Sam Wilson stuck out his neck for Bucky Barnes once before. When he's asked to do it again, he has to figure out why he does what he does for Bucky.
Bucky dives into the world of online dating. The girls are nice, but there seems to be something missing. When he goes to Louisiana to meet Sam and his family, he realizes what that something was.
When Bucky enters Westview to try to help Wanda Maximoff, he is confronted with something he never expected- Steve Rogers, back from the dead and ready to start a life with Bucky in Westview. It's everything that Bucky ever wanted, everything that Steve abandoned when he went back in time to live his life with Peggy Carter. But Bucky and Sam have been involved for months, and Sam is waiting for Bucky outside of the Hex. Bucky has to make a choice- the life he always wanted with Steve, or a new start with Sam?
Sam and Bucky don’t get along. Sam annoys the hell out of Bucky, and Bucky drives Sam up the wall. But Sam is the only person who understands Bucky, now that Steve is gone, so they live together. They've established a routine- arguing, missions, and watching baking shows. Bucky likes routine. That routine is broken when Sam goes out with an old... friend... from the VA.
Bucky should be thrilled that Sam is annoying someone else for a change. So why does he feel so jealous?
Touch is a complicated thing for Bucky. Sam is always touching him, whether its in the heat of battle or to offer comfort. Bucky can't puzzle it out, but he finds that he doesn't mind it. More than that, he seems to crave it. When he comes to this realization, he has to take stock of his feelings towards touch- and his feelings towards Sam.
Sam Wilson flies during the day, but at night, he falls. You’d have to be a fool, he thinks, to get in the air without fear of the drop beneath you. That fear keeps you sharp, keeps you smart, as long as you don’t let it overtake you. And Sam Wilson has more reason to fear falling than most.
Sam and Bucky both face their grief after the events of Endgame, and in the process, discover that all of their bickering might just be a cover for their true feelings. Set before Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
"Sure, Sam was a flirt- he was charming and charismatic, and flirting seemed to come as easily as breathing. He flirted with the girl at the coffee shop, grinning at her until she blushed beet red. He flirted with fans who saw him on the street, flirted with the people he was fighting in missions if they had banter. He even flirted with Bucky on occasion. But there was never any intent behind the words."
Sam and Bucky are roommates, a situation born of convenience while Sam adjusts to being Captain America. When Sam starts dating, Bucky feels weird about it, and he doesn't know why- until he realizes he might just want Sam all to himself.
Bucky had resigned himself to a life without a soulmate. After Steve, he didn’t really want another one. Even though Steve had moved on with Peggy, Bucky didn’t see himself doing the same.
After all, if the damage done by Hydra had been enough to scare off Steve, make their soulmarks fade, how the hell was someone else supposed to accept him? Who would even want to?
The universe seemed to think Sam might want to. Bucky disagreed. He and Sam tolerated each other. Sam was funny, sure, loyal, definitely, attractive, no doubt. But none of that screamed soulmate... right?