On the Brink

Bucky was surprised when they Steve took him to Central Park and under the bridge near the Balto statue that late afternoon.

He curiously looked at Steve, who was wearing his favorite navy blue peacoat with a white shirt and dark jeans. His magic holster was inconspicuously hidden beneath his coat. The blond gave him a quick smile after catching him staring. Bucky felt his cheeks heat up but he did not withdraw his gaze.

“Central Park?” He cocked his head to the side and gave a quick glance at the husky statue behind them and the bottom of the low bridge that they were standing under. When he looked back at Steve, the blond nodded at him. “What are we doing here? I thought we were going to meet the Queen.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Steve said with a smile.

Bucky looked around and saw that not many people were walking around in the park. It was a cold day outside, and the two of there were sticking like a sore thumb by being the only two people standing under the arch of the bridge. They were standing just right below the middle of the arch of the bridge. When he looked back at Steve, he saw that Steve had his hands forward.

“Just wait and see, baby,” Steve said to him with a confident smile.

Bucky trusted Steve, so he just nodded his head and said, “Alright. Show me.”

Steve stepped closer to Bucky and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He returned to his previous spot soon after before the brunet could respond. He spread his hands out again. Bucky just watched as Steve’s expression became focused but he still held his body in a relaxed posture. After a second, a glowing wall of white light appeared in the space between the bottom of the bridge and the ground.

Bucky unconsciously took a step back when he saw dark white mystical symbols appear in the white wall of light in front of them. He gaped as the symbols moved in a clockwise motion. He looked at Steve and saw that the blond was giving him a reassuring smile. He closed his gaping mouth and smiled back, trying to tamp down on his nervousness and surprise.

When Steve turned back to face the white wall of light, he moved his hands and fingers into several different poses. Bucky thought that it was similar to the hand signs that Japanese ninjas did in the animated movies that he had seen before.

After a few movements of Steve’s hands, the symbols in the wall of light stopped moving, and then slowly moved to form a large circle in the wall of light. Bucky though he heard a faint click just beside his ears when the symbols stopped moving, and the symbols changed color from dark white to pale gold.

Steve dropped his arms and took Bucky’s nearest hand in his. The blond was smiling while his blue eyes twinkled as he looked at him. “Let’s go.”

Bucky stared at Steve’s excited expression, and then glanced at the white wall of light in front of them. He looked back at the blond and bit his lower lip. He took a deep breath before he said, “Okay.”

The blond held his hand tighter and led him into the wall of light, right in the center of the circle of pale golden symbols.

Bucky let Steve take him to the other side of the wall of light. He did not know what it was that he would find there, but he trusted that Steve would not take him to a dangerous place.

When his body passed through the wall of light, he felt a warm sensation like stepping under a warm shower. It felt pleasant and welcoming, and it helped reassure Bucky of where they were heading. He could not help but close his eyes when they took a step through the wall of light. It felt like a long time since he took a step toward the white light, but it just took a few seconds for the warm feeling to pass.

“Buck…” Hearing Steve’s voice made him open his eyes.

The first thing that he saw was Steve’s beautiful, smiling face. Steve waggled his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. Bucky’s gaze followed the direction of where Steve was motioning to and was momentarily breathless.

He gasped and his eyes widened with a mixture of awe, intimidation, excitement, and apprehension as he tried to drink in the wondrous view of towering structures that looked more like a mixture of ancient and modern architecture.

He saw towering spires made of metal, stone, and glass. There were ancient temples and skyscrapers. He saw a large dome-like building on one side that gave him the impression of a covered stadium. But he also saw a building that looked like the Colosseum in Rome. He saw structures that reminded him of ancient Greece, yet there were also buildings that reminded him of ancient Asian architecture. The architecture of the place was eclectic, but everything somehow harmonized well and gave anyone who looked at it a feeling of seeing a bizarre yet beautiful place.

Steve firmly held his hand and quietly watched him look around in amazement. They were standing on top of a raised, stone platform with symbols carved on the floor. The stone platform was on top of a small mountain that overlooked what seemed like a mystical city. Bucky looked up and saw that the sky was much closer from where they were standing. He looked over his shoulder and his knees weakened when he saw that they were high up in the air. The Empire State Building or the One World Trade Center looked like toothpicks in his eyes. The platform that they were on was on the edge of a floating or flying mass, and they were standing right near the very edge without any railings to stop a potential fall over the edge.

The air got knocked out of Buck’s lungs as he looked down at his beloved city. He could not help but take a deep breath and his neck almost snapped when he turned to Steve.

“How is this happening?” he could not help but ask. He was still reeling in shock from everything that he was seeing. He never had a fear of heights but from where he was standing now, it was impossible not to feel weak in the knees and woozy. He leaned against Steve, thankful that the blond was as steady as a rock against him.

“Magic,” Steve answered with a shit-eating grin. “Come on, Buck. There’s more to see. It would be convenient if we turned up within Pardis, but we couldn’t teleport inside. And besides, I wanted you to see this exact view. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Bucky looked around one more time before answering Steve with a deep and passionate kiss. Bucky’s free hand was on the side of Steve’s neck while Steve’s free hand was on clutching Bucky’s hip.

“You are amazing. Thank you,” Bucky murmured against Steve’s plump, red lips.

