Relapse ★ Bucky Barnes

All I Need Is You

Tony exchanged a look with Steve, while Sam just sat there and watched the expressions on Bucky's face shift from that of anger to annoyance to sadness and then to defeat. Sam had a sense of just how broken Marlena was without Bucky; he had experienced it firsthand when he left back in April. It was the reason he refused to argue against Bucky's claim. He knew how much she needed him, just as he knew how much Bucky needed her. He cared for the couple more than he cared to admit, and he wanted nothing more than for them to remain together. They belonged with each other; they didn't belong away from each other, separated at opposite ends of the Earth.

"Buck," Steve started.

Sam shook his head and stood up, more than ready to make his argument. "Okay, listen here. Sure, Bucky is a little fucked up in the mind, but is that really his fault? No, it's Hydra's."

"Thanks, pal," Bucky muttered.

"Shut up for a second," Sam reprimanded him, turning to look at Steve and Tony. "As I was saying, Bucky's a pretty screwed up and broken person, but I need both of you to tell me a time in which you didn't see that broken and screwed up Bucky Barnes. C'mon, spit it out or I'll have to do it, and then I'm gonna have to force ten dollars out of both of you."

Tony raised a brow at his words, but decided to answer anyway. "There was that time at one of my cleverly-themed parties when he was dancing with Marlena and he seemed kind of. . .y'know, like a decent, happy man I would consider befriending."

"All I can think of is when we got Marlena back from the Hydra base in Russia," Steve breathed out. "I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw her."

Sam clapped his hands together. "And what do both of those instances involve? Anyone care to guess? I'll give you extra brownie points."

"Marlena," Steve answered.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" Sam exclaimed. "Yes, both do indeed involve our beloved little Marlena Claire-the girl who is a light in everyone else's life, but the darkness in her own."

Bucky sighed and placed a hand over his face, unable to find the words to respond with.

Tony looked at Sam, however, his expression estranged. "What does that mean?"

"Marlena is the darkness in her life, just as Bucky is the darkness in his," Sam started. "Together, however, they shine like a million suns. They may be the dark in their own lives, but they are the light in each other's, and if anyone has anything to say about that they can talk to Redwing and myself."

Bucky looked up at him. "I appreciate you."

Sam merely smirked at him and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, as we all know, Bucky is also a complete idiot. He made the original decision to go into cryo because he was afraid he would hurt Marlena and anyone else around her. But let's be honest here-that girl is one of the most powerful people on the planet. The Winter Soldier is not and never will be considered a threat to Marlena Claire, unless she's, y'know, drugged on suppressors. Other than that, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself, just as she's perfectly capable of taking care of him. He doesn't need a group of Wakandans scientists and doctors figuring out and fixing whatever the hell is wrong with his head when Marlena is more than capable of doing it herself. I can assure you Wanda would assist her in doing so, too. That's just what weird telepathic, mentally manipulative sisters do when they care about someone so much."

"I'm beginning to see where you're coming from, Wilson," Tony said.

Steve scratched the back of his head. "I just-how would we get T'Challa to okay this, though?"