1 | Almost Happy ▷ Sam Wilson | ✓

21 - TALKING IS HARD

"ALL I'M SAYING IS, IF YOU SCREW UP WITH RHETT, I WANT HIM, WHAT'S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?"

Sam's laugh resounded through Steve's small one room apartment, the blond groaning and shaking his head as he sat at the small dinner table, Sam sprawled out on the small bed pressed up against the wall.

"I didn't know you were into men," Steve said casually, leaning back into his seat.

Sam blinked. "We went to the pride rallies together, I waved that pan flag like it was the only thing keeping me alive, and you thought I was straight? What kind of a friend are you?"

The blond laughed at that, shaking his head and looking up towards the ceiling. "It's good to have you back, Sam."

The older man paused at that, a feeling of guilt blooming in his chest. Ever since Tony had given them the green light to come out of hiding, helping them move back home, he had been in Harlem for as long as Steve had been in Brooklyn, but he had avoided the man at all costs, going so far as to pretend he had moved back to D.C. It was safer that way, at least at the beginning, but it hadn't sat well with him that he had to.

"Yeah, well," he said, trying to play it off, "I missed you too, man. The time off's been good, though. Didn't have to play therapist all the time, and you got someone new for that."

That had been the wrong thing to say, and he knew it the moment the words left his mouth.

"Sam, if I made you feel like all you were to me was an ear, I didn't mean that—" the blond said, looking utterly horrified with himself.

"It was a joke," Sam said, though he wasn't entirely truthful, "Steve. C'mon."

As disbelieving and utterly stubborn as Steve was, he let it go; after what they had been through, it would do the man some good to be a little less stubborn.

"You should try talking to Nicky," the blond said, after a tense silence.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We do talk, I just texted him last night."

"No, I mean...talk," the younger man tried, motioning with his hands, and the older man just laughed.

"I can't tell if you're saying I should buddy up to him or if I should start going to therapy," Sam said, and while he was smiling, his voice wasn't.

Steve shrugged. "It could be good for you."

Sam sighed and leaned back onto the covers, groaning softly. "I can't understand that guy, I think I get his deal, then I realize I don't know him at all."

"It's hard to know someone when you don't talk," Steve pointed out and Sam rolled his eyes, fishing his phone out of his pocket, pulling his texts with Nicky and handing it over.

Steve scrolled through for a few moments, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "You just send pictures of gnomes and birds back and forth, is this how people flirt nowadays?"

"Go back to the 40's," Sam scoffed, grabbing the phone, "The guy's really flustered all the time, huh?"

Steve paused for a moment, just looking at him. Then he nodded, leaning back in his seat. "Yeah. But he thinks highly of you, Sam, you should try to talk to him more, both as friends and maybe go to a session or two."