[CLOSED TO disassembling - Not really a vacation

[whatsfondue]

Las Vegas had changed quite a bit in the last 70 years. The last time he was here this was only a back water town, a pit stop on the USO tour on their way west. Now it was an entire city that catered to tourists. Steve wandered around among the flashy buildings and (mostly) gaudily dressed tourists in the strip, looking for signs that matched the descriptions in the report he was given for HYDRA.

Nothing. Nothing that stood out to him of course.

Usually something like this was best assigned to Natasha or Clint, but Clint was on medical leave, and he'd been outvoted when it came to another mission that Bucky and Natasha had left on a day before he'd left. Thor and Bruce wasn't even considered and Tony had meetings Ms. Potts had said he was not allowed to get out of unless it was a global emergency. Tony had clapped on on the back and told him to go wild, which Steve had rolled his eyes at. He shook his head at a poster advertising spa and massages and decided to find somewhere quieter for lunch away from the main strip.

Of course, it was on his way out that he spotted a familiar face, a HYDRA agent they'd been on the lookout for the last few months. Of course Steve will put off his lunch to follow. And of course, something will go wrong and the last Steve remembered was feeling a pinch at the back of his neck and then blacking out

Comments

[disassembling]

He could settle himself on a motorcycle, but he doubted either of them would be content with that arrangement long term. It was very vulnerable on a motorcycle after all, and he would constantly be checking for observation and danger rather than looking at whatever sights they decided they were goings. He was, in his own way, perfectly content to be on guard, but he thought it would also grate on Steve who wanted to relax with him and they could lounge about and enjoy themselves on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

"California, hmm?" He looked out the window, examining the desert that stretched out before them and shook his head. "Let's see the ocean in Florida," he said instead. When had he ever seen the ocean just to enjoy it? When had he had an opportunity to pick Steve up and throw his friend into the ocean? "I hear it's nice this time of year, but it's not yet full of flocking tourists."

[whatsfondue]

Steve understood in a way, Bucky's need to watch for threats but Steve could never rest easy knowing that Bucky wasn't taking his rest as well. It was one thing to keep watch for one another, it was reciprocal and that was fine; it was another for him to be resting day after day while another person guarded him. He'll feel doubly awful because this is supposed to be their vacation together.

Seeing the sea from Florida was just fine with him; he had never been himself. They could see California another time and no doubt would, since Tony occasionally talked about taking them all there to his Malibu place. And the sea, the beaches in Florida would be very different from the seemingly endless desert that stretched out before them. He had taken dives into the sea for work, it'll be interesting maybe even fun to jump into one for play instead. Maybe he could even persuade Bucky to join him (or pull him in unsuspectingly). "That'll be nice...less people to stare and gossip. Any other places?"

[disassembling]

It was difficult to just think and name places, since the memories or place names that he knew had often involved either a safe-house or a mission of some kind. It didn't seem like a good reason to revisit such things except perhaps to see if he would remember more while he was there. His missions were not particularly aspects that he wanted to relive unless there was pertinent information involved in doing so.

"We won't have to strip down or anything at the beach, yes?" He figured that he would stay fully clothed for the entire trip outside of his time with Steve because his arm was a dead giveaway of what and who he was. He did not want to risk their vacation because of the glaring light reflecting off the metal plates. "I don't know. None of the places in my mind seem like the kind we should go to."

[whatsfondue]

"It's fine. You're tell me whenever you want to stop or think of something you want to see, okay?" He might be pushing it a bit but he wants Bucky to be absolutely comfortable telling him he wants to stop or go. There was plenty of time after all and it wasn't even that they were confined to this one trip. They could always come out again, on another vacation, to anywhere that Bucky wanted to go and see.

"No, not if you don't want to." Steve replied immediately in response to the question about stripping down. "Whatever you're comfortable with." He could tell immediately what Bucky's concern was, that Bucky's arm would draw them attention they don't want or need. He doesn't even have a swimming trunks with him anyway and he has a feeling stripping down to even just that would get them more attention than he'd be comfortable with.

