IC Inbox for ximilia

[unclesam]

INBOX

sam wilson
un: s.wilson

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[ text ].[ video ].[ audio ].[ action ]

TESSISAMESS

Comments

text. un: barnes. groupchat time!

[starer]

You think she's been deleted or something?

[Viveca, of course.]

[nothinglasts]

I'm the last Avenger to ask about this stuff. I think we left all the nerds at home.

Text | UN: d.johnson

[morethan084]

Hey.

I’m sorry about the other day.

You were trying to reach out and I took out my anger on you.

It wasn’t right.

[unclesam]

thanks johnson, I appreciate that

voice. un: barnes.

[starer]

[It's a couple of days after their last conversation, and the first time that Bucky hasn't ducked out before they can say more than two words to each other. But, well, he does miss hanging out with Sam. So-]

We need to talk.

[unclesam]

[ Bucky's missed as well. The message actually floods Sam with momentary relief, even though 'talk' might well mean 'argue more' in this case. ]

Sure, I got time. Shoot.

[ Bucky's got the floor. ]

grouptext.

[starer]

[As seen here.]

[starer]

[Its been a week now. A week of having to play the part of newlyweds, recently indoctrinated into the family. It's something he's never had to do before though. Never had to pretend to be somebody else for a mission. In the war, he was a soldier, fighting for a cause he believed in. With Hydra, he was their weapon, broken out to kill whoever was standing in the way of their goals. And after-

Pretending to be Bucky Barnes doesn't count. Not now he's finally reclaimed that name for himself. Not now that he's finally come to understand just who that really is.

So this? This is something entirely outside of his wheelhouse. This is pretending to be someone he's not in order to protect the only person that really matters. That simple mix up of words, and now there's an added level to their cover story. One he can't risk breaking. Not when the stakes are so high. When Sam could end up being held even partly accountable.

Which is why the routine is exactly the same that night. Why, when he steps back in to the room, his only greeting is an excessively chipper sounding-]

Hey, doll. Up for an early night?

[Not that he stays still long enough to wait for a response. Instead, he heads off to the bathroom under the cover of getting ready to turn in for the night. The door's left wide open though, the request all too clear. It gives him the excuse to turn the shower on. An added level of protection so the two of them can try to talk. Though even then, there's still only so much they can say while still stood inside their room.]

[unclesam]

[ There are pet names that will, without fail, get a roll of Sam's eyes behind closed doors. There are ones that will make him outright laugh. There are ones that he can hear without breaking character. And then there are the ones like doll and sweetheart. And without fail, even a week into their little charade, Sam will briefly glance down, unable to quite hide the small curl of his lips and the way his cheeks flush warm.

His coat is draped over their coat rack, but he's still in the waist coat and shirt with rolled up sleeves when he follows Bucky into the bathroom. It's strange, this game of pretense. Sam's alright with casual flirting with basically everyone he knows who isn't horrifically too young for it, but a pretend relationship is quite different. Not just that, a marriage.

It weighs something down in his chest. Makes him worry about Bucky a little too - about comfort levels, control, and the last time they had to pretend to be something they're not - or not anymore, at least. And still, if he has to play pretend at something like this, at least it's with Bucky, someone whom he trusts more than enough to share a bed with. The way they push and needle at each other goes a long way to reduce the discomfort and awkwardness Sam might have felt with someone else. ]

Sounds good, babe.

[ And of course he follows the silent invitation, running water a good cover for quiet words. In the bathroom, Sam finds himself checking, automatically, for the telltale signs of 'no touch' tension in Bucky's shoulders, and not finding that at least, he reaches out, places a hand on Bucky's left arm, his own body language open in invitation to step closer if Bucky wants to. ]

Tell me about your day. You good?

[ They don't always share jobs between them. As much leeway as they get, there are limits to how accommodating the Featherstones are even to lovebirds. Sam would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about the sort of jobs Bucky is sent on - and he doesn't expect to be told in full detail, either. But the check in on Bucky isn't optional. It's second nature, especially after Madripoor. ]

post-regret swap.

[starer]

[Sneaking out in the middle of the night to talk to Viveca may not have been the smartest idea. Not so soon after their return to the station. But somehow, it'd worked in his favor that night. Somehow, he'd managed to leave and return without his absence being noted. Falling asleep isn't quite so simple though, of course. That knowledge of just what would be awaiting him when he shut his eyes.

