[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

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[disassembling]

Slowly, he turned his head as he folded his mismatched arms across the top of Steve's chest and rested his chin there, peering down into his friend's face, mirroring a casualness that he often didn't feel. This time he did, especially as he stretched his legs and tangled their feet together, considering the sheer notion of a holiday. He couldn't remember ever having one, though he supposed every day not serving HYDRA was probably what a vacation was supposed to feel like.

"But didn't we just sleep late because we were exhausted and because you were potentially experimented on?" He had slept well because Steve was here, and he had eaten very well just before bed too. That seemed like a reasonable explanation as any as to why they had slept beyond when they normally awakened and gotten on with their exercise or eating or whatever it was that happened to be planned for the day.

"Not together?" He frowned but pushed himself up off of Steve's body and stretching when he had regained his feet. He nodded, obediently wandering off to the bathroom in order to give Steve space to do whatever was necessary to set things right for this little road trip and he cleaned himself up with a shower. He made certain to be conservative with the hot water, and fifteen minutes later, he was wandering out again in nothing more than a towel around his waist. "Your turn?"

[whatsfondue]

The position they were both in on the bed puts Bucky's nose right within kissing distance, so Steve gives in to the temptation, leaning up just a bit to quickly peck there with his lips. He loved seeing Bucky like this, all loose and relaxed and he was gladder than ever that his proposal of a vacation was taken so well. He couldn't quite remember ever having taken one either; before the war, he'd have considered holidays were for rich people who could afford to take days off of a job without suffering the financial consequences for it. And then there was the war, and no one even thought seriously of one while on the front lines.

"Well, most likely. But I think that's also the point of a vacation. To not follow your everyday schedule and do something different. Or not as you choose." Steve always slept better when Bucky was near, safe and sleeping well. A part Steve was kind of itching to go out on a run as he usually did, though right now he felt more like getting mundane things such as eating and showering out of the way to start their much anticipated roadtrip.

He pressed a quick kiss to Bucky's cheek and answered rather apologetically. "Another time. If we want to leave today I should make those calls now." He should also at least give one of the Avengers a heads up that they were leaving Vegas. Steve watched as Bucky disappeared off into the bathroom and reached for the phone on the bedside table to start his calls, only to finish the last one just as Bucky re-entered the room again and Steve trailed his eyes appreciatively down Bucky's mostly naked body. "Yes. Breakfast will be sent up in about twenty minutes." He stretched and took the few steps to the attached bathroom to start his morning cleanup routine.

[disassembling]

"I wouldn't know. I don't remember ever having a vacation before, unless you count being frozen for months or years. I suspect that's more of a long sleep rather than a vacation," he reflected even as he finished up with what he was doing. He watched Steve, noting that his friend was off of the phone and clearly had made whatever arrangements were necessary for them to head out on their trip when it suited them.

"Twenty minutes. Right, I will be dressed and waiting," he said, nodding his head. He would not bring a knife to that service either, aware that most people didn't take well unless it was Steve or Natasha, both of whom indulged him in such antics. Hotel staff seemed not to be equipped to deal with it.

Instead, he padded to the bedroom to dry himself off completely and pull on a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey long-sleeved shirt. He tossed a red collared shirt over top, but he left it unbuttoned and instead decided to groom himself appropriately. He tied his hair up into a simple tail and then applied the simple leather gloves that were far more appropriate when dealing with the public. He found people stared at his metal fingers, so it was best to keep them from attracting attention.

Then he began the clean up of feathers in the bedroom, putting them into a pillow case to be removed.

[whatsfondue]

"It'll be something new for both of us. Together." He answered. And that was a good thought, Steve considered as he began to clean himself in the opulent bathroom provided as part of the hotel suite. Bucky didn't really remember too much about the America that was in their childhood and young adulthood and the one Steve remembered didn't really exist any more. Like he'd told Bucky, there had been a brief attempt at exploration of this new world he woke up in but his heart hadn't really been in it. It would be different this time, Steve is sure.

