Stuckied in an elevator
“Is this thing stuck?”
“Looks like it.” Bucky seemed more bored than anything.
“Well, I’d like to know for sure and do something about it if we are really stuck here”, was Steve’s reply. Sensible as ever.
“Maybe it’s just a slow elevator. You’ve gotten used to the one in Tony’s tower but some elevators are older than you are!”
Steve looked skeptical and annoyed now. “You’re exaggerating!”, he accused Bucky.
Bucky just shrugged and sighed, then stood up straighter. Finally he said, “I think you’re right, this thing is stuck. There should be a button somewhere…?”
At this point, the light went out. Just like that, no last feeble flicker, no, it just went out very unceremoniously.
Of course they had flashlights, so that wasn’t much of a problem.
Steve found the emergency button first and pressed it. There was a speaker next to it that crackled feebly. No voice came out of it to ask what the emergency was, however. “Hello? Excuse me, I think we are stuck in elevator 4?!” Still no reply. Steve tried several times, then gave up on the speaker. He tried the manual door handle instead. Of course, the door opened only to reveal a solid wall. No door in sight and the space between the elevator and the wall was too narrow to even think of squeezing through.
“We could get out of this easily”, remarked Bucky.
“We’re not in a hurry and these things are expensive. I’d rather not do unnecessary damage. It’s very likely that this is just a temporary power outage and we’ll be out of here in a couple of minutes.”
“More likely hours!”, complained Bucky.
“…or hours”, admitted Steve but he didn’t seem fazed by the prospect.
Bucky put on his darkest, grumpiest face. He knew they’d been in worse situations than waiting in a stuck elevator, but maybe that was the problem. He hated feeling stuck and he hated not having anything to do. His brain was not a safe place to spend too much time in without distraction.
Steve wasn’t worried in the slightest. He didn’t mind waiting, it was peaceful and they really were in no hurry. For a change. He even smiled at the thought that after all the elevator-related adventures he’d had, simply being stuck in one was so refreshingly normal.
“Why do you even care if it’s expensive? Lets just cut a hole in the roof and climb out!”
“It’s not really about the money, Bucky. Look, if we destroy this elevator, even if we’d have no trouble paying for it, it would still take several days at least, probably weeks, until it was repaired. Think of all the people who need it! And just imagine, we cut a hole in it and at that exact moment the light flickers on and we continue our journey! That would be embarrassing. I don’t think power outages last all that long, normally.”
Bucky grumbled. He didn’t like that Steve was so reasonable. What’s the fun in being Captain America if you can’t even smash through an elevator when it’s stuck?
Steve looked at Bucky sideways and chuckled.
“What?!”
“Nothing, it’s just kind of cute how impatient you are! You’d think after being frozen for so long–”
“That’s just it!”, shouted Bucky, turning around and facing Steve, “That is exactly the problem! How can you be so calm! Your plane crashed and you were crushed by tonnes of icy water and frozen for decades and it doesn’t bother you at all? I don’t believe you!”
Steve was taken aback and didn’t know what to say. They just stared at each other for a while, illuminated by their flashlights and closely surrounded by metal walls.
Suddenly, another voice broke the silence, shouting: “Hello! Is there someone in there?”
Bucky turned to face the door, then looked up and answered: “Yes!”
“Sorry about that!”, replied the voice (probably the janitor, Steve and Bucky both guessed), “There is a power outage, nothing to worry about. You are not in any kind of danger. Do not panic! How many are you? Any children, disabled persons or elderly?”
“Just two of us, and we’ll be fine”, shouted Steve back.
“Um, technically I’m disabled”, grumbled Bucky but not loud enough for the presumed janitor to hear.
“The power will probably be back on in an hour or so. If it takes much longer, I’ll call the fire department to get you out. Do not attempt to break out by yourselves! That would be highly dangerous and insurance won’t pay for cases of unintended use.”
Bucky rolled his eyes and balled his fists, but he bit his lip.
“OK”, shouted the janitor, “I’ll have to check on the other elevators.”
But Steve interrupted her: “Do you have a phone number we can call just in case?”
“Well, you can always call 911 if you get reception in there”, the janitor called back, “but I’ll give you my number, too, hang on”
After the janitor had left, Bucky rounded on Steve. “See? They have other elevators! She just said so! It won’t matter if this one is out of order for a couple of days!”
Steve gave him a stern look, but then put his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Hey, I know this is stressful for you, but she also said it won’t be long. I think it’s best if we just wait, hm?” He looked at Bucky expectantly, but he just scowled.
“At least you’re not alone this time”, Steve tried to comfort him.
They both sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. Bucky leaned his head on Steve's shoulder and mumbled “Thanks.”
Steve sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have realized that it’s not just an inconvenience for you, or a matter of being impatient.”
Bucky snorted. “You don’t say!”
Steve wrapped his arm closer around his friend and said: “I think it’s easier for me. You asked how I can be so calm, but it’s not an act, Bucky, in fact I was thinking how normal this whole situation is. Not so long ago a full team of trained professionals tried to arrest me in an elevator – I had to jump from the eighths floor! Compared to that this is a picnic. Literally.”
