Another summer meant another Wilson Games, and as promised, this year was going to be even better than the last. Unlike the year before, Bucky had more than a week to prepare. He hadn’t stopped thinking about it since the previous Games.
Everyone got an updated version of their shirt from the year before. The colors and names were all the same, but the year on the front was different. In addition to that, Bucky also decided that whoever won this year was going to get a trophy. He spent the better part of a week finding an old trophy at a flea market and changing it to say Wilson Games Champion.
A lot more thought was put into the events. Bucky picked three new games: sack race, hula hoop ring toss, and jousting. The obstacle course was going to be an annual event, but Bucky had no say in designing it this year.
He called Joaquin early. Bucky wasn’t dealing with any last minute nonsense this year. Joaquin designed the obstacle course and got to pick Karli and Bucky’s handicaps. Everything was up to him, and Bucky didn’t know anything about his decisions until the day of the Wilson Games.
“Good morning, and welcome to the second annual reinstated Wilson Games!” Joaquin announced on a Saturday morning at the end of June. Sam, Bucky, Sarah, Karli, AJ, and Cass were all standing in front of him in their shirts. Bucky, just like the year before, was also wearing a matching sweatband. Nobody else joined in on that this year though. “Is everyone ready to get started?”
“Yes, let’s get this show on the road here,” Karli replied, causing Bucky to glare at her. “Sorry, I meant, ‘born ready.’”
“I’ll show you born ready,” Bucky muttered, causing everyone to laugh. “So, Torres, the first event?”
“You say that like you didn’t schedule the whole day,” Sam joked.
“There are going to be four events today: a sack race, hula hoop ring toss, jousting, and an obstacle course, respectively,” Joaquin explained. There were a few noises from the peanut gallery before Joaquin continued. “For the sack race, Karli and Bucky will start out ten feet behind everyone else, for the ring toss, their targets will be moving, and for the jousting they will have to stand on one foot. Once again, they will be blind folded for the obstacle course.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Karli muttered under her breath. Then, she smirked at Bucky. “I’m still going to win, though.”
“In your dreams, kiddo,” Bucky replied. “Now, let’s do this thing!”
...
The sack race was easy as far as sack races went. It didn’t take much for Karli and Bucky to catch up with the other racers, but they didn’t have enough time to catch up to Sam. He won that round.
Hula hoop ring toss was also fairly simple. All they needed to do was grab a hula hoop, run to the throw line, and toss the hula hoop onto a pole. Karli and Bucky had to throw them over Red Wing instead of a pole, and Sam was not very happy about that. Bucky might have accidentally hit Red Wing a few times, which ended up causing him to lose. In the end, AJ won which was incredibly surprising, and everyone gave him the congratulations he deserved.
Next was jousting. Two players had to stand on pedestals over a pit of foam balls and attempt to hit the other off with a stick. The first round was Bucky vs. Karli, Sam vs. Sarah, and Cass vs. AJ. The winners were Bucky (their round lasted a very long time, and eventually Karli gave up), Sam (how was Sarah supposed to beat Captain America, she grumbled), and Cass (AJ let him win to even the playing field). Bucky got a bye, and Sam went against Cass. Cass was a good sport and accepted that he was going to lose, but everyone had a good time watching him try.
“Looks like it’s you and me, old man,” Sam said from where he stood on the pedestal. Bucky climbed up on top of the other way.
“I’ll try not to mess up your pretty face, Cap,” Bucky replied, trying to sound flirtatious and intimidating but failing to do either.
“Maybe I’ll hit your face so hard that it’ll end up being pretty,” Sam countered, and Bucky let out a low whistle.
“That’s how it is?” he asked.
“That’s how it is,” Sam confirmed. “Come on. Hop on that one foot. Let’s get this over with.”
They began hitting each other with their sticks in a way that was definitely embarrassing for two superheroes. In their defense, they normally got to move around more in battles, and the lack of mobility lowered the amount of tricks they could do.
“Ready to give up yet, Cap?” Bucky questioned.
“I could do this all--”
Sam was cut off by a blow to the stomach. He glared at Bucky who just shrugged in response. Sam squinted his eyes and somehow maneuvered his stick to hit Bucky in the back of his knee causing him to lose all balance and fall into the pit.
“We have a winner!” Joaquin announced. Sam bowed to the crowd who all rolled their eyes.
“Come on. I’ll help you up, baby,” Sam said, reaching his hand out for Bucky to grab.
“Oh so it’s baby now?” Bucky asked, not taking his hand. Sam knew he was only kidding, and it was incredibly hard not to laugh.
“I was just trying to take it seriously like you asked,” Sam defended, still holding out his hand.
“And, I’m trying to defend my title as Wilson Games champion,” Bucky pouted. “But, my boyfriend is an asshole.”
“Your boyfriend is trying to help you up.”
Bucky grabbed Sam’s hand and pretended to get up before pulling Sam down with him. Bucky kissed him on the cheek when he scoffed. “All’s fair in love and the Wilson Games, sweetheart.”
...
The obstacle course was kind of redundant seeing as nobody could beat Sam. He had two wins, so no matter who won the obstacle course, it would either end in a tie or Sam winning. Nobody cared though because the obstacle course was always the best part.
This year’s obstacle course was different. First they had to run to a net that they then had to climb through. Once passed the net, they had to cross a balance beam. Then, they needed to jump from one rock to the next. Finally, just like the year before, they had to swing from a rope onto the platform to hit the buzzer.
The course was still easy enough for everyone to do. They all made it through the net at a similar pace, but Sarah and Cass fell off the balance beam. Karli missed one of the rocks because of her blindfold and fell. AJ fell behind on the rocks as well.
Once again, it was Sam and Bucky racing to the final buzzer. Sam made the decision to let Bucky hit the buzzer instead of almost losing his hand again. Bucky ripped off his blindfold to see Sam standing in front of him.
“You just beat me,” Sam lied, and he wasn’t sure if Bucky believed him.
“Well, you still won,” Bucky told him. He smiled at his boyfriend. “Congratulations, Cap. Maybe next year we’ll have to make modifications so it’s harder for you.”
“Yeah, make someone else wear a blindfold!” Karli yelled from the ground as Sam and Bucky climbed down.
“So, the final scores are AJ and Bucky tied for second,” Joaquin said, and AJ and Bucky high-fived, “and Sam in first. Congratulations, everyone! Bucky, you said there was a prize.”
“Oh, yes, let me go get it,” Bucky stated, clapping his hands together to go retrieve the trophy from the shed. He put it behind his back and walked up to Sam.
“A real prize this year?” he asked.
“It’s nothing special. Just a hundred dollars, and this,” Bucky told him, revealing the trophy. It was obvious that Bucky made it, and it made it even more special. Sam smiled tearily. “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”
“What? No, of course, not,” Sam assured him. He held the trophy in his hands. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“I think that’s you,” Bucky replied, moving forward to kiss Sam. Everyone groaned.
“I thought this was the Wilson Games. Not the SamBucky Games,” Karli groaned.
“Come on, let’s leave the love birds to it. I’ll go start lunch,” Sarah said, rounding up the kids and Joaquin and heading to her house.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” Sam whispered when he pulled away. “I really don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“I think we’re pretty evenly matched,” Bucky countered, kissing Sam on the cheek. “I mean, we both have one Wilson Games win under our belts. I’d say we’re the power couple.”
“Mhm, made for each other,” Sam murmured, kissing Bucky again. Then, he smirked. “You know, I won a few times before you came into the picture. I technically have more wins under my belt.”
“Yeah, well, I fought Nazis so.”
