viuva | ⧗ 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝

( cont. from here )

i guess we as 6-year-olds were just built different then

[ ha ha ]

he said to me, "miss if you don't hand over the last oh henry bar i'm going to call the cops"
children are hilarious
was i this funny when i was six

built very different, yes.

did you give him the candy bar or did he call the cops?

You were. You used to always get really curious before bedtime and say you couldn't sleep until you knew the answer to whatever question you'd thought up. One night you wanted to know what each specific type of dinosaur ate.

[ooc: I just searched for "funny things kids say" and found that but I can change it if it doesn't vibe for you]

i didn't give him the candy bar :)

[ he probably tried to call the cops but she was long gone by then. ]

that sounds a lot like me
even now i won't shut up until i get an answer
i would say we are in the right line of work, don't you agree?

Savage. Then again, you may have done him a favor.

[Nat might very well check and see if that call was made, just for laughs.]

Either that or we could have been good at basically everything.

right? maybe he had diabetes and didn't even know 🤷‍♀️
i probably saved him a trip to the hospital and maybe even a foot

[ the funny thing is, they are good at pretty much everything. ]

if we weren't, you know, trafficked as children and moulded into cold-blooded killers
where do you think you would be right now

at minimum you made him pick a better candy bar

Honestly? I don't know. I've imagined hundreds of other potential lives but...

none of them ever actually feel like mine.

i agree
oh henry is mediocre at best
i think mars bars are better

[ she understands the feeling, actually. it's not that she wishes she was living another life— just that... it's nice to pretend. ]

natasha
are you happy?

mars bars are definitely better.

[if anyone were going to get it... which made it easier to say.]

Yes, I think so. Although it still feels strange to say. Like it'd disappear if it knew I could see it in the room.

Are you?

[ They'd joked about dance lessons in her kitchen, but it turns out it's hard to schedule sort-of-almost-dates when one of you is an ultra-paranoid former assassin mostly living off-grid. (And, sure, Bucky is an ultra-paranoid former assassin, too, but he's more rooted in NYC now that he's a recognisable face: obeying the terms of his pardon, cooperating with authorities, showing up on missions beside the newest Captain America.)

But it meant they wound up being ships in the night. When he happened to be in Yelena's neck of the woods, then Sam had called him about a job in London, and so Bucky had grabbed his bag and left before he could contact her. The next time he was back home with some time to kill, he'd sent a gently inquiring text, but messages went into a black hole and her answering machine. Off on another mission, then, probably extracting more former Widows. The work was long.

So they subsist on sporadic text messages for a while, whenever they happen to be close to the same timezone and awake at the same hours. Messages in a bottle. Idle flirtation from afar. He has no idea when they'll be in the same place next; doesn't really know what he'd do with himself even once they are.

Tonight, though, Bucky's on his way back from SHIELD headquarters — at least he hasn't had to fly commercial in ages, turns out Sam-as-Cap can pull strings and get them jets when they need transportation — with a duffel bag over one shoulder and a new bullet hole in the sleeve of his jacket, as he unlocks his studio apartment.

And it's standing there on the threshold, head cocked, that he instantly realises something feels off.

Blame the decades of training, always teaching him to have a hand on the gun and an eye out for trouble. Blame it on him being neurotic and paranoid. But that's exactly why he lives in a studio, where you can see all the angles, so when he steps over the creaky floorboard and slowly lets his eyesight adjust to the darkness, he gets a view of his place.

There isn't much of anywhere to hide: it's just the one open-plan room, kitchen and dining and living room and bedroom all combined. He wasn't kidding about the lack of furniture, either. It's still mostly just the one armchair, dining chair, TV on its stand, and one endtable (is everything just an inch off from where he left it?). But he has finally gotten a bed, which lives in the far corner beneath the window, the sheets tucked in with military precision.

But his apartment has a thin strip of balcony (was it so he could have an easier getaway versus clambering through windows onto fire escapes? maybe), and he can tell there's a figure standing out there.

Even when he recognises the blonde hair, he doesn't fully relax. Moves across the apartment, tugs open the balcony door and joins her outside, gun still held low by his side. ]

Guess I'm lucky you didn't jump out of the closet and shout boo.

Hey, Yelena.

