It was way past sunrise when she finally stopped because the mirrored room was crowded with the girls who came in for their daily training with Kudrin. Some of them looked curiously at Natasha and the way she danced. She nodded at them grimly and left the room, not feeling like she should meet Kudrin. In fact, she was pretty sure that she had exercised during breakfast. So it would at least allow her to keep her distance from James. She walked back towards her room as she heard familiar heavy steps. Almost within seconds, she knew it was the Winter Soldier. Her eyes widened and she hurried quietly in the opposite direction and entered a random room. It was a broom closet and she felt ridiculous for running away from him, of all people. But she didn't have the heart to meet him yet. In fact, she felt almost ashamed for running away. It was against everything she had learned, but James was different. She hated this awkwardness, but she felt like it would only return as well as the urge to touch or feel his lips on hers... Natalia shook her head, trying to get those feelings away, and she walked out to her own room.
This went on for at least two weeks. Natalia had lost track of time, but she had successfully managed to keep a distance between her and James. Perhaps he was avoiding her as well. Eventually, though, she was called in for another mission. She walked out of the briefing to her own room with the folder in her hand. She dressed in a Black Widow suit and took some gadgets on. Afterwards, Natalia left the building to wait for her partner while getting some guns and knives. She hadn't asked who she had been partnered with, but a large part of her hoped it was the Winter Soldier. The awkward silence made her heartbeat quicken in a very unnatural way. Natalia stood around, waiting for the dark-haired man as she pushed some red curls out of her face. It was a weird mixture of nervousness and excitement to see him again. A small part of her hoped things were back to normal. Though judging by how she had tried to avoid him, it most likely wouldn't…
The loud whir of his arm pushing against substantial weight rung between the grunts and hisses of the fight. He took the blow of the girl's knee against his stomach and now that he'd gotten a good hold on her, he didn't let go. Instead, he spun the girl, lifting her up in the air and then slamming her down with a deafening thud that ended the fight.
The girl panted, fingers instinctively clawing at the metallic hand wrapped around her throat. The teenager looked up at him with a mix of desperation and unhappiness with her situation. James held her there a moment longer before his fingers unwound and released his hold.
"That is how you die," He said coldly to the trainee. The young blonde pushed herself up to a sitting position and he turned his back on her without helping her. Instead, he looked at the other girls, who had sparred with each in turn before this last girl and looked at each of them too. "Dismissed," He growled and the girls quickly filed away.
The Winter Soldier wasn't known to be a gentle teacher or a kind one, but today he had particular vigor in the fights against the girls. They hadn't really stood a chance, and usually, he let them encourage and allowed room for the use of new manoeuvres he taught them. Not much of a chance, but it was always there for those exceptional ones who had the skill.
Like Natalia.
A frown passed over his features once before it disappeared just as quickly. Better known as the reason for his sour mood. He dreamed of her... odd and particularly frustrating. Especially since he hadn't seen her. It seemed intentional... and James wasn't sure he could blame her. For his part in it... well, he just didn't push very hard to follow her.
He glanced around the room and changed into the locker rooms. As if there might be a witness to his thoughts. But there were none and he stepped out into the hallway.
"Don't bruise their pretty faces. I need those," Kudrin said from the opposite end of the hall, as soon as he'd stepped out of the training room. James' eyes moved up with a cold stare. She smiled belittling and he raised an eyebrow. "They need the asset,"The woman said and gestured to the end of the hallway. She said it as if the name would bother him. It did not.
He stepped past the taxing woman, with no patience to deal with her power plays over training today. He stalked past her and met with his handler, who had been absent last week. It was not unusual; oftentimes he was left to himself within the Red Room to complete his mission of being lent here.
They went over the mission quickly, which they said was very important. The facility he was sneaking into had the highest level of security and he was not very surprised when he was told he'd be paired with Natalia. He simply nodded firmly and took the folder handed to him. He dressed in his tactical gear and chose his array of weapons. As soon as he'd strapped his combat knife to his side he walked to the edge of the building and stepped outside into the lightly whipping wind.
