A/N - This fic can act as a sequel to my previous story Aftermath, however it hopefully works on its own as well. I've grown fond of writing for Sam and his growing relationship with Bucky is fun to explore, hence me returning to them so soon. I have ideas for the following chapters so hopefully I'll be able to upload them fairly quickly. I hope you enjoy this and, as always, any feedback is appreciated!
In the week following Bucky's awakening, Sam sees very little of him.
It makes a stark contrast to the weeks beforehand, where he would often spend his nights in the medical bay with the other man as his silent, sleeping companion; taking advantage of the quiet to vent about things he didn't feel comfortable sharing or simply listening to music without fear of disturbing anyone. Such ventures had been preferable to sleeping on a mattress that was far too soft in an area of the palace that was never truly quiet, and he'd tried to pretend for a long time that Bucky was there purely as decoration, and that he didn't find comfort in the illusion of having someone else with him.
Since he was awoken, however, Bucky has taken to staying in the medical bay rather than relocating to the guest suite where everyone else has been set up, and thus Sam's reason for going there in the dead of night has been eliminated. Not that he minds particularly – it's probably about time he tried to return to a regular sleep schedule – but it does mean that he is in the odd position of seeing Bucky a lot less now than he had when the man had been unconscious.
When he does see him, it's generally in passing. Mindless wanders around the palace during the hotter hours of the day occasionally have him walking past his old haunt, and more than once he spots Steve and Bucky deep in conversation inside the med-bay, or him undergoing a medical assessment, or simply snatching a moment alone by the large windows that line the corridor outside the med-bay.
Like now, for instance. It's mid-morning when Sam stumbles upon Bucky sitting by himself, curled up by the window overlooking the grounds. He's wearing the same style of white scrubs he's had since he was placed in cryo, despite the fact that both Steve and T'Challa have looked out normal clothes for him, and that alongside his soft, distracted expression seems to make him look disconcertingly young.
It occurs to Sam that this is as far as Bucky ever gets. He's content to sit curled up on the windowsill, feeling the breeze against his face and watching the world go by, but Sam has yet to see him venture beyond the palace walls. He doesn't even seem to have explored much of the palace itself, preferring the quiet sphere of rooms surrounding the med-bay. Not that Sam's checking or anything.
He sighs and decides to stop creeping silently in the background and announce himself. He takes a few steps towards the window and clears his throat, feeling only slightly guilty when the sound causes Bucky to jump out of his reverie. The other man relaxes quickly enough that Sam feels comfortable joining him, taking a seat by the window and following Bucky's gaze out onto the grounds below.
It's a sight he still isn't used to. The grounds are massive, with green fields stretching out for miles and tall city skyscrapers just visible on the horizon. Off to the left, a lake sparkles under the morning sun, with small streams running down from the surrounding forests and mountains seeming to bleed into its still waters. A wide road lined with trees leads from the palace to the city beyond and, directly beneath their window, Sam can see a training session between the Dora Milaje taking place in the court.
On the opposite side of the palace the views are somehow even more impressive, with sprawling green forests being guarded by ferocious statues which bear their King's namesake, and Sam has spent many hours simply staring at the world beyond the window, half-expecting the illusion to melt away at any moment.
There's a calm breeze drifting in through the open window and Sam closes his eyes and drinks it in while he still can, before the afternoon sun sends everyone in search of shade for fear of burning. He takes in the sounds of sparring in the court, knowing that it won't be long before the guards finish their training and resume their duties. He remembers his own time spent in that court, training with Clint and Scott and Natasha in preparation for a fight that inevitably lies in their future, although against whom he cannot say.
He opens his eyes again and finally brings himself to look at the man opposite him, not failing to notice the longing in his eyes. It hits Sam then that it must suck to be so afraid of hurting others that you'd refuse yourself even the luxury of going outside.
"I'll show you around sometime," he says, causing Bucky to look towards him with barely masked confusion on his face. "If you'd like, that is."
He's more surprised than he should be to see that Bucky seems to be considering his offer seriously, seemingly indecisive over whether to focus his attention on the forbidden outdoors or the man sitting before him. "I can't. Not right now."
"I know," Sam says, and he gets it though he wishes he didn't. "But the offer's open if you want it. Maybe when you're better."
Bucky huffs out a laugh at that, and Sam finds himself smiling too. They're talking as if Bucky merely has the flu; as if his recovery will be a simple process completed within a matter of days rather than the long haul it promises to be. They have something approaching a plan in order to pry Hydra's remaining influence out of Bucky's mind, but they're both aware that it's unlikely to be an easy process, let alone a successful one.
