[ sam doesn't want to be that symbol, and that's the heart of his issue. he knows what it's supposed to stand for, in the modern view of the ideal. steve rogers had been everything america needed in the midst of world war two. had been everything america needed, again, with the attack on new york. steve rogers has been captain america, and now steve rogers was gone. sam was content with his place in things, now that he was back to existing. he was content with his falcon wings and his contacts with rhodey and working with the air force again. but john did not deserve that shield, that both he and bucky would agree on. he just wasn't sure - yet - what to do about it.
bucky grumbles something about outdated references and sam nearly rolls his eyes. because okay, fine, yes. he was actually paying bucky a compliment. could he take the half-assed acceptance that sam didn't, actually, regret having him at his side? that he was actually starting to see the benefit in the two of them working together? because if sam is infuriating, bucky is on an entirely different realm of frustratingly annoying and sam is more than happy to explain why. ]
It got you through the interview, didn't it?
[ sam's carter connection had been sharon, but he can only guess at what bucky had known about peggy. what bucky had thought. he'd been there from the beginning, after all, hadn't he? someone steve would actually talk to? say more than just his captain america comments and a quick glance down to a photo he actually thought no on noticed? sam doesn't blame steve for holding onto an old flame. but there was so much more to the carters than any of them ever could understand, and sam's not sure steve needed to know or see into the levels that family reached.
but he needed to focus. they both needed to focus, but sam is pretty sure bucky is already there - counting bodies, calculating moves. and actually, sam is kind of depending on it, on bucky's tactical awareness of their movements. they're still close enough that each time sam takes a breath, he just about feels bucky's chest pressed against him. he's close enough to catch the smile and sam works to find his footing in all of this, but his eyes are only on bucky, as he's not sure it makes sense for him to scan the room. so he lets trust take over, lets bucky assess. it's still a bit surprising to feel bucky's arm rest on sam's shoulder, to feel the gloved hand on the back of his neck. he feels his cheeks heat up, but he is going to chalk that entirely up to the rising adrenaline of a potential fight. ]
Pretty sure the whole point of dopplegangers is you don't get to pick them. And it worked of us earlier. [ for a short while. but not long, and that's a whole different issue sam is going to have to deal with. for now, it's the contact, it's the unsteady feeling of having to trust zemo to already be moving and have caught onto the plan. sam's mind is starting to speed up, to try and keep up with the quick movements of bucky's eyes. ]
You think he can do it? [ he means zemo, he means the contact, but now bucky is closer still and his eyes are on sam's and okay, alright, the flutter in his chest isn't entirely the fight this time and sam is man enough to admit that. bucky's hand shifts to the back of his head and they're leaning in closer, sam's grin still present and cocky, like someone finally getting the one thing they'd been working towards. in that moment he realizes that yes, actually, he would kiss bucky. could, wouldn't mind. if they kiss. if this is what is about to happen.
that is when it changes - a snap of twine, a switch flicked. he hears the gunshot and feels the pang on the back of his head and then bucky is jerking sam out of the way. he goes with the yank, ducking down behind another table and emerging just as one tries to approach bucky from behind. sam picks up his own bottle, then, crashing it against the back of his head and reaching for the gun, turning back to where the most of the group was still collected.
avoid civilians he can't tell if he yells it at bucky or not, but the thought is there, and sam lets off the rest of the rounds of the gun only towards those he can immediately identify, before ditching the empty weapon and diving behind another table he'd knocked over in the process. ]
We need to leave! [ this one he's sure he yells aloud in bucky's direction, distracted by the gunfire pinging off the table he's hiding behind. ]
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bucky grumbles something about outdated references and sam nearly rolls his eyes. because okay, fine, yes. he was actually paying bucky a compliment. could he take the half-assed acceptance that sam didn't, actually, regret having him at his side? that he was actually starting to see the benefit in the two of them working together? because if sam is infuriating, bucky is on an entirely different realm of frustratingly annoying and sam is more than happy to explain why. ]
It got you through the interview, didn't it?
[ sam's carter connection had been sharon, but he can only guess at what bucky had known about peggy. what bucky had thought. he'd been there from the beginning, after all, hadn't he? someone steve would actually talk to? say more than just his captain america comments and a quick glance down to a photo he actually thought no on noticed? sam doesn't blame steve for holding onto an old flame. but there was so much more to the carters than any of them ever could understand, and sam's not sure steve needed to know or see into the levels that family reached.
but he needed to focus. they both needed to focus, but sam is pretty sure bucky is already there - counting bodies, calculating moves. and actually, sam is kind of depending on it, on bucky's tactical awareness of their movements. they're still close enough that each time sam takes a breath, he just about feels bucky's chest pressed against him. he's close enough to catch the smile and sam works to find his footing in all of this, but his eyes are only on bucky, as he's not sure it makes sense for him to scan the room. so he lets trust take over, lets bucky assess. it's still a bit surprising to feel bucky's arm rest on sam's shoulder, to feel the gloved hand on the back of his neck. he feels his cheeks heat up, but he is going to chalk that entirely up to the rising adrenaline of a potential fight. ]
Pretty sure the whole point of dopplegangers is you don't get to pick them. And it worked of us earlier. [ for a short while. but not long, and that's a whole different issue sam is going to have to deal with. for now, it's the contact, it's the unsteady feeling of having to trust zemo to already be moving and have caught onto the plan. sam's mind is starting to speed up, to try and keep up with the quick movements of bucky's eyes. ]
You think he can do it? [ he means zemo, he means the contact, but now bucky is closer still and his eyes are on sam's and okay, alright, the flutter in his chest isn't entirely the fight this time and sam is man enough to admit that. bucky's hand shifts to the back of his head and they're leaning in closer, sam's grin still present and cocky, like someone finally getting the one thing they'd been working towards. in that moment he realizes that yes, actually, he would kiss bucky. could, wouldn't mind. if they kiss. if this is what is about to happen.
that is when it changes - a snap of twine, a switch flicked. he hears the gunshot and feels the pang on the back of his head and then bucky is jerking sam out of the way. he goes with the yank, ducking down behind another table and emerging just as one tries to approach bucky from behind. sam picks up his own bottle, then, crashing it against the back of his head and reaching for the gun, turning back to where the most of the group was still collected.
avoid civilians he can't tell if he yells it at bucky or not, but the thought is there, and sam lets off the rest of the rounds of the gun only towards those he can immediately identify, before ditching the empty weapon and diving behind another table he'd knocked over in the process. ]
We need to leave! [ this one he's sure he yells aloud in bucky's direction, distracted by the gunfire pinging off the table he's hiding behind. ]