[ It's impossible not to notice the way Bucky flinches, to pick up on what bits do filter through their brood link, but whatever ache it causes in Sam, he lets it go. Stays calm, steady, breathes slow and deep.
He doesn't say you can trust me or I won't hurt you because those are empty promises to someone who's only known the opposite for so long, and Bucky is the only one who should decide either of those things. Bucky wouldn't be sitting like this if he wasn't willing to believe them a little, but it's on Sam to show it - to prove it - not just to say it.
His fingers keep running through Bucky's hair, scratching gently over his scalp before he starts separating strands out for the first braid. ]
You don't gotta be fine, man. Whatever you're feeling, it's okay to feel it. Won't stop unless you tell me to.
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He doesn't say you can trust me or I won't hurt you because those are empty promises to someone who's only known the opposite for so long, and Bucky is the only one who should decide either of those things. Bucky wouldn't be sitting like this if he wasn't willing to believe them a little, but it's on Sam to show it - to prove it - not just to say it.
His fingers keep running through Bucky's hair, scratching gently over his scalp before he starts separating strands out for the first braid. ]
You don't gotta be fine, man. Whatever you're feeling, it's okay to feel it. Won't stop unless you tell me to.