Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 45: Preparations

Author's Note: This is from Shannon's POV. Sam and Shannon get to spend some quality time together and roast Bucky in the process. Because that's what friends do.

Shannon bounces out of the apartment to see Sam waiting for her outside of the building. He frowns when he sees her, and she tilts her head.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Where's my favorite cyborg?"

"Oh!" She laughs. "He has therapy and then he's having lunch with Yori. So, you're stuck with me for the afternoon."

"Well, you're much better company," Sam chuckles.

She fights the urge to roll her eyes. She swears these two will never get over whatever stupid rivalry they have going on. She doesn't even really know the origin of it. All Sam told her was that when Bucky the Winter Soldier, he ruined Sam's car by punching a hole in it and crushing it with his – and these are Sam's words – "gigantic thunder thighs and dumbass metal arm." Bucky always tells Shannon that Sam is exaggerating and then the two of them start fighting all over again while Shannon rolls her eyes and pours herself another generous glass of wine and begins to drink it like it's water just to drown out their incessant nattering. They fight like brothers.

"Thanks, Sam," she laughs as they walk toward the train. They're going to pick up party supplies – decorations and alcohol, mostly. She's making fancy cocktails and tiny appetizers – shrimp cocktail, a big charcuterie board, tiny sandwiches, and anything else she thinks up on the fly for the evening.

"How's Bucky handling the whole 'Oh, God! There are going to be people in my house!' thing?"

She grins.

"Not well. He doesn't like visitors much."

"Except me."

"Exactly. He's mostly just worried that he's going to make a bad impression."

"Well, I can see that," Sam replies sarcastically. "He's not the most... pleasant person to be around sometimes."

Shannon doubles over as they stand in front of the train and smacks Sam on the shoulder. He bumps her with his arm playfully. She likes Sam a lot. He's charming and funny, and so easy to talk to. It feels like she's talking to a brother she never had. The moment they started texting, it never felt awkward or weird, or like she didn't know what to say to him. He's always able to keep the conversation going. He's also got a good heart. He wants to look out for Bucky. She appreciates it.

"You really have to cut him some slack. He's 106 years old! He barely knows how the world works anymore. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to adjust to how fast and loud and impersonal everything is now. The other day, he saw a drone flying outside of our apartment and tried to throw his knife at it."

It's Sam's turn to laugh until he's almost in tears.

"I'm surprised he didn't try to shoot it." Sam chuckles as they board the train.

"Oh my God, can you imagine? He was standing on the porch at 7am in his boxers with this throwing knife aimed directly at this thing. I had to convince him that the kid three stories up owns a drone so that he can take pictures for Instagram – which is true, by the way. And then Bucky said, 'what the hell is Instagram?' So, he's... struggling. But he's open to learning things."

"Only sometimes."

"Yeah, well, we can't change him too fast. Besides, I kind of like the fact that he's a grumpy old man who's kind of old-fashioned."