Romanova x Barnes

Romanova:
While her dreams were usually sporadic pieces of her past, plagued with the deaths of all the innocent people she had eliminated, ever since her run-in with him, they had taken a sharp turn. It was odd. How was that moment so unique compared to others? It's not like she hadn't encountered Barnes before then, and yet... the cool metal against her thigh, representative of the Winter Soldier himself, was an all-too familiar feeling. What was unusual was that it wasn't hurting her -- it was supporting her weight against him, along with the limb that remained human. He was close, close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath and for them to exchange intimate whispers. Hushed voices of a forbidden affair. The room they were in was dark, and the only light that spilled inside was provided by the moon. Items were upturned and sheets were torn. Their bodies were clothed in only shadows, but they kept each other warm. He kept her warm.
"Vy prichinyayete moi rany, a zatem zapechatyvayete ikh potseluyami." ("You cause my wounds and then you seal them with kisses") It was something she said every single time in this dream, and his response? Well, she never could quite hear him, but his lips peeled away to give her a smirk. And that's where it'd end. Her eyes flickered open and she slowly sat up in her bed, her chest rising and lowering with soft pants. Beads of sweat rolled over the smooth surface of her skin, only to be brushed away with a sweep of the hand. Her forehead was then cradled by her palm, a sharp, searing pain startling her nerves. She didn't understand what was happening, but she didn't have the time to dwell on it. She still had work to do, and she had spent a good bit of her time relocating to ensure this data remained safe -- and that she remained alive. The lights would remain off. It wasn't a good idea to turn them on -- not yet, not when Hydra lackeys were actively searching for her.
The cashmere curtains (Tony did have good taste) were closed and she was planning on keeping them that way, except when she would sneak a peek or two outside. Just as she was about to open her laptop, she heard the knock on her window, and then Bucky's voice to follow. She'd tuck it away again, a mixture of emotions starting to brew inside of her, confusion and anger being the prime ingredients. She didn't know how to comprehend it all, though she wouldn't let these nonsensical dreams hinder her approach. He was a damn fool for coming here and she'd make sure to let him know. Her footsteps were unheard. One curtain was suddenly yanked aside and the window was opened, only for her to grab him by the collar and pull him inside. Completely unlike her visions, there was nothing intimate about this situation. The only reason she had hauled him into the room was because shooting him would draw attention.
The woman aimed to slam her fist into her throat and have him gagging if he hadn't restrained her. While she had no weapons on her and neither her suit (just a tank top and panties), she was still formidable. Still, and always, a threat -- he knew this. "You're stupid for coming here, James." For once, she hadn't called him by his surname, but that was a minor difference in how she treated him. She didn't understand why he was there -- why did he care? This must've been a ruse. He probably didn't trust her and wanted to retrieve the information she had, that was the only explanation. The solution? To get rid of him. Or perhaps, she was the skeptical one. Positions like this were tricky, because someone could shift gears just like that -- she knew, because she had done it herself. Act like she's helping someone, and then turn on them for her, or someone else's, benefit.
She had been a spy after all, an assassin, and even to this day she felt like she was constantly having to rebuild a foundation of trust with her friends.
Barnes:
in a world of spies, no one could be trusted. That is what the KGB taught him all those years ago before putting him back in cryofreeze, thankfully most of the pain and sorrow were gone due to intense therapy, but he still had flashbacks, he remembered everything, all the pain he caused, all the lives he took it was more than any men could even fathom handling during their lives and Bucky had lived at least twice at this point. However what they didn't teach him during his 'conditioning' was that there were those that could be trusted with everything, every bit of information that he was willing to share, but knowledge was dangerous and exploitable. He gambled with Romanova and paid the ultimate price, knowing how they treated her, the same conditioning that he went through. It was too much to bare, so this arrangement? It was better this way. She was better off without his presence in her life and the dangers that followed it.
But; why was he here then? Why was he trying to talk to the woman he vowed to never see again? More and more this idea seemed to be total rubbish. He couldn't bear the thought of her knowing, but he put himself in this position AND her. Desperate times these were, where an assassin sought companionship with another assassin. Barnes clenched his fist and took a deep breath, looking up, the sky was a yellowish grey, everything seemed sepia, like an old movie reel he used to watch with the boys back in the 1940s. He was a fool for coming here, he knew full well the consequences of his actions. They were both fugitives, the biggest conglomerate of evil was looking for them, hunting them down for lack of a better word and them meeting was nothing short of bad call, two birds with one stone - still, he wanted to see her, he wanted to know if she was okay, if they hadn't gotten to her before him, thankfully Stark was MIA so the knowledge of this bunker was non-existent.
He tried to hear if she was coming, trained ears being unable to hear trained feet, suddenly the window was opened and he was tugged inside by the collar of his top, he was drenched, the wet sound of his back against the floor was heard once she yanked him inside.his movements were sluggish and slippery thanks to the water, so managed to grab her hand, but his grapple slipped forwards against her arm, bumping against the corner of it which gave her enough space to smack his throat, not as strong as she intended to, but it at least hurt. He gasped for air and chose to judo threw her back, still holding her body so they wouldn't make noise, there was such a thing as stealth combat. Neither of them wanted to be seen and he would be the last person in the world to underestimate Black Widow. Both of them were on the floor, Bucky on his knees and Natasha on her ask, they had their backs turned on each other, he continued the grip on her top while closing the window.
James tried to speak, but all that left his throat was a wheeze, he cringed teeth together and took a deep breath. "I — came here to know if you were fine. It's been a month since the Arcitic, shit has down, my group has been disbanded. I didn't know where else to go, everything S.H.I.E.L.D. related is under Hydra control. All the avengers are Missing in Action and Rogers — well, he is in the middle of everything." He didn't know how much of that she could trust, from one Assassin to the other, she at least knew how much he hated Hydra and how much his life changed because of them, both cared about Steve Rogers and both were allies of the Avengers. "I don't want to fight you, Romanova, I just came here to talk."
