howlingplayground | The Memening... Soulmate/Arranged Marriage Bucky Only

She nods, accepting him at his word. If he wanted to leave, he could have just done so without the added drama. He had nothing to gain by faking this.

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she meets him at the door. "Let's not attract any more attention than we have to. We'll switch cars." There's no way to know if they made the vehicle and added a tracker. Giving him a nod, she opens the door and heads out into the hallway.

She quickly glances to the left to make sure it's clear before heading right towards the back stairs. She leads them up one level before exiting into the parking garage. Keeping an eye out, and trusting Bucky to have her back, she scans the lot for a suitable vehicle. There. She heads for a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee. It looks like something a soccer mom would bring her kids to practice in, but it's got a powerful engine and would be sturdy enough if someone tried to force them off the road. She makes quick work of the lock, hitting the switch to open the passenger side. Passing Bucky her bag, she works her magic to get the vehicle running. With a glance at him to be sure he's ready, she heads out at a reasonable speed - no need to arouse suspicion, after all.

He follows her, watching behind the pair of them for anyone else wanting to come upon them. When she shimmies open the door, he double checks the garage, sure that there's someone near by, but unable to see them.

Bucky climbs in the car, and immediately slouches down, so he can't be seen out the windows. Better that they just see a soccer mom, rather than his scruffy face. Still, he peeks, using the side mirror. Sure enough, the two goons spy them leaving and speak into their wrists. Someone is looking for them.

Natasha had the foresight to borrow Bucky's baseball cap and grab a pair of sunglasses from the console, completing her sporty look. She keeps a neutral expression as she drives, making no attempt to hide herself or avoid attention. That in and of itself would have attracted attention.

She notices the goons and continues on, keeping an eye out for any possible tail. "They were faster than I expected." She mutters, pulling off the sunglasses and tossing him his hat. "We've got to get out of the city."

He puts his hat back on, but stays where he is. It looks better if she's driving by herself. Better to be surprised by him being in there, especially since there's no guarantee they're not being followed by more. He makes himself more comfortable.

"No guarantee they didn't see us earlier." He says, blinking because the low-lying sun is burning right into his eyes. But he's speaking English, now, instead of Russian. He's awake enough now to speak a different language. "Maybe cross in Minnesota?" He suggests. Heading west that far will let them switch vehicles a few times, and get the hell out of the area. They'll be watching the major crossings - Buffalo and Detroit - no doubt. He'd rather not go up the east coast, if they can avoid it.

His logic for staying hidden is sound, so she doesn't ask him to move. Maybe when they're on the highway where there'd be fewer cameras and fewer people to recognize them.

She nods, "They've shown their hand, though. Now we know how badly they want to find us and how quickly they can track us if they really want to." It's always good to have a metric to determine how hard you have to try to hide your tracks.

His suggestion makes her think. She maneuvers through the city like an old pro, navigating side streets and one ways, keeping an eye out for any tails. The idea has merit. It's just longer than she was planning on sticking around. But if they're trying this hard... "Okay. Hope you're ready for a road trip." She smirks, glancing down at him. Pulling off the sunglasses, she hands them to him without looking.

He takes the sunglasses, because that low sun is headache inducing. The last thing they need his him with a headache. Can he get a headache? Probably better if he doesn't think about that too hard.

He snorts. "First road trip I've had in a while." He has never been as far west as Minnesota. This... will be interesting. He trusts her to keep the tails off of them. Hopefully, they don't pick up any outside of the city, where the cameras can't follow.

Yeah, not something to test out. There's no reason he has to be more uncomfortable than he already is.

She glances around, eyes flicking up to the rear view mirror. No. Nothing, yet. Confident that they're safe for now, she pulls onto the highway and starts to head west. Chuckling, she raises an eyebrow. "Maybe we'll have time to stop and see the biggest ball of twine." That was a fun stupid road trip thing to do, right?

He looks up at her, confused. "The what?" The reference is utterly lost on him. He doesn't plan to stop, except for food, gas and restroom at any time. He wants to put as much distance between him and DC as possible.

Bucky isn't sure which of the governmental agencies is after him - SHIELD, HYDRA, CIA, FBI, UN... pick an aphabet - but it can't be good. He has to be prepared to leave her behind, too. He knows she won't leave him, but if he has to lead them away from her? He'll do it.

She chuckles, raising an eyebrow at him. "Oh come on, you can't tell me there weren't tourist traps in your time. Stupid roadside attractions for travelers?" She doesn't plan to really stop, but it's fun to tease the old timers.

Some alphabet agencies are worse than others. Nat wants to know who's after him and why... But most importantly, she wants to keep him safe. She'll go what it takes to accomplish that.

Honestly, were the International Court after him? Not a damned person would blame them. He probably should be tried for War Crimes and sentenced to... whatever it is they sentence people to.

As for who's after him, again, pick an alphabet. He really is the world's most wanted man. Sighing, he shifts his shoulders, so he's braced against the passenger door. He'll peek up when they reach the first stop.

"There were roadside attractions." That's not a new phenomenon. "But a ball of twine?" What's so special about that?

There would be plenty of time to figure that out... Most likely the next time they attacked. For now, though, Nat is amused by this conversation.

"It's interesting because it's supposed to be the biggest one in the world." She puts just enough emphasis on her words to make him question if she's really interested or just teasing him.

Look, he looks ridiculous in the oversized purple sunglasses. They're expensive, but they're definitely not meant for him. But they serve a purpose and he'll use them until they're not needed anymore. But he doesn't quite believe her sincerity.

"Well, when we're not on the run from many international policing organizations, maybe I'll take you." He's still a shit, sometimes.

"It's a date."

She smiles, glancing at him. It's remarkable how easy it is to joke with him like this. Regardless of what the tattoos mean, at least they could be friends.

