Touch Me I'm Going to Scream // [Stucky]

Bonus Chapter

Stark's tower is one of the most modern constructions there are, not only in New York or the USA, but in the entire world. It's big, it's sleek, it's imposing... Sometimes Sam thinks Stark is trying a little too hard. But you just can't not notice it, not even once you're inside and don't get to see the façade anymore. Open spaces, high ceilings, massive windows... Everything's decorated in such a way that you just know that having a painting hung on that wall and not the opposite one, cost Stark more than Sam's house and car together.

It's opulent, build with top-quality materials, stylishly decorated, with an AI running it... And still, Sam can hear the ruckus on the other side of the closed door. It makes his hand falter when he's about to knock. It's only a murmur that gets through, but he still recognizes the two voices and some of the words being said.

"Buck... get... yes, you..."

"No, I can't!" it's the last thing Sam hears, loud and clear. He almost expects the words to be followed by a slammed door, but it's not the case. The voice is too adult and sober for the scene to remind Sam of a petulant teen with a tantrum.

Sam's hand spasms around his walking cane as he takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. He knocks on the dark wood. A few seconds pass, Sam's eyes glued to his shoes, ears perked up. The doormat has the form of a cat, even though Sam knows there isn't one in the apartment. He frowns down at it, wonders what's happened since he went back to Louisiana. Even if he's kept in touch with Steve, there's a lot that can happen in two months.

The door swings open and Steve's pinched expression is what greets Sam. It only lasts a short moment, rapidly replaced by a bright smile. Before he can realize what's happening, Sam's inside the apartment with Steve's arms around him. It forces a huff of breath out of him but Sam winds his arms around the blond man without a second thought.

His muscles suddenly unwind and it's then, when he almost lets go of his cane, that he realizes how tense he's been for the last few hours. Steve's told him a million times that he's okay, that Barnes is... docile, but he hadn't truly believed him, not until now. Now that he sees Steve and Steve's skin, as pasty white and untouched as ever.

Sam takes a quick look at the apartment over Steve's shoulder, just to make sure everything's all right—at least on the surface.

Nothing broken, Sam tells himself. Not that it actually means anything, it's just a way to calm his nerves. All in vain, of course. A part of him wants to check every room, cupboard, and vent.

Just as Sam and Steve are moving away, Barnes steps out of a room, struggling with a tie around his neck. His expression's a mix of annoyance and weariness, the last one most noticeable in the dark circles under his eyes. Barnes stops in his tracks when he notices Sam. He stares at him as if he expects Sam to do something. Maybe start punching him with his non-existing metal arm until he falls into a coma.

Sam tries to dislodge the thought and feeling pressing on his chest and throat, goading him. He hopes Barnes doesn't come too close—he has no idea what his response will be, if fight or flight. Perhaps freeze, like Barnes' seems to be, hand in hand with a bit of disassociation and numbness. Sam can almost feel it at the edges of his perception.

"Um." Steve shuffles, looking between the two of them. His hand is on Sam's arm, comforting and grounding; but still, he knows Steve wants to go to Barnes. "Sorry, Bucky was actually..."

Steve looks constipated.

"Not supposed to be here when I arrived?"

Barnes blinks and Sam notices him swallow; apart from that, he's still a deer in the headlights. Sam leans more heavily on his cane and Steve notices, this finally getting him out of his funk.