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jemgirl86 · 11 hours
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What 75% of SamBucky fic authors seem to think their relationship should boil down to:
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#sam wilson is a gift
#sam wilson is a saint
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🤪
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jemgirl86 · 13 hours
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I hope you're feeling better soon!! If you're taking prompts still, would a fun little SamBucky doodle be okay for a prompt? Or just Sam, I'm good with either. Possibly something with bird telepathy or something fluffy 🤔 I hope your day is better!! ❤️
Thank you 😊
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(Birdwatching)
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jemgirl86 · 14 hours
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I just started this fic and I’m already so into it, so I’m doing you all a favor by recommending it here lol. A Sam/Steve political AU with definite Scandal vibes and it’s written by one of my faves @capnwinghead (an author who never misses iykyk :) So y’all should definitely check it out!
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jemgirl86 · 14 hours
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MONDAY: April 15 - No Powers AU
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jemgirl86 · 18 hours
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What is Bennet doing? What is he looking for? Who is this doctor Essex anyway? No - Wait. That's not what's going on, is it?
Of course not. He's here to catch the ripper.
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Rating: Mature
Words: 7,464
Ao3 Link
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jemgirl86 · 18 hours
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This must’ve been what Bucky saw before he decided to approach Sam in that airplane hangar 😒
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jemgirl86 · 20 hours
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Another Natasha
Idk if anyone still thinks about BuckyQuest, but I sometimes do. So, I 😂 wrote a little story within the BuckyQuest universe 😂 This is for the @sambuckylibrary’s TFATWS Anniversary Event 2024 for the prompt “Skrulls”. I hope y'all enjoy this little BuckyQuest fic! 🥰
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Another Natasha
| Pairing: SamBucky | Rated: T | WC: 2.8K |
Summary: BuckyQuest's Sam and Bucky agree to take care of a kid for a day or so as Brunnhilde sorts out the child's living situation.
Excerpt:
"There’s a child,” said Becca, stopping in her tracks at the front of the living room, “Did you two have a child when we were gone?” Riley bumped into Becca, staring excitedly at little Natasha. “When were you going to tell us we were going to have a baby sister?” exclaimed Riley. “What? No. We didn’t – that’s not how either of us having a baby would work. We didn’t have a random child overnight. She’s four,” said Bucky. “Could have been an extraterrestrial biology thing. We don’t know all the alien species,” said Becca with a shrug. “And she’s staying here for a day. Maybe a few,” said Sam, “We’re fostering her as they figure out her living situation. Natasha – these are our kids, Becca and Riley. Becca and Riley, this is Natasha.”
READ THE REST ON AO3!
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jemgirl86 · 20 hours
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Weeks 3 and 4 of TFATWS Anniversary Event 2024
Here is a compilation of all the works made in the third and fourth week of this event. Thank you to everyone who participated for those weeks and check them out if you haven’t already!
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Let Me Just Walk You Through a Hypothetical by @thatmexisaurusrex | Rated: G | WC: 1.5K | "Let Me Just Walk You Through a Hypothetical", Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Getting Together | AO3 |
You're Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh? by @funsized-loser | Rated: T | WC: 986 | "You're Just Gonnaa Set Me Up Like That, Huh?", TW: Blood/Injury, Cute |
You’re Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh? by @thatmexisaurusrex | Rated: E | WC: 1.8K | "You're Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh?", Gay Chicken (Sort of), Actions Do Indeed Have Consequences | AO3 |
A thousand times yes by noe3489 | Rated: G | WC: 591 | Meanwhile... On the Boat, First Kiss, Love Confessions | AO3 |
Untitled by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 511 | "Let Me Just Walk You Through a Hypothetical", Fluff, Established Relationship |
What We Want by noe3489 | Rated: G | WC: 1.6K | Divorce Arc, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed | AO3 |
"Fixing the Boat" by @thatmexisaurusrex | Art | Meanwhile... On the Boat, Gif, Domestic Fluff |
“Sam Finds the Note” and “Bucky Has Regrets” by @thatmexisaurusrex | Art | Divorce Arc, Angst, Thunderbolts Era |
Untitled by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 2.9K | "You're Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh?", POV Annalise (Darlene's Friend), Tooth-Rotting Fluff |
Another Natasha by @thatmexisaurusrex | Rated: T | WC: 2.8K | Skrulls, Fostering, Established Relationship | AO3 |
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jemgirl86 · 21 hours
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Last Line Challenge
Thanks for the tag @abarbaricyalp ❤️
Rules: in a new post, share the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).
