#ask a bee

[beelebee]

Meow meow meow grollow :3

HMMM GROLLOW

LONG LIVE THE SHIP

THEY ARE EVERYTHING TO MEEEEEEEEEE

[asthmaticbee]

WIP Title Game

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

Tagged by @theliteraryluggage!

Published WIPs

and i come full circle; a leviathan reborn; palingenesis made flesh

when all my debts are paid and the score's been all tallied up

aria of pride and deceit

where daylight shatters and worthy perish (you alone endure the night)

The Truth Will Out (and you will pay your dues)

Death Eater Edward Elric, Spy Extraordinare, at your service

gloria of rubies and gold

vermillion dawns the day (of remembrance bittersweet)

and you crashed into my life (please won't you stay by my side)

dirge for the innocence lost

A Flame in the Flood

Published but on Hiatus/Discontinued

You wanted a nail? You get a whole fucking hardware store!

Dark Nebula

the blood of the covenant

Unpublished WIPs and Ideas

moving on from this liminal world

The Butterflywasp Effect

Pyrpolanthropy

and i will sail the savage seas to find you

moonlight pale; a speckle of sunlight

Ed and Sirius Azkaban Prison Break

spider lillies' serenade

oh death, dearest mine, will ye spare me yet again?

EdWin kids are classmates with the Golden Trio

Men in Black AU

Ed is Zuko's impulse control

For the Dancing and the Dreaming (and all life's sorrows and delights

so we step into war with blood on our hands

How Todoroki Became a Quirkless Rights Activist

follow me into the dark (to stand before the gates of hell)

of rivers and crossroads

threnody of a lost wanderer

hymn to alkahestry

ode to the desert sands

Pride takes over Ed the day before the finale

The Once and Future Morgen

TodoDeku childhood friends

Shouto's Diaries

A Day Early and Two Kids Short

Ageswap AU

you've seen the worst of me (and yet none of it matters to you)

Atlantis AU

Vampire RomCom

Soulmates AU

The other soulmates AU

a dead man's war report

golden lights and wild hunts

[jonkentt]

Okay, so Bee. It used to be a huge thing to have a cat on a boat. What if Sam and Bucky go to find a cat for the Paul & Darlene and end up getting two cats - Alpine and Figaro.

MEXI✿! I bestow upon thee sweet dreams of Sambucky fluff! Loved writing this :’) ♡ thank u for the perfect prompt, boo ( ˶˘ ³˘(⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)!

“Uh…”

Sam is working on the Paul & Darlene, just like he said he would be. And Bucky’s here to help, just like he said he would. Sam doesn’t remember discussing Bucky’s addition to their plan, which he’s now holding in front of Sam like fuckin’ show-and-tell. Sam’s still waiting for the tell.

Mew!

Sam melts at the adorable sound from the tiny kitten in Bucky’s hands. He takes the little guy and cradles him against his chest. The kitten stares up at him with wide green eyes and meows again. It’s so cute and small, Sam sorta thinks he might die.

“That’s um,” Bucky clears his throat. “That’s Figaro.”

“Huh?”

“I donno.” Bucky shrugs. “Pinocchio reference?”

The little bundle in Sam’s arms is mostly black except for the white muzzle, white toes on all but one paw, and white at the very tip of his tail.

“Figaro…”

Mew!

“Yeah? What if I call you Figgy?”

Mew!

“Okay, good.”

Sam nods at the kitten and gives him a little pat on the head before handing him back to Bucky. He fits perfectly in the crook of Bucky’s elbow.

“Well. He’s real cute.”

“Yeah, uh…”

“You find him on the docks?”

“No, a um, a shelter.”

“Oh, cool.”

Bucky shifts his weight. He’s looking in too many directions to actually be watching something. Sam does a double take when he notices the blush spreading over Bucky’s cheeks.

“Sooooo you have a cat because?”

Bucky coughs. “Well, cause I—”

Mrow!

A tiny white head pops out of Bucky’s jacket where it zips in the middle. Sam snorts with laughter. Bucky looks at Sam. Sam looks at Bucky.

