[oom] an indentation in the shape of you

[from_the_outside]

Her room is closer. If he had to get up to take care of the goats, she'd walk them back down to the little hut by the lake, but K'Senge will still come by in the morning, and her room is closer.

"Follow me," she says, and steps back to take his hand in hers, then walks with him through the quiet halls of the Citadel until they reach her door. She unlocks it and draws him inside, then closes it firmly behind them again. 

Her heart is racing, anticipation chasing sweet fire through her veins as she puts her arms back around his neck. "Welcome to my humble abode," she murmurs, smiling, and kisses him.

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[nerves_of_ice]

He hesitates.

Visibly.

[from_the_outside]

That hesitation is all she needs to know she was right.

"Just let me get cleaned up," she says, and kisses him once more before sliding off the bed and heading into the bathroom. It takes her a little more time than usual to wash the makeup off, but she hops into the shower and is in and out in less than ten minutes before heading to the wardrobe to get dressed.

Light pants, a tank, some sandals, and she's back to her usual self. It's cool, so she throws on that pretty cream-and-gold cloak Bucky bought her third day here, and holds out her hand to him with a smile. "Come on, baby. Let's get you home."

[nerves_of_ice]

By the time she's out of the shower, he's dressed, the bed's made, and he's taken care of the water glasses. He goes to the window to wait, and stands there, looking out at the night.

He'll call Natasha in the morning. Steve'd said he'd come down then, so he can ask if anyone's told her yet. She needs to know. He needs to be the one to tell her, even if she's already heard.

He's still standing by the window, lost in thought, when Sharon comes to him. He takes her hand and twines his fingers with hers, smiling a little.

"Lead the way, baby."

[from_the_outside]

She tugs gently and walks with him back out of her room, along the quiet halls of the Citadel, and out into the clear cool night. The stars are so thickly scattered in the sky and the moon is so bright that there's more than enough light to see by. The grass is fragrant underfoot, and she can smell lakewater and turned earth as they get close.

The little hut is just as he left it, except for one thing: instead of one throw folded on the chest at the foot of the bed, there are two.

[nerves_of_ice]

He spots the change immediately and looks the question at Sharon.

[from_the_outside]

She shrugs and shrugs off the cloak.

"I use it more down here."

[nerves_of_ice]

He smiles, just a little, and very ruefully. "At least this time I know not to try to bring it back."

[from_the_outside]

She smiles back and shakes her head. "Pretty sure I know better now," she tells him. "So I can take it back up with me tomorrow if you want."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I don't mind it being here," he tells her, and moves to take the cream-and-gold cloak to hang it from a small hook.

[from_the_outside]

"Okay," she says, simple, and goes to sit on the edge of the bed, toeing off her sandals as she does.

It's good to see him back in this little space. The hut had seemed lonely without him. "Tired?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"A little."

He comes to sit beside her on the bed.

"Are you?"

[from_the_outside]

"Yes," she tells him, straight-faced. "It's late and not all of us spent the last three weeks napping."

She leans to nudge his shoulder, her expression teasing and fond. "But I'll stay up with you if you're not ready to go to bed yet."

[nerves_of_ice]

He's not, but he doesn't know why. It doesn't make sense.

He tugs at a lock of her hair and smiles back at her. "No, let's call it a night," he says.

[from_the_outside]

She studies him for a second, considering whether or not to take him at his word, and nods. "Okay."

Leaning over, she kisses him gently, then gets up to get undressed, folding her clothes neatly on the seat of one of the chairs.

At some point she should see how much Steve told him about the mission... but not now. There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow, or even later.

[nerves_of_ice]

He follows suit, then pulls back the cover and sheet for them. Morning will come soon enough - it's only a few hours away, and everything else can wait until then.

(It'd come either way, he reminds himself. Might as well get some sleep first, while he can, before he begins to untangle what the future now looks like.)

[from_the_outside]

She slides into bed and waits for him to join her before settling at his side and pillowing her head in the hollow of his shoulder, her arm coming over his stomach.

"Nice to have you back," she murmurs, smiling as her lashes droop. "My other pillows seem very sub par now by comparison."

[nerves_of_ice]

He chuckles at that and settles his hand gently on her arm.

"Good night, Sharon."

[from_the_outside]

"Good night."

Her eyes are closed before she finishes the second syllable, and it isn't long at all before her breathing lengthens and deepens and her whole body relaxes. She hadn't been lying about being tired.

She's asleep before she knows it, too warm and comfortable and content to do absolutely anything else.

[nerves_of_ice]

It takes him longer, his mind buzzing too much to allow for easy sleep yet. He lies quietly in the dimness of the room, listening to Sharon breathe beside him, and thinks about everything that's happened in the last several hours and weeks, everything that he's been told or experienced.

It helps to walk through it, he finds, treating it like parameters and intel, and knows even as he does it that this may be a different sort of problem.

He'll deal with that later, now that he can. Starting tomorrow.

Eventually, he's able to slip into a light, mostly-restful doze, until the sounds of birds outside wake him somewhere in the hour before dawn.

[from_the_outside]

The dreams she has are vague and muddled and none of them are enough to wake her. She sinks into sleep like a rock sinks into water and stays there until some small motion from Bucky has her blinking sticky, tired eyes open into a pre-dawn gloom.

She makes a sleepy, questioning noise. It's still far too early for anything like words.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Go back to sleep, baby," he murmurs, brushing her hair back from her face. "You don't need to get up yet."

[from_the_outside]

She mumbles something that sounds a little like you sure? before turning her face into the pillow.

If she says anything after that, it's too muffled by the cloth and stuffing to understand.

[nerves_of_ice]

He smooths his hand gently over her hair once more before he gets to his feet. Bucky pulls on his clothes, takes the water pitcher, and goes outside.

The goats are asleep in their pen as well - evidently K'Senge's gotten them onto a more reasonable schedule in the last few weeks. He's careful not to disturb them as he quickly washes up and fills the pitcher. Back inside, he sets water to heat and measures coffee into the French press as quietly as possible.

As soon as he pours the heated water into the press to brew he carries it outside so that the scent won't wake Sharon. One more trip, and he has everything he needs. He settles on the ground outside at the side of the hut and waits for the sun to rise.

[from_the_outside]

He's as quiet as is humanly possible, but it isn't humanly possible to be absolutely silent while making coffee. She's tired enough that she sleeps through most of it anyway, but it's only about half an hour later before she wakes up for the third time and decides she may as well just get up.

... For now, anyway. She rolls out of bed and pulls on underwear and her tank top and eschews pants in favor of just wrapping the green throw around herself before she makes her slightly bleary way outside. "Hey."

Her voice is tired, but at least she's communicating in actual words. She feels this is a huge improvement. "Want some company?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He's sitting on the purple throw, a second cup of coffee in hand, and looks up at her with a warm smile.

"If you like."

She's wrapped up in the green throw and sleepy-eyed, hair a little tousled, and he finds her absolutely adorable.