“You can’t use that to win every argument.”
“I think I can though.”
“I hate you.”
“Love you too, Sammy.”
...
Summer was shaping up to be exactly what Sam had needed. He got to spend every day with his family, and he didn’t need to worry about the world ending unless he got a call from Joaquin. It was relaxing. It was the perfect vacation. Only one thing would make it better.
“Let’s go fishing tomorrow,” Sam said one night at dinner. Karli and Bucky exchanged a look. Sam had been trying to convince them for weeks, but it was to no avail. “Please.”
“Well, he is asking nicely,” Bucky told Karli. She turned to Sam.
“What exactly does a fishing trip entail?” she asked.
“Well, we’d have to leave the house kind of early. Maybe around sunrise,” Sam explained, causing Karli to groan. “We’d bring the boat into the harbor, and we’d be out there for most of the day. We’d have to bring food, water, and bait. Oh, and both of you would need to put on a shit ton on sunscreen.”
“Rude,” they said in unison.
“But, essentially, all you do is sit on the boat with a pole in the water. Bucky and I will be drinking at least a 12 pack, but we will think about bringing more and letting you have some,” Sam told Karli, and hoping that would be a good incentive.
“I don’t think that was the point you wanted it to be,” Karli replied, causing Bucky to snort into his food. “You do realize that firstly, I’m from Europe, so I’ve been of legal drinking age there for four years. Secondly, I am a super soldier, so beer won’t do anything for me.”
“All I know is that when I didn’t want to go fishing, a beer with my old man was what convinced me to go,” Sam stated, taking a bite of his food. Karli knew it was meant to be a pity comment, but Bucky looked at her like she was going to break Sam’s heart if she said no.
“Fine,” Karli contested. “I’ll go fishing and drink beer with old men, that’s for sure.”
...
Sam woke up at the crack of dawn and excitedly packed three coolers: one with food, one with drinks, and one with bait. It was too early for breakfast, so he packed that too. Bucky and Karli knew it was important to Sam that they were on time, so they were downstairs and ready to go without being told.
“Is everyone ready to go?” Sam asked, but he only got yawns in response.
Things were pretty boring for the first few hours. The fish weren’t biting, and it was too early to partake in any sort of activities. As the day went on though, it got better and better. The fish began to bite, and the spirits grew.
“So, are you happy that you agreed to come?” Sam asked, taking a swig of his beer and looking over at Bucky who was looking very intensely at his pole. Sam smiled to himself.
“Yes, I’m very happy. Can you be quiet so you don’t scare the fish away?” Bucky asked, and Sam held his hands up defensively. He turned around to look at Karli who was lying on the floor of the boat and shielding her eyes from the sun. Bucky followed Sam’s gaze to her. “She looks happy too.”
“She’s so sweet when she’s not talking,” Sam said loud enough for Karli to hear, and Bucky laughed. He was only trying to rile her up, but he did truly think that she looked sweet like that. Karli sat up and glared at him. “Why don’t you join the fun?”
“I just needed a little break,” Karli told him, grabbing a beer from the cooler and sitting down next to Sam.
“Okay, big shot,” Sam said as Karli took a sip. “How about the first person to catch a fish doesn’t have to do any house work for a week?”
“Deal,” Karli replied.
“You’re on,” Bucky agreed. They all grabbed their poles and waited. It was several minutes before anything happened. Sam and Bucky got a bite at the same time and furiously began reeling their lines in.
“Come on, come on, come on,” Sam muttered, and Bucky just smirked.
“Awfully quiet over there, Karli,” Bucky said, right as he was going to reel the fish in. Just then, Karli reached her hand into the water to grab a fish.
“Work smarter not harder I say,” she told them inspecting the fish before throwing it back in the water. Sam and Bucky both sat there with their mouths open.
“Technically--”
“No, technically you didn’t specify how we caught the fish,” Karli stated simply. She took another sip of her beer. “I won. I’m the best. It’s okay. You can admit it.”
“Is it too late to send you to another superhero family?” Sam asked.
“I think you might be stuck with me now,” Karli stated, not paying any attention to Sam and Bucky who exchanged a look that said yeah, we are.
...
Unfortunately, the summer was coming to an end, but not without a few end of summer festivities. Sam and Bucky convinced Sarah to close the restaurant for the day so they could all go to a water park as a family.
That wasn’t something that they typically got to do, but Sam wanted to treat his family to something special, and they were all very appreciative. Even Karli, who was pretending to despise the idea, was having fun once they got there.
“Cass, AJ, race you to the whirl pool!” Karli yelled before running off with the boys. Sam, Bucky, and Sarah could still see them from where they were sitting under a cabana.
“This was a good idea, Sam,” Sarah offered, taking a sip of her cocktail.
“Thank you,” Sam replied cockily, “I get those from time to time.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. Then, he smirked. “Wanna go down the lazy river with me?”
“Hell yeah,” Sam responded and off they went.
Eventually, they all met up again. Of course, Sam, Bucky, and Karli had to go down the racing slides. Bucky won which led to Sam and Karli starting a splashing fight with him.
“Hey, stop you’re going to ruin the arm,” Bucky protested. Sam immediately stopped.
“Oh, baby, I didn’t even think of that. Are you alright?” Sam asked, moving toward him.
“Oh, shut up. He told me last night that it’s waterproof,” Karli told him. Sam gasped at his boyfriend who just smirked.
“You liar,” he said, beginning to splash Bucky again.
“You should still stop though. We don’t need Captain America getting in trouble for causing a splash war at a waterpark.”
“That’d be a headline alright,” Sam said, pulling Bucky in to kiss him. “What about ‘Captain America Spotted Kissing Ex-Assassin at Waterpark’?”
“Certainly better than ‘Captain America Knocked out by Ex-Assassin After Splashing him too much’.”
“That’s an awful headline.”
“How about ‘Ex-Flag Smasher Files Lawsuit Against Captain America and the Winter Soldier for Cruel and Unusual Punishment in the Form of Making Out in front of Her’?” Karli asked, causing the men to look at her.
“Wouldn’t work,” Bucky said simply. “Too long.”
“Who wants to go on the toilet bowl?” Sam asked, and they all ran off to the ride like little kids.
…
They had a cookout just the six of them that night. Sam grilled, and they all had a nice dinner. After some begging from Cass and AJ, Bucky lit a fire to make s’mores. It was the perfect last night of summer. Until, Sam got a text from Joaquin saying that he needed Sam for a mission the next day.
“What’s the mission?” Bucky asked without needing to be told what the text was or who it was from. He and Sam were cleaning up and they were away from earshot from the rest of the group.
“He doesn’t have much information. That’s why he needs me,” Sam explained, pocketing his phone. “I don’t have to go.”
“Yes, you do. Don’t be an idiot,” Bucky stated. Sam was unsure of whether Bucky would actually be okay or if he was just hiding his feelings again. “Look, I’m going to be fine. We’ll all be fine. You’re going to be back in what three days tops? Then, you’ll most likely be home for weeks until there’s another fight.”
“But what if it’s longer?” Sam asked. Bucky stopped what he was doing to look at Sam.
“I’m going to be fine. I promise,” Bucky told him. “But, if it’s not me you’re worrying about then that’s another conversation we can have.”
“I don’t want to lose this,” Sam said, looking over at the rest of the family who was laughing about something by the campfire. “I can’t lose this. Not ever.”
“You’re right. You can’t lose it,” Bucky stated, taking Sam’s hands in his. “We’re always going to be here. We’re not going anywhere. All you need to do is come back to us.”
“You’re never going anywhere?” Sam asked, and Bucky shook his head.
