Nomad (Steve Rogers)

5

"Well, this looks cosy..." I glance around the motel room that we've got until further notice. The curtains look like something from the seventies, there's a hell of a draught and the absolute classic that is...

Only one bed.

"I'm totally gonna be needing a tetanus shot after staying here..." I mutter to myself and push the door to the bathroom open with the front of my boot. "Better conditions here? Or back in the forties?" I question, walking in expecting to see a dead body in the tub or something.

Clear. Thankfully.

"I'll let you know in the morning." Steve replies and chucks his bag on one of the chairs.

I come out of the bathroom. "Good news is there's a bath I can sleep in."

He looks to me. "Don't be stupid, the bed's big enough for us both."

"Most girls I know would be jumping in there immediately at the chance of sharing with Captain America, but nope, not me. I'm still choosing the tub."

"No you're not and stop calling me that." He snaps irritably. 

"What? Your actual title."

Silence hangs in the dead and cold air for a few moments before he answers me. "It's not who I am anymore ok? Just Steve."

I throw my hands up in defeat. "Ok 'Just Steve' so how we going to do this?"

"We all have to make sacrifices." He shrugs. "Sharing a bed isn't gonna kill you is it?"

I smirk. "I don't know, will it kill you?" In a flash I'm up against the wall as he pins me there, "Woooooah ok! it was a joke! Geez I'd have at least thought after spending 48 hours with me that you'd know that I'm not about to kill you anymore."

"I really wouldn't 'joke' with me Aster. You're already on thin ice as it is." He literally drops me, and I realise he had a hold of me in the air and I hadn't noticed.

I roll my eyes. "Were you always this cranky during the war? Because if you were then The Smithsonian left out a hell of a lot about you."

I hear a low rumble of a laugh as he checks for any messages on his phone. "The Smithsonian did a good job at sugar coating some stuff, I'll admit that." He shakes his head like he's having some inside joke with himself. "That where you got all your intel on me from? Your job?"

I cross my arms and stare at him. "No actually. I have your file from SHIELD...made for some interesting bedtime reading. "I admit, "So, I wanna get one thing straight...you're on the run along with a couple of others. And yet, Tony Stark isn't? Now that's very interesting."

"We're not doing this now."

"We are." I state firmly and glare at him. "What happened? Lovers tiff? Because from what you've told me about it running 'deep', it must have been something reeeeeal bad to end that friendship of yours. Whether you saw eye to eye sometimes or not?"

Steve shoots a glare back. "I told you, not now."

I sigh dramatically. "Shame...just as we were getting to know one another. I would've loved to hear all about Bucky and what he did..."

He looks at me darkly. "How do you know that?"

"I know a guy." I mimic his words from when I'd first asked him about the SHIELD bunker. "They have some good shit on your friend, I mean - damn he's been through it all...no control of his actions whatsoever, and you chose him over Tony...I mean, tough call."

"STOP"

We're just staring at one another. "How much do you know? About the Winter soldiers?" Steve questions.

"Enough to know that he's the only one left. I suppose I'm not that much different to him in some ways, except I can control myself..." I eye him curiously. "I've barely scraped the barrel haven't I?"

"We're not talking about Bucky, or Tony, or anyone ok? You're going to keep your mouth shut and do as I say. We clear?"

"Crystal." I smile sweetly

Steve grabs a chair and now sits on it, his face filled with determination. "You're gonna answer some more questions for me."

"Shoot."

"Who trained you?"

"No comment."

"Why did you choose to become an assassin?"

"It chose me."

He sits back, "Ok...last question. Why did you lie to me about not being a Black Widow?"

My lip curls slightly as I now laugh. "I didn't lie, I simply chose to plead ignorance." I tell him. "I never admitted it because I never got to the graduation...I was a rare case, the only one to escape before they could properly make me one of their own. So no, I'm not a widow. I was simply trained by them and escaped. I do what I do because I was at risk of being found and dragged back, so I thought to myself 'Hey? Why not actually do it for a part time job?' They did me a favour when it came to learning my skills, but they failed at taking my innocence. Hence why I'm just an independent assassin, not a Widow. I'd rather forget that part..."

"Did you know Natasha?"

I shake my head. "Nope. You said that was the last question?"

"Changed my mind – You must have something on Ross. You can't have all the information you have without looking into the man who's hired you to kill me?"

I shrug at this. "I won't lie, he's got a bit of a checked history that has been covered over as he's working his way in the world...but there's more than just a few dodgy dealings with this one, but whatever it is, it's anything but good."

"I wouldn't put the name 'General Ross' and the word 'Good' together." Steve says and then nods to himself. "We're done here." Getting up and putting the chair back before he goes to change.

I quickly change while he's in the bathroom and get into bed. He turns off the light and I feel him get in next to me. Silence enveloping us both once more.

"Soooooo...this is niiiice." I say though the darkness as we lie there. "When was the last time you did this?"

"What? Share a bed with a woman who tried to kill me?"

"Not exactly what I meant but I'll take it." I shrug. "And I meant spending a romantic evening in a dodgy motel with a girl you barely know."

He's clearly annoyed that I won't just shut up and let him go to sleep. "I'm not gonna answer that."

"Just when we were getting to know one another as well." I pause, "But not surprising. You don't seem the type to take a woman home every night."

He's running our of patience and huffs, "And how would you know that?"

I stare into the darkness. "Because you've only ever been devoted to one." He says nothing again for a while and I know I've hit the nail on the head. "I'm right aren't I?"

"Go to sleep Aster." His reply is wry.

I'll let him have this one. For now at least. It would be insensitive of me if I didn't.