Chapter Text
God, he hated him. Hated him. He made him so angry. The way he’d glare with those cold blue eyes, stabbing his spoon into his cereal. It made Sam so frustrated.
First this ASSHOLE steals the steering wheel to his car on the fucking free way, then he’s the reason that Steve’s hospitalised, and himself, really, god he deserved that flying spartan kick to the face. And so much more. All this fighting over this strange, angry man. And for what? Nothing to have changed?
“Sam! Bucky! Good god, guys. Can you please just be civil? For once?” Steve asked, finally seeming to have gotten their attention. Sam hated that Steve could see right through him, that these two hated each other. Sam also hated Bucky. Did he mention that yet? He hates Bucky.
A web was shot across the room, landing between Sam and the blue eyed asshole across from him, uniting them under one same cause. This damn kid Tony’s got around, they loved him, but not as much as they loved bullying him.
“Hey! Watch where you’re slinging that thing!” Sam and Bucky called out in sync, looking at the culprit.
“Sorry! Mister Stark told me I should get some practice in whenever I can!” Peter apologised, cleaning up the webby mess in a hurry. Between the Winter Soldier’s stare, whether it was intentional or not, and Sam’s expression of ‘being so done with today already’ and it was only 8:35 in the morning, Peter didn’t feel like losing his head.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever punk. What is he, your dad or something?” Bucky waved Peter off, half jokingly. “If you’re gonna shoot that thing anywhere, make sure you get Sam. Preferably in the face.”
Sam shot Bucky a look, glaring at him. “You know, if it wasn’t for me, your ass wouldn’t even be sitting at this table.”
Bucky glared right back, not saying a word. God Sam really did not like this guy. At all.
“Oh my- sweet Jesus! I know you two are not this immature.” Steve groaned, sensing the oncoming staring contest. He sat down at the head of the table, now on either side of the two. “Do I have to break out the get-along shirt?”
Sam only glared harder at Bucky, Bucky glaring right back. “Loser.”
“Dick.”
“Asshole.”
“Jackass.”
“E-nough!” Steve by now, was beyond done. He wanted these two to get along. They were his friends. He thought they’d get along. He didn’t think it would end up like this. He got up, semi-stormed off and came back with said get-along shirt. Despite both other men protesting and promising they’ll stop, Steve basically dragged them together, and threw the shirt over them both like a parent wrangling their misbehaving toddlers. “Until you can learn to be nice to each other, you’re staying like this.”
Quick thinking, Sam had several questions. “What if we need to pee? Or if I want to nap and he doesn’t?”
“Shut up I love sleeping.” Bucky countered, which wasn’t a lie. He loved his sleep. It’s just that he didn’t get enough of it.
“You’ll figure it out.” Steve sighed, rubbing his temples. “Now, if you two can excuse me, I’m going to find Tony and see if he can help with this killed headache you two have caused me.”
Sam and Bucky huffed, immediately going back to their bickering.
———————
“I just don’t get why they can’t get along. They’re my best friends. I think I’m usually good with these decisions. I mean, they’re so ambitious and have the same dry and playful sense of humour, they protect people they care about, they’re so similar and they seem to despise one another.” Steve ranted, his head rested on his other best friends shoulder as he laid sideways on the couch.
“Yeah, but I have to disagree. Your best friends are; an assassin, a billionaire, a guy with anger issues, a god, a bird guy with hearing problems, a mentally unstable 98 year old man and another bird guy.” Natasha opposed, laughing a little. “Your friend choices are all different.”
“No, you’re all good people.” Steve sighed, his hands tangled, rested on his stomach. “I just really want them to get along. It shouldn’t be this hard for them to get along.”
“I know. But this is what you and Tony were like at first. You two were always at each other’s throats.”
“Still are most days.”
“Exactly. Have you two tried talking about what happened? Your fight?” Nat asked, running a gentle hand through Steve’s hair.
