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тупоголовый придурок: Pig-headed moron
Yelena frowned in slight confusion when Sam's pick-up finally pulled around to a stop in front of one of the airport hangars, their transport out of the country already prepping for its takeoff. Seeing it up close, now, she wondered if it was even an airport that they were in at all.
Flinging the door open, she gripped Fanny's leash and grabbed her things, all the while taking in the sight before her. Unlike one of last flights she had been fortunate enough to pilot, and unfortunately accompanied by the ever-pestering Alexei, the plane crowded beneath the hangar along with a select few other flights looked like it could actually get into the air without its engine sputtering…or the fuel giving out mid-flight. If anything, and the closer she approached it, she internally wondered if it was just a smaller version of a military cargo plane.
All around them, the bustle to and from aircrafts was alive but quiet, and quick but steady. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she caught a glimpse of Sam's shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. This, apparently, was where he did his best work. From what she knew of the new Captain, he had spent a good majority of his time in the Air Force, piloting his super-wing-suit, or whatever it was.
Glancing back over her shoulder, Yelena studied the distant hangars each designed and crafted the same as the one she was under. Again, she wondered if it was even an airport at all or just some sort of Air Force base Sam had managed to get them into. She composed herself in time to hold back a scowl at the thought that this entire operation they were under-going was just some sort of military cat-and-mouse chase. If that was the case, she didn't have any trouble turning around and walking to Budapest if she had to.
"Hey, Torres!" Sam exclaimed, snapping Yelena's attention back to the two she was following. Picking up her pace a little to come up beside them, she followed Sam's gaze over to an approaching soldier, his uniform matching almost every other camouflage one in the building. Torres smiled and strode over to meet the group in the middle, his eyes momentarily darting over to Yelena before looking back to Sam and Bucky.
"Thanks for meeting us up here on such short notice, I really appreciate it," Sam continued. "We figured it might be a bit easier than booking another flight out."
"Ah, no sweat," Torres shrugged. "We're just finishing up everything here on the ground, and we'll be good to go in just a few."
He gave Sam another smile, but Yelena caught its waver as he quickly glanced back at her. Picking it up as just confusion, Sam cleared his throat and gestured to Yelena.
"Right, introductions. Uh, Torres, this is Yelena Belova. Yelena, I'd like you to meet Joaquin Torres, First Lieutenant and intelligence officer," he explained, moving aside a little so Yelena could meet him to shake his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Yelena," he said, a smile spreading across his face.
"Likewise," she replied, her eyes staying glued to his. For what it was worth, he certainly was easy-going on the eyes, though by the looks of it, he couldn't have been more than a few years out of high school. That, and the fact that he seemed increasingly nervous with her around made her curious as to how much Sam had told him about her coming. And what exactly it was that he had filled him in on.
"Will we be able to get in the air shortly?" Bucky cut in, ending the semi-awkward interaction.
"Yeah, like I said, just got to finish up a few things down here," he answered, gesturing towards the plane. "Feel free to have a look at it if you'd like."
Taking the invitation with a swing, Yelena tugged on Fanny's leash and walked towards the plane's edge. It certainly wasn't like the last one she had piloted, far from it actually. She rounded around its side and came to stand almost directly beneath the pilot's cabin. The floor beneath the pilot's console and seat were completely see through with a thick sheet of glass, and not able to help herself, Yelena bent up and blew a puff of air on the window. She watched as the steam quickly disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she continued her round-about of the plane.
As she went, she took the time to look around the place. At least three more planes were lined in the hangar, soldiers and maintenance bustling to and fro. A few stole glances in her direction and most returned to their work. A few frowned in confusion as their eyes darted from Fanny and up to her again before shrugging it away and moving on their way. Fanny only seemed overly bothered by one passing group of men in the same attire as Torres who didn't hide their "curiosity".
A low growl bubbled in her throat when they took the opportunity to look her up and down with much appreciation. Managing to catch their eye, she sent them the most hard-earned glare she could think to use as an ex-Widow. A good portion got the picture and moved on their way, and the ones that didn't were thankfully distracted by something behind her. She barely repressed a smirk as they hurried off looking like puppies that had just been scolded.
