#or changed

Note: this is set right after they agree to go find Zemo together. It’s just a short idea that popped into my head, so I ran with it. :)

~*~

"Steve wasn't wrong about you," Bucky says after a few minutes of companionable silence. "I didn't mean that, and I'm sorry," he pauses as he reaches out to stop Sam from going any further. "I really am. I'm sorry, Sam." For added measure, he places a tentative hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezes it gently.

"Oh, are we rhyming now?" Sam smirks as he turns to face Bucky. "Do you like green eggs and ham? Do you eat them on a boat? Do you eat them with a goat? Well, yeah, you probably would, actually," he laughs.

"I should have known you'd be a jackass about this," Bucky mutters as he rolls his eyes and strides forward. "My mistake."

"We really need to work on your sense of humor," Sam says as he breaks into a light jog so he can catch up.

"Not everything is a goddamn joke, Sam," Bucky snaps while whipping around to face Sam and gesturing wildly around them. "Do you honestly find anything funny about all of this? Because I sure as hell don't."

"No," Sam agrees easily, "but I do like pushing your buttons," he admits as he digs his fingers into Bucky's side.

"Hey!" Bucky yelps as he quickly shoves Sam's hand away. "Can you not? Jesus Christ!"

"Oh my God," Sam stops dead in his tracks, delighted smile breaking out across his face. "Are you ticklish?"

"No," Bucky glares, "I just don't want your grubby hands all over me."

"Or," Sam murmurs as he steps closer and drags Bucky forward by the lapels of his jacket, "maybe that's exactly what you want."

"Oh, you think so?" Bucky counters as he glances down at Sam's hands which are still tightly gripping his jacket. "Maybe that's what you want, pal."

"Whatever," Sam says as he quickly lets go. They are on a public street after all, even though no one seems to be paying them any attention. "This is nice, by the way," he adds, while carefully smoothing out the creases he's made in Bucky's jacket. "It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Bucky mumbles as he stands there awkwardly, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans.

"So, we're off to find Zemo then?" Sam asks. There's an icy edge to his voice that rubs Bucky the wrong way as Sam turns his back on him and keeps walking.

Yeah, I guess so," Bucky agrees as he tries to work out what the hell just happened. Sam seems pissed off all of a sudden, which makes no sense since he wasn't the one who was just practically groped in public.

"Are we not gonna talk about whatever the hell that just was?" Bucky asks as they fall into step alongside each other.

"That was nothing," Sam says, punctuated by a dismissive wave of his hand. "Nothing at all."

Bucky stops walking again as he grips Sam by the elbow and spins him around.

"That was not nothing, Sam. You know what, I don't get you at all. First, I tried apologizing to you, which you turned into a joke of course," he sneers. "Then what? Was that some sort of twisted attempt at flirting?"

"You wish," Sam scoffs. "If I was flirting with you, you wouldn't have to ask. You'd know, pal."

"Why are you so pissed at me?" Bucky asks, looking sad and confused as he releases Sam's arm. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't have all the answers, but I'm hoping we can figure this shit out together. Everything fucking sucks right now, Sam," he chokes out, voice trembling.

"Hey," Sam says softly as he steers Bucky into an empty alley. They probably shouldn't be having this conversation right now, much less where practically anyone can hear them. "I'm not pissed at you, I promise."

"Then what the hell is going on? I'm trying here, Sam. I really am. And if you make another Dr. Seuss joke, I'm going to punch you in the face with my vibranium arm."

"Something you need to know about me," Sam explains, "is that I often resort to humor as a coping mechanism. I know you've never heard of it before," he adds, which actually causes Bucky to crack a smile, "but it really gets me through serious shit, sometimes. It doesn't mean that I think anything about what we're going through is funny, it just helps me deal, that's all."

"I get that," Bucky nods. "Once upon a time, I actually did have a sense of humor, believe it or not."

"Oh yeah? What happened to it?" Sam asks.

"HYDRA cut it off," Bucky fake-pouts. "Turns out, it was in my left arm all along."

"You're a damn fool," Sam laughs as he pitches forward and buries his face against Bucky's shoulder.

