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It was a bright green flash, then everything changed.
It wasn't noticeable at first. The trees, the buildings, the humming of the birds were the exact same in Central Park, but Sam Wilson can smell it in the air somehow. So can Bucky Barnes.
Another thing to note is that the big bunch of Sinthea’s forces they were just battling are now gone. Disappeared into thin air as the green light went away.
"What the hell?" Bucky is first to speak, spinning around to check. He definitely feels something is wrong, but everything seems to be eerily in place after that blast.
"You feel that?" Sam asks, staying still. He lifts the arm with Redwing's controller to wake the bot up, having him scan the area. Redwing says there's no anomalies. For the first time, Sam doesn't believe his robot.
"The slight queasiness? Yeah." Bucky exhales. "It's like when you go down the elevator. Where'd Sin’s folks go?"
"I have no clue. Let's take a look." Sam nods his head and Bucky reciprocates the action.
They could only take a few steps until a bird swoops down to attack Bucky, sending an ear-piercing shriek that sounded like a Falcon.
Bucky groans and stumbles at the surprise attack. Before Sam could help him up, someone starts shooting lasers at him, which makes him spread his vibranium wings and use it as a shield.
Trying to swat the bird away, Bucky aggressively waves his hand but the bird manages to dodge his every move, as if it was trained for combat. The sun is shining right on Bucky's eyes, though he could see a silhouette of someone flying high above him.
Sam instructs Redwing to hover above him and the attacker to see who it was. His high-tech goggles give him an unknown man in all black leather coming at him while shooting lasers. Before Redwing could scan the face, the bot's camera glitches for a second as someone snatches him from the sky. The camera pans to the person and… Sam's jaw drops.
He sees himself.
Due to the distraction, Sam forgets the other man at the other side of his shield. The man pulls Sam's wings so Sam uses his Captain America shield this time, using his wings to trip his opponent. As the man goes down with a groan—a sound too familiar to Sam—Sam quickly steps on his chest to stop him from moving.
Sam lowers his shield. He would rub his eyes at this very moment if it wasn't for his goggles. "...Bucky?"
The man who's wearing a domino mask grits his teeth before holding Sam's leg. It doesn't take long for him to notice who he's fighting, too. "Sam? What?"
"Bucky!" The other man from above lowers himself to the ground, landing right beside Sam. Sam looks at the other Sam, confused as fuck.
What in the hell is going on?
"Sam?" Bucky, the short-haired one, calls to his Sam, although both Sams look. The bird had already stopped attacking him and flew to perch on the other Sam's shoulder. Short-haired Bucky looks at long-haired Bucky on the floor, dumbfounded.
The duo's "other" selves are wearing different costumes. Other Bucky has longer hair, similar to Bucky's hair length before he decided he was tired of it and snipped it off. He's wearing a pretty similar uniform he had when he was the Winter Soldier, with a few modifications. Other Bucky is wearing a leather domino mask too, something Bucky finds stupid. And guns. And knives. Boy, this other Bucky probably has nine weapons strapped on him excluding the one he's holding right now. Bucky isn't particularly fond of it because it reminds him of his old self.
Other Sam is wearing a black suit with red, winged shaped highlights. He's got fiery red metal wings and the goggles as well, but in a different design. He certainly doesn't look like a Captain America. Sam notes the Falcon bird, too. This guy has an actual Falcon with him, who Sam assumes he can control or communicate with. Sam's robo-bird is currently hovering beside him, quietly scanning the two men in front of them. Because of their similar faces, all Redwing could provide is their own profiles. That does not help.
"Give it up, skrulls. It's not funny anymore." Other Sam says, crossing his arms. "You. Why do you have Cap's shield?"
"I am Cap." Sam announces, gripping the shield tighter. "Who are you? And we're not skrulls. Skrulls aren't around anymore."
"They definitely are. And that's definitely something a skrull would say." Other Bucky responds, his aim at Bucky unwavering. "Who sent you two and why are you imitating us? What's with the Party City knock-off costume?" The other Bucky points at Bucky's vibranium arm, which is totally different from his own. Other Bucky's metal arm resembles Bucky's original arm down to the red star.
