napoleon solo has never seen a cow in his life (outlawthief) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2018-07-11 18:52:00 |
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The day had no business being as hot and humid as it was. Napoleon's hair was free of product and curling all over, as he had no desire for product to be sweating down the back of his neck and into the collar of his shirt. Amelia had an air conditioning unit built into it, but it was nothing like modern AC units found in cars these days. So it wasn't the most comfortable ride in the world, but with the top down and the breeze blowing over them as they sped down Route 66, it was comfortable enough. Sunglasses were perched on Napoleon's nose and he nudged them down just enough to look over at Gaby in the passenger's side of the car. "I'm getting hungry, want to pull over?" He asked over the roar of the car engine. For miles now, it had just been them and signage for a cafe was proclaiming it would be upon them in a few more miles. The Midpoint Café was one of the local tourist attractions on Route 66 and, from research, it looked like it would be very much like something that Napoleon would remember from their own time period. They had driven nearly 300 miles through the rural Texas, and from what Gaby had seen so far, it was rather apparent why this particular part of the state was so thinly settled. It was a veritable desert, the only signs of life being the scrub brush that somehow survived in the sandy soil. Over the past few miles, the vegetation had gotten thicker, greener, and road signs pointed to civilization ahead. Gaby peered at Napoleon through her own sunglasses and gave him a smile and a nod. She had been thumbing through a book she had picked up in the Tumbleweed Library on the history of Route 66. Not that she did not trust Napoleon in the role of tour guide, but she did not like how woefully uneducated she was in Americana. It was nice to get away, just the two of them, and it could not have come at a better time. She and Illya had agreed between them to give Napoleon’s proposition a try, however, first she needed to work out her own feelings for their American partner. It was easy for the two men, who knew they were compatible in that way. But it would require a little exploration on Gaby’s part. It didn't take Napoleon long to reach the cafe. It was their first day on the road and he had know from his meticulous planning that they would be happening upon this famous Route 66 destination. Why not kill two birds with one stone and eat there as well? It would be the only true way to experience it, in addition to satisfying their hunger. Taking the exit for the diner after Gaby agreeing to stopping, it was only minutes later that he was pulling into an empty parking spot in front of the cafe. Cutting the engine, he grabbed his Panama hat he had taken off earlier to prevent it from blowing away while they were driving, and put it on as he exited Amelia. He was quick to jog over to Gaby’s side to open the door for her, offering her a hand. He was glad she had easily agreed to this trip. His feelings for his partners aside, Napoleon had missed spending time with her as a friend. They didn't spend a lot of time together alone anymore and it had saddened him. Gaby extended her hand to take Napoleon’s, while untying the scarf that had been keeping her hair at bay during the drive with the other. She flashed him a smile while taking in the other vehicles in front of the cafe, mainly motorcycles and what appeared to be family SUVs. It did not look like much on the outside. Gaby turned to look up at Napoleon. “Seems a little more lowbrow than your usual selections,” she commented good-naturedly. When they walked into the cafe arm-in-arm, she immediately picked up on its kitschy charm: the mix and match diner tables, the road signs and license plates next to old photographs. Decorations a side, it had the feel of a soda fountain from back home. They were seated without much fuss in one of the booths by the windows where they could keep an eye on Amelia. After the waitress had come and gone, Gaby looked over the menu. “Why Route 66?” she asked, not looking up from the menu. “You could have taken me anywhere. Is there something special in it for you?” She finally put the menu down and gazed across the table at him. “I have nothing against lowbrow,” Napoleon said, smiling easily back at her. That wasn’t completely true, but he didn’t have too many issues with roughing it. Given the company, given the backdrop, it felt like an adventure. “Especially given I can tolerate anything when I have a good friend around.” Giving his own menu a quick once over and settling on a cheeseburger and fries, it took him longer to figure out an appropriate answer to her question than it did to figure out what he wanted for a meal at the moment. He could see that she wasn’t looking at him, which made it a little easier to confess something to her. “Honestly? You wanted to see America. And America has its big cities and fancy restaurants, but a vast majority of America is this. Kitschy little towns, with only half decent burgers, and people searching for something and not always knowing what.” Looking around and seeing the families that had stopped there to eat, Napoleon explained, “It’s more intimate than getting lost in a big city with all the shininess that comes with that. I think just the two of us with America and the open road, we can take some time to really get to know each other, to quit hiding behind distractions.” It certainly was not a complaint. Gaby was the sort of person who could make herself comfortable in most settings. The circumstances of her life had forced her to be easily adaptable. In truth, she probably felt more at home in a place like this than in the grandness of Napoleon’s penthouse. Not that she did not enjoy the finer things, especially after the scarcity of the war years and the restrictions of Soviet rule. But her happiness was not contingent on material things. Except her car. Napoleon’s explanation earned a smile. He always had a way with words. “I hope the hamburgers are a little more than decent here. That is what I’m having.” It seemed like the thing you should order in a place like this. She couldn’t pretend not to understand what he meant by getting to know one another. She already knew him quite well, as a teammate, a friend, a roommate. Soon to add another checkmark by his name? “We should be able to manage that,” Gaby replied casually, “without the biggest distraction of them all. All six and a half feet of him.” After the waitress had returned and they placed their orders, Gaby circled back to Route 66. “So now that we have officially embarked on our journey, do I get to know what is in