Work Text:
Morning runs in the summer were always Bucky's favorite. The air not too hot but not too cold, the early song of summer birds waking the neighborhood. The smell of chlorine wafting off the open pools ready to hold the kids coming out of school, ready for summer vacation. Summer always felt lively and happy to Bucky, it felt like home.
Running back to his apartment building, heaving from the run, the sun starts to rise further and the streets start to fill. Unlocking the door and pushing in he could hear Sam's voice coming from the kitchen as he bustles around and makes breakfast.
"Yea, and how are the boys doin'... that's good, tell them I said hi alright." Sam says. Bucky could only assume Sam was talking to his sister Sarah, he smiles to himself as he closes the door. Sam turns and waves his hand at Bucky after hearing the sound.
Bucky walks over to the kitchen and reaches toward the fridge to open it. Bucky makes a split second decision and leans in close to Sam's ear, which has his phone trapped between him and his shoulder and says, "Hi Sarah."
Sam turns and gives him a mocking glare as Bucky grins and leans back to the fridge to retrieve his protein shake. "Uh huh, Bucky says hi... yea i'll tell him, Sarah says hi back." Sam says to him as he goes back to the egg sandwich contraption he's made. Bucky smiles once again and goes to the living room with the cold shaker cup.
Sitting on the couch Bucky revels in the hum of the tv and the numbing buzz of Sam talking. Heat starts to pick up as the morning progressed and Sam joins him on the couch.
"Yea uh huh.. yea I think I can make it... yea I'll ask him, hey Buck you free this week?" Bucky hears Sam call to him from the other side of the couch. Bucky raises his eyebrows and thinks, he could go to work like he has done the week before that, and the week before that. Or, Bucky thinks to himself
"Yeah I can be free this week, why?" Bucky asks.
"Sarah is asking if you'd want to come to a cookout she's having back home in Delacroix." Sam said. Bucky stared back at him in awe.
"Uh yeah, sure! Of course!" Bucky sprung up in his seat.
Sam chuckled and went back to his phone,"He said yea... alright I'll see you then, bye." Sam then ends the call with a happy sigh. It's during the silence Bucky's panic starts to set in. What does one do at a cook out? What do you bring? What clothes should one wear? Do you bring food? Is bringing paper plates considered rude? What was the association with potato salad? Question after question flooded Bucky's mind which seemed to show on his face. Sam laughed, breaking the train of thought. "Dude relax you'll be fine. What, you never been to a cookout before?" Bucky shook his head.
Sam laughed once again and got up to leave the room. "I- wait! Sam I have questions!" Bucky got up to follow him.
"I know you do, but because I'm a good friend I'm gonna leave you to suffer for an hour or two and then answer your questions." Sam calls out as he begins to retreat into the bathroom. Bucky did indeed suffer and overthink.
"Alright Sam, if I overthink anymore i'm going to combust, please help me." Bucky said as he sat across Sam on the island-counter they had in the small kitchen, that worked as a dinner table, and interrupted Sam's meal.
"You not gonna let me finish my sandwich first or?" Sam said as he lowered the said sandwich he was about to take a bite from back onto the plate.
"I've been thinking about this since seven, it is almost six thirty. I don't want to mess this up, please Sam." Bucky called out to him desperately as he run his hands through his short hair.
"Alright alright, jeez man you're taking this way too seriously you'll be fine!" Sam tries to reassure in between laughs. It does not work.
"What do you do at a cookout for starters?" Bucky looks up and asks, Sam went back to enjoying his sandwich.
"Alright.. so, really all you gotta do, say hi to the aunts and the uncles, fix yourself a plate, sit down and the conversation will come to you. It's easy really." Sam said. That did not sound easy to Bucky.
"Ok but like what type of conversations? The aunts and uncles don't know me, what do I say? Do I make conversation with the guy giving me the food or do I just take it and go- no that sounds rude. Do I bring anything, do I bring food, what do I wear-"
"Ok Jesus Bucky, you weren't kidding me when you told me you over-analyzed this." Sam holds his hand out to stop the barrage of questions pouring out of Bucky's mouth.
"I just... I don't want to be... that friend you know?"
"'That' friend?" Sam questioned with a grin on his face.
"You know.. 'That' friend, you know!" Bucky desperately tried to get his message across. Which seemed to to be understood, with a price.
"No, I don't think I do. Enlighten me Bucky." Sam said as he leaned back in his chair and watched Bucky squirm.
