Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 23 - A Pit Stop

The longer you ride, the easier it is to find yourself pressed entirely up against the back of one James Buchanan Barnes as the two of you zip along neglected mountain pathways. Especially as exhaustion from lack of sleep and the trauma of the fire has you fighting to stay awake - even on the windy and noisy back of the bike.

To try and distract yourself - to stay awake - you watch for patterns in how Barnes is driving. You can tell he's avoiding interstates and heavily populated areas in favor of two-lane roads and single-pump gas stations. He always takes two rights after he takes a left, but he never does that twice in a row. He stays as close as he can to the side of the road, staying beneath tree cover.

And Steve had been right. Barnes is an incredible tracker. Either that, or he's as lost as you are.

After you had shown him Mikolaj's file, he hadn't needed a second look. He took off Southeast and hasn't looked back. But you definitely aren't going in a straight line. Beside not being able to travel on the highways, Barnes has been taking circuitous routes, looking for tales and doubling back. You should have made it at least 500 miles by now, but you'd be surprised if you've made it half that.

Looking out over the fields to your left, the rolling hills in the distance settle nicely against the hazy blue-grey sky. Small wisps of clouds lumber by as tall prairie grasses ripple in the light breeze.

It's calm.

For the first time since leaving the Hold, you might actually feel...safe.

"Hey!"

You jolt awake, arms tightening around Barnes as he shouts over his shoulder. Your grip had slackened. Again.

"What?!" you snap, cheeks burning.

You can feel the bike slow as Barnes starts pulling over to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" you shout, growing irritated as your lack of sleep gnaws at the edges of your patience. "Why are you stopping?"

But Barnes doesn't answer. He coasts gently to a stop and flips the kickstand before sliding off the bike. You follow, ignoring the sharp cut of rocks and dirt beneath your feet. You stay near the back tire as he takes a few steps away into the shady grass and stretches, breathing in deeply and turning to look at you, cocking his head.

"Tired?" he grunts.

"No," you say firmly, crossing your arms. "You're wasting time. We need to get to Mikolaj. Get back on. Let's go."

But Barnes arches a single, unamused brow. "You know if you fall asleep on that thing, you'll fall off, right?" he chides.

You stare at him, deadpan, as he shrugs.

"I'm just makin' sure you know," he says.

You scowl at him and receive a smirk in response. But that smirk quickly fades as he glances at your ears, his eyes resting on the scalded tips that still tingle in a bad way.

"I'll find a place," he says softly. "You should get some rest before we find Nowak."

Your furrowed brow slackens in surprise as you're taken aback, and your gaze narrows in suspicion. Your entire life you've always been, well, feared. Even Gabe to some degree never bothered to dote on you past your adolescence. This blatant show of concern is...disconcerting.

You don't need to be taken care of. You never have.

"What's wrong?"

You glance up to find Barnes standing near the front of the bike, watching you strangely.