[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]

She huffs a breath and shakes her head, but not enough to dislodge his forehead from against hers. "You're full of 'shoulds'," she teases, gently.

He's right and she knows it, but she doesn't want this moment to end yet, either. "Just hold me for another minute, first."

[nerves_of_ice]

"As long as you want," he promises, softly, his arms tightening around her.

[from_the_outside]

She smiles at that and kisses him lightly, then shifts to rest her head on his shoulder. "Careful," she murmurs. "Or I'll keep you out here all night."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I wouldn't mind." He leans his head against hers and glances up at the sky through the canopy of branches over head.

[from_the_outside]

She makes a soft noise and closes her eyes, letting herself drift in the warmth of his embrace, breathing in his scent and feeling him steady against her. Opening her eyes again, she blinks and focuses on his neck, then huffs a laugh as she reaches up to rub at a lipstick smudge with her thumb.

"You're going to go through about a million handkerchiefs, at this rate."

[nerves_of_ice]

He chuckles. "They'll wash. And maybe I can talk Becky into sending me a few more."

He smiles a little, thinking of the likely reaction to that request.

"She's going to be wildly curious about you, you know."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon laughs. It's silent, but shakes her body against his. "I bet she will be," she says, amused. "Unless you regularly let strange women write notes to her in your letters home."

[nerves_of_ice]

He runs a hand lightly up and down her back. "You're not that strange," he teases. "And no. You're the first."

[from_the_outside]

"I am to her," she points out, amused. "Doubly so if I'm the first who's gotten to do that. She's going to think you lost your mind."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You're the first," he repeats. "And she won't think I'm crazy. She'll just ask all kinds of questions."

[from_the_outside]

"Who is Sharon Carter?" she wonders, teasing him, her hand slipping down to his chest. "Why is she writing to me? How do you know her?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Mm-hm," he agrees. "All of those and more."

[from_the_outside]

"Smart girl."

She lifts her head to glance up at him, a smile toying around her lips. "So what are you going to tell her?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"The truth," he says, without hesitation, and with a quick answering smile for her.

"Sharon Carter is Peggy's niece, and currently attached to the same unit I'm in. She wrote to say hello."

[from_the_outside]

"Not bad, Sergeant," she tells him, amused.

The truth is, by the time Becky Barnes writes with follow-up questions, she'll probably be long gone, and he won't have anything he needs to hide. Her glance turns teasing. "Just another agent, assigned to your unit. Nobody special."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Just another agent," he agrees, and leans down to give her a quick kiss.

"But a very special one."

[from_the_outside]

"Hmm." It sounds amused, but she kisses him back, light and sweet, then reaches up to try and comb his hair back into place with her fingers. "Glad to hear it."

[nerves_of_ice]

He chuckles when he realizes what she's doing, but holds still to let her do it.

"It's a good thing yours is so wavy," he observes. "And that you didn't have it pinned all the way up."

[from_the_outside]

"It was already pretty messy from all that dancing."

She rearranges a few locks with her fingers, then studies him critically before relaxing into a smile. "There. Handsome man."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Beautiful lady," he returns, and tucks a lock of her hair back behind her ear with a warm answering smile.

"Am I still wearing any of your lipstick?"

[from_the_outside]

She glances over him and laughs. "Where's your handkerchief?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"That bad, huh?"

He gives her a rueful grin and pulls it from his pocket, then hands it over.

[from_the_outside]

She takes it and starts wiping away the smudges of her lipstick from his mouth, his face, and his throat. "This is easier at home," she murmurs. "Usually I don't even wear lipstick."

[nerves_of_ice]

He holds still, but blinks in surprise at that. "You don't?"

[from_the_outside]

"Mhm."

She tips his head to clean off the skin under his jaw. "Sometimes. But not every day. Usually only if I'm getting dressed up for work or to go out."