"We're not skrulls. We were fighting Sin and her crew when we saw a bright green light. After that flash they're gone. Then you two attacked us." Bucky explains as his jaw clenches at how tight other Sam's uniform is compared to his Sam. Is that actual spandex? He chooses to look away.
"You saw it too?" Other Sam relaxes. Other Bucky notices this and puts his gun down, much to Sam's relief.
"Yeah. We don't even have a clue what just happened. But it doesn't feel right, especially after seeing you two who are literally our carbon copies." Sam then shares a look with his Bucky, both of them having this puzzled expression in their faces.
Other Sam and other Bucky also look at each other.
"Where are you from?" Other Sam asks after a long pause. "Like, born in."
Sam doesn't know the relevance of the question but he answers nonetheless. "Um, New Orleans. Louisiana."
Other Sam hums. "I'm from Harlem."
With that, the four men realized this whole situation doesn't involve the skrulls nor LMD clones.
—-
Other Sam and other Bucky decide to take their counterparts to a safehouse nearby until they figure out the situation. It's an old building that Sam is pretty sure is different from before, remembering a bakery and a pizzeria and not a rotting establishment. The other duo check on Steve to ask if there's any anomalies detected by Tony from the headquarters, and Steve denies it so far.
Sam and Bucky both felt shivers down their spine upon hearing the youthful voice of Steve again, something Bucky has to admit that he's starting to forget. He clenches his hands together as he and Sam sit on a very old sofa, Sam's shield neatly leaning on the wall. Sam looks as uneasy as Bucky, so Bucky reaches his hand out and squeezes Sam's shoulder for comfort.
"So. Which one's Sam 1 and which one's Sam 2?" Other Bucky is sitting on a table opposite the couch. "I'm Bucky 1 for sure."
"Buck." Other Sam comments after dropping the call with Steve. His Bucky shrugs and hops off the table. Bucky notices from the couch that this version of him is a tad smaller but more muscular than him. It's also barely noticeable because of the mask but he's got dark brown eyes too, an obvious contrast with Bucky's icy blue ones.
"Do you guys know which Earth you belong to?" Other Sam continued, and this question made Sam frown.
"There's multiple Earths?" Sam asks back, "No way. What the fuck is going on?"
"This is currently Earth-616. Due to previous universes clashing a long time ago, we were able to study a few of them, and even name them for our own convenience. This whole event, however," 616 Sam makes a circular hand gesture, "Doesn't exactly feel like a clash. More like, you two specifically got into this universe."
"My head's splitting." Bucky whines, not comprehending any of this. It took him a while to get used to every Wakanda tech Shuri had taught him how to use, and suddenly there's a goddamn multiverse. "I don't think we tampered any universe travelling machine in Central Park."
"No, I don't think it's your own fault. You said there was a bright green light, yeah?" 616 Sam goes to the fridge as he speaks, which is surprisingly still functioning despite the age of the room. He tosses Bucky a bottled water.
Bucky slightly smiles at 616 Sam as thanks before drinking it. He hums in response to the question.
"Might be… related to aliens? Have you ever fought aliens before?"
"Yup. Not a big fan." Sam answers his counterpart, showing a pained smile upon being reminded of their battle with Thanos.
"Or." 616 Bucky finally speaks up again. "Wizards?"
"Oh god, Bucky. There are no wizards." Bucky closes the lid of the water bottle.
Other Bucky snorts. "You'd be surprised."
Sam and 616 Sam both perk up, pointing at each other. "Dr. Strange!"
"Wow, they're running on the same brain cell." 616 Bucky purses his lips and crosses his arms.
"That explains the green light. But why? What was your Dr. Strange doing?" 616 Sam questions once again.
"No clue. We haven't talked to him since the Blip." Sam could feel his counterpart's confused look, so he sighs. "Long story. In short, it's been a while. So God knows what he was doing. Can we find out through your Dr. Strange?"
"I can't guarantee you that, but we can try. I'm not exactly best buds with our Stephen here either, so we still need to check if he's in his Sanctum Sanctorum right now or if he's in another dimension." 616 Sam says. "Let's get you suited up differently though. As much as I love seeing myself in that sexy Cap uniform, it's gonna cause unnecessary attention. Unfortunately, I'm not the Cap in this universe anymore."
