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

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?"

He raises an eyebrow under his hat. "You got some clothes in the back?" Because, if not, once they get the funds, they should grab some spare clothes and a few other things. He certainly needs a gun or two, a knife, and possibly a change of clothing.

He's hoping she agrees with him. But beyond that? He doesn't need to stop anywhere. Hell, he'll drive for a while, letting her rest, if she wants.

Her lips curl in a smirk. "Yes, but I don't think they're really your style." I.e. She has clothes for her... For him, not so much.

A stop for supplies, then. It also wouldn't hurt for her to get something with a hood, or a wig. Her hair is kind of a dead giveaway.

"Well, then that's a stop we should make." Honestly, he's thinking they'll overnight in Louisville. That'll give him time to lift things from the safehouse, and get some shopping in. "Think we could ride the car out until Louisville?" He's asking, because she knows law enforcement better than he does. He doubts they'll be looking for the vehicle in Louisville, so better to ditch it there. Big city, easy to get lost in.

The waitress comes back with their meals, and Bucky dives in like a starving man. Which, he probably is. He should've eaten hours ago...

She thinks about it for a moment. "Probably. If we swap plates we'll be safer." The car itself is common enough to not raise suspicion as long as they obey the rules of the road.

The waitress gets a smile and a nod of thanks from her. Polite customers are more forgettable than rude ones. A comfortable silence falls between them as they eat. She figured it had been a while for him, so she's not in a rush to interrupt. She tucks into her own food, though at a much more reasonable pace.

Be polite, don't tip over the top. He knows what she's thinking. "Should wait for Louisville." He murmurs, sipping his milkshake. "Maybe stop by the airport." Meaning the longterm lot. It'll be the best place to swap plates, or even swap cars.

He takes a deep breath trying to relieve some of the tension in his shoulders. Out of state plates, though, get more attention. Maybe they should find some Kentucky plates somewhere. Shouldn't be too hard.

Of course he is. He knows how this covert stuff works... it's definitely better than having to hold Steve's hand through it.

She nods. "Good plan." Thefts from long term parking lots were less likely to be noticed right away. "If we need to stop beforehand, there are plenty of rest areas and hotels along the way." i.e. places where they can steal a car or plates. They had options, they'd be fine.

They would be fine. She knows what she's doing, and he's no slouch. They'll be fine.

"You want to trust a hotel?" He asks. He's not sure he does, but that could be the paranoia kicking in. "Might be better to drive through." He knows that they're more likely to be stopped in the middle of the night by a policeman, but, really, it's a bit more dangerous to stop. Especially if they switch cars and plates.

He dips his fries into his milkshake, eating them without thought.

She raised an eyebrow, dropping her voice. "I didn't mean to sleep." Swapping plates wouldn't be a bad idea. But driving through isn't a bad plan, either. She nods. "We can drive in shifts. We'll make good time that way.

His choice of dipping his fries didn't bother her. She'd seen weirder. It seemed so natural, though. She couldn't help but smile. When their server was looking, she dipped one of her fries in his milkshake. For all the world they looked like a happy couple sharing a meal. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "hmm. Not bad."

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