I go where you go
Sam was looking at his phone with a furrowed brow, Bucky didn't know what he was so focused on, but it clearly bothered his friend.
"What's going on, Sam?" he asked, sitting next to him on the couch and handing him a cup of coffee, which Sam accepted.
"Just an article. Full of nonsense, doesn't matter," Sam replied.
Bucky tensed up. Since Sam had taken on the mantle of Captain America, as he always should have, many people were unhappy with the idea, complaining that someone like him "doesn't represent us." as if Steve, being a blond blue-eyed super-soldier, had represented the whole world when he was basically the opposite because how many American citizens were also super-soldiers? The problem, Bucky knew it, was the color of Sam's skin, and that made him so angry and infuriated.
One would expect things to have improved since the 1940s. Actually, it was, but, despite progress since the '40s, he found it disappointing that things like racism machismo or homophobia still existed.
Trying to keep his voice calm despite his anger, knowing it was this kind of prejudice that almost kept Sam from becoming Captain America, Bucky said,
"I won't tell you what to do, but I don't think you should read those articles. Who cares what a racist idiot says?" To his surprise, Sam looked away, indicating that wasn't the issue.
"Not racism this time? Then what...?"
"It's not about me."
"Who is it about?" But before Sam could answer, Bucky knew, "It's about me, isn't it?"
Sam nodded.
"Let me see it," Bucky asked, and Sam handed him the phone reluctantly.
As Bucky read with trepidation, the article wasn't as bad as he expected. He thought they might focus on his past with Hydra, questioning how someone who had committed such crimes should walk freely. Instead, it painted him as someone inferior , always in the shadow of Captain America, whoever it was, And always following him like a lapdog. Curiously, that last part was the one that bothered Bucky; He had never followed Captain America, at least not the figure.
He had followed and would have followed to the end of the world to Steve, his best friend, his brother, the sickly, skinny boy from Brooklyn, even when a super serum turned him into pure muscle, but to him he was still Steve, not Captain America.
As for Sam... Well, he didn't really know how to explain it because he didn't have the history with him that he had with Steve, they hadn't been friends for years and they didn't share a past, but he had also followed him before he was Captain America.
Of course, he was there the night Sam had finally taken up the mantle and had been there ever since, but he had followed him Delacroix, he had gone to bring him the suit when he could have simply told the Wakandans to give it to Sam instead of him, he had followed him to investigate Germany, despite Sam's refusal, he'd followed him in Tony Stark's funeral and stayed with Sam and Wanda instead of Steve, he'd also stayed with Sam when they were in Wakanda instead of going inside with the rest, he'd followed Sam during the battle at Leipzig-Halle Airport, heck he'd even followed Sam when Sharon returned their confiscated belongings, which is why he had ended up sitting in a car behind Sam, instead of Steve, when it would have been much better to sit behind Steve, at least he would have moved his seat, not like the asshole of Sam so, even if there was no logical explanation for it, he didn't follow Sam because he was Captain America, he followed him simply because he was Sam.
Sam interpreted Bucky's reflective silence in the worst possible way, as he believed Bucky had been bothered by what he had read
"None of that crap is true. You're a hero, Bucky, a great one. You're not inferior or anything like that. You're important and needed, you always have been," Sam reassured.
Bucky smiled at Sam's words. It felt nice to hear something like that
"Thanks, Sam. But I don't care about what the article says. I'm happy you have the shield, happy to work with you, and we're coworkers," he said with a smirk emphasizing the last word. "I go where you go. It's my choice, and I'm happy with it."
"Thanks, man," Sam smiled, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder.
There would always be critics, but in those moments, being together at home, they couldn't care less.