Twenty minutes was plenty of time for Steve to brush his teeth and take a quick shower. Army habits of washing as quickly as possible (and not waste hot water) was still very much ingrained into him. It was only when he and Bucky were washing together that these habits fall to the side. He spent a minute checking his own reflection in the mirror before deciding that the peach fuzz that was starting to show on his face didn't warrant shaving yet...in fact, it might be a good idea to grow it into a full beard. It might help him stay off the radar of the media in their raodtrip, another form of disguise other than the old hat and hoodie trick.

He smiled to see Bucky already cleaning up the feathers from last night and already dressed. "Let me get dressed and I'll help with that." Steve called out as he padded into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist much like Bucky did minutes ago. If the staff were as punctual about bringing up breakfast like they were last night they still had some time.

[disassembling]

It seemed to him that neither of them were in a habit of being wasteful with anything, not even time, unless they were doing something together. That was when habits fell away and they took as long as they liked or acted out like boys again, as the pillows showed easily. It was a fact that he hadn't missed, but he very often just dismissed as them trying to live a life that had previously been denied to them both for various reasons. Everyone else seemed to take longer with most things after all.

He turned his head when Steve entered the bedroom and paused in the motions of collecting up feathers at the sight of his friend in nothing more than a towel. His gaze crawled over every inch of leg before it disappeared under the material and then up above along Steve's stomach and chest. He rose to his feet, pillow and feathers forgotten as he prowled over to his feet.

He reached out and smoothed his hands over the hot damp skin of Steve's belly and then leaned in to collect sliding droplets of water that traced their way down his friend's neck. He gathered a few on his tongue and then sucked briefly on Steve's earlobe before he convinced himself that that was enough affection displayed. They wouldn't be productive if they got onto such antics after all.

[whatsfondue]

He had paused in the middle of getting out clean clothes for the day (and was reminded that he needs to pack if they were leaving today) when Bucky started stalking over and his eyes were caught at the way Bucky's hips swayed even in those few steps it took to close the distance between them. Steve inhaled sharply at the first touch from gloved hands passed over the still wet skin of his belly, then relaxed, eyes sliding half closed as a warm wet tongue licking up his neck. A low soft noise of disappointment escaped his lips when Bucky's lips left his ear and Steve couldn't help but reach out and tangled one hand into the hair at the back of Bucky's neck to pull the other man closer, loosening the hair tie in the process of capturing Bucky's lips with his own in a kiss.

Steve had only just started to slide his hands underneath Bucky's shirt in search of skin when the suite's door chime rang, signalling that their breakfast had arrived and interrupting their very pleasant activity. Instinctively he turned towards the door to answer it only to realize in his next step that he wasn't dressed. And he wasn't about to answer the door still damp and only in a towel, no matter that hotel staff has seen far worse. "Bucky, can you...?" He sent beseeching eyes towards his friend's way even as he hurried to dry himself off fully.

[disassembling]

It was so easy to fall into this warm moment between them, that span between being close and being together. There was something all too tempting with the way that Steve's fingers found his neck, keeping his close and encouraging his behaviour as their lips met. He shivered and stroked his hands up Steve's belly again then curled them around his friend's waist in full preparation to pull Steve up against him so he could maneuver them as he pleased.

He pressed his skin into Steve's hands, eager and pliant as his hands stroked up his friend's back and their kiss seemed so ready to intensify when... the door chimed. He growled softly, annoyed to be disturbed, and he only pulled away very reluctantly. He looked very put upon that he was going to be the one required to open the door, but he went, his eyes fixed on Steve until he couldn't see his friend anymore.

He answered the door with a flat stare, ignored the looks to his metal arm and allowed the staff to set breakfast down and take away the dishes from the meal that they had consumed the night before. He only grunted his thanks and showed them out quickly and pointedly because he didn't want them to linger because Steve happened to be around and could be possibly pestered with questions. No, this was their vacation, and it wasn't getting disturbed by hotel staff wanting to catch a glimpse of Captain America.

