[WWII AU] a long-awaited mission

[nerves_of_ice]

He'd wondered what was up when Steve had asked him to join the strategy meeting with him and Colonel Phillips that morning, just after breakfast. His best friend had tried to keep it casual, given that the guys were around, but Bucky can still read him as easy as any book.

It had taken less than three minutes for him to realize, and a solid five hours for them to plan the details of the mission. They'd worked through lunch, and by the time he leaves officers' country, Bucky's nearly vibrating with excitement.

Zola. After all this time, they've finally got a lead on the son-of-a-bitch. And it's a good one. First Zola, then Schmidt, and then--

He doesn't let himself think about that yet. He can't. Bucky reminds himself to stay focused as he moves quickly along the hallways, heading for the weapons room.

They'll all be getting the official orders at the afternoon's training session, but he can't sit still. Not now. Might as well check over his gear and make sure everything's as tuned up as it can possibly be.

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky grins at him. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Rogers."

He'll fight like hell to make sure of it.

[marvel_npc]

"Glad to hear it."

And it is a relief, although he'd be lying if he said his acceptance of it wasn't partly due to his own hopes for the future. Even if he and Bucky aren't living in each other's pockets anymore, they'll still be together. That's all he needs.

They've neared the training room, and he tips his head towards it. "Ready?"

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky saunters to the door and holds it open for Steve with a flourish. "After you."

[marvel_npc]

He chuckles again and heads in. The shield is waiting for him, gleaming under the lights, and he hefts it with the ease of long practice and familiarity, then waits until Bucky's inside before he slings it to his best friend.

"Then let's get to it."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky catches the shield with relative ease and carries it across the floor, then launches into one of their standard training routines to warm up.

He pushes himself harder than usual, and knows it, but he can't bring himself to do otherwise. Every little bit counts. Even the smallest advantage could be what turns the trick in the end.

[from_the_outside]

"Is everything all right, darling?" Aunt Peggy asks, after the third time Sharon's too distracted by her thoughts to hear what her aunt is saying.

"Just... excited about the mission," she hedges, and it's true enough that Aunt Peggy doesn't press her, but she still tries to focus for the rest of the time the spend in Aunt Peggy's quarters. Impossible not to discuss the mission, but by now she's gotten practiced at keeping a neutral expression, and she thinks she manages it all right. They're dining out of the base tonight, and Aunt Peggy dismisses her after a few hours to dress. But all Sharon can think of, as she puts on that pretty dress she'd bought at Christmas and freshens her lipstick, is the day they all went walking together to look at the decorations and dream about the future.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's pretty sure Steve knows something's up, but figures he probably thinks it's related to the fact that it's Zola they're going after. Not that he's wrong about that, too; Bucky's practically itching to get his hands on the guy, or would be if he wasn't more focused on how to stay alive.

Either way, the shield exercises help, and they're a great distraction to boot with how hard they go at it. By the time they finish, they're both in need of a shower before dinner, and Bucky's privately pleased with how well he'd kept up.

[from_the_outside]

Over the months she's been here, she's slowly adjusted to being in a time and a place not her own, but something about the shock of earlier makes her feel like the differences are spotlit again the way they were those first few days. She has to keep herself from staring at the people walking by, the cars, the streets of London that are so like and unlike the ones she knows.

She lets Aunt Peggy steer the conversation and chats as easily as she can, although her thoughts are running wild at the helm. Aunt Peggy seems to chalk it up to the upcoming mission, residual excitement from her own mission, and the new year.

1945. Maybe she ought to just tell everyone what's about to happen.

[nerves_of_ice]

He promises to swing by Steve’s quarters on the way to the mess for dinner, and spends the rest of the time after cleaning up in writing draft after draft of a few very important letters. He hides them in his box with the missives from the girls to revisit and work on more later, but he’d felt it important to get some things down on paper, just in case he runs out of time.

In more ways than one.

[from_the_outside]

Even with rationing and shortages, dinner is very good. As much as she's desperate to get back to Bucky, she knows he's busy and that she'll see him later, so it's a little easier to remember that she can never have enough time with Aunt Peggy, either.

It all suddenly feels like it's slipping away, sand through an hourglass. She should never have let herself get so complacent.

[nerves_of_ice]

He drops by to collect Steve for dinner, and does his best to keep up a normal level of casual conversation. It helps that the rest of the squad's feeling fairly boisterous, too, and covers any quiet on his part with their own chatter.

They're good guys. He's glad to have known them. He hopes he gets to keep doing so.

[from_the_outside]

She eats enough at dinner to keep Aunt Peggy from worrying, then strolls with her aunt the long way through the city back toward base. Once they've taken the lift back down, she accompanies Aunt Peggy to her quarters, then wishes her a good evening before heading down the corridors to her own room.

Her unfinished letter to Becky still sits on her desktop. She glances over at it, but can't quite bring herself to put pen to paper. Not yet.

[nerves_of_ice]

After dinner, he spends a little time chatting with Steve before he heads back to his quarters to take up his letters once more.

After that, he starts trying to redraw the train Sharon had sketched, and figuring different angles for attack and defense and strategy. The more prepared he can be, the better.

[from_the_outside]

She focuses as much as she can on some work, until she can justify leaving her quarters and making her way to Bucky's. But, finally, she walks briskly down the corridors until she gets to his room, then taps lightly on the door.

[nerves_of_ice]

"It's open," he calls, hastily dumping a blank page and a half-drafted routine letter over the sketches in case it's not Sharon, before he starts to the door to meet whoever's there.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon opens the door and smiles at him as she leans against the jamb.

"Am I interrupting?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not at all." He meets her at the door and smiles down at her. "Come in, if you like," he teases.

[from_the_outside]

"I do like," she responds, arch, and slips into the room, letting the door shut behind her. Her smile turns a little crooked as she looks up into his face. "Hey. How'd it all go?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Pretty good, I think." Bucky locks the door and leans back against it, looking down at her. "How was your afternoon?"

[from_the_outside]

"It's always nice to spend time with Aunt Peggy."

Which isn't exactly an answer, but she feels like she's entitled. Sharon steps close and sets her hands lightly at his sides. "Did you... tell Steve any of it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He shakes his head. Very gently, Bucky brushes the backs of his fingers over her cheek as he meets her eyes and holds her gaze.

"I mentioned we'd probably want to be ready to go up against cube tech, given - given what cargo they're supposed to be carrying. We did shield drill. Worked on coming up with ways to make sure we'll be ready."

[from_the_outside]

She sighs a little, but doesn't argue. Sharon only tips her head into his touch. "Good," she murmurs. "Get plenty of that in."

[nerves_of_ice]

"We did. We will. The better prepared we are... well." He runs his touch lightly over her cheek a second time, then a third.

"Steve's already worried about me, you know. I can't make him shoulder this too."

[from_the_outside]

"I know, but, darling – "

Her glance is worried as she meets his eyes. "If it were him, you'd want to know, wouldn't you? Even if you were already worried?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"I would." He doesn't hesitate. "You know I would. But, Sharon..."

He's been thinking about this, among the other things that he's been trying to consider. "I swear I'm going to do everything I can to come home to you. To him. I swear. Everything. But if - if it doesn't work. If somehow... if Steve knew, and we couldn't -- it'd destroy him. I know it would."

The smallest of rueful smiles appears, just for an instant. "I've been looking out for him my entire life. I can't stop now."