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Sam knew Steve was an idiot.
To be perfectly honest, it wasn't that hard to see. He jumped out of helicopters without parachutes, he'd crashed a plane into the ocean, and he spent his spare time actively seeking out the most notorious assassin on the planet to try and become his friend, even though the last time they'd met the assassin almost killed him. So yeah, Sam was well acquainted with Steve Rogers' stupidity.
But this was on a whole new level.
Sam was sitting in a stolen vehicle, with a just-been-brainwashed WWII vet with a metal arm sitting behind him, while Steve friggin' Rogers pashed Sharon Carter - a CIA agent and the niece of his old love - in front of the car. And in front of Sam's face.
Now, normally, Sam wouldn't mind. Well, he'd mind. He'd groan and cover his eyes and mutter something about Steve and his ridiculously hot body reeling in women. Then he'd make fun of Steve for the next hour. However, this was not a normal situation. Because Bucky freaking Barnes was sitting behind Sam. And Sam didn't need to look at his face to know how he was feeling.
Sam wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what was going on between Steve and his long lost 'best friend'. The answer? Nothing. And that was what pissed off Sam the most.
When Steve had leaned in to kiss Sharon, Sam had heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him and had looked into the rearview mirror to see Bucky gripping his metal arm, his hands balled into fists and squeezing his eyes shut. He'd stayed like that until Steve had gotten back in the car, when he'd straightened out and wiped at his eyes discreetly, before looking out the window and ignoring both Sam and Steve. Sharon waved at them when they left, and Sam could only feel the tightening in his chest and the way Bucky resolutely kept his gaze on the passing trees.
-----
Sam deserved some kind of medal. Not only because of his absolutely fantastic military service, or the numerous amazing rescues he'd led. Not even because he dedicated his spare time to helping PTSD-ridden soldiers get their lives back on track. No, Sam Wilson deserved a medal because he somehow managed to be best friends with the dumbest son of a bitch on the entire fucking planet for two whole years. He deserved a medal because he put up with Steve moping around like an oversized golden retriever because his long-lost Bucky had run away. He deserved a medal because, despite lowkey hating the guy, he was actively seeking out a heart to heart with James Buchanan Barnes.
If he was lucky, Sam would probably not get stabbed. Or shot. Or burned. Or crushed to death. Or strangled. Or drowned. Or any other horrifying means of death. The best-case scenario would probably be Barnes glaring at Sam, and possibly a death threat. Sam wasn't expecting an actual conversation.
"So. Rogers and Carter," Sam said casually. Barnes, as suspected, glared at him. They were in a terminal at the airport where their ride was apparently stored. Through the window, Sam could see Tony and Rhodey fly down to meet Steve.
"Are you seriously playing therapist to me right now?" Barnes asked, raising his eyebrow.
"It's what I do for a living, and considering I can barely stand being around your mopey ass, I think I'm doing you a favour," Sam retorted. Barnes snorted.
"If this is your idea of a favour, I'd hate to see what you'd do to cause someone harm."
Sam took a deep breath and willed himself not to retaliate. "Listen, man. I saw your reaction to their little make-out session in front of my salad-"
"You weren't eating a salad," Barnes cut in, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
"It's a saying, dude. Anyway, I saw your face. Don't try to tell me that it didn't affect you."
Barnes gnawed on his bottom lip. He seemed to be deliberating his answer. Finally, he said, "I'm just thinking about Peggy. I doubt she'd be too pumped to see her ex kissing her niece."
Sam felt a wave of sympathy. "You don't have to lie to me, Barnes."
"What makes you think I'm lying?"
"Call it a spidey sense."
Bucky sighed. "Fine. I was... pissed. Sure, the Peggy thing played into it, but... Look, I've been in love with Steve since '32. I knew that nothing could happen between us back then, because of the law. And then Carter came into the picture, and... I wasn't about to deny Steve the right to a happy, all-American life with a beautiful wife and kids just because of how I felt." He fiddled with his hands, not meeting Sam's eyes. "But then I fell. And when I realised a couple of years ago that being... what I am... was actually not a bad thing, wasn't going to get me thrown in jail, I couldn't go back to Steve - it'd just put him in danger."'