“Um this—this is Alpine. She’s—”

Sam watches with amusement as Alpine claws up to Bucky’s shoulder and shoves her wet nose in his ear. Bucky carefully nudges her face away without knocking her from her perch. Alpine is all white and when she looks at Sam, it’s with one green eye and one blue.

“They came together,” Bucky says, as if that explains why he has two kittens.

“Of course.”

Sam can’t help grinning as Alpine makes her way across Bucky’s shoulders to crouch above Figaro and reach a paw towards him. Fig stretches up to meet her and they touch noses before going back to their respective places. Bucky letting himself be a cat tree is stupidly endearing and Sam could watch this all day.

“Cats are good luck!” Bucky says confidently. “On boats, that is. Especially good luck to have a cat. On a boat.”

Alpine helpfully inputs another mrow! and Bucky nods an affirmative. Sam bites down on his lip to keep from laughing.

“The navy used to keep em.”

“And you know this because…?”

“I dated a guy, right outta school, who wanted to be in the navy.”

Sam raises his eyebrows and waits for Bucky to say he has a thing for sailors.

“So, uh, anyway.”

The blush returns to Bucky’s cheeks and Sam can admit to himself that it makes him feel some things.

“Since this boat is so important to you, I thought it should have some luck.”

“Wait, wait. This boat?”

Bucky nods and tries to look casual about it.

“My family’s boat? That is not in any shape or form remotely like a navy vessel?”

Bucky’s blush deepens. Both kittens are now restless and climbing all over him. He keeps moving his arms and leaning from side to side to accommodate them. 

“You like cats!” Bucky reasons.

“I do,” Sam laughs. “But I’m not keeping two kittens on my boat!”

“Aw, but Sam!”

Bucky gets a hold of both Fig and Alpine. They’re so small, he can have one in each hand. He holds them on either side of his face and pouts. He makes big sad eyes at Sam as the kittens squirm, tiny legs flailing, and even keeps a straight face when Alpine sticks her paw in his eye.

Sam didn’t have much resolve to begin with but the rest dissolves embarrassingly fast. Bucky beams at him as Sam reaches for the kittens. Alpine immediately wriggles out of his grasp and climbs onto Sam’s shoulder. Fig is content to knead his bicep. Bucky looks immensely pleased with himself.

“Alright, I’ll take one of ‘em.” It’s not even hard for Sam to say. He scritches Fig’s little cheeks and laughs when he feels a cold nose in his ear.

“Yes!”

“But I can’t take both!”

“Ah, well, about that…” Bucky rubs the back of his neck and actually looks a little guilty. Sam frowns.

“What? You weren’t gonna keep em if I said no?”

“No, I was! Or, well, initially I was just gonna get one but then…”

Bucky snatches Alpine out of the air when she leaps off Sam’s shoulder. He tucks her back into his jacket despite her cries for freedom. A lump moves up Bucky’s chest till she sticks her head out Bucky’s collar and cries right in his ear. Sam giggles at the pained expression on Bucky’s face. He’s had this cat for maybe a few hours and already looks like a tired dad.

“This one, in fact.” Bucky scratches her chin until she’s happily purring under his jacket. “But when I took Alpine, she started wailing like the fuckin’ world was ending! And the staff explained she hated being away from Figaro.”

Bucky smiles despite himself and pets Fig’s head where he’s happily curled against Sam’s chest.

“So I brought him out but then we could both hear Alpine pouring her soul out, and Fig just gave me these big sad eyes and I couldn’t— I couldn’t do it, Sam!”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“Wooooow.”

“What! You woulda separated them?”

“You got conned by a cat, Bucky. That lil gremlin is gonna be ordering you around, havin’ her food on a golden cat dish!”

“I know,” Bucky laments. Sam snickers and shakes his head.

“You’re hopeless.”

“I know!”

“He’s hopeless!” Sam says to Fig. “Lucky for him, he’s got the coolest partner in the game, who’s gonna help him figure out his kitten caboodle.”