“Do you have food?”, Bucky asked and seemed genuinely interested in a snack.
“What? That’s not–”, Steve turned his head to look at Bucky, “That’s not what my story was about. I was just saying that this isn’t dangerous or anything, so we should just make the best of it.”
“Exactly! Eating calms me down. Plus it has been a while since breakfast!”
“Uh, if you say so.” Steve rummaged in his backpack for a bit and, sure enough, handed Bucky an energy bar while taking one for himself, too.
Bucky started eating immediately. “It’s good to know that I can always count on you for being well equipped!”
Steve chuckled. “You could have packed snacks yourself, if it’s that important to you!”
“I didn’t know we’d be stuck!”, Bucky defended himself.
After they’d both finished their energy bars, Steve asked: “Feeling better?”
“A bit.” Bucky still didn’t look very happy. But then, he rarely did that anymore at all.
Steve frowned. “C’mere”, he put his arm around Bucky again and pulled him closer. Bucky leaned against him and Steve had the strangest feeling, like an anti-déjà-vu, as though the roles had been reversed. How often had Bucky comforted him after he’d been in a fight with bullies twice his size? After he’d lost his mother? Steve tried not to think about it. He wasn’t that small boy anymore and Bucky wasn’t the carefree youth he’d once been, either.
"It's almost as if our roles were reversed", he said, "You used to be the carefree one! Successful, handsome and popular with the ladies, lads and fairies too! And I was always struggling, and, it seemed, losing. And not only losing fights…" He didn't have to spell it out, they both knew he was thinking about his parents.
"You sure know how to make me feel better!", scoffed Bucky, "But I guess you're right. Now you're the popular and unbeatable hero, who got what he dreamed of! And you're even the good-looking one out of the two of us!"
Steve laughed. "You're still good-looking!"
Bucky grinned, trying to act as though this compliment was ridiculous and didn't cheer him up (even though it did).
After a short pause, Bucky said: "No, but seriously. You got what you always dreamed of: The chance to serve! And not only that, you got so much more than you could have ever hoped for. Me? I got almost the same serum, but it was while I was captured by Nazis and tortured. Then I almost die but no, it gets even worse than that! Being frozen, experimented on, brainwashed, tortured some more, forced to play the obedient, mindless killing machine of my own enemies…" He swallowed and lapsed into silence.
Steve didn't know what to say, so he just hugged him a bit tighter. Then he said quietly: "You're right. What happened to you and to me was almost the opposite. Even when my plane crashed and I was frozen for decades, I went into it with open eyes and willingly. I had choices and I did what was necessary and I would do the same again. Maybe that's why it doesn't haunt me the same way. I mean, I can't say it doesn't bother me at all, but it's manageable."
Bucky sighed and Steve could tell that he had his glummest glowering face on, even though he couldn't see his face clearly as they were sitting closely next to each other and facing the same direction, the same blank metal wall that was only two feet away. Steve now found it easy to understand how this wall would seem much too close, threateningly close, for someone like Bucky.
"Yeah, and don't forget: You also had a thousand fans and supporters the moment you did as much as open your eyes!" Bucky seemed to be bitter, but Steve understood that he wasn't accusing him. He just needed to get all this out of his system.
So Steve followed Bucky's line of thought: "Whereas you were hated, suspected of crimes you didn't commit, hunted, and even frozen again…" Steve swallowed. "You know, I knew all these things, but somehow… somehow I haven't thought of it like this before. It's a wonder you're dealing as well as you are! I mean, I'm proud of you."
Bucky leaned his head against Steve's shoulder. When he spoke again, Steve was surprised to hear that his voice was muffled, as if he'd cried or was about to. "I don't think anyone's ever said that to me, ever, since all these horrible things happened."
They just sat there in silence for what felt like a long while.
Eventually, Steve said: "You're not alone anymore. And I'll make sure you're not alone ever again! And I don't just mean I'll have an energy bar packed just in case, I mean I'll listen. And I really am proud of you."
When the lights suddenly flickered on again and the elevator resumed its journey as though nothing had happened, they both jumped. They'd almost forgotten where they were and why.
When they stepped into the daylight shortly after that, the world seemed somehow changed. Maybe a bit of (literal) darkness and confinement made it easier to appreciate the sun and open space outside? But Steve and Bucky both felt that something else had happened.
Bucky gave him a sideways glance, smiling. "So, what do you think about ice cream? And maybe we could go dancing later?"
author's notes: Yes, he is asking Steve out on a date. Whether it's their first date or they've been together for a while (maybe since before Steve got the serum?) is up for the reader to decide.
Also I hope my reference to "fairies" = (gender-)queer people is accurate enough for the time-period and place - I'm not good at american slang, sorry! It just felt weird making Steve use “nonbinary” when talking to Bucky about old times, but also Steve wouldn’t just leave nb people out so, idk,
