AN: You might have thought that the plane sequences in CATFA couldn't have gotten any more melodramatic.
You thought wrong.
Steve and Bucky take down the Valkyrie, and decide to go to the end of the line together.
Steve was so focused on the enormous aircraft that was trying to make it out of the Hydra bunker that he noticed the battle going on around him only enough to avoid taking a hit from it, so it was quite the surprise when he stopped his sprint at the start of the runway (the plane was moving too fast to have a chance at catching it, now) to find Bucky panting at his side. "The hell do we do, now?" the brunette asked, glaring as the craft picked up more speed and made its way down the runway, all hope seeming lost for stopping it.
Before Steve could answer, or puzzle out how in the hell his friend had caught up with him when Steve had been at a dead sprint himself, Schmidt's ridiculous monster coupe pulled up next to them, with Colonel Phillips at the wheel and Peggy in the backseat. "Get in!" the Colonel shouted, and neither of them hesitated, Steve taking the front seat as Bucky squeezed into the back with Peggy. Phillips floored it after the plane, activating the thruster on the car so that they were rapidly gaining on both the aircraft and the end of the runway… it was going to be a close call for even one of them to make it onboard, but Steve was hardly surprised when he sensed Bucky standing and shifting behind him.
He was certain that Peggy hadn't intended for him to hear her murmuring to Bucky, but even over the roar of the engines he picked up her choked plea, "Bring him home, James…"
Pushing down his own rush of emotion, Steve called out to Phillips to keep the car steady and stood in his seat, glancing back to see Bucky tucking another side arm into the back of his belt. "Wait!" Peggy cried, momentarily startling the both of them before pulling Steve down into a searing kiss. He had no idea how long they gazed into each other's eyes after, but all too soon she murmured, "Go get him."
Steve nodded, glancing first to Bucky and then Phillips, before the Colonel's gruff voice chimed in, "Don't even think about it, Barnes… get your asses on the damned plane."
Bucky snorted, Peggy rolled her eyes and the spell was broken – although as he inched his way out onto the hood of the coupe, Steve did have to wonder what it was that Phillips had been warning against, joke or not. He kept his focus on the landing gear in front of them as the plane began to lift off, sensing Bucky as he joined him on the hood as well. They made momentary eye contact, Bucky giving him a brusque nod, before facing forward again and jumping in tandem – Steve grabbing hold of the left wheel, Bucky teetering for one horrifying millisecond before gaining purchase on the right. "You first!" Steve screamed over the deafening sounds of the rushing wind and roaring engines of the plane, and thankfully Bucky followed his command without hesitation, struggling for only a moment before hauling himself up onto the axel of the landing gear, just before the entire apparatus was pulled up into the belly of the craft.
Bucky had barely had time to move his rifle into a ready position before they heard boots on the catwalk above them, and he glanced back at Steve momentarily before crouching into the landing gear and giving him a silent nod – the message was clear enough, they'd treat it as they had treated most of their missions… Steve marching out into the open to draw out their opponent, while Bucky watched his six and picked off any of the Hydra goons that Steve missed.
The first few men went down without problem – Steve taking two down in hand-to-hand combat, while Bucky sniped another three before they had a chance to gain the upper hand. It wasn't until one of them moved to one of the bombs, proudly labeled NEW YORK on the side, that Steve recognized how much of a challenge their really faced – they looked to have cockpits and propellers installed, meaning they didn't just have to take the ship down: they had to make sure none of the passengers onboard were able to take off with any of the cargo. He immediately ran towards the soldier, ignoring the rush of air beneath them as the hold for the bomb opened as he focused solely on catching him before he could launch it.
"STEVE!" Bucky's harsh warning rang through the cavern of the cargo hold, and Steve turned towards it just in time to catch the assailant that was charging him with his shield. Before he could turn again, two shots rang out from behind him, aimed not at his own back but instead in the direction of the warning.
Bucky went down with a scream and a spray of blood, and as soon as Steve processed what had happened he leapt onto the bomb himself, twisting the shooter's head so that he felt the bastard's neck snap then punching through the glass of the cockpit, pulling the second soldier out by his collar and then dropping him mercilessly out the open hold. The immediate threats eliminated, he raced back to the platform, insides churning with panic as he found Bucky writhing on the floor.
