AN: Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it! And to those of you who do not, happy Thursday! This story that I have here was requested by Firestar'sniece and I have to say, I am proud of it. I really hope you like it, Firestar'sniece!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.
Road Tripping through the U.S.A.
It all started because of the Nature Channel. That silly wildlife channel that shows all the great places to visit around the world. That silly channel that Bucky loved. It was his favorite thing to watch and whenever it was his turn to pick something, it was always the Nature Channel.
Surprisingly enough, Sam really liked the Nature Channel too. Despite their differences, both Sam and Bucky would sit side by side in awed silence, staring at the tv. Steve thought the Nature Channel was pretty cool, but he was never as fascinated as his friends were.
One day, after watching a documentary of the American West, Bucky turned to Steve and asked, "Have you seen the Grand Canyon yet, Stevie?"
Steve shook his head, "Couldn't go see it without you, Buck."
"That settles it then. We're going to see the Canyon." Bucky pulled out his phone and opened Google Maps.
"Alright." Steve shrugged. "Sam, you wanna see the Grand Canyon with us?"
"Sure, it sounds like fun." Sam agreed.
Bucky glared and mumbled something about bird boys shoving their beaks where they don't belong.
"I'll talk to Fury and get some time off and then arrange our trip." Steve stood up, already planning things out in his head. Bucky and Sam left him to it, having complete confidence in his tactical skills.
X-X-X
Steve had it all planned out, by car, the trip from NYC to the Grand Canyon would take about two days, but Steve wanted to see the sights. He wanted to take his time and actually see the country he had fought so hard to save.
He ended up finding an attraction in each state they would pass through. In all, the trip would take a little over a week and Steve was excited. Hopefully after a week together in the car, Sam and Bucky would gain an appreciation for each other.
After a productive day spent on the computer, Steve had hotels booked, a national park entry pass, and tickets for other events. Fury had been his usual stern faced self when Steve had gone to ask for the time off, but he'd generously given Steve a month off. Steve knew he wouldn't need a whole month, but it was nice that he had it.
X-X-X
Bucky was dragging his duffle bags down to the garage. Steve had told him to pack enough for a few weeks. Bucky didn't exactly understand why, but he did as he was told. The sight that greeted him in the parking lot explained all.
Steve had gotten an honest to goodness minivan. A soccer mom car.
"What is this?" Bucky called as Steve loaded up the hatch.
"It's a minivan." Steve stated as if it were obvious.
"What happened to the jet?"
"What jet?"
"Tony's private jet! The one that was gonna get us there in two hours!" Bucky waived his arms for emphases.
"Oh, I told him to get me a car instead. Besides, Tony's jets aren't exactly private." Steve shuddered, remembering Tony's "flight assistances."
Bucky opened his mouth to retort, but Sam entered the room and cut him off.
"Alright! Road trip, baby!" He hooted, shoving a suitcase into the car. Bucky noticed he also had a blanket, a pillow, sunglasses and two Walmart sacks.
"Did ya bring the snacks?" Steve asked, peeking inside one of the bags.
"Yeah, man. I got our noms." Sam said, proudly presenting his prizes. "Skittles, M&Ms, Twizzlers, Pringles and fruit snacks. Nothing but the best for us." Sam turned to start piling his stuff in the front seat.
"What do you think you're doing, Bird Boy?" Bucky demanded. It was bad enough that they were driving, but there was no way he was giving up the front seat.
Sam spared a glance at Bucky's murder face, and decided he didn't want to die that day. He promptly switched to the middle row of the van. "Fine, but I get the front seat tomorrow."
"We'll see about that, Wilson."
X-X-X
Two hours into their trip and Steve was beginning to regret his decisions. They still had a few more hours until they got to the national forest Steve wanted to see in Pennsylvania, but he didn't think they would last that long.
Sam was in the back seat crunching obnoxiously away at the Pringles and Bucky was blasting Katy Perry from his phone. If Steve had to listen to "Firework" one more time, he might scream. On top of it all, there was a little old lady in a bright green bug doing 40-mph in a 60-mph zone. All attempts Steve made to get around her have failed.
X-X-X
Three long hours later, they finally made it to their hotel. It was only noon, so they dropped their stuff off in their room ("Only two beds? What were you thinking, Steven?"). For lunch, they ate at "the burger place from God" according to Sam. Then they went to Allegheny National Forest.
The forest was beautiful. The trees were tall and the leaves were starting to turn colors. The three of them walked the trails and frequented the multiple visitor's buildings throughout the forest. Steve was proud; so far, it was the only time both Sam and Bucky had gotten along all day.
At the end of the day, Sam dragged them into the gift shop. "Alright, one of the most important parts of road tripping is the souvenirs. You need to get one present for everyone throughout the trip and a small something for yourself from every state."
