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A Dash of This, A Dash of That: A follow-up to “A Pinch of This, A Pinch of That”

Bucky can actually cook.

If he’d tried that “I only have one arm. I’m gonna need someone to cook for me” shit with Ayo…let’s just say it took one look from her to make sure he never thought of trying it.

He may have been out of his head, but he wasn’t that far out of his head.

And there was no way Shuri…or Queen Ramonda herself…or T’Challa (Blessed be his memory)…would have allowed a grown-assed man to be treated like a baby for 2 months, let alone for 2 whole years.

In Wakanda, once he started to get his head back and got used to having one arm, part of his recovery was work, and he got to work making himself useful to himself, and to the community that welcomed him.

In addition to offering his supersoldier strength when needed around the village, one of the other ways he made himself useful was cooking not only for himself, but also for the community when called upon to help.

Or simply as a way to say Thank You, like when the garden he had on his plot of land yielded more produce than he could eat by himself, he would harvest it, put it on a cart, and go around to his neighbors offering fresh vegetables, and goat milk from his small herd.

Bucky made himself useful as part of his recovery.

Cooking, however, wasn’t exactly a priority after The Great Return from The Snap.

He had other things to deal with living in the States, back in Brooklyn: a trial and subsequent pardon for his Winter Soldier captivity, mandated scheduled therapy appointments for who knows how long, amends to be made, and basically staying off the radar, hoping to maybe someday return to Wakanda to live out the rest of his over-extended life.

Then, in the middle of John Walker/Flagsmashers/Zemo and everything else designed to upend his plans to lay low, he met Sam Wilson’s sister Sarah and her 2 boys…and along with flirting, his cooking skills also started to resurface in Delacroix, Louisiana.

Of course he’s not as good at cooking as Sarah, but between what basics he learned from his Ma, then from his time in the Ilizwe lomama (aka The Homeland aka Wakanda), and now spending time in the kitchen with Sarah…and also watching YouTube videos, and being immersed in the vaguely familiar flavors of Creole and Soul Food cooking of Southern Louisiana…he’s improving.

And one of the results is…

Sam goes in for his third helping of collards, and all eyes at the dinner table are on him. He looks up from the serving dish.

“What…?”

Sarah looks from Sam to Bucky, whose eyebrows are threatening to invade his hairline.

“Momma!!” Cass and AJ point at Sam.

“Uncle Sam’s gonna eat all the greens,” AJ grumbles, dropping his hand, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms.

“Yeah! Too bad there’s not gonna be any left.” Cass says, looking at Sam with the biggest Puppy In The Rain eyes ever, while AJ gives Sam the Cyborg Stare & Squint he picked up from his Uncle Bucky.

“Sam!” Sarah laughs. “We want seconds, too! Save some for the rest of us, please!”

“Listen. I don’t know what you did this time, but this right here? You put your ankle in it! Cass, AJ, come on, get some of this.”

He dishes up some collards onto each of the boys’ plates.

“And you,” he side-eyes the supersoldier, “are a bad influence on these kids. Got AJ up in here doing your Terminator Stare thing. I’ll just have some more of that mac and cheese instead. Sarah, you want some more? Buck?”

“I’m good,” Bucky grins. “I’m going back in on the chicken, though. It’s delicious, Sarah.”

“Me, too!” both boys chime in. “I’ll have some more mac and cheese, too!!” says Cass, rubbing his hands together like he’s seen his Uncle Sam do when food is yummy.

“Sis, your greens usually taste like Nana June’s and Mama’s with a little sumpt’-sumpt’ secret that you won’t share with me. There’s something different about these, though. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they’re delicious. Next time, you need to double up that recipe!”

Sarah glances over at Bucky, who is busying himself with his piece of chicken. He glances up at Sarah, then at Sam, then back down at his own plate, smiling to himself.

Sam picks up his glass of sweet tea. “I think everyone should thank the person who fixed tonight’s dinner.”

“Thanks, Momma!”

“Thanks, Sarah.” Sam says, raising his glass to her.

“Thanks, Sarah.” Bucky takes her hand and kisses it, then raises his glass.

Then Sarah raises her own glass. “You’re welcome. And I’d like to say a special Thank You to the person responsible for the greens. Thank you, James.”

“Wow! Cool! Thanks Uncle Bucky!” Cass and AJ chatter with excitement, peppering him with questions:

“What else can you cook?”

“Who taught you how to cook, Uncle Bucky?”

“Did you cook way back in the Old Timey days?”

Bucky chuckles at their enthusiastic curiosity. “Thanks, fellas! You really like ‘em?”

“Yeah!” the boys say in unison.

Sam, still holding the serving spoon and dish, just sits there, unable to process what he's just heard.

“Hey, I thought staring was my thing” Bucky grins as Sam glares at him.

“You…cooked these greens?” Sam says looking at Bucky, then at Sarah, then back at Bucky.

“Yes, I did, Samuel. You’re welcome. I’m glad you like them,” he deadpans.

“And you actually seasoned them! I mean, this isn’t just salt and pepper. This…this is…”

“A special blend I made with spices from— Wait. What? Why are you surprised? I was in Wakanda for 2 years. Do you think I was on a vacation? That I had people cooking for me and waiting hand and foot on a grown man perfectly capable of—

Sarah, tell your brother that I…I know about seasoning, Sam!”

“Sam. Come on, now.” she chuckled. “Of course he had learn how to—“

“Oh! So, he spent a little time in Wakanda and he came back Spice Panther?!” Sam laughs, pleased with his joke.

Sarah and Bucky look at each other, then at Sam, and together declare:

“Actually…it’s Spice Wolf.”

Cass and AJ both giggle as Sarah and Bucky chuckle and continue to enjoy the meal.

Sam stares at them both…and puts the rest of the greens onto his own plate.

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