Finally turning to face the plane again, she realized she had managed a full round-about and landed herself right at the back of the plane. Torres and Sam were talking at the top of the ramp, but it was the stone-cold super-soldier at the bottom that caught her attention. His posture was stiff and his hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, but it was the icy look cutting through the air like a throwing knife that followed the group of soldiers throwing her a few unprofessional and lingering looks. Ah, she thought to herself. So that's what had them running.
Making her way towards the ramp, Bucky finally looked back at her. She spared him a glance as she made her way up the ramp and stepped into the back of the plane. She kept her face stoic and held it off from a frown as Fanny eagerly led her in further.
The best way she could describe it was as a cylinder-like tin can. A few layers of thin and plushy fabric were attached to the sides of the wall that held suspended bunks off the floor. She held back a chuckle at the red nets holding them up so that its occupant likely wouldn't fall off should the flight take a sharp turn to it.
Pushed back on the far wall, a collection of crates were stacked on top of each other, and she could only assume it was more supplies for a larger crowd of incoming and going soldiers. The rest of the group followed her back as she looked towards the ramp again.
"Uh, well, this is kind of like the sleeping quarters," Torres started, gesturing to the suspended bunks on either side. "Way up front there is the cockpit, but just on the other side of those crates are the bathrooms which you can use for changing rooms if, uh…need be."
Yelena wasn't sure if it was the dim lighting inside that cast a hint of a pinkish glow on the tips of his ears. "And you're sure it's safe?" she clarified, looking up at the ceiling and the small, circular windows scattered around the walls. It really did feel like she was about to fly in the back of a tin can.
"I mean, we usually use planes like these for small cargo shipments, but in some cases we'll use it for transporting soldiers," Torres shrugged, a hint of pride in his voice as he glanced around at it. "It's one of the slightly older models, but she still holds up really well."
Yelena snorted under her breath. The last time she had been assured their plane would hold up well enough to rescue a certain super soldier from a Russian prison, she also found that the very same day, in the very same plane, she was walking the rest of the way to St. Petersburg while the engine and remaining fuel fried itself clean halfway there.
"And who's going to pilot?" she asked, finally letting her backpack slide from her shoulder and onto one of the bunks.
"Oh, uh, I'll be up there full time," Torres reassured. "I've been flying her for a few years now actually. If the wind pattern stays steady and everything runs a smooth schedule, we should get to New York later tonight."
Yelena nodded and plopped down her suitcase. Releasing a low sigh, she checked to make sure the others were occupied before flipping it open. She dug her hand through the bottom and past her toiletries until her fingers finally closed around the throat of the small bottle. Pulling it out, she eagerly uncorked the top and took a slow swig. With another sigh, she begrudgingly recorked it and slipped it back inside, gently pushing Fanny's head to the side as the pup had come up to interrogate her clothes.
Turning on the spot, Yelena let herself fall back onto the bunk. As she sank down, she immediately reorganized her claim, as it wasn't so much of a bunk as it was a suspended cot that had no trouble with weight resistance. Not even wanting to let herself think on how long the flight was going to be, she glanced up again and met with a pair of striking blue eyes.
Bucky glanced down to her open suitcase where she had stashed her bottle of vodka, and she could have sworn there was a twinkle of amusement there as his lips quirked up. Rolling her eyes, she slammed it closed again.
"I would offer some, but I might need the rest if it means I'll have to be stuck in a flying can for the rest of the day," she scoffed. Bucky didn't comment, only shrugged his shoulders and nodded. She hadn't decided if it was better or worse before he turned his back on her and went to discuss the final takeoff preparations with Sam and Torres.
Yelena vaguely wondered if she should have felt left out for not being included in said preparations, but as Fanny began straining on her leash in a now nervous pace, she accepted the distraction with ease.
Pushing aside her luggage, Yelena patted the spot next to her on the bunk, inviting Fanny up. Fanny accepted the offer and eagerly jumped up next to her, circling the spot and finding her footing as it adjusted and sank lightly with her paws. Finally, she slumped down onto the bunk, her tail flopping over Yelena's leg as she faced the opposite direction.
Both seemed to release a sigh at the same time. Leaning her head back against the cool metal of the plane, Yelena's eyes landed on the bunk across from hers. A thin blanket was thrown over the top and a well-sized case had been slipped underneath. Yelena was momentarily confused before she caught sight of the circular bag pushed up against the wall, its leather straining against whatever was inside. She didn't have to second guess herself that it was Sam's bunk.