Then Barnes looked up to meet Sam's gaze. His eyes were steely. "I don't need your pity. I'm just here to make sure that the doctor doesn't unleash five deadly super-soldiers into the world. Then I'm disappearing again."
"Wait, you can't just leave," Sam argued. Bucky's eyes flashed.
"Watch me."
Before Sam could respond, the shooting started.
-----
The quinjet was silent as it flew through the night, over the churning ocean. Wanda had ripped off her straightjacket as soon as they'd gotten on, and it lay in a crumpled heap in the corner of the plane. She was curled up on a bench in Clint's arms, sobbing quietly. Clint just rubbed her back slowly, his eyes tired and expression pinched. Lang was knocked out next to Sam, snoring softly with an arm flung over his face. T'Challa - who was apparently on their side now? - was upfront at the controls, talking quietly to Steve, who was sitting beside him. Sam stood up, ignoring the ache in his legs from the constant pacing that he'd done in his cell, and joined them. T'Challa nodded at him, a small smile on his face. Sam smiled back weakly.
"How're you feeling?" Steve asked, and Sam shrugged.
"Like I've been hit by a bus driven by Secretary Ross," he joked. "What about you? You took on, like, thirty highly-trained guards and government officials with no weapons, backup, or protective gear. Even for you, that was pretty stupid."
T'Challa chuckled quietly from the cockpit, and Sam felt quite pleased with himself. Apparently, when he wasn't trying to kill them, the King of Wakanda wasn't that bad.
"I'm fine," Steve said, but there was a frown on his face. Sam raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly.
"Lie to my face one more time, Rogers, and see if you like it."
Steve's face crumpled, and he rubbed a hand over his eyes wearily. Even when he'd been at rock bottom, Sam had never seen him like this. "You sound just like him, y'know. Despite how much you two hate each other, you're damn similar."
"You mean Barnes?" Sam asked, internally rolling his eyes. Of course it was about Barnes. It was always about Barnes when it came to Steve.
"He's going back into cryo," Steve murmured, and wow Sam was not expecting that.
"...I'm sorry, he's what?"
"I was surprised, too," T'Challa said casually, but Sam saw the exasperated look on his face. At least I'm not the only person here with common sense and eyes, Sam thought dryly.
"He says it's because he's scared he'll hurt someone again."
"And have you talked to him about this?" Sam asked slowly, as if he was talking to a small child.
"Bucky doesn't want to talk about it," Steve said, and he actually pouted.
"That's exactly why you should talk about it, you dumbass," Sam said almost hysterically, trying very hard to keep his breathing under control. "I've been teaching you about healthy coping mechanisms and relationships and fucking communication for the past two years, and - what, have you suddenly forgotten everything I've taught you?"
"But Bucky-" Steve protested weakly.
"No buts," Sam cut in sharply. "Man, I love you, but you are the densest fucking person I've ever met. First there was the thing with Sharon, and now this -"
"Wait, what has Sharon got to do with any of this?" Steve asked in confusion.
"What exactly happened with Sharon?" T'Challa asked politely.
"Steve made out with her - in front of me, which, gross - but more importantly, in front of Bucky," Sam accentuated, widening his eyes in a plea for T'Challa to understand. How weird his life became, that the only person he was properly communicating with and understanding was the King of a small country who'd tried to murder him literally a few days earlier. And, because T'Challa was an awesome guy, he immediately understood and glared over at Steve.
"Why does Bucky have anything to do with me and Sharon?" Steve was now completely bewildered, and Sam and T'Challa shared another look.
"Because Bucky's pathetically in love with you, and you're pathetically in love with him but you don't seem to know it, and you went and snogged Peggy Carter's niece in front of him," Sam almost shouted.