Romanova:
Before she was able to move again, the other (former) assassin's speed surpassed her own and she was thrown overhead, but kept close. This could easily turn into a wrestling match on the floor if she wanted it to. Surely he didn't think that the hand gripping her top would keep her at bay, but it did stop her for now, and she had the patience to hear him out. "I know that, James. I've been having trouble getting in contact with everyone because of the chaos, but I'm fully capable of working alone." The KGB conditioned them for a life of solitude. They would have no ties, no relations -- only themselves. To further make a point, her graduation gift was sterilization, and if that's not a kick to someone's womanhood, she didn't know what was. Her life would never be the same, no matter how much she could atone for her sins. However, it could always be just a little bit better.
That's what she liked to tell herself, anyway. Her past was irreparable and the damage had already been done, but she could pave her way towards an improved future. As he spoke, she was contemplating her next move. "I don't want to fight, either." Her shoulders fell and she seemed to ease... and then, she yanked her form away, tearing her top in the process just to free herself from his hold. Fiber wire encircled his neck from behind, biting into his skin as she gave it a mighty pull. Who knew how long it had been there, when she had exactly slipped it around his throat -- her foot thrust into his back to keep him from sliding along the ground while she wrenched the wire at its full length, subsequently strangling him. It was a nice addition to decking him in the throat before. "But I'm also not going to let you lie your way into my life." She wasn't being irrational -- everything had been plunged into pure pandemonium and she didn't know who to trust.
She could only have faith in her own actions until the dust settled.
Barnes:
Things were always supposed to end badly for them, they worked around the rules of the law, doing things no one else could or would. Spec Ops, espionage, interrogation even assassination. Nothing really was out of line for the two KBG trained assassins. Things were all the more awful ever since Rogers turncloaked. He, of all people, was the most hurt by that, Rogers was always the beacon of hoped everyone though he was, but to know that he had always been Hydra? A double agent because a child trusted strangers and shaped the entire universe to their will? It was — scary, he needed to fix things and he couldn't do it alone, he needed Natalia, the only person he could properly trust in this sea of confusion, a dash of color in this gloomy existence, however things would never easy and as any hero or vigilante or whatever name they gave him, he would have to fight his way out of this and who he fought against hurt the most.
He heard the tearing of her top and almost raised an eyebrow, but that didn't happen since she wrapped a carbon fiber line around his throat, wasn't his first rodeo, he knew the tearing feeling against his skin, the way all his blood vessels would be shut down and cut the oxygenation to his brain, how his eyes felt like they would pop, he could see blood vessels popping in his eyes, if he didn't do anything he would die by the hands of the woman he loved. The way she pressed her foot against his back made it all the more clear how much she wanted to kill him, how snuffing his life was her only alternative, ruthless, merciless, a true black widow. He felt himself slipping as the cable cut through the flesh of his throat. He needed to act fast or else she was gonna kill him, his arm moved almost by itself, defense mechanisms that analyzed threats and would act accordingly, the treat in particular was the wire around Bucky's throat.
A dagger would slip out of the top wrist part, almost like Wolverine's blades, the arm jerked upwards and cut the wire like butter. Bucky gasped for air for a second, reflexes kicking in now that he had blood in his brain. He was sitting on one knee, his next action needed him to jerk his upper body to the side so he could smack his elbow against the side of her head, they were close so he didn't have much space to wind up, but even so his strength was deadly, if he managed to successfully connect he would follow up by rolling forwards and getting his distance from her, they were both deadly at close range, but James was at a disadvantage since he didn't know the fighting ground, but at least no one would be able to hear them outside thanks to the downpour. "Sorry we have to do this, Nat, but spies gotta be spies."
Romanova:
The remnants of the fiber wire were discarded and she barely made it out of the way of the swinging elbow as she transitioned to defense mode. While she didn't take the full brunt of the blow, it still had her somewhat stumbling. The red-topped killing machine brushed the vertigo off like it was dust. Before he turned around, bare feet slapped against the floor as the woman jogged right up to him and jumped, her weight landing on his shoulders, those lovely thighs locking over his neck -- again. Seemed to be her go-to move -- Thigh Crush™. Except her goal was to snap his neck now that she had put some wear on it. One hand grabbed the back of his head and a handful of his damp hair while the other was tied around his neck, shoved right under his jaw and trying to twist with enough force to fracture the cervical vertebrae. It was easy with that one soldier back at the military base, but Bucky was a formidable opponent and she knew he would work against the force and resist.
It wasn't surprising that she'd continually target the head/neck area -- if there was any severe damage to that region, it would likely render the victim either dead or disabled. It meant that she was dead serious and that was terrifying in itself.
Barnes:
There was absolutely nothing he could do to change her mind. She was hellbent on killing him, the only way they could have a chat is if she was thoroughly defeated, by him. He was going easy, trying to knock some sense into her, trying to talk to her like she was HIS Natasha. Like she would hear the voice of a man that was also known as a ruthless murderer. He closed his eyes, seeing the image of those cold eyes staring through the darkness, beckoning him to join them. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want to regret things, but once he opened his eyes again there was nothing but cold determination of someone who had killed people in the hundreds. The winter soldier needed to play his part, caring for citizens, protecting people, being a hero? That was his duty, yes, but not what he was good at. He needed to tap into his inner strength lest she would kill him and all the questions and answers would go down the drain alongside his body. -c-
She went for her trademarked move, something that had killed many in the past. The idea itself of having Natasha Romanoff's thighs around his head was one he thought about in a blue moon, but context was all that mattered and right now those shapely thighs were out to kill. He stumbled back a feel feet, swatting her hands away when she tried to grab his hair. He started to scream, hurting the inside of his throat even further, but then it came — the blows. His mechanical would veer to the side and smack the woman at the side of her ribs. With enough force to tear through a car door. He punched the same spot with surgical precision, bones would shatter, but that was his only way out of not being killed.
