Song: I believe by Christina Perri
Hey! I'm actually on time this time! By, like, three minutes! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, I hope you're all enjoying the story! Let me know what you think!
"But why are you so suddenly accepting of this sort of thing?" Nova complained, trailing James throughout his apartment with a ridiculous Christmas sweater caught in her hands. She'd gone through some of her old Christmas wear and had found some sweaters that she thought James would fit into. Technically, if anyone asked, they were her sweaters. If anyone saw the inside collars, though, the sweaters boasted the names of Alex and Jas, brothers she loved so much. Alex was probably the best bet for a comfortable fit for James, but Jas' were sometimes too big for him and could conceivably fit the man in front of her as well. Nova figured that James could try them on and decide what he liked. Instead, he had pulled one on with snowflakes across the front and decided that he didn't want to try on anything else.
"Do you want it back?" James stopped walking and turned to face her, almost forcing her to face plant into his chest. Nova scowled at him for deliberately fucking with her, already knowing the rest of the day would be difficult now that he had decided to ignore her larger questions. When his hands went to the hem of the sweater he was wearing, Nova rolled her eyes, waving a hand at him to stop.
"No, I didn't say that. I said I want to know why you're so accepting of Christmas and sweaters and parties now when you looked absolutely horrified when I mentioned Christmas as a whole," Nova informed him, scowling at the floor. The mood James was in, she wasn't about to get much more out of him. He'd kissed her and Nova thought they should talk about the fact that they were totally not going to be those people who fall into bed with one another because it's easy only to regret it ridiculously later. She didn't want to regret anything anymore. But the real thought that hurt Nova the most was that he was ignoring it. Like neither kiss had ever happened. He preferred to leave it in the shadows and it hurt more than Nova was willing to admit.
"The sweater is comfortable," James informed her in his best impression of an AI. Nova closed her eyes and counted to ten, breathing slowly.
This wasn't going well. James was being a legit pain in the ass and she got the impression he was doing it on purpose. Which was so annoying. She was supposed to be the pain in the ass in this relationship. The question was: why was he being a pain in the ass? Then again, this was the same man who had tried to pick up the mini arc reactor she'd been experimenting with when it was very clearly glowing a completely unhealthy shade of green. It was possible he didn't even mean to drive her up a wall. Maybe he was more like Steve than anyone in the history books had guessed.
Very clearly, the computer pinged, letting them know someone was trying to talk to James. Their eyes met for a moment and Nova got a terrible, oh-so-evil idea.
"No!" James yelped, jerking to attention. It was too late; Nova had already dodged the hand that was jumping up to grab her (his right hand, he was just so predictable) and was bolting toward the Stark Pad that was set up on the desk in his living room, which was also completely decorated. Two snow globes on either side of the Stark Pad sat at attention and there was a little jar of candy canes near the back.
Nova made grabby hands for the Stark Pad, managing to swipe to answer Steve's call just as James caught up to her. He grabbed her around the waist, hands deceptively gentle as he yanked her right off her feet, swinging her away from the Stark Pad quickly. It was already too late and James froze, holding Nova about a foot off the ground with her back pressed into his hard chest.
"Should I call back later?" Evie's voice asked over the speakers. Nova flicked her head around, blinking at Evie through the loose strands of her hair that James had managed to knock out of her hasty bun. Evie was dressed to go somewhere, long curls straightened and twisted into a delicate bun. She was wearing a black dress that hugged in all the right places, a deep purple shawl thrown over her shoulders. It looked dark wherever they were, but Nova didn't think too much on it. If it kept Evie safer, she preferred not to know where they were.
"No, it's fine. I'm just fucking with James. What's up? You got a hot date? Finally dumped the Cap, huh?" Nova teased, grinning at her best friend. Evie cracked a smile, trying desperately to suppress it because she knew she shouldn't laugh at a joke about dumping the Captain just like Nova knew she shouldn't make jokes like that. James set Nova down on her feet easily and turned her so she could get the full effect of his disappointed look. "Okay, jeez, sorry. Cap's pretty cool when he's not, you know, stealing my best friend and everything."
