"Hey bud! Whatcha workin on?" Steve sat beside Sam in the library, noticing the books piled around him.
"Geography. Why are all the countries so small and close together in Europe! Can't they just all join one country and call it a day?" Sam dropped him head on the table dramatically, making Steve chuckle.
"I know what you mean. I was deployed in the Middle East some years back and we took leave in Europe a couple times. My best friend and I started one night in France and I get a call from him the next morning saying he's in Germany and has no idea how he got there."
Steve's eyes were far away as he recalled the memory.
"Steve?" Sam called out hesitantly, breaking the mans trance.
Steve blinked, then shook his head. "Sorry Sam. I forgot about that until just now. It feels good to remember the good ol' days." The soldier smiled at the boy and covered a smaller hand with his own. "He was so confused! He said he was going to take a bus to meet me at the hotel, then next thing he knew he was waking up to an old man yelling at him in German. He swore he traveled back in time to the Second World War until he got out his smartphone."
Sam was quiet. He looked at Steve's hand over his own, then raised his head to meet Steve's eyes.
"Steve, what was war like?"
The man's smile vanished.
"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer! I was just curious and my dad never wanted to talk about it and-"
"Sam." Steve squeezed Sam's hand as he interrupted the boy. "It's fine. I was just caught off guard. War was-" Steve took a bracing breath. "War was hell, to tell you the truth."
Sam's attention was held firmly as he stared intently at his foster parent.
"I saw things I would never wish on anyone out there. Things I truly hope you will never see."
"Your best friend that you mentioned. He was in the army with you?" Sam asked.
"Yes. He enlisted just a month before I did. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. But I always called him Bucky. We grew up together in Brooklyn. I lost him in the war." Steve lowered his eyes.
Sam pulled his hand away and shrunk in his seat. "So you drink then?"
"What?" Steve was thrown by the boys question.
"My dad said he drank to forget the people he lost. So that means you drink too, right?" Sam stared at his hands, somehow looking even smaller.
Steve was stunned into silence. The two of them sat there while Steve struggled to speak. The man pulled out his phone, typed something, then set the phone on the table between them. He then covered his mouth with his hand, and the two sat in silence once more.
The door to the library opened a few moments later and Tony made his way to the table, sitting beside his husband. Steve reached for his him and the two held hands as Steve spoke once more.
"Sam, can you please tell Tony what you told me?" His voice unwavering.
Sam looked from one man to the other, homework long forgotten. He was confused. He just asked a simple question, why was Steve acting weird? "He told me that he lost Bucky in the war and I asked if he drinks."
"And what did you say about your father?" Steve prompted.
"That that's why my dad drinks. Only, he said he lost a lot of people, so he had to drink a lot, and you only said you lost Bucky, so maybe you don't have to drink so much?" Sam reasoned.
"Ah." Was Tony's response.
"To answer your question Sam, no. I don't drink. A lot of veterans drink to forget, I knew a lot of them. But I never want to forget Bucky." Steve finally responded.
"Do you know what an alcoholic is Sam?" Tony asked. Sam shook his head. "An alcoholic is someone who is addicted to drinking. Someone who feels they need to drink for whatever reason and has a hard time stopping. Does that sound familiar?"
The boy nodded. "That sounds like my dad." He peeked up. "So there are other people like that too? It's not just him?"
Tony sighed. "No. It's not just him. I'm also an alcoholic Sam."
The men watched as Sam's face fell, his eyes going big as the words sunk in. "You?"
The one word had winded the men, the betrayal clear in the young boys voice.
"I don't drink anymore." Tony assured Sam. "I got sober a year after I met Steve."
"But you said-"
"I'm still addicted to alcohol even though I don't drink it. The goal is to never touch a drop of alcohol ever again. And I'm not going to lie to you, I've had some setbacks over the years, but I had my therapist and Steve to support me and get me back on track."
"Since the day Tony told me he was quitting, I haven't had any alcohol either. You never have to worry about us drinking Sam." Steve added.
"Oh." Sam whispered. The men saw that he was deep in thought, and simply waited for him to process the information. "Do you think my dad could stop drinking like you did Tony?"
"I'm not sure, bud. It's really hard to beat an addiction, and I'm really lucky that I had so much support to get me through it." Tony answered. "But, I'm sure that with enough support, there's definitely a chance."
Sam smiled brightly at his foster parents. "Then I'm gonna give him all the support he needs when he comes back!"
The men smiled at Sam. "That's awesome buddy." Steve told him. "I'm sure he'll really appreciate that."
"Is there anything else you want to ask us?" Tony asked Sam.
"Yeah," Sam pulled one of his papers forward, "which one is Ireland and which one is Scotland?"