The first time he’d met Steve, it was like looking in a more handsome, more fit, more… everything mirror. It had been Riley’s first overnight at Sam’s place, mere hours after they’d finally made things official, when Riley had opened a still sleeping Sam’s front door expecting to see the breakfast he’d ordered and intended to surprise Sam with, only to be met with a hotter version of himself.
Contrary to what it might look like, this is from a SamBucky fic I’m toying with lol
Tagging @funsized-loser @katatonicimpression @siancore @six2vii and anyone else who would like to join in!
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jemgirl86 · 3 days
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plz, I'm so glad someone ~appreciates my vision~ and also sees that Rick Astley made what is absolutely **unironically** thee SamSteve song of all time
How many of the lyrics apply, how many of their movies end with them never giving each other up? **All of them**
THEE SamSteve song of all time!! Of course I appreciate your vision you're a visionary!!!
Rick Astley is singing earnestly about wholesome honest steadfast devotion and that is these two that is Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers babeeeeeeeeeey
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never giving each other up 😭
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never letting each other down 😭
(for those just joining us this is about this gorgeous stunning perfect SamSteve post)
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jemgirl86 · 3 days
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I JUST THINK THAT SAMSTEVE
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jemgirl86 · 3 days
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WIP GAME
@downwarddnaspiral thank you for the tag to share some of my wips :) which... i cant believe i actually have unposted wips for a change! i normally just write one thing at a time and finish it. i cant say when any of these will be done though, but at least they exist lmao. i've been busy irl and too tired to write.
so. here goes:
The sambucky divorce AU: titled Moments Away for now (from the Mango Groove song) i have about 6k, redid the outline 3 times because it was just too much, and had some personal war flashbacks while writing it so i had to take a breather 😂 Excerpt:
Sam's mama always said love’s never going to be enough and he didn't understand how that was possible. He didn’t understand—as a seventeen-year-old, so in love he could barely see out of his own eyes, or as a sophomore on the back of a dropout, bad boy’s motorbike, or as a new father of beautiful twin girls with the love of his life—how that could ever be the truth. But he gets it now. 
more below the cut!
Next is a Sambucky Night Agent AU: based on the netflix series. it's basically cap sam/modern bucky but with suspense :) this is literally all i have so it might change completely:
There’s murder on the news. The Vice President’s dead. The nation’s in uproar. They’re saying he did it. They’re saying Captain America has committed treason. His face is plastered across the news, on every station on every street pole, his description is flying through the airways as he sits here covered in blood, trying to catch his breath. He didn’t do this. Sam can’t fucking breathe. He’s not someone to admit this easily, but he needs help. He needs help in a big fucking way. He eyes the number that dying woman stuffed in his hand earlier and hopes his phone line is still connected.
This one is a post canon fic where they run into each other on vacation and decide to have a little summer fling and then drama happens when bucky joins thunderbolts when they return.
Technically Sam wouldn’t be fucking his co-worker. Technically, they’ve only worked together like once, really. Bucky’s mouth is in his neck right now, and Sam can feel a bruise forming but he’s doing nothing to stop it because Bucky’s hand is also on Sam’s dick and it’s all going downhill real quick. So does he want to shit where he eats? No. Is he going to tell Bucky to stop? Also no. They’re on vacation and it’s anything but separate, like they threatened—in fact they’re plastered together—so something, something stays in Vegas…
then a fucking vampire AU?? which was very unexpected but I'm having fun planning it and writing little bits at a time. basically sam is a photographer looking to advance his career and bucky is a 100yo vampire. hmm.
There’s a sudden movement at the top of the stairs, so swift it’s dizzying. Sam can't place it. Just a gust of black night and bright blue, like the electric zap of lightning in a storm. Sam’s instinct is to retreat, wanting to back himself out of there. Overcome with fear. But something else sticks him in place, makes him hone in on the movement. A tall, slim figure, pale as moonlight, glides down the steps as if they’re not there at all, with the grace of an encroaching predator, salivating with deadly hunger, and Sam can’t move. Only after a few paralyzing moments does he recognize the shape as a person. A man. Sam realizes now that the flash of electric blue he’d seen is the man’s eyes.
anyway, that's it. i'm actually keen to get work done on these. hopefully i get some time soon :)
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jemgirl86 · 4 days
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Last Line Challenge
Thanks for the tag @abarbaricyalp ❤️
Rules: in a new post, share the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).
The first time he’d met Steve, it was like looking in a more handsome, more fit, more… everything mirror. It had been Riley’s first overnight at Sam’s place, mere hours after they’d finally made things official, when Riley had opened a still sleeping Sam’s front door expecting to see the breakfast he’d ordered and intended to surprise Sam with, only to be met with a hotter version of himself.
