this side of paradise

this isn't the pitch, is it?

Dayton, Ohio

Six Months Earlier

When Yelena picked up Valentina's phone call, she already had an inkling that something was set in motion.

"Thanks for sending me on a murder mission," she snapped.

Valentina merely sighed on the other end of the line. "Oh honey, please don't take that personally—Barton is damaged goods. He needed to be neutralized, and if we're being technical, I didn't lie to you—he is responsible for your sister's death."

Yelena grit her teeth, and bit her tongue from spitting out, yeah, because she sacrificed herself, you conniving liar. "What do you want?" she managed instead.

"Duty calls."

Yelena stopped in her tracks. "Seriously? Already?"

"I'm sending a friend over to meet you, he should be at the coffee shop right in front of your apartment—he'll be able to explain better than I can, I'm a bit tied up at the moment—"

"Of course you are," Yelena muttered.

"—in any case, you shouldn't have a problem recognizing him... let's just say I called in the big guns."

That was all Valentina needed to say before Yelena hung up her phone.

Bucky Barnes smiled back at her. He was holding a latte in each hand.

He titled the one held by his metal arm in her direction. "Oat milk with a dash of cinnamon, right?"

She eyed him for a moment, before taking a step closer to him. She'd heard of him, of course, but they'd never actually met before. She slowly grabbed the coffee from his grasp. "Yes?" she responded, perplexed. The Winter Soldier knows my coffee order.

He nodded, and motioned his head in the direction of the nearby park. "Do you have a few minutes?"

She sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

He shook his head. "No, not really."

"Then by all means, James—" she stuck her arm out, and pointed to the nearest park bench, "—lead the way. I'm sure we have plenty to talk about."

As it turned out, James Buchanan Barnes wasn't a man of many words. They sat down, and without so much as exchanging pleasantries, he got right to the point.

"The visa you're here under—I don't know how much time Valentina and Ross spent going over the fine print with you, but as part of your agreement, they're calling you in."

Yelena waved a hand dismissively, and also to cool off her piping hot latte. She took a sip. "I've been in this country not two weeks and they've already called me in once. What's the rush this time?"

He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "She's putting together a team." He turned to face her.

She stared at him blankly. "A team?"

"Specifically, a team of 'superheroes,' enhanced individuals who can—"

"Oh, dear God." Yelena clutched her chest. "This isn't the pitch, is it?"

He blinked. "The what?"

"I mean goddammit, James, if you're going to ask a girl to become an Avenger, you can do a bit better than coffee—wasn't Spiderman supposed to get a press conference or something, when he was recruited?"