[Leipzig AU] good for trouble

[from_the_outside]

Busan glitters like a disco ball in the night, and no one gives them a second glance as they stroll through the fish market, Sharon in her white dress on Ross's arm, the rest of the team behind them. "Sophia," she says, warmly, and exchanges air kisses with the woman, her pink visor and plastic apron both bright. She knows to expect them, and after she pats Sharon fondly on the cheek, she nods them through.

They spread out through the casino, the team's voices low in her ear. She stays by Ross, playing the part of arm candy, applauding when he wins and consoling him when he loses.

There's no sign of Klaue yet, and the metal briefcase full of diamonds stays locked to the wrist of one of the other agents. "I'm going to get a drink," Sharon murmurs to Ross, and makes her way through the crowd to the bar. 

The martinis here are fine, but not as good as Nat's.

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[from_the_outside]

She's suddenly weightless, enveloped in warmth, tucked against him, and it's beginning to filter through that this might actually be real. And if it is...

"Oh my god," she says, lightly hysterical, and reaches her arms around him. "Baby."

[nerves_of_ice]

He holds her a little more tightly, unable to help himself.

"Sharon," he murmurs, searching her face. "Hi, baby."

[from_the_outside]

"Hi."

She's not sure if she's about to laugh or cry or some mix of both as she lets go, freeing her hands to cradle his face like she's been longing to do for so long. "Hi."

[nerves_of_ice]

He leans in to kiss her, gentle and sweet, then tips his head to rest his forehead against hers.

[from_the_outside]

She closes her eyes, then instantly opens them again to be able to see him.

"Everyone's okay?" she reiterates. "Nakia's okay?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Everyone's okay," he promises. "Nakia included. You saved her life, baby."

He hugs her a little tighter, then gently lowers her back to sit on the table.

"Let me get you a pair of slippers, then we'll go find Shuri."

[from_the_outside]

"Good," she says, heartfelt. Hopefully she'll be able to see Nakia soon, prove to herself that her friend is all right.

She hates that he puts her down, but sits obediently... aside from how she keeps reaching to rub her fingers over the spot where she'd felt the bullet hit.

To distract herself as he goes searching, she looks around. "This place is wild," she muses. "Is it a hospital?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"It's a lab," he says, as he straightens up from the bottom shelf of the cabinet with a pair of soft black slipper-socks in hand. Bucky brings them over and goes down on one knee to start fitting them to her feet, then glances up at her.

"Shuri's lab. Welcome to the headquarters of the Wakanda Design Group."

[from_the_outside]

"You know, I could have sworn Wakanda wasn't the kind of place to have a design group," she says, but it seems fair academic.

She looks away from the impossible room for a moment to watch him, smiling. "Prince Charming," she murmurs. "I'm not much of a Cinderella at the moment."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Hey, I'm not the royalty around here," he teases back, then stands and holds out his hand to her.

"And that's the thing. Turns out what everyone thought they knew about Wakanda was wrong. Come on. I'll show you."

[from_the_outside]

She takes his hand and slides off the table, then laces her fingers with his and takes a breath.

"Okay, Barnes," she says. "Lead the way."

[nerves_of_ice]

He squeezes her hand, reassuring, and leads her through the arched opening and out into the main lab, where displays of inventions and experiments in various stages are arranged in illuminated glass cases.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that show the heart of Mount Bashenga, a mag-lev train races by in elegant silence on its stabilized track.

"Princess," Bucky calls, and at her worktable near the window, Shuri turns around with a bright smile. "Is she-- she is!" She hops to her feet and crosses the room to join them. "Agent Carter. It is very nice to meet you."

"Sharon, this is the Princess Shuri," he murmurs. "King T'Challa's younger sister, the head of this lab, and my savior as well as yours."

[from_the_outside]

The view through the plate-glass windows would be dizzying even if she hadn't just woken up from impossible surgery. Sharon keeps one hand firmly in Bucky's and reaches out the other to shake, more by reflex than by choice.

