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[ To be honest, Sam's not sure why he said yes to being set up on a blind date. His coworker at the VA just so happened to "have a friend who has a friend", and it all just kind of spiraled from there. Maybe he's just a little lonely or maybe he wants company from someone who's not caught up in all this Avenger business.
Sighing, he leans back a little in his chair. At least the cafe they'd agreed to meet in was warm, a cozy space to hide in from the brisk autumn day outside.
Even if this whole date thing doesn't work out, they can always be friends. Right? ]
Sighing, he leans back a little in his chair. At least the cafe they'd agreed to meet in was warm, a cozy space to hide in from the brisk autumn day outside.
Even if this whole date thing doesn't work out, they can always be friends. Right? ]
[ He wakes up in the middle of the night, dazed, more than a little disoriented, but alert and seemingly for good reason - the other side of the bed's empty. He releases the breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding, his sleepy brain still trying to puzzle out what the hell's going on when he hears it. It's a quiet noise, soft enough that it normally wouldn't have woken him up, but now that he's aware of it, there's really nothing left to do but investigate.
Sliding out of bed, he heads towards the living room where the sound's coming from. ]
Buck? [ He does his best to keep his voice soft, calm, in case Bucky's had another nightmare. ] You okay, man?
Sliding out of bed, he heads towards the living room where the sound's coming from. ]
Buck? [ He does his best to keep his voice soft, calm, in case Bucky's had another nightmare. ] You okay, man?
[ The other side of the bed is warm; it's only a faint nausea that's driven him from the bathroom to the kitchen. James is padding around making enough noise just to be familiar. A silent house is one that wakes a soldier from a dead sleep. ]
Yeah. I'm thinking about baking.
[ Cookies, brownies, he's got a cheesecake recipe open on the small kitchen table. It's a habit when restlessness curls under the surface of the skin. Chocolate and improved blood flow. Whatever. You find all kinds of crap on the internet. ]
Yeah. I'm thinking about baking.
[ Cookies, brownies, he's got a cheesecake recipe open on the small kitchen table. It's a habit when restlessness curls under the surface of the skin. Chocolate and improved blood flow. Whatever. You find all kinds of crap on the internet. ]
Baking, huh?
[ Sam leans against the doorway, arms crossed and expression relaxing now that he's reassured that Bucky's okay. For a given value of okay anyway. They're all kind of messed up in their own ways, what with their lives being what they are. There are a lot worse, and less tasty, ways of coping than baking, so he'll take what he can get.
Besides, James has been getting damned good at it lately. ]
More like trying to fatten me up. Some adding temptation to the fridge, man. You're killing me here.
[ Sam leans against the doorway, arms crossed and expression relaxing now that he's reassured that Bucky's okay. For a given value of okay anyway. They're all kind of messed up in their own ways, what with their lives being what they are. There are a lot worse, and less tasty, ways of coping than baking, so he'll take what he can get.
Besides, James has been getting damned good at it lately. ]
More like trying to fatten me up. Some adding temptation to the fridge, man. You're killing me here.
[ There's a lot worse. There's a gym two streets over that's learnt to get used to the brand new punching bags, extra heavy ones, and the surly customer who asks for privacy when lifting weights. There's no place like Lou's anymore, where he taught Steve to fight. ]
Or, I'm planning how to help you work it off.
[ He bookmarks the page, and smirks at Sam. ]
What're you doing up?
Or, I'm planning how to help you work it off.
[ He bookmarks the page, and smirks at Sam. ]
What're you doing up?
[ It's probably a testament to how much time Sam's been spending with Nat that he actually knows about the gym. As long as it's just punching bags that Bucky goes through, he has no problems with him letting out steam that way.
That particular comment makes him laugh though. ]
Oh, are you? Got anything specific in mind to help me burn these extra calories?
[ He abandons his post by the door to stand behind Bucky, resting his chin on his shoulder, all the better to peer curiously at the recipe on the table. ]
Got woken up for some reason. Maybe I could divine your intentions to make me cheesecake in my sleep and wanted to be able to lick the spoon.