[whatsfondue]

A soft, raspy moan escaped Steve as he felt Bucky press back into his touch and hands smoothing up his back along the spin. Time always seemed to be both faster and slower at the same time whenever he and Bucky started indulging themselves in this form of intimacy. Slower, because there were times it was as if he was floating in a sea of warmth and sensation and time lost all meaning. Faster, because inevitably when they did finish Steve would look up to find that more time had passed than he thought. And he couldn't help feel a flash of annoyance as well when the door chime interrupted them just when he wanted to draw out their pleasurable activity for a while longer, jolting him unpleasantly out of the warm glow of sensations.

Seeing the almost-pout on Bucky's face at being asked to get the door, Steve couldn't help but give Bucky another quick peck on the lips as if to make up for having to do it in the first place. He could feel Bucky's eyes on him as he hurriedly took out a long-sleeved t-shirt and pants, dropping the towel entirely until Bucky finally disappeared from view. He would have gotten the door himself but as discrete the hotel staff have been so far (with one exception, a bell-boy who wanted his autograph), answering the door damp with nothing but a towel on was just asking for trouble.

He stepped back out into the main area of the suite just as the last of the waitstaff cleared out with the dirty plates from last night and smelled the air appreciatively. Eggs, bacon, French Toast and coffee were laid out for them on the coffee table. "Let's eat? Then we can pack and clean up and be on our way. The hotel staff says they'll have a rental waiting for us whenever we're ready to go."

[disassembling]

He oversaw the waitstaff clearing things and made certain that there was no snooping into other areas of their room for the time being. He set himself close to the door to make it clear that they could do their job and then leave because this was his private time with Steve. He even managed to set aside any desire to eat with this new mini-mission that he had undertaken with the door. He only let his guard back down when the waitstaff left with their cart, and he could shut and lock the door again.

He smoothed at his shirt as he leaned his ear closed to the door to make certain that they were actually being left alone. It was only when he was satisfied that he looked over at Steve again, and he padded over to the meal that had been set out.

The Soldier smelled first before he took the same seat that he had sat in the night before and began to dish himself out some food, taking enough to fill his stomach but less than Steve himself needed. He started first, aware that he would finish second given the time that it took him. He was added pepper to his eggs as he peered at his friend. "And the right agencies know that you're going to be off the grid for a little while? We aren't going to be followed by helicopters, right?"

[whatsfondue]

Honestly if the waitstaff wanted to snoop in his room they wouldn't find much to snoop about. He had a tablet and a phone of course, but those were locked with a password when not with him. Steve tried to keep the suite as clean and neat as possible in the few days he'd been here before Bucky had joined him as to not make any extra work for the hotel cleaning staff. Tony had disconcerted him with stories about certain select pieces of clothing being stolen from hotel rooms and auctioned off but nothing had gone missing so far as he could see.

Steve helped himself generously to the platters spread out on the table after Bucky had done so. The food was as good as the ones they had last night. "Yes. I called the others while you were in the shower and told them our plans for the next week or so. I also told them not to bother us unless it's an emergency. Natasha or Clint will inform SHIELD." He suspected someone will be keeping tabs on them anyway, but as long as they were discreet and leaves them some privacy Steve wasn't inclined to make a fuss about it. For now anyway. The idea of a private vacation was too nice to start a war over being followed. "If someone was following us in a helicopter I'll really have some things to say to some people and they won't like it."

[disassembling]

"I don't believe that we will be allowed our freedom easily," he reflected as he picked up his fork but delayed in digging into his meal for the fact that most of the conversation would be cut off when he did. "Perhaps we should sneak out a window and steal a vehicle, switch plates outside of town and carry on our way." He knew that it wouldn't be difficult, not with so many vehicles and if they picked one that was a common make and colour, it would be easy to find a second and switch the plates so that it couldn't be reported as stolen. Then they would be allowed their privacy for as long as they took it.

Of course, the moment that Steve answered the phone, he had no doubt that Stark would be tracking them through some kind of GPS. They would be long out of Vegas at least. "You could just throw your shield and down it. I've seen you do it," he pointed out as he took his first bite of eggs and sighed contently as flavour flooded his mouth. He hunkered down to eat, savouring each bite and chewing slowly.