Contrary to what it might look like, this is from a SamBucky fic I’m toying with lol
Tagging @funsized-loser @katatonicimpression @siancore @six2vii and anyone else who would like to join in!
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jemgirl86 · 4 days
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Written a week late for the @sambuckylibrary Anniversary Event!
Sorry about any typos in advance
Sam Wilson, God bless his nearly perfect soul, didn't have the self-serving skills that the good God gave a gnat. From across the diner, Annalise watched her best friend's son ignore every single sign that his handsome, quiet friend was putting down across their quickly emptying breakfast plates. Her own breakfast was cooling below her, but she had already forgotten about her blueberry oatmeal (cinnamon on top).
To begin with, Sam had invited her to eat with them, despite the fact that were clearly new flowers sitting on the table as well. She knew Bucky Barnes had already made friends with the local florist and she knew he had a weekly order of Sam's favorites set up. (Sam had dropped his affinity for carnations since high school, but still liked yellow flowers and baby's breath). Bucky had also been sitting with his hand on the table, palm up towards Sam, but Sam hadn't taken it yet, hadn't seemed to notice, except to occasionally move some silverware closer to him. Then there was the matter of Bucky's feet, which Annalise could see clearly under the booth as he keep putting his ankle to Sam's, only for Sam to apologize and move his feet back.
Sam Wilson had all the easy charm of his father, but didn't seem to have inherited Paul's keen sense of when the attention was on him. Paul had been a flirt and a half back in the day. He clocked Darlene's interest before Darlene even admitted it to herself (or Annalise, for that matter). Oh, how he had worked day and night to woo her. And then he spent the rest of his life doing the same thing.
Sam was staring down an oncoming train of attention and devotion and he didn't even hear the whistle.
"Dom," she said softly when the waitress walked back by her table. She was across from Sam's booth anyway, but she was pretty certain that even if she was right next to them, neither young man would hear her, too focused on each other. "Could you send a slice of chocolate cheesecake over to them?" she asked. "Keep it between us."
Dom looked back at Sam and Bucky as well, humming in agreement. "Ma'am, consider that fine idea on the house," she laughed. "Might forget a spoon too."
"Oh, now you're speaking my language, young lady," Annalise laughed. "Isn't it great when a plan comes together?"
Dom squeezed her shoulder with an exuberant grin before she disappeared into the kitchen again.
She wasn't the only exuberant one. The boys were bright and cheery as well. It was nice to see after a couple of weeks of quiet from them. Times when one or the other of them was pulled away for their superhero business were always rough. Times when they were both gone were downright untenable. The recuperation needed for the superheroes also never sped things along.
But they seemed to be more at ease, finally back home, as they swiped bacon and toast from each other's plates and cried foul at the same time.
Sam Wilson deserved the world and every happiness. Even as a young boy, clambering over the pulpit to set up his daddy's readings before church, but getting distracted by the crickets that needed a helping hand outside, he had a heart of gold and a moral compass that would go toe-to-toe with most adults in the community. Annalise could remember all of his accolades from high school so well. The sports trophies, the academic achievements, the service awards. She didn't know how he found the time in the day for everything he did, and then helping his parents with the boat and the food boxes as well. All the Wilson kids were like that, but Gideon had gone off without a forwarding address and Sarah had learned to go for what she wanted, created a fairytale love story in front of everyone. Sam had joined the Air Force and spent the rest of the story sacrificing. It wasn't until he came home for Cassius Sr's funeral that they even heard about the accident in Bakmala. It took years after that and a slip up from Sarah for them to learn just how deep the relationship between Sam and his Air Force partner actually was. He just never spoke about it, even to his longest supports in the community. Just focused his attention on Sarah while he could before going off to save the world again.
Too much pain had visited the Wilson household in waves that just never stopped coming. First Gideon leaving, then Paul and then Darlene, then Cassius Sr. and then Sam's partner. Or near enough that order. Plenty of sunshine too, though. Sarah's boys were stunning fruit off of the healthiest of trees. It was hard not to see Sam when Cass was running around town, feeding strays, or when AJ read at church.
But Annalise had been waiting for Sam to bring someone home, make something just for himself. Being Captain America was hardly helping matters. If the young man had ever run out of excuses for his lacking love life before, he had a fresh host of them now.
If you can have lunch with me once a week, you can find yourself a nice man too, she'd said to him a while ago.
