[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]

"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.

[from_the_outside]

The Dora guarding the door nod to her and Bucky both as they come in, but the Citadel is quiet. "Nakia's back for a while," Sharon tells him. "So I think she and T'Challa and Shuri are all catching up."

[nerves_of_ice]

"They've probably got a lot to catch up on." Both work-related and personal. "How long is she able to stay this time, do you know?"

[from_the_outside]

Sharon shakes her head as they walk down the hall leading to her apartment. "I don't know, but I hope for a few weeks, at least. I miss seeing her, and T'Challa's always a lot happier when she's here."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods. "The two of them have something really special."

He reaches to open the apartment door for her and gives her a quick grin. "And the two of you have a lot of fun getting into mischief."

[from_the_outside]

"Hey, now, Barnes," she laughs, heading into the apartment with a grin for him. "We haven't gotten into anything lately. Nobody can pin any mischief on us."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Uh-huh. We'll see how that changes in the next few weeks."

He follows her in and shuts the door, then tips his head toward the bathroom. "Why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up first?"

[from_the_outside]

She flicks a glance at him from under her lashes, exaggeratedly flirtatious. "What, not coming with me? Save some water?"

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky laughs. "Temptress. Better go on before I change my mind."

[from_the_outside]

She sticks her tongue out at him and heads into the bathroom, snagging a fresh towel on the way. "Put some coffee on," she calls back to him. "I'll have a cup when I come out."

[nerves_of_ice]

"One pot of coffee, coming right up." While the water's boiling, he pulls down mugs and digs out cream and cinnamon for her from the supplies.

[from_the_outside]

She takes a quick shower and is out again in a few minutes, dressed in soft pants and a t-shirt, towel-drying her hair as she pads back out into the main room.

"Thanks, baby," she says, spotting the coffee being made. She goes to her bedside table, where she keeps her laptop, and pulls it out to set on the small breakfast table. "How about I call down for some dinner?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Sounds great." He hands her a mug with a quick smile, then snags his pack and heads for the bathroom. "I'll just get cleaned up while you're doing that."