Not Without You: Book 1 (Canon-Divergence Stucky Fix-it-Fic)

Two

"This is it?" Steve questioned, glancing at the gated area with multiple storage units.

"This is it," Cassie verified through the comm.

Having been dropped off a couple blocks away with one of Steve's extra comms and a pair of binoculars, Steve was suddenly very unsure of their plan without the rambunctious teen there beside him. After all, Steve wasn't a very good liar. Or at least, that was what everyone else was always telling him. Too honest of a face, Natasha claimed. Just the way I like it, Bucky would tease.

Thickly swallowing, Steve pulled further up and buzzed the intercom. For a moment, there was nothing, and Steve's stomach knotted in his anxiousness. Still waiting, he quietly complained to the teen, "You're sure this is the place."

"Yes," Cassie confirmed, "Either that, or my picture is up in every storage unit office."

At that, Steve peeked into the office. Sure enough, a picture of a displeased Cassie was pinned to a corkboard. Taking in a deep breath, he gave it another go. Pressing the buzzer again, Steve held onto the button a little longer this time. Just in case the person didn't get it the first time.

"What?!" An annoyed voice questioned impatiently through the speaker.

"Uh, yeah," Steve started, "I need to get into... my... into my storage unit."

"Smooth," Cassie scoffed.

Briefly clenching his jaw, Steve chose to ignore her as the male employee asked, "What unit?"

"Um," Steve slightly stammered. Oddly enough, Steve didn't know. They hadn't discussed him needing to know that. Which seemed a little stupid now in the moment and dealing with it.

Never one for planning, are ya, punk?

Quickly, Steve shook his head. He couldn't deal with that right now.

"Six-one-six," Cassie supplied.

After Steve repeated it, the gate opened, allowing him entrance to the lot. Steve let out a breath of relief as he parked the motorcycle just inside of the lot. Climbing off, Steve spotted the employee that he assumed was the one who had talked to him. With a broad arm wave, the man gestured for Steve to meet him the rest of the way. And it wasn't like Steve had very many other options.

"Six-one-six, you say?" The employee questioned.

"That's what I said," Steve politely verified.

"Duh," Cassie sassed in the comm, earning a smirk from Steve.

"Now," the security guard led the way to the unit, "You're not gonna try and sleep in here like your friend, are ya?"

"No, sir," Steve stated while Cassie scoffed, "You fall asleep one time and suddenly, they think you're trying to moving in."

That earned an even bigger grin from Steve. The guard was none the wiser as he took it as a simple smile of politeness. Stepping off to the side, he gestured for Steve to unlock the unit. Luckily, Steve had remembered to bring Cassie's keys with him. Next to the hideously ugly alien monster key chain was the key for the storage unit.

Pushing the garage-style door up, Steve looked around the unit. There was an ugly brown van that would've been old and outdated back when Steve first came out of the ice, let alone now. Along with the van were some rugs and boxes. The main problem now was that Steve wasn't sure what he was looking for.

It didn't help any that the guard was watching him, either.

Thankfully, there was a buzz and a crackle over the guard's walkie talkie. Visibly, the man debated whether he should attend to the new person or if he should stay and watch Steve. When another, longer buzz rang out though, the new person won out.

"I'll be back to check on you in ten minutes," the guard warned.

"Take all the time you need," Steve flashed another stage-ready grin and followed the man with his eyes. Once the man was gone, Steve redirected his gaze back to the unit and he asked, "So, got any ideas on what we can use?"

"The van, most likely," Cassie suggested, slightly out of breath as though she was running. "They were messing with something, I just haven't figured out what."

"You caused a distraction?" Steve happily assumed.

Cassie panted, "What are partners good for? If not for creating distractions?"

Steve nodded and peered in through the window. Trying the door -- and finding it to be unlocked -- Steve opened it. There was a box with a touch pad of some kind and a whole hell of a lot of buttons, on the dashboard and a machine of some kind in the back. He wasn't really sure what either of those things were, but he agreed, "I think this'll be our best bet."

"So, we're taking it?" Cassie asked.

"Looks like it," Steve reasoned, "I think I know someone who might know what to do with it. You know how to drive, kid?"

"Is that even a --"

"Yes, or no, Cass," Steve good-humoredly scoffed, shaking his head.

"Okay," Cassie started, "Do I know how to drive? Yes."

"But," Steve prompted as he climbed out from behind the steering wheel.

Sheepishly, she admitted, "I don't exactly have my, um, license... just yet."

For a moment, Steve debated this new development. As a responsible adult, and a once upon a time role model, he should've been against letting a teenager who wasn't certified to drive behind the wheel. But as a man who learned how to hot wire a car in Nazi Germany, he felt a little hypocritical. Especially considering how the world was a different time than any other time Steve had lived in.

Sighing, Steve asked, "Do you at least know how to operate a vehicle?"

"Of course," Cassie easily answered. Then, Steve could hear the smile as she asked, "So, are you gonna let me drive?"

Of course, the guard returned at the same time and questioned, "Ya find anything?"

To answer both, Steve simply conceded, "Yeah."