[AU] these are not the parts and poems of the body only, but of the soul

[from_the_outside]

They've all entered a kind of tense détente after the ill-advised dinner party. Tony throws himself into work, Sharon and Pepper mostly avoid each other, and Steve, Vision, and Nat continue with oversight duties.

And the thing is... Tony's working it out. 

Not a removal, exactly, but he's getting close, he'd told them, to at least blocking the commands. It's not perfect and it's not a permanent solution, but it's a step in the right direction. It's also a step in the direction of Tony needing to test the words on Bucky himself, and so Sharon and Steve are on extra high alert, keeping an eye out for any indication that Bucky's retreating into himself again. Sharon's mostly moved into the room they share in Steve's apartment for that very reason, though she still isn't wholly comfortable with being in Steve's space all the time.

He's away today, working with Sam and Rhodey on a veteran's outreach program, so it's Sharon who walks with Bucky through the halls of the compound towards Tony's rooms. "It's you and Vision with Tony today," she tells him, and glances across the distance they're careful to maintain when not alone behind closed doors.

"How are you feeling about everything?"

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"Maybe it's just protecting from direct heat," Sharon hazards, but she honestly has no idea. She watches as Wanda directs Bucky to put the pie back in the oven, and brightens. "Another fifteen minutes, huh? That seems like plenty of time to make some whipped cream."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I'll look for a whisk," he agrees, and starts going through drawers again.

It doesn't appear to occur to him to look for an electric version.

[from_the_outside]

"Couldn't we just put it in a jar and shake it up?" Sharon asks, and Wanda gives them both a look like she's surprised they managed to put their shoes on correctly this morning.

"There's an electric beater," she points out. "In that drawer there, Sergeant – Bucky. That's the easiest way."

[nerves_of_ice]

He finds the device where Wanda's indicated and sets it up, ruefully amused.

"It's the little things about the future that you never expect," he explains.

[from_the_outside]

His mom and sisters would probably be pretty surprised by everything in this kitchen, but she can't exactly say so without making Wanda even more suspicious. Sharon digs out a steel bowl and brings it over to him, along with the cream and some sugar.

"The important thing," Wanda's saying, "is not to overbeat it. Otherwise you'll end up with sweet butter."

"Also delicious," Sharon points out, "but maybe not for this particular mission."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Stop while it’s still cream, before butter. Got it,” Bucky says, as Vision comes to hover and watch. He gives the other man a smile that has a flicker of wry mischief in it.

“Tell me when,” he says, and starts the beater whirring.

[from_the_outside]

Vision, who seems to take most things seriously, stands by Bucky's side and observes the beaters and cream with intent focus.

"How do we know when it's ready?" he asks, and Wanda gives him a fondly amused glance.

"You know what whipped cream looks like, Vis," she says. "Just pause every now and again and test it."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Tell me when,” Bucky says again, dryly, to Vision and Sharon both this time. He moves the whirling beater around in the bowl, turning the bowl occasionally to make sure he’s getting all parts as equally as possible.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon leans over, perilously close to the bowl, watching as the beater moves around.

"Stop for a second," she tells him, holding a spoon up, ready to dip it into the cream to test the texture.

[nerves_of_ice]

He flicks the switch to shut it off instantly, and nods to her. “All clear, agent.”

[from_the_outside]

Sharon dips the spoon in and tips it, watching as the thickened cream drops off the tip in a foamy ribbon.

"Not quite," she says. "Give it another thirty seconds or so, Sergeant."

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods, starts the beater again, and pauses thirty-two seconds later to give her an expectant look.

[from_the_outside]

She grins and dips the spoon back in, coming up with a softly mounded pile of cream.

"That looks more like it to me."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods, and turns politely to Vision. “Would you like to test?”

[from_the_outside]

"I'm hardly an expert," Vision demurs, but takes the spoon when Sharon offers it and puts it into his mouth.

"Mm," he says, licking his lips. "Yes, that seems more than adequate."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Expert enough,” Bucky declares, and turns to Wanda. “Okay, anything special we should do with the whipped cream?”

[from_the_outside]

"Put it on top of the pie?" Wanda suggests, and Sharon laughs.

"I think we can handle that," she says, as the oven timer goes off once more.

[nerves_of_ice]

“Hey, figured I should check,” Bucky drawls. “There could have been some secret trick to it.”

[from_the_outside]

Vision drifts over to the oven and turns off the timer, then opens the door and reaches in to pull the steaming pie out, juices bubbling through the slits Bucky had cut into the top crust.

Even knowing it can't hurt him, Sharon can't help but wince a little, and he gives her a small, understanding smile. "Vibranium skin," he says, by way of explanation.

"Handy," she agrees, and sets out a cooling rack for him to set the pie on.

[nerves_of_ice]

“Okay, that looks much better,” Bucky observes. Wanda smiles at him. “You just needed a little practice.”

“And help,” he counters.

[from_the_outside]

"Well, we tried," Sharon says. "That's got to be worth something."

And she maintains it was worth it for the fun of the attempt, even if the end result was a disaster.

[nerves_of_ice]

“It is,” he says instantly, hoping to reassure without being too obvious about it.

“And hey, nothing burned down, right?”

[from_the_outside]

"That seems like a low bar, but I'll take it," she says, amused, and leans on the counter to stare at the pie. Those rolls feel like a lifetime ago and she's getting hungry.

"I guess we should probably wait for the temperature to drop a little from 'molten lava' before we dig in, huh?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Yes,” says Wanda, firmly, and Bucky laughs. “I’ll dig out some plates,” he says. “And forks and a knife.”

He goes back to a cabinet he’d checked previously and takes down four plates.

[from_the_outside]

"Y'all," says a voice from the door, "something smells good. Who's baking and what is it and most importantly, can we have some?"

Sharon glances over to see Sam, Steve, and Colonel Rhodes coming into the room, all of them with smiles varying from interested to lightly confused. "We picked up some cherries from the farmer's market in town," Sharon tells them. "Wanda taught us how to make them into pie."