"I'm still pretty sure this is a dream," she says, "but it's nice to meet you regardless. And on the off chance maybe-dream-Bucky is right and it's real, then I guess I've got you to thank for saving my life. So thank you, Princess."

[nerves_of_ice]

"This is no dream," Shuri tells her, taking Sharon's hand in a firm grip for a moment before letting go again. Her grin is even brighter now, and satisfied. "This is Wakanda."

Very dryly, Bucky says, "They have a lot of fun with watching how people react to the discovery."

"Hey!" Shuri protests. "You would too, if you were me."

[from_the_outside]

"Okay," Sharon says, slowly, her eyes caught on the train that streaks silently by, like a silver fish darting through a pool of dark water. "Wakanda. And – "

But that flips a switch in her head and she rounds on Bucky, her eyes suddenly wide and worried. "Klaue! What happened to Klaue?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He and Shuri trade a quick, grim look before he answers her.

"He got away," Bucky tells her. "For now. Some associates of his broke him out - that's how you got hurt."

Reluctantly, he adds, "Ross is here too. He can bring you up to speed on the mission."

[from_the_outside]

"He is?"

Not here here, apparently, as she glances around. "I should check in with him. Is my phone around somewhere?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yes, it is," Bucky says, after giving her a very patient, completely disbelieving stare. "But no. How about we call Nakia first? And maybe she can walk him over, instead."

He looks at Shuri. "Assuming you aren't about to kick us out, that is, Princess."

[from_the_outside]

"I am not," Shuri says, "because I need to check her over and make sure all is well. And you," she says, pointing at Sharon and drawing the word out: youuuuuuuuuuu. "Need to rest. Not to go running around trying to find out what happened to Klaue! There are people here who will do that. You almost died! So go sit down!" she adds, as Sharon opens her mouth to protest.

"Wow," Sharon mutters. "Pushy."

Shuri gives her a stern look and she lifts her hand in surrender. "I mean, 'yes ma'am.'"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Much better answer," Bucky murmurs, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fights back a grin. "Trust me, you don't want to argue with her when she's putting you through tests. Come on."

Bucky leads her to the chair that he usually uses for his own check-ups, figuring that since it has both a good view of the lab and the windows she'll appreciate it.

"Princess, seriously though, could you call Nakia? I'm sure she'd want to know Sharon's awake." He taps his wrist and gives Shuri a bright-eyed look of anticipation.

[from_the_outside]

Shuri's expression softens and she nods as she comes near. "Yes, of course," she says, but instead of reaching for a phone, she taps a bead on her bracelet. "Nakia!" she says, brightly. "Look who is awake!"

Sharon gasps as a tiny, perfect hologram of Nakia from the waist up appears over the beaded bracelet. "What?" she says, a little too loudly, and almost gets up to get closer before she remembers she's supposed to be sitting down.

She stares at Nakia. "Look at you!"

The tiny Nakia laughs, delighted. "Look at you!" she returns. "Awake already! Shuri is going to have to tie you to a bed."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky moves around behind Sharon so that Nakia can see him as well. "Don't worry," he tells her, "the princess already read her the riot act. But she's doing great."

He looks at Sharon. "Don't think that means you can get up again yet, though."

[from_the_outside]

Nakia laughs and peers at Sharon from Shuri's wrist. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine," Sharon says. "Deeply confused, but fine. Boy, you really buried the lede about Wakanda, Nakia."

Her friend laughs again, a little ruefully. "I know," she says. "But I am happy to finally be able to show you my home."

[nerves_of_ice]

"She couldn't tell you," Bucky murmurs. "Really couldn't. There's a whole history as to why. But you're here now, and that's what matters."

He can't hide his smile at that, and doesn't even try. Shuri wrinkles her nose at him. "Oh, is that so?" she laughs. "I know some people who will be disappointed to hear that."

Bucky grins at her. "Unless Sharon says otherwise, yeah, that's how it is."

[from_the_outside]

She leans her head back against him and smiles, then reaches back and up for his hand. "It would have been nice not to have to get shot to make it happen," she says, and tips her head back to look up at him, her eyes warm and bright.

"But you won't hear me complaining about the rest of it."