Raising an eyebrow, she adds. "But I'm not going with you looking like that."

"I'm the height of fashion." He shoots back, and it feels right, natural to say something like that. He'd pulled Steve from the river, and refuses to think about why.

Leaning his head back, he studies the ceiling of the SUV. He could go for food, but that can wait. He wants to put more distance between them and DC right now.

Two hours into the trip, he finally moves to sit in the seat, rather than on the floor, and stretches out his legs. "We should find somewhere to eat, and money."

She laughs, glad to hear him joke. It will make the trip far more tolerable. Road trips can be bad enough without dealing with an ill tempered companion.

Unsurprisingly, she was having similar thoughts before he moved. She nods, eying the upcoming exits for anything promising. "I have cash. More would be helpful, though."

"How far are we from Louisville?" He asks, the scrambled recesses of his mind telling him there's a safe house there. They won't be looking for them in Louisville. "If we can get there, there's a safehouse. They won't be expecting that one to be hit."

And he can make it look like nothing was taken. He knows how to do that. He sighs. "It's a risk, but we need the funds."

She nods, trusting his knowledge. He'd know their moves as well as she, if not better.

"Louisville?" She thinks. "A couple more hours, tops. I have enough cash to get us food around her, at least. When's the last time you ate?"

He frowns, trying to think. "Uh." The last time he ate. He's not sure. He'd managed to steal something after pulling Steve from the river. "A while?" Maybe? He can't remember. He could vaguely remember a streetside hot dog.

He doesn't mind. He's been able to sustain himself without food for a while. He probably should eat, though.

She shoots him a look. A soldier should know better. Every machine needs fuel after all.

"We're getting food." Her tone makes it clear that there's no room for argument. She pulls off the next exit and finds a local diner that looks like it serves decent food. "Come on. Let's get you a good American burger." She smirks.

"And fries." He pulls off the sunglasses and stashes them in the glove box. They're going to need to change cars soon, but not here. Here, they might be remembered, and stealing a car would be suspicious. There are going to be plenty of places in Louisville to get a new car.

When he gets out of the car, he's careful in how he stretches, not wanting his arm to be revealed. That's one sure way to start people talking. Luckily, he'd found gloves that cover his hands, so that's one problem taken care of.

Still, he remembers being a gentleman. So, he opens and holds the door to the diner for her, stepping inside. His brain immediately begins calculating how to kill everyone in the diner in the most efficient manner. It also marks all the exits and how to get there from anywhere in the place. He stiffens, his metal hand clenching.

"And fries." Natasha echoes, chuckling. He and Steve are a lot alike... But she's not going to tell him that. At least not yet.

She gives him a nod of thanks for opening the door. Good old fashioned chivalry. She's not going to try to change that. Once inside, she holds up two fingers to the hostess as she looks around the place. It's relatively small, reminiscent of an old 50s diner. The decor was a bit over the top, but it was a cute place. She notes the exits and windows, mentally mapping the space in case they need to make a quick exit. Feeling him tense beside her, she realizes he's likely doing something similar but with a brain hardwired to kill.

Would anyone else notice the air of violence that seems to surround him? It's easier to tell a story than it is to force him to relax. She wraps her arm around his and smiles up at him. To anyone looking, they're a cute young couple. Nothing notable at all. "Oh don't be so worried. One stop for food isn't going to slow is down too much."

He stiffens when she touches him and looks down at her with eyes completely blank. He's the Winter Soldier, who'd shot through her to get to a scientist. He'd shot her in DC, to stop her, Steve, and the other guy from stopping the HYDRA plot.

It's only a brief second, but then he blinks and he's human again. He's Bucky again. It's going to take time and people are going to get hurt on the way, but he hopes to eventually become more.

"If you're sure." He says, softly as the hostess comes to show them to their seats. They're lead to a booth, and he waits for her to be seated, before he wedges himself into a corner, unsure of what he thinks about being this exposed. But he hasn't eaten in a while, and no doubt her shoulder is starting to ache from all the driving.

She watches that change happen in his eyes, her own smile never faltering. It's a good thing. He's got a lot of hardwired shit to work through, but he's making progress. "I'm sure." She responds, just as softly. Her arm stays around his until they get to the table. She releases him so they can take their seats.

Once the waitress is gone, the facade disappears and she's her normal self again. Her bigger worry is that someone will recognize her. She has been all over the news lately... But hopefully this place is removed enough that no one will notice or care about two strangers passing through. She gently rolls her shoulders as she relaxes into the seat. Her shoulder did ache, but she'd gotten used to working through pain. "We'll only stay long enough to get food. We'll need gas soon, too." I.e. They should switch cars soon.

The waitress brings waters and offers coffee. Bucky declines, not wanting to try caffeine on his nerves right now. He sips the water, and thinks. "Something smaller, better gas mileage." He says, softly.

He knows they need to trade cars. Hopefully, they can do it soon enough to ditch the silver SUV. It'd been a good car at the time, but now, they need to go long distances. Besides, they're heading into a heavier populated area. While the SUV wouldn't stand out, surely they could find a sedan or something to get them where they needed to go.

Then, the waitress is back to get their orders, Bucky hadn't even glanced at the menu and orders a cheeseburger with bacon and all the fixings and fries. Oh, and a chocolate shake to top it all off. He needs the calories.

Natasha accepts the coffee. She's got to stay awake and alert, caffeine will help.

She nods. "Agreed. Preferably low vis, too." A black car would be easier to hide. At night they could turn off the headlights and disappear for a moment. Not so with a silver car.

Smiling at the waitress, she orders the same, minus the shake. Protein and carbs is a good idea. When she's gone, she smiles at Bucky and sips her coffee. "Any other stops you want to make?"

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