Just as she had figured, Yelena awoke the next morning completely tangled in her sheets. Twisting and turning here and there, she managed to find where her leg was awkwardly angled as her arm was completely encased in the sheets. She released a low groan and buried her face into her pillow. Yelena only lifted it a few minutes later at the insistent sniffing by her face.
Looking up, Yelena pulled her free hand out from beneath her jungle of blankets and scratched behind Fanny's head. The last thing she felt like doing was enduring a day out in society.
Sadly, and while she loved it with all her heart, boxed mac-and-cheese had been one of her last dinner resorts as the rest of the pantries were stripped clean of their inventory. That…and she realized before finally tumbling into bed the previous night that her vodka stock was running rather low.
She groaned again before forcing herself to sit up. Releasing a heavy sigh, Yelena swung her legs over the side of the bed and made her way towards the bathroom after fishing out a pair of fresh clothes from her drawer.
She switched on the tap to the bath and let the soap bubbles fill to the brim. Only then did she strip down and step in, the slight burn of the hot water leaving tingles across her skin. Laying her head back against the tub, she let the steam ease a few of her worries and recent stress away before sinking beneath the water and finishing her wash.
Yelena quickly rushed to finish the rest of her morning routine as she pulled her hair back into a single braid, not bothering to fish out every loose strand. She took a moment to admire her reflection in the mirror as she straightened out her jacket and looked down at the simple appearance. Casual, light, a usual day and out about. An easy blend in with the rest of the crowds, and inconspicuous as not to be noticed.
Noticed was quite honestly the last thing she needed right now.
Fanny perked up from her few stray blankets on the floor as Yelena emerged from the bathroom and gathered the rest of her things. Slinging a backpack across her shoulder, and counting out the preserved money she had discovered in one of the bedroom drawers Natasha must have left behind, Yelena gave herself a satisfied nod and called to Fanny on her way out.
"Alright, stay here Fan, I'll be back soon!"
Yelena made sure to hear the soft click of the lock behind her before winding her way back down through the safehouse staircases and out into the courtyard. A flurry of pigeons flew out of her way as she approached, giving a small smile and curt nod to a few passing neighbors on the floor across from hers. An old woman smiled back as she continued on her way.
Reaching the entrance, Yelena pushed the old rusted gate open and let it fall shut behind her. She glanced down the street and found it relatively quiet. She started up the opposite way, her pace in no hurry as she let herself enjoy the morning's weather.
A mist had settled over the city of Budapest, and the sky could have been coated with silver. In between the streaks of clouds, rays of sunlight sprinkled through every other shop and gave the city's streets an almost eerie glow. Yelena found a content sigh leaving her as she rounded a corner and saw her destination ahead of her.
A small shop sat on the corner. Old brick, peeling shop sign, but a simple enough look to attract its needed customers. The chime of a small bell sounded throughout the shop as she stepped inside. A few heads glanced her way before returning to their own business as Yelena began her roam about the store.
It didn't take long to pick up the food she needed, nor much time to choose which bottles of vodka she would be taking home with her. The older man on the other side of the check-out counter handed her back her things and offered a kind smile. He glanced back down at the two bottles he had yet to scan and raised a teasing brow at her. "A girl's night in?"
"A few friends coming and going," Yelena replied, returning the grin with one of her own. She could already feel the fake strain pulling her lips up, and she averted her eyes to some of the travel pamphlets stocked to the brim in the magazine section. The man only chuckled and finished her order, wishing her luck on whatever the day would bring her.
Yelena left the shop without another look behind her and released a sigh. Sticking her hand inside the flimsy sack, she pulled out both bottles before they tore a hole in the bag and all but threw them into her backpack. Zipping it up tight, she sighed again as she glanced back towards the way she came.
She had honestly nothing better to do back at the safehouse except try and entertain Fanny. The weather was mild and close to pleasant, and the street's seemed quiet and less crowded than usual. Shrugging her bag further up her shoulder, Yelena turned away from the direction of the apartments and started up the other direction.
The further she made her way into the heart of the city, the more tourists passed her by admiring the architectural buildings and oldened exteriors. She didn't mind the extra bustle of pedestrians around her as she made her way downtown, rather it was a small comfort to know she was walking through the street's of the city not on the run. Not a mission. Not under anyone's control but her own.