It seemed like he had found himself a nice man, she had to admit. No matter how goofy a name like Bucky was, there was no denying he was a good man. (Sure, she'd heard the youngsters talking about The Winter Soldier, but she'd never met the Winter Soldier, thank you very much. Just Bucky Barnes) He was exactly the kind of man for Sam. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, strong and supportive but soft too, on the inside. He was clearly so far gone on Sam that his eyes practically radiated hearts at all times. And, oh boy, could he keep Sam on his toes. They were delightful together in a way that made her ache for her own long-gone love.
And Sam was oblivious to it all. It wasn't for lack of interest. During their lunch dates, the conversation could center entirely around Bucky some days. No matter what else Annalise brought up, Sam would find some way to circle it back around to whatever heroic, or idiotic, thing the other young man had done recently. (Not so young, she supposed. Bucky corrected her every time she said it) If Sam wasn't as far gone on Bucky as the reverse, it was a near, and growing, thing.
So she watched them flirt and banter and pretend like their fingers weren't touching on the table as Bucky mooned over Sam and Sam couldn't look away from Bucky.
Dom came back just as Sam was eating the last of Bucky's pancake. It took a moment for them to look away from each other and to clock the cake she was setting between them.
"Oh, we didn't order this," Bucky corrected sweetly.
"Or that," Sam added as Dom produced two glasses of mimosas as well. His eyes instantly darted over to Annalise.
"Don't worry," Dom assured. "It's on the house. Just a little early-bird-regular special." She smiled brightly at them--there'd been a time Annalise would have loved to see Dom settle down with Sam and they'd have made a lovely couple too--and then turned to leave.
It was Bucky who reached for the spoon first. Then Sam, who came up a spoon short.
"Oh, wait--" he started to call, but Dom didn't look back. Sam shot another glance towards Annalise, who was doing nothing but minding her own business, thank you.
"Well, this is some of the best cake in the state," Bucky pointed out smoothly. He offered the first bite to Sam. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that."
Sam put his fingers over Bucky's hand on the spoon. He maintained eye contact for just a second before he had to look away as he took the proffered cheesecake.
Bucky grinned cheerily at him before taking at least twice as big a scoop for himself, which led to a familiar scene of them squabbling and trying to strong arm each other into relenting.
"I'll give you the rest!" Bucky insisted, trying to hold the spoon away from Sam's reaching hands.
"The middle is the best part of the slice!" Sam argued, halfway climbing across their booth table. He put a hand on Bucky's shoulder to hold himself upright and had almost reached the spoon when he hip-checked the glass of sweet tea between them. Annalise had lost track of whether it was his or Bucky's. They both had a sweet tooth to end all sweet teeth.
Bucky took the opportunity of Sam reaching back to catch the glass to shove the spoon in his mouth. Sam squawked out a sound that Annalise was sure Captain America shouldn't make and then actually reached over like he was about to pry into Bucky's mouth.
Bucky quickly smacked a hand over his lips as he bent over laughing. "Stop it. I'm gonna spit it on you if you don't stop," he warned, trying to fend Sam off with his other hand. "Don't make me laugh."
"You didn't even taste that!" Sam accused. "That was a waste of the perfect bite!"
"I did taste it," Bucky promised. "It was so good. You missed out."
Annalise was starting to agree with AJ. Sam and Bucky were gross together, in the most endearing way. She hadn't seen Sam goof around like this since junior high. It felt like a little bit of sunshine had been restored to the world.
Bucky chopped off a bite of the crust and offered it to Sam as reconciliation. Judging by the way Sam was still pouting, it was only partially working. Sam took the spoon and they settled down as they finished the cheesecake and their mimosas.
Sam had mentioned that Bucky couldn't get drunk, on account of his serum whatnot, but Annalise wasn't sure she bought it. Every time she saw him drinking, he still seemed to get loose limbed and smiley. Then again, she only ever saw him drink around Sam, so perhaps she was giving credit where it wasn't due. She watched him practically melt into the booth seat, hooking his ankle on Sam's and finally being allowed to stay there as they chatted about their plans for the day as orange juice and champagne slowly fizzled away. They were back to working on the house they'd bought. Technically there had been a housewarming party a couple of weeks ago, but she'd seen the both of them in and out of the hardware store often enough since to know the work was not done. She'd bring over some pie for them. Bucky liked cherry and Sam liked peach, both of which she had in her kitchen.
Eventually, she turned her attention to her thoroughly cold oatmeal. She had almost finished it when the boys started shifting around, bickering about the bill. Bucky darted away to pay for it, even though he'd just been complaining about having to use the restroom. Sam came over to her table, catching her eye as he stood. By the time he sat across from her at the two-seater, she still hadn't looked back up.
"Surely you can't still want to have breakfast with me," she teased him finally when he didn't offer a new greeting.
