3.
"Huh… I never figured you as a cat person."
Bucky scratched the head of the sweetheart of a feline resting in his arms. She was a laid back kitty and had taken to her new surroundings with little fuss. It was probably better than being at that shelter anyway. She had Bucky's full and undivided attention whenever she wanted.
Right now, she was probably trying to figure out how to climb through the computer screen and cuddle in Steve's lap. Her fluffy tail swished back and forth as she examined the contraption. She could see Steve and hear Steve, but she could not reach him. Quite the conundrum. One of her little paws batted at the keys on the keyboard.
Adjusting his hold on the inquisitive creature, Bucky responded, "Yeah, well, before yesterday, I don't think I was one either."
Steve hummed, resting his chin in his hand. "What made you change your mind?"
The circumstances under which Bucky acquired Raven possibly painted him in a bad light. He tried glossing over some of the details. "Stopped by the local animal shelter yesterday. They were having an adoption drive. Saw the cat. Liked the cat. Took the cat home."
His best friend hummed again. His eyes squinted at Bucky through the camera. "You just decided to stop by? On a whim?"
For some reason, Steve did not believe him. Which hurt Bucky's feelings tremendously.
"Not on a whim, no." Bucky struggled to keep Raven from leaping out of his arms. One thing he had learned fast in the last twenty-four hours. If cats were done being cuddled, they were well and truly done. And they would fling themselves to freedom like a skydiver jumping out of an airplane. Bucky set her down on the floor. She slunk off to her favorite spot between the window and the couch. She lounged like a lady of leisure. "I saw a flier in the grocery store and thought I'd go down and make a donation. Help out in whatever little way I can. Ya know… For the community."
Oh, Steve could see through him like a chiffon prom dress in the rain.
"Right, right…" He cocked his head to the side. "Just out of curiosity… Did Sam Wilson happen to be there at this adoption drive for the community?"
There were implications in Steve's tone that Bucky did not care for.
"Yeah, Sam was there," he admitted, casually. "Helping out. He volunteers at the shelter. Donating his time and his knowledge. Caring for the animals. He's very involved."
"In the community," said Steve. "And since you're involved with Sam-"
"Not involved." Bucky was quick to correct the record. Though it seemingly fell on deaf ears.
Steve bulldozed right through his protest. "-you somehow ended up with a brand new pet."
That wasn't exactly how it all went down.
In passing, Sam had mentioned the shelter's adoption drive. And Bucky really had gone down there with the sole intention of dropping off a check. Then he and Sam got to talking. Sam kept giving Bucky these little touches. On his elbow or his hip. Or brushing his fingertips across the back of Bucky's hand. All perfectly innocent and perfectly harmless. Except for how Bucky's skin tingled even with the slightest bit of physical contact. And then there was the way Sam looked at him, as though Bucky was just the bee's knees.
God, he could look into those chocolate brown eyes all goddamn day.
"Older animals have a much harder time getting adopted. Everybody goes straight for the puppies and kittens." He glanced over at the inky black ball of fluff lazing in the ray of sunlight coming in through the window. "Raven's already six years old. I mean, that's not elderly but… Plus, she walked right up to me. She basically picked me, Steve. What was I supposed to do?"
A day later, Bucky couldn't imagine being without his sweetheart. His Raven was such a loveable squish. She liked to lay on Bucky's foot as he watched TV. Or lounge on the windowsill. Or engage in heated fisticuffs with his metal arm. Raven was enraptured by his arm. She climbed onto it. She tried hanging off of it. Her favorite thing, though, was to lie in wait and then pounce on his hand. The whole thing was so stinkin' adorable that Bucky had to send Sam a video.
To which Sam had replied, "It looks like I've got some competition."
Bucky did not read into that. Nope. Not one bit.
Sighing, Steve turned his head to the side. "He's hopeless."
Harsh.
Peggy's face came into view. She stood behind Steve, leaning in over his shoulder. "Well, I'm just glad that you're not alone anymore."
"Are you talking about the cat?" asked Steve. "Or the boyfriend?"
Under his breath, Bucky grumbled, "Don't have a boyfriend."
"Both," replied Peggy. "Though we've only been properly introduced to the cat. I feel like he's hiding the boyfriend from us."
"Again," griped Bucky, in a disgruntled fashion, "there is no boyfriend. And I have sent you guys pictures."
He was soundly ignored.
"Maybe he's ashamed of us," Steve hypothesized.
His wife countered, "I have done nothing shameful in my life. You on the other hand…" Peggy jabbed her finger into her husband's chest. "Get two Long Island Iced Teas in you and suddenly you're singing Piano Man and giving out hugs. And I hate to break it to you, darling… but you've got a voice only your mother could love."
Steve pouted. He actually pouted right where Bucky could see. "You said you love it when I sing."
She lovingly caressed his cheek. "We were dating, dear. I'd have said you sounded like Josh Groban if it meant getting into your pants."
