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[tstank]

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— counterstep

[tstank]

You know —

[ Tony almost sighs the two words as he moves to take a seat at the other end of the long table in his seldom used dining room. He props his feet up on the table and opens the bottle of water he's brought with him. He takes a long drink while he keeps his gaze steady on Bucky.

He finishes half the bottle and puts it down, head tilting quizzically. ]

Rogers must have been desperate if he left me in charge of you.

[ Not that Tony's really in charge of him but that's what he'd heard when Steve talked to him. Selective hearing and all. He smiles pleasantly. ]

So, wanna play Candyland?

— redhourglass

[tstank]

I think I should drive.

[ That's about the fiftieth time he's said that even though she's doing just fine. But, he feels a little out of control and like he needs to take it back. So, he's antsy as he sits in the passenger seat, cap pulled low to try and hide his features from any nosy people in other cars.

Not that anyone could really see them considering how fast she's going. ]

Aren't we trying to blend in? Make sure that no one knows who we are and what we're doing? I don't think a reckless driving ticket is going to help with that.

[ He's very glad that he's put on his seatbelt for this particular ride. ]

[redhourglass]

No, you really shouldn't.

( the response is automatic as natasha powers around another corner, foot pressed nearly to the floor on the gas pedal. it's bad enough that she has tony fucking stark in her (supposed) getaway car, knowing he attracts attention like a moth to flame — but while still dodging ross at every turn, not to mention her own issues with 'friends' she's made along the years...?

it's a disaster. a very, very dangerous disaster that grows even more disastrous each time he opens his mouth. )

We aren't doing anything. I am trying to get out of the city where there is CCTV to somewhere your face won't be flagged on a server somewhere. ( isn't he the tech genius? shooting him a look, she reaches over with her opposite hand and taps the bill of his cap again to pull it a little lower. ) You could be warm and cozy back in New York right now. You don't have to be here.

( unspoken: why are you here? — but she can deal with the why after they've handled the danger. )

[tstank]

It's raining in New York. I checked the weather report.

[ Besides the point and he knows it. ]

Hey, I'm not a super spy like you. I don't know how to dye my hair all different colors and I am not shaving my beard. It's my trademark.

[ Which, he will admit, makes blending in a little more difficult than it should be. ]

Do you want me to lay down in the back or something?

[redhourglass]

( if they weren't going so fast, she'd roll her eyes — of course, he always had to have the last word. probably always would. and maybe she knows she's being more than a little unfair. he deserves more than a snapped why are you here? — no matter how they parted.

the car tears down the street, hitting one last stoplight that she blows through (she can ditch it somewhere later) before finally getting on a road out of the city. less cameras here, and soon they'll drop off altogether; too rural for them to worry about monitoring everything. )

It's fine. We're almost out. ( tone tight, she glances over at him, before checking the rearview for cops. )

Tony. What are you doing here?

— tfln continuation, belonged

[tstank]

[ From here]

---

Maybe.
But you're going to be full of me soon.

[belonged]

And when you word it so eloquently, who could possibly resist?

[tstank]

Do you want the dirty talk or do you want me to read poetry to you?

[belonged]

That wasn't your dirty talk.
I'm very familiar with your dirty talk.

— endof_theline

[tstank]

( from here)

---

Come help me, Bucky.

Save me from the potatoes.

Ty for moving it! ❤️

[endof_theline]

Where are you right now?

[tstank]

The Tower. In my lab. My poor lab that's filled with potatoes.

— ciadirector

[tstank]

( from here)

---

Wow, it is adorable that you think you could. Honestly, impressed, really. And flattered that I merit such a response.

But finders keepers. I'm staying.

[ciadirector]

What, like it's hard? You're just a man without your shiny toys.

[ There's a sudden squeak in the corner of the room and the loud clink of her phone laying flat on the glass desk as she swivels the black chair around to face him. She crosses her ankles on top of the desk, leaning back. ]

Boo. I lied, I was here the whole time.

[tstank]

( well now, isn't that a fun surprise. he thankfully does not jump because that would just be unbecoming and give her a little too much ammunition.

instead, he just smiles pleasantly and plops himself in one of the other chairs, kicking his feet out and pulling his phone out. )

So you are. Good to see you again. And I would like to correct you in that I'm an exceptional man even without my toys. But, I always have a few tous on me, Val.

— survival.

[counterstep]

( he's just returned from dinner with yori, picking through his keys to find the stubbiest as he heads for the mailboxes. a quick twist has the door swinging open, revealing two pieces of mail. the first, his electric bill. probably higher than usual as he'd left the tv running while out of town to dissuade investigation. the second, a simple red card, unmarked. no return address. in fact, no addresses at all. not processed as there are no machine markings or stamps.

brow furrowed, he flips it over, finding a string of numbers. geocache encoding, looks like. investigation the next day reveals a sealed manila packing envelope, unbreached. a further red note inside states simply: you know what to do. the included low-end phone says enough about the rest.

but bucky sits with it a few days, anxious and unsure of what to do if mediation is needed. they haven't spoken since then. for good reason. enough happened before they even could, and the next, they'd all attended his funeral. days later, steve was gone, and all bucky had left was a stomach filled with regret.

after a week, he finally pulls up the single contact and sends a text. t9 corrects his typing, but he makes it through easily enough. )

Checking in. Encrypted service?

( he has to know before he dares use names or offers more than that. )

[tstank]

( he gets bored. he gets bored easily which his game is stuffed full of stupid games. he plays them but then gets bored and wants to move on to something bigger, something better.

for all intents and purposes, he'd died. everyone saw him die, he'd been mourned and that had been that. except he hadn't died. modern miracle of medicine and all that.

but, he'd had to wait. he couldn't just let himself be known that quickly what with politics and bad guys and all. so, he'd waited, bided his time and eventually sent out the notes.

he's not sure if he's going to get a reply so when it comes, he jumps and grins widely. finally. )

Encrypted enough. No one's going to be able to read this. I made sure of it.

( not that he's said who he is just yet. )

[counterstep]

( the immediate reply is unexpected, but to keep a secret like this, he must have isolated since pepper had transported him away. probably utter torture, for an extrovert. )

As I would expect. You've always been thorough.

( which seems to imply bucky already has an idea of who's on the other side. )

I'm sure you already stored the name of who would get this phone, too, no?

— endof_theline

[tstank]

( from here)

---

You know, you're making it intentionally hard to have naked Sunday.

What about just eating something that won't burn you? Sandwiches.

Ty for moving it! ❤️

[endof_theline]

I'm just trying to be logical about this.

That's a thought. I don't mind a good sandwich every now and then.

[tstank]

Let me ask you this: do you want to have a naked day?

— dawn_is_breaking

[tstank]

( from here )

---

Well hey, one of those might be nice too.

thank you for moving :)

[dawn_is_breaking]

I might be willing to send you one then, you just have to send me something back in return.

[tstank]

And what is it you want in return?

— tasermaiden

[tstank]

( from here)

---

Nope, not yet. But hey, that just gives me something new to do now.