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It wasn’t that Sarah never expected Sam to get married.
Sam had a big heart- always had, always would. It caused him a lot of grief when he was younger, like getting into arguments that turned into fights in the schoolyard at the ripe age of eight when he saw other kids being bullied. Or when he sobbed his way through countless kids' movies, which no, that wasn’t just as a child- it lasted well into adulthood. Or when he fell desperately in love with Riley, his best friend and wingman, and threw all of himself into their relationship and spiralled into a depression that took him almost a year to claw his way out of when Riley passed. Or when Steve Rogers, all blonde hair and blue eyes, showed up on Sam’s doorstep and tore him away from his family for two years. Sarah would never fully forgive him for that one.
So, no, it wasn’t that Sarah never expected her brother to get married, it was that she didn’t expect Sam’s love to wrap itself around James Bucky Barnes.
World War II veteran, Howling Commando, Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes. Sergeant Barnes. The Winter Soldier. A man out of time, a fugitive. The White Wolf.
When Sarah first suspected Sam had feelings for the man, she was concerned. Not because she thought Bucky was dangerous- she knew Sam wouldn’t entertain those thoughts, nor would he expose his family to that sort of thing- but because she knew better than anyone left alive on planet Earth that Sam Wilson’s heart is too big for his own good. She didn’t know much about Bucky, but she knew that he had been through more than anyone should have to and that would leave him with some issues. Issues that she was worried Sam would take it upon himself to fix.
She didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to upset her brother, but she quickly realised she didn’t have anything to worry about, and she watched Bucky slide into place in their family like he’d been there all along, like it was a space reserved for him.
Opening the front door to her home, Sarah saw the boys at the dining table doing their homework and thought that shit, maybe I should enlist Bucky’s help more often getting the boys to sit and do their work . She poked her head into the kitchen, catching sight of her brother and his fiance in a gentle embrace.
She did the cursory gag that was expected from her as a little sister. “Gross, don’t do that shit in my kitchen,” She teased, moving past the pair and grinning in response to Sam’s glare. She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the counter. The men parted, standing next to each other across from her. “So you didn’t burn the house down?”
Bucky gasped in mock offence, pressing a melodramatic hand to his chest. “Why does everyone think I’m gonna burn down the house?”
“Dearest Bucky,” Sam began in a teasing voice, “you did burn leftovers last week.”
“Oh, come on, you distracted me!” Sarah snorted into her glass at the implication. Bucky looked horrified. “Not like that! Jesus, Sarah, there was a spider, and Sam was squealing-”
“Oh, I was not -”
Sarah smiled to herself as she watched the interaction. How is it that they already act like an old married couple when they aren’t even married yet?
“So, are you gonna show me this suit or do I have to wait until the wedding, too?” Sarah cut in, stopping their bickering short.
Sam grinned. “You’re gonna love it. Come on, I’ll show you.”
“I don’t get to see it?” Bucky called after them as Sam led Sarah up the stairs and into the spare room.
“Nope!” Sam called down the stairs. “Boys, make sure he doesn't peek.”
“Okay!” AJ’s eager little voice called back.
Sarah followed Sam into the spare room, perching on the end of the bed as her brother moved over to the closet, taking out a black garment bag. He hung it on the back of the door, unzipping it and pulling out his suit.
“Holy shit, Sam.” Sarah stood, moving over to admire the outfit up close. “So Bucky won’t see it?” She asked, running a hand over the sleeve.
“Not yet. He can wait ‘til we get home.” Sam laughed. “He let me pick my suit first, so he can pick something that compliments it when we get back to Brooklyn.”
Sarah looked up at Sam, and for the first time in a long time, she really looked at him. He was smiling, a small little smile, and his eyes were alight with what she could only call love. He held himself differently; more confident in himself, more at ease with the world. The sight of his happiness struck her like a piece of shrapnel, lodging itself in her chest, right under her lungs, making her breath catch.
Seeing his happiness was like seeing rainfall over a drought-stricken land.
“Oh, come here, you ass,” She admonished, tugging him into a rough hug. They’d been raised in an affectionate family, but she was still getting used to having him close enough to hug after five long years of silence. “Getting me all emotional cause you’re getting married.”
“It’s okay, just wait ‘til the wedding day,” Sam said next to her ear. She pulled back to look at him. “I’m gonna be a mess, I know it already. The photos are all gonna be of me bawling my eyes out, I’m already embarrassed.”
Sarah laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.
“I can’t wait.”
She’d be lying if she said that it wasn’t bittersweet to be involved in a wedding again, considering the last one was when she was marrying her late husband. They got married here, too, and every time Sarah thinks about Sam’s wedding, she’s glad that he gets to feel the happiness that she did all those years ago. She hopes he gets many years with Bucky.
“I’m proud of you, Sam,” she says, moving toward the door. She looks over her shoulder in time to catch Sam’s confused frown. “You deserve this.”
Sam stared at her for a moment. She caught the shimmer in his eyes, the vulnerability, and turned to open the door and step out into the hallway giving him some privacy. “I’ll send Bucky up.”
“Thank you,” Sam replied, his voice a little hoarse, and Sarah knew without asking that those two words stood for a lot more than maybe even she knew.
“Hey, Bucky,” She called as she made it downstairs. “Your almost-husband needs you.” Bucky looked up from where he was helping Cass with his homework, confusion and concern clashing in his eyes. “We may or may not have had a bit of a heart to heart.”
Bucky’s face broke into a grin. He shook his head slightly. “Yeah, that’ll do it. He has a big heart.”
Sarah froze as Bucky went past her and up the stairs. He has a big heart .
She smiled.
She was glad Sam was getting married.
She was glad he chose Bucky.