(1)

Bucky's life seemed to be taking a turn for the better lately. He felt as though he was one step closer to happiness. Having recently found out about and united with a son he'd never known about went a long way in helping him on that path. Getting to know his son's very large family helped as well.

He'd gone a few weeks without having any repressed memories return or any night terrors, for which he was very grateful. The moments where he felt safe were growing over time, and now he was even allowing himself time to relax some afternoons at the church. Sam had purchased a hammock and tied it between two trees in the backyard. Bucky enjoyed taking naps or reading books while lying in the hammock; it felt very luxurious to do so.

One July afternoon, a hot day, Bucky slept on the hammock. The book he'd been reading had slipped down onto his chest and the pages fluttered in the breeze as he rocked gently back and forth with each breath he took. He dreamt of a time long ago, when he was a boy. The heat and humidity of the day made him remember hot, dusty afternoons playing baseball in the street with Steve and the other kids in the neighborhood. Dodging cars when they drove through the street. Laughing and cheering as their team scored a point. His childhood had been rather bleak, but it was dotted with fun moments such as those. Who cared if you weren't going to get enough to eat for dinner that night at home when you were having so much fun now?

Bucky woke later that afternoon, feeling comforted by his dreams for once. Usually they brought memories of the horrible things he'd done as the Winter Soldier, but today they had brought solace and happiness. And even when Sam arrived shortly afterwards and kicked Bucky out of the hammock, he didn't mind. He took the time to reminisce with Steve while their friend took a nap. It was a good day.

(2)

Sam Wilson brought a hammock to the church one sunny afternoon. He presented it proudly to Bucky, who in turn stared at it with a blank look on his face. "What is it?" he asked, taking it from Sam's hands and trying to open it up.

Sam grabbed it back. "It's a hammock, and don't do that, you'll get it all tangled," he explained. "Haven't you ever seen one of these before?"

"No," Bucky replied.

"Well, come on, let me show you how it works," Sam said as he began to walk towards the kitchen and over to the back door. "You have to tie it between two strong trees or it won't hold your weight."

Once they were outside in the backyard, Sam walked around and examined the trees until he found two that would work. He tied the ends of the hammock around the trees and gently sat down in it to test it. It held, and with a smile, he moved his legs up onto the netting and leaned back. "See? You lie in it and take naps. It's great."

Bucky ran his real hand over the webbing to see what it felt like. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "I want to try it," he said as he copied what Sam had done. Within seconds, he was leaning in against Sam. "This isn't very comfortable," he observed with a wince as Sam elbowed his stomach.

"That's because this isn't big enough for two people," Sam grumbled while trying to stand up from the hammock. The only thing he was successful in doing, however, was flipping the hammock over. The two men fell onto the ground beneath them, Bucky landing on top of Sam. "See what you did?" Sam cried as he tried to move out from under Bucky.

Bucky pulled himself up to a seated position and rubbed his arm where it had hit the ground. "I don't really see how that's relaxing," he said. He carefully stood up before reaching down to help his friend up.

Sam took Bucky's hand and pulled himself up. "Really?" he said in exasperation. "You are something else sometimes…" He flipped the hammock over again. "Try it again, this time by yourself."

Bucky carefully sat back down in the hammock and leaned back. It gently rocked back and forth. "Hey, it is sorta nice," he replied after a minute. He closed his eyes and let himself relax.

Sam looked down at Bucky and watched as the man swayed in the netting. He smiled to himself as he watched Bucky's breathing slow down. "Enjoy your nap, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured. He gazed at Bucky for a few more seconds before quietly walking out of the church yard to let his friend enjoy his first nap in a hammock.

(3)

Steve took a turn in the hammock one sunny summer afternoon, while his two friends bickered several feet from him. He rolled his eyes and set the book he'd been reading, down next to him on the netting. "What in the world are you two fighting about this time?" he called out, interrupting them.

Bucky turned to look at Steve, a frown on his face. "We are not fighting, we are having a disagreement. There's a difference," he corrected his friend. "His plans for the evening are the worst idea I've ever heard and he doesn't agree."

"Yea, well your idea of a fun night is sitting in the living room watching Golden Girls reruns, so I don't think you're really qualified to judge," Sam retorted.

"It's a good show!"

"Oh my God, you are way too young to act this old!" Sam cried. "You know you'll have fun if you give it a try."

Bucky turned to look at Steve. "He wants to go out dancing," he explained, "at a club!"

Steve definitely wasn't interested in going dancing at a club. He sat back and watched his friends continue their argument. As the hammock swayed slowly back and forth, he kept his eyes on Sam. His friend's expression slowly changed from fiery to annoyed, and finally ended with a look of hurt. That was odd, Sam almost never took Bucky's arguments personally.

Bucky, for his part, appeared to be rejecting the evening plans on the basis of fear. Fear of the unknown, perhaps fear of looking foolish on the dance floor. Dance moves had changed a lot since their day. Steve wasn't so sure it was a good idea for Bucky to be in an enclosed space with so many people.

"Why don't you just go to a movie instead?" Steve suggested.

"Aren't you going with us?" Bucky asked.

Steve shook his head. He needed an evening without his two friends fighting on either side of him. "I have some…stuff to do. It won't wait." He wasn't a very good liar, but hoped they would believe that. "You two go without me."

Sam folded his arms and glared at Bucky. "I at least get to pick the movie," he insisted.

Bucky folded his arms in turn and glared back at Sam. "Then I get to choose dinner," he replied.

"Dinner and a movie, sounds like a great evening to me," Steve said from the hammock. "Enjoy yourselves."

Sam frowned. "I'll pick you up at five," he said to Bucky. "Make sure you clean up before you go, you have dirt in your hair from working in the garden." With that, he walked out of the yard and back to the apartment he and Steve shared.

Bucky whirled around to look at Steve. "I don't know why you are friends with that man," he growled. "He's the most aggravating person I've ever met!" He didn't wait to hear Steve's response before leaving to return to the church.

Within a minute, Steve was alone in the yard. He sighed as the hammock continued to rock gently. "Well, this should be interesting," he said to himself before once again picking his book up to read.