“Would you stop fidgeting ?” Sam asked equally. “It would have been faster to fly there by ourselves with the wings,” Joaquin answered. “You’re still grounded. Officially you shouldn’t even cross the country,” Sam reminded him. He smiled hearing Joaquin mumbled his unhappiness at the fact. “I’m fine enough to at least fly a plane,” he tried again.
Sam sighed and gave up on napping, opening his eyes to watch Joaquin play with the screen in front of him. “Could you go back to being excited to be in first class ?” Joaquin blushed a little at being reminded of his behavior when they got seated 2 hours ago.
“I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated,” Joaquin admitted. “I know, but that’s what you get when you fly into a missile,” Sam said lightly. Joaquin mumbled some more but had the good sense to not insist.
Sam closed his eyes, giving his nap a second chance but now he could feel Joaquin being excited again and that was just as much distracting as Joaquin being grumpy. “I can’t believe I’m finally gonna meet Ant-Man,” he let out cheerfully. Sam groaned but didn’t comment. Surely Scott would be kind enough to not mention to Sam’s protégé that he kicked his ass once upon a time. Why did Joaquin find him so cool anyway ?
Finally Joaquin selected a movie to watch for the rest of the flight and Sam caught some well expected shut eye. He wasn’t exactly nervous about the discussion that awaited him, but it was an important one, and he wanted to be as on point as possible.
__________________________________________
Joaquin didn’t know what he was expecting when Sam knocked on Scott Lang’s door, but certainly not that. “Oh wow guys ! It is so great to see you ! I knew you were coming, dang, Scott and I been cooking all day so you can have options, but I can’t believe I got Captain America and the Falcon before my eyes. That’s sick !”
Joaquin blinked a few times, a little stunned by the many words spoken in such little time.
“Hi Luis, nice to see you again,” Sam greeted easily, clapping Luis’ hand on his own. “Oh man, come inside, you need to sit down,” Luis went on again when he turned to Joaquin and noticed his crutch. “I saw your fall on TV, man that was wild, you made a missile explode in your face ! But it got you a lot of street credit though, and a lot of attention,”he added with an equivoque wink. “I bet you can get all the ladies now. Or the misters ! I saw a tweet about you that cracked me up ‘Respectfully Joaquin Torres can fly into my air space whenever he wants’,” he quoted with a cackle, making Joaquin blush like crazy. Luis kept talking as he led them inside the house, Joaquin feeling dizzy by his rapid flow, and Sam eyeing him clearly amused. “You don’t get used to it,” he whispered to Joaquin. Joaquin believed him.
“Yo, Scott ! Your guests are here, I’m settling them in the living room, hurry up !” Luis shouted. “I’m coming !” Scott shouted back, and Joaquin felt excited all over again.
They sat on a couch, Joaquin silently grateful to be off of his legs even if he hadn’t stood for that long. This recovery period was really starting to bug him. Luis sat on the edge of the sofa on the other side of the coffee table and did something even stranger than speaking non-stop : he stared at them in silence. He was obviously expecting something but Joaquin had no idea what and if Sam knew, he seemed happy to not comply. The weird staring lasted maybe less than 30 seconds (but felt like 1000) when Ant-Man finally joined them. Wearing a Taylor Swift apron.
“Cap ! It’s so good to see you, bring it in !” he welcomed, opening his arms. Sam chuckled and stood up to hug him briefly, clapping his back joyfully. “Hey Scott, thanks for having us. Meet First Lieutenant Joaquin Torres,” Sam introduced while Joaquin was getting on his feet once more. “Baby Falcon !” Lang exclaimed happily, going for a hug like it wasn’t the first time they met. “Saw you fighting, impressive !” he added. “Thank you Sir,” Joaquin answered, in awe. Ant-Man knew of him. “Sir ? Aw come on, none of that, call me Scott !” Joaquin could only nod, ignoring Sam’s eyes rolling.
“So, you’re a Swiftie ?” Sam asked with a teasing smile. Scott’s smile only got bigger. “And you’re not ? Come on, have a seat, Hope’s on her way but in the meantime, what can I get you, tea ? Coffee ?”
He made sure everyone got what they asked for and in no time he was sitting next to Luis who was listing every treat they had spent the afternoon baking. “But we’ll wait for Hope to be here, of course,” he said with only an inch of regret. “Speaking of the devil,” Scott announced as they could hear the front door opening. Luis jumped on his feet excitedly and made a beeline to the kitchen to get the various cakes.
“Hey everyone, sorry I’m late,” Hope greeted while dropping her bags on a pedestal table. Joaquin had thought meeting Ant-Man would be impressive but Hope Van Dyne was even more. Sam had warned him, told him she was cut from the same cloth as Pepper Potts, but still. Well, Joaquin guessed it was always something to meet super heroes/super bosses in real life.