store for us? Do you have it planned down to the detail, or are we at the mercy of the open road?” “I refer to that particular distraction as the bane of my existence, but your wording’s nicer,” Napoleon said, his smile a little more uncertain now. It wasn’t lost on him that neither Gaby or Illya had said nothing about the feelings he had admitted to a few weeks ago, after letting him know that they needed to talk about it. It had been agony pretending everything was fine, while inside, anxiety reared its ugly head whenever that particular set of thoughts came up. Most of the time, he could forget about it, to continue on as normal. But sometimes, he remembered and all his self doubt had him convinced they were just never going to acknowledge his flood of feelings, that they were willing to ignore it and continue on as if nothing had happened because they didn’t feel the same way. And he knew that there was no indication that this was what was happening, but there was no indication that this wasn’t what was happening either. Limbo was awful. But being here with Gaby? That wasn’t awful in the least because at the end of the day, their friendship meant more to him than anything else, so he chose to focus on that. Picking up a fry from the plate the waitress had brought, he grinned at Gaby. “I have a list of places we can visit, but it’s up to you. I thought we could just go where the wind takes us. East or west, whatever your heart desires.” Gaby assumed that Illya had spoken to Napoleon about their conversation, and that it was what had prompted his invitation for this trip. The way he spoke about getting to know one another without the distractions back home, it was understandable for her to assume that this was a tentative step forward in the direction of bringing Napoleon into her relationship with Illya and turning it into something else. Gaby smiled to herself at Napoleon’s comment. She did love that there was someone else in the universe who could understand how she could be in love with a man she both adored and who drove her crazy in equal measure. “Well, yes, he is that too. We must send him a few postcards so that he'll know we haven't forgotten about him.” Gaby mirrored his actions, right down to the french fry and the smile. “How about a bit of both? I trust your trip planning abilities, but I also don't mind straying off the beaten path.” She had enjoyed doing just that on her trip with Illya earlier in the summer. New Mexico had been a beautiful escape. “Mm,” Napoleon hummed in agreement, knowing that Illya was probably obsessively checking for messages from them and would deny it if he was called on it. They knew the man well enough to know exactly how he was, beyond the bullshit. “I’m sure there’s a gift shop around here somewhere. We can take a walk, stretch our legs a bit, see if they have a postcard before we head out, if you like.” Another fry and then finally trying the burger - delightful in the fact that it wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t the best he had - he watched her carefully as she tried her own. It amused him to no end whenever he saw her do anything stereotypically American or out of her own character - and eating a burger would certainly apply. “We’ll wander in whatever direction we feel like then, who says we can’t take any side trips? Maybe we’ll find some little explored part of the world for ourselves? It’s a shame it’s too hot to camp out.” Gaby was not sure what this town would have to offer, but she nodded her head in agreement. She used her knife to cut her hamburger in half to make it more manageable. As she took a bite, juice from the tomato dribbled down her chin, and she quickly raised her napkin to her mouth. How ladylike. She set the burger down and finished chewing between laughs. “I can only imagine what passes for accommodations on this stretch of highway.” Spoken with excitement rather than trepidation. It was part of the adventure. “Think we’ll make it as far as California?” There was something downright adorable about seeing Gaby acting so human. She kept a lot of her thoughts and emotions close at hand and to see her comfortable enough with him to not always be so put together warmed him all over. “Do you want to make it to California?” Napoleon asked, offering her a napkin. “I’ve set aside my whole summer to travel so I have no problem making the Golden State our goal.” It is true Gaby was an incredibly guarded person. Her life’s experiences had taught her to keep certain parts of herself to herself. She was reserved with her thoughts and emotions out of necessity. Even after she began her relationship with Illya, she found herself struggling to be as open with him as he deserved. With time, this became easier, and now Napoleon was benefiting from the fruits of that labor. He was watching her with some sort of amusement on his face, so she flashed him her very best “what are you looking at” faces, but with none of the usual fire behind it. Instead, she smiled after and waved away his offered napkin with the hand that was clutching her own. “Have you ever been there?” she asked, assuming the answer was yes. “I wouldn’t mind seeing the ocean.” A bit of an understatement. She was dying to dip her toes into the Pacific. “Twice. Once as a child, once for more professional reasons,” Napoleon explained, placing the turned away napkin on his lap and fiddling with a fry, betraying a hint of nervousness. Whenever he spoke of his family, that nervousness always made itself known in some manner. “I had grandparents that lived out there. I only met my grandmother, my father’s mother, once as a child. They were estranged, though I was never told why.” Clearing his throat, he said, “But I do remember seeing the ocean, while we had been there. I never got to go for a dip, but it was beautiful to see. I’d love to see it again.” Napoleon already knew so much about Gaby's family due to the nature of their meeting. His was still quite a mystery in that regard, though he had begun to speak about them a little with Gaby. She understood it was difficult for him, and appreciated the effort. She very nearly reached out across the table to touch his arm, but he cleared his throat and she thought better of it. “Shall we aim for the Santa Monica Pier?” Gaby had read about it in the book she had been reading. If Napoleon appreciated this place, she knew he would love the pier. “I would love to see Santa Monica Pier with you,” he said, easy smile back in place, thoughts of his family drifting away as fast as they cropped up. One day, maybe, he would go more into detail, but today, he was happy just to be here, in this kitschy little diner, with a woman he cared deeply for. “Now, leave room for dessert, we’re going to share a milkshake after this.” |