Final Lap - Sambucky AU

53

Sam was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast with his family. Darlene was ranting about how she wants more grandchildren which Sarah followed saying it was hard to do with a dead husband.

The boys were arguing over who had more orange juice in their cups, and his father was reading the paper on his phone.

Sam sat there just eating his food. It was nice having a morning at the hotel. Then Sarah tried to get him into the conversation with their mother.

"Sam... tell our mother I'm not getting married again." Sarah said with a smile of an older sister saying back me up here.

Sam chuckled and looked at them. "She is not going to get Marr-" as he said that his phone vibrated. He saw an article that was sent to him by Carol.

Marvel: this can't be good...

Sam pressed the article and saw it was about Bucky. It was addressing a rumor about us sexuality that was now spreading like wild fire.

This wasn't good. As Sam was about to call, Bucky opened the door of the hotel room and walked in. "Oh... good morning everyone!" He said as he walked in casually. Sam watched him slightly confused.

Bucky looked at him. "You alright sam?"

"I could ask you the same, Barnes." Sam said looking at him. He purposefully left his phone facing up. Bucky saw the article and sighed slightly.

"I'm okay."

Darlene noticed the conversation. It was weird to her. She went onto her phone and googled Buckys name.

That's why... she thought to herself.

Bucky just sat down next to Sam and engaged in conversation with everyone. Sam eyed Bucky as he turned his phone off, but didn't say anything.

Breakfast continued. Sam just let Bucky do his thing. Darlene then got up and went over to the kitchen and started to load the dishwasher. Bucky got up and dismissed himself to his room.

He went in and sat on the bed and held his head. He was so stressed... and he didn't want it to show to Sam. As he was sinking deeper into that hole, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in..." he said as he organized himself and took a deep breath and tried to be as collected as possible.

He turned and saw Darlene. "You okay?" She asked. Bucky wasn't expecting to see her.

"Oh... I'm okay. Thank you for breakfast." He said. She nodded as she leaned against the wall. He knew she knew. He sighed and held his head.

She took that as a sign to take a seat next to him. She sat next to him and then glanced at him. "You okay kid?" She said calmly.

Bucky just chuckled at that. "Ever since I got back I haven't been okay." He said tiredly.

"How come?" She asked him. He thought about it.

"It feels like everyone is attacking from all sides." Bucky said as he started to tear up. Darlene just wrapped and arm around him and just listened.

"My crash, Sam's crash, the drama on the paddocks now this!" Bucky just covered his face.

Darlene knew how he felt. Sam dealt with the same thing with the world listened to him come out. Sam won and brought the pride flag with him onto the podium. Most people liked it... but a lot of people didn't want to see a black gay racer on the podium.

There would be saying that having a gay and black racer was too much for the F1 world and community.

It initially beat Sam down, but over time he didn't care cause he knew what he was there to do, and he was doing it.

"I know it's hard..." Darlene said. "But... I watched my son go through the same thing. Before and after he came out to the world." She said as she rubbed his back.

He looked at her slightly.

"Sam was called horrendous names, terrible things written about him, etc. but, my son had a mission." She said as she looked at Bucky.

"A mission?" Bucky asked.

"A mission... for every lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex and asexual person who wants to be a racer, knows, they have someone they can trust in F1. A role model who will fight for them... someone for them to be the light on this journey." She said as she teared up. She was so proud of her son.

"And now, Carols here. On his team. The first lesbian F1 racer, and first female to make the podium ever." Darlene said with a soft smile. Bucky looked back down at her hands.

"One day, you will be doing the same thing for those kids, and they're going to know that they'll have 3 role models. 3 people who will protect them when they arrive." Darlene said.

"Let those people talk... they don't know you, they don't know your story, and they don't know the details that you know. Okay?" She said as she knelt down in front of him and held his shoulders.

Bucky nodded slightly. "Be proud of you. You're going to be the world champion again, don't let this get you down. They can't make you come out, you come out on your own terms. YOU get to own the moment. Okay?"  Darlene said seriously.

Bucky teared up and just hugged her. She hugged him tight with no hesitation.

"And you got a family right here who will be supporting you till the end of the line." She said as she hugged him.

Bucky nodded slightly.

"Thank you..." he said just wondering how different his life would've been if he had a mother like her, and a family like this from the beginning.

"Good..." she pulled from the hug and looked at him.

"Now. Come eat some food, relax, and come spend some time with your family. Okay?" She said as she stood up and ruffled his hair.

He looked at her as she left, and smiled to himself.

"Okay."