IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟏𝟗

Karina's heavy breathing was all that could be heard in the dark vehicle, which was only lit by the dim street lights outside. The orangey light reflected off the car's blacked-out windows, but it was enough to illuminate the two silent figures.

The car was deafeningly quiet as neither of them moved, too preoccupied with what had happened on the mission. Neither of them had expected to see another person in that apartment, and it had been a close call.

Bucky's trembling hand reached up to unclip the mask that was obscuring his face as he sighed. He shook his head, as if trying to clear it of his thoughts. He cast a glance down at the woman sitting next to him, who had imitated his actions by putting her mask in the duffel bag by her feet.

"You okay?" She asked quietly, trying not to disturb the sense of tranquility that had settled around them. Karina shifted in her seat, her head resting against the cool window, to face the man she was speaking with.

"That guy, he seemed familiar," Bucky whispered, staring down at his lap as he twirled the small blade in his hand, something he did when he was nervous. He glanced up, when he noticed Karina opening her mouth to respond, but he cut her off before she could. "It's not because he's Captain America, Karina," Bucky explained. "It felt like there was something more to it."

Karina gave Bucky a sympathetic look. She'd seen him struggle with his memories many times before, whether it was due to a particular smell or something she had said, it didn't make it any easier for her to watch the torment cloud his eyes like a storm.

"It'll get better, Солнышко," she said softly, placing her hand on Bucky's shoulder as he sighed heavily. "I can feel it, we'll be able to leave soon," she said mystically, wiggling her fingers like a fortune teller.

Bucky huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes; he'd grown accustomed to her corny jokes, but her timing never failed to surprise him.

"Come on, we'd better get going before Pierce has our heads," Karina said as she started the car. But before she could, the car speaker went off and Pierce's name flashed on the screen. "Speak of the devil," she muttered as she pressed the green phone icon.

ⴵ

Pierce sat at his desk in his home office, surrounded by stacks of papers and files. The room was filled with ringing as he awaited the news of Nick Fury's death. As Karina's stoic voice came through the speaker, he leaned back in his comfortable leather chair.

"Is he dead?" He inquired urgently, cutting to the chase.

"Yes."

"Good. Do not return to the base; you may be needed if something else occurs." Pierce said pinching the bridge of his nose as he hung up the phone, feeling his head begin to pound. The real reason he didn't want them to return to the base was that Steve had grown suspicious of not only Hydra but also of him.

If something happened at the base, he couldn't afford to lose his two best weapons. He required their assistance in assassinating America's golden boy and the Black Widow. Soldier versus soldier. Widow versus Widow. Pierce was hungry for bloodshed.

ⴵ

"Where exactly are we supposed to go?" Karina asked after Pierce hung up the phone. Neither of them knew Washington very well, as they were always required to return to base once the mission was completed.

"Well, it's 6 a.m. now, so we could drive around for a while before finding somewhere to eat?" He questioned as he glanced out the window, pondering what ordinary people do in their spare time.

"That sounds good to me," Karina replied. She found the entire situation amusing, two deadly assassins 'going out for food,' the idea of them doing something so normal fascinated her.

She started the car and drove away from their unassuming parking spot on the quiet street. Karina gazed out the window in awe as her eyes welcomed the sunrise that came as a golden portal to a world of everlasting light. How the greens and blues rose into a new and vibrant glow - it mesmerised her.

She shook herself out of her trance and focused on the road ahead of her until she saw a sign for a mall. Karina parked the black car in the underground car park's far corner. She shook her head as she looked at her and Bucky's outfits, both black combat outfits with Bucky's metal arm on display.

"Wait a minute," Bucky said, grabbing his duffel bag by the feet. He removed a pair of jeans, a red Henley, a cap, and a glove from his bag. Karina took a look at him, impressed by his preparation. "You should have some clothes in your duffel bag," he said as he stepped out of the car.

Karina had guessed that he had gone to change clothes somewhere. She followed his advice and unzipped her duffel bag. There was a pair of jeans, a jumper, and a cap at the bottom. She expertly changed in the car as she had been in the same situation many times before.

She met Bucky outside, who was facing away from the car. She looked at him in his civilian clothes and let out a small chuckle; it was a rare sight, and he appeared very uncomfortable.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny. Let's go," he said, starting to walk away from her. He walked stiffly and upright, as if he was used to carrying a heavy gun.

She swiftly caught up to him and grabbed his arm, muttering quietly, "stop walking like an assassin," as they slowed their walk to a leisurely pace.

As they approached the mall's entrance, an elderly couple walked past them. "Good morning, Ma'am, Sir," Bucky said as they passed by. Both Karina and Bucky were taken aback by what came out of Bucky's mouth; was this the Bucky before Hydra took hold of him?

As Bucky held the door open for her, Karina smiled softly. The aroma of food drew them to the fast food restaurant. The mall was huge, and it was overflowing with busy families and couples.

Bucky scanned the area, his gaze darting to every corner, while Karina placed their food order. Bucky paid for the food with the extra cash he kept on hand just in case.

He took their tray as they made their way to a table with a view of the entire mall. Karina was digging into her food while watching families and friends laugh together. Until her gaze was drawn to the escalator.

"Ew, look at that," she said, kicking Bucky's shin under the table while pointing to the escalators.

Bucky looked at her angrily before turning to see what she was talking about. On the escalator, a couple was making out as people looked away, clearly uncomfortable. Bucky averted his gaze, clearly disturbed by the PDA he had just witnessed.

"Did you really need to point that out?" He asked, evidently irritated, as he continued to pick at his food. That is, until he heard the chair in front of him scrape on the floor as Karina rose from her seat.

"Wait, isn't that SHIELD?"