"Captain, you broke several laws for him, and turned on some of your closest friends to keep him safe," T'Challa pointed out, and Steve winced. "Do you really believe that what you feel for Sergeant Barnes is platonic or familial in nature?"
"And now he's going back into cryo because he doesn't think he's good enough for you, and he's convinced himself that you don't love him back, and he's a total diva," Sam added. Steve looked completely lost, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.
"Maybe we should give the Captain some space," T'Challa said lightly, standing up with that feline grace he seemed to carry everywhere and brushing Sam's shoulder as he went past. Sam glared again at Steve, who seemed to be on the verge of actually understanding what the hell was happening, and followed T'Challa to the end of the jet.
----
"You don't have to do this, y'know," Sam said quietly. Thinking back, he wasn't sure he'd ever used such a nice tone of voice with Barnes before. Barnes scoffed and turned away, but Sam saw the shimmering of his eyes in the bright lights of the lab. "I can call Steve now, tell him -"
"No," Barnes said sharply, snapping his head back to look Sam in the eye. Something in him seemed to break, though, and his face crumpled in on itself as one of the tears that was threatening to spill made its way down his face. "Just... no. Please, Sam."
"He's your best friend," Sam said softly. "And I know that a lot is going on with the two of you at the moment, and Steve may be a dick, but he doesn't deserve this."
"But he's not a dick," Barnes whispered. "He's the best man I know."
Sam had never seen him like this. For once, Barnes wasn't holding his emotions back like the robot Sam thought he was - he was just curled up on the examination table, his one hand cradling the stump of his left arm, his knees drawn to his chest. He avoided Sam's eyes and ducked his head, and his long hair fell into his face.
"Barnes - Bucky," Sam corrected himself. "If you really want to do this - to go without saying goodbye - I won't stop you. But I hope you know what this will do to Steve."
Bucky let out a choked sob and buried his face in his knees. Sam felt an overwhelming amount of sadness for this man - a man who'd been through hell and back, and wasn't allowing himself the one thing that brought him joy. And here Bucky Barnes was, about to go into cryogenic freeze twelve hours before it was originally planned. And Steve Rogers wouldn't find out until he was already under.
Sam sighed, and, against his better judgement, pulled himself onto the bench beside Bucky, their shoulders touching. Bucky flinched, but didn't pull away, so Sam counted it as a win.
"What's this about, huh?" Sam asked gently. "Why are you doing this - and don't tell me it's about the HYDRA programming, because you and I both know that's not the full story."
Bucky was silent for a while, before he gingerly leaned over and rested his head on Sam's shoulder. His hair was freshly washed, and it tickled Sam's nose. "Steve deserves a life. A proper life, where he finds a nice girl and settles down and has a few kids. It doesn't matter how I feel about him, because I know I'll never be good enough for him, so it was my job to make sure the dame he loved was good enough, too. And in the war, when he met that Agent Carter, I knew that she was perfect. She was tall, and beautiful, with a wicked sense of humour and a dislike for following orders, but still enough brains to do what she was told when she needed to. And Stevie always liked brunettes. And yeah, it hurt to watch, it hurt to see. More than once Dum Dum or Jacques or Monty would find me sobbing my dumb little heart out over it. But Steve's happiness was worth everything."
"Barnes-" Sam started, but Bucky shook his head.
"No. Let me finish. Please," he begged, lifting his head slightly to meet Sam's eyes. They were such a startling shade of grey that Sam had a hard time processing. When he stayed silent, Barnes put his head back down, seemingly satisfied.
"But then I fell off the train and got captured. And then I was tortured and brainwashed for seventy years, and made into HYDRA's attack dog. And I lost everything. And the only thing that got me through was thinking that Steve was okay, that he'd settled down with Agent Carter and they were growing old and happy together. Until HYDRA took the memories of Steve from me, too."
Barnes took a shaking breath, and Sam wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. He felt painfully thin, and Sam wondered if he was feeding himself enough.