There waiting was Natalia, unmistakable as she was. He stepped forward, and with each step towards her, it seemed another level of the Winter Soldier who had prepared for his mission moments ago melted away. James stopped not far from her but didn't enter closer to her. He hadn't seen her in what felt like a long time, and although he didn't know what to say, he couldn't help but take in the way the wind played with curls or the way her eyes met his own.
"You have been briefed?" He asked, and even that he couldn't make into the matter-of-fact or warm tone he normally could with her. He had simply hoped the issue would go away... and yet the instant he was back around her, it all seemed to race back to him.
"Hello, Winter," she greeted him before she turned her focus towards him. She gave him a gentle smile and tried her best to make the situation less awkward than it had been the last time. Her mood seemed to lighten up, though. She hadn't realized that it had dropped drastically even though some guards had hurried their ways as his piercing and sour gaze had met them.
"How have you been?" she asked, avoiding the topic that was up in the air since they had kissed. Unconsciously she licked her lips at the thought of their shared kiss.
He spoke and again, she needed a moment to register what he tried to ask her. Finally, she gave a short nod and explained "They said get in and out without setting off the alarm. Just a quick job of borrowing something without asking. Am I missing something?"
Natalia tried her best to seem casual, but if someone looked at her closely, one would realize that she had bags under her eyes and seemed tired. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately, thanks to constantly having someone on her mind when Natalia had nothing to do.
"Natalia," He greeted in return. She smiled at him and it was enough to melt even his worst of moods. Yet this one persisted even as she asked how he was. He couldn't very well answer that. Anything he had to say would lead to questions. Questions he couldn't begin to fathom how to explain to her.
The way she wetted her lips did not help. James deliberately looked away and only partially worried that it would seem odd when they were in the middle of talking. But he couldn't help it; was she trying to make this difficult? No, she wasn't, he knew. It was a change in his behavior, not hers. But that didn't stop that such a small action had him either wanting to yell angrily at her or kiss her fiercely. Both were entirely irrational, and both urges are much stronger than his thoughts against them.
She was missing something alright, but it had nothing to do with security systems and it was likely a good thing Natalia did miss it. Suddenly he growled internally at his own thoughts. He had a mission and no time for such damning ideas. James cursed himself quietly.
"Yes, and do not fail," He ended simply. This was a critical mission and there was no room for error in retrieving the target object. "If we must make noise we are permitted," But as she'd said, it was better not to give them time in an escape.
He waved a hand out in front of him to indicate she could move to the car waiting for them to take beyond the gates they could freely walk between now, the ones she once raced past. The thoughts, of course, couldn't stay where they were supposed to as his hand fell back down and he remembered the warmth of hers laced between his fingers.
He moved before she could, so she wouldn't get too close to him and cause him to become more distracted. This was unacceptable on such an important mission; the Winter Soldier did not fail for a reason. But James felt hopeless against the tide of his thoughts when he had a good hours drive with her in a car alone.
She noticed how he didn't reply to such a simple question. He even looked away and she crinkled her mouth. Of course, her quick idea of their cover hadn't been so well after all. She almost missed the times when she would've been able to talk to him freely and him scoffing at her. Natalia had fun and even made up some stories to test her boundaries until he realized it was a simple story. But now, one simple kiss hung between them like it had been the worst thing to happen. Natalia didn't even find the courage to talk with him about it. In fact, she was so embarrassed and felt so bad for hiding from him. From someone, she admired in more than one way.
Natalia nodded simply and didn't know what else to do about this returning awkwardness. Perhaps she should simply accept it in their relationship or partnership... It didn't seem to go away and almost made her miss the days when he had pushed her around to make her fight against him instead of sitting around and accepting the fact that he punched her. Despite that he had seen her and made her do it. Some days had been frustrating for both of them when she returned to her quiet days of holding back.