"Yeah, I heard you were talking to Steve." Bucky couldn't help but mention. It just… feels unfair that they have their Steve here while he and Sam don't.
"Anyway, I'll show you my spare weapons, Bucky 2. Think I've got a spare uniform here too somewhere.." 616 Bucky walks to a room, signaling Bucky to follow.
"I don't exactly do weapons anymore." Bucky admits, though he stares in awe when the walls start opening up when in a push of a button. There's a variety of weapons, even guns he doesn't recognize. Whether he says it out loud or not, there's still a bit of adrenaline rushing through him.
"Ah? Why not?" 616 Bucky is now rummaging through his closet. There's a bunch of casual clothes for civilian clothing and disguise.
"I'm a super-soldier like Steve. So… I don't necessarily need them."
616 Bucky pauses, shocked. "You're a what? Whoa. Hold the fuck up."
"I got a… um, a variation of super-soldier serum from when I was in HYDRA. They uh.. they captured me in '45 and experimented on me. Gave me the serum… gave me the arm. Like the one you're wearing." Bucky explains. "Called me the Winter Soldier. But I'm… I've been trying to change. I'm not that guy anymore. Or at least, I like to think that I'm not."
616 Bucky glances at his metal arm. This wasn't the arm he had at first. He's had many arms before this and was experimented on probably as much as his counterpart was, but was never given the serum. The Soviets were never able to recreate the serum for him.
"People still call me the Winter Soldier though." 616 Bucky says, much to Bucky's surprise. 616 Bucky pulls out a uniform, something he wore for a short while in 2018. He places it on the bed, which is less dirty than everything else in this safehouse, before sitting down. He pats the spot beside him for Bucky to settle. It feels weird for Bucky to talk to himself like this, especially with what his counterpart is wearing, especially the arm.
616 Bucky removes his domino mask and very deeply sighs, looking at the other. "Who are you really, Bucky?"
Bucky notes the drop of the number in his name. He doesn't meet his counterpart's eyes and merely stares at the worn down wooden floor. "I don't know. Not yet."
There was silence in the room, and the Buckies could hear the Sams faintly talk at the other side of the wall.
"And that's okay." 616 Bucky talks again. "Me, I've been trying to turn shit around since what, 2006? Sometimes I think I have, sometimes… I think it's not enough. I've fought many battles as the good guy, and yet it feels inadequate. How long have you been free of the triggers? Assuming you had 'em too."
"Only since 2017."
"Not too long ago, eh? But you are now. The thing about being free of the triggers is that it makes you want to think that you're free of everything else." 616 Bucky gazes at the wall, looking at the array of weapons before them. "But you're not. M'sure you know this. The memories, they're with us. They don't go away. Because whether we were called James Buchanan Barnes or Winter Soldier, it was our hands… all those years. We watched ourselves do all those atrocities… even though we didn't have a choice."
Bucky exhales as he closes his eyes.
"But now we have. We have the choice to do what we can to make up with all those mistakes. I accepted that the Winter Soldier will be a part of me no matter what. There was no point running away from that name. My entire being was associated with that name. My skills, my face. Instead, I… I tried to re-define what it's like being the Winter Soldier. Made it equal to something good. I faced it and took it head on, you know? Took the goddamn name and gave it a better reputation."
"Why exactly are you telling me this?" Bucky asks, finally looking at 616 Bucky.
616 Bucky shrugs. "Cause I know you're afraid to be called the Winter Soldier again. So was I... But wouldn't it be so relieving to know that the world accepts all of you, even the part you consider a major flaw, for the hero that you truly are?"
—-
616 Sam pulls out a dusty bag from under the bed. He pats it off and unzips it, pulling out his old white and red deep v-neck costume. Sam's eyes widened, intrigued at the style choice.
"You designed this?" Sam asks, taking the one-piece suit from his counterpart. The arms and the chest are completely exposed.
"You like it? After a while though I realized exposing your chest like that to enemies wasn't a good choice so I—here it is. Here." 616 Sam takes the v-neck costume and exchanges it with another one. It's a red suit with a white v-shaped design on the chest and shoulders, except it now covers his arms and up his neck. "This was a more recent costume than the other one. You can keep your own wings though. I like the one you have."