“Never.”
“So, I’ll go, and I’ll come back,” Sam stated.
“And then you’ll go again,” Bucky told him. “But, not for too long. Never for too long. Unless of course it’s a real emergency and you have to save the entire universe. But, I would fight alongside you if that were the case, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Sam echoed, kissing Bucky. He pulled away and rested their foreheads together. “So, what are you gonna do while I’m gone? Gonna pick up any hobbies.”
“Well, I’m going to work at the restaurant, and take care of the kids and Sarah. I think I’m going to start seeing a therapist too.”
“Really? I thought you hated therapy.”
“I hate a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not good for me,” Bucky stated simply, and Sam’s heart filled with pride. “I also think I’m going to build a pool.”
“Huh?” Sam asked, moving back and out of Bucky’s arms. Bucky chuckled lightly.
“I had a really good time at the waterpark today,” Bucky explained, but that wasn’t enough for Sam. “The backyard is just so big, and I have a lot of time on my hands. Plus, we can add swimming events into the Wilson Games.”
“You’re going to spend thousands of dollars and hours building a pool just for the Wilson Games?” Sam questioned.
“Well, that’s not the only reason,” Bucky replied. He looked into Sam’s eyes before looking away. “I know that Karli is old, and she’s not going to live with us forever, and it’s only a matter of time before Cass and AJ grow up and are too cool for us. But, um, maybe one day down the line there will be more kids around here, and I’ve heard that it’s nice for kids to grow up with a pool in their backyard.”
“Bucky--”
“If you don’t want a pool, I don’t need to put one in. It was just an idea.”
Sam kissed him to stop him from backpedalling anymore. “I want a pool.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” Sam stated, kissing him again. “I want a pool for us and any future children who might so happen to be here in the future.”
...
As promised, Sam was home in just a few days. It was like he wasn’t gone at all. He got home that night, and they had a nice dinner. It was a Friday night, and they even convinced Karli to watch a movie with them.
Sam wanted to go to sleep early because he was exhausted from the mission, and Bucky wasn’t about to deprive him of that. So, they went to sleep early. Bucky had been asleep for hours when he felt Sam tossing and turning. He opened his eyes to see what was going on.
“No, no, no,” Sam muttered in his sleep. Bucky sat up, alert.
“Sam,” he said, concerned. He shook Sam lightly. “Sam, wake up. It’s just a dream.”
“Karli, no. Karli!” Sam yelled, and Bucky’s heart dropped. He could only imagine how horrible the dream was for Sam. He shook him again.
“Sam, sweetheart, please. It’s just a dream. You need to wake up.”
“Karli,” Sam said again, but this time he was awake. He sat up quickly and got out of bed.
“Where are you going?” Bucky asked from the bed.
“I need...I need to make sure she’s okay,” Sam explained. Bucky knew he was being irrational, but he let him go. Whatever made him feel better.
Sam quietly made his way down the hall to Karli’s room. He silently opened the door and tiptoed over to her bed. He could see the rising and falling of her chest, but it wasn’t enough. He leaned down slowly and placed two fingers on the pulse point of her neck. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her heartbeat.
When he felt like he could finally breathe again, he placed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving her room as quietly as he entered. He went back to his and Bucky’s room to see Bucky sitting cross-legged on their bed.
“Is she okay?” Bucky asked gently, knowing that she was. Sam nodded, walking toward the bed. “Are you okay?”
“I am now,” Sam said, climbing onto the bed next to Bucky. Bucky hesitantly grabbed Sam and held him to his chest. Sam let him.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“She didn’t wake up,” Sam explained. “After she got shot, she didn’t wake up. That was the dream. She died in my arms.”
“Oh, Sam.” Bucky whispered, rubbing his back. “She’s okay. It wasn’t real.”
“I know.”
“Didn’t make it any less scary, huh? I get it.”
“I know,” Sam said, pulling away to smile slightly. “It was only a year or so ago that our roles were swapped.”
“We take care of each other,” Bucky stated simply, kissing Sam’s temple.
“Have you been having a lot of nightmares recently? What do you do when I’m gone?” Sam asked, worrying about Bucky instead of himself. Bucky wished he would stop doing that.
“I don’t have nightmares with you around; you know that,” Bucky replied. “But, I have had some when you were gone.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Bucky hummed. “I have it under control. No, really I do. My new therapist is helping a lot, and I sort of have this routine I do that helps a lot.”
“Care to share with the class?” Sam questioned cheekily. Bucky blushed slightly. “What is it? Come on, tell me.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“Promise I won’t,” Sam assured him.
“Okay,” Bucky said, looking away from him for a moment. “So, I, uh, well, I--”
“Bucky, you don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s just me,” Sam told him, trying to get Bucky to look him in the eye. Bucky did.
“Iwearoneofyoursweatshirtsandlistentooldvoicemailsfromyou,” Bucky blurted out all in one breath.
“Wanna say that again, but slow this time?” Sam asked sweetly. Bucky groaned.
“I wear one of your sweatshirts and listen to old voicemails from you.”
“Baby…”
“I know. It’s embarrassing,” Bucky said, looking away again, but Sam grabbed his chin and kissed him firmly.
“Not embarrassing. It’s adorable. Endearing.”
“Embarrassing.”
“Nope,” Sam said, kissing him again. “It’s sweet. I’m happy that I can make you feel better even when I’m not here.”
“How did you even manage to spin that on yourself?” Bucky asked incredulously, and Sam just smiled smugly. “Let’s go back to sleep. If you’re okay…?”
“I’m fine now,” Sam responded. “I’m with you.”
“Now who’s the adorable one?” Bucky questioned, and they both fell back to sleep the best way they knew how: in each other’s arms.
...
If it was up to Sam, he would never think of that nightmare ever again. He wanted to strike the whole thing from his memory. Bucky hadn’t brought it up the next morning as they were making breakfast, and Sam was incredibly grateful for that. The problem was when Karli came downstairs.
“I had a really weird dream last night,” she stated, sitting down at the counter. Sam’s heart dropped. “Sam came into my room and like checked to make sure I was breathing. It was weird.”
“We’re out of pancake mix!” Bucky announced, sharing a look with Sam. “I’m going to go to Sarah’s and see if she has any.”
“O...kay,” Karli said as Bucky kissed Sam’s cheek and rushed out of the house. “What’s up with him?”
Sam sat down across from Karli at the counter. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“What? Why did you check if I was breathing?” Karli asked, dumbfounded. Sam ignored her gaze.
“I had a nightmare,” Sam explained. “This isn’t something I would normally bring up with you because I wouldn’t want to trigger you. But, I’d imagine that if I have ptsd from the situation, then you do as well. And, I want you to know that you can talk to me or Bucky about it. Or, maybe we could see about getting you a therapist at Bucky’s office.”
“I should probably start seeing a therapist,” Karli said absentmindedly. She was still burning a hole through Sam’s skull with her eyes. “If the dream was about what I think it was about, then yes, it is safe to say that I have a lot of trauma surrounding it. I almost died, Sam, and it was scary. I also almost killed you, and that was just as scary.”
“Karli, I’m fine--”
“We’re both fine,” Karli told him, and he finally looked at her. “We both made it out. I’m okay. You’re okay. It’s not that easy, I know that, but at the end of the day, we’re both fine.”
“When did you get so good at speeches?” Sam asked, tears in his eyes but not falling.
“Some dude taught me.”
“Some dude, huh? That’s all I am?” Sam questioned, knowing full well that that’s not all he was but also knowing that there wasn’t quite a word for what he was.
