Stucky: My Blood Red Heart

11 - Doubt

Sam paced the room, his hands switching between his pockets and his cuffs at record speed. James sat with his back against the wall on his bed, jaw and fists clenched tight. 

"You're a... You're a..." Sam seemed to be stuck on repeat as his eyes traveled over the room. 

James finally spoke, not daring to look Sam in the eyes. "Why did you look in that drawer in the first place?"

Sam came to a stop suddenly and glanced at James. "Dunno. Thought it would be funny, like porn or something." He resumed walking, ignoring the dirty looks James was sending him. 

"Well, I sure wish you hadn't," James muttered lamely. Sam sat down on the bed in front of him, face full of curiosity dangling over the edge of madness. 

"Can you see yourself in mirrors?"

"Why is that the first motherfucking question you ask?"

Sam shrugged, hand resting on his chin. "Are you super strong?"

"Of course not, I would've beat Stark's ass already."

"Bats, bats, can you turn into a bat?" 

James buried his face in his hands. "Glad to see you're taking this seriously, bud."

"Whatever, do you have fangs at least?" Sam asked with a huff. James nodded uncertainly. 

"I don't know if I should show you or not."

"Why not?"

James hesitated again. He didn't want to tell Sam about what was happening when he saw people with his teeth exposed. His fangs would push a bit out of his gums, and he could smell their scent. It was the weirdest thing, and so far, everyone had been different. Sam was a combination of mint, chai tea, and some kind of chocolate baked good.

"It's just... personal, I guess?" James lied, already knowing that excuse would do shit against Sam. 

To his surprise, Sam just nodded and fell back on the bed. "Shit, dude." James nodded numbly. "I guess I shouldn't tell anyone?" 

"Obviously not."

"Is Nat...?" Sam questioned, a little less intense this time.

"Yeah, our dad was one and her mom was, too. We don't know about mine." 

Sam whistled softly, muttering under his breath. 

James felt pretty guilty for dropping all this on his friend. He had assumed he would have been a laughing stock or even killed if anyone found out, but instead Sam seemed to be on the edge of sanity just knowing his secret. He trusted Sam with his life and knew he wouldn't tell anyone, but just the fact that it was out there stung. If Natasha found out, he was royally screwed. 

He nearly jumped when Sam spoke again. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

James shrugged.

"Oh nah ah, you aren't getting any with that. Did Nat tell you not to? That's the only reason your rebellious ass wouldn't do something." James shrugged again, and Sam threw his hands up in the hair. "Why do I try?"

"I am sorry I didn't tell you before, I just didn't think you guys wanted to know. It was a lot just for me to handle, and I didn't want to dump that on you. You were already helping me with my dumbass romance problems and I didn't want to add more. So, I'm sorry," James blurted out finally. 

"Hey man, we would support you through anything, I hope you know that," Sam said with the first smile of the night. "This whole thing is hella weird for me, but it doesn't change our relationship. Sorry I freaked out, BTW." 

"Nah, that was the correct reaction. Thanks, dude."

"Well, this was fun, but I'm gonna get back to my dorm." Sam rose and slapped James on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow?"

James' face broke into a grin. "Hell yes, man. See you later."

(kinda short, but we got shit done)