"He didn't steal her," James protested, hands ending up on his hips as soon as he let her go. Nova glared up at him, ready for this fight. No matter what anyone told her, Steve Rogers had stolen her best friend. Evie would never have left the Tower if he hadn't asked her to. It was selfish and bitchy and more than a little childish, but Nova missed Evie. It wasn't the late night talks, the free ice cream, or Evie cleaning up the apartment when Nova was on a science binge. It was just… her presence. Even just her things in the apartment would have made it easier. But Evie had Steve now and they had a good thing going, no matter how Nova felt about it. And she really didn't want to ruin a good thing, even if it did make her want to gag sometimes.
"Wow, I've never seen the Sergeant look so much like a disappointed parent," Evie informed them absently, pulling James and Nova's attention back to where their friend was leaning against whatever desk she was using as a platform, wide golden eyes staring at them expectantly. "Oh, don't mind me. Keep going. I want to see where this goes."
"I'm not arguing with James. He knows I'm right, even if he won't admit it. Now, what's up?" Nova waved off James's annoyed look and dropped into the desk chair. James pouted behind her, jaw jutted out and everything. If she didn't know it was dangerous, she would start calling him the Winter Pout instead of the Winter Soldier. Maybe she could convince Evie to do it next time they talked without James around.
"Actually, I've been trying to reach you. I got ahold of Tony and he told me to try James," Evie informed her, turning off her teasing best friend mode and turning on serious business mode. Nova straightened up in her seat, ready for orders.
"What do you need?" Nova immediately replied, not thinking twice. She felt heat against her back and knew James had leaned over right before his right hand planted itself on the desk, his other hand propping him up on the back of her chair so that he could see the tablet and Evie could see him too.
"It's not about what I need. I just got some information from Maria that you need to look at. She's been trying to get ahold of you too," Evie explained. A chill ran up Nova's spine. If Maria was reaching out, something bad was on the horizon. Or already happened and they wanted to be the ones who told her about it. Her chest constricted with the thought, mind racing. Her entire family should have been safely tucked away in the Dugan house. The only one who would be stupid enough to go out without another person would be Jas. If something happened to him…
A heavy weight settled on her shoulder and Nova's head tilted up, eyes catching James'. He gently squeezed, the pressure almost nonexistent as he met her eye. The cool feel of the metal seeped through the thin purple sweater Nova had thrown on after digging through all of her clothes to find that ninety five percent of them were dirty. Instead, she'd thrown on a pair of leggings that had seen better days and a sweater that dwarfed her, intent on being comfortable if not in her regular choice of clothing.
The stab of horror she'd felt on thinking of her family being hurt brushed back as she stared at him, her mind starting to work. If one of her family was hurt, Evie would be just as upset, not looking like she was going on a date. There wouldn't be any long distance phone calls. Evie would have come home to tell her.
"What's wrong?" Nova forced out, turning her eyes back to Evie. Evie's own golden eyes were stuck on where James was touching her, a calculating look taking over her face. Nova had seen that look more than she cared to admit and she knew that Evie was planning… something. Whatever it was, it was probably going to end in an explosion or Cap jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
"There's been chatter along the HYDRA lines about someone trying to find the Dugan compound," Evie started. Nova's body sagged a little in relief as she realized her family hadn't been compromised yet. Whoever it was wouldn't find the compound. There was just no way. Very few people alive knew where the compound was and no one would be followed there. "I'm sending you the links to the data; I was hoping you could go through it and see if you recognize any names. Tony is already mapping out the danger areas— he'll send you an updated drive schedule. I sent the same information to everyone at home. Mama Mags already replied that she's looking into fortifying the external defenses. They'll need your help on the mines and the outer defense when you get there."
"Mines?" James asked, his deep voice incredulous.
