Nomad (Steve Rogers)

4

"I'm curious..." I say as I eye Steve over the table the next morning. "What the hell happened to you?"

"You know what happened." He shoots back

"Only the story the government gave, but there's more to it isn't there?" 

Steve sips his coffee and pauses momentarily. "It's none of your business."

"You gonna be hostile to me for the duration of this whole fugitive thing? Or are you gonna actually talk to me properly?" He says nothing, and I sigh. "Ok then, fine. We'll just sit here and relish the silence." I don't mind that, plus he's not all that bad to look at. The beard kind of makes him more attractive in my eyes, not that he wasn't already. Connor would be spitting nails right now if he knew where I was and with who.

My phone lights up and we both look at it, the Caller ID known to me only. "Who's that?" Steve asks suspiciously. 

"Your bestie." I muse and go to answer. He slams his hand onto mine to stop me from answering. "I need to answer because if I don't he'll know somethings shifty." I say, meeting his gaze. I need to get him to trust me. "Please? Look the amount of crap I can spin to this man; it'll get him off my back for the time being." He releases his grip and I answer. "Yes?"

"Miss Hart...do you have anything for me?" General Ross asks me flat out without so much as a hello. 

Rude.

"He's certainly the current reigning champion for the world's largest game of hide and seek that's for sure." I stare at Steve as I say this and I'm sure I see him look away to hide a small smile. "But I'm close. Reeeeeeal close. I'm sure of it."

This idiot has no idea I'm on a little breakfast date with his number one target.

"I'm running out of patience Miss Hart."

"I know General, but I'm also running out of fucks to give, so let's not beat around the bush here. The more I know as to why I'm killing your American dreamboat, the more I can use against him." I see Steve frown and I give him the thumbs up on hearing Ross' silence.

Finally he speaks. "You find that son of a bitch and you take him out. No need to make small talk, you have all the information I need."

"Now, now Thaddeus." I soothe, "Don't make me do a little research into you too..."

This irritates him as he now flies off the handle down the line, "Are you threatening me!"

"I'm simply asking for more information, where's the harm?"

"Because it's none of your damn business."

I chuckle. "Wow, a lot of people are telling me that lately. Look, I shall call you when its done. I have a few leads on potential locations and..."

"You fuck this up Miss Hart and there will be consequences!" Ross snaps and hangs up.

I put the phone on the table and look at Steve. "He's not letting on. So we're going to have to take matters into our own hands. He seems afraid I'll do a check on him judging from his reaction."

"Can he trace the phone?" Steve asks and I shake my head.

"I'm not that stupid. He can't keep tabs on me but if he needs to then he can always send someone to drag my ass back to America." Doubt they'd find me easily though.

He sits back in his chair and looks at me. "We're gonna have to move out within the next few days. We can't afford to stay in one place for too long, even one like this."

"Does it even have WIFI?" I question and then see his face. "Sorry I forgot you're supposed to be a pensioner, internet." I elaborate.

"Signal isn't too great." He answers.

I sit up a little more. "Does this mean I can get my shit back now? I haven't killed you; I could've tried to strangle you in your sleep but didn't."

"Nope."

"For god sake!" He says nothing else as he goes to pour himself another coffee. "So what the hell am I supposed to do round here all day? I mean, how did you entertain yourself in the 40's?"

"Music, dancing, reading..." He shoots me a knowing look, but behind it I can tell he's loving my pain of not having my toys back. "Who knows, you might even learn something."

I open my phone. "Is there enough signal for me to even get Spotify?"

"Probably." Good. I need some music to lighten my mood. I stick on one of my playlists, the first thing coming up being Marvin Gaye. "No offence, but you don't seem the kind of girl to listen to this."

"I'm surprised you even know who Marvin Gaye is, old timer." I smirk.

He snorts. "Believe it or not I've been here long enough now to find some modern music I can tolerate, this being one."

"A Marvin fan eh?" My eyes skim him up and down. "I see it..."

"Sam's influence."

"What else have you found you've liked since being back?" I ask, genuinely interested to see whether this era has given him something to like. "I mean, it must have been a shock, waking up and seeing cars and modern technology." I decide to make some more toast, hoping I can get Captain Frosty to trust me a little more if we talk about the good old days.

Steve is currently replying to a text which is obviously from either Nat or Sam. They're the only two I know about that have upped and ran with him. "Internet is pretty useful, food's better." He then finishes and turns his attentions to me. "Back then anything Howard Stark made was always something interesting, but we've come along way from flying cars."

I raise my brow. "Stark made a flying car?"

"Yeah, no idea where it went, Tony doesn't either..." he trails off on the mention of Tony's name and I can guess the pair left off on some kind of bad terms.

"Have you spoke to him?" I ask

He shakes his head. "Sent him a letter about what happened between us. It ran deeper than just disagreeing about the accords."

I pass him a plate and he thanks me. I slide onto the chair across the table again. "No longer besties then."

"We never really saw eye to eye from the moment we met." He shrugs at him, "Our ways of thinking are very different, our morals, everything."

"Was his dad a little more agreeable?"

Steve nodded. "I only knew him for a few years, but I'd say we got along better than Tony and I."

"Do you miss it?"

He doesn't say anything and then finally comes to his conclusion. "Whether I do or not, I know I can't ever get back." For now he doesn't look at me, just stares at his plate as though he's contemplating the meaning of his life. "It is what it is."

I shift slightly. "You know, when you came back – despite what happened in New York? People finally felt that perhaps there was some hope. Iron Man had been around sure, but to have a whole group of people who could do what they could? It was as though we had faith that if anything like it happened then you guys could stop it."

"Not always...you saw what happened with Sokovia, Lagos. There's always collateral damage. People can lose faith easily." Steve says no more and gets up with a simple, "We'll leave tomorrow" and disappears off to his room.

Great, just as we were making progress. I'm sure that over time I can crack that hard exterior and get through to Steve and not Captain America. I did just then, but it was only a small bit.

The only thing I can do now is try and start digging up some dirt on Ross, I owe him that much.