They kissed for a while. Bucky momentarily forgot where they were as he got lost in Steve’s passionate kisses.

They only stopped kissing when they heard someone clear their throat. Although their lips parted, they still held each other close as they looked toward the person who just made the sound that stopped their passionate moment.

Bucky was once again surprised when he saw the billionaire Howard Stark and his genius son Tony Stark standing at the bottom of the stone platform’s stairs. The older Stark looked at them with an unreadable expression, while the younger Stark had an amused smirk on his face.

“I was about to head within the estate but was informed that a newcomer has arrived. Am I right to assume that it is your companion, Steve?” Howard said.

The older Stark had his hands clasped behind his back. He wore an expensive dark grey suit, while his son wore a dark brown one.

Bucky glanced from Howard to Steve, and then from Steve to Howard. He was surprised to realize that Steve knew the billionaire best known for weapons manufacturing.

Steve held Bucky’s hand with a firm grip and led Bucky down the stone steps. They stopped right in front of the Starks.

“Howard. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Steve used his free hand and gestured toward Bucky. “Buck, I’d like you to meet Howard Stark. He’s a good friend of mine. Howard, meet Bucky Barnes, my life companion.”

Hearing Steve’s introduction made Bucky feel pleased. He was tickled pink inside and tried his best not to smile like a lovestruck fool and embarrass himself in front of the Starks.

Life companion sounded infinitely better than boyfriend or lover. It held more meaning than fiancé or spouse. A pleasant and warm feeling spread throughout Bucky’s body while staring at Steve’s unabashed expression. He liked the expression of pride in Steve’s face as he declared who Bucky was in front of one of the richest men in the world.

There was a momentary look of surprise on Howard Stark’s face. But it soon changed into a genial smile to the pair. The younger Stark was showing an intrigued and suggestive expression from beside his father.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barnes. Congratulations on your match, Steve,” Howard said. He motioned to his son with a hand. “And this is my son, Anthony. Steve, I hope that you would be able to help each other when the time comes.”

Anthony Stark raised a hand when his name was mentioned with a slight grimace on his face but did not say anything.

After the introductions were done, Howard walked ahead of the group towards the waiting carriage at the bottom of the hill. The carriage was made of dark wood but was unmanned and without horses. Bucky wondered how the carriage was supposed to move without any means to pull the vehicle.

The younger Stark walked alongside them as the older Stark lead their path. He sidled near Bucky’s side.

“You’re Bucky Barnes, Captain America. I saw your last movie. Well, my girlfriend Pepper--amazing woman--made me watch your movie. She’s a fan, by the way. You were great. But I thought your movies could use some robots in it, if you know what I mean. And if you need to consult on robots, I can help you with that,” Anthony said.

“Anthony--” Steve said. Bucky was only able to open his mouth at the sudden barrage of Anthony Stark’s words.

“Call me Tony. Anthony makes me feel old, which I’m not,” the younger Stark interrupted.

Howard Stark continued to walk ahead of them. From their distance, Bucky was sure that he could hear his son talk but still pretended not to notice anything.

“Thanks,” was the only thing that Bucky could say.

Tony perked up at Bucky’s reply and continued, “So, do you have sway when it comes to what goes on in the Captain America movies? Will we be able to add some robots, maybe a robot villain or a hero? Personally, I like heroes who wear robotic suits. Maybe you can add a character that wears a robotic suit who has control over lots of robots. How about that? Brilliant idea, huh?” Tony gesticulated while he talked and the pair could not help but listen to him prattle. It was as if he just waited for his father to turn his back on them and then unleashed the chatter.

The pair glanced at each other quickly, exchanging amused but exasperated looks.

“Tony, I don’t think I’m the one who decides these things,” Bucky said. Tony looked affronted. “You’re ideas are great though. You should talk to Marvel about it. I’m sure they’ll listen to you.”

“Sure they will. I’m great. I’ll have Pepper look into that. Hmm… Maybe I’ll buy Marvel. What do you think of that?” Tony said.

Bucky’s eyebrows was nearly on his hairline. Tony was so flippant with his words. Marvel was a multi-billion dollar company. Buying such a company, especially from Disney, would not be cheap.m But Tony seemed to confident in his statement that Bucky did not deny him.

“Tony, have you been here before?” Bucky asked. It was a blatant attempt at changing the subject but Tony did not seem to mind.

It gave Bucky the impression that the younger Stark just liked hearing the sound of his voice that’s why he continued talking, not minding the change of topic at all.

“Oh, it’s my first time here. Dear old Dad had me cleaned up and brought here.” He rubbed his palms together. “The Queen called for me. Well, that’s what Dad said. So here I am. It’s actually quite exciting. And this place is a treasure trove of technological mysteries. It’s like I was invited to a magical playground. I can’t wait to see what toys I can play with.”

Steve chuckled under his breath and only Bucky heard. The corner of his lips twitched as he looked at Tony and then at Bucky.

“It’s Bucky’s first time here, too. If Her Majesty is expecting you, then you and Bucky would most likely have an audience with her together,” Steve said. He gave Bucky’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Tony perked up even more upon hearing that. He continued his chatter about his plans after they meet the Queen until they finally reached the wooden carriage.