[WWII AU] the streets of london

[nerves_of_ice]

Becky's last letter had suggested she'd be sending a longer one soon, and between that, the previous promise of a knitting circle, and the time of year, Bucky's pretty sure that a care package will be coming their way with the next one.

Given that, it's not too hard to convince Steve that it might be nice to pick up a couple of small things to send back in appreciation when they can. And with that in mind, to suggest that maybe the Agents Carter might enjoy doing a little shopping themselves, and that it'd be only polite for the two of them to help carry packages and make sure they didn't get overcrowded on the streets, or anything like that.

He's pretty darn sure that Steve sees right through him, but his best friend agrees to it, if Bucky can talk Sharon and Peggy into the idea.

He's smiling to himself as he makes his way toward their respective quarters.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"That'll be really nice." She grins over at Steve. "Don't worry. We'll act surprised."

Aunt Peggy rolls her eyes, but she looks amused. "Shall we go in?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Allow me," Bucky says, and sweeps the door open for them to walk into the gleam and glamour of Selfridges' first floor display.

Light and laughter is everywhere, reflected further from the gleaming crystals of the raindrop chandelier above them.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon looks up and all around, taking it all in. It's all so elegant in a way nothing seems to be anymore in her own time, from the quality of the decorations to the light gleaming from the chandelier to the smartly-dressed associates helping customers.

"Wow," she says, with feeling. "It's beautiful."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Where would you like to start?" Bucky asks. He gestures at the perfume and cosmetics counters ahead of them, and then up the stairs to the fashion displays.

Steve looks a little pained, but Bucky thinks he's hiding it pretty well. He gives his best friend an apologetic look.

[from_the_outside]

"Why don't we look through the cosmetics and see if we can find something for Maggie?" she asks. "Perfume is a great gift to tell her you know she's grown up now. And you'll probably find something nicer here than in Indiana."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Sounds good to me," Bucky agrees, and starts toward the nearest counter with her.

[from_the_outside]

The girl working the counter looks up and beams at them. She's sharply dressed and her makeup is tastefully applied. "Good afternoon," she says, greeting them with a smile. "How can I help you today?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Hi," Bucky says, with a warm, cheerful smile in answer. "I'm looking for a Christmas present for my mother, and one for my little sister, who insists she's all grown up now." He glances at Sharon, noticing as he does that Peggy is drifting along the other side of the counter, trailed by Steve.

[from_the_outside]

The girl looks inquisitively at Sharon, who lifts her free hand with a laugh. "Not me," she clarifies. "I'm just along for the ride."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Don't say that," Bucky pleads. "I'm depending on your help here."

He looks back at the shopgirl. "I was thinking a compact, maybe, and Sharon suggested maybe perfume?"

[from_the_outside]

"Both excellent choices," the girl says, and reaches into the counter for a tray of compacts. "How old is your sister, sir? And what is her complexion?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Four-- no, uh, she'll be fifteen in February," Bucky realizes. "Wow. Um." He looks a little blank.

"Complexion? She, um, I don't know - her hair's a little lighter than mine?"

[from_the_outside]

Sharon takes pity on him. "Is her skin more like mine or more like Aunt Peggy's?" she asks. "Darker, lighter?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Somewhere in between, I guess." Bucky considers. "She takes after our mother, so light brown hair and hazel eyes?"

[from_the_outside]

The girl selects a beautifully embossed compact from the collection and opens it to show them the pressed powder inside. "This is a lovely shade," she tells them. "And the very latest formula, long-lasting but light and silky on the skin."

"May I?" Sharon asks, and the girl nods, smiling, and leans forward to dust a little of the powder over Sharon's nose and forehead and chin. "Well, it does feel nice," Sharon tells him. "And the compact is beautiful."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Help," Bucky pleads with them. "Would a teenage girl rather have the compact or perfume?"

[from_the_outside]

"I'd go with perfume," Sharon advises. "You might accidentally get the wrong shade and she wouldn't be able to use it. And I bet the perfume you could fine here is more special than makeup. She could get that at a store back home."

[nerves_of_ice]

He gives her a very relieved look. "Thank you." Bucky looks back at the shopgirl with a winning smile. "So... perfume?"

[from_the_outside]

The girl smiles at him and gestures them over to a different part of the counter, where various perfume bottles of lovely cut glass are displayed.

"This is a lovely new fragrance, if your sister likes a floral scent," she tells them, holding up a bottle of pink liquid. "It's a light, long-wearing rose."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky looks at the perfume as if trying to see if the answer's engraved on the bottle, then gives Sharon a helpless look.

[from_the_outside]

She hides a smile and turns her attention on the girl. "Can you spritz it for me, please?" she asks, and waves her own wrist through the cloud the girl sprays into the air before breathing it in. "That's very nice," she agrees. "Can I see a few more?"

The girl brings out a handful of other bottles and Sharon goes through them with her. Every now and again she gives Bucky a note, but the clerk has clearly decided Sharon's the one who will be making an informed decision.

By the end of it, Sharon nods and points to one of the bottles. "This one," she says, decisively. "You don't get more classically English than rose, but the violet and citrus freshens it up. It'll be perfect for Maggie."

[nerves_of_ice]

"She's the expert," Bucky says, cheerfully, as if that wasn't already obvious. It's also a reasonable size, whether she'd considered that deliberately or not, and he's glad of it. "I'll take it, and thanks on Maggie's behalf."

[from_the_outside]

"Would you like me to gift-wrap it for you?" the girl asks, and Sharon looks over at Bucky, arching her eyebrows.

[nerves_of_ice]

He thinks about it, then nods his head. "At least a little ribbon, if you've got it?" It means he'll have to come up with similar for everyone else, but he's got a couple of ideas on how to manage that.

Bucky glances around, checking on Steve, who's still keeping pace at Peggy's side while she talks to someone at another cosmetics counter, then smiles at Sharon. "You're a lifesaver, you know that?"

[from_the_outside]

"You'd have been able to pick something just fine," she says, amused, as the girl delves beneath the counter for a festive ribbon. "But I'm glad to have helped. I hope she likes it."