The redhead sighed a bit and walked to the car. She quickened her pace and got into the driver's seat. Being able to drive would distract her, and she could pretend to be busy moving instead of talking to him. He didn't seem keen on communication anyways. The way he had simply ignored her trying to talk with him spoke volumes. She started the car and started driving to their destination. It was some hours away, but not even once she stopped to make a short break. Things were so tensed to her that she hoped to leave this behind and hide again. Natalia had always been a loner, even as a girl. But she had thought that she had found a friend in James. But it seemed like she had managed to ruin that friendship.
Eventually, they were close to their destination, so she said, "I'll distract the guards and you will look for a way to that thing..?" Her voice seemed more focused; it was the first time she could push away what had happened. It was important that they'd move as quickly as possible and silently. If no one knew they were there, it would be easier to retrieve what they had to.
She'd driven, which left him restless without action to focus on. James lived from one action to the next, and all this time to think was poisoning his ability to think clearly. Finally, halfway through, he reprimanded himself for his ridiculous behavior and did his best to alter his thoughts. It was simply a cover and his body's reaction had nothing to do with him or Natalia. He should see it this way, of course. They were both friendly, but they were just about doing their missions, correct? It must be so. That was how things must be.
His mental talk didn't work very well, but his mood lifted slightly.
But even then, he couldn't figure out what he should say or how he would have said it. The ease with which they'd spoken seemed to be gone and left him in that middle ground where he didn't know what to think or do. So he simply did nothing.
The closer they got, he decided to inhale a long, solid breath. He closed his eyes, doing so again and when he opened them, he turned open the file to let his eyes scan over it. James needed to focus on his mission for complete success.
He thumbed through it again and looked over their weapons and the type of security system. Then, when Natalia spoke, he managed to be focused enough on his mission to forget his lack of ability to speak momentarily.
"I have been to this institution before," He explained and nudged one of the papers out to look over. The details were foggy of why... but even when the details slipped away he remembered the missions themselves. "I know where it might be, but we'll need time to make sure." He said still scanning the limited information on the target object. "The security here is advanced; you will be able to get us in quietly?" He asked and finally glanced over at her.
"You've been here before?" she asked, confused and stopped the car at a safe distance from the institution. She looked at him with a frown and then towards the building they were about to enter. It seemed odd that they'd send the Winter Soldier to the same facility twice. Why was that object of so much use for the Red Room that they risked sending the same assassin there twice? It didn't make any sense, but who was she to judge? Natalia would change some aspects of her missions if she was in charge.
Natalia nodded, sure of herself at the question. "That shouldn't be much of a problem. I can take care of the men without leaving a blood trail; we just have to be careful not to get caught by surveillance cameras. But that should be our least trouble. The guards who might set off the alarm are more dangerous than some cameras," she spoke and continued "But leave those to me. I can get us in. Just stay close and get the object." She looked back at him and ensured that he knew she was telling the truth. This was what she had trained all her life for. So no need to worry.
She moved her shoulders a bit as they felt stiff from driving in the same position for hours. "Let's go before they spot the vehicle," she said and placed the car keys underneath the driver's seat so they wouldn't need to look for them in case things went wrong. She stepped out of the car and stretched herself, loosening her muscles. Then, without waiting for him, she started to walk towards the building.
She stayed in the shadows listening to James' heavy steps to ensure he was close by. Natalia had read about the space where they could enter the institution without anyone recognizing and walked over, waiting for the guard to walk away. She gestured to it before sprinting towards their entrance and quickly moving inside without being seen.
They tiptoed along the hallways while she allowed James to lead. She listened closely to steps that weren't their own. Eventually, she heard steps and a male voice and she stopped James placing a hand on his chest as she pressed him against the wall. Natalia placed her finger on her lips, indicating for him to stay quiet and stay. Afterwards, she adjusted her cleavage and her hair. A smirk played on her lips as she stepped out of the hallway and walked up to the guard like she owned this place. Her hips were swaying from side to side. "Hello Soldier..." she purred naturally and ran a hand through her hair. Her voice was so soft and she knew how to move so she wouldn't be a threat to anyone.
"I believe so," He muttered. When he tried to think about the details, they simply turned to mist, not there to be remembered. He likely forgot such small details was all. They didn't matter for this mission; he seemed to still remember the ones that did.
