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It takes Bucky a good thirty seconds to find Sam amongst the crowd that’s accumulated at the docks.
Well, technically speaking, AJ and Cass find him first. Giggling as they do, he can’t help but grin right back. It comes easy to him.
It's what Delacroix does to him, he thinks. It's that point of peace he thought Brooklyn would bring him. It's not home. No. But it's the closest thing to having one.
Sarah waves him over, pulling the cake out of his hands, much to the kids’ glee.
“Thanks,” She says, sparing him a lingering glance as she oversees the crowd. There’s more people here than the time they were fixing up the boat. “He’s down there.”
“Oh,” Bucky swallows, “I’m not just here for-“
“Yeah, you are,” Sarah claps his shoulder, his vibranium one, and calls out to whoever is manning the closest barbecue. “He’s been staring at his phone every moment he has free.”
Huh. Well, that’s.
He looks over to where Sarah had gestured, and sure enough, there’s a break in the crowd of folks. A flash. A woman in overalls with her arm slung over Sam’s shoulder. Posing.
Now, this wasn’t uncommon to him.
Waiting around for Steve to finish taking photos with most of the officers they came across. His smile graceful and put together the entire time as Bucky dawdled, bored out of his mind and trying to drag him off.
More often than not, Carter or another Howlie would take him away instead.
He can’t help but watch Sam in the same manner, because it's similar but it's really fucking not.
Sam shakes the woman’s hand, holds it in his as he tells some story. Judging by the stars in her eyes, it's definitely what happened in New York. Though, Bucky hadn’t really tired of hearing about it either. Yet.
“Thanks for coming,” He hears as he steps closer, and watches the woman’s kid stare up at Sam. Sam gives the kid a one-armed hug, and meets Bucky’s gaze.
Sam’s smile grows into something wide, and he abandons the crowd about him for Bucky, and his stomach flips. It's fucking dumb. He’s not a kid. He’s not on the schoolyard with a girl twirling her pigtail at him. He’s not-
“Hey, man,” Sam pulls him into a hug, and Bucky dips his chin on his shoulder. He brings his hand up to Sam’s back, intending on patting it before letting go, but Sam holds him with both. “It's good to see you.”
“Yeah, you too,” He smiles even as his chest pounds, can’t help it, and feels Sam’s chuckle against him.
Sam pulls back and squints at the glasses. “What’s with the getup?”
“Well, it's bright out.”
Sam tugs at his coat. “And you’re in all black.”
“I was busy when you called,” He lies, and moves to tug it off.
“Leave it, looks good,” Sam grins and looks back at the various people waiting with the phones out. “Give me five minutes?”
“Sure,” Bucky nods, and Sam fixes his collar before wandering back. His cheeks heat.
He stands there, watching the waves roll and tries his best to ignore just how tight his chest is. God, Steve would laugh his ass off if he were here. Bucky Barnes, notorious flirt and world-famous - former - assassin, stunned by a crush.
He digs his hands in his pockets, and stands alone among the hustle around him. He can hear AJ and Cass racing around to his side, Sarah calling at them to calm it. Various conversations he lets himself take in as the sun dips into the horizon. It's the most human he’s felt in a long while.
A hand on his shoulder, solid, pulls him from the view.
“You’re pretty popular.”
“You’d think it’d have worn off the first time they hounded me for photos,” Sam snorts. “They can’t get enough.”
“I wonder why,” Bucky counters, and looks back at him with a tilt of his head.
“Hm,” Sam says, and audibly breathes out. Lets his hand slide and rest on the small of Bucky’s back. “Thanks for coming.”
Bucky can’t look at him or else he’ll fixate on the golden hue that dances over his face, or his eyes that follow Bucky’s. He turns back to the sea and the sunset beyond it. A safe option.
“Of course.”
“I’m grateful. Not just for this, although that cake looks good, I just.. you didn’t have to help me, Buck. You didn’t have to stick by me after he left. And you have.”
“You kidding?” Bucky frowns, “It was all you, I was just there to watch. Y’know, I’m proud of you.”
Sam pulls a face.