"Bucky… hey, Buck…" he murmured, dropping to his knees next to his friend. The blue sleeve of his coat was completely soaked through with red at the shoulder, where he was trying to tighten his belt while breathing sharply through his nose. Steve grabbed the strap of leather from his hands, threading its end through the loop a few inches higher and then pulling it tight with as much care as he could.
Despite his attempts at being gentle, Bucky screamed in pain, his face an ashy grey as he tore his gaze away from the gore and stared into Steve's face, his eyes wide and panicked. "It's gonna be alright, you're gonna be fine…" Steve started, his voice stuttering as his mind completely blanked on him – he had no idea how to go forward; Jones had always taken care of first aid amongst the Howlies, but it was clear to see that whatever blood source the bullet had hit was a major one.
"Go…" Bucky moaned, reaching across his body with his right hand and grabbing the leather out of Steve's hand, then jerking it tight as he cried out again. Steve remained frozen, his hands still hovering over his friend's form, unable to focus on anything other than the awful sound of Bucky's harsh panting. Time stood still for a few awful moments as he continued to stare into Bucky's pale, twisted face, before his eyes flew open and glared up at Steve. "God dammit, get offa yer ass and go stop him, Rogers!" He growled, planting his boot firmly on the catwalk and pushing himself up to sitting on one of the support beams, "I'm not dead yet, Punk, but if you keep lollygagging a whole lot of people will be…"
Steve licked his lips, nodding stupidly but still unable to move. "Yeah, okay… you just… you stay here, I'll be right…"
Bucky chuckled darkly at that, the knuckles of his right hand going white as they gripped the belt even tighter. "I ain't going anywhere, I promise – just go finish this, alright?"
"Alright, Jerk." Steve responded automatically, finally rolling to his feet as Bucky smiled weakly at him. Much as he hated the thought of leaving him in such a state, he knew that Bucky was right. With one final nod, he turned and ran as quietly as possible in the direction of the control room, ready to make Schmidt pay once and for all for the pain and horror he had caused all of them.
Steve couldn't move, still frozen in place as he stared into the space that Schmidt had been standing. One moment the madman had been ranting and holding the cube, then he'd just… vanished. Into a space portal.
"The fuck was that?" Asked a weak, shaky voice from the corner of the room.
Steve drew a sharp breath, pushing himself away from the wall and looking to the cockpit door just in time to watch Bucky stagger through it. "I told you to stay in the hold," he scolded, although it was a relief to see his friend upright, if barely. Steve tore off his helmet as he made his way across the flight deck, before slipping an arm around Bucky's waist and helping to lead him towards the Captain's seat, trying to assess his injuries as he slowly helped him to sit on the floor.
The space immediately beneath the tourniquet was so soaked with blood that it had turned black, and continued to soak down the majority of the sleeve on the left side. Bucky looked to be so deep in shock at this point that Steve doubted he noticed it. "There any way to land it?" Bucky asked, leaning his head back against the control panel as Steve frantically scanned his options.
"Maybe if I knew how to take it off autopilot," Steve answered tightly, "or land a plane in the first place."
Bucky huffed a short sigh, his eyes slipping closed as he began attempting to strategize as well. "And I'm guessing you can't just dump the payload?"
"You saw how many bombs there were back there, Buck…" Steve responded, their only option becoming clear to him as he began to plug in the code for Morita's radio transmission. "We'll be over New York within 40 minutes," he added quietly, looking at the flight monitor.
"So put it down in the Arctic," Bucky responded after a few moments silence, "crash it in the water, where they won't be able to cause any damage. Then… then you could probably swim for Greenland."
Steve had just finished setting the radio transmission up when he put together Bucky's meaning. "I'm not leaving without you," he argued, pulling his eyes away from the controls to glare down at Bucky's prone form. "We'll put it down as well as we can, I'm calling Morita right now – he can have Stark track us down, get us a rescue party…"
"Steve," Bucky croaked harshly, opening his eyes and glaring right back, "this plane's gotta weigh a hundred tons, and it's thrusters are hot. She'll melt through the ice and we'll be underwater in minutes." He licked his lips, which were far too pale for Steve's liking, before shutting his eyes again. "And even if it didn't, I'm gonna bleed out before they can even get a rescue plan in place."