"You're really just gonna set me up like that, huh?" he asked. The gap in his teeth always gave away his grins, just like Paul's had. He really did make her chest ache sometimes. "Just 'cause Bucky won't blame you doesn't keep you out of my sights."
Annalise scoffed softly and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Samuel Thomas. Mind your manners."
Sam held up his hands placatingly. "Was there any reason cake appeared between us then?"
Annalise shrugged and pretended to read something on her phone. Usually she read the news while she had her breakfast, but she hadn't even opened her subscription because Sam and Bucky were more interesting. "I suppose there was extra. It can only sit out so long, you know."
Sam put his chin on his criss-crossed fingers, elbows on the table, which she swatted at but was ignored for. She continued to pretend to read a text message until she sighed.
"I just think you deserve something nice. You never take anything for yourself," she admonished lightly. "And I'm not talking about cake, young man."
Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise, but not at her words, she didn't think. Just at the admission. "Bucky is not nice," he said. "He's a pain and a lot of work."
Annalise hummed with a smile, thought of her loves. "All the best things are, aren't they?"
And Sam smiled. Really smiled. The sun came out. Birds sang. He really was her favorite Wilson child. "Yeah, sometimes they are," he agreed.
"Ready to go?" Bucky asked, appearing like he'd been summoned by that smile. He had his hand on the back of Sam's shoulder, inching towards his neck. "Hi again, Mrs. Corbett," he said to Annalise warmly.
"Yeah, mind pulling the truck around?" Sam asked.
Bucky glanced at Annalise, then back to Sam. "Sure," he agreed. "I'll give you two a little while longer to gossip."
Sam had a scar below his left eye that hadn't been there when he'd left for the Air Force. Shrapnel, she'd heard from someone, but she wasn't sure how true that was. Sam never talked about it and it'd be rude to ask. The first time she'd seen it, it had made her heart stop to think about something so violent coming so close to Sam's face, his eyes. By then, it had been a pale thin, still a little tender and thin, but healed. By now, it was barely noticeable, unless the sun was shining in the window just right to make it shine a little. Unless she was watching it as Bucky's lips came down on it, even though Sam's left side was across from where Bucky was standing.
Sam's eyes were still closed, long eyelashes fluttering, as Bucky stood up again. "Don't leave me idling for too long," he warned as he squeezed Sam's shoulder and turned for the door.
She watched Bucky leave, a Levi's ad come to life, and then looked to Sam who had come back to the world of mere mortals.
"Now, Samuel Thomas Wilson," she started, pointing a spoon at him.
Sam laughed merrily, slapping a hand across his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"I didn't set you up anything! You set me up!" she accused. "Why haven't you told me?"
Sam was still laughing, shaking his head as he clutched onto his ribs. "I don't know, Miss Lise. I guess...I just liked having it for myself for a while. I was gonna tell you first," he said with a hand over his chest. He settled back in his seat and watched her with a slight apprehension.
Annalise watched him back. "I like Bucky," she said. "I don't like his name, but I like him. You did good there."
"I know you like him," Sam assured. "You just tried to set me up with him."
"Well, the last time I tried to set you up, you just never showed up," she said with a sniff.
"It was a dinner with you!" Sam defended. "I didn't know you were going to ditch me with a stranger."
"She wasn't a stranger. She was only three years younger than you."
"I lived in DC at the time," he added.
Annalise shrugged. "You skipped. Did you know Bucky then?"
Sam laughed softly and shook his head. "No, not then," he said. "Not yet. Besides, it took us a while to get there, even once I did know him."
Annalise knew there was a whole novel worth of story behind Sam and Bucky. She read the news about Sam, and Bucky had been mentioned in a few of them, but she hadn't been paying attention to him at the time, nor did she care to go back and reread anything.
She reached out for Sam's hand and squeezed his fingers. "I'm glad you're happy, Sam," she said softly. "It's what you've deserved for a long time."
Sam put his other hand over hers to squeeze back. "Do you think they'd like him?" he asked softly.
Annalise looked out the front windows, where Bucky was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of the truck Sam had had since high school, singing along to some song she couldn't hear. She squeezed Sam's hand tighter.
"I do, Sammy," she said with a smile. "I really do. They'd be so proud of you. All of you. Always."
Sam kissed her hand before standing up. "Thank you, Miss Lise."
"We love you, Sam," she said, standing to hug him. She kissed his temple fiercely. "Good job on this one."
He smiled again and then left to get into the truck. He paused outside the driver's side to kiss Bucky through the open window.
Annalise smiled too. "Dom," she called, sitting again, "could I get some cheesecake over here. I earned it."