[ Bucky's voice is dry and his demeanour neutral, as ever, but there's something to that unfazed greeting which isn't unwelcoming, either. He'd be far more irritated if it was, well, pretty much anyone else breaking into his home unannounced. ]

[ yelena tells natasha that her plans are shit all. the. time. but she wasn't quite banking on breaking into bucky's apartment being part of her schedule tonight either. (it's fine; she works just as well on the fly, if not better.)

her choice of entry? through his balcony. she did not want to risk the chance of his neighbours seeing her walk into his apartment— after picking the lock, of course. americans are chatty! and nosy. the person across from him would've probably seen her messing with the lock from their peephole anyway so he would've found out, wouldn't he?

she's nice (or sneaky) enough to leave her boots outside on the veranda so as to not leave any footprints behind. they have been through some shit today. literally.

there isn't much, like he said, although she does take note of the bed that was not on his list of previously owned furniture. she feels silly, swelling with pride that he actually went and took her advice.

still, that does not save him from the mischief she was unfortunately graced with as a child and she does move everything an inch to the right, once she's done scoping out the place. even his bedframe, except this time— only half an inch to the left. but otherwise? she does not touch anything else, not even that ridiculous "license to grill" apron she initially came here for.

maybe she was hoping for bucky to be there, and not taking it this time will give her an excuse to come back and move his furniture again.

yelena is back out on the balcony, slipping into her boots when, amid the hustle and the bustle of NYC traffic late in the evening, she hears a set of footsteps enter the apartment. her first thought is to Escape, but the closer those footsteps get, the more she doesn't want to.

so she doesn't move, leans against the railing instead with her arms crossed over her chest when the door opens and it's — surprise! — the man himself.

the corners of her lips curve into the smallest of smiles, though her eyes flit immediately to the gun in his hand. ]

Well, I was going to hide under your bed and grab your ankle, [ she starts, her accent thick but not as thick as it once was ] but I think you would have made a hole in my hand with that thing.

Hello, James. [ sorry bucky you're going to have to deal with yelena looking you up and down before ultimately landing on that fresh bullet hole. ] Rough night?

[ james, she says, and he can't help but feel that instinctive flicker of warmth beneath his breastbone at the sound of it, the way the syllable is shaped in her accent. hardly anybody calls him james anymore, so it's a pleasant little surprise every time. his mouth quirks into an equally-small smile, which he bites back. ]

There's no room under the bed. That's where I keep the rest of the guns and ammunition.

[ and one of his backpacks full of notebooks. and a loose floorboard, under which sits yet another bag filled with foreign currencies and a few fake passports. (that whole ultra-paranoid thing.) he says it a little distantly, though, finally putting the safety back on and storing the gun back in the duffel before setting it neatly indoors. when yelena looks at the bullet hole, his gaze follows hers and he glances down, surprised — he'd almost forgotten about it — as his gloved fingers poke at the hole in the fabric. ]

Rough job. You ever think about how unfair it is that the others wear metal rigs and body armour and flying suits? I just have the one arm.

[ and it's bullet-proof, hence him not bleeding everywhere right now through that hole, but. still. ]

And, y'know, you're lucky I haven't wired this place up with boobytraps. Crossbows and spike traps and getting tarred-and-feathered. I finally saw Home Alone.

Wow, look at you. Not all of us can afford to house such a lavish selection of firearms under their beds.

[ but you know what? it is good to know for the next time she's in town and she happens to be on the run. she'll just make a quick pitstop at his place for some armed goods. thanks, bucky!

yelena doesn't quite catch what he says under his breath, not with the honking and sound of cars speeding by below them. for a second, she wonders how he's able to sleep at all but she figures that complete silence is even worse. his remark about his single vibranium arm is enough to stop her train of thought; makes her chuckle, actually. ]

Hm. Do you want another? I know a guy that can probably hack away at your other arm if you have the time and money for it.

[ her smile grows wider at his threat, her brows raising in an attempt to look afraid— ]

Oooh, boobytraps! How scary. I will definitely need a suit like Tony Stark's for next time. I don't want a bowling ball to come swinging at my head. [ and then she's scrunching her nose at him, cocking her head to the side. ] Did you know there's a second Home Alone? The parents are pretty shitty at keeping track of Kevin.

[ she's made herself comfortable here as if he'd invited her over (although in a way, he had), as if this was planned, as if they're out here just having a regular nightcap over the city streets unfurling below. he steps out further and joins her, elbows propped against the railing; moving closer enough so it's easier to hear each other over the traffic. (it's the only reason, shut up, of course it is.)

yelena's such a little shit, but it's one of the things he likes about her — and another one of the things they have in common. their tendency for sass, and being an exaggerated pain in the ass of the people they like most. ]

I didn't, actually. Man. Everything's got sequels and remakes now. Like, I saw Scarface in theaters in the '30s, but did you know they made another one forty years ago? And somebody told me they're making another. At this rate, I'm literally never gonna get caught up.

[ as if keeping up with pop culture is the hardest thing about being a man stranded out of time. maybe it is. bucky glances down, finally conducting his own slow once-over looking her over from head to toe; he notes where one boot is still partially unlaced, where he'd interrupted her getting ready to leave. ]

Don't tell me you took a nap in my bed, Goldilocks.