He imagines that if all their methods fail then Bucky will simply insist on going back in the ice to rot if need be, and Sam doubts that any of them are happy about the possibility of being dragged back to square one. Steve especially.
He isn't sure how long they continue to sit in silence; all he knows is that when he finally comes back to himself the court below them is empty and the sun hangs directly overhead. Sam unfurls himself from his awkward seating position on the windowsill, cringing slightly as his joints crack, and extends a hand to Bucky as soon as he's upright. The other man looks down at the proffered hand with furrowed brows, looking like one might when presented with a complicated maths equation.
"Come on, Terminator," Sam says, getting an eye-roll in response to the nickname. "I'd be a bad friend if I let you just mope around here on your own. Or a bad friend of a friend in your case."
Bucky stubbornly holds his ground, looking as if he's just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, and Sam can't pretend he's not a little put-out by the other man's resistance.
He gives an exaggerated huff which has the desired effect of eliciting a smirk from Bucky before continuing. "Look, when you were asleep, I promised I'd show you some movies and we have nothing better to do. You can stay here if you want, but if not I'll be in the lounge in the guest suite."
He turns to leave, resisting the urge to look back as he wanders along the corridor leading back to the main body of the palace. It takes less time than he expects for surprisingly light footsteps to catch up to him, and he tries not to smile as Bucky makes his way to his side. As they continue to walk, thankfully only passing a few, uncaring guards, Sam wonders if Bucky had even seen this much of the palace before now.
They don't speak much before finally reaching the entertainment lounge, merely taking a few moments to establish that Bucky, despite being familiar with the existence of Star Wars, hasn't actually seen any of them. Sam spends much of the remaining journey trying to silently contain his excitement over finally being able to see someone's genuine reaction to the films, and Bucky doesn't seem to be in the mood for small-talk, so they make it to their destination having only shared about twenty words.
"All right, we're going to watch the original trilogy of Star Wars and then I'm afraid you're trapped," Sam says as he throws himself onto the couch and scrolls through the built-in movie database on the TV. Bucky hesitates for only a few moments before taking a seat in the adjacent armchair, looking slightly out of place in his white medical scrubs. "I've made a list."
Bucky screws up his face in mock objection, but it doesn't take long for a small tell-tale smile to grace his lips. "How long is this list?"
"Not too long. I've tried to stick to the classics," Sam replies, deciding not to mention that he's added a fair few guilty pleasures as well. "The only problem is that you've missed seven decades worth of classics."
He doesn't miss the resigned expression on Bucky's face at that, but the man relaxes back in his chair quickly enough and turns his attention to the TV screen. "Go on, then."
Sam will reflect later that he should probably find it odd that he can casually sit back and introduce classic movies to one of the most dangerous ex-assassins in the world, but in the moment the afternoon feels remarkably normal. He tries not to be too annoying as the events of A New Hope play out onscreen, even though he could probably quote the entire movie if he wanted to, and he feels more than a little pride when he looks over to find Bucky becoming increasingly engrossed as time goes by.
When the credits finally roll and his companion turns to him and says "Please tell me there's another one," Sam knows that his work is done.
It doesn't take long to locate and start watching Empire, and Sam takes extra care this time to say as little as possible for fear of giving anything away. He's probably being incredibly obnoxious in the way he's constantly looking over to Bucky to judge his reactions, but thankfully the other man seems to be too invested to care about his surroundings.
The benefits of this make themselves especially clear as they approach the pivotal scene and Sam turns all attention away from the screen to the man in the armchair beside him, keeping watch for even the tiniest of reactions. He'd been cheated out of being able to react to this scene himself when he was five and his dad had accidently spoiled the twist before he'd had the chance to watch it; seeing Bucky's unspoiled reaction is likely as close as he'll get to experiencing how it feels to have that revelation dropped on you out of the blue.
Bucky doesn't disappoint. As soon as the words "No, I am your father," are spoken, he leans back in his chair and turns to Sam with an expression that screams 'What the fuck?!'.
"Is he lying?" he asks, disbelief lacing his voice as his head jerks between the screen and Sam's face. "He's gotta be lying."
"He's not," Sam assures him, trying to stifle a laugh. "They go into it more in the next one."