"We're leaving a week from today. I can start drawing up plans in the meantime. Have you-" Nova reached out blindly for the tablet that usually was set up on her left, growling when her fingers didn't meet the expected smooth expanse. "I'm going to have to run it from here right now. So you might not be able to see us, but we're here. Have you sent the files?"
"They're in your inbox. Ignore the first fifteen I sent. They're all the same. The next few I sent have the extended map, the agreed upon route from NYC, as well as a few other various routes you could take back to the compound to ensure your safety and the safety of the compound. Make sure to take a go bag just in case and change vehicles at the depot whenever you get a chance," Evie ordered, slipping earrings into her ears. They were sparkling and dangled, a nice compliment to her outfit. The middle stone was amethyst, perfectly rounded and ringed in diamonds.
"So that's where my earrings went," Nova started, fingers flying over the keyboard. James was still hovering protectively, as if he thought something dangerous was going to pop out of the computer. Weirder shit had happened, so she didn't shrug him off. Besides, he seemed more comfortable when he knew what was going on. In the lab, in her apartment, in her mind. He was a lot more confident once he understood a situation.
"I'm pretty sure these originally belonged to Maggie. And I'm just borrowing them," Evie shrugged while Nova pulled up various documents. Reaching up to try and find her glasses, Nova patted at the top of her head, sure she had a pair up there. Before she could get too upset and start digging around, her pair of blue glasses dropped into her lap. Grabbing them up, Nova glanced backwards at James, knowing it was him who gave them to her.
"Work," he demanded, pointing toward the screen. Nova hummed and focused, actually able to see individual words instead of the vague blur she couldn't make out before.
Just as she started to flip through the second report, warmth surrounded her. Nova froze, glancing over her shoulder to see that James was balancing on the arm of the chair she was sitting in, one arm around her back and the other reaching out to secure the top of her screen. Evie's eyes followed his movements too, her nose wrinkling up like a baby bunny as she thought that over. Nova wasn't even sure she wanted to know what Evie came up with.
"Is there a reason these aren't in chronological order?" Nova asked, frowning tightly as she pulled up a report from October. "And why didn't anyone warn us about this sooner? I still worked for SHIELD— they should have at least warned me or Mama. I mean, I know she wasn't an active agent, but we've been a safe house for enough agents that she should have been informed."
"Maria put the file together. I didn't have time to go through it before I sent it out. How bad is the damage? Do you need me to stay in tonight and work through it? All we had planned was dinner and some sightseeing; I can put a hold on that if you need me," Evie offered, hands already reaching toward her Stark Pad. Nova tensed, clenching her jaw and reminding herself that Evie was her best friend. And she wanted her best friend to be happy.
"Don't you dare touch that!" Nova snapped, putting on her best 'no nonsense' glare. Evie froze because Nova rarely ordered her not to touch anything when they were outside her lab. Even in the lab, Evie was smart enough to know what not to touch. And if she couldn't figure out what an object was, she stayed away from it. "You have plans with a certain Captain of all things spangly. The house is safe right now and that's all that matters. If they've been looking since- holy shit, is this one dated May of last year?- they won't find it in the next few hours. Go out, have fun, kiss under some amazing historical sight. And then take a picture so I can see. After you're done kissing, I mean. I don't want to have a picture of you two kissing. I'm not into that. But James might be interested, I mean, I don't know what he's-"
A hand planted itself over her mouth, warm and rough against her lips. Nova didn't even think, tongue darting out to touch his palm. The salty taste of sweat met her taste buds along with a taste she was pretty sure was just James. James yanked back like she'd burned him, staring at her in horrified disbelief.
"Did you just lick me?" he snapped, voice gone dangerously low as he attempted to glare down at her like she'd just committed some grievous offense. Nova snorted, biting her lip to hold back her laughter so that he wouldn't get too upset and accidently kill her. Honestly, as a scary ass assassin, she'd kind of expected him to ignore her or hit her or something. He was used to blood and guts and horror but didn't want her saliva on his hand? He did know they'd been swapping spit in his bedroom like ten minutes ago, right?
