[ Sam's not wearing his suit, and the shield is currently safe and sound back in his room. And the moment he steps into the armory, he's immensely grateful for that.
There's a moment where he thinks he's back in Gyeongje, that his mind is once again playing tricks on him. He see the broad back and the damaged Captain America uniform, the shields he last saw on Steve in Wakanda - more than 5 years ago for Steve, merely 6 months for Sam. And for a moment Sam just stands there, stares at the man's back and expecting him to turn around and be someone else, or vanish like an apparition. Sam's fingertips feels numb, like he's about to crumble away into ash and dust and nothing once again, and for a moment he can't speak.
He remembers morning jogs and regaining his wings, pool games and safe houses, four years side by side near constantly, remembers throwing his life to the side without a second thought.
He remembers dying, remembers coming back, back to back battles against forces so beyond something a dude with a fancy jetpack should tango with. Remembers living with Steve and Natasha for two years on the run, only to come back from the dead and be told that five years passed, that Natasha is dead. Remembers the floor falling out from under him when Steve didn't appear back on that platform.
Grief has dug deep trenches into Sam Wilson. Six months of mourning his closest friends in the entire world, jostling a legacy he never asked to carry. For a moment, he's not sure what he's meant to feel here - relief, excitement, resentment, grief. Is he supposed to laugh, to cry, to yell?
Sam shifts from one foot to the other, steps far enough into the room that the sliding doors close behind him again. Then he steps to the side a little, eyes on Steve's back. He swallows.
With nothing but a thought, he sends a short 'Steve is here.' to Bucky and Natasha, knowing he has to protect them from running into something emotionally tangled without prior warning. And then...
When you don't know where to start... you start at the beginning. ]
4
There's a moment where he thinks he's back in Gyeongje, that his mind is once again playing tricks on him. He see the broad back and the damaged Captain America uniform, the shields he last saw on Steve in Wakanda - more than 5 years ago for Steve, merely 6 months for Sam. And for a moment Sam just stands there, stares at the man's back and expecting him to turn around and be someone else, or vanish like an apparition. Sam's fingertips feels numb, like he's about to crumble away into ash and dust and nothing once again, and for a moment he can't speak.
He remembers morning jogs and regaining his wings, pool games and safe houses, four years side by side near constantly, remembers throwing his life to the side without a second thought.
He remembers dying, remembers coming back, back to back battles against forces so beyond something a dude with a fancy jetpack should tango with. Remembers living with Steve and Natasha for two years on the run, only to come back from the dead and be told that five years passed, that Natasha is dead. Remembers the floor falling out from under him when Steve didn't appear back on that platform.
Grief has dug deep trenches into Sam Wilson. Six months of mourning his closest friends in the entire world, jostling a legacy he never asked to carry. For a moment, he's not sure what he's meant to feel here - relief, excitement, resentment, grief. Is he supposed to laugh, to cry, to yell?
Sam shifts from one foot to the other, steps far enough into the room that the sliding doors close behind him again. Then he steps to the side a little, eyes on Steve's back. He swallows.
With nothing but a thought, he sends a short 'Steve is here.' to Bucky and Natasha, knowing he has to protect them from running into something emotionally tangled without prior warning. And then...
When you don't know where to start... you start at the beginning. ]
On your left.