Do Pick Up Strangers

Stay

A bright ray of morning sun pierced Bucky's closed eyes. He opened them the best he could and lifted his head up. He'd crashed on a chair in Phil's store. Phil hadn't showed up yet, so it must've been before 7. Bucky got up and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He wanted to get out of here. Of course it would be nice to have a house and clothes, but for now he just wanted to find somewhere that looked bright and promising. Oregon wasn't giving that to him. It felt the opposite, actually. It was usually gloomy and nobody would hire a young homeless guy. Phil had given him a great deal of help, but it wasn't enough to survive. Plus, he'd felt awful for being a bother. Phil wasn't exactly a rich man, and was barely getting by with his store, yet he'd still had the heart to reach out to Bucky. He'd repay him one day.. somehow. He decided to swear by it.

Bucky cleaned up the store the best as he could. He swept, organized, and made sure everything was as clean as possible. He thought about leaving a note for Phil, but didn't quite know what to say or if he should say anything. He wrote "Thank You" on a sticky note and left it, hoping it was enough. He grabbed a couple of meal replacement bars and left. Today was going to have to be spent looking for a ride.

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Steve and Libby had been on the road for a few hours and had finally reached Oregon. The mood seemed to instantly change as they crossed the border. Oregon was all forest. The clouds covered the sky and cooled down the hot humid air. Libby seemed to enjoy the satisfying temperature drop.

The pair were about 3 hours from the coast. Being in Oregon had given Steve a rush of energy, so he turned on the radio and began singing to Libby. The windows were down but they were on a slow, quiet road and he didn't particularly care. Steve was a horrible singer but he couldn't help himself. He usually forgot the right words. Libby didn't mind. She'd just howl, letting him know she liked to sing too.

"Yeah your eyes...could steal the sailors from the sea!", Steve sang, glancing at his dog in the mirror. He looked back out the windshield and saw a dark haired man on the side of the road with his thumb out. He'd clearly just witnessed Steve's concert because his other hand was covering his mouth and his eyes were squinted as if he was smiling. He let his hand fall down to his side, flashing a really sweet smile. He was incredibly pretty, but looked to be in rough shape.

Steve couldn't help but stare. He came here for adventure, didn't he? Picking up a really beautiful hitchhiker was adventure, alright... He took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white.

"Fuck...", Steve breathed, pulling off to the side of the road. The guy looked genuinely surprised and excited when he saw Steve stop. He quickly jogged to the truck. He still had the really bright smile on his face as he peered into the window.

"Is it okay to sit up here?", he asked. He hopped into the truck as soon as Steve nodded. "Thank you. Thanks a lot". He began to say something else, but Liberty began attacking his face with kisses before he could. He gasped lightly and laughed, trying to escape.

"Oh my god...Libby. Stop. Sit. Stop that", Steve tried, but his tone was too soft for her to listen, as usual.

Libby's victim pet her head and continued to laugh. She stopped, but kept her head between the two guys, staring at him in the face. "Your dog is precious...", he said, continuing to return the love.

Steve laughed nervously. "Yeah...thanks. She, uh, she's normally very mellow. I'm not sure why she just did that. She tends to be really cautious...of people".

"I love dogs", he said before kissing her head carefully. "Libby, yeah? She's a good girl". He stopped petting her for a moment to lean his head over and look at Steve. "Oh, sorry. I'm Bucky. Thank you for stopping. I'm not exactly going anywhere specific."

Steve smiled softly. "I'm Steve Rogers. We aren't, either. I just wanted to come to Oregon. It's nice to meet you, Bucky. Libby agrees", he laughed. That was stupid. That was a really stupid joke, Steve. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

Bucky laughed in response. "I'm actually trying to get out of Oregon, sorry. Maybe I shouldn't disrupt your trip".

Steve couldn't help but look disappointed. Libby was good company, but he'd quickly gotten excited to have another companion. So much for adventure. "Well... I just wanted to look at the coast. We're going south after that. You can stay and get to California if you don't mind a couple hours to get to the ocean...?", he lied. California was interesting too, right?

He started to regret the haste suggestion until Bucky agreed. "I mean, yeah! Yeah. Who knows if somebody else would even stop for me". Steve imagined anyone would stop for him. Nobody just ignores a pretty face, especially not one asking for help. "There is a lot of weird people out there", Steve said in agreement.

"You're not one of them, are you Steve?", Bucky asked with a serious face. It caught Steve off guard.

"I guess you'll find out on the way to the coast", he replied. Bucky smiled, most likely glad that Steve joked back with him.

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Bucky put his seatbelt on as Steve shifted the truck out of park. He didn't think he'd actually get picked up, let alone by a handsome guy with a dog. And he was handsome. Steve looked like the type of man who could lift a car with ease, but then softly break up a bar fight. He had blue eyes, like Bucky, but they were brighter and warmer. There was something about Steve that made Bucky want to immediately confide in him.

Libby decided to climb over the console and lay in Bucky's lap as comfortably as she could. She sighed happily and looked at Steve as if to say "sorry, but he's comfy and you're driving".

Steve opened his mouth as if to scold her, but looked at Bucky's overjoyed smile and said "Amazing..." instead. "She likes you a lot. There's something about you".

Bucky was used to this from animals. He was always good with them, but didn't really know why. He never complained, though. He'd loved animals since he was a kid, though he'd never been able to get a dog. The attention from Libby truly had him excited. This was something he'd always wanted. Of course Libby wasn't his, but he could pretend, just for a moment.

A few hours had passed, and Bucky was asleep with his head rested against the window. Libby still laid in his lap. Steve had the radio on, but he turned it down so as to not wake Bucky.

He rested a hand on Bucky's arm. "Hey, Bucky. We made it to the coast."

Bucky looked up, confused. "Did I fall asleep?" Steve nodded. "I didn't get much rest last night", he said, glancing out the front window.

"I just want to take a walk with Libby. She enjoys the beach", Steve looked at Bucky as if he was trying to tell him to come too. "It'll be short."

Bucky smiled. "You're a nice man, Steve. You know I'm the hitchhiker, right?"

Steve laughed. Bucky was right.

"I can tell you'd be too nice to kick me out, but I'm not going to burden you. Don't worry about me. I can't ask for anything more than a ride", Bucky said warmly.

Steve parked his truck in a small parking lot right before the beach. He smiled. "I am too nice", he agreed. "Though you're good company", he said, reassuring Bucky. Bucky smiled, as if he already knew that.

Libby walked without a leash because she was obedient and wouldn't cause any trouble. She was an old lady. She was too old to jump on people. She ran in the ocean, getting a bit spooked every time a small wave hit her body. She'd circle Steve and Bucky and back into the water as they walked. The two talked about how they ended up in Oregon. Bucky opened up to Steve and it was almost as if Steve connected to him better. He wasn't just a random person that Bucky would meet on the road. Bucky knew this as soon as he heard the radio get quieter as he closed his eyes. Steve was the kind of man that cared about everyone he come across so Bucky didn't feel too affected by this, but for the first time in a while, he felt like things were going to be okay. Maybe he and Steve could continue this trip together for a while? But what would happen after that? Bucky thought about this as the sun went down while they walked.