That particular comment makes him laugh though. ]
Oh, are you? Got anything specific in mind to help me burn these extra calories?
[ He abandons his post by the door to stand behind Bucky, resting his chin on his shoulder, all the better to peer curiously at the recipe on the table. ]
Got woken up for some reason. Maybe I could divine your intentions to make me cheesecake in my sleep and wanted to be able to lick the spoon.
[ Living in Wakanda is... well, Sam had never really imagined living here in the first place, but he can't fault the hospitality. The luxury of it all feels odd after spending so much time locked away on that rock in the middle of the ocean. Then again, he'd never really felt all that comfortable in the Avengers Tower, back when they'd first moved in as new members of the team. At least, not until his rooms had begun to look more lived in and less posh or arranged by a highly paid designer.
Likely, luxe living just isn't for him.
He's got to admit it though - the views outside the room he'd been given are damned amazing, like something out of a fairy tale his mom had told him about before when he was little. Everything seems like the perfect blend of technology and tradition, the obvious respect for nature they have tempered by the technological wonders they pound out each day. It all seems like some amazingly huge adventure, the likes of which he'd have loved when he was younger.
Despite it all though, Sam still wishes he could just go back home.
First overthrowing secret organizations, now escaping supervillain prison. God, what would his mom say? And what wouldn't he give to be able to call her up right now and have her chew him out for it? ]
Likely, luxe living just isn't for him.
He's got to admit it though - the views outside the room he'd been given are damned amazing, like something out of a fairy tale his mom had told him about before when he was little. Everything seems like the perfect blend of technology and tradition, the obvious respect for nature they have tempered by the technological wonders they pound out each day. It all seems like some amazingly huge adventure, the likes of which he'd have loved when he was younger.
Despite it all though, Sam still wishes he could just go back home.
First overthrowing secret organizations, now escaping supervillain prison. God, what would his mom say? And what wouldn't he give to be able to call her up right now and have her chew him out for it? ]
[ They are soldiers. They don't get measly, Spartan quarters, but are furnished somewhere adequately comfortable — they are still guests. Wakanda doesn't welcome outsiders, let alone several, with powers, and fugitives. The sequence never gets less interesting. ]
Your chambers. Are they satisfactory?
[ It's like he was lurking in the corridor, waiting for Sam to leave the room. T'Challa is dressed in a simple suit, dark red shirt, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze is impassive, intent. ]
Your chambers. Are they satisfactory?
[ It's like he was lurking in the corridor, waiting for Sam to leave the room. T'Challa is dressed in a simple suit, dark red shirt, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze is impassive, intent. ]
[ T'Challa's sudden appearance is really something Sam should get used to and fast. It's embarrassing to keep startling when he shows up at his elbow when Sam's been living with spies for so long.
(Nat in particular loves trying to sneak up on him. She still manages to do so, 8 times out of 10, and even the two times, Sam's sure it's just her feeling sorry for him.) ]
Uh, yeah - I mean - [ He rubs at the back of his neck. ] They're great. Just couldn't sleep, is all.
(Nat in particular loves trying to sneak up on him. She still manages to do so, 8 times out of 10, and even the two times, Sam's sure it's just her feeling sorry for him.) ]
Uh, yeah - I mean - [ He rubs at the back of his neck. ] They're great. Just couldn't sleep, is all.
[ He's never close enough or soft enough to trigger real shock. Some impulses the body cannot control. ]
Come for a walk with me.
[ People will stare, but that is inevitable, and it is always wise to know the quality of a man's character. He has done his reading, naturally. Paper is not flesh.]
Come for a walk with me.
[ People will stare, but that is inevitable, and it is always wise to know the quality of a man's character. He has done his reading, naturally. Paper is not flesh.]
[ He shifts, hesitates a moment, then decides to throw caution to the wind, falling into step with him. It's not like it would be a chore or anything to walk around with their host, even if he pretty much owns the whole kingdom.