Letting her mind wander, Yelena didn't even process the ramp doors closing her into the plane fifteen minutes later until she heard it seal shut. Her eyes snapping over, Fanny's head rose up from the bunk as her tail began flicking from side to side in a wild dance with nerves more than excitement. She ducked her head down again when the plane gave a small lurch, and Yelena looked out the opposite window to see the hangar moving in the opposite direction.
She glued her stare to the cloudy and gloomy sky as it turned and positioned itself on the runway. One hand over Fanny's back moving in soft and gentle strokes, Yelena used her other to grip the underside of the bunk as she felt like she was clinging for dear life as the plane took up incredible speed. She refused to acknowledge the lurch in her stomach when she felt the wings finally take to the air, and before she could acknowledge what happened, they were gaining more and more altitude as the seconds ticked by.
Yelena continued her soothing motions over Fanny's back, and it seemed to help enough to keep her from running about the cabin like a chicken with its head cut off. She finally managed to peel her eyes away from the window when a door from the far wall opened, revealing her two previously absent partners. For what it was worth, Yelena hadn't even taken a minute to wonder if they had been left behind at the hangar with their absence during take-off.
Making his way over to what she had guessed was his bunk, Sam swung his legs over and settled himself on his back, his hands resting behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. She didn't bother to look over at Bucky as the sound of rearranging crates drowned out the light buzz in the air.
Averting her eyes away from Sam, Yelena focused her attention on the pup beside her. Fanny was still in the moment of hesitating to either get up and make a run for it or let whatever was happening take its course. She gently wove her fingers through Fanny's fur, letting her know to just take it easy and relax. Her body still remained stiff, but Fanny didn't make a move to get up to try to claw her way out.
"So," Sam's voice rang out. "What got you to stay in Budapest?"
Looking up at him, Yelena took a moment to try and word it the best that she could. "It was one of the only places I thought I could go."
"What do you mean by that?" he pressed, frowning in confusion at her answer.
Already knowing he wasn't going to drop it unless he got a better explanation, she tried again. "I've had a few…other experiences there, I guess. Back when the Avengers had their big break-up, I went back to Budapest hoping to start fresh. I got a little side-tracked and it led me down another path, so it's really one of the only other homes that I know. Besides, not many people are willing to open their doors to an ex-assassin."
Sam stayed silent at her answer, his eyes darting down as his mind seemed to reel with knit-picking each word apart. As a better distraction, she hoped, Yelena cleared her throat and threw a question back.
"What about you?" she started. "What landed you in Budapest? Was there some sort of Captain America convention I missed?"
Hoping to get some sort of reaction for a sake she didn't know, Yelena was mildly disappointed when Sam only turned away from her to glance over at the super soldier that had remained silent.
Following his gaze, Yelena finally took another look at Bucky. He had discarded his jacket and gloves, leaving him in only a tight-fitting shirt, which she absolutely refused to follow, and a dark pair of jeans. Despite berating herself for staring at his chest, Yelena squinted her eyes to get a better look at what was hanging over the top of his shirt. In his hunched position with his elbows resting on his knees on top of one of the crates, she made out what she could of a dangling silver chain around his neck, leading down to two curved identity cards. Dog tags, she quickly realized.
Darting her eyes back up to his face, she was relieved to find she hadn't been caught staring. Rather, he was occupied with staring looking at his clenched hands and away from Sam's insistent gaze.
"We just had a few things we needed to take care of," Sam finally answered, looking away from Bucky and back to her. "That, and we were trying to follow a very minor lead. It didn't get us very far until you called Buck up on Valentina, then we thought that it might have been worth something after all."
Yelena nodded at the second portion of his answer, but her mind lingered on what he had said about needing some things to take care of. Surely they hadn't killed someone?
"But that beginning lead brought you all the way out to Budapest?"
Sam hesitated for a split second, and that was all the answer she needed before he nodded solemnly. It wasn't a total and complete lie, but there was much more beneath that story.