Romanova:
Despite her efforts to prevent him from acting against her by applying pressure and strain to his neck, that mechanical arm whirred up to slam into her side. As expected, she was knocked right off him and hit the floor with a 'thud', expelling a sharp gasp from the pain of damaged ribs. It wasn't just a couple -- multiple bones were fractured like twigs snapping underneath heavy soles. How pitiful she looked with her cheek pressed against the barren floor and her body writhing, but it was only fleeting. After all, broken ribs never completely hindered her, so the moment was short-lived. She was using the nearby dresser to support herself, fingers feeling their way up the compartments; however, instead of using the furniture to push herself up, she violently jerked one of the drawers out and flung it right at his face. It was only a distraction to give her more time, so she could rise and make her way out of the door and go for the staircase.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the railing and threw her hunched body over, free falling to the first floor. The drop wasn't large at all, but because of the internal injuries, it hurt like a bitch when she landed on her feet and the impact traveled up her legs to her midriff. The small whimper of pain was stifled -- never show weakness. Never show pain. That was a lesson from the past. If he followed her, and he most likely would, he would be met with a flurry of rounds from a rifle equipped with a suppressor. She had to remove herself from that room not only to give them space, but to fetch and use a weapon such as this one.
Barnes:
This was business as usual, he needed to extract information from an enemy spy, someone who had just as much training as he did, he still felt the wheezing breath burning in his trachea, the blood dripping onto his top, not at all ready for battle at this point, he didn't come armed, he didn't even bring one of his combat knives, he was banking on the fact Nat would talk to him, but in troubled times like these, almost all of New York under the control of Hydra, it was hard to find friends or people one could trust, especially one with a bumpy track record like Barnes'. He took a deep breath, stomping forward like a villain a slasher movie, slow, but decided. The woman had fallen on the floor, whatever he did to her probably hurt like hell, she was wounded, but so was he, his vision was blurry because of the amount of time his head remained without oxygen and how much strain she put on his neck, her vicious attacks would leave (another) mark.
When she threw the drawer he smacked them away with his metal arm, making a whole lot of noise and sending wood shrapnel everywhere, he continued walking forward, but she had disappeared from his view, the brief moments where she had clouded his vision were enough for her to go completely unnoticed. He only found out where she went once he saw the door open and the sound of a body hitting the floor. What the FUCK was she doing? Silent steps towards the door and once he peeked in to look down at her the volley of fires almost caught him off guard, lighting flex reflexes were the only reason he get shot head on, but that didn't be he didn't get shot, luckily for him it the bullet just scraped the left side of his chest and bounced off his metal arm, more blood dripping. Hiding behind the door he would try to peak and speak to her. "God damn it, Natasha, what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you really want both of us to die?"
Romanova:
He really had the nerve to ask her that after he shattered her ribs? "What do you think I'm doing?" The woman calmly inquired, keeping the barrel of the rifle aimed upwards. He would be wise to keep his head behind the door -- her precision, even from this distance, wasn't so bad. The only reason it wasn't perfect was because of the pain bugging her, but her hold tightened on the firearm and she clenched her teeth to bare it. "Neither of us are going to die... you wouldn't let that happen." That was just another bit from these occasional memories she had, but also a good assessment of the situation. He wasn't planning on killing her, but he also wasn't going to allow her to kill him because of it. He was a dangerous man and she wouldn't ignore that fact. The temporary obstruction of his vision and her broken bones wouldn't hinder their endurance -- they were both determined. "-- you should leave, James, before this gets messier than it already is."
She wasn't going to stop and while he couldn't be trusted, she'd at least give him the opportunity to bail.
Barnes:"Being irrational and trying to to kill me because you want to lone wolf around until you get yourself killed doing something stupid?" Harsh, but that's what people in his line of work called.an aggressive negotiation. There was nothing to do besides clash and see who came out on top, if he did then he would had a shattered black widow to take care of that would, again try to kill him, but at least he would have enough time to talk. "God damn it, Natasha, you saved me in the Arctic, we both could have died there, you didn't need to, but you did. Isn't that enough reason to trust you? Why can't you do the same." He was getting a bit angry at the situation, not because of her, but himself, if he didn't leave her mind blank, it would be easier for this to happen, but right now he needed to do something. He looked back at the at the cabinet with the drawers shattered on the floor and that gave him an idea. "I'm not leaving you alone out here, Nat, no can do."
He dashed towards the furniture and pulled it back, all the silverware and expensive porcelain breaking, of course, he ran used his metal arm to pull it towards the stair case and dropped it down, letting it slide and bump his way down the stairs, a moving shield to keep the bullets (mostly) from hitting his body. Once the furniture went down one flight of stairs he steered it towards her and broke through the wood, jumping to get the upper hand on her, trying to body slam the woman into the ground. They have made a lot of noise at this point, so Hydra troops might already be on their way. They needed to get the hell out of there together if any one of them wanted to leave the apartment alive.
Romanova:
"You think that's going to work? You're the stupid one, thinking you could just show up at my window and have a discussion with me like we aren't at odds." Ah yes, former comrades exchanging insults. Typical. "-- saving you doesn't mean I trust you, Barnes. I don't always kill the ones I distrust. If I did, a lot more people would be dead because of me." When he started to move, she unleashed another barrage of bullets. They tore through the piece of furniture, but didn't seem to scathe him at all. The dresser was easily avoided, but his burly physique coming at her like a two-ton truck? Not only did she suffer a rough landing on the floor, but she slid along it to a stop, having the breath knocked right out of her. The Widow was vicious, though the difference in their body weights couldn't be ignored -- she was lighter than him, so with a move like that, he hit harder. Period.
