Unexpected Photographs
The Bucky of universe 192 glared at him with hatred after Bucky discovered his lie, he couldn't care less, he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Have you really been on the verge of risking two entire universes because of your stubbornness?" asked Sam tense
"It's worth risking all the universes for you, Sam"
"No, it doesn't deserve it. There are innocent people who would be in danger, people who matter, people who matter to me."
"Besides," Joaquin interjected, "by endangering this universe, aren't you endangering Sam as well?" The Bucky from the other universe frowned, as if he hadn't thought of that possibility. He stood for a few moments in thoughtful silence
"Can we talk?" he said to Bucky, when he finally spoke again
"Buck...?" Sam asked, sounding unsure. Bucky nodded slightly to him, who got off the boat followed by Joaquin
"Sam is right. It's dangerous for the two of us to be here," Bucky nodded again, wondering where his other self wanted to go, "That's why you have to go to my universe so I could stay here with Sam."
"I'm not going to do that."
"Why not? In the other universe you can do everything you do in this one, the only difference is that Sam wouldn't be there, but you don't work together and you hardly talk so... Why not? It's the best option."
"Because I don't want to, okay? I don't care how much or how little I talk to Sam, the world is better because he exists. MY world is better because I know he exists."
"Oh I get it, but have you thought about what Sam wants? What's best for him?"
Bucky didn't answer.
"In my right inner pocket," said his other version, Bucky walked over and looked where he said. There was a thick envelope, he looked at the other Bucky who nodded and opened it. They were pictures of the Sams and Buckys of Universe 192 in different places, in Delacroix, at his house, in Brooklyn, in Paris, Rome, Mexico, Spain, in other places that Bucky couldn't even identify, but most of them were of Delacroix, at Sarah's house, on the docks, on the boat, at the seafood restaurant Sam liked, and at his house. They had a beautiful house, Bucky kept looking at the pictures with a lump in his throat. They looked so good together, so happy and in love and even had a nice dog. Curiously this was what shocked Bucky the most, he had always seen himself more as a cat man, but it didn't matter where they were or what furry friend he had adopted, the important thing was that he was with Sam, he was happy and, if the photos showed something, he also made Sam happy. He caressed the Sam in the photograph who looked at the Bucky next to him as if he had hung the moon. It all felt so unfair, that he would never have that, that the other Bucky would have had it and lost it, but he could fix it, he could give that happiness to Sam and give it back to the Bucky in the other universe.
Without saying anything and still with the photographs in his hand, he went out to look for Sam.