[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

[nerves_of_ice]

“You’re right about that. Both things,” he agrees, and loads all the bags over his left arm, then reaches for the container of eggs and the bouquet of flowers with his right hand.

[from_the_outside]

The compound is very nearly empty today – she thinks maybe Wanda and Vision are the only others around. Except, potentially, Happy. But there are still cameras everywhere, so she stays a polite distance away from Bucky as they walk through the corridors of the sprawling building, the taste of her stolen cherry still lingering on her tongue.

Back at Steve's, she takes the eggs and flowers and waits for Bucky to unlock the door before heading in, relaxing a little as soon as they're out of sight of any cameras or prying eyes.

[nerves_of_ice]

He carries everything straight through to the kitchen, leaving her to secure the door behind them. Bucky sets it all down on the counter and turns to face her as Sharon joins him, an innocent smile on his face.

“Here,” he says, helpfully, reaching for her load.

[from_the_outside]

She offers him the flowers and eggs, smiling.

"Next time, we should get some coffee from that roaster," she says. "It was really good."

[nerves_of_ice]

“It was, wasn’t it?” Next time. It sends a thrill through him.

Bucky sets the eggs and flowers on the counter too, then turns back and pulls Sharon into his arms for a kiss. “Sweet,” he murmurs.

[from_the_outside]

She smiles against his mouth and kisses him again, putting her arms around his neck and working her fingers gently through his wind-tangled hair.

[nerves_of_ice]

He crowds her gently back against the counter and picks up another cherry, putting it to her lips.

“So sweet,” he murmurs, his eyes dark.

[from_the_outside]

She huffs a breath of laughter and takes the cherry delicately between her teeth, letting its sweetness burst over her tongue. She discards the stone and kisses him again, the taste of cherries warm in her mouth.

"Very," she murmurs back.

[nerves_of_ice]

He kisses her again, thorough and lingering, letting his hands roam over her back, molding her to his body — then breaks the kiss and makes himself step back.

Prudently, Bucky puts the table between them and grins at her, a little rueful.

“We better get these things put away.”

[from_the_outside]

Sharon bites her lip, gripping the edge of the counter so she doesn't go right over the table and back into his arms.

"Probably," she agrees, giving him a glance that's half-amusement, half-heated desire.

Maybe she should stick herself into the fridge. That might help. "You put the groceries away, I'll put the flowers in some water."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Sounds good,” he murmurs, his gaze fixed on her lower lip.

[from_the_outside]

The way he looks at her sends a thrill scalding through her system. She can't help grinning – and she can't help teasing him by biting at her lip again, pink from his kisses and the cherries and her own teeth.

"Okay," she says, all angelic sweetness, and deliberately turns away to reach up into a cupboard for a glass she can use as a vase.

[nerves_of_ice]

He moves fast, coming up behind her and settling his hands on her hips as he presses close.

“If we don’t stop,” he murmurs, nuzzling her hair aside and kissing the nape of her neck, “we’ll never get that pie made. But later. Consider this a reminder,” he promises, as he kisses her there again, hidden from anyone’s eyes, drawing on the skin and running the edge of his teeth lightly over it to leave a faint mark.

[from_the_outside]

She leans back into him and gasps as he nuzzles at the nape of her neck, at the gentle scrape of his teeth. "Okay," she murmurs, putting her hands over his and leaning her head against his. "Later."

Sharon laughs a little, breathless, and turns to look at him. "Better go on that errand to Happy," she says, a little wry. "Just in case. I'll put things away here."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Good idea," he agrees, equally wry. "Let me do a quick search first, though."

It doesn't take long for him to confirm that although Steve's got plenty of coffee and sugar, what flour he's got tucked away is nowhere near enough for baking. Bucky makes his way out of the apartment and goes looking in the community kitchen first, with every intention of finding Hogan after that if need be.

It doesn't even occur to him that he's moving around without an escort. He no longer needs one.

[from_the_outside]

The first thing to do is probably to find a recipe, right? She does a quick search on her phone and finds one that looks simple enough: crust, filling, done. How hard can it be?

"Seven hours?" she murmurs to herself, frowning at the recipe. That's probably overkill, right? The dough probably doesn't actually need to rest in the fridge for that long. But first things first; she measures out about four and a half cups of cherries into a colander and washes them, then sets to work pitting them with a paring knife.

In seconds, she realizes why most bakers wear aprons. It looks like she's committing very bloody murder over Steve's kitchen table.

[nerves_of_ice]

He’s going through the cabinets in the community kitchen when Vision’s voice behind him nearly startles him out of his skin.

“Do you need more cinnamon?”

Bucky spins around and makes himself relax in the same instant. He gives Vision a faint, slightly wry smile.

“Not this time. I’m looking for flour. Enough to make a pie.”

[marvel_npc]

"A pie?"

Vision strolls forward, tilting his head in curiosity. "I did not figure you for a baker."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Believe me, I'm not," Bucky says, dryly. "But the farmer's market in town had fresh cherries, and Agent Carter and I figured it was worth a try."

He considers Vision for a second. The guy's an artificially intelligent more-than-human, so maybe--

"How about you? Baking in your skillset?"

[marvel_npc]

"I have academic knowledge on how to bake almost any manner of cake, pie, cookie, or other pastry," Vision says.

"... But little actual talent, I'm afraid."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Well, that puts you ahead of me," Bucky informs him. "Anyway, do you know if there's flour here, or do I need to go track down Hogan?"

[marvel_npc]

Vision drifts forward and opens a few cabinets, frowning at the contents.

"... I do not," he admits, after three fail to produce flour. "But Happy would certainly know where you could find some."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Got it. Stalking Hogan it is," Bucky says, and tips his head back in a nod of farewell.

"See you later, Vision."

This is when it turns out to be extremely handy to have explored every single aspect of the compound that he could manage. He's got a pretty good idea exactly where Hogan's likely to be around this time of day. Bucky sets off in the direction of the administrative offices.

[marvel_npc]

It's good that Tony's made some progress. Better yet that Pepper had managed to coax him out to the city for a night on the town. It'll help, Happy thinks, even if it means he's stuck here babysitting the remaining Avengers, Sergeant Barnes, and the Task Force agent from hell.

At least he hasn't had to deal with her directly for a while. That was a pleasant development.

But it means the compound's pretty quiet, so Happy's leaning back in his chair, feet crossed up on his desk, reading the paper when the knock comes. "Uh – "

He scrambles a little, setting things to rights and hiding the empty pint of ice cream he'd been snacking on. "Yeah, who is it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He’s surprised that Hogan hasn’t already checked a surveillance camera, but maybe he’s being polite.

“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Hogan,” he calls back. “It’s Bucky. Do you have a second?”