A Haze of Fire by Rubynye
1,800 words, steve rogers/sam wilson, (past) steve/bucky, sam+riley.ptsd, grief; spoilers for the winter soldier.
Sam nods against Steve's neck, but his shoulders under Steve's arm are rigid as steel. Steve blinks at movement and sees the maple tree tossing outside the window, its young leaves crimson under the streetlight, and a tumble of recurring thoughts turn and click together, slotting into place. "Sam," Steve says, and Sam nods again, then gets it and shifts back enough for their eyes to meet. "Sam."
"Yeah?" Sam asks, eyes narrowed, arms tightening fractionally around Steve's waist.
"I have to save Bucky," Steve starts, at the wrong end; he squeezes his eyes shut a moment, shaking his head against the marshmallow pillow, and starts over. "But, what I mean is, this, what we're doing." He waves over them, between them, and Sam's eyebrows lift. "This isn't temporary. It's not a stopgap. I want it for it, for you."
"This relationship, you mean," Sam says precisely, setting each word out, and Steve's cheeks burn, heat rushing up the back of his neck and curling over his ears.