This always happens after a Marvel film… I feel like I HAVE to write something, it's an instinct almost at this point haha. Enjoy, read, review if you feel like it! It has an interesting flow but I really am trying to make my writing better, so let me know!
Scrambling through the icy wastelands of Russia wasn't exactly how Sam had envisioned his grand adventure with Steve. He had imagined a leisurely exploration of Germany- perhaps a chance to go to Amsterdam and visit that Red Light District he'd heard so much about. Maybe he would go to the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa up close, try to figure out what the fuss was all about.
He had taken a lot of things for granted- warm bed, some of the time at least, or at least running water and a toilet that could flush.
Sadly, he had not consulted with Steve before signing on to be his "Find Bucky Buddy", so there were no 5 star luxury hotels in their near future. He could handle it, of course- Iraq had been a lesson in survival that he would never forget- but Steve was still better at everything. He'd dyed his hair and beard (that had grown very quickly) a dark brown, disguising his features enough to prevent people from recognizing Captain America. A little bit of self-tanner helped too, disguising his pale Irish skin. Sam hadn't had to do anything- he had no face recognition issues, though he was glad to buy a lot of really cool hunting gear at the airport. It didn't do him much good when his self-starting fire kit fizzled out though, and Steve was able to manage it with a stick and some twigs. Sam wasn't much of an ego guy, so his pride didn't really suffer. Mainly he was excited to be doing something- something bigger than himself, or the army, or the VA.
Steve wasn't exactly open about what they were going to do to find Bucky. SHIELD was gone, and so were the resources that came with it. Nick Fury had taken his leave, going to Europe on his own uknown mission. Agent Hill was working at Stark Industries, from what he'd last heard, and unavailable for service. Even Natasha was gone, disappearing shortly after her hearing. It took a lot of work to be as mysterious as her, it turned out, so she had a lot of repairing to do on her shattered cover.
That left Steve and Sam with zero links- just their wits, strength, and the oodles of money Steve had earned during his sojourn as America's greatest soldier.
Before leaving, Natasha had used up her remaining favors in Eastern Europe where the Winter Soldier had been based. She made contact with people she had left far behind in her past, albeit from a distance.
No obstacle seemed too great- Bucky needed help, according to Steve, and he was the only man to provide it.
Sam hadn't read what was in the file she had given Steve regarding Bucky's training, but he knew that it had to be bad- Steve's entire body went tense the one time he mentioned it. His limited experience with warzone psyches and their impact on a person's mental health told him that the Winter Soldier might be a little past repair- but there was no telling Cap.
Working with Captain America meant it was a little difficult to keep up at times, but sometimes it helped that he had actually lived through the 21st century, especially when it came to customs, and passports, and the TSA. Sam was able to do some research, call in his minor favors at the Army from his time as Falcon. He got a new set of wings, more travel friendly ones, as well as diplomatic immunity for the two of them. Their whereabouts were unknown to anyone- Sam didn't even tell his mama where he was headed.
They started out in Germany, looking for the camp where Zola had experimented on Bucky, but that had turned out to be a dead end, with little to no trace of the forests that had towered over the soldiers all those years ago. The camp had burned down, as had so many remnants of horror that marred that war.
Steve was undeterred, turning to England, where he was able to meet some of Natasha's contacts. They pointed them to the direction of Norway, but Oslo was another disappointment. It continued like that for a few months- no interaction other than between the two of them.
It was okay- though Sam sometimes got a little weirded out by the steely determination with which Steve often pushed them onwards. He was trained to know PTSD, Iraq War Syndrome- the works. But in Steve's case, he fit none of the symptoms, and so Sam continued to trust Steve's judgment.
With SHIELD gone, Steve had no obligations to anyone but himself- unless they came across a situation, in which case neither man hesitated to fight. They met few enemies, none from HYDRA, and so they were mainly able to work without interruption. Work was a lot of waiting for people to meet them in shady bars and coffeehouses- and after two months of nothing, Sam knew his buddy's patience was worn thin.
They were staying in a hostel near the Swiss border- the weather was lovely but they had no time to enjoy it.
It had become a time of last resorts, according to Steve. That was why, with great reluctance, Steve pulled out his barely used cell phone and dialed a number from his contacts.
As the phone rang on speakerphone, Sam could literally see the tension building in Cap's jawline. He had no idea who would be such a cause of stress to the poor guy- until someone finally picked up the phone.
"ICEMAN! Heard you managed to blow up Capitol Hill- even I haven't done that yet."
Steve counted to ten and replied as calmly as he could.
"Hey Stark… Listen, I need a favor."
"I'm all ears, Capsicle. But before this scenario gets too Godfather-esque, I have something I wanna say."
Sam was about to bust his gut from internalizing his laughter- Tony Stark was completely balls to the wall insane, and it didn't surprise him one bit.
"Uh huh. Go on."
"Okay… deep breath… Steve, I gotta thank you for what you did at SHIELD. I wouldn't expect someone as by the book as you to take down the establishment and stick a middle finger to the man, but you did it- and it cost you a fair bit. Had all of us scared, for a bit, but as always you came through. But you also managed to do something I've never been able to do myself."
Steve looked genuinely surprised. "What's that Stark?"
"You found out who killed my parents. All these years, I've used my money, my influence, my incredibly astonishing brain- just to try and figure out who murdered them. You, in a matter of days, were able to give me peace of mind… I'm not usually mushy, but I just wanted to say thanks. Now we both have HYDRA to aim our fiery justice at, don't we?"
"I guess- listen Stark, you don't have to thank me- don't try to cut me off. I did what I had to do because it was the right thing, and because you're my friend. That's why I need your help. I'm looking to find someone-"
"You mean your friend with Tin Man's arm? Yeah, I've had JARVIS running scans for him ever since I found out what the hell was going on in DC."
Steve looked as flabbergasted as a perfect human being could get, though Sam was glad that maybe the end was in sight.
"I've got his location triangulated to Moscow- he had some ties to the USSR so it makes sense. He hasn't done anything murder-y lately, but he is highly volatile and difficult to track. I've got some scientists in St. Petersburg arguing with the Russian government about some meteor rock they've got stashed away- whatever, point is that is where you oughta head to. I can set up a meeting point- there are definitely some folks who can establish a false job for the Winter Soldier, lure him in. It'd be clean- no blood, because the person they're hired to kill won't be real."
Steve had sat down on the bed by then, scrubbing his face with his hand.
"I… I guess there's no choice for me other than that. Yeah, thanks, I'll do that. We can make it to Moscow by train in 2 days, probably-"
"No way is anyone of my friends taking a train to a top secret rendezvous! A car can pick you up from the dump you're staying at in say… half an hour? Gives you time to pack."
Sam couldn't contain his outburst that time- "How the hell does he know where we are?!"
"He tracks our phone calls, probably. It's easy enough for him." Steve didn't bother to hide the exasperation in his voice as he finished making arrangements. They would go to St. Petersburg first, to pick up Stark's scientists, and then to Moscow.
Sam took a minute to close his eyes and pray- Hopefully things wouldn't go to hell in a handbasket immediately.