[oom] the rest of you, the best of you, honey, belongs to me

[from_the_outside]

It's been a little over a month since Bucky brought her to that training space and told her he was making good on his promise; a little longer since she's met Ayo for an hour a day to spar and train and meditate and learn. In that time, Shuri's updated her suit and Bucky's prototype arm, and Nakia's successfully launched the first of her outreach centers in the place where a young N'Jadaka had once had his whole world shattered.

Ayo prefers to train with her either early in the morning or late in the cool of the evening. Today was the latter, and steam is lifting off Sharon's shoulders as she walks back from the Citadel, her hair a sweat-damp mess in a ponytail, her muscles aching pleasantly. 

She's back on top. Between Bucky and Ayo, she's faster now than she ever has been; more adaptive, more thoughtful about her approach. She still can't beat Bucky one on one, but Ayo had tested her against Aneka, another Dora, recently, and she'd more than held her own. She's flexible and strong and her cardio hasn't been this good in years.

More than that, she's happy, the way Bucky wanted her to be. She has some direction, and that's all she really needed. What she'll do with it is the next step, but she's not quite there yet. For now, she strolls down the path toward the hut by the lake where she's been more or less living with him, the sunset light just now dying from the sky. She's so lost in her thoughts it takes her a second even to realize that there's a buzzing coming from the pocket of her tote bag.

And it's not like she was expecting a call, anyway. Who would it even be from?

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

"Sure we can." He squeezes her fingers, and doesn't let go. "Want to go back up to the Citadel? We can put stuff up on the screen in your room."

Although she spends most of her time with him down here - which is a source of quiet joy to him and not something he'd ever dream of complaining about - he knows perfectly well that the Citadel apartments are more comfortable and definitely more tech-enabled.

[from_the_outside]

She gives him a dubious glance. "If we do that, we won't get our fire and storytime," she points out, but it's not as strong an opposition as she wishes it were. And she does have a nicer shower up there, along with a bathtub they can both fit in.

[nerves_of_ice]

He shrugs, very slightly. "Something to look forward to for tomorrow."

[from_the_outside]

That's true. There's tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that one, all of them continuing in an unbroken line here in Wakanda.

Still, she hems and haws over it for a moment before giving in. "Okay," she agrees. "Should we plan to sleep up there?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Might as well. As long as you don't mind that I'll have to come back down at dawn to deal with the goats," he warns her. He's beginning to get the feeling that it's going to be a late night. "I'll try not to wake you, though."

[from_the_outside]

"I never mind that."

She tugs him a little closer with the hand she's holding and pushes up to kiss him gently. "And I don't mind if you wake me up, either. Maybe I'll come back down here with you."

[nerves_of_ice]

He kisses her back, lingering and sweet, and smiles down at her. "We'll see how it goes in the morning. Come on."

Bucky tugs at her hand and starts to walk around the back of the hut. "I'll take care of the evening feed a little early, grab a couple of things, and we can go on up."

[from_the_outside]

"How'd I get a guy as great as you?" she wonders aloud, as she walks with him around the hut.

"Oh, right. Surveillance."

[nerves_of_ice]

He laughs at that and lets go of her so he can start measuring out the feed.

"True," he agrees, amused. "Pretty effective surveillance, too."

Zemo'd had to bomb the United Nations to flush him out, where Sharon had figured out a way to anticipate his movements.

[from_the_outside]

"And they say romance is dead."

She leans against the wall and watches as the goats come trotting at the sound of the feed, remembering the first day she was here when he gave her some to hold and let the goats come greet her.

[nerves_of_ice]

"People say a lot of things."

He's gotten into a regular routine with these kinds of chores, and as a result it doesn't take long to make sure everyone's fed, watered, and checked over. Bucky makes sure the pen's latched for the evening and comes back over to her. "Let me just grab a couple of things."

[from_the_outside]

"No rush, baby."

She goes back to pick up her tote bag, then slings it over her shoulder and waits for him, looking up as the first stars prick through the evening sky. When he comes back out, she smiles and holds out her hand. "Ready?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"You bet." The little knapsack rests comfortably against his back as he takes her hand and starts up the hillside with her, toward the distant Citadel. It'll never cease to amaze him how Wakanda manages its balance between the city and the countryside without either being lost, but he loves it.

[from_the_outside]

She'd just come this way, but it feels good to walk back, stretching her legs a little after the work of training with Ayo. The breeze is cool and her hair is still a little damp, leaving her shivering now and again, but it's pretty far from the winters she remembers from her childhood in Virginia.

"It's been a while since we've been up here," she muses. "To stay overnight, anyway."

[nerves_of_ice]

"It has, I guess." He hasn't really thought about it - or, to be more accurate, he's avoided thinking about it.

"We could more often, if you want."

[from_the_outside]

"No."

She looks up at him with a sweet smile. "I like being down by the lake. And I like the hut, too."

[nerves_of_ice]

Relief flickers in his glance, although he's unaware of it, and his answering smile is warm. "Glad to hear it."

[from_the_outside]

She laces their fingers together and smiles again, then studies him, thoughtfully.

"Do you not like being up at the Citadel, baby?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"I like it fine," he says, surprised. "Why?"

[from_the_outside]

"You just looked sort of relieved when I said we don't have to spend more time there."

She watches him as they walk along. "Does it stress you out?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not... not exactly," he decides. "I mean, it's fine. It is. It's just..."

He shrugs, a little. "People are more comfortable with me than they used to be, when I first got here. The people I'm likely to run into there, anyway. You know? But more people know me than I know. And I'm always a little -- I don't want to overreact. If I were to, you know, be startled. Or anything."

[from_the_outside]

"Mm. I get that."

He's gotten a lot better around people, and with his own reactions, but she can see how it might still be a worry. "Well, tonight, we'll just hang out in my rooms," she promises. "And I don't think there'll be too many people in the halls."

[nerves_of_ice]

"It's fine if there are," he tries to assure her. "Or if you want us to be somewhere else. The only thing I'd want to avoid is if there were visitors that might recognize the Winter Soldier. And I'm pretty sure if that were the case I'd have gotten word to lie low."

[from_the_outside]

"I don't think T'Challa would let you get blindsided like that," she agrees, and smiles at him again. "Besides, I really do love being in the hut by the lake. I don't care where we are, I just want to be with you."

[nerves_of_ice]

His grin is quick and bright. "Sounds good to me."

They crest the hill and follow the approach path around the curve to the entrance that leads in from the station stop, which really is the shortest way to reach her little apartment, all things considered.