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jemgirl86 · 4 days
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Sam Wilson
Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes
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jemgirl86 · 4 days
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IM LOOSING MY MIND OMFG
HE LOOKS INCREDIBLE ARE YOU KIDIDNG ME
THERE ARE NOT ENOGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT I FEEL RN AKHSKAHAJSHKSHSJAJS
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jemgirl86 · 4 days
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Written a week late for the @sambuckylibrary Anniversary Event!
Sorry about any typos in advance
Sam Wilson, God bless his nearly perfect soul, didn't have the self-serving skills that the good God gave a gnat. From across the diner, Annalise watched her best friend's son ignore every single sign that his handsome, quiet friend was putting down across their quickly emptying breakfast plates. Her own breakfast was cooling below her, but she had already forgotten about her blueberry oatmeal (cinnamon on top).
To begin with, Sam had invited her to eat with them, despite the fact that were clearly new flowers sitting on the table as well. She knew Bucky Barnes had already made friends with the local florist and she knew he had a weekly order of Sam's favorites set up. (Sam had dropped his affinity for carnations since high school, but still liked yellow flowers and baby's breath). Bucky had also been sitting with his hand on the table, palm up towards Sam, but Sam hadn't taken it yet, hadn't seemed to notice, except to occasionally move some silverware closer to him. Then there was the matter of Bucky's feet, which Annalise could see clearly under the booth as he keep putting his ankle to Sam's, only for Sam to apologize and move his feet back.
Sam Wilson had all the easy charm of his father, but didn't seem to have inherited Paul's keen sense of when the attention was on him. Paul had been a flirt and a half back in the day. He clocked Darlene's interest before Darlene even admitted it to herself (or Annalise, for that matter). Oh, how he had worked day and night to woo her. And then he spent the rest of his life doing the same thing.
Sam was staring down an oncoming train of attention and devotion and he didn't even hear the whistle.
"Dom," she said softly when the waitress walked back by her table. She was across from Sam's booth anyway, but she was pretty certain that even if she was right next to them, neither young man would hear her, too focused on each other. "Could you send a slice of chocolate cheesecake over to them?" she asked. "Keep it between us."
Dom looked back at Sam and Bucky as well, humming in agreement. "Ma'am, consider that fine idea on the house," she laughed. "Might forget a spoon too."
"Oh, now you're speaking my language, young lady," Annalise laughed. "Isn't it great when a plan comes together?"
Dom squeezed her shoulder with an exuberant grin before she disappeared into the kitchen again.
She wasn't the only exuberant one. The boys were bright and cheery as well. It was nice to see after a couple of weeks of quiet from them. Times when one or the other of them was pulled away for their superhero business were always rough. Times when they were both gone were downright untenable. The recuperation needed for the superheroes also never sped things along.
But they seemed to be more at ease, finally back home, as they swiped bacon and toast from each other's plates and cried foul at the same time.
Sam Wilson deserved the world and every happiness. Even as a young boy, clambering over the pulpit to set up his daddy's readings before church, but getting distracted by the crickets that needed a helping hand outside, he had a heart of gold and a moral compass that would go toe-to-toe with most adults in the community. Annalise could remember all of his accolades from high school so well. The sports trophies, the academic achievements, the service awards. She didn't know how he found the time in the day for everything he did, and then helping his parents with the boat and the food boxes as well. All the Wilson kids were like that, but Gideon had gone off without a forwarding address and Sarah had learned to go for what she wanted, created a fairytale love story in front of everyone. Sam had joined the Air Force and spent the rest of the story sacrificing. It wasn't until he came home for Cassius Sr's funeral that they even heard about the accident in Bakmala. It took years after that and a slip up from Sarah for them to learn just how deep the relationship between Sam and his Air Force partner actually was. He just never spoke about it, even to his longest supports in the community. Just focused his attention on Sarah while he could before going off to save the world again.
Too much pain had visited the Wilson household in waves that just never stopped coming. First Gideon leaving, then Paul and then Darlene, then Cassius Sr. and then Sam's partner. Or near enough that order. Plenty of sunshine too, though. Sarah's boys were stunning fruit off of the healthiest of trees. It was hard not to see Sam when Cass was running around town, feeding strays, or when AJ read at church.
But Annalise had been waiting for Sam to bring someone home, make something just for himself. Being Captain America was hardly helping matters. If the young man had ever run out of excuses for his lacking love life before, he had a fresh host of them now.
If you can have lunch with me once a week, you can find yourself a nice man too, she'd said to him a while ago.
