( WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE IN MINE )

[disparaged]

[ truth be told, bucky's grateful when both sam and sarah invite him to stay a little longer. he knows he's overstayed his welcome by a fortnight… and overstayed that overstay by four weeks. his bags have remained packed—although, that's not uncommon for him. his apartment back in new york is sparse with only a few bits of furniture his next door neighbour had kindly bullied him to buy. it's best neither wilson knows; sam will look at him with a pathetic look of pity and sarah… he wants to avoid seeing her frown.

when sam gets a surprise call from the ominous nick fury and needs to be out for a few days without his shadow, bucky promises him he'll ensure things at the house and with the boat remain floating. it's not without a quiet little threat of "don't flirt with my sister" and "don't smile, it's creepy" that he finally allows himself to go. bucky itches to follow, but he doesn't. he's needed here to ensure aj and cass don't get caught by their mom when they decide to sneak out and touch the redwing sam's left behind or go sit by the pier when they can't sleep. he likes the fact he has good, innocent secrets with someone now. one day, he's sure they'll outweigh all the bad, bloody secrets he has.

after pulling some of aj and cass' toys out from the usual dirt pathway to the back, bucky slips off his boots and quietly steps inside of the back of the house. despite having the intention of walking back into the living room and to his designated couch, he turns on his feet and leans against the frame of the kitchen entrance, watching sarah as she does sarah things. he never wants to get in the way of her routine. she flutters around on autopilot most of the time. bucky never thought he'd find anyone who could walk circles around him, but he's found that if he stays still and in place, he won't be in the way. ]

I know I've been hogging your couch for a long time. [ despite leaning against the frame and standing on the threshold of the kitchen, he scratches the fingers of his right hand against the metallic wrist of his left. ] I can go get a hotel room. It doesn't worry me.

Comments

[boatage]

[Sarah bustles around the kitchen because she doesn't know any other way how to do things. She puts her entire heart into everything she does, even making gumbo for the boys. Cass had begged for it and she couldn't just up and tell him no. Not when Sam was gone and the boys were moping around about it. Bucky's been doing his best to cheer them up and pull them out of it, and she appreciates that. She appreciates a lot of the things he does and tries to pay him back with hidden smiles and a place to stay. Of course, offering him a place to stay also gives her something she hasn't felt in a long time.

It makes her feel selfish, but then she remembers that she's not about to let him go someplace where he's all alone. He needs them just as much as she wants him around.

She's caught up in finishing up taking an order on the phone while she's making dinner, with one of the boat parts sitting on the dining table for repairs in between everything. She manages to get the boys' toys and balls over toward the back door with her feet while she's juggling all her other tasks. Her phone is set on the dining table once she finishes up the call, her notebook sitting beside it filled with requests for food that she'll need to fill by tomorrow evening. She easily slips back over to the stove to focus on the here and now. Dinner for her boys is more important than feeding other people.

By the time he speaks up, she's well aware he's quietly observing her in his usual staring spot. As usual, he makes himself seem like a burden. She stops in the middle of stirring her gumbo and holds out the wooden spoon toward him.]

Now, I know you're not going on about that again. Not when I need help with this. It's missing something, and you're about to tell me what it is.

[She knows exactly what's missing. More paprika and chili powder. But if she's going to teach him how to make her special family recipe gumbo, she's going to put him to the test.]

[disparaged]

[ he honestly doesn't know why he expects her answer to be any different. with a grin and an incredulous shake of his head, he pushes off the frame and steps into the kitchen. it's best he stays out of the way. his metal arm is nothing but trouble, even though it's proven to be more helpful than bucky likes to give it credit for.

he lowers his head to taste what's on the spoon, brows furrowed as he licks his lips. after spending one hundred and six years having never tasted gumbo, it amuses him greatly that she thinks he's going to be able to help her. all he knows is to add more salt to everything. he cooks, but what he cooks is never as tasty and layered as what she brews. ]

It tastes great.

[ he knows that's not an answer and shows it with a sheepish look. sarah never seems to take compliments, just like she never tells him to get out of her house and find a hotel. the two correlate, even though they're apples and oranges. ]

Does it have to be missing anything?

[ he's usually smoother than this, he knows. ]