She was free to do as she pleased with her life, though at the moment, she wasn't sure what that meant for her.
Yelena weaved her way down street's and cut through a few extra side alley's. Only once did she turn to look behind her and up at the towering rooftops. She hadn't dropped her habit since she escaped the clutches of the Red Room, though with a rather recent discovery of an old opponent, it felt more like a necessity. She knew it seemed like paranoia; she would have rather labeled it as just being cautious.
Picking up her pace, she found the small street spit her out towards the city's center, and heart of popular tourist attractions. Various shops, cafes and businesses lined the street around the center piece. A tall, sculptured fountain sat high in the middle, surrounded by people walking to and from the shops, aboard and off of buses, and the usual buzz of a city surrounded her as she hurried across the street and stepped onto a busy sidewalk in the middle of the round-about.
She made a beeline for the edge of the fountain, the clear watering glittering with loose coins spotted around the bottom. Light chatter surrounded her as she released a sigh and looked up towards the gray morning. The sculpture's stone-cold stare was locked on the place just beside the spot she was standing, the woman's pristine face frozen in time as her stiff dress flowed into the water pooling over the side.
Averting her gaze back down, Yelena let her eyes travel around the surrounding shops again, wondering if anything was worth spending her time on. A few florists were spotted around, a couple of book-shops, multiple bakery's, and it seemed almost every cafe was beginning to fill with the morning rush of -
Yelena's attention snapped back towards one of the nearest cafes she had stolen a quick glance at. An array of tables and chairs was scattered across its front beneath the shade of a few small trees. Beneath one in particular, she narrowed her eyes in and took him in again.
His attire was casual enough, a cap and sunglasses blocking out what little sun there was to begin with. He slowly sipped on a coffee, his attention passing around the city center and scanning the crowds of people. When he almost got to her, Yelena quickly looked away and tried to admire something on the fountain.
When she was sure his gaze had moved on, she looked back over her shoulder and kept her eyes trained on him. As the crowds of people blocked her view, Yelena released a light huff and adjusted her bag again, her groceries suddenly growing heavier as she weaved her way through to get a better look at him.
Not wanting to seem like she was snooping to begin with, Yelena headed for an empty bench and took a seat, her eyes never straying from him. There was something all too familiar about him, and it took her long enough for the pieces to click.
Sitting across the street from her, she watched the man in stars and stripes himself glance over at an incoming guest as a small grin pulled back on his lips. He was certainly clever with a disguise, though it wasn't one she was overly impressed with. It seemed it did it's job, as no one else seemed to notice the new Captain America drinking his coffee far from New York in Budapest.
An inkling of dangerous curiosity sparked inside her as she wondered what he could possibly be up to here.
She finally managed to tear her gaze away and look towards the guest that had joined him at the table. She was sure her eyes had widened to the size of saucers as her breath hitched in her throat.
He hadn't seemed to have changed his style. Still completely clad in a dark attire, he sat down across from the Avenger as the two began light conversation. No old baseball cap or sunglasses hid him from view, and if anything it seemed he was better fit with his own disguise. If that's what he was going for to begin with.
He, however, failed miserably if he wasn't trying to catch the attention of a certain blonde across the street, still struggling to get her breathing back in check.
He was there.
Sitting across the street with what looked like almost no care in the world, an easy grin took over his stubbled features as his blue eyes darted down to his own drink and back up to his partner. As he reached for his cup to take a sip, she took note of the thick leather gloves that clad both of his hands from view. It was only when he waved one up to gesture with something he said that she blinked back to the present.
Yelena's heart was racing as she clenched the strap of her backpack. Her groceries felt like an anchor instead of a few nightly meals. Her glances traveled between the two talking casually as if they had been friends forever.
Her breaths were even and calm, but she felt anything but that. In all honesty, she didn't know what to feel, much like she had the night before.
How were you supposed to react when a mystery assassin with no name to his face suddenly appeared in the exact same city you were trying to lay low in?
Yelena tried to grasp at least one of the emotions, but all she could truly hold onto was confusion. Confused for too many reasons to name, and it was only when she audibly swallowed that the rationality of her thoughts started coming back to her. It was none of her business to discover what the newly improved Winter Soldier did with his time, and for what it was worth, Yelena told herself that she didn't care.
It was useless to watch them from afar as she tried to take hold of what their motives could possibly be in Budapest. Shaking her head to herself, Yelena glanced down at the hand clenching the strap of her backpack and rose from her seat.
