[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

[nerves_of_ice]

"Come right on," he tells her. "Look, I even scrounged up another chair." He pulls it forward from where it's half-hidden on the other side of the table.

"Better leave the door open, though. Steve said he might swing by later with a page of his own."

[from_the_outside]

"Fine by me."

For now, anyway. She takes the chair and sits down, then looks over at what he's working on. "So, what do you have so far?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Dear Becky," he reads out, the corner of his mouth twitching with suppressed laughter. "You never were very patient. But as I figure you probably would join the WACs if I don't answer your questions, I'll let you get your way just this once."

[from_the_outside]

"Good start," she says, encouragingly, and reaches for the page he has nearby, with Becky's questions in her neat handwriting. "So, who am I?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Hm. I don't have that much space for details," Bucky muses. "I better be careful."

He taps the end of the pen against the desk for a second or two, considering. "She's on assignment with us," he suggests, writing slowly as he talks. "And no, she's not Agent P's sister, but she's part of her extended family, so she's connected. That's how she ended up here, although PC didn't tell us about it in advance. Sharon just appeared one day, pretty much out of thin air."

He stops there and gives her a bland, innocent look.

[from_the_outside]

"That's one way to put it," she laughs, leaning an elbow on the desk, her chin in her hand.

"'How did you meet her?'" She reads, and glances at Bucky, eyes dancing. "Maybe you shouldn't tell her you pulled a gun on me at first."

[nerves_of_ice]

"No?" he challenges, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, how would you put it?"

[from_the_outside]

She considers, for a moment.

"'Dear Becky,'" she says. "'Your brother was the first person I met when I arrived. He held me at gunpoint and then suggested I'd cause a riot in the camp. About ten minutes later he asked if I wanted to go dancing.'"

[nerves_of_ice]

"I thought you said not to tell her about pulling the gun on you," he laughs. "When you put it like that it sounds kind of bad."

[from_the_outside]

"I only said you probably shouldn't," she points out, grinning. "Not that I wouldn't."

She wrinkles her nose at him, amused. "You could tell her you were out taking a walk when I arrived, and helped me find Aunt Peggy. That's all true."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Oh, I see how this goes. Okay then." Bucky considers the paper for a second or two.

"I was near the edge of camp when she showed up unannounced," he recites. "I have to say, she practically knocked me off my feet. After a little bit of a misunderstanding, I brought her in to PC."

[from_the_outside]

"You might say I really fell for you," Sharon teases, and looks at the next questions.

"Why let me write to them?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"I sure could. It'd be true," he observes, and examines the letter again.

"I offered to let her write to you because I thought she'd have fun with it and you'd find it a neat surprise. Besides, I think you'd really like her, if you ever met."

Bucky looks up at her. "I do think that. I have all along."

[from_the_outside]

"I think I'd really like them, too," she tells him, with a small, crooking smile. "And I did have fun writing to them."

[nerves_of_ice]

His answering smile is warm. "I wouldn't be surprised if they start writing to you, too. Becky at least."

[from_the_outside]

"I'd like that a lot," she murmurs, and glances down at the letter again, more to take her mind off the complicated feelings that arise at the thought of being here long enough to become penpals with Bucky's sisters.

But the next question only makes her laugh again. "What do I look like?"

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky shakes his head and grins at that. "Let's see..."

He eyes Sharon consideringly, then reads as he writes, "I'm afraid you're all just going to have to use your imagination until I can talk one of the newsies around here into taking a picture of her. She's pretty, though, with blonde hair and hazel eyes."

[from_the_outside]

"'Pretty' is good," she teases. "Glad to hear you think so."

She's not sure what to do about the picture. There must be somewhere around here where she can get one taken for him, right?

[nerves_of_ice]

He makes a face at her, trying not to laugh aloud. “You know it’s more than that, right? But these are my sisters.”

[from_the_outside]

"I guess I'll have to get you to write me a letter to find out the rest," she says, swallowing her own laugh.

As if he doesn't tell her all the time. Her lips twitch as she suppresses her grin and looks back at Becky's letter. "This one we've got an official answer for, finally. You can tell her I'm part of the SSR."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Guess I should." Maybe he will, at that. He tries to imagine her face as she reads it and has to suppress a grin.

"So I can, more or less, anyway." He writes, "We're all working together as part of the same team. Keep an eye on the newsreels! You never know who you might see."

[from_the_outside]

"Talk about things that would confuse the timeline," she murmurs, but she's smiling. Nick would be so mad at her if she got caught on a video recording in 1944. She can just hear him now.

"And yes, I did read that letter."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Unless you're already on one and just no one noticed?" he counters, then reads aloud, "And not only did she read the letter you sent, but she's writing back to you now separately. I don't know if she's going to let me read that one, but I guess I'll find out. I'll put it in the packet with this one and Steve's, too. Tell Maggie that yes, she knows Steve, but they're just friends."

[from_the_outside]

She chuckles at his reassurance to Maggie, then shakes her head. "Better not tell her about Aunt Peggy just yet," she advises. "Those teenage crushes are powerful forces."

[nerves_of_ice]

"No kidding." Bucky shakes his head, a rueful expression on his face. "I figure she'll probably grow out of it, but in the meantime Steve's being careful with her."