fel dreams

Another happystevebingo fill. You can find my card here .

Hitchiking

It wasn't like Steve had been planning on hitchhiking. It was just his bike had broken down in the middle of nowhere, and hitchhiking ended up being the best way to keep moving while it was being repaired.

He'd called Tony, of course, and the bike was going to be fine; Tony was going to have someone pick it up, and in the meantime Steve wanted (needed?) to keep moving.

Steve knows he's lucky; he's big and intimidating and there's really not much anyone could do to threaten him. Hitch hiking is relatively safe, for him.

It's afternoon when a trucker pulls over, pushing open the passenger-side cab door and waving Steve in. "Where're you headed?" he asks, and Steve says, "Anywhere, really."

It's been a few days now, stopping at truck stops for food, and Steve's learned a little about his ride. Thor's huge, bigger than Steve; he laughs easier and louder, grins wider, and his eyes are so blue they're like the after image of lightning. He's got a cat, all black with bright green eyes, a little inky void who roams around on a harness at stops to explore and spends most the ride sleeping on a specially made cat bed on the front dash. Thor's been doing cross country drives for years now, and he's half deaf in one ear, and it seems like he has friends everywhere they stop.

"It's just something to pass the time," Thor said when Steve asked why he chose to do this. He doesn't say what he's waiting on, and Steve doesn't ask.

Thor's promised to take Steve as far as Steve wants, so long as Steve pays for his own food, and Steve was quick to agree--everywhere they go, Thor has something to say about the area, about the land and the towns and the stars.

Thor knows a lot about stars.

Tony calls when they've stopped to sleep, and Steve creeps out of the cabin, sits on the step and stares up at the night sky. The desert air is cold out here, but the stars have never been clearer.

"You sure you don't want to meet up and get your bike?"

Steve stares up at the stars, and thinks about how large Thor's laughter is, about the warmth of a stranger opening up their little home, and how easy it's been on the road with him.

"I'm sure," Steve says. "But if I change my mind, I'll let you know.