There's a couple beats of silence before he finally says: ]
Thanks for taking us in, by the way. I don't know if I ever actually mentioned that, what with the whole -- [ he gestures, for once not able to come up with some smart aleck remark ] -- mess that went down.
There's a couple beats of silence before he finally says: ]
Thanks for taking us in, by the way. I don't know if I ever actually mentioned that, what with the whole -- [ he gestures, for once not able to come up with some smart aleck remark ] -- mess that went down.
[ She and Steve live together in New York, that's no secret among those in the know that Peggy Carter is even alive. Only three people, to their knowledge, have survived cryostasis and two of them are accounted for — James Barnes is in the wind, but alive last they knew. Finding him is a mission always quietly run under the radar, and one undertaken only by Steve and Sam. So although there's a place in Brooklyn, it's the Avengers compound in upstate New York that acts as primary headquarters for these sorts of things — the stuff that's both on and off the record.
Peggy is there when they get back from an assignment that's less missing persons and more counter-terrorism. Helen Cho is in town and as the primary physician who oversaw her defrosting and subsequent recovery, she's due a check-up, so she isn't just waiting around for Steve. She is, however, poking around the kitchen in the lounge, and looks up when she hears footsteps. ]
Oh, [ she half-laughs, going back to lighting the stove for the tea kettle. ] Hello, Sam. I thought you were Steve. Still caught up in debriefing?
Peggy is there when they get back from an assignment that's less missing persons and more counter-terrorism. Helen Cho is in town and as the primary physician who oversaw her defrosting and subsequent recovery, she's due a check-up, so she isn't just waiting around for Steve. She is, however, poking around the kitchen in the lounge, and looks up when she hears footsteps. ]
Oh, [ she half-laughs, going back to lighting the stove for the tea kettle. ] Hello, Sam. I thought you were Steve. Still caught up in debriefing?
[ Of course she's making tea. Sam could probably go for the easy joke about British people and their tea, but he makes a bee line for the freezer instead, throwing her a grin and a greeting as he does so. (He values his life and dignity far more than getting in a cheap shot he doesn't even care about, thank you very much.) ]
Hey, Peggy. [ He roots around inside the open freezer until he finds what he's looking for, emerging victorious with a small tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. ] Nah, we actually finished up early for once, and it wasn't even because we looked too pathetic to keep in the room any longer.
[ Popping the lid off the ice cream, he doesn't even bother with a cup, just fetches a spoon. He pauses before digging in, taking the time to wiggle the container in direction. ]
Want some?
Hey, Peggy. [ He roots around inside the open freezer until he finds what he's looking for, emerging victorious with a small tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. ] Nah, we actually finished up early for once, and it wasn't even because we looked too pathetic to keep in the room any longer.
[ Popping the lid off the ice cream, he doesn't even bother with a cup, just fetches a spoon. He pauses before digging in, taking the time to wiggle the container in direction. ]
Want some?
[ It's tea time, Mr Wilson, don't you know? She's even got a tin of biscuits neatly labeled with her name and kept in the pantry here for this specific purpose. She pulls a mug from the cupboard and sets it down on the counter before she leans against the edge of it, waiting for her water to boil. ]
I'll pass, thanks. [ She tips her head to read the label, the myriad of ingredients in "one" flavour. ] Whatever happened to plain strawberry or chocolate? [ She holds up a hand. ] No, don't answer that. It's just like seeing about a dozen different kinds of milk at the grocery.
I'll pass, thanks. [ She tips her head to read the label, the myriad of ingredients in "one" flavour. ] Whatever happened to plain strawberry or chocolate? [ She holds up a hand. ] No, don't answer that. It's just like seeing about a dozen different kinds of milk at the grocery.
[ He eyes her biscuits dubiously, but shrugs all the same. More ice cream for him. ]
Well, since you don't want to hear me wax all poetic about the virtues of - [ he pauses to read the description on the lid out loud ] - `chocolate and hazelnut ice cream with a hazelnut fudge Core`, which is amazing by the way, I guess it's just a matter of people figuring out all these different combinations are actually possible and taste good. Honestly, people probably just all thought "why the hell not?" to themselves and made all the stuff.
