Inbox/Voicemail

[fishybusiness]

You've reached Sarah Wilson and Wilson Family Seafood, I'm probably out fixing the boat, or trying to get the boys to school, or packing up the catch for the market or about a thousand other things so I can't pick up the phone right now. So leave me a message and I'll get back to you when I can.

Comments

[freakymagoo]

Sure. [He doesn't always bother with making a full pot when he's in his apartment on his own - actually his daily routine is pretty shockingly terrible if he were to tell her everything so he's wisely keeping quiet for now, just going through the motions of grabbing one of the filters, popping it into the machine, coffee powder in, water topped up, and making sure the pot's aligned before getting anything going.]

Must be crazy around here in the mornings. [With the boys around, he means, in a mad morning rush have everything ready before scrambling out the house.] I couldn't do it, honestly. [He realises she had to. The boys have relied on her for years and she can't simply just not have her shit together, like he can. But that doesn't make parenting any less of a feat.

For the longest time before his life took the several turns that it did, he'd thought this was supposed to be it. The white picket fence dream with the missus and the kids and all that. Now he's kind of glad he hasn't had to inflict himself on any kids.]

I've got it. [Oh, man, biscuits and sausage gravy? He can't hide that little smile on his face as he pulls the milk and breakfast sausage from the fridge and starts prepping them to be fried, hunting around for some pepper but taking his time not-as-discreetly-as-he-would-like exploring her various kitchen cupboards. He appreciates that she trusts him not to ruin this time-tested tradition and luckily there's no nosy neighbours around not-appreciating the shirtless guy rummaging around her kitchen.]

Do the boys help you out around here much, now that they're a little older?

[fishybusiness]

It can be.[ She smiled and nodded, lots of memories of mornings getting the boys up for school dressed and fed, and sent off to school with extras for some kids who didn't have enough. but that wasn't a bad thing, it was part of the life they'd made with each other. She had two wonderful, thoughtful boys that she was so proud of them. She found new things to admire and respect about her boys every day and she wanted them to have everything in the world. ]I think you could, you've been great around them.

[ Oh don't think she hasn't noticed Bucky and her boys interacting, it was the first thing she paid attention to. When Sam said he was working with the former Winter Soldier she'd been afraid for him. When he brought him home, well she had to have her concerns. Sarah loved her boys more than anything, Cass and A.J. were her whole world, possibly more than was entirely healthy but it was how she got through loss after loss.

Her social life had suffered but her boys never lacked for a parent and she did her best to be both father and mother to them. In the end being a mom and having her family had meant more to her than dating, though last night (and this morning) had reminded her of all kinds of reasons to maybe reconsider that a bit.

She liked that smile, a lot. She liked him in her kitchen in just a towel still looking a little damp from a shower and very thoroughly sexed up. She couldn't help but grin as she worked the dough out for the biscuits, kneading it a little but not so much that they would be flat and dense. The key to biscuits was light and layered. Never overwork a good dough. He's free to look, lord knows that the boys had probably put things in there that didn't belong like action figures and text books from school. But she lived a pretty open life for the most part.

There might be a drawer in her nightstand that was shocking but aside from that she had a pretty simple life really. In as far as there was nothing that strange. ]

They have since they were little, it was just me and them for, well for most of it. Mom and Dad died before Sam enlisted, and me and the boys were on our own after their father passed. A.J. was almost two, so I've needed them to feel like they were part of all this just so we could keep it together.

[freakymagoo]

Yeah, well, you put in all the hard work already. I just have to show up and they... are the only two people in the country who think I'm cool. [He laughs at himself at that. He's usually enough on the socially awkward side when he does venture out of his comfortable bubble of solitude that he gets chided for it. Still, having two kids that look up to him is enough to get him to want to strive to do better - or at least, keep trying to be in a better place today than he was yesterday.

There's no rules or recipe or anything that he's following, he's just winging it when it comes to putting the pan on the stove, getting the sausage mince in there with a melting glob of butter, and rolling them around to brown. In hindsight it was probably a good idea to put at least a shirt on in case of any oil splatters or, you know, burning the house down and having to leave in a hurry, but he barely flinches when he does get splashed on a little bit a couple times, and she's around to prevent the house from burning down so there shouldn't be any worries there.]