“You’re something alright,” Karli muttered, and Sam laughed before continuing to make breakfast.
...
It was a few weeks later, and Sam was still home. Well, he was working from home. They had turned Bucky’s old room into a make-shift office for all Sam’s Captain America duties. On the days Sam had to work, Bucky would make himself busy. Today, he went to the restaurant to help Sarah.
“How has it been with Sam being home all the time?” Sarah asked when they were in between the lunch and dinner rush, waiting for more customers to come in. Bucky smiled at her.
“It’s been really good,” he replied, grinning. “Really, really good.”
“You’re not sick of him yet?” Sarah joked. “He’s a lot.”
Bucky shook his head fondly. “He is a lot, but that’s what I love about him. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of him.”
“Ever?”
“Never.”
“So like…?” Sarah questioned, and Bucky knew what she was asking. He blushed hard. “No, I wanna hear you say it.”
“I’m going to marry your brother one day,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. “Happy?”
“Very,” Sarah said simply, and Bucky smiled again.
“So am I,” he told her. “I’m being serious. I will be that man’s husband one day. I can promise you that.”
“Oh, I know.”
...
Bucky got home from the restaurant a few hours later. He had eaten at the restaurant, knowing that Sam and Karli would eat by themselves. When he got home, Sam was sitting in the living room watching some movie, and he assumed that Karli was in her room doing homework.
“Samuel, I’m home,” he said, walking into the house and plopping himself down on the couch. He went to kiss Sam, but he got up. “Excuse me?”
“Shut up. I have a present for you,” Sam told him, disappearing for a moment before coming back, holding something behind himself. “So, I’ve been thinking about your nightmare routine.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t…”
“Yeah, well,” Sam said absentmindedly. “I was thinking about how it’s a good routine. A great routine even. But, it could be better.”
“How?”
“With this,” Sam replied, pulling out the thing that was behind his back. Bucky looked at Sam’s hands and saw a teddy bear with a Captain America uniform on. His eyes went wide. “I know that it’s cheesy, but I was thinking about Bucky Bears and how cool it would be if I could get you a Cap version. So, I found an Etsy shop that makes them. Then, I added something a little special. Here. Press the left paw.”
Bucky took the bear from Sam and inspected it for a moment before pressing the paw. Once he did a sound came from inside the bear. It was Sam’s voice saying, “I’m right here. I’ve got you. I’m never going anywhere. I love you so much, Bucky.” Bucky looked up at Sam with tears in his eyes.
“Like, I said, it’s really cheesy,” Sam stated as Bucky stood up, shaking his head.
“It’s perfect,” Bucky told him, capturing him in a kiss. He picked up the bear again and held it close to him. “Did you put your cologne on it?”
“...maybe,” Sam responded, causing Bucky to grin. “You like it?”
“I love it,” Bucky confirmed. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Sam replied, hugging Bucky tightly. Bucky thought back to his earlier conversation with Sarah and smiled even bigger. He could not wait to marry Sam Wilson. “What?”
“You’re too good for me.”
“I know,” Sam said cheekily, and Bucky rolled his eyes.
“I lied. I really hate you.”
“Mhm, yeah, I know,” Sam said, kissing Bucky one more time.
...
Karli’s first semester flew by, and now it was time for her second semester. She was most excited for a writing class she had that semester. It was everyone’s favorite class, and they all loved the professor.
“Good afternoon, class!” the professor greeted on the first day. She was decently young and energetic. Karli could understand why students liked her so much. “Let’s get right down to it then. This semester we’re going to be learning about perspective and how important it is. You’re going to take something or someone whether it’s your favorite sport, a fictional character, a historical figure, or something of your own choosing and you’re going to talk about the different perspectives people have about it. You’re going to ask people around you what they think of it, and you’re also going to tell your perspective. I’m going to pass out the rubric and explain a little more in detail. Then, you can all start brainstorming. If anyone has any ideas today, you can talk to me after class, or we can talk the next time we see each other or in my office hours.”
Karli knew exactly what she was going to write about the second the project was explained, and she was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. She couldn’t wait to start working on it.
“Excuse me, Professor Taylor,” Karli said after class. Professor Taylor turned around and smiled kindly.
“Miss Morgenthau, I was wondering when I was going to get the chance to speak with you.”
“Really?” Karli asked, immediately worrying.
“Yes, I’ve heard from my colleagues that you’re a great student.” Perspective.
“Oh thank you,” Karli said, blushing slightly. “I actually have an idea for my project, and I wanted to tell you about it.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well, I know these guys. They kind of have a reputation throughout...the universe.”
...
After months of talking about it and planning, Bucky finally started working on building the pool. Sam was on a mission, and Bucky had literally nothing better to do. It started with measuring. Then digging. Lots of digging. Bucky imagined that he was going to be digging for the rest of his life.
“This looks like a blast,” Karli said when got home from school. She sat down on a chair and got out her laptop. “You gonna be here for a while?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Can you talk and dig at the same time?”
“Again, yeah, why?”
“I need to interview you for this project for school,” Karli explained, causing Bucky to squint up at her from the ditch. “Just a few questions about you and Sam. Then, I’ll have to interview him too. And probably the boys and Sarah.”
“What’s the project?” Bucky asked.
“I can’t tell you until I’m done,” Karli lied in response. Realistically, she could have told him, but she thought it would be better to not tell them all until it was done. “So, can I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure,” Bucky answered, preparing for the worst.
“What would you say is your defining characteristic?”
“Jesus, um,” Bucky said, completely taken aback by the question. He shoveled for a moment while he thought of an answer. “I want to say loyal. Is that good?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s good. You just have to go with your first instinct,” Karli explained. “Okay next question. What was the defining moment in your life so far and why?”
“Well, I guess it was when I got drafted because that was what started everything. If I hadn’t gotten drafted, I wouldn’t have fallen. If I hadn’t fallen, Hydra wouldn’t have captured me. If I wasn’t the Winter Solider all those years, I wouldn’t have lived so long. If I didn’t live so long, I wouldn’t have met Sam. So, yeah, that started everything.”
“So you would say that when you think of your life you think of it in terms of before the Winter Soldier and after the Winter Soldier?”
Bucky stopped digging for a moment. “No. I wouldn’t say that.”
“Do you see yourself as the Winter Soldier? Like, are you always going to think of yourself as him?”
“No,” Bucky stated simply. “I think that I’ve done a lot of work to be able to separate myself from the actions of the Winter Soldier.”
“So you think of yourself as the same person you were before the fall then?”
“No, not him either. I’m not either of those people anymore. I think that I’m someone new. Someone with pieces of those past lives,” Bucky explained. Karli nodded, jotting everything down.
“Okay, moving on,” she told him. “If you could describe Sam using one word what would it be?”
“Can it be two?”
“I literally said one but fine,” Karli said, rolling her eyes.
“The sun,” Bucky told her, and all the annoyance left her mind with that answer.
She smiled at him. He just kept digging. “Well, isn’t that sweet. Can you elaborate on that?”
“The sun is the center of our galaxy, or so I’m told. I’ve never been to space. Anyway, I don’t think that Sam is the center of my universe of whatever. He’s the most important person in my life, sure, but I don’t have him up on a pedestal or anything,” Bucky explained, and Karli raised an eyebrow as she typed the words he was saying.
Bucky continued. “Sam is the brightest person I’ve ever met. He walks into a room and everyone just lights up. He’s also the warmest person I’ve ever met. He’s kind and welcoming to everyone no matter what. He’s just...yeah. He’s the sun.”
