FIVE—THE MOVIE MOMENTS
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A FEW DAYS had passed in silence, the four of us speaking so little that it felt like living in a silent movie. Only when Sam cracked a joke, or Steve would thank me for letting Bucky stay(for about the millionth time, may I add), or on the rare occasion where Bucky would utter a word or two, would I open my mouth to respond. It was not living, it was existing. And I hated every minute of it.

"Do you guys want to, like, watch a movie or something?" I suggested on the third day, when Sam's eyes fluttered shut after almost an hour of trying to look as if he were wide awake. "I've got some good ones, and it'll pass the time," I continued.

Sam shrugged. "Only if we watch The Goonies."

His counterpart, Steve, widened his eyes a little. "What if someone finds us?" he asked, worry ringing clear and true through his voice. "We have to be ready."

"Don't worry, I've got my heeled boots just by the door. If anyone breaks in, I'll just wack 'em with that," I answered simply, but received two confused looks from the men on the couch. I glanced up at the doorway, where Bucky was leaning against the wall, and felt my stomach flutter with the look he was giving me. His lips wore a ghost of a smirk, his eyes displaying a hint of amusement. I shook my head to rid it of the thoughts I felt entering my mind.

"And what'll you do when they come after you with guns, El?" Steve said, having grown accustomed to my nickname. Lots can change in just a few days. "How are you going to fight off a whole army?"

A moment of silence fell to my ears; I was unsure of how to answer that. "Whatever," I rolled my eyes, "I don't know anything about hand-to-hand combat anyway." Turning around, I rummaged through the case of movies I kept against the living room wall and talked over my shoulder. "Do you really fight bad guys with guns? Like, military-grade?"

I grabbed The Goonies and turned back around to face them. Sam had his arms crossed, his eyebrows raised in an are-you-serious-right-now look. "Well, we're not fighting them with swords," he said slowly and deliberately as if he were teaching math to a four-year-old.

"Or bows and arrows." The quiet answer from Bucky barely reached my ears, but when it did, I saw his eyes go wide like he just realized he'd actually spoken aloud and I grinned at his discomfort. It was, if anything, the tiniest bit endearing.

"Okay, well..." Feeling my face redden from Sam's comment, I tightened my grip on the movie and put it in, watching the television light up with bright colors and shapes as the previews began to roll through. I flopped down next to Sam, warming as he extended an arm across my shoulders. It reminded me of how we used to be. Two friends watching movies into the darkness of the night.

Except one of us wanted to be more than friends, my mind pointed out painfully and I pushed the thought out of my head. Now was not the time to dwell on the past.

"Wanna place a bet?" he grinned at Steve and me.

Steve looked confused. "On what?"

"On whether or not I can quote the entire movie," he replied quickly, winking at me.

"That's a pointless bet and you know it, Sammy," I huffed, "you always win."

"After three years?" Steve peered at me. "I'll play. I don't think you'll quote the whole thing."

I rolled my eyes. "You're going to be sorry for making that bet," I warned him, but he only shrugged. I glanced my head back to Bucky, who still hadn't moved from his place against the wall. "Hey, you wanna join the bet?" I asked him. I still hadn't figured out how to talk to him; he didn't talk.

He shook his head in a small, smooth motion. "No thanks," he answered lowly. "I'm good."

Pressing my lips together in a thin smile, I turned back around and closed my eyes. No matter what he says, or how he reacts, he always renders me speechless, I ponder. It's like he's avoiding any kind of relationship. Like he doesn't even want to try to be civil.

I blink furiously to clear my head of the confusing thoughts and rest my head on Sam's shoulder, trying to lose myself in the opening sequence of The Goonies:

It opened up on a jailhouse in the fall of 1985, a guard barking at the inmates that it was time for lunch. As he stalked down the corridor, he saw a man hanging by his neck on the far wall of his cell.

"Well, that's awfully morbid," Steve gave Sam and I a sidelong glance, scrunching his nose in disgust at our smug grins. "Are you sure this is a comedy?"

Sam hushed his friend and gestured back to the screen. "Just watch, Cap--I mean, Steve, uh..." he trailed off, stumbling over his words. "Sorry."