Is that why Sam's so attached to that boat? [He's watching her work the dough, sure, but mostly he's just watching her. It's been so long since he had anything resembling a family life like this, he finds himself unconsciously taking up some interest in the push-pull in their relationship, all the things in life that people usually worry about that isn't some intergalactic fight or world-ending magic.]

I get it. I'm not-- taking sides. I just... you know. This is your life. You have to do what you have to do. [If they could all make sentimental decisions, he's not sure that either of them would be here right now. Sometimes it is the right time to make a sentimental decision, but it's not a privilege they often have.]

[fishybusiness]

I don't know, I think you're kinda cool. [ Sarah grinned at him. ] Kinda cute too.

[ She looked over how he was browning the sausage and nodded readily to start cutting out biscuits when she patted the dough out. Having done this enough times that she used neither a rolling pin nor a special cutter. She patted it flat and even thick enough for a good height and grabbed a glass to twist into the dough and get her rounds. She did it until she had used up all the dough and plopped them on a baking sheet. ]

[ She scooted shirtless Bucky away from the danger of popping grease while she put the biscuits in the preheated stove and set about removing the sausage to add flour, butter, and a touch of milk to work up a gravy. Her hands moved on automatic adding salt, pepper, spices and stirring to keep the mix from scalding or burning. That was the real secret to any roux, jus or sauce base, just keep stirring. ]

The boat is, well we kinda grew up on it, me and Sam. Birthdays, holidays, after school, all summer long. If we were home we were out there. It's almost a part of the family. [ She changed to counterclockwise stir for a minute. ] Mom and Dad put everything they had into that boat and it was a big part of the community back then. We shared with everyone and I guess it felt like a connection. How some things are your past and no matter how hard that might be sometimes you just can't let go of it.

I tried to sell it, but in the end I couldn't either.

[freakymagoo]

Oh. [He ducks his head and flashes a small smile at the floorboards before redirecting his attention back to the frying pan.] That's kind of you. Thanks. [He's probably pushing the sausage around the pan a bit too much. He's not sure. Browning the meat might involve leaving it alone for a little while so it has the time to actually sear a bit, but he keeps checking compulsively.]

I get it. Some things you need to leave behind, move on. The world's changed and-- [Bucky's shoulders rise a bit before he shrugs.] we can't go back to how things were, for better or worse. But some things you need to hold on to. I mean, I get it on a logical level, but... [The tip of his tongue flicks out between his lips and he breathes out a quiet sigh through his nose.] Emotions get into it.

[Memories are important to him. Important to everyone, sure, but he's lost quite a few already. He so desperately wants to hold onto what's left, knowing full well that the world he had known and the people that were in it are gone now, and he needs to keep moving. But he needs these anchors, these cornerstones to keep him tethered and grounded while he works slowly on building his new life in this new world, or he'll just-- drift, and not know where he's going, what he's doing, if he's even headed in the right direction.]

Since you're keeping it, maybe the boys can be convinced into getting off the video games and getting out there sometime. Make new memories. [Easier said than done, he knows, but if he thought he'd help any, he'd try nudging them out there too.]

[fishybusiness]

Kind of me? Did you miss what happened back there? [ She gestured up toward the upstairs and the general bedroom and shower area. ] Because I thought that would have been a clue enough that even you'd pick up on it.

[ Her sarcasm would feel familiar, she and Sam had a similar sense of humor when they were making a point. She sighed deeply and nodded. ] Emotions get into everything when all you have left of family is a thing then that thing becomes family. That boat connects me to my folks and to some of the best times of my life. I thought I could sell it but I know now I can't, I never will.

And it's taught the boys plenty, they've learned a lot about work and how important it is to make good choices and not necessarily just easy choices. Sometimes you can do everything right and have a bad day out there, and that's life. You're best sometimes doesn't matter because it doesn't and you have to find a way to be ok with that and get up the next day and do it all over again. [ Which was maybe way more philosophy than had ever been applied openly to it when she was kid but she could appreciate the truth of it now. ]

But if you're offering to make new memories I can pretty much guarantee all three of us would be happy to see it. That goes for you too you know. [ Sarah leaned over and kissed just below his ear. A quick peck but it was an open display of affection in a smooth motion that just seemed completely natural. ]

[freakymagoo]

[It's a testament to how far he's come that he doesn't shrink away instinctively, that his face even lights up a bit when she shows him a kind of affection, a comfortable intimacy he isn't used to receiving, even if he still feels like he's taking baby steps.]

