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Brooklyn, NY, Saturday 29, 2016, Lunch Time
Sam puts the finishing touches on his tortilla chips before sticking the plate in the microwave. He's making his favorite Halloween tradition! He's made them every year now since he was at least a freshman in high school.
This year isn't a typical Halloween or Saturday before Halloween but Sam is doing his best to roll with it.
Steve said that Bucky had a rough morning.
This is his forth morning here and most of them had been rough. That really wasn't a surprise, it pretty much what everyone had expected but it did suck. Sucked for Bucky who Sam knew was in pain both physically and, well, mentally.
It sucked for Steve because all he wanted to do is help his friend but it seemed the more he tried to help the more Bucky shuts down.
It sucks for Sam because he doesn't know what to do except to have faith that it'll all work out and they will all eventually settle in and things will settle down... he's trying not to be unsettled now.
It's his first time alone in the apartment with Bucky since really he climbed in the window and started brandishing a knife at him.
Steve's gone to the hospital to hand out candy to the kids there with Tony and Nat, like Tony promised he'd do.
Bucky must not have felt like going and Sam wasn't in any hurry to go back to the hospital after spending most of last weekend there and getting shot at there and well that means it's just him and Bucky hanging out.
Just two guys chilling in the apartment, being roommates.
He knows that Bucky is hovering around the hallway. He's been doing a lot of hovering and a lot of staring. Sam is constantly reminding himself, the kid can't help it, he's been through some stuff. That's gonna leave a guy to act a little off.
It's fine, they're fine... he's doing his thing and Sam is doing his.
The microwave dings, Sam carefully takes the plate out and inspects his handy work. The cheese is all nice and melty, it looks good. He puts the plate on the counter and puts on the other toppings he's got ready. Jalapeños, black olives and green salsa.
He looks down at his creation. He's happy with the way it's turned out. He grabs some plates and napkins, sour cream and hot sauce and heads to the table.
“Hey Bucky...” He says in the direction of the hallway. “You want some Halloween Nachos?”
Bucky is just a step into the hallway, Sam's not totally sure why he's hanging out there maybe he likes looking at the posters they've got on the wall. It takes a second but he sticks his head into the main room.
He looks half awake and half like he'd like to bolt, back to the bedroom at least.
He looks at Sam and the plate on the table.
“I made them special.” Sam holds the plate up a little so Bucky can get a better look.
He definitely looks curious.
“You know you want some Halloween nachos!” Sam encourages.
Even though his hair is hanging in his face Sam can tell he's raised one eyebrow at him.
“What... makes them halloween?” Bucky asks eye them.
So far, even though Sam and Steve had been wary nothing else beside the Reese's Cups seems to have triggered Bucky when it comes to his wrongful arrest at Halloween two years ago. So they're going ahead with their halloween plans and Sam's happy to share his personal tradition.
“See... white cheddar with some Colby Jack makes them look spooky with white and orange streaks, the jalapeños and black olives look like creepy eyes, the green salsa looks like slime...”
Bucky looks skeptical.
“Oh come on, just try some.”
Bucky moves slowly into the room and to the table. He sits down cautiously, the chair he chooses pulled just a little further away from Sam's side then it was originally.
Sam slides a plate in front of him and then digs in himself. “Take what you want...” Sam puts hot sauce on his and adds sour cream to his plate.
Bucky watches him. Then just when Sam was starting to think this was going to get awkward with Bucky just watching him eat, the kid turns to the big plate of nachos and goes in for a chip.
He carefully pulls at a chip and his eyes get big when instead of getting one, maybe two chips from the pile half of the whole plate starts coming his way.
Sam chuckles around the chip he's eating and reaches in to assist. “Here, let me help.”
Bucky's been alternating between wearing the sling he was sent home with and just keeping his left hand in his pocket like he did when he first showed up here. Either way he's not using his left arm. Steve's been seriously concerned about it and has called all over Brooklyn trying to get Bucky set up with a physical therapist who will work with Bucky's kind of but not quite officially not dead, can fit him in their schedule and work with theirs.
He's not gotten it worked out yet. Something to tackle come Monday.
Sam uses a fork to hold the majority of the chips in place and Bucky gets a good amount on his plate.
Sam offers him the hot sauce and sour cream. He accepts. Sam chews and nods approvingly. “I want some Ginger ale. You want some?”
Bucky looks like he doesn't know what to say. Sam's gotten pretty used to that over the last week. “I'll get us some, you can drink what you want.”
On his way back to the table his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He sets the sodas down in front of Bucky's and his plates then takes his phone out and sits down in one motion.
It's his sister FaceTiming.
“Hey Sarah” He answers and sees she's grinning into the camera in fancy makeup.
“What do you think of my costume!?” She asks excitedly.
She holds the phone back and he can see her pointed hat and green dress, she's clearly a witch. “Looks great! Are you going tricker treating with cousin Emma?”
He knew she'd bristle at him asking that. She huffs. “Saammm come on you know I'm too old for that! There's a boy girl party at Mary Beth's and Katy and Molly and me are going together.”
“Fun fun, I hope you have a good time and if that Tillman boy is there you tell him if he messes with you he'll have to answer to me.” The kid had been a brat and picking on Sarah all school year, Sam was planning what he was going to tell the kid when he goes home for Thanksgiving break.