Steve didn't reply but adjusted his position on the couch, the only movement to reveal his discomfort with the comment. And even though I knew it must have been a painful situation to talk about it, I still had the deep desire to know what made Captain America fall from grace.

I probably would have asked him if Sam hadn't started quoting the Fratelli's right about then.

"Come on!" he said in a low, raspy voice just like the woman in the movie. Cackling, I threw my head back, savoring the feeling of normalcy that encased my bones.

"Oh, how I've missed you, Sammy," I sighed, and poked his cheek with my index finger. "I can't believe you still know how to do it."

He shrugged, a satisfied smirk on his face. "My alter ego of Mama Fratelli never leaves me." He grinned at Steve, who was crossing his arms in denial. "You're lucky we didn't put money on the bet, Rogers," he teased, "or you'd be going broke tonight."

Steve rolled his eyes. "That's only one line," he challenged. "Let's see if you can keep it up."

Oh, the masculinity, I shook my head in amusement. Boys really do stay boys, at least in some ways.

As the movie played on, I felt my stomach start to cramp from all the belly laughs that erupted from my throat, Sam's impressions close to spot-on. When Chunk began his sobbing recollection of his entire life in front of the Fratellis, I sensed movement out of the corner of my eye. My breath caught in my throat.

Bucky had moved from the wall, slowly and silently making his way closer to the television. He sat down in a chair, but his posture was too straight to give off the sense that he was comfortable being there. Still, his face was enraptured as he glued his eyes to the screen, watching as the group of Mikey, Mouth, Data, and the others paraded down the tunnels beneath the restaurant, searching for One-Eyed Willy's treasure.

I'd seen this movie about a thousand time before. I forgot how it can act like a drug to the people who watch it for the first time. I hid a grin, trying to ignore the fluttering in my gut. I could imagine what he was feeling. I'd felt it many times.

He was losing himself in the plot, pretending that life around him had stopped and it couldn't harm him, not while he was in the presence of such an adventure. There's something about a good movie that takes you out of time and leaves you hanging in the balance, letting you have just a couple hours to yourself. Not until the credits rolled would he return to reality.

Maybe I was reading into it. Maybe I was just projecting my past experiences on him because of that small glimmer of hope that I thought I saw in his eyes. Maybe I was completely wrong, and he only moved closer because he wanted to hear.

I was staring too long. His eyes drifted away from the TV for a moment, sliding over to land on mine. We held each other's gaze for what feels like hours--though it couldn't have been more than a millisecond--before I ducked my head, my cheeks burning with embarrassment for being caught. When I braved a glance up at him, he hadn't moved his head back to the movie. In fact, it seemed as if he was studying me, his eyes never leaving my face.

Not until Sam cracked the, "Follow them size fives!" line, launching me back into the company of my best friend and Captain America who wasn't Captain America anymore, and their one-armed companion, a ghost from the forties. I squeezed Sam's hand tightly, trying to catch my breath. When I looked back at Bucky, his face was back toward the TV, his jawline more pronounced than before. It was like he was clenching his teeth...in anger?

When the movie ended, I took it out and left the television on, a local news station updating the townspeople on the upcoming festivals, how to get the best deals of the season, and anything that wasn't important.

"Do you guys want--" I was shushed by two panicked men on the couch, eyes wide and sitting up straight on the couch. Bucky's face was downcast. "What?" I whispered, so as to not disturb the news. I took a spot standing behind the couch, my eyes falling on a picture of Sam and Steve. "What are you guys doing on the news?" I asked as if I was going to get an answer.

The newswoman on the screen answered me, the red banner with the words 'BREAKING NEWS' .

"International criminals, Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers, formerly known as Captain America of the Avengers--"

"Come on," Sam whined, crossing his arms, "I was as much a part of the Avengers as he was!"

"Sam," Steve hissed to quiet him down.

"...have confirmed that the two fugitives are currently in the United States--"

"Oh my god," I say, holding a hand over my mouth. "Oh my god."

Steve locked eyes with Sam, a grim expression on his features. They both nodded in resolve.

"We have to go," he said. "Right now."

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hehe this is almost 2,000 words but i got really carried away with the goonies and stuff so...no regrets at all.

also, if you've seen the goonies and you understood all of those lines, i literally love you let's be friends.

published on: april 8, 2018