[oom] a shadow in pursuit

[nerves_of_ice]

It's been well over a month since the auction, a couple of weeks since the procedure, and Bucky thinks they're all beginning to settle into what he thinks of as 'after.'

Sharon's at the lab with Shuri this morning. He's supposed to swing by there later or tomorrow, depending on how far she's gotten with the latest prototype - he'll wait to hear. In the meantime, he's concentrating on chopping up the latest fallen tree.

It's good work. Clean work, in more ways than one.

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[nerves_of_ice]

He watches her carefully as she crosses the grass. Her expression is a little tight, and she's moving quickly, no longer carrying the things she had with her earlier. None of these things are promising. Is she going to have to flee?

He fades back through the trees and parallels her path in silence, out of sight.

[from_the_outside]

She doesn't expect him to be by the lake – if she had to guess she'd say he's probably still in the treeline, keeping an eye on things – and indeed the little hut is silent and empty when she arrives.

(She'd gone directly to it, trusting T'Challa to keep Ross away.)

The first time she opens the door, it isn't the quiet, calm interior of the hut that greets her but the bustle and chatter of Milliways. "Not right now," she says, quietly, and closes the door again.

Thankfully, it opens back into the hut when she tries again, and she lets herself in without waiting to see if Bucky is nearby.

He'll come when he feels it's safe. She's not worried about that.

[nerves_of_ice]

Evidently she's not concerned about being followed here. That's something.

He watches anyway for fifteen minutes to be sure there aren't any signs of trouble before he slips from the trees and ducks into the hut, taking up a position beside the door to keep watch.

Not a single word escapes him. He looks for her reaction to his appearance first.

[from_the_outside]

She's sitting at the small table, a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. She'd made it only a few minutes ago, but hasn't actually sipped at it yet.

"Hey." Her mug goes back to the tabletop, and she gets up to get the French press, still half-full.

She doesn't look his way, not yet. If there were any danger, he wouldn't have come at all. "Want some coffee?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Is there time?"

Low and rough.

[from_the_outside]

She does look at him now, her own expression calm though her eyes are troubled.

"Yes," she says, soft and assuring, then adds:

"T'Challa won't let him take me. And he didn't make you."

[nerves_of_ice]

It's like watching a steel spring uncoil. After a moment, he crosses the little room and sits down in the other chair, across from her.

"You're safe?"

[from_the_outside]

She fills his mug and brings it over to him, but instead of going back to her own seat she bends at the waist and puts one arm around his shoulders, the other carefully cradling his head as she presses her mouth and nose into his hair.

"Yes," she says, again, softly. "As safe as I can be."

[nerves_of_ice]

He lets himself be held, leaving the coffee on the table and putting his arm around her waist in turn.

"What is he doing here? How did he find you? When I saw him pointing that gun in your direction--"

[from_the_outside]

"I know."

It's quiet, even as her heart thuds, anxious. This could have gone so much worse, disastrously so. If he'd been aiming the gun at her with lethal intent, if he'd been louder and more aggressive, if, if –

"He came to apologize to T'Challa," she says, wry. Her fingers smooth lightly over his hair. "For losing the winner of the auction."

Her breath sighs into his hair. "And he made me in Prague."

[nerves_of_ice]

"He made you?" Bucky tips his head back to stare at her, his arm tightening slightly around her.

[from_the_outside]

She straightens so he can look up at her, one hand loose on his shoulder, the other carefully tucking his hair back over his ear. "Kwan got the drop on him," she says, low.

"He had his back to me. Steve was already out the door, and I had the shot." She shakes her head. "I didn't think he turned in time to see me."

[nerves_of_ice]

He sighs, slow and deep. "He's one lucky son-of-a-gun."

[from_the_outside]

"Something tells me he doesn't feel that way right now."

She's toying with his hair with gentle fingers and she knows it's more to soothe her than him, watching the soft brown strands slide against each other.

It's been a while since she's been this badly rattled. "Thank you for not hurting him too much."

[nerves_of_ice]

One corner of his mouth quirks up in a very, very wry smile.

"I was careful not to hit him with the blade of the axe." More quietly, he adds, "I knew you wouldn't want him to be hurt."

[from_the_outside]

She nods. "Thanks," she says again. "I wasn't sure what you might do if you saw his gun." Her own smile is rueful.

"He's not very happy with me."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yeah?" It's very quiet. "What'd he say to you?"

[from_the_outside]

She runs her fingers through his hair once more before pulling far enough away to half-sit on the edge of the little table. "Mostly he wanted to know why," she tells him.

"Why I did it. Went rogue."

[nerves_of_ice]

The one thing he doesn't ask is what did you tell him?

"Ah," he says, instead.

[from_the_outside]

If she hears the words enemy of the state one more time she might try to shoot something, herself. "I told him I did it because it was the right thing to do," she continues.

"Because it was."

[nerves_of_ice]

"People like him don't generally like being told they were wrong," he murmurs.

[from_the_outside]

She shakes her head. "I don't think it's that."

Not entirely, anyway. "I think he's hurt that I didn't trust him. At least partly. And now I'm an enormous criminal thorn in his side."

[nerves_of_ice]

"But T'Challa's protecting you."

He hadn't thought it was possible to be more grateful to T'Challa than he already was.

[from_the_outside]

"Yes."

Her fingers lace loosely together against her lap. "And Ross is amenable to helping me clear my name. But he wants communication access to Steve."

[nerves_of_ice]

"He is?" He's startled, delighted, and suspicious all at once - although he does his best to hide the suspicion. "Sharon, that's great. He just wants to talk to Steve?"