I'm Here | ✓

06 - Errands

I slide in as he starts the vehicle. The locks make me nervous, but I trust Steve. He has a lilac air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. I smile, just a little, as we pull out of the parking lot. There's no police here yet, but there are some sirens in the distance. I know Steve hears them too, because he turns the car away from the sound and drives a little faster.

"So. What were you thinking about getting?"

I shrug. "A hoodie. A pair of gloves. A few snacks. Oh, and maybe a notebook and a few pencils."

He glances over at me on the last one. "A notebook? Why?"

I wring my hands together. "I used to write down old memories and stuff like that from... you know. Before all of this. Anything I remembered would go down in the notebook. I had dozens, but S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscated them when I got arrested. I never got them back, so I wanted to start again."

Steve slammed his hands on the wheel. "They didn't give them back?" He yelled. I flinched, and he took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I really am. You should've gotten those back."

"Well, technically, I'm a fugitive, so odds are I'm not going to get them back."

"Yeah. I'm really sorry. Can I do anything?"

I shook my head. "I would read them all the time. Anytime I heard... him, I would open up the notebooks and read through them. Unfortunately, that happened a lot, so I would read them a lot. It became a habit, and I still remember some of the things I wrote. I'll just copy them in my new one."

Steve nodded slowly. "What do you remember?"

"Not much," I sighed. "Little things from the war, a few conversations, that sort of thing. It comes in flashes a lot of times." I don't tell him about all the images of my torture and how I used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night from my dreams. The less he knows, the better.

Steve nodded again. "Yeah. The pharmacy should have the notebooks and pencils and things. I'll swing around there."

We pull in and Steve hops out of the car. I hesitate, and he leans back in. "You okay?"

"Someone in there might recognize me."

"Here." He reaches into the backseat and pulls out a baseball cap. I fit it on my head and push it down. "Trust me, no one will say anything as long as I'm there."

That's good logic. People here grew up idolizing Captain America, and when the media labeled him as a criminal, nobody believed it. The guys up in Stark Tower and the rest of the rich kids he hangs out with might believe that, but almost everyone on this side of the city backs their Captain. We walk in and this is confirmed; the cashier at the counter practically swoons.

"C'mon. You said a hoodie, a notebook, pencils, and what else?" We wander throughout the store, and I find what I need quickly. Steve sits in the candy aisle, hand on his hip, deciding. I wait until he finally decides on a bag of peppermints.

"Is that all you're buying?" He looks at me incredulously. I don't know what I did wrong, so I nod.

"I guess."

"Let's do one more pass. I have a few things in mind."

I paced quietly behind him, unsure of what he means. He glances around the aisles, grabbing a toothbrush, a comb, a travel-size container of shampoo, and a few discount t-shirts off the clearance rack. He held one shirt against my chest, making a face before hooking the hanger on his arm.

"What are you doing?"

He glanced up at me. "I'm gonna find you a place to stay. I'm just buying the necessities, for now."

"I've got everything I need."

He picked up and motioned at me with the shampoo. "Trust me in this one, Buck, you need this."

I smiled a little bit and ran my hands through my hair. Yeah, it could use a good wash, but that was never high on my priority list, especially after everything that's happened in the past few weeks.

We paced over to the counter, where I kept my head low and my hands in my pockets. Steve piled everything on the counter and smiled charmingly at the cashier, who had to take a few moments to stare in awe before slowly scanning our items. I tapped my foot, looking around under the brim of my hat. There's no danger here, but you can never be too sure.

"Will... will... will that be all for you today, sir? Mister? Captain? Sir?" The cashier stuttered, blushing hard.

Steve smiled kindly at him. "That'll be it. Although, maybe you could do me a favor."