Bucky laughs as Sam continues to tell Fig about Bucky’s shortcomings. Like how he can’t for the life of him pull food out of the oven on time. Fig gets bored and starts chewing on Sam’s finger. When Sam looks back at his partner, Bucky’s got a real soft expression on his face. There’s so much love in his eyes, it makes Sam’s heart stutter.

They spend the afternoon playing with Fig and Alpine, getting zero work done on the boat. They’re nothing but trouble. At one point, Sam has to talk Alpine down from the roof of the cabin. Bucky works himself into a tizzy thinking he lost Fig until a tiny paw shoots out from behind a crate to grab Bucky’s shoelace. They watch the pair of furballs chase each other and tumble around in a mess of black and white fur. Bucky fetches some take-out for himself and Sam, and brings back a box of supplies he got for the cats. The little ones munch away at their kibbles as Bucky and Sam giggle at around mouthfuls of food. They all end up on the bench in the cabin, tired and content. Alpine is sprawled out with her paws in the air. Fig is purring loudly where he’s curled up on Sam’s lap.

“Can’t believe you brought me kittens, Bucky,” Sam says into the cozy quiet between them. He smiles at the rumbling mound of black fur and brushes his finger over a tiny paw. “What has gotten into you?” he teases.

“I can, uh,” Bucky rubs the back of his neck. “If you don’t wanna keep ‘em, that’s alright, I’ll find good homes—”

Sam gasps and cups his hand over Fig’s little ears.

“I didn’t say that!” He looks down at Fig who has definitely fallen asleep. “Wouldn’t dream of sayin’ that,” he whispers urgently. “You and I belong together, Figgy.” Sam grins up at Bucky and his teasing melts into softness. “Just curious what you were thinkin’, that’s all.”

Bucky busies himself folding and unfolding the corner of the blanket that Alpine is stretched across. Sam can just make out the pink coloring his cheeks in the dim light.

“Well, I thought that,” Bucky starts carefully. “I thought you should have something… soft. If you wanted it.” Bucky’s eyes meet Sam’s for the briefest moment. “You should have things that make you happy. That are just yours. And I thought Fig might…”

“…Buck?”

Bucky swallows thickly. He doesn’t look away from where he’s smoothing the tip of Alpine’s tail. Sam maneuvers Fig closer and then scoops Alpine into his lap as well. She meows once in protest and then cuddles right into Fig. Sam scoots himself over till he’s pressed into Bucky’s side. He lays his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

“I have things that make me happy,” Sam murmurs. He reaches for Bucky’s hand and twines their fingers together. “You make me happy.”

“I wish that were true,” Bucky whispers so quiet Sam’s not sure he’s meant to hear it. He lifts his head.

“Hey, lookit me.” Bucky dutifully forces his gaze to meet Sam’s. “Just cause you’re a pain in the ass doesn’t mean you can’t make me happy too. Wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.”

“I’ve said a lot of things that weren’t true to you, Sam.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Bucky chews on his lip, stares intently at a point over Sam’s shoulder but doesn’t fully turn away. The silence is broken by a squeak as Alpine yawns, and the click of her teeth when her jaw snaps closed again. Sam strokes the kitten’s head with his thumb. When he looks back up at Bucky, those baby blues are burning with an intensity Sam can’t read.

“Is that what you wanted to say to me, Buck?”

Bucky shakes his head. Sam nods to mean well, go on.

When Bucky still doesn’t say anything, Sam sighs.

“Man, I’m literally holding your hand right now and cuddling the cutest kittens I’ve ever seen and we’re in pink sunset lighting. What better set up do you need to tell me—”

His question is cut off by the press of Bucky’s lips.

Bucky kisses so softly and tastes so sweet, Sam melts into it with a sigh. He kisses back just as soft before curling his hand around Bucky’s neck and pulling him closer. A sound escapes Bucky, a hum of wanting. He scoots closer still and leans into Sam, tips Sam’s head back just a little. Their kisses are warm and new and earnest. 

Mrow!

They look down at Alpine’s protest to find her being squished between Figaro and Bucky’s thigh. Bucky moves out of her space and Sam laughs.

“Sorry, this seat is taken and they’re cuter than you.”