Sam doesn't admit it but he kinda likes the v-neck more. Regardless of his preference, Sam just goes ahead and unbuckles his wings first to start changing. "Yeah? They're vibranium. Yours?"
"They're vibranium too. Would you look at that?" 616 Sam smiles and tucks the bag back to its original place, grumbling about the dust. He then glances at the Captain America shield situated on the bed, reaching out to it to take a feel. Its silver parts glisten as the sunlight hits them. It feels like the one Steve owns here, and the one he had back then.
"How was it so far? Being Cap." 616 Sam asks quietly, picking up the shield this time. He then looks at Sam.
Sam holds his costume after changing his top, tracing the star in the middle. "Oh, I don't know... I'm feeling a lot. Mostly pressure but… seeing little kids look up to someone like me, my nephews… it really lifts your spirits up."
616 Sam smiles, vividly remembering that same feeling. Not that it faded away, even now back as The Falcon he's making sure he's still setting a good example to people. But donning the stars and stripes really does make a difference.
"When… in this universe, when did you get to be Captain America?" Sam asks back, noting the way 616 Sam cradles the shield.
616 Sam takes a deep breath. "2014. When Steve got de-serumed, I took up the mantle."
"Oh wow." Sam blinks. 616 Sam was definitely way ahead of him. In 2014, he had just met Steve Rogers. It's comforting and pleasing to know that he was trusted with the shield in another universe, too.
"It felt like it really gave me the biggest responsibility there was. Being Captain America wasn't just about America… it spans greater than that. I couldn't think of failing. 'Cause it was gonna be more than a failure, you know what I'm saying?"
Sam twitches his lips into a small smile, finally finishing to change up. The costume is like a vacuum in contrast with his previous ones, but it highlights every good part of his body. There's a mirror in front and it feels weird to see him in this kind of suit, though it doesn't feel wrong. "Yeah? Now you're scaring me."
616 Sam laughs the exact same way Sam does, which makes it eerie. It still hasn't completely sinked in to Sam that he's talking to a parallel version of him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. But fear isn't a bad thing, it just kinda means you get the chance to be braver than you already think you are." 616 Sam stands behind Sam and pats him on the back. "You'll make a great Cap, Sam, so I hope you don't doubt yourself too much. Your Steve definitely thinks the same way too. I'm sure."
Sam takes a heavy breath. He wants to believe those words, but he thinks he has to prove it to himself and everyone else first. He sure hopes 616 Sam is right, though.
"Alright. Your shield's safe here. You think Bucky is ready?" 616 Sam heads to the door, "They're too quiet over there."
Sam laughs, following his counterpart. "I thought he'd argue with his other self a lot, to be honest."
"Nah. My Bucky's a pleasant guy most of the time. He's actually met his older, wrinkly self before, he's not exactly gonna freak out about another Bucky."
"How's your Bucky like anyway? Man, mine is insufferable."
616 Sam chuckles and waves a hand. "He's just gotta wind down sometimes but I've been best friends with the guy since way back. Other than his constant death glares, he's pretty nice and reliable both as a partner and as a friend."
"Hm." Sam hums, a little taken aback about his and Bucky's other selves’ relationship. The fact that 616 Sam said best friends specifically, Sam wonders if it will be the same for him and his Bucky, though he thinks that's going to be a long way to go. "Good to know that he has you. The guy has gone through so much too, I'm guessing."
"More than we can imagine," 616 Sam answers. "But I think I'm more glad that I have him."
Sam takes a pause. He remembers the time Bucky went to Delacroix and helped fix the boat. He also remembers that it was Bucky who gave him the new wings and suit. Bucky believed in him as Cap so much… and it now just occurred to him how much that means to him.
The two Buckies walk out of the door, and Sam takes in his Bucky's new look. Bucky still got this bluish theme going on, though he looks like he has a bulletproof vest on him. He's wearing almost what Lemar had except it doesn't look as heavy. He's got a domino mask, too. If it wasn't for Bucky's short hair, these two would really be hard to tell apart.