Sam was hugged once more, Joaquin was introduced once more, Luis came back with a trail full of treats and they had just sat back down when the front door opened again. “Hope ! You forgot the…”
A young woman barged in the living room and came to a halt when she noticed Hope wasn’t alone. Her eyes landed on Joaquin and on Sam, blinking slowly as she took them in, obviously not expecting to be in the presence of another set of super heroes. Joaquin gaped a little, trying to commit to memory every inch of her face. Auburn hair was escaping her messy ponytail and falling on her rosy cheeks, and in front of big green eyes. He was sure she was both the cutest and the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt, I was just bringing…” she started, raising a folder in front of her. “Alexis ! Come in, have tea with us,” Scott welcomed, rising to his feet. “No, no, I’m sorry, I totally forgot you had this meeting, I don’t want to…” “ Don’t be silly, it’s always a pleasure to see you. Besides, whatever we end up agreeing to, you’ll have to plan anyway”, Scott joked, leading her by the arm to sit where Luis had just vacated the spot to sit on the floor.
She was wearing a blue shirt on darker jeans and little black slingbacks with a square hill and a golden buckle. Joaquin could just not take his eyes off of her.
“Everyone, this is Alexis, Hope’s assistant. Right hand, really,” Scott explained, making her blush. “Alexis, meet Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres,” he introduced, before rushing to the kitchen to get her a mug. Her eyes eventually fell on Joaquin and he waved like a moron. He was about to mentally slap himself but she smiled back, she SMILED AT HIM. He answered with a smile of his own and he didn’t have to see Sam to know he was mocking him. He didn’t care.
“Don’t worry Alexis, it’s really fine that you’re here,” Hope reassured her. “Sam, Scott should have made sure it was okay with you before, and I’m sure he didn’t warn you Luis would be here as well,” she continued with a pointed look at Luis who didn’t seem baffled at all, focused on his cupcake, “but he’s right, she’s safe to speak in front of.”
Sam seemed to consider it for a second, but Joaquin was pretty sure that Luis and Alexis would have been made aware of what he had to say right away after he had left if they hadn’t been already there. “It’s fine, if we go through with this, you’re going to need your teams,” Sam agreed.
“Here you go kid,” Scott came back with a mug for Alexis who took it with a smile. She still seemed utterly confused to be there with all of them and Joaquin wanted to tell her how much he understood and how he felt it himself.
“So, what brings you to SF guys ? You were highly mysterious on the phone,” Scott teased before taking a sip of his tea. “Have a scone !” he then exclaimed, handing the plate. Joaquin grabbed one, thinking that never in a million years he could have imagined all this.
Once everyone got a treat in hand and Scott was satisfied, the attention finally went back to Sam who was patiently waiting for his moment. Apparently, he was expecting all of this.
“Before going all red,” he started, “Ross asked me to recreate the Avengers. Obviously he was expecting a bunch of superheroes to answer him and I was definitely not on board with it, but he had a point.”
Hope didn’t let anything show but Scott and Luis were already smiling excitedly and Alexis’ eyes were wide open.
“We all manage to handle whatever comes our way, but we know it’s only a matter of time until something utterly bigger comes at us again. We need to be better prepared than we were with Thanos.”
From there, Sam explained what he had in mind, getting Joaquin’s input once in a while, and ok, maybe Joaquin was showing off a little, but he didn’t want to just impress Ant-Man anymore.
“I’m guessing the 4 of us are on your list, who else ?” Hope asked calmly. Luis raised his hand, an unexpected candidate, and Joaquin couldn’t help but to offer him his fist to check, making him smile broadly and Alexis chuckle. Joaquin was walking on air.
“I know some from the old team would be up for it, like Thor, but he’s not exactly easy to reach. Same for Danvers,” he started.
“Clint told me about a kid he met in New York, he said she’s good,” Scott chimed in. “Yeah, Kate Bishop, she really is, and she’s adamant to prove herself, but she’s also very young. I’m already conflicted about Joaquin being sent to the front, and he’s trained military,” Sam confessed. “Hey !” Joaquin complained. “Don’t take this the wrong way, you know I trust you. I just feel guilty to put you in danger,” Sam explained. “That’s not on you, I’m choosing to be here, I’m choosing to take the risks because it’s worth it,” Joaquin remembered him seriously.
“I know, I know,” Sam answered, clapping his back. “Doesn’t make it easier. Anyway, Fury should have some names, but do we want him involved ?”
The discussion took off again as serious as it was, they managed to share a few laughs. Scott was full of nonsense and Joaquin was delighted by it. And now that Sam knew he and Hope would have his back and he was considerably more relaxed beside Joaquin.
When they finally rapt it up, it was early evening and Hope had to rush to her home office for a business call. “It was great to meet you, baby Falcon,” Scott said, hugging Joaquin again. “You too,” he answered with a broad smile. “Can’t wait to train with you,” he admitted.
“Alright, alright, break it off. Let’s go Jay,” Sam laughed. “See you Scott, thanks again for having us and hearing us.” “Anytime Cap’.”
They said goodbye to Luis who had made them doggybags as well, but Joaquin could crack his neck in every direction, he couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Alexis. Did he miss her going upstairs with Hope ?
They were outside before he could see her again and find out where she went and he knew he couldn’t hide how disappointed he was.
__________________________________
Sam felt bad for Jay, but he couldn’t help but be highly amused by how he had instantly taken an interest in Hope’s cute assistant.