“I am! Don’t make this weird.”
“You’re being nice to me, it's already weird,” Sam nudges him, but it's gentle.
“I’m serious,” Bucky reaches out to grab his hand before he can do something smart like think about it. “What you did in New York? You’re fucking incredible, Wilson. Admit it.”
“Anyone would think you were coming onto me,” Sam takes their hands, and toys with Bucky’s. He can feel Sam’s warmth through the metal, and the skip of his pulse.
“I can’t compliment you?”
“You can, and I will let you,” Sam’s lips curl up, “But you don’t.”
“Shut up,” Bucky frowns, and goes to tug his hand back. Sam tightens his grip.
“Thanks,” He says with his eyes closed, and Bucky takes the opportunity to openly watch him. The easy serenity that lights his face. He’s beautiful. “You should be proud of yourself, too. Telling Nakajima was the right thing.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know it was.”
Sam hums and slides his hand around Bucky’s arm and to his waist. Bucky exhales, sharp and stuttered, and looks away. Finds Sarah’s gaze, who promptly smiles across at him before returning to cutting up the cake.
“So there we go,” Sam says, soft, and Bucky finds Sam watching him. He can’t look away.
“I shouldn’t have ignored you,” Bucky hesitates before meeting Sam’s gaze head on. “I did, for months, and it was wrong. I should’ve called, or something, anything.”
“You’re here now,” Sam insists. “I didn’t think you’d come on short notice.”
“Yeah, well.”
“Did you bring that cake all the way from Brooklyn?”
“No,” Bucky bites his lip to keep from laughing. “I got it in Queens on the way here.”
“Appreciate the commitment,” Sam smirks, the fucker, and blinks up at Bucky with some exaggerated doe eyed look that somehow pulls Bucky in regardless.
“Good,” Bucky’s heart thumps, and his gaze drops to Sam’s mouth instead. “Do you wanna try it?”
“Oh, that’s the lamest pick-up line, Buck. I don’t even think it counts as one. That’s outrageously bad.”
“Is it working?”
Sam licks his lips. “No.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame.”
“You gonna kiss me anyway?”
“Oh,” Bucky says, fucking dumb, and Sam tugs him into it for him.
He melts into it, gentle as the waves that rock the boats in front of him and the band playing something slow behind him, and Sam smiles against his lips. Kisses him again, and Bucky’s pulse is wild as he brings his flesh hand to cradle the back of Sam’s head.
Sam kisses him like it's the easiest thing in the world, and maybe it is, because there’s no apprehension there. It's just arms holding him like he’s something tender, a warm mouth on his, and no expectations beyond that.
Sam pulls away first because Bucky can’t bring himself to, even chasing after his mouth until Sam pushes him back with a laugh.
“We’re definitely doing that again,” Sam whispers against his mouth, letting Bucky steal a few more kisses as he does. He feels a little crazed. “But.”
“But?” Bucky’s voice is high, and he knows Sam would tease him, but he’s a little busy stroking circles in Bucky’s coat.
“But I want cake,” He hesitates and hugs Bucky again, and somehow that’s what makes Bucky flush completely red. “C’mon.”
“Yeah,” Bucky runs a hand over his face as soon as Sam steps back, and catches the sun in his eyes. The sky’s pink now, that golden hue swallowed up, and he smiles.
Abandons the dock for the table further up where AJ and Cass have already dug into said cake. Actually, it's half-gone by the time he gets there.
He flounders for a second, unsure of whether to sit, or rather where. Sam tugs him down beside him, and Sarah hides an amused noise behind her hand.
“It's really good,” She forks through the fondant with a coy smile, and Bucky sares down at the plate that’s been pushed in front of him.
“Red Velvet is my favourite,” AJ supplies, and wrestles Cass for one of the bigger slices on offer.
“Mine too,” He says, smiles across at them, and digs into with his own wooden fork.
“It's great,” Sam nods his appreciation after a bite and uncharacteristic silence from him. Bucky looks his way, and exhales at the unabashed way Sam is watching him.
He grins, and Sam grins back.