The only thing keeping Bucky from slamming his laptop closed and chucking it out the window was the fact that he loved the little machine almost as much as those two goofballs currently making heart-eyes at each other.
"Hey, so, I'm gonna go now before you guys make it any weirder than it already is."
Besides, Sam would be there pretty soon. He was coming to take Bucky down to Petsmart for more cat stuff. The shelter had only been able to provide the bare essentials. A litter box with some kitty litter and a few cans of cat food. Sam, the big lug, was more than happy to introduce Bucky to all the accoutrements that went along with pet ownership. Food and water dishes. Raven was currently eating and drinking out of repurposed Hillshire Farms lunch meat containers. She needed toys and other things to keep her entertained when Bucky could not. Did cats like soft, squeaky toys or was that just a dog thing? And what, exactly, was catnip?
These were the kind of questions Bucky had at three o'clock in the morning, when he was supposed to be asleep but instead laid awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering what in God's name possessed him to get a freaking cat! What business did he have looking after another living being? He barely qualified as a responsible adult, capable of caring for himself. There were many times times when, while caught up in the mania of writing, with the words seeminging to flow like a river from his fingertips, Bucky had forgotten to eat. It simply slipped his mind. And the only reason he ever paused to go to the bathroom was because the need to piss was a stronger motivator than hunger. If he couldn't be bothered to take three minutes to slap together a peanut butter sandwich and shove it in his own face, then maybe Raven would have been better off taking her chances at the shelter.
Okay, he needed Sam to come and tell him that he hadn't made a huge mistake.
Bucky disconnected the Skype call after making promises to send lots of cat pics. He pretended not to hear Peggy's request for boyfriend pics as well. Such an incorrigible woman.
By the time Sam texted that he was outside and on his way up, Bucky had changed his shirt twice. His appearance wasn't really all that important. They were going to a pet store, for Heaven's sake! As long as he didn't look like he just fell off the back of a turnip truck, he'd be fine. Sam wasn't going to rate his outfit. It really wasn't all that serious. So Bucky should just relax, put his shoes on, and stop messing with his hair already!
He hauled open his door just as Sam had his fist raised to knock.
"Hey." God, that easy as Sunday morning smile was going to do Bucky in one day. "So? How was your first day of pet parenthood?"
Closing and locking the door, Bucky walked beside Sam. He made sure to stay close enough to smell his cologne without looking like a weirdo. "Well, she didn't smother me in my sleep. So I'd call that a win."
Sam gifted him with what Bucky had catalogued in his head as Sam's Small Amused Smile #3. "Is that a frequent problem for you?"
"What?" asked Bucky. "Waking up with pussy on my face?"
Jesus fucking Christ!
He was an idiot. There was no other explanation. Bucky was an absolute train wreck of a human being, a dumpster fire with legs, and should promptly walk into the nearest river.
Bless his heart, Sam literally laughed out loud. He laughed so hard that he had to stop talking down the stair and hang onto the handrail. Bucky could only watch, confused and a little concerned. He really wasn't all that funny.
Sam chuckled all the way to his truck.
On the drive to the pet store, they talked about nothing of consequence. Sam was an open book that Bucky could read easily. He held almost nothing back. In the nearly two months Sam had stolen his table, Bucky had learned most of the Wilson family tree and heard more than a few secrets. Like how every Christmas, Aunt Charlene brings her fan favorite homemade apple pie that everybody knows is actually Marie Callenders. She never got called out on it because it was a damn delicious pie and nobody was trying to shake the table on Jesus' birthday. Family was an important part of Sam's life. His sister and his cousins were his first friends. In your darkest hour, family was who you were supposed to turn to.
Bucky preferred the family of his own making. The lifelong, ride or die friends he'd made along the way. He had no doubt in his mind that Steve would help him bury a body. And Peggy would provide their airtight alibis. As for Sam… He would serve as Bucky's character witness, while being the one who had advised both Bucky and Steve on how to best dispose of the corpse. Because behind those kind eyes was a cunning mind, with a deep knowledge of anatomy and the complex inner working of the body.
"Is the staring thing something you do when your brain shuts off or when you're thinking too hard?"
Bucky blinked. He didn't realize that his eyes had been boring holes into the side of Sam's face. "If you were to poison somebody, how would you-"
"Antifreeze."
The lack of hesitation was in equal parts frightening and intriguing.
"Really?"
Sam nodded as he turned right at the corner. "Small doses over time. Eventually, the toxins build up in your system and the next thing you know… Ta da! Organ failure. A lot of folks don't realize just how important their kidneys are until they stop working."
What a beautifully twisted mind. He was one step closer to stealing Bucky's heart.
