No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)

Chapter 3: Quiet Coyote (Part 3)

On top of navigating the word "alliance" and "relationship," Ezekiel Stane was also expected to maintain something called a "team."

The team he had to work with currently consisted of four members plus one consultant.

It's safe to say the connection he had with his "teammates" was pretty rocky. Ezekiel knew that he had a lot of work to do in order to have a cohesive team, and he saw it as his biggest challenge to overcome.

He got along great with Wade Wilson, and his "consultant" was Victor Strange, so that was easy. But… the rest of the team was a hot mess.

Bucky Barnes barely spoke to him and Natasha Romanov wanted him to die. Oh yeah, and then there was Clint Barton….

…

Field agent Clint Barton, AKA "Hawkeye" was also Victor's EX-friendly roommate/boyfriend, so that was awkward. He absolutely hated Ezekiel, and the feeling was pretty mutual.

The team leader thought he was a pest…

That "pest" wanted to murder him and watch him burn in a fiery pit of hell. The idea of seeing that brought his "teammate" so much joy.

Barton was reflecting on that for a long while, but then he found himself becoming more and more distracted.

Natasha Romanoff had a sister. Well, she's her adoptive sister, and her name was Yelena. She agreed to help Natasha and Clint locate his older brother.

That mission was a success, but the baby "Hawkeye" bird wanted to die inside as a result. His brother was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody because he actually WORKED for EZEKIEL and he was responsible for some pretty shady shit.

Fast forward to the present moment, and we find ourselves somewhere out in the Maldives.

Natasha, Clint and Yelena travelled out there together, because Barton was ordered to take some time off. What happened with his brother was traumatic, and the baby bird barely had any time to process what happened between him and Victor Strange.

Shit was a mess, and the archer was glad to be far away from anything relating to S.H.I.E.L.D..

He was actually on the fence about returning to the organization, and his brain felt like mush. Despite that, he noticed that the Black Widow was sending someone messages on one of her burner phones.

He didn't think anything of it at first, until the evening carried on. Natasha's "texting" was growing and her focus on something outside their little vacation was growing as well.

Yelena noticed as well, and she teased her sister about it off and on. The sisters squabbled and squawked at one another as if they were actual siblings.

They didn't grow up together, as far as Barton knew. Anyway, Natasha texting someone was none of his business, and he figured she was working things out with Bucky Barnes.

Those two were dating? Not dating? Who cares…

The archer was wearing a pair of beach shorts and he was staring out at the open sea. It was relaxing and he didn't want to look away.

He had to look away, because somebody was doing everything she could to distract him. Yelena Belova had pretty blonde hair. She had a pretty smile too, but man was she nosy.

She sat down right beside the archer and she asked him how he was doing. Just fine he said, and she explained that he said the same thing every time she asked him a question.

Barton wanted to fill her in on an observation that he had been making since the two of them met. He wanted to tell her that physical boundaries were a thing, and he didn't understand why she had to sit so close.

She always crammed herself up against him, or something, and it was super weird. I mean, the archer didn't mind it, cuz she was dressed only in a bikini, extremely beautiful, and…funny.

That's why he didn't say anything about it at that point. Natasha was beyond amused with what she was seeing, but the Widow had other plans in mind now that the dust had settled.

Barton was far away from New York, and it seemed like his company was keeping his focus in a good direction.

Natasha planned to check back in with him in a day or two, and the big sister was getting ready to leave.

Yelena caught onto that pretty quickly and she asked her sister to explain where she was going.

…

"I'm just heading out. I'll see you two in a couple days."

…

"A couple days? I thought we were going to mix up some drinks and talk more about cute boys."

…

That comment was a joke, but Yelena had to say it as Natasha changed into a different jacket. She had four black jackets, so… who cares about which one was worn?

Their Maldives excursion was suddenly being altered, and a curiosity was sparking up between Yelena and the baby archer.

…

"Is that, wait… is Bucky Barnes here too?"

...

Natasha let out a deep sigh. She refused to comment on anything relating to Bucky Barnes. Their relationship was over, and now she had to force a conversation with him in order to get some basic information.

He seemed bitter and pissed off with her when they spoke. That bothered the Widow, but only for a short while..

Just kidding. She found herself thinking about it off and on, and so she reached out to someone else as a result. Natasha had a history with someone long before she ever met "Bucky/James Buchanan Barnes"…

The Widow didn't plan on telling anyone about it. It was none of their business, so she said her goodbyes to her sister and she gave the baby bird a small wave.

He wasn't sure what to think about her leaving, because that left him all alone with her talkative sister. Yelena stood up eventually, and Barton watched her as she made her way around the small kitchen.

…

"Do you know how to make a Maldivian Lady? We bought all this stuff to celebrate.."

…

Barton heard Yelena, but he wasn't sure what they were celebrating. For context, they were staying in an overwater villa. It was tiny, cute and very secluded.

The archer eventually followed her lead over into the kitchen and his eyes scanned around for something small. The person who brought them to the island showed him a brochure before he left.

That brochure had a drink menu, so the bird was able to answer Yelena's question after he found it.

…

"A Maldivian Lady is made with orange juice, pineapple juice, lychee liqueur and coconut rum."

…

They had everything they needed to live in that villa for a few days, and Barton planned to do that. He wasn't sure about the young woman who was currently crowding his space tho.

She stood pretty close as he answered, and he noticed she was wearing a small smile. Yelena was very playful, but sometimes how she behaved came across as rude.

…

"Would you like a Maldivian Lady?"

…

She planned to make herself one, so she thought it was best to ask. The archer wore a small smile after that, because the thought of drinking a "Maldivian Lady" was a little odd.

Regardless, he wanted to join her and celebrate whatever it was she felt like celebrating. Barton gave her a small nod, and she started hunting around for something to contain all the ingredients.

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.