“I think we’re all done here,” Karli announced, getting slightly teary eyed from Bucky’s little speech. He looked up from the ditch again.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you gave some really good answers. I have a lot to work with here,” she said, getting up from the chair.
“Wanna help me?” he asked sweetly. She smiled back just as sweetly before turning around.
“Nope,” she replied, popping the p.
“You’re not allowed to use this pool when it’s finished!”
“Like you’ll ever finish it!”
...
“Another day, another successful mission,” Joaquin said when he and Sam got back on the plane after their most recent mission. Sam collapsed onto the bench.
“We’re a good team. Truly unstoppable,” Sam muttered, meaning the sentiment but not saying it with any feeling.
“Man, what’s wrong? We just kicked ass out there.”
“I know, and I’m very happy about that. We did good today,” Sam explained. “I’m just tired. Give me like an hour and I’ll be celebrating for real.”
“Well, I won’t be with you in an hour. You’ll be home.”
“Fine, then I’ll celebrate with Bucky,” Sam said, sticking out his tongue. Sam closed his eyes for a moment and imagined the warm hug Bucky was going to give him once he got home. “Man, I love being Captain America, but I would really prefer to be Mr. Samuel Barnes.”
“Please, I am literally begging you to propose to Bucky with that line,” Joaquin joked. Sam sat up and laughed. “Is that something you’re thinking about? Proposing?”
“I don’t know, man. This summer he was talking about having more kids, so I know that he definitely envisions a future for us. I think we both know what the end result is going to be here, but we just haven’t vocalized it yet.”
“Well, I got ordained for my sister’s wedding, so you won’t have to worry about finding an officiant,” Joaquin stated simply. “Unless you want a priest or something.”
“Nah, I don’t think we’ll have a church wedding. I’m not very religious, and I’m pretty positive Bucky was raised Jewish,” Sam told him. Then, he smiled. “If there is a wedding down the line, I would love for you to be the officiant.”
Joaquin’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Of course,” Sam stated. “Like I said, we’re a good team.”
...
Sam got home that night as Karli and Bucky were making dinner. He walked in to see them working together in unison in the kitchen. His heart melted and he couldn’t help the smile that came over his face. He patted Alpine on the head when she passed him before he walked into the kitchen.
“How are my super soldiers doing?” Sam asked, walking up behind Bucky and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Bucky grinned and pressed his back into Sam’s front.
“We’re good. Just making you a nice post-mission dinner,” Bucky replied. He moved away from Sam for a moment to help Karli with something.
“Well, it smells amazing,” Sam told them, inspecting the food before Karli shooed him away.
“Get out of there. I don’t need you snooping around in my cooking,” she said, a smirking Sam away. “Go set the table.”
“Your cooking, huh?” Sam questioned as he grabbed the plates from the cabinet.
Bucky hummed in response. “Yes, she found the recipe on her own and said she had to make it. She’s very responsible and driven.”
“Yeah?” Sam asked, and Karli silently groaned at the conversation that was going on without her.
“Yes, she’s been doing homework non-stop, and she’s working on this new project.”
“What kind of project?”
“She won’t tell me,” Bucky informed Sam, causing him to turn his attention to Karli who just shrugged.
“Sorry. Nobody can know until it’s done. But, I have to ask you some questions. What are you doing tomorrow?” Karli asked, finishing up the food she was working on. She carried it over to the table, and they all sat down.
“I’m all yours, kiddo. Well, I was going to help Bucky with the pool, but I’d prefer not to anyway,” Sam said, and Bucky glared at him.
“You’re added to the list of people who aren’t allowed to use that pool,” Bucky stated easily, scooping food for himself. “If you keep cooking like this, Pea, you might be taken off the list.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure I’ll make my way back onto it. Bothering you is my favorite pastime,” Karli told him, and Sam barked out a laugh.
Bucky just continued eating. “Whatever. I’ll just be the only one to use the pool. I’ll go skinning dipping every day.”
“Now that I’d like to see,” Sam said with a smirk, and Karli pretended to throw up. And there it was. That was their dynamic.
...
Bucky got to work on the pool early, and Sam had every intention of helping him. Once he was done with Karli’s interview of course. Karli apparently had a different idea and made her way into the kitchen halfway through the day. After she had a brunch thing, she decided it was time to get to work.
She sat down at the dining room table, and Sam sat across from her. “Okay, so I just have a few questions for you. It shouldn’t take that long. First things first: if you could describe yourself using one word what would it be?”
“Hmm,” Sam hummed, “is it bad that the first thing that comes to mind is ‘normal’?”
“Probably,” Karli replied easily, writing down the answer. “So, you still see yourself as a normal guy even though you’ve been a superhero for like ten years?”
“I never thought of myself as a superhero,” Sam explained. “Now that I’m Cap, it’s different. I think of myself as Cap, sure, but I still wouldn’t call myself a superhero. I might refer to myself as one if I was talking to someone, and I’m fine with people calling me one, but I just don’t see myself as one.”
“So, you’re Cap, but you’re not a superhero?”
“It sounds dumb when you say it like that, but yes, I suppose that’s what I said.”
“That is exactly what you said,” Karli muttered. “Captain America is a superhero, but these are your answers not mine. Okay next question. What was one substantial moment that changed your life?”
“Well, there are a lot,” he said, thinking it over. “I think the one that had the biggest impact was meeting Steve on that run. If I hadn’t gone on that run that day, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today. Sure, there have been a lot of life changing moments since then, but that was the one that started everything.”
“So you don’t think that you were destined to be a superhero? Destined to be Cap?”
“Oh, God, no. No, I think that it just happened,” Sam stated. “I’m very happy with my life today, and I worked very hard to get here. But, I don’t think that I was destined for anything though. Well, I don’t know, maybe there’s something fatey about me and Bucky. I mean the chances of the two of us finding each other after everything were, um, slim, I guess.”
“Speaking of Bucky,” Karli seguied, “I have a few questions about him. They’re kind of going off of his answers, which were...I don’t know if you’d agree with them entirely.”
“Alright, go ahead,” Sam told her, worrying slightly about Bucky.
“Have you ever thought of Bucky as the Winter Soldier?” Karli asked, and Sam’s heart stopped for a moment.
“Yes,” he admitted. “When Steve and I first started searching for him, I thought of him as the Winter Solider. I even once said that he might not have been worth saving. I obviously don’t think that way still. I haven’t thought of him as the Winter Solider in a very, very long time. He’s Bucky. He’s...he’s Bucky.”
“And who exactly is Bucky?” Karli asked, trying not to show any of her emotions. “If you could describe him, how would you?”
“Bucky is a lot of things,” Sam told her, laughing lightly. He always felt so happy when he talked about Bucky like this. “He’s loyal, that’s for damn sure. He cares so deeply even if he doesn’t think he does. I think that he feels everything a lot more than other people. You’d think that a person who went though everything he did would be broken and battered, but I think that it just made him kind. That’s the Bucky he is when he’s with me. I don’t think that he’s like that with anyone else, but I’m happy that he’s like that with me. He doesn’t open up easily, not after everything, but when he does open up, he’s this amazing person. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”
Karli cleared her throat. “I think I’ve got everything I need. Thank you, Cooke.”
“Anytime, Karls,” Sam said, shaken out of his thoughts. He smiled at the girl. “I want to read that when it’s done.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” she said, smirking as she left the room, leaving Sam to think about everything he had just said. He shook it all off and went to go help Bucky with the pool.
...
Sam helped Bucky with the pool for several hours, and Bucky was incredibly grateful. He was all smiles and laughs. Sam loved seeing him that happy. It killed him that he was going to have to go back on a mission the next day.