Once inside the store and surrounded by so much pet paraphernalia, Bucky's impulse control fell to the wayside. Raven needed one of everything. He got her a cute cuddler bed that looked like a donut. A wicker cat lounger for cat lounging. One of those scratching posts because Bucky valued his furniture. Bucky picked up food and water dishes, along with a little stand, but Sam talked him out of getting the automatic feeder and the drinking fountain. He got a cat carrier. A mat to put under the litter box. Some cleaning supplies. A three-pound bag of dry cat food. And an abundance of treats and toys.
"You're gonna spoil that cat. I can already tell."
Bucky loaded the last bag into Sam's backseat. "Are you gonna be the one to look Raven in the eye and tell her she doesn't deserve? Because I will not. Nothing but the best for my Princess of Darkness."
Sam shook his head. He climbed into the driver's seat. "Remember that when she drops a dead mouse in your bed."
Instead of taking Bucky home, Sam took him out to lunch. A hidden gem of a diner that served up fried dill pickles and a damn good reuben. The fries on the side were perfectly crisp on the outside and soft potato goodness on the inside. Bucky couldn't help doing a little happy dance as he ate. Yes, he loved food that much. No, he was not ashamed to show it. He was also not prepared for the Fond Smiletmthat Sam threw his way. It was disarming. Especially when Bucky had sauerkraut on his chin.
This had become a thing for them. Going out to eat. Every time they went out - hung out because they were so not dating, no matter what Steve and his stupid know-it-all face said. Sam always took Bucky to grab a bite to eat. And he always paid. Whenever Bucky reached for his wallet, Sam simply shook his head and said, "I got it." Which prompted Bucky to start sneakily leaving a twenty dollar bill in Sam's cup holder or slipping it into the glove compartment. It became a game. Where could Bucky hide the money? He turned into a super spy. Picking and choosing his moment and discretely making his move.
What was life without a little whimsy?
Sam was an absolute lamb and helped haul all the new cat stuff up to Bucky's apartment. He put the bags down on the floor by the door, but did not venture further inside. He lingered at the threshold.
"Is this the part where you tell me you're a vampire and I need to invite you in?"
"No," said Sam, with a smirk that ignited a hunger within Bucky that had nothing to do with food. A staggering amount of time had passed since he last enjoyed the carnal knowledge of another person. Months and months. And Bucky really, really wanted to get to know the man standing before him. On a deeply intimate level. While naked. "I'm just a little old fashioned, I guess. I like to take things a little slower."
Bucky moved in a little closer. "What makes you think anything more that TV watching is gonna go on?"
He was testing the waters. It was one thing to think a guy was into you. To think that Bucky was picking up the clues Sam put down. But sometimes Bucky needed it spelled out in fifty-foot high letters.
Sam did the thing where he placed a hand on Bucky's hip and reeled him in close, looking like he wanted to take Bucky's clothes off with his teeth. It was a move that turned Bucky's knees to jelly one hundred percent of the time. "Because every time I look at you, Wild Thoughts starts playing in my head."
"Oh… well… that…" Stammering was all Bucky could do as he stared at Sam's mouth. It was well within kissing distance right now. Sam was going to kiss him and his brain was going to fucking melt. It was already halfway there. "That's a good song. Rihanna is a fabulous artist. And she's created quite the brand for herself. Hasn't released an album in ages but-"
"Buck?"
"Yeah?"
Sam tilted his head just right. "I can't kiss you if your mouth is moving."
That was true. So Bucky shut up.
Eight months. That was how long since Bucky had kissed or been kissed by anyone. It was a kiss caused by mistletoe, so it didn't really count. But this… This was like that first perfect sip of coffee in the morning. Unhurried. Spreading a bone deep warmth through Bucky's chest. Sam's hand tenderly cradled the back of his neck. His fingers in Bucky's hair. Sam took his sweet time figuring out all the ways to make Bucky sigh against his lips. It was like being sixteen again and discovering what all the hype around tongue kissing was about. When Sam tried pulling back, Bucky chased after his mouth with an eagerness that should have been embarrassing.
"James…" An exasperated but bemused chuckle. Sam slipped his hand down to the side of Bucky's neck. His thumb caressing Bucky's cheek. He let Bucky get in two more urgent pecks before moving out of kissing range. Sam looked at him like Bucky was the best thing since sliced bread and Bucky, who was already half gone for this guy, would never recover. "See, this is why I couldn't go into your apartment. Because I wouldn't have been able to stop myself."
Bucky let out a shuddering breath. "Yeah, self-control is… Well, it's actually overrated, in my opinion. At least in this instance. But I guess I'm biased."
He got one last parting kiss before Sam said goodbye. He promised to call Bucky later. Which he would because Sam Wilson always kept his promises.
Bucky lingered in the doorway on the chance that Sam would glance back just once as he walked away.
He did. And, oh good God, that smile. It was the kind of smile that could moisten a nun's knickers. It had the power to strip the celibacy straight out of their holier than thou bodies.
By the time Bucky closed his door, he had only one goal in mind. To ride that man like Seabiscuit at the Kentucky Derby.