Despite the labored gasps for breath, the sharp inhales at the numbing pain, her limbs coiled around him -- but not in a deadly grip. She was simply holding him close to her, pinning his figure against hers, and remaining motionless. How well they fit together. "Sh." The utter silence would allow them to hear the approaching Hydra troops. They were still a little far. "We have to go." Pulling her head back, her eyes bore into his. "I hope you have a mode of transportation." So much for being a solo act.
Barnes:
Things would always come to an end, fights more than anything else, if this continued for too long one of them would probably end up dead. Her fighting style was so graceful like the ballerinas from the black widow project, his now defunct Wolf Spider project had a more ruthless way of dealing with things which was a clear discrepancy between their fighting styles. Once he jumped through the furniture and crashed down on top of the woman he had already winded back his metal arm to crash it next to her head to show some compassion and maybe have her answering some questions and listening to what he had to say. He had wiped the floor with her, but he wasn't doing anything insulting to sully her honor. He was just keeping her at bay, no more tricks, restrain and interrogate, just like he was trained to do many times in the past. He was panting, blood from his throat and his chest dripping down onto her chest.
He suddenly was puled close to her, face getting uncomfortably close, he thought she would take a bite out of his cheek or something, but no this was something different, something more dangerous. He groaned and was ready to talk when she told him to shush. That's when he heard it, people, voices, feet moving closer. He rolled out of her, it was really obvious that an enemy of my enemy is my friend situation was happening here, the woman still didn't trust him, but she might need him to survive. "The information, do you have it? The drive you took from them back in the Arctic? That's more important than a few bruises. They must not get that info."
Romanova:
After he rolled off, she wasn't too quick to move. Normally she'd kick herself up back to her feet, but in her condition, she had to do it the unimpressive, ol' fashioned way. She slowly started to rise. "Of course I do, but not on me. As you can see, I'm a little lacking. I'm going to get what I need and then we're leaving. Be ready." And with that, she started making her way past the mess and up the stairs. The drive wouldn't be the only thing she'd collect -- weapons, any other files, etc. would all be stuffed into a backpack. She'd throw a trench coat on just to be decent in public and slip a pair of boots on -- no time to care about her appearance other than having the essentials. Every now and then she'd have to pause to curl her arm around her ribs, bite back the pain, and then continue. The bones would naturally heal within 3 days. 2 if she's lucky. If time permitted, she wouldn't leave without setting up a few traps.
The Widow liked to leave destructive presents, goodbye kisses from her to Hydra.
- lost a few posts -
Romanova:
Her head tilted as she registered what he said, observing him with a curious look. "Still?" Of course she would ask. What did he even mean by that? There wasn't any time for an explanation and she wouldn't dwell on it -- they had to go, and covering large heights was something that people in their position had to do almost daily. At least the explosive force would give him a little push if he needed it. There was a stifled chuckle against his shoulder. "I thought they'd be at little more careful, but that was a good 5 minutes in." Then again, it was her they were dealing with. Upon reaching the other building, as expected, he would be taking the brunt of the landing -- but he was used to this. He was trained. And while she didn't know much about him (but certain details were trickling in now and then?), she felt like she knew more than she thought she knew. Her body had been jolted a bit, but she hung onto him firmly.
If he needed to release her legs to free his arms, that was fine -- they would remain in place, gripping at his sides. When he bounded to another rooftop and her hold on him loosened, she hastily readjusted herself. "Yes," she murmured, reassuringly. Relaxing closer to his neck, she breathed in the fresh scent of rain on him, but also... well, he smelled pretty nice. This was probably something that had gone unnoticed up until now, considering that whenever she was close to him, it was either a perilous situation or she was trying to kill him. "You prepped for the occasion." She'd quip, very out of context, and he either picked up on it or he didn't. It could've been that he was just a pleasant-smelling k̶i̶l̶l̶e̶r̶ agent. No one said that they had to have bad hygiene when they're on a mission to slice someone's throat.
Barnes:
As Captain America he had done plenty in the past, even more daring feats than what he had just accomplished, but still to remain steady after jumping a 6~7 story height? No regular human could do this and leave unscathed, thankfully he was always at the top of his game thanks to Fury's own infinity formula that both he and Nat possessed. His neck injuries would heal in a day tops, maybe even a few hours if he was lucky and they didn't hit any muscles. His chest wound was another story, he still felt his top dampening with blood. Hopefully she didn't accidentally hit any veins as the bullet grazed through him, that would be terrible, especially when he was riding his bike. The trek through the other building wasn't as easy as the second one. They had to jump off and crash through a window, thankfully most of the neighborhood here was desolate enough that most of the apartment buildings were uninhabited, maybe the owners were still stuck in Manhattan.
They crashed into a seemingly abandoned apartment, but he didn't take too long lingering them before he crashed through the doors and then another set of doors at the other side of the hallway. He didn't have time to apologize or say anything because there they were making a clean, surgical dash through the apartment to reach the other side where the security ladders were and at the bottom of the stairs, sitting by the alley, his bike. He went down two flights of stairs before jumping out, holding onto Nat. They fell right next to the bike, just in time to hear explosions 3 buildings down and cars drifting. They were onto them and things would not be that easy. He needed to pass on the idea that she was smelling him for another time, right now they needed to get on his bike and go. Bucky dropped the woman and quickly got onto his Bike.< /i> "We need to get the hell away from here and quick. Are you still able to handle a gun?"
The question was almost snarky in tone, but he was truly preoccupied with the amount of damage he dished on her. He kicked the support and hit on the accelerator, doing a drift and then zooming out of the alley and into the open, barren road. "They'll be following us, keep your eyes sharp."
Romanova:
He was doing most of the work and she'd whole-heartedly let him. If he had just left her alone, this wouldn't be happening in the first place, but what is reaped must be sown. This getaway was the cherry on top of everything else, like the injuries she had inflicted on him, but Nat wasn't an easy woman. He didn't seem to mind that. As he was crashing through apartments and being her brute equivalent, one arm pulled away from him to sweep something up as they were passing through, and then settled back over his chest. Right on cue, there were blasts in the distance upon his landing. When he dropped her, she swiftly landed on her feet and shoveled the dinner mints she had snatched into her mouth. It's not that she was taking all of this lightly -- it's just that she was so used to it and she understood the urgency.
