Life at the compound settled into a new rhythm, new to Bucky at least. Everyone else seemed to know where they fit, while he worked to figure out his place in the scheme of things.
6am, he ran with Steve. 7:30, he'd let himself into Shay's suite and make a pot of tea, which they sipped in companionable silence from the couch, watching the world come to life outside, checking emails, swapping news and plans for the day.
He sparred with Steve and Sam, and occasionally Natasha after lunch, and 'trained' with Shay after supper. He'd come to enjoy the competition they'd unknowingly begun in the Dora Milage training room, throwing new challenges at each other. Shay was getting more confident with heights, more capable of locking her fear away so she could tackle the obstacle at hand. And she was helping Bucky work on keeping a clear head in the cold.
And ending nearly every day with a soak in the warm water of the pool and usually a quiet evening, reading, listening to music in Shay's suite.
More evenings than not, Wanda and a book occupied the beany chair in the corner overlooking the lake. Nat would flop onto the bed after a long day, 'meditating' she said. Steve stretched back in the easy chair, the soft strokes of a pencil on paper as he sketched; Sam sitting backwards on the desk chair, typing something he wouldn't let anyone see.
The haven that had been the blue room in Avengers tower now centered around the warm welcoming presence of Shay's glow. The heartbeat of the compound, pulling everyone into orbit around it, even a stubborn Tony, and the ever-shy Bruce.
Home.
"Ceremony's next Saturday, I hope you have an outfit ready." Nat inquired, even as she attempted to throw off the freezing spell Shay had put on her legs.
Shay groaned, grasping Nat's thighs as they wrapped around her neck and throwing her opponent over her shoulder. "I can't just wear the black one?"
Nat unfroze, landing on her feet and cocking her head at her friend. "No. Definitely not. That dress was designed for undercover work, this is all about being memorable."
Shay rolled, tagging Nat's legs with a zip of electricity that dropped her to her knees. Not daunted, Nat her upper body around to get a grip around Shay's shoulders. Shay rolled onto her back, pinning Nat under her as she fought the headlock.
"There's got to be something in my closet that'll work." Shay panted, finally freeing herself and rolling out of the hold, twisted Nat's arm behind her back with one hand while the other arm trapped the opposite shoulder. A double tap and they both flopped to the mat, breathing heavily.
"Work? That's all? come on, I want to see how them groveling at your feet."
"So, this is revenge?" Shay asked, amused.
"Of course. Can't miss an opportunity like this. Besides, I heard Ross will be there."
"In that case…"
"That's my girl." Nat rose, grinning wickedly. "Shower, change and be ready to go in half an hour, we're going shopping."
Shay hugged Steve, kissed Bucky on the cheek and promised both that she'd be fine, and that she'd call if anything came up. One security detail thusly avoided; she found a second waiting in the lobby.
"It's shopping, and I am really good at shopping." Tony was saying to a disgruntled Pepper.
"Sharice and Nat can spend your money just fine, without your supervision." She was saying.
"What's this Tony?" Nat asked, she'd slipped in beside Shay and was smirking at the fond frustration Pepper was throwing Tony's way. "We'd love to spend your money, wouldn't we Shay?"
"That's really not necessary, really." Shay raised both hands in front of her, as though she could somehow ward off his generosity.
"See Pepper, if I don't go, how can we be sure that she gets the best dress, and not just the first thing she finds at goodwill? Better yet, why don't you come along? Yes, this'll be great, come along ladies!"
He blatantly ignored her objections, leading the way to the waiting limo. A flustered look from Shay had Pepper following reluctantly after them, 'if only to keep him in check.'
As it turned out having Pepper there was exceptionally helpful. She had a knack for distracting Tony at just the right moment to steer him away from some of the more extravagant and downright impractical purchases.
"No Tony." "That's definitely not it." "Shay's not going to a masquerade ball."
"But it's a phoenix! A phoenix Pepper! You know?"
"Yes, we all get the rebirth metaphor Tony. Hey, Nat's looking a little antsy, might want to go see if she's good, don't want to clean up another tenth avenue situation."
Tony blanched at that and went to intervene between Nat and a pair of overdressed women who had approached the change room Shay was currently in.
"I am going in there, I was in the store first." One was saying, sneering at Nat over cat-eyed shades.
"And she was in the changing room first, so when she's finished, you are welcome to it." Nat answered frostily, examining the pair like insects.
Tony stepped in, "no trouble I hope?"
"Just who do you think you are, telling me where I can and can't go?" cat-eyes snarled back. The other woman attempted again to push past Nat's folded arms and reached for the door handle.
"Don't even think about it." Tony's voice had gone deadly and an iron gauntlet covered the hand on her arm.
Before the situation could escalate further, Pepper, a pair of burly security guards and an employee approached.
There was some little swearing as the women were removed, and Tony waited outside the change room with quickly diminishing patience.
"You okay in there Shay? Shay?"
Nat picked the lock in the blink of an eye and the door opened to reveal Shay hyperventilating on the stool in the corner, the unbuttoned gown clasped around her like a towel. Nat whispered something in Tony's ear before closing the door on him, walking Shay through the breathing exercises and helping her re-dress in her street clothes.