"What do you think?" 616 Bucky grins, patting Bucky on the back. He then looks at 616 Sam and the other Sam, whistling. "Now you guys make it more difficult to know who is who."
Bucky and Sam share a look, checking each other's new costumes out. The tight suit really does wonders for Sam's god-sculpted body, and Bucky fights hard to focus on Sam's eyes.
"At least I don't have to see the rest of your ugly mug thanks to the mask." Sam quips at Bucky, making Bucky harrumph.
"Shut up, Sam." Bucky couldn't even come up with a proper banter because he's distracted. He hopes the mask covers his reddened cheeks enough. He doesn't think he'll survive if Sam starts wearing tight suits like this in their universe, now that they're partners. Kinda partners.
"Here's the plan." 616 Sam starts, "Sam, you have to carry your Bucky to the Sanctum. I'll carry mine. We meet at the back—”
"Whoa, wait. Carry?" Sam frowns, glancing at Bucky who weighs about a thousand tonnes. "This guy's too heavy. Can't he just run? He's got super-speed and stamina. I don't have the stamina."
"What? It's easier to carry your partner—“”
"We're just co-workers." Bucky bitterly corrects 616 Sam.
616 Sam ignores him. "—because you know you're together in case something happens. It won't be that long, you'll manage. Besides, do you guys not do that on a daily basis?"
"No." Both Sam and Bucky answer.
616 Bucky snickers. "Well, whatever works for your dynamic. My Sam and I are gonna go ahead but we'll keep Redwing behind so Sam can monitor how you guys are doing."
"You can see through your bird?" Sam asks his counterpart. That's metal.
"Long story. Anyways, I assume you know the way? 117A Bleecker Street?" 616 Sam spreads his wings halfway to ready himself for take off.
Bucky gives a thumbs up.
616 Bucky salutes the duo and jumps out of the window, only for his Sam to dive down and lift him up to the sky. These two fit like cogs in a machine and Sam and Bucky can't deny that. They have this very obvious chemistry too, which made both Sam and Bucky wonder if people see that in them as well.
Probably not.
Now, they stand awkwardly and alone in the room.
"So… I'll go ahead. I'll see you at the Sanctum." Bucky points at the stairs and ineptly shuffles towards it.
Sam groans and sighs. "...No. I'll carry you. Come back here."
Somehow, Bucky wanted to smile. He didn't, but he walked back to Sam a little too eagerly.
"I don't know how to do this. Do you—Should you just jump like the other Bucky and I'll catch you? How do we do this?" Sam furrows his brows, putting a hand on his chin as he thinks. They have to leave as soon as possible.
"Can you carry me on your back? No, you can't. Uh..."
Sam stares at Bucky. He then clicks his tongue. "Remember when I saved you from the truck?"
"Yeah, and we rolled over the field of grass? What's up?"
"Let's do it that way."
"What? What do you mean?" Bucky questions as Sam walks to the farthest part of the room, positioning as if preparing to run towards Bucky. "Sam, what do you mean!?"
Sam takes one huff and springs forward before tackling Bucky the way he did getting him off that truck. His wings fold back to fit the window and spread out again once they're outside. The next thing Bucky knows is that he can feel the wind on his face.
They're flying, and Sam is carrying him for the first time.
Bucky looks down and his stomach churns at the height. He grips at Sam tightly and wraps his legs around Sam's thighs. Sam secures Bucky by making sure his arms are around Bucky's torso properly. They're basically in a very weird aerial hug. For the record, they're not used to this.
Meanwhile, their counterparts are doing better and are far ahead already.
"What's going on with those two?" 616 Bucky asks, dangling as 616 Sam carries him by the underarms.
616 Sam chuckles as he views their counterparts through Redwing's eyes. "They're really something, aren't they... They're getting the hang of it. Think they'll be fine."
616 Sam could see the Sanctum already when another green flash appeared. Suddenly, there are screaming from below, then something hits him and his Bucky that sends them thwarting downwards. Redwing the falcon shrieks and zooms to 616 Sam to aid him.
Sam sees this from afar. Upon the green blast, a huge monster with tentacles hovered near their counterparts. It looks like an octopus but with charcoal skin and menacing red eyes. It's swinging its long tentacles everywhere and is floating towards the civilians of New York.