"Sam!" Bucky whined as his face got hotter, probably redder too, he covered his face with his hands.
"Alright, I'll spare you. Trust me Bucky, you're not 'That' friend. Well I mean you are but, not in a bad way. You just got to let the flow of the day take you where it takes you and relax. It's about hanging out with friends and family truly, you'll be fine. Just stay away from the spades table." Sam adds the little piece of information at the end as a warning.
"The what?" Bucky asks, uncovering his face.
"The spades table, unless you want to end up in debt for the next twelve years, stay away from the spades table. I'm being serious," Sam leans in widens his eyes. Bucky nods. Sam nods back and went back to his sandwich. "Oh and as far as clothing goes, its a family thing you can wear your casual clothes, nothing fancy but you know something nice." Bucky nods again.
"Do I bring anything? like food-" Bucky was immediately cut off by Sam suddenly half-choking on his sandwich.
"Oh no, no. Nothing against you or anything, just uh, we already have the same people who always volunteer to make something for the event, even if its a regular barbecue like the one we're going to. If it'll make you feel better you could bring like, cups or a cake or something," Bucky nodded again, he started to calm down a little more. "I can see the wheels turning in there, they're trying so hard I can see the smoke coming from your ears."
Bucky glared back at him poorly trying to hide a smile. "Thank you for answering my questions, you may enjoy your sandwich now."
"You're welcome, and I will." Sam said as he went back to his sandwich.
The plane ride to Delacroix was an interesting one. Despite the constant reassurance from Sam (And having to explain to the TSA no he could not take his metal arm off it was attached to his body) the plane ride was nonetheless stressful for Bucky. But when they finally touched down in St Bernard's Parish, in what felt like the longest 3 hours of Bucky's life, they were greeted by the smiling faces of Sarah and her two boys Aj and Cass.
"Uncle Bucky!" The boys exclaimed as they raced to hug his waist and legs.
"Hey Aj, hey Cass I missed you two!" Bucky says as he hugs the boys back.
"Where is the love?" Sam said as he held out his arms waiting for a hug.
"Hi Uncle Sam." Aj greets still clinging onto Bucky's waist.
"Wow. It be your own people." Sam lowers his hands to his hips as the boys giggle and race over to hug him too.
"Alright you two, go help your uncles with their luggage ok." Sarah says as she watches her sons reach for the suitcases.
Bucky picks his up first with his left arm before Cass could touch it. "It's ok Sarah I got it." He smiles, Sarah smiles and nods, then goes to turn away out the airport with the boys in tow.
"You need to stop doing that." Sam warns as he walks to the side of Bucky.
"Doing what? I just said I could carry my bag." Bucky teases with a smirk.
"Yea and you did that smile thing you do every time you look at my sister." Sam persists.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bucky says his smirk turning into a shit eating grin. Sam glares at him. "Oh come on Sam, I'm only teasing." He wraps his right arm around Sam's shoulder and brings him in close as they walk down to Sarah's truck. Sam glares off to the side but does nothing to detach himself away from Bucky.
The night before the cookout was warm. Now in Sarah's home back in Delacroix the warm buzz of talking and summer bugs filled the air. The late night already having the boys put away to bed, Sarah off making phone calls to make sure everything is prepared for tomorrow, and Sam and Bucky on the front porch enjoying a beer.
"You excited for tomorrow?" Sam asks. He turns his head to look at Bucky, who is mesmerized by the cloud of fireflies buzzing just outside the porch.
"Kinda nervous, kinda excited." Bucky says. Sam hums and nods.
"You'll be fine, they're nice people. You won't have to worry about a thing alright?"
"Keep saying that and I might actually believe you." Bucky detaches his eyes away from the glowing bugs to look at Sam. Sam lets out a joyous laugh and leans his head back on the wall of the house.
"You'll be good," Sam repeats. "I, for one, am excited for your first cookout. I wanna see you little white boy brain go crazy." The last comment earns a laugh from Bucky.
"We'll see," Bucky says as he goes to stand up. "Goodnight Sam, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight Buck." Sam says.
love it when you call me Big Poppa
Throw your hands in the air if you's a true player
I love it when you call me Big Poppa
To the honeys gettin' money, playin' fellas like dummies
A whole yard filled with people and music. People dancing and eating, kids running around and playing around the legs of their parents, uncle laughing and grilling. It was a gathering of a community, but to Bucky's eyes it was party between family.
"Hey look who's here!" Sarah called out from where she was standing, by one of the tables talking to the aunts there. Bucky waves from where he stands holding a cake in his right.