"Dammit, Buck… don't say that," Steve argued immediately, turning back to the control panel and turning the radio dial to Morita's signal. He knew Buck was right – but he also knew there was no way that he was leaving him to freeze to death on his own. "Come in, this is Captain Rogers… do you read me?"
Morita acknowledged him, but Peggy immediately came over the line, demanding a sit rep. "Schmidt's dead, Bucky's been injured but otherwise we're alright… but the plane…"
"Give me your coordinates," Peggy stuttered, her voice uncharacteristically anxious, "I can try to find you a safe landing site."
"That's the problem… we're not gonna be able to make a safe landing. Buck and I already talked it over – this thing's moving too fast and it's headed straight for New York… but I think we can put her down in the water."
She argued with him, of course, begged Steve to wait for a better option, but he knew there wouldn't be one that wouldn't end with too many casualties to live with. He looked down at Bucky again, surprised to find pale grey eyes locked on him and completely focused. "Peggy, I have to do this. This is our choice." He responded thickly, holding Bucky's gaze as he came to accept what it all meant. They wouldn't get to go back to Brooklyn, wouldn't get their happy ending with Peggy and whatever girl Bucky decided to finally settle down with… but he could die with his best friend, saving his best girl and the rest of the world while he did it. Steve figured there were considerably worse ways to go.
He reached down, gently squeezing Bucky's good shoulder as he gave him a nod, then turned and grabbed hold of the wheel of the plane, pressing its course down into a nosedive without hesitation. As the nose of the plane came ducked under the clouds, he saw the ice shelf in front of them – they might still have a shot at being rescued, then… although the logical part of his mind knew that Bucky had been right. "Peggy…" he choked, remembering that they still had the line. "I'm gonna need to a raincheck on that dance."
"Alright, a week next Saturday." She responded immediately, "At the Stork club."
"You got it." Steve answered, swallowing around the lump in his throat as they continued to gather speed.
"Eight o'clock on the dot," Peggy continued, and Steve found himself almost painfully glad for the distraction. "Don't you dare be late, understood."
Steve hummed his agreement, eyes locked on the ice as they continued hurling towards it. "You know, I still don't know how to dance."
There was a beat on the other end, and Steve was afraid they'd lost the connection for a moment. "Have James teach you," Peggy responded thickly. "Tell him I'll bring a friend… just… you just be there"
Bucky laughed quietly from his spot on the floor, before speaking up as well. "Sounds great, Pegs."
They were nearly to the ice now, the ground approaching too fast for Steve to continue watching it – he kept the wheel depressed, but turned so he could face Bucky as well. "We'll have the band play something slow… don't wanna step on either of your toes."
He'd barely finished the sentence before they were slamming into the ice, the lights of the dash going dead immediately. Bucky moaned as he was jostled on the floor, and Steve climbed out of the captain's seat as fast as he could, knowing that there would be no power left in the radio, anyway.
"You should go," Bucky said weakly, shaking slightly as he curled in on himself. "With the serum… you could probably get to safety… or at least somewhere you ain't gonna sink."
"Like hell," Steve answered, sitting next to Bucky on the floor of the flight deck and hesitating for just a moment, before gingerly wrapping his arms around him, taking care not to jostle his injured arm. "This ain't the end of the line, Jerk."
Bucky went still at that, collapsing slightly against Steve's chest with a wet laugh. The hull of the ship creaked ominously around them, then dropped a few feet as it began to crack through the ice. "Listen… Bucky…" Steve started quietly, only to have his throat close up as Bucky turned his face to him.
They sat there in silence, shivering against each other as the cold rushed in through the broken glass of the cockpit, before Bucky licked his lips, his eyes locked on Steve's as he rasped, "Stevie… I…"
Whatever it was that he was preparing to say was swallowed up by a roar of noise, then suddenly icy water was rushing in through the front of the plane. Steve pulled him close, planning to swim to safety, but between the cold of the water and the force of the current, he could barely make headway, even with the power of the serum. He clung to Bucky as his vision began to blackout, glancing down and noticing with relief that his eyes were already closed, before bowing his head and allowing the darkness to take him as well.