As they chatted while they drove, it wasn't long before the desert they were passing by started filling up with green of grass and trees and farmland. Steve figured they could drive until they were hungry then look for a likely town or even gas station for food.

[disassembling]

He had to nod his head because even looking at the map that they were following wasn't exact on the types of things that he might actually be curious of seeing. He simply thought that it would be random where they stopped, a point of interest or something that caught their eye as they drove. He was also prepared to drive if Steve wanted a break, though for the time being, he was quite content to just look out the passenger's side window and watch the scenery pass them by. He normally was always looking for points of attack or escape, not admiring the landscape like he was actually trying to do now.

So they drove on the road and chatted about either nothing in particular or commenting on something in the world beyond their car. Within a few hours, he was content enough to toe off his boots and settle his socked feet on the dash of the car, the window rolled down so that he could feel the breeze on his face and moving his hair, arms laid contently across his own belly.

"We should do this across Europe at some point," he finally mentioned. Avoid the big cities and just see the countryside over there."

[whatsfondue]

Steve smiled to see Bucky so relaxed that the other man actually took off his boots and put his feet up on the dash, even though that was normally a behaviour he'd be chiding others for. And at least Bucky took off the boots so no damage could be done to the dash. He's never seen his friend so relaxed outside of their apartment in Brooklyn. It drove home the idea that this road trip was the best idea he's had and his face lit up at the proposal of another one in Europe. "Yeah...that'll be really nice. I don't think either of us go to see anything other than war in Europe. It'll be nice to take in the local sights without people trying to kill us." He wouldn't mind even dropping by the big cities like Paris, if only to take a tour of the art museums there.

They'd driven all day, only to stop briefly a little after lunch for a short food and restroom break. Steve glanced at the map on his phone and judged they were only and hour or two away from Phoenix, Arizona. The sun was already setting however. "Want to stop at the next town or drive on to the big city about two hours away?" He asked. Either was fine with him though he thought Bucky might prefer the town as there was less people. Or they could even drive all night though Steve would like some time to stretch his legs a bit.

[disassembling]

There were places that he had never remembered seeing or if he had, they were places he hadn't appreciated much at all. Before it had all been about the mission, but he continually reminded himself that it was about them and the places they were traveling through. "There are probably a lot of war museums and honorariums over there," he said softly, turning his head on the head rest to look at Steve. "We should... go and see those too, pay our respects to our fallen comrades or at least the brave men who fought the same war as us regardless of the side they were on."

True to his word, he hadn't decided to urinate in the bushes on pit stops, though he still wasn't so certain why it required an actual bathroom. "Stop at the next town. I need to stretch my legs, maybe go for a run," he said, his socked feet against up on the dash, but his ankles were crossed this time. He was alright with big cities, but he preferred the outskirt towns because it was less likely that they would be outright recognized. "Besides, you're probably tired of driving."

[whatsfondue]

It was novel, the way they could stop and go as they please, to pass by things that didn't interest them and to linger over those that did. There was no mission or deadline driving them save their own enthusiasm. He returned the look Bucky gave him with a slightly surprised look of his own. Steve had never thought Bucky would want to visit those places. "Yes...yes, we should." He was a little ashamed that he'd never considered it himself. But his friend was right, they should pay their respects; it was only right of them to do so.

Steve hasn't forgotten Bucky's previous idea of urinating out in the open instead of a proper washroom so he'd been watching closely every time they stopped. "Alright. And yeah, you're right, I could stretch my legs. Missed my usual run this morning." He gave Bucky a boyish grin. "We could make a race out of it?" A little healthy competition never hurt anyone and it was less destructive than a full out spar. After a day in a car, both of them had plenty of energy to burn.

