Hello Sergeant (Bucky Barnes)

Help?

Sarah's POV

    Want to go grocery
shopping with us today?

To help or to record
it for the team to
watch later?

    To help of course.

I feel the need for
backup today. I'm
taking both of them
with.

Meet you at the
Whole Foods by
you? I'll have
Clint drop me off.

    Yup, thanx Nat.
I owe you.

I knew Steve's cupboards were completely bare other than a box of cereal and maybe a couple protein bars. We usually ate at my apartment, and he'd either eat at Shield if I was gone or a nearby diner. I'd told him he needed to keep food in his apartment if Bucky was going to be staying with him because I wasn't sure if he would come over on his own if Steve was gone.

Besides, I hadn't taken James to the grocery store yet and I kinda wanted to see what his reaction to modern food prices was. He'd been alarmed enough at the price of the clothes I'd bought for him on our one shopping trip together.

I walked into Steve's apartment and looked around for the men. They were in the living room quietly talking, so I just perched on the table and watched them, eyes wide. Steve had his hand on James' face and their foreheads were touching, eyes focused on each other.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, which was probably for the best. Suddenly, Steve pulled James into a tight hug, kissing his cheek before burying his face in James neck. James held Steve just as tight, one hand fisted in Steve's shirt, the other around his neck, fingers in his short hair.

My cheeks flushed as I watched, but I was unable to tear my eyes away from them. They had no idea how much they gave away about how they really felt about each other with their unguarded body language. I knew that Steve had always loved Bucky, but I hadn't realized that Bucky loved him just as much, and in the same way - as more than just friends.

Seeing them embrace, I knew that they were meant to be together and I thanked God that Bucky was back in Steve's life, hopefully for good this time. This explained why he had mourned Bucky so intensely, leading up to the events that buried him in the Arctic. Bucky was his soulmate from a time when loving each other was taboo.

I felt a little bit envious of James at that very moment, because while Steve felt something for me as well, it was a drop in the ocean compared to what he felt for his Bucky. I silently got off the table and walked back to the door, shutting it firmly like I'd just come in. They both looked up at the noise, arms still around each other as I smiled at them.

"Oh! Do I get a hug, too?"

"Of course, doll," said James, a crooked smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.

Steve, face flushed, held out an arm and I skipped over to them. They pulled me in, sandwiching me between them. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed them each on the cheek before stepping back to end the hug.

"Are you guys ready to go? Nat's meeting us at the store."

"Sure," said Steve, smiling. "Ready Bucky?"

"Let's go. I've never been to wherever it is we're going?" Bucky quirked a brow at me questioningly.

"Nope, not since I've known you," I said with a smile. "Consider it the next lesson."