He nodded to her as she explained her plan. It all seemed very solid, which he was pleased with. James didn't care about a blood trail. He just wanted it quiet until they had the object in hand. At that point, it didn't quite matter. He raised an eyebrow, quite sure he didn't know how, but she was trained for this and he knew better now than to question Natalia's skills. She was fully prepared for any mission, as was he. That's why they'd been partnered.
"Yes," He agreed and crouched low as they made it across the lawn and into the building. The cameras were on timers, so they were easy to slip past when they turned to blind spots. A bit difficult with two people, but they were both fast. He slipped past her, mentally recounting the blueprints he'd seen long ago and checking certain areas to ensure they were still relevant. They seemed so and they were very close when suddenly Natalia put her hand on his chest.
He glanced around in case she'd seen something he didn't but was distracted from his task when she suddenly pushed him back against the wall. Then, involuntarily, his pulse shot up and he could hear his heart's erratically quick beats drumming along in his ear.
Nothing happened; instead, she put her finger to her lips, which again didn't help what suspiciously seemed like a dream. He watched her fixing herself up with sudden confusion before he heard boot steps and stiffened. But she slipped around the corner and he stilled, listening for the drop of a body while he pushed down his own disappointment.
They were too close to be caught by a guard... and then Natalia's voice dropped into that low purr of hers. So she wanted to use her tricks like she did to screw with the guards before disarming them for her long-held dislike for all of them.
He glanced around and edged out, unwilling to stay entirely out of view in case she was attacked. But he was out of sight, just barely able to see the scene as he waited for her to get close enough to take the guard out…
"Where did you come from!?" the guard demanded to know and almost instantly raised his gun. But he didn't shoot. In fact, he walked closer to the corner where the Winter Soldier was waiting.
"What does it matter?" she asked light-heartedly and gently stepped closer, placing a hand on his cheek, trying to distract him.
"What matters is you and me here... All the things we could do. I can be everything you like, hot stuff," she whispered seductively as she stressed the last part and pushed him up against the wall like she had done a moment ago with James. Just that this time she had other intentions. She stepped closer, giving him a good view down her torso to distract him.
By now, the man was entirely distracted by the redhead in front of him. He didn't even seem to question where she had come from anymore but wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, so there was no space left between them as his hands slipped to her bottom. It was getting uncomfortable, but she was close enough to finish things.
"Everything?" the man asked, hopeful and she nodded, giving her yes. Her smirk grew, and she leaned to his ear, wanting to kiss him there as she said, "Yes, everything. Even the grim reaper."
Confusion appeared on his face and she quickly brought her fist to his sides and her knee to his groin. He groaned in pain and tried to hit her as well. But Natalia was too fast for him to seriously injure her. So she ended up behind him, one arm under his chin with her hand on his right cheek and her other arm above his hand with her hand on his right temple. A quick and hard pull cracked the man's spine.
What an imbecile. Honestly, who imagined a pretty woman showing up at the place you were supposedly guarding to seduce you? James refrained from rolling his eyes but was surprised she hadn't killed him already. His gun was lowered, he knew her capabilities and she could have taken him by now.
She pushed him against the wall, staying close and his eyes darted to where she'd just done similarly to him. For the mission, of course. He didn't realize he was gritting his teeth until they felt uncomfortable from grinding them as she continued to seduce the man. His arms were around her quickly and a sneer pulled up on his face, a disgusting pig.
It was then he suddenly decided to back away. He didn't want a viewing of what happened next. He'd much rather focus on his mission than the uncomfortable feeling in his gut. What did it matter, this was how she ran missions... had done it with him, and that was fine. Whatever got the mission done.
He stalked quickly at his own pace towards an alternate route he knew of. He ran across the halls, with a cold anger, stopping only for surprised guards. He quickly grabbed ahold of each with the element of surprise and squeezed his metal hand around their neck until he heard the crack of their bones.
He leapt into view in front of the room designated by his handler to hold the target object. First, he kicked one of the two guards down and used the force from his kick to spin him around in the air. Then, he grabbed ahold of the second man's shoulder and pushed him into the wall. As the Soldier landed on his feet, he rushed forward to grab him around the neck and twisted it the wrong way.