It seemed like he had found himself a nice man, she had to admit. No matter how goofy a name like Bucky was, there was no denying he was a good man. (Sure, she'd heard the youngsters talking about The Winter Soldier, but she'd never met the Winter Soldier, thank you very much. Just Bucky Barnes) He was exactly the kind of man for Sam. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, strong and supportive but soft too, on the inside. He was clearly so far gone on Sam that his eyes practically radiated hearts at all times. And, oh boy, could he keep Sam on his toes. They were delightful together in a way that made her ache for her own long-gone love.
And Sam was oblivious to it all. It wasn't for lack of interest. During their lunch dates, the conversation could center entirely around Bucky some days. No matter what else Annalise brought up, Sam would find some way to circle it back around to whatever heroic, or idiotic, thing the other young man had done recently. (Not so young, she supposed. Bucky corrected her every time she said it) If Sam wasn't as far gone on Bucky as the reverse, it was a near, and growing, thing.
So she watched them flirt and banter and pretend like their fingers weren't touching on the table as Bucky mooned over Sam and Sam couldn't look away from Bucky.
Dom came back just as Sam was eating the last of Bucky's pancake. It took a moment for them to look away from each other and to clock the cake she was setting between them.
"Oh, we didn't order this," Bucky corrected sweetly.
"Or that," Sam added as Dom produced two glasses of mimosas as well. His eyes instantly darted over to Annalise.
"Don't worry," Dom assured. "It's on the house. Just a little early-bird-regular special." She smiled brightly at them--there'd been a time Annalise would have loved to see Dom settle down with Sam and they'd have made a lovely couple too--and then turned to leave.
It was Bucky who reached for the spoon first. Then Sam, who came up a spoon short.
"Oh, wait--" he started to call, but Dom didn't look back. Sam shot another glance towards Annalise, who was doing nothing but minding her own business, thank you.
"Well, this is some of the best cake in the state," Bucky pointed out smoothly. He offered the first bite to Sam. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that."
Sam put his fingers over Bucky's hand on the spoon. He maintained eye contact for just a second before he had to look away as he took the proffered cheesecake.
Bucky grinned cheerily at him before taking at least twice as big a scoop for himself, which led to a familiar scene of them squabbling and trying to strong arm each other into relenting.
"I'll give you the rest!" Bucky insisted, trying to hold the spoon away from Sam's reaching hands.
"The middle is the best part of the slice!" Sam argued, halfway climbing across their booth table. He put a hand on Bucky's shoulder to hold himself upright and had almost reached the spoon when he hip-checked the glass of sweet tea between them. Annalise had lost track of whether it was his or Bucky's. They both had a sweet tooth to end all sweet teeth.
Bucky took the opportunity of Sam reaching back to catch the glass to shove the spoon in his mouth. Sam squawked out a sound that Annalise was sure Captain America shouldn't make and then actually reached over like he was about to pry into Bucky's mouth.
Bucky quickly smacked a hand over his lips as he bent over laughing. "Stop it. I'm gonna spit it on you if you don't stop," he warned, trying to fend Sam off with his other hand. "Don't make me laugh."
"You didn't even taste that!" Sam accused. "That was a waste of the perfect bite!"
"I did taste it," Bucky promised. "It was so good. You missed out."
Annalise was starting to agree with AJ. Sam and Bucky were gross together, in the most endearing way. She hadn't seen Sam goof around like this since junior high. It felt like a little bit of sunshine had been restored to the world.
Bucky chopped off a bite of the crust and offered it to Sam as reconciliation. Judging by the way Sam was still pouting, it was only partially working. Sam took the spoon and they settled down as they finished the cheesecake and their mimosas.
Sam had mentioned that Bucky couldn't get drunk, on account of his serum whatnot, but Annalise wasn't sure she bought it. Every time she saw him drinking, he still seemed to get loose limbed and smiley. Then again, she only ever saw him drink around Sam, so perhaps she was giving credit where it wasn't due. She watched him practically melt into the booth seat, hooking his ankle on Sam's and finally being allowed to stay there as they chatted about their plans for the day as orange juice and champagne slowly fizzled away. They were back to working on the house they'd bought. Technically there had been a housewarming party a couple of weeks ago, but she'd seen the both of them in and out of the hardware store often enough since to know the work was not done. She'd bring over some pie for them. Bucky liked cherry and Sam liked peach, both of which she had in her kitchen.
Eventually, she turned her attention to her thoroughly cold oatmeal. She had almost finished it when the boys started shifting around, bickering about the bill. Bucky darted away to pay for it, even though he'd just been complaining about having to use the restroom. Sam came over to her table, catching her eye as he stood. By the time he sat across from her at the two-seater, she still hadn't looked back up.
"Surely you can't still want to have breakfast with me," she teased him finally when he didn't offer a new greeting.