"Well, you two seem set on the idea that Valentina is trying to recruit more super soldiers," Yelena stated, pushing the thought to the back of her mind for the time being. "And, what, you think she's going to run into one on the street, hand over her number, and call it a day?"
"No, not necessarily," Sam replied, cocking his head to the side as he stared up at the ceiling. "From what we've got so far, and from what we know already, the only one she's picked up recently is Walker. Before that, we never had any reason to track her or her history. The only real lead we're trying to pull at here is that she's looking for more, whether that be an actual super soldier or someone one that could be a good candidate for one."
"You mean someone who would be willing to chug down a serum?" Yelena clarified, her brow furrowing as Sam nodded.
"Possibly. But, we don't have any evidence or anything that would indicate she's trying to recreate the serum like the Flag Smashers did," he explained, finally hoisting himself up into a seated position. "Right now, she's just on a market run looking for new recruits?"
"But this organization thing," Yelena continued, waving her hand in a gesture to whatever it was called. "You're not sure who she's working for?"
"Not yet."
"Is it a part of the big three?"
She would have never considered Sam to be an incredibly smug individual, but the smirk that overtook his face nearly proved her wrong. His eyes slid away from her and over to Bucky, who scowled and shook his head, muttering something under his breath that she couldn't make out. Sam only replied with a short chuckle as Fanny stirred beside her.
Yelena lifted her arm as Fanny shakily got to her feet and awkwardly spun around in her spot, all but collapsing into Yelena's lap. Moving a paw or two to situate herself, Fanny released a slow breath and looked up at Yelena from beneath her thin lashes.
"So you and Fanny are pretty close?" Sam asked, watching them both with a small grin.
For a moment, Yelena was caught off guard, the tightening sensation in her chest overtaking her. No, she and Fanny Longbottom hadn't been close before they reunited. If anything, she had tried to forget her sister, only focusing on her training to become the Widow she was meant to. No, she and Fanny hadn't been friends when they reunited, but they were still part of the broken bits of what was once a family. No, she and Fanny hadn't been close. But their final parting had been a sealed promise.
Swallowing down her thoughts, Yelena took a deep breath and said, "She's the only family I have left."
"Pick her up at a shelter?" Sam asked, deterring the question away from her rather deep response.
"She was the first one to come and say hello," Yelena replied, scratching behind Fanny's ear. "After that, she just followed me through the clinic and wouldn't leave me alone - that's how you know they're the good ones. I've always just wanted a dog, and Fanny seemed to fit the needs pretty well."
"You've always been a dog person?"
Without thinking, Yelena shrugged her shoulders and replied, "No, not always. But it helps when you have someone to look after when the choice to start a family yourself isn't yours."
Clenching her jaw shut, Yelena bit the inside of her cheek as she took a quick glance down at Fanny. The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she had said too much. She scolded herself but didn't let her sudden frustration show. She was a spy, an assassin, and an ex-Widow for God's sake, and here she was mouthing off the deeper mechanics of the Red Room to two American operatives she had only known for the past week.
Looking back up again, she caught a lingering glance shared between Sam and Bucky. Turning to face him, Yelena watched as Bucky dropped his gaze away from Sam and down to the floor of the plane. It only held for a second before slipping over to her, a frown adorning his face.
Yelena held his gaze as she stared back at him. She willed herself not to look away as she clenched her jaw, almost sure her teeth would shatter under the pressure. His look could have been that of confusion, and she wasn't sure whether she shared his feelings. Or it was anger suddenly bubbling in her veins. He really didn't know what had happened behind the doors of the Red Room?
The plane took a sudden shift in direction, and Yelena clutched the bunk as her eyes finally broke away from his and flitted down to Fanny again. She didn't seem bothered by the slight tilt to the plane and heaved a long breath when it evened itself out again.
The three drilled themselves into silence, the light whir of the plane and buzz of the wind floating through to fill the space. Yelena barely even registered a few minutes later when Sam got to his feet and excused himself, making his way around the crates and back towards the front of the plane heading straight for the cock-pit. She wasn't sure if it was to actually talk with Torress, or if to just escape the overbearing silence.
It only left her and the bionic-staring machine in the back, and she knew that if she were to take the knife from her belt hilt, she could have cut the tension in the air with it. The noise of the plane flitted in and out of her head as she debated with herself. A question lied on the tip of her tongue that she had been curious to know for the past week, and even though she expected not to get an answer, she took a chance anyway.