Bucky gets his arm under Sam’s knees and hoists him and the kittens into his lap which just makes Sam laugh more. He wraps an arm around Bucky’s shoulders while the other curls around the little bundles asleep on his thighs. Bucky beams at Sam like it’s the best day of his whole goddam life.

“Don’t get any ideas in you cyborg brain about man-handling me. I’m only letting you get away with this cause I don’t wanna disturb the kids.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, I mean it, Buck. I can see you gettin’ ideas!”

“It’s not gonna be my fault if one of the cats falls asleep on you again!”

“You can’t use the cats to cuddle me.”

“Oh, I’m definitely going to.”

Sam laughs. “I see, this was your plan all along! Had nothin’ to do with keepin’ good luck or whatever.”

“Well—”

“Shut up, man.”

Sam leans down to kiss Bucky again and he’s enveloped in the warmth of strong arms and little furballs.

[asthmaticbee]

So, I had another thought about Rubies and Gold: idk if this will even come up, but certain benefits only go to spouses/domestic partners currently, so EdWin should at least be married in the eyes of the law to benefit from that kind of thing. They should definitely hold off on the party and stuff til after Al has his body, but at least legally, they should have had like a court house marriage. I just am getting this feeling that after Briggs, Ed will either be considered a fugitive or be declared dead/MIA. Being declared MIA makes more sense since he is a well known war vet and making him a public enemy wouldn’t benefit the state much.

This mostly came to mind since I went to my uncle’s funeral on Monday and he was a navy vet, so some service men came out to present my aunt with a flag and stuff. Plus my dad works with retirees and surviving spouses, so I hear a bit about that kind of thing.

That is a very good point, and was sort of lampshaded slightly with Ed's jokes about his will.

It will come up in a flashback chapter, but Ed did suggest getting the paperwork done at least. It was Winry who declined, because to her it's not about being legally protected or getting some kind of benefits if he dies (because he obviously won't *bonks him with wrench*)(Baschool who?), it's about celebrating the end of his quest of restoring Al to his body and the start of their new lives of peace. She wants all of it or nothing, and besides, she has a job and career, what do you mean I need your widow's pension? Fuck you!

His will does put Winry and Al as his heirs in case of death, and his savings currently amount to the modern day equivalent of like 500k of salary and research grants because he barely uses any of it.

They don't know it, but Riza actually has Winry as her heir in her will, too, and Roy Ed, and the trio of Roy, Riza and Maes have a second, secret agreement to do their best to make it seem like Ed was less culpable in Ishval than he was in case they all go to trial as planned. If Ed found out none of them would ever even make it to trial and their bodies never found.

[jonkentt]

Okay, but Sam and Bucky but either Sam accidentally gets turned into a vampire or Bucky accidentally gets turned into a werewolf.

Im stuck on the “accidentally” here how do these two idiots get themselves accidentally turned into supernatural creatures ???

_

Sharon: BUCKY DONT EAT THAT

Bucky: What its just a granola bar? A bland ass one but Im hungry.

Sharon: That’s a dog biscuit you idiot.

Sam: *cackling*

Bucky: *shrugs and keeps eating*

Sharon: No STOP its for werewolves!!

Sam: *has fully collapsed on the floor laughing*

Sharon: *sighs* Look, guys, Im serious. Zemo lent me his werewolf henchmen while he’s on the raft.

Bucky: And???

Sharon: He gave me those to make more werewolves.

Sam: What the hell do you need with more than one werewolf?

Bucky: *fully committed to eating the whole biscuit*

Sam: I guess we’ll have to get you that collar, babe.

Bucky: Oh my god, did you pick one finally? If you get velcro I’m leaving you—

Sharon: I’m begging you to stop talking.

_

Sam: Jezus CHRIST, Bucky! What are you cooking? It smells like death!

Bucky: Calm down, Sam, it’s just garlic bread and I barely burned it.

Sam: *hissing*

Bucky: What the fuck. Wait is that- what’s on your neck?

Sam: Oh, Joaquin bit me yesterday.

Bucky: JOAQUIN BIT YOU?

Sam: *shrugs* Yeah but he apologized so it’s not a big deal, man.

