“Aw, hell no! No, no, no, no, no!” Sam couldn’t believe what he was seeing upon walking out of the house. He had told him! He had specifically told Bucky to not flirt with his sister. And what was he seeing? His sister and...and co-worker sitting on the picnic table, angled far too close to each other. And holding hands?! “I’ll kill him. Super soldier or not, I’m gonna kill him.”
Seeing red, Sam was about to charge over and sit between them if he had to, but he had to halt his rampage. He couldn’t see Bucky’s face, but apparently whatever he said lit up Sarah’s face. She smiled that big smile of hers that didn’t make an appearance all that often since her husband had passed away. His heart squeezed. Sam just wanted his sister to be happy again. But not with Barnes. That was just...wrong.
And then, Bucky raised his right hand to Sarah’s face as if to brush back a stray hair, and Sarah leaned into his hand. Sam saw her nod and close her eyes, and then Barnes was leaning closer and NOPE! Not happening! Sam was not going to witness Barnes macking on his sister.
“Hey now! Do I need to get the hose out on you two?” They didn’t separate as quickly as Sam would have liked, but at least now they weren’t touching. Sam wasn’t sure what reaction he had expected from Bucky, but the quiet stare wasn’t all that unsurprising. Sarah’s anger, though, he fully predicted. She was livid. Scrambling down from the picnic table, his sister approached him swiftly, and Sam swore he saw sparks fly from her eyes.
“Samuel Thomas Wilson! Don’t you dare tell me what to do!” Her one hand was pointing precariously close to his face, while the other was balled up at her side, and Sam prepared himself to be slugged like when they were kids.
Raising his voice to match hers, Sam said, “No matter how old we are, I’m still your older brother. And Barnes isn’t good enough for you.” No one would ever be good enough for his baby sister.
Sarah let out a dangerous laugh. “Fun fact, big bro. I aged while you were dusted, so in fact, I am now older than you.” He had not thought about that. “And you don’t get to decide who’s good enough for me. I can do that for myself, thank you very much.” And with that, she stormed into the house, the screen door slamming behind her.
Sam looked to Bucky, who hadn’t moved so much as an inch during the whole heated exchange. To Sam’s consternation, Barnes didn’t look even remotely sheepish or guilty. Those blue-grey eyes just stared at him relentlessly. Standing up nonchalantly from the picnic table, the ex-brainwashed assassin simply said, “Don’t get in the way of strong-willed women, Wilson,” and turned and followed Sarah into the house, albeit with a quieter energy.
Not knowing what else to do, and knowing he wouldn’t be welcome in the house at the moment, Sam sat on the recently vacated picnic table. He tried to remove himself as a brother from the situation and look at it from a counseling perspective. He didn’t always like Bucky, but he did trust the man with his life. And if he could do that, maybe he could trust him with his sister. But Sarah and her boys were his heart and soul. And he wasn’t sure he trusted Barnes with those. Needing to clear his head, Sam decided to go for a walk and give himself some space from his sister and Barnes.
The following morning, Sam woke to the dulcet voice of Billie Holiday and the crisp smell of bacon wafting up the stairs. He lay in his bed, absorbing the moment. It almost felt like his parents were alive again. Deciding he should go downstairs and help his sister with breakfast, he got out of bed and tossed on a T-shirt and shorts.
As he walked down the stairs, he could hear a masculine voice joining the lovely lyrics of Lady Day. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Sam creeped down the last few stairs, making sure to avoid the creaky parts, and peeked around the corner. Bucky was wearing Sarah’s red and white checked apron and was serenading Sarah, using a spatula as a microphone. What was most surprising was seeing Sarah actually sitting at the island with a hot cup of coffee in front of her. Sam hadn’t been sure that she knew how to sit down while in the kitchen.
If it weren’t his sister and Barnes, Sam would think the scene achingly romantic. Then, making the scene even more saccharine, Bucky set down the spatula and grabbed Sarah’s hand. Her light laugh warmed the kitchen as Bucky twirled her and began slow-dancing, still softly singing into Sarah’s ear. Her smile was transcendent, and Sam’s heart swelled at seeing her so untroubled. It also made him smile to see Bucky so carefree.
Maybe Sarah and Bucky were good for each other after all. Maybe this situation wasn’t as appalling as Sam first thought. Heading back up the stairs, Sam left them dancing as Billie’s voice sang out:
My heart’s on fire
The flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
Why do I care how much it may storm?
I’ve got my love to keep me warm