“Hey,” Sam said as they installed the last part of the lining. Bucky looked over at him with a smile. “You wanna go on a mission with me tomorrow? It’ll be romantic.”
“Romantic?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. Sam smirked.
“I’ll be romantic with you anywhere, baby.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going now,” Bucky replied, going back to work. Sam groaned before pulling Bucky closer to him.
“Come on,” he said, making Bucky look him in the eyes. “I miss going on missions with you. Captain America isn’t Captain America without Bucky Barnes by his side.”
Bucky stared at him for a moment. “You’re really pushing this, huh?”
“You don’t have to come. I just thought it would be fun,” Sam told him. Bucky leaned forward to kiss him.
“You helped me finish the pool. The least I can do is punch some bad guys with you,” Bucky said, kissing him again. Sam smiled into the kiss.
...
“So how exactly are we getting there?” Bucky asked him early the next morning. Sam smirked but avoided Bucky’s eyes. “What? Samuel, tell me right now.”
“Well, I normally fly to meet up with Torres, but he’s not coming today. I was just going to fly to the site,” Sam explained.
“And now?”
“We’re gonna fly?”
“Ha!” Bucky barked out, but he soon realized Sam wasn’t joking. “Sam.”
“Bucky,” Sam said sweetly. “Do you trust me?”
“That’s a dumb question.”
“So, just trust me,” Sam told him. “If you don’t want to, we don’t have to, but it’s completely safe. You just have to hold on to me.”
“And fly? Sam, I don’t know,” Bucky said, thinking it over for a moment. He looked into Sam’s caring eyes, and he knew the answer. “You won’t let me fall?”
“I would never,” Sam promised. “I would never let anything happen to you. Not ever.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
Bucky nodded. “Yeah, Cap, let’s go.”
“Alright,” Sam said with a grin. “Hold on tight.”
Bucky wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck and Sam grabbed Bucky’s waist before the wings opened and they were flying.
“You okay?” Sam yelled when they lifted off. Bucky had his eyes shut tight, but he nodded into Sam’s neck. Sam smiled and flew them to the drop off point Torres sent to him.
...
Sam and Bucky were going to be gone for at least a night, so Karli stayed at Sarah’s house. She easily could’ve stayed home alone, and Sam and Bucky told her that, but she missed hanging out with Sarah and the boys every day. Plus, she had to ask them interview questions for the project.
“So, I just have a few questions,” Karli told them once they were all sitting in the living room after dinner. “Sarah, what was Sam like as a kid?”
“He was very similar to how he is now,” Sarah answered. “He would sit on the porch and wait for our older neighbors to come outside. He would run over to them and ask if they needed anything. He would mow every lawn on the street before he was even asked, and he never asked for anything in return. He’s always been so selfless.
Karli nodded and copied down Sarah’s words. “Did you always know that he was going to end up helping people?”
“Yes,” she said simply. “I can’t say that I imagined him becoming Captain America, but I’m not at all surprised. He’s always been a superhero to me.”
“That’s so sweet,” Karli said to Sarah with a smile. She turned to Cass and AJ. “How about you guys? Do you think that Uncle Sam is a superhero?”
“Of course!” AJ told her, grin taking over his face.
“Uncle Sam fights all the bad guys!” Cass exclaimed. Karli and Sarah both smiled at them.
“What about Uncle Bucky? Is he a superhero?” Karli asked.
“Duh,” Cass replied, causing Karli to smile.
“Uncle Bucky is super strong, and Uncle Sam told me that he uses his metal arm to stop bad guys,” AJ told her.
“Did you ever think that Uncle Bucky was scary?” Karli asked seriously. Cass and AJ shook their heads sharply.
“Of course not,” Cass answered. “Uncle Bucky is super nice.”
“Yeah, he’s the nicest,” AJ agreed. “He’s never been mean to us.”
“What about you, Sarah?” Karli asked, turning back to her aunt. “What was your first impression of Bucky?”
Sarah hummed. “Obviously, I was a little worried when I heard that Sam was chasing an assassin around the world. Years later when I found out about Sam being kind of friends with him, I was skeptical to say the least. But, the second I met him, all that skepticism went away. He made Sam happy and that’s all I cared about.”
“And what about now?” Karli asked.
“I think that Bucky is one of the greatest people I’ve ever met,” Sarah stated. “The way he takes care of the family is amazing. He’s...he’s not what they made him into. He’s not the Winter Soldier. He doesn’t have one bad bone in his old ass body.”
“That’s it. That’s the thesis statement of my essay,” Karli joked. She and Sarah both laughed. “Thank you so much for helping me out. I think this essay is going to be really good.”
“I’m sure it will be, honey. You’ve worked really hard on it. I’m proud of you.”
“You think they’ll like it, right?” Karli asked.
Sarah smiled kindly at the young woman in front of her. “Sweetheart, they’ll like anything you do. I am also willing to bet they will both cry when they read it.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
...
The next day, Karli finished writing her essay. She emailed it to her professor before heading to class. Technically, it wasn’t due yet, but she wanted to hand it in as soon as she was confident that it was perfect.
“Miss Morgenthau, can I speak with you?” Professor Taylor asked as Karli was about to leave. Karli’s heart dropped.
“Of course,” she replied, trying to hide her nerves. Professor Taylor smiled at her.
“Karli, this is the best essay I’ve ever read,” Professor Taylor stated. Karli’s eyes went wide. “I knew that it was going to be good because you’re an amazing student and your idea was phenomenal. But, I never expected it to be that good. The ending, Karli, it was amazing.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Karli said sincerely. “This project helped me a lot. I had a lot of difficulty with how I saw myself and the work we did this year was life changing.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Professor Taylor told her. “Have the subjects read it yet?”
“Not yet. I’m saving it for a special occasion.”
Professor Taylor smiled. “They’re going to love it. It’ll mean a lot to them.”
“I hope so.”
...
The mission went off without a hitch, obviously. They were a great team. They anticipated the other’s next move. They always knew how to work together in any situation. They just worked.
Bucky had gotten used to flying with Sam, so the trip home was easy. When they got home, the first thing they did was take a shower. Thankfully, Karli wasn’t home from class yet. After the shower, Bucky took a nap and Sam ordered dinner. Sometime after that Karli got home, and Bucky woke up from his nap.
“Hello, pea,” Bucky greeted, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “How was your stay at Sarah’s?”
“Good,” she replied. “How was your mission?’
“Good,” he echoed in her angsty voice. She rolled her eyes. “Where’s Sam?”
“He’s in the kitchen. He ordered take out,” Karli explained, and they both walked into the kitchen.
“He ordered take out?” Bucky asked Karli, but he was looking at Sam. Sam grinned at him.
“Even ordered your favorite,” Sam said, handing him his container as Bucky sat down at the table.
“Such a great husband,” Bucky stated in a faux-sweet voice. Karli’s eyebrows knit together, but Sam didn’t miss a beat.
“I’d be a great husband,” Sam told him, getting his own food and sitting down with Bucky and Karli.
“I’d be a better husband though,” Bucky said, beginning to eat his food.
Sam shook his head. “Impossible. I’d be the best husband ever.”
“Lies,” Bucky said. “Blasphemy.”
“Wanna see who the better husband is?” Sam questioned, smirking and cocking an eyebrow.
“I do in fact,” Bucky replied, looking Sam directly in the eyes.
“Fine, then let’s get married,” Sam said easily, looking away to take a bite of his dinner.
“Fine by me,” Bucky stated, going back to his food as well. Karli just sat there dumbfounded.
“Did you...did you just get engaged?” Karli questioned. Sam and Bucky looked at each other with matching grins.