"And now, after everything, I can't be around Steve. Because I could snap, and hurt him again. Or I could tell him how I feel, and everything that I ever wanted for him would be ruined. Before, I could be his friend. I could stand by the sidelines and watch as he fell in love with someone who wasn't me. But I'm not strong enough anymore. I can't watch that."
"But have you ever thought about what would make you happy?" Sam asked softly.
"I don't deserve it," Bucky whispered.
"Everyone deserves happiness," Sam argued, then when Bucky went to protest, levelled him with a Look. "You're not a bad person. Yes, you may have done bad things in the past, but they weren't your choice. And you feel regret now for the things you do. If you feel regret - true, proper guilt - then you can't possibly be evil."
Barnes tucked his head closer to Sam's neck, his breath ghosting across Sam's skin. Sam wrapped his other arm around the shaking man and held him tighter. And if they stayed like that for a little while longer before Barnes went into cryo, nobody but them and the lab assistant had to know.
----
Sam stood at the window, arms crossed as he looked out to the Wakandan jungle. It was early morning, and the mist that had crawled from the mountains in the night still hung heavy over the rainforest. The carved panther statue shone in the early morning light. Sam was so absorbed in mapping out the landscape in front of him that he didn't notice the person coming up behind him until their shoulder brushed his. Sam looked over to see T'Challa, wearing an embroidered brown suit, his hands tucked behind his back. He was looking out the window, too, his lips pursed slightly. Sam absentmindedly noted how pouty they were, and wondered if they were as soft as they looked.
"You are lost in your head," T'Challa stated, and Sam held back a smile as he turned back to the window. In the short time that he'd known him, Sam found out that T'Challa phrased questions like statements, and Sam couldn't decide whether he found it annoying or endearing.
"I just had the world's most deadly assassin cry on my shoulder about his long lost love," Sam replied, watching a flock of colourful birds fly out of the canopy of trees. "And now I need to tell America's saviour that his long lost love just went into cryogenic freeze without saying goodbye."
T'Challa laughed softly, his voice like velvet. "And you're having trouble with phrasing it?"
"It's not like I can say, 'Hey Steve, Barnes doesn't want to be a part of your life because he's scared he'll hurt you and/or mess everything up, so he fast-forwarded his freezing so that he could avoid talking to you'," Sam retorted. He looked over at T'Challa, who was already looking at him, a slight smile playing on those ridiculously pouty lips.
"I suppose you're right," T'Challa said, and his eyes grew fond. "I have not known you for very long, Sam Wilson, but I know that you are the best person to do this. You are Captain Rogers' best friend, and you're a good man. Even if the first words you ever said to me were an insult."
At that, Sam had to laugh. "You never answered my question, you know. Do you like cats, Your Highness?"
T'Challa smiled at him, lifting an eyebrow. "I do enjoy the company of cats, as a matter of fact." T'Challa paused, and his smile took on a sly edge as he closed the gap between them. His lips brushed against Sam's earlobe as he spoke. "Although I must say, I prefer birds."
And just as quickly as he was there, the King was gone, walking down the hallway and away from the window where Sam was standing, almost frozen in shock. Then Sam laughed, and T'Challa flashed him one more devastating smile over his shoulder before he disappeared around a corner. Sam might have been a little bit in love.
-----
It was easy to find Steve - he was making enough racket to make the guards think that a herd of elephants were stampeding through the palace. When Sam got into the room where the noise was loudest, he saw Steve frantically on the phone. When he saw Sam, he basically threw the phone across the room and in the space of about half a second he was standing in front of Sam, grabbing his shoulders far too hard.
"Where's Bucky?" he asked desperately. "I woke up half an hour ago and he was gone. At first, I thought that he'd just gone for a run or something, but I can't find him. Sam, what if he's gone and handed himself in? What if he's dead? What if-"
"Steve," Sam said gently. Steve quickly closed his mouth, his eyes wide and scared. "Calm down."