He quickly hurried into the room, swiping the guard's ID cards to get in.
James stepped through, watching for other security measures. He walked across the room and found where the target object was. It was in a case, and he was sure he'd end up setting the alarm the moment it was opened. He ducked down to find a way to disable it and pulled open a box with wiring. After fiddling with it long enough, he found the power grid on the stand went down. A flag for guards, but they wouldn't have time to worry about it before he'd taken it.
He picked it up and found no alarm went off. But as he held the small package in his hand, there was a slide of a door. He turned to see several guards in a higher gear coming towards him. He gripped the package in his hand but was surprised when instead of a spray of bullets, one of them shot a strange device. It latched onto his arm and he felt it reacting with a hit. James felt no pain, but he suddenly lost all control of his arm and the package dropped from it as it fell limp.
The geared-up guards came towards him and he did his best to fight the hoard off with just his regular arm but there were so many.
Natalia was confused as James didn't appear from the corner. "James..?" she asked carefully and walked back to the corner. To her surprise, he didn't stand there anymore. Panic rose within her and she hurried down the hallway looking for her partner. Indeed he could defend herself, but she suddenly grew worried. She was aware that the worry was utterly irrational because he could definitely defend himself, but still... She ran down the hallway and some more. Suddenly she was at a dead end, so she had to turn around and hurry back. Slithering, Natalia halted as soon as she spotted dead bodies on the ground.
"Goddammit, James... We agreed on not leaving bodies behind," she mumbled to herself, but at least it was an undeniable trail to follow. She jogged through the hallways until she arrived at a door. It was locked and she had to push it violently open as she stumbled inside. Natalia looked around, seeing a relatively big room. There were men surrounding someone or something. Without thinking, Natalia started to move toward those guards. As soon as she spotted the Winter Soldier, she moved like an animal, finally beginning to hunt her prey. Her whole facial expression and body language screamed death.
She grabbed a knife and stabbed it between a man's shoulder blades while kicking into his knee pits. The man fell lifeless to the ground. Before the guards knew what was going on, she had jumped and kicked against another guard's back and used the force to slip over a third one's shoulder while strangling him with an arm around the guy's neck. She kept holding him as one man nearby aimed at Natalia and shot. She used the third guard, who screamed in pain, as a shield before kicking at his hand, holding the gun and snapping the shot man's neck. The man pulled the trigger again and the bullet hit another guard's head, so the men fell dead to the ground. Without waiting for anything to happen, she used a guy's knee to jump and wrap her thighs around one guard's neck and crack the spine in the meantime.
Before most guards realized what was happening, she had already killed five men. Her cold gaze fell on the man who had shot with the device at James. She got a second knife and moved over to him. Without blinking, she had sliced the man's neck and stabbed a seventh guard. She stood breathless amid dead bodies as blood dropped from her hand to the ground. It wasn't her own blood, though. Her cold glare made the rest of the guards almost shake in fear and they ran away.
His cartridge clicked empty, the hammer jerked back, and he snarled as he threw the gun aside and slid his knife from his side. The Soldier ducked down as another guard aimed for him, twisted to his left, and gained a vantage on them. His deadened arm threw his jump off balance and he snarled again, long hair falling in his face. He needed to be close for the hand to hand with his knife to be able to do any sort of quick damage but he couldn't get to them. They knew to stay back.
His bullets had taken only one guard down. Nothing was wrong with his deadly aim, his right hand was his dominant one anyways, but the gear they wore left little room for bullets to pierce. Even their head guards were effective.
They knew to avoid close contact with him. So instead, he ducked to hide behind the stand the package had been on as bullets sprayed toward him. He took a breath and pulled three smaller daggers from his boots and one strapped to his ankle.
He rose when the bullet spray paused and flung two, one pinged off the metal of the helmet, the other wedged between it and the neck guard into the man's artery.
