Steve led the way to the airport, and they flew back to his headquarters. After the initial giddiness, the fact that it was nearly dawn and they hadn't gotten a lot of sleep in several days started to wear on them, so they didn't talk very much. He drove, and they spent most of the ride in companionable silence. Nat took the front seat and soon was napping. At least, it seemed like she was. He expected she could fake it convincingly when she had reason to.
"Do you guys have something you want to share?" Steve murmured mildly, glancing significantly in Nat's direction after catching Bucky's eye in the rearview mirror.
"I like her," Bucky replied placidly, but he was visibly nervous.
"She is pretty likeable."
Bucky rolled his eyes at that. "I... don't want to go into it without talking to her first," he said after a pause.
That made sense. "Alright. I'm glad you're getting along, at any rate." Bucky made a noise that sounded suspiciously like 'me too' but Steve couldn't be sure. Before he could ask him about it, he changed the subject away from himself, as usual.
"How about you and Sharon? You going to make that work?"
A heavy sigh escaped him and he glanced back at his friend as he pulled into the carport. "I'm going to try."
"She's good for you. Don't screw it up."
Steve snorted. "Yes, sir," he said with a mock salute.
Sam was waiting to greet them and headed over as soon as the car was stopped. "Did you lose Sharon?" he wanted to know, fixing Bucky with an accusatory glare. Bucky laughed a little raggedly in response.
"She had some things to take care of. Said she'd be here for dinner," Steve replied, heading past him. "Oh, and Sam? I think you missed the boat on our mutual friend."
He paused by the door to watch Bucky wake Nat, and shook his head slightly as she leaned him as they started toward him. Sam was watching, too, and Steve couldn't remember him ever looking so surprised.
"Huh," was all that Sam could say, before following them and sharing a look with Steve as they made their way to the briefing room.
Things had not exactly piled up in his absence, but there was enough to keep him occupied while he waited for Sharon. He went to shower and get cleaned up after putting out most of the fires. If dinner was all that he had before she might go on her way, he'd better plan something to get her alone afterward. He went to the common room to look for inspiration, searching through their somewhat limited forms of entertainment.
"Hey," a familiar voice interrupted him before he'd found anything.
He smiled at Sharon, who had stopped in the doorway to the kitchen. "Hey. Did you take care of the bad guys?"
"It's not exactly tied in a bow, but it's wrapped up."
Nodding, he cast about for something else to say, besides what he wanted. He didn't want to pressure her, but he needed to know what she was planning to do next. And how he fit into that. But it could wait until dinner was over, at least. "Are you ready for our double date?"
The idea surprised her and she grinned. "What about Sam?"
"I don't think he'll want to be stuck in a room with Bucky making eyes at Nat."
"I think they'll be making eyes at each other. It's enough to make you sick," she said very seriously as she walked closer to him.
"Absolutely disgusting," he agreed and pulled her into his arms. "Good thing we aren't like that at all."
"Good thing," she echoed, looking up at him expectantly. He bent to kiss her and decided he that maybe he didn't need an excuse to get her alone after dinner.
******
It seemed to have escaped Natalia's notice that they were going to investigate someone who could very well know more about him than he did. So as soon as he saw her disappear through the floor, the sick feeling in his stomach reminded him of how easily he could be controlled. He didn't know if Sharon's earplugs would help or not, but he didn't figure anyone else would be saying something important to him anytime soon.
They worked. Sharon's quick thinking got them out of a tight spot. They didn't linger – well, the three fugitives didn't. Sharon sent them along and called her bosses for containment. Steve didn't like leaving her, kissing her hard before they left. Bucky looked at Natalia when that happened and felt himself blushing, thinking of her earlier kiss. His heart fluttered when she blushed, too.
Steve drove them home, which was great, and Natalia slept most of the way. The anticipated questioning from Steve relented when he said he'd prefer to talk to her about it first, and soon enough they were back at the base. He led Natalia to one of the empty rooms to sleep, then headed to another to do the same.
He was up and scrounging around the kitchen when Sharon arrived. "Hey, Bucky," she said, sounding tired.
"Thank you for these," he told her sincerely, holding out the earplugs.
"Keep them. I'm sure you have a better use for them," she added, smiling.
"Steve's in the next room. Dinner will be ready in half an hour."
She nodded and disappeared through the door. He could hear her greeting Steve, followed by some giggles he probably wasn't supposed to notice. Pulling the door closed, he got back to work. Making food was something he enjoyed doing, especially after a stressful encounter. It helped him focus on the here and now, and on doing something positive, instead of dwelling on what had just happened.
Possibly Sharon's entrance woke Natalia, because she opened the door not long after he'd shut it. "Hey," he said quietly.
"It didn't even occur to me that she might know the activation phrase," she said without preamble. "I should have. I'm sorry."
He put down the spatula and walked over to where she was lingering in the doorway. "It worked out just fine," he assured her.
She bit her lip and he struggled to tear his eyes away. "Thanks to Sharon."
"Yes. Well, she's good. Maybe she'll stick around and help Steve keep his head on straight. What, uh, what do you think you'll do?" he added hesitantly.
"What do you want me to do?" was her predictably frustrating response.
"Let me kiss you," he admitted.
That turned out to be just fine with her. He had no intention of stopping, but then one of the pots started boiling over and he had to take care of that. She leaned against the counter with a small smile on her face, watching him. "You know, I saw you once. When you were frozen. I wouldn't... I wouldn't like to see it again," she murmured.
He continued to stir the pot but watched her achingly. "It's... best for everyone if I'm not around."
"Not for me."
God, that was tempting. He was wavering, but fortunately Steve and Sharon wandered in to save him from having to answer her. They were holding hands and were both a little flushed, which made him smile.
"Can we help you with anything?" Steve asked.
"You can help convince James that he should stay here with us," Natalia told him with a smirk.
She hadn't stated her choice in the matter before, causing Steve to blink at her then smile. "Us? You're staying?"
"I can't think of a reason not to," she replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "What about you, Sharon? Ready to abandon this life of crime?"
Sharon smiled a little. "I haven't decided yet."
Steve looked uncomfortable with Natalia's insistence, though whether it was for Bucky's sake or Sharon's was difficult to tell. Maybe both. "We can talk about this later," he said.
With a sigh, Natalia looked at Bucky. "It seems like, with a pair of earplugs, you're free to face the world. You've been asleep long enough. You could stay here, be part of the team." She didn't say it, but he could see that she meant more by that than just Steve and his friends.
"Alright," he said at last. She grinned and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. He turned his head at the last second to kiss her properly.
"That doesn't seem sanitary," Steve whispered loudly to Sharon. "Maybe we should order out for dinner."
Bucky laughed as Natalia settled for leaning against him. "I thought we were trying to keep a low profile."
"Yeah, Steve, I don't think we want to risk any delivery persons coming by," Sharon told him with mock-reproach, surprising Steve by joining in.
Feeling Natalia laugh against his chest, Bucky smiled down at her, then looked up at Sharon again. "So, what do you think, Sharon? If you stay, maybe someday we'll save your ass for a change."
Steve snorted, but looked at her intently. "You don't have to," he murmured, though his preference was clear on his face.
Her smile became thoughtful, then broadened. "Well, I do have a lot of sick days I never use. And it looks like it would be nice to be on the receiving end of a rescue. So, sure."
If she had been planning on saying more, they didn't hear it because Steve immediately swept her into his arms to kiss her. Bucky looked down at Natalia, who smiled up at him. He was sure they were not going to regret this decision.