[oom] I'll see you in the morning time

[nerves_of_ice]

The low hum of the television on the twenty-four hour sports channel continues all through the night, casting its shadows and dim electronic light over the bed, the blankets, and the two of them curled up together there.

For once, there are no nightmares.

It's only once the sun starts making its way above the horizon and the sky outside begins to fade from black to blue that Bucky stirs - and as he realizes where he is and who's with him, a sunshine-bright smile lights his face.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

She kisses him back and then kisses him again, sweet and lingering.

"Do you have a laptop?" she asks, when she's pulled away again. "Or a tablet? It'll be a little easier than just using my phone."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Laptop. In the other room. I think it’s charged,” he says, dubiously. “I don’t use it much. I’ll go get it for you.”

He gives her another quick kiss and heads down the hall.

[from_the_outside]

The laptop is familiar in a way that makes her smile, and she takes it with her back into the bedroom. She straightens the sheets and pillows on the bed before lying down on her stomach and opening the computer up, resting her chin in one hand as she navigates to the browser and starts pulling up tabs with the sites from Elaine's list.

Like she'd thought, there are a million. She's going to need to create some search parameters. "So my place in Madripoor was cold and gaudy and harsh. Can you think of anything else you know you don't like?"

By way of example, and to make it a little easier, she says: "I'm not much for jewel tones. And this place – the brick and the wood floor – I was kind of thinking earth tones. Maybe some nice blues and greens and creams thrown in there."

[nerves_of_ice]

He follows her in and goes to the pile of luggage in the corner, crouching down to open the pack first.

“I don’t like neon,” he says after a moment. “Stuff that’s too … much.”

[from_the_outside]

"I think we can safely avoid neon."

She goes with her first instinct and pulls up a few searches: one for fabric couches in cream or green or muted blue, one for leather couches in shades of comfortable dark brown. Clicking through, she eliminates any that prioritize style over comfort or trends over classic lines.

Eventually, after a short internal debate, she closes the tabs on the fabric sofas and focuses on the leather ones. She pulls up her three favorites and blinks away from the screen to look at him. "Do you want to see what I found?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Sure.” He abandons reorganization of the dresser to give her the top and second drawers and comes to join her. Bucky frowns sharply at the first visible option.

[from_the_outside]

She can't help but laugh a little at the look on his face.

"Clearly not this one," she says. "What don't you like about it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He frowns harder, but finally says, "It looks all... boxy. But weird boxy. And those little legs are just stupid."

[from_the_outside]

"Fair enough," she says, and closes that tab to show him the next. Still boxy, but with deep, comfortable seating. It lacks the little mid-century modern touches, like the stumpy legs, he'd disliked in the other, and she watches him with interest, waiting for his reaction.

"What do you think about this one?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He tilts his head a little to one side, then the other, considering it.

"It's okay," he says, and glances up at her. "I mean, if you like it."

[from_the_outside]

She makes a non-committal sound and clicks through to the final example.

"How about this one?"

It's her favorite of the three, all classic lines and comfortable-looking cushions and slightly old-fashioned rolled arms, but she watches his reaction with interest.

[nerves_of_ice]

He smiles, a little.

"Kinda squishy. But in a comfortable looking way. It's nice."

[from_the_outside]

She smiles back at him. "I think so, too. It's my favorite of the three."

Exiting out of the other tab, she selects a photo of the couch in a staged living room and expands it to fullscreen. "It looks like it would be comfy when I fall asleep on you while we're watching TV."

Is that her only criteria? No. Is it the most important criteria? Maybe!

[nerves_of_ice]

"Okay," Bucky tells her. "I'm sold. Let's get it."

[from_the_outside]

She laughs and nudges him with her head. "Slow your roll, Barnes," she tells him.

"We need to make sure we can get it through the door and it would fit in the room. That's where the measuring tape comes in. But I think you're right; this seems like the right one."

[nerves_of_ice]

“They probably make it smaller. If we needed.”

Bucky grins at her.

“Okay, that wasn’t so bad. What’s next?”

[from_the_outside]

She grins back, amused. "Well, are you ready to graduate to textiles or dining tables?"

[nerves_of_ice]

His cheerful expression shifts to something more wary.

“Textiles? What textiles?”

[from_the_outside]

She really shouldn't laugh.

"Rugs, baby. Curtains. Fabric stuff."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Oh.”

He looks around the room, then back at her.

“Maybe the table first.”

After all, it’s only one table.

[from_the_outside]

"Solid choice," she tells him, and presses a kiss to his shoulder.

"Same deal? Want me to look while you unpack?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“As long as you still don’t mind. Also—“

He nudges her shoulder and nods at the dresser. “Top two drawers okay for you?”

[from_the_outside]

"More than," she says, rueful. "I really didn't bring much."

Her clothes in Madripoor served the same purpose as the penthouse apartment: they belonged to the person she had to be, not who she was.

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky gives her a patient look.

“Right. Which is why you’ll get more stuff.”

[from_the_outside]

"I guess I will eventually need some clothes," she muses, and grins at him with a little of her old spirit.