Which is why he'd ended up on the floor again that night. Why, rather than lie in the bed he'd promised to try and use, or climb in to the one that he knows he has a place in, he'd opted for the cold hard floor. Self flagellation at its finest, and entirely well deserved.

When he jolts back awake again an hour later, he has to fight to keep himself from yelling. Has to take a few long minutes to himself to calm his breaths. His heart. Has to come to terms with the fact that he's gotten what he wanted. That he has a future again. The life that Sam has so blatantly offered him. That Bucky had rejected by making his first contract here.

He isn't here to die anymore. He can finally start trying to make amends for one of his greatest mistakes. And the cost-

It has to be worth it.

When he finally looks away from the darkness between the two beds, Bucky's attention immediately falls to Sam's bed. To the shape he can only barely make out, still lost to sleep. It may not be a peaceful one, but knowing that Sam's managed even a few hours of sleep is the only reason he hesitates to reach out. He needs to talk to Sam. But sleep is so rare these days for either of them, that he doesn't want to be the one to take that from him.

The soldier though. The Asset. The risk is back again, and he knows that Sam wouldn't hold it against him if he woke him up for this. If he interrupted his sleep so they can prepare for the worst.

So he finally moves from the floor. Slides his feet under himself so he can crouch beside Sam's bed. Closer than he probably should be, but unable to move away when he knows that Sam is the only one who can help him understand the full extent of what he's just done.]

Sam. I- Wake up. We need to talk.

[A quiet whisper in the darkness, even as a dim light begins to glow from the bathroom. A certain AI lending a hand, given she knows just what he got up to that night already.]

[unclesam]

[ Sam wakes almost instantly, though not with a start. He's not a heavy sleeper, and while Bucky is sneaky and has not woken Sam with his departure and return, his slumber has grown increasingly less deep ever since. He stirs the moment Bucky whispers softly, face lightly scrunching up when a soft light filters into the room.

Eyes sleep soft and dark under long eyelashes, he just looks at the shape in front of his bed, the sleep-mussed shock of dark hair faintly illuminated by the soft light from the bathroom. The too bright eyes.

There's no alarm here - not of the 'grab your weapon and get ready' kind, at least, and oh Sam knows they both keep weapons within very easy reach. He knows the difference between Bucky's voice when 'we need to talk now' means the topic is urgent but not immediately dangerous, and when 'Sam, wake up' means they need to jump into action.

Sam holds his gaze for a moment, worry creeping into his sleep-soft thoughts, but he raises the blanket quietly, a wordless invitation. ]

'm I rolling over, or we good face to face?

[ An offer. He'll put his back to Bucky's front if eye contact is too much for him now. Might have been a nightmare. Might just be something burdening Bucky regarding their recent losses. Either way, Sam practially feels his brain start coming online, shaking off the cobwebs of sleep to bring his full attention into the soft, dim space they share under one blanket. ]

audio; un: mccoy

[homeostatic]

Mr. Wilson, this is Dr. McCoy. I understand you're one of the paramedics on this station; I'd like to speak with you as soon as possible.

audio; un: s.wilson

[unclesam]

[ Oh, they're gonna Mister and Doctor, are they? ]

I can make time for you, Doc. What's up?

[ Is he gonna be obnoxiously informal in response? Maybe. ]

Video | d.johnson (during the mission)

[morethan084]

Hey.

[Daisy looks and sounds like crap. Don't worry about it.]

Heard you're raiding the tower with Yelena.

[She's concerned, okay?!]

I can help.

[No she can't.]

[unclesam]

[ Daisy's treated to a very dizzying view - Sam's up by the top window on the highest tower in the castle, hovering above a dizzying drop.

If she looks closely, there's harsh bruising barely hidden by his cowl and goggles. He also has Yelena securely in his arms. ]

Hey Acacia. Yeah, we're checking it out. Got Gamora and Syr with us, too, but I don't got that many arms to carry everyone up here.

[ He frowns a little. ]

Listen, beautiful, no offense, but you don't look so hot right now.

audio.

[starer]

When we get back, you mind if we skip the boat?

[Not that he doesn't plan on ending up there eventually. But given just how tired he sounds, it won't take much for Sam to put two and two together and realize that all Bucky wants to do when they get back is sleep. Preferably with Sam right there next to him.

It's that or drinking a whole lot more than he probably should.]

audio

[unclesam]

[ Despite the tiredness, despite the heavy wear, Sam wishes he could express to Bucky just how much of a steadfast comfort it is to hear from him any time, any place. ]

We'll move the beds together.