When they emerged, Pepper was busy talking on the phone and Tony suggested they stop for lunch. Shay was allowed to choose the venue and the taco truck didn't disappoint, though there was some grumbling about fitting into clothes when it was all over.
A smartly dressed man waited outside the next shop they pulled up in front of, welcoming them into the boutique with all the grace of the Queens personal butler.
Nat steered Shay around the racks as Tony and Pepper spoke politely to the guy up front.
Several dresses had been tried, set aside for being too itchy, unflattering or too restrictive, when the man reappeared.
"Your champagne." He set the bottle before them, as though it was not quite the custom to allow them to inspect the seal before he broke it.
Nat nodded slightly and Tony said, "very good, thank you Mr. Mason."
The bottle was uncorked and Tony opened the case he'd carried in with him to reveal a set of flutes. "Can never be too prepared." He said with a self-satisfied smile.
Mr. Mason bowed briefly, "You have the place to yourselves for as long as you need it, so make yourselves at home and please, if there is anything I can help you with, do not hesitate to let me know." And he walked back to the front of the store, well out of hearing range.
"You did not hire out the store for the day just so I could find a dress, Tony?" Shay accused, squinting at the newly uncorked bottle of champagne.
"Of course not." Tony answered, grinning and beginning to pour. "Pepper did."
"This is, it's all too much." Shay said, sinking down onto the deceptively comfortable chair. She surveyed the flutes as he poured, trying to think of an excuse not to take it.
"Shay." Tony said, leaning forward seriously. "It's not everyday I get to go out with my favorite ladies, Happy is driving and Nat could take out a tank with both hands behind her back. Add the detail outside and you couldn't be safer. Live a little."
"What detail?"
"One of your juiced up foot soldiers has been tailing us from the compound." Tony said, handing her a glass. "Come on, you can't blame them if they get a little twitchy after the dummy situation."
"What dummy situation, I thought you said they were recycled?" Pepper interjected, her voice rising slightly.
Nat ushered Shay away from the pending argument and into a change room, returning with a dress and pressing it into her hands. "Here, I've seen you looking at this one, just try it on. Don't look at the tag, that's not our business."
Tony and Nat were bickering about the etiquette of cocktail dresses and flipping through hangers on racks when Shay emerged and stepped onto the dais, letting the full skirts drop to skim the top of her feet in swirls of violet. Tiny hand stitched florals edged the bottom hem and trimmed the boat neck collar, spilling in bunches of lilac blossoms down the slim fitting half sleeves to her elbows.
"Wow."
Shay turned to see Pepper standing behind her. They'd never been particularly close, but there Pepper was, with her hand over her mouth and mist in her eyes. And then she did something she'd never done before. She hugged Shay.
"You look... incredible."
Steve approached Tony with another dilemma the night before the event.
"Consider it done, my barber will come around 10-o'clock tomorrow. You can supervise the whole thing. Just don't scare off my guy, he's the only one who understands my facial hair."
"That's generous of you Tony." Steve responded, surprised.
"I'm in a giving mood. Besides, if you-all look a mess, it'll reflect poorly on me." Tony quipped. But Steve knew the narcissism was just for show. And this show wasn't about them.
Whatever Steve and Bucky may have been expecting, JD wasn't it.
He was built like a linebacker and covered in tattoos from bald head to bare knuckles. But he was gentle as he combed and cut Bucky's hair, and seemed to always have something to stop and say to Steve whenever Bucky's hands gripped the chairs arms too hard.
"You still up for that straight razor shave, or would you rather do it yourself." JD asked as he worked training gel through Bucky's hair.
Bucky muttered a reluctant, "might as well get it done proper."
"That's my man." The barber beamed, combing the gelled hair into a swoop a little more subdued and modern than Bucky would have worn the last time his hair had been short. "Got to let this set anyway. You know, I never thought I'd be up here, cutting hair for the Avengers, it's a crazy world we're living in aint it?"
"I'm not an Avenger." Bucky answered flatly.
"No? I mean, you live here, you're going to that shindig with them, aren't you? I thought that's what all this was for?"
Bucky shrugged. "Still not an Avenger."
"Not yet maybe," JD said unconvinced, "but your halfway there." The straight razor moved in long smooth strokes, the barest pressure on the skin and never at the wrong angle. "You and me, we got that in common. Not quite there yet, but trying." Aftershave scented with sandalwood finished the process and JD stepped back to admire his work.
"13 years in the pen, but I've been straight and cutting hair since I got out. Tryin' to make up for lost time. I got a son, gotta be a better man so he knows what it looks like: you know?" Running gentle fingers through the dried hair, breaking the cast and tousling it so it fell just right, JD smiled. "You and I, we'll make it yet. You'll see."
Notes: One chapter left to go!
Kittenofthewilds: that's wonderful, I love audio stories as a medium so much, I'm tempted sometimes to write a set of serial stories and publish them in audio format on a podcast or something like that. To kittenofthewild's friend: So happy to hear you are enjoying the story too, thanks for being a loyal listener!