Stranger Who Knows All My Secrets [A Marvel FanFic]

Chapter 2: Bloodied Khaki Get-Up

If there were four things Bucky Barnes knew for sure it was that he hated Mondays, despised olives, the world had become an increasingly stranger place, and no matter what anyone tried to tell him, he and Sam Wilson were the worst partners for each other. Sure, not more than a month ago they had taken down some Flag Smashers while Steve was off on the moon doing God knows what but Sam, being the idiot that he was, completely ignored Bucky when he told him to follow his lead on their current mission. Apparently, Sam thought he was the one making decisions for them which led to Sam getting shot, and how they ended up pinned down behind the counter of a food stall in Belize. Just another casual day as heroes, getting into a good old-fashioned standoff with a heavily armed drug cartel and landing on a pile of tamales after ducking for cover.

A lot had happened since that fateful October day when he and millions of other people reappeared after a five-year absence. For one, Bucky had been pardoned for all the crimes he committed while under the control of HYDRA. He moved back to Brooklyn, started going to therapy and he even joined the Avengers... Well, those last two things were actually court-mandated but still, a lot had changed. What hadn't changed was how much he and Sam butted heads. Ever since they met a few years ago, you know... When Bucky was brainwashed and ripped a steering wheel out of Sam's hands while he was driving... Anyway, ever since then, Sam had chosen to be nothing other than a nuisance; making fun of him, pestering him about the things he'd done as The Winter Soldier, kicking the back of his chair.

Steve called it tough love but Bucky called it being a dick and the only thought on Bucky's mind as he wiped the tamales off his clothes was: How upset would Sarah be if I came back without Sam? It wasn't a serious question, he had no doubt Sam's sister would kill him and have her friend Carlos hide Bucky's body somewhere in the swamp, or even take the boat out into the gulf to dump his weighed-down corpse overboard. If only the comms hadn't gone down, maybe then they would have heard Natasha's warning that they had been surrounded, maybe then Sam wouldn't have decided to go right instead of left like Bucky had told him and maybe, just maybe Sam wouldn't have gotten his dumb ass shot. It was a lot of maybe's but Bucky had become accustomed to considering every possible scenario because if he knew them, he could plan for them and if he could plan, then no one would get hurt.

That's why when he went apartment hunting he made sure to get a place on the top floor with the closest roof access. That's why he kept a stash of cash in a backpack by the door, various guns and knives hidden throughout his apartment, and a storage locker stocked full of gear within walking distance to his place. Steve said it was crazy, Bucky called it a contingency plan and his therapist called it PTSD. Was being prepared really that bad? Bucky didn't think so, being prepared would have meant that Sam could have gotten out of this whole ordeal unscathed but as Bucky was learning, not everyone was as fucked in that head as he was. In fact, despite his injury, Sam still had a sense of humor.

"You got to make a break for it man." Sam suggested with a groan, holding his hand to his side to stem the bleeding.

"I am not leaving you." Bucky said, annoyed and crouching down beside him.

"It's good, I swear. It's just a flesh wound." Sam claimed but when he moved his hand from the wound a stream of blood poured out causing Sam's eyebrows to furrow.

"Huh, maybe it's not a flesh wound." Sam said, looking queasy.

Bucky sighed, getting to his feet and carefully peeking over the counter across the open-air marketplace which was now clear of the civilians who had the unfortunate luck of being caught in the crossfire. A single shot, followed by five more sent him dropping back to the ground for safety and Sam repeated, dramatically, that Bucky should go on without him. Live a full life, meet women, and most importantly don't you dare touch my sister or I will come back and haunt your ass. Bucky just echoed his earlier statement, he wasn't leaving without Sam, although he had considered it on several occasions in the past when his stupidity got them in trouble. No one could ever be more annoying or impossible to work with than Sam.