[ she doesn't mind being in his presence and so far, he hasn't shown any signs of minding hers. quite the contrary, actually since he's a little closer now and luckily for the both of them, yelena isn't the type to move further away when faced with a lack of space. (unless the other party is alexei and he's hugging her for Way Too Long while he is especially smelly.) ]

Wait. What? You mean the one with Al Pacino isn't the original one? [ now there is genuine surprise written on her face. ] During stakeouts sometimes, I will have movies playing from a very legal streaming website in the background while I keep watch. I'll send you the link so you're not too far behind those sequels.

[ what's he looking — ah, yes, her boots. ]

Maybe. [ goldilocks is a cute nickname, but she has yet to catch a wink of sleep, actually. ] I may have left a couple of strands of hair here and there. Sorry about that. But — did you see? I didn't take the apron this time.

[ oh no you got him started on old movies!! bucky's expression brightens at being able to talk about this, cultural touchstones he actually knows, not being at sea with a reference for once. ]

Yep. 1932, directed by Howard Hawks, he's great. He's one of my favourites. He did Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday— I caught The Big Sleep just a few years ago, that was a treat. Realising that he kept making stuff after I— wasn't around to see them.

And really? Didn't notice. I was mostly checking to make sure there wasn't anyone with a gun or a grenade or a knife waiting for me. Priorities.

[ he glances back, towards the kitchen. feeling that slow, warm amusement ticking over and that grin wanting to broaden on his face. ]

'This time'? Meaning you'll be back?

[ the movies don't quite ring a bell; she's more familiar with movies from the late 80s through the early 2000s for a multitude of reasons. the biggest one being just to consume american pop culture media should the need to go undercover (again) arise.

she keeps howard hawks' name tucked away in her mind for later research. maybe she'll watch a couple of his films when she's back home with fanny. ]

You're around now, and that's all that matters, right? Movies aren't going to go anywhere, anyway. [ the thing about yelena is that she is disgustingly transparent, and it with a rather sad kind of fondness that she regards bucky's person. ] You have all the time in the world! When you're not saving it, obviously.

[ then she spins around to show him the gun tucked under the waistband of her pants, at the small of her back and kicks a leg back to point at the holster holding her knife inside her (still) unlaced boot. ]

Ah — but I left my grenades in the car, my bad. [ she beams at him, like the little shit she is. ] But yes, I will be back. I'll even bring a couple of things to spruce up your apartment so it isn't so... So bare-bones, you know? You need some plants.

[ despite everything she's been through, there's a surprisingly refreshing joie de vivre to the former widow. nothing about yelena's life is light or carefree or easy, and yet she radiates this tongue-in-cheek playfulness anyway; whenever he gets to spend time with her on these rare occasions, it feels like the sun coming out from behind clouds. it helps kick him right out of any self-absorbed brooding gloominess. frankly, it's probably good for him; sam's always telling him to lighten up.

when she flaunts her weaponry, bucky leans slightly in order to peer closer at the knife in her boot. ]

Is that a Ka-Bar? Nice choice.

[ because comparing brands of combat knives is a totally normal topic of conversation. ya dummy. at least she can relate? ]

Home decor really, really isn't my strong suit. And, like, wouldn't a houseplant die if I'm away for a few weeks? I still don't get how you're keeping a kid alive. What do you do with Fanny when you need to go on a job?

[ it could all be a front, for all anyone knows but yelena does not have the luxury of time to be sulking around over Very Normal things like how her childhood was stolen from her or how she'll never know if her real family is out there. or buried six feet underground.

it is also much easier to get out of bed knowing she has a purpose and that's what keeps her going. ]

Do you want to see?

[ yelena doesn't wait for an answer; she's just as excited to show off her brand new knife. her thumb and index finger pinch around the skull to pull it out of its leather holster before bearing it to bucky in all of its silver beauty. ]

It was a birthday gift from my mother. [ a beat, ] Melina. It's pretty, right? Flashy, for sure but useful still.

[ this is exactly what regular people talk about on like, a daily basis, duh.

she's following until he mentions a kid, then he loses her completely. what kid? fanny, he says and her eyes widen ever so slightly with relief because — oh right, THAT kid. ]

I'll get you something low-maintenance, don't worry. Like a teeny, tiny baby cactus you can keep on a windowsill. And believe it or not, Alexei is a pretty good babysitter when Melina isn't busy. Fanny is also a big girl. Very independent. Like me.