[ That's enough rambling from him for now though. He'd done enough of that during the debriefing, so he rewards himself with a spoonful of his precious ice cream. The sound he makes is probably one better suited for the bedroom or really good massages, but hey, ice cream makes him happy.
When he manages to collect himself, he finally remembers to ask. ] How've you been, by the way? This run went on longer than we expected, so I probably missed out on whatever's been going on around here.
Well, since you don't want to hear me wax all poetic about the virtues of - [ he pauses to read the description on the lid out loud ] - `chocolate and hazelnut ice cream with a hazelnut fudge Core`, which is amazing by the way, I guess it's just a matter of people figuring out all these different combinations are actually possible and taste good. Honestly, people probably just all thought "why the hell not?" to themselves and made all the stuff.
[ That's enough rambling from him for now though. He'd done enough of that during the debriefing, so he rewards himself with a spoonful of his precious ice cream. The sound he makes is probably one better suited for the bedroom or really good massages, but hey, ice cream makes him happy.
When he manages to collect himself, he finally remembers to ask. ] How've you been, by the way? This run went on longer than we expected, so I probably missed out on whatever's been going on around here.
[ She wouldn't be half surprised if Howard Stark tried to get in on the ice cream-making business at some point in his career. Putting together unexpected flavours to make something spectacular is — was, she reminds herself with an old and familiar pang — right in his wheelhouse. Peggy just grins at him, no less warm for how brief a flash it is, and takes his word for it. After all, Sam offers up as many good suggestions about what to look into in the future as Natasha or Clint. ]
You weren't gone long enough for anything to go dramatically wrong on this side of the world. [ She tucks a curl behind her ear, then folds her arms as she thinks. ] Had a look around the library, thought about seeing a show — it's appalling, the price of a ticket — oh, had lunch with Tony the other day, I'm sure you'll all hear how awkward it was. Or not. [ She smirks, less with her lips and more with her eyes. ] But mostly I pined at the window for Captain Rogers' safe return.
You weren't gone long enough for anything to go dramatically wrong on this side of the world. [ She tucks a curl behind her ear, then folds her arms as she thinks. ] Had a look around the library, thought about seeing a show — it's appalling, the price of a ticket — oh, had lunch with Tony the other day, I'm sure you'll all hear how awkward it was. Or not. [ She smirks, less with her lips and more with her eyes. ] But mostly I pined at the window for Captain Rogers' safe return.
[ He'll probably never hear about that lunch from Tony, knowing how avoidant the man is about talking about anything remotely even related to feelings, but Sam's okay with that. ]
Glad to hear not much drama's gone down here, honestly, even if it makes catching up a little less entertaining.
[ He snorts a little at the thought of Peggy just pining away for Steve, even if he knows that that's just how the tabloids would try to spin things given half the chance. ]
I don't know, Peg. I'm pretty sure pining at the window would require a lot less efficiency than you're capable of.
Glad to hear not much drama's gone down here, honestly, even if it makes catching up a little less entertaining.
[ He snorts a little at the thought of Peggy just pining away for Steve, even if he knows that that's just how the tabloids would try to spin things given half the chance. ]
I don't know, Peg. I'm pretty sure pining at the window would require a lot less efficiency than you're capable of.
Bucky doesn't really know what to do with himself once they get to Wakanda. Everyone is either busy or recovering, and no one's given him anything to do. He could probably use some patching up himself, his body hasn't fully healed yet, but he's not really aware of his own cuts and bruises. The only thing he's really aware of is his missing arm. What's remaining probably needs to be cleaned and wrapped, but he doesn't want to trouble anyone over it.
He wanders around somewhat aimlessly until he finds Sam patching himself up somewhere, and he hovers by his open door. He's not sure Steve's friend will even want to talk to him, but they've had a few good moments. "Can I help?" he asks, quietly. "I know enough to take care of myself in the field if I have to."
Not that he ever used that knowledge for himself much, even before he was the Winter Soldier.