But a group had come up behind him and while he could swing around to take them out with his heavier combat knife, the others would be able to open fire on him. But he couldn't wait, or the approaching group would do the same. Moreover, with his arm down, he couldn't block the bullet spray or fight hand to hand with complete accuracy.
It was then, as he surveyed his options again, that he saw a flash of red. With no notice, he jerked back as she took the eight to ten guards on his backside down with a deadly efficiency even the Red Room could not have trained entirely. He watched her, deeply impressed with her efficiency as she spun, twisted and put the guards down without hesitation or thought.
She'd slit the guard's neck closest to him, and he watched as the group approaching to flank him ran from the room. His eyes darted around the ground and crouched low. He ran to grab the package.
"They cannot escape now," The Soldier told Natalia and pointed to the fleeing guards. If they had the means to disable him, he needed them dead so they could report to no one if it worked or not.
He trusted that after her display, he wouldn't need to worry about her ability to complete the task. The wild look in her eyes told him the same story. With the package secured and tucked into his vest, he turned and inspected his arm so he would be efficient in helping Natalia with whatever guards were left.
He didn't understand what had happened. His arm wasn't electrical; it was bionic, tied into his nerves. Therefore amps and the sort did not affect it. However, upon inspection, there was a sheen netting which must have come from the device that hit him earlier. He removed it and stuffed it into the pocket of his black BDUs for later inspection and found beneath it was a layer of sludge that must have seeped into his arm. He pulled the fingerless glove off his metallic arm, wiped as much of it off as he could, and shoved it in his pocket, too, for it to be analyzed later.
He stood then and found he could lift and had a small range of motion over his arm. It made strange noises and he could feel it jerk from time to time without him wanting it to; its timing was also off from his thoughts.
He growled and picked his combat knife up. He double-checked he had the package before he followed from the room to see what was left of the guards for him to help dispose of. For once... he wasn't sure there would be, not the way Natalia had attacked them so viciously, her technique nothing short of beautiful perfection.
Her gaze landed on the Winter Soldier as he spoke. There was no warmness or softness in it even as she looked at him. Natalia tilted her head to the side and stepped forward away from the bodies.
"Could you be a darling and be so kind and take my knife with you when you leave?" she simply asked and pushed some hair out of her face with the bloody hand. It smudged the fresh blood over her cheek, which made her look even scarier. First, she walked casually, then she ran. Natalia was faster than usual, showing that she had still held back in the Red Room. Even after all these years of training, she had graduated and held back what she knew and how to use it.
Something about this situation charged that part from her. They had wanted to kill her Winter and she'd be damned if she allowed them to do this. Soon she was close to the remaining guards. Using the force of her sprint, she dropped to her side and slid through a man's legs slicing open the artery on his upper thigh. The guard would bleed out within seconds. So instead, she jumped to her feet, still holding the knife.
"Who wants to dance, boys?" she asked them, almost too calm and casual. A cruel smirk played on her lips as she charged for the second guard. The Winter Soldier wasn't around, so she had no reason to play the lovely lady. He wouldn't see what had happened, so there was no reason for her to worry about what he might think of her.
There were only four men left who seemed to almost shake from fear.
"You shouldn't have tried to kill him. I wouldn't have given a damn about you living or not. But like this I will make sure you all land six feet under in an excruciating way," she spoke quietly and it almost seemed like she wanted to play with them. Like a cat did with its prey. But she needed to focus or finish them before the familiar heavy steps behind her. Natalia casually stepped closer and played with the knife in her hand. Then, finally, she stepped on the unconscious men and looked at the other guards.
"Who's first?" she asked and one guard tried to be courageous and stepped forward. "Oh, we have a volunteer. I do like courageous men," she purred and then charged for the three others knowing they would run away in the meantime. The first one went down with an efficient stab to his neck while she jumped and kicked the second man's head hard, making him fall flat on his nose.
"Stay down," she warned the man. As for the third one, he had tried to run, so she threw her knife and hit its target.