[disassembling]

Given how many years that he had missed out on, it seemed fitting to return to the places that had, in part, made him who he was today. There were many who sacrificed their freedom and after his stint serving the ideals he had once fought against, it felt important to return to what he he known for so long. "Next trip. This trip is for us; the next trip will be for them, our comrades-in-arms who fell to give us the freedom that we know now."

He nodded his head, gazing out the window again before tilting his head to regard the grin that Steve wore. He felt the surge of challenge and huffed noisily in reply, all gusto. "It won't be much of a race considering how badly I would beat you. Save your pride, Rogers, but if you really want to get beat, I'll race you."

[whatsfondue]

Steve felt a warm glow inside of him as Bucky spoke of future! trips. That they could plan out a future together, even if it was something as small as a short vacation for just the two of them. It gave him hope that there could be even more than that for the two of them. He smiled again as he responded, eyes far away for a moment as he drove. "As you wish. And after that...we could go to Europe like you want, explore the countryside there."

His grin turned broader at Bucky's positive, almost enthusiastic reply to his challenge of a race. "Well, we shall see, won't we, which one of us has any pride left at the end." Steve took the next exit off the highway and before long they were driving through a quiet little town. He consulted his phone and manoeuvred towards a motel with what he hoped free beds. "Let's get settled in and we can find a suitable spot for a little foot race."

[disassembling]

"We can disappear into the countryside and just take our time doing whatever we want," he said a little wistfully. It wasn't that he didn't mind this, but he still chaffed on the idea that they could be tracked and called in at any time. He was so used to just disappearing and reappearing as it suited him that he sometimes liked to forget that Steve wasn't under the same obligation load as he was. "We won't even go to all the tourist places. Just wherever we want that's quiet. You can sketch to your heart's content."

He growled low in his throat, all ramping up pride to the challenge. It didn't matter who won in the end because they were together and he had never particularly measured himself against Steve often unless it was just play wrestling. "Very well. Do you want me to get the room so there is less chance you'll be asked for an autograph?"

[whatsfondue]

He had to admit that when he volunteered for Project Rebirth that no one warned him (neither did he think of it himself) that there would be a near constant demand for his presence, not just for his fighting prowess in battle. Steve had gotten used to it eventually, and was able to carve out some private time for himself but it was part and parcel of Captain America that he may be called back any time. He'd made his piece with it some time ago. "There are some art galleries and museums I'm hoping to see. But quiet sounds lovely." And it was a reminder he hasn't touched his sketch books in a while. He didn't even bring them with him this trip.

The sound of Bucky growling made heat coil up inside him. They'd never really competed seriously against each other (not even their spars inside the Tower's training rooms counted, and their play wrestling definitely didn't) and Steve has never considered any need for it. "Yes please. I'll take a look around in the meantime...this is a quiet area and maybe we can race here." He parked the car in the motel's parking lot neatly.

[disassembling]

"You should practice a German accent to fit with a disguise that you can wear over there," he pointed out helpfully. He needed no particular assistance as he could speak fluent Russian and have an appropriate non-American accent.

Once they were parked, he eased out of the vehicle and stretched, working the blood back into his limbs before he prowled around to the trunk where he could get out their luggage while Steve got them a room. It would be good to leave the car here near the office regardless of where their room was for both safety and to avoid people watching them figure out their room too easily.

[whatsfondue]

"Why German?" Steve asked curiously. "Why no French or even British?" Steve had picked up some German during the war, they all had but he was by no means completely fluent in it. "And what kind of disguise do you have in mind for me?" He'd already decided on growing a beard this trip to see how it worked out as a disguise and a baseball cap was universal, right?

The person manning the front desk was more interested in their phone than the supersoldier asking for a room. Steve was back out in a minute with an key number. They didn't have much luggage; a backpack for Bucky and a slightly bigger one for Steve. He retrieved his shield from the back of the car, seeing that Bucky had the rest. "The town's not too big. We could do a lap around the perimeter in less than an hour...or I could at least." He said casually as he led the way to their room.