He wanders around somewhat aimlessly until he finds Sam patching himself up somewhere, and he hovers by his open door. He's not sure Steve's friend will even want to talk to him, but they've had a few good moments. "Can I help?" he asks, quietly. "I know enough to take care of myself in the field if I have to."
Not that he ever used that knowledge for himself much, even before he was the Winter Soldier.
[ Even at the quiet voice, Sam startles anyway, having thought everyone else would be too busy with the others rather than paying attention to him. He settles down a little once recognizes who it is though, lowering the bottle of antiseptic he'd been studying.
Bucky looks a little lost, but earnest in his offer. Sam shrugs. After everything, if he can't even trust the guy to help him out, he probably shouldn't have taken Steve's side in this whole mess. ]
Yeah, sure. Come help me swab the parts on my back I can't reach. I mean, nothing like surviving people shooting at you only to succumb to infection to dampen your enthusiasm for fighting, right?
Bucky looks a little lost, but earnest in his offer. Sam shrugs. After everything, if he can't even trust the guy to help him out, he probably shouldn't have taken Steve's side in this whole mess. ]
Yeah, sure. Come help me swab the parts on my back I can't reach. I mean, nothing like surviving people shooting at you only to succumb to infection to dampen your enthusiasm for fighting, right?
[Bucky gives him a small, wry smile at that.] I don't know...I think I'd still be pretty enthusiastic.
[Whether it's his own enthusiasm or the Winter Soldier's, he doesn't really know. He was a soldier before he was the Winter Soldier, after all.]
[His touch is gentle though, when he takes the supplies from Sam and carefully starts applying antiseptic and bandages to his back.]
I'm not even sure infection is an issue with me, though.
[Whether it's his own enthusiasm or the Winter Soldier's, he doesn't really know. He was a soldier before he was the Winter Soldier, after all.]
[His touch is gentle though, when he takes the supplies from Sam and carefully starts applying antiseptic and bandages to his back.]
I'm not even sure infection is an issue with me, though.
[ He chuckles, allowing Bucky to take the first aid supplies from him and turning to give him access to his back. He's all too aware of the vulnerability of his position, but Bucky works efficiently, his touch as gentle as he can make it despite the stinging of the antiseptic as his scrapes are cleaned. ]
Well, I wouldn't want to leave that to chance either way. Infections are really nasty to deal with, so if there's a possibility for it, don't even try to skimp on the first aid.
[ They didn't work this hard to keep him from capital punishment just to have Bucky die from an infection of all things, after all.
But enough of that. ] Sorry about that apartment you had to leave behind, by the way. Steve said it looked pretty homey.
Well, I wouldn't want to leave that to chance either way. Infections are really nasty to deal with, so if there's a possibility for it, don't even try to skimp on the first aid.
[ They didn't work this hard to keep him from capital punishment just to have Bucky die from an infection of all things, after all.
But enough of that. ] Sorry about that apartment you had to leave behind, by the way. Steve said it looked pretty homey.
Honestly I haven't even bothered yet. With the first aid, I mean.
[Which makes helping Sam out a little hypocritical, but you know, whatever. It's a supersoldier thing.
He shrugs at the apartment comment as he continues his work, thorough and efficient in his methods. Some parts are a little tricky to do with one hand, like opening the package of bandages, but he manages.]
I was ready to leave whenever I had to. Had a packed bag under the floor. But I suppose it was as homey as I knew how to make it. The only thing I wish I'd grabbed was my notebook. Not sure if Steve managed to, he hasn't mentioned it.
[Which makes helping Sam out a little hypocritical, but you know, whatever. It's a supersoldier thing.
He shrugs at the apartment comment as he continues his work, thorough and efficient in his methods. Some parts are a little tricky to do with one hand, like opening the package of bandages, but he manages.]
I was ready to leave whenever I had to. Had a packed bag under the floor. But I suppose it was as homey as I knew how to make it. The only thing I wish I'd grabbed was my notebook. Not sure if Steve managed to, he hasn't mentioned it.
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