Bucky: NOT A BIG DEAL???

Sam: Just put the garlic away would you?

Bucky: …Do you feel like sucking my blood right now?

Sam: Are you flirting with me?

Bucky: NO SAM

[jonkentt]

BEEEE! ✨ DEAR! 💕 What's OT3 Bloodlust Edition? Librarian Sam? Demi? Detour to the Coast? Oh gosh, if I'm asking about too many, feel free to just choose one 😂

Hi babe 😌💜 !!! Yam asked abt the first 2 here. Demi is a wholly self-indulgent smut fic for demisexual!Bucky as he gradually gets more comfortable being vulnerable with Sam. It’s a lot of soft intimacy and fruitiness. It’ll probly never see ao3 but if ya wanna read it hit my dms. Detour to the coast is Bucky taking Sam to the west coast after tfatws and its super specific to everything I love abt Seattle and they go on dates and pine for each other and there’s no plot. It’s all very wholesome tho, and I have a snip for youuuuuu!

They walk up a steep curving sidewalk through a neighborhood that’s just shy of picturesque. Many of the houses are stone or brick, with fenced in lawns and curved arches over the doors. The style reminds Sam of a cottage in a fairytale. It might have been pretentious if it weren’t so wonderfully cozy. The flowers in every color of the rainbow bursting from seemingly every front yard make it impossible not to smile. Fruit trees lean over the sidewalk in some places so extremely Bucky has to duck under the branches. They pass a house with a small iron gate designed like a spiderweb. The whole effect is very witchy and Sam loved it.

The breeze was cool on Sam’s face and filled with the scent of flowers. Bucky laced his fingers with Sam’s. They’d started doing that, holding hands, completely unprompted. And the butterflies inside Sam fluttered every time, reminding him they were still there even now.

They came up to another cottage-style house, this one in white. Bucky pulled Sam to a stop and reached over the tiny front gate to unlatch it.

Bucky actually got one of these places for them to stay in? Sam had thought they were just walking by on the way to some nondescript hotel. Bucky had made all the reservations for this trip and refused to tell Sam about any of them. With a look around the yard, Sam saw potted plants at the door, mint lining the wooden fence, and bushes with dark leaves and bursting with white flowers.

“This is all terribly romantic,” he admits.

“Yeah?” Bucky beams at him. “I was hoping you’d think that.”

Sam blinks. “You were?” But Bucky isn’t looking at him anymore, his attention turned to the front door. He hums agreement as he fishes a key from his pocket and unlocks it with a soft click.

It’s not that Sam doesn’t know what’s going on between him and Bucky. It’s impossible to miss the way Bucky looks at him. But Sam’s still trying to figure out what to do about it. Is curious to see what Bucky wants to do about it. Apparently that means announcing to Sam out of the blue that they need a vacation and then renting what is possibly the cutest AirBnB in Seattle. When Sam had asked why Seattle, Bucky just shrugged and said neither of them had been there so why not, and Sam didn’t argue.

That night, Sam settles on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and flicks through channels till he lands on the Great British Bakeoff. They’re already in this ridiculously quaint house, so why not go all out with these vibes, right? It’s a technical challenge for making some kind of thin cracker that Sam’s never heard of but immediately gets enthralled in. Bucky joins him a few minutes later. Like everything in this house, the couch is cute and far too small, so there’s no room between them when Bucky settles next to him. But Bucky just leans into the chance to cuddle Sam. He slips one leg behind Sam, wraps his arms around him to pull him against his chest.

As Sam gets comfortable in Bucky’s lap, Bucky presses a kiss to Sam’s temple. Everything is so warm and cozy and right that Sam doesn’t even register the kiss as out of the ordinary till the showstopper ends and the next episode starts. Then he remembers it suddenly and tenderness blooms in his chest. He turns in Bucky’s arms to look at him.

“Buck?”

“Yeah?” Bucky so easily responds to the nickname he once hated hearing from Sam’s mouth. The warmth in Bucky’s eyes is so familiar now that Sam realizes he can hardly remember the chilling glares he used to brace himself for whenever Bucky looked at him.