"Nova…" the warning voice over the computer was far too deep to be Evie and Nova forced her attention back on her work. Steve had appeared in the screen of the Stark Pad. Nova had their conversation minimized to the corner of the screen and could just barely make out Evie and Steve as she opened yet another file.
"What? He started it!" Nova complained, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles as Steve's eyes damn near popped out of his head. Okay, she hadn't meant James had licked her first, but it was kind of funny that Steve took it that way. And looked so horrified by the idea.
As if to prove a point, James flicked a hand over the screen, pulling them back into the conversation. Nova glanced over her shoulder at him, wondering what he was going to do. She knew it was something. Steve and James were kind of little shits whenever they were together in a good mood. Despite the Christmas decorations and Nova's complete obliteration of his privacy, James seemed to be in a good mood.
Still, Nova about jumped a foot when James grabbed her hand, lifted it to his mouth, and licked a streak across her pulse point, pointedly staring right at Steve as he worked. His warm, wet tongue ran the width of her wrist, his face completely blank in a carefully schooled expression. Steve turned an odd shade of purple at the sight and Nova lost the fight with her laughter, not bothered by the spit that covered her wrist now. As a mechanic and an aunt, she'd been covered in oil, gas, vomit, urine, and a host of other unnecessary and completely disgusting things. James's spit was about the least offensive she could think of.
"Bucky, what the f-" Steve blurted, two small hands jumping up to cover his mouth. Evie had interceded, shooting her boyfriend a dirty look.
"Oh my god, was Captain America going to swear at us?" Nova squeaked, still laughing. James glanced down at her and then looked pointedly away, the corner of his mouth starting to quirk. "Steve, can you say the f word without bursting into tears? Are you sure America can handle hearing you swear? If you say 'goddamn it' will God really damn it?"
Steve caught both of Evie's hands in one of his, pressing a gentle kiss to her fingertips as he pulled her hands away from his mouth.
"Buck, can we talk? In private?" Steve asked, sending a pointed look Nova's way. Nova sobered, her laughter draining when she realized that Steve really wasn't happy. And he really wasn't joking. Instead of telling him just where to shove his opinion, Nova turned to look up at James, who was already watching her.
"Oh, don't worry, I can't stay anyway! I have to go back to the lab and get to work on the map and the time tables and the data, so it's probably best I go now. Then I can send it to Mama and the fam. Evie, love you, I'll see you next week sometime," Nova blurted it all out in one breath, fighting off the uncomfortable feeling of not being liked by Captain America.
She knew Steve didn't hate her. They'd taken care of Evie together and she'd helped to make sure he got some sleep and a shower every now and then. It hadn't just been looking out for Evie, it had been looking out for each other too. But Nova knew she came off way too strong sometimes. After hearing her talk the first couple times, people tended to disappear from her life pretty quickly. She'd been better about it, before. Talking was something Nova did all the time as a kid. But other girls were mean and Nova was a really smart little kid. So it was inevitable that someone forced her to keep her mouth shut. It was after that that her mama had decided to homeschool her. One too many bruises to show for the way her mouth always shot off without her.
Anxiety shot through Nova at the thought and she practically catapulted out of her seat, throwing the chair back. Thankfully, James caught it, setting it right without bothering to look away from her. His dark blue eyes took in her movements, cataloging her tells. She doubted that she could keep the light panic from him, but it wasn't like he would stop her. He knew better than anyone that sometimes people just need to be alone.
"Nova, are you alright?" Evie's concerned voice made it through the computer and Nova blinked hard, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth to bite it for a moment as she tried to think up what to do next. She knew that James could see her but didn't want to just bolt from the room. She had to at least convince Evie that she was fine. James would never believe her, but Evie would. She was too far away to see most of Nova's tells, especially since Nova was away from the screen at the moment.
"Course, Evie."