“Not really, I don’t think he wants to. Most days he looks at me like the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Other days he looks at me like nothing ever happened and I’m so, so confused.” Steve sat up, moving to sit properly on the couch. “But it’s Tony.”
“Exactly. It’s Tony. You can never know what he’s thinking. You should talk to him. Or try.”
———————
“Get offa me.” Bucky groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Kinda hard to when we’re stuck in this shirt, man. And don’t say that we should just take it off. Steve would just duct tape us together at that point.”
Bucky hated that. How Sam knew what he was going to say before he could even consider getting the words out. It was like he was in his head. And he didn’t need anyone to get in his head ever again.
He rolled his eyes at Sam again, knowing he was right. “Whatever.”
“God, Steve was right. You two are awful.” Natasha grinned, leaning on the doorframe to the room the two were in. Trapped. Side by side.
Bucky looked at Nat, glaring at her. “It’s Sam’s fault.”
“My fault? Man, fuck you! This is your fault.”
“Temper temper, Sam.” Bucky snickered.
“Come on, you two are so stupid.” Nat sighed, reefing the shirt over both of their heads. “Could have just taken it off.”
“Okay, but if Steve asks, we’re telling him it’s your fault.” Sam stated, moving away from Bucky immediately, but not as far as one would have thought. Kind of scooted away, but he was still close enough to kick or shove Bucky if needed.
“Yeah. You can fight him. Not us.” Bucky agreed, looking at the shirt, contemplating burning it.
“Okay, boys.” Nat laughed softly, before looking at them both. “You two should find something to do. Get out of here for a while.”
“Good idea. I’m going on a run.” Sam said, standing up.
Bucky, for some reason not trusting Sam, stood up. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not!”
————————
Here they were, on a run. Neither saying a word to each other. The air was thick with tension and Sam swore if he breathed too hard he’d choke on the air. But Bucky had surprised him. He expected him to run away, straight past him and lap him several times like Steve usually does. Instead, Bucky hung out at his side.
“You keep looking at me like I’m doing something weird. Got a problem?” Bucky asked, glancing at Sam.
Sam hadn’t realised he’d been looking at Bucky at all, shaking his head. “No, just used to Steve making this a competition and lapping me over and over again. He finds it hilarious, and it is a little bit. But by the end it’s not so funny.”
Bucky nodded a little, shrugging. “Steve wasn’t always fit and healthy when we were young, which I’m sure you know. I think he just enjoys being able to actually move, y’know? I was always fit and healthy, I could run for ages. I’d much rather conserve my energy incase I need to use it for life threatening purposes.”
“Like what? You afraid we’re going to get jumped or something?” Sam asked playfully, before noticing the serious expression on Bucky’s face. “What?”
“You have no idea, do you?”
“Idea about what?”
“Hydra. What they’d do to someone, anyone. A part of me is still terrified that yeah, I may be kidnapped and picked up off the street and taken back. I don’t sleep, and I eat as much as I sleep. It’s not.. typical for me.” Bucky admitted, a short moment of vulnerability.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Sam apologised, not just for asking, but for Bucky to be so afraid. No one deserves to be that afraid of anything.
“Don’t be. Unfortunately for me, you’re part of the reason I got out. I kind of, and don’t you dare use this against me, but I owe it to you.” Bucky begrudgingly admitted, to Sam’s surprise.
“Im gonna use that against you one day.” Sam laughed, nudging Bucky half-jokingly, which Bucky replied with a glare.
“Asshole.” Bucky huffed, and right before Sam could bite back at him, a suit of red and blew flew past both their heads and Sam could’ve sworn he heard giggling as it did.
Bucky looked at Sam, determined. “Wanna get that punk with me?”
“You bet.” Sam grinned, fist bumping Bucky before turning to the web slinging teen. “You better run while you can, Spider-Boy!”
“I’m not a boy! I’m a man!” The web slinging teen half, whined half groaned before being chased across the city by the two — mind you, fully grown – men.