[disassembling]

"Because no one will expect it," he said simply. People overlooked or missed details that were not within their scope of expectations and who would think Captain America would slide under the radar as a German? "A tourist of some kind. Sunglasses, a different hair style, maybe a fake visible scar."

They generally packed light, unless it was a complicated mission. He didn't have to wait long for Steve to come with a room key and hefted their two rather light bags. "And since I'm going to leave you in my dust, I'll be done in three-quarters of an hour," he replied simply, smirking. "We'll drop our stuff off and stretch and then go, yes?"

[whatsfondue]

"You could teach me some Russian instead?" That too, he had picked a few words up here and there. No one would expect him as a Russian either. And two Russian backpackers were totally normal, right? "Maybe I could learn enough to surprise Natasha." The thought was amusing, though he doubted it will work. Even if surprised, Natasha wasn't the type to show it on her face or body language, unless it was something she thought you should know.

"Yes. Big words you've spoken today." Steve commented lightly, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "I guess we'll see if you can actually match them." It took them even less time before the bags were dropped off in their room and they were back outside, doing a series of stretches to loosen their bodies after a long day sitting in a car. "One lap around the town. This road we're very conveniently circles the town so no shortcuts across buildings, fences, and other stuff. That's fair I think."

[disassembling]

"I could, yes," he replied agreeably. He knew that Steve was a quick learner, and all they had to do was maintain a certain amount of conversation in public in order to be believable. "She will probably mock your accent regardless of how much you know." She was the only one to get away doing that sort of stunt with him because he knew that accents were as important as the dialect itself. He wasn't perfect, with a distinct American undertone that homeland Russians picked up.

Once their bags were stored away, he stretched the same as Steve, rolling the kinks from his muscles and loosening up again. This roadtrip was going to be killer on his muscles, but he knew that it was entirely worth it. "Very well, a single lap," he agreed, noting that Steve hadn't put in place a no-contact rule, which was all he needed in order to gain the upper hand and victory. There was no doubt a convenient bush or tree to upend Steve into along the way.

[whatsfondue]

Steve's face lit up with a happy grin at Bucky's agreement. He was always happy to find something new to do with Bucky. "Natasha will mock me about something regardless of how well I learn to speak Russian, access or no. It'll give her something new to mock me about other than my taste in clothes or how badly she thinks I kiss." It was her way of teasing her friends, he realized early on, finding something relatively harmless to poke at the people she genuinely liked.

He's not sure how long her would be able to stand driving in a car day after day but for now the prospect of seeing new places or rediscovering old ones together was enough of a draw. Steve raised a single eyebrow at Bucky's easy agreement to his terms. There was something in Bucky's eyes that told him their little race wouldn't just be a straightforward one. He did one final stretch, then crouched down into position. "When you're ready at the count of three." He declared.

"One...two...three." And then they were off.

[disassembling]

Because they needed to get the Widow something new to tease them about, though even he could admit that she was very respectful of his relationship with Steve. She just liked the fact that they were old, dressed out of style and so often used language that was as old as they were. Everyone liked that, especially when Steve in particular used old cusses.

He rolled his shoulders and set himself when Steve began the countdown, his eyes focused on both the path he was going to travel and his opponent next to him. He took off as soon as the count of three sounded, the toe of his shoe digging into the dirt as he pushed off. He was approaching top speed within seven paces, but Steve had a longer gait than he did, which meant he needed a lead to start and then cheap tactics if his friend caught up with him.

[whatsfondue]

Steve often thought Natasha had a very odd idea of friendship but she was always there when he really needed her help and that was what counted. He could stand a bit of teasing (it was actually lot of teasing) if it amused her. They aren't the kind to pour their hearts out to each other but then again she seemed to know most things regarding what was going on around him usually before he did. (One clear example was how she suddenly stopped trying to arrange dates for him soon after Bucky started coming around to the Tower more often.)