"Shit!" Sam says, powering his thrusters to its max capability.
"What? What is it?" Bucky asks since he couldn't see what's going on in front, feeling their speed ramp up.
"There's a giant octopus monster ahead and it's got Sam and Bucky. We gotta see if they're okay."
"There's a fucking what!?"
"Hold tight, baby!" Sam warns as he plummets while avoiding the attention of the monster.
Before Bucky could even register what Sam had just called him, he started feeling the plunge and screamed.
616 Sam wraps 616 Bucky with his wings as they crash on the ground, making a crater on the asphalt. Thankfully, they didn't feel much impact due to the vibranium's ability to absorb most of it.
Sam gently lands and puts Bucky down, jogging towards their counterparts while 616 Sam unfolds his wings, revealing a cradled 616 Bucky.
"You guys okay?" Sam extends an arm to 616 Bucky to pull him up. At the same time, Bucky helps 616 Sam get on his feet too.
"Yeah. I didn't expect The Dweller to appear. This fella's from another dimension. Something really must be going on with the multiverse." 616 Sam clenches his jaw and tilts his head to look at the monster.
"What's the plan?" Bucky asks no one in particular, the sight of this huge demonic monster making him really disgruntled.
"We gotta get to Strange." 616 Bucky muses.
"You don't have to." A voice comes from behind, prompting the four men to turn around.
616 Stephen Strange makes his signature hand movements as magic circles appear. "I'll try and contain him. First, I need the four of you to get his attention and steer him away from the people. Go!"
Without further ado, the quartet runs towards The Dweller. Both Sams take flight, commanding both their Redwings to assist them with the distraction. The falcon bird uses his sonic cannon while the robo-bird begins to open fire.
The Buckies split up, drawing their guns simultaneously before shooting the tentacles trying to grip onto buildings. There are terrified groups of people in the high floors and they can't let them be grabbed.
The Dweller unleashes a frightening roar, the ground shaking which tests both Buckies’ ability to balance. The Sams get disoriented and start to fly away from the monster for a bit.
"Sam and SamCap, can you hear me?" 616 Bucky says through a muffled intercom.
"Yes!" Both Sams say.
"Great. Let's utilize the intercom and communicate, yeah? Bucky 2?"
Bucky answers with such reluctancy. "I'm here."
"Sams, I'm gonna need you both to carry me and Bucky 2. We're planting bombs on that thing."
"Bombs? Strange said he's containing it!" 616 Sam disagrees.
"I know, but these bullets just fucking tickle him, Sam! We need explosions. He's gonna chase us after this, trust me! Once we're in an open area, Strange will do his thing and contain." 616 Bucky explains, "Bucky 2, get clear and wait for your Sam!"
"Copy." Bucky, with his super-speed, runs off and jumps over a few cars. Suddenly, there's a tentacle swinging near him, with a child crying alone about to get swiped. Bucky curses under his breath and detours, grabbing the kid and jumping to avoid the tentacle.
Bucky jogs to the side, noticing the mother opening her arms to receive her child. They're both sobbing as the little girl embraced her mom tight. Bucky purses his lips to a thin line and nods at the mother.
"Thank you, Mr. Winter Soldier. Thank you..." The mom says, weeping, before kissing the top of her daughter's head.
Bucky takes a pause. He had forgotten that Winter Soldier is a known hero in this universe. He swallows. "You're welcome. Find a safe place, ma'am. Be careful. We'll handle this."
Running off again, Bucky stops in the middle of the road. He sees his Sam flying nearby, so he waves his hands and yells, "Sam! Down here!"
Sam hears his Bucky and immediately dives down to pick him up properly this time—bridal carry.
Bucky doesn't have time to complain, nor the plans to complain at all. He puts an arm around Sam's shoulders for support. "Take me to this thing's back and I'll plant it there."
Sam doesn't respond but does it anyway. They're flipping and rolling high and low, avoiding the tentacles of The Dweller.
When Sam has successfully maneuvered his way to the creature's behind, he talks. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Bucky replies before jumping off Sam's grasp.
