Elevated

Tony did indeed buy Nora a new phone. She found it on her desk with an extremely terse note. She considered briefly, not using it. She could put it in the desk drawer and go on using her crappy old brick of a phone just to drive him nuts. But Stark phones were really nice, and her brick was not.

She spent a good portion of her morning setting up the phone. Then she spent the rest of it setting up the new Coolidge machine.

She and Bruce both practically vibrated with excitement as it began spinning readings that weren’t complete garbage. The second they had them, they restarted the calculations they’d been doing for weeks to no effect. Their numbers, rather than running in a stupid circle, came out interesting.

Nora forgot to eat lunch, and sort of forgot about going home too. They worked straight, the way they never did, until well after eight.

Nora’s new phone rang. She didn’t realize it was hers until it had well and truly broken both her and Bruce’s concentration, because Stark phones did not use the same default tone she’d had since university, “Crap,” She muttered, rocketing across the lab to snatch it off her desk. She looked at the screen and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Bruce asked scanning her face.

“Nothing,” Nora hit the button to send the call to voicemail. She definitely wasn’t going to listen to her dad ask her for money after he broke their groove.

“Shoot,” Bruce said, looking at the clock, “It’s late.” He took his glasses off to clean, “That’s not a date or something is it?” He gestured towards her phone looking a little guilty.

She’d told him about her most recent date with a man who she’d met at a conference once and was in town, but who had been completely unable to cope with her working in one of the SI private labs. She hadn’t even told him which one and he’d still been intimidated. Nora didn’t want to date anyone who was going to be butthurt that she had an impressive job, but she had also been extremely offended at the idea that he wasn’t intimidated by her research, which was impressive on its own.

“No. It’s my dad.”

Bruce looked aghast, “Nora, you can answer the phone when your dad calls. You should’ve been home hours ago anyways.”

“I know,” Nora answered easily, “I don’t want to talk to him.” Bruce blinked at her, a little stunned, “You don’t think you’re a mean boss do you?”

Bruce fidgeted, “I kept you here until eight.”

Nora laughed, “I kept myself here. You’re the least mean boss I’ve ever had. I had a research head when I was in Norway who once screamed at me for ten minutes because I put too much cream in his coffee.”

He looked mollified, and a little red, “Seriously? That sounds abusive.” He straightened his tablet and shut down the holo-screen.

Nora recognized the movements immediately as his cue that they were done for the night and started turning off her own equipment, “It was. I was his fourth assistant that year. But he was like, crazy smart, so I wasn’t about to pass on the opportunity.” She pulled her coat on and clipped Luna’s leash to her collar. The dog gave a lazy stretch and then followed her towards the door, “Honestly, a lot of my jobs have been pretty crap. R&D super sucked too.”

“Why?” The door swished open and they both waved to Jane who was gesturing with both arms to a set of formulas in a way that seemed manic. She spared them half a wave, and Darcy spun to grin and wave properly. They returned her gesture.

“Cause Fowler and Shmidt are misogynist assholes.” Bruce didn’t seem to know what to say to that, but it didn’t really matter. The elevator arrived and he stepped on first, “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye Nora.” And then the doors slid shut and he was gone.

Nora might not have managed to get on the second elevator, but Luna yanked hard on the leash when the doors slid open to reveal Steve and Bucky and she stumbled in after the dog. “Hi Steve, hi Bucky.” She glanced at the panel to see the lobby button already lit and took a wavering sort of breath. Bucky, who had knelt to pet the dog, glanced at her with the same inscrutable expression on his face as always.

“Hi Nora,” Steve said. He kind of surveyed her, but she thought he seemed a lot less irritated by her presence than usual. He reached over to pat Luna’s head and said, “She really likes you, Buck. You feed her steak or something?”

Bucky shrugged which wasn’t really an answer.

Nora had been joking when she’d asked Sam about begging Bucky to ride the elevator, but she did actually feel pretty okay knowing he could apparently rip the doors off their track if it stopped, “She only likes good people.” Nora supplied, glancing at the red numbers on the panel as they counted down, “I once went on a date with this guy, she took one look and almost bit him. Pretty sure he was a serial killer or something.”

Steve gave her an alarmed look. Bucky went still but then flexed his hand.

“I’m kidding. Maybe. We didn’t go out again.” She waved a hand dismissively, “Where are you guys off to?”

“Just a walk,” Steve answered.

Nora nodded as the doors slid open to the lobby. She darted out and sucked in a breath of air. She shook her arms out as the two men got off behind her.

“You okay?” Steve asked mildly.

“Yep. Still not a fan.” She gestured vaguely back towards the doors as they started off towards the exit, “I can’t ride the subway either.”

The air outside the tower was fresh and cool. The leaves had started to change and Nora found her walks were increasingly beautiful. She knew in about three weeks, however, that she would be dreading them. She really hated the cold. She stepped towards the curb and waved for a cab, then looked back at Steve and Bucky, “Have fun on your walk.”

“Goodbye, Nora,” Steve answered.

Bucky beside him had shoved his hands deep into his pockets and gave her the same inscrutable look. She decided not to be offended by his silence. Jane had said he didn’t like people. She waved and climbed into the cab.

Bucky made it five blocks to the park. It was easier, in the evenings, when there was no crowd to press against him and set him off balance. He half-listened to Steve beside him, talking about the book he’d started.

It had been the same. And it hadn’t. Her fear when she’d stepped into the elevator. He could still see it, coiled all through her. He could feel it too, edging under his skin. But it was different to know that it wasn’t him she was scared of. It left him twitchy, like he wanted to do something to make it better and didn’t know what that thing was.

She only likes good people.

He flexed his hand. He wasn’t good. Something soft slid into his chest anyways.

“Steve?”

Steve glanced at him, unbothered at Bucky’s interruption, “Yeah?”

“Do you remember Sully?”

Steve’s mouth dropped open in surprise, “Yeah. He was a Shepard. Really good dog.” He surveyed Bucky, like he expected him to say more, but he didn’t.