Erotylos: love stones prompt list

Ombria

A/N: A Hydra Colonel takes his family, some scientists, and a small contingent of soldiers to a deserted base they wish to restore. The Asset is brought along to protect the family. When a young recruit kills the Colonel and tries to run off with his daughter, it's the Winter Soldier's duty to restore order, and maybe he can take a little prize for himself. Besides, it's not like he caused this to happen by putting ideas in the recruit's head, after all.

— PAIRING: dark!Winter Soldier x female!Reader
— PROMPT: Ombria - victory over a rival, but keeping it a secret
— WORDCOUNT: 3k

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They had been together for a few months, maybe half a year by then, in that old abandoned fortress in a frozen wasteland, and they had just barely learned to live together — well, most of them did. There was the Colonel, his wife and daughter for some reason, a pack of engineers and builders, a couple of scientists, a cook, a medic, and a squadron of soldiers for protection. Some of them knew the Asset by rumour and reputation, others thought he was a myth, but none of them recognised the man until they saw the arm. It took a while, but they eventually started treating him like any other, though he was more quiet, distant, and unhappy in their midst.

As they went to sleep those early nights, each in their own crusty bunk, they'd wonder and talk among themselves about why they were really there.

"They say there's some spaceship under the snow just three ticks north.

"Who's 'they'?"

"Well, I... I can't reveal my sources."

"You just made that up, didn't you?"

"I heard," another recruit intervened, "that there's a deposit of precious stones nearby. That's why they want to secure the area."

"And who said that?"

"Durko from engineering."

"Durko's an idiot."

"That doesn't mean he's wrong!"

The Asset turned on his side and tried to ignore his fellows.

They had to be up bright and early, every day. Half the soldiers oversaw constructions, or the restoration of old wings, while a few patrolled and some stayed with the family. It was hard to say why they maintained such a strict regiment — it's not like anyone else knew. Communication with the nearest Headquarters was strictly forbidden, for fear of interception by the enemy. So they were on their own, with no expected date of return, constantly digging, repairing, building, maintaining the base. Some of the soldiers were sent on reconnaissance around the area, to scout for hunting grounds.

And when they had nothing else to do, they trained.

Few of the men dared to try themselves against the Winter Soldier, but a younger one did. Nikon was still under the impression that challenges were good — and the Asset could even respect that, though it didn't stay his hand. He couldn't hurt the boy too much, they were not allowed to, but he knocked him to the ground within seconds on their first spar. Within minutes on their fifth one. The boy was angry but had spirit, and took to the Soldier's hits like he was just a training prop, impersonal. He even got quite good after a couple of days... Until he got distracted.

The Colonel's daughter came to watch, bored out of her mind perhaps. Comfortable around the soldiers, at home around a fight, she leaned against one of the pillars that kept the vaulted ceiling up and crossed her arms as she watched Nikon circle the Asset. With her soft blouses and woollen skirts, soft hair tied up at the back, thin shoes clipping on the concrete, she stood out against the uniforms in black and the dust and grime of the base, its past ghosts, the shapeless splatters nobody dared ask about or the dead spiderless webs.