"See, I can be funny too," Bucky grins as he reaches out with gentle fingers and tilts Sam's face up.

"Yeah, funny looking," Sam teases as he surges forward and boldly presses his lips against Bucky's.

"Seriously?" Bucky says when Sam pulls back. "You kiss me and insult me at the same time?"

"What can I say, I'm a man of many talents," Sam winks. "Oh, and that was flirting, by the way."

"What you are, is a royal pain in my ass and I wish I didn't like you so much," Bucky admits as he hooks his thumbs into Sam's belt loops and drags him forward.

"Yeah, I wish I didn't like you either," Sam agrees. "Guess we're in the same boat, then."

"Guess we are," Bucky shrugs as he cups Sam's jaw and kisses him softly. Sam opens up for him this time, the kiss deepening quickly as Bucky's hands drop down to Sam's waist to hold him steady.

"So, um," Sam says when they break apart, "I might kinda like you a lot, actually. More than I ever expected to, that's for damn sure. I realized it a while ago, and I guess I've just been fighting it," he adds.

"Mood," Bucky nods. "Wait, did I use that right?"

"Sort of," Sam smirks and kisses him again. "Don't try to be cool, okay? Stop looking shit up on the internet, and just be yourself."

"I feel like there's an insult in there somewhere," Bucky pouts, for real this time as he wraps his arms around Sam's neck.

"There's not, I promise," Sam smiles. "And just for the record, Steve wasn't wrong about you either."

"I'm not so sure about that," Bucky frowns, "but I appreciate the sentiment."

"He wasn't," Sam insists. "None of what happened to you was your fault, Buck. Bad shit happens to good people every single day, we both know that. We live in a fucked up world, baby. That's just how it is, sometimes."

"Thank you," Bucky smiles as he reaches up and rubs Sam's cheek. "It's still a struggle for me, especially with all of the amends I've been making. It's like, just when I was trying to put it all behind me - "

"It comes right back to haunt you," Sam nods. "Yeah, I know exactly what that's like."

"Jesus, we're a pair, aren't we?" Bucky laughs. "I wish Steve could see us now."

"Me too," Sam agrees. "He'd probably never believe it."

"On the contrary," Bucky says, "I think he would. Remember how he used to bitch at us every time we argued with each other?"

"Yeah," Sam says fondly. "He said we fought just like an old married couple."

"We still do," Bucky points out. "So how about it, sweetheart? You wanna put a ring on it?" he asks, as he wiggles his vibranium fingers in front of Sam's face.

"There are lots of things I want to do with you," Sam leers as he reaches down and gives Bucky's hips a squeeze. "Although, we should at least go on an actual date first before we start planning our marriage."

"Probably," Bucky agrees. "I like sushi," he suggests as he sways forward and captures Sam's lips in another kiss.

"Raw fish? Of course you do," Sam sighs. "You couldn't like anything normal, right?"

"You're thinking of sashimi," Bucky corrects. "Not all sushi is raw, and in fact, a lot of it is cooked, actually."

"What I’m hearing is: blah blah, raw fish, you're a nerd, blah blah," Sam mocks. "If you want real seafood, you should come down to Louisiana with me, sometime. My sister Sarah makes a mean fish fry."

"Aw, you wanna bring me home to meet your family already?" Bucky winks.

"Yeah," Sam nods. "They'd love you. Especially my nephews, they'd be pretty fascinated by your robo arm."

"Let's do it then," Bucky grins. "After we sort out all of our current bullshit, of course. Do you think your sister would mind?"

"Nah," Sam shakes his head. "She'll put you to work, though. Unloading boats, scrubbing the docks, cleaning fish, falling for her brother, that sort of thing, so be prepared."

"Wait, what was that last part?" Bucky teases.

"Cleaning the fish," Sam wrinkles his nose. "It's a nasty job, but Sarah's fried catfish is totally worth it."

"Falling for her brother, huh?" Bucky interjects as he leans in close and nudges his nose against Sam's.

"Well," Sam pauses to steal a quick kiss, "if you get around to it. I know you'll be pretty busy and all."

"We can cross that one off the list, actually," Bucky smiles as he reaches for Sam's hand and laces their fingers together. "I'm already working on it."