Multifandom X Bands Agere Oneshots!

SamBucky - Trying New Things (pt.1)

Sam finds out about age regression and brings it up to Bucky. Bucky is extremely hesitant but lets Sam help him try to regress, and eventually finds himself slipping into little space. They cuddle and watch Octonauts together.

Quote from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/age-regression

Sam was sitting on his couch, falling down a hole of the internet on one of his off days, when he found it. Age regression.

"Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind. This retreat may be only a few years younger than the person's physical age. It could also be much younger, into early childhood or even infancy.

People who practice age regression may begin showing juvenile behaviors like thumb-sucking or whining. Others may refuse to engage in adult conversations and handle issues they're facing.

Age regression is sometimes used in psychology and hypnotherapy. It can also be used as a self-help tool, or something someone does to reduce stress."

His first thought was Bucky. Bucky seemed the farthest thing away from a child, and quite frankly he was, but he also had decades of baggage and trauma that Sam wasnt completely sure he had any way of coping. The man seemed to run on autopilot, and at some point lost his ability to stray away from a fight. It was all he knew how to do, sit and wait for the next fight to come. 'Cause it always came.

Sam had his own issues, but he has copes for those. Methods of stress relief, distractions if he needs. A whole tool box. Buckys, well, his tool box was empty. Maybe this, age regression, could fill that took box and give way for others to be added.
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It had been another week or two before Sam brought it up. After a mission, after debriefings, Sam had invited the super soldier over to his house. Bucky had been wary from the moment he asked, because why on earth would Sam want him in his apartment?

"Why do you need me at your apartment, Sam?" He had asked. Sam just responded with a simple 'because, now shut up and c'mon cyborg.' Bucky had protested, and made it fully clear he didnt want to, but willingly followed.

Bucky sat down on Sams couch, rubbing his knees anxiously as he waited for Sam to speak up.

"Water?" The former Falcon offered. He received a nod from the older, Bucky forcefully relaxing his tense shoulders that seemed to be crawling their way to his ears.

Sam came and sat down next to Bucky, giving him a fair amount of breathing room and space between them, and sat the glass of water on the coffee table ontop of a Captain America coaster. The ones Bucky had gotten Sam as a gift when he took up the shield.

"Can you just like.. Get to the point? Why'd you randomly invite me over, and have that weird look on your face? Is there a whole swat team waiting outside or something? Over that shit that happened on the last mission? I swear to god Cap if you-"

"Bucky, Bucky! Chill. Theres no swat team. Relax." He reassured. He felt a bit bad realizing that Buckys guard had been so far up.

"I do need to talk to you about something, but you gotta be calm for it. Relax." He sighed, plopping down on the couch.

"Youre a wack-job, Samuel." Bucky sighed, sipping the water before slumping in his seat. "Okay, okay, im relaxed. What?"

"So... " He started, taking a deep breath to think about how he should go about this. "Youve got alot of... History. Bad history."

"Yeah i know, i was a brainwashed assassin and i murdered hundreds of people. I dont need a fucking remind-"

"Not! That kind of bad history. I meant more the... Trauma, part." He explained, voice raising to stop Bucky before softening once again.

"Ive got trauma, and i have and had copes to help work through it. Make life easier. Ive got what they call a toolbox. Youre toolbox is well... Empty." Sam cringed at his own words, feeling like an idiot. But he knew this needed to be said, Bucky needed this. If he was willing to try.

"Okay, and? Im doing just fine." He grumbled, stubborn as ever.

"But your not, Buck."

"Dont call me that."

Sam sighed and sipped on his water again. The super soldier rolled his eyes and crossed his arms impatiently over his chest as if to say 'get to the point'.

"I found something. A few weeks ago. I therapy method that might help you." Bucky tensed.

"Im not going to therapy again, Sam. No." His voice was stern, forceful, strained.

"No, no. Im not saying that. I wont make you go back into therapy against your will. Its more of... Self therapy." Bucky sighed.

"Okay? What is it?" He sighed once again as if taking repeated deep breaths to soothe his anxieties or frustrations.