Song: She Look So Perfect- 5 SOS
So, as an actual horrible human being, I deeply apologize for not posting when I said I will! I swear I meant to! Thank you so much for keeping with this. I'm not giving up, just trying to pass college and see my family, friends, and try to study all at the same time. That's seriously hard. But I'm going to be a better person and post again soon! (I will try, I swear). Much love! (BTW, this song was thought up on the spot…)
James watched as Nova walked in front of him, tugging at her sleeves incessantly. Her chaotic hair was down for once, the mess falling past her shoulders down toward the middle of her back. Random braids littered the mess with tools tied in. A washer behind her ear that sparkled in the dim sunlight. A piece of bent gold metal clinked near it, tied to the end of another braid. By her opposite cheek was a tiny charm that was clipped to the rubber band that held the braid together. It was a little star that winked in the light whenever she shook her head. There were more he couldn't make out at the moment, but he wanted to map them out, find reason to their existence.
They hadn't been in her hair that morning, but they were when she'd come to pick him up from his apartment. It was a good look on her, her wild waves framing her freckled face nicely. The purple of her stockings had surprised him for a moment when she'd shown up. With her tiny black skirt he had almost refused to leave the building on principle alone. He was all for equality and women's rights but the skirt she was wearing barely covered her ass, much less her legs. Guilt immediately filled him at the thought that he wasn't exactly opposed to the view, just of others who might look at her and think of harming her.
The nice sweater she was wearing was a dark grey and somehow managed to match both her skirt and her stockings well. The black shoes on her feet looked a little uncomfortable; they were over two inches high and he had a hard time deciding if they were safe. They put Nova closer to his eye level and he definitely approved of being able to look her in the eye easier. But he'd trained young girls to be spiders and heels left nasty scars on feet if left unattended. Especially if one didn't wear them often enough.
"Oh, here, this is a good place to shop," Nova turned sharply to the left, starting for the store. James didn't even think, grabbing the back of her jacket and hauling her back while he automatically sighted the tops of the skyscrapers that lined the block. To her credit, she didn't ask what he was doing, just shrugged a little and waited. There were a few good spots that he would have used if he needed to take someone out in this area, but they looked unoccupied. To be safe, he noted them in his mind, a reminder to check them again before he let Nova out of the building. The place she wanted to go into was called H&M, a place he'd never been to before.
Prodding her forward, he accepted that this wasn't going to be a calming trip. He knew Nova wasn't purposefully stressing him out, but she wasn't a soldier. She didn't look for enemies at every turn. The world wasn't hunting her.
"Okay, I know it looks a bit weird, but come on, you'll love it. They have nice sweatshirts and jeans here. You'll probably need a couple of tee shirts and stuff for casual wear. I doubt they'll have shorts or I'd try and get you into a couple pairs of those too. Some button downs would be nice, though. I'm definitely a sucker for a gorgeous guy in a button down. Oh, and some slacks for dressier affairs," Nova started, ticking off different clothing items on her fingers. James kept an eye out for danger, sticking close to Nova with a hand still pressed into the small of her back.
To anyone else, it would look like they were a couple. Nova probably assumed he was just nervous and it helped remind him he wasn't alone. The truth was that it was easier to protect her with his metal arm around her back. Any unseen attacks would have to be from behind. James wasn't sure if he was cocky or not, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt he'd notice a threat coming from a mile away if it came in front of them.
"Over here, over here," Nova practically skipped into the men's section, waves bouncing as she did. James took a moment to appreciate the fact that she hadn't had to cut it when he'd gotten his hand stuck in the waves. He definitely liked her hair. It would have been a damn shame to cut it off, especially if it was because of him. "Okay, what size are you wearing right now?"
James shrugged, honestly not knowing. The clothing he wore was usually something of Steve's. They'd shared clothes for as long as James could remember. Bucky and Steve, before he had grown into the man he was now, had shared clothing almost all the time. It was hard to afford decent clothing, so they passed things back and forth without a thought. Steve kept up the tradition now, something James was grateful for. Sometimes, it was nice to have something on him that reminded him of Steve.
"Here, turn around, I'll check you're tag. Do you want me to put your hair up? It might get a little hot with your hair down," Nova offered. James crouched in front of her, waiting as her fingers started to card through his hair. Tingles spread along his skull and down his spine, warming up his blood. Sighing silently, James fought down the urge to close his eyes, specifically when Nova scratched her nails lightly against a sensitive spot along his scalp. Staying alert was a necessity. He couldn't let anyone hurt her. "What sort of colors should I look for? I'm thinking some blue, maybe a couple reds, green if we can find a good one. Some greys are good. I like the off white you have going on today, but I'm thinking full white would wash you out."