[whatsfondue]

Steve was already shaking his head before Bucky finished his proposal on how to shake their unwanted followers. "No stealing." This wasn't wartime Germany after all or even during a mission like the one he stole with Natasha during the mess with Project Insight (and he eventually repaid the owner of that vehicle the full cost of a new one plus a bit extra). "If you don't like how traceable a rental would be we can go out and buy a used one. There must be someone, maybe out in the countryside, willing to part with an old car for cash." Even theft would probably not deter a determined tracker for long.

"I'm also not potentially killing anyone just for following us." Steve answered, then tacked on. "Unless they were HYDRA. And I doubt anyone seriously interested in following us around would be so conspicuous as to chase around in a helicopter." Well, maybe Tony Stark might but he also knew Tony could probably just track them via his phone or something else. He gave a quick shake of his head and Bucky a wry smile before picking up his cup of coffee. "Eat. We can discuss it later."

[disassembling]

He grunted at the rule, though he would abide by it. He simply knew that it would be near impossible to stay hidden unless one or both of them had brought some sort of fake identification for any vehicle that they acquired. He knew that wasn't happening, which meant that they would be tracked somehow and thus would have only an illusion and peace and quiet to enjoy themselves. It was perhaps the life that Steve had been dealt being so famous and prized as a national icon of the country. "And we need insurance to run any car," he pointed out. "Which requires providing an identity."

Well, he supposed he understood the no-killing rule, as it would attract unwanted attention, which was no good for a vacation. "HYDRA is the silent knife for the most part," he replied with a shrug and chewed thoughtfully on a forkful of eggs. "We shouldn't put it off. We either accept that we will be tracked somehow or make plans to slip away entirely together."

[whatsfondue]

If Bucky wanted to go entirely off the radar, it would take much longer than the half day they had talked about it to prepare, especially with the two of them. With cameras, satellite tracking and probably more technology Steve could only imagine that already exists it was definitely more difficult to disappear than what had been seventy years ago. Bucky himself did it quite well by himself right after the mess with HYDRA and the hellicarriers at DC but it'll be harder with the two of them. Especially when Steve's face was so well know. He ran a hand over the barely-there stubble on his cheek as he took a bite of his waffle and washed it down with more coffee. When his facial hair grows in some more hopefully people will stop giving him second looks on the street. "That's true enough." Steve answered Bucky's comment belatedly.

HYDRA was very good at being unseen until it was too late. "I've been followed around more or less or kept under some sort of watch all the time since I got the serum. So it's up to you how much effort you want to make into throwing people off our trail." Steve gestures an empty fork up and down at himself. "You could say I'm used to it at this point." SHIELD, the old one, had given him the illusion of privacy at least though he learned his lesson quickly about the lack of privacy via Sharon Carter.

[disassembling]

He had disappeared under lesser conditions, but he had to admit that Steve made things a bit more difficult given that the man was plastered all over the news, billboards and no doubt was known in all manner of facial recognition programs. It would just take a little more work, but then again, there was that rule about no stealing, which was entirely unfair. Besides, it wasn't technically stealing if they intended to give it back afterwards, maybe just with an increase in the mileage. Stealing would be so much easier, he thought to himself between bites of eggs.

"Depends if you're going to let me do anything fun to do so," he replied after swallowing his mouthful. "I mean, I'm highly effective at shaking people, but it seems like you're setting the rules so far on how to go about this little vacation." He returned to his meal because not doing so would mean taking a long time eating. "Constantly being watched is bothersome."

[whatsfondue]

"Somehow, I have the feeling your definition of 'fun' coincides with Natasha's when it comes to staying under the radar." Steve said dryly. It was also a sharp reminder of the differences between Bucky-that-was and the Bucky that sits next to him (and not just the way they ate either.) Bucky's idea of fun before the war consisted of dancing, dates with pretty dames, dragging Steve to double dates, dragging Steve to Corney Island and other fairs. He idly pushed leftover bits of eggs and bacon around his plate before decidedly shaking off his suddenly maudlin thoughts and spearing a piece of waffle. "So why don't you tell me what you would have BOTH of us do to shake off any followers and I'll yay or nay on the parts and we can discuss?"

