Chapter Text
The rental is making noise when Sam finally puts it in park. All told, the non-descript Toyota has been good to him. Hundreds of miles, few stops and a significant amount of speeding when he felt he could get away with it meant he arrived only one day late instead of three to his Nana’s juneteenth celebration.
He’s only one step out of the car when he’s greeted by several young faces, only three of which are familiar.
“Uncle Sam!”
“You came! Mom said you–”
“No fucking way– you’re related to–”
The tallest of the group, and his aunt Mimi’s son, is a thick faced teen with dark glasses and a mischievous smile he remembers from previous holiday get togethers. Sam greets Jeremiah ‘Jay-Jay’ Wilson with a hug and a dap. Then he goes through the growing crowd of what must be all the kids in his extended family and their friends. Hugs for the girls, daps or handshakes for the guys. He lets the chatter and exclamations wash over him with a smile and a bit of patience.
This is the first time he’s seeing his extended family since he met Captain America, took down HYDRA and went off-grid to chase after another recovering assassin super soldier. He can only imagine what they had been hearing or thought was going on. Thankfully his patience pays off and soon the adults, previously in the house or perched around the porch area take notice of his entrance and help him disperse the crowd of teens and kids so he could actually enter the house. The reception from the adults is significantly less excited. As he greets aunts, uncles, cousins and their spouses, many of whom he didn’t really know he wonders why he’s even here.
Aunt Grace stops him in the living room and Sam is reminded of one of the main reasons he and his mom rarely visited.
“Samuel, when Nana said you were coming I didn’t believe it.” It doesn’t sound like she wanted him to either. Sam opts to be the bigger person.
“Nana called and asked, I had to.”
“Is it… safe for you to be here? There’s been some wild news lately about you and those men you’ve been running with.” Aunt Grace’s smile is a touch more malicious and Sam bites his tongue. Before he can answer however, another voice interrupts the back and forth.
“Of course it’s safe, not like any of us will be telling his business, now will we?” Nana’s voice floats over all of them like a gentle warning and Sam’s shoulders relax a quarter. He turns to face the reason for his visit and grins wide.
“I’m here, Nana!” It’s not necessary but he can’t resist the long running joke from when he was old enough for her to carry him and would always announce his arrival. It’s worth it to see her smile and hear the exasperated laughter the joke deserved.
Sam is treated to a second round of introductions, more spirited now as Nana explains how the gathered crowd are all related to him. He’s fighting laughter and losing, listening to Nana explain which cousin and uncles *weren’t* on her shit list when they all hear the sound of something crashing and breaking. The sound comes from the outside porch area where some of the kids were gathered. Most of the adults in the house don’t stir but Sam catches sight of Aunt Grace marching to the main doorway and loses most of his mirth.
Aunt Grace has two children — an adult son and a preteen she often lorded over — thus she considered herself the foremost expert on child rearing and discipline. She also wasn’t actually blood related to Sam; her daughter-like relationship with his grand aunt, Nana’s sister, meant she was always included. Like clockwork, the woman’s shouting breaks the easy ambiance of the afternoon. Sam’s frown is reflected on his Nana’s face but she doesn’t interfere, and they’re all forced to listen to Aunt Grace berate the kids on the porch. It reminds Sam of summers where he had been one of the unlucky kids having fun and then getting yelled at by her. He says to Nana, “She hasn’t changed one bit huh?”
Nana doesn’t answer, and Sam isn’t expecting her to. Not long after, Nana retreats to the kitchen area but the shouting doesn’t stop. It’s enough to ruin Sam’s mood, enough to make him actually investigate whatever was so damn serious.
What he finds is a mixed group of five or six kids, one of which he recognized from earlier. He remembers the preteen’s face because he expected them to want a dab or handshake but they’d gone for a hug instead. Unsurprisingly, after going on as long as she has, Aunt Grace’ tirade is no longer about the broken window (or was it a vase?).
It’s very difficult to not interrupt, to wait for her to catch her breath and then interject. Only experience from past altercations keeps Sam’s mouth shut. But the minute she pauses, Sam says, “Who knows where to find a broom and mop?”
He directs his question to the kids.
One of the youngest in the group answers when the others don’t. Sam smiles and nods, then points, “You and you, go get the broom and mop. You–” he points at the face he recognizes but can’t put a name to, “–Go get Jay-Jay, Nana wants to see him.” Not a lie, the food would be done soon and the kids have to be organized into something less rowdy. It was usually the eldest amongst them’s job to help.
He’s getting ready to give the rest some instructions when Aunt Grace, steaming at his gall all the while he’s been talking interrupts, “I wasn’t finished, Samuel. Don’t go putting your nose where it doesn’t belong. These crazy kids broke–”
Sam’s temper flares. “Let them clean up the mess before someone hurts themselves.”
“I’m not finished! I told them to be careful but did they listen? No! Now instead of letting me–”
“Enough.” A gruff voice cuts through the chatter and Sam turns to see who dared interrupt Aunt Grace when she was going on. It’s one of the ‘uncles’ he’d been introduced to earlier, Aunt Grace’s new husband if he remembers right. New because this was the first time Sam was meeting him, but presumably he’d been around for years.
Miraculously, that’s all it takes to shut her up, for now anyway. Sam shoots a grateful look the man’s way and the kids all take that as their cue to scram.