Unexpected proposition
"So... What was that?" Sam asked in a lower tone than usual when Joaquin and he were alone.
"What was what?" the confused boy asked.
"You and Barnes? Holding hands?"
Torres chuckled softly.
"Jealous, Cap?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Joaquin looked at him with a playful smile, but didn't say anything more about the topic. Instead, he became serious and asked, "How are you handling all of this?"
"I don't know. It's just a lot to take in. We didn't even know the multiverse existed, and suddenly, here's this universe's Bucky and another one saying he was married to another version of me who died and now wants to try something with me."
"What do you want?" Joaquin asked. Sam shrugged, knowing full well what he wanted, but simply couldn't see it as possible, so why say it?
"I'm going to call Sarah," he announced. "I know you've talked to her, but she'll probably feel better hearing from me."
Joaquin nodded, and Sam dialed Sarah's number, who answered almost immediately. He had barely finished talking to her when Bucky arrived, asking to speak to Sam alone.
Joaquin decided to go to the ship with the Bucky from universe 192 to leave them alone and keep an eye on the man, and if he happened to get more information about the multiverse in the process, well, that was a bonus.
"What would you think about me going to universe 192 and my other self staying here?"
"What?"
"Listen, you're right that it would be dangerous for both of us to be here and none in 192, but if I went there, maybe we could maintain balance?"
"Do you want to leave?" Sam asked, hurt, but the worst part wasn't his tone of voice, but the sadness in his eyes.
Bucky didn't respond; instead, he handed him the envelope. Sam took it and opened it, starting to look at the photos.
Their other versions from universe 192 seemed so happy it hurt. They had a life in common , they lived together, traveled, loved each other, they were happy... They even had a beautiful dog! Sam handed the photos back to Bucky; if he kept looking at them, he would do something stupid like kissing Bucky, telling him how he felt, and trying to have that happiness his other self had had, but that happiness didn't seem possible for him. Not when Barnes was willing to switch universes.
It was Bucky who broke the dense silence they had sunk into.
"We seem happy in those photos. Well, not us, but our other versions, and now he's here, and he's here for you. He thinks he can make you happy, and I..." he stopped, looking up at the sky as if asking for divine intervention to help him. "I wouldn't be able to deny you that happiness."
Sam's heart squeezed in his chest.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but, if you want to leave for me, don't do it" he said instead of the Please don't go that screamed his mind and returning to the ship, not even giving Bucky a final glance.