"I was gonna take him for a walk in the forest before he went into cryo," Steve whispered. "But I can't find him - I can't find him anywhere."
"Oh, Steve," Sam said sadly. "Bucky rescheduled his cryo freezing. He went under a few hours ago."
Steve froze, and his grip on Sam's shoulders tightened slightly. "No. He didn't - he couldn't have. He... I wasn't there for him," Steve choked, and his eyes started filling with tears.
"That's why he did it," Sam said, but when Steve's already devastated face crumpled even more, he hastened to fix his mistake. "He thinks that he'll just hurt you by being around. And if he isn't, then you'll be able to have a proper life. He didn't care how he felt - he just wanted you to be happy."
"But I'm happy with him," Steve whispered.
"I did try to talk him out of it," Sam offered. "But your boy's stubborn. Maybe even more stubborn than you."
Steve wiped at his eyes. "I'm going to see him," he said roughly, and without waiting for an answer, he brushed past Sam and walked out of the room.
Sam sighed, and watched him go.
------
It was kind of ironic that Sam was the one to help with the defrosting.
Steve had left a few days earlier, muttering something about the Taliban and how he wouldn't be back for a couple of weeks.
"By the time you get back, Sergeant Barnes will almost be ready to come out of the ice," Shuri had assured him before he left. One and a half years felt like a long time for Barnes to be in the ice, but Sam knew that he'd been in there for much longer periods. The thought made him feel slightly queasy. Steve was not handling it well - Sam knew it would happen, he was a trained therapist and had been the idiot's friend for over three years - but Steve's lack of handling his grief and denial was so ridiculous that even Sam was surprised. He'd actually grown a depression beard. And he pulled it off. Sam was furious.
So maybe that was why he was reluctant to call Steve when Shuri had come to him a few days after Steve's departure to excitedly tell him that she'd finished her treatments a couple of weeks earlier than she'd originally thought.
Sam loved Shuri - she was probably his favourite person in Wakanda (minus T'Challa, of course). She was the same age as that Spider kid that Tony had roped into the Avenger's divorce, but probably smarter than both Stark and Banner combined. She was wicked smart, with a silver tongue and a dislike for following rules that usually had T'Challa roping Sam into trying to convince her to not manufacture increasingly rude products to send to the United Nations and Everett Ross for their mistreatment of Bucky. Even though they'd barely met before Bucky went under, Shuri seemed to have adopted him as an honorary older brother. Apparently, Sam wasn't just an 'honorary' big brother - more of a brother-in-law. When Shuri had said that, T'Challa had blushed to the roots of his hair and Sam had to be carried out of the room by Steve from laughing too much.
"Sam, are you sure this is the best idea?" Shuri asked curiously. "Steve won't like this."
"Steve can stick a cork in it," Sam grumbled. "And maybe Barnes needs a bit of time to adjust before Steve comes in with all his righteous overprotective boyfriend-ness."
Shuri sighed. "Fine, but you're gonna be the one to talk him down when he inevitably gets angry that we didn't call him," she said, fingers tapping at the screen in front of her. "You might want to get close to the glass. As soon as Bucky is unstrapped, he's going to fall forwards. And it would probably be best if he was caught by someone he knew, and not one of the lab assistants."
"Smart," Sam murmured, and went to stand close to the cryo chamber.
Shuri flicked her hand, and the pod hissed and swung open, sending a blast of cold air into the room. Shuri gestured at one of the orderlies, who started undoing the straps that held Bucky in place. Sam could only stare in disbelief. Barnes was in the same position as when the pod had closed, his eyes closed and an almost peaceful expression on his face. His skin was blue, his hair wet and hanging down in front of his face. As soon as the last strap was undone, Bucky keeled sideways into the side of the chamber, and Sam reached out to pull him out of the pod. His skin was ice to the touch, his breath coming in shallow pants. He was mostly unconscious, but his eyes kept fluttering as if they were about to open.