What’s it all mean? Sam could ask. When did we become more than partners? Can we stay this way forever? Would you do that for me? Do you feel it to? How right this is. Do you get just as lost in my eyes as I do in yours?

[jonkentt]

I’m longing for more of Joaquín calling Sam “angel” 🥹

💙 Mmm jules me too me too! 💙 So my brain said give Sam ALL the emotions and this is what happened. Um???????

The first time Joaquín called Sam ‘angel’ it was right before they jumped out the back of a plane. Sam looked at him with such shock that they both missed their cue. Then Bucky offered to give him a shove, and Sam snapped out of it. It was another successful mission for Captain America and the Falcon, and Joaquín forgot all about that moment before. Sam makes a specific unreadable expression whenever ‘angel’ slips off Joaquín’s tongue after that, but Joaquín doesn’t think much of it.

He finds Sam meticulously documenting his Cap suit, laid out on a table, sending pictures of damage to Shuri so she can tell him how to fix it. Joaquín saunters over to Sam’s side, leans probably too much into Sam’s space.

“How’r the wings, angel?”

Joaquín barely glances over the suit, looking at Sam instead. Sam has that soft smirk on his face, the same one Joaquín first saw when he was showing off a broken orbital. You’re lucky that’s all you got. Joaquín counts himself lucky any time Sam smiles. He still hasn’t figured out if the smirk is flirty or if Sam’s just always that cute.

“Had someone that used to call me that,” Sam says now. “Not sweet the way you do. It was a tease.” Sam’s pretty brown eyes sparkle when he looks at Joaquín. “He thought I was too caught up on following the rules.” Sam grins and shakes his head. “I told him if we were gonna strap on experimental jet packs and work covert ops nobody knew about, we should take whatever rules we could get and hang on to ‘em cause they might be what keeps us alive.”

“Yeah?” Joaquín leans on the table. “Any of those rules save your life?”

“One or two.”

Joaquín admires the curve of Sam’s cheekbones, the speckles on his lips, the smile that always looks like it’d taste so sweet. He finds Sam watching him and tries to recall what they were talking about.

“Any I should know?”

Sam holds his gaze for so long. It soothes Joaquín’s heart and sets it on fire at the same time.

“Yeah,” Sam murmurs. “Don’t lose track of your partner.”

Joaquín is ready to promise Sam the world right there. Then Sam grins.

“Cause he’s probably doing something brave and stupid, and needs you to rescue his ass.”

Joaquín breaks into a smile.

“Alright, so a few falling buildings got me by surprise,” Joaquín admits to Sam’s laughter. “But I think I’ve been savin’ you from tight spots more lately.”

Sam moves to fold up his suit and put it back in its case. When their eyes meet again, Joaquín knows there’s something more Sam’s not saying.

“Well. Lucky for me, you already knew that one.”

For a split second, Joaquín is certain that Sam’s going to kiss him. Then he’s out the door with his gear in tow, and Joaquín is left trying to remember how to breathe again.

He gets Sam back for that, but totally on accident. With a towel over his head, drying his hair instead of watching where he’s going, Joaquín collides with Sam outside the showers.

“Shit, sorry—”

“Hey, I was lookin’ for—”

Joaquín gets the towel wrangled off just in time to find Sam at a loss for words. Which doesn’t happen much. And Sam just keeps staring.

“Eyes up, angel,” Joaquín teases.

And Sam, just a little bit flustered, is a gorgeous sight. Joaquín is about to violate some personal space when Sam clears his throat.

“You get that from training?”

Sams eyes flick down to the bruise Joaquín forgot was painting his ribs.

“Oh, Bucky—”

“Bucky did that?”

“Easy, Cap, it was an accident! Bucky was just doing his tough-guy-coming-to-the-rescue routine but his elbow kinda caught…”

Sam raises an eyebrow, in total control of his cool again. Joaquín shrugs.

“Looks worse than it is.”

