[Virginia AU] we rose up from the falling waters

[nerves_of_ice]

A little over a week goes by, and as it does Bucky falls into a pattern, slow but sure. He wakes with Sharon in the mornings, shares coffee and something that suffices for breakfast, then works a little on searches and checking contacts and sources from other time zones and locations. Mid-morning finds him at the Task Force offices with Riley and his team. Early afternoon finds him meeting with Ross, if there's any reason to; mid-afternoon he checks in with Steve, with Tony, or with Natasha before he goes back to tracing rumors and hints.

Today's different, though. Today is Sharon's first day back at work after her suspension, and Bucky's determined not to do a single damn thing that might possibly make it difficult for her.

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

"That too," Bucky agrees, with a nod to Ross before he looks back at Shuri.

"Okay. And if there's anything you need from us... just ask. No matter what it is."

[marvel_npc]

"Just try not to break anything," Shuri tells him, teasing, and heads for her workspace, her fingers already flying over her Kimoyo beads. "Brother," she says, as she disappears into her lab. "I have good news."

[nerves_of_ice]

Ross brings back the second chair, and Bucky takes it from him. They settle on opposite sides of the bed and trade a look across it.

"So now we wait," Ross says, after a moment, and Bucky nods. "Yeah."

Ross blows out a breath and looks at Sharon. "Hang in there, Carter," he orders. "Keep getting better. We've got work to do."

[from_the_outside]

It's the surprise of her life when she blinks her eyes open and finds out she's not dead.

At least, she thinks she might not be dead. She's lying on her back and looking up at a ceiling limned with calm blue light, which makes her think: probably not dead.

On the other hand, she only feels a little sore and tired, instead of like everything in her body is shutting down, so... probably dead? Although if this is the afterlife, it doesn't seem to have a lot going for it yet. "This is weird," she says, or kind of says. Her voice is rusty and her throat is hideously dry, so it comes out a little rough.

[nerves_of_ice]

Ross is slouched in his chair, dozing lightly; Bucky's got his own head resting on his arm on the elevated bed, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. At the sound of Sharon's voice he goes from resting to fully alert in a heartbeat.

"It sure is," he says, gently, and reaches for Sharon's hand as Ross startles awake and leans over. "Carter?"

[from_the_outside]

She rolls her head at the first voice and blinks to see Bucky, then rolls it back the other way to view Ross. "Whoa," she mumbles. "You guys look rough. Long day?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"You could say that," Ross growls, but Bucky's learning enough about him now that he can see the relief the other man's trying to hide behind gruffness.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, squeezing her hand. Can she tell he's doing it? Can she squeeze back?

[from_the_outside]

Her lips twitch, tiredly, and she turns her head to look back at Bucky, her fingers curling lightly around his. "Tired," she says. "Sore. Pretty sure I should be dead right now. Baby, did a wall fall on you?"

Images are drifting back into her mind – smoke, billowing dust, a cataclysm of shattered cement and steel. "Are you okay?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Only a little one," he murmurs. "I'm fine."

A wave of relief washes over him as she curls her fingers around his hand, and he can see the same feeling in Ross's expression as the deputy commander's glance goes to Sharon's hand when she moves it.

"I'll notify the princess," he tells Bucky, before pinning Sharon with a stare. "Stay here, Carter. I'm getting your doctor. Don't try to move."

[from_the_outside]

"I can't believe you're bossing me around right now," she complains. "Wow."

Her boss rolls his eyes, but she see the relief in his face before he turns and strides away with that military precision of his. She rolls her head back to look at Bucky, studying him, relieved not to see any sign of damage other than weariness. "I thought that one punched my ticket," she murmurs, and squeezes his hand gently.

"Glad to see I got it wrong."

[nerves_of_ice]

"It almost did," he says, softly. Bucky doesn't bother watching Ross leave - he can't bring himself to look away from Sharon, even for an instant. He lifts her hand to kiss it, watching her intently for any sign of pain.

"You came closer to dying than I want to think about, angel."

