Sebastian Stan Short Stories

Bucky Barnes [10]

"Sight Seeing"

Post CW, non-canon. Minor spoilers possible (as usual)

*

"How long do you give him?" I quietly asked Steve. He adjusted a couple settings on the flight control panel before answering.

"Well, it's been about ten minutes. He should've asked by now," he answered. He looked over his shoulder and craned his neck a bit. "I don't actually see him."

"Should I go find him?" I offered. I made a slight navigation correction and began to unbuckle the harness attached to my seat.

"He's been quiet way too long," Steve noted. He gave me a nod as I left the cockpit, sliding the door back into place after I was gone. The back of the Wakandan jet was built to carry an insurgence team and all their gear, with lines of seats against either wall and a drop down door big enough for a jeep to fit through.

And Bucky was stretched out across nearly five seats, using my duffel bag as a pillow and holding onto one of the anchoring rings against wall with his metal arm.

"Steve," I whispered, knowing he'd be listening through our matching ear pieces. "What's our ETA?"

"We've got another hour before we reach the landing spot, but we're about fifteen minutes out from the red zone," he told me. "What's his status?"

"Asleep," I answered.

"I'm not asleep," Bucky interrupted. He didn't move from his makeshift bed or even open his eyes.

"Never mind," I corrected. I walked the short distance to the wall of the jet and sat down in the seat closest to Bucky's head. He opened his eyes and began stretching his arms across my legs. "Take a nap?"

"There's nothing else to do in here besides ask you and Steve where we're going," he grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest but looked up at me with his baby blues. "And we both know how well that works out."

I tangled my fingers in his hair, lightly brushing at his scalp until he closed his eyes again.

"I know where we're going. You can't distract me," he said, very much distracted.

"Then where are we going?" I challenged. He sat up slowly in the flight seat, stretching once again. My hand fell away from his face, but he quickly grabbed it again.

"Okay, I don't know exactly where we are, but I have some ideas. We've been flying west for over ten hours and at high altitude. We've been dropping in altitude though. We're somewhere over either North or South America with a standard artillery compliment on the plsne but no small arms. Either this is a leisure trip or a mission that only needs brute force," he summarized.

"We definitely have small arms," I told him.

"Well, it's this business or pleasure?"

"I can't tell you," I related for the 27th time in ten hours. I went in to give Bucky a kiss on the cheek when he wasn't paying attention, only to be met by his lips. He pulled me closer, and the kiss began to deepen.

"I knew I should've let you take the wheel," Steve announced. Bucky and I parted hesitantly, him smirking and me blushing.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Bucky asked him. Steve leaned against the door frame, obviously enjoying the fact he had something to taunt Bucky with.

"It's something you said you always wanted to see," Steve hinted. Bucky rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"You people keep acting like I remember all this random stuff," he huffed. "Something I wanted to see that's in the Americas. That's not exactly a small list."

We gave him a few minutes, quietly thinking.

"Oh my God. Are we going to see the Rockettes?" he asked excitedly. I looked at Steve, trying not to laugh. "Wait, are the Rockettes still around? Tell me the Rockettes are still a thing."

"The Rockettes aren't going anywhere," I reassured him.

"But I can't get you into New York, Buck," Steve added.

"Damn."

"Are we in the red zone yet?" I asked Steve. He looked through the doorway, checking the navigation panel.

"Yep. We're still a ways off from the target, but I think we can tell him now," Steve offered.

"Finally," Bucky said triumphantly. "Where are we?"

"Can you take the controls?" Steve asked me. I nodded and reentered the cockpit. I took my seat again and began checking through the usual list of meters and gauges. "Do we still have coms?"

"Coms confirmed," I answered. "Does Bucky get to listen in?"

"Coms confirmed," Bucky repeated. "What is the harness for?"

I switched a spare control panel to a video feed from the cargo bay. Steve was stepping into a safety belt, and Bucky was holding his quizzically.

"Put it on. I don't want you falling out of the hatch," Steve said in my ear. I watched Bucky accept the harness, and the two men clipped themselves onto steel rings near either side of the door.

"So we aren't jumping?" Bucky checked.

"I was personally hoping to land somewhere," I chipped in.

"No we're not jumping," Steve laughed. "Ready to open the door when you are."

"10-4, Rogers," I answered. I cued the cargo door to open and watched it lower. Bucky and Steve stepped out onto the new extended floor, their tethers lengthening behind them. "Watch you step fellas."

I toggled the flight stabilizers a millimeter, gently rocking the jet. Steve and Bucky instantly reached for the segment of roof above them.

"Not funny," Steve chided. He lowered his raised hand slowly but stepped up to the edge of the door. "Come here. You can see it pretty well tonight, as bright as it is."

I looked out of the cockpit windows, silently agreeing with Steve's assessment. The full moon and host of accompanying stars lit up the interior of the jet almost as well as the blue control panels.

"Oh my God," Bucky whispered, starting at the ground thousands of feet below us. I smiled to myself.

It had taken a lot to get just the three of us to this point. Convincing T'Challa we wouldn't get caught. Revamping the jet with stolen SHIELD camouflage. Planning the flight and our escape from Wakanda. T'Challa hadn't actually approved our plan to take Bucky to the Grand Canyon, but with a little help from the rest of the team, we got here.

Bucky turned to Steve, who was watching his reaction instead of the scenery.

"Thank you, Steve. Thank you, for this."

*

Author's Note:

So, two things inspired this one shot: one of my old phone screensavers and some little blip in an article about the best Bucky moments from the Marvel comics. From what I read, Steve visits and camps in the basin of the Grand Canyon and takes a picture of Bucky with him (since it's before Bucky's big reveal). I thought it was a sweet sentiment.