling into the driveway of a pretty normal home, two-story, off the ground enough for flooding, “Us. What’s you’re decision? How do you feel about us?”
And Sam probably didn’t have to ask. The man helped him into his car, helped him with his luggage like a gentleman. If Bucky didn’t want to date, he could have just told Sam so before taking Sam to his childhood home. Bucky? He turned off the car, gesturing to Sam to wait for a moment as he rushed over to open the car door for Sam, helping him out.
“Could you close the car door?” asked Bucky, a little embarrassed as he continued, “I would, but then I’d have to let go of your hand and I don’t really want to do that.”
Sam smiled.
“Sure,” said Sam, closing the door before Bucky walked him away from the house they were parked at to the house neighboring him, Steve’s family home, “Shouldn’t we get my luggage?”
“We will in a second,” said Bucky, stopping at the side entrance to Steve’s home, “There’s a simple latch, could you please get that as well, Sam? My hand’s a little busy.”
Sam nodded, helping unlatch it, letting them both in as Bucky walked them to the pool, standing next to it.
“Sam Wilson, I met you at an anti-prom party where you challenged what I thought I could be,” said Bucky, holding Sam’s hand tightly, “A lot of people, throughout my entire life, had assumed what I should do, what I should be, how I should present myself, and in one night, you changed my entire perspective on life and made me take a chance. And then, things happened and I forgot you, you forgot me, but somehow, amazingly so, we found each other again. And maybe I’m cheesy or sappy to do this, but I wanted to ask you where we first met if… if you would be my boyfriend. And I know it won’t be easy, but even apart for a month, I couldn’t imagine not trying to make this work. Because I like you, Sam Wilson. I like you quite a lot. And I hope that you like me too and want to try to make this work as well.”
Sam kissed Bucky, long and very different to that first kiss, a passion simmering down under the surface, but left under for a more appropriate time to make a kiss deeper. He pulled away, Bucky’s eyes a little glazed, head moving along with Sam’s before realizing Sam was trying to speak.
“Yeah,” said Sam, “I’d love that. Let’s be boyfriends.”
And it was nice. That moment. Bucky watching Sam. Sam watching Bucky.
That was, until Steve, Nat, Peggy, Yelena, and Leah stumbled out of the house, Steve yelling, “I won! Sam kissed Bucky, I called it! Give me the money.”
Sam and Bucky laughed, turning to the gang, Leah opening a bottle of champagne, Peggy and Yelena helping with the flutes as Leah poured messily into them, Nat flipping through her phone, saying, “He’s been singing this song ever since you left. Poor asshole made us all constantly hear him mopely sing it in the tour bus. Now he must hear us sing it to him as punishment – to the part of this damned song you kept singing.”
Bucky started panicking, about to jump on Nat when Steve tackled him into the pool, the two of them spluttering in the shallow end of the pool, Nat definitely speeding through “Boy Like You” by WESLEE, Nat, Peggy, Yelena, and Leah singing along jeeringly as Bucky and Steve had a splash fight, “Boy, you are my silver lining, Storm clouds before you, All I know you'll redefine me, Whole world starting starting new.”
Bucky began splashing at the girls too, the four of them ducking, still singing, “And this sensation that you giving, Got me feeling like you're my purpose, It's making me nervous, Back then I thought that I was living, But before you I never knew.”
Bucky won the splash fight with Steve, swimming awkwardly around him and stepping out of the pool, laughing as he began taking off wet clothes and tossing them at the girls as revenge, the girls running, them as well as Steve singing, “That I could ever have a boy like you, No, nothing's better than a boy like you!”
And Sam couldn’t help but laugh. Because he was now with Bucky. And Bucky’s friends were making fun of him. And Sam was so happy he was part of this, that he met Bucky again, that he got to be with this silly man who found a way to live a happier, more authentic life for himself. Sam couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend.
FIN