[OOM: Marching back to Itay]

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Previously:

"I thought you were dead!"

"I thought you were smaller."

Getting four hundred men safely out of Austria and to Allied territory is not easy, but somehow it's happening. The worst of the wounded are on the tank (driven by Jones and Dugan, two men Steve intends to keep track of) and everyone is helping each other along, sharing water, telling each other of home. They're not only from all over the US but from Europe as well, Free French and English and more.

Steve moves through the group periodically, making sure no stragglers are left behind, but mostly he's at the front of the long, uneven line, leading the way south.

Best of all, he's got Bucky by his side.

He's going to bring Bucky home.




To be continued...

Comments

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve pats Bucky's back in comfort.

"We both are, Buck. We both are."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Hell."

He gives up and finally just laughs.

"At least we're in it together. But I'm not doing the USO tour with you, Steve. Don't even think about it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I wouldn't ask. I've heard you sing."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky makes a face at him, but doesn't argue.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve laughs and nudges him with an elbow.

(He knows his own strength now, so Bucky shouldn't even stumble.)

"There's so much to tell you," he says quietly, "when we're on our own."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Maybe we can find a quiet corner once we make it back. Speaking of..."

He does a quick check of their backtrail, then looks ahead again before returning his attention to Steve.

"Just how far behind the lines was that place?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Thirty miles.

"I didn't walk in," he adds. "The plan was to fly us all out, but then the transponder got busted..."

[nerves_of_ice]

"... please tell me you didn't fly yourself in without a plane."

Bucky shakes his head.

"Probably just as well; it'd have been hard to fly the tanks out without drawing more attention than we'd like."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"There was a plane," Steve assures him. "Agent Carter got Mr. Stark to pilot it. Apparently he's the best civilian pilot around."

[nerves_of_ice]

"As long as his planes fly better than that car of his did."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"It got me to Austria," Steve says simply and smiles at him.

He's quiet a moment. "How are you holding up?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Fair," he admits.


"I'm okay, I think. Still would have loved to have gotten a shot at Redhead and especially that little weasel doc partner of his, but."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Maybe you'll get your chance."

Another pause.

"Basically, I'm AWOL, so I expect I'll be arrested when we get back. But they'll send you home, I'm sure. No reason not to."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You gotta be kidding me," he argues. "I'm not that bad off -- I'm on my feet, aren't I? No one's shipping me back to Brooklyn, Steve. No way."

He doesn't say anything about the chances of court-martial; both of them know it depends on how hard a line the brass wants to draw.

Better not to think about it, not right now.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Yeah, you're on your feet," Steve says fondly, and proudly. "And you look like you could go a few more rounds."

Despite what Philips said about the area being heavily fortified, Steve truly hopes they've done all the fighting they need to do.

"But you've been a POW. They may send you home as a matter of policy."

[nerves_of_ice]

"They need people too badly to do that, if I don't want to go," Bucky counters.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve slings an arm around Bucky's shoulders.

(Largely because he can.)

"If it were up to me--"

To be honest, if it were up to him Bucky would be home, safe, having served his duty with honor. But if there's anything Steve understands, it's the drive to serve for as long as you're needed.

"--you'll be where you need to be."

[nerves_of_ice]

He grins at Steve.

"That's more like it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve beams and lets him go.

It increases his resolve to tell him about the bar at the end of the universe. If Bucky is too stubborn to go home, then he's got to have the same safe place Steve has had all this time.

"And if they don't toss me in the clink," he says lightly, "you'll get to see the USO show."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Front and center," Bucky assures him. "Count on it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"You'll get a great view of the tights."

[nerves_of_ice]

"... on second thought..."

He elbows Steve in the ribs, showing that it's all in good fun, and does another scan of their surroundings as they march.

It's hard to see too far in the dark, and there's no way their little convoy can move silently, but so far so good.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve laughs softly and ducks, and does a quick scan of his own.

The enemy could sneak up on them pretty easily, what with the tank--but on the other hand, they have a tank.

"So, uh," he says. "I told my story. How about yours?"

Gently, because, yeah.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Right."

Whatever humor he'd had fades, leaving only a grim look.

"Hard to say how we got cornered in the first place. It was an ugly fight. Too many of us didn't make it. But I'm guessing you know that already, or you wouldn't have known where to find us."

He scans the treeline ahead of them as though expecting the enemy to appear any second.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I saw a map. Enemy lines, the factory location, the lay of the land..."

Roads, passes, checkpoints, where to get water for the injured.