“hummm he knows better than to mess with me anymore. I'm not afraid to tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine!” Sarah says without hesitation.
Sam is about to tell her to be careful and not get herself into trouble when a noise surprises him.
Bucky, who is often so quiet it's unnerving, is making a noise, Sam's concerned he's choking on a chip.
He looks and finds he's not choking, he's chuckling.
Sam blinks at the kid, he's literally chuckling at what Sarah had to say.
Sarah must have noticed Sam get distracted “Is Steve there? I want to show him my costume!”
Sam shakes his head. “Steve's out right now, no, this is my friend Bucky.” Sam leans over and holds the phone back so she can just see Bucky in the shot.
Bucky freezes when he notices what Sam's done, he looks wide eyed at the phone and Sarah.
“Oh, hi Bucky,” She greets him, “Sam said you were, um, in the hospital. I hope you're feeling better.”
Bucky nods still looking shell shocked.
“That's good. What are y'all doing for Halloween?”
Sam relents, letting Bucky off the hook, and turns the phone back towards him. “When Steve gets back, Nat and Clint are coming over and we're going to watch some movies.”
“Some scary movies.” Sarah supplies, she would get excited about that, Sam had when he'd first moved out. Their parents didn't like them watching scary stuff.
Sam shakes his head, “probably nothing too scary.” He doesn't know that any of them are up for that this year. “maybe just some funny stuff.”
“Hocus Pocus, Ernest Scared Stupid, Scary movie?”
“Those would be good, we'll see.”
“Well, have fun.”
“Yeah you too. Have a good time at the party” Sam stands up to go get some more napkins. “Tell mom and dad I said hi.”
“Tell them yourself, Mama always says you don't call enough.” She points out and gives him a face.
He leans against the count in the kitchenette “Yeah I know...” He just gets busy, he's been busy.
“Did Steve get an award or something?” She asks him, confusing him.
“What?”
“There's a balloon behind you, says 'Congrats.' I know you would have called if you got an award.” She snarks at him.
“Ooooh that was from Clint to Bucky when he got out of the hospital.” It's a little balloon on a stick, Clint had thought it was really appropriate. Bucky hadn't seemed to know what to do with it. “The card with it said 'Congrats on not dying.'”
“Oh lord, who are you hanging out with?”
“Ha yeah. They're all a little wacky, I know.” Sam smiles, at least it's never dull... back home everyone was so predictable, it just got boring. “have fun tonight, be safe.”
“Yeah I will, have fun with your movies and your weird friends... tell Steve I said hi.”
Sam snorts. “Don't eat too much candy.”
They hang up and Sam goes back to his nachos. They're a little cold now but still good.
Bucky has sat back from the table. “Have more, there's plenty more.” Sam tells him.
Bucky looks up unsure.
“What's up?” Sam asks.
“You didn't have to do that...” He says.
Sam chews slowly not sure what Bucky's talking about, he's suddenly afraid he's messed up somehow. “Do what?” He asks and braces for the answer.
Bucky looks at him and his eyes reach Sam's “you didn't have to say I was your friend...”
Sam swallows, he wasn't expecting that. “We're friends.” He states.
Bucky narrows his eyes at him. “You're Steve's friend.”
“You and I can be friends too.” Bucky doesn't look convinced. Sam had thought in the hospital they were getting to be friends. “We just don't know each other real well yet.”
Bucky chews at his lip and Sam thinks for a minute.
“Hey, alright... I have a question, you probably get this all the time... where'd the name Bucky come from?”
Bucky looks at him like he should know. “It's a nickname.”
“Ok, yeah I get that, but your name... your first name is James so why not a nickname like Jamie or Jimmy? Why Bucky?”
Bucky is quiet for a second, his eyebrows furrow. “They always called me Bucky, even my parents... unless I was trouble. I was named after my great great uncle, he was called Bucky too, I guess it came from Buchanan.”
“Buchanan?” Now Sam's eyebrows furrow.
“Middle name.”
“That is one heck of a middle name.”
“Yeah.” He shrugs with just the one shoulder, careful not to jostling his left.
Sam divides the rest of the nachos between them.
He's putting hot sauce on his and thinks the conversations over, as quiet as Bucky's been.
“He died in World War II.”
“What's that?” Sam asks, not following.
“The great uncle I was named after, he died fighting the nazis in World War two.”
“Really? That's sad and well interesting.” Sam sets the hot sauce on Bucky's side of the table.
“He, I think...” Bucky looks at the bottle. “he was a prisoner of war for a time too... my dad, he'd started to tell me what happened to him but I don't really remember it now.”
He looks frustrated.
“It's ok.” He tries but his attempt at being positive feels kind of lame.
Bucky half shakes his head and looks off in the other direction. Sam's left wondering who would know about this uncle... if the information might be out there somewhere. He gets a bit lost in thought, he can't help that he loves a mystery.
“So why not Sammy?”
Sam looks up and sees a sly look in Bucky's eyes.
Sam shakes his head and makes a face. “Nope, nope... I do not like 'Sammy,' the only person allowed to call me that is my Great Auntie and even then...”
Bucky lowers his head and it takes a second for Sam to see he's smiling to himself. Sam knows that he knows he just found a button to push.
“Just eat your nachos.” Sam snorts and finishes his.