Oh my god. What— what is this—

[ congratulations, yelena: you've finally broken him and now he's just breaking into startled, incredulous laughter as he takes the knife and turns it end-over-end in his hands, either admiring the balance or being aghast at the decorative skull, or both. he flips the knife, testing the weight and heft of it. it's obnoxiously over the top, but it is still a ka-bar, and so you can effectively shank someone in the kidney with it and murder them while also looking, at best, extremely tacky.

it's the best and most ridiculous thing he's ever seen.

with another chuckle, bucky flips it back over and sets it back in her hands, and finally seems to notice what she'd said. he's still reeling at the mental image of yelena with a kid, but doing his best to be very cool and blasé and totally chill with it. everything is fine!! she'll divulge more details when the time is right; maybe when he meets fanny herself. ]

This is gonna sound really weird to say, but I feel like the Red Guardian could give really good piggyback rides. And bear hugs.

[ alexei shostakov was a big guy, and exaggeratedly physically affectionate — as demonstrated by the absolute bear hug he'd given james barnes upon first meeting him, with an exuberant comrade!! and literally lifting the other man off his feet before then challenging him to a wrestling match. they'd gotten along, surprisingly. the man seemed like he could be a good dad, when he put his mind to it.

(and maybe that was what made it so much worse. how effective that ruse had been; how he'd worked his way into his youngest daughter's heart without even knowing the wreckage he'd be leaving behind once the job ended, once they came in from the cold, once the family was stripped away from her.) ]

[ his reaction to her knife is priceless and she takes a mental snapshot of the disbelief that's written all over his face, and then the sound of genuine laughter that follows once he's testing out her knife. very seldom that james barnes smiles, but yelena allows her gaze to linger on him a little longer than usual every time he does. ]

You look very cool with it.

[ she's holding her hands out like a child going door to door on halloween for candy and he places it carefully back into her palms. her turn to play with it, the tips of her fingers dancing along the ridges of the handle. ]

Sounds like to me somebody wants a piggyback ride from the Red Guardian himself. And a hug, too. Would you like his autograph as well?

[ alexei and melina were the best parents anyone could ask for. they set the standard for her (they played their roles to perfection after all), and even after she and natasha were taken into dreykov's "care", she still thought the world of them — at least for a while. she was never able to hate melina, because she thought she was dead and that was the thing, wasn't it? what was the point of holding a grudge against someone who wasn't even alive? but alexei — he never came back for them. and then later, natasha never came back for her.

those three years were everything to her and she remembers every single second of it. it kept her grounded, after oksana had freed her but it still hurt like fucking hell.

well, things are better now since she apparently trusts them enough to look after her dog, which she feels really bad about now, for not telling bucky that it is in fact, not a child. ]

I give amazing piggyback rides too, you know. Maybe not so much hugs because my arms are not as massive as Alexei's but I am awesome at carrying people on my back.

[ she's really not ]

A of all, I've got the autographs of two Captain Americas, which is all I need. And B of all: what, you? This pipsqueak?

[ there's the skeptical tilt of an eyebrow as bucky straightens to his full height, looking down and pointedly eyeing the eight inches of space between them. he holds his hand flat right above her head, indicating the exact spot where her height ends.

all of this teasing is playful and joyously stupid and banal and it's actually exactly what he needed, after too many hours awake crossing timezones and the ache of bruises on his ribs and the smell of gunpowder on his gloves. he hadn't expected a conversation. he'd expected to come home to this empty barebones apartment, kick off his boots and just pour his body into the bed, hopefully exhausted enough to actually sleep the whole night through this time.

except now he's wired with a kind of overtired energy and the unexpected delight in finding her here. (in not being alone, just a little while longer.) ]

I call bullshit, Belova.

Don't let Alexei hear you say that. He will cr— Pipsqueak?

[ she's only a little embarrassed that she practically squeaks the word out but OKAY, now it's yelena's turn to look at him in complete disbelief when his hand hovers above her head like, what the F—

how did she go from goldilocks to pipsqueak in five minutes flat??? ]

That was so uncalled for! I'm almost 5'4" so I am pretty much the average height of a regular Russian woman and [ she goes into a half-squat and slaps her thighs ] I have super strong legs.

[ she has half the mind to keep rolling with her bluff because it's what she does best, but it almost feels like he's going to ask her to prove it which she WILL because yelena belova does not back down from a challenge, ever. ]

Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Barnes. You're just pulling some reverse psychology shit on me so I can give you a piggyback ride to your bed and tuck you in, yes? Men! So predictable.

shh ok NOW i vanish

armeyets - 2021-07-23 05:04 (UTC) - Expand

I SHOULD ALSO BE SLEEPING BUT.....

viuva - 2021-07-23 05:58 (UTC) - Expand

@finishitmyself

Absolutely no worries, been there

<33

❤❤❤

tw: human trafficking but also, SADNESS

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the kitchen heist.

APRONGATE 2021 BABY oh damn this was longer than i expected

help she's perfect

stop HE'S perfect!!!

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government agents want me. fish fear me.

https://i.imgur.com/ZpJ0byT.gif

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