"Black?" James didn't mean the rumble to come out as a question but his mouth betrayed him as Nova started collecting strands of his hair into her palm. Her fingers were light and steady as she swept a few stray strands back into place.
"I know how you feel about black, but there are whole color palettes out there you haven't seen yet. But, yes, we'll get you a bunch of black too if it'll make you feel better. Besides, black is a good color on you anyway," Nova admitted, tying the elastic around his hair. James felt his lips twitch, happiness bubbling up from a place long buried. Compliments from Nova meant more than the idle compliments he got from his teammates.
Just the other day Clint said his right hook was killer. Considering the man had been wheezing as he spoke, hunched over and holding his stomach, James wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a warning. Natalia mentioned that his knife work was legendary and was in the process of trying to convince him to teach her. Steve was always offering him some sort of compliment, whether it was that his hair looked nice any particular day or that he was in a good mood. None of them had the same effect as Nova's admittance.
As soon as his hair was tied away he felt Nova's chilly fingers brushing the back of his neck. He fought back the instinctual response to tense and attack, his shoulders tightening as he waited for her to find what she was looking for.
"Okay, this is a XXL and it's too big. We'll check a few pants sizes. You're about Alex's size, so I can work with that to begin with. Do you see anything you think you'd wear? We're going to have to try things on to make sure they fit, but finding basic sizes will be first. Just pick something you like and we'll find a couple sizes in it so we can to see what works," Nova instructed. She turned, eyes finding something that distracted her for a moment, and James found himself reaching out, taking her hand in his human one.
The woman spun back around to face him, lips slightly parted and chocolate eyes blinking up at him. The freckles on her nose and cheeks seemed to multiply the closer he got to her and James felt the slightly compulsive urge to count them.
"I promise I won't leave your side. Come on, I think I saw something you might like."
James knew immediately that taking Nova's hand was a mistake. Not because he didn't like the slim fit of her hand folded in his or that the warmth of her skin through his thin gloves bothered him. It was that she tightened her grip and started physically dragging him through the store toward another section with one intended target. If he hadn't let her move him, she shouldn't have been able to, but James was learning more and more that the rules didn't apply to Nova. If she wanted him to move, he had no doubt she could come up with a way to get him to.
"So, what do you think?" Nova chirped happily, pulling James's attention to the redhead before him. She was pointing at a graphic tee shirt on a hanger that was right in front of them, her other hand still clutching his in a tight, reassuring grip. If it was possible to bounce in the shoes she was wearing, she was successfully doing just that.
A snort fell through his lips immediately when his eyes found the shirt she wanted him to look at. Right across the front was Steve's shield. All red, white, and blue. The rest of the shirt was a dark blue that matched the stipe around the star, not a terrible color. Some of the other Avengers and their friends had different memorabilia for each of their teammates. James had once seen Natalia in Hulk boxer shorts, Ironman socks, and a Thor tee shirt. He hadn't said a word and she'd walked by with her head held high.
"I know it's kind of cliché, but you guys are best friends. Like Evie and I. And if they had a tee shirt dedicated to Evie, I would buy it in a heartbeat, no questions asked," Nova explained, shrugging her shoulders a little awkwardly. James glanced down at the top of her head to see that her head was tilted down and she was staring at her feet, where she was adamantly trying to click the tips of her heels together.
"Do they have it in my size?" James asked after a moment of silence. Nova's head popped up and a smile bloomed across her face, warm eyes lighting up first. She dropped his hand to dig through the options and James took that distraction to look around the store. There were a few clerks wandering around and a couple on the other side of the store, arguing over a sweater that the boy in the group definitely like and the girl obviously didn't. Considering it was a women's sweater, she should have had the final say. She was shaking her head resolutely and James felt a tremor of anger run through him, the knowledge that he needed to keep an eye on that situation burning through him. If Steve was there, he would charge right over, but James was the best at waiting. Nova was his main concern at the moment, but he would keep the girl in mind. If the boy she was with tried anything, James would have no trouble ending it.