Really though, having to duck and hide everywhere seemed oddly stressful and at odds with a vacation meant to be relaxing for them both. While constantly being watched would be irritating as Bucky stated, so would having to travel like fugitives on the run. Surely there could be some sort of compromise between the two?

[disassembling]

"It is along similar lines, I have no doubt," he replied because he and the Widow had often shaken off pursuit in much the same way. He wouldn't even say that he was better at it than she was, but he could disappear more readily into shadows where she was far better at blending into crowds and slipping away. He picked at his eggs a little as he considered the suggestion, and he didn't think that much of it was anything that Steve was going to allow readily, given that no killing was off the books already. "Well, your shadow jumping needs some work," he pointed out with a tilt of his head. "I was going to say catching the first one we find and threatening him and his organization with untoward pain, but I feel like you're going to veto that."

He would prefer to think of their activities as a big game of hide and seek where they just happened to be much better and careful about getting caught. He could see how that would make a difference though with Steve being involved. He picked up a slice of apple and chewed on it to keep him on task. "I just want to spend time with you, not you and whoever happens to be watching at the time."

[whatsfondue]

Steve sighed. Bucky was right, he was going to veto that. "The only threatening of torture I'll allow is towards HYDRA. Not towards a regular paparazzi." Most people had thought he'd be against all forms of torture but he recognized there was a need for it at times. And while he didn't like to do it himself, he had no compunctions at having someone else do it who didn't share his own squeamishness for it. "And I doubt no matter how much I 'practice', I'll never get as good as you and Natasha at shadow jumping." He added with a sigh. Steve had his strengths, and Bucky and Natasha had theirs, and so did every other Avengers. "Would it make you feel better if I said yes to the stealing but only if we leave enough money so the owner won't be inconvenienced to much?"

There really wasn't much he could say no to his oldest friend. "And aren't we spending time together right now?" He gently reminded Bucky as he pushed aside his empty plate and reached for some fruit as well. "And no doubt a few more people now knows I'm in Vegas and will start getting nosy but I'm not going to let them have the satisfaction of knowing I'm bothered by that."

[disassembling]

Yes, he had seen that veto coming from a mile away, and he wasn't particularly sullen about it either. There was a time and a place for getting information, and scaring the hell out of normal civilians and the media was against the rules. He did understand that, but it would still make them difficult to keep to themselves. He picked at his food, slowly working his way through it and enjoying each bite as much as the last despite the topic of conversation. "No, you stand out too much; people like looking at you." That just made Steve an excellent distraction so he could do his work. "That's not really stealing, Steve. That's paying someone for something."

He softened at that, glancing up at Steve picking at fruit and the corner of his lips rose faintly in response. Yes, they were spending time together, and he was enjoying it already. "It's just... been a long time since it was just us, I suppose. When we were kids, that's all it was, just Barnes and Rogers running amok. Now... everyone wants of piece of someone." He wasn't jealous that Steve was popular, but he hadn't figured out how to maneuver around in this change that he barely remembered.

[whatsfondue]

Steve right now as more eating for the sake of eating than out of any real enjoyment of the excellent food, the conversation they were having taking most of his thoughts. "I have no idea why." Steve said in a tone that almost sounded exasperated. This fascination and obsession over the private lives of anyone even remotely famous he does not think he will ever understand. "There are other six foot tall blondes out there." Just because he'd gotten used to being stared at didn't mean he liked it. And again, he was reminded of how things have changed. Once upon a time it was Bucky who was the one being looked at admiringly and he was the one barely given a glance or two. "It's still stealing because we didn't ask for permission first." He responded firmly. "They might not want to sell it."

His eyes widened a bit to see the faint smile on Bucky's lips. Smiles from Bucky were rare now and he can't remember the last time Bucky had laughed. (Or rather he did, and Steve didn't want to think about how long ago it was.) "We weren't the people we are today, Buck." He answered quietly, pushing the piece of apple around on his plate in random patterns. "Lots of things have changed."