Maybe later Joaquín overhears Sam warning Bucky not to be so clumsy. Maybe Bucky’s retort sounds a lot like, gave you an excuse to do a full physical, Sam, should be thanking me. But all Joaquín actually witnesses is Sam socking Bucky in the arm, and Bucky whining about sensitive old bones. If his dreams that night star a guy that looks a helluva lot like Sam in a doctor’s coat, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

Sam’s an easy guy to flirt with, in the way that Joaquín just can’t help himself from trying for a peek at that gap-toothed smile. Sam’s not so easy to flirt with, in the way that he makes it so difficult to read what’s going on in his head. 

Joaquín devotes himself to finding the gaps, where Sam’s smiles should be but aren’t. That’s how he knows something’s wrong one afternoon even though Sam hasn’t said a damn thing, he’s just sticking pins in maps on the wall.

“Somethin’ on your mind, Sam?” Joaquín prompts as gently as he can. Sam’s jaw works for a moment before he answers.

“Cass had a big game today. His team qualified for finals.”

“You’ll catch another game. M’sure he knows that.”

“Kid’s not even upset. So used to me missin—” Sam’s words break off and he swallows, looks at a spot on the wall like he’ll burn a hole there. Joaquín wraps his arm around Sam’s shoulders without a second thought.

“Hey, it’s not like that. He knows you got big responsibilities you can’t get away from sometimes. If he’s not upset you’re not there, it’s cause he’s so proud of what you’re doin’ here.”

Sam’s big brown eyes have a watery shine when he looks at Joaquín.

“…How’d you know that?”

“Oh, angel.” Joaquín pulls Sam into a hug, holds him tight, searches for words.  “Even Captain America can’t be everywhere at once.” Pressed against Sam’s warm cheek, Joaquín feels Sam heave a sigh. “Yeah, I know, it’s real inconvenient for you and your big heart, but Cass wouldn’t want you splittin’ yourself in two! And neither do I.”

Sam chuckles softly into Joaquín’s shoulder, lets himself be held.

The next morning, Joaquín finds a new pair of combat goggles waiting with a note that Sam added a few things from him. It takes a while to get used to all the specs floating through his field of vision. He trips over a chair and then his own feet, which unfortunately Bucky sees. But all the shit he gets from Bucky over the next week is worth it when Sam throws an arm around each of them, his eyes sparkling with laughter. They’re the team Joaquín always hoped he would have.

It’s a standard mission no one was worried about when Joaquín gets knocked out of the sky. Sam was already on the ground, fighting his way through a bunch of goons, and Joaquín was coming to join him. It’s not a long fall. Just enough to knock the wind out of him. As the sky spins, he hears Sam calling for him, then the thud of Sam’s boots coming closer.

“Joaquín!”

“S’alright, angel,” he tries to answer but can’t tell if the words come out right. “M just considering a nap.”

“Jezus, baby.”

Then Sam’s pulling him up and Joaquín’s frowning at the lines of worry on Sam’s face. He makes every effort to hold his own weight without falling over.

“I’m good!” Joaquín shakes himself. He winks at Sam. “Good to go.”

They run back into the action together.

Sam’s on edge after that. Joaquín often finds Sam looking at him as he gears up for a mission, which he’d be happy about if Sam’s expression wasn’t so grim. There isn’t much he can do. Sam just gets so hard on himself sometimes. Joaquín knows this but Sam doesn’t usually let it show. It comes out anyway.

“I’m no goddamn angel!” Sam snaps. His anger so sudden, so random, it shocks Joaquín into silence.

“I’m not fucking perfect! My mistakes get people hurt. I know that. And I still can’t be perfect.”

Sam storms off without another word. Bucky offers Joaquín a look of sympathy before going after him. Joaquín blinks, tries not to get sick from the knot in his stomach. He goes home. Sam doesn’t answer the phone. Joaquín doesn’t get much sleep.

Sam shows up at his door the next morning. Joaquín wants so badly to hug him.

“I’m sorry, J.” Sam’s voice is rough around the edges. Joaquín invites him inside. “I wasn’t angry at you.”

“I know, Sam.”

“…I brought muffins. The really huge ones you like.”

