"How about now?" Sam asked. "You feeling anything yet?
Bucky had just downed a second shot of a concoction Sam made from 1,000-year-aged Asguardian liquor (an early wedding present from Thor), honey, and a splash of lemon juice. Though Sam was under strict instruction not to try any himself, Thor promised the liquor would be able to get Bucky tipsy at the very least, maybe even plastered—something Bucky hadn't been able to do since before getting experimented on by HYDRA during WWII.
The metal armed man nodded slowly, appreciating the burning sensation in the back of his throat and swell of warmth in his stomach.
"It feels weird," Bucky said a little louder than was necessary. He nodded again and chuckled. "Good, but weird."
Sam grinned and wondered what kind of drunk Bucky would be. "I'll get started on the steaks. Why don't you get the sides from the fridge? And there's pecan pie for later."
Bucky gave Sam a salute and wandered back toward the house while Sam opened the grill to find that it had heated up to exactly where he needed it to be. He brushed the grate with vegetable oil. Then, using the tongs his nephews gave him for Christmas the prior year, Sam placed two huge T-bone steaks onto the grill, each hissing as they hit the metal grate.
This was definitely the most low-key bachelor party Sam had ever been to. Didn't really even look much like a party since it was just him and Bucky having dinner. But it felt different. In two days, Bucky would be a permanent part of the Wilson family. He pretty much already was, but now it would be official on paper and before god.
The wedding planning was pretty much done and the only thing really left to do was put up chairs in the backyard and set up the tent they had rented for the reception. That was Bucky and Sam's job for the following day. That night, though, they would celebrate with good food, alcohol that might actually get Bucky wasted, and the last quiet before the chaos.
Sarah was staying with her best friend/maid of honor for the next couple nights and the boys were having a sleepover at a friend's house. They'd be back the next day to help setup and then stay with Bucky and Sam at the house so the grownups could help them with their suits and ties on the big day.
Bucky had made sure to spend as much time with AJ and Cass as he could in the months leading up to the wedding. He had taken them fishing and to baseball games. They had campouts in the backyard and he'd help them with schoolwork. Sometimes Sam would join them, but it was important to Bucky that the kids knew they could trust and count on him. And they did. And it tickled the hell out of Bucky knowing he was now a confidant and source of comfort for these kids when he had been so worried that they would keep him at a distance because he wasn't their biological father. It was one thing to be Uncle Sam's friend Uncle Bucky. It was another to be marrying their mom and becoming their stepdad.
"I can't believe I get to be part of a real family again," Bucky said as he set a tray full of potato salad, fruit salad, coleslaw, plates, napkins, and utensils on the picnic table.
Sam looked up from the grill and smiled at the blissfully happy man standing in front of him. It had almost seemed out of place when Bucky started smiling more over the past year. He mostly scowled and stared, but every now and again, he would grin about something. And then it started happening on a more regular basis until he was basically Mr. Cheerful any time he wasn't in Avengers-mode. The domestic life suited James Buchanan Barnes. He was helpful with the boat and doing any heavy lifting around the property. He enjoyed cooking for Sarah and the kids when she'd let him ("I love you, B, but your food is practically flavorless.") He liked being able to contribute without being expected to physically harm someone else. Most of all, he liked being someone's someone.
"You look happy, man," Sam said as he flipped the steaks. "It looks good on you."
Bucky grinned. "My heart just feels… full."
Sam nodded. "I know what you mean." He took a sip from the beer bottle he had set near the grill.
"And, like, I'm so glad we get to be brothers for real," Bucky continued as he sat down at the picnic table. "Because you're my best friend. And I never thought I would have one of those again. 'Cuz when Steve left, like… there went my only family. I mean, I still have my little sister, but she's so much older than me now. But you… you've really been there for me ever since we got unblipped and I don't tell you that enough. And you're not Steve. But, like, fuck Steve, right? He left us. But you… you stuck around. You tell me the truth and do your tough love thing. You do the work. And you're the Captain America we all need right now. And you're my Cap too. And I think that's really cool. 'Cuz, like, I thought I hated you when I first met you. But now… you're my brother. And I'm your brother. And I am marrying your sister. And she's awesome, Sam. Did you know that? She's the best. And she loves me even though I used to murder people. Which, like, how? But also thank god. Because it's nice to be loved. I didn't think I'd get to feel that ever, but I do." Bucky had tears in his eyes, but they were happy ones. "And I love you too. I just… it's so weird to feel this happy." He got up and pumped his fists in the air. "I'm a free man, Sam! I make. My own, Choices!"
So… apparently drunk Bucky was a rambler. Sam made a mental note that this was Bucky after only two shots of what Thor sent. He was going to hide the bottle and keep it at his place for whenever Bucky needed to blow off some steam. But, for now, Sam was going to enjoy watching Bucky be more uninhibited than he had ever seen him before.
"Yeah you do, Buck," Sam said with a laugh. "Why don't you bring over those plates and come get your steak?"
Still smiling, Bucky grabbed the plates off the tray and brought them over to Sam. Sam put a piece of meat on each one and closed the grill, following Bucky back to the picnic table. Without talking, they passed around the bowls of sides and each helped themselves to a little bit of everything. Sam grabbed two beers from an open cooler next to the table and handed one to Bucky. They twisted their caps off and threw them back into the cooler.
Sam raised his bottle to Bucky. "To your freedom," Sam toasted. "For a couple more nights, at least."
"Nah, man, marriage is freedom for me." Bucky laughed as he raised his bottle to Sam. "Love is freedom, Sam. I chose that for me with a clear mind."
"I'll drink to that." Sam nodded and clinked his bottle with Bucky's. "To you and your own choices."
Bucky grinned and took a sip of his drink, thinking how much this felt like before the war. Cheap beer. Spending time with his best friend. Not necessarily knowing what the future would bring, but feeling super happy just being in the moment. He knew there was a word for it, but couldn't remember what it was.