His question was insulting -- the glare she shot him spoke volumes and, to prove that she could indeed handle a gun, she withdrew one of her firearms from her backpack and loaded it. She didn't need to say anything; sometimes she could be expressive when she wanted to be. Moving to the bike, she slung her leg over it and sat down behind him, hooking her arms around his midriff. "I know." The road was barren for now, until a few Hydra agents showed up on their tail. She leaned away from him and extended the arm that still clenched the gun, firing off a single round that caused one of the vehicles to veer off the road. A few more followed -- a headshot here, a tire there -- her precision was fairly solid, though she had to duck back down behind Barnes whenever her body started aching. "'Are you still able to handle a gun'..." She mocked, but she'd learn to appreciate his consideration. There would be no special, flashy feats that night, only them fighting for survival.
She would make sure that no one would land a hit on him while he had control over the bike, for his sake and her own. If anyone was going to hurt him any further this evening, it would be her.
Barnes:
They were on the run, fugitives of a fascist law that if those monster caught up to them, their future was suffering leading to inevitable execution.He heard about all the deaths that happened inside of Hydra prisons, people were treated well until they tried something funny, once that happened it was immediate transference to the killing grounds where they were tortured and shot to death. It was a dictatorship's regime that was growing more and more into the end of the world and knowing that Rogers was at the forefront of all this? It broke his heart, but they could fight back,they just needed the cosmic cube and Kobik to stop throwing tantrums and not be in the custody of Nazi scientists. A bullet zooming past his head brought him back to reality, they were storming through the barren roads of Brooklyn, going uptown towards Queens. They were at the center of Hydra operations where Captain America himself was positioned and he didn't want HIS company right now.
Natalia was an absolute marksman with the brutality needed to win this war. Cars were veering around as she threw pot shots at their pursuers. "We are going to have to take the long way. Go upstate." He turned to look back at her and then turned a sharp left to enter an alleyway to appear at the other side of a building, breaking through fences and deftly maneuvering around trash dumpsters. "We can't stay around the New York Area anymore, it was just a matter of time before they found you, I'm not say this is the perfect situation, but at least you have a getaway." He continued down another barren road, there were abandoned vehicles here and there. New York city was a dead town, no one dared to live here, at the center of Hydra operations.
Romanova:
"Do whatever you need to do to get us out of this place, James. We're already losing them. Soon we'll be in the clear. You just need to stay focused. I'm covering you." Again, she bent her upper half back to point her firearm at approaching Hydra officers. There was an exchange of gunfire, but she had nudged Bucky's head down slightly, so that a couple of bullets would miss him. She stuck to her word. It seemed like they were good for now... until another Hydra agent appeared on a bike in order to catch up to them. In a reflexive action, she had grabbed Bucky's bionic arm, plucked it right from the handlebar WITHOUT warning, and used it to parry a bullet that came flying in her direction. What could she say? It was handy. Luckily, it was only for a split second, so that he could grab the handlebar again and she could be on the offense.
The next projectile would nail this sneaky Hydra goon right between the eyes, his lifeless body toppling off the bike that swerved off the road and crashed into a trash pile nearby. She situated her arms back around him. "Take some back roads. They're gone for now."
Barnes:
This woman was insane in how she handled the goons. She would drop them left and right without any remorse. After the second time they veered into a back alley, this time dropping down onto a lower road through the power of bouncing his bike their pursuers were nowhere to be seen. Then he heard it, bikes coming behind them. He had to steer left and right to dodge the incoming bullets. Natalia did two things, she pushed his head down, completely blocking the view from the road for a split second. The second thing she did was take his hand off the steering. That's when he turned back. "Do you WANT us to crash?" Thankfully his incredible balance, would keep them from tumbling down, he felt the knocking of bullets on his metal arm. "Good one." The compliment was quick and so were his next maneuvers, they were already changing their course. -c-
Instead of going up to Queens they were now veering down to Staten Island so they would grab a bridge to New Jersey and from them they would have a smooth sailing inland until they were somewhere far from big cities where Hydra goons could just sneak up on them. "Do you have somewhere to go? I'm kind of at a loss for secret hideout bunkers." He veered the bike another time, going through a desolate Staten Island bridge with cars turned upside down and bullet holes all over the ground. New York City had been completely abandoned, a city that once was the financial and cultural center of the east coast had now turned into a dead corpse where only memories of better times existed.
Romanova:
"James, you can trust me. Besides, it's either you risked crashing, or you got shot in the head. Didn't have much of a choice here." She managed to trust him, at least for this escape, so he'd need to trust her. "No. I don't think it's wise to go to any safe house Tony has set up. Who knows how much information Steve has access to now. We should be careful and lay low. Play it like civilians, which means going to some shabby hotel that I know I'll hate." The woman looked around the area. Well... it looked pretty damn desolate, so she added: "-- or we just occupy an otherwise vacant home." Her current position wasn't exactly helping out her ribs, and her hold on him was loosening even though they were still on the bike.
Barnes:
Shit had cleared up big time for the (not) couple. The skies were clear, even though the day was dawning, they had been fighting all night? Or did he creep on her at a pretty unreasonable time? Damn, it was probably the latter. He continue through the desolate streets of New Jersey. Man what the hell happened to the world? Everything is flipped upside down. He looked backwards to the Hydra helicarriers. Hovering over what probably was Natalia's apartment at this point. "I don't think there is any civilization for another 3 hours, maybe once we go upstate we will find somewhere to stay, I don't know how much people are traveling around these days, so it's easier if we just bunk inside one of these houses, there won't be any power though." They bumped around a neighborhood. "Maybe we can go to Allentown, about an hour from here. We can hunker down there."