Sam offers a crumpled paper bag and a hesitant smile. Joaquín grabs a couple plates, he lets Sam set up their little breakfast until the stiffness has eased from his shoulders. He listens to Sam chatter about nothing until his voice runs smooth. Joaquín reaches out to him, brushes the soft fabric of his t-shirt and feels the warmth of his skin underneath.

“Sam…”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to,” Joaquín says gently. Sam hesitates.

“What?”

“You don’t have ta give me things. Just you is enough.”

The surprise on Sam’s face is enough to break Joaquín’s heart a little bit. He squeezes Sam’s shoulder and takes a fraction of a step closer.

“I—”

“You’re more than enough, angel.”

Joaquín leans their foreheads together. He closes his eyes and breathes in Sam’s closeness for the moment he has it. He finally asks.

“Sam, could I kiss—”

Then Sam’s lips are on his, and Sam’s impossibly more soft and warm and wonderful than Joaquín imagined. And he kisses like Joaquín is water in the desert. Joaquín tries desperately to give it back as good as he gets.

When they’re in Joaquín’s bed, melting into each other. When Joaquín leans over Sam, his whole body shuddering with the effort to not be overcome completely, to not be undone by just the feeling of Sam around him. When ‘angel’ is a plea at the end of a high-pitched whine.

“I have you, baby,” Sam murmurs. “Let go.”

And he does. And Sam holds him through it. And he thinks, distantly, that it must be so cold outside of Sam’s arms.

[jonkentt]

Hi honey bee 😘 I would love to know more about Act 1 of your WIP in New Orleans 👀

Jules,,,,,,, the truth is that I needed to give Sam beignets or I would cease to exist. Accept this humble offering of Sambucky nonsense in New Orleans <3

“J’ai dit, la lune! Mais le bourbon est vide!”

Sam waves a beignet in the air, scattering powdered sugar like snow. Joaquín, ever Sam’s abettor, giggles around a mouthful of pastry. Bucky rolls his eyes.

“Sam, you— you’re not even saying anything.”

Morning sunlight filters through the tall windows and glows on Sam’s cheekbones. He looks just as beautiful as ever. Bucky still gets that queazy butterflies feeling in his stomach, like he needs any reminding how stupidly in love he is with one Samuel Wilson.

Though, thus far, Bucky has never once regretted making a rash decision in his lovesick state. Like buying this place in New Orleans just to convince Sam he would operate from a base close to home.

Sam always brings breakfast when they work on a weekend. Paper bags of powdered sugar with a pastry underneath if you could find it. After a year, Bucky still hasn’t figured out if it’s possible to obtain a breakfast in New Orleans that isn’t buried in sugar or if Sam just has an insatiable sweet tooth. Even the coffee here is sweet. Sam had belly-laughed at Bucky’s face when he’d taken a sip, expecting a bitter reprieve from the sugared pastries, and got sickly sweet caffeinated syrup instead.

Bucky used to hate mornings. Sam and Joaquín have since converted him but he’ll never admit it. The pair are already high-energy people but on a weekend sugar buzz they’re downright silly.

“Your French is terrible.”

“Tu paries mon joli cul que c’est!”

Sam slaps his ass for emphasis. The dark denim reveals a powdered sugar handprint and Joaquín loses it, his laughter bouncing off the walls.

“Sam…”

Bucky sighs and rubs his temples. Does he want to work instead of watching whatever the hell Sam is doing? Absolutely not. But it’s important to maintain the act. Sam’s not falling for it though. He leans down and takes Bucky’s chin between his finger and thumb.

“Mon cœur,” Sam murmurs. “Tu es le sucre de ma pâtisserie.”

Bucky tries in vain to stop a blush from burning his cheeks. The doorbell chimes and Joaquín leaps out of his chair to get it. Sam’s rich brown eyes never look away from Bucky, burning with something Sam won’t say. Bucky breaks eye contact first to avoid doing something dramatic. Sam just chuckles and finally eats the beignet he’d been reciting French to.

“So annoying,” Bucky grumbles.

“You love me,” Sam quips back. He says it so casually, like that’s not the fact that Bucky’s entire existence hinges on. Sam side-eyes Bucky with a smirk. Bucky wonders if he knows. Isn’t it obvious?