[disassembling]

"You are beautiful," he said simply, as if it should have been obvious to everyone and that the people who did notice were the ones that stared the most. "People like to look at beautiful people and fantasize about either being that way themselves or being close to someone that handsome." Even he knew that much about people from all the observing that he had done, and it helped that Tony was very open about talking about why people were fascinated with certain things, like physical appearance. "It's borrowing with the intent of replacing or returning, and that's not stealing."

He ate a few more bites, aware that he would deeply regret not filling his belly before they headed out to face the day. "No, we aren't. A lot has changed," he agreed softly, actually eating faster because he was deep into the conversation rather than his meal. "Do you miss it when it wasn't all... this?" He waved a hand to indicate the room and the world beyond it.

[whatsfondue]

"Flatterer." Steve said fondly, resisting the urge to reach out and flick Bucky's cheek with a finger. Bucky was still eating after all, and just one simple act could disrupt it into entirely different thing. He shook his head, unwilling to debate the matter between stealing and borrowing any further. They'll probably take the rental the hotel was arranging for them for a bit and if they changed their minds later they could always return the rental and continue with alternate plans.

"I don't miss the health problems. Or the food. It was really great....the first time I could take a deep breathe and not have to worry about potentially coughing my lungs up. And a lot of things have improved since then like medicine and the fact two dames or two fellas can go out together and most people won't say a thing...." Steve said thoughtfully, eyes distant. He had stopped eating at this point and was instead sipping coffee idly from time to time. "But yes, sometimes I do miss it. Things were a lot simpler then. Or maybe I was just too naive back then to see things as they really were." He met Bucky's eyes with a smile.

[disassembling]

He kept eating bites here and there, not at all dissuaded by the subject matter. Steve was very handsome, and it wasn't much flattery when it was simply the truth. Didn't everyone tell his friend much the same thing with different words all the time? He was slowing his meal though as he emptied his plate and took a bit more fruit to tide him over the rest of the way. If he had to, he wouldn't eat for the rest of the day now that he was recharged, though this was nothing like a mission.

He nodded his head, not entirely understanding because his physical state had never been like Steve's. "It is strange how people can be together with whoever they want," he agreed, though he had no particular bias regardless; that still hadn't come back to him from his old life after HYDRA had taken it from him. People could have fun with whoever they wanted. "Things were simpler when we were naive and innocent. Now... we've perhaps seen and done too much."

[whatsfondue]

It has been a few years since the serum made all these changes to his body but occasionally when he looked into a mirror it still didn't feel 'real', didn't feel permanent. Like he was wearing a fake 'skin' that could be torn away at any times. And that had actually happened once anyway, even as recently as a few months ago when Steve was hit by that strange HYDRA weapon and was reverted back to his original body. Old impressions were hard to forget and he will never forget the way people's eyes used to slide away from him before the serum, even as he seemed to draw all the looks these days.

"Not strange...this is the way its should always have been in the first place." Steve answered and put down his empty coffee cup. He was full enough and he was sure that if they got hungry later they could find SOMEWHERE to buy food, even if it's only pre-packaged stuff from a gas station. "Some people STILL have trouble with that even now, though they are getting fewer every year. And you're right...we've seen and done too much. There's not going back from that." Even Bucky, for all that there was much he didn't remember, Steve thought could never have gone back to his pre-war self. He quirked a smile at Bucky, hopefully to lighten the mood a bit. "And there's always more to see."

[disassembling]

He couldn't say that he had enough reference of the past to truly know how bad it had been when they were growing up, but he remembered something about the army not wanting people who loved certain groups. It seemed absurd to him, but he didn't make the rules, and rules were just something put in place so that Steve could kick them down when his friend didn't agree with them. He simply accepted that he was going to do what he wanted when it came to Steve, and no one was going to stop him on that.

"You never lose your strong sense of right and wrong," he said between bites of fruit. He didn't think that would ever change about Steve; he didn't want it to change. "Do you think people would be upset to know that we are together? There are a lot of women who want your picture after all." He nodded his head picking through the last of his meal and leaving behind nothing but a clean plate as always. He pushed it away.