"You're really just gonna set me up like that, huh?" he asked. The gap in his teeth always gave away his grins, just like Paul's had. He really did make her chest ache sometimes. "Just 'cause Bucky won't blame you doesn't keep you out of my sights."
Annalise scoffed softly and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Samuel Thomas. Mind your manners."
Sam held up his hands placatingly. "Was there any reason cake appeared between us then?"
Annalise shrugged and pretended to read something on her phone. Usually she read the news while she had her breakfast, but she hadn't even opened her subscription because Sam and Bucky were more interesting. "I suppose there was extra. It can only sit out so long, you know."
Sam put his chin on his criss-crossed fingers, elbows on the table, which she swatted at but was ignored for. She continued to pretend to read a text message until she sighed.
"I just think you deserve something nice. You never take anything for yourself," she admonished lightly. "And I'm not talking about cake, young man."
Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise, but not at her words, she didn't think. Just at the admission. "Bucky is not nice," he said. "He's a pain and a lot of work."
Annalise hummed with a smile, thought of her loves. "All the best things are, aren't they?"
And Sam smiled. Really smiled. The sun came out. Birds sang. He really was her favorite Wilson child. "Yeah, sometimes they are," he agreed.
"Ready to go?" Bucky asked, appearing like he'd been summoned by that smile. He had his hand on the back of Sam's shoulder, inching towards his neck. "Hi again, Mrs. Corbett," he said to Annalise warmly.
"Yeah, mind pulling the truck around?" Sam asked.
Bucky glanced at Annalise, then back to Sam. "Sure," he agreed. "I'll give you two a little while longer to gossip."
Sam had a scar below his left eye that hadn't been there when he'd left for the Air Force. Shrapnel, she'd heard from someone, but she wasn't sure how true that was. Sam never talked about it and it'd be rude to ask. The first time she'd seen it, it had made her heart stop to think about something so violent coming so close to Sam's face, his eyes. By then, it had been a pale thin, still a little tender and thin, but healed. By now, it was barely noticeable, unless the sun was shining in the window just right to make it shine a little. Unless she was watching it as Bucky's lips came down on it, even though Sam's left side was across from where Bucky was standing.
Sam's eyes were still closed, long eyelashes fluttering, as Bucky stood up again. "Don't leave me idling for too long," he warned as he squeezed Sam's shoulder and turned for the door.
She watched Bucky leave, a Levi's ad come to life, and then looked to Sam who had come back to the world of mere mortals.
"Now, Samuel Thomas Wilson," she started, pointing a spoon at him.
Sam laughed merrily, slapping a hand across his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"I didn't set you up anything! You set me up!" she accused. "Why haven't you told me?"
Sam was still laughing, shaking his head as he clutched onto his ribs. "I don't know, Miss Lise. I guess...I just liked having it for myself for a while. I was gonna tell you first," he said with a hand over his chest. He settled back in his seat and watched her with a slight apprehension.
Annalise watched him back. "I like Bucky," she said. "I don't like his name, but I like him. You did good there."
"I know you like him," Sam assured. "You just tried to set me up with him."
"Well, the last time I tried to set you up, you just never showed up," she said with a sniff.
"It was a dinner with you!" Sam defended. "I didn't know you were going to ditch me with a stranger."
"She wasn't a stranger. She was only three years younger than you."
"I lived in DC at the time," he added.
Annalise shrugged. "You skipped. Did you know Bucky then?"
Sam laughed softly and shook his head. "No, not then," he said. "Not yet. Besides, it took us a while to get there, even once I did know him."
Annalise knew there was a whole novel worth of story behind Sam and Bucky. She read the news about Sam, and Bucky had been mentioned in a few of them, but she hadn't been paying attention to him at the time, nor did she care to go back and reread anything.
She reached out for Sam's hand and squeezed his fingers. "I'm glad you're happy, Sam," she said softly. "It's what you've deserved for a long time."
Sam put his other hand over hers to squeeze back. "Do you think they'd like him?" he asked softly.
Annalise looked out the front windows, where Bucky was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of the truck Sam had had since high school, singing along to some song she couldn't hear. She squeezed Sam's hand tighter.
"I do, Sammy," she said with a smile. "I really do. They'd be so proud of you. All of you. Always."
Sam kissed her hand before standing up. "Thank you, Miss Lise."
"We love you, Sam," she said, standing to hug him. She kissed his temple fiercely. "Good job on this one."
He smiled again and then left to get into the truck. He paused outside the driver's side to kiss Bucky through the open window.
Annalise smiled too. "Dom," she called, sitting again, "could I get some cheesecake over here. I earned it."
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