➥
Touch on / Kiss to the Ribs: I regard you reverently.
Riley’s Louisiana attitude aside, Steve reminds him too much of Riley sometimes and it makes his head spin and he has to remind himself that he’s not in Iraq anymore--hasn’t been for years. Steve likes pushing himself and seems to somehow like throwing himself into dangerous situations with how often he fucking does it. Steve and Riley and Icarus, flying too close to the sun always.
It’s late now and Sam’s arms sting a little from a fire--an AIM base their leads for Bucky turned them to turned out to be rigged with explosives, resulting in fire everywhere. Sam doesn’t remember too much after the explosions started--maybe they weren’t just explosions after all?--but he remembers Steve pulling him out and feeling too hot all over. He has the burn marks to prove it, splotches on his upper arms and legs too--but they’re nothing. They add to the story of his life, told in scars all over his body.
They’re back at the Avengers base now--they spend so many nights alone here, looking over files about Bucky and HYDRA and all the shit Sam read in comic books probably--but Sam still feels a little dizzy despite being changed and dressed. It’s probably his light-headedness that makes Riley’s face bleed into Steve’s.
Palm going out to the other’s chest, flat and splayed against his ribs (Steve is solid and real, Riley is dust now--he reminds himself--but none of this feels real anyways and he’s not sure he even knows who he is), Sam smiles.
He knows this.
“Thanks, man.”
