Dedicated to BelieveInTheHoundsOfJustice60 because they requested an update :) I don't know if you'll be so into this one because it's from Sam's point of view and a slightly different style than the others, but I had fun writing it!
Sam Wilson was not a stupid man.
After all, he had been chosen by the military to partake in a top-secret project, the likes of which had never been seen before. He had street smarts, book smarts, and just about all the kinds of smarts in between.
So Steve and Bucky were the stupid ones, thinking they could hide it from him.
He noticed when they sat close together at the breakfast table, their arms disappearing under the table, where they were surely holding hands.
He noticed when Steve smiled so gently at Bucky when the other man wasn't looking.
He noticed when Bucky searched Steve's face as if asking, How did I get so lucky? when Steve was distracted.
He noticed when the men had a movie night without him and only used one blanket.
Truth be told, Sam was thrilled for both of them. Being Steve's best friend, he had seen firsthand all of the shit that the superhero went through pretty much daily. Hell, he had been on the receiving end of a lot of that shit.
And while he held no fondness for the former Winter Soldier, after hearing his side of the story, Sam did have to admit that the man had been wronged more times than anyone deserved.
So why wouldn't both men deserve each other?
And sure, sometimes, Sam felt like a third wheel. It was hard not to in this situation. But he knew his role. It was to be a best friend for Steve and to teasingly pick on Bucky like they were brothers. It was to give them both a sense of family, so they each had someone to fall back on when they would inevitably trip.
For now, however, Sam simply watched as the men discreetly held hands and stared at each other and shared blankets. He watched, and he waited for the day when he would officially be privy to their "secret."