[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]

Bucky trades a look with Ross. “He may yet,” he murmurs.

“You will have to take that up with my brother,” Shuri informs them. “So many people would rather cling to tradition, hah!”

[from_the_outside]

"What tradition?" Sharon glances between them all. "I mean, I get why Wakanda would want to keep this to itself..."

"It is not only that," Shuri tells her, looking slightly exasperated – though not, Sharon thinks, at her. "The secret is kept in part by never allowing outsiders to come here. The three of you are the first who have been brought, on purpose, in generations."

[nerves_of_ice]

“We came in hooded and cloaked,” Ross informs her. “Not sure how many people know we’re even here besides the king, the princess, your friend and the general.”

“She leads the Dora Milaje,” Shuri puts in. Bucky’s sure he hears admiration in her tone. “She is the best fighter, except of course for T’Challa, but do not tell him that.”

[from_the_outside]

"But they brought us." She says it slowly, horrified by the implications. She casts a glance around the lab. Sharon's no scientist, but even she can tell the tech here is so far beyond theirs it may as well be magic.

They brought her here. All the way to Wakanda, instead of to a normal hospital, and she doesn't think it was just for the speed of her recovery. She finds herself looking at Bucky as she says: "It was that bad?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“You were dying.” Try though he might, each word is stark and raw. “If T’Challa hadn’t used one of those beads to stabilize you…”

He shakes his head. “Another minute, maybe two, and it would have been too late. Anywhere else…”

He trails off there.

[from_the_outside]

She remembers again the desperation in his voice, the flutter of his touch that she'd barely felt, the gruff orders from Ross she was sorry to disobey, and she can't keep herself apart anymore. Stepping close, she puts her arms around Bucky and presses herself to him. Over her shoulder, Ross clears his throat awkwardly and turns to peer with studied interest out the window.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs, low, for Bucky's ears only. "I'm sorry I scared you, baby."

[nerves_of_ice]

Shuri moves to stand with Ross, diplomatically pointing out sights to him. Bucky lowers his face to Sharon’s hair as he wraps his arms around her and holds on - carefully.

“Don’t do it again.” It’s a low, harsh whisper. “I can’t lose you. Please.”

[from_the_outside]

It wasn't a walk in the park for me, either, she almost says, but his voice is so ragged and he's holding her so carefully, like he's afraid to break her, and she can't joke about it. Not yet; maybe not ever.

"Okay," she murmurs, even though it's not a promise she can make. She doesn't have supersoldier serum running through her veins, healing up every last injury. Bucky could have taken that hit and been up again a few minutes later, probably.

For the first time in a very long time, she feels terribly fragile, like the glass that was shattered to make the art she'd bought for him. "I can't lose you, either."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I’m sorry I wasn’t faster.” He presses a gentle kiss to her hair and lifts his head. Bucky shifts to slide his right arm around her waist, drawing her to his side, close against him.

[from_the_outside]

"You got me here, didn't you?"

She closes her eyes at the feel of his mouth against her hair, then sticks close to his side as he draws her in. "You did good, Barnes. Really good."

[nerves_of_ice]

He shakes his head, eyes dark, but doesn’t argue with her.

Ross casts a wary glance over his shoulder, then clears his throat again. “So. What happens next?”

Shuri rolls her eyes. “Nakia comes to get you, and I call my brother. What did you think?”

[from_the_outside]

"Can food happen at some point?" Sharon asks, her arm around the small of Bucky's back. He's tucked her close and she's grateful for it; she doesn't want to be any further away from him. "And some water, maybe?"

Also clothes, but apparently Nakia is bringing those. Still, it's been at least a day since she's eaten anything, and her stomach is starting to talk to her recently repaired spine.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Come this way," Shuri declares. "Something small, until a full meal later." She starts off down the corridor, back in the direction of the room where he and Ross had waited for Sharon to wake up. Ross gives them a look, then follows after her.

Bucky tightens his arm around Sharon's waist and guides her along.

[from_the_outside]

Aside from the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the impossible mine, the design of the lounge Shuri leads them to looks blessedly familiar: couches and armchairs and a small kitchenette.