Natalia grabbed her gun and kicked her foot against the second guard. He turned to his side and she aimed her gun at his face. Peng. He was dead. Now, she turned to the guard who had stepped forward. His eyes were widened in fear as she walked over to him swaying her hips from one side to the other. "You're gonna answer two questions! If you answer them I'll shoot you right in your brain. No pain whatsoever. If you decide to stay quiet, I will keep you alive for him to kill you. It won't be beautiful and merciful. He's enraged by what you've done to him," she said and asked "What was that thing you shot at his arm? What does that object do that we're stealing?"
"I don't know anything! I just work here!" the man choked desperately, but Natalia shrugged, keeping her gun aimed at him and shot his knee "YouYour bad, not mine. I would think quick: I hear his steps!"
The man's breathing quickened and he screamed in pain. The man looked like a cornered animal to Natalia.
"I don't know what it is... But the projectile charges thousands of volts through any object. It also secludes a liquid that leaves the technology of the guy's arm defenseless for hours! We were told to use it against him and I don't know more," the guard said breathlessly and Natalia stepped closer pressing the gun barrel against the man's forehead.
"What about my second question? And why do they want the Winter Soldier?" she asked knowing there wasn't much time.
"I've heard that it can create a Super Solider... That's what the scientists are working on here..." he cried. Natalia was about to ask more, but she could now feel the Winter Soldier's gaze.
She stood by her word and pulled the trigger before James could reach them. Her face was neutral by now and the rage was gone. However, she still breathed more quickly and felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her heart pushed her blood soon through her body and she asked without even turning around, "They're dead. How's your arm?"
Natalia didn't dare look at him; for now, she simply stood still.
He gave her an impatient look as she asked him for her knife and trotted out. He never knew what to expect from Natalia, except that he ought to expect nothing. She was gone, though and he finished messing with his arm so he could catch up.
He stood, finding no trail of bodies until he reached her. The gunshots had him hurry more in case other guards were drawn by the firing sounds. It looked like they had no chance of getting even a bit further down the hall once she got to them. That said something about her skill as well.
He found her standing over one of the dead guards and surveyed the scene. So good, she made quick work of them.
"Impaired," He growled, trying the arm; instead of clenching his fist, he simply jerked minimally. Then, he walked around to face her and raised an eyebrow. The part of him that had trained her was still very impressed with her handiwork. But it almost felt unnecessary to tell her, so she must know herself.
"Good work, but we need security footage before we leave," He continued, stepping past her and the array of dead bodies. He couldn't afford to have them see what had happened either; he suddenly had much to report back with besides their package.
As he talked, Natalia's gaze was fixed on his arm and she stayed still. Her hands were shaking a little from the adrenaline. Her body tried to cut the hormones as she had nothing to do anymore. She stepped forward towards him. Not as busy as before.
"You still owe me a knife," she said as he didn't seem to have collected hers. She reached forward and placed her finger on his metal arm. She touched the secretion and rubbed it between her finger, wondering what it consisted of. She was sure it had been a mixture of that substance and the electricity that had stopped his arm from working. Her face was worried, but she hoped that the guard had been right, so this was only temporary.
A knife? He paused to look at her quizzically as she spoke of it. Now that she brought it up, he recalled what she'd said earlier. Yes, well, he had either forgotten or not taken her seriously. Clearly, he'd simply been preoccupied with his arm's malfunctioning...
Natalia inspected his arm, a worried expression shaping her face instead of the unsuppressed rage and coldness that had been there moments before. "They'll figure out what did it," He shrugged, more to himself than her. His arm was constantly upgraded, and with the netting and substance in his pocket, they'd be able to again. It was simply aggravating now.
She placed her gun back into her holster on her thigh and closed the gap between them. Before she knew what was happening, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. It felt familiar and perhaps even better than the last time she kissed him. Her heart was beating even quicker and she wrapped her arm around his neck without thinking.
Author's Note: This is the first story of a full series around Bucky and Natasha's unseen past in the MCU. Stay tuned!
Leave a kudos or put it in the comments what you think will happen next or what you loved! It'll be great to hear from you! If you enjoyed the story, feel free to treat me to a coffee on KoFi! ko slash fi dot com slash fatedmuses