The other man looks back to the screen, incredulous, and lets out a small "Huh," before watching the rest of the film in silence. Sam, satisfied, turns his own attention back to the screen while the cliff-hanger plays out and the credits roll, and he lets the silence stretch for a few moments before finally breaking it. "So? What do you think?"
"Someone actually had sex with Darth Vader?"
It's Sam's turn to be taken aback, and this time he doesn't bother stopping the laughter from bursting out of him. "Well, I wasn't expecting that to be your main takeaway from the movie, but yeah, that happened. They have an entire prequel trilogy about it."
"He wasn't actually Darth Vader at the time, I feel like I should point that out," Sam adds, in an attempt to wipe the mixture of disgust and curiosity off his companion's face. That only causes them to start giggling like schoolchildren however, and as he watches Bucky's eyes start to crinkle and his remaining hand come up to smother his laughter, it hits him that he's only ever seen the man this happy in footage of him and Steve from decades before.
Sam isn't entirely sure how he feels about being able to make Bucky laugh, but he's able to admit to himself that it's better than the silence he'd grown used to when he rambled away at the man while he was in cryo.
They're halfway through Return of the Jedi when the door opens behind them, and Sam turns to find Steve looking between them with mild confusion before his expression softens.
"You two seem to be getting along," he says as he takes a seat on the couch beside Sam, giving Bucky a small smile which he gets in return.
"Don't be fooled," Sam says with a wink, reaching for the remote to pause the movie. "I dragged him here against his will."
"Pretty much," Bucky confirms, although he doesn't seem particularly upset about that. Sam supposes anything must be better than being holed up in solitude.
"Are you working through the list?" Steve asks him, referring to the list of movies Sam had made up for him shortly after they'd met. In the years since, they haven't actually had much time to work through it together; perhaps unsurprisingly.
"Yeah. I'm thinking of tying him to the chair after this and forcing him to watch all of The Lord of the Rings and The Godfather-"
"You know, I never actually got around to The Godfather," Steve interrupts, and he makes a fruitless attempt to contain his laughter when Sam turns to him, scandalised.
"Wait, you've been awake for nearly six years. You've somehow managed to fit in every Disney movie under the sun in that time. How have you not seen The Godfather?!"
"Hell, even I've seen The Godfather."
"See, even Bucky's seen… wait-" Both he and Steve look over to Bucky, who seems sheepish at the sudden attention. "When did you see it?"
Bucky shrugs and distracts himself by playing with a loose piece of fabric on the armchair. "There was a small movie theatre near my apartment in Romania that would do showings of old movies. I went there out of curiosity a few times."
There's a long silence after that, as if it's dawned on everyone in the room that this is as much as Bucky has ever shared about his life in the two years he was on the run. It's strangely mundane information, considering that everything else in both his and Steve's lives seem so fantastical compared to Sam's.
"See?" Sam says eventually, breaking the silence before it can become awkward. "Guy's on the run for two years and even he manages to fit in The Godfather."
Steve laughs, admitting defeat, before turning back to Bucky. "'You see anything else?"
"Not much," Bucky admits with a small shrug. "I saw Snow White when they did a rerun of that."
"Okay, you won points for The Godfather, but now you're officially a sap," Sam jokes, earning a rude hand gesture in response. It doesn't take long for him to notice the change that's come over Steve however; the way his eyes have softened.
"Do you remember when we went to see that with Becca?" he asks, his tone hopeful, and the significance of that particular movie-choice finally dawns on Sam.
Bucky nods and gives Steve a shy smile. "Yeah. It's why I went to see it again."
The smile that spreads across Steve's face is the same he'd had back in the warehouse after everything had gone to shit in Berlin, when Bucky had dropped any façade he may have had before and told him his mother's name.
It's like his world gets slightly brighter every time a little of the old Bucky makes himself known; like they can pretend that everything's okay now that they have each other again. It's a notion that's far from the truth, but that isn't something Sam needs to tell them. They've endured too much pain over the years for him to shatter the small moments of hope they get to experience in the aftermath.
He presses play on the remote again, but it doesn't take long for his attention to drift from the screen to the men by his side. He takes in the way they both seem to disappear into the events of the movie, turning to each other during the best bits and sharing small smiles, and they both seem so young and peaceful that it's easy for Sam to pretend that they only exist within this small room and that the horrors awaiting them outside don't matter. It's such a sweet idea that he thinks he would do anything to make this moment last and it hits him with a jolt, the extent to which he cares for them.
Both of them.
Well, shit.