[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]

"It's far from the first time," he drawls. "Don't worry about it."

As she stands, he catches her in an embrace and pulls her close for a quick kiss, then smiles at her. "Go get ready for bed. I'll take care of things out here."

[from_the_outside]

She's too tired and distracted to argue, but not tired enough not to kiss him soundly back. "Okay," she says, tugging at a shaggy lock of his hair, and heads to the bathroom to do just that.

It doesn't take her long to wash her face and brush her teeth, but she's caught for a second by the woman in her reflection: tired but intent and focused. It's been a while since she looked at herself and saw Agent 13 looking back.

[nerves_of_ice]

He makes sure her laptop's safely stowed before anything else, then concentrates on washing their dishes and the now-empty coffee pot, careful not to let himself think about anything else.

By the time she comes back out, he's finished up with everything else and has turned out the lights save for the bedside lamp, and is pulling back the sheets on her side.

[from_the_outside]

She comes up behind him and drops a kiss onto the nape of his neck. "Go ahead and get washed up," she murmurs. She's changed into a tank-top and boxers for sleeping, and her feet are bare.

[nerves_of_ice]

The faintest shiver runs through him, and he looks over his shoulder and down at her with a warm smile.

"I won't be long."

[from_the_outside]

"Okay."

It's true; she's hardly in bed for more than a few moments before he pads back out of the bathroom again and she can flip the sheets down for him, patting the mattress. "Come join me."

[nerves_of_ice]

He slides in beside her and coaxes her to pillow her head on his shoulder, if she wants.

"Think you can sleep?"

[from_the_outside]

She curls against his side and settles her head on his shoulder. "We'll see," she says, teasing lightly. "I don't have a supersoldier's metabolism cleaning the caffeine out of my system."

[nerves_of_ice]

"There's that." He presses a gentle kiss to her hair. "I'll try not to wake you in the morning."

Or later today, rather.

"Come down and find me when you're ready, though?"

[from_the_outside]

"Of course."

She closes her eyes as he presses a kiss into her hair. "I can wait to call Fury until then, too."

[nerves_of_ice]

He tries hard not to let his relief show at that, and just nods against her hair. "Okay. Thank you."

[from_the_outside]

"Partners," she reminds him, in a low murmur. "It's you and me, baby. I'm not doing any of this or anything else without you being part of it."

[nerves_of_ice]

He has to smile a little at that, and holds her a little closer.

"I'm glad."

[from_the_outside]

"I got yelled at about it once," she points out, sleepily. "You think I want to go through that again? Hard no. And it's better and safer this way."

[nerves_of_ice]

His quiet chuckle rumbles through his chest.

"Better and safer's pretty good, you have to admit. I'd try not to yell, though, if you didn't."

[from_the_outside]

"Don't make me run the numbers on that risk assessment."

She rolls a little closer and presses her lips to the side of his throat. "Now shh. It's bedtime for all good little boys and girls."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not sure that includes me," he points out, dryly, but draws her in. "But I'll be quiet anyway. Good night, baby."

[from_the_outside]

"Goodnight."

She closes her eyes and relaxes against him, letting the steady up and down of his breath and beat of his heart lull her, eventually, into a sleep that's only a little lighter and less restful than usual.

[nerves_of_ice]

It takes him a lot longer to fall asleep, time in which he listens to her breathing and reminds himself that she knows what she's doing. He's got plenty of reason to know. They've worked together before, they might have continued to do so if things hadn't gone so damn wrong, and she's good at what she does.

She deserves to have this part of her life back, and if Fury can help give it to her, then that's a good thing. It has to be.

Eventually he drifts off, only to wake as usual at false dawn, long before sunrise. Bucky eases carefully from the bed and dresses in the dark so as not to disturb her, then touches her hair very lightly in silent farewell before he leaves the apartment and goes back to the lake to tend the goats.

[from_the_outside]

When she wakes up, it's full, bright morning and she's alone in her bed. She really must have been out not to wake up when Bucky left.

After getting dressed, she wanders through the Citadel until she finds Nakia, but her friend only shakes her head when asked about 'Green.' Nothing of that name has appeared in anything related to Wakanda or vibranium, and anyone Nakia can think of who might have had contacts in that life – Klaue, Killmonger – are all dead.

Sharon goes from Nakia back out to the path that leads to the lake, thinking. She'll see what Fury's planning, she decides, and then she and Bucky together can determine whether or not it's a good fit for her. If it's short – a few days, at most – and if she's careful, it might not be too big of a risk.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's finished stacking the wood by the hut, borrowed a cart and piled it with the rest for later delivery, and is deep in the middle of using a scythe to mow the hillside that'd been left to grow long to provide hay for the goats in winter.

It's just as well it's a hand scythe. It lets him relieve stress with each sweep.

[from_the_outside]

She smiles as she comes down the path and sees him working, the sunlight glinting off both the scythe and his vibranium arm. "Hey," she calls, dropping her tote by the hut and strolling over towards the meadow.

"You're getting pretty good at that."

[nerves_of_ice]

"It just takes practice." He knows it's meant to be more than just harvest, too, given what Shuri had said about giving him experience at using a blade for purposes other than killing. "It's weirdly soothing."

Bucky braces the end of the scythe against the ground and gives her a once over. "Did you sleep okay? You were pretty out of it when I left."

[from_the_outside]

"Pretty well, considering how much coffee I drank."

She slips her hands into her pockets and wanders closer. "I talked to Nakia for a second. She said the War Dogs hadn't heard anything about any 'Green.'"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Damn." Two strikes, he thinks. "Fury's not going to like hearing that."