Steve and Bucky nodded and went in search of gifts. In the end, all three of them got a fridge magnet with a picture of the forest for themselves. Bucky got a squirrel plushie for Darcy, Steve got a shot glass for Tony and Sam got a purple hoodie for Clint, saying that Bird Bros needed to look out for each other. They agreed to find gifts for everyone else during the rest of their trip.
As they went to ring up their purchases at the counter, the cashier, a young probably sixteen-year-old boy, recognized them.
"You…you're…" he stumbled.
"Shhh." Steve smiled, bringing a finger to his lips. The kid nodded.
"Tha-that'll be $65.95." the kid stuttered out.
Steve blinked in shock at the price, but handed over his credit card. The kid finished his transaction and handed Steve his receipt.
"Captain, could I maybe get a picture, please?" the cashier stammered.
Steve smiled. "Sure."
The kid grinned like Christmas came early.
X-X-X
The next day saw the travelers back in the dreaded minivan. Steve was driving again, but Bucky was in the back seat and Sam sat up front.
"Hey, check it out." Sam said, holding up his phone. "The kid from yesterday posted that picture and now he's famous."
"Cool." Bucky deadpanned. "I have to pee. How far to the next rest stop, Stevie?"
"We're only an hour out. Can't you hold it?"
"I am this close to jumping out of this car, watering the plants, and then racing you to wherever we're going, Steven." Bucky threatened.
"Fine. I'll pull over." Steve mumbled.
Bucky whooped and dove out of the car. While he was doing his business, Sam turned to Steve. "So, where are we going?"
"You're going to like it." Steve grinned.
"Like what?" Bucky asked, getting back into the car.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
X-X-X
The next few days were similar; the boys would get up early, drive most of the day (with Sam and Bucky arguing like two-year-old's), and stop somewhere interesting. In the past few days they went to the Indiana Caverns in Indiana, took a boat ride on the Mighty Mississippi and today they walked around Oklahoma City and Bricktown in Oklahoma.
In the hotel room, Steve came out of the shower to find both his friends staring in horror at the tv. "What is it?"
"Just watch." Sam hushed him, turning up the volume.
"Sightings of Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Falcon have become increasingly more and more frequent in the past few days. It's become something of a game for tourists to spot the trio. Some are even trying to calculate where they will go next." A picture of the three of them walking down the sidewalk earlier today was shone. Steve turned off the tv.
X-X-X
The next few days saw the trio through the Petrified Forest in New Mexico and the Painted Desert in Arizona. All the while they tried to avoid being recognized. Or more precisely, Bucky and Sam tried to avoid being recognized while Steve stopped to chat with every person who came his way. By the time they finally made it to the Grand Canyon, most of the world knew where they were.
Bucky jumped out of the car, ready to take a hot shower and sink into a queen-sized bed. Steve got out and began unloading the trunk. "Here, Buck, carry the tent, will you?"
Bucky froze. "Carry the what?"
"The tent." Steve repeated, head still in the car.
"Why do we need a tent, Steven?"
"Because we're sleeping under the stars." Steve answered cheerily.
"Oh, heck to the no, Steven." Sam chimed in. "Camping is for those white boys that die in horror movies."
"Well, now its for superheroes who want to enjoy nature." Steve grabbed the last bag from the trunk and slung it over his shoulder. "C'mon. Don't you want to see nature first hand?"
He had a point there. Both Sam and Bucky grumbled but followed their fearless leader down into the Grand Canyon.
Camping turned out to be pretty fun. First, Steve got them lost, then a snake tried to bite Bucky's metal hand (Sam panicked and shot it, which he felt guilty about later), Sam found an actual falcon and got a selfie next to it, and they went rafting in the river.
That night, in typical "white boy" fashion, they sat around their little campfire sharing ghost stories.
"Although no one ever saw Smith again, some say they can still hear his voice in they woods, and those who wander too close to the trees disappear without a trace." Sam finished his story, laughing at the twin looks of horror he got from his companions.
"You know Sam," Steve smiled, "I think you actually like this camping stuff."
"It's alright I guess." Sam grinned tipping his head back to look at the stars.
"I agree with Bird Boy." Bucky smacked Steve's shoulder. "We should do this more often."
"Exactly, Barnes. I knew this would be fun."
"Hey, it was my idea, guys." Steve protested, laughing.
They carried on, arguing playfully into the wee hours of the morning. By the end of their trip, Bucky and Sam grudgingly called each other friend and Steve couldn't be prouder.
I hope ya'll liked it! Leave a comment and let me know what you thought and what you're thankful for! I am personally thankful for my family and friends whom I love.