"Why did you follow me back to the safe house?"
She turned to face him again and found that he hadn't even taken his eyes off of her. Yelena was met with silence as she watched her ex-operative clench and unclench his jaw in a repeated matter, clearly mulling over his response. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. Dare she say, she could call it computing.
"I've been making amends," he answered, his voice returning to its low feel, though rather than dangerous, it sounded almost small. "Or trying to with everyone I might have hurt as the Winter Soldier. Putting in some effort to try and leave him behind."
Yelena felt an odd rush of frustration. "Trying to pity the poor Widow, are you?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing in on him. "Say you're sorry and wipe some red from your ledger?"
Bucky's frown deepened and he pushed himself off of his elbows. "I'm not trying to pity you," he replied. "I've been trying to make things right, start a fresh slate."
"And has that erased it all?" Yelena asked again. "Has it left behind the part of you that's a trained killer?"
Bucky's expression didn't change as he took a second to just stare at her. Deep inside, it spurred Yelena's slight confusion and a bit of frustration on further. He made it look so simple, so easy. To just move on from a life that he hadn't chosen, to one he had never even wanted to imagine having in the first place. Yet here he was, going around to the poor, helpless people he had wronged and saying he was sorry for the things he had done to cause them harm in the first place, whether it was them directly or not. It seemed so simple to move on…
"No, it hasn't," he replied, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I already know it never will. I remember the things I've done, which means a part of me is still there. Also means a part of the Winter Soldier is there, too. But making amends is a place to start. It doesn't even have to be everyone at once, just a few at a time to start it out."
"And how many have you done?"
Bucky took a second to pause. "You're the last one."
Yelena couldn't take her eyes off of his. "That's why you came to Budapest?"
He didn't answer her as his gaze flitted down, his hands balling themselves together again, intertwining metal to flesh. Having lost his jacket, his arm was on full display to her, the intricate designs running all the way up to his shoulder. The vague golden lining jutting between each crevice glinted off of the dim lighting and what was left of the afternoon sun. Blinking back to her senses, Yelena scolded herself again, this time for thinking a techy arm was suddenly such an interesting topic. The small gnaw of curiosity about it, and most things she didn't or hadn't understood yet since regaining her own will, was pushed to the back of her mind for the time being.
The silence stretched on, the rumble of the plane reclaiming the silence once again. For one so intent for her to trust him and Sam, he wasn't overly keen on opening up for a talk. Releasing a small sigh, Yelena was about to avert her eyes away again to focus on anything but the tension hanging between them when he asked a question.
"How long were you with the Red Room?"
One that also took her completely off guard. Blinking back in surprise, Yelena had the good sense to keep her face neutral. "How long are you going to keep interrogating me for?"
"You know trusting people usually starts with getting to know the person. That means asking a few questions here and there."
"Then you certainly have a lot of them."
Bucky's eyes flickered up to hers again, leveling them off in a narrowed sort of glare. She returned it all the same, and Yelena willed her eyelids to stay wide open and locked on his. She wasn't about to back down from a challenge from the cyborg-brain-staring machine. As what felt like hours ticked by between them, and the bottom of her eyes began to water, Yelena mulled over her answer knowing there wasn't any way to skirt around the story lightly. And if she avoided it now, there was no doubt it was going to come up later. The idea of rambling off some of her life story to him half-drunk in a bar at midnight was not something she was planning anytime soon.
"I was six," she finally replied, her voice quiet but firm. She had never sat back to truly recount the story for herself. Even at the times she did want to, she had stopped herself with a nice distraction, whether that had been Fanny's insistence for an evening walk or a nice bottle of vodka with a ridiculous American sit-com show. "Or since I left Ohio. From then on, my life was dedicated to the Red Room Academy. There's not much more of the story to tell."
He didn't need to know. There was no overbearing pressure to spill every secret she still buried from her own self. She wasn't being held at a weapon point to share every bit of her life back in Ohio until the moment the two had first interacted. There wasn't any means besides just taking the chance to open up a bit. To her ex-operative, to the supposed enemy.
