Lazy Days
“You know, Torres told me that people online ‘ship’ us,” Sam tells Bucky one morning as they sit out on the porch, or rather lanai.
A confused look spreads across Bucky’s face. It’s adorable. “What does that even mean?”
“Like, they want us to date. People have whole blogs dedicated to it and they find ‘evidence’ and everything.”
Bucky snorts, “well, they’ll be happy to know we’re married, then.”
“I suppose they will,” Sam muses, “at least we know we will have some support!”
“What’s the ‘evidence’ look like?”
Sam snorts, “mostly you making dopey faces at me.”
Bucky glares at him.
Sam relents. “Okay, and the fact that we have been seen to go out for ice cream and dinner together and that we literally live together. It’s a pretty strong case.”
“None of you making dopey faces at me?”
“Maybe a couple.”
“Then we’re on even ground, I suppose,” Bucky says, playful.
“Suppose so,” Sam admits.
They’re quiet for a moment, just enjoying the view, their coffee, and each other.
“What do you want to do today?” Bucky asks him.
Sam makes a thoughtful noise. “I think it’s time we went to the beach.”
Bucky groans. “You’re lucky I love you because I am going to have sand in my arm for days. Days, Samuel.”
Sam just laughs.
It’s the off season, so nothing has been too busy, but they still decide to go to a rather inaccessible beach. It’s two miles of ROUGH four wheel drive road that Bucky navigates with concerning speed in their lifted Jeep. He’s been doing all of the driving on the trip, which Sam can’t complain about. Bucky is certainly the more confident driver, which is not to say he’s the better driver, only that he approaches the task without faltering. This fact comes rather in handy when roads are really just the suggestion of a place where cars may pass and really resemble dry riverbeds full of rocks reaching the size of boulders. Besides, Sam’s thing is flying. His husband, therefore, is left with ground transportation.
It ends up being worth it. The beach is absolutely stunning and deserted save for a few people who have set up what look like permanent camps near to where they parked the Jeep. The people do not seem to recognize them, perhaps thanks to the fact that Sam is calc only in swim trunks and Bucky has their towels slung over his metal arm so that if someone just took a quick glance at him, he would appear perfectly normal.
They set their stuff a far enough ways away from the people at the entrance that they shouldn’t be able to even see the honeymooning couple. Bucky is meticulous about it, as he is with everything. He has a blanket he actually stakes out, and umbrella and two chairs that match, and a cooler which rests in the shade. It’s an admittedly impressive set up, and the short time it took for him to do it more impressive yet. The blanket becomes immediately useful when Bucky has him lay down so he can sunscreen him, massaging him as he goes even though Sam hasn’t been on a mission in two weeks. He does attempt to return the favor, but he is not nearly as good at massages as Bucky. The man has an actual talent for working out knots. The first post-mission massage Sam had ever received from Bucky had been literally life changing.
Still, Sam does his best. When they both are thoroughly protected from the sun, they opt to lay out and read a bit. Bucky had finished Pride and Prejudice earlier on their honeymoon, and had since moved on to Ender’s Game, a book Sam had been forced to read in school and thankfully hadn’t touched since. Bucky seems to be enjoying it, but then again the man has questionable taste and is a total sci-fi nerd.
Eventually Sam persuades Bucky into the water by using a combination of guilt trip and seduction, which he is very proud of, thank you, and then proceeds to splash his husband the whole time. Because Bucky is Bucky, he retaliates without mercy and by the time they drag themselves back to shore they’re both waterlogged. Bucky’s skin doesn’t get the wrinkles because of the serum, but he has assured Sam on many occasions that it doesn’t mean he doesn’t get sick of being in water.
So they sunscreen up again and then dry out in the sun, sharing the lunch Bucky made them this morning. Sam takes a nap there in the sun and wakes up to see his husband reading next to him and the umbrella moved to shade his body. Bucky hasn’t slept, but then again he has only recently completely conquered his insomnia so Sam is just proud of him for consistently sleeping through the night.
They pack up not long after Sam wakes up and Bucky navigates them back out to the main road, complaining about how sand has gotten stuck in his arm the whole way back. The two of them actually end up calling Shuri, and Bucky demonstrates that yes his arm actually does have sand in it. The call ends with a very annoyed technological genius already drafting plans for a better, sand-proof arm. Shuri seems to take it as a personal affront that something as basic as sand has managed to compromise her engineering.
While on the phone with Shuri, they drive to the next stop Sam had picked in the area and once they hang up with the young genius, do a bit more sightseeing and then return to town for dinner. Sam is given the task of picking up saif dinner, which he does in the extremely advanced and foolproof disguise of sunglasses and a hat. To be fair, even these days, he doesn’t get recognized much out of his suit so it’s really just him being safe. Plus, it’s not like most people expect to see Captain America in a casual open button down shirt and board shorts. Bucky is not so lucky because unlike Sam his arm is nearly instantly recognizable. He fares well enough with long sleeves, after all Leah did not recognize him at first, something they give her shit for now, but long sleeves and gloves would stick out just as badly as a metal arm in the tropical climate of Hawaii.
Bucky grins at him when Sam raises the bag in triumph as he approaches the car. They go to the beach at what was the old airport for dinner and sunset, sitting on the hood of the Jeep down away from all the other cars in the giant parking lot that is really just the old runway. Dinner is delicious and Sam wonders if he will have to start adding Hawaiian foods to their rotation when they get back. It’s a sad thought, leaving. He o my has three more days in paradise with the love of his life before the real world will come crashing back onto them.
“What’re you thinking about?” Bucky asks him, eyes trained on the setting sun.
Sam nudges his shoulder, the metal one, gently, “you.”
Bucky still hasn’t looked at him, but he smirks at the wide expanse of water, “good things, I hope.” And then he does turn to look at Sam.
“Good things,” Sam promises.
And when Bucky captures his lips in a sweet kiss, he quite forgets about the beautiful sunset they had come to watch. He finds he doesn’t mind so much.