The compound they'd found themselves in was not very much. But at least they would not be sleeping in the stolen car tonight.
It stank of wet dog when it rained. Not that this place was any better.
The windows were streaked with water as the storm battered the motel - it leaked from the roof too, onto one of the beds. The room smelled stale and unused - seemed only partially clean, but with their immune systems - Soldier sincerely doubted they would catch anything from this room.
Winter Soldier disliked rain. They made his missions harder, his metal arm ache and made him restless.
It seemed the weather too, was making Preying Mantis restless. She paced the room, first checking for traps and surveillance equipment, then checking for vantage points.
Somehow, through her search she uncovered a dusty old cardboard box.
She streaked away the possibly years worth of dust to reveal a slightly faded, but nonetheless colourful slogan.
Monopoly. He remembered the game in a vague rainy afternoon way. It hadn't been widespread, but a memory surfaced - of two boys playing the game as wind and weather lashed the windows.
"You feeling any better?"
"No," the boy wheezed and sulked. "But beating you at Monopoly sure helps."
"Stevie, you little punk! You're cheating, aren't you?!"
"Who needs to cheat when you're that bad at something?" The boy teased back breathlessly.
He found himself back in the motel, staring at a reserved and confused Mantis with the last dying rays of a smile on his face -The flashback fading fast.
He had the most ungodly urge to teach her how to play the game, and could not find many reasons to say no. She needed something to occupy her mind - the storm would be raging for at least the rest of the night - it would be a challenge to the both of them and it did not look like the box had been tampered with by the thick layer of dust on the cardboard. Nobody could have known that they'd be forced to detour here for the night on their way to one of HYDRA's safehouses.
They were...safe to proceed.
He gently eased open the box and began pulling out the contents, with her watching him critically.
'You have to choose your piece.' He settled cross-legged on the floor.
She glanced up at him 'Weapon?' She frowned.
'No.' He grunted and held up a little top-hat. 'These are your distinguishing markers. You must choose one.'
She glanced at the others on offer and gently picked up a small pewter piece in the shape of a dog.
Soldier chose a car.
He explained the rules to her and showed her how to take property and chance cards, how to get out of jail.
They played.
Winter Soldier was hardly surprised when she began to bend the rules. Find ways around it. Cheat. It showed a level of creativity in her that had, until then, been kept hidden.
And she was just as ruthless as he was.
It should not have been a surprise to him, therefore that within an hour of the game's beginning, the board was in pieces, the two were haunting opposite ends of the room and there was blood splattering the carpet (not that it hadn't seen worse).
The little redhead certainly had his temper. She had a lot of his best/worst qualities. He was not entirely sure whether or not he should be proud of that.
Soldier looked up from his corner when she made an inquisitive sound and pulled out - joy of joys - another dusty board game. 'What the hell is Clue?' She frowned.
He didn't know.
Mantis looked up and asked 'Should we find out?'
This was going to end with more bloodshed. He could see it.
A/N: According to the internet Monopoly was patented in 1935. A good ten years before - y'know. Anyway it could be a stretch for ten years to permeate into inner city Brooklyn but consider that a little white lie.
Again - according to the internet - Clue was patented in 1945. So Soldier would have little to no knowledge of the game which can only be a good thing. That game wrecks lives.
I have this insane need to be completely and utterly horrible to poor Winter Soldier - even though he deserves every ounce of sympathy he can get - I can't help myself.