But he wasn't, or not anymore. Now, or in the perspective Bucky put it in, she was beginning her road down making amends. There would come a time when she needed to trust people. When she would hopefully find someone to open up to. A colleague, a friend, or a partner. They weren't on opposing sides anymore, one set on killing the other. They were partners. Partners are supposed to hold a certain level of trust, and it was the baby-starting-steps that lead to that. Yelena held back a 'humph' at the unveiling of his "genius" plan hidden in play sight. Opening up started with that trust, and that's just what the ex-assassin was trying to do.
"Knowing what I do now, I was registered to a family," Yelena sighed, knowing already it was going to turn into a long conversation. "I was to play the youngest daughter in the average American family household, stationed in Ohio. It was just the usual; mother, father, and a sister, all together in a small town living under the impression that we were just a family. Three years later, I was sent back to the Red Room, along with my sister. We were both trained to be Widows…fill in the rest with that information."
Her eyes darted across his face for his reaction, and it took a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. Yelena only nodded as he didn't have to use words. As far as she knew, there was only one other Widow he encountered, and their first greeting hadn't been the liveliest either.
Swallowing back, Yelena opened her mouth to tell the rest of what she could of her story, up until the moment that she had reached out to Natasha for help and sent the vials of the antidotes. Her words cut short as they stuck to her throat. The memories themselves were still hard to think back to, and she refused to meet Bucky's gaze as she steadily held her composure together. It wasn't necessary to fill in every single detail of her personal life, and she skimmed what she could over her final few missions in the company of her family.
"After the fall of the Red Room, my…my parents helped me start with the next few steps," Yelena continued, having adjusted her position to crossing her legs beneath her on the bunk. "They helped a lot with freeing the rest of the Widows from Dreykov's control, and it was nice at the time to have a few helping hands on board when the people you're looking for have made it their mission to hide in plain sight while ready to attack at the first sign of danger."
"My mother, Melina, she was another Widow. One of Dreykov's main scientists after becoming a full-fledged killer. Discovered she was actually run through the Academy four times before my sister was even born. But she was there all through the time I spent in Ohio. She was there as my mother, and even if it wasn't supposed to be real…there were still parts that felt real to me."
Catching her breath as she recalled one of the last family dinners she had seated around the table once again with all of her family, Yelena slowly exalted and pressed her lips together in a thin line. She had no trouble coming up with an answer for her father.
"My given father, on the other-hand, I can assure you was a тупоголовый придурок," she scoffed, recalling one of his first lines in the plane ride away from the prison. She was happy to give him a good whack on the nose for asking about her time of the month. Her voice dripping with sarcasm, she started again. "The amazing, wonderful Crimson Dynamo, he was the ever so famous Red Guardian. Alexei was apparently the profound - "
"Wait, who?"
Yelena cut herself short as her eyes snapped up to meet his again. He had remained silent throughout the rest of her story so far, and she watched as his brow furrowed in concentrated confusion.
"Alexei Shostakov," Yelena clarified, her eyes widening in surprise as something between a sneer and a grin pulled back the corner of her lips. "You know him?"
"Well, no not personally," Bucky replied, cocking his head to the side. "I do remember hearing things up on him, though. He was one of the super-soldiers from the Soviet Union, one of the only ones, now that I think about it. He was never inducted into anything regarding the Winter Soldier program, but I know the name Shostakov slipped around a few times."
Yelena took note, that despite overcoming her slight shock that her newly acquainted partner supposedly was familiar with her adopted father, that Bucky's voice wavered on the Winter Soldier program. She didn't have to say a single word to know it was certainly a touchy subject and he was in no mood to talk about it in the least. Taking a new approach, Yelena let a short and dark chuckle escape her lips.
"I can assure you, Barnes, you weren't missing anything," she scoffed. "I could tell you every stupid thing he's done and said in the time I've known him, but I could just some it up by saying that he was incredibly fond of the title he had been giving in his so called 'glory days'. That, and the idea he had that he and the famous Captain America were apparently bitter rivals. They had even come to some pretty close fights, it sounded like from his account."
Bucky's frown returned as he opened and shut his mouth, leaning back a bit more. "Steve never mentioned anything about him."