[ Sam's voice is soft, warm. No tease in it. He knows exactly what Bucky is asking without so many words, and agrees to it without so many words, too. ]

text | un; zewu.jun

[calmness]

I am aware that this may seem unexpected, but I heard you woke from your rest right before the mission. Are you faring alright in Taeum?

What is it like?

[unclesam]

rest is one word for it. yeah, I woke up like the evening before our little excursion. quite the wake up call.

I'm hanging in there. admissions here is bullshit, admittedly.

audio. pre-mission—;

[bijective]

Ah, um…Sam. [See? He's learning.] I heard that you have finally come out of stasis. Now, you are under no obligation to respond, however; I am curious to know how you are…adjusting and if...you are well.

[unclesam]

Slugger - hey. Good to hear from you.

[ You give him your little finger on informality, he's gonna take your entire arm, thank you very much. ]

Yeah, looks like I'm no longer catching some extended beauty sleep. Bit groggy, disoriented and uncoordinated, but I've had worse. [ Downplay, downplay, downplay. ] Appreciate the check-in.

text. un: barnes.

[starer]

👍🍑

[Blame Quill]

[unclesam]

👀

Action | Post Vrfesea mission

[spacedisaster]

[ A few days after Newt had been freed from the Precursors and they all had some time to rest properly, Peter approaches Sam's room in the afternoon, carrying a bag with him.  He's been keeping to himself since the mission ended, and staying longer in his room meant that he had time to clean and organize it properly. He found one of the roombas he had requested from Viveca back in Christmas in the back of his closet, which meant he had two now, and that was one too many. Uh, he must have forgot it was there, unused.

Since he meant to check on Sam and ask how the guy was doing, bringing him the cleaning device seemed as good an excuse as any other.  He knocked on the wall, the knock pattern being the 'shave and a haircut' without the two bits ending, and waited. ]

*strolls in late without Starbucks tbh*

[unclesam]

[ Music is playing - not that you'd know it until Sam opens the door. Soundproofing for the win, to be quite honest. Sam looks comfortable though, has clearly been lounging around a bit if the glass of wine on the coffee table is anything to go by in combination with the lazy scratch of vinyl.

There's no trace of Bucky right now other than the usual signs that Sam lives with the guy in here. Quill might notice, however, that there no longer is a sign of the two single beds that used to occupy this room. Instead, there's a double bed. While not a den of coziness like Peter's own room, the room's comfortable and surprisingly tasteful and clean. Clutter is limited, and overall the space seems one Sam feels very comfortable in. The shield is leaning against the wall by the bed, on the same side as the nightstand on which sits what looks like a slightly banged up and much less sleek version of the Redwing drone - that, in fact, is the version Qill might have seen on the battlefield against Thanos. Bucky managed to acquire the parts with Viveca's help. Fixed it purely because he knows it has sentimental value to Sam. ]

Hey man. You stepping it or we stepping out?

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

Sam.

Please take a picture of the card Viveca-san gave you.

video | un: s.wilson

[unclesam]

[ The response comes without any actual input from Sam. Instead, it's a video. Itachi will see a part of this interaction from Sam's point of view - will see that Sam is following someone who is holding the Hare mask in their hand, will see the Wasp masked person with the knives speak and leave, Sam sitting down. Sam deliberately looks down at the card with the revolution symbol - that also comes as a separate snapshot picture sent Itachi's way. Then his eyes track up to the Hare mask, then the face of the person underneath the Hare - Callan.

Itachi will get the part of Callan saying "I'm not gonna pretend I understand anything that's going on, but I want you to tell me who "us" is and where this base is. Then I might be able to answer some questions."

After that, the video cuts off. Sam's trying to signal that he's not currently able to engage in active conversation, although he can obviously receive texts from Itachi and react in small ways - he just isn't going to give away any of that to his immediate surroundings. Itachi, however, can feel free to assume to know that Sam is currently in an unknown location with the Hare and at least one other Fable - and that Sam, apparently, is being forthcoming with the offer of receiving information in return. ]

After Itachi's post; voice

[bindsthedead]

Mr. Wilson- please, please tell me the Fables have the orb, and not the government.

text; un: s.wilson

[unclesam]

[ the reply is tragically brief and curt - she'll forgive him, he hopes. He's still mid conversation, and has to fall back on just flicking a moment's thought her way in response. ]

negative
fables didn't even know

text | un: silent

[callada]

As it seems this is Viveca's home world, please note that I found this photograph in the crew quarters months ago, addressed to her.