“I’m not going to the hotel, you’re gonna be ok going by yourself ?” he asked before they even walked away from Scott’s door. “Yeah, of course, don’t worry.” “You should take a cab,” Sam suggested. “I’m fine, it’s like 5 minutes away,” Joaquin answered, rolling his eyes. “You’re not supposed to exert yourself,” Sam reminded him. Joaquin was not one to complain, and the last thing Sam wanted was to ask too much from him too soon.
Joaquin was about to retort something probably not as clever as he thought when Scott’s door opened, revealing Alexis. Sam could have disappeared on the spot and Joaquin wouldn’t have noticed. “Oh hi,” she smiled. “I’m glad to run into you, I thought I missed my chance to say goodbye.”
“I’m actually running late to my next meeting,” Sam informed her, making her look at him for the first time. Apparently she wasn’t worried about not saying goodbye to him. Alright then, they were both completely smitten. “But Jay doesn’t have any plan, he’ll handle the goodbyes for the both of us,” he joked, already walking away.
“Remember, don’t exert yourself !” he couldn’t help but shout, chuckling when Jay blushed slightly at the innuendo. He sent him a panicked glance and a wave but Alexis didn’t say anything, too busy smiling broadly at Jay. Sam turned his back to them, reassured that he wouldn’t be the only one having a good night, and picked up the pace.
The place he was meeting Bucky at wasn’t far, they wanted to spend as much time as possible with each other and they had to think about how Scott would insist on having them for dinner if Bucky showed up at his door to reject that option. Thankfully Bucky was full of resources and motivated by a love of food that made him find the best Thai restaurant ever, or so he had said.
Sam opened the door and noticed Bucky right away, even if he was in a corner, slightly hidden by colorful hangings. By the way Bucky straightened, Sam knew he was made too. “Expecting someone, congressman ?” Sam whispered playfully in Bucky’s ear. “Always,” Bucky chuckled back.
Sam dared a quick peck on Bucky’s cheek before taking a seat in front of him.They weren’t into PDA, mostly because they were two public figures and they didn’t want private moments to make front pages, but right now, when they haven’t seen each other in days, it was harder than usual.
“How’s the kid ?” Bucky asked right away. Sam loved that he cared so much about Joaquin without letting anything show when he was around him. “He’s better. I just left him with a pretty girl, they were adorable,” he disclosed. “Are you trying to set up your protégé ?” Bucky laughed. “Oh he doesn’t need me, trust me ! She’s Hope’s assistant, they were making eyes at each other all afternoon.”
Bucky shook his head, a small smile on his lips, and Sam was about to suggest that they drop dinner altogether when waiters arrived with arms full of colorful plates. “What have you done ?” Sam asked incredulously with a laugh. Bucky looked very proud of himself and Sam was suddenly glad he didn’t gorge on Scott’s cakes.
They started eating, Bucky telling about his last encounters with citizens, some over the moon with his election, others gutted and bordering on violence… A typical day in the life of a politician.
“So, are they in ?” Bucky asked after a while. He didn’t have to specify who he was talking about, he and Sam had talked about it forever before Sam actually decided to go for it. “They are. Hope is even willing to partially finance it. I know Pepper was open to it too, now that we have some people on board I’ll go talk to her,” Sam explained.
“Did they have more names for you ?” Bucky asked, stuffing down some shrimps. “A few, but they’re so young Buck. I know they’re more than capable, and don’t tell Joaquin I worried out loud again, but come on, I hate leading them toward so much violence.”
Bucky looked around quickly before grabbing Sam’s hand on the table and squeezing it. “I know, but if they’re all like Torres, or that kid who worships Barton, they will go toward violence anyway. It’s better if they’re prepared, together and with a leader they can trust,” Bucky said heartfully.
Sam saw his point, but still. He let his head fall back and grunted, scrubbing his eye with his free hand. Bucky squeezed his hand again and all Sam wanted now was to get out of there.
“Are you done with the food ?” he asked, already on his feet as soon as Bucky nodded. They paid quickly and made their way out, finding streets badly lit to steal kisses as much as they could.
It was strange how Bucky could make him feel like a teenager sometimes. Or maybe that was just how you were supposed to feel when you were in a relationship. When you were in love.
When they arrived at the hotel, Sam spared a look toward the bar in case Joaquin was there but he didn’t get to see anything before Bucky tugged on his hand to lead him in the elevator. As soon as the doors were closed, Bucky gently pressed Sam against the wall and dropped hot kisses along his jaw and in his neck. Sam sighed deeply, clenching his fists in Bucky’s shirt to bring him closer.
“I missed you,” Bucky whispered in his ear. “Me too. Why do you still have to travel so much now that you’re elected ?” he whined a little. Bucky chuckled, his breath tingling Sam’s skin, when the elevator dang.
Sam found the strength to push him away to better drag him out and to his room. The door was barely closed on them when he caught Bucky’s face in his hands to kiss him slow and deep, eliciting a moan from him that went straight to his dick.
They weren't seeing each other enough but when they did, they did everything they could to make the most of it. And sometimes it was nice to have a hotel room all to themselves.