"Here we go. I'm bringing a large and an XL. There's a XXL over here too, just in case, but your shoulders aren't quite as big as Steve's, so I think you might fit comfortably in one of these. If you like this tee shirt, they have a few over there that aren't graphics. They have a lot of colors too," Nova pointed out, holding up the two shirts she'd pulled out for him to try. James nodded, glancing toward where the shirts she was talking about were. There were a few different styles and colors, something he'd never really thought about before. "Now, you desperately need jeans, dude. I know that you like to be in Steve's pants- ba dum tssss!- but you need something that fits better. I swear jeans are more comfortable when they fit right."
James lips quirked at her lame attempt at a joke, glancing back at the couple. The sweater was nowhere in sight but they were currently arguing over a skirt that was shorter than what Nova had chosen for the day. Some men….
"Okay, this is the jean section. There are a lot of choices, but remember, skinny jeans might be good for missions (and to look at) but they don't leave a lot of room for your assets," Nova stage whispered.
James slowly swiveled, brow furrowing as he observed her. She was watching him with a mischievous grin that he knew didn't bode well, but he had no idea what skinny jeans were or what his assets were in her mind. Instead of explaining, Nova pointed back to the rack of jeans and asked what color he wanted. Apparently, jeans had a plethora of different colors and actually came with holes in them now.
These kids didn't know how lucky they were. James winced as his mind slid back in time almost too easily, eyes blinking to find his ma fussing over a small hole in the knee of his jeans. The hole went straight through to his knee and she'd tsk-ed at him, snapping that he wasn't getting new pants until Christmas and he'd just have to put up with holes in his pants if he kept getting into so many scrapes. He also clearly remembered neglecting to mention the new holes in his socks.
"James?" Nova's voice broke him out of the memory and he snapped to attention, head popping up as he scanned the entire store quickly. "Hey, are you doing okay? I didn't think it was crowded, but we can go somewhere else if you'd be more comfortable."
"It's fine," James practically interrupted her, shaking his head slightly. "Just reminded me of something."
"If you're sure. So, I got a few styles with a few colors to see what you like. Do you want to run to the changing rooms now and try them on? That way we know more about what we're looking for. I should text Pepper and let her know that we're shopping. She'll have the things we buy delivered to the Tower. They'll be there before we get back," Nova informed him, throwing the jeans she'd picked out over her arm nonchalantly. James took the shirt hangers out of her hands and pressed his free hand against her back protectively.
Shielding her body from view with his own, James glanced behind them quickly. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, though another woman with two kids had made their way into the store. They were browsing while the mother attempted to keep the little boy from running off.
It wasn't until James saw the changing room that he realized why this was such a bad idea. Grabbing the hem of Nova's coat to pull her to a stop, he grit his teeth together, wishing he'd let her call off the entire thing. But, if he had stayed back, she would have been out on her own without a security detail or a friend or even a colleague to make sure she wasn't kidnapped or hurt. This was the best option for everyone.
Except that now he had to go into a changing room without her.
"What's wrong? You don't like changing rooms?" Nova guessed, meeting his eyes but not really seeing him. James could see the ideas flashing through her brain like a motion picture, being dismissed just as quickly as she tried to figure out what was bothering him. If he didn't tell her it could go on all day. And she would continue to try and figure it out without once considering that he didn't want her out of his sight when they were in a store surrounded by people who could easily be HYDRA.
"Can you… go in with me?" he forced out, keeping his voice quiet. Nova chewed on her lip as she thought this over, still obviously drawing a blank. He wanted to shake some sense into her. He wanted to brush a stray wave back behind her ear. He wanted to wipe his thumb along her bottom lip to distract her from chew through the delicious flesh there. There were far better things she could be doing with those lips.
"Sure, of course. I'm not really supposed to, but we can just say that you're a veteran who just came back from overseas and you're more comfortable if I'm with you. Good cover story? Does that live up to Natasha's expectations?" Nova teased, starting back toward the dressing rooms again.
The door was wooden and flimsy when James pushed it open. No one bothered to stop them, the store associates all busy with other work. James noted their placement, the closest one was at the furthest end of the dressing rooms, going through the clothing stacked over there. Nova headed into the room before him as he scoped the area, hanging the shirts on silver hooks and setting the jeans on her lap as she sat on the little bench that crossed the back of the little room. James scowled as he pulled the door shut, knowing it wouldn't stop an intruder. Did people really do this as often as Nova made it seem?
"Okay, what do you want to try on first?"