I've... never thought of fishing that way. But you're right. [It's a kind of work that involves patience, luck, and a lot of life lessons along the way. He's a city boy through and through and he never really had that with his family, sketchy as his memories are of such a long time ago.] If you've done all you can, you've done all you can. It's always enough, even if the day doesn't choose to meet you halfway.

For what it's worth though, I've-- had a really good day. [He flashes her a small smile, and moves out of her way so she can finish with the sausage while he eyeballs the biscuits.] Well, night and morning, at least. [He should probably pop back upstairs and find his clothes soon, but he'll finish helping out in the kitchen first. And by 'helping' he means mostly not getting in her way.] You're going to have to kick me out at this rate. Although hopefully I'll be dressed before then.

[fishybusiness]

[ How it was that he fought in multiple wars, did what he'd done for a living, had seen more than she ever hoped to see, worked with gods and wizards and who all knew what and a kiss like that made him smile like a schoolboy. Sarah couldn't help but be charmed by that, there was still something in him that was so vulnerable and human. ]

Some days are just bad, it happens. But you can't let it make you give up on tomorrow or the next day. You learn you do the best to make your chances as good as they can be, and you go back out there. You just don't quit. [ That might sound like someone else he knew, someone who would have probably agreed with her philosophy even if he had come to it from a very different direction. ]

I haven't had, it's been a while since I've wanted to share anything with anyone and it was well worth every minute of it.[ She wasn't even sure how to phrase what they had but she knew she liked it and she'd like to have more of it. Not the sex, well not just the sex but it was amazing, but this closeness, companionship. Having him around made things feel lighter. ]

You in a hurry to get dressed? Cause I'm enjoying the view. [ She grinned and made a point to give him a slow once over while biting her lip. Somehow she managed to keep the gravy stirred while her attention was on him. ]

[freakymagoo]

[There's been plenty of times he's wanted to just give up. It'd certainly be a lot easier, for him and for everyone else involved, he thinks. But he's been finding more and more reasons not to, through others' efforts as well as his own, and it is a testament to her strength that she can run her show and lift stubborn old boulders like him up as well while she's at it.

He's quiet for a while, mulling over her words of wisdom, staying out of her way trying to do some washing when she's done with certain dishes and keeping the space tidy, but she does get a quiet snort and a snicker out of him. He's not so sure about the view himself, a little self-conscious about things she would find silly, but as long as she's appreciating it, he can put the self-depreciation on hold for the morning.]

I guess not. [He can stay in his towel casual for a while longer. It's been a while since he's been able to unwind like this in someone else's house. Maybe just Steve's, when he was still around, but even then Bucky never stopped by that often. These days it's only with precious few people like either of the Wilsons that he can just hang around, maybe crack open a beer depending on the time of day and whether they're dealing with some kind of imminent world-ending catastrophe, talk frankly and casually about anything that came to mind.

He doesn't know, if it's just. One disaster after another, not getting much of a breather in between, or it's him personally. It's been hard getting close to people the way he has here and frankly he hasn't really wanted to, erring to the solitary life he's become intimately acquainted with. This is different for him, in a way that doesn't come with too many teething pains, and he's so comfortable here that he's worried he might have let his guard down too much too fast.]

Is almost-nakedness allowed at the dining table? [His whole apartment is clothing-optional, but he would hate to make the same assumption here.]

[fishybusiness]

[ She could correct him about the pleasantness of the view in a dozen ways but some things were just easier to prove with action than words, and the look she gave him was not at all subtle. Those dark eyes sized him up like he was the most delicious thing to ever exist in her kitchen.

Sarah bit her lip and shook her head before she turned back to take the gravy off the heat now that it had simmered down thick and flavorful. She gestured to the trivet on the counter. ] Put that on the table?

[ As soon as he did she brought the pan with gravy over and gave it a last stir. ] Oh, and the biscuits smell about done, can you take those out?

[ A round of coffee was called for and she put that on and set the cups nearby. A hot, homemade breakfast was almost ready to go and she trusted him to serve himself once everything was out. All I ask is that you put some clothes on before the boys get back. Which wasn't for another couple of hours from the last text she'd gotten from them. ]