[oom] let me lead you to the promised land

[from_the_outside]

 It is intensely weird to step back through the door into the bright Wakandan afternoon, but the denizens of the strange-as-hell Bar at the End of the Universe were right: no time has passed at all.

She wishes it had. This just makes it seem even more impossible, a dream she can't begin to explain.

Bucky's had coffee and she's had wine and both of them are full of Sunshine's cinnamon rolls, which is all good except for how her go-to busywork of making coffee to give herself a second to think is even more unnecessary than usual. She goes into the hut to grab the wool throws instead, taking them over to the shade tree as her mind whirls.

There's a lot to take in. And a lot to think about.

"So," she says, once she's sat down. She loops her arms around her knees and studies him. 

"That was interesting."

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

"You did notice that he made a pass at you, too, right?"

[from_the_outside]

She waves that aside, amused.

"That's beside the point."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky gives her an exasperated look.

[from_the_outside]

She grins and pushes herself forward onto her hands and knees to kiss him lightly.

"You said you like me," she reminds him. "No takebacks."

[nerves_of_ice]

“No takebacks,” he agrees, and kisses her again.

[from_the_outside]

One of her hands comes up to lightly cup his cheek and she kisses him back before settling back on her knees.

"But he's definitely into that detective, right?" she says, amused. "I hope someone, somewhere, is getting that poor woman a strong drink."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Or several. If nothing else, I guess his club can provide it.”

[from_the_outside]

"I guess that's true."

She glances down and, after a second, reaches to take his hand in hers again. "I did like it," she tells him. "And I'm really glad you wanted to share it with me."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I did," he murmurs, watching her. "And I'm glad to hear it."

[from_the_outside]

She strokes her thumb over the backs of his knuckles, watching him back.

"You're not sorry you brought me, are you?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“No.” He answers without hesitation.

[from_the_outside]

"Okay, good."

But something is clearly not quite right, and she studies his face. "Are you worried about something?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Not really,” he says, after a moment’s thought.

“I just hoped it would be a pleasant surprise, is all.”

[from_the_outside]

She gives him a rueful look. "Sorry," she says, genuinely apologetic. "I wish I were better with surprises. But it was a really nice thought."

Sharon lifts his hand to press a kiss to his palm. "I promise next time I'll enjoy it more. Now that I know what to expect."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I’ll remember that,” he promises, turning his hand to cradle her cheek for a moment. “It’s okay, really.”

[from_the_outside]

She leans her head into his touch and takes a second to be grateful for him, and this, and the quiet lakeside with the shade tree that's grown so familiar.

"Is it weird that I really liked Lucifer?" she asks with a grin, after a long few seconds of companionable silence.

[nerves_of_ice]

“I don’t think so. He’s pretty charismatic,” he says, amused.

[from_the_outside]

"He seems like he could use a friend," she tells him, and laces their fingers together as she lets their hands back down again.

"So I'm glad he knows you."

[nerves_of_ice]

He knows both of us, he thinks, but doesn’t press. He’s still not entirely sure Sharon will ever want to go back, and he doesn’t intend to bring it up again unless she does.

“Probably he knows lots of people,” he says instead.

[from_the_outside]

"It sounds that way," she says, dry. "But you're not people. You're a good friend to have."

[nerves_of_ice]

He shrugs. “I try.”

[from_the_outside]

The people in the bar, at least, seem to appreciate him the way he deserves. That's enough to make Sharon warm towards them a little more.

(She's still feeling a little cool about Zinda Blake, the irrepressible pilot who'd planted one on him the second he stepped through the door, but that's her own problem.)

"Anyone else I should keep an eye out for next time?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Oh, I don't know - there's lots of people to meet. Sometimes they might be gone for a while, so it's hard to say anyone'll be around on a regular basis, or anything like that."

He considers for a second, and then it hits him, and he grins.

"Maybe a couple of people, though. Remember the kid from New York? Spider-Man?"

[from_the_outside]

"The one Tony brought to Germany?"

She blinks at him, then looks amused as the penny drops. "That's how you knew his name."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky grins. “He’s a heck of a kid. Smart as a whip, too.”