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“What on Earth are you listening to?”
There’s a soft hitch in Bucky’s breath, because he’s been caught and he’s been caught by the absolute last person on Earth that he would want to see him doing something as ridiculous as this. He doesn’t want to explain to him what he’s doing, because he feels idiotic, he feels so god damn foolish, but he knows that Sam won’t leave him alone until he’s sated with information.
“....Listening to…..current hits?” He says it like a question, because it probably is. He himself doesn’t know the answer, quite frankly. This is Steve’s playlist. He told him to try to catch himself up on the 21st century.
(Asking Steve for help was probably where he made his mistake.)
“....I hate to break it to you, buddy, but this isn’t anything that’s a “current hit.” “ Sam knows it’s Steve’s music, because only Steve Rogers would be the type to listen to “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire.
He’s trying not to laugh, really, because Bucky looks really cute when he’s flustered, and especially right now. His hair is in a bun and he has ‘ironic’ Captain America’ socks on and Sam’s heart is beating faster just looking at him. Only few get to see Bucky like this. And he’s privileged enough to see him like this everyday. But he can’t get over the song. That’s his song. Bucky grows a little defensive, curling in on the laptop in his lap. “How would you know?”
This old man is kidding. He’s joking right? There is no way he doesn’t realize when this song came out, and he assumed that Bucky knew when his birthday was. Sam pauses before he speaks again, a grin forming on his face. “....Because the song came out two days before the day I was born. Ma used to play this for me ever year on my birthday.”
“Oh.” He blinks.
And now Sam is laughing, and Bucky glares. “......It’s good.” He mumbles, more defensive by the second. He plays the song again and a strand of hair falls in his face and Sam crumbles. He moves to sit next to him and he’s quiet for a bit before he starts to--
Sam starts to sing.
It’s a shock at first. It’s off-key and quiet, but Bucky enjoys it. He leans in to Sam’s warmth and stays quiet before he joins in, on-key, and they’re both singing now. The former singer begins to smile and stands up, dancing a little. He looks dorky, but graceful. He’s like a ballet dancer that hasn’t danced for a while, rusty and little slow, but it’s beautiful to Bucky. He always is.
He can’t help but think that Sam Wilson is the prettiest man alive that his eyes have ever graced.
And he has been alive for a long, time. With a lot of men.
He doesn’t remember much of the men he used to fool around with, though. Everything before comes back in waves. But that’s not important right now. What is, is the pretty man in front of him dancing like he’s done it for years. Maybe he has, Bucky doesn’t know. ‘I should ask.’ He marvels at the idea of his partner being a young ballet dancer.
Sam reels his attention back by motioning for him to come over with two fingers, and he let’s out a shocked laugh. He doesn’t laugh often, and this brightens Sam even more. He does the fake lasso dance move and pretends to pull Bucky too him and Bucky refuses to move, thank you very much.
Except it’s his….whatever he is. Boyfriend? Partner? Friends who kiss? It’s not important to him, so long as he can call Sam his. He would do anything for him. So he reluctantly gets up and shimmies awkwardly over to him, and the smile Sam gives him makes it worth it. It’s a rare smile, the kind he used to only give Steve after missions or when he thought nobody was looking (He always was.). He dances a little more, growing a bit more confident around him.
It was moments like these that they both lived for. They could stop pretending they hated each other, could sit and be themselves. No evil group to go after, only a mutual attraction and sometimes a lost puppy named Steve who hung around when his own boyfriend was too busy to see him.
The ‘Ba de ya de ya de ya’ is playing softly behind them and they’re still singing, and now they’re slow dancing and Bucky is.
He’s glad. He’s glad that he chose to stay awake this time.
He’s glad, in this moment, but he’s knows it won’t last. He’s worried because Steve expects him to be the new Captain America because he wants to ‘retire’ with Tony. He’ll have to take over, and be great, just as great as Steve, and lead the Avengers and be a Hero. He doesn’t know if he can do that.
But he knows better than to ruin this moment, this small bubble of happiness he has going on. So he continues to dance. Maybe he sings a little louder, maybe he even dares to peck Sam’s cheek. Maybe he enjoys himself a little too much, but he’s happy right now and there is no evil group on their trail and there is no Steve. He is content to try to relax as best he can, and he’s been safe for a few years, and they’re calm and there is no threat right now.
So he is going to choose to savor this moment for as long as he can. Because he deserves it, right?
“Yes.” Sam whispers against his cheek- Oh.
He voiced his thoughts out loud. That’s ok. He was just going to continue dancing, just for today.
Dancin’ in September
Ba de ya - Golden dreams were shiny days.
(His dreams were filled of pretty men with wings kissing him and villain-turned-heroes who save the world without hurting anyone they love. Things would be okay.)