"Okay, now we treat it as a case of severe hypothermia," Shuri said, appearing at Sam's side. "Are you alright to carry him?"
Sam nodded, and hefted Bucky into his arms. He felt dangerously light, and it was then that Sam noticed that Bucky's muscle mass had definitely decreased in the chamber. He was much smaller than what Sam remembered.
"Was he meant to shrink?" Sam asked in alarm. Shuri glanced back at him, and her forehead creased.
"It is possible that he may have lost weight while frozen," she said and placed her small hand on Bucky's bicep. "You are right, though. He has lost a considerable amount of weight, by the looks of it. He is close to malnourishment - as soon as he is stable, we will give him an IV drip."
"And what about afterwards?" Sam asked as they started walking again. "What will you do with him?"
"My brother and I have been discussing it," Shuri replied. "He is welcome to stay in the palace, but from his reaction to it the last time, we have contacted W'Kabi and set up a hut outside one of the villages. He will tend goats."
"Who's W'Kabi?"
"Okoye's husband. He looks after the rhinoceros."
"Oh yeah, the ones you use for war." There was nothing more intimidating to Sam than the thought of being chased by a white rhino with vibranium armour.
Shuri looked at him in amusement but said nothing. Bucky shifted in Sam's arms and groaned softly. His clothes were soaked through and he'd started violently shivering.
"Where are we taking him?" Sam asked.
"To the rehabilitation centre," Shuri replied. "They are used to hypothermia from mercenaries that visit M'Baku and his tribe in the mountains. People do not seem to realise how harsh the conditions are up there, and M'Baku may be slightly insane, but that does not mean he wants our people to die. He is still a Wakandan, just like the rest of us."
They entered another lab, and Shuri waved over a couple of people wearing lab coats. She spoke a few words in Wakandan that Sam couldn't understand because no matter how hard he tried he could not learn languages to save his life, and the doctors - Sam was assuming they were doctors - nodded and beckoned them over to an examination table.
"Shouldn't we put him in a hot bath or something?" Sam asked, placing Bucky gently on the table.
"Have you ever dealt with hypothermia, Samuel?" Shuri asked in amusement. "You do not give them warm drinks, or place them in hot water. This will cause them to heat up too quickly and can cause damage to their body and mind. We will warm him up slowly, then, once his temperature is over 36 degrees Celsius, we shall draw him a bath."
"Help me take his clothes off," one of the doctors said to Sam, her accent so thick that Sam almost couldn't understand her.
"Why are we taking his clothes off, exactly?" Sam asked curiously, moving to slowly peel the soaked tank top off Bucky's torso. His ribs were visible through his skin.
"Because they are wet," Shuri replied. "He will warm up much quicker if he is dry."
As she said this, another doctor started drying Bucky off with a large white towel as a nurse hurried over with a stack of blankets. Bucky opened his eyes slowly, his teeth chattering with the force of his shivers.
"Steve..." he croaked out.
"He's not here, big guy," Sam said gently, and sat beside Bucky on the table. He grabbed a few blankets and pulled them over Bucky's trembling body, and the other man looked at him, his eyes unfocused.
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Sam assured him quickly, and Bucky flinched as one of the doctors started taking his pulse. "Don't worry, man. Everything's gonna be fine."
"Cold," Bucky choked out. His eyes were wide and scared.
"I know," Sam murmured and pulled Bucky into a one-armed hug. "It won't last long."
Bucky curled up into Sam's chest, his skin freezing cold. Before Sam could say anything else, he was unconscious again.
"He will sleep for a long time," Shuri said. Sam looked up at her and saw that she was preparing an IV bag. "But he needs nourishment. Will you hold out his arm for me?"
Sam obediently grasped Bucky's arm and held it straight out, the palm facing upwards. Shuri gently eased the needle into the crook of Bucky's elbow, and then fastened it with tape.