She took a final deep breath as she felt her eyes drifting back over to him for one last glance. The operative she had come into contact with during her time as a Widow was meant to be in the past where it belonged. The last thing she needed was to come face to face with him again.
She barely held back an audible curse as she halted her movements and froze in her spot. Just as she had turned to look back up at him, he had turned to look out across the middle of the round-about. Those piercing blue eyes she hated to have noticed locked on hers, and the small smile that had graced his lips immediately fell. Like hers, his movements froze and his eyes widened. A slight tick of his jaw indicated he had clenched it down the moment the grin left his face, and all the two could do was stare.
The chatter around Yelena turned fuzzy as she released a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed in on him even as passer-byers crossed her view. His companion had turned to look in her direction too, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the ex-assassin.
Instead, Yelena found her feet slowly moving on their own accord. She took a few measured steps back as her steely gaze turned into a glare. Now it seemed that if her own looks could kill, he would have been nothing but goop on the concrete.
The last thing she took notice of before spinning on her heel and picking up her pace into the crowd was him making a move to rise from his seat as if to follow her. Now that just wouldn't do.
Weaving in and out of the crowds, Yelena moved along with the flow of people and jerked around the coming groups. She didn't stop as she swung her bag from her shoulder and opened it, quickly shoving her bag of groceries inside and forcing it to fit. Zipping it up again, she jogged across the street and threw it across her back. The second she ducked into a side street, Yelena took off into a run as she saw her get-away in the distance.
She didn't bother to glance behind her to see if she was being followed. Running out across the street, and darting in front of two cars that honked and yelled something she didn't have time to decipher, Yelena jumped back onto the sidewalk and flew down a flight of stairs leading underground. Splayed out in front of her, a low, wide open room hanging with dim lights was crowded and bustling with people. She couldn't be more thankful in the moment for a crowd.
Slowing her pace back into a brisk walk, Yelena scanned the edge of the room. A few run down arcades and quick-bite restaurants lined its edges, but it was the side escalators hidden in the corner that caught her attention. She continued around the crowds of rushing pedestrians and kept her eyes trained on her exit. It was only when she reached the top step and began her descent that she finally took a moment to take in her surroundings as if interested in the design of it. It was like any other underground subway, but a dizzying feel of nostalgia suddenly clenched her gut as she took a closer look.
Of all the subways she could have run to, she had to pick the one that brought back some of the most painful and best memories to remember. Extending her hand out, Yelena let her fingers slide along the cool intersector separating each escalator. She followed it down until it disappeared down into the concrete.
Yes, she remembered well.
Blood dripping down her arm as she and Natasha slid down and barely missed decapitation. A sad smile pulled up on the corner of her mouth as she stepped off and walked out into the clearing. Her eyes immediately went for the spot Task Master's shield had driven into a support beam and left an incredible dent. It seemed the repair team knew what they were doing, and there was no sign or indication a weapon had ever been lodged into it.
Two subways lined either side of the concrete structure. She quickly darted over to the one piling up with crowds of people and was relieved to see the drop point was relatively close to her apartment complex. As she waited for the crowds to simmer down before budging her way in for a spot, her eyes mindlessly went up to the vent system running along the tracks above her. A tight feeling clenched her chest again, and she darted her eyes away.
Yelena squeezed in just as the voice above gave the final warning for the departing train. She grabbed the nearest pole in the subway and steadied herself as the doors closed behind her. That didn't ease her worries, and she looked behind her and out the window towards the escalator. The flow of people coming down for the next available train weren't in any visible rush to catch the one that jerked and began hauling itself forward.
She didn't take her eyes away from the entrance until it disappeared behind the tunnel's walls. A small sigh of relief was finally released as Yelena leaned her forehead against the cool pole and let a part of her relax. She hadn't seen anyone in the station that looked like the Winter Soldier's newly acquainted partner, or someone with as striking blue eyes as his.
Or, that's what she thought.
Hey y'all!
Here is the first look back into the present story of Yelena and Bucky, and this chapter I wrote at about 1:30 AM seeing as it would not leave me alone, so if it seems a little rushed or a little packed, I apologize but the next chapter will be released soon and will be MUCH longer!
And, as always, have a fantastic morning, afternoon, evening, or night!
-Summerwinds