Romanova:
Tongue twisted over the stalk of candy in her mouth, rolling the twizzler around as her eyes remained on the screen of the laptop in front of her. Her back was against the headboard of her bed, one leg bent while the other was extended, the computer in her lap. For the happy couple she made them out to be, Klaus and Veronica, it'd be a wonder as to why she chose the room with the double beds. She was sifting through the data while Barnes was out -- the two had arrived in Allentown and since then, had hunkered down in some shoddy hotel room with dim lighting and questionable sounds. She didn't know where Barnes went, but she told him to rap the door with a certain sequence of knocks whenever he came back. If he didn't, he'd have a knife flung at him as soon as he poked his head in. Yes, she could have locked the door, but that'd mean she'd have to get up and right now? She was engrossed in the information she was pulling up, fingertips skimming the keyboard. "Kobik, huh..."
A wince claimed her otherwise curious expression, a hand moving to grasp at her bandaged waist. She was healing quite nicely, with rounds of pain now and then. All part of the process.
Barnes:
Number one rule about being a spy, never tell people where you're going. During torture and interrogation it was easier to be honest than try and lie, humans subconsciously know when someone is telling the truth. We are all rigged that way. He was currently doing surveillance around the perimeter of the hotel, clad in casual clothes he went for a few walks around the neighborhood, sunglasses and an accent would often lead people to completely detach appearances. Plus the fact his hair was tied in a bun, walked with a hunch. People would both recognize him, the character, but not him the actual person. He walked to a grocery store, bought a few snacks, forgot a few words in English, the usual. If he wasn't used to playing characters how could he call himself a spy? Even had bought an arm support to feign that he had his arm broken. However during this little entourage of his, the goal was not to blend in, but to find Hydra moles, cops, agents.
He wasn't a super soldier, nor was Natalia, so they wouldn't be able to find them using their normal inhuman finding methods. He was carrying a bag of goods, so far nothing out of the ordinary, the curfew was from 8am to 10pm, there were police cars, mean policemen, everyone was armed. This was the kind of life people lived under this new dictatorship, hopefully they would have to find a way to break the cycle soon enough, or else. He walked up the stairs and opened the door with his whole body, lost in thought he kind of forgot about their little knock.
Romanova:
Funny how forgetting to knock could endanger someone's life. As soon as the door opened and he poked his head inside, the combat knife was flicked from her hand, rocketing straight towards his temple. She didn't even turn to look -- if it was Barnes, he'd either evade it or catch it. She was well-aware of his skills in combat and if he was anything like her, he'd always be on guard, and his reflexes would be fast. Considering there wasn't a startled cry and a heavy 'thump' from a body collapsing to the floor, and well, she also used her peripherals to monitor what was going on, she coolly stated "I told you to knock." She shoved the rest of the candy into her mouth. "Did you get real food?" Kobik was fascinating but Natasha was starving, and these Twizzlers weren't cutting it. The laptop was set aside and she carried her legs over the edge of the bed, slowly rising to her feet.
Her clothing wasn't much different from what she was wearing back at the safe house -- undies and a bandage top. Bandage tops were totally in, by the way. He was a hard hitter, unforgiving, and it was apparent by the bruises that still mottled her skin. Just like the old days.
Barnes:
It wasn't his fault he forgot to knock, well maybe a little bit. Once he entered the room it was almost like he had tripped over a wire that triggered an explosion. Her movements were extra human, honed through years of training (and torture), just like him. The perfect soldier for a cold war. His 'broken' arm, the iron one broke out of the support and grabbed the knife before it would hit him, by the blade, once he opened his hand the once sharp blade was bent to the image of his closed fist. His neck turned towards her, flat stare. He lifted his bags. "Sorry I had my hands full." Thankfully there was no damage to the property, only to the dagger. "Sorry for the knife, I'll get you a new one once things aren't complicated." He closed the door with his foot and brought the bags over to his bed, reaching inside he grabbed a bag of chips, a couple of heated sandwiches and soda, placing all of them by the bedside table.
Once he stood up with his soda and sandwich in hand he noticed the damage he had caused the woman he loved, even though he still didn't have the strength to tell her that. A coward he was. "Don't think I've had the time to apologize for that." He pointed his sandwich at her bandages and sat on the table, eating his food. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starving as well. "I also got you some more bandages a few shirts for me and a pair of pants for you, seems you're sorely needing those." He teased, throwing the clothes towards her bed and gleaming at her legs and the notebook. "So, what kind of information you've manage to acquire? I would assume the more important files would be extremely encrypted."
Romanova:
"You're just full of apologies tonight." One brow briefly lifted. Fleeting curiosity. "Don't worry about the knife, there's more where that came from." She was more concerned about the food in his arms -- once he set the bag down, she was plunging her hand into it to fish out a sandwich. A few bites appeased her rumbling stomach. "Barnes, I had every intention of killing you, and you want to apologize for the wounds you inflicted on me? I heal fast." Now she reached for a soda, shoving the straw into her mouth to take a sip. She wasn't abashed over his comment about her lack of clothing -- it's not like it was a priority when she was racing out of the safe house. "Extremely encrypted and extremely hackable. It wasn't easy, though." It did take her awhile. "So, some girl called Kobik is responsible for all of this. Except she's not really a girl -- she's a combined entity of the Cosmic Cube fragments. Did I hit the nail on the head?"
Swapping the drink with the sandwich, she claimed another bite of it, and soon there was no more. Her back fell against the headboard again, legs sloppily stretched out. She wasn't any better than him sitting there on the table. "That's how far I've gotten." She doused her throat in more soda.
