[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

[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."

[nerves_of_ice]

He laughs. "Okay, well, let's see what we can do then," Bucky tells her, as he stops in front of his quarters. "Give me a second here--"

He pulls the tent flap open and hooks the bottom of it back over a pole, then does the same with the other side's flap, leaving the inside of his quarters open to view. The interior's neatly kept, his cot made and his pack leaning against the end of it. A camp stool by the head of the cot's clearly doing double duty as a table, but he doesn't seem to care as he ducks inside and takes the paperback book, letter, pen, and lantern from atop it.

Bucky sets the lantern on the ground and offers her the stool to sit on, bringing it to the end of the bed so that she'll be in easy view of the door and no one'll get any wrong ideas, then offers her the book and last page of the letter, along with the pen.

"Best I've got for a desk," he says, a little ruefully.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon studies the book with interest. "Jack London," she says. "Nice choice."

She holds the pen over the paper for a second, trying to think, then writes in somewhat labored cursive. She hasn't had to write in cursive in years, and it hurts her hand to try, but it's expected in this day and time.

Dear Barnes girls,

Your brother asked if I wanted to say hello, so here I am: hi. You haven't met me and probably won't, but your brother's been a friend to me, and I've enjoyed hearing all his stories about each of you. I'm an only child, so I like hearing about siblings growing up together.

He informs me you all give him a hard time. Excellent work, no notes, carry on.

I hope life is treating you well in Indiana, and that all your boys come home soon. All the best,

Sharon Carter

She offers the page back to him with a small smile. "Here."

[nerves_of_ice]

He smiles back at her, glances at it and tucks it behind Steve's page without reading it, then sets his own page on top and reaches for the pen. In cramped but neat handwriting, he writes a quick addition to the end.

I know you'll have questions, but I'll explain who S.C. is later. Much love to all, Your Favorite Brother.

[from_the_outside]

"It's been a long time since I've written anyone a letter," she tells him, offering him the book back as well.

"Thanks for the chance."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You're welcome," he replies. "Besides, they'll get a real kick out of it, and that'll be fun for them."

He glances down at the book, then up at her. "You've read his stuff?"

[from_the_outside]

"Not since college, but yeah."

She smiles at him. "Do you like it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Oh, a college girl," he teases. "I like it okay - it's interesting. I've never been to Alaska, obviously, but it's pretty compelling the way he writes about it."

He sets the book carefully on the end of the bed. "We get a few books with every mail call and supply shipment, and trade them around. Some magazines, too."

[from_the_outside]

"Better believe it," she teases back, "but I think you're more of a reader than I am."

She thinks of the episodes of M*A*S*H that revolve around mail call and the occasional book and paper and chuckles. "I bet they're all pretty popular."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky looks amused. "I don't know about that. It's not like I read all the time or anything, I just like a good story."

He glances at the book, then back at her. "Yeah, they are. Something new's always fun to pass around."

[from_the_outside]

"Hopefully that only applies to books and not people, too," she teases.

[nerves_of_ice]

He hears his own words again in the light of her teasing and makes a face at her. "Of course, only books."

[from_the_outside]

She chuckles at the face he gives her. "Good to know," she says, amused, and looks around the tent.

"So, home sweet home, huh?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"For now, anyway," he agrees, standing comfortably at the side of the tent. "It's a lot more comfortable than being on the front lines with the 107th was, I have to admit."

[from_the_outside]

"I believe it."

She looks up at him, standing there, and guesses he's probably not going to take a seat while she's still in here with him. "Should we get going?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Might as well," he says, amiably enough. "You've seen pretty much all there is to see in here."

Letter in hand, he steps outside and waits for her to join him, then undoes the tent flaps and lets them fall shut again.

"Off to our little post office? Probably a good idea for you to know where it is, anyway."