[ Sam may not be able to pull away from the interrogation himself to look for Bellamy, but it's never been in him to be able to leave a friend or ally to an uncertain fate. This is one of the few occasions that he really appreciates the mental link, as he barges in to the Darkling and Ilde's minds.
It’s... unexpected, how concerned Bucky is about leaving Bellamy behind, and yet somehow not at that same time. Sam's been the recipient of Bucky's brand of protectiveness before, when the guy jumped in front of him to take a hit from the spider kid, and he can't help but feel a small surge of warmth. The more glimpses he sees of Bucky coming into himself, the more he likes this stupid guy, damn it.
He stops trying to actually hold a mental conversation with Bucky, instead letting sensations trickle through - fingers laced together and the squeeze of a hand, the steady beat of a heart and slow, deep breaths. He passes on the information he's learned that way, the knowledge that Bellamy is with a friend and one of his broodmates and another member of the Nest are moving in to retrieve them while the others run the mission.
Sam's so caught up in mental communication that it surprises him when he feels Bucky's presence getting closer, and he pulls himself out of his head - and other people's - in time to see Bucky charging on into his room.
He raises his eyebrows, but goes along with it, seeing as Bucky'd humored him before, and clasps Bucky's hand in his.
And then his expression lights up a little as he feels the metal in Bucky's palm. ]
Yeah. Steve and me did. [Bucky does his best to shy away from the warmth already emanating from Sam; there'd been some hiccups in the process of getting the coin. The important part is that he's gotten it to its rightful owner. No need to have feelings or engage in an exhaustive discourse about friendship. (Or how Bucky feels more and more like he's not the Bucky Steve wants or expects.)
Nope. Just exchanging the coin and leaving.
The coin itself has an emblem of an eagle with wings spread wide imposed over a sunburst on one side. On the other, there is some rough-hewn letters etched into the side, mostly unreadable, as if someone took a tool to its surface. Included in the defacement is a word: wings.]
[ There's about to be a whole lot more warmth, sorry Bucky. But this is different than the warmth of companionship that he usually puts out to help keep Bucky anchored, even when it's tinged with amusement or semi-reluctant fondness. This is softer, more tentative, with an edge of confusion like Sam doesn't exactly know what to do with this.
He pulls his walls back up a little to keep more of it from spilling out, both because he could feel Bucky trying to shy away from it and because, well. He doesn't exactly know what to do with this. It's been a while since someone went to this kind of effort for him, and he can't help but run his thumb over the scratched words. ]
Look, Bucky, if you ever want to talk, about anything - or hell, not talk, I'm-
[ Here, he means to say, but he doesn't really know where he was going with that, and they don't have time for him to figure it out, so instead he just curls his fingers around the coin. ] Thanks. [ He clears his throat, ducking his head briefly before looking back up. ] I'll touch base with you while we're out there, all right? We don't exactly got comms but I'm kind of in the habit.
[When that tentative, soft warmth unfurls from Sam's side of the link, Bucky finds himself unable to entirely comprehend it. There's some comfort in knowing he's not alone in his confusion, but he works to deflect the focus from himself. He's never been a skilled orator, but since HYDRA, he's even more out of practice. And he finds himself losing his words in his head.
Instead, he nods, glancing away, so intensely uncomfortable with all of this. The itch to run surges in his veins, but he swallows it down. Not the time.
Bucky himself needs to get back to suiting up before he heads out with the main crew to the memory banks.]
[ Feelings are good for you, Bucky. Just go with it, let yourself enjoy them.
Except no, this time Sam's actually really good with just not talking about this. At least not right now, not until he can get a better handle on this new facet of his and Bucky's relationship, so they won't just echo confusion back and forth across their mental link.
He tucks the coin into one of the pockets of his uniform, reaching out to lightly bump his knuckles against Bucky's good shoulder. It's not good luck, not really, but it's a parting sentiment anyway. ]
[Nope, feelings are the worst and Bucky's not in any mood to feel them with a mission on the horizon. Still, he lingers at the door after the bump, words tangled on his tongue. Between them, the link resonates and Bucky figures there's nothing he needs to say, but he's still learning how to say what he wants instead of parsing responses to the necessaries.
The sense of parting and a strange finality leaves more unease bubbling in Bucky's chest.]
Yeah. [He's not usually one to waste words, but here he is substituting one for any other number of meaningful responses.
no subject
It’s... unexpected, how concerned Bucky is about leaving Bellamy behind, and yet somehow not at that same time. Sam's been the recipient of Bucky's brand of protectiveness before, when the guy jumped in front of him to take a hit from the spider kid, and he can't help but feel a small surge of warmth. The more glimpses he sees of Bucky coming into himself, the more he likes this stupid guy, damn it.
He stops trying to actually hold a mental conversation with Bucky, instead letting sensations trickle through - fingers laced together and the squeeze of a hand, the steady beat of a heart and slow, deep breaths. He passes on the information he's learned that way, the knowledge that Bellamy is with a friend and one of his broodmates and another member of the Nest are moving in to retrieve them while the others run the mission.
Sam's so caught up in mental communication that it surprises him when he feels Bucky's presence getting closer, and he pulls himself out of his head - and other people's - in time to see Bucky charging on into his room.
He raises his eyebrows, but goes along with it, seeing as Bucky'd humored him before, and clasps Bucky's hand in his.
And then his expression lights up a little as he feels the metal in Bucky's palm. ]
You got this for me?
no subject
Nope. Just exchanging the coin and leaving.
The coin itself has an emblem of an eagle with wings spread wide imposed over a sunburst on one side. On the other, there is some rough-hewn letters etched into the side, mostly unreadable, as if someone took a tool to its surface. Included in the defacement is a word: wings.]
no subject
He pulls his walls back up a little to keep more of it from spilling out, both because he could feel Bucky trying to shy away from it and because, well. He doesn't exactly know what to do with this. It's been a while since someone went to this kind of effort for him, and he can't help but run his thumb over the scratched words. ]
Look, Bucky, if you ever want to talk, about anything - or hell, not talk, I'm-
[ Here, he means to say, but he doesn't really know where he was going with that, and they don't have time for him to figure it out, so instead he just curls his fingers around the coin. ] Thanks. [ He clears his throat, ducking his head briefly before looking back up. ] I'll touch base with you while we're out there, all right? We don't exactly got comms but I'm kind of in the habit.
no subject
Instead, he nods, glancing away, so intensely uncomfortable with all of this. The itch to run surges in his veins, but he swallows it down. Not the time.
Bucky himself needs to get back to suiting up before he heads out with the main crew to the memory banks.]
Yeah. Copy that.
no subject
Except no, this time Sam's actually really good with just not talking about this. At least not right now, not until he can get a better handle on this new facet of his and Bucky's relationship, so they won't just echo confusion back and forth across their mental link.
He tucks the coin into one of the pockets of his uniform, reaching out to lightly bump his knuckles against Bucky's good shoulder. It's not good luck, not really, but it's a parting sentiment anyway. ]
See you after.
no subject
The sense of parting and a strange finality leaves more unease bubbling in Bucky's chest.]
Yeah. [He's not usually one to waste words, but here he is substituting one for any other number of meaningful responses.
Time to go.]