[WWII AU] a brand new day

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky wakes in the predawn darkness, long before reveille would normally be called. He spends a few minutes reviewing the mission in his head before he rolls from his cot; there's no room to think about anything else. He meets Steve and the rest of the Howling Commandos at five-fifteen. As planned, they're on the move before the hour has passed.

It's a long day, a hard day, but in the end a successful day, for the most part. The hidden facility carved into the hillside is no more when they leave, HYDRA's agents defeated, their stockpiles destroyed. But there's still no sign of Schmidt, nor of Zola, and that remains incredibly frustrating.

Still, there's reason to celebrate today's win, and the squad's more or less exuberant on their return, some fourteen or so hours later. Steve disappears into the command tent to debrief with Colonel Phillips; Bucky'll catch up with him afterward, as usual. He spends a few minutes trading quips with the others before disappearing to weapons storage to see to his own rifle - also as usual. Something about taking care of it helps him feel like he's cleaning the blood off his own hands.

After that, he finds he's too restless to settle yet, and figures it's not the best idea for him to be around others until he sorts himself out. Bucky wanders along the edge of camp in the dark, then veers from the path and off into the field where he'd spent some time watching the stars only a couple of days ago.

It should be peaceful there, more or less.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

That's pretty rich, coming from Howard Stark – but it's also not like he's wrong. Sharon rolls her eyes and shifts to stand at Bucky's side, then glances up at him before she slips her arm around the small of his back, curving her hand at his side.

Behind Stark, Nurse Hart is almost vibrating with annoyance, but Sharon keeps her expression neutral. No one but her needs to know that she wishes the first time she got to stand like this with Bucky weren't in a lab, surrounded by other people.

[nerves_of_ice]

Very carefully, he puts his arm around her back, resting his hand on her lower arm rather than on her waist. Bucky shifts slightly until they're standing foot to foot and hip to hip, then gives Howard a level look.

"Ready," he says.

[from_the_outside]

"I've never seen you so standoffish before, Sergeant," Howard comments. "She's a pretty girl, relax a little. I'm not asking you to put your arm around a porcupine."

Sharon exhales, long and evenly. "Do we need the commentary?" she asks. "Just run the test."

"Right," Howard says, and turns to his instruments, calling instructions to his assistants, then counting down before they hit the switches.

[nerves_of_ice]

"I still don't hear any difference in the sound all that stuff makes," Bucky mutters, under cover of the meters' wailing. "Do you?"

Howard double and triple checks each reading before signaling the lab team to stop.

"Okay, face each other now." Howard glares at Nurse Hart before she can say anything. "It's a hug. That's all."

[from_the_outside]

She shakes her head. If there is a difference at all, it's too minute to gauge by sound alone.

Slipping her arm back from around him, she turns to face him and tries not to think about how it felt when he buried his fingers in her hair, when her arms went around his neck. Stepping forward, she puts her arms carefully around his waist and keeps her head up, staring ahead at his shoulder instead of resting her head against it.

[nerves_of_ice]

He can almost feel Nurse Hart's stare boring into his back, and figures she's ready to act if she sees him taking even the slightest bit of advantage. Not that he would, but it makes him feel better to know someone else is looking out for Sharon, too.

Bucky settles one arm around her waist and rests his other hand flat in the middle of her back.

[from_the_outside]

Another countdown, another flip of the switches, another interminable amount of seconds filled with the shriek of resonance.

Sharon sighs and glances up. "So," she murmurs, for his ears alone, "what's a guy like you doing at a place like this?"

[nerves_of_ice]

As close as they are, she should have no problem feeling the vibration of his suppressed laughter.

"Getting into trouble, probably," he drawls. "How about you?"

[from_the_outside]

"Same, probably."

The whine of the resonance chokes off, and Howard focuses on the results, writing rapidly on a pad of paper nearby. Sharon lets go and steps back, then glances at the inventor. "Anything else?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"I have to analyze these first," Howard tells them. He's still staring at the results. "Maybe another set of readings just like this, tomorrow, to compare. This is interesting."

One of the lab assistants, craning his neck to look, offers, "Circuit interaction rather than surface area?"

"Maybe," Howard mutters. "Maybe. We'll find out." He seems to remember himself and looks up at them. "Okay, you can go. Again. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Bucky looks to Sharon to answer that. It's probably best if he keeps his mouth shut this time.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon rolls her eyes, but Howard's already looking away. "Goodbye, Mr. Stark," she says. "See you tomorrow."

She glances at Bucky, then disappears with Nurse Hart behind the changing screen to get out of the harness for the second time today.

[nerves_of_ice]

As before, he's waiting politely outside for her to emerge, this time with Nurse Hart, who stops to look at him.

"I appreciate that you're making this as easy on Agent Carter as possible, Sergeant Barnes," she says, crisply. "Do remember that medical's here for you both, should you need."

"Yes, ma'am," he says. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

[from_the_outside]

"Thank you again, Lieutenant," Sharon tells the other woman. "See you tomorrow."

The nurse smiles at her, then shakes her head and heads off at a brisk walk. Sharon glances up at Bucky. "We're meeting with the others after lunch, right?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Right," he confirms. "I'll take you there. We'll probably end up in the command tent, but we're supposed to meet Steve first."

[from_the_outside]

"Okay."

She glances around, then back at him. "I guess we have a little time on our hands until then."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Looks like," he agrees. "Is there anything you'd like to do, Agent Carter?"

[from_the_outside]

She arches her eyebrows at him and his innocently loaded question.

The truth is she's buzzing all over just from that small amount of proximity, and she can't get him out of her head. Not that she's been trying especially hard. "Nothing productive," she says, amused. "I could meet up with you at lunch, if you have anything you need to go do."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Nothing especially urgent," he reassures her. "Check over my kit, take that letter to Becky and the girls over to mail, that kind of thing. You're welcome to come along if you like."

[from_the_outside]

"Okay," she says, after considering him for a second. "If you don't mind me tagging along."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky's smile is slow and warm. "Trust me, I don't mind in the slightest," he assures her. "Come on. We have to swing by my quarters first so I can pick up the letter."

[from_the_outside]

Her smile warms in response, and she slides her hands in her pockets as she falls into step at his side. "Okay," she says, agreeable. "Did Cap manage to get you a page, like he talked about?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"He did." Bucky glances down at her. "When Steve says he'll do something, he does it. You can take that to the bank."

[from_the_outside]

"If I had an account in this day and time, maybe I would," Sharon teases.

[nerves_of_ice]

He chuckles at that. "Anyway, yes, he got me a page. Becky'll be glad to hear from him - all the girls will, honestly. It's a little embarrassing, but he finished writing this letter before I did."

Bucky turns down the row that leads to his own quarters at the end of it, not far from Steve's.

"Want me to say hi for you?" He gives her a half-teasing, half-challenging glance.

[from_the_outside]

"And give them a fun mystery to chew on until your next letter?"

Sharon gives him a pert glance back. "Definitely."