[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]

"Not at all," Dugan promises. "The evening's just getting started." He escorts her back to the table where there's a chair between Gabe and Jim, and another between Bucky and Dernier.

[from_the_outside]

"Agent Carter! Viens ici!" Dernier begins, but Jim Morita beats him to the punch by standing and pulling out the chair for her between him and Gabe.

"Agent Carter," he says, grinning. "Glad you could join us."

"Wouldn't have missed it, Private," she tells him, sitting down. Gabe's already gone to get her a glass of beer by the time Dum Dum takes his seat once more. "Nice to see you all out and about."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Good to see you again as well," Falsworth tells her. "And we'll do our best not to spill any of our drinks on you, eh?"

Bucky coughs and takes a sip of his beer to hide his expression.

[from_the_outside]

"I'd appreciate that," Sharon says, dry, and smiles at Gabe as he returns with a beer for her.

"It would be a tragic waste of alcohol."

[nerves_of_ice]

Gabe grins back at her and sets her glass down with a thump. "Can't have that," he agrees.

"I hope that outfit of yours wasn't damaged," Dugan says, frowning in concern. "It'd be a real shame."

"Especially since it was new," Bucky says, dryly.

[from_the_outside]

"I should be able to salvage it," she tells them, lifting her new drink for a sip.

"But hopefully it doesn't keep happening. I hate doing laundry."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky takes a deep swallow of his beer and carefully doesn't say anything. Dernier leans forward over the table.

"We heard from Cap that you're coming with us on the next mission," he breathes, so it won't carry. His glance is afire with bright interest.

[from_the_outside]

She leans onto the table herself, and Jim and Gabe follow, alight with curiosity. "Your intel is very good," she murmurs, then quirks a smile.

"Yes, I am. Though not with you, exactly."

[nerves_of_ice]

Dernier nods, visibly satisfied and delighted at once. The others trade grins, then Dugan raises his glass over the table. "Here's to future success," he offers, and Bucky leans forward to clink his glass against the other man's.

"Hear, hear," he says, as Steve leans in too.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon lifts her own glass and clinks it against the others' as the cheers goes around the table, then sips at her beer again.

"So what are you doing?" Gabe asks her. "If you can tell us."

Sharon looks at Steve, eyebrows raised. "I think that's up to the Captain, here."

[nerves_of_ice]

Steve glances around, clearly assessing the chances of them being overheard, and reluctantly shakes his head.

"Not here," he says. "Later. Tomorrow maybe, after the assessment."

[from_the_outside]

"Assessment?" Gabe asks, frowning, and Sharon shakes her head at him.

"Nothing to worry about," she promises. She'll have to find Diaz tomorrow, she thinks; she can't give Steve a full assessment of her capabilities wearing a uniform with a skirt.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Who's worried?" Bucky teases. "We've got every confidence in you, Agent Carter."

[from_the_outside]

"Glad to hear it, Sergeant."

She flicks a quarter-smile at him over her glass, then sips at her drink again. "Anyone else do anything interesting today?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not especially," Gabe says, "but I heard --"

Soldiers gossip worse than women are supposed to, Bucky thinks, but that doesn't stop him from angling his head so he can hear the yarn Gabe's spinning about one of the other squads and something about trying to catch fish barehanded.

"You're not serious," Falsworth protests. "Tickle the fish?"

[from_the_outside]

"I've heard that," Sharon protests. "It's a real thing!"

Falsworth launches into an opinionated lecture about how silly it sounds, and Dugan steps in with his own brand of fishing expertise, while Sharon laughs and tries to convince them both that trout tickling is, in fact, a real strategy.

She realizes once she's about halfway down her glass for the third time that the guys are topping her off, and tries to slow down her intake. "Are there even any fish around here to catch?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"There's a stream not too far from camp," Steve offers. Dubiously, he adds, "I guess it might have fish."

"Probably more likely to than the forest," Jim teases, and Steve makes a face at him while Bucky laughs.

[from_the_outside]

"The Howling Commandos go fishing," Sharon laughs. "That's something I'd want to see."

She feels good. She's got a mission coming up, the beer is cold and refreshing, and the guys are great company. She's got the rest of the night to worry about whether or not she'll ever get back home, so why not enjoy the moment?

[nerves_of_ice]

“Just don’t tell that cameraman,” Gabe says, hunching his shoulders at the thought. Bucky leans over and claps him on the shoulder.

“Be brave, soldier,” he teases.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon laughs. "That's not what you want the folks back home to see?" she teases, and Gabe groans and tips back more of his beer.

[nerves_of_ice]

Jim shakes his head. “They’d never believe it anyway,” he reassures Gabe, topping up his glass from one of the pitchers Dugan had brought back and leaning over to do the same for Sharon.

“Cap, he’s not coming with us on this next mission, is he?”

[from_the_outside]

Steve shakes his head. "Not this time," he tells them, and a sigh of relief goes around the table that makes Sharon chuckle again.

"So modest," she teases them. "Those films have had a huge impact, you know that?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Really?” Dugan sounds surprised, while Falsworth looks carefully at her to see if she’s having them on.

[from_the_outside]

"Really," she promises. "They're huge morale boosters."

Obviously she can't tell them how extensive the popularity of the Howling Commandos gets, but she can inform them of what she knows the effect of those films is right now. "People buy more war bonds, they get out and volunteer. There are little kids pretending to be you at home, playing at Howling Commandos instead of cowboys."

She looks around the table at them, eyes bright. "It probably feels silly to be filmed, but I promise you, it makes a difference."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I think all we ever wanted to do was make a difference,” Steve says, glancing around the table to see nods from the others before he looks back at Sharon, blue eyes earnest. “So thank you. For telling us.”

Bucky smiles at him, and the look in his eyes is fondly reminiscing for a moment.