If you see any of these people in your dealings with the Fables, it might be helpful for us to know.

And good luck, Sam. Let me know if there's any way I can help out.

[attached: photos of the front and back of an old photo]

text ↪ un: 朱 (just before pt2)

[blackfire]

If you are still able to get messages to Callan, please pass this message to him:

Viveca wishes him to know she is sorry, and that she did not intend to leave him to fight alone.

[farr]

[ one morning on the station, on each orber's door, the following hand-written note (in fancy calligraphy) will be taped:


the orber can choose to attend or simply listen in to the meeting when it occurs, or they may ignore it altogether. ]

text. un: barnes.

[starer]

need you to be free this afternoon

[unclesam]

of course
what's up?

[ yeah, Bucky. Sam agrees without knowing what's up. Do you realize your power yet? ]

text; un: romanoff

[deaddrop]

Figured I'd see a little more of you once we were back on the station and dried out.

Should I ask what's got you all tied up? ;)

[unclesam]

[ Bucky's... on a supply run, so Sam has a break. Mercy, some would say. He knows better. Oh, does he know better. He smirks at the message though. ]

oh, you fishing for something here?
don't quite got my land legs back to working order so I put myself on bed rest. you know how responsible I am about taking care of myself.


[ He's so funny. ]

[farr]

[ yet another flyer ends up on every orber's door, evidently by the same culprit as last time, except now it's a more colorful display:


the back of the flyer features more details about the play and its characters, and soon enough, an announcement from rita herself goes public, giving more context about the event, which all can sign up for. ]

[starer]

[It's the third time that he's woken up that morning. The first time he'd woken up, it'd been to a nightmare. Had been memories resurfacing yet again to remind him of some of the worst moments of his life. But with Sam right there beside him, they hadn't been able to stick with him for long. Not when he'd been able to just curl up around Sam's body and drift back off again with only thoughts of the other man on his mind.

The second had been another familiar moment. Had been those few sleepy moments as Sam had tried to get out of bed to go work out. But unlike most days where he'd just let Sam get up and then claim the warm space left behind, this time, he'd instead just rolled further over. Had sprawled himself across Sam's body, pinning him in place. And then promptly fallen back asleep again.

And the third-

This time, when he wakes back up, it's with a smile on his face. Something that only grows as he eases back to look at Sam. As he's reminded, yet again, of just how lucky he is to be granted moments like this. So while there's a part of him that knows that he should leave Sam to sleep, that the man doesn't get as much rest as he should, there's a bigger part of him that wants to be selfish. That wants to lean in to kiss Sam awake instead. Which is exactly what he does, his hand cupping the side of Sam's face as he brushes his lips against his cheek. His jaw. As he mutters a quiet-]

Happy birthday, sweetheart.

[-before closing the last of the distance to draw him in to a lazy kiss.]

[unclesam]

[ It's not unusual for Bucky to make efforts to keep Sam in bed. It's only after bad nights that Sam absolutely does not humor him. Otherwise, he either yields, or is playful with his mock struggles. More often than not, when Bucky wants to keep Sam, Sam allows himself to be kept. It feels like a small luxury, and indulgence. Maybe he can allow himself to have those, now and then. Maybe to give Bucky the softness the man deserves after everything, Sam can allow himself to share in it, too.

It's rare, still, that Sam drifts back off fully when Bucky keeps him in bed a while longer. Near impossible to fully get him to sleep in even when he stays in bed. Today he slips back under, though. Allows himself to indulge more than usual, just this once. Worth it, when he gets woken up with the soft brush of lips against his cheek, his jaw. That voice, low and close. That pet name that still makes Sam's lips twitch into a small smile as their lips meet, the kiss lazy and slow.

This time last year they'd been undercover, accidentally maneuvered themselves into pretending to be fake newlyweds. Bucky had taken Sam on a 'date' to a nice restaurant for his birthday.

He hadn't imagined it, then. That they'd end up here.

It's not until their lips part that Sam opens his eyes, smile still playing around his lips. Reaches up to cup Bucky's cheek, trace his thumb over stubble. ]

Good morning.

[ And yeah. Yeah, it is a good morning. ]

Voice; UN: Newt

[groupiedrifter]

I need your help with something, and you gotta promise not to laugh at me!