"It will take a couple of hours for his body temperature to rise enough to give him a bath," Shuri said, sitting down. "I suggest that we both stay here for the time being. He might not react well if you are not here."
Sam felt warmth curl in his gut and looked down at Bucky with a soft smile on his face. He never would have thought he'd have adopted two super-soldiers, but here he was.
A few hours later, when Bucky's temperature had risen to a healthy amount and he'd had a bath, Sam took him back to Steve's quarters in the castle. Bucky had changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants and another tank top. When they got into the room, Bucky immediately went into the bedroom and came out about a minute later wearing one of Steve's hoodies. It was a little too big for him, the sleeve slipping over his hand, and Sam's heart melted at the sight.
"He'll be back in a couple of weeks," Sam said gently. Bucky nodded and shoved his hand in the pockets of the hoodie.
"Did you know that Steve talked to me?" Bucky said quietly, his voice still croaky from lack of use.
"When you were under?" Sam asked, and Bucky nodded.
"He talked to me. And I heard him."
"What did he say?"
"He said that he loved me. That he was sorry," Bucky murmured, and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. "Those were the most common. Sometimes he told me stories." Bucky looked up, a slight smile on his lips. "Is it true that he walked in on you bending T'Challa over that kitchen counter?" He gestured into the kitchen area, and Sam snorted.
"He banned me from his quarters for a month. It was hilarious."
Bucky laughed softly. "And he's coming back soon?"
"He said in a couple of weeks. But if I call him, he'll come back right now."
"He's in the middle of a mission. I don't want to disturb him."
"I don't think he'll mind, Barnes."
"I do," Bucky replied, putting his hand on his hip. "Steve needs to finish every mission he ever goes on, otherwise he's restless for days. Trust me on that."
Sam nodded, knowing he was right. "Do you want anything to eat? We gave you nutrients through the IV drip, but..."
"Are there plums?" Bucky asked hopefully, and Sam laughed.
"You can't possibly eat only plums."
"I will eat so many plums there will be a shortage."
-----
After a few days of rest and rehabilitation, Bucky moved to the countryside to tend to the goats. Sam visited him whenever he could; walking down with Okoye and sometimes Shuri, and saying hello to W'Kabi on the way. Bucky's hut consisted of a single room, with a bed in the corner, a chest at the foot of the bed, and a large mat that covered the dirt floor almost completely. It was made of mud, with a blanket serving as the door, and out the front, there was a small firepit where Bucky cooked. There were four goats - one heavily pregnant - that wandered the fields around the house, never straying too far.
Bucky was getting better; his cheeks had a healthy glow to them, he'd gained some weight - not a lot, but his ribs weren't as visible anymore - and his skin had tanned from his constant time under the hot Wakandan sun. He wore robes and covered the stump of his arm with a cloth, and whenever Shuri came to check on him she did his hair up in braids and wove flowers and reeds into it, and he kept it up for as long as he could. Bucky washed in the river, using soap and hair products that Shuri had manufactured that weren't harmful to the river's ecosystem. Sometimes Sam got worried that Bucky would be eaten by a crocodile while bathing, but every time he said it Bucky rolled his eyes and ignored him.
Steve got back a few weeks later, covered in blood and dirt and completely exhausted. Sam had to forcefully drag him into the bathroom to wash up because otherwise Steve would have collapsed on the bed and gotten blood everywhere, and then Sam would have to change the sheets.
The next day Steve got up late, stumbling into the kitchen half-asleep and almost falling onto a stool at the kitchen counter. Sam wordlessly poured him a cup of coffee, and Steve downed half of it in one go.
"You're gonna burn your throat," Sam commented. Steve grunted.
"Maybe it'll help me wake up," he mumbled. "I haven't been this tired since Tony beat the shit out of me."
"Which time?" Sam joked, and Steve groaned.
"It is too early for your shit, Wilson," he muttered, taking another sip of his coffee.
"It's almost twelve," Sam reminded him, and Steve rolled his eyes.
"Still."