Barnes:
"It isn't every night I have to fight a... friend." Hesitation. It was almost like he forgot every bit of his training on being a con artist and just spewed things from the heart. He drowned any idiocies he may say with a sandwich that he joyfully munched on with wild abandon. One she mentioned killing him, the man lowered his shirt showing off the healing wounds of his neck. "I guess we wouldn't be here if we didn't heal fast enough." It was weirdly comfortable for him to be eating and drinking with the red head. Just like old times indeed, even if her memory had been wiped it was a good respite to reminisce about past deeds between the two, even if those memories were currently one sided. He was used to Natalia wearing very little clothing, but after such a long time he couldn't resist taking a peek here and there. He rested the can on his side at the table and nodded at her remark. "Yeah, we uncovered her in Pleasant Hill."
"Shield had tried to create a sentient cosmic cube, they succeeded, but kobik is far too unstable. She is a child after all. Something happened and she retconned our existence to a twisted point of view. However I don't know who or what did that to her since soon after the 'change' she was shattered and the shards are now scattered all over the world, I know that one is under Wakandan protection while another sits at the bottom of the Ocean with the Submariner. The rest are either missing or under Hydra control.
Romanova:
"Get used to it, and I'm not referring to myself. These kind of situations put strains on relationships. I wouldn't be surprised if we --" She had said "we", implying they were a team now. Should she go that far? An extra hand wouldn't help as long as they had the same intentions. "If we had to fight someone who would otherwise be considered a comrade. Because now, we have to get these fragments to undo what she's done. If they end up in the wrong hands... well, you know the repercussions. But where do we even start? We need to plan. Perhaps touch base with T'Challa." His favorite person. "We need resources. We need more information, and I still have yet to completely extract all the data on that USB drive. Guess I'm getting too far ahead." -- which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She slid down the headboard and sighed, thoughtfully drumming her fingertips against her abdomen. Her eyes focused on the cracks and crevices in the dingy ceiling above.
There was utter silence, silence that she actually relished in, until... "This bed is uncomfortable." Just a remark -- she didn't expect anything better from a place like this. She had been in worse conditions that she had tough out. She was an agent, not a princess.
Barnes:
THE PERVY COMMENT TO JOIN HER IN BED
Romanova:
"It would take a large amount of prep work, no doubt. Especially with Deadpool, Thor, Vision, and the Scarlet Witch siding with Steve. It's not impossible, we just have to be smart about it. We will have to go to Wakanda -- start from there. Like I said, resources. We need to figure out where we stand right now. We can't do it alone, but we need to be picky about who is included. You get the wrong person... someone questionable... and you've got a good guy gone bad. Understand?" Of course he does. They have a pretty good read on people, it's part of their skill set. After his last comment, she turned her head and gave him a look. Did he just... -- never mind, she was already gathering herself to her feet and going to the bathroom to freshen up, taking some clothes (and other things) with her. When she emerged, she was clad in the very form-fitting pants he got her, and a simple blouse.
She didn't need to be showy -- she shouldn't be gaudy, but it never took away from her natural allure. "I'm going out. There's some time left." Well, that was an impromptu decision to gather intel. She slipped the trench coat on, hiding most of her vibrant hair beneath it, and headed out without another word. It's not that she didn't enjoy his company, or that the remark made her uncomfortable. On the contrary, it only made her feel something unexplainable, and it concerned her. The thought was brushed off like dust swept off the shoulders, a brisk gait taking her down the road. She passed a few officers that had ganged up on a man and were aggressively beating him into submission, quickly disappearing into a bar to settle down and overhear the conversations going on about Steve. An older man was mumbling low about the changes that had happened since Steve had taken over, even mulling over the man himself.
"-- He used to be an American hero, an all-around boy scout I tell ya, and now? Another Hitler. All freedom is lost." Tell her something she didn't know. As he was about to continue, another man leaned close to her, his hand brazenly curving over her thigh. The scent of booze lingered on his breath, but she kept her gaze focused elsewhere. All he was was a faceless goon to her - she'd eat him alive. "I don't think you're supposed to be out this late, missy, especially by yourself. Why don't we--" "I have a husband." She abruptly stated, calmly cutting him off. He let out an impudent laugh. "Hun, times are changin'. He might not be your husband for long, so you might as well live it up while you still can." God help her. She didn't need to break this man's hand, she didn't need to draw attention to herself like she did back at the safe house. Bar fights were common among males and on top of that, with these new Fascist ideals trickling in, women were expected to stay at home. To hide.
Barnes:
What was he doing? At this point not even he would know. Their lives had turned a complete 180 ever since the 'coup'. Closing New York, letting earth's strongest heroes to fend off for themselves in orbit. They had to deal with things their way, undercover. In the shadows. Just like old times. However the mission was getting jeopardized by his own feelings. What the hell was he thinking? Asking her to join him in bed, the idea was that she would be better off WITHOUT him. Gritting his teeth he looked up weighing their options. "You're right, we have to think of how we are going to tackle this situation. Once we get to somewhere stable I will try to search online for pockets of resistance, code words I can identify, breadcrumbs that will lead us to a team that can aid us in battle. Things might be decisive. We didn't have an honest number of all the heroes that are M.I.A., lost in New York or — dead. I know one guy was arrested not too long ago."
He stopped talking to stare at her standing up from her bed and followed her until she was in the shower. Riding that bike for over 2 hours did not sit well with his ass, it still ached from the rocky terrain, say what you will, but Hydra's government didn't help at all with infrastructure, maybe it was all the tanks that roamed through city streets. He heard her voice and veered his head towards her to see that she was fully dressed and putting on the trench coat. "Oh, you're leaving where are you —" And she was gone. He laid there for a moment thinking about all his options and instead of resting he thought 'what the hell' and tossed his clothes away, freshened and dressed up, a new cloak, not stained with blood and a black hoodie to go inconspicuous again. He opened the door, she was probably a few minutes ahead of him at this point, but he knew her well enough so he could make an educated guess to where she was holing herself in.