[from_the_outside]

"I'm so sorry, baby," she whispers. More filters back: the pressure between her shoulders, the terror, the impossibility of breathing, his desperate voice. "I didn't want to go. I heard you and Ross, and..."

She frowns, trying to remember, and fully bucks orders by shifting, pushing herself up to sitting so she can reach between her shoulders. "What the hell?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn't realize how scared he'd been that she'd have lingering problems, miracle healing or not, until she moves. Still--

"Hey!" he protests. "Take it easy. Slow down."

[from_the_outside]

"But I feel fine."

She's tired, she's sore, she's wildly confused, but fine. Her questing fingers can't feel even the ridge of a scar, and she stares at him. "How long have I been out?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not quite a day." Bucky takes her free hand again and holds on. "There's a lot that's happened, Sharon, and a lot of it's going to sound impossible. But I promise, it's real."

[from_the_outside]

"Bullet wounds don't heal in a day," she says, trying to cling to some semblance of reality.

"They do here," says a cheerful voice, and Sharon turns her head to see a smiling young Black woman striding into the room, Ross behind her. He looks exasperated. "Didn't I tell you not to try moving?" he grumbles, and Sharon looks from him to the woman to Bucky, her eyes full of confusion.

"What's going on?" she asks. It's a little more plaintive than she'd prefer, but, to be fair, she'd almost died.

[nerves_of_ice]

"You saved Nakia's life," he says, gently. "When you put yourself between her and the gunfire. King T'Challa brought you here to save yours."

He tips his head toward the others. "This is the Princess Shuri. Of Wakanda. Which, it turns out, isn't what anyone thought. Not even close."

[from_the_outside]

"Wakanda?"

She's beyond bewildered. It can't be possible. And everything feels too much, like whatever the cure was had renewed her nerves to the point where she feels like she can almost ascertain the thread count in the sheet that's draped over her.

The young woman – Princess Shuri – comes to her bedside and glances up at something above her head. "How do you feel?"

"Fine – hey!" The princess had leaned down to tweak one of her toes beneath the sheet; Sharon snatches her foot away as the young woman laughs.

"Full mobility," the princess says, sounding pleased and a little smug. "As I expected."

[nerves_of_ice]

"The princess is your doctor," Ross explains. "And, uh, a scientist or something too."

Bucky places one hand low on Sharon's back in support. "Take a second," he suggests. "It's a lot, I know."

[from_the_outside]

The princess scoffs at or something and taps at something on her wrist. "Everything looks very good," she tells Sharon, who leans slightly back into Bucky's touch, feeling like she must be losing her mind. "Would you like to try standing up?"

Sharon can't see a reason not to; she feels like standing up is the least of what she could do right now, despite the fact that she'd caught a bullet in the spine less than a day ago. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and pushes herself to standing, shivering as her bare feet come in contact with the floor. "Okay," she says, and looks at the princess. "What next, cartwheels?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Carter--"

Shuri laughs. "You could, if you wanted. No, I have all the data I need from the monitoring systems. The more important thing is how you feel."

"Please don't," Bucky says. "Save cartwheels for next week."

[from_the_outside]

"I feel a little like I've been sick," she tells the princess. "Or like I went a really hard round with a bruiser yesterday. But aside from that, I feel fine."

"Good!" Shuri tells her, then shakes a finger. "But you still need rest."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Listen to her," Bucky says. "Real rest, not pretend rest."

Ross eyes her. "Don't make me order you to take medical leave."

[from_the_outside]

"How would I even do that?" Sharon wants to know. "We're in Wakanda. Can I even call HR from here?"

But both he and Bucky look a little like they've both been on edge for hours, which has probably been the case, and she sits back down on the bed in deference to their feelings.

Also, she's tired. She looks at the princess. "Do I have to stay here? In this..."

She looks around. "Hospital?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Lab," Shuri says, firmly. "This is my lab. And you do not have to stay, now that you are awake. Nakia has arranged rooms for all three of you. We can call her."

"Better brace yourself," Bucky murmurs.