Stasis || Bucky Barnes

Thirty

It was cold in Switzerland. They had been parachuted down into the mountains where there was two inches of snow on every surface. Basil didn't like the cold very much. It must be his mother's Egyptian blood that made him suited to warm weather. The cold didn't agree with him. He sneezed loudly and tugged his blue jacket round himself. Bucky stopped walking in front of him and turned. The blue of his jacket brought out his eyes and Basil found that he liked it very much, very very much. Maybe when the war was over and they didn't have to wear the blue uniforms of the enemy for covert missions, he could buy Bucky a blue jumper. It would keep him warm and the colour would look so good on him. Alright, that was his first birthday present as soon as they could go home.

"You okay Parrish?" Bucky teased. "Your nose is red".

"How are you not freezing?" Basil grumbled as he caught up. The two of them walked through the snow side by side. The white substance crunching underneath their boots. Up ahead, Steve was leading the squad. The super soldier serum in his blood making him a living radiator, which Basil was insanely jealous off. Why couldn't the serum he had been given do the same thing? It would stop his fingers from freezing off.

"Hurry up slowpokes", Jim called. "Don't freeze your balls off Basil".

Basil grumbled and redoubled his walking speed. Bucky keeping pace easily next to him. "How much further?" Sam called.

"The sun is going down", Monty pointed out. "The temperature is dropping". It was. Basil shivered and tucked his hands under his arms to keep them warm.

"We should make camp here", Steve finally said after almost an hour more walking. The sun had began to vanish on the horizon and the sky was turning black. The men all sagged with groans and relieved sighed. Basil dropped his bags on the pile and set about helping them put up the tents. The wind had picked up and it battered them as they struggled to pull up the tents.

"I vote to share with Sarge!" Basil called as soon as the tents were all up.

"How come you two always share", Sam called.

"Because he's the only one out of you buggers who doesn't snore", Basil shot back. The men laughed, easily distracted by his words as he had hoped.

"Also do you really want to be woken by Basil's sleep talk?" Bucky added with a teasing grin. "Imagine waking up and hearing him giggling like a psycho in his sleep. It's creepy".

"Yeah, I woke up once and Basil was singing a nursery rhyme in his sleep", Pinky voiced. He shuddered. "Creepiest thing I tell you. Like something out of a ghost story". The men all chuckled as he shivered. Basil grinned sharply and tilted his head.

"Want to come and play?" He sung in a high voice. The men all yelped and a pile of snow hit him in the face. Basil coughed and spluttered at the sudden cold. He wiped the snow from his face and glared at where Bucky was clapping the snow from his gloves.

"Stope scaring the children Parrish".

"You are one terrifying boy Basil", Dum Dum nodded. Basil smiled sweetly.

"I try".

"They don't call him the mad Doctor for nothing", Jim voiced. They had built a small fire and Basil shuffled over to it. The flames warming him up. Distantly, he heard Steve trudge over and sit down by the fire with a sigh.

"Come on, let's get this debrief over with", he pulled out a map and laid it across his legs. The men all shuffled closer to see the markings. "At 11 hundred hours tomorrow morning, a train is supposed to pass through this overpass here", he gestured with his finger. "There's reports of Arnim Zola, hydra scientist, being on board. Our job is to capture him alive and bring him back to Phillips. The plan is for us to wait here". His finger jabbed at the map. "And set up a zip line down to the train. Now we will only have a short window to board it. I will need someone to time it right. Only a few of us will be able to board so I'll need volunteers".

"I'll go", Bucky nodded. "If this is as risky as you describe them you're going to need me there". Steve grinned and clapped his childhood friend on the shoulder.

"I want to go to", Basil voiced. "I'm good in close quarters combat".

Steve hesitated. It was dum dum who replied. "We need you here. You're our medic. We need you with the supplies in case something goes wrong". Basil sighed and pouted.

Steve patted him on the back. "We need you watching out backs".

"I'll go then", Gabe offered.

"Me too", Monty nodded.

"Good", Steve glanced round at them. "Once we've boarded, the rest of you need to proceed to the pick up spot. If everything goes well then we shall meet you there. Now this is a slim chance with high risk. We need to stick to the plan. Pinky, you're on radio. Frenchie, you're the best with timings so you will be in charge of the signals. All of us need to rest up for tomorrow. If this plan fails then we won't get another chance like this. If we get Zola, hydra intelligence will be weakened. That will allow us to get Schmidt later".

With the clear dismissal, the men set about cooking food and negotiating the watch rotation for the night. Basil was quiet as he ate. Because he wasn't going to be on the mission tomorrow, he volunteered to be on first watch that night. The men nodded and he watched by the fire as they all began to retire one by one into their tents. Monty and Gabe stayed up a bit longer to clean their guns before the morning. Steve also stayed longer to double check the information and polish his shield. The start gleamed one the fire light. But eventually, by the time the moon was high, they too had retired.

Basil stayed next to the fire as the night crept on. By the time Sam slouched out of his tent to take over, Basil was shivering and yawning. "Go and get some sleep Baz", Sam murmured as he sat next to the fire.

"See you in the morning Sam", Basil yawned as he rose on stiff legs. He half stumbled, half collapsed onto his bed roll beside Bucky. The movement jolted the other man and he blinked at him drowsily.

"Parrish", Bucky slurred. He rolled and opened his arm in invitation. Basil didn't have to be told twice. He pulled his blanket over and burrowed into the warm hold. Bucky resting his chin on Basil's head and their legs became tangled. It was too cold for them to get changed in any way so they lay there in their uniform layers and the woollen blankets pulled over them.

"How come you're so warm?" Basil asked rhetorically as he pushed himself as close to the other as possible.

"All those long winters in Brooklyn", Bucky muttered, eyes closed.

Basil hummed. "I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. It feels too risky".

"I know", Bucky whispered. "But this is our only chance. If we end hydra then we can put a stop to this war".

"I know", Basil sighed. "Just don't do anything stupid. Just because Steve is a self sacrificing idiot doesn't mean that you need to follow him".

"I've been keeping the blonde dork out of his self sacrificing shit since I was a toddler", Bucky snorted. "Trust me". He buried his nose in Basil's curls and sighed sleepily.

"I trust you". The words were a soft whisper. "Love you Sarge". It was the first time Basil had admitted it when Bucky was awake. He felt Bucky stiffen slightly then relax.

"Love you too Parrish. Now get some sleep". Basil sighed happily and closed his eyes. In Bucky's warmth he felt safe and secure.

Unedited

Is the next chapter going to break everything? Yes.
Will I cry writing it? Yes.
Will you cry reading it? Most likely.