The cookout was held outside of Sarah's house on the big yard. Fold-out tables and folding chairs filled the area, as well as grills next to bags of charcoal, and long tables filled with food in deep tin pans covered in tinfoil full of warm food. It was all welcoming and open. Aj and Cass raced towards Bucky and started to play fight around him. Playing along as he walked towards the table Sarah was standing by, Bucky caught a glimpse of Sam talking to another group of uncles. Sam looks over and waves prompting the others around him to look and wave back.
"I brought cake!" Bucky says as he reaches Sarah.
"I see that! Everyone this is Bucky." Sarah introduces him to the table filled with with women who stare at him in amazement. Bucky nervously places the cake down and and smiles at everyone.
"Hi Bucky, how you doin', come sit down with us!" One of the women got up and shook his hand and led him to an empty seat next to her. Bucky let himself be seated amongst the women and talked with them.
Soon Bucky was being led from conversation to conversation with everyone at the party. Talking was somehow easy with them, joking with them like he knew them for a long time. And to Bucky, it felt like he did.
"Aye Bucky!" Sam called out to him, a song started to play that seemed to draw the attention of the whole group, starting to form a square of laughing people. Bucky knew this song, it was one of the many songs Sam played while cleaning on those Sunday mornings back at the apartment. The Cupid shuffle. "Come on, time to put that practice to work!"
"You've been teaching Bucky the dances too? Oooh look at you, you were prepared all along! Go ahead, show me your moves!" Sarah says as he nudges Bucky towards Sam who was leading Bucky towards the growing clump of people.
Bucky laughed and let himself be led towards the crowd. Sam was right, he did practice this and he did it perfectly. When the song ended people were clapping and laughing among themselves again. When he parted from the group his eyes lay on a small table with three people he did not meet yet. Bucky walked over and started to introduce himself.
"Uh, hi i'm Bucky. Sam and Sarah's friend." Bucky held his hand out to be shaken by the three of them. One bald man with a thick beard, one man with a black durag and a thinner beard than the last one, and one women holding a deck of cards in her hand. This was the spades table.
"Hey there Bucky, I heard a lot about you." The bald man said shaking his hand.
"Good things I hope... what are you playing?" Bucky asks.
"We playin' spades. You know how to play?" The man in the durag says. It is at this point Bucky realized he should say no and leave. But the problem is... Bucky did know how to play.
"Yes, I do." Bucky says. The group looked among themselves and smiles filled their faces.
"Why don't you play a round with us. I'm Ty." The man in the durag, Ty, invited him.
"Oh you leave him alone, he just tryna say hi." The woman said.
"No I'll play." Bucky said as he sits down on the fourth and vacant seat.
"See Tasha, he wants to play." Ty says.
"Micheal?" Tasha looks over to the bald man.
"If he wants to play, let him play. We'll go easy on him." Micheal says.
Tasha sighs. "Alright." Bucky watches her shuffle the cards perfectly with no mistake.
As she starts to deal Bucky asks, "House rules?"
This makes Ty and Micheal look up at him in amusement. "Oh I see, we better watch out then huh? Joker, Joker, Deuce."
"Alright." Bucky picks up his cards and smiles.
They play a round. Then two, then three. Round after round they go, cards slapping, people laughing. The atmosphere of the table, while intense, still has that feeling of playfulness surrounding it. The games seem to grab the attention of others at the party. People start to form a small crowd around the table watching. Bucky can feel two hands on the back of his chair which he knows is Sam watching over him intently. This makes Bucky's smile grow.
When the party starts to die down, and the people start to bid their farewell, Bucky helps Sarah and Sam pick up any remaining trash others may of missed on the lawn. The sun was starting to set giving another warm evening, which meant another beer on the porch with Sam.
"I see you didn't listen to me about the spades table." Sam said smiling over the bottle.
"No I didn't. You upset?" Bucky asked playfully, he knew the answer already.
"Far from it actually, you never told me you can play spades. I can't even play spades."
"It never came up." Bucky says nonchalantly.
"Well you're definitely invited to the next cookout. I tell you, I have never seen Micheal that pissed at Ty." Sam laughs as he recalls the memory.
Bucky smiles at that. He did good, just like Sam said. "How about Thanksgiving, if i'm allowed?"
"Of course you're allowed. But that is a whole different pep talk in it of itself." Sam huffs out at the last part. Bucky smiles.
"I'm sure I'll be ready."