Where Are We...?

Chapter Four

-James "Bucky" Barnes-

Bucky woke up again off of the ground. He was being carried.

He was being carried.

He struggled to get out of the person's arms. He dropped to the dirt, then stared up at whoever it was that was carrying him.

Another naked man. Great.

"Woah, calm down," a gentle hand touched his arm. He looked up and saw a thankfully clothed alien lady.

He jerked away. His breathing was already speeding up. Calm down, calm down...

"Hey, Mr. Barnes?" A familiar kid's voice said. "We're here to help you."

He looked over. The kid had brown hair, and he looked familiar.

"Are you-are you that kid that Tony likes? Peter?" Bucky mumbled.

"Yeah, that's me," Peter said. "Wait, he said he liked me? I thought he hated me!"

"Peter, not the time," Quill said. He helped Bucky back up. "We're going to get clothes."

"Good. I'm done with seeing naked bodies."

—

They arrived at an abandoned town around an hour later.

"The house over there. You can change and sleep there," Mantis mumbles in her wispy voice.

Bucky follows Quill and Peter to the house, where Peter pretty much collapses on the creaky bed.

"Peter, stay awake for a few minutes," Bucky mumbled, grabbing the clothes piled on the dresser. "Please, at least put some clothes on."

Peter groaned and got up, and everyone silently changes, the only sounds being their clothes rustling.

"These are way too big on me," Peter whined. The sweatpants he'd put on dragged under his feet, and the shirt that was supposed to just be a long sleeve extended past his fingertips by a half a foot.

Bucky swung his empty left sleeve at Peter. "Quit whining."

After Quill helped Bucky tie his sleeves closed, they all gathered on the bed.

"Good night, you guys," Peter mumbled, quickly beginning to snore.

Quill didn't hesitate to follow, but Bucky just couldn't sleep.

He shifted off of the bed and went outside. He stared at the sky.

He wondered which star is the Sun up there. He leaned up against the step and started to talk.

"Hey, Steve? Wherever you are up there, I want to let you know that I'm safe," Bucky whispered. "I'm trying to get home, and when I do, I'm gonna kiss you on your perfect lips, you hear me?

"I know you were never one for PDA, but this isn't the 1900s anymore. We're in the 21st century, we can kiss whoever we want to, and I really, really want to kiss you right now."

Bucky wipes his face off. He wasn't supposed to be crying. It was something he'd promised Steve a long time ago, he promised that he wouldn't cry if he lost him, just work to find him again.

"I'll keep my promise, Steve. I promise."

"What promise?" Mantis said.

Bucky jumped and hit his head on the rail. He winced and stared at her. "How long have you been here?!"

"The whole time," she smiled. "Don't worry, I won't share your secret."

"Somehow I don't trust you." Bucky mumbled.

"Why are you up? You are very tired."

He wiped his face again. "I can't sleep."

"I can help you," Mantis said, a serious look on her face. "I used to help Quill's father to sleep."

"No, no," Bucky dodges her hand, "I don't want none of your weird alien brain probing."

"There is no proving involved," she said. "I just do this!"

She put her hand on his forehead and said sleep, and then he was out.

-Peter Quill-

Quill woke up to Mantis carrying Bucky inside.

"Mantis, what are you doing?" He hissed, sitting up. Peter was still sleeping, and quite soundly, but he didn't want to risk him waking up. "Please tell me you didn't do the probing thing."

"I don't probe people," Mantis said. "Why do you people keep saying this? I just helped him sleep."

Quill facepalmed and lay back down on the bed. "Just put him down."

Mantis put him down, but his arm hit Peter in the chest and then Peter woke up.

"Oh my God, you idiot..."

"What's happening?" Peter mumbled. "Is something happening?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep." Quill rubbed his eyes.

"No, no, I wanna help, I wanna..." Peter trailed off, sitting up. "I wanna help you guys, don't treat me like a kid, come on."

"Peter, nothing's happening, I promise," Quill said. "Go back to sleep."

Peter eventually let his head rest on his pillow again, still mumbling about being treated like a baby.

"Mantis, go," Quill said, smiling only slightly.

Mantis bounced out of the door, and Quill let himself fall back to a fitful sleep.