"Hey, you wanna come for a walk with me this afternoon?" Sam asked casually. "I'm going down to W'Kabi's village with Okoye."
"Why?" Steve asked curiously.
"Part of the routine, Cap," Sam said, then patted Steve's shoulder. "You'd better be ready by one."
"Do I have a choice in this matter?" Steve asked.
"Nope," Sam sang and stole Steve's coffee, downing the rest in one go. "Up and at 'em, Cap."
They left at one fifteen with Okoye, who fell into step with Sam as Steve walked behind them. "Are you sure it's a good idea to just spring this on him?" she asked quietly. "He might not react well."
"Barnes is the only person that Steve can't get angry at," Sam reminded her. "If I just throw them together, he's gonna be a lot less pissed at me."
"And how sure are you that it's going to work?"
"Because Barnes has finally pulled his head out of his ass, and he knows that Steve loves him, and he accepts it. And Steve has finally pulled his head out of his ass, and he knows that he loves Barnes. And believe me, if either of them messes this up I'll beat their asses."
"I think you're more invested in their relationship than they are," Okoye said in amusement, but let the subject go. Okoye trailed off when they reached W'Kabi's hut, and Steve watched her go in confusion.
"Why aren't we going with her?" he asked.
"Because one, I don't wanna hear them having sex," Sam said, shuddering at the thought. "And two, we're going to see someone else."
"Who?" Steve asked confusedly. "I've never even been to this part of Wakanda."
Sam ignored him and made his way down the path to the small mudbrick house, where Sam Junior was gnawing on the cloth that served as a door.
"Aw man," Sam muttered, before calling out, "My namesake is destroying your door, you'd better have a good reason to not be stopping him!"
Steve raised an eyebrow from behind him. "Your namesake?"
"Sam Junior," Sam replied, gesturing at the goat as he tried to extricate the fabric from his son's mouth. "Hey, asshole! If I knew you were going to abandon my child and let him eat whatever he wanted, I'd never have put him in your protection!"
"Suck my dick, Wilson!" the reply came, from the trees. "It's not my fault this bastard would get stuck in the trees! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a goat out of a tree with one arm?"
Steve stiffened beside him, and Sam ignored him. "What do you mean there's a goat stuck in the tree? Which one?"
"Natasha!" Bucky yelled back. "She doesn't seem to realise that she's gonna go into labour any fucking day now!"
Finally, Bucky came out of the tree line, pulling Natasha the pregnant goat along behind him by her horn. He didn't even look at them, instead telling Natasha off in Russian. She didn't seem to care, and as soon as she was out of the danger zone of the trees Bucky let her go, and she started eating the grass.
"Bucky?" Steve croaked from beside him. Bucky looked up from his goat and froze, his eyes wide as he stared at Steve.
"You're back," Bucky said dumbly, and Steve nodded. Bucky walked towards him and stopped in front of him, and Steve took in a shuddering breath.
"You look good," Steve choked out. Bucky laughed, and Sam noticed tears in both their eyes. They didn't seem to notice he was still there.
"I like the beard," Bucky said softly, a small smile on his face. "Gives you a sexy nomadic kind of look."
Steve choked out a laugh. "God, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," Bucky whispered.
Steve took a few steps towards him and stopped when they were almost touching. Bucky smiled and closed the distance to kiss Steve softly. Steve pulled Bucky even closer if that was even possible, and Sam was starting to think that it was pretty cute before Bucky moaned quietly and Sam realised that they weren't really kissing, they were actually trying to devour each other.
"I'm just gonna go," Sam said, slowly backing away. They didn't seem to hear him, because Steve grabbed Bucky's ass and lifted him, pressing him up against the side of the hut, and Bucky wrapped his legs around Steve's waist. It was turning into a porno, and Sam started walking a little faster.
"Please don't break the hut," he called over his shoulder. "W'Kabi spent a lot of time on that."
The only response was another moan, and Sam would forever deny running the entire way back to the palace.