Barnes had to take a detour from the usual route. An ambulance and a few Hydra hover cars were sitting a few meters ahead of him. Damn this shit needed to happen like this? Now he pulled a few parkour tricks, going up and around the coppers before he witnessed the only open bar that was bustling at that time, close to the curfew , yeah they still had a little bit of time, but not much and being caught out here wasn't on his plans and he would swear those fuckers just WANT people to get caught so they can go full fascim on their asses. Once he walked into the bar he pulled his hoodie down, this was a bad idea to be out in a crowded place like this, people really loved to stare. He tied his hair back into a bun and gleamed around the somewhat full bar and like a hawk he caught a glimpse of Natalia already being accosted by a fool. He leisurely walked towards it, grabbing the man's hand from his alleged wife.
"The world might have to shit, but you shouldn't use that as a crutch. Now scram unless you really want to end up in crutches." The gloved hand, metal underneath squeezed the man's wrist until he barked in pain before releasing. The man, hopefully, would get the message as he walked away clutching his wrist in pain. After the incident is 'solved' for the time being, he joined the woman asking for a glass of beer. "Thought we were supposed to lay low, Nat. Don't see you not drawing attention coming into a small city bar by yourself."
Romanova:
She felt the weight of the hand lift from her thigh and as if on cue, her supposed husband showed up. Shocker. Finally, her head pivoted as the man hobbled away, nursing his wrist. She didn't regard him, but she'd regard Barnes. "You're too predictable. I thought there was a slight chance that maybe you'd use your time more wisely. I didn't want to be holed up in that hotel room and bar talk can be very informative. Are you going to lecture me, sweetie?" A teasing tone. A tone that would unintentionally rope him in, and she wouldn't stop. "I assumed that we improvised these roles for the sake of cover, and they wouldn't carry over behind closed doors." She was referring to his audacious invitation before, not so quickly forgotten. Engrossed in his gaze, the mindless chatter around her became extraneous. Was she losing sight of the mission? Finding that happy place?
If he was moving for his beer, she was already ahead of him, an arm reaching out to take the glass from him without breaking eye contact. It was hers to sip, now.
Barnes:
"I care about twiddling my thumbs as much as anybody else." He replied to her remark with a quip of his, settling close to her, trying to sound and act conspicuous, it was a job of balancing both his body language with his facial expressions. He didn't need no stray idiots flying on their turf. "Bars tend to attract unwanted attention, we're newlyweds, I didn't think you'd be chasing 'adventure' so early." Bucky looked behind his back and when he looked back his beer was gone and in her possession. Shaking his head, the man would ask for another. Munching on her reference to his previous actions. What could he say? "I told your previous companion. World's gone to hell. I would rather spend my last days in a warm bed with company than otherwise." The beer arrived and was suddenly consumed. If he wasn't the only one having doubts about his emotions getting in the way of the mission he would damn well try to hide it by drowning himself in alcohol.
He desperately cleared his glass and asked for another. Newly weds alright.
Romanova:
The corner of her lips lifted to produce a smirk. He actually did start lecturing her -- still being her mentor, not that she remembered. "That was a rhetorical question. Newlyweds aren't attached at the hip at all times, especially if one of them needs to breathe once in awhile. I'm a big girl, Уважаемые." Defensive? Absolutely. She wouldn't admit that he was a bit better at disguises -- only a bit. His actions were dissected, naturally. "You don't need to look over your shoulder, James. Your problem is sitting right next to you." While it was presumptuous of her to say such a thing, no one could handle him like she could -- like trainer like trainee. She relinquished him from that borderline sentimental stare, looking forward instead. "How convenient it is to have a woman with you so you can entertain the idea. I should have hit you for that flippant proposal." Best to just play off his intentions as nothing more than an opportune moment, he never did specify "her" company, anyway.
Barnes:
"Hey, after spending a good hour staring at people and greeting folks trying to blend in and not stand out, I could use a little reprieve. Cops on the streets called in an ambulance, something must've happened. I didn't want to entertain them so I slipped inside the first open pub I saw, seems you had the same idea." He was playing around the quips, half-answering her. "Heh, old habits die hard. I was just checking your friend to see if he wasn't thinking anything funny, he's still too worried about his cracked wrist to bother us. We have plenty of time to talk about our marital disputes." He would keep playing the long game with her, always battling for any sort of edge in conversations. That is one of the things he loved about her, perhaps one day he would be able to admit that again. That realization made him stop talking for a second. What was he doing? He didn't need to push her this far, it was unnecessary, at this point he was playing with her emotions. -c-
Even for the winter soldier this would be cruel. However he just couldn't help wanting to get closer to her. "In these confusing times, where hope falters and we don't know if we are going to live to fight another day. There is no man or woman, super hero or vigilante that I would want to watch my back other than you, Natalia." He rose his brand new tall glass of beer and drank from it, clearing the upper lip with his tongue and resting the beer back onto the table.
Romanova:
"So, you're saying this is a coincidence? That you didn't follow me here, that you just so happened to enter the same bar even though there's another right beside it? That explanation won't work on me -- you knew exactly where you were going and what you were doing. I don't believe otherwise." She answered with inexplicable confidence. As she was about to take another sip of the thieved drink, she paused and looked up at him. That was some deeply instilled trust to have in her. A trust that couldn't have been built overnight. It was... bewildering, especially after she attempted to kill him. What was going on? "You don't even know me." Oh, how unknowingly wrong she was. He knew everything about her. Her grisly past, her fighting style. What she enjoyed and what she disliked, her favorite guise, every intimate detail of her body, every curve, how she liked to be touched --
he knew her better than anyone else, and she unconsciously sucked all of the importance right out of that knowledge he had of her with only 5 words. But he couldn't tell her. He shouldn't, as it would be going back on his reasoning. He made a self-centered decision, albeit for the both of them, to keep her recollections of them locked away. Only he had the key, and it was up to him on whether or not he wanted to free those memories and have them trickling back in. A selfish act to undue another selfish act, as if her mind hadn't been messed up enough as it is.
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