When Bucky sprinted off as soon as the word 'three' left his lips, Steve wasn't far off behind his oldest friend. It was soon clear that between the two of them, Bucky could reach top speed faster than he did but Steve with his longer legs was catching up fast. Even before the reached the first turn, Steve was already close at Bucky's heels. Best friend (and lover) or not, Steve had no intention of losing.

[disassembling]

There was a freedom that came with such a simple activity, the shove and drive of their weights forward under nothing more than the strength of their limbs. It was especially nice after so many hours trapped in a car, forcing them to generalized inactivity. He pumped his arms and shoved hard with his legs to eat up the ground and gain full momentum forward, even as he heard the tell-tale sounds of Steve's pursuit.

They were shoulder-to-shoulder as the first turn approached, and he turned his head to size up how fast his friend was going. He kept his sprinting pace even as he headed into the corner as they moved around it together, and then he shifted his weight to throw his shoulder into Steve to drive his friend right from the path as he finished the turn to continue.

[whatsfondue]

He's always like running, especially after he received the Serum. It meant he could feel his lungs fill all the way with air and breathe it back out, without any burning feeling in his lungs or feeling as a cough would cough his lungs up entirely. There was freedom and satisfaction in the way their legs ate up the distance. No matter how good and convenient modern (or not so modern) transportation is, Steve thought he would always trust his own two feet more. And running won't contribute any noxious gases being released into the atmosphere.

Steve had caught up to Bucky as they approached the first turn of the road, a mere half step or so behind his friend. He had thought to try to speed up into the turn in order to pull ahead but Bucky, that cheat, shoved him to the side as they stepped into the first corner, Steve making a noise of surprise at the attack. Steve was back chasing after Bucky immediately of course but he lost precious time when he stumbled to re-balance himself. "If that's how you want to play it, you cheater!" He called out as he pounded after his friend, but not before scooping up a handy piece or two in his hand.

[disassembling]

After being pent up the car all day, this freedom and the motion of his limbs was a good thing. It was the kind of motion that would allow him to rest tonight, assuming that he and Steve didn't just end up wrestling on the ground until they were exhausted and sleep wherever appeared to be comfortable at the time. This was what they both needed.

The Soldier turned his head when Steve was driven off of the opportunity to pass him, the corner of his lip rising in a smirk as he sped on, making the corner easily and down on the newest straight. "There is no cheating between super-soldiers," he called back. "And this is competition. I expect to fight for my win." He picked up his pace, moving his legs faster because Steve's longer gait was still a dangerous thing for him to deal with constantly.

[whatsfondue]

Steve too was feeling the need to stretch his legs after a long drive. Driving himself was better than being driven (better yet if it was a motorbike where he could feel the wind on his face). Hopefully this will settle both of them down for the night. If not, Steve could think of other things they could do. It was barely sunset after all, and this little race they were in wouldn't last for more than an hour.

"Cheating is still cheating, no matter who we are!" He called back, picking up the pace immediately to give chase. Bucky had the lead now and it'll only widen if he doesn't do something. But only on the right moment. Steve's best friend was far too clever to fall for just anything. He thought he had the opportunity as the next turn came up and as Bucky started into the turn, Steve snapped his wrist, throwing the rocks hard, aiming them approximately into Bucky's path.

[disassembling]

He never particularly saw it as cheating, but he threw back a smirk to his friend in response all the same. He was in this race to win, and he would do so any way that was necessary. He also knew that he was going to inspire similar behaviour in Steve, and it delighted him to know that the competition would be fierce all the way around. He never faltered as he tried to put more distance between them.

Steve, of course, had other ideas as he came to the next turn. A flash of movement from behind him, and he jumped to the side, losing his stride but keeping to his feet as he realized that stones had been thrown. He growled in pleasure and moved to simply tackle Steve over into the soft grass at the side of the road.