She wonders if there are cheeseburgers in Wakanda. She could murder a cheeseburger. "Sit, sit," Shuri tells them, before going to the fridge to look inside, humming to herself.

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky leads her to one of the larger couches and helps her down to it, while Ross takes the armchair at the side. "You're really feeling okay, Carter?" he asks.

[from_the_outside]

"Really," she promises him; promises them both. Bucky's still treating her like she's made of blown glass, and she can't really blame him, but – "I've felt worse after a tough sparring session."

He looks tired and drained and he's still making sure she's alright, and she can't help the wave of affection that rolls through her for her gruff boss. "Thanks for coming, sir," she tells him. "Sorry to drag you so out of the way."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Well, I couldn't have you jetting off to who knows where without me in the shape you were in, now could I?"

"You know where," Bucky points out. "This is Wakanda."

Ross bristles at him. "I didn't know it at the time." A flicker of a grin curves Bucky's mouth, just for an instant, and Ross rolls his eyes. "You're a pain in my ass, Barnes."

[from_the_outside]

"Glad to see you two are getting along," Sharon says, amused, and turns her attention to the warm cup of tea Shuri brings over to her. "Thank you, too, princess," she tells the younger woman. "For everything."

She includes Ross and Bucky in her glance as she goes on. "Thank you all."

[nerves_of_ice]

Shuri grins at her. "You are very welcome. I have never had anyone bring me a broken white girl to fix before."

Ross makes a slightly strangled noise at that and she turns on him. "Why do you always make that sound? It is true, is it not?"

Bucky huffs out a breath that might be laughter, which fades as his phone vibrates. "Just a second," he murmurs, and gets up to go to the other side of the room and respond.

[from_the_outside]

As Bucky moves across the room, Nakia enters, a bag in one hand and her brilliant smile lighting her face. "Don't get up," she tells Sharon, and comes to hug her, warm and tight.

"Do not do that again," she scolds, lightly, though Sharon can feel her arms tightening protectively.

"Well, maybe don't stand in the way of bullets," Sharon tells her, but she can't help squeezing her friend tight. If she'd been a little slower, who knows what might have happened? "Anyway, it's not like I need more than one life debt from you."

[nerves_of_ice]

He can hear them talking quietly behind him, but all Bucky's attention at the moment is on the phone and the message from Natasha.

Found him. Tony's in pursuit.

Bucky blows out a harsh breath and texts back, good. keep me in the loop? He follows it up with, Sharon's out of surgery. She's going to be fine. Will have her call later. Tell Steve.

The series of emoji Natasha sends him at that makes him chuckle aloud. Bucky shoves his phone back in his pocket and goes to rejoin the others.

[from_the_outside]

Nakia straightens from their hug to smile at Bucky. "Sergeant," she greets him, and glances at him and Ross. "May I borrow her for a moment? She'll need to get dressed before we go to the Citadel."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Sure," Bucky says. "But before you go -- Klaue's been located." He sees Ross stiffen out of the corner of his eye and turns to make sure he's addressing all of them.

"Tony's in pursuit now. We'll have an update soon."

[from_the_outside]

"I will tell my brother," Shuri says, tapping at her bracelet of beads as Sharon gets up from her seat and follows Nakia into a tastefully appointed restroom – more like a powder room with a separate space for a shower and toilet – off the lounge. Her friend pulls out a pair of light trousers and a loose shirt, along with a pair of sandals, and offers them to her.

"I've filled the closet in your room with other things," she says, as Sharon goes into the shower area to change. "But I thought you would prefer comfort while recuperating."

"I like the comfort," Sharon tells her, slipping out of the robe and into the clothes, "but honestly it doesn't feel like I'm doing much recuperating. The medicine here is a miracle."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Where? How? I need details," Ross snaps, rapid-fire, while Shuri waits for her call to be answered.

"I gave you what I had." Bucky gives him a patient stare. "Natasha did her surveillance thing. Tony's got the intel and he's going after him now. One of them will call me with any news. I'm not going to bug him while he's mid-op."