Deity

Travelin' Soldier

The trip to town was filled with laughter and chatter, the four all enjoying the time together. The windows were down and Tony had music playing from the AUX cord, having been a bit horrified at the primitive technology but also nostalgic.

"This is fun." Kayla cackled as they went down a hill. It gave her a swooping feeling in her stomach that reminded her of riding in a chariot. She laughed harder as the next hill sent her sprawling onto Bucky's lap. "Hi, Love."

"You're so weird." Bucky stated, sitting her up again and clamping her to his side. Steve was up front with Tony and looking a bit ill. The blond never got motion sick after the serum but there was something about Tony's driving on the forest roads that made his stomach roll. "Tony! Don't kill us all."

"We can't die. Well Tony could. But I would protect him." Kayla hummed softly. She snuggled into Bucky's side though and copped a feel under his shirt.

"Hands to yourself, Pervert." Bucky normally didn't mind her touching him but he was nervous with all the bouncing in the truck. He made sure he was prepared in case Tony crashed. "I'm driving on the way back, Tony."

"You suck. My driving is fine." Tony sulked. He turned the music down and shut the windows.

"You're driving like it's the Indy 500." Bucky retorted, feeling a bit better now. He wasn't holding so tight to their girlfriend anymore.

"So? It's fun." Tony was staring out the window as he drove. He slowed down as he got to the edges of the town and had JARVIS direct them to a hardware store. He had some stuff he wanted to pick up. "The grocery store is across the street so why don't you three go grab groceries? I need to get some stuff from the hardware store."

"How about I go with you?" Steve volunteered. He wanted to spend some time with Tony.

"Yeah. Sounds good. Might wanna write a quick list for those two though." Tony snickered and pointed in the backseat at the pair.

"Probably smart." Bucky agreed, knowing that Kayla would just grab whatever. He handed over a little notebook and a pen, watching Steve scribble a list.

"This is all stuff we NEED. So don't forget any of it." Steve proceeded to look them in the eyes intensely to get his point across. He gave the list to Bucky and the four exited the truck. Tony and Steve made sure that Bucky and Kayla actually went into the store before they went to the Hardware store.

Bucky grabbed one cart and Kayla grabbed another, the two deciding to have one cart for necessities and another for random things they may find. The two immediately attracted stares from a few locals who weren't used to new people. It didn't bother them though and they continued walking through the store.

"Alright. Cereal aisle first." Bucky was grateful that the aisles were clearly marked. He found Steve's favorite kind of cereal then Tony's. He wrinkled his nose as Kayla chucked Raisin Bran into her cart. "Why?"

"I like it." Kayla stuck her tongue out and then added a couple containers of plain oatmeal. She would add her own toppings and flavorings to it as she felt like it. "I think Steve would like these granola bars."

"Probably." Bucky agreed after looking at the box. He chucked them in and they moved on through the next couple of aisles. It was in the dairy section that someone was finally brave enough to approach them.

"Hello. Are you new to town?" An older woman approached, pushing a cart with a small child in it. She had an easy going smile and laugh lines around her eyes. Clearly one of the designated Friendly Helpful Folks that every town had.

"Yes, we are." Bucky nodded, Kayla too busy waving back at the child who had waved at her. "I'm James and this is my fiancee, Kayla."

"Hello." Kayla smiled at the woman. She could tell the woman was Good.

"Hello, James and Kayla. I'm Miriam Whitestone and this is my grandson, Jesse." Miriam introduced herself. She looked delighted to make their acquaintance. "What brings you to our little town?"

"Just a change in scenery. The city was very suffocating." Kayla was delighted to be talking to someone new.

"Oh I bet. Are you in one of the houses on the edge of town?" Miriam was curious now. It was rare that the town got new faces, the last new one was a school teacher who had moved there about ten years ago.

"A little ways out." Bucky answered this time. He didn't want to give too much information away. "About an hour or so."

"Ah I see. Well if you ever need anything, you'll find that everyone here will be willing to lend a hand." Miriam realized they probably had a lot of money if they were living about an hour away. It meant they probably lived in one of the huge Lodges in the forest. "I'll let you get back to your shopping then." She turned to continue her own shopping.

"Bye, Miriam and Jesse. It was nice to meet you." Kayla beamed. She then went back to arguing with Bucky about why they needed three gallons of chocolate milk. Of course she won that argument, Bucky unable to resist giving her anything she wanted. He added some whole milk and then a bunch of cheese.

By the time they finished shopping, they had filled both carts. Bucky had used Tony's card, the genius having pressed it into his hands with a firm look before they had split up at the truck earlier. The store put their items into boxes and helped them pack it into the back of the truck.

The two waited in the truck for Tony and Steve, talking quietly about what they planned to make for lunch and for supper. The goddess had subtly cast a charm to keep the cold stuff cold and prevent spoilage.