#wscldier

@wscldier || cont'd

She isn't being coy or playing games when she tells him she wishes to be alone, at least in theory. She's gotten as far as she has in the SOE because there's never so much as a nick in the air of competency she wears around herself like armor. It's an armor she can't seem to quite summon the strength for today, much as she might try. Peggy was hoping that her own reputation or her sullen air might keep everyone far enough away to keep from seeing her red-rimmed eyes or the way she needs to pause and collect herself every so often. But then she'd not counted on James Barnes taking an interest in her.

yeah , maybe a little too well , ❞ bucky says , his brow furrowing as he watches her fire two more shots into the target . he knows she has basic shield training , part of how she got into the business && how they met in the first place , but part of him is rather unnerved by the way she easily takes out two of the paper targets with the rather sizeable rifle he's provided her . he removes the safety glasses from his face , hits the button to retrieve the paper targets , though now they RESSEMBLE shredded paper more than they do any semblance of people . part of him wonders if maybe he's brought work home with him a little too often . ❝ that was actually pretty good , ❞ he says . ❝ though , if you don't mind . ❞ he steps around @agntwells , lifting her elbows just slightly higher . ❝ if you go for a HEADSHOT , the likelihood of you offloading so many bullets will be reduced . you aim between the eyes && with the recoil it should hit the centre of their foreheads . ❞

Liza had thought she’d wind up being rusty at this, it’d been a little while since she’d had some proper target practice. Her job didn’t exactly require regular recertification or anything like that, but she knew it never hurt to stay practiced. Turns out she had nothing to worry about, it was like getting back onto a bicycle. Taking a breath, she set the rifle down for a moment as Bucky switched out the targets. “Pft. Too well.” Liza rolled her eyes and shook her head once.

Still, she preened under the actual praise, lifting the rifle back to her shoulder as he came to adjust her posture just slightly, telling her to aim between the eyes. “You make it sound so easy.” Liza muttered teasingly, glancing at Bucky from the corner of her eye and quirking a brow slightly before focusing back on the task at hand and the target in front of her. Lining herself up, she took the shot and--

@wscldier asked: ❛ just hold me and tell me everything will be okay, even if it's a lie. ❜

Bucky’s   voice   had   cracked   just   slightly   at   the   end,   and   that   was   enough   to   freeze   her   in   place   for   a   second.   He   never   asked   for   this—not   comfort,   not   softness.   He   was   the   one   who   stood   guard   at   night,   who   scanned   every   room   twice,   who   always   made   sure   she   walked   on   the   inside   of   the   sidewalk.   Hearing   him   ask   for   something   so   bare   made   her   chest   tighten.

She   shifted   closer   without   a   word   and   wrapped   her   arms   around   him.   He   was   warm   and   solid   under   her   hands,   his   shoulders   tense   like   he   was   bracing   for   something   worse.   Yelena   didn’t   say   “it   will   be   okay”   right   away.   She   pressed   her   face   to   his   neck,   closed   her   eyes,   and   just   breathed   with   him   for   a   while.   Only   when   she   felt   his   arms   start   to   loosen—just   barely,   like   his   muscles   didn’t   know   how   to   stop   fighting—did   she   speak.

She worked better alone.

Always had, always will. 'Spiders are solitary creatures,' as Dreykov was fond of reminding her. So if you asked her, Yelena had received the news of a shared mission fairly well. She could easily have taken it out on more than just training dummies. Really, her handlers should have been pleased. It wasn't like she could have turned it down, anyway.

Yelena was pressed flat on her stomach, rifled cradled in her shoulder as she scanned the horizon through her scope. So far, nothing - nothing but the lightening sky and @wscldier's slow, controlled breathing at her side.

Yelena flexed her stiff fingers on the grip, grimacing. It was strange - working alongside him had her on edge. But not because of him.

It was the silence.

Alone, she expected it. Embraced it. But lying next to him? The Winter Soldier?

It felt like waiting. Like being assessed. Like the prickle that skitters down your neck when someone is observing you.

"Careful, soldat." Yelena said, falling back on her last line of defense - words. Even spoken softly, she felt far too loud in the predawn stillness. "Keep this quiet up and I might start to think you enjoy my company."

another day, another disaster. cherry wouldn't consider herself a regular at this club in particular, but the scene was her natural habitat—historically, at least. it was difficult to remember the last time she was able to let her hair down and allow the music to pulse through her, but tonight wouldn't be a reunion between her and the vibe. as tempting as it all was, she had a mission to complete.

she'd been tracking down a certain boto cor-de-rosa for a week. he wasn't the greatest threat to humanity she'd ever faced, just a significant annoyance. every night, another woman seduced. every morning, another pregnancy and no man to be found. unchecked, there was no telling how long he'd be able to stay in the area before anyone caught on.

she didn't intend to slay or even harm the boto. all she had to do was put the fear in him, let any threat and its implications speak for themselves. crowded as the venues were, it helped that he dressed all in white. that significantly narrowed down her suspects. what she didn't need were obnoxious pricks riding her tail.

sometimes, under very certain circumstances, a teasing rejection could mean, "try a little harder." usually, "no" simply meant no. the stupider the clinger, the harder to shake off. cherry felt guilty pulling a stranger into her strange charade, but he had an imposing enough stature—the kind of striking features that would intimidate when her own failed. it helped that he was a little cute, in that scrappy stray kind of way. she'd picked worse.

when he joined her pantomime, relief flooded. he did just enough to play along without making it weird. she appreciated it more than she could convey. "took you long enough, babe," she cheered, perhaps slightly louder than necessary. her arms rested on his shoulders to keep him close. after pausing a moment, she lowered her voice, enunciated as clearly as she could, and hoped he could read lips. "the pentelho cut his losses yet?"

it probably isn't the wisest idea to break into a super soldier's house. that is, of course, advice for simpler people who aren't also super soldiers.

and, to be fair — it is his fault for not being home when she arrives. yelena at least has the decency to keep her break-in neat & tidy. ( security deposits aren't something you can afford to forfeit in this economy, after all )

to barnes' credit, he shows up within the hour, which means he can catch yelena perched on his kitchen counter and his cabinets wide open, its contents being put through yelena's ... rigorous consideration ...

                                                𝐖𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 & 𝐌𝐗𝐍𝐃𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