“Yeah, I think we did,” Sam said, still grinning like an idiot. Bucky smiled right back.
“You’re both ridiculous,” Karli muttered, ignoring the two smiling fools and eating her food.
...
It wasn’t until hours later when Sam and Bucky were in bed that they actually had a conversation about what happened at dinner.
“So, we’re getting married,” Bucky whispered into Sam’s chest. Sam rubbed Bucky’s back.
“If you want to,” Sam replied. Bucky looked up at him.
“Sweetheart, I’d marry you any day,” Bucky drawled. Sam’s heart swelled. “But, do you want to marry me?”
“Of course I do, baby,” Sam assured him. “I’ve wanted to marry you for a long time.”
“Then, there you have it,” Bucky said, lying back down. “I just wish that I could’ve given you a proper proposal. I mean, I didn’t even get you a ring.”
“I don’t need a ring,” Sam told him. “I have you.”
“Sweet, but I’m a very traditional man, Sam,” Bucky said, and Sam rolled his eyes. “Back in my day, we needed to properly woo our betrothed.”
“Dear lord,” Sam groaned. “Sit up. I have an idea.” Bucky sat up and Sam reached over into his bedside table drawer and grabbed something. “Take off your dog tags. I’ll swap with you.”
“I...um...I...,” Bucky stammered. Sam looked at him worried. “I can’t swap with you.”
“Why not?” Sam questioned. Bucky looked away from him. “Baby?”
“During the war, me and Steve swapped,” Bucky explained, and Sam nodded, lips in a straight line. “We swapped short ones. So I have my long one and Steve’s is hooked onto it. Steve...he...uh, he was buried in my short one.”
“Buck--”
“And, I would’ve asked for them back. I wanted them back after everything. I didn’t want him to be buried in them. It was the last thing I wanted, but I also didn’t want to ever speak to him again. I didn’t think...I didn’t think that I would ever be in a position to give a piece of myself to anyone ever again, so I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal if I let it go.”
“Bucky,” Sam tried, but Bucky looked him in the eyes for the first time during the conversation.
“No,” Bucky said, shaking his head furiously. “Let me say this. I gave everything to Steve. From the day we met, I gave him my life. I thought that he was it for me, so I didn’t mind giving him everything. I know now that that wasn’t healthy. I know now that he wasn’t the one I should’ve given anything to.
“I gave him everything, Sam, and now I have nothing to give to you,” Bucky explained, a tear falling from his eye. “I don’t even have a small piece of metal to give to you. How am I supposed to be married to you? How am I supposed to give myself to you if he has it all?
“God, and I never want you to feel like you’re a replacement for him. You’re not. That’s not what you are. You’re...God, you’re...I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. You’re everything to me. You’re not a replacement for him. You’re the person I want to be with for the rest of my life, and I don’t even have a fucking piece of metal to give to you.”
“Okay, alright, Buck, breathe,” Sam said, squeezing Bucky’s hand. “Give me your tags.”
“Sam--”
“Give me the tags,” he demanded but Bucky knew he wasn’t mad. He began fiddling with both sets of tags. “First of all, like I said before, I don’t need a piece of metal to show me how much you love me. And, you don’t have nothing to give to me. You’ve given me so fucking much without having to give yourself up. Look at this house Bucky. Look at our family. You’ve given me my dream life, and it didn’t cost you a damn thing. You didn’t have to lose yourself to give me all of this. You’ve given me your love, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Sam continued fixing the dog tags. “As for Steve, he’s always going to have a piece of you, both physically and emotionally. He has a piece of you, but that’s okay because I have everything else. We have everything else. I know that I’m not a replacement for Steve. This is the first time you’ve brought him up in almost two years. You’re always going to love Steve, and that’s okay. Just like I’m always going to love Riley. That doesn’t mean that we’re replacements. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t the loves of each other's lives.”
“You are, Sam,” Bucky whispered. “You are the love of my life.”
“I know that,” Sam said, kissing Bucky deeply. He slid the dog tags back over Bucky’s head. Bucky looked down to see Sam’s long tag with Steve’s short one attached to it. “But there was a time in your life when you thought that was Steve. You don’t need to rid Steve from your life because you love me now.”
“But, he left me,” Bucky argued.
“I know, and if you want to throw that tag off a cliff, then that’s up to you. I just want you to know that I’m not making you do it. Just like I know you wouldn’t make me take that picture of Riley down.”
“I would never.”
“Exactly,” Sam told him. “You know that it doesn’t make me love you any less, so you need to understand that I don’t think you love me any less.”
“Okay,” Bucky whispered. “So you’re wearing my long tag?”
“Yep,” Sam concurred, showing Bucky’s long tag with Sam’s short one attached to it. “For the rest of my life.”
“We’re getting married,” Bucky whispered. Sam grinned.
“Yeah, we are,” Sam agreed, kissing Bucky again.
“We have to tell Sarah.”
“Not tonight we don’t,” Sam said, and Bucky barked out a laugh before kissing his fiance again.
...
Sam and Bucky decided that the best way to tell Sarah about the engagement would be to have a beginning of summer pool party now that the pool was finally done. Well, it would technically be an engagement party, but nobody would know that until Sam and Bucky told them.
Bucky knew that Sam would want it to be a whole affair, so Bucky went all around town inviting people to the party. However, now that it was a whole party, it made telling Sarah less personal, so they decided to invite her to the house before the party to tell her.
“We have arrived,” Sarah announced, walking into the backyard. The boys immediately stripped off their t-shirts and jumped into the pool. “The pool looks amazing. I can’t believe you did this all by yourself, Bucky.”
“Thank you,” Bucky said, kissing Sarah on the cheek and taking the food Sarah was holding from her hands. “Sam is in the kitchen preparing some food. Why don’t you come on in? Karli can watch the boys.”
“Sure,” Sarah replied, but it sounded more like a question. She walked into the house to see Sam not at all preparing food and instead pacing around the kitchen. “Sam?”
“Oh, hey, Sarah,” Sam croaked out. Bucky looked at him with wide eyes. “Right, right. Sarah, we have to tell you something.”
“Okay,” Sarah said, utterly confused.
“We’re...uh...we’re…”
“We’re getting married,” Bucky blurted out, and Sarah and Sam both turned to look at him with shocked faces. “Why are you surprised? You were the one who asked me!”
“I didn’t know you were just going to blurt it out like that!”
“I didn’t know that telling your sister you were marrying me was going to be so difficult for you!”
“Will you both shut up?” Sarah yelled. They stopped talking quickly and turned to look at Sarah who was crying.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked worriedly. She nodded.
“You’re getting married,” she cried, rushing forward to hug him. “I’m just so happy for you. For both of you.”
“Oh,” Sam said, as Sarah let go of him and moved to hug Bucky.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask for your blessing first, Sarah,” Bucky told her, and Sam rolled his eyes.
“He’s being very annoying about wedding traditions,” Sam informed a laughing Sarah.
“It’s okay, Bucky,” Sarah assured him. “Are you sure you want to marry Sam though? I don’t think he appreciates your charm.”
“I’m positive,” Bucky replied, kissing a pouting Sam’s cheek. “Speaking of, I need to go put on my new bathing suit for my engagement party.”
“What new bathing suit?” Sam asked as Bucky went upstairs. “Bucky! What new bathing suit?”
...
It wasn’t long until guests were arriving and Sam was going to greet them. He was outside with guests for a while before he remembered Bucky and his bathing suit. Once he remembered, he looked toward the house to see Bucky walking out in Captain America themed board shorts. Sam’s eyes went wide, and he ran over to his fiance.