Yelena couldn't help it. Before her hand could go to cover her mouth, an audible laugh bubbled over in her chest and spilled out, a wide smile spreading across her face as she shook her head, trying to cover up her enlightened mood by just those few words. She barely realized Sam had joined them again until she regained her composure and caught sight of him leaning back on his bunk out of the corner of her eye.
"Barnes, if I ever tell you anything, it's this," Yelena grinned. "If you ever - ever - have the chance to meet with Alexei, I'm begging you now to mention that to him. I'll pay you good money to do it too."
Just the picture of his shock stricken face and his spluttering replies to call out the reclaim that he had never fought Captain America flashed across her mind as she looked over at Bucky again. The corner of his lips were quirked up in a small smile as he gazed back over at her, his eyes never straying even as she took a deep breath again and finally turned to acknowledge Sam.
"What'd I miss?" he asked, arching a brow in Bucky's direction, clearly eager for a few details he missed. Bucky flicked his eyes over to Sam and gave him a small and curt nod. Sam apparently understood the hidden message and nodded his head.
"Well, sorry to break up the small talk, but Torres gave me word on our flight time," he continued. "Probably be another ten hours 'til we get to the East Coast, so I'd get plenty comfortable."
By the bunk underneath her, Yelena was anything but comfortable. Still, she nodded in understanding and resumed her strokes across Fanny's fur. She leaned her head back against the cords holding the bunk up from the floor, and she knew she could already feel the slight ache taking over her body at the awkward position.
Her eyes flickered over to her small suitcase again, and being sure not to disturb Fanny's placing in her lap, Yelena's fingers brushed across the handle as she tried to tug it close enough to reach the zipper. Ignoring Sam and Bucky's glances in her direction, she managed to pull her bag over and unzipped the side, pulling out the small bottle she had taken a quick swig out of at the start of their trip.
Releasing a small sigh again as she let the vodka settle before taking another sip, Yelena glanced over at her two partners staring at her. She only shrugged and raised a single brow in return, both of them getting the signal and returning back to the silence.
By the next hour, her flask of vodka had been finished off to the last drop, and it had only briefly taken her ache and mind off of things. For a good remainder of the flight, the time passed in a comfortable silence, Sam or Bucky occasionally cutting into it to fill them in on the bits and pieces of their plan put together so far. Yelena nodded and followed along until the hum of the plane took over in the silences that continued to follow. Her gaze was fixed on the window opposite her, and she watched for a few hours as the sky shifted from color to color until a few extra dim, over-head lights kicked on.
It was late, and the lull of the plane was becoming harder and harder to resist a few minutes of rest. Fanny had abandoned her spot on the cot and had taken to exploring around a few of the crates. Craning her chest forward until she heard a delightful pop in her back, Yelena stretched her arms above her head as she slumped down onto her side, resting her head in her hands as she watched the pup sniff eagerly into whatever nook or cranny she could find.
Sam had gone ahead to the cockpit again to check in with Torres, while her other partner had finally taken to one of the elevated cots next to Sam's. One of his legs was slung over the side as he leaned back on his arms with a book in hands. Yelena narrowed her eyes to get a good look at the title. The Hobbit, she thought it was called.
Averting her gaze back to Fanny, she held out her hand as she passed, ruffling the fur behind her ears. Fanny accepted it gratefully, but continued on her way across the plane. Yelena's brief smile slid away as she came to a stop by Bucky's leg, her tail wagging eagerly as he looked down at her and a small grin curled his lips up. Yelena kept herself from scowling or smiling, as she wasn't sure which one she felt like doing more in the moment as he extended one hand forward and gave her head a light pat.
She looked away again before he could catch her staring at the two of them and rolled onto her side, her face towards the cords of her cot and the metal interior of the plane. Yelena could vaguely hear the ex-assassin adjusting on his cot and Fanny's paws pushing off from the ground, a straining weight suddenly pulling on another part of his bunk.
Traitor, Yelena internally scoffed. With the dim lights overhead, the late hours of the night, and the light hum of the plane's engines around her, she let her eyes drift shut, allowing for, if any, a few hours of some much needed sleep.
Hello readers!
I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter, my schedule since school has started has gotten more demanding by the second and I've barely had time to think so much as write! But, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and be sure to keep a lookout for the next soon to be released!
And, as always, have a splendid morning, afternoon, evening, and night!
-Summerwinds