Bucky grabs onto the crevices of the creature, climbing it like a wall. It doesn't seem to notice or feel him. Meanwhile, 616 Bucky drops right on The Dweller's head, swiftly plants four bombs in a row like a mohawk, then jumps to be caught by 616 Sam again.
Bucky is just in awe of how well these two work together.
Sam is on stand-by. He watches from a distance, mentally biting his fingernails off in anxiety. "You gotta do this fast, pal, the clock is ticking." He says through the intercom.
"I'm not used to doing this on monsters, Sam, I was usually assigned to blow up buildings and houses." Bucky quips back, certainly taking his time on attaching the plastic explosives.
"Bucky 2, you have 10 seconds before my bombs detonate! Go!" 616 Bucky reminds through their intercom.
Bucky has got one more to go. So he hurriedly attaches it to the monster, sets the timer to five, and forgets to mind his balance.
He staggers off The Dweller.
Luckily, Sam was already flying to catch him.
As Sam scoops him up, 616 Bucky's bombs explode, then Bucky's from behind. The monster screams as he turns around to see four figures flying away. It clicks in him that they're the ones who bombed him. The Dweller roars and follows them.
"Where's Strange!?" 616 Sam yells, "My arms are getting tired!"
"Down there!" Bucky points below.
616 Stephen has summoned giant magic circles, almost as big as The Dweller. They surround the monster, then in a green flash, they squash him out of existence. At least out of this dimension.
The smoke clears and the quartet lands next to 616 Stephen, who looks just a tad different from Sam and Bucky's. His hair is spiked up in a funny way, but it works.
"Sorry about that." 616 Stephen apologizes with a sigh. "Something's glitching in the multiverse."
"So it was you?" Bucky asks, maybe a little too aggressively.
"No. It was your Stephen. I just managed to detect it when you came here, and then The Dweller appeared too." 616 Stephen turns to 616 Sam, "Thanks for the effort."
"Hey, we were there too." Sam furrows his brows together.
616 Stephen merely laughs. "Right. Thank you. Now, I must bring you back to your Earth. It'll cause more disruptions to many other realities if you stay here longer."
"Wait, how about the city? We can help you clean it up." Bucky suggests.
616 Stephen waves a dismissive hand. "No need. We will take care of it. I've got a reliable Wilson and Barnes here too."
Sam and Bucky turn to their counterparts who are smiling despite the exhaustion.
The four go back to the safehouse so that Sam and Bucky can change back. Sam equips his shield again, admittedly missing it already. Bucky surrenders his guns and utility belt half-heartedly. 616 Stephen is waiting outside, ready to send them back any time.
"Guess this is goodbye," 616 Sam says, placing his hands on his waist with a sigh. "It was nice meeting you two. I hope your Stephen figures this out."
"I hope so too. Don't wanna get sent back to another Earth." Bucky offers a lop-sided smile.
"You guys take care." 616 Bucky says, then playfully punches his counterpart. "Especially you, pal."
Sam chuckles at the interaction. "Good to know our other selves are doing way better than us in a parallel universe. What's the secret to your strong friendship?"
616 Sam and Bucky look at each other, both grinning. 616 Sam rests his elbow on 616 Bucky's shoulder, with 616 Bucky crossing his arms.
"I think you two already got it." 616 Sam confirms.
"Alright, gentlemen. You gotta go." 616 Strange calls, so Sam and Bucky walk out, although still confused by what 616 Sam meant.
Before they knew it, and without even realizing that there was a flash, Sam and Bucky are back to their world. They know because of how the building changed, and because Stephen and their counterparts are now gone. Sinthea’s troops have unfortunately escaped but that’s a problem for another day.
Sam slots his shield on his back.. "Well. That was a damn crazy experience."
Bucky agrees with a nod. "Never doing that again. Man, can we get something to eat?"
Laughing, Sam pats Bucky's back. "That made grandpa hungry that easily?"
"Whatever you say, Cap."
"Hah! Sure, Buck."
"Hey, uh… can you call me Winter Soldier sometimes?"
"Oh? Thought you didn't like that anymore."
"Mm. I'm just trying something out."
"Okay, Winter Soldier."
"...Thanks, Captain America."