“What are those?” he asked with wide eyes. Bucky grinned in response.
“Don’t you love them?” Bucky asked, appreciating them. “I saw them at the store and knew I had to get them.”
“Nice shorts, Pookie,” Karli said as she walked over to them. Sam glared at her.
“Did you know about those?”
“I might have known something,” Karli told him, and she and Bucky exchanged a smile. “Don’t you love them, Cap?”
“It pains me to say this, but yes, I do like them,” Sam confessed, admiring his fiance’s shorts. Bucky smirked.
“You’re disgusting,” Karli stated, walking away before it got grosser. Sam moved forward to kiss Bucky.
“Guess I’ll just have to keep these around then,” Bucky whispered, causing Sam to nod before kissing him again. “Ready to tell everyone we’re getting married?”
“Of course, Mr. America,” Sam replied, and Bucky rolled his eyes. “I think that instead of hyphenating, we should just stick with that one.”
“I think that you’re delusional,” Bucky whispered to him. He smiled and looked up at the party. “Excuse me, everyone! We have an announcement!”
...
After hours of swimming and eating and being congratulated on their upcoming nuptials, Bucky and Sam collapsed onto the couch. All their guests had gone home. Their first party as a couple was a success. Now, all they had to do was plan a wedding.
“Party too hard?” Karli asked, sitting on the reclining chair and turning to look at them.
“Possibly,” Bucky responded, yawning into Sam’s chest.
“Are you too tired to hear my essay?” Karli asked with a smirk on her face. Bucky shot up on the couch.
“When did you finish it?” Bucky questioned.
“While you were away on the mission,” Karli explained. She looked down at her laptop in front of her. “I got the highest grade in the class.”
“What?” Sam asked, just as alert as Bucky.
“Not to toot my own horn or anything, but it’s a very good premise for an essay,” Karli informed them. “I mean, not everyone gets to write about the personal lives of superheroes.”
“That is true,” Sam replied.
“So, can we hear it or not?” Bucky asked. Karli rolled her eyes.
“I’m not going to read the boring parts. I’m only going to read the parts that I think you’ll really care about. If you want to read the whole thing later, you can.”
“Works for us,” Sam told her.
Bucky nodded in agreement. “The floor is yours.”
“Okay, here goes nothing,” Karli said, taking a breath. “Captain America and the Winter Soldier are arguably two of the most well-known names in the public eye as of recently. Everyone seems to have an opinion on them. Some people believe that Sam Wilson should not hold the mantel previously held by Steve Rogers. Others believe that the Winter Soldier is a monster who should be punished for his crimes. There is also a great majority of people who believe that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are heroes among men.
“When you’re known in such a public way, everyone seems to have an opinion on you. Everyone’s perspective of you is different. However, I believe that the only opinions that matter are those of Sam and Bucky themselves. Bucky Barnes is known to himself and his loved ones as a loyal, caring, and selfless man. His years as the Winter Soldier do not define his life, whether you ask him or those around him. Bucky is not the person he was before the Winter Soldier, however. He sees himself as someone new, someone who is trying to move passed the actions of his past.
“Sam Wilson has always been the kind man who the American citizens see,” Karli continued, not looking at either of the men. “Sam knows that he’s kind and generous, but he does not see himself as a superhero. He believes that he is the right person to carry the shield, but he also believes that he’s just a ‘normal’ guy. Even though he’s always had the qualities that he has today, he disagrees with the fact that he was destined to be Captain America.
“Sam and Bucky see themselves in a way that is different than how the rest of the world sees them. However, the truly interesting part is how they view each other,” Karli stated. “When Bucky was asked for a phrase he would use to describe Sam, he said ‘the sun.’ When Sam was asked the same question, he claimed that Bucky was not like anyone he had ever met in his life. The truly interesting part though is that Sam and Bucky do not see each other as Captain America and the Winter Soldier. They simply see each other as Sam and Bucky.
“While it is their opinions that matter the most, I also asked their family members for opinions. Their nephews had only kind things to say about their superhero uncles. Sam’s sister Sarah claims that her brother ‘has always been a superhero to [her]’. Sarah also claims that Bucky 'doesn't have one bad bone in his old ass body.’”
Sam and Bucky both laughed at that, but Karli didn’t pay either one of them much attention. “Even though it does not matter in the long run, I will share how I see Sam and Bucky. My perspective of Sam and Bucky has changed drastically since I first met them. When I first met Sam, I thought he had a ridiculous savior complex, which I later learned was a strength and not the weakness I believed it was at first. When I first met Bucky, I thought that he was emotionally stunted, which could not be further from the truth. I saw them both as kind people who were trying desperately to make me feel safe, welcome, and comfortable in this situation we found ourselves in.
“Perspective means a lot. Sam and Bucky taught me more than I could ever know about perspective. I thought of myself as evil and unworthy of love, but Sam and Bucky never let me believe that was true. Sam never looked at Bucky and I like we were only our worst actions. Bucky loved Sam and me with his entire heart even after everything he had gone through.”
Karli took a breath before continuing. “So, yes, my perspective of not only myself but also Sam and Bucky has changed. When I look at Sam and Bucky, I do not see Captain America and the Winter Soldier. I do not see what the rest of the world sees. I see Pookie and Cooke,” Karli said, pausing to take another breath. “I, um, I see...I see my dads.”
All three of them were silent for a beat. Karli didn’t dare look up to see their reactions. She meant everything she said, but she didn’t know if they felt the same way.
“That’s it,” Karli whispered. “That’s the whole essay. Well, the part I wanted to read to you anyway.”
She finally looked up to see Sam and Bucky sitting completely frozen on the couch. There were tears streaming down both of their faces, and that was when Karli realized that she was crying too.
“Karls,” Sam choked out. “That was beautiful.”
“Really?” Karli asked.
“Pea,” Bucky whispered, looking into her eyes. “That was the best thing I’ve ever heard. The whole thing, not just the last part.”
“But, the last part was especially good,” Sam told her. He looked at Bucky. “We never...I mean, we always thought of you as...but we never expected you to…”
“We never expected you to see us as your dads, but we’ve seen you as our daughter since the very beginning,” Bucky explained for Sam.
“I wasn’t looking for dads,” Karli reminded them. “I never expected this either, but...yeah. I probably won’t call you guys dad on a regular basis, but I do see you as my parents.”
“And that’s perfectly fine, bud,” Sam told her. “It doesn’t matter what you call us. You know that.”
“Yeah,” Karli said, not knowing what to do next. Saying all of that was a lot, and she was kind of spent afterwards. “I’m probably going to go to bed. It’s been a long day.”
“Okay, honey,” Bucky replied. “Goodnight. We love you.”
“Goodnight. Love you both too,” Karli responded. She quickly hugged them both before heading up to bed. Sam and Bucky sat there, still processing everything.
“We have a daughter,” Sam whispered.
“We’ve had a daughter for two years,” Bucky replied. Sam looked at him. “But, I know what you mean.”
“She called us--”
“I know.”
“She thinks of us as--”
“I know.”
“I--”
“I know,” Bucky repeated. “Let’s go to bed, Sam. Wedding planning starts tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait,” Sam said sarcastically, but he kissed Bucky all the same. “I seriously cannot wait to spend the rest of my life being married to you. I can’t wait to see where Karli ends up. I can’t wait to have more kids in the future. I can’t wait for any of it.”
“Me too, doll, me too.”
With that, Sam and Bucky went to sleep, dreaming of their future. It was nothing but happiness and love and family. It was going to be an amazing adventure, and they could not wait to embark on it.