[ It's perhaps ironic that they've agreed to this for both their sake's - yet here Sam is, asking not because he's feeling conflicted, but because he's genuinely worried about how Bucky's taking all this.
After all, Bucky's the one who struggles. Sam's the one who's supposed to have his shit together.
He's got the simulation loaded up, door unlocked - trusting Bucky to lock it behind him to ensure their privacy. Music in the distance and a golden Louisiana sunset, the gentle rocking of the boat.
Sam hugs Bucky in greeting, a short but warm and affectionate thing, with his hand briefly rubbing over Bucky's back before he lets him go again. ]
Tell me how you're holding up with our new arrivals from home.
[ Steve and Tony. Sam imagines Shuri might be awkward but ultimately delightful for Bucky. Same for Steve, or so Sam currently assumes. He worries about Bucky drowning himself in guilt over Tony's presence, though. ]
[This may only be the second time they've ended up in this position, but it already feels like second nature to him. Feels natural to return the hug and to allow it to last a few beats longer than it otherwise would. In this room, this simulation of home, he's finding it increasingly more difficult to hold himself back.
So when the question comes, he's a little more relaxed than he was only moments before. Despite the topic, despite how difficult the appearance of certain familiar faces has been, Sam's presence here is the one thing that makes it all feel...manageable. They're in the same place for most of this. Both dealing with a friend who has no memories of having left them behind. A man who sacrificed himself to save the universe. And a woman who gave them both everything they need to protect themselves.
(A best friend who reached the end of the line long before he did. A hero whose parents he murdered in cold blood. A princess whose father was murdered by a man he broke out of prison.)
Well, they're somewhere in the same vicinity.]
I've been better.
[It's about as honest as he's going to get though. Sure, he trusts Sam. And sure, he knows that the guy wouldn't hold anything he says in here against him. But their arrivals are all still too fresh for him to have processed it all properly. Too new for him to have any idea of how to deal with it all. How to deal with the fact that he's been granted second chances with all of them. Something he knows he doesn't deserve.]
Yeah. Brought them as up to speed as felt necessary.
[ Sam rubs a hand over his face. He doesn't step far away after they separate from their hug. The instinct to stick close is strong. To make sure Bucky's doing... if not well, then at least not completely poorly. So Sam ends up leaning against the railing slightly, but keeps his body angled towards Bucky. ]
Told Steve he retired. Told Stark about... well, most of what happened. Left out Zemo and most of the... in depth detail. Broad strokes. Shuri's up to date far as I can tell.
[ He frowns briefly. ]
You seen the blonde Russian girl? Yelena? That's Natasha's sister.
[And purposely avoided Tony. One ghost from the past is about his limit right now. And at least his time with Steve had been mostly good. He can power through the awkwardness left between them. Can ignore the fact that Steve really has no idea of what happened in the time between the final battle with Thanos and Sam taking up the shield.
Can't blame a guy for abandoning him if he has no clue he did it.
Tony though...]
Shuri. She seems to be happy to see me? She knows what I did, but she still-
[Either she's gotten really good at hiding her anger and disappointment. Or she actually means it. Is genuinely glad that he's here. Neither make any sense to him though. How could they, when he knows how badly he messed things up there. Ayo had warned him away for a reason, and he knows any meeting with anybody from Wakanda has to come on their terms. He doesn't have a right to their time, yet alone deserve even a hint of the friendship they once offered him. So with them both on this station, he knows he's been granted time that doesn't belong to him.
Zemo killed her father. And Bucky went and freed him.
He takes a deep breath, the shake beneath it hidden a little as he shifts to rest his hands on the gunwale, fingers curling over the facsimile of wood that almost feels real beneath his skin. Close, but not quite the same as being stood on the boat still docked a universe away. But as with most things, it's the company that matters more here.]
I told Steve the same thing though. Don't plan on changing that.
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After all, Bucky's the one who struggles. Sam's the one who's supposed to have his shit together.
He's got the simulation loaded up, door unlocked - trusting Bucky to lock it behind him to ensure their privacy. Music in the distance and a golden Louisiana sunset, the gentle rocking of the boat.
Sam hugs Bucky in greeting, a short but warm and affectionate thing, with his hand briefly rubbing over Bucky's back before he lets him go again. ]
Tell me how you're holding up with our new arrivals from home.
[ Steve and Tony. Sam imagines Shuri might be awkward but ultimately delightful for Bucky. Same for Steve, or so Sam currently assumes. He worries about Bucky drowning himself in guilt over Tony's presence, though. ]
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So when the question comes, he's a little more relaxed than he was only moments before. Despite the topic, despite how difficult the appearance of certain familiar faces has been, Sam's presence here is the one thing that makes it all feel...manageable. They're in the same place for most of this. Both dealing with a friend who has no memories of having left them behind. A man who sacrificed himself to save the universe. And a woman who gave them both everything they need to protect themselves.
(A best friend who reached the end of the line long before he did. A hero whose parents he murdered in cold blood. A princess whose father was murdered by a man he broke out of prison.)
Well, they're somewhere in the same vicinity.]
I've been better.
[It's about as honest as he's going to get though. Sure, he trusts Sam. And sure, he knows that the guy wouldn't hold anything he says in here against him. But their arrivals are all still too fresh for him to have processed it all properly. Too new for him to have any idea of how to deal with it all. How to deal with the fact that he's been granted second chances with all of them. Something he knows he doesn't deserve.]
I take it you've talked to them all?
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[ Sam rubs a hand over his face. He doesn't step far away after they separate from their hug. The instinct to stick close is strong. To make sure Bucky's doing... if not well, then at least not completely poorly. So Sam ends up leaning against the railing slightly, but keeps his body angled towards Bucky. ]
Told Steve he retired. Told Stark about... well, most of what happened. Left out Zemo and most of the... in depth detail. Broad strokes. Shuri's up to date far as I can tell.
[ He frowns briefly. ]
You seen the blonde Russian girl? Yelena? That's Natasha's sister.
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[And purposely avoided Tony. One ghost from the past is about his limit right now. And at least his time with Steve had been mostly good. He can power through the awkwardness left between them. Can ignore the fact that Steve really has no idea of what happened in the time between the final battle with Thanos and Sam taking up the shield.
Can't blame a guy for abandoning him if he has no clue he did it.
Tony though...]
Shuri. She seems to be happy to see me? She knows what I did, but she still-
[Either she's gotten really good at hiding her anger and disappointment. Or she actually means it. Is genuinely glad that he's here. Neither make any sense to him though. How could they, when he knows how badly he messed things up there. Ayo had warned him away for a reason, and he knows any meeting with anybody from Wakanda has to come on their terms. He doesn't have a right to their time, yet alone deserve even a hint of the friendship they once offered him. So with them both on this station, he knows he's been granted time that doesn't belong to him.
Zemo killed her father. And Bucky went and freed him.
He takes a deep breath, the shake beneath it hidden a little as he shifts to rest his hands on the gunwale, fingers curling over the facsimile of wood that almost feels real beneath his skin. Close, but not quite the same as being stood on the boat still docked a universe away. But as with most things, it's the company that matters more here.]
I told Steve the same thing though. Don't plan on changing that.